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Covid-19 breaking news
The facts and only
the facts, without editorialization or opinion. You decide what to believe.
Corona Virus / Covid-19
History, and
basic facts
Frank X. Didik,
April 16, 2020, updated May 11, 2020
The Corona Virus, which is also known as the
the Novel Corona Virus, Covid-19 and the China flu, first emerged in
Wuhan China in October, 2019. It quickly spread to other countries.
Some countries, such as Italy and the United States are said to have
had the greatest number of infected cases, though the actual number
of cases and the actual number of those infected who become
critically ill or who have died is not understood. A quick, reliable
test for this virus is still in the development stage, and the
existing tests being used are significantly inaccurate with many
false positives and false negatives, as of April 15, 2020. With this
in mind, people who are said to have the virus and diagnosed
primarily by their symptoms which include loss of smell, sustained
fever and often respiratory problems. In worst cases, people
diagnosed with the virus are placed on ventilators. Still, most of
the symptoms of Corona Virus are almost identical with the yearly flu.
It is estimated that up to 95 percent of those
who contract Corona Virus experience do not experience any symptoms
whatsoever, however during their undetected illness, they are said to
be carriers of the virus and can spread the virus, but this has not
been proven. According to Italian health authority, those who die of
the virus are almost exclusively those who are suffering from one,
two or three critical illnesses such as cancer or heart disease or
are people who suffer from chronic obesity, diabetes or other
ailments. Surprisingly, smokers and drinkers do not seem to have a
greater mortality rate than others. There is a question of whether
those who die, die with Corona virus or because of Corona virus.
The average age of those who died in Italy was
81 years old. In China, the average age of death attributed to Corona
Virus was 78 years. The average age of death attributed to Corona
Virus in Norway is 88 years old, though Norway has only a handful of
detected cases. According to the New York City Department of Health,
as of April 14, just under 7,000 people are believed to have died
with or because of the Corona virus. Of these almost 7,000 people,
only 137 died without any known background disease or ailment. It
would seem that children below 12 years old are almost immune to this disease.
Starting in early March, masks were hard to find and
optional, particularly since a virus is vastly smaller than the
filtering capability of masks. By late March, it was acknowledged
that the virus would often accumulate in micro water particles and
thus the masks would be useful. In the case of New York State,
Governor Cuomo ordered on April 15, that all people must wear masks
if they might be closer than six feet from one another in public.
All Churches were encouraged and have
"voluntarily" closed till the fear of the virus is over.
This has never happened before and if the Churches and synagogues had
had been forced to close by government decree, it would have violated
the U.S. Constitution.
Signs are everywhere encouraging the people to avoid
contact with others, maintain social distancing of six feet (two
meters), wear a mask and frequently wash hands.
Some essential services, such as this Post Office,
have painted squares on the sidewalk to assist in "Social
distancing", that is, for people to separate by six feet (2 meters).
Because of the massive demand for masks and protective
shields, some stores donated their stock of such items to local
hospitals, as did this Harbor Freight Tolls in Brooklyn did.
Certain items have mostly disappeared from supermarket
shelves. Items include toilet paper, bottled water, sanitizing
napkins and cleaners.
Gasoline prices have plummeted by almost a dollar in
just one month from March 10 to April 10. The price for high octane
gasoline in New York City is approximately $2.55 per US gallon. As of
May 11, 2020, the price for a gallon of regular gasoline is down to
about $2, with discount gas stations charging $1.89 per gallon. Super
gasoline, with 91 octane is down to about $2.45 per gallon, with
discount stations charging as little as $2.35 per gallon.
The major bridges have very little vehicular traffic
as this photograph of the entrance of the Manhattan Bridge, on the
Manhattan side shows.
In the early evening, the streets are deserted but
almost every light in every apartment is on.
Some people have questioned the number of Corona
infections and deaths, in both directions. The primary question is
wether people are dying from some other cause and just happen to have
the Corona virus or if Corona virus is the actual cause of their death.
