"The first meteor shower of spring, known as the Lyrid meteor shower, will present a night skywatching show beginning on Sunday evening and peaking on Wednesday night… Late evening and early morning hours based on your location, between midnight and 4 a.m to 5 a.m. local time, may be the best time to see shooting stars, or meteors that burn up in our atmosphere, according to the American Meteor Society."
"As a freelance photographer, I had been returning to the now-submerged island on assignments for almost a decade, since the vulnerable island was hit by the 2010 BP oil spill. PJ Hahn, former director of Coastal Zone Management for Plaquemines Parish, and I had to find the location using GPS coordinates, maneuvering over what looked like a sandbar on the boat's depth finder."
"A vast region of the western United States, extending from California, Arizona and New Mexico north to Oregon and Idaho, is in the grips of the first climate change-induced megadrought observed in the past 1,200 years, a study shows. The finding means the phenomenon is no longer a threat for millions to worry about in the future, but is already here… The megadrought has emerged while thirsty, expanding cities are on a collision course with the water demands of farmers and with environmental interests, posing nightmare scenarios for water managers in fast-growing states." In 2015 they predicted a 35 year megadrought starting around 2050. Then they decided to see if it was already here, which they found it already had started in 2000. We're boned. (Grokked from Chuck Wendig)
"Experts say this outbreak may be the biggest source of Internet misinformation ... ever… Life Kit wants to help. Here's a comic to help you sharpen your misinformation Spidey senses…"
On the Media podcast with "President Trump has continued to push the anti-malarial drug hydroxychloroquine as a potential treatment for Covid-19, even though scientists say more research is needed to prove that it is safe and effective. But how'd we get here in the first place? Julia Carrie Wong is a reporter for The Guardian who has traced how a misleading, flawed study from France has become a widely-cited piece of evidence by media personalities on Fox and elsewhere."
"The federal agency that oversees nursing homes announced new transparency measures Sunday requiring the disclosure of coronavirus cases to patients' families and public health officials." Finally. Fortunately the facility we use has been very forthcoming with us families (one of the reasons we chose it). Also another reason why you want to have strong living wills and healthcare powers of attorney (and a durable power of attorney) with people you trust.
"In some parts of the U.S., the desperate need to slow the spread of the coronavirus is coming into conflict with the scramble to find more hospital beds… Nonetheless, some of the largest states are now ordering nursing homes to accept patients who have been discharged from the hospital but are still recovering from COVID-19." Bad idea.
"But now, many hospital workers on the front lines in the metro area have been sounding the alarm that a different piece of lifesaving equipment is in short supply and high demand: dialysis machines." While the initial concern was respiratory illnesses, we're learning this bugger is affecting a lot of other systems in the body as well.
"Boris Johnson has told colleagues his concerns that relaxing lockdown measures too soon could lead to a second outbreak of coronavirus… He is thought to have told Mr Raab and other officials via video that stopping a second peak was his priority."
"Health care workers on Sunday faced off against protesters calling for an end to Colorado’s coronavirus stay-at-home order."
"First daughter and senior White House advisor Ivanka Trump offered a suggestion for bored Americans to do during the COVID-19 shutdowns… She suggested people, 'try making shadow puppets from Henry Bursill's recently unearthed 1860's book of engraving.'" That went over as well as you'd suspect.
"CNN contacted 10 California hospitals identified by Musk in the partial list of recipients he posted on Thursday. Of the four hospitals that responded, all said they had received bilevel positive airway pressure (biPAP) or continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machines — devices that can aid breathing and be used for sleep apnea. None had received ventilators." Billionaire engineering mastermind doesn't understand the difference between ventilators and BiPAP/CPAP machines. And while, yes, we do use BiPAP in the hospital they are 1) less complicated, 2) less expensive, and 3) not the same thing as a ventilator.
"Celebrity psychologist Phil McGraw, known to his TV viewers as 'Dr. Phil,' argued for reopening the economy on Fox News, rattling off a string of statistics about other causes of death that don’t require statewide shutdowns… McGraw’s figures were not all accurate, however, and the comparisons he drew with the novel coronavirus weren't apples-to-apples." Fuck 'Doctor' Phil.
"But a little-known military task force charged with evacuating Washington has already been activated, a task force charged with the most sensitive government mission of "securing" Washington in the face of attackers, foreign and domestic—and if necessary, moving White House and other key government offices to alternate locations." Totally not worrying at all.
"As the coronavirus death toll tops 40,000 in the United States, President Donald Trump said some governors were taking lockdown restrictions too far and expressed support for protesters demanding a return to work… Trump's criticism of states' handling of the crisis on Sunday came amid a debate over which jurisdiction the burden of testing for the virus — crucial to reopening the economy — falls."
Th only way we're going to get out of this before a vaccine is developed (if it can be developed) is large-scale testing. "It took roughly three weeks to sort out the failed test kits, far longer than the CDC had anticipated. Along the way, regulators would discover the lab producing the test kits was contaminated, likely causing the tests to malfunction, according to a senior administration official." On the long series of failures getting a testing scheme up and running. And while there's been progress recently, it's still nowhere near the levels of testing we need. And then there's the worry about the accuracy of the tests.
"In recent weeks, the United States has seen the first rollout of blood tests for coronavirus antibodies, widely heralded as crucial tools to assess the reach of the pandemic in the United States, restart the economy and reintegrate society… But for all their promise, the tests — intended to signal whether people may have built immunity to the virus — are already raising alarms."
