tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-714028479313834812.post1988357593106419143..comments2024-03-28T11:58:42.109-07:00Comments on Raconteur Report: RelaxAesophttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07834464741531503378noreply@blogger.comBlogger53125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-714028479313834812.post-45401896041207809522020-03-29T18:25:14.377-07:002020-03-29T18:25:14.377-07:00Meh.
I read you both often. You both love an audi...Meh.<br /><br />I read you both often. You both love an audience, both think you know it all, and neither of you likes challenge or discussion--he summarily bans, you ridicule people and delete comments. Whatever. Your blogs, your rules.<br /><br />But you are BY FAR the better writer.<br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-714028479313834812.post-52134244384223868432020-03-29T17:23:15.133-07:002020-03-29T17:23:15.133-07:00Aesop, I have noticed over the last 8 years withou...Aesop, I have noticed over the last 8 years without health insurance, that I can negotiate lower bills for routine healthcare and even emergency services. When in a doctors or dentists offices, I've been paying cash for those years, saving 30% to 60% off my bill. All told, I have saved thousands when compared to what I was paying for health insurance premiums.<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-714028479313834812.post-28716758866147355162020-03-29T16:55:30.767-07:002020-03-29T16:55:30.767-07:00@Jim,
That "hole in your paycheck" isn&...@Jim,<br /><br />That "hole in your paycheck" isn't "paying for health care". What you pay is the tip.<br /><br />The insurance you buy is what pays the bills.<br /><br />Don't believe me?<br />Drop your coverage.<br />Pay cash.<br />Let us know what everything really costs.Aesophttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07834464741531503378noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-714028479313834812.post-55496984791066044332020-03-29T16:12:49.413-07:002020-03-29T16:12:49.413-07:00[Denninger] saw a youTube video (and/or stayed in ...<i>[Denninger] saw a youTube video (and/or stayed in a Holiday Inn Express once) purporting that all Kung Flu transmission is fecal-oral. This immediately satisfied his urge to end all social distancing and quarantines, so he latched onto it like a non-profit going after a government grant, and hung on like a terrier, despite his entire evidence being that same YouTube video.</i><br /><br />I had difficultly believing even he could be this stupid, so I checked his site and sure enough. His "evidence" for it is laughable, assuming social distancing orders <i>and requests</i> are actually being obeyed in the US, and ignoring the incubation and early symptoms lags. Making such a claim about the worse respiratory virus in a century, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Not_even_wrong" rel="nofollow">he's not even wrong</a> (although his claim is falsifiable to a degree, a criteria I think Wikipedians recently added to that page).ThatWouldBeTellinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16910231314995266781noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-714028479313834812.post-47425197655022915792020-03-29T15:50:25.963-07:002020-03-29T15:50:25.963-07:00Agreed, Denninger's site is a big fuckin circl...Agreed, Denninger's site is a big fuckin circle jerk. I was banned for asking a question; you know, as in "let's talk more about this".Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-714028479313834812.post-78907917733811159062020-03-29T15:23:52.944-07:002020-03-29T15:23:52.944-07:00"It's a huge amount of work to no benefit..."It's a huge amount of work to no benefit - and you won't even get him to ever admit fault; just saying "I disagree" on his forum is enough to get you instabanned (ask me how I know this)."<br /><br />Heh, I'm in that club too. He's no different than Twitter in that respect, only yes men allowed. Dissent gets the ban hammer. His site, his prerogative, but that doesn't mean I have to accept his opinions as revealed fact.Unknownsailorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10384464603647986681noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-714028479313834812.post-7838086708564429962020-03-29T13:31:20.419-07:002020-03-29T13:31:20.419-07:00 The comment on Nawlins was posted while I was wri... The comment on Nawlins was posted while I was writing. What he is saying is a bit more technical than what was being tweeted out of Italy, but the EMOTIONAL TONE is the same. This is SERIOUS.ApoloDocnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-714028479313834812.post-6483033640879902452020-03-29T13:29:31.385-07:002020-03-29T13:29:31.385-07:00Denninger really does get a bit old at hammering o... Denninger really