Matrix Games Forums

ORIGINAL: Cap Mandrake

Good article from Nature.

The author asks "If pangolins are the source and they came from anther country, why haven't we heard about any cases there?"

Seems to me that is a damn good question.

https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-00548-w

ORIGINAL: Canoerebel

Your premise is wrong. I'm forthcoming when there's a need to; refraining when there's no need. There's no need here, as I've said before. I don't wish to call out other folks that spoke in the heat of the moment, but if you need to know the posts I was referring to, send me a PM.

I don't know what you mean about me saying something about you in front of everybody else. Whatever I said apparently was not direct (you referred to it as "backhanded" yesterday). Let me know, preferably by PM, and I'll reply.

ORIGINAL: Lokasenna

ORIGINAL: Canoerebel

Loka, you're peeved about perceived backhanded blasts painting you as a POS (untrue, to my way of thinking) while hammering me clearly and openly.

I'd prefer not to carry on with this in here, but I'm glad to "sit down" and air our grievances privately. It might be fruitful. Maybe not. If you prefer doing it publicly, could we just stand down for awhile and green button each other until things cool a bit?

I don't green button anybody. I see no reason to - I'm perfectly capable on my own of memory-holing somebody's post if it's egregious.

But on topic? Here's what I've got: "OK, buddy." [8|] If you're not comfortable being forthcoming in public about what's under your public implications/accusations, then we're done here and you should drop it. If you've got a good reason under what you've said about me in front of everybody else, then you should let everybody else know what that good reason is - or perhaps you should revisit your prior posts and retract your comments if you're not comfortable citing your factual basis for them (how one perceives a comment made by another is its own form of fact, but you won't tell me that either, it seems).

Show me I'm wrong and I'll issue a sincere mea culpa (and I don't mean that just in this situation), but it seems that you can't (or won't) do that publicly. I'll be waiting if/when you're ready to do so.

ORIGINAL: HansBolter

So we opened the floodgates of America bashing and we finally see people's true colors.

Good riddance.

ORIGINAL: RangerJoe

ORIGINAL: RFalvo69

Lawsuit swell as store owners in the US demand to open.

Their object to the strict measures now in place declaring them "anti constitutional".

Formally they are right. In the US the liberty of travel is a constitutionally protected right. Even inside states, any restriction of travel is a constitutional violation of the "Privileges or Immunities Clause" included in the Amendment XIV of the US Constitution. So, any restriction to free movement in the US is actually against the law.

However the government could argue that:

A) This kind of emergency is of a nature that the drafters of the Constitution couldn't predict. There was no knowledge, at the time, of the nature of infectious diseases (and still quarantining of ships was common and accepted).

B) Given the gravity of the situation, the measures will remain in place in the interest of public safety - until they can be debated in a more structured situation. Something like this never happened, so there has never been a case in point.

This problem can be easily summed up: your right to keep your shop open so to bring food on the table vs. putting you and others at risk of getting a very serious disease. It will be an interesting legal battle.

It is also a violation of the interstate commerce clause since so many goods come from other states.

If the defence is that it is an unforeseen pandemic, pandemics have occurred before so that is no defense.

ORIGINAL: Canoerebel

In emergencies, police power (that's a technical legal term) can override constitutional provisions, allowing emergency action. Thus, cities can level buildings during a major fire without first going through condemnations proceedings, etc. In the case of this pandemic, the courts are going to be inclined to support broad application of the police power.

ORIGINAL: Canoerebel

While it is true the governor said that, it was taken out of context and misrepresented by the press (naturally).

Previously, the governor had said (on at least two occasions I listened to) that the virus could spread from asymptomatic sick.

Wednesday, his statement was with respect to asymptomatic people who will never show symptoms. IE, some Covid sufferers will never show symptoms and never get sick. That's a pretty new finding and the governor was making that point but the press got all excited because they live on gotcha moments - but they were the ones who were got, though most listeners won't ever know it.

The statewide edict almost perfectly matches most of the county and municipal ordinances that were already in effect. I'm not aware of any major differences, though there may be some here and there.

ORIGINAL: Cap Mandrake

ORIGINAL: Canoerebel

Dumb Press Headline of the Moment: "DC Mayor says 1 in 7 could be infected."

Context: That's 15%. A week ago, two weeks ago, national and international leaders were predicting 50% to 70% (I saw 80% in one country) infection rate. Assuming the DC mayor is in the right ballpark (big if) that would be hugely encouraging news undeserving of the kind of headline that scares people.

It's DC. Nobody knows what a percentage is

ORIGINAL: Cap Mandrake

The neighbors are NOT following the rules. The 19 year old next door has weightlifting buddies over every day then they go out front and take selfies. [:)]

The mom has meetings there every Saturday. They also put up a Christmas display the size of Detroit on my rose bushes but I am trying to be nice. The dad has one of those GPS and camera guided powered gold caddies. On weekends he sneaks onto the course and plays a few holes. The thing KNOWS where it is going and drives itself at about 3 mph 15 feet ahead of him. Completely decadent but at least there is no human caddie. He throws his dog's s*** in my trashcans but at least it is in a bag. I hope this "social distancing" crap is over soon because it is bugging the crap out of me. [:D]

BTW, does anyone know where I can order Claymore mines? Somebody stole all of my Asian pears last season and I want to stop it.

ORIGINAL: witpqs

We all read and see some news, the trouble is figuring out what actually has happened and what has not happened based on news reports. It isn't easy, and it sure is frustrating.

ORIGINAL: Cap Mandrake

BTW, does anyone know where I can order Claymore mines? Somebody stole all of my Asian pears last season and I want to stop it.

ORIGINAL: geofflambert

Is someone here an "analyst" professionale?

ORIGINAL: RangerJoe

ORIGINAL: Cap Mandrake

Of course there aren't enough tests to simultaneously test 1/3rd of billion people. There aren't enough medical people to COLLECT 1/3rd of billion tests or enough laboratory techs to RUN 1/3rd of billion tests or enough medical people to give results and advice to 1/3rd of a billion people.

Suppose you test 1/3rd of a billion people on Saturday and you have a million lab couriers to take the tests to the lab and a million techs running 330 labs each and everyone shows up to work on time and works on nothing else so it's all done by 2 PM and now you need 10 million nurses and doctors to call all 330 million and everyone HAS a phone and ANSWERS their phone (even the illegal aliens of which there are 20 million) and when they answer you need translators for Hmong and Que-Che and Cantonese and Swahili etc.

Now you have 35 million positives and you have to counsel them and tell them to stay home which they have already been advised to do...WHEW! Now, on Sunday, you only have 300 million to retest because some of them will have converted during the night....and there you go again.

The only practical way to measure incidence in a prospective fashion in a large population with many asymptomatic cases is with a sizable careful random sample.

In the meantime we discover Mr. Undie-Messing is a preening peacock of a statist ***-hole who has posters of Chairman Mao in his room in Mom's basement.

He probably has a mural of Chairman Mao plus Pol Pot on the ceiling of his bedroom.