Thursday, March 12, 2020

Kung Flu Daily Briefing




0800 HRS:

Go visit Bayou Renaissance Man for today's take from him.
He goes into depth on first-, second- and third-order ramifications.
Nothing much has changed. See video clip above.

And I repeat my response there, for all here:

I'll be blogging regularly. Status updates as appropriate.

This is in everyone's community now. (Probably has been for days to weeks.)
Minimize interactions, or self-quarantine, as necessary and possible.
Wash your hands.
Don't touch your face.
Get your rest.
Take your vitamins.
See you on the other side, I hope. 
Best wishes to one and all.
Unless I see something worthy of a full post, I'll be adding on to this one throughout the day on this topic.
I'll timestamp any updates.

Other topics will appear as usual, being howsoever the muse moves.


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0940 Hrs
From somewhere inside the Montana bunker, Commander Zero notes that U MT is debating the online course route for the rest of the year.

The UC and CSU systems hereabouts are already there, when last I looked.

This could end up being the pin that pops the whole "gotta go to college in person" thing, and kids start saving yuuugely by staying in Mom's basement and doing virtually (see what I did there?) the whole degree online, in their PJs. Just like their professors will. And at some point, there's little need to limit enrollment, other than bandwidth. No more screen-outs. Everyone can go to Harvard and Stanford, and suddenly Podunk Community doesn't make much sense, unless they're doing it for 1/4 price or something.

Kung Flu breaks Ivory Tower: fifth order effect.

Bummer for all those non-essential admin and diversity studies jobs if college becomes an individual achievement experience, but sacrifices have to me made, mister.

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0945 HRS
Also, we have the first track of the Ultimate Pandemic Mix , Vol. 2, lined up:
Colin Hay and the boys, singing
Wuhan It Be, Now?


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1230 HRS
Passed by the supermarket lot.
Almost everyone coming out had two cases of bottled water, but nobody's stocking up on, y'know, food. Calories. The stuff that keeps you alive from day to day. Guess they figure there's no Kung Flu at McDonald's or Burger King.
These will be the same idiots crying when they're starving once drive-throughs close too, asking the .Gov to bring them MREs or something.
This is a vivid reminder that for everyone with an IQ above 100, there's another person below that median.

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59 comments:

Barb said...

Your blog and time here, as well as on the front lines much appreciated! Best of luck all around.

A Texan said...

Breaking the Education-Industrial Complex would be a GREAT bonus. Why do you need all of those buildings (especially dorms), cafeterias, multiple professors, department chairs, grounds keeping, etc., etc. if learning can be done online? Frankly, Harvard and the other Ivies can be the prestige schools, but they're not going to be able to charge $60,000 +/year. There will still be tiers, but all of them will be at a far lower cost than is presently charged. The Education-Industrial complex has stolen and squeezed all that they have been able to out of the American public's pockets for many decades...and that has to come to an end - trees do not grow to the sky. If this is what brings down their criminal enterprise, then that's the silver lining in this CV cloud.

Robin Datta said...

Soon to be FUBARE (FUBAR Everywhere)...

Anonymous said...

Wish you the best Aesop.

ThatWouldBeTelling said...

Yes, we all know the CDC has been criminally incompetent with testing, and a true Top Man of the FDA busted them, strange that they initially denied him entrance despite the trip being prearranged.... (and there's more).

Just how bad? As of Monday, March 9th, a total of 75,000 tests have been produced for the CDC and the state labs using their kits.

I now understand why my home state is only doing disease + travel or contacts, or pneumonia or ARDS, and why Ohio was recently rumored to have only 150 tests available. And why they're changing the protocol to combine the nose and throat samples, doesn't matter where virus is detected as long as you detect it, or not.

Anonymous said...

Talked to my townhouse neighbor about an hour ago after bumping into him in the parking lot. He said "The grocery store is a mad house." (there a large regional chain grocery store within easy walking distance). "People are in line with carts stacked to overflowing. I went there to pick up something for lunch (the store has a very good deli), saw the lines and thought I'd stock up", he added. Then he holds up a small plastic grocery bag with about six (6) cans of soup.

I almost couldn't contain myself from bursting out laughing.

He and his wife have been and always will be CLUELESS. I've tried obliquely in the past to draw him out about what he would do in an emergency. He just never caught on. He'd rather talk about his 22 foot motor cruiser, docked about 60 miles from where we live. As one of my sons once said after I told him the neighbor showed up with a new boat, "can't eat a boat".

