Mon. Mar. 16, 2020 – plague continues to grow, avoid people

By on March 16th, 2020 in ebola, medical, prepping, Random Stuff, WuFlu

Warm and wet.

Yesterday turned into a fine day in the late afternoon. OC and grey for most of the day, the breeze finally cleared the air for a little while.

I got a whole pallet of scrap loaded and delivered to my secondary location, where I stacked it on a pallet behind the dumpster and wrote “Free” on it. If it’s still there when this burns out, I’ll take it to the scrapyard myself. At the moment, my time is worth way more than scrap value to break it down, and more than being close to the guys at the yard for only a few bucks in ‘breakage’ if I don’t separate it. This is another case of “should have done it long ago, before China tanked.”

Getting rid of that pallet opened up a nice spot for a metal shelf unit to hold food and supplies. Going to the secondary also let me pick up two black tubs of food. I’m concerned about bringing everything home, but I’m also concerned about theft while it’s there, and not being able to access it if things continue to get restricted. Right now, I’m leaning toward bringing most of it home.

——————————————————————————

Trump and the others trying to manage this crisis are handicapped by their privilege. Yes, I’m using the SJW word, and in mostly the same way they do. US leaders are trying to calm the public down, which is a knee jerk reaction. People get excited, you try to calm them down. In this case, I think it’s entirely appropriate to buy enough food and supplies to stay the flock indoors and avoid people for a couple of months. Others disagree. Trump and TPTB have privilege that they don’t see– they won’t be going out next week to shop. They won’t be taking their lives and the lives of their loved ones into their hands and exposing themselves to a hundred potential infecteds, or touching the same surfaces 100s of dirty sick people have also touched.

I don’t care if the stores have food in a week. Or two weeks. Or if they’ll stay open somehow. I won’t be going there, and neither will Trump, Fauci, or any of the other stiffs on TV.

I won’t be going because I don’t want to get sick. I UNDERSTAND WHAT QUARANTINE MEANS. Clearly they don’t. It certainly doesn’t mean, after a week home with your sick kids, and a day after YOU start coughing, head to the Kroger for some lunchmeat and ramen. The folks at Kroger don’t want your virus shedding butt in there either.

I won’t be going out into ‘the community’ because that’s where ‘community transmission’ happens. FFS people lockdown means LOCKED DOWN. No way the queues will maintain enough separation between people. No way they’ll be wiping down surfaces and waiting 10 minutes for the virus to die before the next person touches it. YES, 10 minutes of wet time. For almost all the disinfectants.

—————————————————————————–

My wife and others have said the same things, this feels weird, wrong somehow. I figure it’s because we are experienced and prepared. We’ve had PRACTICE and we have routines even — but for hurricanes, storms, earthquakes, etc NOT pandemic. We’re trained to head out for one last thing before the storm gets here. We’re used to working through a list and getting a few more things done before the storm. We’re used to checking on neighbors, making sure they have what they need and are getting ready. We’re used to cracking a bottle and grilling the freezer meat when the power is out, or sharing a meal with neighbors while the aftershocks shake. We know that there is backup out there and eventually help will arrive. We pride ourselves on not needing help, but providing it.

All that experience is WRONG for this disaster. You need to stop going to the store. Stop touching all the things. No get togethers. No casual contact. No more ‘one last thing’ if it involves people. My neighbor was out in the yard so I asked him what their plans were. He said “I’m going to hockey practice.” No, I meant for the next few weeks. “OH, I’ve been to the store 3 times, we’re good to stay home.” Then he jumped in the truck and went to join a group of people potential infecteds and play hockey. He’ll need a store to be open next week, and he’ll be walking right into what will feel like an overnight increase in infection.

———————————————————————————-

Take precautions and finish up! Recognize that this IS different than all the other disasters, and don’t get caught out because of your own habits and expectations.

If you aren’t done yet, keep stacking, but do it by remote control. Don’t go out and play in it.

nick

68 Comments and discussion on "Mon. Mar. 16, 2020 – plague continues to grow, avoid people"

  1. Greg Norton says:

    A quick check in the Interwebs shows two more episodes of “Picard” left unaired.

    Disclaimer: I don’t have CBS All Access . If the episodes leaked on torrents or CBS put them out early yesterday, then I’m wrong.

    “Discovery” is wildly uneven, but the second season is tolerable thanks to Anson Mount and Michelle Yeoh. Rebecca Romjin too, but her screen time is sadly limited. Season three was supposed to start when “Picard” concludes for the year.

    Find the Short Treks “Q&A” and “Ask Not”. No context necessary for either.

  2. Nick Flandrey says:

    May be coming sooner than I thought…

    https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8115143/Acting-secretary-Homeland-Security-refuses-rule-domestic-air-travel-shutdown.html

    Like divorce, once you start talking about certain things, they seem inevitable.

    And wouldn’t you know. Criminals keep working, even if honest people don’t…

    Up the street and around the corner one of my neighbors had all the rims and tires stolen off his truck right in his driveway.

