If everyone does a little. . .

Regardless of what you hear, don't be greedy or stupid and hurt others. Pay your tithe; pay your rent; pay your mortgage; pay your utility bills; if you still have a local store that uses a tab, pay them. If you have discretionary money, buy local and leave a big tip. Exchange services if you can. If you don't like anything Biblical, just call it stone soup.

Optimism about Covid-19

Want some good (or at least better) news? If your liberal friends deny it, the author is probably on the right track.

"First, the rate of increase in deaths from COVID-19 is decreasing, in the United States and in most countries. That means there is a slowing of deaths, not just the calculated mortality rate, a different statistic that will keep decreasing as we unveil a larger number of people carrying the virus with mild or no symptoms. In the United States as well as in Italy, Spain and other countries most heavily impacted, there is a significant slowing in added deaths. This is evidence that isolation policies are working."

And second. . .

And third . . .

https://thehill.com/opinion/healthcare/490582-the-case-for-optimism?

The president, his critics, and coronavirus

The President took action on the coronavirus plague a month before the first death in a Washington nursing home. That isn't good enough for Democrats, who apparently always thought the federal government should control everything--as long as a Democrat was president.

I think we'll see more impeachment charges for Trump listening to advisers. Or not listening. Or giving an uninformed opinion like all of us on FB. Or trusting God. Or praying with conservative Christians. Or using the media too often. Or firing or replacing someone. Or not firing someone the left hates. Or appearing in public with no face mask. Or getting tested and alarming people. Or not getting tested and setting a bad example which then killed Great Aunt Tillie who was 95 with only one lung. And on, and on.

Michael Smith adds some perspective to death statistics

"I'm not trying to minimize the deaths from the Coronavirus pandemic but when I heard a report yesterday that now in New York, one person dies every 17 minutes due to the disease and that it could get to one person every 9 minutes.

So I checked to see if I could find comparable numbers anywhere on the CDC's website and here's what I found:

Mortality reason #1:
Number of deaths: 36,338
Deaths per 100,000 population: 11.2
Death rate - 1 person per every 15 minutes - comparable to the current mortality frequency of the pandemic in New York.

Mortality reason #2:
Number of deaths: 64,795
Deaths per 100,000 population: 19.9
Death rate: 1 person every 8 minutes - comparable to the predicted mortality frequency of the pandemic in New York.

Mortality reason #1 - unintentional falls.
Mortality reason #2 - unintentional poisonings.

One might think the moral panic is being stoked by the way this pandemic is being promoted in the media.

I don't know how to get people to look at this pandemic with any sense of proportionality - there's just too much fear out there that blocks any sense of rationality."

Thoughts on the current situation upon waking up at home today

I've been thinking . . .

1) One of the things that has been the most surprising to me in this latest crisis is the demand (and willingness) to cede all personal, local and state sovereignty to the federal government—by liberals, conservatives and even some libertarians and thousands of know-nothings who don't even vote.

2) What hasn’t been as surprising is It’s been exacerbated by the raging horror and hate for the president where everything he says, comments on or jokes about becomes front page news and taken out of context. I’ve briefly skimmed some of the federal guidelines established after the Swine flu epidemic of 2009-10 built on other disaster plans. I see no evidence that Clinton, Bush, Obama or Trump were expected to be knowledgeable about virology, epidemics, public health or supply and storage of medical products. They were expected to be managers of a disaster and appoint knowledgeable people.

3) Third, it is shocking to see that local communities and hospitals have not taken care of having their own people protected with proper equipment. Did they think everything bad happens only in LA or New York City? These are guidelines for states and local agencies to follow! Yes, there are some warehouses scattered around the country in case of bioterrorism, but those supplies (and extremely secret locations) are not necessarily suitable for a virus. The make-up of committees or task forces is not in concrete, nor are the budgets. The opportunity for political machinations and pork are spectacular, and the bidding process probably follows long established murky procedures and regulations developed the last 50 years for another war—the War on Poverty, many of which are being swept aside in the scramble to defeat this virus. There are minority set asides, exceptions for LGBTQ groups, demands for female appointments, environmental protection regulations, disability protections, climate change models, etc. all of which have protective, special interest groups which run to the media and claim they are being ignored or abused. That’s how abortion pork got into Pelosi’s wish list about Covid-19—she is politically supported by Planned Parenthood. If the CDC seems sluggish or bloated, it's because increasingly it's been expected to achieve social change goals, not medical.

