April 2020

 

 

 

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Baja Magic anchored at Bahia Pichilingue

 

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Monday April 20th 2020

Today Clearing this morning. Wind becoming northwest 20 km/h gusting to 40 near noon. High 17. UV index 8 or very high.
Tonight Clear. Wind northwest 20 km/h gusting to 40 becoming light this evening. Low plus 1.

The night was reasonably calm and warm.  I slept well again and woke at five.

I spent the morning working on my Spanish and trying to get a radio license for Baja Magic.

The Industry Canada website is a confusing jumble and time-waster.  Then, after I found the appropriate form and filled it out, the site crashed with an error.  I sent an email and am waiting.

After lunch, The day was beautiful, with a light breeze in the bay and I decided to head towards La Paz and either move to Bahia Falsa again or go back to town.

The breeze was moderate and going in my direction, so I poled out the genoa and put a preventer on the main and sailed south wing on wing.

When I got to Falsa, I could see there are lots of boats there and considered going in, then continued on back to Marina de La Paz.

I tied up and walked up to Oxxo and back.  One thing I was missing at Pichilingue was walking.

I had supper, watched some video and went to bed.

I noticed the fresh water pump ran occasionally during the night, so I checked the taps and they were all off, so I assume there is a leak somewhere.

Quote of the Day
Whenever I feel the need to exercise, I lie down until it goes away.
Paul Terry

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Tuesday April 21st 2020

Today Sunny. Becoming a mix of sun and cloud this afternoon. Wind northwest 20 km/h gusting to 40. High 20. UV index 6 or high.
Tonight Partly cloudy. Wind northwest 20 km/h gusting to 40 becoming light late this evening. Low plus 1.

I slept in and then listened to the net. Apparently a boat was attacked by men in a panga throwing baseball-sized rocks at three AM while anchored near Caleta Nopolo, a small, normally friendly fishing village, further north up the Sea from San Evaristo and accessible only by water.

Seems that villagers are worried that the travelers might bring virus ashore.  Also, there is undoubtedly resentment that foreigners are allowed to move about while the fishermen are required to stay ashore and that markets are closed, leaving them without income.

I'm of two minds about staying.  If things get ugly here, I'd be better at home, plus the weather has broken and spring has finally arrived at home.  June is probably the nicest month in Southern Alberta.

I have a number of tasks to do on this boat. Some are electrical and others just a matter of rearranging things.

I began by chasing down the fresh water leak.  The first place to look was under the hot water tank.  Miguel and I had not shielded the cold water line there and I have been putting that off.

That was not it, so I then pulled up more of the bench and while things were torn apart, decided to remove the heating ducts that run though the storage spaces. 

I'm never taking this boat north, and the heater was removed before I bought he boat, so the ducts might as well go, too. If I do put a heater in, it will just heat the salon. No need to heat  the cabins or the head.  I also pulled the hull liners.  They are just ugly and hold dirt.  Frankly, I like seeing the white plastic hull better.

With fresh water leaking and running into the bilge, I expected the bilge pump would run, but it didn't.  I checked and discovered the pump float switch is toast and on close examination, I see a small crack, probably from when the hull work was being done.

I went to Sea Mar but found their hours are now cut back more and they close at 2 PM, so I returned to the boat.

Next, I walked to Oxxo for exercise and some beer and Doritos.

Walking up Antonio Navarro past where I lived last year, I see the van with flat tires that was there in exactly the same place last year has not been disturbed.  The same applies to a boat on a trailer around the corner. Gotta love Mexican live and let live.

I had supper of chicken legs and Doritos, spent some time on Spanish lessons and read web pages, then went to bed early again.

Quote of the Day
It’s no use going back to yesterday, because I was a different person then.
Lewis Carroll

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Wednesday April 22nd 2020

Today A mix of sun and cloud. 30 percent chance of showers this afternoon. Wind becoming northwest 20 km/h gusting to 40 near noon. High 15. UV index 6 or high.
Tonight Partly cloudy. 30 percent chance of showers this evening and after midnight. Wind northwest 20 km/h gusting to 40 becoming light this evening. Wind becoming northwest 20 overnight. Low plus 5.

I woke at seven and got to work on the boat. I'm really too busy to spend much time writing.

Neil came by and I arranged to move to a new, more protected location further inside the marina. I'll move at slack tide this afternoon.  I've gotten used to this location, but figure I should move. I can always move back.

I walked to Sea Mar and bought a new float switch for the bilge pump and installed it.  Next, I'll continue to hunt down the fresh water leak.

I got to work on the leak and after an hour, I had things torn apart but found the leak is under the fridge and hard to reach.  I'm faced with removing more panels and how to do it is less than obvious.

I worked on the leak until seven and then had a shower on board.  The shower pump is acting up, too, but it works, sorta.

Then I cooked up  some rice and beans.

I'm done for the day.  I'm tired of the WuWHOFlu story and think I'll find something else tonight. Maybe I'll post some more links tomorrow but I am bored with it and all the BS around it.

At this point, my original estimates have been bang on.  It escaped the lab, it is The Big One (politically if not in actual death counts), there are several varieties and that accounts for the vastly different stories, it has been around longer than we've been told...

I give up. I lied. Could not resist posting this one.

Mankind's Best Friend: Dogs Being Trained To Detect COVID-19 Odors Could Test 750 People Per Hour
 I like this story. Best one in a while.  I'm going to alert Jerry B.  Maybe we can use bees. Their sense of small is many times better than dogs.

Quote of the Day
The trouble with having an open mind, of course,
is that people will insist on coming along and trying to put things in it.
 Terry Pratchet

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Thursday April 23rd 2020

Today Mainly sunny. Increasing cloudiness this afternoon then 30 percent chance of showers late this afternoon. Risk of a thunderstorm late this afternoon. Wind becoming northwest 20 km/h gusting to 40 late this afternoon. High 16. UV index 6 or high.
Tonight Mainly cloudy with 30 percent chance of showers this evening and risk of a thunderstorm. Clearing overnight. Wind northwest 20 km/h gusting to 40 becoming light near midnight. Low zero.

Time flies. How long have I been here?

Let's see. I arrived in San Jose on Feb 23rd and have been here ever since. 

Wow! It turns out that I have been here two months as of today.  My travel medical ran out a month ago, so here is hoping I don't need it.

On the net this morning, Will, whose wife owns the local crematorium reports there is almost no business. Also, the local municipal crematorium is out of commission and although there was a rush to get it online, that has been called off. 

He said he checked the local IMSS hospital and it is not busy.  What can a person believe?

He further reports that one of the few who died so far here and was counted among the WuWHOFlu deaths actually had serious cancer and the death has been properly reclassified as a cancer death.

Currently, There are 246 cases reported in Baja California Sur and 186 suspected cases with 12 deaths. 

12 deaths in a 300,000 population does not sound unusual.  I also would assume that this number is actually low for flu and pneumonia deaths unless they are counted separately.

Unlike the worldwide and Canadian numbers, these local death numbers IMO are quite credible.  BCS is more conservative in ascribing death to the novel virus than jurisdictions where everyone who dies for whatever reason but may have had the virus is counted as a virus death.  As for the active case counts, though, I don't for a minute believe any of those counts from anywhere.

The quedate en casa orders are being enforced more strongly and a ten PM curfew is now in effect. I'm not, however, hearing of any arbitrary over-enforcement by over-reaching officials or snitch lines like I am hearing about in the US and Canada.

It is most interesting to read  the development of this event chronicled my diary going back to February and beyond. 

I got an email this morning and guess what, the Alberta Bee Commission is begging the Government to open the US border.  After all these years, the chickens come home to roost.

The Canadian beekeeping industry shot itself in the foot back in the 1980s and has resisted efforts to reopen the traditional route to the most economical source of replacement stock--California. Now, they are hoist on their own petard.

I used to get worked up over this but got nowhere. Here is a random sampling.  Some of the articles are pretty darn good if I do say so myself.