At first, people were going stir crazy and were
extremely bored staying alone in their apartments. At that time, I
was getting constant telephone calls and texts from friends,
acquaintances and business associates, Now however, people have
become used to this. I believe that many shopping and routine habits
have been broken and that if and when this historic fear of the virus
ends, that people will not necessarily resume their old lifes but
rather continue to enjoy the new, solitary norm. People may also wish
to save money after this long quarantine. The result I feel is that
many restaurants, stores and perhaps churches, may not see their old
customers returning as quickly as they had hoped.
Thousands of protesters have converged on the state
houses of Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Michigan and other
states demanding that businesses and other activities be resumed.
Many constitutional guarantees are mentioned including freedom of
religion, freedom to assemble, the pursuit of happiness and others.
Many protesters do not believe in the severity of the Corona Virus
and compare it with the yearly flu. As of May 11, protests have
expanded to almost all states around the country. Some of the
protestors were well armed with so called "assault weapons"
and other guns. So far, the protests have been vocal but peaceful.
As of May 10, 2020, was mother's day and the highways
had more vehicle traffic then it had in several months. As of May 11,
2020, overall vehicle traffic is increasing. Further, it seems that
more stores that were considered essential, but were closed and now
opening up. Still, the number of customers in many essential
businesses, such as bicycle stores and automobile repair shops is
much lower than usual. All people are required to "social
distance" both outside and in stores. This means that people are
required to stay 6 feet / 2 meters away from one another. Further,
face masks are required to enter any store, though the question
remains if such masks have any effect in preventing the spread of the
virus, considering that the virus is vastly smaller than what the
mask can filter out. Though not required for outside use, the vast
majority of people wear face masks outside. The majority of people
remain at home.
 
www.News1.net
(New
York City, USA)
Copyright©
1977 - 2020 by Frank X. Didik, All Rights Reserved
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NEWS1
Breaking
News
 Frank
X. Didik with NYC Mayor Bill DeBlasio and first lady Chirlane
McCray, at Gracy Mansion.
For the latest
updates, and links, please go to the main page of www.News1.net
Thank you.
NYC heat
wave
NYPD Chief of
Department attacked
Thousands of New
Yorkers are
leaving
A new job apprenticeships website
New Federal hiring guidelines
NYPD shows extreme
professionalism and restraint Read
more
NYC under curfew read
more
Stores looted May
31, 2020 read
more
Protests erupt in
NYC read
more
Congress
proposesTRACE Act read
more
History of Corona
Virus read
more
Gasoline &
fuel prices plumet read
more
Covid-19 April
2020 news. read
more
Corona Shut-down read
more
Congress aproves
of2 trillion read
more
Protestors object
to shutdown read
more
Photographs of
empty New York Citymore
Federal reserve on
Covid-19 read
more
Prior
News
OP-ED
Corona Paycheck
program read
more
Remote
salary protection read
more
Internet
censorship read
more
People
should be responsible for themselves and carry their own weight in society read
more
Subway
Safety-Subway Gate Every year hundreds of people are
killed or severely injured when they fall onto the tracks of trains
and subways. The prevention is cost efficient and greatly reduces liability ...
read
more ...
Greatly
reduce train noise A significant
amount of train noise is caused by the train wheels rolling over the
expansion joint of the tracks. This vibration creates noise,
vibrations, an less pleasant ride and also reduces the life cycle of
the train. The solution is relatively simple and cost effective..read
more ...
Corona
Virus:
What I have observed regarding the Corona Virus can be
read here. Further, my photographs of empty New York City, can be viewed
here.
Pentup
Demand caused
by Covid-19 lockdown? Unlikely. People are used to staying home, have
developed new habits, and after being out of work, will probably want
to save money.
Hysterical
Fears pushed in the media and other sources: What
ever happened to Y2K, the Ozone hole, nuclear winter, missile gap, read
more
Restaurants
and Bars will spring back? Very
unlikely. People go to these places not only to eat and drink but
primarily to socialize. If people are social distanced, why go out?
Corona
Virus "Experts"?