    Before this wuflu is over, there is going to be a LOT of theft and violence. The criminal element is not known for their ability to plan long term, delay gratification, or stockpile. With 10-15% reduction in cops at any given time, you will be on your own for defense too.

    n

  3. Greg Norton says:

    Trump and the others trying to manage this crisis are handicapped by their privilege. Yes, I’m using the SJW word, and in mostly the same way they do. US leaders are trying to calm the public down, which is a knee jerk reaction. People get excited, you try to calm them down. In this case, I think it’s entirely appropriate to buy enough food and supplies to stay the flock indoors and avoid people for a couple of months. Others disagree.

    Most of the regulars here are easily in the top 10% percentile of household income in the US, some in the top 5% if I had to guess. Unless they are in school or retired, nearly everyone participates in the 20% of the job market that actually does something useful in return for the income. We’re a pretty privileged group as a whole.

    I think Trump and the leadership of both parties are worried about what happens when people figure out that they were screwed by the taxpayer subsidized publicly-traded JIT-ed retail systems and the Brown Truck Store-enabled arbitrage in this situation. And we haven’t even reached the point of the general realization sinking in about medications and pharmaceutical components being in short supply because they were imported from China for no other reason than cost and the ability to switch off the pipeline to prevent oversupply from lowering prices.

    People were already starting to wake up with things like insulin. And have you tried to buy Excedrin in the last 3-4 months? I have. The factory has been idle for a while due to unavailability of some component.

    Lawsuits are gonna fly when this is over.

  4. MrAtoz says:

    A quick check in the Interwebs shows two more episodes of “Picard” left unaired.

    I use episodecalendar.com (first 20 or so are free) to track shows. Two more Picard’s coming up (two part finale) for this season.

    Roswell starts this week. The final episodes of Supernatural are supposed to start at the end of the month, but filming is on hiatus for CV. They may delay starting so it is contiguous.

    Jamie Alexander hinting her Lady Sif character from “Thor” might reappear. I’m in love with her new pixie cut.

  5. Greg Norton says:

    @Lynn — If you have the H&I broadcast network in your area, lately they’ve been making a point to show episodes of “Star Trek”, new and old, which fill in context on “Picard”.

    The volume of backstory is surprisingly large and include minutiae such as why Icheb was missing his cortical node when they drilled out his eye looking for it. And Riker/Troi’s daughter’s name — *really* obscure.

    Any episode Michael Chabon writes is chock full of references.

  6. Ed says:

    It’s apparently not the end of days: freight shipments to/from China on the rebound:

    https://gcaptain.com/chinas-port-jam-eases-but-refrigerated-container-rates-soar/

  7. Greg Norton says:

    The Tyler Durden byline says something useful today. Stocks are still not “cheap”, but a mainstream financial journalist isn’t going to go on the record.

    Last week’s “bazooka” was an overreaction that will cost us $700 Billion in inflation down the road.

    https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/just-close-whole-thing-cnbc-anchors-melt-down-beg-market-closures-twitter

  8. Nick Flandrey says:

    “soar”? or increase slightly over ‘none’?

    How do they compare to November?

    n

    added– still, good news that China is waking up and getting moving again.

  9. Alan Larson says:

    My wife, a nurse, is in an Orlando suburb trying to manage the care of her elderly father who is in the middle of chemo-radiation treatments for cancer. We live 200 miles from the parents, and my wife commutes to the Orlando area to help her father. The treatments overwhelmed his system, and he was put into a short term rehab facility about a week ago to get him up to his prior level of function.

    Last week, after hearing that the state of Florida put the nursing homes, etc. on lockdown, she called the facility to see whether she could still visit her dad. The answer at 8:30 that morning was, “No problem. Come on in, no restrictions here.” Then her brother went to visit at 4:pm and was told by a rent-a-cop that he would not be allowed to see their father. Family was not allowed in the building.
    The father was originally scheduled to be released on Wednesday of this week, but due to the situation, and his rapid recuperation, will hopefully be allowed to leave there today. They said that they would collect all of his personal effects and let them meet him at the reception desk when he was ready to go.

  10. Greg Norton says:

    Like divorce, once you start talking about certain things, they seem inevitable.

    Planes are fairly empty right now, and a lot of JIT infastructure as well as US Mail depends on having spare air cargo capacity. The Feds could suspend the TSA kabuki close contact checkpoints, going back to bag scans and metal detectors, but running the pricey toys is a union gig.

    As our late host pointed out several times, in addition to the old screening process, issuing every able-bodied passenger a complimentary monkey wrench or roll of duct tape (your choice) at the gate would discourage a lot of mischief during the flight and make the TSA superfluous.

    The wrenches and tape could be limited editions with the airline logo. EBay Gold!

  11. Alan Larson says:

    My wife’s brother works as a MRI tech at a hospital close by. He is working double shifts 7 days a week to try to keep up with this situation. He just texted my wife that two ER Doctors have contracted the virus, and are now in critical condition. No info on the age or prior physical condition of the doctors.
    Note: This is anecdotal information.

  12. Nick Flandrey says:

    “In Las Vegas, the MGM and Wynn Resorts announced they were closing starting Tuesday. They account for the majority of hotels and casinos on the Las Vegas strip, including the Bellagio, CityCenter, Excalibur, Luxor, Mandalay Bay, MGM Grand, The Mirage, New York-New York, Park MGM and T-Mobile Arena.”

    –Disney is shutting hotels and all of their retail too.

