Notations From the Grid (Weekly Edition): #RandomThoughts

Visiting  The Joint Forces Training Base in Los Alamitos, California 

Our team was on the road in the community over the weekend visiting Joint Forces Training Base in Los Alamitos  as we observed a number of the artifacts on display on the military history of  California.   We also hereby note the following correspondence from the 1940's: 

We took comfort in the visits although the challenges of our World epitomized by the Corona Virus as our team was assessing the Corona Virus.   Our Major Focus has been on Iran and the latest released by the Iranian Opposition Activists, Dr. Mohsen Sazegara, was absolutely horrifying.  What is clear is that all of Iran is infected as Iranian Parliament Deputies have been speaking out against the incompetence and outright lies of the Government--his comments are in Farsi.      In the meantime, there have been grassroots efforts to be supportive of the people of Iran as noted by this effort below: 

One of the key developments we also assessed this week was the resurrection of Joe Biden.   Although mixing up his Sister and Wife and forgetting Barack Obama's name was making the Social Media Headlines, he continued to make headway as the Democratic Nomination for President became a two-person race--and as Donald Trump Jr. challenged Hunter Biden to a Debate and as Senate Republicans wanted to resurrect the Burisma investigation, he raised over 20 Million Dollars and Mike Bloomberg committed his entire infrastructure to support Joe Biden.  The Financial Times of London also reflected upon this during the week that was: 

Our team also found the analysis by The noted Conservative Commentator Erick Erickson especially of interest that we hereby note as follows:

Biden Blew Bernie Out of the Water Last Night Joe Biden is on course to be the Democratic nominee Erick-Woods Erickson Mar 4 No candidate who has led in polling for 22 weeks before the Iowa caucuses has ever lost a party nomination. Joe Biden led for over 52 weeks and then nearly lost everything. South Carolina saved him and Super Tuesday made him. On Tuesday morning, the polling showed Bernie Sanders winning 10 of the 14 states at play for the day. Biden wound up winning 9 of them. Bernie Sanders was expected to beat Elizabeth Warren in Massachusetts. Joe Biden wound up beating both of them in Massachusetts. That not only has to be humiliating for Warren, but also for Sanders. In fact, in Oklahoma, Biden had not a single paid staffer and did not run a single ad and he won the state. In Minnesota, Biden’s team had no infrastructure or spending and he won. This probably puts Amy Klobuchar on the shortlist for Vice President. Bloomberg and Warren are now going to drop out. They have no paths forward. Bloomberg very arrogantly insisted that Biden supporters need to rally to him to stop Sanders. In fact, Bloomberg held Biden back in Texas, but I’m writing this before the votes are fully counted there and Biden is doing remarkably well even with Bloomberg holding him back. But otherwise, Bloomberg was not a factor last night except in American Samoa. Turns out it is not easy to buy the presidency. In Elizabeth Warren’s case, like Kamala Harris before her, it turns out letting Twitter steer your campaign is not a viable path forward. Bernie Sanders headed into Super Tuesday the man to beat and he got beat like a drum. Sanders won young voters, but not enough turned out. They never do and the media is only obsessed with them because advertisers care about 25 years in the advertising demo. Sanders headed into Super Tuesday with a money advantage, an organizational advantage, a ground game advantage, and a polling advantage only to be stopped by Joe Biden. This potentially makes James Clyburn of South Carolina the most influential man in the Democratic Party. His endorsement saved Biden in South Carolina and helped pave the way for a very big upset on Super Tuesday. Now there’s a big question for Biden — can he stand on a debate stage against Sanders for two hours and hold his own? Frankly, were I Biden, I’d see no reason to even bother with more debates. Democratic voters clearly do not want Sanders. Debates will not matter. November is coming. On a personal note… I like Joe Biden. I will vote for Donald Trump in November. But I like Joe Biden. We just disagree on politics. As I noted last night, I am relieved the Democratic Party has rejected a communist in favor of a patriot who opposed the Soviet Union. While I disagree with Biden politically and on public policy, I’d sleep well with him as President. Sanders would be an absolute disaster. Though I suspect President Trump would have an easier time beating Sanders, it is just too great a risk to have Sanders as a major party nominee.

As we also went to press,  Europe and Asia woke up to a carnage in equities markets which presented the challenge the European Central Bank and other central bankers have to contend with:  

Global Economy Lagarde faces coronavirus challenge at ECB policy meeting First scheduled rate decision at a major central bank since virus hit global economy MARCH 9, 2020 by Martin Arnold in Frankfurt

We had also been assessing what CityLab had reported on the state of local preparedness in the United States underscored by the following as Test Kits continue to be a challenge--a number of States had declared States of Emergency to deal with the raging epidemic:

There are now at least 100 confirmed cases of the coronavirus in the U.S., with New York, the most populous city in the country, reporting its first case on Sunday. Both Mayor Bill de Blasio and New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo had days earlier called the arrival the virus “inevitable,” and the city is one of several that have been planning for an uptick of cases. 

