Friday, April 10, 2020

Sucker Punched

h/t Herschel, again

"While you were looking over there, in comes the haymaker..."














The deaths from Kung Flu are real, and bad enough. But we dun tole ya, an' tole ya, that the second- through N-th order effects from Kung Flu are what's going to rabbit punch the sh*t out of you. You're taking hits right now you don't even know about.

Forget quarantine/lockdown.
We're talking actual ripple effects.
To wit:
(PIGVILLE)"The COVID-19 coronavirus compelled Tyson to shut one of its major Iowa meat-processing plants. The large pork slaughterhouse was closed Monday after more than two dozen workers at the location were diagnosed with the novel coronavirus, the company told reporters. The site in Columbus Junction, Iowa, ordinarily accounts for approximately 2% of the USA's daily pork production. 
The cluster of infections erupted despite Tyson's efforts to keep the virus out of its production areas, using methods ranging from taking employees' temperatures to a greatly augmented sanitizing and cleaning regimen at all locations. Workstation dividers, social distancing rules, and the provision of as many masks as possible also failed to prevent the outbreak."
But wait! There's more!
 (COWVILLE)"National Beef has announced an employee at Iowa Premium at Tama has tested positive for COVID 19. The plant employees some 850 in the beef operation here."
And another one:
 (CHICKENVILLE)"Canadian pork and poultry processer Olymel temporarily suspended operations at one of its facilities in Quebec following the confirmation of nine cases of coronavirus among its staff."
Still not done:
(HAMBURGERVILLE)"At least 830 employees at the JBS beef processing plant in Greeley CO called off work in reaction to the company informing the plant of as many as 10 employees who had tested positive for COVID-19."
Starting to get the picture?
The outbreak is real, not imaginary. Even in Flyoverland. There are and will be multiple levels of consequences of it to you, even if you're far, far away. Hell, if I can connect Kevin Bacon to any movie actor in six steps, you can damn sure bet that you can get to the bacon in some factory being less than six steps away from you. And not getting to your table, and more importantly, to your belly, because of the Kung Flu pandemic.

Now do the same thing for canned food, corned flakes, corned beef, beef bologna, and anything else on the shelves at the local supermarket, and this gets even less funny every minute you think about it.

This all comes down to universal rapid testing.
We need to test every swinging Richard, and the sooner we can start throwing people out of the pool, or into it, the sooner we can end this nightmare and get the country back on the job.

Lifting the quarantines because you don't know anybody who has it is asinine and homicidal, as if you were omniscient in the first place.

"Fuck you. Who died and made you God?"
 
Either we dig our way out of this the right way, not the quick and stupid way, or things continue to spiral down to the abyss.
 
 

23 comments:

  1. Anecdotal but still true, several Amish cattle producers I know say the whole market is out of whack right now and one guy had a load contracted to go out that was suddenly canceled at the last second because the processor shut down, so now he has cattle ready for market that he has to re-sell and probably for a lower price. When you have fat cattle you can't get rid of and you aren't getting paid for, you can't bring in baby cattle to feed and replenish your own pipeline for later this year.

    This is going to cause all sorts of chaos in the food chain. Meanwhile as I noted last week, it is getting powerful hard to find vegetable seeds so if you are planning on a garden this year, best get to buying what you need. Right now.

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  2. No reason we shouldn't punch SARS-CoV-2 right back.

    Just came across a notice about an updated EPA "Pesticide Registration" page (is not the virus a pest?), "List N: Disinfectants for Use Against SARS-CoV-2. Lots of stuff will "kill" an enveloped virus like it "dead"; technically, inactivate it so "the virus can't virus."

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  3. Finally! I've been waiting 6 weeks for that clip.
    It is out of hand and a lot of people are dying!
    So like I said earlier, when we're down to rabbits, squirrels, dandelions and acorns... COOK THAT SHIT WELL DONE!!!

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  4. Imagine throwing three pebbles in still pond, each 25 ft apart, and watch the concentric ripples that eminate from each and the complexity of the intersections.

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  5. Slightly off-topic as this pertains to China & the CCP. Great doc on how China has been tightening the screws especially with their racism against foreigners. Two white guys that lived there for close to 15 years, were selling motorcycles and did travel docs too. Both speak Chinese and have chinese wives. They're now in the US having more or less escaped from China and will never ever go back. Both guys also doing a bit of a mea culpa.
    Excerpt: "The irony is that the illusion that I was trying to dispel about China is what it ended up becoming in the end."
    1HR doc, start at 4 min and watch at increased speed. Well worth it for an overview on the CCP and also the WHO towards the end.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kDV4s9c9sfQ

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  6. Not looking good for sure. Although things are trending down. Have to wait and see I guess.

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  7. And China has also got a BIG problem with their pork industry. African swine flu is killing off a significant portion of their domestic pork industry.
    Hungry people are desperate people. Desperate people are closer to revolt...
    So what will China do when their people are looking for food or a new government to provide that food???
    Anybody remember the 'Arab Spring'? IIRC there was research that showed correlation between revolution and food prices. I think the magic number in the WHO food price index was 225. Might be wrong about the number. But anyway, there's a correlation. A war could do two things for China. Distract the population and lessen the population pressure somewhat.
    But back to the post topic.
    So... If the food processing & distribution network collapses the SNAP cards are worthless no matter how much money is in the account.
    Minority urban residents are prone to temper tantrums anyway so I foresee the .mil distributing food directly. And one day their food is gonna run out before the people run out and it's game on! This IS NOT going to end well. If y'all live near a city make sure your garden is fenced and your security system is functional.

