The Corona Virus July 20, 2020

There are currently 3,879,477 reported case in the US and 143,041 deaths.

New York has 411,954 cases and 32,483 deaths
California has 386,960 cases and 7,718 deaths
Florida has 360,394 and 5,073 deaths
Texas has 336,301 cases and 4,014 deaths
New Jersey has 176,963 cases and 15,806 deaths

I've continued to track the number of case increases across the country, the state and Bergen County. I've added the numbers for the previous week and updated the numbers for the week before that.

US Cases and Percentage Increase
March 30 - April 5 -- 196,983, 155.5%
April 6 - April 12 ---- 226,490, 66.7%
April 13 - April 19 -- 206,029, 36.4%
April 20 - April 26 -- 215,086, 27.9%
April 27 - May 3 ---- 198,464, 20.1%
May 4 - May 10 ----- 175,910, 14.8%
May 11 -- May 17 ---  158,286, 11.6%
May 18 - May 24 ---  161,280, 10.6%
May 25 - May 31 ---  149,072,  8.9%
June 1 -  June   7 --- 156,692,  8.6%
June 8 - June 14 --- 153,114,   7.2%
June 15 -June 21 --  190,901,  8.9%
June 22 -June 28 -- 274,422, 11.8%
June 29 -July 5    -- 350,566,  13.5%
July 6 -July 12    --  424,163,  14.3%
July 13 -July 19  --  478,657,  14.2%

Things haven't gotten any better. A number of states have rolled back opening and issued mask mandates. Governor DeSantis in Florida still appears to be playing ostrich and doing nothing. 

Mask wearing incredibly continues to be a political debate. There are people coming up with ways to get around the mandates. In Georgia the governor is suing the mayor of Atlanta because she issued a mask mandate and he claims it's beyond her authority. This thing is just nuts.

New Jersey Cases, Percentage Increase and Positive Tests
March 30 - April 5 -- 24,119, 180.2%, 51.8%
April 6 - April 12 ---- 24,345, 64.9%, 54.6%
April 13 - April 19 -- 23,451, 37.9%, 53.4%
April 20 - April 26 -- 23,737, 27.8%, 45.3%
April 27 - May 3 ---- 17,706, 16.2%, 34.1%
May 4 - May 10 ----- 11,788,   9.3%, 31.5%
May 11 -- May 17 ---   7,802,   5.6%, 12.7%
May 18 - May 24 ---   7,820,   5.3%,  6.7%
May 25 - May 31 ---   6,291,    4.1%,  3.7%
June 1 -  June  7 ----  3,719,    2.3%,  2.0%
June 8 - June 14 ---   2,717,    1.7%,  2.0% 
June 15 -June 21 ---   2,261,   1.4%,  1.3%
June 22 -June 28 --- 2,040,   1.2%,  1.4%
June 29 -July 5   ---  2,220,   1.3%,  1.5%
July 6 -   July 12 ---   1,896,   1.1%,  1.3%
July 13 -July 19    ---  1,485,  0.8%, 1.4%

The New Jersey numbers actually went down from Saturday to Sunday which I can only assume was an adjustment. I'm beginning to lose some confidence in the accuracy of the numbers being reported especially at the county level because nothing seems to match.

Bergen County Cases and Percentage Increase
March 30 - April 5 -- 4,018, 185.2%
April 6 - April 12 ---- 3,597, 58.1%
April 13 - April 19 --  2,855, 29.2%
April 20 - April 26 -- 2,326, 18.4%
April 27 - May 3 ----  1,220, 8.2%
May 4 - May 10  ----    744, 4.6%
May 11 -- May 17 ---    432,  2.6%
May 18 - May 24 ---    443,  2.6%
May 25 - May 31 ---    468,  2.6%
June 1 - June 7 ------  240,  1.3%
June 8 - June 14 ---    306,  1.7%
June 15 -June 21 ---   192,   1.0%
June 22 -June 28 ---  344,   1.8%
June 29 -July 5     ---  271,   1.4%
July 6 -July 12    ---    246,   1.3%
July 13 -July 19  --      109,   0.5%

Bergen County is still pretty flat as well but, again, there are some discrepancies,

Now we're hearing from a study at King's College in London that antibodies fade and may be gone after about three or four months. Ain't that just great?

Police Racism

Yeah, I don't really get it. I'm an engineer with a degree in mathematics so I tend to rely on numbers.

