BagOfNothing.com

I received the following instant message yesterday, “Keith, please check the email I sent you seven minutes ago – no rush – thx.”

I’m sure I’m not the only one who misses having a president who enriched his mind by reading and then applying the material for the safety and enrichment of his country.

Modern federal pandemic planning dates back to the summer of 2005, when then-President Bush tore through a book chronicling the deadly 1918 Spanish Flu pandemic while vacationing at his Texas ranch. He was riveted, and upon returning to Washington, Bush “asked his team to come up with plans for the nation to respond to a naturally occurring outbreak,” Bossert said.

“[Bush] was worried that we weren’t prepared as a country to handle that, should it happen again,” Bossert added. “And, in fact, he was right.”

MORE: 64% distrust Trump on coronavirus pandemic; approval declines as cases grow: POLL
A pair of health scares around the same time compounded Bush’s fears. The U.S. largely managed to dodge a 2003 SARS virus that ravaged parts of Asia and Canada. In 2005, an avian flu that threatened Eastern Europe further rattled public health experts.

“The combination of those events and the growing recognition of the threat of pandemic diseases … really got us to our major efforts around pandemic preparedness in 2005, ’06, ’07 and ’08,” said Lawler, the former Bush- and Obama-era NSC official.

What does Trump do? Redesigns Air Force One to make it look like a budget airline.

WifeGeeding’s first job out of college was teaching in Athens, though it was a private school. I had no idea that insurance covers such a thing.

Athens ISD pays $50K for release of data in ransomware attack

 Athens ISD Board of Trustees has agreed to pay a $50,000 ransom for school data that was taken in a criminal ransomware attack.

The attack targeted data stored on district servers, backup systems, and hundreds of computers. As a result, access to data has been blocked including teacher communications, student schedules, grades, and assignments.

“We can’t afford to not pay it,” said AISD Board President Alicea Elliott. “It would take us months to rebuild all that data so that we could start school.”

AISD affirms they do have cyberattack included in its insurange coverage, and a claim is being processed.

I’ve had a bit of a setback regarding my back. Per my specialist, I’m experiencing faster than normal degenerative changes above and below my spinal fusion. The vertebrates above the fusion are a bit worst off than the ones beneath. The term spondylosis was thrown at me. Before my fusion, I had several steroid epidurals performed on my back, now it appears I’m going to receive some facet joint injections. It’s an in-office procedure in which my doctor will use a fluoroscopy x-ray to guide an injection of cortisone and other fun stuff into several facet joints. The timing of things stink. I’ve met my deductible but my employer is switching to a new plan which starts on the first of August. If I’m lucky, maybe I can find a Groupon for this procedure. At the least, I should see what’s available on Craig’s List.

Conservative think tank leader says schools should reopen since most Texans dying from COVID-19 are elderly or Hispanic – In an interview, Vance Ginn said the intention of his Twitter thread was to outline the more thorough data provided by the state. He also said his tweet with a GIF was “woefully taken out of context out of bad faith.”

“Why not #openschools, end universal mandates, target vulnerable & check those from #Mexico?” Ginn wrote in a since-deleted tweet. He juxtaposed his tweet with a GIF of Prince Harry of Wales miming a mic drop.

He later apologized for tweeting the GIF. “It’s been brought to my attention that the gif may have been perceived as insensitive. I apologize as that was not my intention,” he tweeted.

Emirates will pay $1,765 for your funeral if you catch COVID-19 while traveling

Emirates has a new strategy for boosting passenger demand in the midst of a global pandemic: coronavirus insurance. If one of its passengers is diagnosed with COVID-19 during their journey, the Dubai-based airline will cover their medical expenses, up to €150,000 (about $176,000). It will pay €100 ($118) per day for quarantine costs — such as a hotel room — for up to two weeks. And if the worst happens, Emirates will offer €1,500 (about $1,765) for a passenger’s funeral.

Kevin McCarthy accidentally calls Louie Gohmert "Congressman COVID" pic.twitter.com/UcQcvHtEU9

— The Recount (@therecount) July 29, 2020

This was a bit more interesting than I initially thought, but then again, my first thought was Pulp Fiction. – Here’s How French McDonalds Are Different From American Ones

Those potato chips look good.

