Linkee-poo Friday

"Earth's great ice sheets, Greenland and Antarctica, are now losing mass six times faster than they were in the 1990s thanks to warming conditions." We're boned.

"Scientists have discovered what they say is the smallest known dinosaur… The specimen, from northern Myanmar, consists of a bird-like skull trapped in 99-million-year-old amber."

In case you thought yesterday's linkee-poo title was just dark humor… "The escalating coronavirus emergency sent the stock market Thursday into its worst slide since the Black Monday crash of 1987, extending a sell-off that has now wiped out most of Wall Street’s big gains since President Donald Trump took office." If you're retiring soon and haven't converted most of your holding to bonds (and I know a few people in that camp), this decline sucks hard. But if you still have a long time before retirement (10+ years) and you're not maxed on your 401(k) contribution (or at the very least to get the full match if you have it), start it now. No, the market isn't at the bottom yet (IMHO, I'm not a financial analyst, you should talk to one, blah blah), but it'll take some time to start the process. So you should put in as much as you can afford now. And the morning rally in the Dow seems to be slipping away.

"But today brings news that we’re confident will totally put your worries to rest. Whereas last night you might have tossed and turned with fright about what the next days, weeks, and months could hold, tonight you’ll sleep like a baby, content in the knowledge that everything is going to be fine. Scratch that, better than fine. Great, even. Whereas terror might have gripped your waking moments, now there will only be a sense of calm. Why? Because Jared Kushner is on the case." We're all gonna die, aren't we? (Grokked from Joy Reid)

"As they race to test an experimental coronavirus vaccine, researchers aren’t waiting to see how well it prevents infection in animals before trying it in people, breaking from the usual protocol." I'm sure it'll be totally safe, effective, and this won't cause any problems at all.

"Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine announced Thursday that all Ohio schools will have a three-week spring break - starting next week - as precaution against the spread of coronavirus."

"President Donald Trump's Oval Office remarks on Thursday before a meeting with Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar were so thoroughly inaccurate it was a challenge to figure out which to fact check first."

"Seven weeks have passed since the first U.S. case of coronavirus was announced, and the government is failing to account for what could be thousands of additional infections because of ongoing problems with testing." We don't have good data for the outbreak in the US because we don't have a adequate testing regime.

"A senior cabinet member in Australia's government who said Friday he is infected with the new coronavirus was pictured last week standing next to Ivanka Trump, Attorney General William Barr and other White House officials." So now there are multiple vectors into the White House and top staff (including the president). But hey, Trump's doctor assured us his is healthier than anyone else.

"House Republicans made clear Thursday that they won’t support the new emergency coronavirus aid bill unveiled by Democrats — at least not in its current form… But Republicans have hang-ups with the specifics of the Democrats’ bill, CNBC’s Ylan Mui reported Thursday, because it omits several of the measures President Donald Trump had called on Congress to enact." The conservatives are counting on their low information supporters to support this, because the truth is that yes, conservatives have opportunities to amend. Also, while the bill doesn't include everything the president talked about, please note that the president's representatives negotiating with Congress haven't actually asked for everything the president outlined.

"Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said on Thursday that the Senate will delay its recess scheduled for next week to continue working on an economic relief package to address the coronavirus outbreak." Well good for them. Because when he announced they would actually recess without taking up the House bill, he was pretty much flambé. But while the Senate may not be in recess, there's not a lot of people who will be around because they Senators will still travel to their states. "Remaining in session also gives senators more time to reach an agreement to renew expiring provisions in the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which are set to lapse on Sunday." Yeah, that too.

Shit gets real. "Disney is closing Walt Disney World, its flagship theme park resort in Orlando, Florida, because of the global pandemic. The company also announced the closure of Disneyland Paris and the suspension of all new departures with the Disney Cruise Line. Earlier on Thursday the company said it was closing it's iconic Disneyland resort in Anaheim, California. The virus, which has spread worldwide, has now shuttered the gates of all eleven Disney theme parks across North America, Europe and Asia."

"A USA TODAY analysis shows that if the nation sees a major spike, there could be almost six seriously ill patients for every existing hospital bed." The "how many beds" argument is a little disingenuous. Beds are pretty easy to find. We can create surge capacity with beds in tents, gyms (all those schools that are not being used) and other shelters. The real problem is the number of isolation units (right now they're single patient rooms, those can be doubled, but still not a lot of them), how many ventilators we have (and can quickly turn around between patients), and the availability of skilled nursing and doctors. Also the thing to think about is as COVID-19 patients ramp up in numbers, hospitals still have to handle all the cases we normally do (I'm sure the first thing to be cut will be "elective" surgery). When SARS threatened there were a lot of ethics committees set up to help determine the rules for triage and determining which patients would be given what level of care. My guess is hospitals are dusting off those binders right now. And yes, it will be cruel if we get to that point. And a lot of mistakes will be made (and a whole lotta second guessing).

"Americans spend way more on healthcare than people in other similarly rich countries. In fact, if the U.S. spent as much as the Swiss, who are number two in the world healthcare expense rankings — the amount of money left over would represent $8,300 per family. And guess what? The average Swiss person lives five years longer than the average American. So it's not as if we're getting a bargain for our money." A The Indicator podcast on healthcare and economic despair.

"The U.S. launched airstrikes Thursday in Iraq, American officials said, targeting the Iranian-backed Shia militia members believed responsible for the rocket attack that killed and wounded American and British troops at a base north of Baghdad."

Jim Wright on the election… "Now, you’re all depressed that you’ll probably have to vote for somebody you don’t like?… Me too, Bro." Despite the obvious trolliness of the person Jim is replying to, I think we can all sympathize. Biden was not my choice, and frankly he probably won't be whom I mark next to on Tuesday (and it also won't be Bernie). But you know, come November if my choice is Trump or Biden (and please withhold your joyous support of any third-party candidate, especially that Jill Stein is making noises again - remember how she raised money for recounts and then never petitioned for them, because obvious Russian plant is obvious) I will most merrily mark my ballot for Biden. Even if there is a medical event and he doesn't make it to Nov 3 I will still vote for him if that's the choice.

The spanner in the works. "The episode illustrated how the coronavirus crisis has upended the election for both parties. Nearly every element of the presidential campaign is being adjusted or put on hold, from rallies to fundraising to staff work. Advertising campaigns are being paused and both parties are trying to gauge how to reach voters online."

"Facebook and Twitter revealed evidence Thursday suggesting that Russian efforts to interfere in the U.S. presidential election are getting more sophisticated and harder to detect." Yes. Although obvious Russian trolls are obvious.