This is the Big One
Yes.  We are entering a depression.


 Be ready to duck. Watch this.
(the first half, anyhow.) 


The inside story.

From Hong Kong, South China Morning Post CEO Gary Liu tracks China's response to the coronavirus pandemic -- from the initial outbreak in Wuhan to the shutdown of Hubei province and the containment measures taken across its major cities. Sharing insights into how the culture in places like Hong Kong and South Korea contributed to fast action against the virus, Liu identifies lessons people across the world can use to stop its spread. (This virtual conversation is part of the TED Connects series, hosted by head of TED Chris Anderson and current affairs curator Whitney Pennington Rodgers. Recorded March 25, 2020)

This is the most sane and insightful piece I have seen so far.

I walked to Oxxo for the exercise and more beer, then had supper and spent the evening watching videos on YouTube, including some old videos from a half-century ago.

Quote of the Day is
Reality continues to ruin my life.
Bill Watterson

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Friday April 24th 2020

Today A mix of sun and cloud. High 15. UV index 6 or high.
Tonight A few clouds. Low minus 2.

At eight the daily VHF net woke me.   I listened and there is not much news here.

Is Watching the News Bad for Mental Health?
Do we really need to ask?

Deaths pass 2,000. The Canadian COVID-19 battle hit a tragic milestone this week as deaths surpassed 2,000. A month ago, there were fewer than 50 recorded deaths.

The first potential hurricane of the year is forming out in the Pacific.

*    *    *    *    *    *

I spent two and a half hours filling out a Walmart grocery order only to find that there is apparently no picking or delivery service available, so I wrote to ask.

I'm not really expecting an answer, though.  I wrote to Telcel a week ago and nothing ever came back.

If nothing else, though, working on the order was a great exercise in using my Spanish. 

Naming groceries takes me back to when Jon's kids were small and learning language. When I went grocery shopping, on return I'd unpack the items one by one and have the kids name them and say where they go and what they are for. It was a fun game.

What are 'COVID toes'? Doctors discover new symptom of possible infection

This news is really interesting, especially as I noticed a new small, painful bump on my finger yesterday. I assumed it was arthritis. (Yeah.  I know, I need a manicure).

Is it?  Dunno. Here are some more obvious images of the real thing..

*    *    *    *    *    *

It is 90°F here today.

I tried the Chedraui site and started an order there, but found that site  far inferior with fewer products and less detail.

Around four, I decided to take Uber to Walmart and bought the groceries.  I guess I have decided I'm staying at least another week.

I returned and put things away, then made spaghetti and watched YouTube and Facebook video until bed.

Quote of the Day is
The reason I talk to myself is because
I’m the only one whose answers I accept.
George Carlin

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Saturday April 25th 2020
Nine months until Christmas

Today Sunny. Becoming a mix of sun and cloud this afternoon. Wind southwest 30 km/h gusting to 50. High 18. Wind chill minus 12 this morning. UV index 6 or high.
Tonight Clearing late this evening. Wind southwest 30 km/h gusting to 50. Low 7.

I slept really well. 

For the last three nights I have taken Benadryl to sleep better and although there are good reasons not to, it definitely helps.

Benadryl is reputed to cause drowsiness and should not be used when driving or operating machinery, but in my experience, drowsiness is not the issue.  Bad judgment is.  It took me a long time to realise this.  A number of notable times, I have had bad experiences the morning after taking Benadryl.  I hit a deer one morning and another time my boat went aground due to bad judgment. Both times I was wide awake, but somehow failed to assess the situation clearly although I assumed I was fully conscious at the time.

Today I plan to work on the boat and perhaps head out to the anchorage for a week if that is still permitted.  If not, I may consider flying home is that is still possible. If I am going to be locked down somewhere, Alberta sounds better to me right now.

Here is an eye-opener that is bound to make waves. These guys are straight shooters and they have their facts laid out clearly...

Dr. Erickson COVID-19 Briefing

Mid-morning, I decided to head out and motored upwind to Bahia Pichilingue.  I arrived around one and anchored in my same spot, then chilled for the day.  Leaving the marina was a good decision as the afternoon was very hot.  Swimming was a pleasant relief.

Quote of the Day is
Be nice to nerds. You may end up working for them.
We all could.
Charles J. Sykes,

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Sunday April 26th 2020

Today Sunny. Wind northwest 30 km/h gusting to 50 becoming light this afternoon. High 17. UV index 6 or high.
Tonight Partly cloudy. Low plus 3.

I am up at 0745.  There is no net today.  It is Sunday.  I'm anchored at Bahia Pichilingue again. I slept poorly.

The day is bright and warm, so around ten, I went snorkeling up to the point and back.  The water is cloudy, though, and I did not see much variety in fish this time.

I spent almost two hours this morning watching this very worthwhile film:

Michael Moore Presents:
Planet of the Humans

Aside from the message, the film has amazing industrial sequences.

Here is another presentation on the same theme.
Why Renewables Can’t Save the Planet

I think this virus thing has run its course now and the story is wearing thin.  I expect a sudden change of direction, leaving the fanatic proponents of social control exposed and looking stupid.

The California doctors' words presented here yesterday and repeated below are getting out quite widely.

Dr. Erickson COVID-19 Briefing

Moreover, in spite of the media's attempts to ridicule President Trump and their habit of either showing small clips of the briefings out of context or, instead, to simply give their biased version of what the misheard him say, he seems to be the adult in the room.

Clearly, though, Trump sometimes thinks faster than he can compose words or is thinking several thoughts at once and things come out sounding imprecise or odd. His tweets, to the extent I have seen them, seem coherent. I think he is really smart and realistic, especially when compared to his critics.

I've never watched Trump in the past but got interested lately and find I like the guy and I cannot understand the disrespect that many Americans show toward their chief and am impressed by the patience he displays toward childish 'reporters' with their 'gotcha' questions.

President Donald Trump and White House Coronavirus Task Force Daily Press Briefing | FULL — 4/23/20

HIGHER TEMPS CUT VIRUS LIFE: William Bryan on how virus survives

White House: Heat, sunlight cut coronavirus life

And here are some clips  from Louder with Crowder...The show is quite immature IMO, but can have its good moments.  I especially liked his "Change my Mind" series which was quite sober and focused.

This is old news, but one reason why I am here at the Tropic of Cancer at 23°26'14" north and enjoying 90 degree weather with high humidity and not up home at 52 degrees north and temperatures around freezing even if I think I probably already had this fancy flu.

I was on Facebook when suddenly FB logged me out and said there was unusual activity.  I tried logging in and since I have extra security on, FB insisted on texting a code to my Canadian phone and of course I could not receive it.   So, I am still locked out.  Maybe that is  good thing.

"Change my Mind"

Steven Crowder Top 5 Change My Mind Conversations

I had supper and watched YouTube in the evening, then went to bed in the aft cabin.  After a while, I found it too hot and took my sleeping bag and pillow up to the cockpit and made my bed there.

Quote of the Day is
Go to heaven for the climate and hell for the company.
Benjamin Franklin Wade

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Monday April 27th 2020

Today Becoming a mix of sun and cloud this morning. 60 percent chance of showers late this afternoon. Risk of a thunderstorm late this afternoon. Wind becoming southwest 20 km/h gusting to 40 near noon. High 18. UV index 6 or high.
Tonight Mainly cloudy with 60 percent chance of showers this evening and risk of a thunderstorm. Clearing near midnight. Wind southwest 20 km/h gusting to 40 becoming northwest 30 gusting to 50 this evening then light overnight. Low plus 1.

I slept in the cockpit and woke at 0720.  It is 23 degrees already and the skies are clear.

Locally in La Paz: "There are 295 currently cases reported in Baja California Sur and 175 suspected cases with 13 deaths."

