Thursday, April 2. 2020
Not too long ago, I shared my views on Covid-19 and the lockdown. I still stand by my (often misunderstood) position and I feel that after this is over, I'll still stand as having a well-developed viewpoint. Meanwhile, as we sit in the midst of all this, I am now officially 3 weeks working-from-home. The Covid numbers have continued to rise, the deaths have risen as well, and the newsmedia has...ratcheted up the fear factor as high as possible. Even my sister, down in Florida (where even she admits nothing is happening of any note) is freaking out and running scared.
Well, today I chatted by phone with her and shared with her something I'll share with all of you. I am Covid-19 positive. I found out yesterday.
Let me share some of my own personal thoughts and some of my doctors' comments.
First, I was told "this is a high-powered flu". By 3 different doctors who checked me or spoke with me. Second, "No, there's nothing we can do unless you have respiratory distress, so please monitor yourself carefully." Yup. I do that anyway. Third, there were no lines at the station where I got checked. Called first, drove up, got out, they checked me in a field tent, sent me to another field tent, and did the swab (annoying, but not horrible...a Q-Tip WAY UP into your sinuses). Doesn't hurt. You do sneeze a little.
I am in good general health. I work out regularly, good BP, good pulse rate, not an ox by any standard, but I'll keep up with most people my age, and probably surpass them (55+, in case you're wondering).
My first hints of the virus were on Tuesday 3/24. A little coughing, lots of mucous, etc. Not a dry cough. By Thursday, Mrs. Bulldog was saying "You're coughing too much, I don't want people on our walks to think you have it, so stay home." Fine...I stopped taking walks. I had started having headaches (sinus) anyway. The headaches got worse. By Friday, my head was pounding, the cough was persistent, and it was dry. No fever. No rash. 3 days of (sorry) diarrhea began.
Over the weekend, the headaches intensified, the coughing got worse. I was more or less stuck on the couch watching movies, in a very annoyed frame of mind. By Sunday, it was suggested I get tested.
So we arranged it, and yesterday at 3pm the results were back. Positive.
Of course, by now the headache is starting to fade. It's still there, but Tylenol keeps it reduced. The coughing is still there, but laying down helps it stop (don't lay down too much...no need to promote pneumonia). I've been sleeping 10 hours a night. The really weird things, and there are 2 of them, are the general haziness of frame of mind - I can't concentrate very long - and what I'd call "fever dreams without the fever." I don't know how to describe these, but I have the strangest dreams all night. Then I wake up in the morning very dehydrated and have to drink a pint or two of water.
My doctor voiced concern over the number of cases, but also pointed out that "it's just a flu that is worse for at-risk people, you're not at risk. Just stay vigilant, take care of yourself and you should be fine."
So if this were the normal world - I'd take 2-3 weeks off from work, and get better. Instead, I've had 3 weeks off, and based on current protocol I will have AT LEAST (if my symptoms play out normally) 3 more weeks off (because my office says 2 weeks after cessation).
For what it's worth - most people in the US, after 6 weeks off from work, will be broke. If it goes longer, who knows. At this point, the "cure" is worse than the disease. Trump is right to consider opening some counties as soon as possible - like any other pandemic, this has areas of concentration. We can limit exposure to those regions, and keep the rest of the nation working well.
Stay healthy. Stay vigilant. I do believe there is much more, politically, to play out. At this point I no longer believe it's mainly a health crisis (if it ever was). It's a political one.
ps - I had to inform my HR Department - just a public safety thing. Naturally, I got a call back today...all pre-arranged, and about exactly what I supposed. They were trying to determine if I could have caught it anywhere else but at the office. "AVOID LAWSUITS AT ANY COST" must be their view. Can't blame them, I suppose. Not that it would stop me if I was litigious. Thing is, nobody can EVER prove where they got it from. I commute, via train, every day. I went to the bank. I was playing poker one night with 50 people at a bar the week before being sent home (won $650 and the tournament WITH A ROYAL FLUSH - not a joke, totally telling the truth, I have pictures...it's the poker players' Hole-in-One). So I could have gotten it anywhere...and I admitted that. Because it doesn't matter where I got it from. I KNEW I was going to get it. That was the point of my original article. If you believe you can avoid it, you're fooling yourself. I DO NOT believe social distancing works. But don't worry - they politicians and other liars will convince you it's working.