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    Replies
    1. Good thing I've got a freezer full of bacon then😉

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  8. Aesop,
    One of the last remaining clear thinkers out here, I think. Appreciate your posts and honesty.

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  9. I had to come over and do a belly laugh because I knew it was just a matter of time before Charles the Turd got booted off of here...Some people's tourettes I tell ya😂

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  10. @lineman

    I tried, brother. Gave him all the rope I could.
    He just kept on tying it around his neck.
    Three strikes and you're out.

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    Replies
    1. Better man than me Charlie Brown I could see shitbird on him from a mile away...Thanks for all you do Brother and when they open CA back up and the job down there starts up again dinners on me...

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  11. Good morning Aesop,

    Here is an interesting video along the lines of your post

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=4&v=m4jr0wkt7HY&feature=emb_title

    found at Itain'tholywater.

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  12. So... If the food processing & distribution network collapses the SNAP cards are worthless no matter how much money is in the account.

    There's no reason for them to "collapse", but there are big disruptions that are going to take some time to unsnarl at best:

    Lots more people are keeping larger quantities of food in their homes.

    As noted, a variety of processing plants are having to shut down for periods of time due to employee infections.

    The parallel to homes supply chain for food service, that is restaurants, cafeterias, etc. has seen a collapse in demand. I've read that's around 36% of our food production, and this supply chain needs to work out methods to deliver to consumers, in SKUs that will work for them. For example, part of the TP problem is a lot of people who aren't using the restrooms of their workplaces.

    So one solution is to allow restaurants to sell unprocessed food. Another is for restaurant supply houses to gain the ability to charge end users for sales taxes, and in the meanwhile you can shop at them by getting an IRS TIN if I remember correctly. But you'll need to be able big SKUs, like 50 lb sacks of flour.

    All this can be worked out in time, but if you're already prepped at home, you can wait for that.

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  13. The better answer is get people cleared to go back to work, and get the restaurants open.

    Few people can make use of #10 1-gallon cans of chili or corn, etc., or much else in restaurant inventory.

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  14. Different problem, Irish. They have no capability to sell what they're producing, because demand has collapsed.

    And the moron kid who made the video is an idiot, who can't grasp the reason for the shutdown, or why it can't magically be ended. Common Core and no critical thinking skillz strikes again.

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  15. I haven’t been to the market but do manage a country club with restaurant. Just bought beef tenderloin for takeaway Easter meals and the price had dropped about 30% from normal which was really surprising. Might be time to heartily stock that freezer!?

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  16. The better answer is get people cleared to go back to work, and get the restaurants open.

    Of course, but I know, and I certainly hope you know, your scheme isn't going to implemented in the foreseeable future. My guess is only if and after it's realized we can't make a vaccine, but it could happen if we can't thread a needle of lock downs, low enough healthcare demand, and enough of an economy in the meanwhile.

    So working on what can be done right now about "#10 1-gallon cans of chili or corn, etc.", when the producers of starting ingredients are seeing their markets collapse is, I submit, useful, your continuing to advocate as an alternative a scheme which your audience doesn't have the political power to enact isn't.
    "Americans will always do the right thing - after exhausting all the alternatives."

    As a for instance, whether restaurants can sell unprocessed food is a state or lower level issue. My state allows it, LA doesn't; if your locality does, we can personally work on solutions right now if we're so inclined and positioned.

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  17. Here's another local-ish thing to focus on: some states are descending into outright potentially lethal tyranny, first Vermont, and now Michigan of Half Whitmer, you lose your license if your prescribe or dispense chloroquine or hydroxychloroquine infamy, have declared sales of gardening supplies to be non-essential and thus banned.

    Stupid? Evil? Both? Such existential threats should be jumped on, there's a chance the authorities can be shamed like Half Whitmer was on the TrumpPills she previously banned. Banning people from gardening, and note she's also preventing people from visiting other properties they own ... that's not going to sit well with a lot of people who otherwise might support her, especially if she gets the VP ticket slot she's clearly angling for.

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    Replies
    1. Read an excerpt on ERJ's blog that they have now banned use of motorized boats in Michigan. Can't have the deplorables feeding themselves from nature's largesse now can we...

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  18. Government is minimally trainable.

    Like wild animals, it generally involves whips, fire, cattle prods, and doesn't take for very long.

    Still it should be tried, but there's better uses for everyone's time:
    https://raconteurreport.blogspot.com/2020/04/why-those-of-you-who-think-you-know.html

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  19. Fishville
    Canadian harvesters and processors want to delay the fishing season because they can not practice social distancing and go out on their boats or go to their plants at the same time

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  20. I've been to the grocery store every week, except this past one, since the end of January.

    Long term food supplies have not been in stock or are quantity limited if they are.

    Canned meat (Spam, Chicken, sardines) canned soup and ramen, canned vegetables,Spaghetti and spaghetti sauce out of stock. Tuna was out of stock for several weeks, but back to almost pre Kung Flu levels last week, although brand selection was limited.

    Dairy(milk, eggs, butter, fake butter, yogurt) and cereal looked to be in good supply.

    Fresh beef and pork - limited cuts and quantity available. Fresh chicken - no whole birds available, limited selection of parts. Interestingly, in store barbecued whole chickens were available.

    Cooking oil(corn and canola) and olive oil available in 16floz containers only, i.e. no half gal or gal containers available.

    Cleaning supplies - fogedaboutit

    The store I shop at is part of an 80+ store regional chain, so it not like they don't have significant buying power.

    Weather is a concern of mine in the mid-west/western grain producing region, although the NOAA long range forecast doesn't indicate any problems, yet.

    https://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/predictions/long_range/seasonal.php?lead=3

    Nemo

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