4/29/2020

It's Time To Reopen New Hampshire

May 4th. That’s the day our governor’s stay home order is supposed to expire here in New Hampshire. The question is whether or not the governor will extend his order for another week or two...or four. Frankly, I’m hoping he’ll let it expire and let our economy restart, but I’m not holding breath.

I can see maintaining social distancing, use of masks, and washing hands as a means of limiting the spread of Covid-19. I can see limiting access to long term care facilities to reduce the possibility of infecting some of our most vulnerable citizens. I can see reopening hospitals and medical practices to patients with more mundane and normal medical needs.

Regardless of whether or not the state reopens for business on May 4th, one has to wonder whether all 10 counties will ‘reopen’ all at once, or if it will be reopening in stages, with the least affected counties opening first and the most affected opening last. That one is a tough call.

I would like to see all 10 counties open at the same time, but I understand if the governor wants to stage it. (I don’t agree with doing that, but the call it isn’t mine.) The two most affected counties are also suffering the most, economically. Keeping them closed longer than the other eight counties seems unfair and unwise.

Regardless of the date our state reopens, my employer has decided to extend their work-at-home directive until June. So far it seems to be working well as our sales are trending upwards and calls for support from existing customers has been doing likewise. I am splitting my time between working at home taking care of the paperwork and working in the lab, something that is working for me.

I admit I am worried about how our summer tourist season will be affected, knowing a delayed reopening can adversely affect the abilities of summer seasonal businesses to prepare. Those businesses include restaurants, resorts, rental homes/cottages, and other summer attractions. I have talked to a number of marinas in the area and they are seeing a paradoxical situation: many of their regular customers are calling early to get their boats ready for the boating season, but for the number of slips rented for the summer is down. That can change over a very short period of time, so I can’t say it is an indicator that the summer season will be a bust for those renting out boat slips. It could merely be an indicator that some folks are taking a wait-and-see position for now, watching to see how the summer season is shaping up.

Only time will tell how this is going to work out.

4/26/2020

Thoughts On A Sunday

It looks like most of us have survived yet another week in Coronavirus America.

I have been doing my best to get things back to normal, securing the boat slip I have been using for the past 15+ years for yet another boating season and requesting the boatyard where the Official Weekend Pundit Lake Winnipesaukee Runabout - aka ‘The Boat’ - is stored and serviced to be pulled out of winter storage and prepared for launching. If all goes well The Boat will be back at its slip in two weeks and we’ll be enjoying our version of social distancing.

Another bit of normalcy that has reappeared is the opening of one of our favorite seasonal restaurants this weekend. Considering a majority of its business is takeout (it does have a small dining room), it shouldn’t be affected by the effects (or aftereffects) of the pandemic unless the summer tourist season is a bust. Time will tell.

********************


It looks like I was prescient when it came to possible changes in office work due to the coronavirus.

It now appears that others are looking at the same thing and may be coming up with similar conclusions...or not.

Cubicle culture has gone dark. Open floor plans stand empty.

Offices around the world are shut during the pandemic, making work from home the new normal for millions of white-collar employees.

In the United States, remote work is still being encouraged under guidelines outlined by the federal government.

But in webinars and conference calls, business leaders and management strategists are discussing what steps must be taken to bring workers back to America's offices.

--snip--

Companies will need to adapt significantly...to make "employees confident that coming to work is something that they can and should do and feel safe about."

--snip--

Why should workers able to do their jobs remotely return to the office if they could be asymptomatic carriers?

The piece goes on to answer questions businesses need to ask themselves, and mentions in passing that the drive to bring workers back into their offices may be hampered by the freedom experienced by workers who were required to work from home due to the various Covid-19 restrictions. It may behoove those businesses to take a closer look at allowing their workers the option of working from home on a more long term, if not permanent basis.

It will be interesting to see how many businesses will see this as an opportunity.

********************


Our comrades over at The People’s Cube are asking the right question, that being “Are you enjoying your ‘test drive’ of Socialist America?”

Are you enjoying your first taste of socialism? Life in America today is a sneak preview of life in Cuba or Venezuela. Democrats love it. This is the future they plan for you. The current economic catastrophe is exactly what America will look like if we institute “the Green New Deal.”

The goal is to defeat “climate change” by killing your job, taking your cars away, closing your business and turning America into Cuba, or Venezuela.

