Wuhan coronavirus

I am blind, so cannot appreciate your charts, however I know that the stats in Canada show that regular flu season claims many more lives. Usually, those who die are the elderly, people with compromised immune systems and the like. What is going on is a total cluster fuck. World-wide media generated hysteria.

My son is a nurse at our District Hospital. His wife and my daughter are care givers at the same hospital. In a panic, administration cleared out many beds, cancelled elective surgeries and prepared for a flood of Corona Virus patients. Never happened. They are overstaffed and have only had a few confirmmed cases of COVID19. Go figure. Meanwhile, many more elderly and others have died of the flu this past six months. I don't have the percentages or numbers, but death from pnemonia and the flu in past years is about 10 times that of those dying from COVID19.

Conspiracy? Or just plain media generated hysteria and stupidity on the part of politicians?
My son is sceptical. Like his wife, he has has been in the midst of the panic over a lack in PPE like the special masks, shields and garments. At our hospital, they are sterilizing the good masks and staff are forced to wear the same mask all day. Thus far, none of the hospital staff have been infected.

Meanwhile, the local economy has all but ground to a halt. Who will profit from this? As they said in the Watergate affair that brought down Nixon. Follow the money. If China bounces back and profits, that will be a good indicator. Watch the ultra-rich and see how they profit. How many billionaires have been infected?

On a local scene, two chicken processing facilities have been shut down in B.C. as workers test positive. A meat packing plant in Alberta is shut down. That Alberta plant provides one third of Canadian beef. 20,000 steers per week. Where are they going to put the livestock that isn't slaughtered? In both cases, there is less inspection by industry watchdogs because of government cuts. Most of the workers in these plants are low-paid, new immigrants who don't read English or French well. Some have reported that the management was not providing them with information, supervision, or PPE. Again, the bottom dollar and profit mentality. So, the rich owners and stupid politicians are to blame. Who suffers? The taxpayers who will have to pay back the billions our wonderful politicians are giving away in response to lost jobs or lay-offs.

Conspiracy, or collective stupidity? I think more the latter, though we should all lay the blame at the initial source, which is the communist Chinese government and their Peoples Liberation Army research into pathogens for germ warfare. Whoops! One of the germs got out of the Wohan lab! Sorry. Ah well, we only lost a few tens of thousand people. After all, we have a billion, almost two. We can afford to lose a few million more, if the economy of the rest of the world gets shut down.

About me and my attitude? I'm a senior on pension. I have a couple of speech output, (talking) computers, a voice-over iPhone, my talking multimeter, Geiger counters and scintillation detectors, not to mention my Kenwood TS590SG with a VGS1 voice card. My talking equipment keeps me busy and happy in my basement suite. Spare time I write sci-fi and fantasy stories or listen to talking books. There's millions available on the internet. Haven't even had a cold this winter. Isolation works. My kids shop for me if I ask. I just give them my bank card and they pick up the groceries I need. Pizza delivery is interesting, since they want you to pre-pay with a credit card. I don't have one, so the kids order for me. The pizza is left on the front steps. Wonder how many people are catching COVID19 from contaminated cardboard boxes??? Grin!

When all is said and done, and all us old farts who need to shed this mortal coil are gone, we still live in an overpopulated, mentally sick, malnourished world. We try to save everybody by medical intervention, even when it makes no sense and costs a small fortune. Here in B.C. we have spent untold millions in medical expenses trying to save babies whose mothers condemned them to severe disabilities by being drug and crack addicts. After months or a few years, the baby dies. Wasted tax dollars. Okay, so I'm a heartless beast. At 72, I don't want the doctors interveening and sticking tubes down my throat or in my arms to prolong my life if I am near death. Let me go!
I've been blind since an accident at 18. For the first few years, 1966 to 1972, I lived on what back then was called a 'blind pension', because I was going to university. It was $135. per month which was bare subsistance. One day, a sighted student on welfare told me he was getting $200. per month. I checked and found out I wasn't allowed to apply for welfare because of crazy government regulations. After all, the government appointed Blind Pension Board was taking care of me. Am I cynical about government? Damn right! Then, in 1972, we had a change in government and suddenly, I was on welfare, getting the $200. per month plus a disability extra of $20. per month.I hardly knew what to do with this avalanche of prosperity. Then, after another year, I had a job and was making $500. per month. I was laughing all the way to the bank. My rent back then was $75. per month
Here in Canada, I realize I live in luxury compared to 90% of the people in third world countries. As a blind Canadian, I have it better than many if not most Blind Americans. We have a great country, but it's far from perfect, if there even is such a beast as a perfect country.

So, living in comfort, if not the lap of luxury, am I troubled by the pandemic? Not really. I am more troubled by the craziness and stupidity being manifest. Panic, hysteria, and stupid media focus on the subject. I turn on the CBC radio news and hear several minutes reporting on COVID19, and the Provincial medical officer saying the same meaningless, politically correct blather about what they haven't done, or can't do, or who has died in which nursing home. So much bullshit.

So, I listen to MP3 talking books, record my radiation stats, check in to ham radio nets and life goes on. This morning, I express my feelings here for a change.

Regards, Brian