Killing the Invisible Enemy
I’m recalling a super hero called, The Invisible Man. No matter what, they just couldn’t catch him, because of course, he was invisible. Who can catch or kill something that's invisible? This Covid enemy seems untouchable but is doing some serious butt kicking to our world. It’s making people sick, fearful, taking away jobs, causing a financial fallout, creating enemies among relatively decent people and of course the potential to make some billionaires a 'killing' on a vaccine. (No pun intended) I’m not falling for it, but apparently “we are all in this together”, so I’ll do my part and help kill this virus the best way we can.
Before you follow me on my diatribe, I want to shout out to our faithful customers who not only support our business but also find it refreshing to have unity even when we don’t totally agree to the severity of the virus or how we approach the solution.
Special thanks to all of you who gave us business these last 45 days! Dal Tile, Steven E. Irons Interiors, Heather M, Kirsten B, White and White Construction, Kathy G, LucyAnn C, Roman Marble Suppliers, Debbie W, Kimberly H, Cathy R, Hallie, C, Shayna H, Related, Andrew Lauren Surfaces, Arnold Builders, Mehran M, Ryan B, Doug R, Deidre C, Parnell B, Marazzi, Sean R, Stone Source of Hawaii, Sabine, A, Sandrea S, Sherie S, Epic Ceramic & Stone Fabricators, Susan C, Emily P, Julie S, Stone Age Tile, Pacific Wholesale, Christina C, Jason T, Laura L, Paulette S, Vernie T, Lee Anne C, The Rock Marble and Granite, Tim H, Margie, W, Michelle Q, Bill B, Granville Contracting, Heidi U, Lori M, Mardi F, Marilyn S, Sandra R, Dolly R, Natalia T, MJ Stone Fabricators, Russell B, SkyFit Inc, Bahara S, Gene S, Marie H, Julaine W, Juli N, Kimberly H, Andreas G, Jerry P, Mimi S, Stephanie F, Bill H, Compass Real Estate, Epic Custom Homes, Rueben C, Susan B, Christine F, Jane N, Orion Construction, Venetian Stone Suppliers, The Slab Studio, Marmol Export, FA International, Marbolis, Ernie M....and your referrals!
WE TRULY APPRECIATE YOUR BUSINESS!
Am i being a HYPOCRITE?
By Mark Ortiz, NATURAL STONE PROFESSIONAL/NOVICE BLOGGER
This newsletter will be outlined into 2 sections for your entertainment and education.
1. “Someone has some bad math skills.”
2. "PGS is part of the solution to kill Covid?"
Thank you for taking the time to hear me.
Mark Ortiz
LIFE AS WE KNEW IT
Remember the song, Summer Lovin in the movie Grease with John Travolta and Olivia Newton John? Two teenagers meeting for the first time running around totally enamored with each other, holding hands, kissing and whatever two young exploratory teenagers do while mom and dad are away. Or do you remember the school event when we were too embarrassed to ask that cute girl to dance, taking a risk of her saying, “No, i have a boyfriend.”
Those days seem to be ending with social (dumb dumb) distancing, protecting each other from saliva, nasal particles and hand to hand germ contact. Let’s explore this epidemic together for a minute because I’m concerned that we won’t be walking down the beach holding hands or giving a friendly peck on the cheek to a new friend anytime soon if we don’t show our Covid Free Card.
Enter... the “Mark Brain”
I have to admit that I really do not like talking about this Covid crisis and I’m sure you don’t either. But I’m guessing some of you are glued to that 72 inch plasma above your glass rock fireplace or you are waking up to Facebook posts to the latest numbers of cases and getting a little worried. So don’t pour water on me just yet, thinking I’m just going to repeat the same redundant information. For you who are ignoring the Covid news, I don’t blame you one ‘germ particle’. It does get pretty overwhelming. I compare the Covid crisis news like a high interest credit card bill. You keep an eye on the payment date, but you do not pay attention how the balance doesn’t go down, and then you ignore the fact you just paid 3 times the original price for that pair of shoes. Ignorance is bliss and I empathize with you who avoid the news.
I may appear a little hypocritical in this newsletter because my conclusion of the data doesn’t line up with the service I provide. I mean, could you imagine an education system that requires teaching facts to kids that we are descendants of monkeys but the teacher doesn’t believe there’s enough evidence to prove that? Oh wait...
THE JOKE
This reminds me of a joke. A young boy was sitting with his dad and looking perplexed. His dad noticed his son crunching his face as he stared at his untied shoe and the dad asked, “What’s on your mind son?” The son said, “I was wondering where we humans came from.” “Oh” the father replied, “ Well son, we evolved from monkeys and over time we became the humans we are today.” “Oh, I see dad.” The boy replied. A little later the boy went to mom and asked her the same question. She explained, “ That’s easy son, we came from God. God made mankind.” But she new the boy was confused with the answer, and when she asked why he looked confused, he replied, “ Well that’s not what dad said. He said we came from monkeys.” Mom chuckles, “I see. Well, he’s right, because monkeys come from his side of the family.” Ha ha. That’s one of my favorites. I’m not really good at remembering jokes, so I appreciate some of you laughing with me.
