Sunday, November 29

Ol’ Lavahead Day 2020

Lavahead

After 66 years of existence on the planet, there is no point in celebration. The events of this year, including the “super-duper corona” plan-demic and the brazenly rigged (s)election, has only caused the lava and magma to wreak further havoc. Sickening. Will the new year be more of the same ol’ shit? Most likely, eh?

Addendum: Viewing legacy episodes of “StarTrek: TNG” and “Hustle” on Pluto TV has provided much needed diversion from the on-going bullshit.

Saturday, November 28

Change

The Saturnalia shopping madness is in “full swing.” People are spending money like crazy. The crowds have become unbearable. “Social distancing” is non-existent. The fools probably believe that their flimsy cloth face masks will protect them from “super-duper corona.” And, inconsiderate behavior, along with stupidly, have come to the forefront.

With each passing hour, the realization that there is no commonality with anyone becomes “crystal clear.” Whatever fringe remnant of the failed “civilization” paradigm lingering to the present is being “flushed down the toilet” in the aftermath of the “super-duper corona” plan-demic. Society is officially dead.

Notes has lost its way, too. There was too much preoccupation with meaningless events that are out of the locus of control of mere peasants. The diatribe was causing deep internal divisions. The mind was literally ready to snap.

There was some consideration to move to the Parler platform. Why bother? Too much trouble for no return. The best option is to return Notes to its previous innocuous form. The less that’s said, the better.

Miscellany: The Visible unlimited data plan has really changed the perspective. While there is still some reliance on free wireless networks, the latter has become unnecessary. So much so that the personal Google® Drive storage is being pruned (yet again). It’s down to 2% of total capacity.

Thursday, November 26

No-Holiday Holiday 2020

Bush’s® Baked Beans

Only the gym was open today, thank goodness. Otherwise, there would have been absolutely nothing to to do and nowhere to go. So, over two hours was devoted to working out, albeit at a leisurely pace.

Dinner will consist of a can of Bush’s® baked beans, just like the old days. The beans will be consumed cold, straight out of the can. That’s the extent of the no-holiday celebration. Sheesh!

Addendum: Pluto TV has now been temporarily embraced as diversionary (read: mindless) entertainment during the tedious holidays, even though it is saturated with advertisements (which goes against personal policy). Pluto TV does appear to be the best of its genre.

Wednesday, November 25

Farce Revisited

The “super-duper corona” farce continues in Hawai’i as “Tier 2” restrictions continue on O’ahu. Here are the facts:

  • “Cases” out of total population: 0.1%
  • Recovery rate: 99%

Fortunately, the Fascists have not escalated the Draconian measures. No reversion to “Tier 1” and no curfew as the first seasonal holiday approaches.

Sadly, absolutely nothing will be open for business during the holiday except for 7-11® stores. There won’t be any early “Black Friday” events on Thursday evening.

That’s going to present a major problem insofar as dinner is concerned. Procuring a couple of cans of baked beans was considered. Not too appealing.

Miscellany: The Visible SIM card arrived on Monday, and service was established the next morning. So far, the experience has been satisfactory. A significant amount of data was consumed on that day alone, nearly half of the allotment of the previous wireless plan.

Sunday, November 22

Just Some Trivia

After the usual workout at the gym, a quick jaunt was made back to Waikiki with a stopover at the Waikiki Community Center (WCC). A complimentary “grab and go” turkey and ham plate lunch was procured. For a geriatric loser, such a nice home-style meal is appreciated. The WCC has also been regularly providing small packages of non-perishable food to the residents of the “old folks home” in Waikiki.

Ala Moana Center has been extremely crowded as of last week. The Saturnalia shopping season is now in “full swing.” People are going to be spending lots of money on useless junk (made in China) this year to compensate for the dismal “lockdowns” forced upon them by the Fascists. No doubt, everyone will also be “stuffing their faces” with food throughout the holidays. They are all playing right into the hands of the Fascists.

