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.
on 07/08/2020 at 10:10 AM
Democrats-Liberals-Moonbat Leftists • Pandemic Pandemonium • Trackbacks (0) • Permalink
This Week’s Hate Hoax
Guy also has extensive criminal record
Gee, you think maybe he should withdraw his committee membership, either now or from prison in the near future?
UMATILLA COUNTY, Ore.—A man who claimed he received a hate-filled, racist letter from an anonymous person allegedly wrote the letter himself, Hermiston Police say.
Chief Jason Edmiston tells KEPR-TV News that the criminal investigation for second-degree intimidation due to the racist, hate-filled letter received by Jonathan Lopez on June 23 has been closed. The matter will be referred this week to the Umatilla County District Attorney’s Office for initiating a false report - a Class A misdemeanor in Oregon.
Edmiston says the investigation has shown that Jonathan Lopez wrote the letter himself and made false statements to the police and on social media. The end result is a verbal and written admission by Lopez that the letter was fabricated.
Additionally, the Hermiston Police are sending the Office of the District Attorney verifiable information of potential election fraud as it pertains to the Stolen Valor Act of 2013 and other false credentials presented by Mr. Lopez during his run for county commissioner. This in conjunction with a lengthy criminal history record may result in the filing of additional charges.
Lopez posted the hateful letter filled with racist, homophobic and misogynist slurs.
Lopez admits the whole thing and tried to make excuses. He was just raising awareness!!
Lopez initially stated that it was a big misunderstanding. He said he just meant to speak with Edmiston about racism in Umatilla County and use the letter as an example of the type of racism people experience, but often don’t speak out about publicly.
“I never meant to file a report, it just kind of spiraled out,” he said. He also said he “never meant to mislead” the public.
When questioned further about his statements on Facebook and the fact that he told an East Oregonian reporter on June 24 that he had found the letter in his mailbox when he got home, he confirmed that he had told a police officer the same story.
Lopez ran for a seat on the Umatilla County Board of Commissioners during the May 2020 primary and placed fourth. He is also a member of the city of Hermiston’s Hispanic Advisory Committee.
Edmiston said his department was also forwarding information to the district attorney’s office about possibly fraudulent statements in Lopez’s entry in the May 2020 voter’s guide about his background and education. Those claims were also reported in the East Oregonian leading up to the election.
Edmiston also alleged that HPD has learned that Lopez never served in the U.S. Coast Guard as stated, which would be a violation of the 2013 Stolen Valor Act. Lopez has not provided documentation to the East Oregonian to confirm his claim of Coast Guard service when asked.
Fake letter, fake hate hoax, fake military service, fake educational credentials, hid his criminal record. Sounds like a perfect Democrat.
I hope they throw the book at him, but as a swish who can play a race card, thus having double immunity, I expect nothing to happen.
on 07/08/2020 at 09:53 AM
Democrats-Liberals-Moonbat Leftists • Trackbacks (0) • Permalink
BroFo Sux
This isn’t even worth a blog post.
Ilhan Omar calls for America to be torn down. Because she’s so oppressed.
Meanwhile, the amoral scandalous wanton homewrecker incestuous bigamist jihadi is spending a full third of her campaign contributions on her new husband’s publicity company. This puts a whole lot of extra cash in their pocket. Spending nears $900K.
My question is, what dipwads would be donating money to this thing?
She disgusts me.
on 07/08/2020 at 07:30 AM
Commies • Democrats-Liberals-Moonbat Leftists • Trackbacks (0) • Permalink
Tuesday - July 07, 2020
China Is Asshoe, part 3 million and 4
Got Your Data? So Does China.
FBI Director Christopher Wray on Tuesday warned Americans that the Chinese government’s theft of American information is taking place on so large a scale, suspected incidents make up nearly half of his bureau’s counterintelligence cases.
Speaking at an event hosted by the Hudson Institute in Washington, Wray said that Chinese thefts amount to “one of the largest transfers of wealth in human history,” and that the American people are the victims.
“Of the nearly 5,000 active FBI counterintelligence cases currently under way across the country, almost half are related to China,” Wray said. “And at this very moment, China is working to compromise American health care organizations, pharmaceutical companies and academic institutions conducting essential COVID-19 research.”
