Merv's Politically Incorrect Audio Blog

Discussion in 'SBAF Blogs' started by purr1n, Dec 26, 2018.

  1. gaspasser

    gaspasser Flatulence Maestro

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    Well the interest rates are so low that companies can easily borrow to finance projects. I think @Phantaminum was referring to PPP loans that weren’t loans but giveaways.
     
  2. crenca

    crenca Friend

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    Yes the PPP/PSP "loans" are technically loans (not sure what interest is involved - it's prime + a bit if I remember correctly) but they are in the main "forgiven" in the end if the company meets the requirements (e.g. actually using them for payroll, etc.). United Airlines for example received $5 billion this past Sept. In otherwords it's all free money - stimulus for business.
     
  3. Phantaminum

    Phantaminum Friend

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  4. ultrabike

    ultrabike Measurbator - Admin

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    And this PPP loan business happened during the previous administration? Or has it been around now for a while? (also honest question)

    EDIT: Interesting that this has not been highly scrutinized by either CNN and FoxNews. I mean, I was more aware about the wall, than this.
     
    Last edited: Jan 25, 2021
  5. crenca

    crenca Friend

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    The PPP/PSP "loan" system is the core of the governments economic response to Covid on the business side - it's the mechanism of "stimulus" for business. Going from memory (someone can confirm/deny) it is larger in total trillions than the individual side by several times. You don't want to know what my small business got out of it, I will just say you W-2 peons got screwed...
     
  6. Phantaminum

    Phantaminum Friend

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    Previous administration but I have not heard of any improvements for the new package on the target of the loans but I could be wrong.
     
  7. ultrabike

    ultrabike Measurbator - Admin

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    That sounds like exemplary big government coming from a Republican Executive and Senate.

    If true, this is why I don't really follow this right republican and left democrat deal. It's kind of the same pig with different make up. But I could be wrong.

    EDIT: The difference seems to be which buddies get the monies.
     
    Last edited: Jan 25, 2021
  8. rhythmdevils

    rhythmdevils MOT: rhythmdevils audio

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    I really feel for all America’s children at this moment.

    now that Trump has scurried away to Florida who is gong to protect them from the canibalistic Democrats???
     
  9. ultrabike

    ultrabike Measurbator - Admin

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    Business as usual Whitney. Children will continue to be consumed.

    Trumps just mad cuz he has to go on a diet now.

    And, he's fired.
     
    Last edited: Jan 25, 2021
  10. wormcycle

    wormcycle Friend

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    I think this note from WHO, and related information, confirming WHO note, from CDC deserves your attention https://www.who.int/news/item/20-01-2021-who-information-notice-for-ivd-users-2020-05.
    The note, and the related CDC information, is basically saying:
    1. That by increasing the cycle threshold of the standard PCR test, any traces of COVID-19 virus, even dormant (after recovery), or residual (cannot cause illness) can be interpreted as a positive COVID test. That applies to live and post mortem tests. See at the end of this post what PCR CT is.
    2. That (WHO note) PCR test should not be used! and was not intended as a primary COVOD-19 diagnostic tool!
    That simplifies greatly what we know about CV and what we do not:
    1. We know it present in our lives that makes some people, probably great many people sick
    2. We know that people die from it.
    3. What does not male sense anymore is to use any numbers rendered by PCR tests, related to the number of cases, or post mortem testing, as a basis of any factual discussion, modeling, or public policy. At least to without authorities engaging in a meaningful analysis of the existing data, and related medical information. Which by the way is WHO opinion how the PCR test can be used.
    Until that happens we only have politics, fear ,or denial, but no basis for any factual understanding of CV spread or mortality rate. What is unfortunate that from now on the scourge of modern times "your narrative is as good my narrative" takes over.

    This information was available long time ago, I was told about it first time few months ago, but, first I did not fully understand the technicalities (what is cycle threshold for example), and I simply refused to believe in implications.
    Even NYT https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/29/health/coronavirus-testing.html was smarter than me .
    No I do.
    -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Below is the CDC explanation in https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/lab/faqs.html:
    "To improve the test’s ability to detect virus, an RT-PCR test creates many copies of the same genetic material from the virus in a process called amplification. The cycle threshold (Ct value) is the point at which a reaction reaches a fluorescent intensity above background levels. The Ct value indicates when the nucleic acid target is detectable in the amplification process. There is a correlation between the Ct value and the amount of viral genetic material that was present in the specimen."
     