"Consumer and manufacturing reports for March showed the hit to the economy from the coronavirus was even swifter and deeper in the early weeks of the shutdown than expected."
"Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said on Sunday that he thinks the United States economy will bounce back to the position it was in before the coronavirus pandemic in a matter of 'months,' a sunny prediction at odds with many economists who see the US as entering a historic economic downturn." Uh, sure, Bob.
Were did all the money go? "Shake Shack plans to return a $10 million loan it received under an emergency small business rescue program, amid a growing backlash against big businesses that got the money before $350 billion in funding lapsed last week… The burger chain was just one of several large restaurant operators and publicly traded companies that secured tens of millions of dollars in 'Paycheck Protection Program' loans before the Trump administration announced Thursday that the funding was exhausted because of huge demand."
"United Airlines on Monday reported a $2.1 billion loss for first quarter as the coronavirus pandemic drove travel demand down to the lowest level in decades."
"Sir Richard Branson has warned that airline Virgin Atlantic needs government support to survive… The boss of the Virgin Group said he was not asking for a handout, but a commercial loan, believed to be £500m."
How's that OPEC+ (with Russia) working out? "U.S. crude prices plunged to their lowest level in more than 20 years on Monday as traders continue to fret over a slump in demand due to the coronavirus pandemic. The price of the nearest oil futures contract, which expires Tuesday, was the hardest hit, detaching from later month futures contracts with a drop of more than 30%. This suggests that traders believe there could be a recovery in later months."
"Nova Scotia authorities have begun investigating the shooting of a gunman who may have been disguised as a police officer and went on 12-hour rampage that left 16 people dead in a small town."
"For the second time in four days, a U.S. surveillance aircraft flying in international airspace over the Mediterranean Sea was intercepted by a Russian fighter jet, the Navy said Sunday. A U.S. Navy P-8A aircraft was intercepted twice by a Russian SU-35, and the second incident was deemed 'unsafe and unprofessional,' the Navy said in statement." Hey, guys, I thought we were friends here. Note, these kinds of activities were several times a week during the Cold War, there's even that scene in Top Gun that glorifies it.
"The square in the heart of Tel Aviv was measured and carefully marked off. Every two meters, an X designated a spot where someone could stand under Israel's social distancing guidelines. Protest organizers marked 2,800 spots for protesters to stand Sunday evening. In the end, organizers say twice as many people showed up to protest against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, with many people standing on the surrounding streets."
"President Trump's guidelines for 'reopening' the country put the onus on governors across the nation. After the president falsely claimed he had "total" authority over the states regarding when to reopen, he is now set up, politically, to take the credit if all goes well and to blame the governors if something goes wrong."
Monday, April 20, 2020
Saturday, April 18, 2020
Linkee-poo Strong (Side-eye)
So "(Whatever) Strong" signs and campaigns in 2020 have become the same as those yellow-ribbon "support" magnets were post 9/11. It's boring and repetitious, and it's a cultural marker for what we believe. "If we're strong, this won't affect us." Well, everybody, I got some bad news for you. It doesn't matter how strong we are, 1) you can still get sick and die and 2) the world will not be the same as it was before COVID-19, 3) we should strive to make it a better world than what we had before. Times of stress will show us who we really are. We've come together (somewhat), realized the world is smaller than we thought, and we've shown community will overcome individualism (that is, no, we won't have a Mad Max post-apocalyptic future). There is a strong current against that. But then there are always assholes in any society. It's just for some reason in the previous world we decided to give them power. I suggest we don't do that in our new world.
Brian Dennehy, and so it goes.
"The tiny fossil is unassuming, as dinosaur remains go. It is not as big as an Apatosaurus femur or as impressive as a Tyrannosaurus jaw. The object is a just a scant shard of cartilage from the skull of a baby hadrosaur called Hypacrosaurus that perished more than 70 million years ago. But it may contain something never before seen from the depths of the Mesozoic era: degraded remnants of dinosaur DNA." You must not read from the book!
I felt a great disturbance in the Force. It was as if… "The 2020 San Diego Comic-Con, the largest fan convention in North America and one of the biggest promotional events of the year, has been canceled in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, organizers announced on Friday. The event, which pulls in upwards of 130,000 participants each year, was scheduled to be held from July 23–26."
"NASA and SpaceX are targeting May 27 for the launch of Demo-2, the first launch of NASA astronauts from the U.S. since 2011 and the first crewed launch for Elon Musk’s space company." I would so want to be at that launch.
"Being able to test for coronavirus infections is a critical component to reopening society — even a little bit — after the initial wave of COVID-19. So there is an urgent need for faster, cheaper tests than the ones available at present."
"How many people have the coronavirus in the United States? More than two months into the country’s outbreak, this remains the most important question for its people, schools, hospitals, and businesses. It is also still among the hardest to answer. At least 630,000 people nationwide now have test-confirmed cases of COVID-19, according to The Atlantic’s COVID Tracking Project, a state-by-state tally conducted by more than 100 volunteers and experts. But an overwhelming body of evidence shows that this is an undercount."
"When Jones' test came back positive as well, he joined a growing club: health care workers in the metro Detroit area who have contracted COVID-19… Nobody knows how many, exactly, because some health systems aren't sharing or collecting that data… But more than 2,600 health care workers in the area either have been out sick with symptoms similar to those of COVID-19 or have tested positive for the coronavirus." Also a little about "redeployments." Yes, there is a high likelihood I will have to work shifts in other departments.
