Friday, April 17. 2020
Re Sullivan's: How to Live With COVID-19
The opening up of work and life is not a black and white choice between health and wealth. If it were, that would be an easy choice. We're not talking about wealth here. We're talking about a functional life, working, being useful and social, paying bills, not losing shelter, staying solvent.
This Chinese virus is not ever going away. It's here to stay like all viruses, and many if not most people will be exposed to it before 2021. However, viruses tend to run rapidly through a population over about two months and then just stick around more quietly forever, waiting for opportunity. Some people will get sick and die, regardless.
The trick now is how to balance illness and death risks with destroyed lives, careers, futures, families, and businesses. I still feel that the lockdowns and stay at home programs were extreme responses, but I understand that they were issued in the absence of data and in an atmosphere of panic (eg, 2 million Americans dead!). Lockdowns do not really save lives, and that is not what they are for anyway.
The Trump administration's plan makes good sense to me, with calm guidelines but leaving local decisions local without a one-size-fits-all for this giant country. After all, the federal officials and world experts weren't omniscient, were they? They never are. Nobody is.
I do appreciate that Dr. Fauci now says I can go back onto Tinder, but where will I go to meet that special girl in person? Maybe for a 6-foot distanced walk up and down 5th Ave...with masks? That would be a memorable way to meet your true love, masked and anonymous. It might work.
One question for readers: Do those with secure cash flows have different ideas from those who do not?
 Parallels Between COVID-19 Alarm and Global Warming Alarm
Hinderaker: WE ARE NEEDLESSLY DEVASTATING OUR COUNTRY
THE END OF NEW YORK: Mayor deBlasio Says New York City Will Not Reopen Until July or August AT THE EARLIEST!
Subways were the culprit
Masks, hand-washing, and gloves might have prevented a lot of that
Vanderleun: Come Out, Come Out, Wherever You Are
The entire country has cabin fever
Fauci Says Tinder Hookups Okay During Coronavirus Lockdowns: “Your Choice Regarding a Risk”
Trump Says Guidelines Would Allow Some States To Reopen "Tomorrow"
Leaves it up to states and cities. Good
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine Says State Will Reopen May 1
Why politicians can't just restart the economy
Only people can do that.
VDH:
Whether people return to work and restart the economy in time to prevent a depression depends not entirely on what President Trump or, in California, Gov. Newsom decide.
It ultimately hinges on whether the people who have been shut in their homes for a month listening to mostly doomsday modeling (e.g., the March 19 governor’s warning that without his draconian measures 25.5 million Californians could be infected within 8 weeks [a number at fluctuating fatality percentages could imply that over 800,000 state residents will be dead mid-May]) and media sensationalism, decide what to do. The people, not the politicians, will decide.
Media sensationalism has scared the heck out of otherwise rational people, and scared the crap out of those who are fearful people anyway
Now Is Exactly the Time to Investigate the WHO’s Catastrophic Public Failures and Internal Rot.
China’s incredible coronavirus counts
Hillary Bought Russian Disinformation - The latest revelations about the Steele dossier reveal who the real colluders were.
Big surprise
Steele Source Voiced ‘Strong Support’ For Hillary Clinton, Had Ties To Kremlin
Duh. Follow the money.
Thursday, April 16. 2020
From I&!, Media Hope In COVID-19 They Finally Have The Event That Will Destroy Trump
Unable to chase Trump from office through Russia, Russia, Russia; impeachment; and incessant whining about the Electoral College, the media are now riding the coronavirus panic. If they could just convince the public the president is responsible for every COVID-19 death, that he acted too soon, and acted too slowly, that he’s wielded too much power, and not enough, that he hasn’t said enough, but now he’s said too much, they could get their man elected in November. It’s almost as if the press was working from a list of Get Trump bullet points.
Wednesday, April 15. 2020
 TARGETED: Christian Baker Sued AGAIN, This Time Over Transgender Cake
"Pour encourager les autres"
Harvard to Hold Anti-Homeschooling Summit
Sheesh
“How Am I Violating Social Distancing When I Go Fishing, by Myself, on My Boat"
Chaos by the Bay - San Francisco responds to the coronavirus with an experiment in lawlessness.