Doctors At University of Pittsburgh Medical Center: We’ve Developed a Vaccine Against Coronavirus
And they can scale it easily. Pitt is one of the great American medical centers. If they say it, they mean it. Quite remarkable speed, but most people in urban and suburban areas have been exposed now anyway, naturally vaccinated.
 The dogs of war: WW1 in Alsace and Vosges – Secret search for sled dogs : Code name «Poilus d’Alaska»
Answering the coronavirus: exponential American innovation
Developing Covid-19 Vaccines at Pandemic Speed
"This is the Beginning of the End of the Pandemic" - Dr. Stephen Smith Announces Hydroxy-Choloroquine Study that is "Game Changer" in Battle Against Coronavirus
If that holds up, great
Coronavirus Death Rate Is Lower Than Previously Reported, Study Says
Very likely. The stats are dubious
Powerline: "Regular readers will not be surprised to know that I am one of the 32% who are Very Concerned." (about shutdown and economy)
If The Virus Hadn’t Caused The Crash, Something Else Would Have
Hmmm. Maybe a correction, but not this
The mysterious case of the people who ate fish tank cleaner
Trump Destroys Connecticut Governor's Claim the Strategic National Stockpile Has Been Emptied
Someone ought to tell House Speaker Nancy Pelosi about the coronavirus outbreak, because her laser focus on pushing her political agenda suggests she’s unaware of it.
MSNBC saw the virus coming before anyone else. But didn't mention it
Trump isn't 'finally' relying on experts. He often does
He's skeptical of experts, as we all should be. But he is persuadable.
Tucker: WHO chief praises, covers for China
DEEP ROT AT THE FBI (AND THE TIMES)
Jim Jordan and Lindsey Graham seek DOJ watchdog testimony on new FISA abuse report
Milestone: 600+ Title IX/Due Process Lawsuits in Behalf of Accused Students
General Milley Drops Hammer On Mexican Cartels: ‘We Will Defend Our Country Regardless Of The Cost’
Why Winning the War In Afghanistan Meant Losing to the Taliban. The Taliban will seek to run Afghanistan in line with their values and. America will have to stand back and watch.
Not my job
Tuesday, March 31. 2020
 Forget the politics and forget the hate and the hateful media. As Scott Adams says (and as I observe), the American people almost entirely come together in positive ways when the going gets tough. We might not be a family, but we're a team. Team America.
That is when it matters. Petty politics and sniping are for the good times, not the challenging and sacrificial times. Nobody is worrying about pronouns or the weather now, thank goodness. Unfortunately, there are more important issues.
Monday, March 30. 2020
The USNS Comfort arrives in NYC to take some of the pressure off. Why so few hospital beds in the USA? Because government limits them.
From First minor with coronavirus in New York City dies:
The vast majority of people who have died from coronavirus had underlying conditions, according to the CDC. New York City's numbers reflect that as well. Of the 790 people who have died from COVID-19 in New York City, all but 13 had underlying conditions. The city department of health's definition of "underlying conditions" includes diabetes, lung disease, cancer, immunodeficiency, heart disease, hypertension, asthma, kidney disease, and GI/liver disease.
I was wrong to make a bit of fun about the toilet paper pandemic. If you anticipate the worst all the time, sometimes you will be right. I have to say that, between the virus politics, peoples' economic and medical lives, and the epidemiology, it's confusing. I am glad I am not in charge. I am afraid April 30 will be as aspirational as was Easter. Lives are being destroyed, and it's nobody's fault.
Mia Farrow has finally succeeded in destroying Woody Allen
NYC Idiots Attend “Corona Potluck Parties
"Here's the thing. It's Not Just corona virus victims that are having to plan funerals that no one can attend... it's Everyone."
RICH EUROPEANS FLEE CITIES, NEW YORK TIMES DISAPPROVES. For quite a few centuries, cities have been unhealthy places in times of contagion
Rich Americans too, bringing germs to their second and third homes.
We're All Germophobes Now
Can coronavirus spread through food or packaging?