In fact, Wray said that most Americans have already been affected.
“If you’re an American adult, it is more likely than not that China has stolen your personal data,” he said.
As an example, Wray noted that in 2014 Chinese hackers stole more than 21 million records from the U.S. Office of Personnel Management.
On the one hand, China Is Asshoe. They lie and cheat and steal and distort the truth.
On the other hand, this report is from the FBI. They lie and cheat and steal and distort the truth.
I don’t trust either of them.
And There Is No Joy In Whoville
Trump Dumps WHO
The Trump administration has formally notified the United Nations that the United States is withdrawing from the World Health Organization, officials said Tuesday, cutting off one of the organization’s biggest sources of aid amid a pandemic that has infected more than 11.6 million people, killed more than a half a million, and upended life around the world.
“The United States’ notice of withdrawal, effective July 6, 2021, has been submitted to the U.N. secretary general, who is the depository for the W.H.O.,” said a senior administration official.
By law, the United States must give the organization a year’s notice if it intends to withdraw, and meet all the current financial obligations in the current year.
Mr. Trump, whose response to the pandemic has drawn criticism, first announced that he planned to halt funding to the W.H.O. in April, claiming that the organization had made a series of mistakes as it battled the virus. The biennial budget for the W.H.O. is about $6 billion, which comes from member countries around the world. In 2019, the last year for which figures were available, the United States contributed about $553 million.
OTOH, if Biden wins the election, he has said he’d rejoin this crop of idiots in a nanosecond.
Maybe Trump should just cut our annual funding to a dollar.
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 UtahNew 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.
My Perspective on that black thing
The Bearable Whiteness Of Being
I wanted to post this last night, but I was too tired. We were listening to Hannity on FoxNews, going on and on and on and ON about how the police are totally needed to curb the problem of black on black violence in the big cities.
While he is right, that’s a bit of sleight of hand. What is really needed is black people to act responsibly and to curb their base violent tendencies, and reject the idea that drugs, crime, pimps, and gangs are cool.
While Hannity was throwing out numbers, statistics, and pictures of the latest batch of black children killed in the crossfire, I realized that I’d like to offer some of my own personal statistics. Perhaps they don’t count, because “white privilege”, but they remain true regardless.
I live in a condo park. There is another smaller condo park at the top of the hill. Down at the bottom of the hill is a newer small complex of 3 townhouses. The three places together sit on about 85 acres, and that rough measurement includes some woods, and two small ponds. Our park has 438 units, the other condo park has 72 units, and the apartment complex has 36 units. So 546 units total; about 1000 people live here. The two condo parks were built in the late 1970s; the apartments are from about 2015. Until those apartments went in, this place was 98% lily white, but HUD and Obama demanded affordable diversity housing, so the new place has lots of ethnic residents.
There are 640 acres per square mile, so 1000 people on 85 acres is about 7950 people per square mile, a living density in the same arena as many urban areas.
We have not had any crime or problems since “the darkies” moved in. And we had about 0 crime before that. Nobody really cares here if you look or talk different, welcome to the street, keep the music down, and clean up after your dog.
So, here are our statistics
murders in the last 40 years: 0
shootings in the last 40 years: 0
robberies in the last 40 years: 0
rapes in the last 40 years: 0
burglaries in the last 40 years: less than 5, and they happened long before I moved here in 1997. Burglars got caught, residents bought guns and alarm systems, problem solved.
arson cases in the last 40 years: 0
drug busts in the last 40 years: 0
child abductions in the last 40 years: 1, in which a divorced dad kept his visiting daughter a couple days longer than he was allowed. Charges dropped.
car theft in the last 40 years: 0. Ok, maybe 1 temporary one. And that was a repo where the tow truck guys took the wrong Audi from a parking lot that had 6 of them, 3 the same color. Oopsie!
DUI arrests: maybe a couple, ex post facto. About 8 years ago I remember seeing a car parked halfway over the parking spot on the hill going down to the pond. And somebody did miss one of the sharp road corners late one night 5 years ago and took a chunk out of the corner of one of the buildings.