Of course the Democrat elite won’t be required to subject themselves to such restrictions. It will only apply to we Deplorables and the Democrat cannon fodder.

********************


Should states and cities be allowed to go bankrupt? That’s a question that has two answers, at least in my opinion.

Yes, but only if it’s a one-time thing and with certain conditions laid upon the state or city.

No, because if states and cities are allowed to declare bankruptcy they will be less likely to be fiscally prudent knowing they can wipe away any debt when it gets too big.

In the private sector, individuals and companies go bankrupt and start anew. In bankruptcy, the owners and debtors are the major financial victims. However, pensions can also be materially impacted. Those pension plans that are defined contribution plans are generally unimpacted.

--snip--

Cities can and do bankrupt under current law. Cities generally have bondholders and creditors who are impacted, often severely, by bankruptcy. Generally, cities have neither defined contribution plans nor any federal protection from the PBGC. Cities have partially unfunded pension plans. A municipal bankruptcy can lead to general creditors, bondholders and pension recipients all taking financial haircuts as the result of bankruptcy.

--snip--

States cannot go bankrupt. But why not? Should not the states that have been managed the most poorly be able to right themselves through bankruptcy? Bondholders and employees had ample knowledge of the financial situations of these states. Federal judges should be tasked with the responsibility of approving such plans and determine the impacts to both bondholders and pension recipients. This is what happens everywhere else; why not states?

If a state goes bankrupt it leaves everyone else in the country on the hook. That’s irresponsible. (That the federal government is broke is even more so.) If a state goes bankrupt because of poor fiscal planning and policy by the state government (and specifically its elected officials – the governor and members of the state legislature), filing for bankruptcy should trigger a number of events not normally seen in a bankruptcy. Some suggestions (not inclusive):

The governor, lieutenant governor (if the state has one), and all members of the state legislature will be required to step down.

The state will have a receiver assigned by the bankruptcy court to handle the day to day operations and all financial matters.

The state will revert to territory status and a new governor will be assigned by the federal government. Once its financial house is back in order, it can apply for statehood.

If a large state, it may be broken up into two or more smaller states/territories. (It would certainly help residents in states like California, Illinois, and New York, where large urban areas dominate the politics and fiscal policies of the entire state to the detriment of the smaller urban, suburban, and rural areas.)

All expenditures, taxes, and fees would come under review for reaffirmation, modification, or elimination.

I can probably come up with another dozen or so, but these might be a good starting place.

********************


Today it’s been the proverbial “calm before the storm”.

The weather has been pretty nice through the morning and a good portion of the afternoon, with temps in the 50’s. But we’ve got a Nor’easter coming that is likely to dump 4 to 8 inches of snow here in central New Hampshire and maybe as much as a foot of snow farther north in the White Mountains . It is expected to start some time late this evening.

It’s ironic that the only Nor’easter we’re experiencing that will be dumping snow is in late April. We usually see them starting in late fall, through winter, and early spring (March), but there hasn’t been a single Nor’easter all winter which explains our below normal snowfall.

It’s ironic considering I expect my boat will be put into the water in two weeks.

********************


And that’s the news from Lake Winnipesaukee, where snow is on its way, boats are on the lake, and where we’re deathly sick of being cooped up because of coronavirus.

4/25/2020

Some News Has Just Disappeared

Something the WP Mom asked me that got me thinking: “Have you noticed that since Covid-19 came on the scene we don’t hear anything about what’s going on in Afghanistan or Iraq?”

It seems news about what’s been going in the those two countries in regard to our forces there have disappeared from the media’s consciousness. About the only thing we hear from anywhere near either country usually deals with Iran and its continuing belligerence or Saudi Arabia and it’s ongoing oil war with Russia. Other than that, bupkis.

One has to wonder if such news will return to the public eye or remain invisible as other more ‘important’ news keeps it submersed.

4/23/2020

It Continues...For Now

As we’re still dealing with the direct and indirect effects of the coronavirus, I was not surprised to receive an e-mail from my employer informing me and my fellow employees that our company’s “work at home” directive will be extended to June 1st, adding a month to the to the original directive. Not that it really affects me all that much as I have been spending an equal amount of time working at home and the lab, and that suits me just fine. The split lets me deal with the two aspects of my work – paperwork and lab work – without interruption. Each has its pros and cons, but the pros far outweigh the cons.

