Wednesday - August 19, 2020

Gee, Oops

A total non-surprise. We saw this coming back in early March. The richer you were the earlier, faster, and further you ran. Problem is, it’s worse than anyone thought at the time.

NYC Ship Sinking, Rats Long Gone

New York City is home to 118 billionaires, more than any other American city. New York City is also home to nearly one million millionaires, more than any other city in the world. Among those millionaires some 8,865 are classified as “high net worth,” with more than $30 million each.

They pay the taxes. The top one percent of NYC taxpayers pay nearly 50 percent of all personal income taxes collected in New York. Personal income tax in the New York area accounts for 59 percent of all revenues. Property taxes add in more than a billion dollars a year in revenue, about half of that generated by office space.

...

The budget for a city as complex as New York is a mess of federal, state, and local funding sources. It can be sliced and diced many ways, but the one that matters is the starkest: the people and companies who pay for New York’s poor are leaving even as the city is already facing a $7.4 billion tax revenue hit from the initial effects of the coronavirus. The money is there; New York’s wealthiest individuals have increased their net worth by $44.9 billion during the pandemic. It’s just not here.

...

While overall only five percent of residents left as of May, in the city’s very wealthiest blocks residential population decreased by 40 percent or more. The higher-earning a neighborhood is, the more likely it is to have emptied out. Even the amount of trash collected in wealthy neighborhoods has dropped, a tell-tale sign no one is home. A real estate agent told me she estimates about a third of the apartments even in my mid-range 300 unit building are empty.

...

Fewer than one-tenth of Manhattan office workers came back to the workplace a month after New York gave businesses the green light to return to the buildings they ran from in March. Having had several months to notice what not paying Manhattan office rents might do for their bottom line, large companies are leaving.

Posted by Drew458     on 08/19/2020 at 10:52 PM   
Filed Under: • Economics • Pandemic Pandemonium •  
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The ‘Rona Song

Leave it Country music to be perfectly topical and metaphorical at the same time

I miss my mom, I miss my dad
I miss the road, I miss my band
Giving hugs and shaking hands
It’s a mystery I suppose
Just how long this thing goes
But there’ll be crowds and there’ll be shows
And there will be light after dark
Someday when we aren’t six feet apart

Posted by Drew458     on 08/19/2020 at 10:27 PM   
Filed Under: • Music • Pandemic Pandemonium •  
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   Monday - August 17, 2020

The Death Of NYC?

This is what happens when you elect a communist as mayor. One who encourages rioting and lawlessness. Riots after weeks of extended lockdown. Retail is dying. Populations are fleeing. Violence is everywhere, at unprecedented levels. It’s anarchy and depression.

De Blasio’s New York has finally hit an all-time low: the once bustling city is now on the verge of looking like a demilitarized zone. Between the pandemic and the riots in the city, iconic 5th Avenue now looks more like a dystopian nightmare in a recently shot video posted to Twitter.

The video follows a car driving down a deserted 5th Avenue, with almost all of the area’s high end stores boarded up and shut down. There are few people seen on what is usually a busy street.

“Look at everything. Everything’s boarded up. Even the hotel. Boarded up,” the video’s narrator, who is obviously fed up with how the city looks, says.

He continues: “This is all Manhattan, boarded up. Have you ever seen Manhattan look like this? The media will not report this.”

“Everything boarded up. They don’t want to show this to you people because they’re afraid. Saks 5th Avenue - boarded up from end to end. They put up barbed wire. Everywhere you see boards, windows are gone. Look at New York City - what happened,” he says.

The video runs over 2 minutes and shows dozens of boarded up businesses.

No, it’s not a war zone — it’s Manhattan.

Video shows once-bustling Big Apple streets nearly deserted and dotted with boarded-up, spray-painted and bashed-in buildings after days of looting.

The footage taken Tuesday and Wednesday in Midtown and Soho shows the windows of popular stores shattered while others — such as Burberry, Sephora and Sunglasses Hut — are covered in plywood to protect against looters.

...

Only a handful of masked pedestrians and police officers are seen walking on eerily empty sidewalks. Some plywood panels put up by shops were tagged with graffiti reading, “Justice for George Floyd” — the black man who died after a white Minneapolis police officer pinned him to the ground for nearly nine minutes.

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, many Big Apple retailers have been closed for months prior to protests over Floyd’s death.

These riots happened at the end of May ...

Sidewalks across the SoHo neighborhood, Union Square and Fifth Avenue were covered in broken glass. Multiple police cars had been burnt to nothing but ashes. Stores, including a Duane Reade, Urban Outfitters and Swatch, were looted. Banks were ravaged. An Equinox gym had been broken in to. Graffiti covered retailers’ logos up and down some of the glitziest shopping districts, which normally would be hosting a hotbed of tourist activity this time of year.

The New York Police Department has since said it arrested almost 350 people Saturday evening, following protests across parts of Harlem, Brooklyn and Staten Island. NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea said in a press conference held Sunday that more than 30 officers suffered minor injuries due to clashes with demonstrators.

It’s now the middle of August. More than 11 weeks later. And these businesses are still closed, still boarded up. Whatever stock that wasn’t looted has been sold online.

Do you really think these storefronts are coming back? Even if the beneficent dictator of NYC allows them to open, with 25% customer capacity and ridiculously paranoid levels of isolation and plexiglass protection inside the stores? Somehow, I kind of doubt it.

Greatest city in the world, killed by policy in half a year. This was not an accident.

Posted by Drew458     on 08/17/2020 at 09:11 AM   
Filed Under: • Crime • Democrats-Liberals-Moonbat Leftists • Economics • Pandemic Pandemonium •  
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   Friday - July 31, 2020

That Didn’t Take Long

Oh, and check the filter that was on this news yesterday. I’m so tired of garbage reporting.