Do we have continuous and intimidating police presence here? Oh hella no. Although the Clinton cops use our road as a shortcut to get to the diner, we’re actually in Union Township, which doesn’t have a police department. The State Police give us what coverage we need, which is just about none. They also use our private road as a shortcut, as we have exits and entrance ramps to the highway near both ends of our village.
So it isn’t the cops that keep our area crime free. It’s the people who live here. It’s their attitude of self-respect and neighborliness. A generally higher level of education and income might have something to do with it, although us condo people are the poor folks in this area. Which doesn’t mean that this place is a run down garbage dump either. It’s in good repair, pretty clean, no junk cars, no public drunks, no vagrants, and only a couple low-res residents.
To me this is perfectly normal. Just people being people. Maybe if Hannity’s people were people instead of dimwitted feral animals, they wouldn’t need tons of policing either.
PS - this part of the state is so Republican that half the time the Democrats can’t even find a candidate for some of the local government positions. They don’t get elected anyway, so why bother? We do have some liberals here, but they keep their yaps shut because the rest of us just laugh at their foolishness.
on 07/07/2020 at 11:14 AM
Crime • Guns and Gun Control • Racism and race relations • Trackbacks (0) • Permalink
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:
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.
on 07/07/2020 at 08:52 AM
pandemic and epidemic diseases • Pandemic Pandemonium • Trackbacks (0) • Permalink
Monday - July 06, 2020
A Truth About Lies
The Lying Liars And The Lies They Tell, Categorized Somewhat
In An Industry of Untruth VDH writes a little essay on all the BS that rains down on us every day. VDH is always a good read.
The brand of all cultural revolutions is untruth about the past and present in order to control the future. Why we have this happening to our country is the only mystery left.
The current revolution is based on a series of lies, misrepresentations, and distortions, whose weight will soon sink it.
Viral confusion
Unfortunately few in authority have been more wrong, and yet more self-righteously wrong, than the esteemed Dr. Anthony Fauci.
...
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, more than any other regional or national leader, is culpable for decisions that doomed thousands of elderly patients.
...
Then in shameful fashion, after thousands died, Cuomo claimed that either the facilities themselves or Donald Trump were responsible for the deaths.
...
Endemic Racial Violence?Black Lives Matter, Antifa, and other revolutionary groups hijacked the tragic death of George Floyd. Within hours they created a mythology of rampant white police lethal attacks on innocent black victims. But that trope, too, was without a factual basis.
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Iconoclasm ReduxThere is no logic to statue toppling, name changing, or culture canceling other than the quest to assert power, humiliate authorities, and create crises where they do not exist in order to manufacture a faux state of emergency—in service of a political agenda.
...
Trial Balloon LiesThe truth is that the COVID-19 epidemic, the lockdown, and the rioting were seen by the Left, the media, and now the Democratic Party as a renewed effort in this election year to do what Robert Mueller, Ukraine, and impeachment had not—abort the presidency of Donald Trump, or make it impossible for him to be reelected.
So Trump was to be reconfigured as a racist responsible for the death of George Floyd. Then he was smeared as a Herbert Hoover who supposedly crashed the economy all on his own. And then he became a Typhoid Mary purveyor of death who sickened and killed tens of thousands of Americans at his rallies in a way millions at left-wing protests did not.
To that end, almost daily, entire fantasies were birthed, floated, crashed, and then were replaced by new hoaxes. The strategy was that while one lie might be refuted, the bigger and more numerous the lies, the more a continuous narrative could be fabricated.
...
BidenThen there was the monstrous lie that Joe Biden has no cognitive disabilities.
...
Biden finally came out of his bunker to do some tele-fundraising and talk to a few preselected reporters. He almost immediately blasted a reporter as a “lying dog face.” In one of his next appearances, his opening statement started with “I am Joe Biden’s husband, even as the liberal media insisted “Joe” was “Jill.”
...
What is cruel is cynically using a cognitively challenged candidate for the purpose of winning an election and then replacing him with a far-left vice president who otherwise likely would never have been elected.
...
In 2020, the effort is not to ensure that a socialist not be appointed president who otherwise would not have been elected, but rather to ensure that she will be.