I’m hoping I will be able to continue doing so after our “work at home” directive expires. In fact, The Powers That Be have seen some real advantages of more of the various staff working from home.

Here’s hoping they decide it’s a good policy, even on an occasional basis.

4/19/2020

Thoughts On A Sunday

Welcome to yet another in week in Coronavirus America. (I have to admit that writing his opening line is getting old.)

What have we learned this week? Let’s see.

A lot of areas in the US are seeing little if any cases of Covid-19. A perfect example of this is comparing Upstate New York with Downstate New York (Albany, the NYC Metro Area, and much of Long Island.) The latter is a major epicenter of Covid-19 cases. The former is not even close. The same is true if you compare northern New England to southern New England. It’s true in a lot of other places across the US as well, particularly rural areas.

Some governors have gone overboard with restricting the activities of the citizens in their respective states. Some have waited for just such an opportunity to exercise dictatorial powers and have done so. (Governor Whitmer, this means you.) They have restricted activities and purchases that have absolutely nothing to do with slowing the spread of Covid-19. They’re doing it because they can. They have also given is a preview of what life will be like in Progressive America should that particular infection spread. (Yes, Progressivism is a disease that destroys, all in the name of ‘fairness’, a fairness that will never come to be. It’s failure has been proven again and again, much like its progenitor, Marxism.)

We have seen the models used to predict the spread of infection and deaths have been way off. We have seen how actions taken by some governors, mayors, and Congresscritters helped make the pandemic worse because Orange Man Bad.

We have seen more of the public rebelling against the over-the-top lockdowns and stay-at-home orders. Many think that social distancing, masks, and hand-washing would be sufficient going forward and re-opening America for business is important.

I guess we’ll see.

********************


Despite what the envirowackos and watermelon environmentalists believe, clean energy isn’t all that it’s cracked up to be. Like most technological knownothings, they do not have an inkling what it takes to harvest clean energy, nor that clean energy is clean by no means.

Some proponents of the Green New Deal seem to believe that it will pave the way to a utopia of “green growth.” Once we trade dirty fossil fuels for clean energy, there’s no reason we can’t keep expanding the economy forever.

This narrative may seem reasonable enough at first glance, but there are good reasons to think twice about it. One of them has to do with clean energy itself.

The phrase “clean energy” normally conjures up happy, innocent images of warm sunshine and fresh wind. But while sunshine and wind is obviously clean, the infrastructure we need to capture it is not. Far from it. The transition to renewables is going to require a dramatic increase in the extraction of metals and rare-earth minerals, with real ecological and social costs.

One of the things that is supposed to make things like wind and solar viable is storage, something many proponents of clean energy have been faithfully ignoring. Some have been saying that all we need are more lithium-ion battery cells to make the storage batteries needed. The only problem is that there isn’t enough lithium available to do that and have enough available for lithium-ion batteries in items like smart phones, laptops, tablets, hybrid or electric cars.

If they want clean energy, then molten salt reactors are the way to go. Using thorium as its main fuel, much of the existing expended fuel from existing nuclear plants can be ‘burned’, eliminating the problems associated with long-lived radio-isotopes, the big one being safe disposal.

If fusion is ever perfected, then clean energy becomes the rule rather than the exception.

********************


Apparently the L.A. Times has a real problem with those of us working from home wearing sweatpants while we do so.

So they’re pitching a fit over work-from-home fashion? I don’t know about you, but does it really make difference? I can see being dressed nicely, at least from the waist up should a video conference take place. But from the waist down? Nope. Sweats are good enough for me and millions of others.

********************


Claims about on oncoming “megadrought” that will affect the American Southwest that is being caused by global warming is “all wet” according to Anthony Watts.

The media this week are hyping a new study claiming global warming is causing a new megadrought in the American Southwest. In reality, the recent drought in the American Southwest is nothing new when you look at historical data.

--snip--

Is the USA in a “megadrought”? Looking at April 14th 2020 data from the United States Drought Monitor, it sure doesn’t seem so. While there are indications of some drought in the USA Southwest, there seem to be equally large areas that have no drought conditions at all. And, just one year ago, there were no indications of drought in the southwest USA whatsoever. This might be why Stahle only used data through 2018, because the “no drought” year of 2019 didn’t support the claims of “megadrought”. Cherry picking anyone?

