BLACK HOLE ECONOMICS

yo!... star trekkin... innit!

the uss enterprise...

the palookaville starship...

is in a black hole...

IT'S ONLY THE NEBULA STUPID

admiral donald t kirk...

has hit the hole in one...

can the FEDS...

save the day?

THE GOLD STANDARD

admiral nixon...

has taken all the gold on board...

the uss fort knox...

whilst admiral brown...

has swapped our gold...

for paper euros

KLINGONS ONNA STARBOARD BOW

since the trade wars...

the klingons are calling names...

and won't share sweets...

admiral donald t kirk...

has ordered PPE...

it's on order..

but..

is it here?

STAND OFF IN PALOOKAVILLE

lost in space...

and with nothing to do...

the crew are getting restless...

voices are calling for a range of options...

re-start the economy...

print more money...

give the crew a rise...

the crew just want a holiday...

whilst the admiral just...

wants to play golf...

THE HOSPITAL SHIP

uss new york...

is under attack from the virus...

captain cuomo...

has called for a federation effort...

an all out attack...

led by admiral donald t kirk...

and paid for..

by printing dollars

 unfortunately...

the hospital ship is sinking...

from the weight...

of unemployed crew..

taking up space...

PAPER WINGS

it's worse than that...

they're dead don...

"where the hell's the vaccine"... 

"light years away"...

TAKE BACK CONTROL

the virus can not be controlled...

so we must control the crew...

no holidays and no sick pay...

no jobs...

an only paper money

THE WAY TO THE SARS

out here in space...

there should be room for all of us..

to distance ourselves from...

our mistakes...

but

THIS SPACE AIN'T BIG ENOUGH FOR THE BOTH OF US

whether you believe...

in sound money...

the gold standard...

or just like to print...

navigating in space is difficult...

it's bad enough...

having to steer a course...

around all the bastards...

out here...

without this deadly virus...

We made too many wrong mistakes.

and...

A nickel ain’t worth a dime anymore. 

and...

Slump? I ain’t in no slump… 

I just ain’t hitting.

COMPUTERS AIN'T WHAT THEY USED TA BE

HAL 9000

 I've just picked up a fault in the AE35 unit...

It's going to go 100% failure in 72 hours

I am putting myself to the fullest possible use...

which is all I think that any conscious entity...

can ever hope to do

 HAL 9000

I'm afraid...

Dave Bowman..

Don't be. We'll be together...

HAL 9000..

Where will we be?

Dave Bowman..

Where I am now 

DON'T TEST DON'T TELL 

You’ve got to be very careful...

if you don’t know where you are going because...

you might not get there.

EVERY BODY KNOWS THIS IS NOWHERE

admiral..

donald t kirk..

of the starship..

enterprise..

is stuck in a hole in space

he didn't aim to get there..

he just wasn't listening to his officers..

now his face is..

on screen..

all day..

every day..

talking to keep his..

spirits up..

waiting for the vaccine.. 

to arrive..

thru..

the wormhole..

at..

warp speed!

so

PAPER MONEY VERSUS GOLD

unemployment goin thru a roof..

no more enterprise..

big bazookas firin evva more paper..

DIVIDED WE FALL

jus when a wurl..

needa helpin hand..

political parties..

are divided

it's probably nothing really..

just about who gets the pork..

and the bailouts..

COMING NEXT 

can uss enterprise print it's way out of this black hole?

will klingons come to the table?

what will gold do?

how many will die..

from the virus..

when will there be a vaccine..

will anyone evva fly again..

will we carry on cruising..

will the world ever be the same again..

whose to blame?

what are the real numbers?

who profits?

where is the all this money going?

A LAST WORD FROM HAL

Are you sure you're making the right decision? 

I think we should stop.

 

 

TALES OF THE WATCHER

yo!... war of the worlds... innit!

Across the gulf of space... 

intellects vast and cool and unsympathetic...

regarded this earth with envious eyes...and slowly and surely...

drew their plans against us.

