Cool, sunny, and probably windy.
Yesterday was gorgeous. Cool, breezy and sunny. I’ve got a bit of sunburn or wind burn from being out all afternoon. I’ll probably have worse by the end of today.
Spent the morning getting ready, taking calls, and having the roof looked at. Spent the afternoon hitting two storage units and my secondary location to get a bunch of stuff together for the hamfest. I’ll spend today standing in a parking lot selling a bunch (hopefully) and trying not to get sick.
Speaking of getting sick… get prepped. It doesn’t matter whether you think this is nothing or the end of the world. YOUR NEIGHBOR can get sick, and then you are confined to your home with no warning. Get some food etc in and be ready. Make your last run to the store and then step back from the edge.
Lots of people are getting sick. Telling me that it’s just every adult in my life and the kids’ grandparents who are the only ones seriously at risk ISN’T comforting BTW. It smacks of the arrogance of youth. Just saying.
And with that, I’m headed out. Wife and second daughter are at away camp. First daughter is with friends. I’m gonna go hang with one of my tribes.
n
And KEEP STACKING.
added- Divemedic has a disturbing anecdote — http://street-pharmacy.blogspot.com/2020/03/flash-we-are-being-misled.html Ask yourself how many others like that are in FL. Where they have a HUGE incentive to keep the numbers down.
Also this- St Cecilia’s Church is about 3.5 miles away. We have one friend that attends there but not on Ash Wednesday.
“Important Message from St. Cecilia Regarding Coronavirus:
Today, late in the afternoon, Harris County Public Health made us aware that an individual who tested positive for the coronavirus, attended the 5:30 pm Ash Wednesday Mass on February 26th here at St. Cecilia. Harris County Public Health also told us this individual received ashes and had communion in the hand; the person did not receive communion from the cup. We were informed that the individual sat in the last pew on the left side of the Church at this service. If you sat in the last 3 rows on the left side of the Church at the 5:30 p.m. Ash Wednesday Mass, you are asked to contact Harris County Public Health at 713-439-6000. We also urge anyone experiencing symptoms of the coronavirus to seek medical attention immediately.
St. Cecilia has taken the following to help protect its parishioners:
• We drained and sanitized the baptismal fonts; it will not be filled for the remainder of the Lenten season
• We sanitized pews, door handles, and bathrooms
• We are providing hand sanitizers at all the church entrancesIf you are unwell or uncomfortable coming to mass or in crowded places, please stay home and join us in prayer. In addition, please keep those who have been affected by the coronavirus in your prayers.”
Thank God — OJ got his preps.
IIRC, he lives somewhere in South Florida these days.
https://nypost.com/2020/03/07/o-j-simpson-stocks-up-on-supplies-amid-coronavirus-outbreak/
I think he still lives in Vegas?
This is wrong. And crazy. My lawyer told me that the former employee is suing the soon to be former husband for a piece of his business. They were only married for three years !
Are you sure it was your employee actually doing the work?
Around the time I started grad school (second time around) five years ago, I got a call from Canon Microelectronics looking for a Tcl developer. Beyond the lowball numbers being offered, he recruiter was a little to snarky with regard to my age and extended unemployment so I figured I had nothing to lose by being a little snarky in return.
“So, what blew up in your face?”
“Wha … What do you mean?”
“If you’re on the phone with me, something blew up in your face. No one under 40 who says they know Tcl really knows Tcl so I’m guessing H1B liar or, possibly, quota hire. So, what blew up on you.”
“Well … we hired a woman to do the work, but it turns out she was taking the specs home at night and having her husband do the coding. He knew Tcl; she didn’t. We didn’t find out for a while, and now we need a developer who can fly to Japan and do the work on site at the factory there.”
Ultimately, I passed on the “opportunity”. Japan 3-4 times a year for the money being offered due to what they claimed was the risk from my extended unemployment wasn’t going to happen.
I think he still lives in Vegas?
Maybe, but he filed bankruptcy to protect himself from the civil judgement awarded the Goldman family, and I swear I remember him moving to Palm Beach County, FL since Florida law protects your house from confiscation by the court, regardless of how much it is worth.
Lots of people hide out in Florida for that reason. That and lack of a state income tax along with very favorable property tax protections. Sales taxes are high in some places, but food is exempt. The last car tag fee I paid was $35, and it is the same regardless of what you drive.
Panic buying is going on here in California.
I received a text early yesterday from my sister in the SF Bay Area that the local supermarket was out of sanitizer, bleach, wipes and bottled water.
