It’s Friday, the 13th.
The virus is going from bad to worse and even worse. Here’s today’s chart.
I worry I could catch it.
I worry if I get sick from something else — a car wreck? — they won’t have a hospital bed for me or Susan.
In some states, hospitals put you up in a parking lot, send you somewhere else, or simply reject you. (I’m not good at handling rejection. I had a lot when I was young.)
Our healthcare system is breaking down. No help is coming from the present Feds. By January 21 we’ll have over 300,00 covid deaths.
I don’t want to be one of them. I really don’t.
Where’s the new surge of covid infections coming from?
The Washington Post answered:
At dinner parties and game nights, casual American life is fueling the coronavirus surge ..
A record-breaking surge in U.S. coronavirus cases is being driven to a significant degree by casual occasions that may feel deceptively safe, officials and scientists warn — dinner parties, game nights, sleepovers and carpools.
Many earlier coronavirus clusters were linked to nursing homes and crowded nightclubs. But public health officials nationwide say case investigations are increasingly leading them to small, private social gatherings. This behind-doors transmission trend reflects pandemic fatigue and widening social bubbles, experts say — and is particularly insidious because it is so difficult to police and likely to increase as temperatures drop and holidays approach.
The White House coronavirus task force has been urging states that are virus hot spots to curtail maskless get-togethers of family and friends, saying in reports that asymptomatic attendees “cause ongoing transmission, frequently infecting multiple people in a single gathering.”
Here’s your answer to having Thanksgiving with the family.
NO. NO. NO.
You can read the full Wash Post article here.
ProPublica has a story today
The Enraging Deja Vu of a Third Coronavirus Wave
Healthcare workers don’t need patronizing praise. They need resources, federal support, and for us to stay healthy and out of their hospitals. In many cases, none of that is happening.
ProPublica’s conclusion:
The best way to help our medical workers isn’t to stand at our windows at 7 p.m. cheering or to give them thank-you water bottles. It’s to stay out of their ERs and ICUs by keeping ourselves and our neighbors safe.
You can read ProPublica’s article here.
Painful time in the market also
As infections and deaths pile up (with no help from Washington and no mass vaccinations until Spring at the earliest), it will be a difficult time in stockmarkets. As investors search around, one beneficiary is bitcoin, up significantly in the last month:
It’s done better than gold shares in the last month.
I have no idea where bitcoin is going. But there are smart investors who see it as something to own for a rainy day. Sort of like gold, except it’s done better than gold in the last month. Over the past five years, GLD has done well: But not as well as our tech stocks.
In short, our stocks are weak today. But could be better next week. It’s very hard to make predictions in this choppy market. Which is why I’m staying with what I own and occasionally nibbling at stocks I hear something interesting about — e.g. Ford and PINS.
Rudy’s last stand
Two odes to last night’s incredible sunset in Columbia County, NY
I like this
There’s always a logical reason — even though it may be utterly stupid.
Tennis continues
We played our 244th consecutive daily game of singles tennis today. My opponent Mark Johnson said I was improving, especially with my cross-court forehand. Mark is very smart. He understands the value of flattery.
See you over the weekend. I want to post about my great experiences with streaming video. Bottom line: I continue to love YouTubeTV (and of course Netflix). You can skip Peacock, FuboTV, Hulu, and anyone else who wants to suck you into a free trial but insists on your credit card to suck dry forever.
— Harry Newton
