One of my side projects in grad school was to analyze data on the endangered El Segundo Blue that had been collected by Dr. Rudi Mattoni at the Los Angeles International Airport dunes. It eventually ended up as a bit larger collaboration with Dr. Cor Zonneveld from the Netherlands (Mattoni et al. 2001) and ended … Continue reading El Segundo Blue is a full species
Feral cat activists, who desperately would like excuses to avoid euthanasia, return time and again to the delusion that outdoor cats reduce rat numbers. The latest report on the variations on the “working cats” theme is a report about the Tree House Humane Society in Chicago, which dumps feral cats outside homes and businesses on … Continue reading No, Chicago, Feral Cats Don’t Control Rats
I would like to explain one thing, which is why the apparent death rate for cases of covid19 looks like it is declining. In part this is because I get sent links to things written by opinion writers who do not understand what they are talking about and I’d like to have a clear explanation … Continue reading Covid-19 Update: Why It Looks Like Death Rates are Going Down But Aren’t
What are the political situations that have resulted in decreasing case numbers of covid-19? I plotted daily case rate curves by the party of the governor (2 categories) and the vote for Trump (2 levels). My hypothesis was that governors that are Democratic will do more, but those that are in Republican leaning states will … Continue reading Covid-19 Update, June 23, 2020
I have seen criticism from conservatives that there is a double standard being applied to protests against racial injustice and the Trump rally tomorrow. The virus does not care how people get into contact with each other and actions have consequences. As a matter of risk assessment I would see the differences being outdoors vs. … Continue reading Covid-19 Update, June 19, 2020
I have been convinced from the start of the pandemic that Trumpism is a risk factor for spreading the virus. Today the Washington Post picked up this position and ran with it. Continue reading Covid-19 Update, June 18, 2020
It has been obvious for quite a while that death rates from covid-19 vary from rural to urban states, in somewhat the same manner as the transmission rates (overall) have varied — low in rural states, high in urban states. As the case rates for all states continue to converge (rural states on the upswing, … Continue reading Covid-19 Update, June 17, 2020
Arizona. The new daily cases per million from Arizona today make everywhere else look like things are better (they aren’t). The focus of new cases stretches across the south, with the addition of Oregon, which has been creeping up in recent days. The new daily cases by population density show both the differential response to … Continue reading Covid-19 Update, June 16, 2020
I’ve been writing daily updates for social media on the Covid-19 pandemic for the past 100 days or so. Since I have made them public, I figured I would share them here as well. We are 100 days into this thing and people are apparently bored. The states with the highest population densities have had … Continue reading Covid-19 update
Chicago has been replacing its high-pressure sodium lamps with 3000K LEDs. They are finding many objections to the level of glare and brightness, but the Chicago Tribune editorial board came out with a ringing endorsement of full-spectrum white light, and celebrating the loss of yellow and orange hue of high-pressure sodium. This is my response. … Continue reading Chicago, the Night Should Not Look Like the Day