does get a bit old at hammering on healthcare. Look, our medical system is truly problematic. I graduated med school >35 yrs ago, and I do NOT like much of what has happened. Big Pharma has done a LOT to corrupt medicine, even worse are the CDC & FDA. OTOH we are VERY GOOD at much of what we do, and we have placed a high value on medical care. When people complain about health and outcomes (in general, not specific to the CervezaBug) I like to respond in this manner:<br /><br />Put the fork down; exercise; don't smoke; don't drink alcohol or do it moderately. At that point you will eliminate the LIONS share of the cost. Now with our current little experiment, it turns out that these same factors will play a significant role in survival. Not the sole factor, but when all is said and done, I suspect that 1/3 - 1/2 of the mortality will be controlled by these same factors.<br /><br />I do TRULY HURT for many small business owners and the difficulties they are experiencing. The .gov cares little for them and won't do a lot. There really is no "easy & painless" answer to this predicament. It is more a matter of which poison do you prefer.<br /><br />The issue of critical care survival is real ... but it is for every disease. Does that mean we never use a ventilator for ANYONE? Of course not. A dear friend told me she was grabbed to do an emergency intubation for someone who was not even her patient, but it was a young person turning blue. The risk of infection was raised for her (and she has vulnerabilities that means she likely cannot survive this virus) but as she said, she couldn't just stand there and watch someone die. People like Denninger are utterly clueless about the things that drive us to care for others. Over the years I have had people talk about "you rich doctors" (rich ... not really!) and I point out that few people go into medicine to 'get rich' as there are easier ways to make even more money. We do it because we care.<br /><br />For the nurses, I am delighted that they have seen a substantial increase in pay over the past 20 yrs... RNs used to be terribly underpaid for what they did. Now someone with an associate degree in nursing has far more respect AND income than they had 30 yrs ago. But what BURNS me is the massive proliferation of administrators who do nothing (which does include some nurses who gave up patient care) or are a necessary evil due to the massive bureaucracy.<br /><br />Finally, every time I see one of these billboards for the class action lawsuit over oxycontin, I want to scream. Relatively few addicts started legitimately on this drug, and MUCH of that can be laid at the feet of the JCAHO! When they had this massive brain fart and DECLARED FROM MT SINAI: "Pain is the 5th Vital Sign!!!" and started slamming facilities for "inadequate evaluation and/or treatment of pain," they played a huge role in the uptick in opioid (which used to be called opiates, but we have to keep having NEW WORDS ... and genders!) prescribing.<br /><br />Alright, enough of my stuff. Aesop, you have done a tremendous service by your efforts to educate people the past number of weeks. Having gotten burned out on WRSA, I hadn't seen your stuff in a long time. When I was digging into this bug a couple of months ago, I started to check to see where you were on it. We got all dressed up with nowhere to go for Ebola ... but that was the dress rehearsal. PPE has stayed in it's sealed tub, now being useful to me and others!<br /><br />Be careful out there!ApoloDocnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-714028479313834812.post-55427627295594864282020-03-29T13:08:07.156-07:002020-03-29T13:08:07.156-07:00When reading Doc Nawlins' report it instantly ...When reading Doc Nawlins' report it instantly shows that he is speaking from first-hand experience in the trenches: in the school of hard knocks. Like the difference between an urban cowboy and a country cowboy: the latter has the bull$|-|][^[]^ on the outside of the boots. Was a delight to read; made me regret that I retired 10+ years ago.Robin Dattahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15358491380192365005noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-714028479313834812.post-77958302926008075612020-03-29T13:06:43.075-07:002020-03-29T13:06:43.075-07:00Norwegian Docs go public; 82 page report using OSI...Norwegian Docs go public; 82 page report using OSINT to detail what works to fight COVID in China.<br /><br />The doc starts with full disclosure re. linkage to China etc.<br /><br />https://www.docdroid.net/80gIu9f/essential-takeaways-from-chinas-response-to-covid-19-magnus-nordby.pdfAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-714028479313834812.post-63806601227117212662020-03-29T13:01:24.744-07:002020-03-29T13:01:24.744-07:00yep. prolly just the flu.