THE HYPOCRISY
The possible hypocrisy of this newsletter is that I don’t see the evidence justifying the overwhelming worldwide critical response to the virus but I provide the service to disinfect the virus in your home and business. This is called capitalism kids…’ there is a need, someone provides for the need and a fair exchange is made.’ I’ll introduce you to our service later in this newsletter. But for now let me do my laymen’s approach to the bad math of the Covid experts which is causing unspeakable damage to entire communities. Thank you for taking the time to read my thoughts. (That sounded spooky)
Some Bad Math Going On Here!
Over and over I keep hearing how the cases of Covid keep going up. Sometimes over 10,000 cases a day! Pretty frightening if you ask me. I mean could you imagine if there were 10,000 cases of child abuse a day? What would the world do? Oh yeah...nothing! After 6 months of this semi shutdown I’m still looking for facts, using my puny brain and asking a lot of questions, but I’m still emphatically calling, “B.S.”!
I wanted to just know one question, “What is the percentage of deaths from Covid 19?“ Thats all. is this to much to ask? This is all I found. One article with the headline including a death rate of 1.3%.
Pasted from Medicalxpress News
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-05-covid-death.html
The 1.3% rate calculation is based on cumulative deaths and detected cases across the United States, but it does not account for undetected cases, where a person is infected but shows few or no symptoms, according to researcher Anirban Basu.
If those cases were added into the equation, the overall death rate might drop closer to 1%, Basu said.
He directs the department of pharmacy at the University of Washington in Seattle.
Basu stressed that the current estimates apply "under the assumption that the current supply [as of April 20] of health care services, including hospital beds, ventilators, and access to health care providers, would continue in the future." Declines in the availability of health care services could increase COVID-19 death rates.
Most crucially, social distancing and other preventive measures will help keep the U.S. COVID-19 death rate down, Basu said. Accordingly, recent White House COVID-19 Taskforce projections of 100,000 to 200,000 deaths this year from COVID-19 are made with assumptions about the effectiveness of measures that are currently in place, he said.
Many states are already moving to relax restrictions on "shelter in place" rules, with businesses, beaches and parks reopening.
The estimated COVID-19 death rate of 1.3% is still much higher than the U.S. death rate for seasonal flu for 2018-2019, which was just 0.1% of cases, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
On the other hand, the new estimate is much lower than prior death rate calculations. For example, China's COVID-19 death rate was initially reported to be 5.6%, falling to 3.8% by Feb. 20. But that could be due to timing: As in China, U.S. rates were much higher in the early stages of the pandemic, Basu noted.
The new study's findings are based on 40,835 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 1,620 confirmed deaths in 116 counties across 33 states through April 20. Death rates varied widely across locales, with some counties recording a death rate of just 0.5% while others went as high as 3.6%.
According to Basu, determining the COVID-19 death rate is crucial in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic.
"When used with other estimating approaches, our model and our estimates can help disease and policy modelers to obtain more accurate predictions for the epidemiology of the disease and the impact of alternative policy levers to contain this pandemic," he wrote in the report published online May 7 in Health Affairs.
The estimate of the U.S. COVID-19 death rate is "not outside the ballpark" of estimated rates available from other countries, but lower, he concluded.
Mark Brain: Well that's good news...I think? I'm not disagreeing with his experienced perspective or some of his data. I'm fully and confidently disagreeing with his math. The calculation is based on cumulative deaths and detected cases. Is this the right crucial calculation to (in his words), "... is crucial in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic."
Here I go folks.
DO THE MATH AND FIND THE TRUTH
Now here is the real percentage, to me. If you calculate the rate by deaths and those affected, you are using a moving target and not a solid stable number. It's impossible to measure the infected! It's always changing. The only way to calculate the % of deaths is to calculate the amount of deaths to the amount of people. So lets look at those numbers. First for the world, then for the US, then for California.
World: @ 545 thousand deaths of 7.7 billion people on the planet
545,000 / (divided by) 7,700,000,000 = .0069871 ( .69% )
United States: @130 thousand deaths of 330 million people
130,000 / (divided by) 330,000,000 = .0039393 ( .39% )
California: @5,300 deaths of 39.5 million people
5,300 / (divided by) 39,500,000 = .0001341 ( .01% )
I KNOW I SKIPPED MOST OF MY MATH CLASSES IN HIGH SCHOOL...BUT ARE MY EYES LYING TO ME? OR IS SOMEONE ELSE LYING TO ME? NOW GET THIS!