Life is hard. I get that. Some people don't act the way you would want them to act. I get that too. They say you shouldn't judge a man until you walk a mile in his shoes. That sounds reasonable but not always practical.

Yes, a cop pinned a black man by kneeling on his neck in a act of pure barbarity. He has been arrested and charged. The officers that were with him, and didn't do enough to prevent the crime, have been arrested and charged as well. It remains to be seen if they will be convicted.

Police make something like 10 million arrests a year in this country. About 1,000 of them result in the death of a suspect. Around 400 are white and 250 are black. This sounds skewed until one realizes that whites account for 58% of violent crime arrests and blacks account for 38%. Of all suspect deaths about 860 suspects were armed, or appeared to be armed (had a toy gun). At most 75 were unarmed (55 known to be and 20 with no data). In the meantime there are about 6,200 single victim/single offender homicides a year in the US.

So the probability of a police arrest resulting in the death of an unarmed suspect is about 75 out of 10 million or 0.00075%. There are some 496,000 violent crime arrests in the US. So assuming that all fatalities were associated with violent crime arrests, which is almost certainly not true, the probability of a police arrest for a violent crime resulting in the death of an unarmed suspect is about 75 out of 496,000 or 0.015%. Now, zero would be better but probably also unachievable.

I see no evidence here of systemic police racism. There are clearly a few folks in uniform that have no business being in uniform. So maybe that's what we should be focusing on.

OK, now all the woke folk can call me names. Go ahead, enjoy yourselves. Just remember, sticks and stones folks, sticks and stones.

The Corona Virus July 13, 2020

There are currently 3,406,249 reported case in the US and 137,521 deaths.

New York has 406,955 cases and 32,350 deaths
California has 326,188 cases and 7,055 deaths
Florida has 282,447 and 4,277 deaths
Texas has 262,762 cases and 3,216 deaths
New Jersey has 175,516 cases and 15,652 deaths

I've continued to track the number of case increases across the country, the state and Bergen County. I've added the numbers for the previous week and updated the numbers for the week before that.

US Cases and Percentage Increase
March 30 - April 5 -- 196,983, 155.5%
April 6 - April 12 ---- 226,490, 66.7%
April 13 - April 19 -- 206,029, 36.4%
April 20 - April 26 -- 215,086, 27.9%
April 27 - May 3 ---- 198,464, 20.1%
May 4 - May 10 ----- 175,910, 14.8%
May 11 -- May 17 ---  158,286, 11.6%
May 18 - May 24 ---  161,280, 10.6%
May 25 - May 31 ---  149,072,  8.9%
June 1 -  June   7 --- 156,692,  8.6%
June 8 - June 14 --- 153,114,   7.2%
June 15 -June 21 --  190,901,  8.9%
June 22 -June 28 -- 274,422, 11.8%
June 29 -July 5    -- 350,566,  13.5%
July 6 -July 12    --  424,234,  14.3%

The number f cases continues to get worse. Florida is reporting over 10,000 cases nearly every day and a set a record of 15,400 cases Saturday. This is the highest one day total so far. Now granted, the reported on almost 100,000 tests but with a positive rate of 16% that's still pretty bad. 

Yesterday Disney World in Florida reopened which makes no sense to me. What's the reaction from the White House? Apparently everyone is lying. The health experts, the media, the Democrats, the doctors. It's all just a big plot to make Trump look bad. That would be hysterical if 40% of the country didn't believe it.

New Jersey Cases, Percentage Increase and Positive Tests
March 30 - April 5 -- 24,119, 180.2%, 51.8%
April 6 - April 12 ---- 24,345, 64.9%, 54.6%
April 13 - April 19 -- 23,451, 37.9%, 53.4%
April 20 - April 26 -- 23,737, 27.8%, 45.3%
April 27 - May 3 ---- 17,706, 16.2%, 34.1%
May 4 - May 10 ----- 11,788,   9.3%, 31.5%
May 11 -- May 17 ---   7,802,   5.6%, 12.7%
May 18 - May 24 ---   7,820,   5.3%,  6.7%
May 25 - May 31 ---   6,291,    4.1%,  3.7%
June 1 -  June  7 ----  3,719,    2.3%,  2.0%
June 8 - June 14 ---   2,717,    1.7%,  2.0% 
June 15 -June 21 ---   2,261,   1.4%,  1.3%
June 22 -June 28 --- 2,040,   1.2%,  1.4%
June 29 -July 5   ---  2,220,   1.3%,  1.5%
July 6 -July 12    ---   1,896,   1.1%,  1.3%

New Jersey still sort of flat. Covid Act Now has upgraded New Jersey from yellow to green because R0 is back below 1.0 but the curve seems to be turning slightly up. Here's hoping it flattens out again.

