Coronavirus (NO POLITICAL OR SOCIAL COMMENTARY PLEASE)

[The Great Owl]

After months of searching, the Golden Idol is finally in my possession. When I spotted it by itself on the grocery store shelf this afternoon, I believed that my perilous journey through the jungle was over. I was wrong. The split second that I grabbed this priceless relic from the shelf and replaced it with a sand-filled bag of equal weight, the roof began to crumble over my head, and poison darts began firing at me from the surrounding walls. My local guide who had accompanied me to the grocery store betrayed me when I threw him the Idol and he ran off, leaving my bullwhip on the other side of a bottomless chasm. Thankfully, he himself was not so careful, so I reclaimed the treasure from his dead hands a few feet away after he had fallen victim to a booby trap. I paid for my item, and made it out of the grocery store just a second before a massive boulder that had been rolling after me sealed its entrance forever. With hundreds of angry natives in pursuit, I barely made it to the safety of my airplane, only to find a python in my passenger seat. I hate snakes.

This artifact will soon be in the hands of top men...top men...in our government who will keep it for archeological research.

Fortune and glory, kid... Fortune and glory...

[Penton-Man]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

After months of searching, the Golden Idol is finally in my possession....

twasn’t worth the effort if you plan on effortlessly mixing your own, you need a higher concentration - https://forum.blu-ray.com/showthread...l#post17431036

[LordoftheRings]

Originally Posted by Penton-Man

I haven’t noticed any prediction in that regard out of CDC, but Dr. Ashish Jha (a recognized expert from Harvard Global Health Institute) predicts 200,000 deaths by September if we just stay flat, as well as him making other key points with regards to a paramount missing piece -

‘We Will Cross The 200,000 Mark’ In Coronavirus Deaths By September, Doctor Says | TODAY - YouTube

and vice versa - https://www.thepublicdiscourse.com/2020/04/61943/

I love numbers; mathematics, scientific data, the universe expanding, overpriced products, stock markets, box office revenues, ... it's all fun trying to predict.

For a pandemic like the one we have right now, with all the news in the world, the reality we are living in the now, ... the predictions are much much much harder. This is untested territory, uncharted waters, unknown skies; this is not something we are used to in our normal lives prior to 2020 and for the last hundred years. This COVID-19 pandemic is very very tough on all aspects. @ the beginning I made some predictions, like anyone else, till it became very clear that most of the numbers we have aren't accurate. I gave up because that was futile trying to predict. And you cannot predict based on inaccuracy of the numbers and the spread of this virus in the world and it's long time effects on the world population and the number of ... deaths. The numbers we have right now, it is my belief that they are less than what they are in actuality. By how much? It's impossible to tell with say a degree of 5-10% accuracy. The margin of error today and tomorrow is simply too tall of a task.
Look 100 years ago and nobody knows how many people died from the Spanish Flu; lowest figure mentioned is 20 million, average figure is 50 million, a higher estimated figure given is 100 million. So from 20 to 100 without knowing exactly is all we have from that particular pandemic of 1918-1920 (Spanish Flu). The logistics back then were a nightmare, the logistics today are a much more advanced technological nightmare. We have evolved and with evolution comes bigger population (5 times more), more travelling (planes, trains, automobiles, ...), larger gathering (music concerts, crowded beaches, protests, ...), ...a much more complex world to handle.

I agree with all the smart health scientist experts; social distancing is impossible in many places, the wearing of masks will take a long time before everyone is truly aware (in the whole world, not just here in North America), the cleaning up (sanitizing) of grocery stores, banks, airports, planes, trains, buses, hotels, theaters, museums, convention centers, elevators, streets, escalators, walls, floors, ramps, public restrooms, restaurants, barber shops, tattoo parlors, massage parlors, shopping centers, ...), ...it all adds up during a serious pandemic like this.

I've read quite a bit of that last big one from 1918, and made correlations with today.
It is mind boggling.

Yes we have to keep on living, no we don't have to die to live.
So it's all up to us the way we build this world everywhere because anywhere can affect somewhere else. We simply didn't put enough attention to how pandemics (viruses) can wipe out a large portion of the world population. That should be priority number one...good health in living and disperse congested cities (overpopulated) to the lands.

Anyway what can we do today; live to see. Live the best we can for everyone, not just ourselves. These are the most sensitive times of our lives; life and death...survival @ its most meaning sense. Everything counts, every decision made, every action.

Predicting the outcome is like Maverick flying blind between the sky and the ocean and without knowing how much fuel is left in the tank (wings).

* The number of deaths today doesn't look too bad. But what does it mean for tomorrow, not much @ all.

[bruceames]

The CDC has an chart on excess deaths. The latest weeks are not complete so instead it show the predicted number (blue bar). Tallying up the excess deaths it seem fairly accurate to what has occurred. But you can see the excess deaths get closer and closer to the threshold line.