This “megadrought” is beginning to sound more like wishful thinking to sell the narrative of climate change.

********************


One thing I find I have to circle back to is the difference in the number of Covid-19 cases in different states. While watching the morning news our local TV station listed the total number of cases in New Hampshire and neighboring Massachusetts. The differences are staggering.

First, let’s compare the population of both states. New Hampshire’s population is about 1.3 million. The population of Massachusetts is about 6.9 million, a little over 5 times that of New Hampshire.

Second, let’s look at the area and population density of both states. New Hampshire has a land area of 8,969 square miles with a population density of 145 people/square mile. Massachusetts has a land area of 7,838 square miles with a population density of 880 people/square mile, or 6 times that of New Hampshire.

Third,let us now compare the number of Covid-19 cases in both states. New Hampshire has reported 1,342 cases with 38 deaths. Massachusetts has reported 36,372 cases with 1,560 deaths. With 5 times the population of New Hampshire, Massachusetts has 27 the times the number of cases and 41 times the number of fatalities.

While population density certainly has an effect on the number of cases, one would think it would be proportional, but that hasn’t proved to be so, at least at first glance. If we break down the number of cases by county, you’d find the less densely populated counties in Massachusetts (primarily those in Western Massachusetts) have far fewer cases per capita than the more thickly settled suburban and urban counties. That’s something you’ll find in every state.

The point of all of this?

Maybe it’s time to back off on the restrictions placed on the residents in the more rural counties across the nation because they really don’t live under the same conditions as those in the more heavily populated counties.

********************


And that’s the news from Lake Winnipesaukee, where tree pollen has been flying, more boats are appearing on the lake every day, and where people hope things will be opened up in time for summer.

4/16/2020

An Upside To Coronavirus

There have certainly been a number of downsides to the stay-at-home edicts, social distancing, business restrictions, and quarantines. There have been major disruptions in the economy. People have seen their finances upended as their jobs disappeared as businesses closed. Unemployment has skyrocketed from about 3% to better than 10% in a matter of weeks. Social isolation has increased and people are feeling that isolation.

Despite all of this, there has been at least one upside to the Covid-19 pandemic: Working from home.

I’m not talking about the actual act of working from home. I am talking about the advantages being discovered by companies forced to close their offices and have their workforce shift to working from home.

I think it is no secret that most companies have been reluctant to allow their employees to work from home. Call it the archaic “We have to keep an eye on them at all times” mindset. The Powers That Be figure that unless they can see their employees at all times that they won’t work. But with the restrictions caused by the Covid-19 precautions, working from home was the only alternative to closing the business, nothing any business wanted to do. So they were forced to move their operations from their offices to their employees homes.

What did many of them find out with this move?

Work efficiency went up and costs went down.

First, let’s address costs.

Office space costs. There’s a cost per square foot of office space. That cost includes rent, furniture, heating, cooling, lighting, phones, Internet service, storage space, and janitorial services, just to name a few. But what if those costs can be reduced by having a good portion of the staff working from home? The space needed is reduced which in turn reduces all of the other costs.

I can state from my personal experience that working from home is more efficient for me, at least when it comes to dealing with the ‘paper’ side of things. (I still have to go into the office a couple of days a week during the stay-at-home period because that’s where our labs are located.) I find I get more done in a given period of time, am more focused on the task at hand, and am not as easily distracted. It wouldn’t surprise me that others working from home experience the same things I have.

I think more than a few companies are rethinking their policies about working from home now that they have hard facts about doing so. I’m going to predict that some of them will start using it as a standard policy because they’ve found that it works.

4/12/2020

Thoughts On A Sunday

Welcome to yet another week in Coronvirus America.

This past week was the first week I worked from home for the entire week. I’ll be heading into work first thing Monday morning as I have quite a bit of lab work waiting for me, though it’s unlikely I’ll have to put in a full week at the lab as I doubt there’s a week’s worth of lab working waiting for me. It is what it is.

I did notice that there was little traffic on the road Saturday morning and even less this morning. It’s probably the least amount of traffic I’ve seen since this whole thing started. What made it worse is that this is the first Easter Sunday the WP Clan has not been together in decades.

********************


Is it time to scrap the Renewable Fuel Standard?

I’d say it’s well past time. It’s original reason for being no longer exists – reducing our dependence on foreign oil. Considering we have more oil than we know what to do with, I’d say our dependence of foreign oil (specifically from the Middle East) is long over. Our present situation is a perfect time to end the RFS.

