Just Something to Think About

 So, all this original chatter about Covid/Corona/Wuhan 'fever'....all comes from the suspected 'wet-market' in Wuhan (or if you believe the conspiracy stuff....some secret bad-ass toxic lab).  The creature in the 'wet-market' story is the Pangolin (I'd describe as a Chinese ant-eater).  

I noticed today a Chinese police story.

They (the cops) say they busted this smuggling ring operation....involving 62 tons of Pangolin 'scales' (used in Chinese medicine).  

Apparently, the backdoor Chinese herbal market and home-remedy market....is still active with this Pangolin stuff.

Now you sit back....as an American and think about things.  If there was some virus that started up in Nashville, or Austin....involving some kind of American-roadkill critter causing a triple-bad virus to occur....the last thing on Earth that you'd deal in, buy or make any kind of food out of....would be that roadkill creature.

These Chinese folks?  They went right back to the Pangolin critter.

Either they don't believe the Chinese 'wet-market' story.....or they just like Wuhan-fever type situations.  

Clinic-Hospital Visit

 I went to a clinic-hospital (not for myself, but for the wife).  It was a simple appointment, to a facility that we'd never been to.  Over my entire life (from Alabama, through the Air Force years, the contractor years and since retirement in 2013)....I've probably visited around fifty-odd clinics/hospitals.

So this visit on Thursday was a bit unique.  

I stood there about twenty minutes into walking around (you had to do a fair amount of that).....to gather the perception that about 90-percent of all nurses in this facility....were extremely obese (probably 50 pounds minimum over their regular weight, and by that that....I mean regular non-slim). 

Yes, here were a mix of male/female nurses (probably 80-percent female), from ages 17 to 60....all chunky to the extreme. 

I don't ever remember being in a place like this....in my entire life.

After about three hours of walking around, from paperwork-room-one to paperwork-room-two, and onto paperwork-room-three....I came to count the number of breakrooms (an abundant number), which all had a minimum of two soda machines and one snack machine.  I stopped counting when I got up to around thirty machines.  

In some weird way....there's some Einstein-like formula existing here....where x-number of break-rooms....related to x-number of snack/soda machines.....related to x-number of people....equal heavily obese people of some quantity.  It's pretty much that simple.  There's probably another Einstein-like formula for free-coffee type machines....related to hyped-up highly focused people, or horse-power related to speeding tickets.  

What's Not a Top 1,000-Related Problem

 Ok, so this is for folks who stop at McDonalds, and occasionally (maybe even five times a week) have a McFlurry (their ice cream).

Before we get into the 'problem'.....a moment to talk over calories in the Oreo-flavor McFlurry...it's 570 calories.  Yeah....it's a LOT.  For a normal guy (without a lot of physical activity).....your average calorie intake should be around 2,500.  

So if you stopped and had two regular burgers (250 calories each), medium fries (340), and a medium Coke (220)....you are up to around 1,000 calories for the day.  Add the McFlurry and that's all enough for two-thirds of your daily food intake.  Don't even start talking about breakfast, your mid-afternoon candy bar, and supper.

So, here's the problem....the machine that makes this McFlurry?  It breaks down often...a lot.  Just in general....to make 'soft' ice cream....most all machines have a break-down rate that is dismal.  It's not just a McDonalds problem.  

The FTC has decided enough complaints exist (not really a McDonalds problem), but an industry problem as a whole.....that they will assign people to find out why.

The odds that this will turn into a four-year investigation?  Well....yeah, that is probably a major part of this issue.  

The McDonalds view?  They kinda think that the folks running/filling the machines....aren't that trained, and they suggest maintenance-wise....there ought to be more visitations/pre-checks.

So if you sit and think about it....McDonalds probably would want every single machine to function correctly because if you deny sixty people in an afternoon their McFlurry....they walk away without contributing to the profit of the company.  

Somewhere out there, there ought to be this Einstein-like character....consumed with soft ice cream enthusiasm, and wanting to build the perfect machine.

The sad thing about this story.....typically, the last people on Earth that you'd want to drag in and figure a cause and solution to a problem....is the US government.