Hedge Fund Managers Quietly Apply For Bailouts As Small Businesses
That's called hutzpah
BB: Trump Installs Ejection Seats Throughout Press Briefing Room
Zero New Coronavirus Cases In New York, NBC News Says
Wow
Reports: These Places Will Be Re-opened First Under Trump's Post-Wuhan Coronavirus Roadmap
Coronavirus, and the Media's Lies, Damned Lies, and Statistics
Press Corp Which Demanded Trump Has Authority To Close Everything Upset Trump Says He Has Power To Reopen Everything
In another 4 weeks of closure, the US economy will be destroyed for years, meaning lives and careers destroyed, despair, desperation
Fauci v. Fauci: How America’s infectious disease chief evolved his pandemic advice - Before he embraced social distancing, Fauci recommended cruises, and dismissed a ban on restaurants as ‘overkill,’ review of comments shows.
The experts were wrong, especially the British study that predicted that 2 million Americans could die :
A large swath of the "expert" community cloaked itself with unscientific certitude, beginning on March 16, with a model from the Imperial College London -- the source governments relied upon for the decision to ruin their economies -- which projected about 2.2 million Americans and half a million Brits would die.
Almost every national leader, politician and media outlet in the world believed that model. As I explained in my last column, modern men and women have substituted "experts" for prophets and priests. Science is the secular religion, and "experts" are its prophets and priests. In fact, they have greater authority among the secular, especially those left of center, than the pope of the Catholic Church has among Catholics. Whereas popes have invoked the doctrine of "infallibility" twice in the history of the Catholic Church, "experts" invoke it every day among the secular faithful.
Coronavirus case and death counts in U.S. ridiculously low
The Logic of the Lockdown
Is social distancing intended to slow the spread and develop herd immunity, as a month of “flatten the curve” messaging claimed, or is it actually intended to minimize total infections? The former implies that we are probably ready to loosen restrictions; the latter implies a far longer and more painful quarantine.
Adding to the confusion is our inability to answer a fundamental question — namely, how useful has the lockdown been in the first place?
Re the former, I believe the purpose is to reduce pressure on medical care, because there is no way to indefinitely avoid exposure, illness, death. This germ is out there forever and a vaccine is a year away. Re the latter question, we'll never know. The US is not Sweden.
Hinderaker: WE NEVER NEEDED TO FLATTEN THE CURVE
Time Approaches For Trump To Act To Open Economy, Even If Democrats Hope for Lengthy Recession
Graham: ‘This Effort to Destroy Trump No Matter the Cost of the Country Is Getting a Bit Old’ — ‘It’s Pissing a Lot of People Off’
‘Action Will Be Taken’: Georgia Democrats Vow Revenge On Lawmaker Who Endorsed Trump
WHO Official Says She Suspected Human-To-Human COVID-19 Transmission ‘Right From The Start’ — But The WHO Echoed Misleading Chinese Claims To The Contrary For Weeks
Nunes: More Criminal Referrals Against Dems Involved in the Russia Scam May Be Coming
AG Barr just signaled that things are about to get ugly for the Russia collusion team
Tuesday, April 14. 2020
Geraghty's Powerful Americans Were Catastrophically Wrong about China:
You have to give Vox a few molecules of credit for recognizing that while they rage against disinformation, some of their earliest pieces about COVID-19 included information that just wasn’t accurate — in part because it was coming from well-credentialed experts who flat-out misjudged the danger from the virus.
Nobody had the data, so nobody was alarmed. Even in February, 6 or 7 weeks ago, Dr. Fauci was reassuringly saying "just a flu, go to restaurants, etc." Our experts were consistently wrong in their guesses, jumping from sanguine to reckless panic, not just because of China but because they were all flying blind - VFR into IMC.
I was speaking with a friend, prior to the lockdown, about Covid and the political repercussions. His view was the politicians would overreact/overreach for one reason - demographics. He believed, and this is now proving to be correct, that the black population would be disproportionately hit. There are higher incidences of obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, smoking, alcoholism - all at-risk traits. As a result, there'd be a need to try to 'protect' these people and manage the data. They did a good job with the data, but as usual, you can't hide the truth all the time.