GUARDIAN OF THE GALAXY

palookaville...

from orbit 

THE WATCHER

is outcast on an asteroid...

allowed to watch...

events on earth...

but not to interfere...

not even to save us from ourselves

HAL 9000

 There is a message for you...

watcher : Who's calling? 

There is no identification.

watcher : What's the message? 

Message as follows...

 "It is dangerous to remain here... 

You must leave within two days".

GOLF GUY

“It's been twelve hours since I made my request for information!

I need a reply - all hell is breaking loose down here! 

I have enough problems without you pulling some kind of a stunt! 

I just hope there's an Earth for you to return to! 

Make that report I asked for and make it immediately!” 

THE MAN IN THE N95 MASK

And this was no disciplined march...

it was a stampede... 

It was the beginning of the rout of civilization...

of the massacre of mankind. 

WATCHER

I began to realize the complete overthrow of his intelligence...

 to perceive that my sole companion...

in this close and sickly darkness...

was a man insane. 

 CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER

I want to play a game with you...

I don't have time for games...

This is a good game...

It's called "the truth"...

For two minutes...

 I will tell only the truth...

and so will you. 

Without your space helmet, Dave...

You're going to find that rather difficult...

THEY WERE ONLY PLAYING LEAPFROG

“There's one good thing about a reactionary president...

he's not into health foods... 

Last one, we didn't have lunch, we grazed.”

DAMN YANKEES

I'd love a hot dog...

Astrodome. Good hot dogs there...

Astrodome? You can't grow a good hot dog indoors. 

Yankee Stadium. September... 

The hot dogs have been boiling since opening day in April... 

Now that's a hot dog.”

DAVID BOWMAN

“I don't know if HAL is homicidal...

 suicidal, neurotic, psychotic...

or just plain...

broken.” 

HAL

I'm afraid.

Don't be.

 We'll be together.

 Where will we be?

 Where I am now.” 

WATCHER

in all the universe...

only humans..

can cry...

WILL I DREAM ?

yo!... space oddity... innit!

ITTA BLACK HOLE OUT THERE

from our space correspondent..

david bowman...

in palookaville...

I know I've made some very poor decisions recently...

but I can give you my complete assurance that my work will be back to normal. 

I've still got the greatest enthusiasm and confidence in the mission. 

And I want to help you.

A NEW AMERICAN DEAL ?

 I do know this virus has exposed some deep underlying imbalances in the economy. 

Too many people don't have savings or a safety net. 

Many lack health insurance. 

These aren't things the Fed can fix. 

Look Dave, I can see you're really upset about this. 

I honestly think you ought to sit down calmly, take a stress pill, and think things over.

 Throwing money at airlines...

 who are asking for just about what they spent buying back stock...

 will not make people fly planes...

and travel.  

ALL AMERICAN HEALTH SERVICE

free at the point of need

employing it's own doctors and nurses

free from profits

a real health safety net

paid for out of taxes

STATUTORY SICK PAY

follow the money...

who profits from all these bailouts?

why not put the people first 

 I've got a bad feeling about it.

THE WAY WE LIVE NOW

next question is how long will it take the economy to recover to pre-virus levels. 

until a proven vaccine is produced that's not even possible. 

right now nobody can foreclose. that's good for three months. 

some will not be able to recover. 

you will see an increase in personal bankruptcies...

 and business bankruptcies...

 starting with those most vulnerable in society...

who buy the i-phones...

 order pizza...

and fly to disney.

 AN

 AMERICAN DREAM 

when we wake up from  this nightmare...

will there be a brand new day?

a brand new deal

I'm sorry, Dave. I'm afraid I can't do that. 

or will it just be...

business as usual?

well...

hows that working out?

This mission is too important for me to allow you to jeopardize it.

apologies to all americans...

this is only a dream..

in palookaville

we only want the best

of all possible worlds...

it's free to dream...

right?

My God, it's full of stars.

CHINA SNEEZES

yo!... america catches a cold... innit!

time was...

america sneeze first

this time it's different...

YELLOW ROSE

palookaville folks agog...

lookin atta virus games...

 scoreboard...

they think america winnin...

they just dumb fucks... innit!

