The return of the NBA 2019-20 season will be magical

It is official that the NBA basketball season will start on July 31, in the magical city of Orlando. There will be 8 more regular season games, which will happen at the ESPN Wide world of sports complex. The end of the season will be eight games, between 22 teams. Then, the NBA playoffs would happen for 16 teams as scheduled. But, there will be no fans in the stadium per covid-19 rules. It is great that the NBA season will be from July 31 to October 10 most likely, as NBA stopped play on March 11, 2020. There will be 13 teams from the western conference, and 9 teams from the eastern conference as the end of regular season concludes. The playoff seeding will be good for each team, yet there is no real home court advantage. Also, there is no real travel for the teams in the NBA bubble. Some NBA analysts think the champion of this season, will have an asterisk next to it. In the end, there should be no asterisk. Furthermore, the NBA is the first team sport to go full circle with finding an end to their regular season. The NHL may not finish their 2019-20 season. MLB has not started in 2020, and it may not start as players are arguing over money. The NFL is trying to start in September 2020, with a 17 game regular season. Also, there could be 14 playoff teams. Both of these rule changes are good ones, for the NFL fans. In addition, Adam Silver and the board of governors voted today that the NBA season would continue with 22 teams in an almost unanimous decision. The NBA has to get past the 70 regular season games threshold, for the teams to get the TV money for each market. For example, the Milwaukee Bucks played 65 games already this year. An additional 8 games would mean that they have played 73 games, which is only nine less than the 82 game regular season. The LA Lakers are the #1 seed in the West, and they have played 63 games already. An additional 8 games played would mean they played 71 total games in the regular season. As for the LA Clippers, many NBA bettors want them to play the Lakers in the Western Conference Finals. The Clippers have a great shot this year, of making it to the NBA finals. Personally, it would be great to see the Milwaukee Bucks vs. the LA Lakers in the finals. Lebron James is having an MVP season but he wants to play for the championship, instead of winning the NBA regular season MVP. In closing, enjoy the picture above of Lebron James and this year's Lakers. The end of the NBA season is less than 60 days away. It will be great to see the season continue in a somewhat orderly fashion. Peace!!

Will the summer movie season start in July 2020, or another date

It is May 2020, and the summer movie season would have started this month with 'Black Widow.' Instead, the movie theaters are shut down due to covid-19. The movie theaters might open in July 2020, as 'Tenet' and 'Mulan' have release dates in end of that month. In August, Wonder Woman 1984 would be one of the big blockbusters. Bill & Ted 3 will be another big blockbuster to hit the theaters, at the end of August 2020. Peter Rabbit 2 is another flick that could entice viewers, in August 2020. In addition, the summer movie season should expand until October 2020, as it may start in July 2020. September through December 2020 will have big flicks like 'Black Widow'; and 'No Time To Die.' With these movies releasing at dates that are unusual, the Academy Awards should be postponed until April 2021. This opinion is mine, but the real date is February 28, 2021. The awards season may include less movies from theaters, as many movies went the digital streaming route. Furthermore, many movies could be released in late Fall or early Winter. The christmas season would be flooded with Best Picture contenders, which is kind of an anomaly. If there are some good movies in January or February 2021, then these flicks should qualify for the Academy Awards 2021 show. All the movies and the release dates are subject to change. Movie theaters are not open now, and they will not open in June 2020 due to the lack of movies nationwide. For other movie fans, people are catching up on tv shows and older movies these days. If you have amazon prime; netflix; or other vod (video on demand) subscriptions; life can be sweeter with the older flicks to rent. It was good for me to catch up on Deadpool; Ant-Man; etc. It was great to see 'pitch perfect' movies; but lousy to see 'twilight' flicks. As this post ends, let's hope that tv shows and movies come back in the 2nd half of this year. Peace!!

