ArVaGuy

Here’s some data on how the coronavirus compares to other outbreaks in the last 20 years. Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) (2012) It took 903 days for the first 1,000 people to be infected. For every 50 people infected, MERS killed 17 people. Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) (2003) It took 130 days for the first 1,000 people to be infected. For every 50 people infected, SARS killed 5 people. Novel Coronavirus (2019-2020) It took 48 days for the first 1,000 people to be infected. For every 50 people infected, the virus has killed 1 person. source New York Post IMO, I’m not sure I believe the 48 day infection spread. The level of response by the Chinese government indicates to me that a lot more than 1,000 people were infected in 48 days.

Here’s some data on how the coronavirus compares to other outbreaks in the last 20 years. Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) (2012) It took 903 days for the first 1,000 people to be infected. For every 50 people infected, MERS killed 17 people. Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) (2003) It took 130 days for the first 1,000 people to be infected. For every 50 people infected, SARS killed 5 people. Novel Coronavirus (2019-2020) It took 48 days for the first 1,000 people to be infected. For every 50 people infected, the virus has killed 1 person. source New York Post IMO, I’m not sure I believe the 48 day infection spread. The level of response by the Chinese government indicates to me that a lot more than 1,000 people were infected in 48 days.

Pear Pimples for Hairy Fishnuts. A Bloom County classic. http://crow202.org/2010/bloom_county_coughupsomedough.jpg

And that woman’s tits. ?

Had breakfast this morning with a friend who works at the US embassy in Beijing. He had traveled back to DC at the beginning of January and was scheduled to return to China today. That return was placed on indefinite hold. He has now been assigned the task of working to assist diplomatic colleagues who are being evacuated. The first group arrives tomorrow. According to him the situation is much worse than the Chinese are willing to admit. The local authorities botched the initial response and the central government is scrambling to contain the outbreak. Publicly China has rejected assistance from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). The claim was “we got this” and no assistance was needed. Apparently, in the last 24 hours a request for some level of assistance was made through other channels. What type of assistance is not clear. There’s a face saving issue here for the Chinese and our help is not going to be made into a big deal. It might never even be acknowledged depending on how the situation evolves in coming weeks.

https://www.wmagazine.com/story/prince-nikolai-of-denmark/ Here’s more information on the royal heartthrob. He’s seventh in line to the throne, will not inherit any lands or receive financial support from Danish taxpayers. His father will pay for his education. His father, Prince Joachim, has excused him from royal duties to allow him to choose his own path in life. Looks like he’s chosen fashion modeling for the time being. Let‘s hope he never falls prey to greedy gold digging manipulative divorcée American actresses with limited talent.

Well...won’t be able to unsee that for a long time. Yuck!

just to clarify @purplekow, the dates are Saturday April 18 and Sunday April 19. The pool party will be on Sunday. Contact @Oliver via PM if you’re interested in attending.

just to clarify @purplekow, the dates are Saturday April 18 and Sunday April 19. The pool party will be on Sunday. Contact @Oliver via PM if you’re interested in attending.

I’m attending the PS weekend and staying at InnDulge. I’m also planning a stay in PS in late October and plan to check out the resorts mentioned above. Right now my inclination is to either Hacienda or Santiago. Thanks for providing perspectives on the various options.