The brand of all cultural revolutions is untruth about the past and present in order to control the future. Why we have let this happen to our country is the only mystery left.
on 07/06/2020 at 03:17 PM
Democrats-Liberals-Moonbat Leftists • Media-Bias • Trackbacks (0) • Permalink
Fiat Lux
I finally got around to changing the bulb in one of the recessed light fixtures in our bathroom. It’s been out for months. With all these 3rd generation LED bulbs, they last so long I don’t even remember where the spares are kept. So after looking through the closets and drawers, I remembered that I’d see a pack of them out in the gigantic mess we call our garage when I was looking for some tool or something last week. So I went out and got them. A little dusty, the generic package unlabeled and slightly water stained. Brought them in the house, took one out and screwed it in. And the instant I did that the lights went out.
Aw crooop, what have I done?
So I spent a few minutes using the flashlight from my cellphone to check all the breakers, and then realized that power was out to the whole place. Power was out to the whole condo park. It had happened at that exact instant.
We had a line squall moving in; the wind kicked up from nothing, clouds sprang up, the sky got dark, the temperature dropped 15° in a couple of minutes ... and then the downpour began. One of those short intense summer rains, it was over in a couple minutes. And then the power came back on. So I checked the bulb, and it was working just fine. Yay me.
But what is this, why is it so yellow? Reach up to check it, and the thing is hot! WTH? And then I figured it out: this was an actual lightbulb. Not an LED, not a CFL, not one of those halogens masquerading as a bulb, but an actual incandescent lightbulb. 60 watts, 770 lumens, Sylvania. How many years has that thing been around? They were dead and gone ages before we moved in here 8+ years ago the day before Hurricane Sandy. They went away under Bush 43, right? 2006 or before? Wow. It felt like a “hey let me take my other car” moment and finding an Egyptian chariot in the garage. Something from antiquity.
It’s a nice comforting light. Let’s see if it lasts. IIRC, those old bulbs had a life measured in hours, not in decades. And there’s only one left in the pack.
Monday Morning COVID BS
Sorry. I’m sick to death of it too.
NEW JERSEY – New projections and data suggest New Jersey is on the right course after nearly a month of reopenings that have impacted the coronavirus outbreak. But Gov. Phil Murphy said there are signs that “we run the risk of this thing coming back at us” if New Jersey doesn’t remain cautious.
Indeed, there are signs that the rate of transmission is still too high in New Jersey’s more rural counties, particularly in South Jersey. And a study from researchers and epidemiologists says New Jersey is no longer on track to contain the coronavirus as infection numbers surge to record new highs across the country.
According to the administration’s models:
Hospitalizations were expected to drop 22 percent from July 1 through 7.
Active infections were expected to drop 22 percent to 2,174 from July 1 through 7. The July 7 number would be a 53 percent drop from June 19th.
ICU patients were expected to drop from 170 to 131 on July 7th.The Murphy administration also noted that numbers have declined since the reopenings started more than a month ago.
On June 4th, 1,982 people were hospitalized. On Sunday, the number was 917.
On June 4 th, 537 people were in critical or intensive care. On Sunday, the number was 210.
On May 17th, when the reopenings started, Murphy announced that New Jersey had 1,272 new cases. On Sunday, the number was 303.But, based on the models and other factors, there are some concerning signs that perhaps contributed to Murphy’s decision to suspend the reopening of indoor dining.
Here are some factors that may cause concern:
The state’s case rate is actually running ahead of its recent projections. The Murphy administration’s models predicted that New Jersey would have 170,842 total cases by Tuesday; it had 171,667.
Yes, the lead factor for “concern” is that the real world number is less that 1/2% higher than the latest projection. Oh noes, reality! Run, hide, shelter in place!!
Meanwhile, another 80,000 people have been tested here in NJ since my last screed on this topic. Well, given the PCR swab test. No numbers for the antibody test, and 1,270 for the saliva test in our local 2 county pilot testing project. This adds up to 17.25% of the population of the entire state.
This is the very first news article I’ve seen anywhere that mentions the number of active cases. Obviously this number is known, and known in every county in the nation. Yet it is not a stat the public needs to see I guess. Um, wrong! It’s the only stat that matters.