Calif. was ready for virus, then it wasn’t. State had plenty of emergency supplies, then got rid of them
USING CHLOROQUINE TO TREAT COVID-19: Q&A WITH RAGHU CHIVUKULA, MD, PHD
Coronavirus Patients Taken Off Ventilators and Out of ICU After Receiving Experimental Drug Leronlimab
FDA Issues Emergency Use Authorization Of Trump-Touted Drug To Treat Coronavirus
Kennedy Center Tells Musicians It Will Stop Paying Them Hours After $25 Million Bailout Is Signed
From the always annoying and sanctimonious David Brooks
The only "meaning" in disease is that nature is a bitch. That's not news.
The Media's Top Lies and Spins About COVID-19
As usual, lies upon lies for 3 years
Pelosi calls for probe into Trump’s handling of virus: ‘What did he know and when did he know it?’
Graham Torches Pelosi: 'Most Shameful, Disgusting Statement By Any Politician In Modern History'
Hillary Clinton's toxic coronavirus commentary uses dead Americans as a political weapon
Crenshaw Promotes Unity After Hillary Clinton Mocks Trump’s Coronavirus Response
People ARE united. Politicians are not
Bernie and the Democrats - Sanders’s revolution may have stalled, but his platform lives on.
Biden Says We Must ‘Believe All Women’ – Except The Woman Who Accused Him
China Makes Itself A Laughingstock
1984 COMES TO BRITAIN
Urns In Wuhan Far Exceed Death Toll, Raising More Questions About China’s Tally
Does anyone ever believe anything out of China?
French Official Says Quarantine Should Not Be Enforced In Migrant Areas To Avoid Riots
Sunday, March 29. 2020
Why the stats on Corona keep changing
Saturday, March 28. 2020
Just wash your hands - whenever you go to do something. Purell if you got it, but soap is fine. Assume the bug is everywhere, but if you wash, no problem - and don't touch your darn face. If sick, quarantine yourself. Apparently this bug is not easy to catch except by hands or lengthy times in close spaces. Exposure is pretty much unavoidable, but getting sick is not.
British Climate Activists: “Corona is the cure. Humans are the disease”
Tomb of the Unknown Soldier sentinels won't abandon post for virus: 'We are always here'
Don’t Even Think About Leaving New York City
The End of New York - Will the pandemic push America’s greatest city over the edge?
Nope. NYC has been through far worse things like wars, diptheria, cholera, polio, 9-11, HIV, etc etc
All We Have to Fear Is the MSM Itself
Panic sells
Obama Admin Repeatedly Sought Millions In CDC Funding Cuts, Despite Biden’s Attacks On Trump Preparedness
The NIH had 13 years to prepare for coronavirus but still didn't
‘Big Pharma and Its Well-Heeled Swamp Creatures’ Should Stop Being Divisive, Navarro Says
Which Is Worse, The Virus Or The Response To It? (2)
Dr. Birx: Coronavirus Data Doesn't Match The Doomsday Media Predictions
COVID-19 is NOT going to overwhelm our healthcare system
Trump chips away at Congress' role in coronavirus relief oversight. The $2 trillion coronavirus relief bill establishes a "special inspector general" to review and investigate loan decisions made by the treasury secretary.
End the lockdown, save the economy: Is there method in Trump’s madness?
What madness?
Trump understands what his critics don’t: The current lockdown is unsustainable
NIH failed to test coronavirus drugs, studied drunk monkeys, soap operas, and tailgating instead. Expert warned agency as much as 87.5 percent of biomedical research was wasteful.
President Trump Invokes Defense Production Act To Force GM To Produce Ventilators
Kathy Griffin sticks to COVID-19 angle despite being sent home from hospital with abdominal infection
Obama Official Busted for Spreading False Story About Hospital Lacking Ventilators, Deciding Not to Treat People
Donald Trump signs TAIPEI Act to support Taiwan’s international relations
If the PA Lacks Funds to Combat the Coronavirus, It Should Stop Paying Salaries to Terrorists
Friday, March 27. 2020
If, as the evidence suggests, the Chinese virus is enormously dangerous to people with certain medical conditions and those over 70 years old, but a much smaller danger to those under 70, then shutting down the entire country indefinitely is probably a bad idea.
But even when the time is right — by Easter, June or the fall — there will be no one to stop the quarantine because the media will continue to hype every coronavirus death, as if these are the only deaths that count and the only deaths that were preventable.
What mayor, governor or president will be willing to take the blame for causing a coronavirus death?