    –the nile river cruise is responsible for cases in Florida and our early cases here in TX. Hooray for cheap airfare. /sarc

    The weekend saw total cases nearly double from Friday with an increase of more than 60 reported infections” — math apparently not a prerequisite for a journo degree. Yes Virginia, doubling over 3 days is what we expect from exponential growth with a 3 day doubling rate. FL is ahead of where I predicted by almost 2x. And my siblings are still going there.

    –TX numbers are suspiciously low. I expected a large increase after the Rodeo cancellation. It’s still true that you don’t find what you don’t look for.

    n

  13. Nick Flandrey says:

    Thanks Alan.

    WRT age of infected— as we move out into the wider world the age is coming down. Deaths are still skewed toward the aged, but infections requiring medical support are moving down the range. Half or more are under 60 in some countries. FL has a bunch of cases below 50 and several at 19-20.

    Start thinking of knock on effects as this scythes thru the retired population.

    n

    added- it’s not just a ‘boomer remover’

  14. Greg Norton says:

    added– still, good news that China is waking up and getting moving again.

    If the US economy tanks, however, it will be a real short recovery for China.

  15. Greg Norton says:

    –the nile river cruise is responsible for cases in Florida and our early cases here in TX. Hooray for cheap airfare. /sarc

    The Nile cruise involved a large Taiwanese expat party, either entirely or the majority of the passenger list.

    It isn’t as much about cheap airfare (though that’s a plus) as much as, once agin, You Ain’t Got No Ice Cream. Whether or not they’re into the experience, they’ll go to rub it in with friends/family who lack the time and/or money.

    My Taiwanese in-laws currently have an obsession with Rome. Once there, they’re upset the food isn’t Old Spaghetti Factory, but they still went and get to talk about what they got when they ordered “pepperoni pizza”.

    “It is too bad you couldn’t join us.”

    or

    “You stayed in the US for your honeymoon? How sad.”

  16. brad says:

    Getting closer. A neighbor we have a lot of contact with reports that a guy he works with is now sick. Our neighbor hasn’t had any symptoms, so far anyway.

    Makes us a bit nervous…

  17. Nick Flandrey says:

    “Makes us a bit nervous… ”

    –as it should

    As the wider world gets sick, patients are increasingly trending away from old men.

    n

  18. Nick Flandrey says:

    What the army is telling the troops–

    Does the Army have the right equipment and enough of it to protect its service members and families?

    The Army has enough personal protective equipment for service members and their families. In addition, the Army’s test kits can examine 250-500 personnel. If a Soldier or family member tests positive for coronavirus at a local medical facility, the presumptive positive result will be sent to the CDC for a final determination.

    U.S. Army Medical Research & Development – Vaccine

    How is the U.S. Army Medical Research and Development Command supporting the Army and the DOD to address COVID-19?

    U.S. Army Medical Research and Development Command (USAMRDC) is poised to help the DOD’s 2019 Novel Coronavirus Medical Countermeasures effort by coordinating the development of medical countermeasures, such as a safe, effective, readily available vaccine.

    USAMRDC is establishing a baseline understanding of current-status, needs and gaps for medical solution development.
    USAMRDC is integrated with medical countermeasure development across DOD and interagency partners to avoid duplication of effort, identify opportunities for synergy and fill potential gaps.
    USAMRDC is poised to maintain a “rapid response” capability for emerging infectious diseases.

    How is the USAMRDC leveraging interagency partners and the scientific community to address concerns?

    USAMRDC experts collaborate and participate in numerous international/domestic forums to ensure coordination of effort and sharing of best practices, as they are understood. Recent engagements include OTSG/MEDCOM, OSD-P, USG Medical Countermeasure (MCM) Task Force (TF), World Health Organization (WHO), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and industry partners.

    How are Army lab personnel handling clinical specimens for the COVID-19 diagnostic testing?

    Regional health commands are ensuring Army medical labs are coordinating with state and local departments of health, the Defense Health Agency, U.S. Army Medical Command and the CDC to ensure rapid collection and processing of potential COVID-19 patient samples. Army medical lab personnel are familiar with the Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for the COVID-19 diagnostic testing provided by the CDC and are establishing appropriate processes for collection and testing of clinical specimens.

    What are Army medical facilities doing to assess a patient suspected of having COVID-19?

    The minimum requirement is a full-facility assessment to quickly detect, isolate and hold or treat a patient with suspected COVID-19. The patient will be isolated appropriately in a private room with a door and its own bathroom, if available. The appropriate PPE will be available to staff consistent with CDC guidelines. Actions to protect patients and staff include education and future contact tracing if required.

    What are Army medical facilities doing to see or report potential COVID-19 patients?

    Army medical facilities continually train and prepare to deal with emergent health issues. The Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is the federal government’s lead for the response to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). Army medical facilities follow all CDC guidelines and will report to the appropriate county health departments any potential COVID-19 patients. At this time, the DOD is only providing housing support, as needed. Army medical facilities continually train and prepare to deal with emergent issues.

    What is the treatment for COVID-19?

    There are no licensed treatments for COVID-19. USAMRDC is exploring antiviral drugs under emergency investigational new drug (IND) or Expanded Access Protocol to treat COVID-19. USAMRDC is exploring, with Joint Program Executive Office for Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Defense (JPEO-CBRND) and Gilead Sciences, Inc., an expanded use of a drug called Remdesivir that has demonstrated activity against severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Middle East respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus (MERS-CoV). This drug was tested in the Democratic Republic of Congo to treat Ebola virus alongside three other therapeutics.