Hunterdon County is still not fully opened. Masks must be worn to go into any business, customers limited to 25% of capacity, haircuts, manicures, massages, by appointment only, movie theaters still not open, no eat in dining, etc.
A recent report by a leftwing, Silicon Valley/Soros funded “watchdog” group called COVID Action Now ( IMO anything with “action” and/or “now” in it’s name is guaranteed to be a leftist commie rag ) has declared that my county is not “controlling” the virus, and that our spreading rate, the infamous R value, is greater than 1.0. Danger Will Robinson, Danger!!! This is an obvious farm cart full of horse apples.
Each color is one of our townships or boroughs. The 3 at the top are the ones with the prisons and the LTC centers. Removing those cases to get an “adjusted public” case count drops those 3, top to bottom, to 29, 0, and 112, respectively. That 112 belongs to Raritan Township, which is the largest township in the county and has the largest population.
on 07/06/2020 at 07:39 AM
pandemic and epidemic diseases • Trackbacks (0) • Permalink
Saturday - July 04, 2020
Happy Fourth, Whatever Is Left Of It
Remember to remember today. And to talk about it with the people around you. I’ve got a pocket sized copy of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, left over from Tea Party days. I’m considering reading it out loud, letting everyone orate a paragraph or two.
There will be no fireworks in our area. They’ve been canceled, because gathering to watch them could limit social distancing. Personal fireworks are generally illegal in NJ anyway, although the state has reluctantly allowed small sparklers (labeled use with adult supervision and wear eye protection!!) and poppers. And the feds regulated firecrackers and anything larger down to anemic levels back in the 60s.
We’re supposed to go to the annual party at the cousin’s place. Better wear your mask, or at least be seen wearing one when entering his yard. Thankfully, the governor has allowed us to have gatherings larger than our group will be. Don’t ask me how we’re going to maintain social distancing with 50 people in his backyard. Thankfully his place is still in NJ. That way we don’t have to quarantine if we cross state lines.
Obviously, don’t drink and drive. Even if you are wearing your government mandated seat belts, in your fairly new vehicle that reports your location and possibly your conversations to the government. As does the cell phone in your pocket. But it’s a big crime to be operating a vehicle of any kind, including boats, dirt bikes, scooters, canoes, golf carts, and probably mobility chairs if you’ve had even a couple of beers in the last hour or two.
Can you go to church today if you wanted to? Or, if you’re Christian or Jewish, will the authorities still come and ticket or arrest you, even if you’re in the parking lot with the windows closed, listening to your preacher on the radio? Muslims get a free pass.
And for goodness sake, remember to not say anything negative about Black Lives Matter, or the open war on our society by antifa and other anarchist Marxist groups, or lament any lovely old statues in your area that have been destroyed, or even obliquely refer to the media’s war on our President, our culture, and our nation. If you do talk about any of the Founding Fathers, remember to always mention that these dead white males were members of the patriarchy and that most of them owned slaves, therefore nothing that they ever said, wrote, or did has any validity. And for God’s sake (oops, sorry, God isn’t allowed either) Gaia’s sake, DO NOT POST your thoughts and opinions on social media. This could cost you your job either now or decades from now, and if your opinions are bold enough it could get you arrested for Hate Speech. Remember, everyone around you is a Karen for the state if they feel like it.
Perhaps you’ll just enjoy this day communing with nature, getting out of the built up areas and back to the forests in the national parks. This makes you a racist.
So celebrate today, because we are a free people.
Yeah.
Thursday - July 02, 2020
yay, bowling
King Murphy has finally allowed the bowling alleys in NJ to reopen. With all sorts of precautions, masks, barriers, social distancing, etc.
So I went up there today and threw 4 games. I haven’t bowled since March 13. I figure it’s time to learn how to bowl all over again, so I tried the Drop Your Shoulder method. This allows a straighter, more perpendicular swing. And it seems to work. First game I threw was a 194, with the first 2 frames open. Then I threw a 164, followed by a 166 while trying out different lines. That gave me a 523 series, which isn’t so bad considering. Just for fun I threw one more game, and came up with a 199 that had 4 opens. In other words, every closed frame was a strike, but my right corner spare throw was not working at all today. So far my hand isn’t hurting and my back isn’t out, so maybe this is a smarter way for me to roll.
