Open Comment Post. 27 Jan 2020

Spread of the virus is accelerating...

China’s Premier Li Keqiang in Wuhan Monday, epicentre of the coronavirus. Comes as health officials warn the spread of the virus is accelerating #Wuhan #coronavirus pic.twitter.com/ApnObXDmax

— Tom Mackenzie (@TomMackenzieTV) January 27, 2020

Late but necessary step taken by the Chinese govt...

No more #BATS & #SNAKES for gourmands: #China bans #WILDLIFE trade after #coronavirus outbreak

MORE: https://t.co/K63RAMnzQe pic.twitter.com/HMLvBOf5mL

— RT (@RT_com) January 26, 2020

I wonder what we're actually talking about here.  I've heard of people talking about eating some wild and wooly stuff here in the US (not like we see in the vids mind you).

Is it a case of bushmeat or the practices we see in their markets?  From my chair unless the markets are banned (and they're standard practice all over the Pacific region) then we will continue to see outbreaks like this one.

Austal HSSV @ SNA 2020

Thanks to FormerDirtDart for the link!



I like it.  If we can do this as a plug in module to get the extra length then we're cooking with gas.  Suddenly these become actually useful for USMC Company Landing Teams.

Hell.  Even if they're new build they'd have value in the Middle East, certain parts of the Pacific and off the coast of Africa.

Like it?  I love it!!!

Stunning information on the Coronavirus...This guy is a MUST FOLLOW...

Thanks to UtahBob for the link!

6: How long ago did the #coronoavirus emerge and start spreading? “the Adam (or Eve) virus from which all others are descended first appeared no earlier than Oct. 30, 2019, and no later than Nov. 29.” Basically 1.5-2.5 months of unconfined proliferation. https://t.co/AkqAhY5fqX pic.twitter.com/anZaK3IIhB

— Dr. Eric Feigl-Ding (@DrEricDing) January 25, 2020

At least a month to spread before being detected?

8: This ominous incidence curve estimates the trajectory of the virus based on R0=2.6 (from the @MRC_Outbreak’s 3rd report on the #coronavirus). As always, here is the reference for transparency: https://t.co/NEEaiDx00e pic.twitter.com/nPRv94Gn2D

— Dr. Eric Feigl-Ding (@DrEricDing) January 26, 2020

RO = 2.6?  That's pretty stunning I think.  Follow his twitter feed to get the info he lays out.  I love that he breaks stuff down where even a layman like myself can follow it.

I'll leave it to you to make your own determinations about efforts to contain this thing.

US registers third coronavirus case, California health officials say

PRESS RELEASE: The OC Health Care Agency’s Communicable Disease Control Division received confirmation from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention this evening that an Orange County, California case has tested positive for the novel #coronavirus. https://t.co/bwnzaFzUEG

— Health Care Agency (@ochealth) January 26, 2020

Interesting.  Orange County has a sizeable population of Chinese residents.

California confirmed a case of the coronavirus, marking the third case in the U.S. https://t.co/5le0g0Qp7s

— Bloomberg (@business) January 26, 2020

This virus is damn near worldwide now.  Interesting that Africa hasn't suffered any outbreak.  Could it be that eating "bushmeat" is common and they have a built in immunity?

JUST IN: A second U.S. case of the new coronavirus has been confirmed in a patient in Chicago, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://t.co/YxrzqJiOR9

— ABC News (@ABC) January 24, 2020

Hadn't heard of a case in Chicago.  This is interesting. The flu (common flu...if there is such a thing), hit my area of the world hard.  I wonder how rural America will fare if this thing hits there.

One thing should alarm if nothing else.

According to info I've read, bloggers in China were charting the course of this thing at the end of December.  Chinese authorities locked them up instead of acting.  We didn't get word of this thing till around Jan 24th.  Almost a whole month went by without the public being aware of this thing.

Are you sure you know as much as you should about this outbreak?

Open Comment Post. 26 Jan 2020

I'm fascinated by pics of snakes eating frogs.  Something a bit obscene about it.  A predator eating another voracious predator (frogs are some serious killers)...I guess it goes down to how is the snake gonna make the meal fit...that frog is a hubba bubba.

Navy Seahawk crew in stable condition after going down in Philippine Sea

via Stars and Stripes.

Five naval aviators were in stable condition Sunday, a day after their MH-60 Seahawk helicopter went down in the Philippine Sea, according to the 7th Fleet.

The Seahawk, assigned to the USS Blue Ridge, was conducting routing operations when it crashed at about 5:15 p.m. Saturday, the fleet said in a statement.

Two of the crew members were found during a search-and-rescue mission and brought back to the Blue Ridge by a Navy helicopter, the statement said. The others were recovered by a Japan Air Self-Defense Force UH-60.

The crew members were then taken to Naval Hospital Okinawa for evaluation, according 7th Fleet.

Officials did not say whether the cause of the crash had been determined.

The USS America, the U.S. Air Force, the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force and the Japan Coast Guard also participated in Saturday’s search-and-rescue mission.

Blue Ridge, the 7th Fleet’s flagship, deployed from its Yokosuka homeport last week for the first time since May.

The amphibious command ship serves as an afloat command and control headquarters. It is the oldest deployable ship in the Navy and will mark its 50th year in operation in November.

I'm glad they're alive.  I hope they're gonna all be ok with no lingering injuries.

This does lead to a couple of issues.  The first is the need to have re-invigorated at sea rescue of our forces if they go down.  Luckily we've only seen small numbers of personnel in the water but what happens if we have a couple of MV-22's get tangled up in the air and 40 Marines in the water (excluding aircrew)?

Are we prepared to rescue that many people?  We do helo dunking training but what about providing the Marines in the back of these aircraft the tools to stay alive the one or two hours (optimally) that they might have to be in the water?

The last issue is the Flag Ship thing. 

I get the need for a ship of this type in service especially with the new concepts being pushed by Berger.  But shouldn't we do a BIG TIME UPGRADE of them from stem to stern?

I'm talking about from engines, to electronics, to everything in between...if not a new ship then totally gutting the existing ships to make them viable into the future.

End of rant.  Glad the bubbas are ok and hope the rest of the crew stays safe.

Faces of Protest: The Fight for Hong Kong Photographs by Adam Ferguson

Major Hat Tip to CoffeeAndSpentBrass Tumblr Page.

The virus is in Beijing now...

Three Chinese doctors are confirmed infected with the new #coronavirus in Beijing. Two of them went to #Wuhan for business. All of them and people had close contacts with them are in quarantine. pic.twitter.com/ukkCS4WzhD

— People's Daily, China (@PDChina) January 25, 2020

They can't stop it.

Wildfire is coming.

A400M Grizzly delivering alot of paratroopers...

Just impressive. #A400M #Paratroopers #WeMakeItFly @AirbusDefence @EjercitoAire @TouraineA400M @70SqnA400M @24SqnRAF @avgeekmy @JsGasco pic.twitter.com/psmCuj36gs

— Martin Agüera (@AgueraMartin) January 25, 2020

How did the Canadian Army get their 8x8 in this position?

#CaptionThis photo! pic.twitter.com/1QaOOFL82N

— Canadian Forces (@CanadianForces) January 25, 2020

Hmm.  I guess this is what they talk about when they say "broken ground" mobility.  My question is why they would leave it like this.  I really want to know the back story.