Ohio Pharm Board Drops No HCQ Rule “Proposal”

The Ohio Board of Pharmacy has reversed a rule that prohibited the sale and dispensing of hydroxychloroquine or chloroquine in the state after Gov. Mike DeWine (R) asked for the reversal.

“I agree with the statement from Dr. Steven Hahn, Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, that the decision about prescribing hydroxychloroquine to treat COVID-19 should be between a doctor and a patient,” DeWine said in a statement. “Therefore, I am asking the Ohio Board of Pharmacy to halt their new rule prohibiting the selling or dispensing of hydroxychloroquine or chloroquine for the treatment or prevention of COVID-19.”

...

“As a result of the feedback received by the medical and patient community and at the request of Governor DeWine, the State of Ohio Board of Pharmacy has withdrawn proposed rule 4729:5-5-21 of the Administrative Code,” a release said. “Therefore, prohibitions on the prescribing of chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine in Ohio for the treatment of COVID-19 will not take effect at this time.”

Srsly? Because this was one of yesterday’s top stories, and not one news site mentioned that this was merely a proposal. Heck, I read the damn document, and it didn’t say “proposal” or anything like that on it anywhere. This whole thing was presented as a mic drop. “Here’s the new rule. Deal with it.”

Is this a rule, or is this a proposed rule? World of difference. And has it actually been nixed, or just delayed? If you cancel, reverse, or withdraw a rule or a proposed rule, then it no longer exists, yes? Or is it still waiting in the background, merely delayed until nobody is paying attention?

What rules making process does the Ohio Board of Pharmacy follow, who are they answerable to? Is there public feedback, are they subject to the state legislature or the governor? Is this board even part of the government, or is it an NGO, or what?

Maybe it’s nothing more than a bunch of retired old pill pushers secretly stipended by Big Pharma that make pronouncements that are merely guidelines? Please; outside of their industry, who ever heard of this group before yesterday?

Any of this would be insightful reporting, not just red-button pushing headlines.

Why the hell can’t we get the straight dope from anybody?

Posted by Drew458     on 07/31/2020 at 08:03 AM   
Filed Under: • Government • Pandemic Pandemonium •  
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   Thursday - July 30, 2020

The HCQ Rollercoaster Ride Continues

Texas Congressman Louie Gohmert (R) has the ‘rona and will get HCQ + Zn + Azt

Lawmaker tested positive for COVID-19 during White House screening prior to Trump Texas trip

Rep. Louie Gohmert, R-Texas, told “Hannity” Wednesday that he will soon begin a treatment regimen featuring the anti-malarial drug hydroxychloroquine after testing positive for coronavirus earlier in the day.

“My doctor and I are all in,” Gohmert told host Sean Hannity from quarantine. “And I got a text just before I came on from a dear friend, [a] doctor, who just found out he had it, and he said he started a HCQ [hydroxychloroquine] regimen, too.

“So zinc, erythromycin, and hydroxychloroquine,” the congressman added, “and that will start just in the next day or two.”
...
The eight-term Republican, who has frequently refused to wear a mask while performing his duties, denied reports that he berated staffers who do wear masks in an effort to prevent the spread of the virus.

“I got a tiny little taste of what you and the president get every day,” Gohmert told the host. “The left went nuts.”

Well, given that he has access to the best medical care in the world, I hope he also gets his vitamin levels checked and starts taking prodigious quantities. Hey, maybe a nebulizer with hydrogen peroxide and heparin?

And I also hope that he keeps a daily, or even hourly journal, and Tweets it out (with comments disabled).

And I have no idea why he is going to wait a couple days before beginning treatment. That seems mega-stupid to me.




Ohio bans HCQ distribution at pharmacies

Starting on Thursday, Ohio pharmacies, clinics and other medical facilities will be prohibited from dispensing or selling the malaria drug hydroxychloroquine, to treat the novel coronavirus.

State regulations were updated on Wednesday to reflect the change but also included several caveats, such as if the prescription is for a pet or if it is part of a clinical trial to assess the effectiveness of the drug when used to fight COVID-19.

“No prescription for chloroquine or hydroxychloroquine may be dispensed by a pharmacist or sold at retail by a licensed terminal distributor of dangerous drugs, including prescriptions for patients residing in Ohio dispensed or sold at retail by nonresident terminal distributors of dangerous drugs as defined in rule 4729:5-8-01 of the Administrative Code, unless the prescription bears a written diagnosis code from the prescriber or a statement indicating its veterinary medical purpose,” the state website read.

“Prescriptions issued for chloroquine or hydroxychloroquine for prophylactic use related to COVID-19 or for the treatment of COVID19 are strictly prohibited unless otherwise approved by the board’s executive director in consultation with the board president, at which time a resolution shall issue,” the statement continued. “Upon the effective date of this rule, all previous approvals for the use of chloroquine or hydroxychloroquine shall be deemed void and must be approved using the process outlined in this paragraph.”

“Basically, it’s a patient safety issue,” Cameron McNamee, the board’s director of policy and communications told The Columbus Dispatch. “We’re looking at the best science to determine what’s best for the patients of Ohio.” She also said the decision has nothing to do with President Trump’s public support for the treatment. [ OMG I can smell the BS from here ]

In June, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) reportedly revoked emergency authorization for the drug which had been prescribed to treat the coronavirus. However, Trump and others in the medical community have hailed it as a possible cure for COVID-19.

