I would like to make a heartfelt apology to my readers.

I realize I have become a sort of a dick and I apologize for that. I know people are just trying to get through this stupid time the best they can.

 

Having said that......I believe this "fear" narrative is the phoniest thing ever. It's just a way for Republicans to peer pressure you into not talking about things the herd doesn't want you to. 

 

That is not happening here. The "fear narrative" is going to trigger me every time because I don't believe it exists.  But, I will try to not be condescending.

 

You guys don't have to give a single fuck - just get out of the way of those who know our economy can not sustain people putting their hands over their eyes and saying " I don't see anything here". 

I'm sure he will live. (probably)

 

It's already too late basically. It's in 20 States and 40 41 countries. We have community spread in Hawaii and Sacramento and Georgia apparently... so all those gay gay gays are not the only ones who can get it. It's definitely not airborne like SARS COv2.

Thankfully it's so mild people have to be on morphne. Animal workers are already starting to be forced into being vaccinated because people are too stupid to not let this happen. Once in the animal population all bets are off what it mutates into.

The vaccine hasn't really been tested on anyone. So that's great news.

Mr S. thinks the government keeps denying how bad the problem is because if they do then people will expect a plan. And it turns out - they never had a plan. Hell they didn't even have masks in the strategic reserve. I'd place money that they don't have all the vaxxes they need either.

But don't worry! Such a clown show. 

How Boomers are assholes in one tweet.

I know this person is a Boomer because I'm GenX and I was too young to get the shot.  

This person seems to understand getting these diseases as an adult, is bad. But, because they got a shot as a child, everyone else is over reacting. Despite them stopping the shot in 1972.

It's going to be super fun to find out the REAL immunity in the Boomer group because a couple people with Monkeypox had been vaccinated against small pox. One I believe was in the 90's. When this report everyone was sort of shocked because it was well pas the point where it was mandated.

The US now has cases in 19 States in ONE MONTH. The WHO is saying we need to act with speed to get this under control, and basically you can see how things are going to go from the above tweet. As usual... the US is like LOL! The pox is actually spreading faster than COVID SARS-2.

I'm actually cool with everything right now because I think this is a self resolving problem. We should have stopped requiring masks year one. No one learned anything from the training wheel phase. And worse! Workers have ZERO protections. I mean, I'm starting to read stories of doctors being denied disability benefits for long COvID SARS-2. Super fucked up.

The housing crisis is jealous with envy.

"In April 2022, Palm Springs home prices were up 40.4% compared to last year, selling for a median price of $640K. On average, homes in Palm Springs sell after 23 days on the market compared to 37 days last year. There were 190 homes sold in April this year, down from 240 last year."

When everyone was out doing premature victory laps, I was wondering what happens when they figure out that we were in recession the whole time and the only reason it didn't seem like it was because we were printing soooooo much money. Nothing new was created. But everyone was just spending their stimmies like it was the roaring 20's. Because that pesky pandemic was just on the cusp of being over. Said in the most sarcastic way.

Even worse.....the government put in place all sorts of eviction moratoriums that put a floor on prices going down. The rental moratorium doesn't even end (at least here) until June 30. And it's hard to tell exactly where the foreclosure moratorium stands because of the way it written.

Then the Fed comes in and drops a nuke on the housing market. I mean, mortgage company layoffs started like 3 weeks ago. Now the Fed just blew the everything bubble completely out of the water for inflation they can not fix. It is primarily driven by labor shortages. Literally everyone it out sick.

Now layoffs have accelerated sharply. Tesla is laying off 10,000. Construction will be next. And we get to find out what fun exciting creative financing caused Palm Springs houses to go up 40% in one year. Everywhere else at least 20%. Because that happens in the middle of a Pandemic when nothing new happened except creating money out of thin air.

Also... lots of finance guys seem to be confused why the economy isn't responding like the 20's. Maybe it's because the way the media talked about the lockdowns. Gyms and nail salons got all of the attention, but pretty much every place else was open. 

I don't really know what the plan is now because we were never NOT in recession. The government just basically backstopped everyone with FORGIVEN PPP loans and when the spigot stops.........? People will find out the true nature of the economy. I'd say the last two years were completely lost. We haven't made a single bit of progress.

I think it's funny.

This is what people voted for. I don't care how bad it gets. 