The deaths CAUSED by Corona viruses verses deaths ASSOCIATED with Corona virus. As my previous newsletter stated, not everyone who died, died BECAUSE of Covid 19. This means that many people died of other health factors besides Covid. Now we do not know that number but I'm going to give a fair and conservative value that 50% of all deaths were caused BY Covid. What I mean is if a pretty healthy individual died having Covid then I would accept that's from Covid. I will publicly say that if I died and had Covid (Don't get too giddy my opposition readers) you can count me in the death by Covid group. So lets recalculate the numbers by cutting that death rate in half.
Percentage of Deaths CAUSED BY COVID (Unproven, but probably more right than those handsome news anchors)
World : .34%
United States: .19%
California: .005%
"Oh Snap!" And if you forgot your readers, those are "point" 34...19...005 .
This is a far off number from 1.3% or whatever percentage they will throw at us next.
Should I re-evaluate my opinion now or later?
I don’t know where the hell they get their numbers but I’m guessing....hell. I presented to you in a previous newsletter that TRUTH is hidden around an army of LIES and we need to expose them and dismiss them if we are to see the truth. The truth may be hard to accept, but that’s life peoples.
Once we have done our best to see the truth then we need to decide what to do with that. In 2010 when I saw the truth that I couldn’t afford both homes and our ship was sinking fast I had to stop bailing out water (believing the lies) and get off the boat. That truth was painful and came with a lot of consequences. But it was necessary to do the hard thing and get where we need to be. We learned from that, and today we are making major decisions that weren’t in our initial plans. Our original ‘big’ plans continue but we're going about it in a much different way.
We hope you all are communicating with love and patience, evaluating the truth and making positive decisions for your marriages and family, your work places and your neighbors.
Try very hard to not loose your mind or your cool with those around you. In my opinion there is a physiological war going on and don't let 'them' cause division or conflict with those you live and work with, nor the annoying volunteer mask police at your local shopping center.
PGS - Covid Busters
are on the way.
I’m not sure how I referenced Bill Murray in two newsletters. I hope it’s not a sign.
This is where I may seem hypocritical because we are offering Covid Disinfecting and Sanitization for a virus that (I believe) is not so deadly. Now I am a son of a man who sold and trained thousands of people on cleaning procedures and cleaning supplies. As a 10 year old I had to work in the warehouse stocking boxes and labeling bottles of all kinds of cleaners and disinfectants. Over the years I learned how to clean everything except my language...still working on that. One thing led to another and here we are as experts in cleaning, polishing, sealing and restoring natural stone and other hard surfaces.
As an opportunist, much like my parents, and a capitalist much like many of you, I saw a need. Why do you get insurance? You get it for the, “just in case”. Not because it’s probable, but to give you the piece of mind if something does happen. It’s like the wind up am radio you have in a box somewhere in the garage. You only used it when you took it out of the box but never to be seen again. Yet, if by chance the power shuts off city wide, you can still listen to the vitamin pushers on Saturday mornings.
Our PGS Covid Sanitization not only provides piece of mind but more importantly, keeps your business doors open. Because most of the world doesn’t look at the facts (truths) it panics and follows the ‘experts’ advice and government guidelines. I too have to follow the government guidelines and knowing the rights I have to not let them overreach them is vital for survival.
Your work places must have a plan to implement Sanitization to prevent being shut down or bad press. Someone in your organization is no doubt going to get the ghostly Covid and what are you going to do about it? Some with a lot to lose, will keep the place sanitized, provide masks, sanitizers for use, and practice some distancing, especially for their customers. This is where we want to be a part of your plan.
Perfect Granite Solutions uses a high pressure misting of a CDC / FDA approved sanitizer and disinfectant that's recommended for home, office and warehouse locations. With our continued honest and reliable service, we can spray your home or office. Everyone wants to know the price so it will range from .25 to .75 cents a square foot depending on area and what we are spraying. Please contact us if you want to know more.
Please Stay Sane.
Remember friends and associates. Keep your head on straight and don’t let the lies and fear paralyze you. You are in control of your lives through choices, therefore get together with calm people and discuss your options.
As always, be safe, be faithful, be loving and have a plan!
May the Lord bless your ways and keep you comforted and strong.
Mark Ortiz
Let’s help America get back to work and really save lives!
Support your local small businesses!
(I think Amazon is doing just fine without you.)
Keep the fight and don't be afraid to "Call B.S."
May God bless you all.
Mark
Pass this useful information to your staff and everyone associated with the stone industry. Let us know if you want to be added to our Monthly Education Newsletters.