    What immediate capabilities can the USAMRDC provide for a COVID-19 response?

    In addition to subject matter experts in coronavirus, USAMRDC has infrastructure and competencies to support a whole-of-government approach to rapidly develop medical countermeasures. Competencies include containment laboratories, testing capabilities for product safety and a clinical trials center.

    What rapid response experience does USAMRDC have with emerging infectious diseases?

    USAMRDC provides a full range of capabilities, from research, development, testing, and evaluation to quickly respond to national health crises. These capacities have been applied to several emerging infectious disease outbreaks, including Ebola virus, Middle East respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus (MERS-CoV) and Zika virus.

    The U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID) and the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (WRAIR), subordinate commands of USAMRDC, played a critical role in the development and validation of an Ebola virus vaccine that was FDA-approved in December 2019.
    USAMRIID identified a novel drug with the potential to treat coronaviruses. WRAIR has experience studying both severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS), two high-profile coronaviruses that caused deadly outbreaks. WRAIR completed the first-in-human clinical trial of a MERS vaccine, the only MERS countermeasure and only the third coronavirus vaccine ever tested. USAMRDC has conducted one of only three ever-completed clinical trials of a related coronavirus vaccine, and the only one completed for MERS.

    How soon might there be a treatment or vaccine for COVID-19?

    The U.S. Army Medical Research and Development Command is supporting a whole-of-government approach to investigate and develop vaccine candidates against COVID-19. The vaccine candidates under investigation include different approaches to generate immunity and are at different stages of development. USAMRDC and our USG partners are progressing at revolutionary rates in order to deliver effective treatment and prevention products to protect U.S. and global citizens and preserve the readiness and lethality of our DOD service members.

    What capabilities does the U.S. Army Medical research Institute of Infections Disease have?

    The USAMRIID is the only laboratory equipped to safely study highly hazardous viruses that require maximum containment at biosafety level 4. It is uniquely positioned to develop and maintain biological safety, security and surety standards to meet multiple levels of regulatory oversight. It provides leading-edge medical capabilities to deter and defend against current and emerging biological threat agents such as COVID-19.

  19. Nick Flandrey says:

    Yes it’s Micheal Snyder, but it’s a good summary of where we are, and where I think we’re going.

    https://www.zerohedge.com/political/where-you-stop-where-you-stay-domestic-travel-restrictions-are-being-considered

    BTW I wonder how he feels about riding out a world wide economic collapse in some third world shithole now? I’ll bet he’s somewhere in the US right now, or trying mightily to get here.

    n

    (for those not aware, he’s been pimping the benefits of a second nationality so you have somewhere to retreat to as the US goes tits up, and touting the benefits of leaving early for someplace else, for years)

  20. Greg Norton says:

    No, Mittens, we aren’t going to forget or forgive you. And it goes way beyond Impeachment. You made the choice to give us four more years of Doh-bama.

    https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/addybaird/mitt-romney-1000-dollars-coronavirus-yang-ubi

    Interesting how these stories are flying under the radar right now, especially Andrew Gillum’s public image meltdown.

  21. Greg Norton says:

    I’ve seen hints of this situation in stories about the virus in Italy, specifically the ties between Milan and Wuhan, but finding out more involves digging that journalists in this country don’t do anymore.

    https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2018/04/16/the-chinese-workers-who-assemble-designer-bags-in-tuscany

  22. PaultheManc says:

    UK announces more restrictions – “Avoid all non-essential social contact.” Plus over 70’s, pregnant women and vulnerable to self isolate for at least 12 weeks. More later.

  23. nick flandrey says:

    @greg – brad mentioned it here first, then I saw reference to it on twitter accts of the stuff going on in wuhan…

    n

  24. lynn says:

    A quick check in the Interwebs shows two more episodes of “Picard” left unaired.

    Disclaimer: I don’t have CBS All Access . If the episodes leaked on torrents or CBS put them out early yesterday, then I’m wrong.

    “Discovery” is wildly uneven, but the second season is tolerable thanks to Anson Mount and Michelle Yeoh. Rebecca Romjin too, but her screen time is sadly limited. Season three was supposed to start when “Picard” concludes for the year.

    Find the Short Treks “Q&A” and “Ask Not”. No context necessary for either.

    Sweet ! Two more episodes left on Mar 19 and Mar 26.
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Trek:_Picard

    I am loving Fenris Ranger Seven of Nine. Two laser rifles for everyone ! And them bringing back The Next Generation cast one by one or two by two has been cool.

    We are paying $6.99/month to add CBS Access to our Amazon Prime. I heartily advise it. We are going to try Discovery next. And the wife has plans to binge Deep Space Nine and Voyager.

  25. lynn says:

    My 78 and 81 year old parents are not quarantining. They drove a 100 miles each way last Friday to have a family reunion with my mom’s MacLeod cousins at a local cafe. The youngest person there was 70.

  26. lynn says:

    Before this wuflu is over, there is going to be a LOT of theft and violence. The criminal element is not known for their ability to plan long term, delay gratification, or stockpile. With 10-15% reduction in cops at any given time, you will be on your own for defense too.

