Oh puleeze

Hysteria isn’t helping. This Post Headline’s claim, “as cases soar” is an example of this madness; turns out, the reported cases have “soared” to 76. Wake me when we hit a million.

Better yet, just shut up. I was speaking with a woman of 78 this morning and she expressed real fear of this bug and outlined the draconian preventative measures she was planning. This is a smart, educated, highly successful woman, but she’s bought this story completely. I reminded her that, at her age, she was old enough that she must have lived through a real epidemic: polio, and this ain’t that.

She seemed unconvinced when we parted. She’s an anti-Trumpet, and I wonder whether that has anything to do with her acceptance of the media line and the gullibility of the masses? Regardless, I notice that this is all providing a fine excuse for the masses to change, without pause, from bashing “Big Pharma” yesterday to denouncing the companies today for failing to find a cure quickly enough to avoid cancelling SXSW. All while blaming Trump because, somehow, this is all his fault! Next they’ll be demanding the immediate release of those Mini-Mike Bonus payments, one-million per, promised by Brian Williams and the NYT’s math expert, Myra Gay.

Meanwhile, I just paid $2.25 at the gas pump. It’s all good.

Yes, epidemics are possible

Diner may be late

C’est Finis

Owner of the now-shuttered La Crémaillère pleads guilty

The owner and operator of an upscale Northern Westchester restaurant admitted to wire fraud in connection with her multi-year scheme to defraud the restaurant’s lenders, mortgagee, bankruptcy creditors, and customers, authorities announced.

Fairfield County resident Barbara Meyzen, also known as “Bobbie," 57, of Redding,  has owned and operated the La Crémaillère Restaurant in Bedford since 1993.

She pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud on Thursday, March 5  in White Plains federal court.

The friend who passed this along also told me that “Bobbie” is a kind soul who was overwhelmed trying to run the restaurant her father had overseen before he got sick. Medical expenses, nursing a parent, and inexperience all combined to bring about this sad story. Mind you, whatever her troubles, Ms. Bobbie had no excuse to engage in wire fraud, theft (from customers!), filing false mortgage releases, and lying to the Bankruptcy Court and the F.B.I. She’s in troublem and rightly so.

That same friend also tells me there’s a rumor afoot that a group of local money-types is planning to resurrect the place. The appeal of La Crémaillère always eluded me — more of a blue-haired type of dining experience than I enjoy, but Gideon and Susie liked it, so either they’re older than I’d thought or I was missing something.

Maybe I’ll have a chance to find out.

The End Days Are Come

Pain, pain, go away, come again some other day.

No, not Kung Flu, something more disturbing: Ireland reports its first venomous snake bite in history

Ireland experienced its first venomous snake bite in history in the lead-up to Saint Patrick's Day, The Irish Post reported. Saint Patrick, the man credited with bringing Christianity to Ireland, also expelled all snakes from the island, according to legend. …

So Connolly Hospital must have been surprised to receive a 22-year-old Dublin man who had been bitten by a venomous snake late last month. The Dubliner reportedly owns a venomous puff adder, one of the most aggressive and dangerous snakes. The breed is commonly found in Morocco and Western Arabia and is responsible for more snake bite deaths than any other African snake.

James Hennessy, director of the National Reptile Zoo, said this was the first time a medical professional requested anti-venom from his establishment.

"Puff adder venom is pretty nasty," Hennessy told Newstalk. "It's going to start digesting and disintegrating all around the area of the bite, and that will continue up the limb as well."

"It will then cause massive internal issues as well, if not treated," he explained. The reptile expert added that to his knowledge, this is "the first recorded venomous snakebite in Ireland."

It brings to mind the story — undoubtedly true — of the two hunters in the jungle. One is struck in the groin by a deadly puff adder and while he’s writhing on the ground in his final death throes, his friend tells him that he’ll run back to the last village they’d passed and get medical advice from the witch doctor.

Informed by the doctor that the only treatment is to suck the poison out of the injured body part, the hunter rushes back to his companion’s side.

“What did he say?”, the hunter wails, “can you save me? Help!”

His would-be savior shakes his head sadly: “Freddie, he says you’re gonna die”.

I suppose you can’t tell that joke anymore, but I just did.

Well, the NYT

 (Courtesy of Holden)NYT Editorial Board member Myra Gay joins Brian Williams in innumeracy and just plain ol’ stoopid.

I refuse to engage liberals in debate; I’d rather wrestle chipmunks, but from comments they make when they assume their listener is a fellow-traveler, it’s obvious that their odor of smug superiority is genuine: thety really do believe tha they are smarter and better educated than the people who return their hate.

Sad.

Jim Treacher: And nobody else in the MSNBC offices stopped this from happening. A whole studio full of college graduates, and nobody even blinked at this before it went on the air.

Can't buy off these children with a couple of cheap flip phones; they've been educated, Boomer, and they know their rights!

That’s just so 2012

$226,000 in debt, allowance exhausted on avocado toast and lattes, she wants your money.

A house sells in Cos Cob

66 Vallywood Drive, $1,000,000. For reasons known only to him, Mickster’s site kicks up the previous listing from 20017, when this house sold for $1.405. Same difference; nothing was done during this brief ownership, so same house, improved (from the buyer’s perspective) price.

On a slow real estate day finally, some news

234 Riverside Avenue has a contract. Currently priced at $4.495 million, it started in 2017 at $5.250, but $4.5 is still a nice return on a lot purchased for $2 in 2015. For Riverside, its 3/4 acre is considered large, and the builder took the opportunity to put in a small pool. I wouldn’t have devoted lawn space to a pool, but some people, like this buyer, like them. We’ll never know, but I wonder whether earlier potential buyers passed because of this feature?

Some socialists, like pigs, are more equal than others

“I’m off to Paris!” Gwyneth posts for her fans. Private jet because, well, global warming was sooo yesterday!

Concierge physician visits, private jets to secluded vacation spots, the wealthy are working through their fears of Kung Flu.

Well, they’re more sensitive than us

Panicked Global Warmists rediscover germs, and the benefits of disposable dining ware

Say goodbye to all that

Starbucks stops use of reusable cups

Maybe this panic will put at least a temporary halt to our local idiots’ plans to serve food in our school cafeterias on reusable dishes, collect them and bring them back to a central washing station. One-time use is safe use.

Grandstanding Congressmen like Mat Gaetz aren’t helping the situation

And there's already a book about it!

And poof! She’s gone

With less than a 1/1024 chance of winning, Warren quits the race.