Seems this could run into problems with people who have experienced injuries, disabilities and mental health issues:
Facial expressions and how long staff speak for would contribute to a score given to a meeting.
Source: Microsoft files patent to record and score meetings on body language – BBC News
Sounds like a research project activity – not ready for prime time.
Update: On December 15th, the Oregon Health Authority reported 54 deaths (all of these deaths took place across about six weeks prior to today’s report). Of these, 42 of those who died had a positive test for Covid-19 on or before the Thanksgiving weekend. There was a surge underway in November, well in advance of Thanksgiving. As of this week, the 7-day moving average of new cases and hospital census is trending down. It is too early to know if this has peaked. And it will take another 2 weeks to see if there was a post Thanksgiving surge, but at this point, it seems probably not. The point is – the recent spike in deaths (so far) was emphatically not due to Thanksgiving activities (by flight or local vehicle travel).
As noted in my other post, there were +3.4% more travelers during Thanksgiving week than during the prior week, inline with the normal weekly variation amid a six month rising trend.
Last week and up through today, there have been numerous news reports implying a huge surge in holiday travel. The surge did not happen. Fauci tells us there will be “surge upon a surge” of new cases through the end of the year holidays. (May be – but track records for predicting future aspects of the pandemic have been abysmal. Time will tell us what happens.)
Passenger count data shows that last week’s news reports were not true. Aa few media outlets are begrudgingly back tracking but in an off handed way. They now acknowledge that traffic was 60% below last year – but – wait for it – air traffic reached a post-pandemic high amid the holiday surge! Scary!
Except its a normal week over week climb out of the air traffic hole formed in March.
Headlines proclaiming a new post-pandemic passenger level are solely intended to be inflammatory and to scare you. This is level 1 bull shit reporting by the media. As previously noted, 91% of all news stories about the pandemic have a negative spin and even when new cases are decreasing there are 5.5 times more stories about increasing case counts.
This chart includes Thanksgiving week, Sunday through Saturday passenger counts as provided by the TSA.
As you can see, both public health and the media greatly exaggerated about last week.
And we wonder why no one believes public health or the media?
Updated December 15th chart:
I posted this on the blog in recent months but I am an idiot who knows nothing:
“You’re getting to levels where this virus is not going to circulate as readily,” the former FDA chief told CNBC on Monday.
Source: Dr. Scott Gottlieb: 30% of U.S. may get Covid-19 by year-end
Continue reading “30% of U.S. may get Covid-19 by year-end” and future outbreaks will diminish
Paper even finds that when new cases are dropping, there are 5.5 times more stories about increasing cases! Heh! That’s today’s “journalism”.
Stories of increasing COVID-19 cases outnumber stories of decreasing cases by a factor of 5.5 even during periods when new cases are declining.
And you wonder why no one believes public health or the media? Geesh.
Rite Aid said it will be distributing the COVID-19 vaccine [for free] at locations across the country as soon as it’s available.
Source: Rite Aid to offer COVID-19 vaccine for free once it’s available – 6abc Philadelphia
About 60% of all pharmacies will participate in the Covid-19 vaccine for free distribution program including Walgreen’s, CVS, Costco, Walmart and so on.
The WSJ also reports that grocery store pharmacies see themselves as ideally suited for vaccine distribution. My local grocery stores already had dry ice for sale and presumably had dry ice freezers on hand, as well.
Across the food and grocery industry, the holidays are starting to resemble the panic of the pandemic spring, when the supply chain was stressed and businesses were teetering.
Source: Food industry braces for new coronavirus wave – POLITICO
Two weeks ago I did a curb side pickup order from a local store, as recommended by our State’s public health department to minimize contact. One third of the items on my order list turned out to be out of stock. And they were ordinary items – not toilet paper!
The order, which takes effect Monday and will last until at least Dec. 21, exempts church services and protests, which county health officials said are constitutionally protected.
Source: More California counties increase coronavirus safety measures | NewsNation Now
Am thinking of launching a clothing line that has PROTESTER written in large black letters on the back of the shirts, sweatshirts and jackets – to make clear what you are doing!
For Sunday through Saturday, there was a 3.4% increase in traveler during Thanksgiving week versus the prior week. Which is inline with the week over week variation of slowly returning air traffic, as has occurred for months. The prior week did see a +10% increase but in recent weeks, the week over week change has been about -6 to +8%.
That does not mean there will or will not be a spike in new cases next week as there are many other factors in play.
Meanwhile, the media does its usual context free scary and misleading news report: “The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned Americans to avoid travel for Thanksgiving, but millions have flown since that warning. “
Yes, about the same number of millions that flew the week before!
This chart, updated through Saturday of Thanksgiving week, makes this clear – there was no huge increase in Thanksgiving holiday travel via air.
Update: The media catches up after the fact.
“Thanksgiving air travel rises to pandemic high – but still less than half of last year’s levels”.
Stated another way, all of the scary pronouncements and headlines are just stupid and not true. (Note – even car travel was down sharply year over year – there is no specific estimate yet, nor is there a week over week estimate. Like air travel, it was probably not as large as claimed before the event.)
Note that due to the holiday, some reports may be delayed – we could yet see this curve change shape in the coming week. However, the slope has been moderating for weeks and per other data, there are indications that this trend is real. Time will tell, particularly as the government has asked everyone to get tested – mass screening using a diagnostic test – which will generate false positives. False positives can be taken into consideration and controlled – if they want to.
There is no science behind this mileage restriction:
Santa Clara County’s new restrictions will include a 14-day quarantine for all those traveling to the county from more than 150 miles away, as well as a temporary prohibition on sporting activities involving contact with other people …
Source: Santa Clara County issues tough, new COVID-19 rules including quarantines for some
When the diseases is already wide spread in your community, restricting travel does not do anything.
People are more likely to follow guidance when they understand the reasons for the policy. If the policy makes no sense, they, like the elite, will just ignore it.
They have had a strict face mask mandate since April. They even recommend wearing face masks while outdoors. Why is that not working?
Almost everywhere we look around the world, countries and regions that the media told us “did everything right” eventually ended up with bad outcomes too.
It is as if all the public health pandemic restrictions ultimately have little to no effect.
I could add a near endless number of charts for regions, states, countries that all look like this. There is no unified theory to explain why this is occurring.
Continue reading Yet another: Norway did everything right until it wasn’t working anymore