    With a 50% reduction in cops at any given time, you will be on your own for defense too.

    Fixed that for ya. I remember Katrina.

  27. lynn says:

    I think Trump and the leadership of both parties are worried about what happens when people figure out that they were screwed by the taxpayer subsidized publicly-traded JIT-ed retail systems and the Brown Truck Store-enabled arbitrage in this situation. And we haven’t even reached the point of the general realization sinking in about medications and pharmaceutical components being in short supply because they were imported from China for no other reason than cost and the ability to switch off the pipeline to prevent oversupply from lowering prices.

    I blame the smart young MBAs and their 100 MB bug ridden spreadsheets to save a penny on each dollar.

    I got a piece of the JIT crap while we were updating the new used house. We replaced all 36 windows with a local guy. He made them and installed them both. They are wonderful ! But during the manufacturing process, his window frame curver machine broke and he had to send off to China for new parts. Lengthened the window manufacturing process by four weeks.

  28. Greg Norton says:

    We are paying $6.99/month to add CBS Access to our Amazon Prime. I heartily advise it. We are going to try Discovery next. And the wife has plans to binge Deep Space Nine and Voyager.

    After going through the series, find a way to watch “What We Left Behind”, the recent DS9 documentary. Like a lot of recent “Trek” efforts, it is wildly uneven, but the hi def rescans of select footage from the show are awesome.

    https://ds9documentary.com/

    And, when it is on screen, never take your eye off of the ball (Captain Sisco’s baseball).

  29. lynn says:

    Over The Hedge: disrupting the global Twinkie supply chain
    https://www.gocomics.com/overthehedge/2020/03/16

    Nooooooooooo !!!!!!

  30. Greg Norton says:

    I am loving Fenris Ranger Seven of Nine. And them bringing back The Next Generation cast one by one or two by two has been cool.

    The current “Star Trek” writers supposedly have Whatever-happened-to stories covering the entire set of TNG/DS9/Voyager/Enterprise characters from the 20 years of production on Stages 8/9.

    As I said before, I hope that rumors about one TNG character’s grim fate, apparently filmed for a “Picard” flashback, aren’t true. The 80s/90s series were generally upbeat shows.

    BTW, lot of the 80s/90s era “Star Trek” behind the scenes creative people now work for Seth McFarlane on “The Orville” if you’re wondering why that show looks strangely familiar.

    I’m not a big fan, but I’ll concede that McFarlane has the requisite love for the source material to make the parody work effectively. It is kinda like how watching the performances I have no doubt Tina Fey voted McCain/Palin 10 years ago.

  31. JimB says:

    …issuing every able-bodied passenger a complimentary monkey wrench…

    Monkey wrench; interesting term. I have at least a couple, but one is more often called a “Ford wrench,” because it looks like the wrench that was supplied with Model A Fords. Mine is probably not that old, although it was handed down to me by my father. Both of us accumulated tools – I am still accumulating.

    My real monkey wrench is made of bronze, and so is nonsparking. Found it at a yard sale. Both of these wrenches can do some things no other wrench type can do. One is that the jaws are at right angles to the handle. This allows it to be used to turn things that a more common “crescent wrench” can’t.

    It is still possible to buy these wrenches new, but they can cost a lot. Glad I got mine for essentially no money.

    Oh, unlike crescent wrenches, monkey wrenches aren’t available in metric sizes 🙂

  32. DadCooks says:

    My son and daughter are going to have to start working from home starting tomorrow, Tuesday, 3/17/20.

    My daughter is the Lead Certified Medical Coder for Kadlec Hospital and Providence does not want anyone but doctors, nurses, scrub techs, and cleaners inside their facilities. Providence’s IT department is tearing their hair out. They had no contingency plans for this thing. HIPPA is taking a backseat. BTW my daughter has to use her own computer, fortunately I have a spare laptop that I have cleaned and set up for her.

    My son is a Mechanical Engineer and is having to haul his big dual-monitor workstation home.

    Thank goodness I have no data caps or throttling thresholds.

    All this “work from home” is really going to stress the ISPs. I have a very reliable 110MBs from Charter/Spectrum (we are original and not one of the other ISPs that they foolishly bought and are stuck with rotten infrastructure).

    The schools cannot figure out how to get food to the kids that need it. They are realizing they do not have the facilities, staff, or anything else to tackle a crisis of this magnitude.

    Enjoy today, because tomorrow will be worse and so on and so on.

  33. nick flandrey says:

    if anyone wants an alternative to my analysis, you can check out this…

    https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2020/03/breaking-exclusive-the-coronavirus-fatality-rate-reported-by-the-media-is-completely-inaccurate-the-actual-rate-is-less-than-the-flu-media-lying-again/

    When you see how badly they have to misrepresent things, and how poor their logic skills are, (like comparing current numbers of sick and dead to YEAR LONG numbers of flu, when we know this is exponential and doubling every 3-4 days. hell their numbers are already woefully out of date) I hope it removes any lingering doubt you might have about the seriousness of this outbreak.

    n

    They don’t even LOOK at the real death rate for cases bad enough to need treatment. If you get it and didn’t even know you had it, it doesn’t matter since it didn’t affect you. We’ll NEVER know the number of mild cases unless we have true universal antibody testing, so talking about guesses at that number is a waste of time.

