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

Sunday, October 4, 2020

Linkee-poo Weekend Oct 4

not complete, but I'm still crunched for time. Just a general note, "over abundance of caution" is not something that gets you admitted to the hospital, it's not a valid reason.

"After a break in activity, the Atlantic Hurricane 2020 Season is once again very busy. There are three tropical waves and Tropical Storm Gamma in the Atlantic Basin. T.S.Gamma's only local impact will be an increase in swells in the Gulf of Mexico, raising our chances for rip currents and higher seas."

"Only three US states are reporting a decline in new Covid-19 cases compared to last week… As of Saturday night, new cases were down in Texas, Missouri and South Carolina, while 21 states reported a rise in cases and a little more than half held steady compared with the week before."

"British Prime Minister Boris Johnson defended his handling of the coronavirus pandemic on Sunday despite weeks of rising infections, but warned that the country faced a 'bumpy' winter ahead."

"Vice President Pence in March reportedly ordered the director for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to use its emergency powers to close the U.S. borders, despite top scientists saying there was no evidence that doing so would reduce the spread of COVID-19."

"The Trump administration has not yet repaid the United States Postal Service more than six months after the agency sent out COVID-19 guidelines on postcards prominently featuring the president’s name… USA TODAY reported earlier this year the total cost of printing and mailing the postcards was $28 million, with a total printing cost of $4.6 million, and the Trump administration was negotiating the reimbursement with the Postal Service for the cost." What you get when you run a government like a business… heinous fuckery.

"The U.S. unemployment rate fell to 7.9% in September, from 8.4% in August, a big drop that in normal times would be welcome news for a presidential incumbent seeking reelection in just over a month." Except that it was below 4% when he took office.

"The U.S. Roman Catholic Church used a special and unprecedented exemption from federal rules to amass at least $1.4 billion in taxpayer-backed coronavirus aid, with many millions going to dioceses that have paid huge settlements or sought bankruptcy protection because of clergy sexual abuse cover-ups." Tax the churches.

"US silence on Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict reflects international disengagement."

"Marine One was idling on the South Lawn Friday as President Donald Trump's advisers were inside the White House making a last-minute push to get him to board the helicopter… The President, who had recently tested positive for coronavirus, was reluctant to go to the hospital, multiple sources familiar with what happened later told CNN. Though Trump had developed symptoms and was now on experimental drugs, he didn't want to be 'hospitalized,' he said." 'Cause hospitals are for losers, and the president has all the good genes.

"White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows revealed that President Donald Trump’s condition on Friday was far worse than officials had made public, saying doctors recommended the president go to the hospital after seeing he had a fever and his blood oxygen level dropped rapidly." Duh.

"Donors who attended President Donald Trump’s big fundraiser in Bedminster, New Jersey on Thursday are reacting with alarm to news that the president has contracted the novel coronavirus… One person with direct knowledge of the event tells CNBC that 'the donors have been texting and calling' and are 'freaking out' about the situation." It's all fun and games until the Red Death shows up to Prospero's party.

"At least 11 positive coronavirus tests can be traced to members of the media or organizers of this week's presidential debate in Cleveland, city and clinic officials said Friday." The debate is becoming a super spreader event.

"Amy Coney Barrett will be grilled during her Supreme Court confirmation hearings. But four Republican senators may have the most on the line… The upcoming hearings could give Sens. Thom Tillis, Joni Ernst, John Cornyn and Lindsey Graham a chance to garner national attention in the midst of their competitive races — providing them a significant platform while they are pulled off the campaign trail for official Senate business."

"In response to the Biden campaign’s decision to pull negative TV ads while President Trump is hospitalized, spokesperson Tim Murtaugh told CNN that the Trump campaign will not make a similar move." There's no upside for them.

"A senior adviser to President Donald Trump's reelection campaign claimed that Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden uses face masks as a 'prop,' two days after the President was hospitalized after contracting the coronavirus." See that guy following guidelines, not spreading disease, being responsible, yeah, he's the real problem here.

"In Graham’s own opening statement, he observed that 'this is a big-choice election between me and Mr. Harrison: capitalism versus socialism, conservative judges versus liberal judges, law and order versus chaos.' This apocalyptic vision was everywhere. Responding to a question about whether teachers and students should be asked to return to an in-person, five-day school week without rapid COVID-19 testing available, Graham ended with a warning about how Democrats would pass Medicare for All and stack the Supreme Court. After fleshing out his position on enhanced unemployment benefits, Graham warned, again, that Democrats would pack the Supreme Court and eliminate the Electoral College. Graham said the worst thing that could happen to Myrtle Beach’s economy is a Democratic administration and Congress that would tax and regulate it." And there's the conservative election messaging in a fractal nutshell. It is a call to authoritarianism.

"A senior campaign adviser to President Donald Trump accused 'Fox News Sunday' host Chris Wallace of not being a neutral moderator during last week's presidential debate… 'He had to debate not just Joe Biden, but you as well. You were not a neutral moderator then,' said Steve Cortes, a senior adviser for the Trump campaign, on Sunday." In authoritarian regimes, eventually everyone is on the outs.

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