They shot Pablo Escobar (the original Colombian drug lord) in 1993. His estate included a lot of exotic imported animals like hippos and giraffes. So, they put those animals in a nature-park-like area that might serve to support them ‘on their own’ and they have flourished. As it turns out, the hippos are GOOD for the local environment. They do things that older, now-extinct large mammals used to do. The area is thriving.
American farmers are frustrated and angry at the explosion in wild boar populations. Wild boars ‘root’ out their food and they prefer to do so on extra tasty farms. But, as it turns out, if the boars root and charge around out in the wilderness, the trees and other wild flora benefit a great deal. Bears and pigs pooping in the woods are a good thing, it seems. And extra boars means extra boar poop. Win win.
Looking for the silver lining in Coronavirus is a lot harder. In fact, with the exception of a few (not enough) GOP senators getting it, it has been all bad news. But, as it turns out, not for a number of criminals who see the virus as a ticket out of jail. My buddy just drove up from LA. He said it was practically a ghost town. When he stopped to get gas, the attendant warned him to “Keep moving, man. LA ain’t safe. They just released all the inmates from the prisons! All hell’s gonna break loose!”
He drove straight through. Stopped only for gas. Felt a strong sense of relief crossing the border. A lot of returning Canadians feel the same way. And I know a lot of Americans would prefer to be here, too. A lot of guns are ready-at-hand in the states. A lot of armed-to-the-teeth ‘Mericans are angry and fearful. Now a lot of criminals are free……that combination suggests more bad news. I hope not.
But there is no question that silver linings are common in storm clouds. Sal and I could not have had a better winter (in the aggregate) considering what came out of it all. Yes, there were the clouds, i.e. the surgery, the flu, the trapped-in-a-moho feeling……but, but, but…Sal got a genius doctor at knee ops, she is healing very well, all hospitals are virtually shut down now so she got in before the closures. Getting the flu kept us home so – guess what – we didn’t GET C-19! The ‘downtime’ in town was put to some good use. Some things still got done. Basically speaking, the horror-show of February and March turned out pretty damn good.
I dunno….I think I would still prefer to get some hippos and wild boar up here but, in the circumstances, I’ll settle for a miracle knee replacement, needed car repairs and living in splendid isolation in paradise. But with a few great friends. It really does NOT get any better.
Our Off the Grid Home 
Big winners in the C 19 crisis are grocery stores hiring more workers and upping their pay by about two dollars per hour. With most restaurants closed except for the drive through windows folks are cooking at home. The soup aisles are mostly empty as are the frozen food sections. Try to find hamburger meat. Food stores are raking in the cash as folks look for their tin openers.
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True. And another benefit might be increased delivery services from all sorts of places. Amazon is enjoying a major boost to business…..and that model has nowhere to go but up. And, with more deliveries, less gasoline is used. Environmental win. Downside: more TV will be watched. Can people actually GET stupider? Might be harder to get scotch.
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Wasn’t booze to be delivered by drones or a team of carrier ravens?
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No worries David, my Scotch collection, of about 110 bottles, will serve us well and for some time! 😉
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The Aussie government has wisely allowed the grog shops to remain open. Our country is full of alcoholics. They could get nasty. Saw a person with two huge shopping bags of grog. Perhaps he was buying it to make hand sanitiser.
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I heard they were only releasing non-violent prisoners. Back when I worked in El Monte you knew when they let major gang members out of prison, the activity rose and more kids got involved, – Margy
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Well, I am thinking that ‘just the non-violent prisoners’ sounds good but it is not actually very comforting when you realize that who knows who is violent? Do they go by the ‘charge’ against them? Or does a guy have to kill another to be deemed violent. I am, by nature, as violent as Ghengis Khan but by social programming and being closely monitored by my wife, I can go out in public for as long as three hours at a time. I am safe for longer periods with chickens, dogs and young children. But my ‘safe time’ is very short amongst bureaucrats or anyone who thinks they have authority. Oooohhh…give’ em the power to make me stand in line and all bets are off! Honestly? I could likely ‘fake good behaviour’ long enough to get released but maybe not….
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I so agree David, and ‘Good for your good Luck!’, tho perhaps some elk, moose and turkeys would suit you better, joining you on the island! 😉
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