The biggest Emmy nomination omission was Better Call Saul‘s Rhea Seahorn and her portrayal of Kim Wexler.

The Watchmen was nominated for a slew of them and I’m ticked at myself for not recognizing Lou Gossett Jr.

I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again, I can’t believe as much crazy as this administration has been that Sarah Palin has been appointed to something to contribute to it.

I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again, this country is still better off with a Trump presidency than a Ted Cruz presidency.

As if this year couldn’t get any weirder – Mystery seeds from China are landing in Americans’ mailboxes

The USDA and agriculture officials in multiple states have issued warnings about unsolicited shipments of foreign seeds and advised people not to plant them.

“USDA is aware that people across the country have received suspicious, unsolicited packages of seed that appear to be coming from China,” the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) said in a statement Tuesday.

It said it is working closely with federal and state partners, including Customs and Border Protection, to investigate.

I’m surprised with today’s vast amount of resources the type of seeds weren’t identified.

Kodak is branching out into pharmaceuticals with US investment

Kodak, once a powerful force in photography, is branching out into pharmaceuticals and the US government plans to give the company a $765 million loan to support its efforts. Kodak will create a new business arm, Kodak Pharmaceuticals, to produce ingredients needed for drug manufacturing.

The $765 million loan is being made available under the Korean War-era Defense Production Act, which the Trump administration has previously used to speed up production of ventilators, masks, and other medical equipment to help fight COVID-19. As part of its pharmaceutical work, Kodak plans to produce ingredients for drugs such as hydroxychloroquine, according to The Wall Street Journal.

You can have white Santa if you must.
But you can’t have white Jesus.
Nope.
Sorry.
Can’t.
And here’s what I want to know. Why the heck do you want one??
Why can’t we just go with the Jesus we got?

— Beth Moore (@BethMooreLPM) July 28, 2020

Comparing The Droplets We Spray Out When We’re Wearing No Mask, Cloth Masks And Surgical Masks

Hollowed-Out Jet Engine Camper Took Over Six Years and 1,000 Hours to Build

Having liquid nitrogen applied to that spot on my nose went better than expected. She had to do it three times and I only felt a very sharp pain for about a half-second each time. It is supposed to take three weeks for that spot to heal along with some scabbing and a bit of pain, but to my surprise, nothing hurts. My nose feels better than ever. I used to get a sharp pain in my nose whenever I would scrunch it for whatever reason but now there’s no pain whatsoever.

The fastest vaccine ever developed was for mumps and that took four years. I don’t think we’ve been working on COVID-19 even for a year. But the mumps vaccine happened in the early sixties and we’ve advanced quite a bit with medical science. Of course, the biggest chunk of development is simply the trial period.

I was thinking about those handfuls of churches in which snake-handling still occurs. If they aren’t worried about getting bit by a venomous snake, I’m pretty sure you can’t convince them not to gather or even wear a mask.

Melania Trump Will Revamp White House Rose Garden

The project, which includes electrical upgrades for television appearances, a new walkway and new flowers and shrubs, is meant to be an “act of expressing hope and optimism for the future,” according to remarks Mrs. Trump delivered to the Committee for the Preservation of the White House on Monday morning. “Our country has seen difficult times before, but the White House and the Rose Garden have always stood as a symbol of our strength, resilience and continuity.”

You just don’t see this sort of thing and I’m sure he’s embarrassed as all get out. I bet his peers aren’t going to allow him to live this down, and I’m curious if he’s going to get into some sort of trouble. These men are stringently trained on how to do this for extended periods in all sorts of elements of weather. I can also hear some folks blaming this event on him having to wear a mask. On a similar but much smaller note, every groom and groomsman is told to never lock your knee as you stand in front of the church as it cuts blood flow and will increase the odds of fainting.

Honor Guard sailor collapses from ‘extreme heat and dehydration’ during procession for the late Rep. John Lewis

Video of that member of John Lewis's honor guard collapsing (apparently from the heat). He appears to be okay. pic.twitter.com/i0JKKXx8Ra

— Josh Marshall (@joshtpm) July 27, 2020

For the first time in years, Texas Democrats running for the U.S. House have more campaign cash than Republicans – Midway through 2016, Texas Republicans had $20.9 million more for their U.S. House campaigns than Democrats. This year, Democrats have a $7.5 million advantage.