Nemo

ThatWouldBeTelling said...

A Texan: As Spandrel I think it was pointed out, higher education is the only place in the US where you can buy status.

And for the best places, it really does make a difference rubbing elbows with other brilliant students and teachers. Harvard and MIT are not moving to remote learning because it's equivalent, they're doing so because the managers of Biogen are Gilligans, and in the case of MIT, their HQ, the epicenter of the Massachusetts cluster, is about a third of a mile from the edge of the campus, in an area normally teeming with members of the MIT community.

I've also heard this about India's IITs. Their equipment, bureaucracy, curricula, and teachers are subpar, but good things happen when you gather the very best students in such a huge country.

Anonymous said...

In my rural area of the upper Midwest, folks are just waking up to this new reality. I've been watching the shelves since January, and noticed a subtle decline in the amount of bleach, wipes and masks in various stores in town. Three weeks ago, those items were mostly gone, and dried beans and rice were getting sparse. Probably a few, like me, who aren't lost in the local idyllic culture "topping off". This week, especially the last couple days, has seen a dramatic shift in people's moods and conversations. It's like watching a young child's face when they learn for the first time there is no Santa Claus. It's hard not to feel a bit sad. Thanks for what you do here to keep everyone updated and connected.

Unknownsailor said...

A comment about those wipes. I was at the large 24 hour store 2 days ago, and there were none to be found. However, sitting right next to the empty shelves where the wipes would be were bottles of spray cleaner, rows upon rows of them.

Now, I might be showing my age here, but just what do people think are soaked into those handi-wipes, anyway? Water? No, it's the same stuff right there next to them. Formula 409 disinfects just as well as those wipes, and what's more, you get more cleaning for your money out of those wipes. Only thing is, it takes 2 hands to clean something.

The older I get, the more old curmudgeons start to make sense....

Unknownsailor said...

Than, not out of. Read read post.

Anonymous said...

Aesop you might want to check out a band called overkill and their song elimination

Mark Kaulius said...

Question. If all these colleges can offer these online courses now, why not forever going forward and slash the cost of schools by 90%.

Anonymous said...

@ NEMO

Your story reminds me of that couple in the Nat Geo show "American Blackout" the couple lived in New York City in a flash high rise. When the power went out they had nothing in their cupboards because they ate out every night. If you haven't seen the show check it out (it's super hard to find online but I found a Japanese site that streams it). Spoiler alert. That couple fared very poorly.

Anonymous said...

Fellow worker at my job, second generation Italian has lots of relatives throughout Italy. She says Italy is in full crisis mode. She is freaking out. Folks dying because healthcare is collapsing.

Anonymous said...

I live with my elderly grandmother and have talked to her about reducing trips out to the bare minimum. She agreed with the idea and trips out will be reduced to me going out at off hours to do grocery shopping. Today a neighbor came by to visit and flatly stated he plans to go on with his normal routine and then begins to equate the virus as nothing worse than the flu wash your hands etc. I am not sure how to address the issues of folks just plain walking into the house bringing this in with them or convincing my grandmother it's just the flu.

June J said...

Re: Remote learning- Information Technology people are getting exposed too.

How many of these fine institutions of higher learning have thought about what's going to happen if the IT people are unable to work?

What's the over/under on the Ivy league professors having a good relationship with the IT folks who will have to keep the network infrastructure going for the classes to be online?

Vogg-Guy said...

Anon @2:10

Forget American Blackout, check out the Nat Geo "After Armageddon" about a pandemic. It's on YT: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OtP80Z08lfg&feature=youtu.be

Unknownsailor said...

Anonymous @ 2:46 PM

"I am not sure how to address the issues of folks just plain walking into the house bringing this in with them." He has demonstrated serious lack of will or ability to grok present circumstances, and with that mind set he is a serious risk of infecting, and thereby killing, your elderly grandmother. You should be RCOB™ furious at him, and next time he comes by, he should be looking down the business end of a 12ga. Nothing less tends to dissuade such people.

Anonymous said...

@Anon 1445: That is one thing I don't get. I work with a bunch of Chinese who are not ABC's. They don't seem to be worried/stressed at all. Now I understand they aren't going to spill their guts to the round eye but not even a hint of extra stress/worry from them.

@Anon 1446: If you want to keep grandma safe visitors will also have to stop until they've been in quarantine for at least 14 days and 30 would be better. Sucks I know. Try skypeing or something like that if she wants to 'visit'.

Anonymous said...