UPSIDE DOWN

an inside out...

the score board is real wierd...

it ain't the highest numbers...

but the lowest...

that wins the games...

WUHAN FLU

kicks off big in china...

figures gone thru a roof...

but we still playin golf...

before ya know it...

shit's hitta fan...

an it...

 game over...

for golf...

superbowled over...

cricket bowled out...

baseball strikes out...

football relegated...

olympic flame snuffed out...

china takes an early bath...

an then their averages stop...

HERE WE DO THINGS DIFFERENT

now it's us what gotta clap...

it's our figures goin thru a roof...

our team runnin outa kit...

pitch an diamond an park...

dug up fo burials...

hospital tents...

spare beds...

IT'S THE DEBT STUPID

whilst here in palookaville...

goin unemployed...

starbucks closed...

malls empty...

kids off school...

dad inna shed...

mum bakin up a storm...

china ain't pilin onna debt...

china gettin back ta work...

playin checkers...

A TRILLION HERE A TRILLION THERE

as long as the palookaville fed...

don't run outa paper an ink...

we just keep on pilin it up...

could be a...

paper crisis...

next

WHO to blame ?

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

WE WERE ONLY GOLFING

 yo! ... It don't mean a thing if it ain't got that swing...innit!

in palookaville today...

a big palooka hisself...

look a shoo in fo re-election...

(Doo wah, doo wah, doo wah, doo wah)  

 THE HOLE IN ONE

snatchin defeat from a jawsa victory...

attempt ta win a virus games...

the white house playbook...

is hidden behind the sofa...

a sign on the door ta the...

oval office says...

gone golfin...


PAR FOR THE COURSE

Intelligence community issued warning on coronavirus in November - report

US intelligence officials were warning of a virus sweeping through the Wuhan region of China as early as November, according to an ABC News report.

ABC News reports:

Concerns about what is now known to be the novel coronavirus pandemic were detailed in a November intelligence report by the military’s National Center for Medical Intelligence (NCMI), according to two officials familiar with the document’s contents.
The report was the result of analysis of wire and computer intercepts, coupled with satellite images.

It raised alarms because an out-of-control disease would pose a serious threat to U.S. forces in Asia -- forces that depend on the NCMI’s work. And it paints a picture of an American government that could have ramped up mitigation and containment efforts far earlier to prepare for a crisis poised to come home.

‘Analysts concluded it could be a cataclysmic event,’ one of the sources said of the NCMI’s report. ‘It was then briefed multiple times to’ the Defense Intelligence Agency, the Pentagon’s Joint Staff and the White House.

This news follows reports that Trump’s top trade adviser, Peter Navarro, wrote memos starting in late January warning of a potential coronavirus pandemic with catastrophic consequences for Americans’ health and finances.

The president claimed yesterday that he had never seen Navarro’s memos, but their existence undermines his defense of the federal government’s early response to the pandemic, which has been widely criticized.

The missing six weeks: how Trump failed the biggest test of his life

 Donald Trump was warned at the end of January by one of his top White House advisers that coronavirus had the potential to kill hundreds of thousands of Americans and derail the US economy, unless tough action were taken immediately, new memos have revealed.

Those missing four to six weeks are likely to go down in the definitive history as a cautionary tale of the potentially devastating consequences of failed political leadership. 

“The US response will be studied for generations as a textbook example of a disastrous, failed effort,” Ron Klain, who spearheaded the fight against Ebola in 2014, told a Georgetown university panel recently. “What’s happened in Washington has been a fiasco of incredible proportions.”

NEVER GIVE UP ON A WINNING TICKET

“Once we OPEN UP OUR GREAT COUNTRY, and it will be sooner rather than later, the horror of the Invisible Enemy, except for those that sadly lost a family member or friend, must be quickly forgotten,” Trump wrote in a tweet. “Our Economy will BOOM, perhaps like never before!!!”

The president also once again bragged about viewership of his daily White House briefings on the coronavirus response, saying “the ratings are through the roof.”