Western Spy Agencies Investigating Wuhan Scientist Highlighted By Zero Hedge In January

Zero Hedge was kicked off Twitter a while back for revealing exactly what is being investigated as the likely source of the WuWHOFlu.  Don't think the social media giants are not censoring and filtering the news stream to their own ends. 

They definitely are.  Suddenly I am not able to access my Facebook account any longer.  Is it an any way related to the fact that I have always publicly questioned the narrative behind this epidemic and the weak justifications given for draconian social control measures?  Oh, and recovery methods are unreachable due to "COVID-19"

Ending the Lockdowns Isn't about Saving Money. It's about Saving Lives.

Mid-morning, I went snorkeling again and found the water is still murky here.  I saw a few fish and took some pictures, but they are not turning out well due to the haze. Close-ups seem to be fair, though.

TECHNO-TYRANNY: HOW THE US NATIONAL SECURITY STATE IS USING CORONAVIRUS TO FULFILL AN ORWELLIAN VISION
In some ways, this is inevitable.

Tin hat time
Coronacide
by Robert Gore

Around noon, I decided to go for a sail and tacked up across the San Lorenzo Channel and decided to go to Bahia Falsa.  Conditions were perfect and it was great to get out and sail for a change.

On arrival in Falsa, I motored in past the fleet and chose a spot where I was free to swing with a minimum depth of twelve feet and put out a hundred feet of chain, then tested my swing.

I settled in, made spaghetti, swam on and off until evening and watched The Spy Next Door, a Jackie Chan movie that I found perfect for my mood. 

Afternished I tried several other disappointing movies and finally settled on Stranger Than Fiction which I quite enjoyed until I decided to go to bed.

I slept up in the cockpit again and woke a number of times as the seas and winds picked up and was glad I had moved in where I am sheltered by the shores.

Above me, far from civilization, the stars are bright and clear in the dark sky. 

Quote of the Day is
I love mankind ... it's people I can't stand!!
Charles M. Schulz

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Tuesday April 28th 2020

Today Sunny. Becoming a mix of sun and cloud this afternoon. Wind west 20 km/h gusting to 40. High 18. UV index 6 or high.
Tonight Partly cloudy. Clearing overnight. Wind west 20 km/h gusting to 40 becoming light this evening. Low plus 3.

I slept in the cockpit again and woke at seven to see frigate birds riding thermals far overhead.  I was tempted to dive in off the stern for an early dip. but resisted.

I was up just in time to catch the seven AM CBC Calgary news and hear that 1.) Parts of Fort McMurray are under ten feet of water and that 2.) in Canada people are breaking the lockdown, even as some provinces are loosening restrictions. The 'leaders' have to hurry and change their story they hope to stay ahead of their 'followers'.  Maybe I can go home soon.

*   *   *   *   *

I am glad to see there are still some rational, patriotic, freedom-loving Canadians left and they are willing to stand up.

If the rest wake up from their nap, the backlash could and should be anger.

The deliberate and willful negligence demonstrated by our Federal Canadian Government before, during, and after this event is unbelievable.  In particular, we have to blame our shallow, feckless, mistake of a Prime Minister, and, I suppose the people who elected him and his false virtue signaling party.

Why do we even have a government if all they can do is gullibly follow WHO blindly and believe the word out of China?  The hand writing was on the wall for anyone who cared to look, and I was copying it here since the beginning.

Will the zombie population wake up? I can only hope, but I am afraid our overpriced, under-delivering 'education' system and mindless parroting media talking heads have turned the people's brains to mush and talk of personal freedom into heresy.

“All jobs are essential!”
Torontonians protest COVID-19 shut downs

That's Queen's Park.  I went to the U of T nearby and once attended a demonstration on those legislature steps.  That demonstration was about "The French Fact", (something about Quebec) and like many 'demonstrators', just went along for something to do. I was just a kid and got to be in a parade.

Unlike me back then, I think most of these demonstrators at Queen's Park this time are serious and know why they are there, including the little kids, and are doing a very essential service standing up for what is left of our freedom.

*   *   *   *   *

I ate the last of the eggs for breakfast.  I had assumed I could get eggs at Walmart the other day, but they were out, again. Odd. Chedraui seems to always have eggs.

*   *   *   *   *

YouTube Censors Viral Video of Doctors Criticizing ‘Stay-at-Home’ Order
We knew that was coming, Right?
Another copy of that video is here

Bronx ER Doctor Explains Why Reopening The Economy Now Might Actually Save Lives

Quest Diagnostics Begins Selling COVID-19 Antibody Tests

*   *   *   *   *

I think, as I expected, we are reaching the breaking point of shelter in place and the most ridiculous measures, and the misbehavior and cluelessness of some 'leaders' who should lead by example is becoming obvious.  The vastly increased calls to abuse and suicide lines and deaths due to postponed surgery are now being recognized and even reported by the lapdog MSM.

Of course, the MSM is continuing to mislead the public and conceal and distort the facts.  Who would have ever thought that Fox news would be the most objective MSM news source in the US?  Not me.

My views are measured as left of centre by fairly objective measures, and CBC is definitely well left of centre.

In Canada we have no media to trust to be frank and honest except sometimes the Globe and Mail and always the National Post and a few minor players when we want honest, objective and investigative reporting instead of cheerleading.

*   *   *   *   *

Here in BCS, there is no sign of relaxing the restrictive measures,  but I expect that will take another week or two. There is little disease and the people can hardly afford to be without work.

We are all contributing to this effort but while this is a start, this is just a bandaide on a gaping wound.  BCS simply cannot stay closed down.

1st documentary movie on the origin of CCP virus, Tracking Down the Origin of the Wuhan Coronavirus

*   *   *   *   *

"I joined in on Sunday’s anti-lockdown protest in Vancouver"


Lindsay Shepherd is a folk hero in Canada
for her defense of free speech.

*   *   *   *   *

I spent the afternoon studying Spanish and swimming every half-hour.  The day was over 92°F.

MIT: What If COVID-19 Immunity Doesn't Last Long?

US Intel Officials Believe 45,500 Corpses Were Incinerated In One Fortnight In Wuhan
This is not the first time we have heard this.  It is an old story, going back to the beginning of this event, but how can we square this with what we know about the people in the US and on cruise ships who have had the virus and not even known?
 It is as if we are talking about several different viruses.  We must be.

*   *   *   *   *

Read this and understand what sorry lot we have elected to lead Canada.

...I must have instantly aged 10 years when he said those words. And he was right: on rare and extraordinary occasions, some leadership positions require making gut-wrenching decisions.

But many of the ‘leaders’ we have today aren’t willing to make those gut-wrenching decisions. They’re far more concerned about electability, political legacy, TV ratings, and poll numbers.

They say things like “I can’t let people die” as justification to suspend freedom and shut down the economy.

This isn’t a difficult decision, it’s just bad logic. People die every day.

You’ll never hear a governor say “I can’t let people die. . .” of heart attacks. Or hurricanes. Or diabetes.

They’ll never order a complete shut down of the economy because of a spike in automobile accidents.

These politicians are perfectly fine for people to die of every other possible way, including pneumonia (as long as it wasn’t caused by Covid).

But death from Covid? Unacceptable!

...

*   *   *   *   *

I noticed this morning that my dinghy has been losing air and assumed that it has a slow leak.  I blew it up mid-day but saw by supper it was collapsed and I raised it onto the deck.  When I began to clean the bottom, I saw that in the waves overnight it had been thrust against the boat and cutting itself on the swim ladder.  I'd have never predicted that.  I'm hoping I can fix it, but not today and not here. I'll need sealer.

*   *   *   *   *

Baja Magic is a mess, much like my mind lately, I guess.  I need to sort and tidy. I have a fresh water system leak, my SSB radio has lost is power connection, my engine is leaking a little diesel somewhere (likely the fuel filter), my dinghy is flat...  Hmmm.  Maybe that is all and its not so bad.  I'm not exactly unhappy.