4) 25 year old reporters who don’t even remember 9/11 are getting their opinions published and faces on the evening news; the rumor mill is grinding away; people are panicked by every suggestion, some as wild as Trump has killed someone who drank fish tank cleaner in hopes of obtaining a cure. 80 year old bloggers or Facebookers of my generation are making false assumptions based on their own immunity built up during their lifetimes, bringing with it their political gripes.

5) I’d rather have various companies within the supply chain—from McDonald’s to Microsoft to Meier’s-- doing their best to serve, keep their people employed and make a profit, than to listen to a party hack like Pelosi that is pushing for socialism so we’d all be on the same page and under the same umbrella leading us to failure and disaster. Let’s at least go down fighting that system.

Thoughts on bizarre behavior of the anti-Trumpers

The PA at Marc's was playing good (you can sing it) music this morning, and paused to apologize for shortages (although there were very few), and then reminded us: "We will get through this with everyone working together." Now, when the President says that, my Democrat friends call him a liar and idiot, then repeat smears about Fox News which continues to flash the light at the end of their dark tunnel. When a discount grocery clerk with a pleasant voice and an essential job says it, we all smile and nod. Even the Democrats. Funny what politics does to otherwise smart people.

Many drugs that were used for other viruses are being repurposed and researched for use with Covid19. If Trump mentioned them in one of the many TV briefings, then you'll see media reports denying their usefulness. Media would rather you die than support anything Trump says. Just so you know, check out the NIH/NLM LitCovid data base. Today's entries are from March 26. There you can hear the experts agree, disagree or confirm just about anything about Covid19 and various body parts, transmission, countries, opinions, etc.  But the governor of Michigan is forbidding doctors to prescribe the malaria off label drug for treating this virus while it’s being further tested.  She hates Trump that much—he’d spoken hopefully about it in a news conference.  Some people are so unhinged about the president it will cost someone their life~~

Members of the President's Covid19 task force who sound hopefully cautious are now being accused by the mob and its media of being Trumpsters. You know, there were a lot of Americans who didn't like FDR in 1941 for the take overs and failures of the 1930s. They believed, and it's been shown in many academic studies since, that there were Communists among his advisors (and also Eleanor's). But they sucked it up and supported the war effort.

The covid virus song—really cute.

https://www.facebook.com/chaya.parkoff/videos/10219750438745903/

My new office

 

After 3 weeks of one finger typing on my I-pad I decided I really needed my computer and a desk at Phil's. I was looking on-line and at local stores and then everything shut down. So I looked around our house and noticed a drop leaf table in Bob's office was only holding books, and my great-grandmother's dining room chair recaned by my mother was just a place holder at another desk, so I set them up and brought over my computer. Open for business.

The table's story isn't too interesting--I bought it at Target in 2002 so Bob would have a table in his office while talking to clients about their architectural needs. The chair, however, if I can believe family lore, travelled from Pennsylvania to northern Illinois after my great grandparents married in 1855. Grandfather David had left home in 1848 to search for gold in California with a friend. The friend died, and somehow David ended up in northern Illinois, worked in Rockford, saved his money, then bought farmland between Ashton and Franklin Grove for $1/acre. There were other settlers in that area who were also members of the Dunkers (Brethren), German Anabaptists, so it's possible he knew people who could help him. So needing a wife, he went back to Adams Co., PA, and married Susan. She probably brought along a number of family things. Many years later, probably the 1920s, it was fashionable to paint old furniture dark, so my grandfather slathered almost every piece of furniture in the house with a reddish, black varnish to "modernize" them. The chairs fell on hard times, and were probably either in the barn or attic when my mom rescued them, refinished and caned them in the 1970s. I have three of them, and a fourth I think is with cousin Dianne from her mother, my mother's sister. If there are more than four, I don't know where the rest of them are.
And now you know why I can't say all that with an I-pad.

We’ll be OK—we’ll come out stronger

Taken from a friend's post. . . and passed along by Diane Orr McDermott (grew up in Mt. Morris, and lives in New Orleans) “gotta love the American people no matter what self-serving politicians do in Washington:”

“The reports are that the truckers are getting supplies to the stores. People are stocking the shelves all night and letting old people shop first.

Carnival Cruise line told Trump “We got your back and can match those big Navy Hospital ships with some fully staffed cruise ships.”

GM said hold our cars and watch this; we can make those ventilators where we were making cars starting next week. Women and children are making homemade masks and handing out snacks to truckers.