Accepting diverse economic recoveries, and the lack of campus experience due to Covid-19 recession

More than 30 days ago, students in most colleges and universities were told to pack up for the semester. At ASU; NAU; and University of AZ, students packed up their belongings and went home for the semester. Students were told that the rest of the semester involves classes done through Zoom web conferencing software. For students, classes are online regardless of your freshman or senior year. The campus experience is over due to Covid-19. Yet, students at 25 colleges are suing, as they feel the learning is not worth the cost. The class discussion is not happening, as campuses closed. Students at renowned institutions, such as Drexel; Univ. of California; and Vanderbilt Univ.; are frustrated with learning about their core curriculum on Zoom. Now, universities might change this process as some universities will open in Fall 2020. Students at ASU and University of AZ will be allowed to come back to campus. Purdue University in Indiana is one of the first campuses to reopen for students, when they announced this big decision in late April 2020. In other college related news, the summer internships that students desire is decreasing. The unemployment in the US rose to 14.8% today, for April 2020. Companies are not hiring, and more than 30 million people filed unemployment claims since middle of March 2020. The graduating class of Spring 2020 is looking at a bleak job market. The unemployment level is worse than the Great Recession, which lasted from 2007-2009. What type of economic recovery will take place, to end this coronavirus recession? Next, economists are debating if the economy will have a U-shaped, V-shaped, W-shaped, or L-shaped recovery. The u-shaped economic recovery happened with the Great Recession. The first quarter 2020 gdp rate was -4.8%, and this negative growth will continue through 2nd quarter of 2020. The worst case scenario for the economic recovery is the L-shaped one. In this scenario, the economy sinks and stays on the floor for a prolonged period of time and then either does or doesn’t return to its former state. Japan experienced this dire situation in 1990, and this dreadful period lasted for almost a decade. In this penultimate paragraph, let's discuss some more types of economic recoveries. The nike swoosh recovery states that spending slowly resumes, with economic limits eased much more gradually than they were imposed. Also, the level of economic output stays beneath the level of its pre-crisis trend well into 2021. This situation means there’s a lack of animal spirits as people remain cautious of over-spending, or taking long-distance trips. Two more types of economic recovery are j-shaped recovery, and inverted-square-root-shaped recovery. Let's hope the latter type of recovery does not happen. Finally, is there an escape from all of this depressing news? Movie theaters will not play any new movies for another 60 days in the USA. More than 40 states have reopened for business, and the new normal will have a different definition. Social distancing may continue until early 2022, according to a Harvard University T.H. Chan School of Public Health study from April 2020. See the picture of a v-shaped recovery on a global scale, at the above spot. Good day everyone!

Georgia; South Carolina; and Tennessee want to reopen for business before May 4, 2020

On April 17, 2020, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced a statewide initiative to reopen businesses in the state on May 4. Georgia is reopening salons; gyms; tattoo parlors; etc. on April 24. Tennessee wants to reopen a majority of businesses on May 1, 2020. South Carolina has opened some retail businesses this week. Protestors have rushed the grounds of state capitol buildings in MA; PA; WI; MN; and VA in the past week. Should more Americans join the protests? In contrast, there are churches and hair salons that don't want to open up on April 24. Backlash will happen, and Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp wants to reopen businesses asap. Yet, Donald Trump is recommending now that Georgia should not reopen too quickly. Last week, Donald Trump tweeted 'Liberate Michigan' and he recommended other states to open. Today, he is in discord with Republican Governor Kemp. These actions continue to show that Donald Trump is a walking contradiction. Most of the protestors appear to be part of Trump's loyal supporters, which is ironic. From a medical standpoint, NY state continues to be the epicenter of covid-19 in the US. A covid-19 vaccine is not ready to the general public yet. Most states could do testing, through a drive thru type testing center. The testing needs to be affordable, and the vaccine may not be ready for 12-15 months. Widespread testing has to happen, and Michigan is one of the first states to do free diagnostic testing. As many of my readers know, AZ is the state of my residence. Businesses are closed until April 30, 2020 in the state lockdown. Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey has not made his final decision on the stay at home order, and whether businesses should stay closed or reopen. His decision for the stay at home order should be made in week of April 27th. The stay at home order should continue until May 10, 2020; according to G. Ripley. In this penultimate paragraph, the price of crude oil continues to plummet. The global demand for oil has decreased significantly, which is leading to lower prices. WTI (West Texas Intermediate)is the grade of crude oil used as a benchmark in oil pricing. Hundreds of oil companies could go bankrupt in the US, if oil prices are negative or barely positive. The forecast for Oil companies in the USA is a doomsday one. One of the main concerns is there will be no room to store those massive Oil barrels delivered in May 2020. In closing, this post covered certain Southern states reopening businesses; Covid-19 testing; stay-at-home orders; and the current Oil price debacle. Next week, the US economy will announce real GDP growth for the first quarter 2020. Some prominent economists are forecasting the US could announce a negative GDP, for the first quarter 2020. Is the US economy in the beginning of a recession; depression; or some other grim economic downfall without a true meaning? Observe the recession warning picture above. Peace in the USA!!