Who is to say who is an expert when the entire virus is a new event
and nobody has any real understanding what is going on. This is like
the transition period of Eastern Europe from 1989 to 1992, when so
many "leading experts" came from nowhere and gave the
public their speculation with truly disastrous results, causing
massive inflation and economic failure in countries who followed
their "advice".
Question
If you can live for a thousand years, but have to live in a 12x12
foot (3x3 meter) room without ever leaving, would you do it? I prefer
to live life to its fullest and accept the risks. Everything in life
entails a certain risk.
Forced
vaccinations? But Why? read
more
Do
more people die because of the Corona Virus or because of the lockdown? read
more
Is
Covid-19 as widespread as suggested? read
more
Liberal
Governments verses Conservative Governments read
more
Career
first and family later? read
more
Frank X. Didik aboard "The
Futurist", anchored in a New York Harbor.
Thoughts
on science, business and society today
By
Frank X. Didik - News1.net editor.
What
if and what can or might be.
The
1956 Firebird was
to be self driving.
Self
Driving Cars? If
you have an accident with a self driving car, who is at fault? The
car manufacturer, the owner of the car or the occupant
"driver" of the car? I
have enjoyed owning and driving some of the most interesting cars
made and have always enjoyed the freedom of driving without
impediments or restrictions. Nevertheless, if self driving cars can
help reduce accidents and enhance society, I am for them. Besides the
technical aspects, there are many other issues that must be worked
out. My concerns
regarding self driving cars including liability, safety, morality and
effectiveness. ...read
more ...
 
Bicycles?
What ever happened to jet packs, flying cars and advanced technology
that in the past, was predicted that we would be using by today? Why
are bicycles being pushed by cities world wide?...read
more ...
Question:
If people who are protesting are paid to protest, is it really a protest?
Question:
If a humanitarian organization is paid for their services, are they
really a humanitarian organization?
Question:
If a charity receives most or all of its money from the government,
is it really a charity considering that the tax payer is paying for
their services?
Cell
Phone Etiquette
Advice for the modern person -
December 9,
2016 read
more
Time
to Rethink Bike Lanes
Advice for bicyle based cities
- August
3,
2016 read
more
On
Education
Rethinking
school and our education system
Should
everyone attend college
or university?
... read
more ...
Can
a
college or a university
really teach a person to be a businessman
or an artist or good in any particular field? ...
read
more ...
How
come all college undergraduate degree's
require four years?
Should some degrees require only one
year while others perhaps six years? ...
read
more ...
What
courses should and should not be taught at college or university? Can
college or a university teach a person how to be a good business
person, or how to be creative? ...
read
more ...
Reason,
Logic and intellect is not reliable.
The late Christopher Hitchens often stated that we should rely on our
logic, reason and intellect to determine the truth. Many people who
pride themselves as educated, intelligent and progressive believe the
same. As reasonable as this seems, Galileo proved over 400 years ago
that our logic, reason and intellect is unreliable and that only
direct experimental data, should be relied upon. Galileo had dropped
two balls of the same material, but different masses, from the
Leaning Tower of Pisa to demonstrate that they would hit the ground
at the same time, rather than the heavier ball hitting the ground
first, as almost everyone, including Aristotle, 2000 years ago, had
assumed. Our logic, reason and intellect is not reliable and should
only be viewed as speculation. Only direct experimentation and
obtaining the same results, over and over again should be relied upon.
What about? ..
Old
Computer Formats and the longevity of our digitally stored
knowledge. Are
we entering into a "pre-history" era? How can we preserve
our computer written records, books, photographs, video and
knowledge? We must have an international agreement and an
organization, perhaps under auspices of the United Nations, dedicated
to preserving our global digital records so that future generations
can access the information and knowledge that we store on computer
readable formats.
If
you wanted to, would you be able to read a:
3
1/2" or 5 1/4" or 8" floppy?
cd-rom
or a dvd?
12"
optical disk?
9
track tape?
IBM
punch card?
Paper
punch tape?