Bergen County Cases and Percentage Increase
March 30 - April 5 -- 4,018, 185.2%
April 6 - April 12 ---- 3,597, 58.1%
April 13 - April 19 --  2,855, 29.2%
April 20 - April 26 -- 2,326, 18.4%
April 27 - May 3 ----  1,220, 8.2%
May 4 - May 10  ----    744, 4.6%
May 11 -- May 17 ---    432,  2.6%
May 18 - May 24 ---    443,  2.6%
May 25 - May 31 ---    468,  2.6%
June 1 - June 7 ------  240,  1.3%
June 8 - June 14 ---    306,  1.7%
June 15 -June 21 ---   192,   1.0%
June 22 -June 28 ---  344,   1.8%
June 29 -July 5     ---  271,   1.4%
July 6 -July 12    ---    246,   1.3%

Bergen County is still pretty flat as well. I would still like to see the numbers under 100 or even less.

Well, my daughter's second antibody test came back and this time she was positive which makes a lot more sense. None of us are making the assumption that we're immune though.

The Corona Virus July 6, 2020

There are currently 2,970,945 reported case in the US and 132,301 deaths.

New York has 402,369 cases and 32,206 deaths
California has 265,302 cases and 6,376 deaths
Florida has 206,447 and 3,778 deaths
Texas has 194,932 cases and 2,628 deaths
New Jersey has 173,402 cases and 15,296 deaths

I've continued to track the number of case increases across the country, the state and Bergen County. I've added the numbers for the previous week and updated the numbers for the week before that.

US Cases and Percentage Increase
March 30 - April 5 -- 196,983, 155.5%
April 6 - April 12 ---- 226,490, 66.7%
April 13 - April 19 -- 206,029, 36.4%
April 20 - April 26 -- 215,086, 27.9%
April 27 - May 3 ---- 198,464, 20.1%
May 4 - May 10 ----- 175,910, 14.8%
May 11 -- May 17 ---  158,286, 11.6%
May 18 - May 24 ---  161,280, 10.6%
May 25 - May 31 ---  149,072,  8.9%
June 1 -  June   7 --- 156,692,  8.6%
June 8 - June 14 --- 153,114,   7.2%
June 15 -June 21 --  190,901,  8.9%
June 22 -June 28 -- 274,422, 11.8%
June 29 -July 5    -- 346,158,  13.3%

The numbers are even worse than last week again with Florida, Texas and California posted huge numbers. Florida reported over 11,000 cases yesterday. This isn't even without the impact from the July 4th weekend.

New Jersey Cases, Percentage Increase and Positive Tests
March 30 - April 5 -- 24,119, 180.2%, 51.8%
April 6 - April 12 ---- 24,345, 64.9%, 54.6%
April 13 - April 19 -- 23,451, 37.9%, 53.4%
April 20 - April 26 -- 23,737, 27.8%, 45.3%
April 27 - May 3 ---- 17,706, 16.2%, 34.1%
May 4 - May 10 ----- 11,788,   9.3%, 31.5%
May 11 -- May 17 ---   7,802,   5.6%, 12.7%
May 18 - May 24 ---   7,820,   5.3%,  6.7%
May 25 - May 31 ---   6,291,    4.1%,  3.7%
June 1 -  June  7 ----  3,719,    2.3%,  2.0%
June 8 - June 14 ---   2,717,    1.7%,  2.0% 
June 15 -June 21 ---   2,261,   1.4%,  1.3%
June 22 -June 28 --- 2,040,   1.2%,  1.4%
June 29 -July 5   ---  2,220,   1.3%,  1.5%

New Jersey still sort of flat. Covid Act Now has downgraded it from green to yellow because R0 is back around 1.0. The shore was open and jumping. Hopefully that doesn't cause too big of a spike.