*   *   *   *   *

I'm glad I came here to Bahia Falsa.  There are very few flies compared to Bahia Pichilingue where they were a real nuisance.

*   *   *   *   *

This just in.

Dear Allen,

I think you have entered the reverb chamber of sites and media that support your views.

Perhaps it’s time to suck back and re-load.

Just sayin’, you are beating a dead horse, and you are adding nothing but discord. Nice job.

Most of us are dealing with life, not your tropical fantasy. Thanks for slagging everything we are doing so you have a safe place to return to. Eventually, someday, maybe....

Pathetic posts lately, and not one shred of dispassionate discourse.

You should aim for better. I aim to get disparate views and make my own assessment

You have seemed to anchor on confirmation bias lately.

Get over it. It’s way weirder than you believe.

Brian

Rather peculiar comment, but  much appreciated.  I write for myself and a lot of the time I assume no one is reading, so feedback is always stimulating.  Sorry if people choose to take my raving personally.

I'm not sure what is being suggested other than I am down a rabbithole and I have never disputed that.  Sounds like he's down down a different rabbithole when he says, "It’s way weirder than you believe."

He says, "I aim to get disparate views and make my own assessment." But does not share, so I have no idea what he thinks he knows or where he gets better info.

I doubt anyone knows what I would believe if I had enough data to believe anything other than things do not add up and big errors have been made--assuming they are errors and not deliberate. 

There is at least one very big game underway and I'm not sure all the players know what is happening.  Apparently our Federal Government does not or did not.

These are my working hypotheses.

It is interesting to see that this event has divided people into two camps: the believers and the doubters. I've always been a doubter and I'd love to believe, but when I do, I find the stories almost never add up.  There are always hidden agendas.

I always find the outliers and apparent 'data errors' more interesting than the filtered, massaged, and statistically interpreted 'results'.

I think I present all sides but am more attracted to anything that disputes the hypothesis and I don't bother to restate the MSM lines.

The MSM story hardly needs repetition.  I figure everyone has heard it so I dwell on the novel stories, not suggesting anyone believe them. I mostly don't, but find they contain clues...

*   *   *   *   *

That is how real science works. We investigate and look for ways to disprove the mainstream assumptions, not prove them.

The word. "Science" has been prostituted in recent years.  Much of what is presented as 'science' is opinion or applied technology functioning as propaganda.

We need a new word for real, skeptical science.

*   *   *   *   *

I do wonder about confirmation bias, though. We all tend to confirmation bias. However, if I am confirming anything, I am confirming I don't actually believe anyone or anything, but I do have suspicions. (Reasons have to do with our very limited senses, our very limited ability to get complete information and context, and our very limited reasoning capability.)

So I agree with this:
"It’s way weirder than you believe."
Except I don't believe.

*   *   *   *   *

If there is one theme in all my pondering it is this:
None of this adds up.
Something big is obviously missing if we are to explain what is being gone to our societies worldwide.

*   *   *   *   *

Is a religious explanation being implied?

Of course, many will resort to one religion or another when things get hard to understand because religion provides certainty and few are comfortable with uncertainty.

My tendency to reject religious explanations is not that I have not spent a lot of time time examining many of those ideas in some detail, but because they are an easy out.
I have to admit that I sometimes wonder, though.  Although much is balderdash and fiction, some is not impossible.

*   *   *   *   *

There are known knowns.
     These are things we know that we know.

There are known unknowns.

     That is to say, there are things that we know we don't know.

But there are also unknown unknowns.

     There are things we don't know we don't know.

-- Donald Rumsfeld --

Whatever we may think of Donald Rumsfeld, and the war he fronted daily on CNN, he was dead right about what we don't know.  Pieces are missing. We can only solve the current equation in terms of unknowns and unknown unknowns.

*   *   *   *   *

I once was assigned a mark of 120 out of 100 on an exam because I solved a seemingly simple problem no one else in the class solved. The instructor had neglected to supply a value for one of the knowns required to calculate a numerical result.  Of course my solution was stated in terms of the unknown.

Today's  puzzle has multiple unknowns and the solutions., if indeed there are any, depend on unknowns.

*   *   *   *   *

As for a safe place to return to, that is a dream.  Life is not safe and nobody gets out alive. Besides I am well past my best-before date.  Every day could easily be my last and I live that way.

Anyhow, enough of that for today.

*   *   *   *   *

I finished my movie, Stranger Than Fiction, (It was fun) and started on See No Evil, with Richard Pryor and Gene Wilder,  then went to bed.  I seldom watch to the end of a film in one sitting.

Many years ago, when my kids were young, probably 1989 or soon after, my family and I were at Mom's and somehow my daughter and nieces happened to start this same movie. I imagine it was on TV.

The girls and I were sitting there and as it progressed one of my nieces turned to the other and said, "Are we supposed to be watching this?".

The other said, "Shut up Sarah".

('Shut up' was not a permitted phrase either in their family).

*   *   *   *   *

I made my bed up top in the cockpit again and once again the boat was being tossed by wind and waves. The flags got so noisy in the wind I finally got up and took them down.

Sometime after midnight I got up and decided to come down and sit a while to ponder and edit, here in my "tropical fantasy".

*   *   *   *   *

I'm done and I'm off to bed to dream. Tomorrow, it is once again back to the "reverb chamber of sites and media that support [my] views". 

Always something to look forward to.

Quote of the Day
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and it may be necessary
from time to time to give a stupid or misinformed beholder a black eye.
Jim Henson

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Wednesday April 29th 2020

Today Mainly sunny. Increasing cloudiness early this afternoon. Wind west 20 km/h becoming light this morning. Wind becoming south 20 gusting to 40 near noon. High 21. UV index 7 or high.
Tonight Mainly cloudy. Clearing overnight. Wind south 20 km/h gusting to 40 becoming light near midnight. Low 10.

I went back to the cockpit, lay down and after a few moments realised that it is not hot any longer and that there is no reason to be up there in the wind. I moved below where it is quiet and the motion is less.

Next I knew, it is 0759 and the sun is bright. I turned on the VHF net and can hardly hear boats six miles away. The odd thing is that three different radios got different reception and the one with a new antenna at the top of the forty-three foot mast was getting nothing at all at first but my walkie-talkie could hear a bit. The helm radio with a 5/8 whip above the bimini was intermittent. 

VHF propagation can be weird around here.  One day I was able to check in from 50 miles away.

There's not a soul out there that isn't in a rabbit hole...keep up the good work. -- Doug

I'll try.

*   *   *   *   *

BTW, I choose my quote of the day first thing usually, not at  the end. Sometimes it fits, though.

I've thought of commenting on each one, but so far have resisted.

*   *   *   *   *

Yesterday's Post was a long and somewhat arduous one. The next day, I always read back over and try to fix errors or ambiguities, but not change meanings. I am almost finished. Maybe today will be simpler.

*   *   *   *   *

Here are excerpts from an email today from scientist friend referring to an article available online... "A rampage through the body".

(Talking about a friend): "...his wife is an MD (originally Chinese). <...> She was presumably exposed to it with two patients so had to quarantine for 14 days. Both of them had some extremely mild symptoms: cough, sore throat, no fever. for a couple of days.

"Everything these days seems to fit symptoms.... A local friend who drinks too much convinced the health system here to test him yesterday because he was feeling off and a bit of mental confusion....

"This "terrifying" article reminds me a bit of the findings of Mariano Higes that alarmed the beekeeping world regarding Nosema ceranae. He is a vet by training and his graphs of colony "collapse" were based on careful monitoring of two "cases". Two colonies.... So these clinicians zero in on the extremes, and give this false impression that every one will be a case like their reports show.

"Hoping some reasonable and sensible policies will emerge, if the "data" continue to come out as they seem to be headed. Sounds a bit trite and simplistic, but this thing is looking like a bad season of the flu, or maybe even less.... But I have people kneejerk back at me if I suggest it. Maybe we need to come up with different wording?
 