"In South Korea, health officials are trying to solve a mystery: why 163 people who recovered from coronavirus have retested positive, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC)… KCDC deputy director Kwon Joon-wook said that so far, there's no indication that patients who retest positive are contagious, even though about 44% of them showed mild symptoms." Okay, that's new. And the answer to almost all the questions is now, "we don't know."
"In this chaotic effort to obtain supplies, the Trump administration awarded a $55 million contract to Panthera Worldwide LLC, a company with no expertise in the world of medical equipment, for N95 masks… Panthera's parent company filed for bankruptcy protection last fall, and one of its owners last year said it'd had no employees since May 2018… The Post reported that the Federal Emergency Management Agency was paying Panthera about $5.50 per mask, decidedly more than what the government pays companies with an established background in producing medical supplies such as 3M, which charges about $0.63 per mask." Dumbest timeline ever.
"Protestors — most of whom were not wearing masks — could be heard chanting, 'No foreign vaccinations' in the downtown beach area at Main Street and Walnut Avenue… 'We’re here in defiance of Gavin Newsom and his socialist agenda to ruin our economy,' said a man hosting a livestream of the event on Facebook. 'We’re definitely not practicing social distancing, which is all right in my book. Believe in Jesus — you won’t fear death.'" Remember when I said the best inoculation against the information warfare going on was education. It would also help with this. Tell ya what, bucko, we'll ask you that question again just before we slide the trach down your throat. The problem here is because of the rest of us staying home and observing social distancing, these people are safer and many probably won't become sick from this demonstration. Unless there are asymptomatic carriers in their group and this coronavirus is actually transmissible airborne. Also, these groups are being sponsored by some of the rich, in some cases by the DeVos family, and other cases by Americans for Prosperity and like groups. And you'll note the people bankrolling these aren't out there protesting but staying at home. (Grokked from Chuck Wendig)
"As Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott formulated a plan this week to reopen the world's 10th largest economy, he had to strike a delicate balance between two opposing forces: a push from the state's powerful business community eager to get back to work and health professionals and economists warning that a premature restart could be deadly." Guess which side he'll choose. "At the same time, it's only been two weeks since Abbott issued his stay-at-home order. Texas remains woefully behind many of the nation's other largest states in the number of coronavirus tests conducted, which made some of Abbott's early optimism about re-opening all the more striking."
"At first glance, the republic of Georgia has been a success story in the fight against the novel coronavirus: the outbreak in the small Caucasus nation has remained limited, with just 370 official cases as of Friday morning… But Georgia now faces a serious test. Easter will be celebrated this Sunday on the Eastern Christian calendar, and the powerful Georgian Orthodox Church is planning major celebrations that public health officials say could prove deadly." When you're successful, it looks like you overreacted.
"U.S. President Donald Trump, whose administration has faced criticism over a shortfall in coronavirus testing capacity, said on Friday that individual states were responsible for developing testing capabilities." So a complete reversal from "I'm in charge" to "what could we do, it wasn't our call?" So, basically, after months of saying, "we have it under control" and "look, we've got all the advisors making policy" the Trump administration is now pivoting to "you're on your own." Failure of leadership.
"Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said Wednesday large gathering such as concerts and sporting events likely won’t resume until 2021." Makes jazz hands.
"'We find that in the absence of other interventions, this kind of on-again off-again approach we call intermittent social distancing, may have to last into mid-2022,' Christine Tedijanto, coauthor of the study, 'Projecting the transmission dynamics of SARS-CoV-2 through the postpandemic period,' told AccuWeather over a Skype interview." Ta-da!
"President Donald Trump inaccurately declared at Thursday's White House coronavirus briefing that some states do not have "any problem" with the virus's outbreak, minimizing the situation even in the least-affected statesz… Trump also repeated his incorrect suggestion that he has the power to decide when governors lift their pandemic-related restrictions. And he argued that 'people should have told us' about the virus, omitting the fact that he continued to downplay the virus for weeks after public warnings."
"For months, authorities say, 36-year-old white supremacist Timothy Wilson amassed bomb-making supplies and talked about attacking a synagogue, a mosque or a majority-black elementary school… Then the coronavirus hit the United States, giving Wilson a new target — and a deadline. The FBI says Wilson planned to bomb a Missouri hospital with COVID-19 patients inside, and he wanted to do it before Kansas City's stay-at-home order took effect at midnight on March 24."
"President Donald Trump on Friday announced a $19 billion relief program to help farmers cope with the impact of the coronavirus pandemic through a package that will include direct payment and mass purchases of produce, meat and other products." And then what?
"The Trump administration will spend $19 billion on a relief program for farmers struggling during the novel coronavirus pandemic, including a new approach to send billions of dollars of agricultural products to food banks and other organizations around the country… 'Our farmers, ranchers, we have, these are great people. Great Americans. Never complain. They never complain. They just do what they have to do. The program will include direct payments to farmers as well as mass purchases of dairy, meat and agricultural produce, to get that food to the people in need,' President Donald Trump said at Friday night’s briefing." Looks around at local farmers I know, they complain all the fucking time. Also, AG Sec Sonny Perdue said, "'If you don't mind the pun, this is an out of the box example of what we're trying to do. It is new and different. We've never done this before but in realigning the supply… He did not directly answer if this was a version of the Harvest Box program the department has proposed in previous budgets, to significant scrutiny from lawmakers, advocates, and food bank operators, and if that will slow down the process." They still have no clue as to how government actually works and what programs they oversee.