Bergen County Cases and Percentage Increase
March 30 - April 5 -- 4,018, 185.2%
April 6 - April 12 ---- 3,597, 58.1%
April 13 - April 19 --  2,855, 29.2%
April 20 - April 26 -- 2,326, 18.4%
April 27 - May 3 ----  1,220, 8.2%
May 4 - May 10  ----    744, 4.6%
May 11 -- May 17 ---    432,  2.6%
May 18 - May 24 ---    443,  2.6%
May 25 - May 31 ---    468,  2.6%
June 1 - June 7 ------  240,  1.3%
June 8 - June 14 ---    306,  1.7%
June 15 -June 21 ---   192,   1.0%
June 22 -June 28 ---  344,   1.8%
June 29 -July 5     ---  271,   1.4%

Bergen County is pretty flat. It would be nice if the case numbers could get under 100 but I'm sure lots of folks went to the shore this weekend so I'm all that hopeful that we'll that soon.

The first week back at work for my daughter and someone left complaining of being ill. My daughter got tested but was negative. Unfortunately she spent the 4th of July weekend in the city waiting for the results. She also got an antibody retest. Those results aren't back yet.

By the Numbers

In 2018 990 people were killed by police in the US. 454 were White and 228 were Black.

There were also 6,570 single victim/single offender homicides in 2018. 3,315 victims were White and 2,925 were Black. Of the 3,315 White victims, 2,677 were killed by other Whites and 514 were killed by Blacks. Of the 2,925 Black victims, 234 were killed by Whites and 2,600 by Blacks.

So, by far, the greatest danger to Blacks are other Blacks followed by just plain White folks. The police come in third. A Black is five times more likely to be killed by another Black than by the police and just plain White folks combined.

This doesn't excuse police brutality, police racism or police acting like fascist goons, but we need to keep things in perspective.

Notice that twice as many White people were killed by Blacks than Blacks were killed by police. So, if Black people are afraid of cops, why shouldn't White people be afraid of Blacks?

At the root of all our problems is crime and the crime rate has come down dramatically in the last 20 years or so. But memories are sometimes long and a lot of people remember when crime was a bigger problem and many probably believe it is still as big a problem.

If we don't talk about this we're never getting anywhere.

The Corona Virus June 29, 2020

There are currently 2,619,716 reported case in the US and 128,035 deaths.

New York has 397,611 cases and 31,368 deaths
California has 215,417 cases and 5,935 deaths
New Jersey has 171,182 cases and 15,054 deaths
Texas has 150,851 cases and 2,404 deaths
Florida has 146,349 and 3,447 deaths

I've continued to track the number of case increases across the country, the state and Bergen County. I've added the numbers for the previous week and updated the numbers for the week before that.

US Cases and Percentage Increase
March 30 - April 5 -- 196,983, 155.5%
April 6 - April 12 ---- 226,490, 66.7%
April 13 - April 19 -- 206,029, 36.4%
April 20 - April 26 -- 215,086, 27.9%
April 27 - May 3 ---- 198,464, 20.1%
May 4 - May 10 ----- 175,910, 14.8%
May 11 -- May 17 ---  158,286, 11.6%
May 18 - May 24 ---  161,280, 10.6%
May 25 - May 31 ---  149,072,  8.9%
June 1 -  June   7 --- 156,692,  8.6%
June 8 - June 14 --- 153,114,   7.2%
June 15 -June 21 --  190,901,  8.9%
June 22 -June 28 -- 274,724, 11.8%

These are by far the worst numbers since I started this exercise. Florida, Texas and California posted huge numbers with Florida pushing 10,000 cases but today things seem to have slowed down as the governors have reversed some of the openings. I suppose we shall see.

New Jersey Cases, Percentage Increase and Positive Tests
March 30 - April 5 -- 24,119, 180.2%, 51.8%
April 6 - April 12 ---- 24,345, 64.9%, 54.6%
April 13 - April 19 -- 23,451, 37.9%, 53.4%
April 20 - April 26 -- 23,737, 27.8%, 45.3%
April 27 - May 3 ---- 17,706, 16.2%, 34.1%
May 4 - May 10 ----- 11,788,   9.3%, 31.5%
May 11 -- May 17 ---   7,802,   5.6%, 12.7%
May 18 - May 24 ---   7,820,   5.3%,  6.7%
May 25 - May 31 ---   6,291,    4.1%,  3.7%
June 1 -  June  7 ----  3,719,    2.3%,  2.0%
June 8 - June 14 ---   2,717,    1.7%,  2.0% 
June 15 -June 21 ---   2,261,   1.4%,  1.4%
June 22 -June 28 --- 2,040,   1.2%,  1.2%