    BTW, it only takes 20 doubles from last week when we had 600 cases to get to everyone in the USA . That’s 60 days at current rates. IF there is immunity, and because some people are already sick, the doubling rate should slow at some point. Or if countermeasures work.

  34. nick flandrey says:

    As a reminder, on Mar. 2 we had 100 cases in the US. Today we have over 4000. Two weeks. And that isn’t all from increases in testing, the news is full of the whole LACK of testing issue….

    We’re also running 50-50 dead to recovered for cases that have run their course with the full might of our medical establishment available.

    n

  35. lynn says:

    “Coronavirus COVID-19 Global Cases by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) at Johns Hopkins University (JHU)”
    https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/map.html

    Worldwide Total Confirmed 179,103

    Worldwide Total Deaths 7,079

    USA Total Confirmed 4,138

    USA Total Deaths 71 (being led by WA state at 42)

    Hat tip to:
    http://drudgereport.com/

  36. lynn says:

    “Donald Trump tells America to go on lockdown until AUGUST with ’15 days to stop the spread,’ saying old and vulnerable people must stay home, social gatherings over 10 must end, bars and restaurants should close and school should be at home”
    https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8118415/Donald-Trump-tells-America-lockdown-15-days-stop-coronavirus.html

    August ?

    I wonder if everyone is going to have to go stand in the unemployment line ?

    Hat tip to:
    http://drudgereport.com/

  37. SteveF says:

    Many of you are much more serious preppers than I am — I make sure to have food and supplies on hand, but don’t put much thought into it. So, a question for those who read a lot on the topic: have you seen any essays on the importance of your spouse or other significant other when it comes to being prepared? I was thinking of writing one, basing it in large part on the constant sabotage and bitching I’ve experienced, but if someone’s already written it I won’t bother.

  38. Greg Norton says:

    As a reminder, on Mar. 2 we had 100 cases in the US. Today we have over 4000. Two weeks. And that isn’t all from increases in testing, the news is full of the whole LACK of testing issue….

    Lack of testing is an easy issue to pin on Trump, regardless of the truth and complexity of our JIT economy.

    Andrew Cuomo and Gavin Newsom aren’t running for President this year (well, not yet anyway), but they want to see a Democrat in the White House. That hasn’t stopped.

  39. lynn says:

    Many of you are much more serious preppers than I am — I make sure to have food and supplies on hand, but don’t put much thought into it. So, a question for those who read a lot on the topic: have you seen any essays on the importance of your spouse or other significant other when it comes to being prepared? I was thinking of writing one, basing it in large part on the constant sabotage and bitching I’ve experienced, but if someone’s already written it I won’t bother.

    “The Dirt-Cheap Survival Retreat: One Man’s Solution”
    https://www.amazon.com/Dirt-Cheap-Survival-Retreat-Mans-Solution/dp/1983810592/?tag=ttgnet-20

    M. D. Creekmore had to use his preps when he lost his job and his wife divorced him. Not quite what you are looking for.

  40. lynn says:

    Lack of testing is an easy issue to pin on Trump, regardless of the truth and complexity of our JIT economy.

    I blame the CDC. The CDC is really a bioweapons lab, they have failed to get a handle on all viral issues to date without extreme pressure: AIDS, Lyme, H1N1, etc, etc, etc.

  41. Greg Norton says:

    My friends in Florida are saying that the stories they’ve heard is that EPCOT won’t reopen for a year. The drum group at Japan seems to be saying “goodbye” in a permanent way in this video, filmed yesterday at the park by a vlogger I follow.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ihpeJRtWcq0

    EPCOT is really torn up, with Spaceship Earth closing for refurbishment soon. A year isn’t surprising, but, wow.

  42. SteveF says:

    Thanks for the reply, Lynn, but while it’s interesting it’s almost completely the opposite of what I was wondering about.

    I was in a sorta kinda similar position once, when income came in dribbles and savings withered alarmingly. (As I say, self employment is not for the faint of heart.) When it got to where I had to carefully consider what to put into the grocery cart I started going into my emergency stores. It kept me fed for a month or so until a contract came in — A contract in which the customer actually paid my invoices! What a shocking concept! — and I was able to replace what I’d eaten.

    The CDC is really a bioweapons lab

    The CDC is a propaganda arm for the most progressive wing of the ruling class.

  43. MrAtoz says:

    As I said before, I hope that rumors about one TNG character’s grim fate, apparently filmed for a “Picard” flashback, aren’t true.

    Oh, no! Tell me it isn’t Mr. Broccoli!

  44. Greg Norton says:

    Oh, no! Tell me it isn’t Mr. Broccoli!

    Ha! No. Dwight Schultz is openly conservative and I doubt you will see him on the set of the new “woke” “Star Trek”. Barclay appeared in “First Contact”, but that was a more tolerant time, before implied humanoid-on-humanoid cannibalism and f-bombs featured prominently in the scripts.

    Of course Whoopi will be back next year, as announced very publicly on “The View” by Patrick Stewart, so scratch Guinan off the list of candidates.

  45. paul says:

    Many of you are much more serious preppers than I am — I make sure to have food and supplies on hand, but don’t put much thought into it.

