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Daily WHO Reports for the Coronavirus Outbreak (Link)

Keihan said:
In any event, it looks like the U.S. truly is going to be the world's guinea pig. Should be an interesting new year.
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After you get your shot please let us know if you start feeling some serious side effects, like starting to like censored porn and I'll be sure never to touch that shit.
 
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MikeH said:
After you get your shot please let us know if you start feeling some serious side effects, like starting to like censored porn and I'll be sure never to touch that shit.
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I assure you, if I find myself cancelling my Pornhub account, buying non-alcoholic beer, rocking out to rave music, sitting in church on Sundays and slapping a big "JOE" sticker on the bumper of my sports car, I'm not saying shit. I'm of the opinion that "if I'm going down, y'all are coming with me."
 
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On a related note, this from a press conference given today by President Trump:

"YOU COULD HAVE A VERY BIG SURPRISE COMING UP."

The President once again hinted that a vaccine could be delivered in October, and promises it will be "very safe and effective." This, again, falls in line with all the rumors I was picking up last month about his "October Surprise" leading up to the election. At the same time, Moderna, Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson are all set to deliver a "safety pledge" this week, promising that they will never give-in to political pressure to release a vaccine before it's proven absolutely safe and effective. Of course, this is most likely just political rhetoric and strategy to prevent widespread push-back and public refusal to get inoculated.

At the same time, Goldman Sachs is beginning to release recommendations on which stocks to purchase in advance of a pending vaccine approval. And in some of the most virus-ravaged regions of the U.S., numbers are finally coming solidly down. New York is reporting only a 1% positive rate in testing results, which is a huge development for them. Rasmussen Reports shows Trump is closing the gap and his approval ratings are steadily rising and that Trump is closing the gap on Biden. Trump's state-by-state poll numbers are actually slightly better than they were at this point in 2016 when he was trailing Clinton in every major poll.

Never a dull day in the news. Makes me miss being a campaign hack, but I have no desire to be spanked by Trump again.
 
Keihan said:
On a related note, this from a press conference given today by President Trump:

"YOU COULD HAVE A VERY BIG SURPRISE COMING UP."

The President once again hinted that a vaccine could be delivered in October, and promises it will be "very safe and effective." This, again, falls in line with all the rumors I was picking up last month about his "October Surprise" leading up to the election. At the same time, Moderna, Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson are all set to deliver a "safety pledge" this week, promising that they will never give-in to political pressure to release a vaccine before it's proven absolutely safe and effective. Of course, this is most likely just political rhetoric and strategy to prevent widespread push-back and public refusal to get inoculated.

At the same time, Goldman Sachs is beginning to release recommendations on which stocks to purchase in advance of a pending vaccine approval. And in some of the most virus-ravaged regions of the U.S., numbers are finally coming solidly down. New York is reporting only a 1% positive rate in testing results, which is a huge development for them. Rasmussen Reports shows Trump is closing the gap and his approval ratings are steadily rising and that Trump is closing the gap on Biden. Trump's state-by-state poll numbers are actually slightly better than they were at this point in 2016 when he was trailing Clinton in every major poll.

Never a dull day in the news. Makes me miss being a campaign hack, but I have no desire to be spanked by Trump again.
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and after 4 years you still believe him? :D
 
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Durg50 said:
Not exactly presidential is it?

the guy talks and acts like a needy single mother who peaked at high school posting on facebook.
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If he'd acted "presidential" in 2016, he wouldn't be President right now. The voters obviously wanted a complete departure from what Obama brought (sounds wonderful, does absolutely nothing).
 
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Keihan said:
If he'd acted "presidential" in 2016, he wouldn't be President right now. The voters obviously wanted a complete departure from what Obama brought (sounds wonderful, does absolutely nothing).
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yay! Another Obama deflection. Somehow I was sure it would come in this thread :)
 
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Frenchy said:
and after 4 years you still believe him? :D
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It would take an obscenely naive and stupid person to "believe" anything that any elected official or political candidate says. I don't "believe" any politician and I don't "believe" Trump. For the most part, I don't "believe" just about anyone or anything I hear until I'm able to obtain facts on my own.

Rather, I use my life experiences, my knowledge of of the subject matter (in this case, D.C. politics), most importantly the information I'm able to gather on my own and then lastly my instincts to arrive at as educated of a guess as possible and I'm capable of remaining objective throughout the process.