New Jersey was basically flat and this is a bit of a concern 

Bergen County Cases and Percentage Increase
March 30 - April 5 -- 4,018, 185.2%
April 6 - April 12 ---- 3,597, 58.1%
April 13 - April 19 --  2,855, 29.2%
April 20 - April 26 -- 2,326, 18.4%
April 27 - May 3 ----  1,220, 8.2%
May 4 - May 10  ----    744, 4.6%
May 11 -- May 17 ---    432,  2.6%
May 18 - May 24 ---    443,  2.6%
May 25 - May 31 ---    468,  2.6%
June 1 - June 7 ------  240,  1.3%
June 8 - June 14 ---    306,  1.7%
June 15 -June 21 ---   192,   1.0%
June 22 -June 28 ---  344,   1.8%

Bergen County went up. These are the worst numbers since the end of May. This isn't a good sign. Hopefully this trend won't continue.

My daughter tested negative for both antibodies and the virus. To say this was a big surprise would be an understatement, I don't know what to make of this. In the meantime she's gone back to work in the city so let's keep our fingers crossed.

Things are Spiraling out of Control

At the end of May it looked like we might be working our way out of this disaster. I was a tad concerned when I posted Monday because from the weekly low of 149,071 new cases in the last week of May we jumped back to 190,606.

Now I'm alarmed. There were over 40,000 new cases reported today and in four days the total is over 144,000. At this pace the total for the week will exceed 250,000 new cases.

California, Texas and Florida are all posting over 5,000 new cases a day and Arizona is posting over 3,000.

All the moron in the White House can come up with is we should stop testing so much this way the numbers will go down. Is this guy related to an ostrich?

Things have fallen apart in two weeks. I hope the governors in these states are planning on doing something.

My big concern of course is that things will start to reverse here as well. Bergen County had 70 new cases reported today which is the most since June 10th. I hope Murphy is paying attention.

The Corona Virus June 22, 2020

There are currently 2,340,379 reported case in the US and 122.002 deaths.

New York has 393,099 cases and 31,125 deaths
New Jersey has 169,142 cases and 12,939 deaths
California has 178,224 cases and 5,518 deaths
Illinois has 136,762 and 6,647 deaths
Texas has 112,944 cases and 2,191 deaths

I've continued to track the number of case increases across the country, the state and Bergen County. I've added the numbers for the previous week and updated the numbers for the week before that.

US Cases and Percentage Increase
March 30 - April 5 -- 196,983, 155.5%
April 6 - April 12 ---- 226,490, 66.7%
April 13 - April 19 -- 206,029, 36.4%
April 20 - April 26 -- 215,086, 27.9%
April 27 - May 3 ---- 198,464, 20.1%
May 4 - May 10 ----- 175,910, 14.8%
May 11 -- May 17 ---  158,286, 11.6%
May 18 - May 24 ---  161,280, 10.6%
May 25 - May 31 ---  149,072,  8.9%
June 1 -  June   7 --- 156,692,  8.6%
June 8 - June 14 --- 153,114,   7.2%
June 15 -June 21 --  190,901,  8.9%

Now we're seeing some serious spikes in states that have moved ahead with opening perhaps too quickly. Texas, Florida, California and Arizona are posting big numbers. The totals are the worst since the end of April. On the bright side is the information that many of the new cases are younger people which should hold the death rate down.

New Jersey Cases, Percentage Increase and Positive Tests
March 30 - April 5 -- 24,119, 180.2%, 51.8%
April 6 - April 12 ---- 24,345, 64.9%, 54.6%
April 13 - April 19 -- 23,451, 37.9%, 53.4%
April 20 - April 26 -- 23,737, 27.8%, 45.3%
April 27 - May 3 ---- 17,706, 16.2%, 34.1%
May 4 - May 10 ----- 11,788,   9.3%, 31.5%
May 11 -- May 17 ---   7,802,   5.6%, 12.7%
May 18 - May 24 ---   7,820,   5.3%,  6.7%
May 25 - May 31 ---   6,291,    4.1%,  3.7%
June 1 -  June  7 ----  3,719,    2.3%,  2.0%
June 8 - June 14 ---   2,717,    1.7%,  2.0% 
June 15 -June 21 ---   2,261,   1.4%,  1.5% 

The numbers in New Jersey continue to drop. Testing was at 147,352.