The Ohio edict specifically mentions the FDA’s revoking their HCQ EUA back in June. But running with the deliberate misunderstanding of that action, they fail to mention that what the FDA did was to cancel their edict that federal supplies of HCQ had to be limited only to clinical trial and hospital use. So the FDA DID NOT BAN HCQ. What they did, was to open the door for the rest of us, so that (as if overall supplies were low, yeah right) the giant federal stockpile of the drug could go on the open market for the rest of us to use. This purposeful and continuing lie is one of the more aggravating instances in the HCQ wars, and the entire media, including Fox, is complicit. No need to mention that the studies the decision appeared to be based on were the flawed and fraudulent ones coming out of Europe (RECOVERY et al) that were either revoked for BS, or shown to be using nearly fatal overdose levels of the drug in their “trial”. These studies were also mentioned in the Ohio ruling. So it’s a cascade of bullshit. But not to get Trump, on noes!! Liars.

Meanwhile in Columbus OH ...

On the same day that a new rule prohibiting the selling and prescribing of hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine to treat the coronavirus (COVID-19) went into effect, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine called on the state’s pharmacy board to reconsider.

In a statement released by the governor’s office, DeWine said that he believes the decision for treatment should be between a doctor and a patient and asked the Ohio Pharmacy Board to halt the new rule and later revisit it.

If Ohio’s pharmacy board doesn’t instantly rescind this ... and I have to wonder if they even have the right to do such a thing, given past furors over filling birth control and morning after scrips etc, not to mention that they are, or should be, subservient to the FDA, CDC, and the doctors in the medical community at large ... I wonder if veterinarians aren’t about to make a fortune.

It’s already known that cats can get the ‘rona. And many vets are already doing some kind of lockdown office visit thing. Show up for fluffy’s appointment, pop the trunk, they come out and take the cat and carrier, and you chill out in the parking lot. Then they text you when your pet visit is complete, and you pop the trunk remotely. You get billed via credit card via your phone. 

So why not take it a tiny bit further and do virtual office visits? Especially since there is no rule against the prophylactic use of HCQ for felines? Set up a sign at the roadside. “Protect your cat from COVID. Virtual office visits $50, call today.” And when you call, they ask if Fluffy has been exposed or showing signs. No, well, let’s be safe. Now listen carefully: for humans, the dose is 2 HCQ pills a day for a week, with a 1000IU zinc supplement every 6 hours. But for cats, the dosage is just 50mg once a day, and feed them tuna and sardines if they won’t take cat vitamins.

Uh huh, and all the scrips say “for veterinary use only” on them. And nobody will ever dare check.