These at-risk traits are the natural result of bondage to the state. As the US moved heavily to institutionalize all kinds of state aid to 'lift up' a downtrodden people, the government created a permanent underclass that is in thrall to the state, and engaging more irresponsible behaviors as a result (please note, I'm not saying black people are irresponsible - this is true of people of many ethnicities who have become multi-generational recipients of state aid). Taking responsibility for one's life is hard, and it's hard work. The state can step in and solve all that for you, though. Free health care, free food, free homes. It's good stuff, if you can get it. You can even become a 'Covid Patriot' full time by just going along with state aid.
So it's no surprise to see calls for 'reparations' for Covid hitting the black population so hard. Yes, they have suffered more. I'm not sure the survivors deserve 'reparations' though. After all, it's hit men disproportionately, too. Perhaps we can have calls for Covid reparations for men?
I'll sit and wait for my reparations check. Pass the chips and bourbon, please.
Monday, April 13. 2020
Let's not take advantage of the self-employed tradesmen and workers: electricians, carpenters, pavers, landscape people, roofers, delivery restaurants, plumbers, painters, fitness trainers, hairdressers, etc. etc. during hard times.
Right now, they are desperate for work and offering bids which are almost 50% of what they would have done 6 months ago. So my feeling is this is the time to get a lot of jobs off your checklist in affordable and prompt ways, but don't be a schnorrer. They are all under-bidding eachother just to stay busy and to keep their helpers working. A minor profit is better than nothing.
These people have families to feed, and times are tough. If you can, put these people to work and don't give them a hard time about it. Do it for America.
 Maggie's HQ Easter Report: Went out early to do some outdoor chores after a morning run. Repairing and painting birdhouses, planting some herbs, shed-cleaning, shrub pruning. Almost stepped on (photo) a Robin's egg in the grass. Sheesh, like a perfect Easter Egg. Then I saw a baby Cottontail bunny hopping away. That is called an Easter Blessing.
Then, in respect for my father-in-law (quarantining sort-of, here) we streamed Cardinal Dolan's Easter mass at St. Patrick's. What a fine fellow he is.
Later, I watched a squirrel enjoying that egg.
New York without New Yorkers: The city at its emptiest:
New Yorkers are not easily cowed. We are not ones to be contained. We live here because we are extremely social and curious creatures. We tolerate cramped apartments because they are merely places to shower and sleep. The city is the draw, the prize, the home.
Now we see what New York is like without her people. The Statue of Liberty welcomes no one. Times Square and Grand Central Station, places and names that serve as national expressions of overcrowded chaos, host lonely commuters. Part of Central Park is now, incredibly, a field hospital — as is the Javits Center and the US Open tennis complex. Santiago Calatrava’s World Trade Center Oculus, the winged symbol of our rebirth after 9/11, sits hollow and tomblike.
Progressive Destruction: The Pandemic is the Perfect Time to Abolish the Family. There's no nightmare the Left won't pursue to achieve its earthly paradise
Coronavirus: At least two NHS hospitals trialling anti-malaria drug hydroxychloroquine hailed by Trump
The Post-Quarantine City - What New York can do to ensure a sturdy recovery from Covid-19
REPORT: 30%-50% Of Patients In Chicago Tested For COVID-19 Already Have Antibodies In System
JPMorgan Predicts GDP Will Completely Crater, Forecasts a Staggering 40 Percent Second Quarter Drop
U.S. government gave $3.7million grant to Wuhan lab at center of coronavirus leak scrutiny that was performing experiments on bats from the caves where the disease is believed to have originated
THE EXPERTS HAVE BEEN WRONG OVER AND OVER AGAIN ON THIS PANDEMIC
WHAT WOULD WE DO WITHOUT EXPERTS?
How Long has the Chinese Coronavirus Really Been in America?
Sunday Talks – Dr. Fauci Plays The Hindsight Game With Furrowed Brow Tapper…
From somewhere:
Fauci is now saying that had Trump listened to the medical experts earlier he could've saved more lives. Fauci was telling people on February 29th that there was nothing to worry about and it posed no threat to the US public at large.
Dr. Fauci is a slippery one, a CYA guy like most people in government
Why Are We So Scared?
Trump Uses Persuasion, Not Force, in Coronavirus Crisis. So of course that’s not acceptable either.
