Does a pink bear sh*t in the woods?
Like a politician speaks falsehoods!
My dad would rightfully say, “Be careful, don’t step in the hoy[t]a!“
Compliments of some good old Native American humor.
At one point, probably from Reader’s Digest! 🙂
(Credit Photo; Andy Blumenthal)
What will restarting the economy after Coronavirus look like?
Well Israel has a well-thought-out 4 Phase Plan (pending approval) and I would imagine that the U.S. plan will look something very much like this:
– Phase I: Tech and Finance, some Import/Export industries, 50% of Public Sector, and Preschool
– Phase II: Commerce/Retail Stores, Elementary School (ages 6-10)
– Phase III: Cafes, Restaurants, and Hotels, and most of the rest of the Education system
– Phase IV: Leisure and Entertainment: Culture, Sports, Large Shopping Malls, and Flights
There are 4 additional key provisions to this plan:
– 2 Week Buffer between phases to review and evaluate success before moving forward with the next phase.
– “People over 60 and at-risk populations will not resumenormal activity throughout the four phases.”
– Resuming these activities occurs with the exercise of continued caution (e.g. social distancing, testing, etc.)
– Expect 2nd outbreak in the Fall and therefore continue to build up healthcare capabilities in preparation for this
This sounds like an excellent plan as a basis to reopen and one that we can and should build upon. 😉
(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal and thank you to my sister for sharing this with me)
So I thought this was an interesting risk management strategy…
One colleague joked with me that:
“Everyone should just wrap themselves in bubble wrap!”
Reminded me of that game where people put on big wearable inflatable bumpers and then smash into each other for fun.
The problem though is that sometimes we put on the bubble wrap, bulletproof vest, or seat belt, but then we get stupidly overconfident.
We think we are protected, but nothing human in impenetrable.
So the person with the seat belt and air bag drives too fast and off a cliff and still gets him/herself killed.
Or the person with the bulletproof vest gets shot with a high caliber armor piercing shell or in the back of the head.
Like on many cars, where the mirror says, “objects in mirror are closer than they appear,” we need not over rely on safety, protective, and risk measures and still do stupid things.
One guy told me, he backed up into the wall in the garage, because he thought there was more room and that’s not how things looked in the mirror.
Let’s face it, there is no bubble wrap that can fully protect us from life.
Everyday we face risks out there, and we need to manage them with common sense or else… 😉
(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
It’s funny, when the way forward is uneven, broken, or fraught with danger, and someone just puts out a sign (and orange cone) warning you to be careful.
Sure, it’s the responsible thing to do–protect people from misstepping.
But even with the largest, loudest warnings, there always seem to be some people who just go right ahead anyway and tempt fate–they step on that 2nd broken stair.
Maybe it doesn’t give way (this time for this person) or maybe it does.
But they are too busy, too much in a rush, or too cocky to pay heed or else they like to play the odds–hey, what are the odds that something will actually happen to “me”?
The more cautious, perhaps smarter folks look for another way–using their ingenuity to go over, under, or around the obstacle in their path–in this case stepping over the broken 2nd step.
Other may yet be deterred altogether and just turn backwards, giving up on their trek or just stop in their tracks like a deer in the headlights frozen by indecision.
I’d suggest that it is well worth it to take the time to look around you, sense the environment, and make a sound judgement before giving up or stepping stupidly into the ditch, minefield, quicksand, or on the broken step.
It’s much harder to get out of trouble than to avoid it to begin with.
I joke with one of my colleagues that they always have time to do things a second time (always!), but because they are rushing, never enough time–or focus–to do it right the first one.
Watch your step, because some of them of definitely broken. 😉
(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
So this was a funny photo we took in Ft. Lauderdale.
Right in the jaws of a very large shark…
Must’ve been a little what it felt like to be Jonah swallowed up by the big whale.
“Hey let me outta here…please!”
This whole thing reminded me of something I heard from a colleague.
At one time, he had said cautioningly, “You better dip your toe in the water, because there may very well be sharks in there.”
In other words, watch out from some {unscrupulous and dangerous} people–they have their own motives, hidden agendas, sources of power, and they may be VERY intense on getting what they want, so be careful–don’t get in their way (at least not directly).
Hey, can’t you almost see the large, strong jaws–snapping, snapping, snapping.
And the very important lesson here is that if you dare dip more than your toe in the shark-infested water, rest assured that you can lose a lot more than a foot.
(Source Photo: The Blumenthals)
I took this photo in the Washington, D.C. Metro today.
What do you think it is?
Lots of electronics, wires, lights–and in front of it and holding the door open is a “caution” pylon.
This is one of the faregates to get into the metro system for the Capital region.
Now how “smart” is it to leave the door wide open to this contraption.
Usually the basics of physical security is gates, guards, and guns–in this case, the gates part is broken.
The Department of Homeland Security was provided another week of funding to work out the immigration mess pitting Congress against the President…
But even with DHS still up and running, security is looking a little too wide open again. 😉
(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
Just a quick lesson I wanted to share from my grandfather.
He used to say (or so my dad used to tell me), “You open your eyes or you open your wallet!“
Put another way is that “A fool and his money are soon parted.”
But I like the way my grandfather put it even better–easier to remember and no name calling involved! 😉
(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
This was an interesting student portrayal showing decision on whether someone is a friend or foe–I like it!
On the face of it, is a computer screen “head” with pictures of a drone for surveillance and a fighter jet for carrying out battle.
In the right hand is a rose for the friend, and in the left hand is a gun for the foe.
On the bottom, it says “You Decide” with little pieces of hanging paper marked “Friend”or “Foe” and you pick one.
To me, the kid that designed this is pretty smart–smarter than a lot of adults today,
Why?
To many people, everything is black or white–for example, liberals may default to everyone as good and trustworthy until shown otherwise, while conservatives may take the alternate track where they assume people are bad and we should be cautious with them and be prepared to defend ourselves.
Neither is simply right or wrong–it’s just how we approach things–although for me, it’s definitely you have to earn trust, and still it’s important to verify!
The kid that made the friend or foe robot apparently realizes that we have to discriminate between those people that are friends and those that are enemies–and act accordingly.
Surveillance is a good thing and being ready to defend ourselves is a very good thing.
Sometimes, those that masquerade as friends are really foes, and those that challenge us may really be our best friends.
We must be very discriminating in determining who is who–and be ready with both rose and gun. 😉
(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
This picture from this week in D.C. needs no commentary…except maybe, that’s no good!
“Over here, over here, I got it!” 😉
(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
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