Thursday, October 1, 2020

Last night I went to bed at 10:30, got up twice during the night, was awakened at 6:45 by a semi idling outside our window, finally getting up at 7:30.

I played 4 games on Chess.com last night, winning 2, drawing 1, and losing 1. I had the black pieces in 3 of my 4 games. My rating is now 1470.

I watched the first 20 minutes of the Today show then went on my walk. I changed the route again and I think this time it was about an hour and 10 minutes.

I had a talk with Teresa about getting a dog. At first she said “no way”. If we wanted a dog we could have brought one from the finca. But they were used to having free reign to run outside so they wouldn’t be at all happy cooped up in an apt.

Then she said, “when we move into a larger apartment”. We have 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms, how much larger of an apartment does she think we will have?

Finally she said, “if you take complete responsibility and care for it.” I told her there isn’t any puppy available that I want right now so it will probably be some time in the future.

The semi finally left at noon. I guess it took them something like 5 hours to unload everything.

Teresa and I left the apt at 12:20 and I met Glenn outside Otra Parte. (She was meeting a friend for lunch at Mondongo’s in Poblado.) We went nextdoor to Salpi Jugos where he had a Cobb salad and I had a Cesar salad and fresh juice for about $11 each.

We went to Otra Parte for coffee. I left at 2:15 and returned to the apt.

I had my 2-hour chess lesson and instead of studying the Sicilian Defense now we aare focusing on how to beat Jose.

Teresa returned at 5pm. Neither she nor her friend liked the food at Mondongo’s.

At 5:30 Esmeralda called and invited us to go out for empanadas. I had just finished some Tostones chips and didn’t feel hungry. I encouraged Teresa to go with her and bring me back a few.

At 6:40 the rain started and it came down hard but it didn’t last long. Teresa returned at 7:30 with 4 empanadas for me. I didn’t really need that many. She told me the downpour started as soon as they stepped out of Esmeralda’s car. She told me the empanada store is very close to the apt.

 

The Agriculture Department last week began mandating that millions of boxes of surplus food for needy families include a letter from President Donald Trump claiming credit for the program.

The USDA’s $4 billion Farmers to Families Food Box Program has distributed more than 100 million boxes to those in need since May, with the aim of redirecting meat, dairy and produce that might normally go to restaurants and other food-service businesses. But organizations handing out the aid complain the program is now being used to bolster Trump’s image a month before a high-stakes election — and some even have refused to distribute them.

 

President Donald Trump has, in recent weeks, claimed that he is “the best thing that ever happened to Puerto Rico,” in an effort to win over Puerto Rican voters in Florida. But a new government report shows his administration lost track of hundreds of millions of dollars worth of potentially lifesaving food and water, as thousands died in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria.

“FEMA lost visibility of about 38 percent of its commodity shipments to Puerto Rico, worth an estimated $257 million. Commodities successfully delivered to Puerto Rico took an average of 69 days to reach their final destinations,” the report from the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of the Inspector General found.

 

Former Justice Department attorneys expressed concerns Thursday that Attorney General William Barr is using the power of the agency to help President Donald Trump win reelection, citing statements Barr had made about mail-in ballots and the politically fraught inquiry into the Russia investigation.

"We fear that Attorney General Barr intends to use the DOJ's vast law enforcement powers to undermine our most fundamental democratic value: free and fair elections," according to an open letter signed by about 1,600 former Justice Department employees.

 

Hope Hicks, one of President Donald Trump’s closest senior advisers, tested positive for the coronavirus, a source close to the Trump campaign told NBC News on Thursday.

 

The US has 7,217,798 ð 7,259,474 ð 7,307,822 coronavirus cases with 205,800+ ð 206,700+ ð 207,600+ deaths.

Per Medellin Guru, as of this afternoon Colombia has a total of 824,042 ð 829,679 ð 835,339 cases with 26,196 deaths.  Medellin has 66,128 ð 66,587 ð 67,106 cases, an increase of 523 from September 30^th to October 1^st. Envigado has a total of 3,927 cases, an increase of 45 from September 30^th to October 1^st.

 

Joke of the day

A man is at the funeral of an old friend.

He tentatively approaches the deceased's wife and asks whether he can say a word. The widow nods. The man clears his throat and says, "Plethora."

The widow smiles appreciatively. "Thank you," she says. "That means a lot."

Another man comes up and says: "Mind if I say a word too?" She says: "Please do." The man clears his throat and says: "Bargain." The widow replies: "Thanks, that means a great deal."

Another man comes up and asks for the same privilege. The widow thanks him, saying that would be very nice. The man clears his throat and says: "Earth." The widow replies, "Thank you, that means the world."

Another man comes up and asks if he could say a couple words. The widow thanks him, saying that would be very nice. The man clears his throat and says: "Being alive." The widow replies, "Thank you, he would have liked that."

Another man comes up and asks if he could say a word. The widow thanks him, saying that would be very nice. The man clears his throat and says: "Infinity". The widow replies, "Thank you, that means more than you could possibly imagine."

Another man comes up and asks if he could say a word. The widow thanks him, saying that would be very nice. The man clears his throat and says: "Fhqwhgads". The widow replies: "Thanks, you don't know what that means."

Another man comes up and says: “Mind if I say a few words too?” She says: “Please do.” The man clears his throat and says: “The Mariana Trench.” The widow replies: “Thanks, that’s really deep.”

Another man comes up and says: "Mind if I say a few words too?" She says: "Please do." The man clears his throat and says: "water pit". The widow replies: "Thanks, I know you mean well."

Another man approaches the widow and says: “I’m truly sorry for your loss, he was a great and dear man.”
The widow replies: “Doesn't sound like you knew him at all!”