The Visible SIM card is still in transit apparently. The FedEx® second-day delivery is now in its third day. The T-Mobile® prepaid wireless account will be expiring tomorrow at 11pm. So, there will most likely be a communications blackout for a day or two. Thank goodness for the usual free wireless network hotspots.

Saturday, November 21

Confusion Redux

There is a lot confusion and angst building up here as a result of the ridiculous “super-duper corona” mandates dictated by the Fascists. Local mayors are “up in arms” about tourists arriving with pending test results. Several of the tourists have subsequently received positive test results. The governor of Hawai’i quickly made revisions to his previous mandate, which now requires mandatory quarantine for tourists with pending test results. Say what?

Local residents are upset because they have witnessed tourists flagrantly violating the face mask and “social distancing” rules. Oddly, the “volunteer” police enforcement team (i.e., paid separately through the Federal “super-duper corona” fund) has been temporarily sidelined. So, there is no enforcement of the mandatory quarantine or the full-time use of face masks. Residents are now calling for an official kapo-rona squad.

A last-minute on-line order was made to acquire the SIM card for Visible, the Verizon® prepaid MVNO. Visible only has one plan, $40 per month for unlimited everything (with caveats) with no contract. The reason for the last-minute switch? A very odd premonition that “lockdown” is right around the corner again.

Reliance on free wireless networks was made workable. The iPhone 12 can now access the gym’s free wireless network which the iPhone XR could not. Nobody could figure out the problem, not even the Apple® Store geniuses. Of course, as an engineer, the problem was deduced to be the Intel® modem (Apple® and Qualcomm® were involved in a legal quagmire at the time, so Intel® modems were substituted in the iPhone X series). That hunch was proven correct.

So, the gym’s free wireless network was utilized during the feigned cardio cooldown on the recumbent bicycle. That and the free wireless network in the Makai Market food court allowed for at least one hour of Net access in total.

In any case, another “lockdown” would reduce the number of available free wireless networks to zero. Thus, a viable solution was necessary. In the event that no “lockdown” ensues, another cheaper prepaid wireless plan can be found.

Thursday, November 19

Purple is the New Orange

There’s much confusion everywhere, what with “super-duper corona” allegedly rampaging around the planet. Here in Hawai’i, the daily tally of infections still hovers around 100 or so. The numbers are truly meaningless because the latter is dependent on the total number of tests administered on a given day and the number of false positives. Yet, the daily tally and the ludicrous 7-day moving average determines the penal restrictions accorded to the masses.

The fearmongering has ramped up with the fear of death as the focal point. Same ol’ shit. Everyone seemingly has forgotten that “super-duper corona” is primarily ravaging the early “baby boomers” and their parents. Frail senior citizens. Secondarily, individuals with compromised health have been victimized by the scourge. Eugenics targeting the weak and sickly.

The islands have been spared of the “surge” happening across the mainland empire and internationally, not because of the vigilance of the government “duffers.” Rather, the “no travel” advisories have been the savior, much like the original “surge” of a few months ago. Tourists arrivals simply tapered off and decreased the likelihood of a local pandemic. That’s what’s happening now as the holidays approach.

Of course, the government “duffers” are playing up the crisis to increase their self-importance. Most of the theatrics are from the national Democrat (sic) Party playbook. That crap is going to continue until “Orange  Bad Man” concedes to the Democrat “empty suit,” which now appears to be inevitable. Soon, the masses will be swept into the vortex of the “Purple Revolution,” a sickly concoction of “woke” bullshit acting as subterfuge for the same old Neoliberal regime.

Anyway, “Tier 2” is still in effect on the island. At least the gyms all remain open for now. However, the other restrictions are still impinging on personal freedom. Only the Democrat “empty suit” can save humanity, or that at least that is what “they” say whoever “they” are.

There was much internal debate about switching to a different wireless carrier with an unlimited data plan (all for $40). However, with all of the “dilly-dallying,” a seamless switch within five days is unlikely. So, the same plan will be renewed for another month.