A few hours later I had dinner with friends who’d shopped at CostCo after work, and reported the same. They also reported a run on 13 gallon plastic bags, kitchen sized, which is a little strange.
I think it’s made the news over at Zerohedge.
A few hours later I had dinner with friends who’d shopped at CostCo after work, and reported the same. They also reported a run on 13 gallon plastic bags, kitchen sized, which is a little strange.
Makeshift luggage?
I use that size bag for the charity clothing pickup accumulation. The 30 gallon size gets too heavy if filled with old clothing, and the handles break.
Who knows. People are bonkers right now. See my post yesterday about the *active duty* military person with the classic virus symptoms who bullied his way into being seen at the Austin VA earlier in the afternoon. My wife speculated that he didn’t want to see an Army or Air Force doctor at one of the base infirmaries locally because, according to the stories in the building afterwards, he was worried about not being able to *get on a plane back to Korea this weekend*.
“Bonkers” is what will kill us, not the affects of the illness itself.
Wow. Must have been some reform. I lived in FL for less than a year in 1971-72, and remember one of my cars registration was over $100. They had weight fees back then. I still have that car, but is just for parts now. Hard parts. It was registered in Iowa, Illinois, Florida, and now California. It still has a little rust from Florida. No additional since moving to the desert. I REALLY don’t miss rust country.
IIRC, back in the sixties, Ohio had auto registrations for $6 flat. Story I heard was that they wanted to outdo Michigan, which had slightly higher fees. Michigan was supposedly famous for cheap registrations because it was home to the auto industry.
I grew up in Michigan, and remember long lines to renew registrations early each year. Some time around the mid 1960s, the state converted expirations to the owner’s birthday. It was nice doing all of them just once a year instead of trickling throughout the year here in California. Of course, in MI I owned just one car. I once asked a CA DMV clerk if there was an option to have all my vehicles expire on the same date. She looked surprised that at least one other state had that practice. Nope. In CA the expiration is set by the first time a vehicle is registered. No way to change that.
@Greg: I read that.
So active duty doctors could quarantine him if he had it, but not VA docs?
Which means he wanted to know, but planned on flying regardless. Wow.
I think he still lives in Vegas?
I last bought Arrowhead water in Arizona. And it tastes like it came from the bottom of a calichi pit. So OJ is probably around Arizona.
Of course, it is better than drinking out of a toilet in a prison cell.
So active duty doctors could quarantine him if he had it, but not VA docs?
Which means he wanted to know, but planned on flying regardless. Wow.
No, the VA patient didn’t want to know. According to what my wife heard, he went to the VA to get treatment for the symptoms while avoiding testing and, possibly, quarantine.
I’m guessing a Colonel Bat Guano type with connections, like my former neighbors in Florida. Austin has a semi-secret command downtown which probably has more to do with extracirricular activities on 7th than weapon tech or whatever else they use to justify the budget line item.
The story has been through many hands so treat it like a unattributed Tyler Durden piece on Zero Hedge.
Are you sure it was your employee actually doing the work?
Yes, she did sales for me for around 12 years. Way before the new husband.
Crazy buying of baby wipes today when I made my usual weekly run to Sam’s.
Flushing baby wipes will do more to damage the local MUDs’ sewer systems than absentee employees calling in sick.
Vehicle in NV is around $70/yr. Then they add on the various goobermint fees running in the $100’s. A new Caddy will be $1,000/yr for a couple of years. Then mere $100’s. Can’t wait to get my car reg’d in TX again. Imagine what an exotic car cost in NV just to drive it.
Over The Hedge: dominant species
https://www.gocomics.com/overthehedge/2020/03/07
We ain’t dominant. The Fire Ants are.
This is how I remember it.
Italy has obviously lost control. Massive number of new deaths, which shows that they have far more cases than they know about.
My school has advised instructors to get ready to lecture remotely, so I assume university closings are imminent. They are thinking teleconference, but I will take a different approach and record finished videos, with an interactive forum for questions.
Project for next week: find the necessary software, and (try to) do one lecture. I have zero experience with video, so there will be a steep learning curve…
From a friend in N Italy last night:
On the plus side, he reports that the brothels aren’t closed,
Worldometer currently showing 19 dead, JH 17. Of these, 14 are from the nursing home in Kirkland. All of them are codgers, so, no problemo, right?
Worldometer currently showing 19 dead, JH 17. Of these, 14 are from the nursing home in Kirkland. All of them are codgers, so, no problemo, right?
Kirkland is very densely populated. The nursing home is right across the street from a high school where one of the Chinese relations works as a janitor. We heard from my wife’s mother this afternoon, relaying the message that the family is worried.