Italy suffers another ...yep. prolly just the flu.<br /><br /><i>Italy suffers another 756 coronavirus deaths in one day as death toll soars towards 11,000 and number of cases in the country nears 100,000<br /><br /> Death toll in Italy alone accounts for third of all deaths from the bug world-wide<br /> The total number of confirmed cases in country rose to 97,689 from 92,472<br /> <b>At least 50 medics have died while trying to contain spread of Covid-19 in Italy</b> </i><br /><br />...seems like just about every year we kill 50 medical staff fighting flu in less than a month, yep. Flu. No big deal. Media hype.<br /><br /><br />nicknick flandreynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-714028479313834812.post-90461040695928284492020-03-29T12:03:28.996-07:002020-03-29T12:03:28.996-07:00Denninger never heard of Gunnison, CO?
https://ww...Denninger never heard of Gunnison, CO?<br /><br />https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/mar/01/gunnison-colorado-the-town-that-dodged-the-1918-spanish-flu-pandemic<br /><br />They shut the entire mining/farming town down for 4 months... It must have killed their economy!<br /><br />They, however, didn't get sick or die in the first two waves.<br /><br />MN SteelAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-714028479313834812.post-60735745430985444432020-03-29T11:40:59.135-07:002020-03-29T11:40:59.135-07:00Stipulating that health care in the USA is overpri...Stipulating that health care in the USA is overpriced and sooner or later the system will change, probably sooner - that aside, Denninger cherry picks his data on EVERYTHING. As long as he's talking about something you know little about, he sounds plausible. The moment he starts talking about something you might happen to have direct knowledge of, it becomes blatantly obvious. Then you start doing some double-checking and asking other people who might have some knowledge of the topic about his other claims, and it becomes blindingly obvious.<br /><br />He does this so consistently, and he cherry picks the data so carefully in every case, it's really not possible to believe he doesn't know the truth about whatever the topic is. It's just the way he is. He's not capable of being intellectually honest, with himself or with anybody else.<br /><br />Just in this chinavirus case - he's explicitly claimed that in 1918 the social distancing measures raised overall mortality. https://www.pnas.org/content/104/18/7582 is a fairly in-depth look at the numbers demonstrating the exact opposite. Does he have his own numbers and sources? Who knows? He never cites anything, he just screams assertions. He's now claiming that hospitals are the primary vector of infection. This is explicitly contradicted by multiple data sources - the NO doctor's account for one (people are coming into the ER for other causes but already having the chinavirus symptoms showing they caught it outside somewhere), the NYC case patterns for another (it's clustered along the commuter lines, there's no connection with hospitals or takeout delivery zones or anything like that).<br /><br />Systematically responding to every single thing Denninger says with cited sources and evidence demonstrating that he is absolutely full of crap on 99% of the things he has ever said is entirely possible. But what's the point? It's a huge amount of work to no benefit - and you won't even get him to ever admit fault; just saying "I disagree" on his forum is enough to get you instabanned (ask me how I know this). And for the few things he does say that are true and accurate (health care being too expensive) his manner and approach and rhetoric is almost calculated to be anti-persuasive and antagonize people rather than getting them on board.<br /><br />At least he's a decent litmus test. You can watch how people react to him and what conclusions they draw and when/if they twig to his BS, and draw your own conclusions.Rollorynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-714028479313834812.post-17967275972459290632020-03-29T11:13:53.398-07:002020-03-29T11:13:53.398-07:00I have a hole in my paycheck, in every paycheck, f...I have a hole in my paycheck, in every paycheck, for my health care. Denninger argues that billing reveals the fraud: he specifically displays a $21K bill presented by the hospital to the insurer results in the insurer cutting a check for < 2K.