MacGyver

Oh man, that’s great to hear!

There's not a medical professional alive that's going to go along with that - it's against their oath. I get it that people are frustrated. As a small business owner - I hope that I've still got a viable business when this thing is done - and that I can last long enough to make it to that point. The two are certainly connected - and there's a balance. There's no universe in which you can focus on one to the exclusion of the other. It's not even a real argument. I'm certain there are people who look at New York and California and think, "that's what they get for living on top of each other in these big cities. It won't be that bad here." But, I'd encourage you to look at what's happening in Lander, Wyoming right now. When this does hit rural America -whose hospitals have already been closed due to "streamlining" - the impact is going to be huge. You're not going to restart the economy until this thing is under control. Full stop. And, until the political class quits playing their zero sum games - the impact to both virus mitigation and the economy multiply each day.

Morality aside - it doesn’t matter what Trump says. The economy isn’t going to open back up until this is under control. It’s not like the economy is just some magic machine - it takes people. And if the people get sick and are dying - they’re not going to work. And, it’s a demand shock that our economy can’t really handle regardless. 80% of American GDP is consumer spending. Well, what happens when no one is buying? I get it that Trump is upset that six of his hotels are closed. I get it that the airlines are upset that no one is flying. I get it that the cruise companies (that are largely foreign flagged to bypass labor laws) are upset no one is taking their vacations. But, if I told you that right now you could fly to New York, take a chartered bus across the city, stay in a nice hotel, have dinner in a fancy restaurant, then get on a cruise the next day and spend the next two weeks touring all the ports in Italy - and you can do it for $20/person. Would you do it? That’s the heart of our problem right now. When you can’t sell at any price - it doesn’t matter what the political class says. People aren’t buying. And, they’re not going to change that behavior until this pandemic is under control.

This is way different than 2008 already. We’re not seeing the economy slow. We’re watching it hit a wall and throw us through the windshield. It’s literally disintegrating in front of our eyes. As a small business owner where most of my clients are small and midsize businesses - we’re all seeing the same thing. We’re hoping our businesses are still here when this is done.

He goes back further than that. He was at NIH during Reagan and Bush. Bush actually praises him for his work on AIDS in an ‘88 debate with Dukakis. He’s 79. He’s very much a pro. He takes some of Trump’s spotlight though - so I doubt he’ll last very long.

Oh, what a shame.

I'm not a betting man - but I'd be surprised if he makes it until the end of next week.

The DNA sequence is public - and have been widely reported on. For example - the Financial Times did deep reporting showing no signs of genetic engineering and that the virus appears to have evolved naturally. I get it that most people aren’t geneticists, and don’t have the scientific background to understand a report like the above. I might suggest that the inverse is also likely true - that most people don’t have the scientific literacy to be able to speak intelligently about it originating from somewhere else, either. There’s an old line about every story needing a bad guy - and the administration is certainly doing everything they can do to label this “the Chinese virus” - but when you see conspiracy theories claiming that it originated somewhere else - maybe give it a critical look. If they’re trying to get you to shift your focus - what are they trying to shift your focus from?

This was a rare bipartisan measure that was passed with unanimous consent - imagine that.

The new junior Senator from Georgia didn’t even wait a month to start front running the market: https://www.thedailybeast.com/sen-kelly-loeffler-dumped-millions-in-stock-after-coronavirus-briefing

If she’s on with Vanderbilt, they ought to get her to the right place if they’re going to test. The state health department has a hotline for COVID-19 cases: 877-857-2945

That’s what they’re asking people to do in California already. Here’s the order: https://www.saccounty.net/news/latest-news/Pages/SacCountyHealthOfficerIssuesCOVID-19Order.aspx As the numbers skyrocket, I’d expect some pretty strict measures.

I mean, this isn’t really a new position for me - but I’d be fine if some of these folks went to prison: https://www.propublica.org/article/senator-dumped-up-to-1-6-million-of-stock-after-reassuring-public-about-coronavirus-preparedness

If you’ve got people out of the country - bows probably the time to come back if you’re planning to. State Department just issued a Level 4 advisory telling people they should either plan to come home or stay abroad indefinitely: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/ea/travel-advisory-alert-global-level-4-health-advisory-issue.html#.XnPHGUBrXPM.twitter Word is a shelter in place is forthcoming.

I'm fortunate to work a job that allows me to work from anywhere. Right now - the whole economy seems to have ground to a halt - and everyone seems to be finding their footing. I'm sure this might change in the weeks ahead, but right now I'm thankful that I've been able to take walks with each of my kids and my wife each day.

Just about any water is drinkable for a time. But, I wouldn’t risk it without getting it tested. Now isn’t the time to be getting E. coli or some other amoebic dysentery. 8 drops to the gallon for clear water - maybe let it sit in an open container for a bit if the taste is noticeable to you.

There are just way too many unknowns right now. But, the numbers are going to get a lot worse before they get better. That's for sure.

If I had $2000 to spend - and didn't have anything on hand, I'd buy the following: 50 pounds of rice 50 pounds of various dried beans/legumes A gallon of olive oil or two A couple of bulk containers of spices from my local Asian market A couple decent bags of onions/potatoes/a bunch of garlic etc. I'd buy a big pack of batteries I might buy a decent weather radio if I didn't already have one And a $30 headlamp Then, I'd pocket the other $1850 and save some more eating beans and rice a few meals a week instead of eating out. Seriously. This is likely to be an economic crisis that lasts a while. While it's fun to talk about survival planning for long term apocalypse-type stuff, I'm not really sure how practical it is.

When you can't sell a seat at any price - you've got a demand shock - and that means there's still a lot of downside for an industry that is built on servicing that demand as close to the edge as they possibly can get. And, illness numbers are going to spike a bunch in the next few weeks. For the average American that doesn't really keep up with everything all the time - this is going to look like things are out of control. Which they kind of will be for a bit. One thing that I really worry about in the weeks ahead is the lack of scaling up the ladder of care. We're going to see more issues like the lack of reagents for test kits as more people get sick. I'm pleased to see Trump potentially invoking the Defense Production Act - but industry doesn't turn in a day - and it's going to take a bit. We're nowhere near the bottom in terms of financial markets. I'm not really a prediction person - but I wouldn't be surprised to see the Dow at 12K.

Market is back to where it was in January 2017 - and we're likely nowhere near the floor. Crude at $25 - and likely still some downside. Crazy times.

OpenTable posted last night about the number of their restaurants that have already laid people off. Food service is almost 12% of the economy. I'd be curious as to whether anyone here has had hours affected/cut.

Yep, outdoors on a lake is about as ideal as you can get in terms of social distancing. Have a big time.

I’ll have to see if I can unhide some of the responses in the original thread.

Airlines are considered critical infrastructure. Passengers aside, they’re filled with cargo. They’re also in tenuous financial positions (as always) - so they’re probably a week or so away from needing to be bailed out.