In March, states undertook dramatic and unprecedented measures to stem the spread of the SARS2-COV virus. And yet COVID-19 has claimed 100,000 lives in the U.S. Was the lockdown effective? Economists frequently address such questions in our research.

Seeing the unseen, or the path that we did not choose, is the key here. It is the fundamental challenge of economics, as illustrated by Frederic Bastiats parable of the broken window. A shopkeeper must replace a broken window. A neighbor, perhaps offering solace, points out that if windows never got broken, the town glazier would starve. To avoid believing that broken windows boost the economy, we must recognize what the shopkeeper did not buy due to replacing the window.

Economists visualize the alternative paths we could choose. What would have happened if we didnt pass NAFTA, or hadnt bailed out banks during the financial crisis, or if we raised the minimum wage to $15 per hour? The term counterfactual refers to the unchosen path.

Economists devise principles for constructing counterfactuals. Scenarios must be logically coherent and consistent with the available evidence. We must avoid overly optimistic or pessimistic alternatives.

I have never estimated potential deaths in an outbreak of a disease but have researched tornado warnings and worst case tornadoes. Like most economists, I recognize the challenges in evaluating the lockdown.

Heres a first challenge. WalletHub has scored the strictness of states COVID protection measures. The average COVID fatality rate for the ten states with the strictest lockdown policies is 686 per million residents, versus a fatality rate of 68 for the ten least strict states, or one tenth as much. The three highest fatality rate states are among the ten strictest states.

Does this show that lockdowns cause COVID-19 deaths? No. The states suffering the worst outbreaks will impose the strictest measures. This is the endogeneity of policy problem. Ignoring this issue would lead us to conclude that hospitals cause death because many people die there. Controlling for policy endogeneity is a major research focus.

Another problem arises because states imposed policies and Americans realized that COVID-19 was a serious health threat at about the same time. The NBA suspended its season March 11, people sharply reduced travel around March 15, and the first state stay-at-home order took effect March 19. We have very few data points to tease out the effect of various policies from behavioral changes.

The United States was slow in rolling out testing for COVID-19, creating another challenge. If we compared the number of COVID-19 cases in the month before and after lockdowns to test effectiveness, the total would rise simply because many more people were tested. Can we detect a decline in infections during a period of expanding testing?

Even if Marchs lockdown was effective, the policies may not be effective in another time or place. Policy effects may not transfer for several reasons. For the COVID lockdown, an important factor is peoples willingness to comply. If Americans do not favor shutting down the economy for a second wave of the virus, stay-at-home orders may prove ineffective when reimplemented.

Researchers at Columbia University have evaluated the lockdown, based on computer simulations with travel data between cities and reported cases and deaths. The policies appear to have stemmed the illness; indeed implementation of the same policies two weeks earlier could have avoided 83 percent of U.S. deaths through May 3.

The sophisticated technical analysis here, I think, obscures a bigger point. Nonpharmaceutical interventions, as epidemiologists call such policies, do not prevent COVID-19 deaths. Americans who did not get COVID this spring can still get sick next fall. Only a vaccine or effective treatment will truly prevent deaths.

Whether school closings and stay-at-home orders slow an outbreak is an important and really challenging research question. This question must be answered before we compare economic costs and health benefits. Ultimately a lockdown is merely a delaying action. Delaying actions are only worth fighting as part of a larger strategy.

Daniel Sutter is the Charles G. Koch Professor of Economics with the Manuel H. Johnson Center for Political Economy at Troy University and host of Econversations on TrojanVision. The opinions expressed in this column are the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of Troy University.

Continued here:
Did the lockdown save lives? - The Troy Messenger - Troy Messenger

Posted on May 24, 2020 at 1:20 pm by West Sider

A 21-year-old Upper West Side artist named Benjamin M. has been home during the quarantine and he decided to draw the view outside his bedroom window.

