Coronavirus Big Brother Tracking

Fires in LA. Fires in Atlanta. Fires in Minnesota. What a time to talk about big brother.

Contact tracing through the cell phone.

The way it works is an app is loaded onto everyone's phone. Then the users contact data, coronavirus test results, and movement information is loaded into an enormous database.

With that information, if someone tests positive for coronavirus, everyone who has been in contact with the infected individual for the previous 14 days will be alerted.

The notified individuals will then get tested and self isolate until their results come in.

This is currently being used in China and is being touted as one way the country stopped the spread of coronavirus.

Singapore, South Korea, Australia and other countries have instituted the use of the app, although in a much more limited fashion with mixed results.

There is contact tracing in the US., but it is a very manual and human process. If someone tests positive, then that person has to try and remember everyone they were in contact with and then contact those people. But what if you don’t know who you were standing next to in line at the grocery store? 

The app would solve this.

I like the idea in theory, in a perfect world.

But there are issues. Privacy is number one.

Few people, including all of us with nothing to hide, are leery of anyone, from the government to a for-profit app company knowing where we are, who we are interacting with, for how long, at all times.

Wouldn't the government state in a case of national emergency or local emergencies like riots, try to gain access to this information to keep track of people?

After the last couple of days, I doubt few people would sign up for an app that would track their every move. (I know theories abound that it is already happening.)

And until we have a good system

of testing, which is getting better by the day, I can't see how effective the app would be at stopping the virus' spread. When I was tested a couple of weeks ago, it took 7 days for me to receive my results.

Prior to the economy reopening, such a significant delay would not be too costly. However with businesses reopening,  if I had tested positive, a 7-day delay could put dozens of people at risk.

My son's school opened last week. There were at least 35 people in the truck yard where he was training. When I picked up lunch today at take out, there were two customer's waiting inside and two employees whom I interacted with. On Monday's fishing boat there will be another 34 people. At the fishing store there were 6  inside the store while I was there. At Target and Pavilions, I can't count the number of people around me the last couple of days.

Finally, over 100,000 people have died in the U.S., yet many people think the virus isn't that bad. I think any number of deaths is horrible. However, the government is reopening the economy throughout the U.S. The stock market is soaring again with investors thinking the worst has past. And the number of people on the street who are maskless is growing daily.

I think the government would be hard-pressed to sell the idea of having everyone install a contact-tracing app on their phone with the current feeling of the worst is past for more and more Americans.

However, I also think the government should create the internal framework to install a system like this in case we do have a round 2 of coronavirus. A round 2 that is as deadly as round 2 of the 1918 flu.

If that happens, having to install a contact tracing app on our phone and losing some privacy would be the least of our worries.

Coronavirus My Teenage Vampires

Ha ha. "Coronavirus Vampires" was the title of the article forwarded to me today.

In the author's scenario, his kids were glued to their cell phones all night and slept during the day. For us, it is a combination of Xbox and phones that turned our sons into creatures of the night.

We could have canceled their phone service. We could have locked down the wi-fi after 10 pm. My wife and I could have stayed awake and listened all night for whispering in their bedroom.

Ha!

I mean what adult can stay up as long as a teenager night after night to make sure they are "in" bed. At some point, something just has to give.

And just try to wake up a teenager for any reason, like school, and it is usually a battle. And when there is no reason? I laugh. Good luck.

The boys won that battle as they did for the author's family.

Now when I go to bed, I tell the boys good night, be quiet, and wash any dirty dishes you make during the night.

With this nocturnal schedule and no required schoolwork for the rest of the school year, our house has been a beacon of peace and tranquility. (Not quite, but almost.)

We always see our boys at breakfast and then at lunch or dinner depending on when they go to sleep and wake up.

Dinner for breakfast, breakfast for dinner.

Perhaps McDonald's saw this phenomena happening months ago when they made their breakfast menu available all day.

Conspiracy theories abound.

My neighbors have a toddler with a "regular" sleep schedule and have not had a sitter in over in 2 months. Ouch.

When I tell them that we have our days free to work, take walks, and enjoy the peace and quiet, I see the envy in their eyes.

Occasionally, my boys will try to get their sleep schedule back on track on their own for a day or two, but inevitably, the 12-hour teenage sleep curse happens and their schedule goes out the window.

When school starts again in August, three months from now, we can battle. But for now we will enjoy the peace.

Have your kids become vampires too?

As a side note: I am very curious to see how the health of teenagers of the coronavirus age who have 6 months of good sleep, low school stress, and more family time is affected in the long run.

Coronavirus Time For A Roadtrip?

This is the perfect time for a road trip, right? Besides, traffic should be light, and I could drive round trip from Miami to LA in 14 days. One of my favorite slogans is, "Do it now, tomorrow waits for no one."