Bergen County Cases and Percentage Increase
March 30 - April 5 -- 4,018, 185.2%
April 6 - April 12 ---- 3,597, 58.1%
April 13 - April 19 --  2,855, 29.2%
April 20 - April 26 -- 2,326, 18.4%
April 27 - May 3 ----  1,220, 8.2%
May 4 - May 10  ----    744, 4.6%
May 11 -- May 17 ---    432,  2.6%
May 18 - May 24 ---    443,  2.6%
May 25 - May 31 ---    468,  2.6%
June 1 - June 7 ------  240,  1.3%
June 8 - June 14 ---    306,  1.7%
June 15 -June 21 ---   192,   1.0%

Bergen County continues to drop and maybe one day we'll get to zero.

No really interesting news on the personal front. My daughter went to get an antibody test. I don't see any reasonable way she can be negative while we're positive but I suppose we'll see.

Systemic Racism

My people were in Italy and Austria-Hungary when slavery was a thing here so I take no responsibility for what plantation owners did in the American South.

I'm not a police office. I've never shot a black man. Clearly police shouldn't be shooting unarmed suspects. The death of George Floyd was flat out murder; the death of Rayshard Brooks was unjustified but those are TWO incidents out of over 10 million arrests made in the US every year.

Police are suspicious of young black males because young black males commit crimes all out of proportion to the size of their population.

I don't know what people mean by "systemic racism."

What people call evidence seems to consist of pointing to an effect and then leaping to "systemic racism" as the cause.

I'm an engineer. I know that you can't trace back from an effect to a cause without some evidence other than the effect itself.

Are there racist people and racist incidents? Absolutely, but there are also people who think we never landed on the moon and that evolution isn't a thing. That doesn't mean the country suffers from "systemic stupidity." Then again, Trump is president so maybe I'm wrong about that.

NAACP President Derrick Johnson defined "systemic racism" as "systems and structures that have procedures or processes that disadvantages African Americans."

But he provided no evidence that such things exist. He simply asserted that they do. Feel free to show me evidence of "systemic racism" (not racism, I know that exists) that is something other than an effect.

Juneteenth

I never understood this holiday.

 “The people of Texas are informed that, in accordance with a proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free.” 

This statement by General Gordon was just flat out not true. The Emancipation Proclamation, made effective on January 1, 1863, only "freed" the slaves in the seceded states. I put "freed" in quotes because there was no way of enforcing the proclamation in the Confederacy.

It didn't free any slaves in states that had remained in the Union.

It was important because it marked a major change in the declared objectives of the North. Now they were not only fighting to preserve the Union but to end slavery. This made it almost impossible for Britain or France, whose sympathies were with the South, to intervene in the war.

Slavery in the US didn't actually end until the 13th Amendment was ratified on December 6, 1865. So I could see either January 1st or December 6th as celebrations for the ending of slavery but not June 19th.

Then again we celebrate Christmas on December 25th (Saturnalia) when Jesus may have been born in March or April or September or October depending upon who you listen to, so, I suppose it doesn't really matter.

John Roberts, Flaming Liberal

OK, we all know the title is ridiculous but Roberts has handed the Trump administration not one, but two smacks in the back of the head in the last week.

First the SCOTUS ruled the protections of the 1964 Civil Rights Act extended to LGBTQ folks. To make things more delicious, Neil Gorsuch joined Roberts on this one so the vote was 6-3.

Now, the court has ruled that the DACA program, initiate by Obama, cannot simply be arbitrarily terminated. This time the vote was 5-4 with Roberts joining the four liberals.

We cannot allow Trump and the Republicans to name another Supreme Court justice. Hang in there RBG, the cavalry is (hopefully) on the way.

The Corona Virus June 15, 2020

There are currently 2,131,151 reported case in the US and 117.727 deaths.

New York has 389,176 cases and 30,835 deaths
New Jersey has 166,881 cases and 12,659 deaths
California has 152,468 cases and 5,101 deaths
Illinois has 132,543 and 6,308 deaths
Massachusetts has 105,603 cases and 7,624 deaths

I've continued to track the number of case increases across the country, the state and Bergen County. I've added the numbers for the previous week and updated the numbers for the week before that.