I've reached a new phase because I love it when people can't shift the consequences of their choices.

820 Days in...

And still this:

When will COVID-19 start to fade away? Experts say Houston is in the midst of another surge

"The wastewater right now, the COVID is just as bad as it was late August, early September, which was a major surge. It is not quite as bad as the omicron surge in early January," McDeavitt explained. 

COVID concern has become less for a lot of people, but one question we would all like to know the answer to: When will this virus finally be just another sickness we have to deal with? 

"I can't predict exactly when that's going to occur. I think we are probably a surge or two away from that happening. Perhaps as we get through this winter, I think it's going to be fully baked into sort of our background psyche...It's going to be with us forever. I think we are within probably weeks to months of having it just in the background like all of the other infectious diseases we always have to deal with," McDeavitt said."

You have to excuse me for being extra surly lately. I've spent the last year being completely canceled from society by people who just don't know what the fuck they are talking about.

People like me have been called neurotic, controlling,  safety cult, Karen, sheep. Just name a few. Just for telling people the truth the whole time.

Now..... you've got your wish. This is what endemic means for COVID. Good job everyone. This is the BEST it gets. Just wait till you see what version 4 and 5 do.

And then these asshole "experts" saying we are just a surge or two away from it being nothing. I thought the last version was the offramp version. 

I literally see people all the time that take these experts opinions and don't protect themselves. People who CLEARLY should be. If I can see you have diabetes from just looking at you - maybe you are the first person that needs protection. And these are not fatties. They are skinny old guys who have bandages on their calves and that weird diabetes color creeping up their legs. But.... it's their choice.

I just can't take this stupidity anymore.

I'm so tired. America basically deserves what it gets at this point because of these clowns. We are living the real life Idiocracy movie.

So... this morning I log in to see wha the internets are saying and hit this article.

Diseases suppressed during Covid are coming back in new and peculiar ways.

"As the Covid-19 pandemic and resultant social restrictions have abated in much of the world, other viruses are rearing their heads in new and unusual ways. 

Influenza, Respiratory syncytial virus, adenovirus, tuberculosis and monkeypox are among a number of viruses to have spiked and exhibited strange behaviors in recent months.   <----

Health experts say Covid-19 restrictions could have reduced exposure and lowered immunity to infectious diseases, making society more vulnerable to new outbreaks."

FFS! Lockdowns have reduced exposure too TB?!? A very infectious disease that we basically eradicated.  Now they are normalized living with TB? 

I just can't even when people don't even know what diseases we are suppose to reduce exposure too. Also they stopped vaccinating in 2005 because we had eradicated it!

The whole chin diaper thing is going to be funny with this one. Let's see how we are fixing this. Herd immunity? Moving on?

This is not slowing down.

I'm pretty sure there was a reason our ancestors didn't decide to live with communicable diseases. The government printing GOBS of money gave the illusion that wave after wave of illness isn't going to decimate business and "living with COvid" was going to to be just fine and dandy. 

I mean, seriously.... what "tools" do they have to fight a downturn at this point after handing people almost 100 grand completely tax free?

Now, we are trying to make sense of a new threat. Monkeypox has reached 15 States as of this morning. Even my county has a case now. Instead of this slowing down... it does seem to be accelerating. 

While trying to make sense of all the reports - an interesting (IMO) case popped up. Because everyone is searching for pustules.  This guy apparently didn't get ANY of that. Not like it matters at all because the Texas case got right on a plane from Mexico after he was told he has the POX.

At any rate....I think it's pretty likely this gets crazy because we obviously have some asymptomatic spread. 

Also, there is starting to be some pretty serious talk about lab manipulation with the POX. All experts now say it is highly unusual for this virus to mutate the way it currently is. It would take 50 years in the wild as it's had a fairly stable mutation rate. Something like one or to a year. This one has some 40 odd mutations.

But.. I see people all over saying what hypochondriacs we are. Good luck with that. Virus always wins.  It seems like America is taking the same lazy path on the pox. Other countries warning us, and the US just saying LOL.

Let's see how funny it is when the government isn't printing GOBS of money.

People are poorly adapted to pain.

They will do the craziest things to avoid it, even if it drags the problem out for much longer. They ALWAYS refuse the hard short path in favor of the slightly milder indefinite pain path. It's the craziest thing. It's why the housing crisis lasted so long. And it's why what we are going through now is not going away any time soon.