A friend who was just furloughed for two weeks hopped in her car with her family and drove to Seattle to visit family she hadn't seen in years. When she visited her extended family, they would all wear masks and keep their distance in the backyard. She is staying in an Airbnb.

A number of online fitness instructors that I follow are leading their classes from getaways in the mountains or at the beaches where they have moved temporarily during the coronavirus epidemic.

And nowadays, with the spreading acceptance of remote work environments, workers don't have to be at home or an office to work or apply for jobs.

So I needed a plan to be minimize the risk of coronavirus contamination and fill this bucket. My mind was buzzing. Here was the plan:

• The only buildings that I would enter would be hotel rooms (except at check in), grocery stores, and gas station restrooms. I would not go into museums, restaurants, or amusement parks.
• The trip's goal was to see the changing American landscapes. From the rustic canyon's of the southwest, blazing Texas, swampy bayous, sunsets along the gulf coast, and reach the blue-green coastal waters of the Atlantic. 
• Food would be out of the ice chest for breakfast and lunch, with takeout or delivery for dinner.
• I would pack masks, gloves, sanitizer, and 14 changes of clothes.
• I would use disposable gloves at each gas station fill up.
• I would take my teenage sons since their schools are closed and my eldest could share driving duties.
• I would continue to apply for acting gigs and other jobs on my phone. If I landed an interview within the next two weeks (unlikely in the current environment), most places are conducting skype or zoom sessions I could do from anywhere.
• My wife could not go, but I think that she was looking forward to some peace and quiet after being locked in our apartment for 9 weeks with three grumpy boys - me included.

Doable plan right?

 Nope.

• Thirty minutes after I planned up this crazy idea, my eldest son walked out of his room with a big grin, "Dad my school opens tomorrow." There went my second driver.
• New Mexico is shut down to outsiders. Specifically, rentals to out-of-staters is prohibited. I would have to drive around the state or drive straight through without stopping - 9 hours from Phoenix to El Paso. With two drivers ok, just one, not so sure.
• Some states are only allowing first responders to stay in hotels. The Marriott in New Orleans told me today that recreational reservations will not be allowed until after June 1st, as long as nothing changes. 
• What finally closed the curtain was the weather. I am sure people from the South are laughing at me already. No, it was not the heat. It was the fact that the next two weeks are the height of tornado season in Texas and the South. I learned this after I looked at the 10-day weather forecast and saw heavy thunderstorms with hail and weather advisories every day next week throughout the South.

In conclusion, the coronavirus pandemic is not a good time for a road trip when rules and restrictions are changing daily and even the weather is telling you to stay home.

Would you still go?

Be safe and take care.

Posts Tuesdays and Saturdays

 

Coronavirus The New Office

It's official, companies are allowing workers to work from home permanently. Square and Twitter made the announcement this week. Facebook and Google said most employees will work from home until 2021.

My wife's company as well as my friend's had both planned to have workers return May 15. That date came and went. What happened instead were some employees were laid off, others furloughed, and the return to the physical office for the rest of the employees was moved. June 1st is now the tentative date for one and the other has no date.

This means my kitchen table will continue to be by wife's new workspace for the foreseeable future.

And my wife does not mind. She likes not having to commute an hour a day each way to work. She likes saving money on making lunch at home, I mean me preparing lunch for her. She likes taking our afternoon walks during her daily lunch hour. As she says, it is like we are dating again.

Before the coronavirus hit, we rarely saw each other for more than an hour a day. At one point, I hadn't seen her awake for four days straight as we both worked long hours away from home.

An article from CNBC stated that over 25% of the tech sector wants to permanently work from home. My wife said she is going to advocate to work at least three days a week from home once we return to "normal."

What are parents going to do if their children can't go to school or childcare? That will add even more pressure for employers to allow people to work from home.

Let's think about the ramifications of 5, 10, 25, or even 50% of workers who can work from home begin doing so. We are talking about millions of people. Less commercial space will need to be rented/leased.  Fewer parking spots will be needed. There will be fewer business lunches - catering to the office. Less gas will be used. Longer lasting cars. Workers will have more free time.  VPNs, distance networking software/equipment, and webcam sales will increase. Is this the final nail in the coffin for PC towers? Long live laptops? People can now work from a beach in California or Mallorca. The changes are mind-blowing and endless. Fascinating to watch how this unfolds.

Is your company making the switch?

Take care and be safe.

Posts Tuesday and Saturday

Coronavirus QR Coded Beaches

Europe, and Spain specifically, are churning out interesting travel rules everyday as they try to figure out how to restart the tourism industry. Tourism accounts for 10 - 30 percent of some countries' GDP. According to The Guardian, it accounts for 12.3% of Spain's GDP.