...one of the hardest hit sectors in the U.S. is the energy sector as it experiences the double blows of the Chinese coronavirus and the flooding of the oil market by Russia and Saudi Arabia, a move that has driven oil prices down while those nations fight for market share with the United States. So while demand is down, prices are also down.

To add to this problematic situation, small and large U.S. refineries are getting punished under an unrealistic Renewable Fuel Standard mandate. So in the middle of an economic downturn, as our energy sector is under tremendous stress, we are continuing the madness of unnecessary regulations on a key aspect of our economy (one that should also be considered a national security issue). These RFS mandates imposed on this core industry in America impose a heavy cost of RFS compliance credits (RINs) that is then draining cash from American-owned businesses at a time when draining cash can, and actually may, lead to bankruptcy.

What’s even more paradoxical it isn’t the envirowackos demanding to keep the RFS, but the rent-seeking ethanol producers. For them the RFS is a guaranteed market even if they don’t sell ethanol to the refiners because if the refiners don’t buy enough ethanol as mandated they have to purchase the equivalent of “indulgences”, meaning they have to pay the government for the aforementioned RINs. So whether they use the ethanol or not, the refiners still have to pay for it. Some of the money collected from RINs goes to subsidize the ethanol producers.

Large ethanol producers like Archer Daniels Midland aren’t going to willingly give up billions in dollars of guaranteed income, so they and the other rent-seekers will do everything in their power to retain the RFS.

********************


Some people have been complaining about the townsfolk in the rural towns where they own second homes not exactly welcoming them when they decide to sit out the Covid-19 pandemic in that second home. The people do indeed own their homes and pay taxes on them, so making it difficult for them to occupy a home they own certainly is skirting the law.

On the other hand, the townsfolk in that rural town don’t like the idea of folks “from away” bringing the very thing they are supposedly fleeing with them and sickening townsfolk.

Both concerns are valid. What to do?

If the folks from away will self-quarantine for a specified period of time, then it may not be as much of an issue. If they won’t, then they are showing they really don’t care about the town in which their second home is located and maybe they deserve any abuse they receive. They are showing the townsfolk that they aren’t good neighbors.

Make sure to read the comments of the linked post above.

********************


Oh, yeah, I’m liking this!

The ATF has authorized gun shops to provide curbside service.

Now I don’t even have to get out of my truck to buy ammo!

Who says there are no upsides to the coronavirus pandemic?

********************


I find it interesting that the very people who have been so adamant about ever more stringent gun control laws are now upset that they have come under the control of those very same laws.

It appears more than a few of them bought into the fallacy promoted by TV ‘reports’ and anti-gun propaganda that buying a gun was as easy as buying a loaf of bread at their local convenience store. However, reality slapped them in the face and many were angry that they couldn’t buy a gun to protect themselves when they ‘needed’ to.

Somehow I doubt that many of them will remember their inconvenience going forward and will support more of the same type of laws that frustrated them...until the next time.

Lather. Rinse. Repeat.

********************


Like many others, Easter Services at our church was not held inside. Those wishing to attend in person did so in the church parking lot, staying in their cars, with our pastor outside, his sermon carried on FM radio. The rest of us watched the livestream. Not our usual church service, but under the circumstances, it served.

********************


And that’s the news from Lake Winnipesaukee, where boats are already being seen out on the water, summer homes have been opened early, and one of our local ice cream shops have already opened.

4/11/2020

What I'm Not Missing

Something the WP Mom said got me thinking.

Quoth she, “Have you noticed that you don’t hear any news about fighting in Afghanistan, Iraq, or where ever since the coronavirus arrived?”

There are a whole host of other ‘important’ issues that have all but disappeared from the news. Here are a few:

Climate change (other than when trying to blame it for the coronavirus)

LGBTQWhatever rights

Gun control

Microagressions

Greta Thunberg

Alexandra Occasional-Cortex (except in passing)

Transgendered bathrooms

#MeToo

Title IX

Tom Brady

That’s just a short list, but I do have to say I am enjoying the break from the usual media drivel.

4/10/2020

Latest Democrat "Trump 'Gotcha' " Doesn't Exist

It looks like the Democrat S**tshow known as the on-going and neverending “We’re Gonna Throw Trump Out Of Office Even If We Have To Make Things Up” Impeachment Farce has decided they have something new to use to “get” President Trump. That something new?

