eseum

My wife usually drinks hot water. I pour her a cup whenever I boil water to make my tea. Surprisingly, for a couple of weeks now, she fills a cup with ice and water and sits it near the bed at night, to drink during the night. I haven't asked why.

So there was this article today: https://www.aol.com/article/news/2020/05/11/as-us-meat-workers-fall-sick-and-supplies-dwindle-exports-to-china-soar/24270654/ As U.S. meat workers fall sick and supplies dwindle, exports to China soar"CHICAGO, May 11 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump ordered meat processing plants to stay open to protect the nation's food supply even as workers got sick and died. Yet the plants have increasingly been exporting to China while U.S. consumers face shortages, a Reuters analysis of government data showed. Trump, who is in an acrimonious public dispute with Beijing over its handling of the coronavirus outbreak, invoked the 1950 Defense Production Act on April 28 to keep plants open. Now he is facing criticism from some lawmakers, consumers and plant employees for putting workers at risk in part to help ensure China's meat supply. "We know that over time exports are critically important. I think we need to focus on meeting domestic demand at this point," said Mike Naig, the agriculture secretary in the top U.S. pork-producing state of Iowa who supported Trump's order." I saw this article and then saw Randy's post in current events about China possibly trying to rework the trade deal. I really don't understand why they would want to do that at this point. Whatever they are importing from the U.S. is not costing them a lot. The value of the yuan that they received in the deal, plus the current straights that farmers and oil producers are experiencing is also value added to their purchases. They are sincerely underestimating the stupidity of the current administration, by thinking that it would not rekindle a trade war before the election. There are many people here that would see any punishment of China as a winning strategy, even if it really wouldn't be. Just look at some of the comments to this article.

This administration may not continue to push this "Theory" at an international level, but it will still try to give it credence here in the U.S. It plays to well to its base to let it drop.

We just missed hitting 100 degrees a couple of days here in Las Vegas this past week. Overnight lows are mostly in the low 70's right now. The advantage of walking at 4 a.m. is not having to deal with the sun. We walk pretty much year round no matter the temperature. When it's really windy we stay in though. I still run as well. I used to run a 4 p.m. after getting home from work. With retirement I now run four days a week after we get back from our walk. I've been taking advantage of senior hours as well. And I would also say that meat prices have been pretty stable here as well. The prices on frozen fish have been lower. Finding hand soap has been pretty hard. My car insurance company notified me that they are going to rebate 25% of my April, and 15% of my May, car insurance payments due to reduced driving during the stay at home requirements. My current car registration and license plate expire towards the end of June, so I am considering purchasing a new car. That would take care of the insurance rebate. I looked on line to see what the car dealerships are up to now, and they are doing business, just not in person. They have it setup so that you can do the entire purchase process, including car trade in, online. Once the sale is complete, they deliver the car to your house. You have a five day grace period in which to return the car. That's nice but I still prefer going in and doing a test drive before deciding to buy. I have a while before needing to make a decision anyway.

So the effort to avoid people on our morning walks continues. We had been getting started at 4:50 a.m. That lasted for about a week, and ended when we encountered eight people. So then we started at 4:30 a.m. That also lasted a few days and then changed to 4:20, which only lasted two days when we encountered five people. This morning we hit the trail at 4 a.m. Much to my wife's chagrin we still came across two people. I don't know if she will try to get out earlier, or just live with it. I hit up the store yesterday to buy some orange juice and fruit. I noticed that the meat counters were low, but not completely vacant of meat. Fruit and vegetables are plentiful and for the most part cheap. I have recently purchased onions at 6 lbs/$1, carrots 3 lbs/$1, green apples 3 lbs/$1; and strawberries, blackberries and blueberries at pretty cheap prices. My granddaughter, who is four, is extremely happy about the green apples. I make a batch of baked apples once a week which she loves.

So I received stimulus payments totaling $2400 dollars through direct deposit several weeks ago. I collected my mail this morning and noticed a letter from the IRS. I assumed the worst, that it was a letter telling me they wanted to audit my tax return. I reluctantly opened the letter, and low and behold, it said that the IRS was in the process of delivering the stimulus checks. Many days late, but at least not a dollar short. I'm pretty sure that every ones payments could have been a little bigger if time and money hadn't been wasted sending out these letters.

Yeah, so the Defense Production Act was invoked yesterday to order meat processing plants to stay open despite the problems they are encountering with the virus. Apparently a lot of workers aren't happy about it either, and I can't say that I blame them.

This just keeps getting uglier and uglier. I am beginning to wonder how bad relations between China and the U.S. will be, by the time the November election comes around. Both sides need to take a good look at themselves to see what went wrong in the handling of the reaction to the virus. Then they need to learn from it and work towards finding solutions for the future. They don't just owe it to their countries, but to the world as well.