She has tomorrow off, so we’ll both go up and toss a few. And then it’s the big holiday weekend. Not sure if I’m going to her cousin’s party Saturday or not. I saw all those people at Christmas and got sick afterwards. This will be outside, in the swamp humidity of a NJ summer.
The MERV Of Them!
ONE instance in China where an air conditioner is suspected of spreading COVID by blowing droplets around. One. The thesis was not tested or replicated in a lab, but it seems to make a bit of sense. So let the panic and the kneejerk and the political weaponization ensue. Cry havoc, and let slip the dogs of Dem. We must all live in a sanitized bubble from now on, or else we’ll die. Riiight.
Cuomo says malls may need to improve air filtration before they can open
ALBANY — Gov. Andrew Cuomo contended Friday that ventilation systems in malls and theaters could spread the coronavirus, an assertion immediately disputed by the largest operator of shopping plazas in upstate New York.
Pyramid Management Group, in a statement responding to Cuomo, said, “There is no documented link between HVAC systems and the spread of COVID-19 in malls.”
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Cuomo said the state is trying to determine if there are any ventilation filters on the market that can trap the coronavirus.
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Other venues with HVAC systems that have remained open or have reopened at reduced capacity include office buildings, subway stations and retail stores outside of malls. Schools were closed in March, though the reason given was concern over the density of people in classrooms, not ventilation issues.Pyramid said it has been working with HVAC technicians to increase fresh air flow into the buildings it manages and install new filters. The company said it has complied with all guidance offered by the Centers for Disease Control, a federal agency, as well as by the state government led by Cuomo.
“This week, we have spoken with dozens of HVAC companies who have shared that Pyramid has done considerably more than other businesses that they represent who are open,” Pyramid said.
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Cuomo said the state Department of Health, led by Dr. Howard Zucker, is overseeing the effort to determine if there is a filtration system available to remove the virus from air circulation.As for gyms, Cuomo said he is concerned that people could exhale the virus into the air while vigorously exercising.
This sort of reminds me of the old Beatles song Taxman; government controlling every aspect of your life right down to the air you breathe, through taxation and regulation.
If you drive a car, I’ll tax the street
If you try to sit, I’ll tax your seat
If you get too cold, I’ll tax the heat
If you take a walk, I’ll tax your feet
Pushed just a tiny bit further, this is a Catch-22 hurdle put in the way of businesses. Not only would an effective HVAC mitigation be very expensive to install and maintain, not one of them exists that is Officially Approved to capture or kill this specific virus. That seal of approval will take years and cost millions. And what are businesses and offices to do in the meantime?
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I saw this coming a couple months ago and posted about it. While dining and working in the great outdoors is probably the best and least expensive solution, the whole point of civilization is to get as far away from nature as possible. Away from the wind and rain and bugs and dirt and cold. That’s what indoors is all about.
Yes, there are possible solutions. HEPA filters are kind of like the N95 masks of the HVAC world. They do a pretty good job, but they cost more and usually require a stronger ventilating system. It takes stronger fans to pull the same amount of air through a tighter filter. How do you know it’s a “good” filter? That’s where MERV comes in. MERV stands for minimum efficiency reporting value and is a metric for filtration effectiveness. A MERV rating below 13 isn’t going to do the anti-viral job. HEPA filters are generally in the MERV 17 - 20 range.
There are also air washing systems to which disinfectants could be added. Humidity control plays a significant role here. Electrostatic precipitation filters may also be effective, and adding a significant amount of UV-C lights inside the HVAC system may kill enough germs and viruses to make a difference. Airflow itself is a factor; a vertical air path, bottom to top, will strongly mitigate lateral droplet movement, the issue that all this social distancing and mask wearing is all about. But almost no buildings are designed for vertical air movement. You’d be living on a fan screen with a ceiling made of vacuum cleaners, and a high volume of airflow would have Marilyn Monroe effects.