Liberals Panicked by Virus Are Trying to Buy Guns, and Are Shocked and Outraged About All the Hoops They Have to Jump Through
‘Crossed the line’: Ban-happy Michigan governor blasted for ‘insane’ overreach in response to coronavirus outbreak (here are several examples)
The WHO Lied and Created a Global Panic: Second Extensive Study Finds Coronavirus Mortality Rate Is 0.4% Not 3.4% — Similar to Seasonal Flu
New Data Shows U.S. Companies Are Definitely Leaving China
Good
‘China Was Not Truthful’: Ex-FDA Chief Scott Gottlieb Explains How Beijing Misled The World About Coronavirus
Dr. Fauci: Coronavirus Erupted in December While China Lied About Human-to-Human Spread
China lied? That's a dog bites man story
China Seals Border with Russia as Imported Virus Cases Surge
China’s desperate attempt to erase its connection to the Wuhan coronavirus is not going well
How Weird Could The 2020 Campaign Get? You Have No Idea
New York Times edits Biden sexual assault coverage, deletes references to past inappropriate 'hugs, kisses and touching'
America Must Have a 'Regime Collapse' Strategic Goal for Iran
Really? Leave it up to their people.
Saturday, April 11. 2020
COVID's graph in NY is beginning to resemble a particularly bad flu season, a dangerous flu season (although COVID is not a flu virus - Corona viruses are best known to be the viruses of the common cold): Look At How Ridiculously Wrong All The COVID-19 Models Were.
As Scott Adams says every day, models are not information. Models are for persuasion. He knows, because he once had a job making them.
Did the shutdowns help prevent mass catastrophe? We will never really know. I suspect that it did help hospitals manage their flow of difficult cases, which was the purpose. They seem to be managing fairly well. Stress is their job.
Friday, April 10. 2020
The Plague Has Been Quietly Killing Yellowstone Cougars for a Decade.Researchers found that almost half of the mountain lions they tested showed signs of plague infection
Earth Day Founder Dies in Prison After Composting Girlfriend
A top German doctor recommends whiskey to protect against COVID-19
Works for me and my father-in-law. Coffee also a miracle preventative. Science says so.
Pope Francis Links Bat Soup Virus To ‘Climate Change’
I wish he would just stick to his knitting instead of riding all of his socio-cultural hobby horses. I'd like to give the guy the benefit of doubt, but sheesh. It's Holy Week. Can we focus on Christ instead of talking about the weather?
UW-Madison editorial calls to 'decolonize' 'eurocentric, whitewashed, sexist' curriculum
Colleges and Universities Already Panicking About Finances Over Shutdowns
Vanderleun on lost friends
A World-Changing Pandemic?
Ace has an amusing and edgy review of the news
Bill Gates suggests reopening businesses without vaccine
Well, obviously. Life must go on.
CDC Relaxing Some Virus Restrictions, Letting Some Essential Workers Return to Work
As Insty would say, Faster Please
VDH:
... journalists during White House briefings fixate on two agendas.
One is to goad the president into saying something sloppy, by repeatedly suggesting that in reacting to the virus, he was in error, that he is cruel and heartless, or that he is dangerous. That gotcha obsession explains why the media can call Trump a xenophobe and racist for issuing a travel ban against China—contrary to the earlier advice of WHO, the Centers for Disease Control, the media, and the entire Democratic Party hierarchy—then silently support it. It explains why they then use doctored Chinese data and propaganda from the Chinese Communist Party to convince Americans that China—a nation that lied about the origins, spread, and nature of the virus—is admirably doing a better job in containing the virus than is their own country. Even the media cannot keep straight their own anti-Trump gymnastics.
Gov of S. Dakota:
“My role with respect to public safety is something I take very seriously. The people themselves are primarily responsible for their safety. They are the ones that are entrusted with expansive freedoms – they’re free to exercise their rights to work, to worship, and to play – or to even stay at home, or to conduct social distancing. … My responsibility is to respect the rights of people, and the people who elected me.”
Kamala Harris Describes a Perfect Coronavirus Response, Accidentally Describing All Things that Trump’s Done
Unhinged: James Carville Says Republicans ‘Will Kill People To Stay In Power’…
Barr: “No Basis” For Crossfire Hurricane, “One Of The Greatest Travesties In American History” designed to sabotage Trump presidency
Sure looks like that
Kissinger’s Call for a New World Order
Feds move to block China-owned telecom service from operating in US
Why the US must quit negotiating with Iran
EU Court Of Justice Rules Poland, Hungary, & Czech Republic Broke EU Law
Who cares?
