OT: Corona virus

[Lokasenna]

ORIGINAL: witpqs

ORIGINAL: Lokasenna

ORIGINAL: JohnDillworth

Well gravity is still a theory too but but most modern scholarship points firmly at Kansas, and then it jumped to Fort Riley, and spread through other over crowded Army bases, boarded a ship with the troops and landed in Breast France, infected thousands there, went quite in the summer, mutated (they have a solid genetic chain of evidence, much of it cited in the footnotes of the article you posted including the accepted best book on the subject and the meticulously referenced and researched The Great Influenza by John Barry), came back in a more deadly, mutated strain, brought 4 great armies to their knees, halted the 1918 German offensive, came back across the Atlantic and killed tens of thousands in Army bases and millions in cities and traveled around the world, again, killing millions more. It's not hard to trace these things over time. Heck, scholars have used written records to track the progress of great plagues since Roman times.

Just want to note that "theory" in science is not the same as "theory" in colloquial language. In science, it means a model that is proven and encompasses all the evidence and principles therein. In conversation, it means simply a hypothesis. I wasn't aware of the research you mention - I'll have to dig into that sometime... sometime.


PS - Breast France sounds like a swell place.

Isn't it more like "not falsified", "consistent with the evidence"? In other words, no examples which contradict the theory have been identified?

Really, what would happen is that evidence that wasn't supported by the model would cause the model to be updated and changed to incorporate that new evidence.

AFAIK, the theory of gravity (and general relativity in general) is pretty complete these days except that we don't know how to unify it with quantum mechanics. When somebody says that we're still searching for a "theory of everything", that unification is what they're referring to. String theory is one of these, however (other than the math part) this is still basically entirely a hypothesis and not a theory.

[Lokasenna]

ORIGINAL: RangerJoe

ORIGINAL: witpqs

ORIGINAL: RangerJoe

Cut back on the number of Chinese students allowed in the US as well as encourage other countries to do so. I prefer things which have greater impact on that government and less impact on ordinary people. I don't like this option. Encourage companies to move elsewhere. Pass laws/treaties that if the production of a certain product does not follow certain environmental standards, then add a tax to the product. HAVE CUSTOMS INSPECT EVERY SHIPMENT FROM CHINA. Bad option. I think. The delay on that will cost money. Inspect it on the ship before it unloads the cargo. Eliminate the mailing rate situation where it costs less to mail things from China to the US than it does from within the US. Really? That one is news to me.

One of those recent Chinese students was an officer in the Chicom's Army. I believe that the student was in Boston with that professor recently arrested along with the other Chinese student caught smuggling biological samples through US Customs.

Having customs inspect all shipments could help keep illegal and counterfeit goods out of the US.

From:
The eBay Community

Why is China to US shipping cost so much cheaper than US to China?

Jun 5, 2013 1:01:44 AM

I bought an item from a seller in Hong Kong for $6 and $1.50 shipping. The item was broken so the seller told me to return for refund.

The shipping weight is 5 ounces. To ship from the US to Hong Kong with the cheapest USPS service that has delivery confirmation (priority international) it will cost $34.87. To ship 1st class without tracking it will cost $11.48.

How in the world did the china seller pay for the product, pay ebay and paypal fees, pay for packing material and ship to me WITH TRACKING for 1/4 of the cost it would cost me just in shipping costs alone to send the item back?

https://community.ebay.com/t5/Archive-S ... -p/2838826

There are multiple answers given.

Could it possibly be not that they are charged less, but that they are charging the end users/customers less than they are paying?

That seems like the most obvious answer to me. Nothing in those ebay answers suggests otherwise, either.

I was unable to find any third-party reporting on this "epacket" that is mentioned on ebay as being a much reduced rate via USPS for items originating in China. Also, even if that were a thing, it was quite explicit about it only applying to ebay items.

[Cap Mandrake]

The "Theory of Everything" will have to explain why I put the lint trap in backwards EVERY time when I should get it right half the time. And what happens to the missing socks? I am suspicious there is an undiscovered particle called the "anti-sock"

[Canoerebel]

Is that why I put a chainsaw chain on backwards while trying to help with the Katrina cleanup?

[Canoerebel]

Near the bottom of the Worldometers chart for the US is the category "Wuhan Repatriated." This may be that jumbo jet sent from the US to Wuhan to retrieve American officials, staff and (IIRC) citizens willing to pay for the cost of the flight. Going from memory that happened in late January or early Feb. It looks like three of them had or ended up with the virus, with no morality reported. This will surely turn into a moved "based on actual events" titled Last Flight from Wuhan. Ben Affleck may play the leading role as pilot.