The assignments below are well past due, for some. But if you get to work today, you may still yet receive partial credit.



https://raconteurreport.blogspot.com/2014/09/shtf-larder-lessons-learned.html


https://raconteurreport.blogspot.com/2017/07/wallyworld-weekend-maths_2.html

Many thanks to the Bloghost, a beacon among the noise.

From a longtime reader.

Neil S. said...

Second the observation of stores sold out of wet wipes but filled with Lysol and 409.

On the subject of hoping for the NG to come calling with a case of MREs: ironically, that would obviate the need for TP. A steady diet of MREs = Neil don't shit for a week.

paladin3001 said...

I work in a grocery store in Canada. We're out of toilet paper and disinfectant wipes. We got a shipment this morning. The local Costco is out of this stuff as well. Luckily we don't have to worry about this stuff since I have instilled a preparedness mindset into my wife. Been working on stockpiling household goods for awhile. Everynow and then I get extra goods and just set up the pantry. Been buying extra goods to extend our supplies. No panic buying from me just yet when it comes to groceries.

Been getting the feeling that I haven't been paranoid enough the past couple of days. Keep getting the nagging feeling that I am forgetting something important.

MikeJ said...

Just a question for the audience or those who know:

Can the Ultra Violet light spectrum UVA, UVB, or UVC, kill-or neutralize-viruses? If they can, how easy would it be to intall them in hospital entrances, ER's and doctors offices?

Anonymous said...

Good stuff. Long time lurker, 1st time poster. As a camper and hunter I cam make electricity, potable water, heat and cook. Off the grid. I usually agree 100% with 90% of what Aesop posts. Was able to get way ahead of the curve on food storage and gasoline stashing thanks to his (zers? Them?) sage advice. Should be good for about 3 months. Going to limit travel and try to ride it out.

Anonymous said...

Aesop - Any advice for a good natural diuretic? It would be much appreciated. Drs and Pharmacists are being uncooperative about giving extra. This is a shitshow on steroids. Between uncooperative close relatives that you love in denial, the local gov and med clownshow - things are looking just rosy. Diuretic info would possible be a lifesaver because when it runs out if this goes the duration Im on borrowed time. I have some extra but this aint looking good where Im at. Thanks so much for your blog.

Jimmythetriger said...

UVA & UVB both overlap sufficiently in range to produce some thyamine dimerization. However they have virtually no penetration so not good for doorway disinfection.

Anonymous said...

@ Any advice for a good natural diuretic:
While awaiting Aesop's answer check out Dandelion. There are drug interactions so research those as well.

Anonymous said...

"I want to say one word to you, just one word. Are you listening?" Vinegar.

Anonymous said...

That one word is NOT in response to the request for a diuretic.

CaptFrag said...

Aesop, do you have a way to host documents? I'm a STEM nerd with an affinity for spreadsheets, and I've got a calorie/macronutrient calculator I'd like to share with your audience (for those with a bent for numbers and such).

Old NFO said...

Yep, food is good.

Cyril said...

Two tablespoons of salt washed down with warm water WILL clean you out. Learned that on a 'cleanse'. Not much fun though

Cyril said...

Never mind. You did say diuretic.

MikeJ said...

@Unknown

Thanks for the feedback. I was reading about UVC possibly being used to do it in hospitals and thought that maybe UVA, UCB or a combo would work for home decontamination. Set up a tanning booth at the entrance or something similar. Just brainstorming.

Robin Datta said...

Would, perchance, any of these do?
Calorie/macronutrient calculator

Anonymous said...

A Texan,

You are exactly right. Of the 100 or so organizations that existed around the world in 1500 and are still operational today, about 80 are universities.

Why? A whole host of cultural reasons that don’t make much sense anymore.

A few years ago, the university president for whom I worked, in Texas, told me one day in passing that in 15-20 years, there would probably be a Texas A&M, Rice, UT-Austin, Texas Tech, and UH, but the rest would probably be extinct or nearly so.

Add a pandemic and it might be five years instead if 15. Interesting times, indeed!

dthompson4447 said...

Brazil nuts,, for the selenium, just a few, daily (<5) unless sick, more then
Get 2 or 3 bottles of vitamin D, at end of winter you are sure to be low,
don't need when you get 1 hour of sun, shirt off. If sick, take more (10K)
(don't get sunburn, first few days)
Curiously, no one has said, when you start coughing up mucus after 2 1/2 -3 weeks,,
that's odd, I've never tasted anything like that
IMO under "ideal" circumstances 9 days viablity is too low, add 50%
Thanks Aesop for your clear thinking and courage

ThatWouldBeTelling said...