"A pork processing plant in Sioux Falls, S.D., has became a hot spot of coronavirus transmission and now workers and their advocates say the company failed to communicate the risks of possible exposure and waited too long to implement safety measures." Rhut rho.
"Amazon.com Inc has started to use thermal cameras at its warehouses to speed up screening for feverish workers who could be infected with the coronavirus, employees told Reuters." Panopticon warning.
"But in the past four weeks, a total of 22 million have filed jobless claims — nearly wiping out all the job gains since the Great Recession." Time of your life, huh kid?
"Sen. Richard Burr's sale of up to $1.7 million in stocks shortly before the recent market crash was one of the lawmaker's only market-beating trades since record keeping began eight years ago, according to a new study… The new analysis, presented by researchers at Dartmouth College, shows just how unusual the North Carolina senator's transactions were. On a single day, Feb. 13 of this year, Burr unloaded a significant portion of his net worth — a departure from his typically low-volume trading history." I'm shocked to find gambling going on here.
"Did gender keep Democratic women from winning the primary?" Yes.
"President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin appear to have had more sustained contact with each other in the past two weeks than at any time since 2016, as the Kremlin tries to use the coronavirus pandemic and close personal ties between the two leaders to normalize long-strained relations with Washington." I don't think what we're seeing is "normalization."
"A federal judge has denied Roger Stone's bid for a new trial, rejecting his claims that alleged misconduct and political bias on the part of the jury foreperson tainted the proceedings." Wow, Judge Jackson has no fucks to give anymore.
"All 12 of Roger Stone's jurors wrote in a series of powerful, anonymized statements this week that they feel harassed, afraid and do not want more information about them revealed to the public, especially after President Donald Trump and right-wing media criticized them for their conviction of the longtime Trump friend."
"Fact check: Trump did host rallies, play golf as as COVID-19 outbreak ramped up." With a timeline.
Brian Dennehy, and so it goes.
"The tiny fossil is unassuming, as dinosaur remains go. It is not as big as an Apatosaurus femur or as impressive as a Tyrannosaurus jaw. The object is a just a scant shard of cartilage from the skull of a baby hadrosaur called Hypacrosaurus that perished more than 70 million years ago. But it may contain something never before seen from the depths of the Mesozoic era: degraded remnants of dinosaur DNA." You must not read from the book!
I felt a great disturbance in the Force. It was as if… "The 2020 San Diego Comic-Con, the largest fan convention in North America and one of the biggest promotional events of the year, has been canceled in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, organizers announced on Friday. The event, which pulls in upwards of 130,000 participants each year, was scheduled to be held from July 23–26."
"NASA and SpaceX are targeting May 27 for the launch of Demo-2, the first launch of NASA astronauts from the U.S. since 2011 and the first crewed launch for Elon Musk’s space company." I would so want to be at that launch.
"Being able to test for coronavirus infections is a critical component to reopening society — even a little bit — after the initial wave of COVID-19. So there is an urgent need for faster, cheaper tests than the ones available at present."
"How many people have the coronavirus in the United States? More than two months into the country’s outbreak, this remains the most important question for its people, schools, hospitals, and businesses. It is also still among the hardest to answer. At least 630,000 people nationwide now have test-confirmed cases of COVID-19, according to The Atlantic’s COVID Tracking Project, a state-by-state tally conducted by more than 100 volunteers and experts. But an overwhelming body of evidence shows that this is an undercount."
"When Jones' test came back positive as well, he joined a growing club: health care workers in the metro Detroit area who have contracted COVID-19… Nobody knows how many, exactly, because some health systems aren't sharing or collecting that data… But more than 2,600 health care workers in the area either have been out sick with symptoms similar to those of COVID-19 or have tested positive for the coronavirus." Also a little about "redeployments." Yes, there is a high likelihood I will have to work shifts in other departments.
"In South Korea, health officials are trying to solve a mystery: why 163 people who recovered from coronavirus have retested positive, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC)… KCDC deputy director Kwon Joon-wook said that so far, there's no indication that patients who retest positive are contagious, even though about 44% of them showed mild symptoms." Okay, that's new. And the answer to almost all the questions is now, "we don't know."
"In this chaotic effort to obtain supplies, the Trump administration awarded a $55 million contract to Panthera Worldwide LLC, a company with no expertise in the world of medical equipment, for N95 masks… Panthera's parent company filed for bankruptcy protection last fall, and one of its owners last year said it'd had no employees since May 2018… The Post reported that the Federal Emergency Management Agency was paying Panthera about $5.50 per mask, decidedly more than what the government pays companies with an established background in producing medical supplies such as 3M, which charges about $0.63 per mask." Dumbest timeline ever.
"Protestors — most of whom were not wearing masks — could be heard chanting, 'No foreign vaccinations' in the downtown beach area at Main Street and Walnut Avenue… 'We’re here in defiance of Gavin Newsom and his socialist agenda to ruin our economy,' said a man hosting a livestream of the event on Facebook. 'We’re definitely not practicing social distancing, which is all right in my book. Believe in Jesus — you won’t fear death.'" Remember when I said the best inoculation against the information warfare going on was education. It would also help with this. Tell ya what, bucko, we'll ask you that question again just before we slide the trach down your throat. The problem here is because of the rest of us staying home and observing social distancing, these people are safer and many probably won't become sick from this demonstration. Unless there are asymptomatic carriers in their group and this coronavirus is actually transmissible airborne. Also, these groups are being sponsored by some of the rich, in some cases by the DeVos family, and other cases by Americans for Prosperity and like groups. And you'll note the people bankrolling these aren't out there protesting but staying at home. (Grokked from Chuck Wendig)
"As Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott formulated a plan this week to reopen the world's 10th largest economy, he had to strike a delicate balance between two opposing forces: a push from the state's powerful business community eager to get back to work and health professionals and economists warning that a premature restart could be deadly." Guess which side he'll choose. "At the same time, it's only been two weeks since Abbott issued his stay-at-home order. Texas remains woefully behind many of the nation's other largest states in the number of coronavirus tests conducted, which made some of Abbott's early optimism about re-opening all the more striking."