[Canoerebel]

Here's the gist of the story.

[BBfanboy]

ORIGINAL: Cap Mandrake

The "Theory of Everything" will have to explain why I put the lint trap in backwards EVERY time when I should get it right half the time. And what happens to the missing socks? I am suspicious there is an undiscovered particle called the "anti-sock"

If the washer load on a vertical washer tub is quite large, the socks can be forced up and fall in the space between the tub and the outside machine panels. I know because I found a couple while repairing my washing machine. But most often, static cling makes them hide in the other clothing from the dryer load.

[Zorch]

ORIGINAL: BBfanboy

ORIGINAL: Cap Mandrake

The "Theory of Everything" will have to explain why I put the lint trap in backwards EVERY time when I should get it right half the time. And what happens to the missing socks? I am suspicious there is an undiscovered particle called the "anti-sock"

If the washer load on a vertical washer tub is quite large, the socks can be forced up and fall in the space between the tub and the outside machine panels. I know because I found a couple while repairing my washing machine. But most often, static cling makes them hide in the other clothing from the dryer load.

Let's build a $1B sock accelerator to test that theory.

[Canoerebel]

561 deaths reported by France today. Univ. of Washington projected 474 deaths (margin of error 158 to 1263).

[Cap Mandrake]

ORIGINAL: Zorch

ORIGINAL: BBfanboy

ORIGINAL: Cap Mandrake

The "Theory of Everything" will have to explain why I put the lint trap in backwards EVERY time when I should get it right half the time. And what happens to the missing socks? I am suspicious there is an undiscovered particle called the "anti-sock"

If the washer load on a vertical washer tub is quite large, the socks can be forced up and fall in the space between the tub and the outside machine panels. I know because I found a couple while repairing my washing machine. But most often, static cling makes them hide in the other clothing from the dryer load.

Let's build a $1B sock accelerator to test that theory.

Better put that out in the desert or something.

1 gm of mass has an annihilation energy of 9 x 10**13 Joules. That's about 4 KT [:D] How much does a sock weigh?

In grams about 60-120 gm

https://www.google.com/search?q=How+muc ... e&ie=UTF-8

Say we have a middling sock of 90 gm...x 4 KT...360KT...plus the anti-sock (I think is the same)...so you have 0.72 Megatons...close to a Minuteman III warhead. [X(]

You would think I would have noticed this by now having lost at least a hundred socks. I will have to check my figures.

[Cap Mandrake]

I would say Happy Easter everyone but it hardly seems like the Spring Christian holiday overlain on the pagan Spring rebirth and renewal holiday does it?

My wife is at work in the hospital and my grandson is doing an Easter egg hunt (a pagan allegorical tradition) upstairs.

I don't have a turkey or ham so I am Making smoked ribs and Greek baked cod. I can't see the rest of my family or other kids. [:(]

Thanks, CCP. We'll get back to you.

[durnedwolf]

ORIGINAL: Cap Mandrake

ORIGINAL: Zorch

ORIGINAL: BBfanboy



If the washer load on a vertical washer tub is quite large, the socks can be forced up and fall in the space between the tub and the outside machine panels. I know because I found a couple while repairing my washing machine. But most often, static cling makes them hide in the other clothing from the dryer load.

Let's build a $1B sock accelerator to test that theory.

Better put that out in the desert or something.

1 gm of mass has an annihilation energy of 9 x 10**13 Joules. That's about 4 KT [:D] How much does a sock weigh?

In grams about 60-120 gm

https://www.google.com/search?q=How+muc ... e&ie=UTF-8

Say we have a middling sock of 90 gm...x 4 KT...360KT...plus the anti-sock (I think is the same)...so you have 0.72 Megatons...close to a Minuteman III warhead. [X(]

You would think I would have noticed this by now having lost at least a hundred socks. I will have to check my figures.

In Cap's house

Behind the dryer there lived a brown mouse.
Who made his home in a wall of Cap's house.
From floor to ceiling and wall to wall,
Yes even in the bathroom stall,
All lined with socks that had no match,
by a mouse the house-cat could not catch.

[RangerJoe]

ORIGINAL: durnedwolf

ORIGINAL: Cap Mandrake

ORIGINAL: Zorch



Let's build a $1B sock accelerator to test that theory.

Better put that out in the desert or something.