Last week there was a news article on Yahoo News referencing the Biological testing lab that opened in Wuhan in 2017. The article appeared for only a few hours and then mysteriously vanished when I searched for it later in the day. The article expressed concerns that the Chinese labs were not following accepted protocols and could introduce a deadly pathogen into local communities. Today I was finally able to find a similar article via Reddit referencing the opening of this lab in Wuhan in 2017. This article also mentions concerns about how the Chinese would manage this facility. Here are a few excerpts from that article in Nature. My personal theory is that this coronavirus situation has been on going in Wuhan for much longer than the Chinese are willing to admit. The virus has spread so rapidly that the local officials couldn’t cover up the crisis any longer. Nearly 60 million people are in quarantine, this is mind boggling. The central government is afraid of the threat to stability. Placing the blame on the “wild meat” markets offered a convenience in scapegoating. What if, due to poor testing protocol, this virus escaped into the Wuhan community? In addition to monkeys, bats were also used in this lab for testing purposes. A few could have accidentally been released and subsequently spread this virus into the wild bat and other animal populations. The Chinese have been consuming wild exotics for centuries. Sure there have been outbreaks of illness such as salmonella and the like. But for the coronavirus to take such hold so quickly indicates there’s some other catalyst for this outbreak and it didn’t just spontaneously gestate in a span of weeks. There’s more here than we realize. Here’s the link and a couple excerpts. https://www.nature.com/news/inside-the-chinese-lab-poised-to-study-world-s-most-dangerous-pathogens-1.21487 A laboratory in Wuhan is on the cusp of being cleared to work with the world’s most dangerous pathogens. The move is part of a plan to build between five and seven biosafety level-4 (BSL-4) labs across the Chinese mainland by 2025, and has generated much excitement, as well as some concerns. Some scientists outside China worry about pathogens escaping, and the addition of a biological dimension to geopolitical tensions between China and other nations. But Chinese microbiologists are celebrating their entrance to the elite cadre empowered to wrestle with the world’s greatest biological threats. .... But worries surround the Chinese lab, too. The SARS virus has escaped from high-level containment facilities in Beijing multiple times, notes Richard Ebright, a molecular biologist at Rutgers University in Piscataway, New Jersey. Tim Trevan, founder of CHROME Biosafety and Biosecurity Consulting in Damascus, Maryland, says that an open culture is important to keeping BSL-4 labs safe, and he questions how easy this will be in China, where society emphasizes hierarchy. “Diversity of viewpoint, flat structures where everyone feels free to speak up and openness of information are important,” he says. Yuan says that he has worked to address this issue with staff. “We tell them the most important thing is that they report what they have or haven’t done,” he says. And the lab’s international collaborations will increase openness. “Transparency is the basis of the lab,” he adds. The plan to expand into a network heightens such concerns. One BSL-4 lab in Harbin is already awaiting accreditation; the next two are expected to be in Beijing and Kunming, the latter focused on using monkey models to study disease. Lina says that China’s size justifies this scale, and that the opportunity to combine BSL-4 research with an abundance of research monkeys — Chinese researchers face less red tape than those in the West when it comes to research on primates — could be powerful. “If you want to test vaccines or antivirals, you need a non-human primate model,” says Lina. But Ebright is not convinced of the need for more than one BSL-4 lab in mainland China. He suspects that the expansion there is a reaction to the networks in the United States and Europe, which he says are also unwarranted. He adds that governments will assume that such excess capacity is for the potential development of bioweapons. “These facilities are inherently dual use,” he says. The prospect of ramping up opportunities to inject monkeys with pathogens also worries, rather than excites, him: “They can run, they can scratch, they can bite.”

Some years ago I was traveling back and forth across the border to Vancouver about every other month for the better part of a year organizing a conference. At one point the Canadian customs agent wanted to know why I was traveling to Canada so frequently. By this time I was pretty much fed up with the passive aggressive Canadian bullying. I looked the agent dead in the eye and told him I was organizing an international environmental conference with well over one thousand delegates, would be bringing over CN $5 million in business to the country and creating several dozen jobs for Canadian citizens. Then told him part of the deal still had contingencies and I could just as readily pull the business. The agent stared at me for a brief while then stamped my passport and didn’t even say “Welcome to Canada.” Fast forward nearly six months later. Our Latin American delegates, which comprised 25 percent of attendance, got put through the Customs wringer. They complained of abuse, blatant racism, and intimidation. They were quizzed about working in Canada and all kinds of issues. In some cases delegates were denied entry despite having met all the visa requirements and having proper document. After a day and a half of complaints I read the riot act to the Vancouver Convention Bureau and told them to put a stop to this bullshit. Someone made phone calls and our delegates started sailing through customs without issues. To this day, whenever Canada is mentioned as a conference option someone from our Latin America team recounts the trouble experienced by our colleagues and Canada is dropped as an option. However, I’m sure one of these days we’ll bring a conference back but I will be sure to find ways of dealing with passive aggressive Canadian Customs more proactively.

This was back in the early 1990s when I was working for a real estate trade association. We were holding an event for real estate developers during pre-opening of a historic restoration of a property in New Orleans. The property was the former DH Holmes Department Store that had been converted to a Chateau Sonesta hotel. Today that property is the Hyatt French Quarter. I arrived late in the evening during a thunderstorm. There was some flooding issues on Canal Street and the hotel lobby was partly under water. The hotel was in pre-opening mode just getting ramped up and had only a skeleton crew that time of night. The front desk manager was a tall, dark haired guy about my age, late twenties. It was practically kismet. We connected quickly and were seriously cruising each other. Meanwhile the lone bellman was busy mopping up the lobby and trying to keep the rain at bay. Front Desk Guy offers to take me up to my room and tells the bellman to continue dealing with the flooding and not to worry no other guests were expected to Check-In. Cut to the room, which was actually a suite, and no sooner had the door shut that we then grabbed each other and stated making out. We then proceeded to do what two horny gay 20 somethings do and tore up the sheets like the dickens. It was intense. It was dangerous, we both could have gotten fired if caught. It was a blast. Next day was business as usual as we both went about our respective jobs. We didn’t hook up again as I was leaving later in the day as this was a short trip. Upon my return to the office I wrote a letter to the General Manager praising Front Desk Guy for his outstanding customer service and going beyond expectations to welcome a guest to this new hotel. Ah,,,memories. ?