His view is dominated by the Schwab House, which is on the block bordered by 74th Street to the north, 73rd Street to the south, Riverside Drive to the west, and West End Avenue to the east. Maltz also drew the same view as if he was sitting in the same room in 1940, when the Schwab House was actually Charles Schwabs mansion and was known as Riverside. The comparison is striking. He explained more about his interest in drawing and history:

Hey all! My name is Benjamin, and I was born and raised on the Upper West Side. Ive always liked to draw throughout my 21 years, although recently during quarantine Ive been combining my artisticinclinations with my love for New York City history. Some time ago I learned that the Schwab House on 73rd-74th Streets between Riverside Drive and West End Avenue (across the street from my apartment) replaced the original Schwab House, a 75-room mansion built for businessman Charles Schwab at the turn of the twentieth century. With that in mind, here are two drawings I made of the view from my bedroom: The first features the current Schwab House (built 1948-50) and the second features the preceding structure (built 1902-06, demolished 1948) drawn amidst present surroundings (themselves relatively unchanged since the 1930s). Oh, to be able to see the river!

See the drawings below:

Read more from the original source:
A Young Quarantined Artist Draws the View Outside His Window, Then Imagines the Same View in 1940 - westsiderag.com

Have you ever struggled with this dilemma should you keep the kitchen window open when you cook so the ventilation keeps your place smelling alright or should you keep the window closed so that pollution is now the spice accidentally added to your dish? This suspended kitchen lamp is an air purifier that keeps the space ventilated and particles controlled without needing to open your window!

We all have wanted to open the windows at some point when cooking not because of the smell but because of the particles that will be circulated everywhere otherwise. The Keling is a conceptual air purifier combined with a kitchen lamp. The bottom is designed to absorb the fine dust generated while cooking while the top emits purified air. The height is adjustable and replacing the filter is more convenient than cleaning the bulky exhausts. You can also sync it with your smartphone to get control lighting, fine dust, cooking, filter, and wind direction through the mobile app.

This sleek device keeps the outside polluted air away from your food while making sure you arent breathing in any pepper dust!

Designer: Kikang Kim

See the rest here:
No more opening kitchen windows with this suspended light that doubles as an air purifier - Yanko Design

As temperatures climb to summer-like heat, PG&E offers these tips to help customers stay safe and comfortable while saving energy at home.

Air conditioning accounts for more than 40 percent of summer residential energy usage so set your thermostat at 78 degrees in the summer, health permitting.

Cool down with a fan: Fans keep air circulating, allowing you to raise the thermostat a few degrees and stay just as comfortable while reducing your air conditioning costs.

Replace filters as needed: Dirty air filters make your air conditioner work harder to circulate air. By cleaning or replacing your filters monthly, you can improve energy efficiency and reduce costs.

Close shades in the summer: Sunlight passing through windows heats your home and makes your air conditioner work harder. Block the heat by keeping blinds closed on sunny days.

If nighttime or early morning temperatures are cool, turn off air conditioners and open windows to let in cool air and use a whole-house fan to draft hot air out of attics.

Turn off lights and TVs when not in use.

Plug all personal electronics into a power strip and simply turn off the power strip when electronics arent in use.

Run washers, dryers and dishwashers on full loads instead of partial loads. Hang dry clothes.

When not in use, unplug small appliances and electronics, like coffee makers and printers. Completely turn off TVs and game consoles.

Turn down the brightness of your TV. Factory settings are typically brighter than needed.Use smaller screens, like tablets, to stream media.

Read this article:
Utility offers tips on staying cool during the heatwave - Red Bluff Daily News

With rising temperatures in California, here are some tips utility companies suggest to help minimize costs.

SACRAMENTO, California During the coronavirus pandemic, as millions of people are being asked to adhere to stay-at-home guidelines, you might be wondering if you're going to pay more for you electric bill next month.

