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Just an update, girlfriend has strong chest pain/shortness of breath about a week after the fever/aches/chills ceased. Took her to the ER, and apparently it’s becoming very common in people who kick the COVID and don’t have pneumonia. The virus causes inflammation along the lung wall, and (allegedly) strikes a week or so later for some because the body is trying to repair that damage. She was prescribed muscle relaxers and she says it’s the first time she’s had a full breath in a long time. Just in case one of you guys see/experience something similar in a family or friend.

That seems to be the challenge with this, not enough testing combined with a long incubation period where one could be infected/contagious before feeling sick and getting tested, which leads to the disease spreading. As for being smart about it, it's why we can't have nice things. Lots of people out there aren't. Why not throw a block party? It's you're right to do what you want. I'm in a locked down state (NJ). Still allowed to go out and run, leave the house, etc. But pretty much asked to avoid going out of you don't have to, and to not gather in large groups. If the general public voluntarily stays in and minimizes going out except for essentials, we won't need heavy handed laws or executive orders to force it. But I'm not going to hold my breath.

My pleasure! Happy to share any gouge I have. One of our insiders in the capital market world told us yesterday that Ginnie Mae (the Fannie Mae and Feddie Mac of Gov Loans) will be announcing (as early as this Friday) the details of their assistance program to help with the cash crunch big mortgage servicers are under right now with VA, FHA, and USDA loans. This will protect big government loan portfolios and bring government mortgage investors back to the table. Expecting VA rates back to business as usual as early as next week. Our owner (Marty) is expecting to see low rates return in the not to distant future and stick around for the next 3-6 months. No crystal ball but definitely encouraging news considering all the PCSs coming up soon. We'll keep you posted. Jon PS: If you missed the refi boom and want to be in the cue for a VA IRRRL (assuming rates go down) make sure you have an app in, authorize us to pull credit, and let me know (jk@mythl.com) what your target rate is. We see rate dips that no consumer will ever see/time right. Never saw below 2.75%, 2.875% was common for a while, and 3-3.125% was pretty standard on non-jumbos. 3-3.25% on jumbos above $510,400 was standard, but saw some dips before to 2.875-2.99%. App link: https://www.blink.mortgage/app/signup/p/tridenthomeloans/jonathankulak

This is the second time someone has said that a Reserve recruiter told them this, but I haven't heard anything about that from my AD recruiter or from anyone in the Guard. Seems fishy to me personally.

Ok. I’m presenting perspective on how their circumstances were different from the other service academies. Aside from that, I’m not the decision maker, but I assume the decision was made in some good faith.

But they still sent home the other three classes.

From some minor amount of research yesterday, law allows feds and states to legally isolate sick people to prevent/minimize spread, and it allows them to quarantine those who have been exposed. For those of the populace who are not sick or there’s no probable cause to say they been exposed, it is not legal to prevent interstate travel or force quarantine. Ethicists generally don’t have a legal problem with social distancing, but they do have a problem with forced business closures that could operate semi-normally, while taking social distancing measures. So, while I hate CA and NY politics as much as I hate China, it’s anti-liberty (and illegal is most cases) to say those people can’t travel elsewhere or have to imprison themselves in a house for any amount of time (unless the two exceptions stated above). I realize there are no interstate travel bans yet, but there already are illegal quarantine measures telling people they can’t leave the house except for a couple destinations. We are absolutely starting to unravel liberty in the name of “safety,” something that has happened many times throughout history and is something that must be fought. “History teaches that grave threats to liberty often come in times of urgency, when constitutional rights seem too extravagant to endure.” Nailed it.

Can you imagine how fully torqued Rick Rynearson is waiting for someone to knock on his door?

Ok, brother. Here's the deal. I'm not trying to escalate the debate. I'm genuinely trying to wrap my head around this and open to any helpful information. I listened to the first 45 min of podcast #99 with Attia and Hotez. At around the 15 min mark, I came back here to the forum to see if I had the correct podcast. Not trying to be a dick about this, and perhaps I missed some important information. Maybe I have a confirmation bias. I don't know. You were right, there was a lot of solid, intellectual information in that podcast, but there was absolutely ZERO that could be construed as positive points of optimism. Nothing that indicates we have a grasp on this thing or a workable solution. Here's just a few notes I took from the doctor: 15:15: "Health systems are already stressed and I'm worried we could see a collapse in a couple weeks. I'm very concerned" 16:15: "The first breakdown is starting to happen with doctors and nurses exhausted and there seems to be a breakdown of trust" 17:45:"This is no longer a disease of the old and infirm. This buzz is catching on among young physicians, and it is highly destabilizing, and they're feeling abandoned." 21:20: "I don't have an obvious solution to figuring this out (Regarding physician burn-out)" 28:00: "The most disturbing thing I have seen today s that half the hospitalizations are under 54, and about a 3rd between 20-44, and even some under 19." 32:15: "The Federal Government thinks this pandemic will last 18 months. I'm really doubtful we will have a vaccine in 18 months. I think this will be much longer than 18 months." 41:00 "Unless we can find a way to make our hospitals safe and take care of our health care providers, we are going to be in very deep trouble."

It looks like no one here went to Nellis Airshow. However we got to bring in our A-37B (S/N 87921) after a 20 year restoration. It was the first public display of the aircraft, and it was a big hit. 1st photo is from the Nellis ramp this weekend. Two Vietnamese AF pilots that flew it stopped by and said hi... very interesting since the jet was delivered in '69 directly to the South Vietnamese AF. They flew it for 6 years and about 2200 hours of combat time. It has the 7.62 patches as a reminder. When Saigon fell 29 April 1975, it was captured by the North. We have pics of the NV crews with the jet 2-4 days after Saigon fell, and it actually flew combat missions against the South. The 2nd photo is of 87921 in NV hands. This is the only A-37B currently flying in North America. I think it is one of only 3 flying in the world. We are discussing having me fly an aerobatic routine in 2020 with it. However it will only be at a few select airshows on the West Coast. With full wing and tip tanks and 2 pilots, it weighs 9,000 lbs. The J-85's are putting out ~2750 lbs thrust each. Needless to say, for those of you that flew the T-37, there is no comparison. The acceleration is spectacular. The owner has done a fantastic job, and the cockpit is like new. The only additions are an Aspen unit and a new ADS-B and transponder. The ejection seats are cold. Side note: the Combined Arms Demo that the 57th Wing flew was unbelievable. ACC must have waived everything they've had in the AFI because for once I was blown away by an AF "display". The jets were puking flares like it was going out of style. Loud, fast, low. Nice job to Maj "Stranger" Davenport and the Nellis folks for a jaw-dropping display.