I find it very hard to find things to post about because i think everyone is living in a complete fantacy.

For instance....I think most of this inflation talk is bullshit. Oh - prices certainly ARE high. But what do you expect when the government FORGIVES 4.1 MILLION PPP loans. Average loan? 95,700. There is always a point in a crisis when you feel like a real chump and this is certainly it. There were many times in the housing crisis that losers got handouts. Those people squandered it anyway, and basically that's what is happening now. Everyone thinks they are a genius when the government is handing out free money. And even worse..... the requirement of PPP loan forgiveness was too spend 60% on staff.

What do you think happens when they can't continue employing those people because it wasn't based on increased earnings?

It was super perplexing during the pandemic that every business staffed WAY up.  Based ENTIRELY on nothing more than a one time benefit.

So....we are three years into this pandemic, and we aren't really too further along. I'd say we are much worse off. I mean, we have two countries (The UK and Canada) that are freaking out about how newly disabled people are going to swamp the system. Thank goodness this is all just a bad cold.

don't worry!

 

Trump should run on just blowing up the CDC. Because they clearly do not know how to control disease.

I wanted to show everyone how Australian HACK doctors are talking about the monkeypox outbreak. Our media will be doing exactly the same thing soon. We just don't have enough cases yet. These same types of hacks said COVID would never get into the US.

The article starts out with a fake narrative of someone being "terrified" of catching the Pox. The "doctors" reply? 

"Hi Sharon, remember when you were a kid being terrified of the monster under the bed? Most of your terror came from the unknown, and you would imagine the creature below from spooky shadows and mysterious sounds creaking throughout the night. Do you remember when all that terror was put to bed when all you had to do was check underneath and see nothing was there? The Monkeypox virus has become your new monster under the bed. In order to calm yourself down, you need to be informed of what it actually is, its potential danger to yourself and others, and how to limit transmission. "

The message? You are just being a big fat pussy. You are imagining things.

Now to the infuriating part.

Is monkeypox dangerous? 

"Now to the danger of monkeypox. Let’s start out by saying there are treatments and vaccines that work for it – so at this stage no need to worry about waiting a year for one to be made if it turns into a worldwide pandemic. With monkeypox, vaccination will only be needed for individual cases and due to its incubation period of up to 21 days, close contacts. There will be no need for a widespread vaccination effort as at this stage it requires contact of a susceptible person with body fluids.

The transmission rate for monkeypox is also very low – with only about 3 per cent of contacts being infected. '

If you type treatment monkeypox into google - this is the FIRST thing that comes up!@

"At this time, there are no specific treatments available for monkeypox infection, but monkeypox outbreaks can be controlled. Smallpox vaccine, cidofovir, ST-246, and vaccinia immune globulin (VIG) can be used to control a monkeypox outbreak. "

WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK?

Lemme tell you... when this first hit I was like - oh yeah I will get that vaccination. everyone had it when I was a kid. But then you start reading about it and you can see why they stopped giving it. At the time (in 2002) they called it the most dangerous vaccine on earth!

The minute that virus got on a plane - the world became fucked. Last night there are something like over 900 cases in 30! countries.

When this first hit, all the virologists I follow said - either the virus has changed or we have changed. I think it might be both. And I don't think I am vaccinated. I would have been too young. If school didn't force the vaccination I didn't get it. We weren't anti vax. We were poor.

51% of people voted for this.

I haven't really been bitching about the Biden Administration because... I'm sort of enjoying it. Not the policies, but I think it's only fitting that he will die on the hills he created. His green energy policies can't really be fudged right now. And I love that to death.

So... I guess... let them eat cake?

Also.. this is the most expensive gas I know of. I thought I would run into some really pricey ones on my trip North, but gas is actually really reasonable up there. Comparatively.

Also... China opened yesterday so we get to see how fun this gets.

He's right, but for the wrong reasons.

Every time I read ZH talk about housing I laugh. I don't know why it takes three pages to describe what happened with the housing market. I think he tries to dazzle people with bullshit.

During the pandemic they put all these protections which effectively stopped evictions and foreclosures as you can see from the following chart.