Well, the current wireless plan does include unlimited video streaming at 480p resolution. So, the Tubi “app” was installed on the iPhone 12. Lots of great “B” movies ... errr, maybe not. Tubi does have the British “Hustle” series in its library. So, that’s going to be viewed in entirely during the holidays when there’s absolutely nowhere to go and nothing to do.

Addendum: Upon the shocking discovery that Tubi is owned by the parent corporation of Fux News, the “app” was duly mummified.

Monday, November 16

Globo-Fascii

Globo-Fascii

In lockstep with the unofficial Fascist policy of the Democrat “empty suit” (read: “president-elect”), the governor of Hawai’i “jumped the gun” and has decreed a full-time face mask mandate effective immediately. Face masks must be worn full-time everywhere and anywhere, no exceptions. Police will be actively issuing citations to violators. There’s a hefty fine, too.

The government “duffers” continue to refer to “science” as the basis of their decisions. Yet, has science proven that “super-duper corona” is here, there, and everywhere, even in the air? Notes revealed those ludicrous claims many moons ago. And now, it’s come back like a bad sitcom.

There is little doubt that Draconian restrictions or another “lockdown” will be invoked before the first of the seasonal holidays (next week). All of the other Democrat-controlled states have already done so. Right now, though, under “Tier 2,” only a maximum of five people are allowed for any gatherings during next week’s holiday.

The “super-duper corona” fearmongering has ramped up again. What is it now ... the third “surge”? What is really happening cannot be more than obvious. “Orange Bad Man” has refused to concede to the Democrat “empty suit.” So, all efforts are now being diverted to increase the chaos and widespread fear to drum up public support to oust “Orange Bad Man.” It’s all about “Orange Bad Man.” The masses just can’t understand that they are “being played like a fiddle.”

Addendum: Even if the Democrat “empty suit” were to be inaugurated on time, the “super-duper corona” policies will most likely continue in order to further subjugate the masses. Mandatory vaccinations are obviously forthcoming with “inoculation passports” subsequently required for access anywhere. However, if “Orange Bad Man” succeeds in overturning the election fraud, the plan-demic and chaos will be ramped up even further. And, that could go on for years.

Miscellany: The search for e-books to read has been thwarted by the proliferation of cookbooks, fad diet times, “woke” bullshit, and “virtue signaling” screeds. Total lost cause!

Thursday, November 12

Globo-Vaccine

The latest news about the Pfizer® mRNA “super-duper corona” vaccine is just hype. The vaccine must be stored at -94o F at all times, making it impractical. And, two doses are required. Of course, it won’t be ready until the Democrat “empty suit” is sworn into office in order to create the illusion of a savior.

Why not just go with the Russian Sputnik V vaccine? Oh, after over four years of using Russia and “Putin” as scapegoats and subsequently imposing unwarranted sanctions on the latter over ridiculous allegations, there is no possible way that could happen. The empire continues to “burn bridges” for no apparent reason.

The Democrat “empty suit” has also finally revealed his Fascist globalist policies. Opening the border(s) for immigration, welcoming refugees from areas ravaged by the empire’s own wars, and granting asylum to the hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants will be official policy.

There has been discussion in Notes about the puzzling immigration problem in Hawai’i. People literally come here and stay. Nearly all of the public and affordable housing are occupied by legal and undocumented immigrants. They have welfare, Section 8 vouchers, SNAP benefits, and “free” Medicaid health insurance. If they are disabled, usually obese and diabetic, they receive SSI benefits.

Local residents have very limited access to those social programs. That’s why they end up on the streets. Little wonder why all the homeless speak English. Not so in public and affordable housing. Well, with the Democrat globalist “empty suit” and the local Fascist Democrats, the situation will only get worse.

There really needs to be a vaccine for the globalist “infection.”

Addendum: The State of Hawai’i has already established a vaccine distribution plan. However, there are no facilities that can store the mRNA vaccine.