OTOH, you’d smell the pleasing aromas of your food more easily, although it would get cold quickly. Which could encourage you to eat fast and get out, which limits your virus exposure and gives the restaurants a higher turnover rate (assuming more customers are in the queue). Win win? Or suck suck?
This requirement comes as infectious disease experts start more aggressively studying the ways in which the virus can spread through inhaling small particles that could hang around in the air for hours—otherwise known as aerosolized particles.
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This risk of infection through these small particles is especially high in small enclosed spaces like offices, and restaurants, where the air is not being circulated as often and many people are spending prolonged, direct contact with one another. Experts agree that efficient ventilation may likely be an important part in safely resuming indoor activities.“Obviously cleaning surfaces is still important but cleaning the air that recirculates through buildings is now a huge focus,” according to Nancy McClellan, an industrial hygiene specialist.
Effective ventilation can clean the air through recirculation while filtering out small, potentially infectious particles. Experts are also evaluating special technologies that can disinfect incoming viral particles, like UV light.
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The performance of a filter is characterized by its Minimum Efficiency Reporting Values, otherwise known as MERV rating. On the MERV rating scale, HEPA filters are rated anywhere between 17-19.“The higher the MERV rating the more efficient and effective that filter is,” said Krause.
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Most HVACs found in homes or small workplaces, however, cannot accommodate these fine HEPA filters, since they do not have motors that can produce a strong enough pressure to pull air and push it through a HEPA filter. Krause said some HVACs may be able to
accommodate a filter with a MERV rating of up to 13 but that still would not achieve the necessary number of air changes per hour that would effectively reduce the viral particles in the air.
Health experts agree that indoor spaces are higher risk than outdoor spaces when it comes to the virus’ spread, which is another reason New Jersey has paused indoor dining, Murphy said. Health experts specifically warn that dining indoors, where there’s less air flow, can be a higher risk since people can’t wear face coverings when they eat.
“We know that this virus moves differently indoors than out, making it even more deadly. We have seen spikes in other states driven in part by the return of patrons to indoor dining establishments where they are seated and without face coverings for significant periods of time,” [ NJ Governor ] Murphy said.
More info on air filtration can be found here.
All of this is ramped up even further by the risk-free utopian world people have come to expect over the past couple of decades. They are just going to have to accept some reality. Indoor businesses will do what they can, but the cost has to be taken into consideration. Or you can go live outside in the dirt, roasting in the summer, freezing in the winter, sharing your food with every insect and critter that comes along. In other words, go back to being a caveman. Which would make the greenies very happy, so no thanks.
on 07/02/2020 at 08:05 AM
pandemic and epidemic diseases • The New Normal • Trackbacks (0) • Permalink
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
Boston Caves To Insanity
Good Lord, if these destructors would only spare one statue, wouldn’t it be this one?
With a unanimous vote, the Boston Art Commission voted Tuesday to get rid of the Emancipation Memorial commemorating President Abraham Lincoln’s signing of the proclamation that ended slavery in America.
The statue, first erected in 1879, is a replica of the monument in Washington, D.C., that depicts Lincoln standing with a freed slave in the process of standing up as shackles fall from his arms. The inscription at the base of the statue, which was paid for by freed slaves and dedicated by the beloved abolitionist Frederick Douglass, reads: “A race set free and a country at peace. Lincoln rests from his labors.”
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During his dedication of the original statue on April 14, 1876 — 11 years after Lincoln’s assassination — Douglass delivered a powerful dedication in front of then-President Ulysses S. Grant, members of the U.S. Congress as well as justices of the U.S. Supreme Court.
“Let it be known everywhere,” he declared, “[that] we, the colored people, newly emancipated and rejoicing in our blood-bought freedom, near the close of the first century in the life of this Republic, have now and here unveiled, set apart, and dedicated a monument of enduring granite and bronze, in every line, feature, and figure of which the men of this generation may read, and those of after-coming generations may read, something of the exalted character and great works of Abraham Lincoln, the first martyr president of the United States.”
on 07/01/2020 at 03:26 PM
Democrats-Liberals-Moonbat Leftists • Politically Correct B.S. • Racism and race relations • Trackbacks (0) • Permalink
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