    Last edited: Jan 26, 2021
  11. crenca

    crenca Friend

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    Speaking of narratives, you just presented one popular in right wing conspiratorial circles. The use and abuse of PCR tests in relation to this pandemic is something this narrative zeros in on, blows up out of proportion, and then hinges an assertion of "we don't know" around who has the virus and who has died from it - it all must just be a big misunderstanding on the part of the medical community and public policy...except it's not a misunderstanding but rather a conspiracy to prop up Big Pharm, Big Gov, etc. Perhaps 15-20% excess mortality is just what it is, and we should all just go about our "normal" lives as if the Covid pandemic never existed.

    ASR-LUE's grasp of the technical details and overall implications of PCR, testing, and the relationship to public policy and the current mortality is "eccentric" to say the least. In fact it is down right misleading. "Normal", mostly defined economically, is a chimera even in "normal" times, but it is one some cling on for dear life...
     
  12. wormcycle

    wormcycle Friend

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    I think reading the WHO note and links in it would be a good start, but on the other hand, why bother?
     
  13. gaspasser

    gaspasser Flatulence Maestro

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    First of all, your link to the WHO note is messed up
    Here it is:
    https://www.who.int/news/item/20-01-2021-who-information-notice-for-ivd-users-2020-05

    This doesn’t say anything that health care professionals don’t already know.
    This states the Positive Predictive Value goes down as prevalence of disease in your population goes down.

    Please read and understand this first
    https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Positive_and_negative_predictive_values

    The other thing the WHO link states is for health care professionals to be careful with weakly positive results that have low clinical suspicion.

    This doesn’t say anything about testing being a problem.

    Edit: The above is true of all diagnostic tests

    The problem is that COVID-19 is asymptomatic in many people. Therefore there is no clinical suspicion in many people who are tested. So what do you do with this population with a weakly positive test result? Most likely they should be retested in a couple days. The only downside is they are asked to self-isolate and wear a mask. Big deal.

    Am I missing something?
     
  14. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    I could care less about the positive or negative tests in the USA since it's hard to get them in a timely way with fast response (depends upon where you live). I figure tests are a great way to know whether to self isolate or monitor own signs to determine when to go to the hospital because stubborn people like me won't go until it's too late.

    Also tests don't mean crap. Different countries, even different states, have different approaches and capabilities toward testing. I'm sure China has ten of millions of positives (and deaths) they are not documenting. Same goes for Mexico and India, but not intentionally like the Commies.

    The only figures I look at on a daily basis is number of people in the hospital and deaths. These two numbers are not speculative and harder to make cuckoo conspiracy theories out of. It doesn't even need to be ICU beds available. Any time anyone is in the hospital means it's serious.
     
  15. crenca

    crenca Friend

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    <sarcasm> Your missing how testing in relation to clinical practice actually works does not fit into the simplistic right wing PCR conspiracy narrative </sarcasm>
     
  16. wormcycle

    wormcycle Friend

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    I am sure there is nothing in this note that the clinical staff conducting tests do not know, actually in the hospital my wife is working for there a lot of scrutiny at least recently, and significant retesting is actually being done.
    Only two problems:
    1. It is just that in some places, Ontario, for example ,and that know for sure, the cycle threshold is 35-40, which increases significantly the chance of false positives.
    2. And the politicians do not wait for any second tests, they have no doubts, they announce and hype up the numbers as they come.
    3. And if we for a moment think that the restrictions, or removing restrictions at the political level is based on any numbers, California magically recovered today.
     
  17. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    Just wait until a family member of the conspiracy theorist gets COVID and ends up in the hospital. Even for a few days, not cheap. Or even the inconvenience of sleeping in the car as to not get others in the same home sick. I've seen individuals and families who used to not wear masks and not giving a shit to wearing masks and taking precautions religiously.
     
  18. gaspasser

    gaspasser Flatulence Maestro

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    I genuinely feel bad for these people. Last week I had a patient with Covid tell me that he regrets not wearing a mask and spreading conspiracy theories about it. This was only an hour before I intubated him. I found out that he died over the weekend.
    Believe whatever you want but this is a real disease with real consequences.
     
  19. gaspasser

    gaspasser Flatulence Maestro

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    What you are saying matters to public health experts. They need to make decisions on data that have consequences for everyone. However, look at it from their perspective, if you err the other way and shit gets out of control then hospitalizations go way up and more people die. I would rather err on the side of pissing people like you off. California is a HUGE state and they were overrun a couple of weeks ago. People got pissed they can’t go out to eat and they started a petition to recall the governor. He is a politician and backed off, what’s new?
     
  20. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    The issue in CA was one of double-standards. Lord Newsom shot himself in the foot. His recall was going nowhere before the French Laundry incident.

    As far as being overrun, it depends on the area. Los Angeles County is huge, 4,753 mi², 10M population, with some parts being worse and others not. The closures could have been done more granularly.
     

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