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In the President's speech during the White House coronavirus response meeting yesterday, and especially in the prepared statement, I saw something that I had never seen before in a human being. And I came to realize that every monster I've ever known was just a story in a book, no matter how real-seeming or frightening.

On a graph, this looks like a steep hill that we are just starting to climb. It's very steep this time, and it will likely overwhelm our resources, medical and otherwise. That's when the war really starts.

Many folks will be staying close to home this weekend (and in upcoming weeks) as we work together to protect our health but eventually, we'll be back to doing all the activities we enjoy. So this weekend's music thread is for songs about activities, running or walking, flying or driving, traveling or playing.

Why have a basic understanding of cryptography? Take those Mayan priest-rulers for an example: they coded religious texts so that they would be the sole keepers of the knowledge. So that they could control people, 'en masse'. Their subjects didn't understand either the code or the process. They were virtual slaves, for their lack of knowledge.

Based on a 1988 law that followed the "Black Swan event of '87," the Prez is empowered to stop the stock market, or limit prices, "in an emergency." I'd bet that your broker never told you that this is a very real possibility.

When you will only take a vote when you are assured of the outcome you want, why bother voting? That is not democracy.

To celebrate the talented women who worked so hard to overcome the unfair and unrealistic requirements put upon them just to compete with men, this weekend's music thread is dedicated to women, songs about and by women.

In the first place it's not a rule, but a state of being. Of a society. But, moreover, it is the achievement of an acceptably stable and successful state of existence where the law is trusted and consulted. Where people "have faith" in law. Where a substantial majority believe in the virtues of living in a law-abiding society, and the responsibilities entailed. "The Rule of Law" is an achievement. Of a People.

Donald Trump is willing to destroy lives, and allow who knows how many unnecessary deaths, because to tell the truth, would end his presidency and destroy his chances for re-election.

Of the debates I have watched, I was not impressed. The message must be around how they will defeat Trump* restore and shore up our democratic process by making sure our election process is strongly resistant to foreign interference.