"At first glance, the republic of Georgia has been a success story in the fight against the novel coronavirus: the outbreak in the small Caucasus nation has remained limited, with just 370 official cases as of Friday morning… But Georgia now faces a serious test. Easter will be celebrated this Sunday on the Eastern Christian calendar, and the powerful Georgian Orthodox Church is planning major celebrations that public health officials say could prove deadly." When you're successful, it looks like you overreacted.
"U.S. President Donald Trump, whose administration has faced criticism over a shortfall in coronavirus testing capacity, said on Friday that individual states were responsible for developing testing capabilities." So a complete reversal from "I'm in charge" to "what could we do, it wasn't our call?" So, basically, after months of saying, "we have it under control" and "look, we've got all the advisors making policy" the Trump administration is now pivoting to "you're on your own." Failure of leadership.
"Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said Wednesday large gathering such as concerts and sporting events likely won’t resume until 2021." Makes jazz hands.
"'We find that in the absence of other interventions, this kind of on-again off-again approach we call intermittent social distancing, may have to last into mid-2022,' Christine Tedijanto, coauthor of the study, 'Projecting the transmission dynamics of SARS-CoV-2 through the postpandemic period,' told AccuWeather over a Skype interview." Ta-da!
"President Donald Trump inaccurately declared at Thursday's White House coronavirus briefing that some states do not have "any problem" with the virus's outbreak, minimizing the situation even in the least-affected statesz… Trump also repeated his incorrect suggestion that he has the power to decide when governors lift their pandemic-related restrictions. And he argued that 'people should have told us' about the virus, omitting the fact that he continued to downplay the virus for weeks after public warnings."
"For months, authorities say, 36-year-old white supremacist Timothy Wilson amassed bomb-making supplies and talked about attacking a synagogue, a mosque or a majority-black elementary school… Then the coronavirus hit the United States, giving Wilson a new target — and a deadline. The FBI says Wilson planned to bomb a Missouri hospital with COVID-19 patients inside, and he wanted to do it before Kansas City's stay-at-home order took effect at midnight on March 24."
"President Donald Trump on Friday announced a $19 billion relief program to help farmers cope with the impact of the coronavirus pandemic through a package that will include direct payment and mass purchases of produce, meat and other products." And then what?
"The Trump administration will spend $19 billion on a relief program for farmers struggling during the novel coronavirus pandemic, including a new approach to send billions of dollars of agricultural products to food banks and other organizations around the country… 'Our farmers, ranchers, we have, these are great people. Great Americans. Never complain. They never complain. They just do what they have to do. The program will include direct payments to farmers as well as mass purchases of dairy, meat and agricultural produce, to get that food to the people in need,' President Donald Trump said at Friday night’s briefing." Looks around at local farmers I know, they complain all the fucking time. Also, AG Sec Sonny Perdue said, "'If you don't mind the pun, this is an out of the box example of what we're trying to do. It is new and different. We've never done this before but in realigning the supply… He did not directly answer if this was a version of the Harvest Box program the department has proposed in previous budgets, to significant scrutiny from lawmakers, advocates, and food bank operators, and if that will slow down the process." They still have no clue as to how government actually works and what programs they oversee.
"A pork processing plant in Sioux Falls, S.D., has became a hot spot of coronavirus transmission and now workers and their advocates say the company failed to communicate the risks of possible exposure and waited too long to implement safety measures." Rhut rho.
"Amazon.com Inc has started to use thermal cameras at its warehouses to speed up screening for feverish workers who could be infected with the coronavirus, employees told Reuters." Panopticon warning.
"But in the past four weeks, a total of 22 million have filed jobless claims — nearly wiping out all the job gains since the Great Recession." Time of your life, huh kid?
"Sen. Richard Burr's sale of up to $1.7 million in stocks shortly before the recent market crash was one of the lawmaker's only market-beating trades since record keeping began eight years ago, according to a new study… The new analysis, presented by researchers at Dartmouth College, shows just how unusual the North Carolina senator's transactions were. On a single day, Feb. 13 of this year, Burr unloaded a significant portion of his net worth — a departure from his typically low-volume trading history." I'm shocked to find gambling going on here.
"Did gender keep Democratic women from winning the primary?" Yes.
"President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin appear to have had more sustained contact with each other in the past two weeks than at any time since 2016, as the Kremlin tries to use the coronavirus pandemic and close personal ties between the two leaders to normalize long-strained relations with Washington." I don't think what we're seeing is "normalization."
"A federal judge has denied Roger Stone's bid for a new trial, rejecting his claims that alleged misconduct and political bias on the part of the jury foreperson tainted the proceedings." Wow, Judge Jackson has no fucks to give anymore.
"All 12 of Roger Stone's jurors wrote in a series of powerful, anonymized statements this week that they feel harassed, afraid and do not want more information about them revealed to the public, especially after President Donald Trump and right-wing media criticized them for their conviction of the longtime Trump friend."