An intelligence report from last November reporting the danger of a new virus spreading in China “that could become a crisis in the US.”

Apparently Adam Schiff and Nancy Pelosi thought they had yet another issue they could use to remove Trump from office.

There’s only one problem: That intelligence report doesn’t exist and never has.

ABC News breathlessly reported yesterday on what they claim was an intelligence report last November about a severe outbreak of an unknown virus in China that could become a crisis in the U.S.

--snip--

Of course, Trump reads every scrap of paper from every single U.S. intelligence agency -- even extraordinary obscure ones like the NCMI [National Center for Medical Intelligence] -- and should have known that the U.S. was going to be in crisis four months later.

Except that scrap of paper doesn't exist.

From Fox News comes this:

Col. R. Shane Day, the director of the NCMI, a component of the Defense Intelligence Agency, refuted the ABC News report in a statement.

"As a matter of practice the National Center for Medical Intelligence does not comment publicly on specific intelligence matters," he said. "However, in the interest of transparency during this current public health crisis, we can confirm that media reporting about the existence/release of a National Center for Medical Intelligence Coronavirus-related product/assessment in November of 2019 is not correct. No such NCMI product exists."

But if past behavior is any indication of future actions, then I have no doubt that the non-existent intelligence report will still be used by Schiff et al for a second go at Trump. That there is no “there” there will not deter them. It certainly didn’t deter them the last time.

4/05/2020

Thoughts On A Sunday

I have to say that I have noticed the schizophrenic nature of Coronavirus America. While it hasn’t bothered me all that much, me being something of a misanthropic surly curmudgeon with elements of universal distrust, it has made some things more inconvenient.

One thing that I have noticed is that toilet paper continues to be in short supply, something I didn’t understand at first. The ‘panic buying’ that took place at the beginning made absolutely no sense to me or anyone else whatsoever. Now that many businesses are closed and so many are working from home, the usage of toilet paper at home has skyrocketed while that at businesses has plummeted. There is plenty of ‘commercial’ toilet paper available, but you won’t see it in any supermarket or convenience store. Much of it is different in that it isn’t made to fit into TP holders we see in our bathrooms.

How much longer will this toilet paper drought last?

********************


One thing a lot of folks have been been saying is that we’re getting a preview of what a Socialist America will be like, all the time. At least one poll has found, most people are unimpressed with their 30-day free trial of Communism.

“It kinda sucks,” 19-year-old San Diegan Britta Fowler said of the trial. “I was expecting all this free stuff, which I guess we’re getting, but I also didn’t expect empty store shelves and house arrest for everyone. It’s really lame!”

“Yeah, they’re giving us money but what good is that if you can’t spend it on anything you want?” Fowler asked.

“We thought we’d entice the people everywhere into Communist utopia with a trial run,” USBS Secretary John Lennon said. “We thought, hey, it works with Netflix, so it should work with Communism!”

--snip--

“Everything went well but only a few Karens across the country are really enjoying it.” Lennon added. “They really revel in telling people to ‘stay the f**k home!'”

“I don’t think I’ll continue with this Communism stuff after the trial. I kinda like being able to do stuff with people,” Fowler said.

As a good friend who grew up in the Soviet Union has told me, he’s been getting flashbacks of the bad old days when “standing on line” was a national past-time. You stood in line to get into stores that may or may not have what you’re looking for. Food, clothing, hygiene products, shoes, and a lengthy list of products and goods were in constant short supply. You couldn’t shop for a week’s worth of groceries because there wasn’t a week’s worth available anywhere but the black market. You had to shop every day to buy the staples needed.

This is the vision the Democrats have for us – total control over the population because we Deplorables aren’t capable of making our own decisions. They would love the world of the Hunger Games...as long as they were the elite living in the cities.

(ALERT: For those with poor sarcasm discrimination skills, some of this is sarcasm. Some is not. I’ll leave to you to figure out which is which.)

********************


I think there may be some truth in this.


(From the comments of this Instapundit post.)

********************


Skip over at GraniteGrok has his opinion on the benefits to him and those like him regarding social distancing. As the illustration he used at the header of his post proclaims – “Introverts Unite!...Separately...In Your Own Homes!”