But as for getting kitty to wear a mask and do social distancing? Good luck with that.

~~~~


Your Daily Fauci Flip Flop

And in other ‘rona ups and downs, “health expert” Anthony Fauci ( Fau Chi, D-China ) now says you should wear googles too. But he says people won’t like that. Social media agrees, somewhat.

“Theoretically you should protect all of the mucosal surfaces [eyes, nose, mouth], so if you have goggles or an eye shield, you should use it,” he said in an interview with ABC News on Instagram Wednesday.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention already recommends wearing a face mask that covers the nose and mouth in public, but the virus can also enter through the eyes.

Fauci recommended goggles in addition to a face mask for those who want “perfect protection” from the COVID-19, but admitted it’s not “universally recommended.”

Posted by Drew458     on 07/30/2020 at 09:10 AM   
Filed Under: • pandemic and epidemic diseases • Pandemic Pandemonium •  
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   Tuesday - July 28, 2020

Tuckered Out? Or Maybe He Just Missed A Temporal Anomoly Paradigm Reference

Just watched Tucker Carlson who went on about the White Coat doctor’s conference and the HCQ thing. Not bad.

Then he has on frequent medical guest Dr. Marc Siegel, who says how these White Coat doctors are kinda stuck in the past, because they’re reacting to “last week’s science” ... and according to Dr. Siegel, “this weeks science” is showing how HCQ is not terribly effective for COVID-19 patients in the hospital. And how you have to stay current, because the science changes so fast with this virus. And in truth, that’s what real science does in a developing situation. Rapid changes, new data, new ideas, new questions, new approaches. While that is frustrating to the rest of us who want instant and stable answers, this is how it’s supposed to be. With real science, the science is NEVER settled. ( but eventually it becomes a smoother ride )

And this is beyond annoying to me, as it smacks of hypocrisy. Dr. Siegel seems to be still using the paradigm of the FDA’s HCQ EUA, which was revoked by the FDA far more than a month ago. IOW, he’s repeating the “antique” mantra that this stuff doesn’t work, because it doesn’t work on the deathly ill in hospitals. When it has been known and shown for many months that this medicine, like all other medicines, works best when used earliest. Which means use it as a prophylactic, use it for the just infected, use it for the mildly effected, and you’ll see the most good. So Siegel is accusing these White Coat doctors of being stuck on last week’s science, while he himself is stuck on last month’s science.

Also Tucker did not immediately ask him to name his sources, nor did he ask the all important “Z” question. Is this referred to study, “this week’s science”, using Zinc? Is this referred to study using standard / safe dosages? Tucker has ranted at length in the past about exactly these points, and “formal trials” designed to fail. So where were those questions tonight?

Tuck, you let me down. I respect your trying to show both sides, but you let that old doc walk all over you. And that’s a disservice to all your viewers.

Posted by Drew458     on 07/28/2020 at 07:25 PM   
Filed Under: • Media-Bias • Pandemic Pandemonium •  
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   Monday - July 13, 2020

EZ Solution for NZ

Another misleading click bait headline

New Zealand To Quarantine People For Months, Years

A leading epidemiologist says “thousands of people” will continue to go through a 14-day stint in isolation facilities for months - and possibly years - into the future.

University of Otago professor of public health Michael Baker’s appearance on Newshub Nation on Saturday comes after multiple cases of people breaking out of their facilities.

Prof Baker says while New Zealand is doing “exceptionally well” so far, we need to be prepared for a “long-term risk management challenge”.

“Mistakes happen, and we have to learn from them and improve our systems so we don’t repeat those errors,” he tells host Simon Shepherd.

“We’re going to have thousands of people sitting in these facilities, quarantined in isolation facilities for months, maybe years ahead.

“Sensible risk management says when a mistake happens you figure out what went wrong, and you improve the system.”

The latest escapee, a person in their 60s, broke the window of the Waipuna Hotel in Auckland on Friday and climbed out of the building. They then scaled the fence and began to knock on the doors of neighbouring homes.

Their escape is the fourth since last Saturday, when a woman scaled two fences to escape from Auckland’s Pullman Hotel. She was out of isolation for more than an hour.

On Tuesday, a 32-year-old man snuck through a gap in the Stamford Plaza fencing and visited an inner-city supermarket. The following day he tested positive for COVID-19.

The third person to have allegedly escaped from managed isolation was Martin James McVicar. He allegedly absconded from the Distinction Hotel in Hamilton on Thursday evening before entering a nearby liquor store and reportedly buying a four-pack of Leffe Blonde and a bottle of pinot noir.

Solutions:

•  Don’t go to New Zealand. Period. If you have to conduct business there, do it online or by Zoom. The place lives for tourism, and this quarantine stuff will kill it, leaving them nothing but sheep and hobbits. Oh well.


•   Anyone foolish enough to go there and get stuck in quarantine gets issued plenty of booze, 2 cartons of smokes when entering. Rooms have free internet, free Kindle, and porn enabled TV. All rooms have an open window and “push out” ventilation That controls any airborne virus bits too.

,•   Airlines and cruise lines should have their own on-site COVID testing facilities. Want to get on our plane? Here, stick this up your nose, spit in this, and stick your finger with this thing. Now go sit in our “New Zealand style” individual waiting cells for the next 2 hours. Test negative and you can board. For really long flights or cruises, maybe have quick testing at the end too. Got sick onboard? We fly you home for free and refund your ticket.

Posted by Drew458     on 07/13/2020 at 09:15 AM   
Filed Under: • Pandemic Pandemonium •  
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   Friday - July 10, 2020

Karens Down Under

Major lockdown still in place in Australia. Karens hard at work ensuring adherence.

An all-night KFC gets an order for a lot of chicken at 1:30 in the morning. They rang it up on a credit card, cooked up the food, and tipped off the cops, who followed the delivery guy and then busted everybody at the destination where an illegal gathering of less than two dozen people was taking place. Fined them $18,000. No word on whether they got to enjoy the chicken.

A group celebrating a birthday party in Melbourne, Australia, was slapped with a $18,050 fine for violating coronavirus lockdown rules after police followed a KFC delivery order to its destination.

The partygoers had apparently ordered 20 meals at a KFC in the Melbourne suburb, Dandenong, at around 1:30 a.m. Friday, The Guardian reported.

The group was issued 16 fines for breaking lockdown orders.

Police were reportedly tipped off about the large order. The officials then followed the delivery car to the townhouse that had placed the order and discovered the gathering – despite guests attempting to hide in the backyard and under beds, the outlet shared.

The group was issued 16 fines for breaking lockdown orders.

The Victorian police commissioner, Shane Patton, called the behavior “absolutely ridiculous” in a statement to The Guardian.

The police commissioner did not call the citing of the fine ridiculous, he was referring to a small group of people having the temerity to actually have a party in somebody’s home. HOW DARE THEY.

Posted by Drew458     on 07/10/2020 at 03:32 PM   
Filed Under: • Crime • International • Pandemic Pandemonium •  
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   Wednesday - July 08, 2020

Tyrants Gotta Tyrant

NJ Gov Murphy: Now you’d better wear a mask outdoors too or else

NEW JERSEY – Gov. Phil Murphy on Wednesday said he’s ordering people to wear masks outside if they can’t social distance.

Murphy told MSNBC’s Morning Joe that face coverings are a “game-changer” and the policy has to change.
...

“We’re gonna turn that up a notch today and say, ‘We’re gonna ask you: If you can’t socially distance, it’s gonna be required,‘ “ Murphy said.

Murphy did tell “Morning Joe” that you’re not going to get cited if you’re by yourself or with your family. But if you’re congregating “with a lot of other folks and there’s no social distancing, you’re going to at least get a warning, if not something stronger,” he said.
...

Murphy did tell NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday that he believes there should be a national mask order, saying: “It’s become almost not even debatable, certainly when you’re going out and absolutely indoors.”

If this is such a “game changer” that it’s not even debatable (I guess “the science is settled”? ) then why is it that the rules allow you to wear just about any POS over your face? To hell with fashion, everyone should be wearing a mask rated at least N97, and probably with a cheap cloth mask over that if the mask has exhale valves. That would protect the rest of us from your breath if you haven’t tested negative lately. But let’s all be woke, and we’ll all suffer so that no Typhoid Mary stigma is attached to any double mask wearer.

The manufacturers have had months now to ramp up, and the PPE crisis is long over at most hospitals. We should be hip deep in N95+ rated masks by now. Good luck trying to find any, especially any made in the USA.

It’s also “almost not even debatable” that eye coverings can help too. So why not googles, face shields, or swim goggles?

Or is this just a total load? Duh, of course it is. Tyrants gotta tyrant no matter what. Murphy also just recently extended his Emergency Powers for another month, while cases in NJ continue to diminish. The media hype over our “spikes” is overdone and misleading. Specific data that identifies the demographics of the latest crop is not being fully released, other than the info that most new cases are with younger people. Anything more detailed would be raycis, even though true (eg it’s the same groups who won’t wear masks properly or do effective social distancing and have to be subponaed to cooperate with the tracers. So now we all have to suffer. Typical. ).

Expect fellow tyrannical Dem governors and mayors in NY, PA, MA, CA, etc to follow his lead within a day or two at most. Expect the media to dog-pile on President Trump when he opposes this or says this is a state issue.