Scary Encounters with the hideous owl

Today, a hideous owl landed on the table in my backyard. As the ugly owl kept blinking, the bird was having a jolly good time. G. Ripley saw the owl in the backyard only 6 feet away, and he had to walk back inside the house. An owl is a bird, which is part of ornithology. Ornithology is the study of birds. Ornithology is a branch of zoology. Next, there are thirteen species of owls in Arizona. The short-eared owl or the western screech owl might have been the owl, in my backyard. Taking a picture of the owl was my intention, yet the owl flew away. Only God knows how long the owl was hanging out in the backyard. Other birds were flying into the owl, but the owl did not flinch. The owl has been in the community since 2016. In addition, the Owl can try to eat a cat or a dog. Many people walk in the different streets of the subdivision, with their dogs mostly. These dog owners and the dogs have to be cautious of the wacky owl. To this day, I have not seen the owl attack a dog or a cat in the neighborhood. Owls hunt small animals especially rodents. Most owls are nocturnal, yet this one was wide awake in the backyard. Furthermore, Owls eat meat mostly. These birds are opportunistic also. Summer may be the best time to spot an owl in the valley of the sun, but it was strange to see the owl in spring 2020. Owls can hoot whenever, and this one was hooting quite often. This owl's nest is in a huge palm tree, which is a few houses down. Thank god, the owl does not have a nest in my backyard. In this penultimate paragraph, Owls are in movies. The famous pigwidgeon owl is Ron Weasley's pet in the 'Harry Potter' movies. Then, there is Hedwig in 'Harry Potter' movies. Hedwig is a snowy owl. Hedwig is a close companion to Harry Potter. In my world, the owl is not one of my favorite birds. Finally, the owl is not a good choice for a pet. Enjoy the picture above of the great horned owl. If G. Ripley had a choice on which pet to buy, the owl is not high on my list. The next time that an owl comes into my periphery, it should fly away from me. Good day to the owl lovers.

Restaurant closings in US states; country lockdowns; and more eccentric news in global coronavirus crisis

First, let's get to some exciting US politics. Tulsi Gabbard has dropped out of the presidential race, on the democratic side. The democratic candidate race is between Bernie Sanders, former senator from Vermont; and Joe Biden, former Vice President. On March 17, Joe Biden won the democratic primaries in AZ; IL; and FL. Ohio was supposed to have its primary on March 17, 2020; but it was postponed to June 2, 2020. Joe Biden has a commanding lead in the democratic delegate count, as he has 1201 delegates to 896 delegates for Bernie Sanders. Next, it's time to switch topics to coronavirus. France, Italy, Spain, and Belgium are on lockdown due to coronavirus. Germany may follow suit soon, as Europe's largest economy is dealing with an increasing unemployment. Europe is considered to be the epicenter of coronavirus, as the continent has surpassed China in the number of cases. Italy has the highest number of deaths, from coronavirus as the death toll sits above 4800 according to Bloomberg news. Recession and economic global depression is spreading across Europe and USA. Furthermore, New Jersey; Illinois; Connecticut; New York; Pennsylvania; Texas; Florida; Nevada; and California have ordered 'stay at home' lockdown in the past week. Many employees in various companies around USA are being ordered to work, from home only. State unemployment rates around USA are increasing dramatically. Restaurants across the USA are closing, and 5-7 million jobs could be lost in the next three months in this industry alone. This incredible problem will lead to higher chances of a recession occurring in USA. The restaurant and airline industries are being forced to ask the US government, for a lifeline or recovery fund. Back to Europe, the UK has forced pubs; gyms; and restaurants to be closed. Prime Minister Boris Johnson wants people to stay home in London; and other major English cities. Some good news is the country's government will pay 80% of wages for restaurant and pub owners, as pubs see a decline in business. For Asia, Israel; Singapore; South Korea; India; and the UAE have reported an increase in deaths. South America is being hit with coronavirus, as Argentina began a mandatory quarantine in the past week. Brazil has closed most of its borders. In addition, Senegal and South Africa are two countries that have the ability to do testing of novel coronavirus. African nations are trying to innovate their health standards and testing methods, to fight COVID-19. Beaches in Sydney, Australia are closing after crowds are ignoring social distancing. Social distancing is a new term, that borders on eccentric and normalcy in today's coronavirus pandemic. An example of social distancing is the cancellation of events which are likely to draw crowds. In the Phoenix, AZ metropolitan area alone; country thunder musical festival; Scottsdale culinary festival; and Italian festival were cancelled or postponed in March and in the upcoming month of April 2020. Social distancing is being stressed as a positive action by Public and World Health officials, to slow down the spread of highly contagious diseases. In closing, the coronavirus outbreak of 2020 may last for the next 18 months. Wuhan, China is one of the first cities to report cases of coronavirus in late 2019. Coronavirus should not be called as 'Chinese virus'; or other misleading terminology. Self-isolation is another way to fight the spread of coronavirus. Enjoy the picture above of social distancing. May all humans learn to survive the global coronavirus pandemic.

