Hello, howdy, and greetings from our little tin can by the sea. Wendy and I survived another week of self-isolation amid the corona virus pandemic. We are both healthy and doing well. The picture to the right was taken in Sawgrass Lake Park last Sunday. That park is near our home, and we got some Einstein bagels and sat in the car at the park for brunch. There was a lot of wildlife, including a red-headed woodpecker. Largely, though, I enjoy watching the butterflies. We still have some butterflies behind our home, and I get to see them from time to time as I work. Normally, I sit out on the west porch in the morning, but I've had to use the lanai on Thursday and Friday. We have an industrious mud dauber that is bent on building a cocoon somewhere on our west porch. Since I have vision issues, I can't readily distinguish between a wasp and a mud dauber, so I just relocate for now. I'll try to restake my claim to the west porch on Monday, after a bit of washing this weekend. I'm still working from home, which has been great. I must admit that I'm thankful for working from home. I disagree with how my group is being run, and it's just "better" for my longevity there that I don't vocalize any of it to management. I do like my employer, but I wish that the message from my immediate supervisors was consistent with the message delivered from the upper ones.
| Scope |
Cases |
% Inc. |
Deaths |
% Inc. |
| Worldwide |
15,985,274 |
12.3 |
643,581 |
7.2 |
| United States |
4,249,779 |
12.7 |
148,521 |
4.5 |
| Florida |
402,312 |
22.9 |
5,653 |
17.6 |
| Pinellas County |
14,726 |
15.8 |
367 |
22.3 |
Though I question the validity of the numbers being reported, I will keep reporting them. I've added another little trend from Reuters - one for the number of tests and the percentage of positives. There are three states that are setting the trend for cases and deaths: California, Florida, and Texas. Arizona is dropping out of the race by reducing the number of tests - fewer tests, fewer positives. I'm sure that the deaths are being swept into some other bin, so they won't show up until the mortality data comes out. Truth is hard to come by. Still, the primary topic is opening the schools. Our secretary of education has decided to blatantly lie by quoting selected quotes from medical papers. First, some at least have not been peer reviewed; second, the quotes are being applied out-of-context. The first is a fallacy of hasty generalization, the second is an intentional fallacy. I put a wary take on this: if the truth appears deceptive, then chances are that it isn't the truth.
Meanwhile, the federal shock troops are moving into additional cities. They are now in Portland, Seattle, Albuquerque, Chicago, and Kansas City. Well, when a fascist is elected, you end up with fascism.
One item of note on the global warming front - the expected global temperature rise is now estimated at 2.9 to 3.6 degrees Centigrade. This improves the previous worst case of 4.5 degrees C, though it worsens the previous best case of 1.5 degrees C. The article in Science Magazine, authored by Paul Voosen, concludes by saying:
Unfortunately, the years of work needed to attain that certainty came with a cost: 4 decades of additional emissions and global warming, unabated.
On to the economy - I haven't been out this past week, but google tells me that the local 7/11 is selling regular for $1.96/gal. Though the DJIA surged during the week, it is down overall. It opened on Monday morning at 26660 and closed on Friday afternoon at 26469. I've been reading a lot of prophets of doom regarding the US economy, while the Fed and treasury have largely been silent. Unemployment has increased, with an estimated 30 million people in the US out-of-work. Many of the provisions of the PPP law will end on July 31. Salary protection and the increased unemployment benefits are two of the most notable. The senate is having difficulty piecing together a package that will meet muster with the white house and the house of representatives. It's of their own design - they hoped to force the legislation, using the drop dead date as leverage. Now, that leverage has turned against them.
On politics - please look elsewhere.
I've got the apolitical blues
And that's the meanest blues of all
Apolitical blues
And that's the meanest blues of all
I don't care if it's John Wayne
I just don't want to talk to him now
- Lowell George, A apolitical blues, Sailin' Shoes, Little Feat, 1972