Thursday, April 9. 2020
John Prine, Singer-Songwriter Known for Wit and Warmth, Dies of Coronavirus at 73
For Passover this year, China will take Pharaoh’s role
How to Wear a Face Mask Without Fogging Up Your Glasses
'A disastrous situation': mountains of food wasted as coronavirus scrambles supply chain
Supermarkets seem fine. I think most of the issue is the sudden lack of their other commercial orders
Trump needs a get-America-back-to-work team
Agreed, but maybe they have one already
Safety Protocols for Getting Back to Work
CDC issues new guidance saying essential workers who have been exposed to COVID-19 can Return to work if showing no symptoms in first step towards reopening the U.S.
Good. That is step 1
White House Coronavirus Model Gets Updated Second Time In Four Days, Downgrading Deaths, Hospitalizations Again
Dr. Fauci: US Should See 'Beginning of a Turnaround' After This Week
The CDC Confesses to Lying About COVID-19 Death Numbers
NYC Did Have Ventilators Stockpiled, But They Auctioned Them Off, Now They’re Scrambling
They seem to be fine now
The FDA Graveyard - Absurd bureaucratic strictures are hindering efforts to fight Covid-19.
Trump Admin Expects To Roll Out ‘Millions’ Of These Tests Next Month To Help Reopen The Country
Dr. Birx: Relaxing Social Distancing Could Bring Second Wave
We get that
Coronavirus Death Predictions Bring New Meaning to Hysteria
WHO illustrates the idea of regulatory capture
Doesn't Everybody "Need" A Bailout?
Defense official says media reports about November coronavirus intel assessment are false
Fake news, just like Trump's investment
Lessons on Leadership From the USS Theodore Roosevelt
The pandemic ‘sugar pill’ hospital executives sold the Trump administration in 2018. In a survey released 18 months ago, 86 percent of hospital administrators reported they were prepared for an infectious outbreak. They were not.
Joe Biden Sexual Assault Allegation Made Alyssa Milano Backtrack on 'Believing All Women'. Under fire for refusing to support Tara Reade, Milano says she never thought #MeToo would "destroy innocent men."
Wednesday, April 8. 2020
Trump Admin Expects To Roll Out ‘Millions’ Of These Tests Next Month To Help Reopen The Country
Just hope you test positive. The more people who test positive, the better for the country. If elederly, overweight, or have other issues, if you test negative you might chose to remain in jail for a while.
Still, I think we'll be surprised by how many people have the covid antibodies already. If you even had a stuffy nose in the past 3 months, you might have the covid antibodies. If you don;t know what they are, read up on them.
The animal body has unbelievable abilities. What is an antibody? Read and learn some basic biology.
Tuesday, April 7. 2020
Michael 'Big Short' Burry Blasts "Unjustifiable" Lockdowns As "Most Devastating Economic Force In History"
I agree with him. We need to get business back in business, with reasonable precautions of course. Since this virus will be circulating for years, the political challenge is when. The first patient who dies after opening up will be Trump's fault. Meanwhile, lives are being destroyed.
As Scott Adams asks, How Many Grandmas Would You End to Get Back to Work? Make Your Case
Just for this month. You do not need a Nikon for them. (h/t, Instapundit)
Now approved by the FDA, but already in use in other countries. The sooner we can get it everywhere here, the better. It might take a week or two. Obviously, if you have recovered from a confirmed case, you are good to go.
Despite the careful caveats in the article, what a positive test basically tells you is that you have been exposed to covid and have immunity to it. That means you have no to minimal risk, and are no risk to anybody else.
Monday, April 6. 2020
What is the purpose of all of these virus recommendations? The masks, the distancing, the stay-at-home, the hospital and nursing home rules?
The purpose is to lower the curve. Not to reduce cases of those made very ill, but to flatten the burden to make medical care more manageable over time: longer, but less intense at the moment.
This particular covid is sneaky - almost always mild-to-nothing, but sometimes lethal for the frail or unlucky. The unlucky part is what makes it scarey. There is no effective protection, in my view, because viruses go viral. Their RNA is their reason for existing.