Saw an article the other day where a mink farm in Denmark was closed and quarantined due to the finding that the mink tested positive for the covid19 virus. Not to be outdone, there was another article suggesting that people with dogs should have the dogs practice social distancing, due to finding a number of dogs infected with the virus. There are now predictions of meat shortages, here in the U.S., to occur in the next couple of weeks after an increase in the closure of meat processing plants. I anticipate that there will be a new run on meat at the stores this week due to this news. Meat supplies were plentiful at the store when I was there this past Sunday. Personally, this will not have an impact on my family unless it lasts for several months. We have enough frozen meat to stretch use over at least two months. I ordered online 20 pounds of bulk nut products, since the store where I usually buy in bulk at is not currently offering bulk due to the virus. We easily go through 100 pounds of nuts in a year. I was pretty happy with the online price since it was close to what I usually pay, even with shipping. I have been reading about the number of States starting to relax measures in place to fight the virus. All are seemingly hoping that their economies will recover quickly. I don't believe that it will happen.

Installation of intense ultraviolet lights and nozzles spraying disinfectant at all casino entrances/exits ought to do the trick. Or maybe they can just issue space suits to all guests. They should be able to afford it. Sigh, maybe I just need to stop reading the news.

I live in Las Vegas and can only say that the following story does not surprise me, but it surely does amaze me (to paraphrase part of an old joke that I once heard): From The Hill https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/494193-las-vegas-mayor-doubles-down-on-push-to-reopen-casinos-says-its-not-her Las Vegas mayor doubles down on push to reopen casinos, says it's not her job to do it safely: 'They better figure it out'"Las Vegas mayor Carolyn Goodman (I) on Wednesday doubled down on her aggressive push to reopen the city's casinos and hotels amid the outbreak of the novel coronavirus. However, she said the responsibility would fall on businesses to ensure it was done in a safe manner. "That’s up to them to figure out. I don’t own a casino," Goodman, who previously called the closure of nonessential businesses "total insanity," said in an interview on CNN. Pressed by CNN host Anderson Cooper on why she was pushing for fully reopening the city's economy without across-the-board social distancing requirements, Goodman said it wasn't her job. "I am not a private owner. That’s the competition in this country, the free enterprise and to be able to make sure that what you offer the public meets the needs of the public," she added. "Right now, we’re in a crisis healthwise, and so for a restaurant to be open or a small boutique to be open, they better figure it out. That’s their job. That’s not the mayor’s job.""

From The Huffington Post: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/missouri-china-lawsuit-coronavirus-covid_n_5e9fe589c5b6b2e5b83a2911 Missouri Becomes First U.S. State To Sue China For Lying, Not Doing Enough About COVID-19But legal experts say efforts to hold China accountable for the coronavirus in U.S. courts are likely to be unsuccessful. "Missouri on Tuesday became the first U.S. state to sue the Chinese government over its handling of the coronavirus, saying that China’s response to the outbreak that originated in Wuhan city led to devastating economic losses in the state. The civil lawsuit, filed in federal court by Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt, alleges negligence, among other claims. The complaint alleges Missouri and its residents have suffered possibly tens of billions of dollars in economic damages, and seeks cash compensation. “The Chinese government lied to the world about the danger and contagious nature of COVID-19, silenced whistleblowers, and did little to stop the spread of the disease,” Schmitt, a Republican, said in a statement. “They must be held accountable for their actions.” The lawsuit also accuses the Chinese government of making the pandemic worse by “hoarding” masks and other personal protective equipment." Seems like a pointless waste of resources that might be better spent on fighting the virus directly. I found the accusation on "hoarding" to be interesting though I don't know that it has any foundation in truth. I am also hoping that the push to get people back to work doesn't cause more problems than it is worth. I also saw a report that there have been two cases of the virus identified as occurring in CA earlier than those first reported in WA.

The following is from an email that my half brother, who lives in Germany, sent me. It is a little rough due to translator software" "We all follow the news for Europe and the United States. In Germany, schools in the individual federal states are only open from May 4 and for the time being only for the higher classes. The teachers of the smaller students are still afraid that they will not keep the minimum distance of 1,5 m. From May 1, shops with a sales area of up to 800 m2 can be opened. Restaurant not yet. The ban on contact continues to apply. We should put on a face mask for shopping. Only there are hardly any face masks to buy from us and we have to make them ourselves. There are fewer infections today. Our health system works quite well. There are enough beds with fans. People in the hospital with breathing aid only die in severe corona cases. You can only go to France if you urgently need to do business there. Otherwise only truck suppliers. If there are no coronary relapses, we expect all catering and hotel operations to reopen in June." I was originally supposed to go to Germany in mid May to visit him. That is obviously not going to happen now. The airlines have given me a credit on the tickets to be used for rescheduling. I would have rather received a refund, especially since they were the ones that cancelled the flights. Then again, maybe I could just ask congress to withhold the portion of the 50 billion dollars going to the airlines, that my taxes represent. Yeah, right.