That's when pols are challenged - when all options suck. This thing is loose on the planet, and will never go away entirely. Like flu never goes away, despite vaccines.
Thursday, March 26. 2020
... the biggest threat to mankind that the world has ever seen: the COVID-19 virus, also know as the Chinese flu, which to date has killed—are you ready—276 people in the United States, almost all of them over 80, almost all with serious co-morbidities.
Two-hundred-and-seventy-six people! And yes, that frightening number will rise. It will be 400, 500 before you know it. Maybe when all is said and done, we’ll see 1,000-1,200 identified who have died from complications that can be traced to this respiratory illness.
Meanwhile, somewhere between 22,000 and more than 50,000 people have died from the seasonal flu in the United States this year. Why is there no panic about that?
Kimball is a smart guy. What's your view? You are smart too.
 Garth Brooks and Wife Trisha Yearwood Crash Facebook Live With Free Concert
ORCHESTRA PLAYS BEETHOVEN 9TH FROM THEIR HOMES
The Waffle House Index
Why the Coronavirus Has Been So Successful - We’ve known about SARS-CoV-2 for only three months, but scientists can make some educated guesses about where it came from and why it’s behaving in such an extreme way.
US was more prepared for pandemic than any other country, Johns Hopkins study found
Coronavirus: New York hospital admission rates for Covid-19 decreasing. 'Evidence suggests density control plan may be working,'
Is coronavirus less fatal than early predictions suggested?
Contra Andrew Cuomo, While A Grim Choice, We May Have To Restart The Economy
An Easter rebirth for our economy? Hallelujah: Goodwin
It's a goal
Analysis: How South Korea Flattened The Curve Without Shutting Down Its Economy
Harvard: Let them eat cake
DEMOCRATIC NETWORKS TUNE TRUMP OUT
They don't want people seeing him doing his job
We will remember Dems’ stimulus holdup
Nope. People forget.
Am Thinker:
Had the roles been reversed, and it was a President Hillary Clinton, the DMIC would be praising her “grace under fire,” “bold leadership,” and “extraordinary focus and articulation, given how little rest she’s recently gotten.” Oh wait, never mind, Max Boot, a columnist for The Washington Post, and former “Republican,” wants us to know that had Clinton won the presidency in 2016, all would be well, and we never had it better than when the community organizer was our president.
Democrats Have Misread the Moment
Biden Super PAC Ad Attacks Trump For Coronavirus Response, Repeats Debunked Claim He Called It A ‘Hoax’…
The Virus Is a Fire, and the Arsonist Is China
‘Cheap manufacturing be damned’: Sentiment builds for moving U.S. companies out of China
Wednesday, March 25. 2020
Via Hot Air:
Nuclear households, it seems, are where we are all intuitively expected to retreat in order to prevent widespread ill-health. ‘Staying home’ is what is somehow self-evidently supposed to keep us well. But there are several problems with this, as anyone inclined to think about it critically (even for a moment) might figure out – problems one might summarize as the mystification of the couple-form; the romanticisation of kinship; and the sanitization of the fundamentally unsafe space that is private property…
Tuesday, March 24. 2020
REPORT CARD: UNIVERSITIES’ SEXUAL MISCONDUCT POLICIES RECEIVE FAILING GRADES
Australia's biggest brewer says the country will run out of BEER within weeks unless the industry is classed 'essential' amid coronavirus lockdown
Uh oh
NYC Mayor: We're Out of Supplies Because of Trump, Didn't Order Supplies
TRUMP DERANGEMENT SYNDROME IS BAD FOR YOUR HEALTH
Should We All Hate China Now?