This effectively made it so prices really couldn't go down. So, they only went up. If anyone had felt any pain in the pandemic we might not be here right now. You see... this backstop made it so NO ONE had negative equity. This enabled the banks to keep lending and lending sending prices up 20% or more.

Now the moratorium has ended and things are returning to normal. But a lot of demand was pulled forward. And rich people are the first to ditch their assets when the think things are going South.

Have a nice day!

When the damn breaks - it breaks.

Lastly... endemic doesn't mean what you think it does. Endemic is a word for third world countries because they are poor or lack the skills to eradicate something.

When these viruses get into the animal reservoirs they can cross back and forth. I was just reading an article last night about house cats and COVID which they do get and can spread at least to other cats. What if your cat is an outside cat? I guess it is in the realm of possibility that some random person can get infected from their cat, who was infected from an outside cat. Seems pretty funny and farcical. Right?

Okay. Then let's look at  the Avian Flu outbreak that literally no one is covering. It's been going on for months and is why eggs are so expensive. This is hitting backyard flocks and everything. No big whoop right? Buuuuuut... what if bald eagles are suddenly in the infection zone?

Bald Eagles Are Dying From Bird Flu.

We just had a pelican die off... and although I haven't heard the cause yet - it isn't fantasy that it could be avian flu.

COVID is already in the deer population. And many other animals. Apparently the pox also has animal reservoirs like prairie dogs.

So... how far do we let this get out of hand?

Memories.....

COVID: Why Delta coronavirus wave might be last major wave of infection. 

Omicron may have peaked or ‘plateaued’ in parts of the world, giving experts cause for optimism.

Today I see FoxNews out with their hack experts on the monkeypox outbreak saying it's only transmitted through close contact and gay sex. Despite a child in Canada and several women now becoming infected and a very strong rumor it's airborne.

But these hacks doctors always start the same way.

"I'm not worried" Let's just wait and see. Of course by the time it is painfully obvious - it's too late.

Oh... and the monkeypox cases are doubling every 1.6 days right now.

These people never lose their jobs because they are just telling people what they want to hear. Problem solved.

WHOATUS

 

Normally this wouldn't have made it to the blog. But I guess those gas prices are garaging sports cars. I don't think I've seen a lambo in months.

A nation of liars.

It's been long enough now I can blog about this without outing the people in question.

Because of the vax mandate things became a little sketch here at the Snarkolepsy household for a little while. Employers were being forced into enforcing the government mandate. They didn't really want to. But rules are rules. Things became really close at one point.

Once the mandate was lifted I was able to get into a couple of conferences. I only went to one... but sort of a funny thing happened with the other. Said in the most sarcastic way.

This conference was still requiring a vaccine to get in. Which I understand. Their house - their rules. So  I emailed them to say I needed a refund. This is the email they sent back to me.

Hello Mrs Snarkolepsy, 

"Sorry about the delay. Even though there isn’t a requirement for vaccinations in the county or city, we are, as event hosts, requiring proof of vaccination. In lieu of showing us a vax card, you can also sign a statement staying you have had Covid previously, if, of course, you have. That can be done on site."

I have never had COVID. I could have shown them a negative test as I test roughly once a week even though I am not required to do so. I tested the night before I was suppose to attend. And I test whenever I take a risk possibly I shouldn't have. Not only to show that I am NOT the person who got you sick, but to see if YOU got me sick. Because this is what responsible people do!

I literally have no idea why people won't do this. The first time it's scary. Because you might be positive. But after that it. feels like security. Testing is the ONLY way out of this.

I didn't even attend that conf because I didn't think it was worth lying for.

Stories from Mr S.

Earlier today Mr S. sends me a text saying one the of the guys in his office has come down with the COVID. I basically text him back with LOL. (People have to learn the hard way.)

When I got back to the house however he exitedly wants to tell me the story. I smile and say okay.

Him - The guy in my office was over in the UK and got COVID. And they wouldn't let him go. Well, the US wouldn't let him back in. They must still test. So it sounds like somehow he flew to Canada, and then got back into the US. He continues... he still has COVID!

And this my Friends is why the lockdowns would have never worked. People evade them. Every lockdown they did, they gave you advanced notice and people basically fled on the wind like dandelions. I have receipts early days saying this. But if you had any modicum of caution the narrative crammed on you was that you were a pussy who has been locked inside their house the whole time. Yeah.. I'm mad. I don't care what you do.. that is up to you and your GOD. But people have blown up all the easy off ramps, and now only super effed up ones remain.