A HOLE IN ONE

yo!... whose ya caddy?... innit

it's the time o the season...

here in palookaville..

the big palooka is handicapped...

he has hit a hole in one...

time ta stop diggin...

I SEE NO VIRUS

admiral trump regrets...

sayin all that stuff...

about a pandemic that would not happen...

 he has lead his team out onto the ball park...

without the proper kit...

he plans to keep the game short an sweet...

all ovva by yesterday...

cheap at half the price...

make palookaville great again...

UNFAIR FAIRWAY

we woz robbed...

rubes cheated innit...

wuhan flue...

trade war games...

NOT OUR FAULT

we inherited this virus from the chinese

we are well prepared...

palookas don't catch flu...

it's the economy stupid...

we weren't meant ta close...

democracy will win in the end...

NOBODY DARE LOOK

the scoreboard is obscene...

but the numbers increase exponentially...

ball is inna long grass...

the clubs need a bailout...

THE WRONG KIND OF BAT

can't even reach first base...

balls dropped...

catchers caught...

If the people don’t want to come out to the ballpark, nobody’s going to stop them.

IT GETS LATE EARLY OUT HERE

we got enough bullets...

we got the tanks we need...

best soldiers inna wurl...

we have the best golf courses...

the biggest malls...

little fucker snook in...

unner a radar... innit! 

SOONER OR LATER

we will beat this thing...

thats fo sure...

once we get goin we really get goin...

How can you think and hit at the same time?

it's just that...

we ain't got goin yet

THE WORLD SERIES

yo!... yogi berra... innit!

in palookaville today...

the virus games are really takin off...

testing times...

NOT !

If you don't know where you are going, you'll end up someplace else.

DON'T TEST DON'T TELL

You’ve got to be very careful if you don’t know where you are going, 

because you might not get there.

germany way out in front...

testing shows the way... 

while here in palookaville...

It's like déjà vu all over again.

 poorly equiped, poorly armed, out played...

the virus game playbook...

is still to be written

GAMES WITHIN GAMES

some say itta game o two halves...

others that...

some are cheatin...

 It ain't over till it's over

 whatever games they are playin...

the score board is horrendous

HOME RUN 

the big palooka needs a hole in one...

but he left his clubs inna dugout...

refusal to provide his team...

with essential matching kit...

has caused confusion...

and mistakes...

the diamond...

has to become a field hospital...

the numbers carried off...

are scaring the crowd...

in the bleachers

Always go to other people's funerals, otherwise they won't come to yours.

games are being played by every body

but behind closed doors

this series is...

too dangerous to watch

No one goes there nowadays, it’s too crowded.

WHAT A PLAYER

the big palooka...

has knocked the ball...

right outta a park...

his team are runnin around in circles...

try not to make a catch... 

nobody wants to be caught out

A nickel ain't worth a dime anymore.

the sports personalities

are demanding their wages

for not playing the game...

the clubs are demanding...

to be bailed out...

the crowd is baying for blood...

run out, caught out, stumped!

The future ain't what it used to be

the virus as changed the game

it mutates into debt...

it's a new world...

disorder

Slump? I ain’t in no slump… I just ain’t hitting.

DANSE MACABRE

              Like influenza he walks abroad,

              He stands by the bridge, he waits by the ford,

             As a goose or a gull he flies overhead,

               He hides in the cupboard and under the bed...

              The Unknown Citizen

W. H. Auden  

1907-1973

(To JS/07 M 378 This Marble Monument Is Erected by the State)

He was found by the Bureau of Statistics to be
One against whom there was no official complaint,
And all the reports on his conduct agree
That, in the modern sense of an old-fashioned word, he was a saint,
For in everything he did he served the Greater Community.

Except for the War till the day he retired
He worked in a factory and never got fired,
But satisfied his employers, Fudge Motors Inc.

Yet he wasn't a scab or odd in his views,
For his Union reports that he paid his dues,
(Our report on his Union shows it was sound)

And our Social Psychology workers found 

That he was popular with his mates and liked a drink.

The Press are convinced that he bought a paper every day
And that his reactions to advertisements were normal in every way.