<br /><br />I don't get a say in it because the Affordable Care Act SAYS I don't get a say, ie, there's a gun up my nostril.<br /><br />Jim.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-714028479313834812.post-15025846634052283192020-03-29T11:03:20.476-07:002020-03-29T11:03:20.476-07:00If you paid for your health care, that might matte...If you paid for your health care, that might matter.<br />You don't.<br />The government pays for it.<br />Insurers pay for it.<br />They know what they pay, because they <i>do</i> pay.<br /><br />You want prices?<br />Pick up the whole bill, and we can talk.<br /><br />When 50.1% of America picks up its own tab, you'll see prices posted.<br />That hasn't happened for 60-80 years.<br /><br />When you stop paying for something, you don't get a say in the pricing.<br />Don't like it?<br />Bitch to FDR.Aesophttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07834464741531503378noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-714028479313834812.post-12606400988741629292020-03-29T10:56:13.979-07:002020-03-29T10:56:13.979-07:00Sorry, but Denninger is absolutely RIGHT in his lo...Sorry, but Denninger is absolutely RIGHT in his long-running statement that healthcare in this country is overpriced by roughly EIGHTY PERCENT over what it would otherwise be if we actually had a free market in healthcare in the USA, which we absolutely DO NOT. <br /><br />You say that he cherry picks his data, because places like the Surgery Centef of Oklahoma can and do send their cases that develop complications to a 'regular' hospital. So what? Every out-patient surgery center in America operates in the same way. <br /><br />In America you usually cannot get a price up front for any medical treatment or procedure. But you CAN get a comprehensive proposal and price up front for pretty much anything else....auto repair, lasic eye surgery, home remodeling, dental implants, carpet cleaning, liposuction, pool cleaning, veterinary services, landscaping and lawn care, accounting, and the list goes on and on. <br /><br />But not medical care. There is no up-front price discovery allowed, and thus no ability to shop around for the most competitive bid. This is an absolute violation of black letter federal anti-trust laws that have been on the books for one hundred years. This is law that is vigorously enforced in every industry.....EXCEPT our sick care industry. <br /><br />Cui bono? Ask yourself who benefits from this? Not you and not me, that's for sure. Ask yourself who enables this ongoing decades-long medical shearing of all of us sheep, and what 'incentives' might they be given for continuing to support this truly massive price-fixing scheme that defines the American healthcare industry of today. George Truehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17352709031834067303noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-714028479313834812.post-68428230518309211582020-03-29T10:53:22.519-07:002020-03-29T10:53:22.519-07:00Denninger doesn't have numbers. He saw a youTu...Denninger doesn't have numbers. He saw a youTube video (and/or stayed in a Holiday Inn Express once) purporting that all Kung Flu transmission is fecal-oral. This immediately satisfied his urge to end all social distancing and quarantines, so he latched onto it like a non-profit going after a government grant, and hung on like a terrier, despite his entire evidence being that same YouTube video.<br /><br />That's not math, or science, it's advocacy grasping at straws that line up with one's own confirmation bias.<br /><br />Game. Set. Match.<br />QED<br /><br />This is all too important to leave to hacktivists with an axe to grind.Aesophttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07834464741531503378noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-714028479313834812.post-51965160948403385232020-03-29T10:23:57.841-07:002020-03-29T10:23:57.841-07:00ThatWouldBeTelling
If Denninger is dishonest then...ThatWouldBeTelling<br /><br />If Denninger is dishonest then where are the errors with his COVID-19 numbers?<br /><br />I am only looking for facts. Where are yours to refute his?Add 'Em Upnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-714028479313834812.post-8341370307812393032020-03-29T10:21:36.576-07:002020-03-29T10:21:36.576-07:00@LT???? and more ????