Electric companies like SMUD, PG&E, and Roseville Electric Utility have payment-assistance programs that could help people who are struggling financially:

While those programs can help, there are other ways consumers can decrease their energy usage and bill. Here are simple ways to save energy and money while trying to stay cool while you stay home:

Add layers to windows

Adjust your thermostat

Cool down with a fan

Manage your electronics, appliances and lighting

Replace filters as needed

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Ways to save money on your electricity bills during a heatwave - ABC10.com KXTV

WISH FM is to disappear from the airwaves and will be replaced as Greatest Hits Radio.

The station for Wigan and St Helens has been acquired along with others in Cheshire and Greater Manchester by Bauer Media.

And it will join the Hits Radio Brand Network from September ending the station's Wish brand. The station ended its popular live rugby league commentary last year.

The integration will mean that stations including Wire FM, Bolton-based Tower FM, and Signal 2 will rebrand as Greatest Hits Radio.

Jobs are affected and a period of consultation is under way.

Signal 1, covering South Cheshire and Stoke, will retain its local branding, while becoming part of the wider Hits Radio Network.

A spokesman said: "All stations will deliver the optimum mix of local content that listeners highly value alongside content from nationally known presenters. For advertisers, the move will provide significant scale whilst also retaining local advertising windows for clients.

"Where possible, stations who previously were only accessible via FM or AM radio will secure a multi-platform digital future, with access to DAB digital radio. This is a crucial move in a radio market which is seeing a significant shift towards consumption on digital platforms and allows extended coverage for audiences."

Dee Ford CBE, group managing director radio, Bauer Radio comments, Audiences love and trust radio. Expanding the Hits Radio Brand Network will ensure listeners to these acquired stations benefit from multi-platform digital distribution meaning they can continue to broadcast in an increasingly competitive, digital and voice-activated world. This ensures the provision of local news and information, traffic and travel as well as access for advertisers to highly valued audiences.

Greatest Hits Radio offers classic hits from the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s alongside regional drive time and networked breakfast shows.

The spokesman added: "These changes do unfortunately mean that some roles will be put into consultation and freelance contracts reviewed.

"Bauer Media is fully committed to supporting all affected employees throughout this period and will be working closely with them over the months ahead.

"A period of consultation with employees potentially affected will commence today."

Graham Bryce, Group Managing Director Hits Radio Network Brand, said: We are committed to ensuring the future of radio in local markets and serving the needs of our listeners and advertisers. However, our top priority right now will be to support those affected through this period.

View original post here:
Wish FM to disappear and be replaced by Greatest Hits Radio - St Helens Star

No one thinks accidents can happen when they bring an expensive piece of furniture into the room, but kids are killed every year from tip overs.

Furniture tip-overs are some of the often-ignored hidden hazards to children. There have been tragic stories of dressers falling on children, and companies have been sued for not including warning labels or installing tip-over restraints on their furniture.

Parents, responsible adults, and manufacturers are all responsible for preventing tip-overs to reduce accidents around the home. Furniture in each room should be secured, regardless of whether some tip more easily than others.

RELATED:20 Things In The Home That Parents Didn't Know They Had To Baby-Proof

No one thinks accidents can happen when they bring the expensive piece into the room. The general feeling is that tip-overs happen with cheap furniture but such thoughts are ill-informed and should not be put above safety.

It is not about sleek furniture or chastising kids correctly. Older and younger kids can get hurt, as they try to stand on the drawers to get something or just to experiment. Tip-overs can happen anywhere, anytime, and to any person. At home, in school, at the stores or in a meeting place, even to grownups and to the elderly.

Here is the thing, set up tip-over restraints or get furniture with restraints and everybody wins.

It is important to set up furniture anchors on every piece of furniture, and do not assume that the dresser is too heavy to tip over. Fit your drawers, desks, cabinets, tables, armoires, TV stands, and nightstands with anchors, because ALL furniture and ALL Televisions have the potential to tip over.

