Good Omens Lockdown (a video). A phone call between Aziraphale and Crowley in the middle of their social distancing. (Grokked from Neil Gaiman)
Because it's not bad enough… "A roughly 2-inch long insect known as the 'murder hornet' has made its way to the U.S. for the first time ever, researchers said. The Asian giant hornet, Vespa mandarinia, has been known to kill up to 50 people a year in Japan, according to The New York Times, and has the potential to devastate U.S. bee populations, which have already been declining." Funny how I think we had to kill a colony at the day job last year. And yes, they're mean little assholes.
Tom Hanks, general mensch. "With the coronavirus pandemic canceling in-person graduation ceremonies across the US, students are feeling robbed of one of life's biggest moments. But leave it to America's dad, Tom Hanks, to uplift spirits."
"The discovery of a giant fossilised tail belonging to the theropod Spinosaurus aegyptiacus suggests these huge predators were aquatic animals after all, using tail-propelled locomotion to swim and hunt in rivers millions of years ago."
"The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently said lower-grade surgical masks are “an acceptable alternative” to N95 masks unless workers are performing an intubation or another procedure on a COVID patient that could unleash a high volume of virus particles… But scholars, nonprofit leaders and former regulators in the specialized field of occupational safety say relying on surgical masks — which are considerably less protective than N95 respirators — is almost certainly fueling illness among front-line health workers, who likely make up about 11% of all known COVID-19 cases." They forgot to mention that those of us working with COVID-19 patients also know that surgical masks, or procedure masks, aren't enough protection. But we're being sent into rooms wearing them (although recently restrictions against following our own prerogatives on PPE have been lifted in my department, before this we could be disciplined if we wore an N95 mask/gown into a patient's room who wasn't diagnosed C-19 positive, or under investigation - ie. has symptoms and is being tested). Now ask us our opinions on reuse and "sterilization" and reuse of N95 masks (we've been collecting for the sterilization process, but so far have not received any masks back).
"As Chicagoans and Illinois residents enjoyed the second straight day of warm spring weather, the governor again implored people to adhere to the state’s stay-at-home order. With restrictions in place since mid-March, some weary residents drawn outside by ample sunshine and temperatures in the 70s began to stretch the boundaries or simply ignore the statewide rules." Same here. Hello second wave of infections.
"Though the coronavirus remains a serious threat in Washington, D.C., U.S. senators return to the Capitol from their home states on Monday, more than five weeks after their last formal gathering and roll call votes." Gotta confirm those judges and fill up the courts.
"The US secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, claimed on Sunday there is 'enormous evidence' the coronavirus outbreak originated in a Chinese laboratory – but did not provide any of the alleged evidence." That's because there is none. They'll move the goalposts to say SARS-CoV2 was halted and only existed in a lab, from where it escaped and began reinfecting people. This is also demonstrably untrue, but at least they won't have to defend how the virus shows no evidence for having been created or adjusted in a laboratory. We have always been at war with EastAsia.
"America's crisis centers and hotlines are themselves in crisis. As people grapple with fear, loneliness and grief, on a grand scale, those stresses are showing up at crisis hotlines. Not only are the needs greater, but their clients' problems are more acute and complex and offer a window into the emotional struggles Americans face." And sending people with suicidal intentions to the ER where they may be exposed to SARS-CoV2 might not be a good idea. Just like this pandemic exposed the fault lines in our economy, it's exposing the fault lines in our society. People are stressed, and "the home" is not the refuge we tell ourselves it is.
Also along that line of reasoning… "Mayra Jimenez had just lost the job she loved — and the health insurance that went along with it… The 35-year-old San Francisco server needed coverage. Jimenez has ulcerative colitis, a chronic condition. Just one of her medications costs $18,000 per year." Universal single payer healthcare.
"Covid-related slaughterhouse shutdowns in the US are leading to fears of meat shortages and price rises, while farmers are being forced to consider “depopulating” their animals… At least two million animals have already reportedly been culled on farm, and that number is expected to rise. Approved methods for slaughtering poultry include slow suffocation by covering them with foam, or by shutting off the ventilation into the barns." A post-apocalypse hellscape isn't just going to create itself, people.
"There was real reason to indulge in each of these hopes (of an end to the pandemic). But in the past several days, a series of developments have undermined the factual basis for all of them. So I am, finally, starting to reconcile myself to a darker reality: The miracle of deliverance is not in sight."
"Tirado received a total of $2,200 as part of the coronavirus relief aid from the U.S. government on April 15. She used the money to pay off her overdue April mortgage payment and hired a repairman to fix her garbage disposal." Most people will do this (because most people are very practical). However, paying debt doesn't help the economy.
"U.S. airline shares were down sharply again on Monday, this time after Warren Buffett said Berkshire Hathaway sold its entire stakes in the four largest U.S. carriers as coronavirus devastates travel demand."
The retail apocalypse continues… "J. Crew Group Inc filed for bankruptcy protection on Monday with a plan to hand over control to lenders, adding to a list of brick-and-mortar retailers pushed to the brink by widespread store closures in response to the COVID-19 pandemic."
"Israel's top court is deciding whether corruption charges should bar Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu from forming a government." Yes.
"After admitting US coronavirus deaths could hit 90,000, President Donald Trump is bemoaning his own plight -- complaining that he has been treated worse by the press than Abraham Lincoln." Poor, little snowflake. Nobody is buying his lies. He's also moved the goalposts on deaths from COVID-19. Remember, "only 15, soon it'll be zero, just like a miracle"? You know, they shot Lincoln.
"President Trump is moving to replace the Department of Health and Human Services watchdog whose office found severe shortages of medical supplies in hospitals as COVID-19 cases surged… In a Friday night announcement, the White House named Jason Weida as its nominee to take the permanent inspector general post currently occupied by Christi Grimm, who's been in that role in an acting capacity since January." The Friday night purges will continue until moral improves.
No comments:
Post a Comment