OMGA 4: The Moxy Matter

 One quick summary of Donald Trump's hush money trial, then on to the Moxy Matter.

• Court is closed today so Trump can attend son Baron's graduation in Florida.
• Continues Monday on the final day of the defense trying to break down Michael Cohen.

• 
  How many more Republicans will show up in person for the trial on Monday?  Can't imagine Melania will.
• Prosecutors called 19 witnesses.  Defense...zero, unless they surprise the judge and prosecution.
• Final arguments, as currently planned, should come on Tuesday.

• 
  Hate to say this will be a hung jury, but in this day and age, not totally comprehending why so many remain Trump fans. it's difficult to imagine that all 12 jurors  will vote guilty.
• Hung jury not all that bad for Democrats, for this will just mean this trial will again be held, but when?

Our OMGA (Our Monumental Global Adventure) circumnavigation was mostly good, but had some down moments.

• 
  At least two of the cruises had Covid outbreaks, something that always gives you pause, for people tend to be crowded together at meals and theater presentations.  
• While our three tests all were negative after return to 15 Craigside, it turned out that two couples returned from their trips just about the same time, one went to Japan, and the other to Las Vegas.  Three of them tested positive and are in quarantine.  Even worse, I just talked to another resident about this problem, and she said that the last three times she traveled, she caught Covid all three times on the road!!!
• 
  A recent study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association indicated that the risk of death from COVID-19 was 35% greater than it was for the flu.  
• From October 1 of last year to the end of March, 75.5 Americans out of 100,000 were hospitalized from influenza, compared to 122.9/100,000 for Covid.
• Interestingly enough, 48% of adults took their flu shot this year, while only 21% were up to date with their Covid vaccinations.
• 
  Further, 95% of adults hospitalized with Covid this season HAD NOT RECEIVED THE LATEST BOOSTER.
• In short, you would be be advised to get the latest booster as soon  as possible.
• Finally, the KP.2 subvariant, one of the FLiRT mutations, has taken over from JN.1 as the major virus.  
• 
  There is something about travel that is stressful.  More so if it is international.  There were many moments when I felt that I would rather be home in the security of 15 Craigside, than being on the road, threatened by who knows what.
• In Tokyo, we missed the blooming the the Sakura...by a week.
• In Germany, we missed the serving of their large, white asparagus, one of my favorite meals in Europe.  While they just begun being harvested, restaurants on land or sea just did not offer this option.
• There times and places we just did nothing much.  Singapore was one such stop, and so was Munich.

Then there was that Moxy Matter.  You can read the details in the 27April2024 posting, but to embellish the woe:

• After we arrived in Piraeus, Greece, we were transported to the airport.  This portion on Aegean Air to Heathrow was never in doubt, except the bus ride there took almost two hours longer than anticipated, first because we left the ship at 10AM instead of 8:35AM, then the traffic, and when we got to the airport, one of our suitcases was missing.  So under great anxiety we had to wait a while for the second bus to arrive...with this piece of luggage.  It did, and we barely made the Aegean flight.  Stress level very high for me.

• The big worry for me, though, was how to get to Southampton from Heathrow Airport.
• There was the taxi option for $200+.
• The train was not realistic, for we had all that baggage.
• The bus only cost $25/person, but the timing was a real problem.  We chose this option.
• We saw a sign about getting out of Heathrow, so we went there and paid $35/person, for the bus leaving in two hours or so.

• 
  Walked to the bus station terminal, where we found out this is where we had to buy the ticket.  We lost $10/person.
• But no matter.  We waited and waited.  The time came and our bus did not show up.  It had to say Southampton.

• 
  We asked the people there, and were told, oh, that bus was cancelled, and you should get on the one to Portsmouth, not really sure if it would stop in Southampton.
• Well, it did after two other stops, and when we got there, the time was 8:30PM, 7 hours after the plane landed.

Then that Moxy Matter.

• We thought it was a simple matter to catch a taxi from the bus station in Southampton to the Moxy Hotel.  In all my years of travel, getting a cab was never an issue.

• 
  But no, this happens to be a city where taxis are scarce, and you had to make a reservation one day ahead of time.  I guess if we read this link, we would have known.

Can I get a taxi from Southampton National Express Coach Station?

Without pre-booking, probably not. There is a taxi rank just out the front of the coach station (see map below) but there is rarely a queue of waiting vehicles. 

• 
  But we were in luck, if you call it that, for we were told that the hotel was just a short walk away, and they said to just walk down that road.
• It was cold, windy and sprinkles of rain were falling.
• The roads are curvy, cars occasionally sped by, and you can't see them coming.
• And was it safe?  Muggers?
• 
  It would not have been terrible if the walkway was smooth, but it was mostly cobblestone, where it was difficult to keep large suitcases stable.
• We had no idea where the Moxy Hotel was located, and after a couple hundred yards, saw a couple with two children walking our way, so we asked if they knew where it was located.  
• 
  They were very friendly.
• However, the mother/father had lived in Southampton all their lives, and had not ever heard of the Moxy Hotel.
• Fortunately, a 12-year old son said, oh, it's located close to that green light up the road a hundred or so yards away.
• The father took out his smart phone to locate the hotel and found it.  Said yeah, that's about where it should be.
• So we walked for another ten minutes, passed the green light, and saw no sign of the hotel.  Then we turned around.

The Moxy Hotel.  This is a new Marriott chain.

• Came during the pandemic.
• Affordable with a community spirit.
• The lobby is a bar and restaurant.
• High on social media for millennials, but not for me.
• Small, but well-designed rooms.
• All in all, okay and friendly.
• From our room we could see cruise ships.

Tomorrow, OMGA 5, the Queen Mary 2.

For the first time ever, the Dow Jones Industrial Average closed above 40,000.

• Up 134 to 40,004.
• Dow formed on 26May1896 at 40.94.  However, dropped to 28.48 by August.
• First hit 1000 in January of 1906.
• A five year run saw a fivefold increase to 381.17 on 3September1929.
• Then Black Thursday, October 24, with a decline of 33 points to 266.5 with a record 12.9 million shares traded.
• After the weekend, the two of the worst days occurred on Octobers 28 and 29, dropping 68 points.
• Black Tuesday on the October 29 saw 16.4 million shares traded, not exceeded until 1969.  The market lost $14 billion that day, for a week loss of $30 billion, ten times more than the annual federal government budget.
• The bottom was reached on November 12, 1939, with the Dow Jones at 198.6.
• DJ went up to a peak of 294, but then slid until July 8, 1932 to 41.22, the lowest in the 20th century.
• DJ reached 1000 in 1972 when Richard Nixon won reelection.  He won 49 states.
• Dow hit 10,000 in 1999.
• The meltdown of 2008-9 saw a fall to 6,547 on 9March2009.  I invested a few days later, and helped make me what I am today.
• On 7May2013 the DJ hit 15,000.
• DJ reached 20,000 on 25January2017.  Trump was a positive factor.
• DJ reached 25,000 on 4January2018, spurred by the Trump tax cuts.
• DJ reached 30,000 on 24November2020, aided by hopes of a Covid vaccine.
• Thus, today, the Dow Jones Industrial Average is about 1000 times higher than 94 years ago.
• DJIA from 1896 to 2020.

• From 1975 to January 2024.

Past six months.

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