Reacher

Hmmm. Saw that while scrolling through some news this morning. Couldn't find it again after a quick look. I saw the link below to the NYT. Didn't bother checking further as it seemed credible. Seems @mrflynn03 fell into the same trap. I wonder what the actual data is?

Hitting more rural areas now-

^^^ This. I missed out on a new roof 7 years ago when my whole neighborhood got theirs replaced and Allstate wouldn't pay for mine. Worked out for this last time though. Got my roof replaced this summer courtesy of Country Companies.

One of my kids favorite memories was when I took them (ages 7-8?) out to a cornfield (might have been in Montgomery) where I knew the guy doing the farming and he let them climb in the combine to harvest some soybeans. They took a turn driving (1 row each) and got to taste a soybean from the field. I was amazed at the technology in there. It kills me that I don't have the pics from that day any longer. The tractor is in the shadows. Could have framed it better

A couple follow on points, more widespread testing will detect more mild and or asymptomatic cases. I hear college kids are getting tested multiple times / week. Didn't include this in my earlier post- the percentage of those tests that are positive, known as the positivity rate, has also been rising, climbing to 5.6% Wednesday from 4.6% about a month ago. That figure is expected to fall as testing expands. If 90%+ getting tested are negative, many of those must be employees / students being forced to vs those with obvious symptoms. I'm all for testing and would like to see more widespread antibody testing as well. Lastly, I'm finally personally seeing / hearing about people getting the virus which I wasn't in the spring. In the last week, heard of two that got it. 1 girl in her 20s. Had no symptoms. Another women in her 40s. Only had a mild cough.

A significant expansion of testing, which rose to a record Monday when more than 1.2 million tests were performed, according to data for the Covid Tracking Project. On Thursday, more than 1.1 million tests were recorded. Widespread availability of testing helps detect more mild or asymptomatic cases.

Looks like I'm losing a Magnolia to verticillium wilt. Hope it doesn't get the second one nearby.

FL overreported deaths? See the report from the FL House of Reps embedded here- https://www.andrewbostom.org/2020/10/covid-19-death-distortion-in-florida-over-40-of-states-covid-19-deaths-may-not-merit-that-classification/ More than likely happening in other states as well. + The hidden costs of lockdowns- https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8856959/Lockdowns-lethal-toll-NHS-vulnerable-patients-laid-bare.html Tens of thousands of people have already died from the effects associated with the lockdown- not the virus.. Many more will. Clearly not the answer.

The logistics of vaccines - https://unherd.com/2020/10/will-a-vaccine-cure-covid/ and https://www.wsj.com/articles/pfizer-sets-up-its-biggest-ever-vaccination-distribution-campaign-11603272614?mod=hp_lead_pos6 * https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-10-20/real-estate-market-rental-apartments-houses-pile-up-from-new-york-to-singapore?srnd=premium-canada Many other cities are / will be facing the same issue- https://www.wsj.com/articles/new-york-faces-59-billion-revenue-shortfall-11603198313 * * WSJ articles are subscription- Headline tells you what you need to know.

As of Friday, indoor dining will be suspended in 4 suburban Chicagoland counties representing 1/6th the states population. With the weather getting colder, this will be a big blow to many restaurants. Make your reservations now for NWI dining.

I have as well.

It seems like the strategy Sweden pursued. Protect the vulnerable, follow some common sense guidelines but keep schools and businesses open. That seems to have worked out well- so far- for them. Elon Musk just praised them for that strategy- https://fee.org/articles/elon-musk-on-lockdowns-sweden-was-right/ I also saw a study today reporting that unemployment in states with looser restrictions was 6% while in those states that had stricter lockdowns , was still greater than 10%. Obviously, those states will experience greater difficulties as a result.

I wish there would have been more info on the "why". Had to read through to the end to find some reasons. Don't understand how protecting the vulnerable is unethical. Looks like this debate will be with us for awhile.

How come you didn't get a little closer? I see the vans with the tourists do it all the time. 😁

I was thinking it might still be a little early but then the trees at higher elevations are probably ahead. Smokies have been on my bucket list for years. Want to hike a few miles of the AP trail while down there as well. Walking a few minutes counts as hiking in my book, lol

I like these better-

Nice! How are the fall colors there? Wife and I are going to the Morton Arboretum Sat .

Not exactly surprising, but China apparently was aware of the virus months earlier than previous reports- https://www.theepochtimes.com/china-saw-covid-19-like-patients-months-before-official-timeline-internal-documents_3537965.html

Some optimism from the NYT- https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/12/health/coronavirus-pandemic-vaccine-optimism.html

From the CDC- https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/69/wr/pdfs/mm6936a5-H.pdf Granted the sample size is small, so we'll have to see if further studies come out. Point to restaurants as worst places to go. "The study offers insight into the reality that tens of thousands of Americans are acquiring COVID-19 on a daily basis despite overwhelming adherence to mask wearing. Masks simply aren’t working to “slow the spread” or “stop the spread.” Americans are following the CDC guidance. It’s just not working." https://jordanschachtel.substack.com/p/cdc-85-of-covid-19-patients-report?r=6a3x3&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&utm_source=twitter

Couldn't agree more. Typical to try and make things look worse elsewhere. I now know of one person that has died. Was a distant relative. In his 80s. No idea what other health issues he may have had.

Looking good! Nice color.