"Fact check: Trump did host rallies, play golf as as COVID-19 outbreak ramped up." With a timeline.
Friday, April 17, 2020
Linkee-poo Friday
"A new study has begun recruiting at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland, to determine how many adults in the United States without a confirmed history of infection with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), have antibodies to the virus." This is an important step in "reopening" the economy. They're looking for 10,000 volunteers. (Grokked from Mary Lou)
"Ozone levels above the Arctic reached a record low for March, NASA researchers report. An analysis of satellite observations show that ozone levels reached their lowest point on March 12 at 205 Dobson units."
"Federal scientists announced Thursday that 2020 has nearly a 75% chance of being the warmest year on record for the planet Earth… Already, through the first three months of the year, it's the second-warmest on record, trailing only the El Niño fueled year of 2016, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) said." We're boned.
"The total number of cases recorded in the city now stands at 50,333, with 3,869 deaths. The previous reported death toll for Wuhan was 2,579 -- so the revised figure marks a 50% increase in the number of deaths in the city from coronavirus." This is my shocked face. Also it's guess this is still a lower number than the actual infections and death toll.
"Even as President Donald Trump prepares to release his guidelines for how states can ease stay-at-home and social distancing restrictions, governors in California, New York and other states are starting to roll out their own ideas… Most of the scenarios focus on an easing of restrictions at the end of this month or in the first half of May. And the governors already are warning that a premature reboot could spell disaster without a clear sense of who is sick and where." We really need to have a robust testing scheme before that.
"Touting the federal government's response to the novel coronavirus, President Trump took something of a victory lap on Thursday, laying out guidelines for a phased 'reopening' of the country… The guidelines suggest that states with a 14-day 'downward trajectory' of cases can start to reopen by relaxing their levels of social distancing. But the guidance doesn't address other crucial targets that experts say states need to consider, such as widespread testing." At best coronavirus has hit its top in cities (note, if we've "flattened the curve" that means we will be here for a while), but it's just starting in the rural areas.
To all those who think Summer will magically make the coronavirus go away. "Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro has fired his health minister as the country grapples with the biggest outbreak of the coronavirus in Latin America… Bolsonaro said Luiz Henrique Mandetta was leaving by mutual consent, but his departure follows weeks of acrimony between the two men over how to respond to the crisis." Whispers, Brazil is just entering their Fall season, this has all happened while they've been having Summer weather. "'Life is priceless, but the economy and employment need to return to normality,' said Bolsonaro, at a press conference on Thursday, after Mandetta announced his dismissal on Twitter." Life is priceless, but have you ever tried the rush of snorting 30% profit margins?
"'Africans living in China now being forced to sleep outside in the cold,' reads the caption at the top. A narrator in the video states that "Africans have become subject of racial profiling" as 'Chinese nationals blame them for the rising number of (new) coronavirus cases in the country.'"
"Responding on Wednesday to a question about the U.S. accusations, Dr. Mike Ryan, executive director of the WHO's Health Emergencies Programme, said, 'In the first weeks of January, the WHO was very, very clear… We alerted the world on January the 5th,' Ryan said."
The rules aren't for the rich. "Senior White House adviser and President Donald Trump's eldest daughter Ivanka Trump is facing criticism for going to a family resort in New Jersey earlier this month despite White House guidelines against discretionary travel… The New York Times first reported Thursday that she traveled to Trump National Golf Club Bedminster in New Jersey with her husband, Jared Kushner and their three children to celebrate the first night of Passover, which was April 8."
"Protesters gathered in several state capitals this week to voice their opposition to stay-at-home orders issued to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus… Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky, Minnesota, North Carolina and Utah -- states led by both Republican and Democratic governors -- have all seen protests in recent days as people grow more concerned about the economic fallout of the coronavirus pandemic."
"'I am an optimist and am confident that Ohioans will also live up to the challenge of doing things differently as we open back up beginning on May 1,' (Ohio Gov. Mike) DeWine suggested during Thursday’s regular press conference."
We have always been at war with EastAsia. "The sense of disorientation that we all feel has been exacerbated by the avalanche of misinformation coming from the president of the United States, and it’s not likely to stop. Every time Donald Trump steps to the podium, it’s an assault on the memory. The timeline gets muddled, responsibility less clear. This, of course, is intentional… And the outline of the coming, perhaps biggest information battle of all, is starting to emerge: the death toll."
"President Donald Trump and some officials are flirting with a theory that coronavirus was set loose on the world by a Chinese lab that let it escape… Without presenting evidence, they are trying to blame China for sickness and death from COVID-19 in the United States." This has already been disproven.
"Emmanuel Macron has said that the European Union faces a 'moment of truth' as it reckons with the devastating financial fallout of the coronavirus pandemic, warning that 'the populists will win' and the bloc will splinter if is unable to unify in its response."
"The world’s second-richest man has reportedly become the No. 1 target of coronavirus conspiracy theorists… Theories linking Microsoft magnate Bill Gates to COVID-19 have exploded in recent months as right-wing conspiracists and anti-vaccine zealots accused him of using the virus to control the masses, the New York Times reported Friday."
"Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have kept a low profile since leaving their senior royal roles and relocating to Los Angeles… They've kept so quiet that they managed to sneak out and deliver meals to L.A. residents in need during the Covid-19 pandemic." They may not be "officially" royal, but that's a royal act.