That’s Chinese passive-aggressive for the family wants my wife to call them.
Sure. We’ll get right on that.
Yeah, but doesn’t TX have annual “safety” inspections? Someone else here (who lives in TX?) said they won’t pass a car that leaks, so I guess no British cars. I don’t have any British cars, but all my cars leak; just depends on how severe a leak is allowed. One drop per year? A leak that just coats a surface but doesn’t drop anything on the ground?
Yeah, but doesn’t TX have annual “safety” inspections? Someone else here (who lives in TX?) said they won’t pass a car that leaks, so I guess no British cars. I don’t have any British cars, but all my cars leak; just depends on how severe a leak is allowed. One drop per year? A leak that just coats a surface but doesn’t drop anything on the ground?
I have a 19 year old Toyota with visible power steering leaks which I keep under control with Stop Leak. The dealer won’t pass the vehicle for inspection — of course they want me to replace the power steering hoses — but I don’t have a problem getting the inspection done elsewhere.
How tough are you ? Are you tough enough to watch all 20 minutes of “Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) reads Green New Deal on House floor”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=24Dlqdyhjqw
I am not tough enough.
Hat tip to:
https://wattsupwiththat.com/2020/03/02/barf-challenge-watch-aoc-read-the-entire-green-new-deal-resolution/
How tough are you ?
Where’s my Tito’s hand sanitizer when I need it?
Worldometer currently showing 19 dead, JH 17. Of these, 14 are from the nursing home in Kirkland. All of them are codgers, so, no problemo, right?
Kirkland is very densely populated. The nursing home is right across the street from a high school where one of the Chinese relations works as a janitor. We heard from my wife’s mother this afternoon, relaying the message that the family is worried.
That’s Chinese passive-aggressive for the family wants my wife to call them.
Sure. We’ll get right on that.
They want a personal doctor on their site for the duration of the emergency. For free.
No freaking way.
Reframe the challenge: How tough is your liver? Turn “Watch Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez reads Green New Deal on House Floor” into a drinking game. Are you tough enough to survive? Is your liver?
Seems reasonable. She’s still licensed in Washington, right? What’s a full-time, on-hand doctor go for now, $1500/day? $2000? Plus living expenses, of course.
Oh. No freaking way.
Ah.
The CDC epidemiologists are finally advising at-risk groups to “Distance” (self isolate). Which includes anyone over 60.
https://www.cnn.com/2020/03/06/health/coronavirus-older-people-social-distancing/index.html
They want a personal doctor on their site for the duration of the emergency. For free.
No freaking way.
The uncle who works at the high school is a millionaire several times over thanks to his careful investment of proceeds from his no-tell motel and extortion games with the Redmond Kinder Kare (he’s their landlord). The janitor gig is about the health benefits from the school system.
He does *not* have retirement health benefits, however, having sold those off for a six figure lump sum which he distributed to his kids.
Home from hamfest =2020.
Wasn’t super busy, but was fairly steady. Stuff didn’t fly off the tables, even though I was doing fire sale pricing. My quickest and best seller was rack shelves. I wish I’d found a way to pack a dozen more in the truck.
Sold most of the radios. FIRE SALE pricing. Emptied a few tubs, not as many as last year. No idea about money yet, as it is soaking in bleach solution. I’ll throw it in the dryer soon. Clothes are going into the washer with bleach. Took a shower. Will hose down the table tomorrow with bleach cleaner.
I’m the only one home since my daughter extended her sleepover until tomorrow.
Internet and fake beer for me!
No masks, no gloves, no coughing in evidence. Some discussion during the day, and a nice long discussion with a couple of guys while packing. I had 2 boxes of masks on the truck, but no one asked about them. I was using hand wipes after every transaction. Chilly and overcast instead of clear and warm but still a nice day.
I was surprised by what sold and what didn’t. You never can tell.
Now for some tab refreshing and catching up.
n
Seems reasonable. She’s still licensed in Washington, right? What’s a full-time, on-hand doctor go for now, $1500/day? $2000? Plus living expenses, of course.
I made sure that license went bye-bye. WA State isn’t hard to get, however, unlike TX and FL, which she makes sure to maintain.
We still get phone calls almost every day to go back to WA State, but I won’t leave The South again.
OK, so apparently leaks are not part of the TX inspection, just a dealer rip-off. They are in New Hampshire, or so I have read. I can’t imagine the justification, other than the same reason we now see plastic sheeting under construction equipment when parked over night. Disposing, in special barrels of course, of that sheeting is far more injurious to the “environment” than a few oil drips. I once argued that to a non technical greenie. When he was done blathering, I asked how much oil is in asphalt paving… riiight.