A Texan: the current lower tier university scam depends on 1) the high school diploma losing all its signaling power, 2) testing for competence outlawed because of Griggs v. Duke Power Co. and its progeny, and a 3) tremendous amount of government cash being poured into the system. Classic inflation, more dollars chasing about the same resources.

1 is not going to change, but 2 could. 3 could be wiped out if the coming economic crash forces the government to prioritize healthcare, feeding people and otherwise helping them stay alive in our plague years. The Democrats will fight this tooth and nail, but I think everyone here expects that a variety of luxuries, the tastes of our ruling class enforced on us, will have to be dispensed with.

Aesop said...

I am not the go-to guy for natural/homeopathic remedies.
My first answer would be to tell your doc your plans, and ask for consecutive refillable prescriptions.
Then max them out.

Because at some point, the penny will drop, and people will realize Rx meds from China aren't forthcoming.

As we mentioned, between lifesaving Rx meds, and the 25% of the pop. on psychotropic meds, it ain't gonna be pretty when the music stops, and half or more left standing don't have a chair.

This is one of those cases where it's appropriate to panic early.

Anonymous said...

Saying contagious up to 37 Days in the Miami Herald today. How many natural viruses have that kind of resilience? Anyone know?

Thanks for the tip above (dandelions) Ill check it out. I'm hoping Aesop has some suggestions as well. Maybe something will work for me.

Anonymous said...

UV Sterilization.

Any effects require exposure time. You have to hit the bugs with enough UV Energy to destroy them.
What that is, Please ask an expert.

Just like germicides and bleach require contact or residence time to kill the bugs too.
If you use the Lysol Laundry Disinfectant, READ THE FINE PRINT. They require fifteen (15) minutes of contact in the wash.
I usually go for thirty to make sure. Same thing with chlorine bleach in my laundry too. RESIDENCE TIME.
Spraying and wiping down surfaces? Every product says keep wet for ten minutes straight.

Another disinfectant method is OZONE. People use it for odor control and cigarette smoke removal.
You can use it if you have an ozone generator. It will also kill any plants and the fish in your aquarium.
It can also possibly knock down molds and insects too?
Do NOT use it in an occupied area. Make sure you air the room out thoroughly when finished.
We used it in my Moms apartment that she smoked in for twenty years.
It helped, but the new paint and carpet cleaning did most of the work.

Vinegar? I spray my fruits and produce with it before I rinse them with water.
Anyone have any better information???

Anonymous said...

@Aesop thanks for replying. I will keep looking. Docs refused to give me extra says insurance wont cover it - Like I care I was gonna pay cash but they still refused. Then Pharmacist said he wouldnt fill it anyhow hes rationing his meds. Everyone seems to think this is not a big deal. Reality is gonna bite hard.

Anonymous said...

PJ Media report on Italy.

They are triaging the elderly and infirm.

https://pjmedia.com/lifestyle/elderly-will-be-denied-intensive-care-as-coronavirus-overwhelms-italys-national-health-system-experts-warn/

"It may be necessary to establish criteria of access to intensive care not just on the basis of clinical appropriateness but inspired by the most consensual criteria regarding distributive justice and the appropriate allocation of limited health resources." The report goes on to recommend rationing care to certain populations.

----- Sounds really innocuous doesn't it? Wait until the certain populations are the Jews, Blacks, or Kulaks.

They link to the original translation too.

dthompson4447 said...

>Saying contagious up to 37 Days in the Miami Herald today.
>How many natural viruses have that kind of resilience?
My bees have had ccd, colony collapse for 13 years now, lost 70-80 in that time
Too old to want to lug heavy boxes, try to stay down < 10
I am convinced that it is a virus, quite long-lived. ? 2 years??
(in dead-out equipment, I give a bleach spray, can't get everything,and is in bees too)
The great majority of virus are < 1 week

nick flandrey said...

I've got one reader that was told his last 90 day refill on his name brand insulin will be the last for a long time.

I've been told the "common antibiotic" that is no longer available is doxycycline (but my local pharmacy has it in stock).

My local is out of a "blood pressure med", something like HHHC? Didn't recognize what the tech said. They have stock on everything else, at least for now.