So I wasn't aware of this particular project. I have purchased heirloom seeds and plants since some of them were ones that were in vogue when I was a kid. Anyway, I thought this might be a nice departure from all the negativity currently going on. From "The Hill" is this article: https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/492934-10-apple-types-thought-extinct-found-in-western-us 10 apple types thought extinct found in Western US"An organization dedicated to rediscovering ancient varieties of apples announced this week that it has rediscovered 10 species of apples thought to have gone extinct. Volunteers with the Lost Apple Project told The Associated Press that specimens retrieved last fall and sent for verification to the Temperate Orchard Conservancy revealed 10 variations of apples thought to have been lost to time. The species were reportedly found by volunteers combing ancient orchards in Washington state and Idaho, allowing apples to be harvested for study in the fall and wood cuttings harvested during winter allow existing trees to be grafted with ancient varieties to produce the rare apple species."

I decided that I needed to pick up a few groceries, and also get gas yesterday. I wanted to go to two different markets since they each had something I wanted. Anyway, one market opened at 6 a.m. for seniors to shop, while the other market had been opening at 7 a.m. I figured on going to market number one at 6:20, picking up what I wanted;then getting gas and getting to market number two just a few minutes after 7. This was following the perfect route to not travel any extra distance. Things worked out well with market one. After that things progressively went downhill. I drove to a gas station where I had seen the lowest gas price, pulled in and found the pumps roped off and out of service. So I proceeded to market two even though I would get there a little before 7 and have to wait a little more than five minutes. I got there and there was a line of six people waiting. I got out and walked to the end of the line, looked over at one of the doors and saw a small sign. It said: "Our hours have been changed to 8 a.m. to 8 p.m." I said the heck with it and got back in my car and drove to another gas station to get gas at a slightly higher price. I then went home and called it a morning. On the bright side, I paid 35 cents per gallon less than when I last purchased gas. It has been a few weeks since I drive a PriusC. I did see two stations that had raised their prices again. One raised the price by 10 cents while the other went up 50 cents. Not sure what was going on with them. Before I left the house, my wife decided that she needed to impart some knowledge to me. She insisted on showing me how to put on a face mask. I just suffered in silence and did not remind her that I had once worked in a hospital. MISSION ACCOMPLISHED

Wasn't sure whether to post this here or in the U.S. section on the virus. This on "The Hill" this morning: https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/492848-china-hawks-flex-muscle-amid-fallout China hawks flex muscle amid coronavirus falloutThe fallout from the coronavirus is shaking up the U.S.-China relationship on Capitol Hill, as a group of hawkish lawmakers fiercely criticize Beijing’s response to the disease. Republicans are pushing for their colleagues and the Trump administration to take a more aggressive stance toward Beijing, which they say downplayed the virus’s danger. China’s government has become a target for criticism for Republicans, along with the World Health Organization (WHO). President Trump on Tuesday said he would halt funding to that organization. I'm not sure that is necessary for the U.S. to punish China for their not revealing more about the virus at its earliest stages. Some (okay, most) of what they are suggesting should be done to punish China doesn't seem to be very well thought out. Senator Graham suggesting the suspension of debt payments seems to be the most asinine.

Smithfield is closing it's pork processing plant in South Dakota for two weeks, after more than 230 people working in the plant tested positive for corona. They employ about 3700 people and produce 4-5% of U.S. pork. Several other companies have had to close plants for the same reason.

Expect a spate of these types of articles, like the one in Epoch Times, in the run up to the election. Somebody needs their base to think the worst and be riled up, so that they will vote. Anything printed by these types needs to be taken with way more than a grain of salt (more like a block of salt). Same goes for the SCMP. There may be kernels of truth on both sides but those are usually not what they want you to take away from them.

Barfus, ever since you brought up the subject of liquor I've noticed an increase in the number of ads for same. Maybe I wasn't noticing before and I became influenced by the power of suggestion. Ad: "Our $5 wine is better than....." I also saw some comment boards here in Las Vegas lamenting the closure of liquor stores, and asking how they were not considered to be essential. I don't drink very much, but do use liquor when cooking certain dishes. I have one bottle of Belgian Wheat left for use in a soup that I make. So, sometime this week I will probably have to pick up a six pack while getting some other groceries.

Just say yes to panda porn!

Conspiracy theories about origins of the virus will never be put to rest. Unfortunately, there are way to many people who wish to believe conspiracy theories, regardless of direct evidence that discounts them. Before the internet, and the creation of a multitude of social media sites, there were fewer people that had access and believed in conspiracies. Now there is an endless conduit for people to make comments, ranging from subtle to the outrageous, with no basis in fact or that are skewed to misrepresent facts. There is an increasing number of people who, for whatever reason, wish to believe in and further spread misinformation. I've had innumerable arguments with my wife over things she says she read on the internet and believes about the virus. Sargent Joe Friday used to say "just the facts mam," but that doesn't resonate in today's society.