I've got supplies to s...@LT???? and more ????<br /><br />I've got supplies to stack and organize, but wth are you talking about?<br /><br />The test specifically does look for the genetic sequences of the virus identified as SARS2-CoV, which causes the illness called Covid-19.<br /><br />We are currently tracking its spread and mutation thru at least 8 strains around the world SPECIFICALLY thru its genetics.<br /><br />This is much better for identifying a pathogen than any other method as it uses the genetic code itself and not some other superficial descriptor.<br /><br />If you're not just trolling, then you've got some research to do before coming back...<br /><br />nicknick flandreynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-714028479313834812.post-58107564643502393062020-03-29T08:43:01.015-07:002020-03-29T08:43:01.015-07:00Don't assume, run the numbers.
Better yet, ru...<i>Don't assume, run the numbers.</i><br /><br />Better yet, <i>run the numbers honestly</i>. Unlike our host, I have enough economics background to assess Karl Denninger's economic positions, and they're based an original sin of taking the peak of the Jimmy Carter era sky high, over 20% interest rates as as a fundamental fact.<br /><br />Instead of an aberration caused by his belated appointment of Paul Volcker to run the Fed and bring inflation under control, which peaked under Carter at ~13% per year. Things were so bad the Treasury had to issue <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carter_bonds" rel="nofollow">Carter bonds</a> denominated in West German Deutschmarks and Swiss Francs instead of dollars.<br /><br />(Note that for now the dollar doesn't seem to be at risk, we're seeing massive deflation as nominal dollars like the former values of airlines evaporate.)<br /><br />As our host has noted before, when it comes to things medical, Denninger also cherry picks what supports his position. I first noticed this when Aesop pointed out Denninger was saying surgeries were overpriced based on surgical specialty centers that only work on the relatively healthy, and socialize their risks by sending the bad outcomes to normal hospitals.<br /><br />TL;DR: Denninger is fundamentally dishonest, and in the matter of COVID-19, very dangerously so. Any attention you spend on him is worse than wasted.ThatWouldBeTellinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16910231314995266781noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-714028479313834812.post-84258146825324483722020-03-29T08:35:55.096-07:002020-03-29T08:35:55.096-07:00Aesop, one more question. Have you seen any data ...Aesop, one more question. Have you seen any data discussing the effectiveness, or lack thereof, of the pneumonia vaccines to help prevent or minimize pneumonia in COVID-19 patients?Skinnedknuckleshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02066053936929569852noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-714028479313834812.post-83667414834715832662020-03-29T07:56:44.215-07:002020-03-29T07:56:44.215-07:00@Matt Bracken,
I'm way ahead of you.
It was fe...@Matt Bracken,<br />I'm way ahead of you.<br />It was featured here yesterday:<br />https://raconteurreport.blogspot.com/2020/03/field-clinical-report-nawlins-er.htmlAesophttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07834464741531503378noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-714028479313834812.post-77608444074776661832020-03-29T07:35:14.644-07:002020-03-29T07:35:14.644-07:00Don't assume, run the numbers.
https://marke...Don't assume, run the numbers.<br /><br /><br />https://market-ticker.org/akcs-www?post=238679Add 'Em Upnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-714028479313834812.post-1973295799960297762020-03-29T07:00:38.082-07:002020-03-29T07:00:38.082-07:00Bottom line for times like this is that laws, EOs,...Bottom line for times like this is that laws, EOs, etc. only hold the weight they are given by the people (NG, etc). When things step up well past this shit mardi gras, "Rules" may go right out the window.Bee Esshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17701561476641641375noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-714028479313834812.post-65681890418627249422020-03-29T06:15:58.588-07:002020-03-29T06:15:58.588-07:00No, a ten year-old ObaMao EO is not gonna make me ...No, a ten year-old ObaMao EO is not gonna make me "weep". A goodly number of "phone and pen" EO's have been negated by POTUS and the courts. <br />The salient point is the same; those Guard troops are NOT "federalized" and are under state TAG control, not DoD.<br /> Boat GuyAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com