Very interesting article and not without value, but it seems that when diagnosis of an unusual case finds the WuFlu virus, all other explanations are immediately abandoned?  Moreover, the virus seems to be becoming ubiquitous.

What concerns me is that there may/must be some other cofactor or even unrelated cause that has yet to be detected in these unusual cases, but the search for cause stops when the virus is found.

I keep coming back to stories like this:
US Intel Officials Believe 45,500 Corpses Were Incinerated In One Fortnight In Wuhan
and other such stories. Why did China react so very drastically? What is the truth.

At the time there were persistent and fairly well documented rumours, with pictures and people even examining the nature of smoke and locations generating smoke in China using satellite images and data.

*   *   *   *   *

John Robson on COVID-19: Why can't politicians just tell us the truth?
Because the voters punish them if they do.

*   *   *   *   *

This Canadian pharmaceutical company has developed an 'off-switch' for LSD trips
Bummer!
Could be handy though.
We could all use some right now to bring us down from this bad trip

*   *   *   *   *

Close to 500 Alberta health-care workers have tested positive for COVID-19
"In total across the province, 181 cases are active and 291 have recovered. There have been no deaths among Alberta health-care workers."
Isn't that a good thing?
 

Alberta updates COVID-19 modelling, adds low ‘likely’ scenario

*   *   *   *   *

America's Super-Rich See Their Wealth Rise $282 Billion In Three Weeks Of Pandemic

*   *   *   *   *

Allen,

I felt compelled to respond to the BS letter you posted in your diary.

> Just sayin’, you are beating a dead horse, and you are adding nothing but discord. Nice job.

Translation: You won't toe the party line, and you should be ashamed of yourself for questioning others. (Argumentum ad hominem...)

> Most of us are dealing with life, not your tropical fantasy.

Translation: I'm jealous of you. I'm suffering and inconvenienced, and I believe my suffering is so great that compared to me, everyone else is living in luxury. (It's ALL about ME.)

> Thanks for slagging everything we are doing so you have a safe place to return to. Eventually, someday, maybe...

Translation: I refuse to believe that my sacrifices and suffering are in vain. You should be grateful to me because I suffer. You owe me for everything, including your very existence. If it wasn't for me, you would have nothing. (This is characteristic behavior of verbally abusive and manipulative people.)

> Pathetic posts lately, and not one shred of dispassionate discourse.

Translation: Your posts are contrary to what I want to believe, so I will refuse to acknowledge that you can bring up any valid points. (More argumentum ad hominem.)

> I aim to get disparate views and make my own assessment

Translation: I will tolerate only viewpoints that confirm my pre-existing bias. My paradigm refuses to allow me to accept the possibility that I (or the infallible leaders) could be wrong. In short, I disagree with your right to say anything that I disagree with.

Politicians are riding high on FUD...fear, uncertainty, and doubt.

If you want to see the biggest spreaders of Covid-19, you only have to look at healthcare workers. How do you think nursing homes got infected? Someone saw a healthcare worker, and got infected. How are the prisons getting infected? A healthcare worker saw an inmate and infected them.

We should avoid healthcare workers like the plague, because they are the plague. (But it's politically incorrect to do anything other than praise healthcare workers.)

Another Brian

Thanks, "Another Brian"! always good to hear from you, and as usual, I think you are hitting close to the bone.  You never were afraid to point out the elephant in the room.

As I said, abuse is on the rise as good people who would normally have an outlet in work and an earned income find themselves penned up and get frustrated.

Let's not be too hard on the poor guy, though.  Everyone is struggling to make sense of things right now and we all have our different ways.

Some struggle to justify the cowardly weak belated (I'm searching...) harmful words and actions of misguided, under-informed, badly chosen and poorly educated 'leaders'.

If actions speak louder than words, I have to hand it to DJT for being on the ball and responsive to the extent he is allowed by the pack surrounding him, nipping at his heels. On the other hand, if words matter, he could do much better at times.  I notice he can spell, though and that is impressive.

I'll not get into our Canadian federal mob right now, but they make even mediocre provincial leaders look good.

Others like myself look for the missing pieces to this puzzle laid out on our dining table and which needs to be finished before we can have a real supper together again.

It's as if we have two jigsaw puzzles mingled with half the pieces somewhere in  the mess under the table and we have to solve this by dinnertime or die. Would make a good TV drama, methinks, if we did not have to live it.

*   *   *   *   *

Fact is, in spite of my imagined "Tropical Fantasy", I'm actually here just above the Tropic of Cancer (sub-tropical) and in very real solitary confinement.  I try to put a positive spin on the fact that I am pretty well trapped here, alone. And yes, I am going nuts.  I can break my self-isolation, but only in limited ways.  My rabbithole keeps me entertained.

*   *   *   *   *

There goes another morning of doing nothing, alone, in a remote bay, by myself.

*   *   *   *   *

With Superfluous Demand In Free-Fall, What's The Upside Of Re-Opening A Small Business

Psychology and the thinking about debt changed drastically after the Great Depression.  Will this depression be different?

*   *   *   *   *

The Next Phase Of The Crisis - Food Shortages In Staples Such As Rice, Sugar, Corn And Eggs
La Paz Walmart only has eggs once a week now.

Dr Tam on mandatory vaccination and detention
This is our Canadian Federal Government expert speaking hypothetically about a much more serious epidemic.

Outbreak: Anatomy of a Plague

"Police checkpoints are set up. Everyone leaving the city is required to show proof of vaccination. Those who refuse to cooperate ARE TAKEN AWAY TO TEMPORARY DETENTION CENTRES."

It is bad political judgment to hypothesize, but innocent here IMO. However, bad judgment seems to continue to this day.

*   *   *   *   *

This is ominous.
UK Warns Doctors About Mysterious New Respiratory Syndrome Appearing In Children
“There is a growing concern that a [covid-19] related inflammatory syndrome is emerging in children in the UK, or that there may be another, as yet unidentified, infectious pathogen associated with these cases."

*   *   *   *   *

Coronavirus: China's Global Intimidation Campaign - The European Union Self-Censors to Appease China

*   *   *   *   *

The Real Reasons Behind the Global Pandemic Lockdown, Part 1
An excessively wordy piece but well worth some thought, so skip on down as you read.
If this thesis seems implausible, then why did most countries allow this to get to the lockdown stage even with plenty of warning?

Is this a training session?

It has been increasingly apparent as time passes that our civilization is Ponzi scheme. It was designed that way and has worked amazingly well thus far, but the edges are fraying.

Such schemes--borrowing and paying current players from the contributions of new players--children or foreign nations with excess labour--and borrowing against future income work fine until we run out of new money or people, or people learn to game the system.

Both have happened here and we are approaching a total collapse because the future has been borrowed as far out as anyone can imagine and we are running out of new suckers.

Regardless of the end point, there is no way everyone can get their money back and when that happens, everyone gets mean. Wars or revolutions happen. The guillotines are brought out.  Obviously the ruling classes are concerned.

*   *   *   *   *

Today seems less hot and I'm about to change gears and do something else for a change.  I have to scrape the dinghy but maybe should wait until after siesta.  We do have a breeze today, though and that helps.

*   *   *   *   *

Lorne Gunter on COVID-19: By and large, it's hard to fault Canadian officials' response timing
Here's someone who thinks Canada did great.
Considering the virus deaths, that is.
No mention of the unnecessary resulting social and financial catastrophe that was caused by the response.

*   *   *   *   *

Let's ask.
How is Sweden doing today?

‘Life Has to Go On’: How Sweden Has Faced the Virus Without a Lockdown
Okay it seems, unless you happen to have died. Same everywhere, though, I guess.
Where would you rather be?
Sweden, or Canada?  Mexico?

One clue that has been 'conveniently' suppressed by the PC MSM is an earlier report with a table ranking nationalities by their average ACE-2 receptor prevalence. As I recall, Swedes were at the lowest and Northern Chinese the highest count by fairly significant multiples.  I could never find that report again.