How the Coronavirus Changed President Trump and America
The NYT takes three tries to get the narrative right about Democrat obstruction
Indiana, Massachusetts Prepare 'Stay At Home' Orders, South Africa Weighs '21-Day' Lockdown: Live Updates
DW:
Bill de Blasio has been slow to lead efforts to address the pandemic. As of last Monday, de Blasio was reportedly still dithering on whether to close schools and shutter businesses, even though other states were taking drastic measures and his own staff was so frustrated with his lack of attention that some even threatened to quit. Monday morning, de Blasio defied Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines, taking one last opportunity to work out at his preferred Brooklyn YMCA
Shameful media still slamming Donald Trump during coronavirus crisis
Former Warren, Clinton aides leading 'coronavirus war room' targeting Trump's response to pandemic
It's always too much, or not enough
Biden claims he could attack virus better than Trump. History says otherwise
Dr. Anthony Fauci: Trump Has ‘Never Overruled Me’ Or Contradicted The Science…
Pelosi's coronavirus stimulus includes return of 'Obamaphones,' other unrelated items, GOP says
'What the Hell Do We Have to Lose?'—Trump Sent Malaria Meds to NY to Begin Trials on COVID-19 Patients
Fauci cites Trump travel restrictions as possible key for U.S. not 'becoming another Italy'
Former HHS official claims CDC leaders "lied" to Trump over coronavirus testing
Coronavirus: Spanish army finds care home residents 'dead and abandoned'
Germany Closes Border To Europeans, But Migrants Still Allowed In
Monday, March 23. 2020
Via Powerline commenter:
Via a senior GOP aide, Schumer/Pelosi now pushing these demands amid pandemic-fueled economic collapse:
1) Unprecedented collective bargaining powers for unions
2) Increased fuel emissions standards for airlines
3) Expansion of wind and solar tax credits
This is not the time for these childish games.
VDH: The Virus is Not Invincible, But It’s Exposing Who’s Irreplaceable
When your refrigerator goes out under quarantine and your supplies begin to rot, do you really need another rant from Maxine Waters—or do you rather need a St. Michael Smith and St. Uriel Mendoza to appear out of nowhere as the archangels from Home Depot to wheel up and connect a new one?
Pundits are replaceable too, but not VDH.
The Legal Problem With Diversity Statements - Public universities can’t make hiring decisions based on political viewpoints
Amazon is hiring 100,000 workers, Walmart is hiring 150,000 — here are the sectors adding jobs amid coronavirus
The Crisis’s Impact on Budgets - Already strained by unfunded pension obligations, states now face a collapse in tax revenue.
Hey - time to raise state taxes!
NYC Mayor To Start Emptying Jails Over Virus Spread
New York Wouldn't Spend $500 Mil on Ventilators, Willing to Spend $500 Mil On Illegals
Starbucks Closes Access to Cafes, Switches to Drive-Thru, Delivery Only
Not Dunkin' because America runs on Dunkin'
A Pandemic of Political Correctness
Say thanks to ‘greedy pharmaceutical companies’ — they’re our best coronavirus hope
Illinois Governor Lists Gun Stores as ‘Essential,’ Exempts Them from Forced Shutdown
Chinese Ambassador Quotes Hillary Clinton’s Tweet Defending China and Attacking Trump
China Is Not the Hero of the Pandemic. You can criticize Trump without parroting Beijing’s propaganda.
Journalist who called President Trump’s tweet ‘ignorant snake oil drivel’ gets schooled by actual doctor
"President Trump has taken historic, aggressive measures to protect the health, wealth and safety of the American people — and did so, while the media and Democrats chose to only focus on the stupid politics of a sham illegitimate impeachment."
“I’ve Voted Democrat My Whole Life. It’s Getting Tougher.”
Are Dems Refusing to Support $2 Trillion Stim Bill Unless It Includes a Bailout for Planned Parenthood?
Senate Democrats Block Mammoth Chinese Coronavirus Stimulus Package
Democrats Decide Getting the Orange Man Is More Important than Saving Lives
HuffPo Reporter: The Democrats' Response to the Wuhan Coronavirus Outbreak Has Been Disastrous
Stop The Coronabailout From Raining Your Money On Corporate Lobbyists Instead Of Struggling Americans
NR:
Government action in response to the coronavirus is crippling our economy, destroying jobs, and risking a prolonged recession. The only thing that will stop the destruction is for our leadership to give Americans a very clear mission — and a quick date certain by which to carry it out — to get the health-care situation under control and get our economy back to normal. We need a coronavirus “D-Day” in a matter of weeks, not months, to beat the virus and save our economy. The clock is ticking.
Which Is Worse, The Virus Or The Responses To It?
U.S. coronavirus lockdown to last 10-12 weeks, top Trump official says
That is crazy talk.