1 gm of mass has an annihilation energy of 9 x 10**13 Joules. That's about 4 KT [:D] How much does a sock weigh?

In grams about 60-120 gm

https://www.google.com/search?q=How+muc ... e&ie=UTF-8

Say we have a middling sock of 90 gm...x 4 KT...360KT...plus the anti-sock (I think is the same)...so you have 0.72 Megatons...close to a Minuteman III warhead. [X(]

You would think I would have noticed this by now having lost at least a hundred socks. I will have to check my figures.

In Cap's house

Behind the dryer there lived a brown mouse.
Who made his home in a wall of Cap's house.
From floor to ceiling and wall to wall,
Yes even in the bathroom stall,
All lined with socks that had no match,
by a mouse the house-cat could not catch.

I like it!

[Canoerebel]

Hey, homemade poetry!

And Happy Estrus Day to Cap's grandchildren. [:)]

[Canoerebel]

What's on Cap's lawn?
Look, colorful Estrus eggs!
He made and hid 'em.

[Canoerebel]

Rank of states sorted by mortality per million (source: Worldometers as of 6 p.m. eastern).

Many times, as discussed in here at length about ten days back and again about four days back, the media reported that southern states were suffering disproportionately or would be. That claim was picked up and emphasized here by several folks.

That most southern states don't seem to be suffering in proportion to their populations (at this time and by Univ. of Washington future projections) is likely coincidence, IMO. It's probably due to chance or luck or population density factors. It is interesting that most of these states tended to chart their own courses in imposing countermeasures and have done comparatively well. Their exercise of federalism didn't appear to hurt them, despite many claims to the contrary.

The media seemed to get it wrong but thus far no articles acknowledging the mischaracterizations.

What about California? One of the most surprising outcomes of this pandemic is how well our largest state has fared.

The US appears likely to come in under projections today by 300 or more.

[RangerJoe]

Hydroxychloroquine trial for COVID-19 begins amid political debate
Researchers aim to get clinical data on unproven treatments Trump has promoted.
4/10/2020

https://arstechnica.com/science/2020/04 ... cal-trial/

It seems that I am getting a lot of:

"502 Bad Gateway
nginx/1.16.1"

But only on the matrixgames.com/forums. [:@]

[pontiouspilot]

I'm dammed sure the Chinese are to blame!...(not directed at you faithful BB). It's all precious little consolation for the lost socks we will never see; I'm sure they wouldn't care where the washer or dryer was made.

On a more important note, we look to be doing better out west...I see Alberta is shipping a pile of supplies and respirators to Ontario and Quebec, even though they don't like us much.

[Nomad]

An interesting article, I have no idea how correct it is, I have no medical training.

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/blo ... -approach/

[Sammy5IsAlive]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-52196815

This was put up by the BBC a couple of days ago. Article is titled Coronavirus in New York: A paramedic's diary

Three points from it - firstly things are really grim in NY. From the diarist's perspective this is already far worse than 9/11. I hope that reading his account cautions against complacency both from a US perspective and an international perspective.

Second point - in that single day he reports attending 12 'home' deaths (1 suicide) - none of whom had been tested for COV-19. By his account he would normally attend 2-3 cardiac arrests a week. If people are not being tested post-mortem for the virus then the official figures might be an underestimate of the true scale of things. My own opinion is that it goes both ways - I think that there is a proportion of people (I don't have the expertise to put a number on it) who had severe health conditions that were putting them close to death in the first place who have passed away and tested positive for the virus. But if I was going to throw out a marker of my expectation - I think that when the excess mortality statistics are analysed the death toll will be much higher than is currently apparent.

Third point - and this is very much speculative. I don't want to reignite past strife but at the same time I think it is worthy of comment - if you disagree with the suggestion by all means post your rebuttal but I'm not going to get into an acrimonious back and forth. Earlier in the thread there were discussions about medical insurance etc in the US. It was suggested that those issues were not significant as if people got sick they would go to hospital and get treated regardless of whether they were insured. Others suggested that many of the most financially excluded would avoid contact with health services, would die at home and potentially would never get counted in the 'headline' statistics. I think that this account gives some support to the latter argument. That said I think it is important to point out that the issue is not necessarily confined to the US and its healthcare system. In the UK people are only being admitted to hospital when they have become very unwell and anecdotally at least this is resulting in cases that sound very similar to what is being described in NY. I can't find a link to the original article but there was at least one instance reported where paramedics attended a young woman in London who was struggling at home, decided that she was not sick enough to go to hospital and then had to return the next day to pick up her body.