Select A Tip-Over Restraint

The first step is to choose a suitable wall anchors to hold your furniture in place. Depending on how wide or tall your furniture is, you can install the anchors horizontally or vertically.

Also, choose mounting hardware that can support the highest number of pounds, as well as one that is flexible enough to make the kit easy to mount. Some manufacturers include kits in their furniture, but you should check to ensure that the restraints are made of steel cable or nylon webbing.

Anchoring Your Wall

What type of wall do you have? Drywall, masonry wall or plaster wall?

Drywall and plaster walls are common and do not need professional help, but masonry walls may require you to hire a repair person to secure your furniture to the brick or concrete wall.

Steps:

* Mark your mounting point on the wall with a pencil and make sure it lines up with the back of your furniture.

* Follow the installation instructions to measure vertically and determine the appropriate location for the wall bracket.

* For plaster walls, drill holes into the wall, but do not make the hole wider than the tip-over restraint. If you have drywall, trace a stud in the wall using a stud finder.

* Once you find the stud, use drywall screws to secure the anchor into the stud directly. For plaster walls, fix the anchor over the drilled holes, tapping it firmly until it goes in all the way.

* Proceed with connecting the wall and the furniture to the anchor.

It is important to consider the type of wall you have because different walls need different tip-over restraints. Likewise, it is important to remember that a tip-over restraint needs to withstand any force that tries to pull the furniture straight out from the wall.

Installing Brackets To Your Furniture

When putting the bracket:

* Go up as high as you can on the furniture, and secure the anchor to a thick piece of wood.

* Do not attach the restraint to the thin part of the furniture that can easily come off under heavy pressure.

* Mark your piece of furniture at the part where you will put the bracket and make a hole in it.

* Fix the bracket to the furnishing using wood screws and connect your furniture to your wall, connecting the mounting brackets on the wall and furniture with a strap or a cable

Once you have secured your tip-over restraint to your wall and furniture, patch up the holes on your wall to prevent wall damage. For drywall or plaster, brush away debris around the hole before filling the holes with a paste. Masonry walls will need concrete hole fillers that match the shade of the brick or concrete.

After filling up the holes, touch your wall up with paint to complete the process.

READ NEXT:What Is A 'Threenager' & How Do I Prepare Myself?

Mom Called 'Weak' By Family For Not Spanking Her Three-Year-Old

I love to write all sorts of meaningful content.

Originally posted here:
Tip-Over Restraints: Why We Need Them & How To Set Up | Moms.com - Moms

The global Self-adhesive Fiberglass Mesh Tapes market study presents an all in all compilation of the historical, current and future outlook of the market as well as the factors responsible for such a growth. With SWOT analysis, the business study highlights the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of each Self-adhesive Fiberglass Mesh Tapes market player in a comprehensive way. Further, the Self-adhesive Fiberglass Mesh Tapes market report emphasizes the adoption pattern of the Self-adhesive Fiberglass Mesh Tapes across various industries.

The Self-adhesive Fiberglass Mesh Tapes market report examines the operating pattern of each player new product launches, partnerships, and acquisitions has been examined in detail.

The report on the Self-adhesive Fiberglass Mesh Tapes market provides a birds eye view of the current proceeding within the Self-adhesive Fiberglass Mesh Tapes market. Further, the report also takes into account the impact of the novel COVID-19 pandemic on the Self-adhesive Fiberglass Mesh Tapes market and offers a clear assessment of the projected market fluctuations during the forecast period.

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Key market playersMajor competitors identified in this market include ADFORS, USG Corporation, Duck Brand, Dura-Tape International, Masterplast, Douglas Overseas Corp., ECHOtape, UNITED GYPSUM, AoYong Glass Fibre Fabrics, Fujian Jialong Adhesive Tape, Grand Fiberglass Co., RFS Fiberglass Tape, Hyde Tools, PrimeSource Building Products, Biltema, Commercial Drywall Supply Inc., Jiangsu Jiuding New Materials, Suqian Yaoxing Glass Decoration Materials, LINGYUN FIBERGLASS, Nantong Toptex new building material, Yuyao Hongyang Fiberglass, Shandong Tianrui Fiberglass Composites, Jiangxi Dahua Fiberglass Group, etc.