~~~~~


UPDATE

On the other hand, His Imperial State Majesty has also kindly allowed restaurants to have indoor dining ... IF they can provide “wallspace” by opening doors and windows on at least two sides of the dining area AND also have a covered veranda where outdoor seating can be had. Duh, this limits a whole lot of eateries, but it fits our little Thai restaurant downtown perfectly. So who knows, maybe I can go sit down and eat in a restaurant by Friday. Course, it’ll be hot an muggy inside, because this is NJ in the summertime.

Posted by Drew458     on 07/08/2020 at 10:10 AM   
Filed Under: • Democrats-Liberals-Moonbat Leftists • Pandemic Pandemonium •  
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   Tuesday - July 07, 2020

You Are Not Welcome In NJ

Governor Murphy has extended his list of quarantine states again. Nearly half the country is on his “stay away” list.

Murphy said Delaware, Kansas and Oklahoma now meet the state’s metrics to qualify for the advisory. A total of 19 states are now included in the advisory, which asks travelers to quarantine for 14 days.
...
Here are the states:  Alabama Arkansas Arizona California Delaware Florida Georgia Iowa Idaho Kansas Louisiana Mississippi North Carolina Nevada Oklahoma South Carolina Tennessee Texas Utah

New Jersey expects that people will follow the public health advisory to self-quarantine; it’s not required.

It’s just too easy for him to blame his failings on everyone else.

This kind of thing is sure to make New Jersey even more popular with the rest of the country than it already isn’t. 

Posted by Drew458     on 07/07/2020 at 12:49 PM   
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The Pause That Kills

Well DUH. Lockdown and public fear is killing retail.

NEW JERSEY — Retailers were expecting a difficult year even before the coronavirus outbreak. But with COVID-19 shutting malls and stores for months, coupled with record unemployment, the results have been even more devastating than anticipated in New Jersey.

Among the national chains that have recently filed for bankruptcy are J.Crew, Neiman Marcus, Modell’s Sporting Goods, Pier 1, GNC, Chuck E. Cheese, Roots USA, True Religion, and Bluestem Brands. Sears, Kmart, JoAnn Stores and David’s Bridal reportedly could be nearing bankruptcy.

The effect of the retail calamity is being felt across New Jersey, although J.C. Penney, which also filed for bankruptcy, says no stores in the Garden State are closing.

Gov. Phil Murphy also said he’s planning to hit “pause” on reopening New Jersey since the state has backslid on controlling the virus. Murphy said New Jersey’s coronavirus rate-of-transmission has hit its highest level in 10 weeks.

According to “Red” Murphy, this whole spike is the fault of crowds in 2 bars at the beach, and 1 crowd at a bar in the northern part of the state. And people from Florida and Texas. Not a single word about any of the thousands of young fools who were out protesting and rioting a couple weeks ago, and we’ve heard a billion times how this virus takes a week or three to show itself once you’re infected.

And frankly, the “expecting a difficult year” is probably nonsense. Retailers had their greatest holiday sales ever this past December, and the opening of a new super mall etc was supposed to draw in high numbers of shoppers. Not to mention that any brick and mortar store with any brains also has an online outlet, and probably a fulfillment contract with Amazon. So get real. Like farmers, retailers are always crying poverty and disaster, until they suddenly admit they’re drowning in cash at the end of the year.



And here’s a bit about our “Janus”, our two faced governor who speaks out of both sides of his face with a forked tongue. He says Yes and No at the same time, all the time. Very aggravating.

NEW JERSEY — Gov. Phil Murphy said New Jersey has backslid now that the coronavirus rate of transmission has hit its highest level in 10 weeks. He made the statement Monday as he announced 216 new cases and 20 more deaths, which remain among the lowest daily numbers in the nation. [ So even “really really good” isn’t good enough. Perfection or else. What a maroon. ]

The update comes as the number of cases has risen to 173,611, and 13,373 confirmed deaths have been reported. [ well over 11,000 of those deaths happened during the peak of the epidemic ]

Murphy also said he’s planning to hit “pause” on reopening more parts of New Jersey since the state has backslid on controlling the virus.

Murphy said the rate of transmission exceeded 1.0 for the first time in 10 weeks, almost 20 percent higher than last week. The current rate is 1.03.

...

Murphy said there were several outbreaks in New Jersey over the past week, and South Jersey communities and Jersey Shore towns have shown some of the highest increases over the past month. Read more: New List Shows Town-By-Town NJ Coronavirus Cases, Deaths, Spikes

Some bars in Jersey Shore towns have been violating social distancing rules, and they’ve been caught on video. Murphy noted those incidents to re-emphasize his point that everybody should wear a mask, especially indoors, if they are not around immediate family.

Murphy said an outbreak in Hoboken and one caused by a wedding in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, also led to outbreaks in North Jersey.

...

Murphy said he doesn’t believe that reopening New Jersey’s economy has had much to do with the rise in the transmission rate. He said it points more to individual flare-ups, much of it caused by out-of-state travelers from “hot spots” such as Florida.

Murphy also said that reopening the state’s beaches and the economy probably didn’t contribute much to the rate-of-transmission increase. He said the problem is “an indoor reality,” and that the disease spreads more easily when people are inside.

Murphy said he would like to reopen indoor dining and he has “nothing but sympathy for the small-business community.” He made another plea for the federal government to provide direct cash assistance to those businesses.

There you go. Blame the out-of-staters. Because the whole country wants to come here. As if. Meanwhile businesses can go squat. Where does this commie idiot think the tax money is going to come from?