Okay I searched with DuckDuckGo and here we go.

I'll list some reading and not get into the debate or try to interpret.

More on the ACE2-Related Asian COVID-19 Susceptibility Hypothesis

Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2

On the Origins of the 2019-nCoV Virus, Wuhan, China

"Another Brian" earlier mentioned that Belarus would be an interesting study as they have no money and made little response to the WuWHOFlu so I looked today. The population is about 10,000,000 +/-.

According to a Xinhua (China.org.cn) report today, Belarus reported 973 new COVID-19 confirmed cases on Wednesday, raising its total to 13,181, according to the country's health ministry.

The ministry said on Wednesday that 2,072 patients have recovered, while 84 patients with chronic diseases have died from the virus.

As of Wednesday, nearly 169,000 tests for COVID-19 infection have been conducted across the country, of which 7.8 percent were positive, said the ministry.

I did more reading and found some really good material from real science, but it turned out to be associated with what the mainstream lumps into the "anti-vaxxers".

I suspect the use of such terms on legitimate scientists working in the immunology field is a smear, much like the smears against any credentialed climate or environmental scientist who questions the extent to which CO2 affects climate.

From what I can see, there are quite a few very credible people have specific concerns about specific features of specific vaccines.  Unfortunately, this topic is just another abyss, filled with demons ranting and ready to tear anyone who enters, and I am going to stay away, even though some very worthwhile answers seems to lie in that direction.

Frankly, I am getting tired of the cheerleading and booing on all sides. I'd say, "A pox on all their houses", but that would be a bad choice of phraseology right about now.

I watched the rest of See No Evil and began on Schitt's Creek.  It was not as bad as Iexpected.

At ten, I bedded down in the cockpit for the night.


Quote of the Day
Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow.
The important thing is not to stop questioning.
Albert Einstein

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Thursday April 30th 2020

Today Increasing cloudiness. 30 percent chance of showers this afternoon. Wind southwest 20 km/h becoming light this morning. Wind becoming northwest 20 gusting to 40 this afternoon. High 21. UV index 6 or high.
Tonight Clearing late this evening. Wind northwest 20 km/h gusting to 40 becoming light this evening. Low 6.

I woke at seven. The small boat with the three fishermen was back already. They were out at dusk and are here again at dawn. Do they ever sleep?  They come from the small fish camp on the north shore of the bay.

They are towing lines and casting nets. I hope they are catching something.  I see fish jumping all around me this morning, so they must be. 

*    *    *    *    *   *

Suddenly, I'm getting messages about my recent postings. I posted a few for fun and am wondering if that was wise. 

Don't get me wrong.  I love to get email, but maybe I should share them less, especially if they might be a little provocative.

For that matter, I've often wondered how wise it is to even keep a diary online.  I even took it down for a while, but put it back up after requests.

Seems people are heavily in invested in their opinions.  Some, not all, view my investigations and comments as threatening and try to convince me of their particular view.

Some simply subscribe to the community narrative and others choose to roll their own.  Every one, it seems though, has a dog in the fight and is rooting for that dog. That is only human.

I try to keep front and centre that my thoughts are just that: thoughts. And my words are just that: words. I'm playing with ideas.

Just like everyone else what I think makes sense and what I act on are two completely different things.  The entire point of writing this diary is to show how inconsistent I am and that what I am doing is not what I think I am doing.

That brings me to my guiding principle: "Break every rule".  Of course that rule demands that I break it, too. So much for logic.

Some don't know when I am being ironic.  If in doubt, please don't get upset. Laugh at me.

While I sit here in isolation, commenting, I am more isolated than most.  I am also in the crosshairs of this dread disease.  I'm old, I'm fat, I'm an ex-smoker, and spent years welding.

That said, every day is a gift and treated as such.  I never expected to live to twenty.  Thirty was a surprise and forty even more so.  By the time I passed seventy I was getting used to surviving and enjoying the ride, but I don't feel entitled.  Don't stop the world to save me and people like me. We are responsible for ourselves.

I wear a mask in public. I wash my hands and my groceries, and I avoid close contact with others. It is what we do.

Although I think some of these things are pointless and overdone, it is the current fashion, like buzz cuts, dyed hair, bellbottoms and miniskirts, head scarves, all in their time. Who wants to go against fashion?

Our ability to confuse and excite ourselves with our symbols and the infinite ways of manipulating them is truly astounding.

Looking down on Earth from my viewpoint here in Mars, what amazes me most about humans is the tendency to conflate symbols with the things they are assumed to represent and fight over words or kill and die over a drawing.

It is clear to me any two people never have exactly the same understanding of the meaning / significance / history / connotations attached to any one symbol.

By symbols, I include words, icons, gestures, expressions, signals, and basically anything that we decode.  This topic gets really deep fast, so I'll leave it at that. Many have spent their lives thinking, writing, and lecturing on that topic.

Additionally, what people say and do are seldom in close alignment, even if what they think they say and think they do may seem to them perfectly consistent.

Anyhow, I'm thinking that maybe I'll find something else to do today and let someone else run the universe for a while. Lots of people would love to be God. Not me. I would not even know where to start.

I'd Love to Change the World

It Ain't Me Babe

Please don't take me seriously. I don't have answers, just questions.

*    *    *    *    *   *

I was taking the day off from rabble-rousing, but thought I should post Catherine's letter (below) since she is a clear thinker and her letter covers a lot of ground. We are in basic  agreement about everything except the importance of examining non-mainstream ideas.

Let me illustrate.

If you live in Calgary and have driven to Edmonton in under three hours on the QE2 four-lane divided highway, you probably think you know the country in between.  You don't.  You have no idea unless you have explored off-road.  You just saw a narrow band of scenery and know how to get to Edmonton without thinking.

You know how to get to Edmonton fast on the most direct route that was paved and marked, maintained and policed for you. You are travelling with a crowd of others. You trust that the route is the best route and it is for getting to Edmonton without having to think or experience anything.  If you can drive, you'll get there.

On the other hand, I like the journey, and have taken many back roads and prairie trails.  That is my way.  I've met the farmers and small town folks along the way. I've been one.

I take the roads less travelled. If you are in a hurry and just want to get there, don't follow me.  However, if you want adventure... Take a chance and think a bit.

Of course if you follow the crowd, you have to believe that this new prohibitively expensive highway under construction with bridges under construction and unpaved sections will actually get you to Edmonton and that I won't get there before you by the back roads.

It is clear also that this new 'highway' is being built without any  environmental study, clear plan on how to complete it or budget, through an ecologically sensitive area with many endangered species going under the bulldozer.

Side note: Speaking of road, at one time there were many local streets and roads leading in and out of Calgary. A hundred? 

As time passed, I have watched them being deliberately blocked off one by one until now, the only access, unless you have an off-road vehicle and maybe willing to bash barriers to get to the country roads, is by a very limited number of main roads.

The reason?  You tell me.  I'm sure it is for our own good, like everything government does.

(As a country guy, I should be glad they plan to bottle up the cities in a panic. As a libertarian, though, I wonder, especially having observed the overreach by petty-minded authorities in this ongoing situation).

Hi Allen,

I took Brian's comment "It's way weirder than you believe." to mean YOU are being way weirder than you believe (not that the current pandemic situation is way weirder than you think), and I have to say I agree with him if that's what he was saying.

I have always been a bit (ok, a lot) contrary. If someone tells me I have to do something/must do something/should do something, I almost certainly don't/won't do it (sometimes even to my own detriment) because I have a knee jerk reaction to being told what to do. But self-isolation, social distancing, etc, in this situation makes perfect sense. It is exactly what needs to be done when a new, never before seen, highly contagious illness, for which we have no knowledge, no cure, no real treatment, and no vaccines, sweeps into an area (and in this case, the entire world). What we're being asked to do is not at all weird, it's very much common sense. Sure, it might seem a "out there", but that's because we've never had to do in our lifetime. But what other choice did we have? It's not like we have hazmat suits for everyone while we figure things out.

