Month: May 2020

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Are you the 20%

Are you the 20%

Yesterday I read an article about a recent survey of Arizonans willingness to go out to eat or see a movie.  According to the survey only 1 in 5 Arizonans polled said they will be going out in public when the stay at home order is lifted.  How do you feel about going out in public with the knowledge there are people with the coronavirus that are asymptomatic?  The virus is not going away.  It will be in the environment affecting humans and cats until there is a viable vaccine developed.

Is being infected a bad thing?

There is a school of thought that as a society we should let all of the teenagers and twenty-somethings go out to become infected.  They are the age group that spreads the virus the most.  If they would contract the virus and recover that would reduce the exposure to people over 50.  This is not to say no one over 50 would contract the virus only that there may be less potential exposure if certain groups have already developed immunity.

Cleansing the gene pool.

About every 100 years there is some type of pandemic that kills a certain percentage of the world population.  There are various causes of pandemics from killing cats in the middle ages to eating species of animals not fit to eat.  The ignorance of the peasants pushed along by the church blamed cats because they were thought to be agents of the devil. After all they had to be from the devil because their eyes glowed and they were active at night.   There were sporadic outbreaks of cholera,  small pox, and most recently in the in the last century polio and measles.  nature does what it wants when it wants with no regard for humans.

Cleansing the Gene Pool

What is next?

For the time being humanity will be at the mercy of the coronavirus.  There is very little anyone can do until medical science finds a vaccine or we develop herd immunity.  Please be smart about what yo do, where you go and who you are with.  The only person that is looking out for you is yourself.  Are you the 20%

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Apocalypse? What Apocalypse?

Apocalypse? What Apocalypse?

Apocalypse? What Apocalypse?

And you thought the apocalypse would have you running away from ravenous zombies.  If only it were that easy. Instead we have fights over toilet paper and people purposely coughing, wiping their nose or shouting about their non-existent constitutional rights to not wear a mask in a private business.  The apocalypse is really about showing  who among us is selfish.

The thin veil of civilization.

The western world is one extended blackout from the collapse of what we call civilization in to total anarchy.  We are completely dependent on electricity, computers and satellites for our modern age.  If there is ever a time where the electrical grid does not function that will immediately set back civilization to the 1850’s. Just think about your life with no electricity.  Beyond your cellphone no longer working, OMG how will millennials survive, there will be no refrigeration, no water, no medicine, no gasoline and no food from other parts of the country or world. The American way of life is fully and totally dependent on electricity.

Nation states are no more.

The nation states of North America, Europe, Asia and South America will no longer exist. We only need to look at Somalia, Central and South America to see what happens when there is no national identity.  Nation states are no more than a big extended tribe.  As long as there is a national identity people will want to belong to that tribe.  When the nation state ceases to exist there is no reason to be a member of that tribe.  In a country as diverse as America you can expect divisions to occur along ethnic, religious and regional lines.

The Collapse occurs from within.

As we have seen the past several decades the political class has divided Americans into distinct antagonistic groups.  Each of these groups (tribes) believe they are the only ones with the correct answers only if the other side would bow to their demands.  There is no compromise in America.  It is now only my way and your way does not matter.  This is a dangerous time in America.  If nothing is done to stop this trend there will be a civil war that will end the American experiment.  This is not happening is just America.  Other western countries are facing the same issues. One of the ways to stop the decent of America into chaos is to vote for the people who would bring us together instead of dividing us.  If you do nothing then you will be a witness to the apocalypse. Apocalypse? What Apocalypse?

 

 

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Are you going out?

Are you going out?

Are you going out?

Governor Ducey is not listening to the CDC or the White House task force by opening the state of Arizona before we hit our peak of Covid-19 infections.  Many scientists modeling our infection curve have said Arizona should not open before June 10th.  Is going out to eat or to a bar or a movie worth the risk of contracting Covid-19?  The answer may come down to trust.  Are you going out?

Who do you Trust? 

Are you going to make the intelligent decision based on science or the emotional decision that will put you and your family at risk? If you trust the science and the smart people behind the science you are going to continue doing the same thing as the last six weeks.  Social distancing is the only way the American people have been able to slow the spread of this virus.  Without social distancing the virus will continue to spread potentially killing more people and as we now know children.

The other choice is allowing your emotions to take over and jump into the deep end without a plan.  Facts can help you make a less emotional choice.  Scientists have estimated that anywhere from 25% to 80% of all people who contract Covid-19 are asymptomatic.  Asymptomatic means you can have the virus with no visible symptom such as a fever or cough.  You can spread the virus to your co-workers, friends and most importantly your family.  All of those people can spread it to other people especially people with pre-existing conditions.  Do you want the guilt of watching your infant children or elderly family members die because you went out and brought home the virus?  How would you live with yourself if that happens?  It is too late to trust the science once one of your children or parents dies as a result of your selfish, emotional actions.

Time to put on your big boy underwear and big girl panties.

Yes I am also tired of staying at home and not being able to see my siblings and parents.  My siblings and I have all decided we are not going to be the ones responsible if our parents contract Covid-19.  There is no hiking trail, no bar, no restaurant, no movie theater or other public activity I need to do right now.  The risk is too great.  I hope everyone else feels the same way.  However as I have seen on the news many people all over the country are selfish.  This selfishness is what will cause a second and third wave of the virus.  Let’s all suck it up for just a little longer.  Otherwise if you think it is bad now, it will be worse when the second wave hits.  I ask again. Are you going out?

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The Gates of Hell Open

The Gates of Hell Open

The Gates of Hell Open

They are fully opening this week.  A former local weatherman used this phrase to announce the coming of the heat.  Full-time residents of Phoenix know how to live in 100 degree weather.  After a few years of acclimation 100 degrees is considered absolute balmy.  Depending on if I am driving in the city or on the highway I may not turn on the AC in my SUV.

When is too hot?

At certain temperatures even the most hardened Phoenician raises the white flag when the weather gods think we have had it too easy.  When is it too hot in Phoenix? The general consensus is 110 degrees.  The difference between 100 and 110 degrees to the outsider may seem trivial.  I can tell the difference in how I feel.  I first noticed the difference when I moved here in the 1990’s.   I had a job working second shift at an electronics company.  Once a week I would go out to eat dinner with the other people in my section.  One night about 8 pm the outside temp was 105 degrees.  The night air while not cool at least it was not overbearing.  The next time I went out to eat the outside temp at 8 pm was 108 degrees.  The way my body felt completely changed.  Even at night the air was oppressive.  It seemed to be a little harder to breath.  There was nothing refreshing about the air that night.

Hellish Temps begin at 115 degrees 

Officially the hottest temperature recorded at Sky Harbor airport was 122 degrees.  That is not the highest unofficial temperature recorded in Arizona.  The highest unofficial temperature was recorded in Lake Havasu City was 128 degrees on June 29, 1994.  About six years ago I wanted to find out how hot it was in my backyard.  My weather station read 114 degrees in the shade.  I took my meat thermometer out in the back yard in the direct sun. The thermometer read 124 degrees.  That is beyond hot.  The gates of hell open.