At least our governor makes sure all his minions dance to the same tune. Here’s our state health commissioner, who really hasn’t been heard from much at all up to this point:

Health Commissioner Judy Persichilli announced “another concerning pattern” during a coronavirus update on Tuesday: an increase in cases among young people.

In April, individuals between 18 and 29 years old made up 12 percent of COVID-19 cases in the state. Now, in June, that number has risen to make up 22 percent of cases. [ June, fin. It’s now July. Whaddya got for July? This is “news” right, not “olds”. ]

More than 640 residents between the ages of 18 and 29 have been hospitalized due to complications from this virus, Persichilli said. There have been more than 50 deaths among the age group.

“People of any age can get severe illness from COVID-19,” the health commissioner said.
...
The update was also preceded by a weekend of non-socially distant gatherings across the state, including large crowds at bars in Belmar to Morristown that have recently reopened. [ a weekend? This damn virus takes at least a week to incubate. ]
...
Crowding at bars may be contributing to this trend, and the governor said he will take action against establishments that are not following social distancing guidelines.

“While we know that some of this increase can be attributed to an increase in access to testing, we are still concerned about this trend,” said Persichilli. “We are especially concerned after gatherings we saw over the weekend at the Jersey Shore, and another bar in Northern New Jersey.

“Individuals were packed together at these locations, which raises the risk of spreading COVID-19 to one another, and then onto a wider community.”

Right. THREE bars in the entire state had crowds of young people 4 days ago. That explains the uptick perfectly. And if it doesn’t, we can also blame visitors from NYC and Philly. Oh, and the 22,000 tests we’re doing every single day.

Posted by Drew458     on 07/07/2020 at 08:52 AM   
Filed Under: • pandemic and epidemic diseases • Pandemic Pandemonium •  
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   Wednesday - July 01, 2020

We’re All Immunologists Now

Dammit, I thought I could go a whole day - one damn day - without being driven to make another COVID specific post. I can’t. The BS triggers me and I can’t put it down. Sorry.

Sensationalist journalism comes at us from both sides. While not necessarily “fake news”, the level of bias can bend an interpretation of events into surrealism. I think you know what I mean. I read it every morning in the over-the-horizon-leftwing NY Times Daily Briefing that shows up on my cell phone.

So I’m online (still super speedy and stable, yay!!) and I go over to Gateway Pundit. This is not a news blog that I visit too often, but I’ve found some good articles there lately, so I’m now stopping by routinely.

“BSA". Big. Scary. Articles. Evil Government Is Out To Get You, Because OrangeMan Bad and Freedom Worse!!!

Now Even The COMMON COLD Is Being Counted As A Positive COVID-19 Result, CDC Says reads one headline.

HUGE: MASSIVE CDC FRAUD UNCOVERED – CDC Grossly Overcounting Active China Coronavirus Cases Causing States to Keep Their Economies Closed Indefinitely reads another headline.

I’m losing it. WTFF?? After all the screw ups they’ve done, after all the flack I pray they caught over adding the untested “probables” and the “COVID associated” deaths to the soul destroying TOTAL COVID DEATH COUNT UNDER TRUMP numbers they throw at us, now they’re counting the common cold as COVID, and they’re counting recently discovered recovered cases as new and active cases, just to enable tyrannical governors to keep you frightened and under their thumbs even longer? This can’t be. OK, it can be, but I won’t accept it. I’m fed up and pissed off, tired of being pissed on.

But let’s hold on a minute. Let’s not just accept anything I read as clear fact. Let’s look into things a little bit. Education and illumination. And that means a ton of links, a bunch of reading, and another endless blog post by me that no one will read because TLDR.



There are several kinds of COVID tests out there.

There’s the PCR test, also known as the nasal swab (nasopharyngeal), also known as the viral test, also known as the antigen test, also known as the diagnostic test. This same test can also be done with a throat swab, which makes that one the oropharyngeal test. Different swab location, same test. It’s looking for the presence of the actual virus, also generically called a pathogen.

Then there’s the antibody test, also known as the blood test, also known as the serology test. This one is looking for antibodies; evidence that your body is fighting the virus.

Then there’s the saliva test, developed by Rutgers and not yet widely disseminated. It works pretty much the same way as the PCR swab test.

Lastly, there’s the test you’ve probably never heard of unless you or someone close to you has been sick enough with this to be admitted to the hospital. They run a test called the C-RP, which stands for C-reactive Protein, which they can use to determine just how sick you are. They already know you’ve got it before you get there; this test helps them figure out how bad it is.

It’s confusing that these tests have so many different names.

So generally, there are two kinds of test available to us out in the world. The 3 kinds of PCR test, and the antibody test. And while all of them look for COVID, they look for different aspects of the disease.

The CPR test can ONLY tell you if you have the disease active in your system. Am I sick with COVID, right now? Yes or No.

The antibody test tests for antibodies. Antibodies are what your body creates to fight off antigens. Antigens are foreign baddies in your body. Like SARS COV-2 virus particles. And now it gets a bit complicated. At this point two main COVID antibodies are being looked for with this test. One, the immunoglobulin M, commonly called IgM, are produced by the body early in the infectious stages. They don’t stick around long, whch is probably what those 4 international studies I blogged about last week were referring to. If they aren’t enough to beat the virus, your body starts making immunoglobulin G, commonly called IgG. These are the long term antibodies that can stay in your body forever. [ Should that not be enough to win the day, your body can then activate some aspect of white blood cells, called T cells, that can rip the infected cells right out of your body. In severe cases they can go haywire, totally overreactive, leading to this cytoskine storm thing you’ve heard about. This is bad. In children this is extremely rare, but it’s called the Kawasaki Syndrome, even though it’s proper name is Paediatric multisystem inflammatory syndrome. Everything to do with COVID-19 has multiple names!! ]

So what does the antibody test tell you? It tells you that your body is fighting, or has fought, the SARS COV 2 virus. This is not the same thing as “you have the COVID”. It can mean you’ve had it to one degree or another, or it can mean that you still have it and are fighting it. Given that it often takes a few weeks for your body to produce these antibodies, the test is not at all a useful indicator of recent infection. And this is why every single source that describes the antibody test says it should never be used to definitively say that you have the virus.