Wednesday, November 11

Instability


Yesterday, the lease for the studio unit at the “old folks home” in Waikiki was renewed for another year. The lease can be terminated at any time with a 30-day notice. Given the precarious situation presented by the “super-duper corona” plan-demic, there are no other viable options. The fact that a nationwide “lockdown” could be mandated next year by the Democrat “empty suit” (once he is installed) only confirms the viability of remaining there.

The State moratorium on rental evictions expired on October 31st. The advice from the State “duffers”? Landlords and tenants should “return to the table” and renegotiate leases. Big help, eh?

So far, the number of new homeless people seems to have increased with patients released from the State psychiatric facility. That will probably change once evictions proceed.

Tuesday, November 10

Scream

The Democrat “empty suit” or so-called “president-elect” has added nationwide “lockdowns” to his arsenal in mitigating the “super-duper corona” plan-demic. Yeah, his only other “weapon” is face masks, as detailed in Notes yesterday (and predicted in Notes two days earlier).

The latest bold (term used loosely) move by the Democrat “empty suit” has empowered the Democrat politicians in Hawai’i to seek mandatory state-wide full-time face masks use either through legislation or by forcing the governor’s hand.

At first, the “super-duper corona” plan-demic was believed to solely be the vehicle to perpetuate voting fraud by mail-in ballots. Then, the “plague” would fade away like the tired old “Russia” narrative. Now, it seems that the national Democrat (sic) Party machine has envisioned long-term uses for the plan-demic (as previously discussed in Notes).

On a side note, the emblazoned headline of today’s local newspaper read, “Republicans Still in Denial!” Obviously, the local newspaper is a Democrat (sic) Party “rag,” just like the other “fake news” media here. And, it’s becoming untenable.

Much disillusionment has been experienced over the past four years, and not just with the shenanigans perpetrated by the national Democrat (sic) Party. The “mainstream” media and the technology cartel have been complicit by engaging in harassment, censorship, propaganda, and blatant lies. Thus, there is now a quandary concerning personal accounts with Blogger (part of the Google® cartel) and Twitter®.

Whereas Google® does deliberately alter search results to “deprioritize” and censor whatever falls contrary to its corporate and political beliefs, it has left Blogger intact. That’s most likely because “blogs” are now passé. Twitter®, on the other hand, actively censors posts or suspends accounts that deviate from its corporate and political beliefs. In both cases, facts and truth are secondary.

The quandary, then, is whether to continue any activity on either platform. Obviously, by discontinuing activities on one or both platforms, the need for Net access (and cellular data allocation) decreases even more. Only a couple of people read Notes, as its purpose is/was just an archive of comments concerning the personal quest of exodus. The Molech-themed Twitter® feed has 202 “followers” for some strange reason. Yet, it is a superfluous piece of work, a “time waster.” The bigger issue is then a matter of principle, that is, “deplatforming” from either venue because of their nefarious political enterprise. Only conscience can provide guidance. A decision is forthcoming.

Miscellany: The iPhone 12 is certainly a nice device. One aspect that wasn’t mentioned previously is that the iPhone 12 series does not use Intel® modems (which proved to be slow and unreliable).

Monday, November 9

Subordination

“It’s quite unusual… that the result of an election is announced by a news agency or a news channel. We’re used… in all our countries which belong to the OSCE, that we have election committees who announce results. And this hasn’t been done yet in the US,” said Willy Wimmer, former VP of OSCE, in an interview with RT. That’s right, the Democrat “empty suit” is not officially the “president-elect” yet. He and the corrupt “mainstream” media have made that premature declaration. Reminiscent of failed Venezuelan “opposition” candidate Guaidó, no? [On the flip side: Guaidó was a product of the current executive’s tenure. So, as “they” say, “payback’s a bitch.”]

As predicted one day earlier in Notes, the “president-elect” (read: Democrat “empty suit”) has announced that a nationwide full-time face mask mandate is his first (and only) step to battle the “super-duper corona” plan-demic. The goal is not to mitigate the pathogen. Rather, conditioning and muzzling the masses to completely subjugate themselves to the Fascists is the real objective.

