Thursday, September 10, 2020

 

Last night I went to bed at 10:30, got up once during the night, waking/getting up just before 7am. I think it rained most of the night.

Last night I played 4 games on Chess.com winning 3 and losing 1. My rating is now 1253. In the first game I had the advantage but I blundered in the endgame. In the 2^nd game my opponent didn’t play any standard opening but I took his queen on the 16^th move and he resigned. In the 3^rd game I missed a mate in 2 so the game continued another 25 moves before my opponent resigned. In the 4^th game my opponent played passively and I won in 57 moves.

 

From the US embassy “The U.S. Embassy has received reports of demonstrations targeting police substations (CAIs) throughout Bogota.  Clashes with the police are occuring.  U.S. citizens in the area may encounter traffic disturbances, large crowds, and an augmented police presence.”

 

I received an email from Chuck. He wants to meet John and I for lunch as he will be leaving soon to return to the States. Something about a medical emergency. We agreed to meet tomorrow at noon in La Buena Mesa.

 

Teresa left at 10am for the beauty shop so I’m on my own for lunch. I’m going to try the new Brooklyn restaurant but if its closed then I’ll go to Na Pizza.

I left the apt at 12:30 and walked to Brooklyn Restaurant & Lounge. I had their fish and chips which weren’t too bad.

Afterward I returned to the apt where I had a 2-hour chess lesson with Juan Carlos.

Today I beat Teresa 6 to 0 in parcheesi. She is a little miffed to say the least.

 

Woodward’s book, “Rage,” said that the National Security Agency and CIA have evidence that the Russians had placed malware in at least those two counties [in Florida] but that there was no evidence the malware had been activated, according to CNN’s reporting on the book. The book says that the malware “was sophisticated and could erase voters in specific districts,” the network reported.

 

The US Treasury Department announced Thursday that it is sanctioning a Ukrainian lawmaker with ties to President Donald Trump's personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani, accusing him of being a Russian spy involved in Moscow's interference efforts in the 2020 election.

The controversial Ukrainian lawmaker, Andrii Derkach, was already singled out earlier this summer by the US intelligence community for helping Moscow's ongoing efforts to weaken Democratic nominee, former Vice President Joe Biden.

Now, the former member of a pro-Russia party who met with Giuliani in Ukraine last year has been added to a list of Specially Designated Nationals, meaning his assets have been blocked and "US persons are generally prohibited from dealing with them," according to the Treasury Department.

 

ESPN's new "Monday Night Football" crew and other network staff members were part of a conference call Wednesday to discuss the upcoming season. Among the topics: The possibility of protests during the national anthem and how "MNF" would address that during a live broadcast.

Stephanie Druley, executive vice president for event and studio production, said ESPN’s policy is to cover the anthem when it is newsworthy, and that the crew will not shy away from covering protests about social justice.

“We don’t see the social justice movement as political; it’s social justice,” Druley said.

 

At the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, more than 40,000 students take tests twice a week for the coronavirus. They cannot enter campus buildings unless an app vouches that their test has come back negative. Everyone has to wear masks.

This is one of the most comprehensive plans by a major college to keep the virus under control. University scientists developed a quick, inexpensive saliva test. Other researchers put together a detailed computer model that suggested these measures would work, and that in-person instruction could go forward this fall.

But the predictive model included an oversight: It assumed that all of the students would do all of the things that they were told to.

Enough students continued to go to parties even after testing positive, showing how even the best thought-out plans to keep college education moving can fail when humans do not heed common sense or the commands from public health officials.

Last week, the university reported an unexpected upswing of coronavirus cases and imposed a lockdown. Students had to stay in their dorms or off-campus housing except for essential activities, which included going to class.

 

A leading American historian best known for successfully predicting every U.S. election for more than three decades says newly published revelations that U.S. President Donald Trump knew COVID-19 was deadly in the early days of the pandemic but publicly downplayed the virus will go down in history as "damning."

“This is the greatest dereliction of duty in the history of the U.S. presidency,” Allan Lichtman, a professor of history at American University for nearly 50 years, told CTV News Channel on Thursday.

Veteran journalist Bob Woodward, whose reporting on Watergate ended Richard Nixon’s presidency, revealed that his upcoming book “Rage” includes an interview with Trump in which the president is quoted saying the coronavirus was highly contagious, airborne and "deadly stuff,” despite publicly dismissing it at the time as no worse than the flu.

 

Francis Collins, director of the National Institutes of Health, said Thursday he was “pretty puzzled” and “rather disheartened” by President Donald Trump’s crowded campaign rally in Michigan — at which very few attendees could be seen wearing face masks and virtually none practiced social distancing.

 

The US has 6,344,725 ð 6,354,614 ð 6,411,551 coronavirus cases with 189,500+ ð 189,900+ ð 191,500+ deaths.

Per Medellin Guru, as of this afternoon Colombia has a total of 679,513 ð 686,856 ð 694,664 cases with 22,275 deaths.  Medellin has 52,430 ð 53,114 ð 53,595 cases, an increase of 481 from September 9^th to 10^th. Envigado has a total of 2,865 cases, an increase of 52 from September 9^th to 10^th.

 

Joke of the day

Three high ranking Axis soldiers are about to be interrogated.

One is a member of the Gestapo, one is an Imperial Japanese officer and one is a Fascist Italian Commander.

They are all sitting in their holding cell discussing what they are going to do when they get interrogated.

The German says, "My superior German spirit and intelligence will make it impossible for them to break me."

The Japanese says, "It is only through my undying devotion to the Emperor that I will be able to withstand their torture."

The Italian says, "I've had it."

The German is the first to be interrogated and as he leaves they wish him luck.

Nearly a whole day passes before the German returns to the cell, covered in bruises and blood.

The other two ask him what happened.

"Even my perfect genes could not protect me from their methods. I have failed my country."

Next, the Japanese is up to be interrogated.

Three days pass and he returns to the cell.

His eyes are both black, fingers broken, and body bruised and bloodied.

"I have dishonored myself and my Emperor. When they release me I must commit honorable seppuku."

Lastly, the Italian is up, and he leaves already begging for his life.

A whole week passes before he returns.

Beaten nearly to death, he is carried in by two soldiers.

One of the soldiers jeers, "I can't believe you guys broke instead of this dago."

The other two are shocked.

Amazed that this Italian could take their punishments and not break.

They ask him how he did it.

"I wanted to give in immediately, but I couldn't speak."

"What do you mean you couldn't speak?" The others ask.

"They tied my hands behind my back."