And based on that, what do I "believe"?

1) Trump has already strong-armed leaders of the National Institute of Health, the CDC and the FDA into issuing an emergency approval of multiple vaccines very soon. They've assured him compliance.

2) That emergency approval is officially going to come in early-October (or possibly even late September), after preliminary Phase III results are released from the Moderna and Pfizer trials later this month. The same may be done for the Oxford/Astrazeneca and/or Novavax vaccines before the end of the year.

3) That initial distribution of limited amounts of vaccines to frontline/medical staff will begin in mid-late October, before larger-scale mail-in voting begins.

4) I would also expect the Trump admin to announce before the November elections that significant shipments of vaccines have been secured for arrival in November and December for distribution to healthcare workers and high-risk individuals.

5) I'm hopeful that most Americans (like myself) who do not fall into specialized or high-risk categories will have access to inoculation before Spring.

Rather than piss and moan and whine about how much I hate Trump, and more importantly in keeping with the subject matter and theme of this thread, I've taken time to report things I've heard through my connections in Washington about the progress being made here in America with vaccine development as it most certainly does impact what will happen in Japan and other developed nations. And so far, I'd say I've been pretty fucking accurate as far as what I report coming true. Sadly, there are some in these forums who are cheering for the development of a vaccine in the U.S. to fail and would probably happily watch more Americans get sick and potentially die of COVID if it also guaranteed that Trump would lose re-election, simply because they hate him and it would make them feel better about themselves. I could report that I'd heard the CDC and Trump's press secretary indicated that the sky is blue, and that would somehow devolve into whining accusations that Trump is lying about colors and is trying to destroy clouds. That's a very sad emotional predicament to occupy.

One of the first things I've always told kids and interns who volunteered on or staffed the larger political campaigns I've managed is that they need to prepare themselves mentally for the amount of irrational, batshit craziness they're going to encounter while interacting with voters and constituents--and to not let it dissuade them from staying on-board--as politics truly does bring out the absolute worst in people, particularly those who can't control their emotions.

So in that spirit, I'll give you the last prediction I'd previously left out. 6) Trump is going to handily win re-election in November.
 
Keihan said:
It would take an obscenely naive and stupid person to "believe" anything that any elected official or political candidate says. I don't "believe" any politician and I don't "believe" Trump. For the most part, I don't "believe" just about anyone or anything I hear until I'm able to obtain facts on my own.

Rather, I use my life experiences, my knowledge of of the subject matter (in this case, D.C. politics), most importantly the information I'm able to gather on my own and then lastly my instincts to arrive at as educated of a guess as possible and I'm capable of remaining objective throughout the process.

And based on that, what do I "believe"?

1) Trump has already strong-armed leaders of the National Institute of Health, the CDC and the FDA into issuing an emergency approval of multiple vaccines very soon. They've assured him compliance.

2) That emergency approval is officially going to come in early-October (or possibly even late September), after preliminary Phase III results are released from the Moderna and Pfizer trials later this month. The same may be done for the Oxford/Astrazeneca and/or Novavax vaccines before the end of the year.

3) That initial distribution of limited amounts of vaccines to frontline/medical staff will begin in mid-late October, before larger-scale mail-in voting begins.

4) I would also expect the Trump admin to announce before the November elections that significant shipments of vaccines have been secured for arrival in November and December for distribution to healthcare workers and high-risk individuals.

5) I'm hopeful that most Americans (like myself) who do not fall into specialized or high-risk categories will have access to inoculation before Spring.

Rather than piss and moan and whine about how much I hate Trump, and more importantly in keeping with the subject matter and theme of this thread, I've taken time to report things I've heard through my connections in Washington about the progress being made here in America with vaccine development as it most certainly does impact what will happen in Japan and other developed nations. And so far, I'd say I've been pretty fucking accurate as far as what I report coming true. Sadly, there are some in these forums who are cheering for the development of a vaccine in the U.S. to fail and would probably happily watch more Americans get sick and potentially die of COVID if it also guaranteed that Trump would lose re-election, simply because they hate him and it would make them feel better about themselves. I could report that I'd heard the CDC and Trump's press secretary indicated that the sky is blue, and that would somehow devolve into whining accusations that Trump is lying about colors and is trying to destroy clouds. That's a very sad emotional predicament to occupy.