“Empty Suit”

Over the weekend, the Democrat “empty suit” emerged from the “basement” to deliver a monotone diatribe. The photographic “still” of the “empty suit,” with arms outstretched like a “messiah” with a medicated demeanor, was circulated globally with the caption, “Time for the nation to heal.” Heal from what? Four years of fake “Russia” hysteria? The nearly year-long “super-duper corona” hoax? The “color revolution” protests, riots, looting, and murders?

The cheesy “New Age” theme that now replaces the old narratives simply traverses between psychosis and schizophrenia, an obvious ploy to create confusion and to embrace “Big Brother” as the savior. Under the diffuse glow of semi-consciousness lies the cold, calculating regime of the oligarchy, the globalists, and the “Deep State.” The playbook is straight out of George Orwell’s prophetic tome, “1984.”

Addendum: Observations in Notes are neutral third-party only. There is no affiliation with either corrupt political party in empire.

Sunday, November 8

Fascist Celebration

After the corrupt Democrat “empty suit” was declared emperor of empire by the complicit “mainstream” media, there were huge celebrations. Local residents, all sycophantic Democrats wearing face masks, were dancing in the streets. The voting fraud is now accepted as legal, which establishes a precedent for future elections involving “rogue” candidates.

The Democrat “empty suit” has already promised to set up a “super-duper corona” task force. Expect a national full-time face mask mandate and mandatory vaccinations, maybe even a nationwide “lockdown.”

There’s a lot of speculation about the foreign policy of the new “empty suit” administration. Expect a resumption of direct military intervention, possibly in Syria and Iran. And, expect more provocations directed at Russia and China. Oh, there will be more “color revolutions” and sleazy “regime change” operations as well. The globalists, the NeoCon(men), and the “Deep State” are back in power.

As for the current executive of empire, he should drop all pretenses. He has established a legacy by nominating three Supreme Court justices. However, he should now pardon Julian Assange and Edward Snowden, since he has only a few days left in office. Certainly, that would be a fitting farewell to the “Deep State.”

In addition, the current executive should direct the Treasury to immediately lift sanctions and restrictions on Russia, China, Iran, North Korea, Venezuela, and Cuba. Do the right thing!

Many, many more sources on the Net are being purged from the “acceptable” list after the latter enabled mass voting fraud. The Net in empire is a vast wasteland of propaganda, censorship, and plain ol’ shit. The sad part is that the masses believe that crap!

Affluent tourists from Japan began arriving in Hawai’i on Friday, a day earlier than expected. So, all remaining closed commercial venues will reopen by November 13th. Of course, the island is still under “Tier 2” restrictions. How will that work?

The police are now checking on Waikiki visitors who are supposed to be in quarantine. Obviously, the hotels have not been enforcing the mandate. Who knew?

Saturday, November 7

iPhone 12

iPhone 12

Yesterday, after completing the “super-duper corona” ritual at the Apple® Store in Ala Moana Center, the iPhone XR was “sold” and the new iPhone 12 was purchased. Black is the new color in commemoration of the demise of empire. A new case for $20 at Target® was also purchased.

The iPhone XR could have been deployed for a couple more years. The battery would have to replaced in a year, though. The resale value in two years would be close to nothing. Thus, the decision to divest the device now.

The new “smartphone” is still configured to be a “dumb” cellphone. All radios remain off when not in use. Notifications, Siri, 5G, and location services are permanently off. Only the Web browser is allowed cellular data access.

Lots of money exchanged hands yesterday, more than double the usual monthly expenses. There was some “buyer’s remorse,” of course. However, the reality of mortality makes clear that money is not going to be of much use after the “good years” elapse (except for medical care) or upon death. There is no denial of death here.

Friday, November 6

Peonage

The folly of the 2020 (s)election has only proven that it is a big joke, a joke played on the imbecilic rank-and-file peons. The entrenched political hacks, the technology oligarchs, the “Deep State,” and the globalists are literally “laughing all the way to the bank.” For a refresher, review the Notes post, “Excerpt - The Globalist.”