In New York, hospitals designated 1,200 beds for treatment of Covid-19 patients, while city officials are weighing options to limit or stagger public transit ridership. In Texas, weeks before the state confirmed its first case, Tarrant County had established a "war room" in a downtown Fort Worth building so officials could gather for daily conference calls. And in California, San Francisco and a handful of counties have declared public health emergencies to free up funding. 

But having a plan doesn't necessarily means being prepared, cautions John Barry, leading historian of the 1918 Spanish flu, which was dubbed the "Mother of all pandemics.” "The problem isn’t the plan,” Barry said in a conversation with me this morning. Some of the most important factors are out of cities’ hands. ”How many hospital beds do you have, specifically ICU beds?" he says, warning that hospitals may be overwhelmed as the number of cases spike. Barry also points to the supply chain disruption in China, which will make nurses and doctors vulnerable. "The surgical gloves, the hypodermic needles, the surgical gowns," he adds. "Nobody stockpiles that stuff." New York, for example, has obtained 1.5 million face masks for its health workers, and needs 300,000 more. The U.S. is currently facing a shortage amid a surge in public demand.

All the while, delays and missteps—including the slow distribution of reliable test kits by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention —have already limited local communities' ability to detect and contain the spread of the virus. In Washington state, the virus may have been spreading, undetected, for six weeks. And as health experts brace for an increase of cases in coming days, King County officials are looking to buy a motel to isolate potential patients.

-Linda Poon

One of the most profound vulnerable populations is the homeless--and the National Association of the Homeless released the following guidance.   Although it is  homeless-centric, the guidance is still critical for all to embrace as our World battles this raging epidemic: 

Coronavirus and Homelessness Several resources are available to help providers and systems leaders prepare for the impact of a coronavirus outbreak. Links to the resources are below. Key take-aways include: Be prepared by staying informed about your local COVID-19 situation and establish relationships with public health partners in your community Communicate with staff and clients about facility preparedness and policy updates (i.e. modified hours, non-urgent care by telephone, etc.), and consider using social media to do so  Expect the homelessness services sector workforce to be impacted, and anticipate modified service delivery based on staff capacity Protect your workforce by screening clients, staff, and visitors for acute respiratory illness, ensuring use of personal protection equipment, and encouraging sick employees to stay home  Protect your clients by separating those with respiratory illnesses, and implementing prevention strategies to minimize exposure (i.e. encouraging frequent hand-washing, increased surface cleaning/disinfection, etc.) Take inventory of supplies (hand soap, food, and more) and order more if necessary For more detailed information on how to prepare, please consult the following resources: Pandemic Planning and Services that Support People Who are Homeless, OrgCode Disease Risks and Homelessness resource and Infectious Diseases Toolkit for CoCs, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Steps Healthcare Facilities Can Take Now to Prepare for Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Homelessness and the Response to Emerging Infectious Disease Outbreaks: Lessons from SARS, National Center for Biotechnology Information

We wanted to close out this weekly with this potential good news courtesy the team at Abundance Insider: 

Bern scientists claim coronavirus breakthrough.

What it is: University of Bern researchers have perfected a cloning technique to reproduce synthetic coronavirus strains more quickly. These clones allow scientists to experiment with knocking out certain genes of the COVID-19 virus and observe the effects. Once the genes associated with replication are identified, researchers can design drugs to specifically target these regions—halting further replication. The team is also working with human samples of the virus from a German patient, who contracted the newest form of the virus in early February. Meanwhile, a team at the University of Texas at Austin has now generated the first 3D atomic-scale map of the region of the COVID-19 virus that attaches to and infects human cells. Made using cryo-electron microscopy, developed by Nobel Prize-winning researcher Jacques Dubochet, this map could unlock important next steps for vaccine development. 

Why it’s important: Coronavirus has killed 3,465 people since its initial outbreak, mostly in mainland China. COVID-19’s scope now surpasses 92,000 cases globally, and infection has spread to more than 70 countries and territories. The World Health Organization (WHO) reported Tuesday that the global mortality rate of the virus stands at around 3.4%. As health implications abound, Coronavirus’s economic impacts are already reverberating rapidly. Stock market volatility—in part due to uncertainty surrounding supply chain disruptions caused by sickness, travel restrictions, and quarantines—is but one reflection of the virus’s second-degree consequences. Researchers are working with urgency to delay the spread of disease, and the above COVID-19 clones could quickly supply labs internationally with essential materials to test their solutions.

We will be assessing all matters throughout the week--our Twitter Corner will have daily updates and our live Broadcast POD featuring SkyNews will be available on Demand as we leave all with the following Thoughts:

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