One of the first things I've always told kids and interns who volunteered on or staffed the larger political campaigns I've managed is that they need to prepare themselves mentally for the amount of irrational, batshit craziness they're going to encounter while interacting with voters and constituents--and to not let it dissuade them from staying on-board--as politics truly does bring out the absolute worst in people, particularly those who can't control their emotions.

So in that spirit, I'll give you the last prediction I'd previously left out. 6) Trump is going to handily win re-election in November.
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.. and if so I promise you will get your Montecristo and champagne courtesy of this Frenchy when you finally come to Japan

nobody wish for the vaccines to be late so that Trump could be defeated. I think that contrary to all your statements here most people won’t link those vaccines with their vote

now, if he wins, I actually pray for America that he will get the popular vote this time . Otherwise you may find out that the current BLM and other anti-Trump demonstrations will be just the appetizer of a much more violent reaction
 
Frenchy said:
...now, if he wins, I actually pray for America that he will get the popular vote this time. Otherwise you may find out that the current BLM and other anti-Trump demonstrations will be just the appetizer of a much more violent reaction
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I think that you're right but I wish that wasn't the case. What is termed the popular vote is just simply literally not the way the winner is decided according to their system.

Anywho, I'm still worried about fast-tracked vaccines and am personally against em but if it leads to countries opening up again, economies recovering and people shutting the hell up about covid, I'll be glad about it. Hope you're right, Keihan.
 
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Frenchy said:
.. and if so I promise you will get your Montecristo and champagne courtesy of this Frenchy when you finally come to Japan
Click to expand...

Not to sound like an ingrate, but the last two Cuban Montecristos I bought in Japan, as well as the R&J and Upmann Corona Jr (JKF) were all plugged. Communist factories make shitty cigars. Much prefer the Honduran stuff I've been aging in my humidors. If you're into cigars, I would highly recommend Rocky Patel, especially the vintage or "Edge" series. Amazing cigars, best draw and most even burn I've experienced.

Frenchy said:
nobody wish for the vaccines to be late so that Trump could be defeated. I think that contrary to all your statements here most people won’t link those vaccines with their vote
Click to expand...

I agree, the vaccines aren't going to change a lot of votes of those already decided. Rather, like in 2016, I believe there is a massive number of independents and undecided voters who will be nudged into the Trump camp, not just by his ability to deliver on a vaccine but also because of Joe Biden's quickly declining mental faculties. Watch his performance in the Kenosha church yesterday. We call it the"hold your nose and vote" vote. They don't like Trump, but they can't in good faith vote for the opposition.

Frenchy said:
now, if he wins, I actually pray for America that he will get the popular vote this time . Otherwise you may find out that the current BLM and other anti-Trump demonstrations will be just the appetizer of a much more violent reaction
Click to expand...

If Trump wins re-election, those idiot fucks are going to riot no matter what the popular vote was. The difference is, Trump will have no reason not to call in the National Guard and stomp them out this time. In PoliSci classes they used to teach us that the most dangerous president is a president in his second term because he doesn't need to get re-elected. In Trump's case, what makes him hard is the prospect of being able to call himself "the greatest president ever." And I guarantee you with four years to play with, his agenda will be: crack down on the violence that Democrat mayors and governors were too weak to deal with; vaccinate the country, thereby saving America; cause the DJI to soar past 30k, creating the strongest stock market in American history, twice; after defeating the virus, reopen the country, economy comes roaring back, Trump again saves America; in 2024 Trump leaves office with the strongest economy ever.

This guy has a complex about winning. He wants to be canonized as the greatest president of all time. That's going to be his agenda if he wins re-election. Again, a president in his second term has nothing to lose and everything to gain by racking up wins. And that's all he cares about. Winning.
 
Keihan said:
Not to sound like an ingrate, but the last two Cuban Montecristos I bought in Japan, as well as the R&J and Upmann Corona Jr (JKF) were all plugged. Communist factories make shitty cigars. Much prefer the Honduran stuff I've been aging in my humidors. If you're into cigars, I would highly recommend Rocky Patel, especially the vintage or "Edge" series. Amazing cigars, best draw and most even burn I've experienced.