Do you have a topic that the industry needs to know about? Email it to me: mark@perfectgranitesolutions.com
Instagram: @perfectgranite
Facebook : perfectgranitesolutions
Or call us at 714-999-2961
Write a comment
CC (Thursday, 06 August 2020 11:06)
Very inappropriate unsolicited diatribe from a business I patronized once. I am a frontline healthcare worker. People are dying of this virus every day. I wont waste my time or breath arguing with your erroneous math. You are clearly not an epidemiologist. Death rate is number people infected and dying of the virus. Not the whole population. I don’t want to be sent your opinions on this matter from a business I frequented only once. Unsubscribe.
Mark J Ortiz (Thursday, 06 August 2020 16:38)
Dear CC,
Thank you for your reply and your honest opinion on my newsletter and your experience. We all thank you for your service at the front line as we appreciate all of you who are at the front line of any life threatening position. You made my point CC that the death rate is based on the infected, yet the infected number isn't stable. But the real number for us laymen that means something is basing it off the whole population. Thank you for using our services and we truly wish you and your loved ones good health. Mark Ortiz - Owner PGS
CC (Thursday, 06 August 2020 20:37)
If what it takes for you to be concerned is for 1% of the ENTIRE population to drop dead on DAY 1 of a pandemic, then I’m sure glad you are not in any position of power to make public health or policy decisions. Without social distancing, masking, other preventive measures and no vaccine then eventually the entire population will be infected and fully 1% or more will die, then maybe you will be concerned, but it will be too late to do anything about it. It’s unfortunate that some people need a family member in the ICU or dead to take it seriously. Please stick to what you know, the granite business. Share your opinions in other forums, not unsolicited to your customers.
Gina (Friday, 07 August 2020 16:21)
Ok...HAD to chime in.
Mark, I love that you obviously have a passion for writing. You’re a wordsmith with a great sense of humor.
One of the great things about this nation, is that we have Freedom of Speech. (Not so much as of late, but that’s for you to address in another blog) If someone, like CC, didn’t want to read your blog, she didn’t have to. We all get lots of things in our in box that we choose to delete.
You stated your opinion. You showed us how you came to your conclusion, and we get to decide if we agree.
It’s hard to have an opinion that goes against the so-called experts. They don’t want people thinking for themselves and have instilled fear in the masses, even though they’ve been wrong about everything. This virus does not spread easily and if you happen to get it and you’re healthy... it will be easily managed. Kids have a zero chance of being adversely affected by Covid. There has been so much injustice with this whole thing: kids’ futures hanging in the balance, school or no school, no graduations, cancelled vacations, people dying in the hospital alone without their loved ones, fathers not being there to witness their children’s births, child abuse going unreported, shaming of people not wearing masks, people losing their livelihoods, gyms closed, churches closed, businesses that will never reopen, tattling on your neighbors ...I could go on and on...
The reality is that there is no “Front Line”. There are no front line workers. And while it is wonderful to show gratitude to people, all jobs are essential. We are all being negatively impacted!
Finally, there are some White Coats (Dr’s) who are speaking up about “health”, about treatment options and how we are being duped. No one wants to say that unhealthy people (overweight “fat”, diabetics) are at risk. However, they are already at risk. How many obese people do you see in their 90’s? 80’s? Can you imagine what a map would look like if we put big red blobs each time someone died of obesity? Would we go after C&H with the same ferocity as the people speaking up that this virus is not as deadly as the experts want us to think?
If you’re scared. Stay inside. Draw your curtains. Wear a hazmat suit...
But don’t make the rest of us. We are ready to carry on our lives.
If CC believes that we are not allowed to share our opinions, because we are not epidemiologists, then wouldn’t that make her opinion invalid too?
Your reply to CC was calm and loving. I don’t know how you do it.
“My rights don’t end...where your fear begins!”
My2cents (Friday, 07 August 2020 16:35)
Bravo and kudos to you, Mark! Well written piece. I appreciated your facts and enjoyed your humor. Your reaction/reply to CC was very polite. I admire your restraint! Carry on and know that there are more of us than “them”. �
Not Karen (Friday, 07 August 2020 16:58)
Really enjoyed reading this blog. The regard you have for your fellow man shows in your writing. Sharing is caring, even when haters make comments that are unkind, so thank you.
(I used a fake name in case CC decides to aim her venom turret In my direction)
Keep it real!
Mark Ortiz (Friday, 07 August 2020 18:38)
Gina, Not Karen and My 2 Cents...... Wow, and thank you! Gina, I’m sure everyone who read your reply with a “open mind” would appreciate your direct and thoughtful comments. Can I plagiarize your comments in my next newsletter? Haha. 2 cents the truthers must carry on for sure! Not Karen I like your fake name but I’m gonna call you, “Not gonna back down” Karen. :)
Gina (Friday, 07 August 2020 20:14)
Plagiarize away!
I have more where that came from;)