The one-class war, the folly of which is unfolding, pits peon against peon, all of whom are posing under differing arbitrary banners (i.e., “race,” gender, ethnicity, etc.). The result is still the same ... peon against peon. All the while, the “one percent” are looking down from above with glee and amusement. The fragmentation of “society” will finally be realized, that is, what was left of the latter after the Draconian measures imposed by the “super-duper corona” plan-demic.

The “one percent” are not geniuses by any means. However, they possess enormous financial resources that have been invested in nefarious “think tanks.” The academic prostitutes who staff those filthy institutions are planners who develop the strategies to usurp and control the masses. Ideology is never important for such scum. Money is all that matters.

The ruling élite are constantly engaged in creating “immortality projects,” which tends to be detrimental to the welfare of the masses. So desperate are these scumbags that they are willing to sacrifice billions of people to insure their own eternal legacy. Vanity know no bounds.

Of course, as stated in Notes time after time, the root cause is the denial of death (as delineated by the Great Prophet, Ernest Becker).

Thursday, November 5

The Fix

The Fix

On November 3rd, the last state tallies for the presidential (s)election were perused before personally retiring for the evening. The clear trend indicated that the Republican incumbent was clearly set to meet the 270 Electoral College delegates by Wednesday morning. Incidentally, that was also the case in the 2016 (s)election, and the Republican candidate clearly won.

However, this time, strange manipulations in vote counts occurred in the wee hours of the morning. A huge surge, but just enough to put the Democrat candidate ahead, occurred in the so-called “battleground states.” The surge happened at one precise moment (vertical slope on graphs above) and at nearly the same time (close to 6am). All of the surge votes were for the Democrat candidate.

At this time, there appears to be clear evidence that the (s)election was rigged. Several hundred thousand mail-in ballots cannot be counted and posted in just a few seconds as the vertical slope suggests. They are either phantom or bulk fraudulent ballots. State or “Deep State” actors are clearly implicated, most likely disguised operatives who substituted for the late shift of vote counters. The rank-and-file peons of empire have been “fucked over.” This is a coup d'état.

Addendum: While there is no personal investment in either of the Fascist political parties, the move toward totalitarian Fascism must be monitored. The state-of-affairs grows bleaker by the day. Expatriation may be the only rational solution.

Miscellany: The best comment on the Unz Review site today: “The only option seems like it would be to stomp on the gas pedal and cause a full collapse from which it may be possible to rebuild, a Soviet Union type collapse. I mean seriously, what do we actually have to fight for anymore about America? … America is dead and the single option is collapse, triage, and possible rebirth or reassembly in and as a smaller country of fewer states. Everything else is like trying to treat flesh eating bacteria with Neosporin even as it is creeping towards your organs. It’s amputation time, we dithered way too long.”

Wednesday, November 4

Banana Republic

The debacle of the (s)election process in empire is reminiscent of a “banana republic.” The legitimate counting process should have been completed this morning at the latest. However, there appears to have been numerous “irregularities,” most of which is tied to excessive mail-in ballots (coincidentally only made possible by the “super-duper corona” plan-demic).

There is little probability in dismissing the mail-in ballot strategy as a “conspiracy theory.” There appears to be many actors involved in addition to the national Democrat (sic) Party apparatus. There will surely be more evidence forthcoming.

For now, what can be ascertained is that an exorbitant number of Democrat (sic) mail-ballots were dispatched at the last minute in so-called “battleground states.” Most likely, ballot counters were completely inundated, and any safeguards against fraud were loosened. There may be State (hint: not Russia, China, or Iran) or “Deep State” actors involved as well.

In Hawai’i elections, the Democrats (sic) swept all political offices as expected. New names, same ol’ shit. Corruption will continue unabated. Fealty to labor unions will generate more costly and useless projects like the nearly-defunct elevated rail system. Fascism will continue as well, along with the “super-super corona” hoax.