Based on the Region:Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, South Korea, India and ASEAN)North America (US and Canada)Europe (Germany, France, UK and Italy)Rest of World (Latin America, Middle East & Africa)

Based on the Type:99 mesh88 mesh

Based on the Application:Drywall jointsDrywall finishingCrack repair

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The Self-adhesive Fiberglass Mesh Tapes market report offers a plethora of insights which include:

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Why Choose Self-adhesive Fiberglass Mesh Tapes Market Report?

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COVID-19: Responding to the business impacts of Self-adhesive Fiberglass Mesh Tapes MarketResearch 2019-2023 Market Share, Regional Analysis with...

A former employee for a company that produces prefabricated homes is suing the company, alleging he was fired in retaliation for removing a tracking device placed in a tool case that allowed his boss to keep tabs on his whereabouts on and off duty.

Octavio Reynoso's Los Angeles Superior Court lawsuit against Connect Homes, located in downtown Los Angeles, alleges wrongful termination, invasion of privacy, common law intrusion into private affairs or matters and unfair business practices. He seeks unspecified damages in the suit filed Friday.

A Connect Homes representative did not immediately reply to a request for comment.

Reynoso began working for Connect Homes last June and his duties included installing drywall and performing roofing, electrical and plumbing tasks at construction sites, the suit states. His supervisor ordered Reynoso to report to specific jobs throughout Southern California, the suit states.

The company paid for Reynoso's hotel lodgings during lengthy projects far from his home, the suit states. Management decided when Reynoso could take breaks and where he would work, and he used a cellphone app to clock-in and clock-out, the suit states.

The cellphone app enabled the company to verify that he was at his scheduled job, the suit states.By last August Reynoso had worked on six Connect projects and received a positive job evaluation, the suit states. However, in January of thisyear, "things took a turn for the worse" when his boss gave Reynoso a case containing several tools even though the plaintiff typically used his own tools and he had limited room in his truck, the suit states.

Reynoso grew suspicious when management demanded he return the case at the end of each work week, the suit states. But the plaintiff "felt afraidto initiate a detailed conversation about the case" with his supervisor because of the boss' "history of angry outbursts'' and because Reynoso valued his job, the suit states.

In early February, Reynoso's boss ordered him to report to a job in Culver City and ordered him to keep the case in his truck, the suit states.

On the first night of the job, Reynoso drove in his personal truck to the hotel where he stayed and brought the case up to his room, where he opened it and noticed it had "a discreet cavity filled with packing foam," the suit states.

Reynoso pulled out some of the foam and found a small rectangular device about the size of a flip phone with the letters "GPS," the suit states. The device had small glowing lights indicating it was turned-on and on the back of it was the logo, "Spytec," the suit states.

"Mr. Reynoso felt shocked," the suit states. "He realized that for the past three weeks, (his boss) had been monitoring Mr. Reynoso's whereabouts, including during evenings when Mr. Reynoso was not working."

The device allowed Reynoso's supervisor to know where he went on his free time and how long he stayed at non-work related places, including his relatives' homes, the suit alleges.

Reynoso feared that discussing the device with his boss would anger him, remembering how many times the supervisor lost his temper and yelled at him and his co-workers, the suit states.

"Mr. Reynoso felt desperate, so he soon after placed the (device) in a cabinet at the jobsite so that (his boss) could not track," the suit states, but the next day Reynoso saw that it was removed from the cabinet, the suit states.