We should not be letting this virus mutate. Period. Every time it hits a human it has a chance to get stronger. Our incompetent government already can't keep up with it. I just don't understand when people are going to grow tired of an endless cycle of infection. It's insanity.

Aren't we tired of winning stupid prizes yet?

The Most Dangerous Vaccine.

(this article was written in 2002)

"60 Minutes II Correspondent Dan Rather reports that in evaluating the potential danger of smallpox, the Bush administration has faced a deadly dilemma: Do not vaccinate the population against small pox and leave millions of people vulnerable to one of the worst scourges known to man. Or treat people with a vaccine that is extremely effective at blocking the disease but can cause dangerous, sometimes fatal, reactions."

"The United States stopped giving mandatory smallpox vaccinations 30 years ago. Soon after that, doctors eradicated the disease from the planet. But now, the government has decided to bring back the vaccine because of fear that terrorists, or Iraq, could use the virus as a weapon. 

But smallpox was, or is, a terrible, virulent disease. It kills one out of every three of its victims. There is no cure.

The vaccine effectively immunizes against smallpox. But that protection has a price. Some people die from it; and others have serious reactions, some permanent. Scientists say it's the most dangerous vaccine known to man.

It could protect Americans from the unthinkable destruction of a smallpox attack. But the vaccine has a dark side. 

"We know if we immunize a million people, that there will be 15 people that will suffer severe, permanent adverse outcomes and one person who may die from the vaccine," says Dr. Paul Offit, one of the country's top infectious disease specialists, and he knows all about vaccines that prevent those diseases."

Obviously one death per million was a big deal back then. These stats seem dreamy by comparison to the COVID vaccine. But... what if people had been told like adults that in plain terms what the negative reaction rate was? Instead of treating people like throwaway trash. We all had to find this out from people we know that had problems. And then when we told the truth to others we got so much blowback. That we were spreading fear porn! Yeah... I'm bitter. If I knew someone who had died for THREE to FOUR month immunity? I can't even imagine how bitter I would be.

Apparently the smallpox vaccine is so dangerous that they don't recommend everyone getting a shot. Which is what should have been done for the COVID vaccine.

"Some of the people who shouldn't get the smallpox vaccine are those who have a weakened immune system, including those who are HIV positive, those who have gotten cancer treatments, and those who have a transplant," he says. Also included on that list are people with the skin-condition eczema, pregnant women and infants. Frieden's department has real-life experience with large-scale vaccination programs.

Now there is a very real concern about giving people a live vaccine when the possibility that COVID has damaged immune systems. And I don't know if this is true or not. We just have to wait for the data to come in.

Like it or not.

2021 was a Record-Breaking Year in Real Estate. 

Trump blew this bubble sky high. And it's not okay. Just because it's your guy doesn't make it okay.

"Last year, home buyers spent nearly $3 trillion on real estate—the highest ever. That exceeds previous highs by more than $600 million that were set in 2020 and 2005, CoreLogic reports. 

Home prices are the main culprit behind that surge. By the end of 2021, home prices were 50% above their highest peak before the market downfall in 2006, CoreLogic reports." 

The article goes on to say... 

"Researchers also cite the difference in types of homes purchased as another factor. Sales of higher-priced and spacious homes with larger square footage have boomed since 2020. In the 2000s, however, home sales favored smaller units in lower-priced areas."

Emphasis mine. Because apparently, suddenly it became easier to buy second and third houses within the last two years. Which normally I wouldn't have a problem with.... but.. You can't suppress one side of the market causing housing prices to skyrocket, and not think there is going to be a problem.

Honestly the housing crisis would blush at the shit I've seen.

This is the world people want?

Repeat infections with COVID-19 may become the norm, experts say.

"COVID-19 vaccines and previous infections might protect against severe disease, but neither has been able to prevent some folks from catching the virus again and again. 

"It may well be that this virus now has mutated so that it's highly contagious but produces, by and large, mild illness," said Dr. William Schaffner, medical director of the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases."

I was fully unprepared for the amount of illness people will accept. I know a girl that has had it FOUR times now.

It was known year ONE that this was the case. I blogged about it many times. But it was more important to score political points.