And yes, I know many more die from the flu yearly, but that's YEARLY, and we do have treatments and vaccines for the flu, it's not as contagious, the death rate is not as high, we know so much more about it, etc. The lock down is to keep Covid-19 from becoming more along the lines of the mortality of the Spanish flu, which could have happened and could still happen, if we did/do nothing.

I'm also in one of Canada's hot spots and have friends who are healthcare workers so I am hearing the stories of what they are seeing, dealing with, and having to survive, and it's terrible. To anyone who says govt/scientists/etc overreacted because, "Look, the hospitals are empty!", I say empty hospitals are a good thing AND an indication that self-isolating/etc is working.

As to the Canadians that you applaud for standing up against the current guidelines, they are VERY few in number (so few!), and, it seems, they are being egged on, supported, and brought to the attention of the media by often not particularly trustworthy actors who have their own (questionable) agenda and history. Thank goodness they are the few.

Most Canadians are not fighting the rules. You can go into essential business and see lineups of people patiently waiting, 6 or more feet apart, for their turn to enter the store. Some in masks and some not, but everyone inside the store (or at least the overwhelming majority) take turns to go down an aisle, pass others as far apart as possible, etc, and I've heard not one person decrying the government or going on about laying blame, etc. We may hear about the very odd group of protesters from time to time, but you won't hear about the vast majority of folks who are following the rules to the best of their ability because it isn't the least bit newsworthy.

Yes, I am worried about small businesses. I support a number of them as a standard consumer choice on my part, and I'm trying even now to be very conscientious as to how I might continue to support them. For starters, I am not buying things I need from Amazon if these small business still have their website up - and most of them do - even thought it takes longer to get something as they may not be as organized or man-powered as Amazon. Other suggestions I've heard include things such as if you are used to getting your hair cut every few weeks, for example, giving ALL the money it would have cost you to get your hair cut over the weeks of isolation to your hairdresser the first time you do go for a haircut.

Sure, we're all at least a little curious about how/where this all started, but laying blame, investigations, etc, are NOT the important things to focus on right now. At the moment I really don't care who/what started it all. Sure, China's numbers are probably whacked, but so are every other country's numbers. It will take some time to sort out all the data, to determine actual cases/deaths, etc, as the virus was infecting and killing people probably far longer, and in greater numbers, than we realize, in every country.

As to saying it is wrong to label someone with co-morbidities as dying of covid-19, that's just not correct. An obese person could easily have had decades of life left, as could a diabetic, or someone with heart disease or cancer, etc, but when they got the virus they died. They died of the virus, not their co-morbidity.

And as to all the links you provide, like ZeroHedge for example (ZeroHedge? really?), their reporting is so frequent and so all over the place, it's like someone throwing darts at a dart board, blindfolded and with their back turned - the odds are pretty good that SOMETHING might stick, eventually. They might even hit center ("might" being the operative word). That doesn't mean they are a reliable source of information (or a good dart player). I'm sorry, but most of your links are not much better than listening to the opinions of some of the (slightly demented and certainly out of touch) narrow minded, stuck in a rut, rambling old coots in my neighborhood (and I am comfortable saying that because I am also an old coot) or eavesdropping on random, stoned strangers at the local, late night donut shop. All that this choice of reading is doing, unfortunately, is providing fodder for your own worst inclinations. I think Occam's Razor would come in really handy about now.

Is there really a world wide conspiracy taking place? With every country on the planet taking part? Or maybe a world wide hysteria of some sort (like the time an entire village took to dancing until they dropped)? Are there really world wide agents/actors controlling this thing for nefarious purposes? For world domination? To bring us all to our knees for some agreed upon purpose? (Although I don't think there's very many people that COULD be brought much lower in the scheme of things.) All across the globe, from scientists to doctors, from governments to multi-national orgs, all in on the same plot? All working together, in a political, financial, economical world that skews from one end of the spectrum to the other and has never, ever been able to pull together a majority agreement (at least not on such short notice), and then actually act in a tangible, world changing way, on any issue ever before? It's a pretty fabulous reach.

Or could it be that this is just a global pandemic that we know nothing about, that took us by surprise, that we weren't expecting and weren't prepared for, and until we do know more and have some tools to combat it, this is the best we can do? Because we really don't know what else to do yet, we're not as smart as we think we are when up against raw nature, and all our fancy technology really doesn't give us that much of an edge when relatively primitive shit hits the proverbial fan? Maybe, just maybe, the very best we can do, for now, is just shut things down for awhile? Until we figure things out?

My take on your choice of information is pretty much the same as my take on Trump. He says SO much, and flip flops SO often, that he too is bound to hit something right, by sheer accident, from time to time (although there's always a tweet, or a video, or a newspaper article, of him saying the exact opposite, so there's also that). Btw, I've listened to eons of his spiels from start to finish, and sure, the media may quote only short bits of ALL that he said (he does talk a lot), and their headlines are sometimes little better than click bait, but for the most part what they report is not entirely out of context. (And I'm not blind to the media's shortcomings, I've been at the receiving end of their reporting a few times in my life, because of involvement in this or that, and they were never, ever 100% correct in their reporting so I know full well to take whatever they say with a grain of salt and/or see the full video, read the tweets, read the book, see the movie, etc, for myself).

I, like you, live my life knowing full well that I will die. But there's no way that that means I want to put my neck in a noose. If I get this disease I'm likely a goner - or at the very least will take months if not years to recover, if I ever fully recover (the after effects of this disease, we are learning, seem to be just another layer of awfulness for those who become sick).

I'm also, like you, one of the lucky ones. You can decide/afford to stay in Mexico as long as it suits you, then come back to Canada (probably) and all its privileges and your landlocked home/acreage when that suits you too. I own a house (tiny old shack though it is) that's paid for, my old age govt money and savings are just enough to keep me fed and (hopefully) do the odd, necessary maintenance as my home (and I) slowly molder into the ground. You and I no longer have to worry about our jobs, how to feed our kids, what we will do when rent is due, what we are going to do now that our business (that we sunk everything into) is likely destroyed, and so on. We have it easy. A little lock down will not hurt us.

And, like you, I wear my mask and keep my distance from others here in Canada because this is my home and I want to keep myself and others safe, while you wear your mask and keep your distance from others in Mexico because you are a guest in their home. We do things for ourselves as much as we do them for others. I may be ok, but I fear for others. I don't think spreading unproven, unknown, half cocked, and maybe even entirely made up or wrong stories/ideas/cures/etc serves anyone. We need to be much more pragmatic and practical during this time of great difficulty. Most people have more than enough on their plate. They don't need to be further stressed or worried by flavour of the week conspiracy theories or unproven and potentially dangerous antidotes/reasoning. What are some of the more practical, helpful ways in which we, some of the luckier ones, can better use our time and relatively good fortunes to protect and support the physical and mental health of ourselves and others?

BTW, It is possible to demonstrate without being crazy.  If you can go to the grocery stores for food, it should be possible to go to the park for freedom. Both are vital.

I was not paying close attention, but at Queens Park, it appeared to me that the demonstrators were mostly social distancing from non-family members as much or more than in grocery stores.

Also, the police, who are more likely carriers compared to the citizenry, kept their distance, but not from one another.

Also, whatever happened to being responsible for oneself.  We lost that back when we went to universal Medicare, and made our health government property, just as was predicted. 

I know this is contentious, but I think the tail is wagging the dog. Far too much importancee is put on some few health care workers dealing with the virus casualties compared to the rest of them and the rest of society. 

Much of the medical system is shut down!  Crazy?  If it was vitally important several months ago, is it not now?

In a war do we promise our soldiers they won't get shot at, blown up, or killed? Of course not, yet people talk about this a war. Really?