I wonder if deaths due to the flu or pneumonia or down due to people avoiding Covid (avoiding viruses altogether).



https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nvss/vsrr/c...ess_deaths.htm

[LordoftheRings]

Early test results ...
• https://www.twincities.com/2020/06/1...ew-protesters/

* June 12-13 (2-3 days ago) ^

[bruceames]

Originally Posted by Batman1980

That's because there is no good way to look at suffering, loss and death. Also, news cycles focus almost exclusively on negativity, it's what has and will continue to sell.

Yeah, when I see a story, I ask myself, how would I want to spin it, if I were in charge of the news source. It's all about raising eyebrows and shock value.

Kinda like movies these days, where the violence or exaggeration gets more extreme as time goes by. Each one trying to outdo the other.

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by Penton-Man

twasn’t worth the effort if you plan on effortlessly mixing your own, you need a higher concentration - https://forum.blu-ray.com/showthread...l#post17431036

I use the 70% rubbing alcohol to sanitize my electric clippers after giving myself a buzz cut once a week. I already have hand sanitizer.

[Penton-Man]

Originally Posted by Penton-Man

I was thinking that with all the voluntary interest in coronavirus by contributors here that some may want to channel that energy and empathy? into something a bit more productive in terms of public health service and for those unemployed posting here, with lots of time on their hands, alert them as to the possibility of a new, satisfying career as a bonus.

An inside look - https://www.jhsph.edu/covid-19/artic...ct-tracer.html

As to contact tracing involving proactive companies, there’s at least one facility in the LA area I’m aware of that is now requiring employees to keep a daily log (company provided EXCEL file) of everyone they come in close contact with while on the job (close contact defined as being within 6 ft of someone for ~ 15 minutes or more).

[Penton-Man]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

I use the 70% rubbing alcohol to sanitize my electric clippers after giving myself a buzz cut once a week. I already have hand sanitizer.

DIYer, good man
my wife gives me a business cut now and then with the clippers I posted somewhere back on this thread, but check out if you need to keep the blade(s) oiled a bit (after your sanitizing), mine do

[Penton-Man]

dancerslegs -
https://forum.blu-ray.com/showthread...e#post17751690

Infectious disease and global health expert Dr. del Rio’s comments about the target efficacy for an acceptable COVID-19 vaccine are indeed sobering.

[Penton-Man]

Originally Posted by LordoftheRings

I agree with all the smart health scientist experts;

that makes it difficult for laypersons to happy talk spin or constantly low ball the significance of this pandemic every opportunity they get

[bruceames]

Originally Posted by Penton-Man

that makes it difficult for laypersons to happy talk spin or constantly low ball the significance of this pandemic every opportunity they get

The pandemic is such a polarizing topic. Almost as bad as politics.

[Batman1980]

[bruceames]

Let's face it, those countries did a better job than what we did and are doing. It helps a lot to have a plan on a national level rather than every state for themselves.

[Penton-Man]

Originally Posted by LordoftheRings

Live the best we can for everyone,....
Predicting the outcome is like Maverick flying blind between the sky and the ocean and without knowing how much fuel is left in the tank (wings).

[Penton-Man]

Originally Posted by LordoftheRings

the latest news

Growing Concern As More States See Increase In Coronavirus Cases | NBC Nightly News - YouTube

but there are shining lights, e.g. -

Heroes return to work amid the pandemic | WNT - YouTube

[Penton-Man]

Originally Posted by bruceames

Let's face it, those countries did a better job than what we did and are doing. It helps a lot to have a plan on a national level rather than every state for themselves.

yep, and Richard Engel with one of his past ‘on assignments’ or ‘investigative reports’ (whatever they’re called), I think did a very good job on that very topic

[MrHT]

Originally Posted by bruceames

Let's face it, those countries did a better job than what we did and are doing. It helps a lot to have a plan on a national level rather than every state for themselves.

This is what I've been saying for the longest time, but everyone here kept pounding me to the ground. Let's face, our country as a whole did a horrible job handling this pandemic.

[ctujackbauer]

Originally Posted by MrHT

This is what I've been saying for the longest time, but everyone here kept pounding me to the ground. Let's face, our country as a whole did a horrible job handling this pandemic.

Did the entire USA's hospital system get overrun like Italy? No.
Did we run out of ventilators? No.
Did New York City even run out of ventilators? No.
Did New York City become a post-apocalypse zone that was "weeks behind Italy" as predicted in the media? No.

We didn't do that bad. We were never going to be able to obliterate the curve like Taiwan.

Nursing homes have been a weak point (and an expensive weak point at that) for a long time in this country. We don't really treat our elders all that well unless they are very rich and can afford it, or if our elders are very poor and in a packed Medicaid facility.

[bruceames]

New York's case curve looks similar to Italy and Germany's. They've done a good job but we'll see how they do when they reopen at a level like Georgia, Florida, Indiana or Texas.

I wonder to what extent have Italy, Germany and Spain reopened?