    Not much thought here, it’s just how I was raised. Why buy name brand cans of green beans when for the price of 10 you can get a case of 24 store brand? And always, always, add a few extra “things” to the cart when shopping.

    Yeah, you do have paper towels at home but there is a sale on the brand you like. You’re going to buy them eventually, catch the sale price!

    Pasta seems to be immortal if the weevils don’t find it. Same for canned goods, mostly. I’ve had a couple of cans of tomato /paste/ seep at the seam. And several cans of fruit, mixed, peaches, apricots, start leaking a year and a half past “best” date.

    So I do get some ribbing. But when I can stroll out to the EDC and come back with the missing ingredient for supper, it’s all “wow, cool!”. Hey, after getting rid of the incubator I could have filled the building with valuable “stuff” and not bought some shelves and taking a big advantage of the Partner Perks card I had at HEB…. 20% off “store brand” in November? I would fill a cart a day for a week. The conveyor-belt would have to be pushed. 🙂
    Hamburger chubs? Talk to the market manager and have 6 boxes of 1# chubs ordered.
    The 5# chubs, get several and slice into patties. Vac seal and freeze.

    One time someone said “all you buy is beer”. Yeah, I bought all of my groceries in November. Which, other than fresh produce and bread, was true.

  46. William Quick says:

    So, a question for those who read a lot on the topic: have you seen any essays on the importance of your spouse or other significant other when it comes to being prepared?

    They’re out there. Here’s one: https://modernsurvivalblog.com/modern-survival-ideology/how-to-get-your-wife-on-board-with-prepping/

    Always room for more, especially for those “special situations,” which you seem to be enjoying at the moment.

  47. lynn says:

    A contract in which the customer actually paid my invoices! What a shocking concept!

    I deal with this concept every freaking day. Most of my several hundred customers pay within 45 days. But the bigger they are, the slower they pay. GE, 9 months.

    And then there are those customers who never pay. I have written off many invoices in 25 years.

  48. lynn says:

    As I said before, I hope that rumors about one TNG character’s grim fate, apparently filmed for a “Picard” flashback, aren’t true.

    Oh, no! Tell me it isn’t Mr. Broccoli!

    Admiral Wesley Crusher is eaten by the natives that he and his crew of two red shirts drop in to observe.

  49. lynn says:

    Not much thought here, it’s just how I was raised. Why buy name brand cans of green beans when for the price of 10 you can get a case of 24 store brand? And always, always, add a few extra “things” to the cart when shopping.

    If I am restocking the bugout, I go to Sam’s Club and buy their 12 pack boxes of corn, peas, green beans, etc, etc, etc. Those 12 pack boxes of canned goods are a lot easier to stack in the bugout which is UPSTAIRS. Plus, the 12 pack of canned diced tomatoes at Sam’s Club the other day before the crazy was $5.

  50. SteveF says:

    Thanks, Bill. Web searches didn’t get me anything useful. (eg, “prepping when your spouse sabotages your efforts” yields several “Are you sabotaging your marriage?” articles but nothing on prepping.)

    If I were to write the essay this evening it would come out bitter or defeated rather than useful. I’ll give it some thought sometime when I haven’t been recently irritated. Late 2025 seems likely.

  51. paul says:

    They’re out there. Here’s one:

    One way to get her “on-board” is to take a tampon out of the box every day. Just one. When she suddenly runs out, pull a box from your stash like a White Knight and save her a trip to the store.

    Hey, maybe this prepping stuff isn’t so bad after all!

    I lived this with my Mom and sisters. They were all timed the same and would all use one and take one. Last user had to go to the store for more. Of course no one wanted to drive one whole mile to the grocery store. So they would ransack each others dressers for hidden stashes.

    It was nuts.

    Watching one of them finding a precious thing in the fridge behind the butter dish or elsewhere was priceless.

  52. SteveF says:

    Wesley Crusher of alt.wesley.die.die.die fame?

    I didn’t watch enough ST:TNG to develop any dislike for any of the characters. From what I’ve heard from people who admire him, I think I’d find the actor who played Wesley to be a giant buttmunch, but I don’t think that’s what the haters were hating on.

  53. lynn says:

    “Hidalgo orders bars to close, restricts restaurants to takeout for 15 days”
    https://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/houston/article/New-York-LA-Chicago-order-bars-restaurants-to-15134459.php

    “Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo on Monday ordered all bars and clubs in Harris County to close for the next 15 days, a move intended to slow the spread of the new coronavirus.”

    “The order, which takes effect at 8 a.m. Tuesday, also limits restaurants to pickup, delivery and drive-through orders. The restrictions apply to venues in Houston and throughout the rest of the county.”

    I am not sure that this is Constitutional.

  54. Greg Norton says:

    Admiral Wesley Crusher is eaten by the natives that he and his crew of two red shirts drop in to observe.

    Don’t laugh. One of the more controversial ideas “Discovery” has established as canon is the Klingons eating their vanquished enemies.

  55. MrK. says:

    @Ray.. Re the church streaming. How are you streaming? Via an app? YouTube?
    Reason is my wife’s church is going into lock-down and needs something similar to reach the faithful. (Although on a much smaller scale.. Just the priest and probably me).
    Thanks..

  56. nick flandrey says:

    @stevef.

    it was a common refrain in the comments over at creekmore’s old site. don’t know that anyone did anything long form though.