I agree, the vaccines aren't going to change a lot of votes of those already decided. Rather, like in 2016, I believe there is a massive number of independents and undecided voters who will be nudged into the Trump camp, not just by his ability to deliver on a vaccine but also because of Joe Biden's quickly declining mental faculties. Watch his performance in the Kenosha church yesterday. We call it the"hold your nose and vote" vote. They don't like Trump, but they can't in good faith vote for the opposition.



If Trump wins re-election, those idiot fucks are going to riot no matter what the popular vote was. The difference is, Trump will have no reason not to call in the National Guard and stomp them out this time. In PoliSci classes they used to teach us that the most dangerous president is a president in his second term because he doesn't need to get re-elected. In Trump's case, what makes him hard is the prospect of being able to call himself "the greatest president ever." And I guarantee you with four years to play with, his agenda will be: crack down on the violence that Democrat mayors and governors were too weak to deal with; vaccinate the country, thereby saving America; cause the DJI to soar past 30k, creating the strongest stock market in American history, twice; after defeating the virus, reopen the country, economy comes roaring back, Trump again saves America; in 2024 Trump leaves office with the strongest economy ever.

This guy has a complex about winning. He wants to be canonized as the greatest president of all time. That's going to be his agenda if he wins re-election. Again, a president in his second term has nothing to lose and everything to gain by racking up wins. And that's all he cares about. Winning.
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i have zero interest in cigars but if it can keep your mouth shut for a while when we have our first dinner and I sip my wines, I’m all for them :)
(You strike me as a rather talkative person, am I right?)

I don’t know man... If this guy is re-elected I must humbly admit I will never understand the American psyche . But that’s not a huge loss in my book
 
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Nixon2 said:
Anywho, I'm still worried about fast-tracked vaccines and am personally against em but if it leads to countries opening up again, economies recovering and people shutting the hell up about covid, I'll be glad about it. Hope you're right, Keihan.
Click to expand...

Normally I'd be against any sort of rushed vaccine (I'm still leery of the annual flu vaccine) and I'm very worried about how this one will pan out but I think most would agree that we're living in a different time. I've thought about it quite a bit and if in December, January or February my primary care doctor tells me the vaccine is available if I want it, I've decided I'm just going to go for it. Like you, I want countries and economies opened up again. I'm normally not a team player and I'm fundamentally extremely selfish but this time I'm willing to make an exception.

And if it means I can be back in Gotanda or Shinjuku next year with my pants around my ankles then it's worth the gamble.
 
Frenchy said:
i have zero interest in cigars but if it can keep your mouth shut for a while when we have our first dinner and I sip my wines, I’m all for them :)
(You strike me as a rather talkative person, am I right?)

I don’t know man... If this guy is re-elected I must humbly admit I will never understand the American psyche . But that’s not a huge loss in my book
Click to expand...

You'd be surprised. My nickname used to be "Silent." I enjoy quietly observing people. I'm the perfect dinner date but you should never trust me if you're planning to run for office. Makes me sound like a fucking pervert and stalker but Uncle Sam and the GOP thought otherwise.

But I promise you this, and I'm not even trying to brag...if I want someone to like me, I can make that person like me. Not enough to sleep with me (all the time, anyway), unfortunately, but enough to enjoy my company and usually trust me me to the point they say things they shouldn't. Particularly if there's alcohol around. What can I say, I'm an old hack? Old habits and all of that.
 
Keihan said:
You'd be surprised. My nickname used to be "Silent." I enjoy quietly observing people. I'm the perfect dinner date but you should never trust me if you're planning to run for office. Makes me sound like a fucking pervert and stalker but Uncle Sam and the GOP thought otherwise.

But I promise you this, and I'm not even trying to brag...if I want someone to like me, I can make that person like me. Not enough to sleep with me (all the time, anyway), unfortunately, but enough to enjoy my company and usually trust me me to the point they say things they shouldn't. Particularly if there's alcohol around. What can I say, I'm an old hack? Old habits and all of that.
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challenge accepted ! :)
 
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Keihan said:
Not to sound like an ingrate, but the last two Cuban Montecristos I bought in Japan, as well as the R&J and Upmann Corona Jr (JKF) were all plugged. Communist factories make shitty cigars. Much prefer the Honduran stuff I've been aging in my humidors. If you're into cigars, I would highly recommend Rocky Patel, especially the vintage or "Edge" series. Amazing cigars, best draw and most even burn I've experienced.
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The problem is that most Japanese tobacconists don't store them properly. I'll introduce you to a good place with a small but quality selection when you're over next.
 