"Procter & Gamble on Friday reported that its fiscal third-quarter U.S. sales surged 10% as consumers stocked up on staples like Charmin toilet paper and Bounty paper towels ahead of the coronavirus outbreak… But the consumer products giant cut its revenue forecast for fiscal 2020, citing headwinds from foreign currency."
"Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) was ready to blame everyone but Donald Trump for America’s coronavirus calamity during a Thursday morning appearance on The View. That included China, the World Health Organization and, most notably, Dr. Anthony Fauci."
"President Donald Trump is making false and exaggerated claims about House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s Feb. 24 trip to San Francisco’s Chinatown. Pelosi urged people to shop and eat there at a time when tourism was suffering because of the novel coronavirus, which originated in China late last year… We could find no record that the video was ever posted on Pelosi’s Twitter account."
Welcome back, my friends to the show that never ends. We're so glad you could attend. Come inside! Come inside! "Donald Trump’s daily 5 p.m. show — officially described on the White House schedule as a press briefing by Members of the Coronavirus Task Force — was scheduled to start. It is at this surreal moment in American politics the only news event that really matters. The entire country is sitting at home looking for expert guidance. On some days, we get it… But they quickly descended into Trumpian theater."
"Ozone levels above the Arctic reached a record low for March, NASA researchers report. An analysis of satellite observations show that ozone levels reached their lowest point on March 12 at 205 Dobson units."
"Federal scientists announced Thursday that 2020 has nearly a 75% chance of being the warmest year on record for the planet Earth… Already, through the first three months of the year, it's the second-warmest on record, trailing only the El Niño fueled year of 2016, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) said." We're boned.
"The total number of cases recorded in the city now stands at 50,333, with 3,869 deaths. The previous reported death toll for Wuhan was 2,579 -- so the revised figure marks a 50% increase in the number of deaths in the city from coronavirus." This is my shocked face. Also it's guess this is still a lower number than the actual infections and death toll.
"Even as President Donald Trump prepares to release his guidelines for how states can ease stay-at-home and social distancing restrictions, governors in California, New York and other states are starting to roll out their own ideas… Most of the scenarios focus on an easing of restrictions at the end of this month or in the first half of May. And the governors already are warning that a premature reboot could spell disaster without a clear sense of who is sick and where." We really need to have a robust testing scheme before that.
"Touting the federal government's response to the novel coronavirus, President Trump took something of a victory lap on Thursday, laying out guidelines for a phased 'reopening' of the country… The guidelines suggest that states with a 14-day 'downward trajectory' of cases can start to reopen by relaxing their levels of social distancing. But the guidance doesn't address other crucial targets that experts say states need to consider, such as widespread testing." At best coronavirus has hit its top in cities (note, if we've "flattened the curve" that means we will be here for a while), but it's just starting in the rural areas.
To all those who think Summer will magically make the coronavirus go away. "Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro has fired his health minister as the country grapples with the biggest outbreak of the coronavirus in Latin America… Bolsonaro said Luiz Henrique Mandetta was leaving by mutual consent, but his departure follows weeks of acrimony between the two men over how to respond to the crisis." Whispers, Brazil is just entering their Fall season, this has all happened while they've been having Summer weather. "'Life is priceless, but the economy and employment need to return to normality,' said Bolsonaro, at a press conference on Thursday, after Mandetta announced his dismissal on Twitter." Life is priceless, but have you ever tried the rush of snorting 30% profit margins?
"'Africans living in China now being forced to sleep outside in the cold,' reads the caption at the top. A narrator in the video states that "Africans have become subject of racial profiling" as 'Chinese nationals blame them for the rising number of (new) coronavirus cases in the country.'"
"Responding on Wednesday to a question about the U.S. accusations, Dr. Mike Ryan, executive director of the WHO's Health Emergencies Programme, said, 'In the first weeks of January, the WHO was very, very clear… We alerted the world on January the 5th,' Ryan said."
The rules aren't for the rich. "Senior White House adviser and President Donald Trump's eldest daughter Ivanka Trump is facing criticism for going to a family resort in New Jersey earlier this month despite White House guidelines against discretionary travel… The New York Times first reported Thursday that she traveled to Trump National Golf Club Bedminster in New Jersey with her husband, Jared Kushner and their three children to celebrate the first night of Passover, which was April 8."
"Protesters gathered in several state capitals this week to voice their opposition to stay-at-home orders issued to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus… Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky, Minnesota, North Carolina and Utah -- states led by both Republican and Democratic governors -- have all seen protests in recent days as people grow more concerned about the economic fallout of the coronavirus pandemic."
"'I am an optimist and am confident that Ohioans will also live up to the challenge of doing things differently as we open back up beginning on May 1,' (Ohio Gov. Mike) DeWine suggested during Thursday’s regular press conference."
We have always been at war with EastAsia. "The sense of disorientation that we all feel has been exacerbated by the avalanche of misinformation coming from the president of the United States, and it’s not likely to stop. Every time Donald Trump steps to the podium, it’s an assault on the memory. The timeline gets muddled, responsibility less clear. This, of course, is intentional… And the outline of the coming, perhaps biggest information battle of all, is starting to emerge: the death toll."
"President Donald Trump and some officials are flirting with a theory that coronavirus was set loose on the world by a Chinese lab that let it escape… Without presenting evidence, they are trying to blame China for sickness and death from COVID-19 in the United States." This has already been disproven.