Campaign suspensions on Democratic race; James Bond movie release delayed; and other news

In March 2020, Tom Steyer; Amy Klobuchar; Pete Buttigieg; Michael Bloomberg; and Elizabeth Warren suspended their presidential campaigns. All five of these candidates dropped out by March 5, 2020. The democratic nominee for president is a two way race between former Vice President Joe Biden, and Bernie Sanders, former senator from Vermont. On fox10 news in Phoenix, Tulsi Gabbard's name is still coming up. She has not officially dropped out yet, and the last time she appeared in a democratic debate was November 2019. Next, Gabbard will most likely not qualify for the debate in phoenix, az; which is on March 15, 2020 at Arizona Federal Theatre. The debate on March 15, 2020 could be a debate between Biden and Sanders only. On Super Tuesday [3-3-2020]; Joe Biden won in 10 states. Bernie Sanders won in 4 states, including California. Michael Bloomberg won in American Samoa territory only. Furthermore, the next day for voting is March 10 as six states have primaries. Pete Buttigieg; Amy Klobuchar; Kamala Harris; Cory Booker; Michael Bloomberg; and Beto O'Rourke are endorsing Joe Biden. Elizabeth Warren has not endorsed any one of the candidates specifically yet. Marianne Williamson and Alexandria Ocasio Cortez (AOC) are endorsing Bernie Sanders. On March 17, four states will have primaries on St. Patrick's Day. Now, let's switch topics away from the democratic primaries. The new James Bond movie, No time to Die; was supposed to be released on April 10, 2020 in the USA. Unfortunately, the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has delayed the movie until November 25, 2020. The state of New York declared state of emergency, and five other states did the same process including California. Deaths from coronavirus happened in Washington, and California. Coronavirus has become a pandemic as there are cases [and deaths] in Italy; South Korea; and nine other countries globally. In this penultimate paragraph, the NBA had some shocking news. Kenny Atkinson was the coach of the Brooklyn Nets until March 6, 2020. On March 7, 2020; ESPN and other news outlets reported that the Brooklyn Nets and Kenny Atkinson parted ways. The interim coach is Jacque Vaughn. The team did not have Kevin Durant for the 2019-2020 season, and Kyrie Irving played in only twenty games due to injuries. There were reports that Kyrie Irving wanted Tyronn Lue, as the new brooklyn nets head coach. But, Lue is a current assistant coach for the NBA's LA Clippers. In closing, hope you enjoyed these different paragraphs of the vital 411 from R$G. Hope you like the picture above of 'No Time To Die' movie. G. Ripley wishes that the James Bond movie did not move from April 2020 to November 25, 2020 (Thanksgiving 2020). Billie Eilish sings the title track, and she sings a great song with a beautiful tune plus cool lyrics. Arrivederci!!