15 thoughts on “December 11, 2020: Chag Sameach”

  1. After 24 votes, the polls have closed. Here are your favorite six word stories:

    Eddie Rosario: Greatness or folly at any time.
    Trevor May: Worked out better than the Vanimal

    Here's the vote distribution.

    Apologies to Matt Wisler for not garnering a contest, but my entry would have been: Slider slider slider slider slider slider.

    Whoever has Twitter privileges for the WGOM account may want to send it to @IAmTrevorMay for his thoughts

      2. 8-7-6 (you were 2nd)
        3 of the 6 votes yesterday were cast for yours (only 1 for the Vanimal). I suggest you align with New WGOM to challenge whether the voting rules were lawful.

  2. Cuttin' Grass Vol 2 out today.

    I prefer the non-Blue Grass versions but I know others differ from me. I do prefer the Blue Grass version of "Oh Sarah."

    1. I've been enjoying Vol. 1 lately, so I will definitely be checking it out. Also the new Taylor Swift album.

  3. My boss's mom is in the ICU on a vent. Yes, it's COVID.

    ICU capacity in the Central Valley dipped below 2 percent yesterday. It's under 8 percent in the Southern California region and heading to under 15 percent everywhere in the state (already under 10 percent statewide because southern california and the central valley account for so much of the total capacity).

    Some skeptics have claimed that low capacity is pretty standard. It is not. This 2013 study of 97 ICUs across the country during 2005-07 found the following:

    Over the three years studied, total ICU occupancy ranged from 57.4% to 82.1% and the number of beds filled with mechanically ventilated patients ranged from 20.7% to 38.9%. There was no change in occupancy across years and no increase in occupancy during influenza seasons. Mean hourly occupancy across ICUs was 68.2% SD ± 21.3, and was substantially higher in ICUs with fewer beds (mean 75.8% (± 16.5) for 5–14 beds versus 60.9% (± 22.1) for 20+ beds, P = 0.001), and in academic hospitals (78.7% (± 15.9) versus 65.3% (± 21.3) for community not-for profit hospitals, P < 0.001). More than half (53.6%) of ICUs had 4+ beds available more than half the time.

    Average occupancy of 68 percent, higher in smaller ICUs (which tend to be rural/small town hospitals) and in teaching hospitals (which tend to be urban), lower in larger ICUs and community not-for-profits. Don't buy in to the denialists. We are in a very unusual period.

    1. My MIL's best friend died of Covid this past week. We were the only family to not attend Thanksgiving this year. Maybe this gets me out of the doghouse. (I doubt it.)

    2. The uncle of one of my authors died of COVID-19 this week. Her description of watching his final breath by video after the machines were turned off is absolutely heartbreaking.

  5. This tidbit in today's baseball-reference FB feed was worth reading:

    On this day in 1928, NL President John Heydler proposeed adding the designated hitter for pitchers, contending fans are tired of seeing weak-hitting pitchers come to bat & calling the idea "the tenth regular"

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