Israeli drug company donating 6M doses of malaria drug to US to combat coronavirus
Good
Iran leader refuses US help, citing virus conspiracy theory
Idiots
Soros’ Anti-Israel Funding
Evil
Saturday, March 21. 2020
Taking a drive to a mountain hike is essential travel. Take it from Bird Dog.
Dalrymple on clothing:
One question on which I have changed my mind is that of dress. In my youth I thought that it mattered not at all, and that to be concerned with it was a sign of egotism and triviality of mind. I cannot point to any conversion experience after which I came to believe the opposite, but I now see my former opinion as shallow in the way that so many youthful opinions are shallow.
First impressions matter
WSJ: This is your brain on a crashing stock market
WSJ: ‘The Consequences of Structural Whiteness are Fatal’. A famous medical journal succumbs to radical politics.
Four Republicans, One Democrat Caught Up in Ballooning Senate Insider Trading Scandal
Crazy thing is, it's legal for them
Open Borders Dems Threaten U.S. Health Care System
Mike Bloomberg pumped nearly $1B into failed presidential bid
Biden’s memory isn’t the only problem; It’s his lies
District tells Philadelphia teachers not to teach online due to ‘equity’ concerns; quickly backtracks
FBI Finds New Clinton Emails, Including Discussion about Benghazi and Additional Classified Material
Trump Says He Doesn't Want Corporations Spending "Millions Of Dollars" On Buybacks While Workers Suffer
National Guard Deploys In Baltimore As City Enforces Restrictive Curfew
Taiwan Says It Warned WHO About Coronavirus In December, But Its Warnings Were Ignored
Schumer Asks Trump To Invoke Act For Emergency Medical Equipment; Trump Immediately Orders It Done
Walmart hiring 150,000 to meet demand from coronavirus, giving bonuses to current employees
Great.
Fox News's Hume rips Alexander over 'gotcha' question to Trump
Stanford Professor: Data Indicates We’re Severely Overreacting To Coronavirus
Cuomo Announces New York On Lockdown
New York Deems Liquor Stores ‘Essential,’ Says They Can Stay Open During Coronavirus Shutdown
Marijuana dispensaries are deemed 'essential' in LA, allowed to stay open during coronavirus order
As Hospitals Prepare for COVID-19, Life-Saving Trans Surgeries Are Delayed. Though medical facilities may soon become overtaxed for everyone, the coronavirus pandemic has shed light on how transgender people's care can be treated as "non-essential."
Sheesh
Hospitals in Mass. told to limit ‘nonessential surgeries’ due to COVID-19, but abortions still a go
'Endless wars' and political warfare
Friday, March 20. 2020
 Poll: Americans View Wuhan Virus As A Bigger Threat To The Economy Than To Their Health
The Double-Barreled Coronavirus Threat: Death by Virus or by Ensuing Economic Disaster
"Wow. Bars, clubs, and gyms all closed...my life is about to be seriously the same."
Does he or she need to "get a life"? I have to admit that this mess seriously disrupts my well-planned life routines - work, exercise, play, and social life. Not to mention my local 24-hr Dunkin now opening at 5 am. That's too late for me.
‘Immediate Use’ — Trump Waives F.D.A. Regulations, Allows Chloroquine And Other Drugs To Be Used For Coronavirus Therapy
Good move
But... Trump touts chloroquine for 'immediate' use treating coronavirus, but FDA wants to see the data first
Is It Time to #CancelChina?
Rep. Michael Cloud: China's coronavirus blunder is the last straw – move past reliance on them
Iran And Italy Are Paying A Hefty Price For Close Ties With Communist China
China Is Avoiding Blame by Trolling the World. Beijing is successfully dodging culpability for its role in spreading the coronavirus.
Biased Press Does China's Bidding on COVID-19
Why?
Gavin Newsom Issues Order For All Of California To Stay Home
How does that work? No hiking allowed? No mail?
Senate Republican proposal rejects grants for U.S. airlines, could get equity
Good move
Senator Kelly Loeffler dumped $3.1m in stock and Senate Intel chairman Richard Burr sold $1.5m while getting classified briefings on coronavirus before market plunged—then she invested in firm that...
In Walmart We Trust During Troubled Times
Politicizing the Pandemic: Will Dems' Dark-Money Ads Work?
Virus builds back borders that European Union demolished
Special Operations: Forgotten Buried Russian Spyware
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