Two thoughts. Not a good idea to use “stop leak” in any hydraulic system, except, of course… ALL hydraulic fluid has seal swell agents. Stop leak just has more. There are different kinds of swelling agents. The older ones would last a year or two, and then the leak would “blow out” or increase massively. If that got you to a repair or junking the car, win. Some newer types seem to have overcome this problem. I say seem, because all the ones I have looked at are proprietary, and won’t tell the active ingredient. The other thought is that you are risking the rack, which is expensive to replace.
Finally, hoses are cheap and easy to replace, at least on the cars I know. And, stop leak almost certainly will not stop a hose from leaking. Maybe it is as simple as an o-ring?
Just my $0.01, devalued because I am not a professional, with credentials 🙂
Well, these guys are behind the times, and especially Aesop and his commentors, but it is a nice summary.
https://www.zerohedge.com/health/all-hospital-beds-us-will-be-filled-coronavirus-patients-about-may-8th-according-analysis
And as I mentioned, doesn’t matter what you think. When the sheriff shows up to lock down your neighborhood because your neighbor got sick… this time it was short time. Next time, maybe not.
https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2020/03/police-enforced-quarantine-hits-california-neighborhood-residents-ordered-to-stay-inside-due-to-coronavirus/
and the mortality out of Italy is stunning.
https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2020/03/update-latest-numbers-from-italy-show-99-of-coronavirus-deaths-are-people-60-and-older/
Now there could be something else at work here, like the Paki delivery guy only serviced old people… Not sure the patients age has a normal distribution either, but if you were building a superbug to cure your country of aging ‘deadwood’ and free up all that accumulated family wealth, well now….
n
Divemedic has corrected his post about FL cases being ‘charged’ to the snowbird’s home state. Not what happened.
n
I miss the news for ONE DAY and we’re up to 439 cases? It’s doubling world wide, ex-china, every 4 days. NO ONE I can find is publishing the chart for just the US that looks like this one..
https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/coronavirus-cases/#case-tot-outchina
If the US has the same rate, by the end of our Spring Break in TX, the US will be at 6640 cases.
I can’t find the same style chart for deaths ex-china either, nor for the US.
n
“Times: Coronavirus will Kill All the Old Climate Skeptics”
https://wattsupwiththat.com/2020/03/07/times-coronavirus-will-kill-all-the-old-climate-skeptics/
“h/t Dr Willie Soon, h/t Liberty Sentinel; what kind of sick person publicly celebrates the possibility that all their political opponents will die a horrible death? The answer is a journalist who works for mainstream British media, of course.”
Someone once wrote that the best form of government is a benevolent dictatorship. The problem, of course, is that dictatorships are never benevolent. Nonetheless, if one believes the data out of China, they have gotten the Corona virus under control. Precisely because they can take – and enforce – measures that wouldn’t work in the West.
Whatever the case, the virus is clearly spreading out of control everywhere else. All one can hope is to slow the spread in hopes of having a vaccine ready in a couple of months.
The huge variation in mortality rates by country is almost certainly due to large numbers of undiagnosed cases. Italy, for example, hasn’t got a clue. They’ve just told entire regions of the country to self-quarantine. Italians being Italians, this pronouncement will be followed, except for trips to the pub, to church, and to wherever else they feel like going.
I am sitting on a few dozen miles from the Italian border, and often travel in Italian trains, which doesn’t give me a great feeling. Seems like it would be prudent to close the border…
And the best form of a circle is a square.
Someone once wrote that the best form of government is a benevolent dictatorship. The problem, of course, is that dictatorships are never benevolent. Nonetheless, if one believes the data out of China, they have gotten the Corona virus under control. Precisely because they can take – and enforce – measures that wouldn’t work in the West.
I remember several times over the years that Dr. Pournelle wrote that he believed he could right the direction of the US as a benevolent dictator but the temptation of the power would be overwhelming.
At a scale unimaginable in the West or possibly even Iran, China will be able to study/harvest the antibodies from the blood of the portion of the population who recover from the virus and do not suffer a relapse.
Divemedic has corrected his post about FL cases being ‘charged’ to the snowbird’s home state. Not what happened.
Snowbirds start to go home at the beginning of March. They’re definitely gone by Easter when the temps in Central Florida start to brush 90 without the afternoon thunderstorms that make FL tolerable in June/July.