The Dow drops 1191 points today

The Dow is dropping like a rock.  It hit an all-time high of 29,551.42 on Feb 12 and has been dropping ever since.  It closed today (2/27/20) at 25,766.64.  This is a drop of 3,785 points since Feb 12 or 12.8%.   To get into bull market territory (a 20% drop), it would need to drop below 23,641.  At the rate we are going, that could happen next week.

The Coronovirus conspiracy theory

The theory is that: 1) "the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic is a deliberate act of bioterrorism" and 2) the CDC is deliberately allowing the coronovirus to spread by refusing to test for it.

“Obviously there cannot ever be evidence of ‘sustained person-to-person transmission’ if the people who are infected are never tested,” writes the Health Ranger. “This now appears to be the entire containment strategy of California, Washington, Hawaii and the CDC.” “We call it the, ‘Don’t Test, Don’t Tell’ approach to pandemic management.”
https://www.naturalnews.com/2020-02-25-california-has-tested-zero-people-coronavirus-all-testing-cdc.html

The source of this theory is Mike Adams, the Health Ranger.  He is labeled as an "uber-quack".  But instead of trying to dismiss him, how about researching what he is saying? 

See also https://pandemic.news/

The All Protein Bar Diet

This is a mildly entertaining video showing a guy eat 7 protein bars and two bags of protein chips in one day. He consumed 2065 calories with 69g fat, 183g protein, and 178g carbs.  Nothing bad happened but that was only one day.  He calculated it would cost $19.43 per day to follow it for 30 days. 

How to eat in the Zone

The Zone Diet is like the mediterranean diet, except for no grains or rice.

The protein bar diet

The protein bar diet is one I just invented.  It will make the politically-correct nutritionists at the US News & World Report scream.  It sounds like something an anorexic teen girl might like, which is good because anorexic teen girls might know a thing or two about losing weight.

The way it works is you eat 3 hearty protein bars a day, for lunch, dinner and late-night snack.  The reference protein bar is a Met-Rx bar with this nutritional profile: 350 calories, with 25% of that from fat (10g), 40% from carbs (35g), and 35% from protein (30g).  So the total calories consumed would be about 1050/day.  By eating prepackaged food, it is easy to calculate the nutrition.

This is very similar to the Zone Diet, which recommends 30% of calories from fat, 40% from carbs, and 30% from protein.

This diet encourages the consumption of sugar, so long as it fits within the macros for the day.  It discourages eating any starches (potatoes, rice, beans, bread) because those are high-carb and as long as you are eating carbs, you might as well eat sugar.

It also encourages the eating of chocolate, especially dark chocolate, on the theory that it has health benefits and suppresses appetite.

Since I am benevolent dictator of this diet, here are the rules of this diet, presented in FAQ-style:

Can I drink a protein shake instead of eating a protein bar?  No.  A protein shake isn't going to be nearly as filling.

Can I substitute a candy bar for one of the protein bars?  Yes, as long as you get enough protein.  Maybe add a 1-ounce portion of string cheese.  Try this: a 2 oz Snicker bar with 280 calories, with 14g fat, 35g carbs, 4g protein.  A 1 oz string cheese will have 80 calories, with 5g from fat, 1g carb, and 7g protein.  Total:  360 calories, with 171 from fat (48%), 144 from carbs (40%) and 44 from protein (12%).   That is a little high in fat and low in protein but otherwise it is almost perfect.

Can I eat a hamburger on this diet?  Yes, so long as it is a small one, and you don't eat the bread, and balance it with chocolate.  Try this:  a McDonald's McDouble without the bread, and half a snickers bar.  The McDouble will have 240 calories with 16g of fat, 5g of carbs, and 18g protein.  Half a snickers bar will have 140 calories with 7g fat, 18g carb, and 2g protein.  Total: 390 calories, with 207 calories from fat (53%), 92 calories from carbs (24%), and 80g from protein (21%).  That is a little high in fat, but otherwise it is almost perfect.

Can I eat breakfast?  No.  Don't eat before noon.  Oatmeal is fine, but again, no bread.

Do I have to eat a Met-Rx bar?  No, there are lots of protein bars: Nature Valley, Clif, Lara, Quest, Kind, etc.  Mix it up.

Can I eat nuts or peanut butter?  Yes, but watch the serving size.  These are loaded with calories.

Has this been clinically tested?  Hahaha no.

Can I drink alcohol?  Yes, it will curb your appetite.  But only in moderation.

The benefits of L-Arginine

The endothelium converts L-Arginine into nitric oxide through an enzymatic process.  Nitric oxide causes vasodilation, which relaxes the inner muscles of blood vessels, causing them to widen and increase circulation.