In February, Reynoso's boss met with him and another worker to discuss their next job, the suit states. During the entire conversation, Reynoso felt "on edge" and at the end he stared at the plaintiff and said, "I like to have all of my tools tracked. I like to know where they are at all times," the suit states.

Reynoso interpreted the boss' use of the term "tools" mean his employees, the suit states.

About a week later, Reynoso felt so stressed and concerned about possible further surveillance that he believed he had no choice other than to quit, according to the suit.

Reynoso gave the company two weeks notice of his intention to quit, but before that period ended he and other members of his construction team were fired, the suit states.

Reynoso believes that because other employees not on his team kept their jobs, his firing was in retaliation for having removed the monitoringdevice from the case, the suit states.

Reynoso found a similar construction job about a month later, but it pays him a lower hourly rate and does not pay him a daily rate as Connect had, the suit states.

"As a result, Mr. Reynoso has struggled to support himself and his family," according to the suit.

Read the original post:
Man Alleges He Was Fired For Removing Device Meant to Track Him - NBC Southern California

My mother has, for years, expressed her opinion that one day I will be famous. My wife as well has asserted that she expects people across the world to know me. But being, in my view, a no one from nowhere, I have merely brushed those lofty expectations aside as the rose-colored- glasses view of the people who love me. So when fame finally came, it was as much of a shock to me as to anyone.

Hey, is this your nose?

That message was a bit disconcerting. I cast about in my mind trying to figure out what my good friend could possibly be talking about, and then I saw the picture he attached.

It was indeed my nose.

Perhaps a bit of a backdrop is needed for you to fully grasp the hilarity and oddity of my Mike Wazowski Im on the cover of a magazine! type moment.

In the five years we have lived at our house, I have repaired many of the things that were destroyed by vandals as it sat vacant for many months before we bought it. But I had not yet gotten around to fixing all of the destroyed drywall in the garage. A few weeks ago, I finally turned my attention to that loathsome task. I rehung, repaired, re-taped, and mudded everything. Finally, it was sanding day, and for five hours, I sanded like a madman.

In order to keep from choking to death, I wore a dust mask. When I finally finished and came upstairs, I gasped at the deathly sight I saw in the mirror. I looked absolutely horrible, enough so to make me laugh hysterically.

If I take selfies, those kind of pictures are usually what you will see from me. So I snapped a picture, captioned it If you are looking for a radical transformation, may I recommend five hours of sanding drywall? and put it online.

A Facebook friend saw it, cut it down to just my nose and mouth, and noted that the mask had not protected me against drywall dust, and would not be effective at protecting against covid-19 either.

Please pay attention: this column is not about masks or covid-19. If you want to debate that issue, your debate is not with me. The only thing I unwittingly contributed to the situation was my nose, complete with nostril hairs coated in white dust. My point in writing this is that, within 24 hours, I was getting messages literally from across the country saying things like Your nose went viral! and Hey, is this you? It looks like you!

My Mike Wazowski moment. I have preached in fourteen different countries, written weekly newspaper columns (complete with my entire face on the profile picture) for nearly ten years, authored multiple books, been interviewed on the news, and it is my nose that is finally making the rounds from coast to coast.

Fame is such a weird, fickle thing.

Nearly 2000 years ago, Peter penned these words. 1 Peter 1:24 For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away.

Mankind has always had within himself the desire for glory, fame, despite the fact that, as Peter said, all of that glory quickly fades away and disappears. Living life seeking after it, therefore, is the height of wastefulness. And yet, people fight to get in front of the news cameras, clamor to have their picture taken with celebrities, and literally have their day made or ruined by how many or few likes a post or picture gets.

Live your days to honor God and be productive, and let neither fame nor anonymity be a factor or a goal. 1 Corinthians 10:31 says, Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God. Any life lived for our glory will be disappointing to God and will leave us hollow rather than fulfilled.

That is something that we all need to nose.

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Bo Wagner | A right-on-the-nose evaluation of fame - Ansonrecord