I've filled my two "every day" meds, that I can live without if needed, telling the Pharmacist I'd pay cash for the extra refills. He was surprised, but the main one is only $4 anyway. What I thought was my insurance copay is the cash price and LESS than my copay. So they've just been charging me the cash price. I had to see a Dr to get my two infrequent use meds refilled. Extra on that was $70 so I passed. I am using one bottle way past it's done date... so very infrequent. Not a killer if I don't have it. It probably helps to have a long relationship with the pharmacy and Dr.

Did do a big Costco run on OTC meds. Kid strength and adult in every category. Used Aesop's list, and then some. Then hit CVS for some eye stuff (OTC) and also some "what if" like lice kits, dental repair and crown repair. You do not want to be trying out "Where There Is No Dentist" for reals in a couple of months.

Other hard to get stuff was taken care of weeks, months, and some even years ago. It's all "just in case" and preferably if telemedicine is still up, under guidance.

There is LOTS of wound management in my kit. Also stuff for someone with more knowledge and skill to use if the world dies. Some of it rode along with desirable gear, but is kinda silly- anyone need hundreds of external male catheters? 35mm size and only a year out of date. For educational purposes only....aloe vera included.

nick

Anonymous said...

For the diuretic issue.... wife is a pharmacist. She said celery and caffeine. Watermelon is also unless you are a diabetic.

Good luck.

Anonymous said...

See reply further down...

Pragmatic Skeptic said...

Hmmm might go shopping at Costco... I'll bet open carry gets ya at least 6' of space between other folks and maybe suppress sneeze until outta range... or gets ya shot.. either way they are still out of toilet paper.

Anonymous said...

See reply down below

Anonymous said...

Also here’s a search You can copy and paste.

https://duckduckgo.com/?q=natural+diuretics&t=brave&ia=web


Anonymous said...

For the diuretic issue.... wife is a pharmacist. She said celery and caffeine. Watermelon is also unless you are a diabetic.

"Good luck."

Thanks for the comment -- Unfortunately I had to stop caffiene The diuretic is the main thing keeping my bp down. Im also a diabetic but they pulled off meds cause my last test i managed to do well on the bloodwork.

Could you ask her how OTC diuretcs (assuming I can find them) would fare compared to a proper prescribed diuretic? Would i need to take extra etc?

Many thanks and best of luck to everyone.

Anonymous said...

Regarding fruits & veggies
Some recent research has shown that cleaning fruit and veggies with baking soda removes up to 96% of pesticide residue.
I have been doing this for quite some time at home, and I feel it works, I notice it most with apples and citrus fruits.
I tried to post a link but am not that tech capable without my laptop & mouse.
A basic search string should bring up the study, several articles about it.
All the best.

Anonymous said...

Selenium and Vit D have been proven to reduce the risk of viral infection, esp URI.
ENT recommended generous use of a Neti Pot (daily) and gargle with warm salt water.
Also wash your face well as well as hands.
Even during hayfever season, washing your face often reduces the pollen and other allergens in your eyelashes, etc that continue to exacerbate the situation. I was not aware of that until just recently.

Robin Datta said...

Unless the water is sterilized, the use of Neti-pots is associated with a very small but non-zero risk of primary amoebic meningoencephalitis, the portal of entry presumed to be the cribriform plate.

Robin Datta said...

The word "quarantine" is from Italian, referring to the forty days that ships had to wait before docking during epidemics.

Insects are generally solitary, including most bees. It has been postulated that neonicotinoid insecticides in trace amounts make the social bees' nervous systems overcome the inhibitions that keep them from reverting to a solitary lifestyle. Once the exodus starts, all the bees join in; but having lost the solitary abilities, they do not survive. However they do not die anywhere near the hive. Often the only one left is the queen, who may have a different programming, only leaving the hive on a mating flight.

Differ said...

Just got back from UK, visiting Mum in Assisted Living facility in South coast. Initial restrictions hand sanitizing and not hanging out in common areas. Yesterday they rightly suspended visitors. Glad I got to spend a few days seeing her. Flight home was busy. Numerous people's plans changed.

Steve the Boomer said...

@Anonymous 12:01am:

Is there a reason your doc is not recommending OTCs like Diurex? Drug interactions or something?

Anonymous said...

He sounds like with all the issues he has that it’s prescription based meds or bust. That one will have similar effects as a caffeine based which he says he can’t take.

Anonymous said...

She says that it sounds like your health issues require a prescription strength diuretic. Then said that with anything else and your playing with fire.

Be aware that taking the OTC Diurex will have similar effects as caffeine.

Sorry that you find yourself in this predicament.