Ok, that wasn’t too bad. Now let’s muddy the waters further. No test is perfect. All tests need to strike a balance between sensitivity and specificity. Huh, what?

A good test needs to be sensitive enough to find what it’s looking for, even if there are only small amounts of it in a sample. Tests that are too sensitive will give too high a rate of false positives. Tests that aren’t sensitive enough will give too high a rate of false negatives, and are essentially worthless.

A good test also needs to be fairly specific. SAR COV 2 is a variation of the SARS disease that was around 17 years ago, and it’s also a coronavirus. Sure, you hear on the news people talking about THE coronavirus, because that’s easy to say. But there are quite a number of them. SARS is one, duh, and there are at least two other kinds that cause the common cold. No doubt there are millions of different coronaviruses, but they aren’t germaine to this diatribe of mine. The point is, a good test needs to be specific enough to be able to tell one coronavirus from another, and only trip on this particular SARS COV 2 one. But it can’t be too specific, because the virus is known to mutate. But in order to be broad enough to react to the mutated versions, it might also trigger on non COVID coronaviruses. Like the common cold. Obviously that leniency has to be pretty small; if even 5% of the tests found a common cold virus and called it COVID, then the test wouldn’t be very reliable. So I’m sure the FDA/CDC has some kind of tolerance limit - damnation they had better!! - but some small percentage of other viruses will trigger some of the tests. That’s just the way it is. No test is perfect.

It’s important to note that some tests can mistake IgM antibodies from other coronaviruses, such as common cold strains, for SARS-CoV-2 antibodies.

However, to pounce on that long known lack of perfection and make headlines out of it, COMMON COLD now counts as COVID-19, is sensationalist journalism. Yes, there are a few. Damn few, but a few. So what?



Let my lack of medical professional study and training make a guess ... I wonder if the early stage IgM antibody is somewhat generic. Like, the same antibody could work against SARS COV-2, or “regular” SARS, or the common cold. And that the IgG antibody is more specific, aimed just at SARS COV-2. Just a guess on my part. Any doctors, virologists, or immunologists, feel free to correct me in the comments.

I wonder this because the antibody test tests for both of them. And if it comes back showing ONLY the IgM antibody, that could mean you’ve got some kind of coronavirus. Or it could mean you’re in the early stages of the COVID-19 illness. Or it could mean that you had one of these coronaviruses, but not severely, and you got over it recently, fighting it off with only IgM. See why the antibody test is useless as an indicator of current infection?




And now, FINALLY, to the second post, about CDC cheating the new case numbers in a massive fraud against freedom. Well, eventually. We’re getting there, I promise!

It seems obvious to me that anyone testing positive in any way to the antibody test should immediately have the PCR swab test done. If you’re not symptomatic and just curious to know if you have, or have had. this annoying disease, then the PCR test is a good first step, but that comes back negative and you’re still curious you should take the antibody test.

Now that I’ve thought about it a bit, it would probably be the best idea to give everyone being tested BOTH tests at the same time. Maybe even the saliva test too. That’s such an obvious idea that my county has a special graphic to help people interpret the results from getting both tests.

Put in my simple, slightly sarcastic terms, they say:
PCR positive, Antibody positive: you’re sick, and you’ve been sick for a while.
PCR positive, Antibody negative: you just got sick.
PCR negative, Antibody positive: you were sick but you got better.
PCR negative, Antibody negative: why are you wasting our time? You’re a COVID virgin. If you’re sick, it ain’t from COVID. Go away.

CDC BAD, AGAIN
So if the CDC is lumping newly found cases found by the antibody test in a generic category called NEW CASES, causing the totals to spike and the media to freak, then they are doing us a gross disservice. At this point it is pretty inexcusable to NOT have a category for recovered people, or to make secondary PCR testing mandatory for these people, delaying tabulating those cases as NEW until that result is back. Because until they decide that everyone who ever had this is infectious FOREVER so stay in your house quivering in fear until you die!!!, the rest of us don’t have to worry about anyone who had it before but is over it now. They aren’t infectious, so who cares? Herd immunity and all that. Lumping those results into one big mish mash and then using that as a policy sledgehammer is a dirty rotten thing to do, and the CDC themselves admits this is what they are doing. This is pointed out by both The Atlantic and Forbes, two fairly well respected magazines. It is really hard to believe this is not politically motivated. Investigate, fine, fire, execute.

Ok, so maybe the 2nd post at GP isn’t overly sensational.

The CDC is over counting the number of China coronavirus cases in an apparent effort to keep the country shut down throughout the summer.  This fraudulent activity was uncovered by the far-left Atlantic proving even a dead clock is right twice a day.

On May 21, 2020, the Atlantic reported that the CDC was over counting the number of cases of individuals with the China coronavirus:

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is conflating the results of two different types of coronavirus tests, distorting several important metrics and providing the country with an inaccurate picture of the state of the pandemic. We’ve learned that the CDC is making, at best, a debilitating mistake: combining test results that diagnose current coronavirus infections with test results that measure whether someone has ever had the virus. The upshot is that the government’s disease-fighting agency is overstating the country’s ability to test people who are sick with COVID-19. The agency confirmed to The Atlantic on Wednesday that it is mixing the results of viral and antibody tests, even though the two tests reveal different information and are used for different reasons.