Addendum: Another clue to be on the lookout for is whether the “mostly peaceful” rioting, looting, and killing fades out abruptly once the Democrat (sic) candidate is proclaimed to be the winner. And, what about the “super-duper corona” plan-demic? Will that “disappear,” too? Or, will there be an empire-wide full-time face mask mandate? And, maybe mandatory vaccinations, eh?

Tuesday, November 3

(S)election Day 2020

In Hawai’i, the political party of choice, that is, the national Democrat (sic) Party, is a matter of genetic inheritance and passed down unquestionably from generation to generation. The entire government apparatus is subsumed and controlled by Democrats (sic) and the national Democrat (sic) Party. Thus, Hawai’i is effectively a homogeneous “Blue” state.

As stated in Notes, the official government policies involving the “super-duper corona” plan-demic came straight out of the national Democrat (sic) Party playbook. The local populace, all staunch Democrats (sic) by inheritance, followed the “lockdown” mandates obediently and in total subservience. Every single on of the full-time task mask wearers (about 99%) are in solidarity with the Fascists, although few probably understand the “woke” bullshit.

Of course, due to time zone differences, the (s)election is usually called way before the polls close here. Local political offices are probably the most energetic part of voting in Hawai’i because of the labor unions.

Addendum: May the best “empty suit” win!

Monday, November 2

Apple® Store 2020

iPhone 12

Last night, after dinner in the Makai Market food court in Ala Moana Center, there was a lot of time to waste before the next bus back to Waikiki. On impulse, a quick jaunt was made to the Apple® Store to peruse the new iPhone 12 models.

Well, the “super-duper corona” plan-demic has changed many aspects of shopping, and the Apple® Store has also adapted to those changes. There was a waiting line outside of about four people, this with only 20 minutes before closing. An appointment is now required to enter the store, and customers must be chaperoned around the store. Fortunately, there was a chaperone (read: salesperson) available at that moment.

First, a cranial temperature scan was made. Then, entry to the store must be facilitated with the assigned chaperone. Face masks are required. Only about two or three minutes was actually spent viewing the device. More time was devoted to asking about the process of trading in an old device and purchasing a new one. Yes, an appointment must be made. And, the process is somewhat more limited than before. New devices must now be set up by the purchaser. Even device-to-device set-up is now longer offered in-store. Yeah, that’s the “new normal.”

With that said, the new iPhone 12 is a nice device, although the latter is priced at $830 for the base model. The iPhone XR, now two years old, is ready to be replaced. The trade in amount will apply $250 credit. However, $580 is not “chump change.” The decision to purchase the iPhone 12 has already been made. The question is ... when?

Sunday, November 1

Cult of Mask

WTF?

The legacy effigy (above) at Ala Moana Center was already up to greet Saturnalia shoppers. What the ...? Is that a face mask? The face mask bullshit has really gone too far. It’s a damned death cult!

Last night, traffic into Waikiki was backed up. People were apparently rolling in and looking for the infamous Day of Samhain street party. Weren’t they aware that the Fascist mayor of Honolulu had mummified all such events? The only street party was the traffic itself. Sheesh!

Incidentally, there’s reason to believe that many of the tourists here right now are terribly disappointed with their expensive vacations. Most of them were probably fooled into believing that, once they tested negative for “super-duper corona” before departure, they would enter an unaffected “paradise” just like the pictures in the travel brochures (in which no one wears a face mask).

Instead, tourists were dumbfounded when they landed in essentially a huge hospital ward. Face masks, face shields, blue rubber gloves, and “social distancing” everywhere. And, what can be more alluring that observing crews continuously disinfecting everything in sight? Many venues look like triage centers, what with all of the barricades and yellow police tape. Heck, there are no places to sit down and relax (except in restaurants, food courts, bus stops, and parks). No doubt, more than a few tourists have realized that their sole purpose here is to save the local economy. Well, as “they” say, “A fool and his money are soon parted.” Baha! Ha! Ha! Haaa!

Addendum: Young hottie overheard on the bus heading to Waikiki: “I’m supposed to be in quarantine. I don’t want to get arrested.”