Some of the more interesting Spanish travel rules include:

• Popular beaches in Spain will be mapped into 6-foot-square grid pattern which visitors will have to reserve ahead of time using QR codes
• 14-day quarantines for international travelers
• Buffets banned
• Temperature controls at hotel entrances
• The Canary Islands requiring tourists to carry a digital health passport

Wow. Everyday brings out new travel news.

The outlook for my July trip to Spain continues to dim.

A month ago recreational travel between the US and Mexico was banned until May 20. Then two weeks ago, Mexico closed all non-essential businesses in Baja California until May 31st.

Two days ago, Delta airlines cancelled my June 4 trip to Cabo, although they have not cancelled my return flight.

When I called Delta, the recording said the wait time to speak to a representative was four-and-a-half hours. I decided not to wait. It's not like I was in a hurry to book the voucher or credit as there was nowhere I could fly. I wanted to ask where I could find the credit or voucher online for my cancelled flight as it had yet to appear in my SkyMiles account.

I see photos of people on full flights, but I wonder where these people are going? Hotels, museums, campgrounds, and national parks are closed.

My buddy is hoping to reschedule the Cabo trip for the end of August or September. Will travel restrictions be removed by then?

Los Angeles just announced that the ban on all non-essential workers has been extended to the end of July, but beaches and hiking trails have opened.

Is this a sign campgrounds will open this summer or remain closed.

Currently, you can run, walk and swim at a Southern California beach, you just can't sit on one.

Perhaps we will go the QR code route.

Crazy travel times indeed.

How have your travel plans changed because of the coronavirus?

Take care and be safe.

Posts Tuesdays and Saturdays

Coronavirus Good To The Last Bite

Monster cookies. I only had one and half cups of chocolate chips instead of two a recipe required. But I found the remnants of a bag of pecans and a tiny amount of coconut that had been sitting in the fridge for who knows how long and mixed them in. They were some of the most amazing cookies I have ever made.

  

This morning I read a New York Times article about how consumer's grocery habits had changed. Not only were consumers buying products in larger quantities, but they were also figuring out how to use all of their food down to the last drop.

I realized I fit right into that last category of change.

"Regrow your kitchen scraps," proclaimed the YouTube video I watched last week. They planted vegetable parts I would typically throw away, scallion ends, bell pepper seeds, and celery bottoms and showed how quick they grow. (The YouTube link is at the bottom of this post.) The simplest one was the green onions. You just cut off the bottoms - roots with 1-2 inches of its white stalk - plant them with the white tips above the dirt and in a week you will have new green onions. Just clip off the green ends and eat. Then a week later, that part you had cut off will have regrown into a new green stalk ready to cut and eat. Can I have an endless supply of green onions?

I have also been going through my cupboards and refrigerator finding obscure food that I haven't eaten because I didn't know what to do with them. The can of kidney beans became part of a turkey soup; the balsamic vinegar I bought months ago (hopefully not years ago) became balsamic chicken thighs, a new household favorite; and my claim to fame - the lentils that I turned into pie weights. I don't like lentils. I have no idea why they were there in the cupboard, but then I read that they make the perfect pie weights. And sure enough, they have worked great to blind bake 3 pie crusts so far.

My son just finished working on a merit badge for the Boy Scouts on sustainability which covered of all things, food waste.

"Are you going to eat that?" I asked my son who had one large untouched piece of rib roast on his plate. "No," he said. He had taken 2 large pieces and now one just sat there. I took his plate to the kitchen, into a baggie went the slice of meat, and then into the refrigerator.

When he complained that he didn't want to eat leftovers for lunch the next day, I said its because we are minimizing food waste as discussed in your merit badge book.

Surprisingly, he brightened and ate every single bite.

Take care and be safe.

Posts Tuesday and Saturday.

Regrow Your Kitchen Scraps: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rk2Z954prz4

Coronavirus First Major Professional Sporting Event Tonight

Fight Island, Indian Casinos, Vegas, Denver, Florida

The UFC is fighting tonight! The first major sporting event during the coronavirus epidemic. The UFC is the premier organization for mixed martial arts, much like the NFL for football.

UFC President Dana White almost pulled off UFC 249 on April 18 by moving the event to an Indian Casino in California to avoid quarantine rules. But just days before the event, California Governor Newsom, Senator Feinstein, and as Dana White put it, the highest people at Disney/ESPN (UFC partners), told him to cancel.

So then he bought an island, called it Fight Island, that could not be touched by quarantine restrictions, location still undisclosed, and began constructing facilities to make the fight happen. It seemed like something out of a video game or a Bruce Lee movie.

While Dana confirmed he is still constructing the necessary infrastructure on his island, Florida, who deemed sports an essential business, offered to host the event.

And here we go.

