Renaming The Virus . . . And Two Stocks Not To Sell September 25, 2020 That Trump would have pulled back the CDC forward-stationed pandemic teams in 2018 . . . allowed 40,000 Americans back into the U.S. without a two-week quarantine . . . ignored a dozen urgent early warnings . . . downplayed a virus he knew to be five times as deadly as the flu . . . promoted bogus treatments, mocked mask wearing and social distancing . . . . . . all that, I think, adds up to negligent homicide. But he’s the boss, and he’s told us he’s done a great job keeping us safe and healthy so let’s give him the credit he deserves. Let’s call it the Trump virus. When people think of the virus, he deserves to have them think of him. Meanwhile, as the death toll climbs, it’s important to understand that the Trump virus almost entirely spares young people. And nearly as entirely spares healthy young-ish people. How can one possibly make least-bad public policy choices without taking that into account? Of 200,000+ U.S. Trump virus deaths so far, 100 have been among Americans under 20 — a tenth as many as drown, a twentieth as many as die in homicides . . . let alone from drugs, suicide, or car crashes. Another link worth clicking, for those wrestling with when and how best to reopen schools: Feared Coronavirus Outbreaks in Schools Yet to Arrive, Early Data Shows. Don’t sell your BOREF if you bought it with money you can truly afford to lose. . . . here’s one more indication that they’re making progress, and that I’m not the only one who thinks so. ATI’s work with WheelTug is currently the lead feature on their front page. . . . Through our partnership with WheelTug, we’re enabling faster loading, faster pushbacks and increased safety every time a plane gets ready to take to the sky. . . . You will recall that BOREF owns 58% of WheelTug, private shares of which have been bought at a $1.25 billion valuation in the hope that one day thousands of 737s and A320s will be WheelTug-enabled, saving passengers time, saving airlines $1+ million per year per plane, and adding meaningful gate capacity to the world’s airports without their having to spend a dime on new runways or terminals. Airplanes do no one any good sitting at the gate, so cutting 5 or 10 or 20 minutes of ground time from each of millions of flights every year would be a big deal. Could a company with the potential to save airlines $10 billion a year be worth $1.25 billion? If so, BOREF’s 58% share would be worth $725 million. BOREF closed the week at $8, a $40 million valuation. Any time the stock goes up, it’s quickly beaten back down — not, I think, in any nefarious scheme, as some imagine, but, simply because many of those who bought in at $3 or $4 and have grown old waiting for the big payoff seize any opportunity to escape. For the rest of us, my hope — obviously — is that our patience will be rewarded. Don’t sell your PRKR, either. Here’s the latest press release. And here’s a company-sponsored research report. I obviously don’t know what will happen with any of their lawsuits, but as has been discussed in previous posts, it seems to me that, with the stock so cheap, the potential 5X or 10X or 20X reward outweighs the risk of total loss. John Lowther: “Please remind everyone that you do not have to rely on the mail to send in your ballot. In my town you can deposit your ballot in a drop box at the town hall..” → Republicans are fighting hard to limit the availability of drop boxes — in Ohio, for example. It is a core Republican goal to make it hard to vote. But there are tons of folks trying to make it as easy as possible. If you don’t yet have a plan to vote, run don’t walk to: Stephen Colbert’s BetterKnowABallot. Or NBC News’ Plan Your Vote. Or, simply, Iwillvote.com. Have a great weekend. Volunteer! Contribute! Recruit poll workers! Vote!