    If they did, survivalblog.com probably feature it in their reader submitted essays, sometime w/in the last year.

    n

  57. PaultheManc says:

    Just a little more on the UK. Prime Minister and senior officials state that new action is based on revised outcomes from Italy, entered into their models, along with numbers in the London area which are ahead of where they projected. Net is, a substantial lock down – not criminally enforced.
    Personally I traveled by train to take my nephew and girlfriend out on a micro brewery trip on Friday, followed by another late afternoon early evening out with a friend on Saturday, with a visit to a pub following church on Sunday. Turned out for my old football team this evening, but told them they won’t see me for a few months now – and I recommended they took the same decision. I am now on lock down – but will turn out to volunteer at our winter night shelter on Thursday…. risks have to be taken on a balanced basis.

  58. Ed says:

    LA County is shutting down eat-in restaurants. Farewell to Taco Tuesday’s!

  59. nick flandrey says:

    @ed, we had our taco tuesday last night. Two cans costco chicken, one packet Chicken Taco mix, and all the fixings. Grabbed about 100 soft tacos on my ‘last run’. They are cheap and last forever in the fridge. Easier than making them, although that’s not hard either.

    Some taco nights we have pork carnitas, some nights traditional US whiteboy taco meat (ground hamburger, packet of taco seasoning) some nights fajitas tacos (strips of beef).

    About the only thing we don’t do is fish tacos, mainly because I don’t like them, and I’m the cook and shopper 🙂

    n

  60. nick flandrey says:

    Harris County (Houston) shut down all eat in restaurants. Delivery and take out only for the duration.

    Our school district cancelled class thru April 10th today too.

    n

  61. Ed says:

    @Nick: Wish I’d thought of that…

  62. nick flandrey says:

    Went out to ship some ebay stuff. That will be the last time. I wore my shoe covers and avoided touching anything, I needed the boxes and missed the cutoff for using the free pickup service. They don’t have masks, gloves, or sanitizer. No paid sick leave unless the test positive. The three clerks were very concerned about getting sick.

    It’ll all be UPS or USPS pickup for any more shipments, and deliver of boxes which then sit in the sun for a day. From here on, all mail gets at least a day of quarantine.

    Went by my secondary to get the one item I have listed that is selling and bring all of them home. I also grabbed two gallons of sanitizer, one barn and food service strength spray, one hospital grade wipe on. The hospital grade has that peculiar odor…

    All the scrap I left there yesterday was already gone today. Someone was happy to have it.

    I also brought home some more cans and 10 pounds of salt.

    Wife agrees, no more going out where there are people.

    One of my neighbors, younger guy, was walking his dog when I was unloading the truck. He allowed that they were good for a ‘couple of months’ at home. He was knowledgeable, up to date, and pragmatic. Probably the most solid guy on the street at this point. I’m not going near hockey guy or his family for at least 14 days, and more likely 21. It was nice to hear that someone else was well set up.

    nick

  63. nick flandrey says:

    Oh, btw, another public mention of locking down all domestic air travel, this time from Congress. It’s coming.

    n

  64. nick flandrey says:

    this list might be useful. It includes names for products you might want to search directly on ebay if you were still looking for viricide/disinfectant/etc

    https://www.americanchemistry.com/Novel-Coronavirus-Fighting-Products-List.pdf

    The list was linked by CDC https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prepare/cleaning-disinfection.html?CDC_AA_refVal=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cdc.gov%2Fcoronavirus%2F2019-ncov%2Fcommunity%2Fhome%2Fcleaning-disinfection.html

  65. nick flandrey says:

    If the numbers are good, Italy has succeeded in slowing down their doubling rate to somewhere between 4 and 5 days. That is excellent news.

    Spain and france are still around 3, maybe 4. France will be out of beds in about one double, Spain will probably take 2 but I don’t have a number for available beds for Spain.

    US is still about 10 doubles from hitting capacity, depending on measures taken to free up beds. About 30 days at current rates, maybe 40.

    n

  66. nick flandrey says:

    BTW, I looked at my stocks and ordered 8 cans of Nido powdered whole milk too. Daughter 1 identified a shortage of milk and pushed, so I got more. It’s been sold out locally for a week, so I ordered from amazon tonight. Got the ‘import’ can. 2 pounds makes 2 gallons, if I did the math right. I haven’t tried the ‘import’ to see if it tastes different. I hope it’s close enough.

    Back when Bob was trying it, I don’t recall which of us found it first. I liked it as almost like real milk. Certainly good enough for cereal. You don’t want the Fortificado, or the baby one, just “whole milk”.

    n

  67. Craig says:

    For SteveF Getting your wife on board:
    https://survivalblog.com/?s=getting+wife+on+board

  68. Ray Thompson says:

    @ MrK

    @Ray.. Re the church streaming. How are you streaming? Via an app? YouTube?

    We use BoxCast, have been for a couple of years. $130.00 a month regardless of the number of streams or people that watch the stream. Really an excellent product.

    The plan now is to record a message on Saturday. Will require me, a camera operator, a sound person and the preacher. Then the message will be played on Sunday on the broadcast and the stream. That will require only me. Not at all happy that I have to come in twice when in my mind it should just be done on Sunday.

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