US Cases and Percentage Increase
March 30 - April 5 -- 196,983, 155.5%
April 6 - April 12 ---- 226,490, 66.7%
April 13 - April 19 -- 206,029, 36.4%
April 20 - April 26 -- 215,086, 27.9%
April 27 - May 3 ---- 198,464, 20.1%
May 4 - May 10 ----- 175,910, 14.8%
May 11 -- May 17 ---  158,286, 11.6%
May 18 - May 24 ---  161,280, 10.6%
May 25 - May 31 ---  149,072,  8.9%
June 1 -  June   7 --- 156,692,  8.6%
June 8 - June 14 --- 154,719,  7.8%

The US cases continue to hold at a plateau. There was no obvious spike from Memorial Day but there's some concern that the George Floyd protests might cause one due to the crowds.

New Jersey Cases, Percentage Increase and Positive Tests
March 30 - April 5 -- 24,119, 180.2%, 51.8%
April 6 - April 12 ---- 24,345, 64.9%, 54.6%
April 13 - April 19 -- 23,451, 37.9%, 53.4%
April 20 - April 26 -- 23,737, 27.8%, 45.3%
April 27 - May 3 ---- 17,706, 16.2%, 34.1%
May 4 - May 10 ----- 11,788,   9.3%, 31.5%
May 11 -- May 17 ---   7,802,   5.6%, 12.7%
May 18 - May 24 ---   7,820,   5.3%,  6.7%
May 25 - May 31 ---   6,291,    4.1%,  3.7%
June 1 -  June  7 ----  3,719,    2.3%,  2.0%
June 8 - June 14 ---   2,717,    1.7%,  2.0% 

The numbers in New Jersey continue to drop but testing dropped as well to 137,191.

Bergen County Cases and Percentage Increase
March 30 - April 5 -- 4,018, 185.2%
April 6 - April 12 ---- 3,597, 58.1%
April 13 - April 19 --  2,855, 29.2%
April 20 - April 26 -- 2,326, 18.4%
April 27 - May 3 ----  1,220, 8.2%
May 4 - May 10  ----    744, 4.6%
May 11 -- May 17 ---    432,  2.6%
May 18 - May 24 ---    443,  2.6%
May 25 - May 31 ---    468,  2.6%
June 1 - June 7 ------  240,  1.3%
June 8 - June 14 ---    306,  1.7%

Bergen County had a slight uptick and has now passed Hudson County again and has the highest number of cases.

Well, we got our antibody tests and we were both positive. Other than we both did have the virus I'm not sure what that means. I suppose we'll find out more down the road.

The trip to the Suburu dealer went pretty well. They clearly had taken steps. There was a plexiglass screen at the counter. Six feet was marked off both by elastic straps and decals on the floor and everyone was wearing a mask. The waiting room was limited to four people but I just waited outside.

One other thing I noticed is that salesmen didn't get in the car with customers during test drives. Instead they went along in a separate car. So yes, there have been some changes made.

Let's Talk about the George Floyd Protests

I don't particularly blame people for being upset but I don't like the direction things appear to be going.

I don't like talk of disbanding police departments as they appear to seriously be considering in Minneapolis and I really don't like the idea of community militias patrolling the streets armed with semi-automatic rifles and hand guns.

I don't like this at all.

More to follow as things develop but, again, we have the possibility of something positive becoming something really, really bad.

The Corona Virus June 7, 2020

There are currently 1,986,688 reported case in the US and 112,241 deaths.

New York has 383,198 cases and 30,374 deaths
New Jersey has 164,164 cases and 12,176 deaths
California has 130,615 cases and 4,633 deaths
Illinois has 127,757 and 5,904 deaths
Massachusetts has 103,436 cases and 7,316 deaths

I've continued to track the number of case increases across the country, the state and Bergen County. I've added the numbers for the previous week and updated the numbers for the week before that.

US Cases and Percentage Increase
March 30 - April 5 -- 196,983, 155.5%
April 6 - April 12 ---- 226,490, 66.7%
April 13 - April 19 -- 206,029, 36.4%
April 20 - April 26 -- 215,086, 27.9%
April 27 - May 3 ---- 198,464, 20.1%
May 4 - May 10 ----- 175,910, 14.8%
May 11 -- May 17 ---  158,286, 11.6%
May 18 - May 24 ---  161,280, 10.6%
May 25 - May 31 ---  149,072,  8.9%
June 1 - June 7 -----  156,375,  8.5%

The US cases continue to hold at a plateau. There was no obvious spike from Memorial Day but there's some concern that the George Floyd protests might cause one due to the crowds.