Tom Cotton keep repeating debunked Coronavirus conspiracy theory

Thus says the Washington Post.  Tom Cotton keeps repeating a coronavirus conspiracy theory that was already debunked.  So what is the theory?

Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) repeated a fringe theory suggesting that the ongoing spread of a coronavirus is connected to research in the disease-ravaged epicenter of Wuhan, China. Cotton referenced a laboratory in the city, the Wuhan National Biosafety Laboratory, in an interview on Fox News’s “Sunday Morning Futures.” He said the lab was near a market some scientists initially thought was a starting point for the virus’s spread. “We don’t know where it originated, and we have to get to the bottom of that,” Cotton said. “We also know that just a few miles away from that food market is China’s only biosafety level 4 super laboratory that researches human infectious diseases.” Yet Cotton acknowledged there is no evidence that the disease originated at the lab. Instead, he suggested it’s necessary to ask Chinese authorities about the possibility, fanning the embers of a conspiracy theory that has been repeatedly debunked by experts.

This sounds like a likely hypothesis, that the virus that originated in Wuhan escaped from the lab in Wuhan.  Why does the Washington Post say that it is debunked?

“There’s absolutely nothing in the genome sequence of this virus that indicates the virus was engineered,” said Richard Ebright, a professor of chemical biology at Rutgers University. “The possibility this was a deliberately released bioweapon can be firmly excluded.” 

Richard Ebright doesn't have any inside knowledge.  And who says it was deliberately released?  It was most likely accidentally released. 

Vipin Narang, an associate professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, said it is “highly unlikely” the general population was exposed to a virus through an accident at a lab. “We don’t have any evidence for that,” said Narang, a political science professor with a background in chemical engineering. “It’s a skip in logic to say it’s a bioweapon that the Chinese developed and intentionally deployed, or even unintentionally deployed,” Narang said. 

Narang doesn't have any inside knowledge, he just feels that it is "highly unlikely".  Why is it highly unlikely?

“It’s true that a lot is still unknown,” Cui said when CBS host Margaret Brennan asked about Cotton’s claims. “But it’s very harmful, it’s very dangerous, to stir up suspicion, rumors and spread them among the people. For one thing, this will create panic. Another thing is that it will fan up racial discrimination, xenophobia, all these things that will really harm our joint efforts to combat the virus.”

Ah.  If you accuse the Chinese of accidentally releasing a highly contagious virus, it will cause xenophobia.  Cui is the Chinese Ambassador to the US so of course he will defend them.

The Washington Post has zero credibility.  They are the official mouthpiece of the deep state.  I am not for censoring them, instead I want to hear more, because the truth is the exact opposite of whatever they say.

Woketopia

Midvale Indemnity Co

Fabian Fondriest, CEO of Midvale Indemnity CO

I just stumbled upon a conspiracy theory, or maybe I am missing something. There is supposedly an insurance company named Midvale Indemnity Co, located at 6000 American Parkway, Madison, WI 53783.  The CEO is supposedly the above Fabian Fondriest and the President is Andrew McElwee (no picture found). So what is the problem?

Midvale Indemnity Co isn't incorporated in Wisconsin.

They also aren't incorporated in Illinois or Massachusetts. They don't have a website, or address or phone number.  6000 American Parkway is the location of American Family Insurance, which is a front for Midvale.  

I called American Family and they gave me this phone number for Midvale:  800-692-8326.   This is a bad joke.  The main phone number for American Family is 1-800-692-6326, so this is the same number except ending in 8326 instead of 6326.  When you call it you get an endless number of offers (If you are over 50 press 1.  If you need free roadside assistance press 1.  If you want homeowners insurance press 1).  There is no live human there.  

Fabian Fondriest, is actually the CEO of Homesite Group Incorporated, which is a real company incorporated in Massachusetts with an address of  One Federal St, Boston, MA 02110.  It has the website go.homesite.com.  He for sure doesn't live in Madison WI.  Mr Fondriest is also on the Board of Directors of American Family.  Andrew McElwee Jr is also president of Homesite in Boston.

The conspiracy gets deeper.  We received a phone call from the following number:  801-449-6555. The woman on this line was asking for an insurance payment. A reverse search indicates that this is a landline located in Midvale, UT, a suburb of Salt Lake City.  Hmm.  Is this a coincidence?  I called back the number and received the message: "You have reached an inactive number.  Goodbye.".

And the other number (this comes from the Missouri Secretary of State office) is 847-320-2000.

This is an Illinois phone number.  It says something like: you have called Lumbermens Casualty Insurance Company.  Lumbermens Casualty Insurance Company and American Manufacturers Mutual Insurance Company are in liquidation.  Hmm, what does Lumbermens Casualty have to do with Midvale Indemnity?  I'm glad you asked.