Texas Democrats plan 7-figure ad buy to turn state blue

In addition to the ad buy, which will materialize closer to November, the party is also doubling down on its commitment to get 2 million Texans registered to vote for November. This plays into the party’s already established strategy of winning back the state House this cycle.

Solar system moon comparison – from the smallest to the largest compared to New York City and Earth.

https://youtu.be/ZhpcDI3pYl8

Imagine seeing this for the first time while high.

https://twitter.com/engineeringvids/status/1287797353529974789

The first time I ever heard of John Lewis was when I heard John McCain make a positive reference towards the man and decided to look him up.

The integrity of the upcoming election scares me.

Report suggests local election officials’ emails could be at risk for phishing attempts – Cybersecurity firm Area 1 found 666 of 10,000 election workers used personal email accounts

https://twitter.com/JoshuaPotash/status/1287465082012803072?s=09

The Texas economy is taking a big hit, so if there were ever a time for the legalization of marijuana to increase tax revenue, it would now, but the Texas House Speaker said he’d vote against it. And I’ll freely admit I don’t know how reliable the news from MarijuanaMoment.net may be.

Some men need heels to stand as tall as Beth Moore does in flats.

— The Baptist Blogger (@BaptistBlogger) July 25, 2020

In case you were ever curious as to how Batman’s creators came up with the name Bruce Wayne, he stated “Bruce” came from the Scottish patriot Robert Bruce. As for “Wayne”, he was looking for something that suggested colonialism and thought of Revolutionary War U.S. Army officer and statesman Anthony Wayne. His middle name is “Thomas”, which was his father’s first name.

I was floored when I watched this CBS Sunday Morning report on the number of Americans living without running water or basic indoor plumbing. Just think about that the next time you get a drink or use the restroom and how much you take that for granted. That’s such an alarming number for the United States of all countries.

No one even knew just how bad the problem was – no government agency keeps track – so DigDeep, along with the U.S. Water Alliance, conducted their own survey. The results showed that two million Americans – and probably more – are suffering today with no safe running water, or even plumbing, in their homes.

McGraw said, “There was one finding from the report that is, I think, truly terrifying, and that’s that in six states, and in Puerto Rico, during the time we were studying in the report, those states went backwards in access. The problem got worse. And I mean, how can that be?”

Fox Sports is experimenting with using virtual fans.

Fox’s digital fans gotta go. Just a ton of dudes alternating resting their chin in their hand and then 2-second delayed reactions. pic.twitter.com/fLh7EYXTMX

— Matt Young (@Chron_MattYoung) July 25, 2020

East Texas News – A Texas town just removed a fence separating historically segregated cemeteries

 

– A metal barrier was the separation between burial areas at Cedars Memorial Gardens in Mineola, Texas, a town about 80 miles east of Dallas. Black people were buried on one side while Whites were buried on another. Each side is owned by a separate cemetery association, not by the city.

 

– Part of the fencing was saved “for future generations,” according to Rushing, and will be housed at the Mineola Historical Museum and the Texas African American Museum in nearby Tyler.

 

U2’s Adam Clayton sure does look a lot different. I’m used to him only having short hair.

https://twitter.com/atu2/status/1287134813514694656?s=09

The highest-ranking American killed by enemy fire in the European Theater of Operations during World War II was Major General Maurice Rose.

As Confederate monuments tumble, die-hards are erecting replacements

The Sons of Confederate Veterans and, in a quieter way, the United Daughters of the Confederacy, the group that erected many of the monuments that are now the target of the biggest removal campaign in history, are pushing back by building new statues, buying land to house torn-down memorials, and airing radio and online ads seeking public support for their cause.

Across the South, more than 20 new monuments, ranging from small plaques to massive Confederate battle flags placed near major interstate highways for maximum visibility, have been installed on private property in the past few years, said Larry McCluney Jr., commander in chief of the Sons group.

Elephant Takes An Underwater Nap While Using Its Trunk As A Snorkel – Colonel, a 29-year-old Asian elephant, keeps cool underwater at the Forth Worth Zoo.