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Sudsy said:
The problem is that most Japanese tobacconists don't store them properly. I'll introduce you to a good place with a small but quality selection when you're over next.
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Is it a bar or just a shop that sells cigars? If its a bar please let me know too! Struggling to find a decent place to drink overpriced port and smoke a cigar here.
 
Durg50 said:
Is it a bar or just a shop that sells cigars? If its a bar please let me know too! Struggling to find a decent place to drink overpriced port and smoke a cigar here.
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Nope, just a shop. Are any bars even allowed to have smoking anymore in Tokyo? I thought the cigar bar exception was only under the national law.
 
Frenchy said:
I don’t know man... If this guy is re-elected I must humbly admit I will never understand the American psyche . But that’s not a huge loss in my book
Click to expand...
Trump will win in a landslide. If polls are even-ish Trump in reality is 10 points ahead.
No Biden voter is ashamed of saying they will vote for Biden.
BUT
plenty of white middle class Trump voters that for fear of losing their jobs / friends would never admit to being a Trump voter, but deep down they know he’ll be good for their 401k plus they dont like foreigners / trans / the planet so they will vote for Trump.
 
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Sudsy said:
Nope, just a shop. Are any bars even allowed to have smoking anymore in Tokyo? I thought the cigar bar exception was only under the national law.
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No idea, been a while. There was a place in a basement in omotesando, plus the cigar lounge at the westin in ebisu.
 
Durg50 said:
Trump will win in a landslide. If polls are even-ish Trump in reality is 10 points ahead.
No Biden voter is ashamed of saying they will vote for Biden.
BUT
plenty of white middle class Trump voters that for fear of losing their jobs / friends would never admit to being a Trump voter, but deep down they know he’ll be good for their 401k plus they dont like foreigners / trans / the planet so they will vote for Trump.
Click to expand...

well, voting for a guy you’re ashamed to say you voted for says it all, right? I prefer the Keihans and MissBoss of this world then :)
 
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Frenchy said:
well, voting for a guy you’re ashamed to say you voted for says it all, right?
Click to expand...

Well, I am ashamed every time I need to vote as my principle is everyone who gets involved in politics should be put down like a dog with rabies.

But in this case it might be also because of the fear of retribution. As our bubbles get more and more polarised you can lose your job or get beaten in the streets for having the wrong political view.
 
Keihan said:
Not to sound like an ingrate, but the last two Cuban Montecristos I bought in Japan, as well as the R&J and Upmann Corona Jr (JKF) were all plugged. Communist factories make shitty cigars. Much prefer the Honduran stuff I've been aging in my humidors. If you're into cigars, I would highly recommend Rocky Patel, especially the vintage or "Edge" series. Amazing cigars, best draw and most even burn I've experienced.



I agree, the vaccines aren't going to change a lot of votes of those already decided. Rather, like in 2016, I believe there is a massive number of independents and undecided voters who will be nudged into the Trump camp, not just by his ability to deliver on a vaccine but also because of Joe Biden's quickly declining mental faculties. Watch his performance in the Kenosha church yesterday. We call it the"hold your nose and vote" vote. They don't like Trump, but they can't in good faith vote for the opposition.



If Trump wins re-election, those idiot fucks are going to riot no matter what the popular vote was. The difference is, Trump will have no reason not to call in the National Guard and stomp them out this time. In PoliSci classes they used to teach us that the most dangerous president is a president in his second term because he doesn't need to get re-elected. In Trump's case, what makes him hard is the prospect of being able to call himself "the greatest president ever." And I guarantee you with four years to play with, his agenda will be: crack down on the violence that Democrat mayors and governors were too weak to deal with; vaccinate the country, thereby saving America; cause the DJI to soar past 30k, creating the strongest stock market in American history, twice; after defeating the virus, reopen the country, economy comes roaring back, Trump again saves America; in 2024 Trump leaves office with the strongest economy ever.

This guy has a complex about winning. He wants to be canonized as the greatest president of all time. That's going to be his agenda if he wins re-election. Again, a president in his second term has nothing to lose and everything to gain by racking up wins. And that's all he cares about. Winning.
Click to expand...

By the way, Trump or no Trump your beloved 401k is going to tank big time. Starting.... now
 
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