# Episode Overview > - **Date Aired:** [[08-08-2023]] > - **Title:** A Bad Name > - **Episode:** 233 > - **Description:** Equal parts cringe & informative. Discussing "Disease X," barista culture, & Jon Bon Jovi. > - **Link:** <https://www.bigdigenergy.info/BDE233> # Replay <iframe src="https://rumble.com/embed/v337bwo/?pub=6eeyh" allow="fullscreen" allowfullscreen="" style="height:100%;width:100%; aspect-ratio: 16 / 9; "></iframe> <br> # Greetings & Announcements Reminder that I will be out of town on the 22nd because I'm going to join the beanie cult.. er.. to be on TimCast.  # Segments ## How's My Driving?  Someone in Lakewood, Colorado is having a pretty bad day. But I laughed.  **Archive:** <https://archive.is/o468I> ## Mike Pence: Energy Supremacist Mike Pence seems determined to make a run for the White House, despite having the popularity of Nikki Haley…  Okay, maybe slightly better. I feel like he's going to name Nikki as his running mate at some point. Can you imagine? As of about two hours ago, Mike Pence has officially announced he has met the required polling and donor qualifications to be able to participate in the first Republican debates.  From the [article](https://archive.is/Q1cew): > Former Vice President Mike Pence announced Tuesday he has qualified for the first Republican debate of the 2024 presidential cycle, securing the required number of donors with just two weeks until candidates gather in Milwaukee. > > According to his campaign, Pence has amassed 40,000 unique donors, checking off the final debate requirement set by the Republican National Committee. > > Pence becomes the eighth candidate to announce qualification for the first debate, joining former President Donald Trump, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina, former [[United Nations]] Ambassador Nikki Haley, biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum. > > Pence had long ago met the RNC's polling requirements for the Aug. 23 debate — at least 1% in three high-quality national polls or a mix of national and early-state polls, between July 1 and Aug. 21 — but struggled to notch the mandated number of donors.  Earlier today, the GOP debate format was released:  So yeah. That's… well, it sounds about right. Before we look at the cringe video, I looked at his campaign website, so you don't have to. You're welcome. His campaign website: <https://mikepence2024.com/> In the "Recent News" section, you'll find bangers like Pence insisting we fund a veritable armory for Ukraine.  The "Pence Plan" consists of two platforms:  One of his platform policies surely would spark some sort of outcry of being a thinly-veiled racist dog whistle, if anyone actually cared enough to read his campaign site.  If you're interested, the actual platform page can be found by clicking [this link](https://archive.is/wQm0N). But, more hilariously, today Mike Pence released a [campaign ad](https://twitter.com/Mike_Pence/status/1689014062305128448) that is just... silly. You might have already seen it, but I thought it would be fun for us to watch together. Sorry.  ## The Hipster Barista Version of Mike Pence: TIP ME This is Dylan Schenker, and he's the exact opposite of whatever Mike Pence is claiming to be. It's science, look it up.  Anyway, in the middle of July, NPR [published an article](https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/npr/2023/07/17/1187275511/got-tipping-rage-this-barista-reveals-what-its-like-to-be-behind-the-tip-screen/) featuring Dylan centering around tipping culture in the service industry, and I'm curious to hear your thoughts. Let's have a listen.  ## Chris Christie Cringe Speaking of more grifting, yesterday it was reported that an unlikely hero among mortals visited Ukraine to show solidarity with Zelenskyy: Chris Christie. And he brought a kind of [silly gift](https://abc7ny.com/chris-christie-volodymr-zelenskyy-ukraine-new-jersey/13611646/).  > UKRAINE (WABC) -- Former New Jersey Governor and 2024 presidential hopeful Chris Christie says he gave a very special gift to Ukranian President Volodymr Zelenskyy. > > Zelenskyy was gifted a handwritten note from Jon Bon Jovi, containing the lyrics to "It's My Life." > > In an interview with CNN, Christie says the song represents how Americans feel about the cause Ukranians are fighting for. > > Christie became the second Republican presidential candidate to visit Ukraine, after former Vice President Mike Pence visited in June. Anyways, that's how I ended up finding out [this photo](https://www.facebook.com/BonJovi/photos/a.10151146142867000.437689.7220821999/10151155089852000/?paipv=0&eav=AfaIB2uQ3vtpoI_mfBDZlgieJMt4T_Kkb7YCbYfAdDLd6DLh_d7l-WCnUnOKPQzInFE&_rdr) exists:  It was taken in 2012 at a Hurricane Sandy relief fundraiser.  It was also how I learned that Bon Jovi and Chris Christie occupy this weird gossipy corner of the internet I'd never thought to see if it [existed](https://www.app.com/story/entertainment/music/2017/08/03/did-bon-jovi-use-black-keys-drummer-avoid-chris-christie/535569001/):  No really, it's [weird](https://www.nj.com/politics/2015/06/bon_jovi_says_he_gave_christie_permission_to_use_h.html).   ## Disease X & Covid On Episode 230 of Big Dig Energy, "Groundhog Day" we discussed the rebirth of [[Covid-19]] hysteria: ![[BDE230#Insufferable Twitter Talking Heads on Covid]] And just in time, there's a new variant making the rounds: EG.5. Known as the "Eris Variant." Here's some normie news:  According to the CDC, EG.5 makes up the [majority](https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#variant-proportions) of cases:  And, like clockwork, the [headlines](https://www.1stheadlines.com/coronavirus.htm) have begun:  Just as before, the media can be seen using things like [percentages](https://nypost.com/2023/08/08/covid-19-cases-jump-in-new-york-free-tests-are-hard-to-find/) to make things sound much worse than they are. (If we're going by the normie news standard of truth, that is.)  > In May, the COVID-19 emergency was [officially declared over](https://nypost.com/2023/05/05/covid-19-pandemic-is-no-longer-a-global-emergency-who/) — but the coronavirus is still a significant concern, according to some in the medical community. > > The latest [data from the New York state Department of Health](https://www.health.ny.gov/press/releases/2023/2023-08-02_covid.htm), released Aug. 2, shows that COVID cases spiked by 55% since the prior week, with an average of 824 reported cases per day across the state. Which certainly sounds scarier than this graph looks:  ## Disease X Simultaneously, some news dropped about scientists in the UK working to develop vaccines for a "[[Disease X]] "  The Article: https://news.sky.com/story/uk-scientists-begin-work-on-defending-against-new-pandemic-caused-by-disease-x-12934956 **Memory Lane:** [[Disease X]] [[How Prepared Are We For The Next Pandemic - Not Very, Experts Show]] [Clade X](https://centerforhealthsecurity.org/our-work/tabletop-exercises/clade-x-tabletop-exercise) %%Footer Starts Here%% ---  --- # Keep Digging %%Space%% ## Tags #Stream/BDE ### Footnotes & References