New Jersey Cases, Percentage Increase and Positive Tests
March 30 - April 5 -- 24,119, 180.2%, 51.8%
April 6 - April 12 ---- 24,345, 64.9%, 54.6%
April 13 - April 19 -- 23,451, 37.9%, 53.4%
April 20 - April 26 -- 23,737, 27.8%, 45.3%
April 27 - May 3 ---- 17,706, 16.2%, 34.1%
May 4 - May 10 ----- 11,788,   9.3%, 31.5%
May 11 -- May 17 ---   7,802,   5.6%, 12.7%
May 18 - May 24 ---   7,820,   5.3%,  6.7%
May 25 - May 31 ---   6,291   4.1%,    3.7%
June 1 - June 7 ------  3,719  2.3%,   2.0%

The numbers in New Jersey took a good sized drop despite testing reaching 184,000 tests for the week.

Bergen County Cases and Percentage Increase
March 30 - April 5 -- 4,018, 185.2%
April 6 - April 12 ---- 3,597, 58.1%
April 13 - April 19 --  2,855, 29.2%
April 20 - April 26 -- 2,326, 18.4%
April 27 - May 3 ----  1,220, 8.2%
May 4 - May 10  ----    744, 4.6%
May 11 -- May 17 ---    432,  2.6%
May 18 - May 24 ---    443,  2.6%
May 25 - May 31 ---    468,  2.6%
June 1 - June 7 ------  240,  1.3%

The Bergen County numbers dropped as well. The virus certainly appears to be dying out in New Jersey. Why, and how long it will last I'm not sure anyone knows.

I got my prescription for an antibody test. We're doing that next Thursday. In the meantime Suburu says my car is due for it's 5,000 mile/6 month servicing. I only have 1,250 on the car but I suppose I'll have to bring it in in the not too distant future.

My wife and I went out this afternoon thinking to maybe spend some time in a local park. I never saw it so crowded. We couldn't even find a place to park. No one was wearing a mask and I didn't see much concern for social distancing.

People are going about their business as if this is all over. I hope they're right. I suppose we'll see in the coming months.

In the meantime, over in Israel...

After three elections which failed to establish a government, Netanyahu and rival Benny Gantz came to an agreement to share power.

In what I can only call a Frankenstein like arrangement Netanyahu will act as prime minister for 18 months, during which he will face trial on corruption charges. Gantz then takes over in November of 2021 but Netanyahu gets to continue living in the prime minister's official residence.

This arrangement reminds me of the alternating command craziness followed by the Romans that ultimately led to the catastrophe at Cannae.

With the little detail of establishing a coalition out of the way, the Israeli government, assuming that Trump and company will support them, appear to be proceeding with annexation of territory in the West Bank. In particular the Jordan Valley seems to be high on the list.

The reaction to this idea has been less than enthusiastic.

The Palestinian Authority has ended security co-operation with the IDF; Gaza has reportedly severed what ties they had with the Israeli government; Saudi Arabia has condemned the idea; Iran has called for the annihilation of Israel (again) and Jordan has warned that it will "review its ties" with Israeli if annexation moves forward.

I'm sure there will be a resolution condemning Israel in the United Nations which will pass in the General Assembly or Security Council and then be promptly vetoed by the United States.

Short of war, I don't see how anyone can prevent the Israelis from annexing if they decide to do so.

So, what is Netanyahu and company going to do about all those Palestinian residents of the annexed territory that wouldn't vote for him and Likud if you held a gun to their head?

They've decided that these folks will not receive Israeli citizenship. The Palestinian towns and villages in the area will remain “Palestinian enclaves” under Palestinian rule but Israel security control.

So, they don't get to vote in Israeli elections. These guys ever hear of "self determination?" Woodrow Wilson must be spinning in his grave.

This is not a good idea and I suspect it's all the result of Kushner's asinine peace plan. The Israeli government feels confident of US support because Trump. They might want to be careful however because if Trump gets booted out in November I suspect a Democratic administration will take a dim view of unilateral annexation.