If you go into a health care occupation are you promised you won't be exposed to disease and risk death?  Of course not. That would be silly.  You signed up to deal with sick people.

Of course, though, if you go to war you expect to be given wise supervision, adequate protective equipment, and the best of weapons, and that is why we should be focusing our contempt on government for deliberately failing our front lines and making excuses.

Also, too much emphasis is put on us old folks and not enough on the needs and hopes of the young. As with many things in the upside-down world, the needs of the whole of society are sacrificed to try to promise impossible safety of a few.

We had plenty of warning to be prepare to protect our health care workers and our old folks.  In fact we had protective supplies stockpiled but they were destroyed or given away.  Meantime, our PM was too busy virtue-signaling, lobbying for a UN position and, hiring on quotas, not merit, patting himself on the back, and BSing anyone who tried to hold his feet to the fire.

As for the beaches, they are probably a safe place unless people crowd together with strangers which does not seem to be the case. The pictures we see in media are mostly take by telephoto and make people look closer than they actually are. Sunlight and fresh air destroy the virus.  These don't look bad.

Too crowded or just fine? Perceptions of weekend beach visitors vary in Huntington Beach, Newport Beach

I posted a picture of this very beach when I was there back in December 2019.

I think people should mind their own business and keep themselves safe, not try to police others.

You should watch this
Ingraham: Are Americans starting to tune out blue state politicians?

Obama was seen out golfing forty miles from home.  Maybe got the idea from our Prime Minister that they are above the rules they foist on others?
Our leaders are making a mockery of their own quarantines

I've Always Been Crazy

*    *    *    *    *   *

So much for my plan to stay away from this page for the day.  As I say, I think one thing and often do another.

*    *    *    *    *   *

Oh, and about Trudeau vs Trump and why I'd give you two Trudeaus for one Trump.  As I wrote earlier here, it is not what someone says that matters, it is what that person does. 

Like any magician, he keeps keeps everyone distracted confused and guessing by his words and gestures, but you need to watch his hands.

Trudeau talks virtue but breaks the law and the rules flagrantly. He does not seem to understand questions asked and answers in a robotic fashion with unrelated propaganda and unjustified bragging. He sells us out trying to get himself a position on the UN. If he were not PM and a Trudeau, no one would give him a second glance, but Canadians are impressed by posers more than by substance.

As a fellow snowboard instructor, I have to wonder what he would have been like teaching. I wonder what his fellow instructors thought of him.

By all accounts Trudeau has been less than stellar at anything he has attempted and he is totally unqualified for the job of Prime Minister.  He has never run a successful business, done international deals, learned law...  He is a boldfaced hypocrite and has fired people for mere accusations of things he has done himself. He is a poser, plain and simple, riding on his father's name.

As for Trump, love him or hate him, he may talk gibberish and contradict himself, but he has done a lot of tough business in his life and actually accomplished many things besides ride on his father's name.

Trump is up against the military industrial complex that Eisenhower warned about and which co-opted his predecessors. He understands national security and the threats his predecessors allowed to grow and is addressing them.

As I say, it is not what you say that matters, it is what you do.

Sometimes the easy way is not the easy way.

*    *    *    *    *   *

We are seeing the stock markets clawing their way back up and I expect they may make it 2/3rds of the way back to the top.  It appears the Nasdaq is almost there.

2/3rds is the normal bounce when attempting to retest the highs.  IMO, though, this is a suckers rally, designed to vacuum up any remaining fool's money and dash all hope. A bear market is not over until everyone is sick of stocks and as long as there is hope, it is not over.

   

I've been out here since Saturday and am beginning to think of returning to the dock for a day or two.  My main concern is whether i can come back out if i go in.  There is a lockdown in effect although tomorrow is May 1st and there could be changes.

So far there have been only 13 deaths attributed to the scourge in all of Baja Sur (pop 763,929) and Will reports the crematorium has almost no business.

There is no doubt that this is very sad.
Sonora loses its first doctor to Covid-19; his wife died last week
Both were in critical condition and died alone

After more than a month of isolation, people appear to be getting antsy
Some people are deciding that being with others is what makes life meaningful, virus or no virus

If you value your freedom and protected political speech,  be sure to watch this video while you can.


Big Tech censors dissent over coronavirus lockdowns

I thought long and hard before posting the following note because it is brutally direct and honest and to be intellectually honest and speak what should be very obvious these days and to take the whining and shaming that inevitably follows takes a lot of courage.  I'll comment at the end.

Allen,

  There's a few more points about the coronavirus that no one seems to mention.
 
  Think about this for a minute...a virus that primarily kills pensioners, or people with health issues who may already be getting welfare disability payments.

  Let's say it kills 100,000 old people.  If they are drawing $18,000 a year in Social Security (that's the average in the US) that's $1.8 Billion a year the government will not have to pay out.  Many countries are already in dire straits over unfunded pensions.  If they kill off a lot of pensioners, that's going to save them a pile of money.
 
  Another thing to think about.  Let's assume Covid does kill off a lot of old people.  Most of them were half dead and going to die anyway, but there are some younger people dying too.  In my state, the median age of death is 80 years old, and 92% of all deaths are people over age 60.  Of the people under age 60 who die, they tend to have serious health issues already, and probably would have died long before they hit old age anyway.

  But what if Covid does kill off a ton of old people?  What happens then?  Pneumonia is sometimes call the old man's friend, because it puts him out of his misery.  So what happens if Covid does remove a lot of the old, infirm, and unhealthy from society?  No one is even talking about that.

  I'll tell you what happens.  The "normal" death rate is going to plunge.  People who would have otherwise died of cancer, heart attacks, lung troubles, diabetes, etc. will have already died from Covid.  So the death rate for the next several years is going to drop.  The average life expectancy will increase, because we have already culled out many unhealthy individuals who die early and lower the average life expectancy.
 
  I don't want to sound cold-hearted, but maybe we should be considering Covid to be another version of the "old man's friend."  Even if a bunch of old and unhealthy people die now, in the coming years, the death rate will lower, and everything will balance out again.
 
Brian
 

Okay.  IMO, he is not wrong. He is probably not completely right either, but his insights are have some relevance.

First, about the "people with health issues who may already be getting welfare disability payments".  Fact is that some counties and cities are going bankrupt (and interestingly the states that are in the US are all? blue states). Is that cause or effect? Dunno.  Frankly, I doubt this is something that the politicos think about much, though.

As,  for most being old and "half-dead", and "the median age of death is 80 years old", then by that measure at eighty, you are more than half-dead.  You're all-dead. 

As I mentioned before some wags call this virus the 'Boomer Remover' and figure it is doing the world a favour.

Then he goes on to mention clearing out the deadwood or thinning the herd.  Looking at it very very dispassionately, it makes a certain kind of sense, especially when we consider those in care facilities who are demented and those who are hoping they can arrange a medically-assisted death. (No kidding.  I know people like that who are tired of living and say so).

So Brian figures it is all good, and better in the end if it just runs its course. 

I see his points but I'm not sure I agree, but I am also not sure I think the most extreme measures being taken are in our best interest.  In fact, I know they are not.

I think if they called off all the restrictions tomorrow, that just like Sweden, people would act responsibly, and that is their right to choose, when there is no clear and present danger to the community and the excuses are being shown to be hypothetical (what if) at this point.

I know I would continue to be careful and considerate and not take unnecessary risks for myself or others. Everyone I know is the same.

How about you?  Do you need someone to enforce what is simply common sense?  I hope not.

I know, it isn't you, it is all those other people you don't trust and who need to be controlled. But guess what?  To me, you are "other people" and I respect you enough that I want you to be free.

 Let's start testing the data that justified the lockdown

After supper, I had a scheduled Zoom meeting wit the folks at Cooper to talk about the coming season.  Zoom works really well.  It was good to see the bunch and the session provided brief and welcome relief from my solitary existence.

 

I followed that with Schitt's Creek and went to bed at ten.

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