I watch the ripples change their size
But never leave the stream
Of warm impermanence
And so the days float through my eyes
But still the days seem the same
And these children that you spit on
As they try to change their worlds
Are immune to your consultations
They're quite aware of what they're goin' through

Monday, July 20, 2020

Linkee-poo Monday

John Lewis, and so it goes.

"So, here’s this. A beginner’s guide to looking up agents. Because it shouldn’t be that hard, and if you know the right resources, it isn’t. Especially when those resources are (almost entirely) free."

"There is only — as there often is in hospitals right now — triage. We’re all just trying to hold it together. Deadlines or no deadlines, the words must flow, but sometimes it’s a trickle, and sometimes it’s a violent bar-night vomiting." Chuck Wendig on writing during these times.

"The study found current rates of methane emissions are at the highest, hottest end of the range of scenarios put out by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) – though the authors say that trend needs confirming in the next few years." We're boned. (Grokked from Steve)

"Now, the United Arab Emirates has sent (a Mars probe), too: an orbiter named Hope. It's the country's first interplanetary space shot."

"For fish inhabiting the immense darkness of the deep sea, being ultra-black offers great camouflage in a fish-eat-fish world. Scientists studying some of these exotic creatures now have unraveled the secret behind their extreme color."

Having just had my third Mohs surgery, this time for melanoma, this… "Wear Sunscreen."

"Still, you incessantly scroll though bottomless doom-and-gloom news for hours as you sink into a pool of despair… This self-destructive behavior has become so common that a new word for it has entered our lexicon: 'doomscrolling.'" I feel seen. Some tips to break the habit.

How to get as many people into indoor spaces while maintaining social distancing? "Determining how to safely reopen buildings and public spaces under social distancing is in part an exercise in geometry: If each person must keep six feet away from everyone else, then figuring out how many people can sit in a classroom or a dining room is a question about packing non-overlapping circles into floor plans." For the math geeks in our crowd. However I will note they don't not account for the spaces at the edges of the circles/spheres (which should be taken into account for planning real world spaces) and that by packing the spheres as close as possible you create a static space which does not allow for movement (such as going to the bathroom during the day) and must be filled in a specific order. But then this exercise is mostly for packing and not for dynamic activity. But then you should also account for the space lost at the edges. (Grokked from Shiela)

"A whopping 31.1% coronavirus positivity rate among those under 18 who are tested for the virus, according to the state's most recent pediatric report… What gives? Are kids really getting the virus at a higher rates than adults?… One is that children have so far not been a big focus of testing. Two, kids who do get tested are often those who show symptoms of the disease." Also, kids are walking petri dishes.

"In Florida, hospitals are being stressed by the surge of coronavirus cases. Florida reported 11,466 new cases of COVID-19 on Friday and 128 deaths of residents. It was the fourth day running the state saw more than 100 deaths."

"Just as the number of people hospitalized for COVID-19 approaches new highs in some parts of the country, hospital data in Kansas and Missouri is suddenly incomplete or missing… The Missouri Hospital Association reports that it no longer has access to the data it uses to guide statewide coronavirus planning, and the Kansas Hospital Association says its hospital data reports may be delayed." By design.

"Children between the ages of 10 and 19 are more likely to spread the coronavirus within a household than younger children or adults, according to a new epidemiological study from South Korea."

"President Trump downplayed the danger of the coronavirus, claiming in an interview that aired Sunday that many cases are simply people who 'have the sniffles.'" The president has no concept about what he's talking about. But basically the president is saying that unless you require hospitalization, you shouldn't be counted as having COVID-19.

"The U.K. has signed agreements to buy 90 million doses of vaccines in development by drugmakers including Pfizer Inc., BioNTech SE and Valneva SE, joining countries around the world racing to secure supplies of protection against Covid-19."

"The Oregon Department of Justice plans to sue several federal agencies for civil rights abuses, and state prosecutors will potentially pursue criminal charges against a federal officer who seriously injured a protester." As to the accuracy of hitting someone in the head, it would seem odd for such an accurate strike (to the head), but combat shooting is very different than target shooting. Especially your first few times. And I doubt CBP and ICE have had sufficient combat arms training. Which is another reason why they should not be attempting to do this job.

"He put on his Naval Academy gear with the hope they would listen, and would feel like he was one of them. What he was met with couldn't have been further from that… When approaching them to talk, David said they pushed him down, and started beating him with their batons and using pepper spray." So far everyone is denying it was their officers. This is a secondary problem to not having identification clearly displayed on the uniforms.

"Two white men who were filmed in an attack on a Black man on Independence Day at a state park have been charged by Indiana officials… The Monroe County Prosecutor's office announced the charges Friday, after a two-day review of an investigation report by the state's Department of Natural Resources as well as other digital evidence provided by witnesses."

"Tens of millions of Americans who lost their jobs because of the pandemic are now in danger of having their incomes slashed for a second time. The supplemental unemployment benefits of $600 per week that Congress approved four months ago are set to expire in less than two weeks — threatening to hurt strapped households and the U.S. economy, as billions of dollars' worth in spending suddenly comes to a halt."

"Oil prices fell on Monday, unnerved by the prospect that a recovery in fuel demand could be derailed by a rise in the pace of coronavirus infections around the world."

"White House chief of staff Mark Meadows said Sunday that the administration has been engaged in discussions on the next stimulus bill for the past week, but negotiations will start 'in earnest' Monday on Capitol Hill." As usual with conservatives they're about two weeks late to the table and will bring no workable solutions.

"Traffickers often erect their own radio antennas in rural areas. They also install so-called parasite antennas on existing cell towers, layering their criminal communications network on top of the official one. By piggybacking on telecom companies’ infrastructure, cartels save money and evade detection since their own towers are more easily spotted and torn down, law enforcement experts said."

"The University of Akron’s Board of Trustees on Wednesday unanimously authorized the elimination of 97 full-time professors out of about 570 total in response to a projected enrollment decline and ongoing budget woes. Some 21 full-timers also recently resigned or retired." Oh Akron. Full disclosure, my BFA is from Akron and I know a few people who work there.

"The son of U.S. District Court Judge Esther Salas was fatally shot and her husband critically wounded when a gunman dressed as a FedEx driver entered her home near North Brunswick, N.J., Sunday afternoon, according to local media."

"Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg says that her cancer has returned and that chemotherapy is yielding positive results. In a statement, she said that her most recent scan, on July 7, 'indicated significant reduction of the liver lesions and no new disease.'"

"Roger Stone, friend and former campaign adviser to President Donald Trump, called a Black radio host a racial slur on air Saturday while the two debated Stone's federal conviction."

"President Donald Trump declined Sunday to say he would accept the results of the 2020 election, adding that he will 'have to see' and claiming without evidence that mail-in voting will 'rig the election.'" His most dangerous assertion yet. Also he is clearing having a break with reality and as his prospects dim, the paranoia is increasing.

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