The UFC is determined to make sure they do everything right as the world is watching. Safety measures include no crowd / audience; everyone in building, fighter, referee, camera crew member, etc., will be tested for the coronavirus; during weigh-ins, fighters wore masks and gloves; and other precautions.

If they bring this event off without becoming a coronavirus hotspot of infection, I am sure numerous other sporting events will start. The UFC already has two more fight nights scheduled in Florida on May 13 and May 16.

If anyone can do this right, I imagine it will be the UFC as they have the Big Mouse looking over their shoulder helping ensure it is done right.

One fighter tested positive for the coronavirus two days ago and he is now in quarantine.

We are going for a ride, I hope it is a smooth one.

Take care and be safe.

Posts Tuesday and Saturday

Getting Tested For Coronavirus

Success! I was in and out of the drive-thru testing site in only 40 minutes.

Now the five-day wait for the results.

So why did I get tested if I am not showing any coronavirus symptoms?

When the Los Angeles Mayor Garcetti announced last week that residents could be tested for coronavirus with or without symptoms, I thought, Great! If I can show employers that I have coronavirus antibodies, perhaps that will give me a leg up on getting hired when the entertainment industry reopens. Also, the mayor said, testing everyone would help the city track the coronavirus' spread.

The following day I learned that this was not an antibody test, but a test to determine if you currently have the live virus. Should I still go, I wondered.

I decided to go for two reasons. First, I was curious. Was I an asymptomatic carrier who could be infecting people at the grocery store, at take out, and when I delivered food to my mother? Second, I felt that by taking the test, I was helping the city with their study.

As mentioned above, the testing center was very efficient.

Check out this YouTube video from the City of Los Angeles on what to expect:

Testing What To Expect

To summarize:

• No eating or drinking 20 minutes before test
• A hazmat-dressed worker, you can only see their eyes,  confirms that you have an appointment, watched the YouTube video, and then hands you the test.
• Sitting in your car, you take the test: cough 5 times, swab your mouth, then seal everything up as indicated on the instruction card.
• Then you drive up to a firefighter who takes your packet with a grabber claw like my grandma had and then you are free.

 Now the wait.

One concern was whether I was taking a test from someone who had symptoms. The mayor said that prior to opening the testing to everyone, the city had excess capacity for testing. I read a report that 3,000 testing slots were not being used daily. He felt the more people tested the better so city officials could get a better handle on how many people have been infected.  Also, anyone with symptoms or first responders would receive testing priority. That is one reason my sign up date was five days from the date I made the appointment.

I am glad I took the test.  I hope everyone else has an opportunity to do so sooner, rather than later.

Is anyone else planning on taking a coronavirus test?

Take care and be safe.

Posts Tuesday and Saturday

Coronavirus Should Meat Packing Plants Be Forced To Open?

No more bacon! Vegetarians rejoice!

Tell me it's not true.

There has been a lot of news last week about meat processing plants closing due to high levels of coronavirus

infections amongst employees, meat becoming unavailable in some markets, and the federal government forcing meat processing plants to stay open.

My initial response to the government's forcing of meat packing plants to remain open was one of relief. Relief that meat will continue flowing to the markets. I have noticed over the past week that meat prices have gone up and fewer meat cuts available including chicken. Surprisingly, there has been plenty of pork even though these were some of the first plants to close.

That last line gives me pause. Was Tyson's CEO letter in the papers about the food chain breaking disingenuous as the meat packing plants' union claims. A tactic to increase prices, force workers to go to back to work without adequate protections, and to continue to be able to ship one-tenth of the U.S. pork supply to China.

Or is there a true threat to the nation's meat supply? When some of the plants closed, farmers reported having to kill mature livestock as they were unable to send them for processing because they had to make space for baby livestock. This signifies that some farmers and ranchers are at risk of going bankrupt if the plants remain closed, another threat to the meat supply.

And how many meat packing plants can be closed before there is a legitimate threat to the meat supply. The Big 3 automakers in Detroit have stopped making cars because all of their plants in North America have been closed since the end of March due to safety concerns. Even if the meat packing plants are unsafe, realistically they cannot all be closed until  a vaccine is created.

This is a very tough dilemma.

I feel for the meat packing plant workers, as a I do for grocery store workers. These are essential jobs that benefit and are necessary for the health of all Americans and must remain open.

I also think employer's need to provide all the necessary precautions to keep its workers as safe as possible.

I read Tyson has installed plexiglass dividers between workers, provided them with masks and gloves, taken employee temperatures daily, staggered schedules, converted some employees into social distance monitors, as well as other measures. I hope that all plants are providing these measures.

That the companies were not doing this before the media cast light on the problems of plant closures is sad.

I hope that since America is watching, the working conditions for the employees will improve now and going forward and allow the employees to stay healthy and keep bringing home the bacon.

What do you think?

Take care and be safe.

Posts Tuesday and Saturday