I’d like to thank everyone who made the effort to attend this year’s Forum gathering at MAL. Especially @sam.fitzpatrick and @purplekow who traveled from their respective states to participate. Special thanks to @VictorPowers for making it to the Hyatt Sunday afternoon despite a logistical issue. Victor, you looked hot in that singlet ????. The brunch was a smaller group than in recent years similar to the first year when there was only about six people. Our group may have been smaller but the conversation was lively and dynamic. Sharing experiences and having a few laughs is what these events are all about. I hope everyone enjoyed themselves. As PK alluded, I will not be hosting in 2021 due to the Inauguration. It’s my practice to leave town that week due to the security issues. Regardless if the incumbent is re-elected or not there will be a serious lockdown and I just don’t plan to deal with any of it. A warm and sunny resort as far away from DC as possible will be my plan. The dates for MAL 2021 will be January 22-25 following the Inauguration. If anyone wants to pick up the ball and run with organizing I will be happy to offer perspectives. Thanks

Always look forward to these annual @Kevin Slater charts. I bet Kevin even has a chart for the number of pissed off Tommy De Luca clients he’s seen. :D

I’ve sent PM messages and an email to all who indicated interest in the gathering. I don’t have everyones email so please send it if you haven’t already. The gathering is going to be smaller than last year as weather and member availability have had an impact on attending.

Thanks for your patience regarding this confirmation email for the MAL 2020 weekend plans. I’ve been on very heavy travel, got sick, and had a project to meltdown recently and that has caused a delay in getting this information to you in a more timely manner. im getting details out today. sorry for this being later than intended.

Went to a holiday dinner with colleagues at a local restaurant touting its Beyond Burger. A female colleague ordered hers with bacon. Yes...BACON. The server was flabbergasted, the kitchen sent a runner to confirm she wanted bacon on the “healthy veggie burger” and she confirmed it again. The bacon greatly improved the taste so she said. She always adds bacon to her veggi burger apparently. Bacon is of course the absolute best meat in existence but that’s another discussion. I’m going to add bacon to a veggie burger and give it a try.

That‘s a good hotel and nice location. I’ve fucked several escorts there. ?

I think several states have passed similar laws. The Texas statute might be too broad but I don’t really think it’s worth worrying about.

Wishing a very Happy Birthday to Victor Powers. Enjoy your special day.

Uh oh. I’m triggered and will have to restrain myself. Elon Musk is a fraud of Bernie Madoff proportions. I follow $TSLA and $TSLAQ on both twitter and in financial media. I would short this stock long term and eagerly await Musk’s criminal conviction but doubtful such will occur. The SEC is a joke. He’s nothing more than a pump and dump stock scammer. That Cybertruck will likely never see production. Just like the Model Y and the Semi Truck. Oh, and Full Self Driving which $TSLA calls Autopilot is in reality glorified cruise control. And don’t get me started on the battery fires, the wompy wheels falling off, nor the deaths that have occurred due to misuse of so called autopilot by owners who bought the hype. Just this week the company downgraded its warranty coverage and has been systematically refusing to cover repairs that other manufacturers cover as routine. Oh and if that car needs body work or new parts be prepared to wait months for it to happen. Before purchasing a $TSLA advise contacting your car insurance company for rates. The cost of repairs and other risks have some major insurance companies doubling the price of coverage. Hence the reason $TSLA has set up their own insurance company. The company is worth nowhere near $50 billion and should be trading at book value like every other car company. Ok, rant concluded for now unless I’m triggered again. $TSLA = stock symbol used in online and finance press referring to Tesla . $TSLAQ = the letter “Q” is added to stock ticker symbols to indicate a company is in bankruptcy. In this case it means short sellers who believe the company is worth zero dollars.

What about student discounts?

I’ve booked a hotel in DC to be closer to the events as in past years. Looking forward to seeing everyone.

Welcome to the Forum. A recommendation from @VictorPowers is high praise indeed.