TOP 10 ZOMBIE MOVIES EVERY HORROR FAN NEEDS TO WATCH
Bored at Home? Here's a Massive List of Museums, Zoos, and Theme Parks Offering Virtual Tours
Who is bored at home? Not possible. Snuggle with a spouse partner. Clean a damn closet. Turn off the f-ing TV. Do a 1000-piece jigsaw puzzle. Throw out stuff you never use. Do 300 pushups each day and 100 body-weight squats. Cook something good. Do a Great Courses series. Go for an hour run. Clean the garage. Prune the shrubs. Make some money by working at home if you can.
No Parties, No Problem: Introverts Don’t Mind Sheltering At Home
They love the excuse
Dear Colleges, Please Let Grades Mean Something
They do not. Gotta please the customers. They are paying for "A"s, so they get them. Participation trophies.
What happens if your Apple products break during the coronavirus pandemic?
I gave up apples for Lent. Also Tequila, kale, salad, and quinoa. For serious, tobacco. That's serious for we of Indian blood.
Zoom’s Encryption is Tied to China, Raises More Concerns
Zoom = China
There’s another side to the story of the fired Navy captain
Many civilians don't understand the deal these people made. Serious deal, deadly serious.
Illegal Border Crossing Down to 'Next to Nothing' - Less Than 150 Apprehensions a Day For Almost a Week
A big "What If?" Did Trump Ruin Our Economy for Nothing?
"Trump ruined our economy and all for naught!" "Trump and his capitalism put millions out of work for nothing! If you haven't already heard this from the "mainstream media" (AKA "fake news"), you soon will...
At Some Point The Cure Really Will Be Worse Than The Disease
TALES OF COLLATERAL DAMAGE
So many such stories out there. Painful.
Peak Buffoonery: Paddleboarder in Ocean Off Malibu Is Arrested for Not Socially Distancing
President Trump needs to set the country free now
But every death until November will be his fault
Reporter Presses Trump To Shutdown Grocery Stores, Fast Food Restaurants
Coronavirus Case Counts Are Meaningless - *Unless you know something about testing. And even then, it gets complicated.
We have no data. The reality might be worse, might be better.
According to CDC: 0.2% to 1.8% of All US Deaths Since February are Confirmed or Presumed to be Due to COVID-19
Majority Of Coronavirus Patients On Ventilators Go On To Die
A ventilator (unless post-op) always means you are in deep, deep trouble
Bill Gates-Funded IHME Coronavirus Model Wrong Again - 12,000 ICU Beds Projected For New York Today, Only 4,100 Used
Trump names White House lawyer to be watchdog over coronavirus bailout money. Brian Anderson will make sure taxpayer money is spent correctly during the pandemic
Good
Even Althouse is beginning to appreciate Trump.
Never thought I'd seen that happen
Media mystified as America rallies behind President Trump during coronavirus crisis
After NY Times Caves On Hydroxychloroquine, Twitter Hero Posts Screenshots From EVERYONE Who Mocked Trump For Promoting It
Dr. Birx To CNN Reporter: Keep The Politics Out Of It, Buddy
The Real Coronavirus Chronology Shows Trump Was On Top Of It While Biden Was Mocking The Danger. No media or Nancy Pelosi false narratives or phony Joe Biden campaign ad can change the truth about the real chronology of the coronavirus.
Trump was following Dr Fauci, who in January said it was just a flu. Has Dr. F ever been right? He constantly changes his mind, but he has Trump's ear
European Leaders Lament: Coronavirus Might Just Kill The EU Too
Anger in Italy, Defiance in Eastern Europe - Will the Coronavirus Mean the End of the Globalist EU?
Let's hope so. If unlimited illegal immigration didn't
World Health Organization Under Fire for Being Chinese Apologists
Daily funnies: Venezuelan Naval Vessel Sank After Picking Fight With A Cruise Ship
China joins UN Human Rights Council panel despite troubling record, response to coronavirus
The UN is a joke
From The Atlantic!: Consider the Possibility That Trump Is Right About China
No! No! No!
Trump admin weighs legal action over alleged Chinese hoarding of PPE
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A 64-year-old man
A general question: Why don't Beijing or Shanghai have a virus problem? I've seen no answer. Was travel completely blocked? 