Midvale Indemnity Company was formerly known as Lumbermens Casualty Insurance Co, and before that Kemper Casualty Insurance Co. 

This is all very mysterious.  As far as I can tell, Midvale Indemnity is probably just a shell corporation with no assets or employees.  Like I said, they have no website or phone number or email address.  Their supposed physical address in Madison is the location of another company.

I would love to have my conspiracy theory proved wrong, and I will retract all of my suspicions if I am wrong.  But the immediate question is: would you buy an insurance policy for which Midvale Indemnity Co was the underwriter?  I have my opinion, but you should do your own research.

====================
Update:  I found another number for Midvale Indemnity: (608) 249-2111.  From: https://sbs.naic.org/solar-external-lookup/lookup/company/summary/54219392?jurisdiction=WI .  But when you call this it says: "Welcome to American Family Insurance".

Here is another list of predecessor companies:

Name Change History

Previous Name	New Name	Effective Date
	ALEXANDER HAMILTON INS CO OF AMERICA	10/29/1984
ALEXANDER HAMILTON INS CO OF AMERICA	Household Insurance Company	01/01/1996
Household Insurance Company	Kemper Casualty Insurance Co	10/01/1999
Kemper Casualty Insurance Co	Lumbermens Casualty Ins Co	09/30/2010
Lumbermens Casualty Ins Co	Midvale Indemnity Company	08/14/2013

Update 2:  DNB says that Midvale Indemnity Company was founded in 1912, has 9,000 employees and had 838 million in sales in 2018 (or 2019).  It also has 3 subsidiaries and 7 branch offices.  It is labeled as "ULTIMATE PARENT". 

I think DNB is also in on the scam.

===================================================
Update 3:

Midvale Indemnity Co is real company, with $59 million in assets and $45 million in liabilities as of the end of 2018.  I apologize for all the negative things I have said about them.  However, I still think it is odd that:

1.  Insurance Companies in Wisconsin don't show up on the business search.  This must be an oddity of Wisconsin law.  They figure that since they are regulated by the insurance commissioner they are different from all other types of companies.

2.  There is no explanation as to how they are a successor to Lumbermens Casualty Insurance Co, yet that company is in liquidation.  

3. Why we got a phonecall from Midvale UT that is disconnected.  Is this some sort of inside joke on behalf of the company?

4. How they are related to American Family and Homesite.  Why wouldn't we just do business with Homesite directly?

5. Why it is implossible to find out anything else about Midvale - no phone number, no website, no address other than one shared with another company.  And why there is false information on DNB.

David Stockman says the national debt will be $43 trillion by 2030

Jump to 1:15. "Here we are today $22 trillion and it's actually objectively this is the important thing built in $40 trillion by the end of this 10-year cycle unless we do something to change fundamental policy".

He also says: "For about three decades now the President’s budget of both parties has been pronounced DOA (dead on arrival) no sooner than the ink was dry. And that is commentary enough about why $1 trillion of public debt in 1981 has become $23 trillion by 2020, will hit $43 trillion by 2030". (Source: https://www.davidstockmanscontracorner.com/proof-of-fiscal-doom-the-donalds-fake-budget-for-fy-2021-and-the-ugly-hand-of-the-money-printers-part-1/)

I don't know where he is getting his numbers and I would like to see details.  My calculations, based on CBO projections show $32 trillion of public debt by 2030.  If you add in another $7 trillion of intragovernmental debt you get to $39 trillion, which is close.  If you go another 10 years to 2040 then the debt will almost double again to $60 trillion.

I would like to hear more from David Stockman.

Trump could offer Alaska to the Russians in exchange for support in the next election

Jump to 5:15.

"A whole range of utterly unacceptable conduct in a president would now be beyond reach. Trump could offer Alaska to the Russians in exchange for support in the next election. Or decide to move to Mar-A-Lago permanently and decide to let Jared Kushner run the country delegating to him the decision whether to go to war.  Because those things are not necessarily criminal, the argument would allow that he could not be impeached for such abuses of power.  Of course this would be absurd, more than absurd it would be dangerous."

So, is Schiff saying that if Trump is not impeached then he is so dangerous that he might give Alaska to the Russians?  No, but he is saying that there is no difference between the conduct that he did - made a phone call and temporarily withheld aid - and an absurd scenario.  I think that if Trump were acting crazily then there would be justification for removing him from office, whether the reason is "abuse of power" or something else. For Schiff, you can either remove a president or you can't, and if you can't remove Trump over this then there is no conceivable (non-criminal) reason to ever remove him.  I think it is more nuanced than that. You have to give the president some deference and leeway but still recognize that there is an ill-defined line that he can't cross.