As I wrote in reply:

For me, a closeted misanthropic surly curmudgeon, this period in our history has been a relief for me. I don't have to socialize with anyone, nor am I expected to do so. My 'welcome' mat is no longer seen as a joke - "Welcome! Now Go Away!" - but as the height of social responsibility.

I work now mostly from home, something that allows me to get more work done with fewer interruptions. When I do have to go into the lab I am generally there with only two or three other people and we're all in different labs, so it's just like being there alone because they don't interrupt me and I don't interrupt them.

Most social interaction, at least for work, has been reduced to texts, e-mails, and the occasional video conference.

I'm in heaven!

I am sure there are plenty of others out there with the same viewpoint.

********************


Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) slams clueless Glenn Kessler, one of those anti-American media types who has no problem trying to blame Trump for things he said in the past, those things said being true when Trump said them.

The media sucks.

Big time.

Yeah yeah, we know, you know that. But it’s like they keep getting suckier every day.

Glenn Kessler really thought this was something smart to tweet …

@GlennKesslerWP Line from Trump's State of the Union address that did not age well: "“Incredibly, the average unemployment rate under my administration is lower than any administration in the history of our country.”

Yeah, that thing the president said several months before this pandemic that is destroying economies all over the world … he was wrong.

Ted’s response to Kessler:

@tedcruz

The press HATED that, three months ago, we had the lowest African-American & Hispanic unemployment ever recorded. Now that we’re in the midst of a global pandemic—which originated in Wuhan, not the Oval Office—too many in the press are giddy with glee.

Haters gotta hate. Apparently Glenn Kessler is one of them.

********************


Mike Hendrix over at Cold Fury tells us the numbers just don’t add up when it comes to coronavirus projections. He’s not the only one.

Ed Mosca over at GraniteGrok has been tracking projected Covid-19 cases here in New Hampshire with the actual numbers appearing. The two are nowhere near each other.

********************


And that’s the news from quarantined Lake Winnipesaukee, where Ice Out is going to be declared any time now, the number of out-of-state plates seen has been increasing, and where even though Monday is coming again too soon, I don’t care because I’ll be working from home.

4/03/2020

What Are The True Numbers?

Watching the opening of this evening’s ABC World News, it became quite apparent to me that they are buying China’s claim that they brought Covid-19 under control and that there have been no (or very few) new cases for weeks now.

Their opening story displayed a chart showing the number of cases of Covid-19. The two most telling lines were those displaying the number of cases in China and the US. The US still shows an upward slope while China’s shows a flattening out weeks ago, with the total reported by China well below that of the US.

I’m not buying it.

As I have stated elsewhere, pandemics don’t just stop. The number of new cases don’t fall off a cliff and hit zero overnight, yet that’s what the Chinese government wants everyone to believe. The official number of cases reported by the Chinese seem very low. Reports from China do not seem to jibe with information received by way of electronics parts suppliers in Wuhan. Some intelligence reports gathered by the UK imply the number of cases and deaths in China were between 15 and 40 times higher than reported.

Which one is the truth?

If it’s reported by ABC News then the chances are pretty good that it isn’t true.

4/01/2020

Coronavirus Is Deadlier Than The Flu

How many times have we heard one talking head, keyboard warrior, or propagandist journalist make the claim the Wuhan virus is no more deadly than the usual annual influenza?

Looking at both the US numbers and worldwide numbers for the Wuhan virus, the mortality rate is much higher than we see for influenza. As of this morning the mortality rate in the US is 2%, more than twice the mortality rate of the flu. Worldwide, the mortality rate is just under 5%.

The argument has been made that the number of Covid-19 cases has been underreported because some folks with mild symptoms didn’t report they were sick (but stayed home) nor were they tested. But isn’t that also true of the annual flu? How many report they’ve had the flu? If I had to guess, the same percentage as those who have had Covid-19 with mild symptoms, assuming they even knew they were positive for the virus. So I’m not buying the ‘underreported’ argument as the reason why the mortality rate is so much higher for Covid-19.

When the White House states we might see between 100,000-240,000 deaths due to Covid-19, it’s an indicator that the Wuhan virus is deadlier than the ‘regular’ flu.

Of course, the argument can be made that the mortality rate is being purposely overstated as an excuse to take extraordinary actions and whittle away at our civil rights. There could be a kernel of truth to that argument. Only time will tell.