Since we were starting to run low on fresh vegetables and fruit, I made a trip to a local Mexican Supermarket that my wife and I shop at. They typically have the lowest prices on fruits and vegetables, although we also have to go to markets in Chinatown to find what my wife wants. As a sop to my wife, read to keep from being nagged, I told her that I would wear a mask while there. They have special hours, 6 a.m to 8 a.m., for seniors every day. I got there at 6:20 a.m. and expected to just go into the store. However, their computer system had a glitch and they were waiting for it to do a reboot. The doors finally opened at 6:45, with most people trying to keep a healthy distance from each other. I did have one guy get so close to me that I thought he was going to push me out of the way, while I was getting some peppers.He actually bumped me so I moved over a little. I did find everything I was looking for including 4 pounds of Mexican rice. The government has been making sure that I am not bored. I went online and filled out my census information. Not before receiving 3 requests from Uncle Sam in the mail to do so. I finished my federal taxes today and filed. I would have done them earlier, but discovered I owed, so I delayed until now. Looks like I will get back what I paid in a couple of weeks when they send out the stimulus checks.

My wife got up earlier yesterday so that we wouldn't run into as many people on our walk. As opposed to ten people on Thursday, we came across three. So this morning she got up even earlier and we started walking at about 5 a.m. We encountered one person riding a bike like they were being chased. It was a good thing they had a headlight or there would have been one heck of an accident. Don't know if she will get up even earlier tomorrow or not. I am usually up at 4 a.m. so I keep waiting to see if she will try that. My wife is still enamored with rice though I gently try to persuade her otherwise. She is eating less of it, partly because I will either eat just a little, or not eat any at all. I have told her that it is just to hard for me to keep weight off if I eat rice. I don't have the same problem with potatoes, but I still don't eat a lot of them. She's been mixing more vegetables in with the rice, hoping that it will make me eat more. So the governor of Georgia issued an executive order yesterday requiring beaches in Georgia to stay open. The order overrode any closure of beaches by local, city or county requirements. People are not supposed to get within six feet of each other, or bring chairs, umbrellas, etc. onto the beach. Of course everyone is sure to follow these requirements, yeah right. The problem is, now he is putting the rangers, police and other officials who have to police the beaches in a difficult and potentially dangerous situation. Then there is the governor of Florida who has made exceptions for churches, so that they can still hold in-house services. Not sure what the thought process was for either of these gentlemen.

Tsap - as long as you were hoarding them with no intent to sell, you're ok. I'm sure your donation was greatly appreciated. Unlike this tool: A Brooklyn man named Baruch Feldheim was arrested for hoarding huge stockpiles of face masks and other medical supplies and for coughing on FBI agents after claiming he had the coronavirus. Feldheim, 43, was charged with assault and making false statements to law enforcement after the FBI raided his home amid reports that he was price-gouging. The Department of Justice said Feldman housed a massive stockpile of medical supplies at his Brooklyn home and at an auto repair shop in Irvington, New Jersey. The supplies included enough N95 respirator masks, hand sanitizers, Clorox wipes, chemical cleaning agents, and surgical supplies to outfit an entire hospital. “Feldheim allegedly sold certain designated materials — including N95 respirators — to doctors and nurses at inflated prices,” the U.S. Attorneys Office in New Jersey explained in a statement. The Feds ended up distributing the supplies to New York and New Jersey. I find it particularly upsetting when a person, who shall remain nameless, continues to make unsubstantiated accusations of hoarding against medical staff. Especially when I see the comments repeated by others on comment boards (not here) in relation to covid stories. I worked my way through college working in a hospital, and was previously married to a nurse, and am well aware of their hazards in the best of times. These are not the best of times and these people deserve our respect, and every effort that can be mustered to keep them and those they serve safe.

Costco is enacting new rules to limit crowding in its stores. Starting Friday, April 3, "Costco will allow no more than two people to enter the warehouse with each membership card," the company said in a statement. Doesn't seem like much of an effort, but then I don't go to Costco, so maybe it is a bigger deal than I think. Gas prices at some of the stations here in Las Vegas have gone down. The lowest price I've seen so far is $2.35 a gallon, which is what you would expect with the price of oil and lowered usage. However, I've seen three stations actually raise their prices by more than ten cents. Don't know if their trying to discourage business or what. There has been a steady increase of people going for walks at the park where my wife and I go. There were ten besides us this morning. So my wife is now wanting to get up earlier and go when there will likely be fewer people. That's fine with me.