This is not merely a technical error. States have set quantitative guidelines for reopening their economies based on these flawed data points.

Or maybe it’s just sensational enough.

Hell, the CDC themselves says not to use the antibody test as an indicator:

Except in instances in which viral testing is delayed, antibody tests should not be used to diagnose a current COVID-19 infection.

This is statistical sleight of hand by the bean counters. And it was brought to their attention weeks ago, yet they’ve done nothing to correct it. Like I said, no excuse for not having an Active category and a Recovered category. And yeah, it’s political.
It leads directly to more stupidity by Fauci and more governors pulling the rug out from under us again. And it spreads fear, and hurts the economy. When will heads finally roll at the CDC? It’s long overdue.

https://medical.mit.edu/faqs/faq-testing-covid-19#faq-1
https://gulfnews.com/world/rapid-covid-19-tests-what-negative-or-positive-results-mean-1.1593518787640
https://www.webmd.com/lung/antibody-testing-covid-19#1
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/testing/serology-overview.html
https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Testing-Guidance.pdf
https://www.cnet.com/how-to/coronavirus-antibody-nasal-swab-saliva-testing-what-to-know-about-covid-19-tests/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cytokine_storm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paediatric_multisystem_inflammatory_syndrome
https://www.webmd.com/lung/copd/covid-copd-overview

Posted by Drew458     on 07/01/2020 at 09:09 PM   
Filed Under: • Pandemic Pandemonium •  
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Tweedledee, Tweedledum and Tweedledumber

New York City will not allow indoor dining to resume next week as originally scheduled due to growing coronavirus outbreaks in other parts of the country, Mayor Bill de Blasio said Wednesday.

“We see a lot of problems and we particularly see problems revolving around people going back to bars and restaurants indoors. Indoors is the problem more and more, the science is showing it more and more,” de Blasio said at a press briefing.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Monday he would consider delaying the city’s reopening of indoor dining areas and would make a final decision on Wednesday. The governor is scheduled to hold a press briefing later.

De Blasio said outdoor dining, which was allowed to open on June 22, has “unquestionably” been a great hit and “outdoors has been working.” The city will allow its beaches and some outdoor pools to reopen starting Wednesday, he said.

The percentage of people testing positive in the city has remained steady at around 2%, which is a “very very good number,” de Blasio said. The figure has remained below the city’s threshold of 15% since early May.

New York has allowed regions of the state to reopen in phases. New York City is expected to begin its “Phase 3” reopening on Monday.

Personally, I don’t buy it. This smacks of punishment for even thinking about not obeying their almighty authority. And I’m getting really tired of it. Who wants to bet that fellow tyrant Wolfe over in PA does the same thing next?

Remember how the whole point of the lockdown was to flatten the curve, to delay the onset in as many other places for as long as possible? It wasn’t to prevent anyone from catching it ever. Well, that delay happened. And now it’s those other places’ turns.

I’m sorry for them, but I doubt that their cases came from people visiting from the former hotspots, and I doubt that their spikes came from a few hundred young folks going out to bars for a night. But it might be very insightful to see who it is who is getting sick now, and whether they were some of the thousands involved in any of those massive protests (a question these contact tracers are NOT allowed to ask), or if they just got back from a trip to Mexico (or just snuck over the border from there). And let’s get some age data for a change too ... because if the vast majority of these new cases turn out to be healthy people under 45 years old, then STFU. They’re in the really low risk zone, and 99% of them will be better in a week or two.

Posted by Drew458     on 07/01/2020 at 03:10 PM   
Filed Under: • Pandemic Pandemonium •  
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   Monday - June 29, 2020

King Murphy The Ultimate Karen

UPDATE: The New York Times Daily Briefing says he did this because new cases are on the upswing in the South and Southwest. Yeah, right, that makes sense. Because everyone from Mesa Arizona gets on a jet (which aren’t even hardly flying yet) and comes to NJ to have lunch at Bennigan’s. What a load.

Gov. Phil Murphy, speaking during a Monday news conference, said he has to “hit pause” on the reopening of indoor dining in New Jersey. He made the announcement as he said New Jersey has 156 new cases of the coronavirus and 18 more deaths (you can watch it here, below).

Murphy said indoor dining will reopen “at a later date,” but he didn’t specify. It was supposed to resume on Thursday.

Murphy said the spikes in other states were largely driven by the reopening of indoor dining and bars. He also cited the scenes at the Jersey Shore and elsewhere, where people have been congregating in close proximity, as a reason to step back.

“We do not believe it is prudent with what, is in effect, a sedentary activity,” Murphy said.

Murphy appeared to be referring to videos of bars and restaurants in Sea Bright and Belmar that have shown people partying and drinking while not practicing social distancing.

There were only 149 reported new cases today. The daily number has be at or under 250 for 23 days now, and averaging well under 500 since May 23.

For more than 5 weeks, NJ has had fewer new cases per day than we did two weeks BEFORE the early lockdown here. BS from the governor much?

When the restaurants got the green light for indoor dining, they all went out and bought fresh supplies, spent wads of money cleaning and sanitizing, rehired staff, and so forth. But now the King of NJ has waved his Imperial Hand, and they can go pound sand ... but it’s OK for thousands to protest something that doesn’t even exist, while not wearing masks or doing social distancing or using hand sanitizer.

He sux.

PS - don’t tell anybody, but a certain seafood chain restaurant in South Plainfield NJ has been doing sit down dining for a couple weeks now. Their customers are almost exclusively black. Maybe they were having indoor protests or something. Yeah, that’s it.

Posted by Drew458     on 06/29/2020 at 04:52 PM   
Filed Under: • Pandemic Pandemonium •  
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