Miscellaneous And Off Topic Subjects

[Jeff Buchanan]

In other news, this is a really interesting article from a SK journalist who writes for the LAT, among other places. First she's a good writer, IMO, a long article that held my interest. Second, NEVER forget that the Chinese are fucking Communists bent on dominating the world and as dangerous as anything that Nazism and the Third Reich threatened the world with..... there just smarter and their leadership is frankly, brilliant. Hitler was an idiot, surrounded himself with other psychotic idiots and couldn't be saved by his loyal military officers who were brilliant in their own way. Xi Ji Ping isn't at all like that.

Basically, China has mostly outmaneuvered the US geopolitically, is approaching a threshold where they will dominate the seas, previously an important American stronghold and has the numbers and technology to roll US/Allied forces should it come to that. So, yeah a huge threat probably mostly unrealized by the public. I don't think it is by informed officials in Washington.

Anyway the story is about what the PRC did to SK when the US deployed the THAD Missile Defense system there in 2016. The deployment occurred after years of negotiations between the US and SK about its deployment. The Chinese were not happy and the story is about how the PRC took devastating economic actions to hurt SK ..... and it worked. Sad what happens to the average joe trying to make a living. But, the economic power of China, down to the little guys trying to run small businesses, forget Huawei, is substantial and I certainly took note after reading this story.

I can get to it as it doesn't seem to be paywalled. It's probably a better weekend read for you working stiffs.

https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2020-11-19/south-korea-china-beijing-economy-thaad-missile-interceptor

[Dr. Strangelove]

In what appears to be a bid to save Wayne LaPierre, the NRA is now admitting in its latest tax filing that a bunch of current and former NRA executives used the organization like their personal piggy bank

They even admit LaPierre has gotten at least $300,000 in illicit travel and meal expenses IN THE PAST 4 YEARS ALONE but hey, it's ok, because he's paid it all back now. This comes after years of denying that any wrongdoing has ever taken place.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/polit...571_story.html

[iam416]

Meanwhile, we’re set to resume kneeling before the ginormous corruption of the UN and will soon rejoin China’s puppet the WHO.

Glad we’ve rooted out this irrelevance at an organization The Media loathes.

That’s where we are. That’s the Left.

[AlabamAlum]

So, 75k a year on non business related travel and dinners? I mean that’s bad, but not the excess I assumed it would be.

[iam416]

It’s the NRA. Full stop.

[Dr. Strangelove]

So, 75k a year on non business related travel and dinners? I mean that’s bad, but not the excess I assumed it would be.

That's just him. They are admitting pretty much every exec was doing it. Although they seem to point the finger (conveniently) at Ollie North and his faction the most.

[Dr. Strangelove]

[CGVT]

Fucking media

[iam416]

I remember when the Media told us things were out of control in the summer and how Florida and Georgia were nightmares. Cry wolf and cry wolf and cry wolf and, well, when there’s an actual wolf....

[Whitley]

I remember when the Media told us things were out of control in the summer and how Florida and Georgia were nightmares. Cry wolf and cry wolf and cry wolf and, well, when there’s an actual wolf....

Well from covidactnow site

Florida (rank among the US)

New cases per 100k: 33rd (37.2)
Infection rate: 1.14 (21st)
Positive test rate: 8.3% (38th)
ICU used rate: 40% (33rd)
Tracers hired: 7% (24th)

Georgia
New cases: 31.8 (43rd)
Infection rate: 1.12 (28th)
Positive test rate: 7.7% (42nd)
ICU used rate: 80% (9th)
Tracers hired: 8% (19th)

South Dakota
New Cases: 122.3 (4th)
Infection Rate: .94 (52nd)
Positive test rate: 16.6% (10th)
ICU used rate: 94% (4th)
Tracers hired: 6% (25th)

Michigan
New Cases: 72.4 (22nd)
Infection Rate: 1.11 (31st)
Positive test rate: 13.1% (19th)
ICU used rate: 65% (17th)
Tracers hired: 3% (42nd)

Ohio
New cases: 72.7 (21st)
Infection Rate: 1.19 (13th)
Positive test rate: 13.2% (18th)
ICU used rate : 48% (26th)
Tracers hired: 4% (36th)

[Dr. Strangelove]

Late last night the Supreme Court (5-4 decision) granted an injunction against Cuomo for limiting attendance at religious services. Probably the first meaningful decision including Barrett (The opinion is unsigned but everyone believes it was written by her). Roberts sided with the liberals but mainly because Cuomo had already relaxed the restrictions while this was making its way up the courts. It's an injunction preventing them from being put back in place.

The ruling doesn't mean that you can't have ANY restrictions; just that the specific ones here (only 10 people) went too far in violating the 1st Amendment.

A lot of people are pointing out the sniping back and forth between Gorsuch and Roberts in their individual opinions though.

[Dr. Strangelove]

Happy Thanksgiving, everybody

[AlabamAlum]

Thanks, you too. And everyone else.

[THE_WIZARD_]

Happy Thanksgiving to all you turkeys out there...

[Jeff Buchanan]

Can't be sugar coated. Can't.

Two data points worth mentioning are that overall while the US trend in positivity is slightly up trending it remains at 6.78 - keeping in mind new daily cases by state range from 0-32/100K (ND). CFR is unchanged if not slightly down trending at 2.02. The problem with DSL's graphic is that national trends/data paints an incomplete picture. It's nice for scarring the shit out of everyone though.

To put these two data points another, less threatening way, there are around 93 people that test negative for COVID out of every 100 tests and there are only 2 deaths for every 100 confirmed positive cases of COVID.

Seroprevalence is all over the place by state so, you can do pretty much whatever in Kansas (0/100K) but maybe think about it in ND (132/100k). There's no question where the greatest seroprevalence is and where the greatest risk of catching this thing is in groups of more than 3. The mid-west is experiencing exponential growth and it's the math of that kind of spread that is more important in making things look bad as it is people dismissing CDC's/local PH official's recommendations and warnings - that's a factor but not as big, IMO, as the media likes to make it out to be. I think many Americans have got the word. Scaring them ore, pleading with them more is counterproductive. People start tuning that stuff out.

Risk assessment.JPG

Likewise, predictably, like the curves have done in every example I could site, they flatten naturally - the midwest's curves will look better in 2 weeks or so as naive hosts dwindle and people become more risk averse in their behaviors.

Just citing a few examples, using the GaTech Risk Assessment Tool, you have an 93% chance that no one will be positive at your family turkey dinner today involving 15 people in Liberty Co. TX. I'll be attending a family gathering of about 10 people. In that location I'll be traveling by car to I'll have a 14% chance someone in that group will be COVID positive. We'll be distanced, outside and wearing masks most of the time, further reducing the chance that I'll catch COVID from that 1 COVID positive person I'm sharing Thanksgiving dinner with. Just looking at the GA data state wide, I can assess that I have a 98% chance of not catching COVID in a gathering of ten with no one masked ...... since we'll be practicing sensible but not onerous mitigation measures, the chance of me getting COVID during this event is about ZERO.

My point is two fold: In assessing individual risk of catching the virus, one has to cone down the data, the activity and one's own behaviors to assess that outcome accurately. We cannot be looking at country data to do that. County and City data are very good, state data OK. These are going to portray a different individual risk outcome. This is really important in deciding what you are willing to do and what you need to avoid. The last thing I want to hear from PH officials though is that, I'm going to decide what your risk is and then I'm going to tell you what you are going to do.