Restaurants and schools said, We’ve got kitchens and staff; we can feed kids.” Churches are holding on-line services and taking care of their members and community.

NBA basketball players said, “Hold our basketballs while we write checks to pay the arena staff.” Construction companies said, “Here are some masks for the medical staff and doctors”.  Breweries are making sanitizer out of the left-over ingredients.

We thought we couldn’t live without Baseball, NASCAR, NBA or going to the beach, restaurants or a bar. Instead, we’re trying to keep those businesses open by ordering take-out.

What communist China didn't count on was America saying "Hey, hold my beer and watch this."

I think a Japanese Admiral in the middle of the Pacific said it best in 1941, "I think we have awakened a sleeping giant."

Give us a few more weeks (maybe months) and we will be doing much better! And stop listening to the hysterical media!!  Sharing this from another FB friend. We have a wonderful country and an amazing God.

I know we will be ok .”

Jibe and Gibe—what’s the difference?

These seem to be pronounced the same: jybe. Gibe was the MW world of the day for March 25.  Makes me think I’ve been occasionally misspelling, but not sure I ever heard the meaning of gibe.

“Confused about jibe and gibe? The distinction actually isn't as clear-cut as some commentators would like it to be. Jibe is used both for the verb meaning "to be in accord" or "agree" (as in "the results do not jibe with those from other studies") and for the nautical verb and noun referring to the act of shifting a sail from one side to the other ("jibe the mainsail," "a risky jibe in heavy seas"). Gibe is used as a verb and noun for derisive teasing or taunting. But jibe is also a recognized variant of gibe, so it too has teasing or taunting uses. Gibe has been used occasionally as a variant of jibe, but the use is not common enough to warrant dictionary entry, and is widely considered an error.”

While we’re all washing, don’t forget. . .fingernails

Let me add one more health measure I haven't seen mentioned. Your fingernails. Trim them shorter than usual. Fake nails are factories of bacteria and fungus. Painted natural nails are too in that you can't see the crude they accumulate and cracks harbor critters. Yes, this is a virus, but you don't want to add to the stew, especially if you are working in any health facility or food service. If you're in veterinary medicine, you don't want to share your work with your pet at home.

"A real threat to patients lurks at the very tips of health-care workers’ fingers. Even when properly washed and gloved, the risk of infection is still there. The threat is pathogens harbored beneath artificial fingernails. If clinicians forgo artificial fingernails, it could make a significant difference in infection control. Studies have shown that artificial nails, as well as chipped nail polish, possess a greater amount of gram negative bacteria and pathogens than natural nails. The grooves and rough areas create a prefect space for bacteria to thrive."

https://www.rdhmag.com/pathology/public-health/article/16407021/infection-control-right-at-your-fingertips?

The coronavirus death rate—Ross Rant, March 21

“. . . the death rate apples to confirmed cases, not the total population, so when they say 3% or 1% or whatever, it is a percent of a tiny number. Second they still have no good data to know the death rate. The data is very incomplete so far, and inaccurate from places like China. In South Korea, which seems to have good data, the death rate is around 1% of confirmed cases, not of the population. In the entire world there are only 11, 585 deaths as of Saturday morning (March 21). There are over 4 billion people in the world. The US deaths are only 300 so far, and only 19 a day when the virus is likely at its peak right now, out of 330 million population. Of those, there are a considerable number who were very old and dying anyway in a short time in nursing homes, or otherwise quite sick. The number of perfectly healthy people dying is barely measurable. Far more die from auto accidents, opioids or flu every day. You have to just wait for the data experts to give us real numbers, and ignore the disinformation on the internet. What we do know is that most people who do test positive just feel like they have a bad cold or mild flu and recuperate at home. Just because someone tests positive does not mean they need to be hospitalized at all.

Haters continue to bring down our country

The Lap dog media have been misquoting the president for over 3 years, and then their followers on FB, Twitter and blog land continue the stream of misinformation. He never said there were good people in the right wing hate groups or the left wing hate groups at a demonstration against destroying American history by tearing down statues, and he never said the coronavirus was a hoax. He never said Mexicans were bad people. But the haters still hate and the liars still lie. Even when it gets corrected at the source, or watchdog groups show the video was cut or filtered, the lies still circulate because they hate Trump and by extension, the 60 million who put him in office. Even now in a crisis that is hurting their own pension funds and investments, their neighbors and their families, they continue to lie, because they hate Trump more than they love Americans.