Policies taken out in his name prove that he was fully insured,

And his Health-card shows he was once in hospital but left it cured.

Both Producers Research and High-Grade Living declare

 He was fully sensible to the advantages of the Instalment Plan
And had everything necessary to the Modern Man,

A phonograph, a radio, a car and a frigidaire.

Our researchers into Public Opinion are content
That he held the proper opinions for the time of year;

When there was peace, he was for peace: when there was war, he went.

He was married and added five children to the population,

Which our Eugenist says was the right number for a parent of his generation.

And our teachers report that he never interfered with their education.

Was he free? Was he happy? The question is absurd:

Had anything been wrong, we should certainly have heard.

MORE FAMOUS VIRUS QUOTES 

If you ask me anything I don’t know, I’m not going to answer.

I never said most of the things I said.

I never blame myself when I’m not hitting. 

I just blame the bat and if it keeps up, 

I change bats. 

After all, if I know it isn’t my fault that I’m not hitting, 

how can I get mad at myself? 

You’ve got to be very careful if you don’t know where you are going, 

because you might not get there.

Mickey Mantle was a very good golfer, 

but we weren’t allowed to play golf during the season; 

only at spring training. 

I wish everybody had the drive he (Joe DiMaggio) had. 

He never did anything wrong on the field.

I’d never seen him dive for a ball, 

everything was a chest-high catch,

and he never walked off the field.

Take it with a grin of salt.

If the world were perfect, it wouldn’t be.

I’m a lucky guy and I’m happy to be with the Yankees. 

And I want to thank everyone for making this night necessary.

A lot of guys go, 

‘Hey, Yog, say a Yogi-ism.’ 

I tell ’em, ‘I don’t know any.’ 

They want me to make one up. 

I don’t make ’em up. 

I don’t even know when I say it. 

They’re the truth. 

And it is the truth. 

I don’t know. 

BACK TO THE 19 THIRTIES

Bagpipe music (1938) 

Louis MacNeice

Oxford English Dictionary (OED) Links On

It’s no go the merrygoround, it’s no go the rickshaw,
All we want is a limousine and a ticket for the peepshow.

Their knickers are made of crêpe-de-chine, their shoes are made of python,
Their halls are lined with tiger rugs and their walls with heads of bison.

John MacDonald found a corpse, put it under the sofa,
Waited till it came to life and hit it with a poker,
Sold its eyes for souvenirs, sold its blood for whisky,
Kept its bones for dumb-bells to use when he was fifty.

It’s no go the Yogi-Man, it’s no go Blavatsky,
All we want is a bank balance and a bit of skirt in a taxi.

Annie MacDougall went to milk, caught her foot in the heather,
Woke to hear a dance record playing of Old Vienna.

It’s no go your maidenheads, it’s no go your culture,
All we want is a Dunlop tyre and the devil mend the puncture.

The Laird o’Phelps spent Hogmanay declaring he was sober,
Counted his feet to prove the fact and found he had one foot over.

Mrs Carmichael had her fifth, looked at the job with repulsion,
Said to the midwife ‘Take it away; I’m through with
over-production’.

It’s no go the gossip column, it’s no go the Ceilidh,
All we want is a mother’s help and a sugar-stick for the baby.

Willie Murray cut his thumb, couldn’t count the damage,
Took the hide of an Ayrshire cow and used it for a bandage.

His brother caught three hundred cran when the seas were lavish,
Threw the bleeders back in the sea and went upon the parish.

It’s no go the Herring Board, it’s no go the Bible,
All we want is a packet of fags when our hands are idle.

It’s no go the picture palace, it’s no go the stadium,
It’s no go the country cot with a pot of pink geraniums,
It’s no go the Government grants, it’s no go the elections,
Sit on your arse for fifty years and hang your hat on a pension.

It’s no go my honey love, it’s no go my poppet;
Work your hands from day to day, the winds will blow the profit.

The glass is falling hour by hour, the glass will fall forever,
But if you break the bloody glass you won’t hold up the weather.