What if you guys were wrong and repeat infections only age your immune system? I don't know for certain this is the case, but as time goes by....... it's looking more like. 

Herd immunity was always a lie, and Team herd immunity just wouldn't listen to anyone.

lol

Maybe if we turn it upside down?

It really is the funniest thing watching the FED fight inflation they caused by printing so much money and Biden banning fracking and all the other things Trump did to bring down oil prices.

But.. this is what people voted for.

I guess everyone forgot about this.....

U.S. GDP fell at a 1.4% pace to start the year as pandemic recovery takes a hit. 

Including me. 

This morning I said - Self... didn't we already print a negative GDP? 

So...there is no way the next print wont be a technical recession. I'm old enough to remember when high gas prices were an immediate tax on the consumer. MANY of us who lived through the housing recession believe that gas prices tipped us.

My zen is all gone already.

 

One pandemic is bad enough. Who knew another was on the way? I don't know if I have the strength to go through another - we know everything about this virus. No big deal. If you talk about it at all you are spreading fear porn. It's sort of weird because the Republicans are all on this Elon Musk free speech thing, but if you talk about the virus you are spreading fear.

There are a strange amount of mutations in this new virus. And I'm not saying this is the case at all.. for now. But honestly, if a country like Russia wanted to inflict pain on us..... why wouldn't they just release a virus instead of a nuke? They see what complete babies we are in dealing with this. China was very successful. And Russia is the kind of country that will put some tiny speck of nuclear material in your food and wait for years for it to kill you.

And oh yeah...since small pox was eradicated, likely very few people born after 1972 have been vaccinated.

So, the husband and I went on a 25 mile rail bike trip this time. I think five miles is too short, and 25 is too long. For the most part if you've seen one redwood forest, you've almost seen them all.

 

Glass beach

It was a very overcast day, so I didn't take many pictures.

Oh! And I forgot about the crazy squirrels at the beach. When you smooch at them, they start to walk right up to you. Not just one or two - every single one you smooched at came right up. So much it was making Mr S. mad. I think he was afraid of the squirrel pox. I didn't have any food.

 

The Keynesians must to be proud.

 

As I watch everyone jumping out of their underpants to convince us that we are not going into recession, I just have to shake my head because we have been in recession since 2020. We just printed 5 TRILLION dollars in two years to make it look like we weren't. It literally took Obama 8 years to print that much money.

We did not create anything new. Our production didn't go up. We are not better off. But.... I do find it fascinating how people cover this. For instance ZH says the fall in new hone sales is the largest since 2010. No mention of all that Keynsian money printing. Maybe it's because our guy started this fire - Biden only threw a little gas on it. I fixed his chart with the one below that shows the fall in real estate is basically back to the trend line. The lower arrow is Trump, the upper Biden.

I mean, honestly... what do they think is going to happen when they take the crack away? Oh... that's right. This has been going on so long that people don't really know or care. It's all a surprise.

Such an effin clown show. I honestly think I'm the last fiscal conservative on earth. Apparently money printing is fine if it's your guy. And it's one thing to make it so people don't get evicted in a pandemic. It's quite another to have housing prices to go up 20% YOY. 

I mean, I look at my new neighbor (who paid 500k over asking) and wonder if they know there has been an eviction moratorium for two years creating an artificial shortage. Or if they know how much inventory will be coming on. I think it's the most since the 1970's that is in some stage of development.

Additionally it seems like hoarding is finally tapering off. How anyone thinks this isn't going to be bad is living in an alternate reality. I mean... Trump basically used the helicopter money firehose. What kind of creative financial tools do they have left?

 

The history of money printing.

I must admit...

I am sort of enjoying the Biden Administration. Americans love fairy tails and pushing the consequences of their choices onto others. This might be one of those magical moments in time where reality comes in like a chainsaw. Americans voted for career politicians who have no idea how economics work. 

Don't get mad at me. Get mad at little old ladies who think oil is dirty.

Plus, I think Kamala's Quailisms are the best thing ever. I have litterally talked about that girl less than five times. She is nothing more than vacuous woo girl. And I love love love every time she talks.

Basically..

I had to dip out to recharge my batteries to prepare for this very intense year. I mean.. good news. China is opening back up. But just wait till we see what this does to gas prices.