If
you can not read these one or two generation old formats today, how
will society be able to read these documents in 200 years from now?
In a few years, our latest computer formats and storage devices, such
as USB drives, will also be obsolete. I have deep concerns about the
longevity of our knowledge and of computer records, ...read
more ...
What
if the decay rate of elements varies rather than being a constant? Imagine,
if this is the case, it would mean that all archeological dating is
in question. How old are artifacts? When in fact did the dinosaurs
really die out? Further, consider that ...
read
more ...
What
is the speed of gravity? If it is instantaneous, then what if
gravity can be modulated? Today
most scientists, assume that the speed of gravity is the same as the
speed of light, but what if the speed of gravity is instantaneous?
Further, if gravity can be modulated, it might allow for
instantaneous universal communication. Thus it might be possible to
communicate with space craft instantly, rather than waiting for
minutes for transmissions to reach the craft or earth. Perhaps
computer chips can be made to operate vastly faster. And this is just
the beginning since ...read
more ...
On
Business
Investing
in Startups. Good idea or bad? Is
investing in a Startup, that has never proven itself in the market
place, a good idea or a waste of money (and talent)? Historically,
investors invested in companies that were swamped with orders and
making money, but needed additional money to ...
read
more ...
Most
efficient brain-storming method and
how to make morning office meetings more productive and interesting ...
read
more ...
Superior
advertising results
Producing
the very best and most effective TV commercials
The single purpose of a television commercial is to sell the product
or service. The fact that an advertisement might be interesting,
funny, informative or well produced is secondary to the main purpose,
which is to sell the product or service. One should never leave the
creation of the television commercial to the television producer or
the video editor. ...
read
more ...
Building
the most effective business websites Never
let a "web designer" develop the website for you. A web
designer should be produce the website under the supervision of an on
line marketing master, usually working with ...
read
more ...
There
is an alternative to population control. Restricting
and discouraging the formation of families in order to stabilize or
reduce population infringes on the freedom and rights of every human.
There is another much better approach...read
more ...
Questioning
the results of modern science. For
the last 100 years, we have been experiencing the collapse of real
science. Theories, speculation and fantasy is the norm today. By
definition, the scientific method is the ability to test and re-test
and always get the same results, over and over. If an idea or a
theory can not be tested, the idea must be viewed as speculation and
not considered true, till that idea is proven without a doubt.
Scientific theory has moved to areas that are beyond our present
capability of testing and gradually a number of unproven theories
have become accepted as fact without any real proof. Further, new
theories have been developed based on old theories. Thus we have a
situation where science today is largely based on theory upon theory.
If something can not be proven, it falls into the realm of philosophy
rather than science. This has led to...read
more ...
What
if time varies along with all things, rather than being a constant? Consider
that...read
more ...
Can
the speed of light vary, even if traveling under the same
conditions, or in other words, is the speed of light really a
constant? According
to Einstein's theory of relativity, the speed of light is a constant
but ...read
more ...
Science
and media hype: Any
sudden "revolutionary" scientific discovery, even if such
discovery is written about in every newspaper and scientific journal,
should be greeted with skepticism. Such a discovery should only be
accepted after the bulk of scientists have have had a chance to
review the discovery and confirm that it is in fact correct. Such
things that come to mind include cold fusion, the so called "God
Particle" and even the recent stated discovery of a
"gravitational wave". All too often such media hype has
come and gone without any real discovery or fundamental change. ..read
more ...
What
percentage of information, contained in science books is accurate
and true? Are we in a post science period? Many
science books today present ...read
more ...
It
is time to retest scientific properties. Verify results. I
suggest that the properties of all materials be re-tested using
modern technology and certify the results. Melting and boiling
points, conductivity, hardness, and all physical properties of
materials should be re-tested ...read
more ...
Honesty
and integrity
in scientific
research is
essential in
order to
advance our knowledge
base. When
a scientist has worked for years to prove a particular theory and
finds out that their work hasbeen in vain, it is difficult to admit
that their original assumptions were wrong. Still it is vitally
important ..read
more ...
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