"Emmanuel Macron has said that the European Union faces a 'moment of truth' as it reckons with the devastating financial fallout of the coronavirus pandemic, warning that 'the populists will win' and the bloc will splinter if is unable to unify in its response."
"The world’s second-richest man has reportedly become the No. 1 target of coronavirus conspiracy theorists… Theories linking Microsoft magnate Bill Gates to COVID-19 have exploded in recent months as right-wing conspiracists and anti-vaccine zealots accused him of using the virus to control the masses, the New York Times reported Friday."
"Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have kept a low profile since leaving their senior royal roles and relocating to Los Angeles… They've kept so quiet that they managed to sneak out and deliver meals to L.A. residents in need during the Covid-19 pandemic." They may not be "officially" royal, but that's a royal act.
"Procter & Gamble on Friday reported that its fiscal third-quarter U.S. sales surged 10% as consumers stocked up on staples like Charmin toilet paper and Bounty paper towels ahead of the coronavirus outbreak… But the consumer products giant cut its revenue forecast for fiscal 2020, citing headwinds from foreign currency."
"Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) was ready to blame everyone but Donald Trump for America’s coronavirus calamity during a Thursday morning appearance on The View. That included China, the World Health Organization and, most notably, Dr. Anthony Fauci."
"President Donald Trump is making false and exaggerated claims about House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s Feb. 24 trip to San Francisco’s Chinatown. Pelosi urged people to shop and eat there at a time when tourism was suffering because of the novel coronavirus, which originated in China late last year… We could find no record that the video was ever posted on Pelosi’s Twitter account."
Welcome back, my friends to the show that never ends. We're so glad you could attend. Come inside! Come inside! "Donald Trump’s daily 5 p.m. show — officially described on the White House schedule as a press briefing by Members of the Coronavirus Task Force — was scheduled to start. It is at this surreal moment in American politics the only news event that really matters. The entire country is sitting at home looking for expert guidance. On some days, we get it… But they quickly descended into Trumpian theater."
Thursday, April 16, 2020
Linkee-poo Thursday
"Here are some tips to help you know when to call your doctor and how to get the most out of your virtual visit…" Always be prepared, even for in-person doctor's appointments. Take notes with you, take notes during the appointment.
"To confirm Herashchenko’s claim (of safe radiation levels in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone), Ukraine’s Emergency Situations Service published a photo showing a firefighter holding a Geiger counter showing a reading of 0.14 microSieverts per hour (mSv/h) – indicating a radiation level considered safe or normal… The claim is misleading." Nuclear power, the gift that keeps on giving.
"Observations made with ESO's Very Large Telescope (VLT) have revealed for the first time that a star orbiting the supermassive black hole at the centre of the Milky Way moves just as predicted by Einstein's general theory of relativity. Its orbit is shaped like a rosette and not like an ellipse as predicted by Newton's theory of gravity. This long-sought-after result was made possible by increasingly precise measurements over nearly 30 years, which have enabled scientists to unlock the mysteries of the behemoth lurking at the heart of our galaxy."
"Stars, galaxies, planets, pretty much everything that makes up our everyday lives owes its existence to a cosmic quirk… The nature of this quirk, which allowed matter to dominate the Universe at the expense of antimatter, remains a mystery… Now, results from an experiment in Japan could help researchers solve the puzzle - one of the biggest in science."
"Europe's newest space telescope has begun ramping up its science operations… Cheops was launched in December to study and characterise planets outside our Solar System."
"A 99-year-old British World War II veteran has raised more than $9 million in donations for the U.K.'s National Health Service as it battles COVID-19… Tom Moore, who rose to the rank of army captain while serving in British-ruled India and Burma, set out to walk 100 laps of his back garden in Bedfordshire, around 50 miles northwest of London, before his 100th birthday on April 30." Stands and salutes.
"President Donald Trump said the U.S. has 'passed the peak' of the coronavirus outbreak, which has infected more than 632,000 people in America." Not yet, I'm afraid.
"Teaneck is the hardest hit town in the hardest hit county in the state and was an early epicenter for the outbreak. The rate of infection for the North Jersey suburb of 40,000 people is slightly higher than in New York City. Working the front lines is the all-volunteer, unpaid Teaneck EMT squad that for weeks has responded to an alarming number of calls."
"Despite all the personal and economic pain the coronavirus has caused, WHO officials say that in many places, it's too soon to get back to normal. And because any premature attempts to restart economies could trigger secondary peaks in COVID-19 cases, they warn that the process must be deliberate and widely coordinated… Any government that wants to start lifting restrictions, said Tedros of WHO, must first meet six conditions…" "You're not my real Dad," soon to be said by Trump, probably.
"US intelligence and national security officials say the United States government is looking into the possibility that the novel coronavirus originated in a Chinese laboratory rather than a market, according to multiple sources familiar with the matter who caution it is premature to draw any conclusions… The theory has been pushed by supporters of the President, including some congressional Republicans, who are eager to deflect criticisms of Trump's handling of the pandemic." Genetic analysis has already shown this to be false.
"Kroger, the largest U.S. grocery chain, has teamed up with the largest U.S. retail and food workers union in urging national and state officials to designate grocery employees as 'extended first responders' or 'emergency personnel.'… The goal is for grocery workers to get a higher priority for COVID-19 testing and access to safety gear like masks and gloves and other protections. Stores have struggled particularly to access a steady supply of masks, which are in shortage. Health workers and other first responders are also desperate to get them."
"As he unboxed a toaster-size device made by Abbott Laboratories at a Rose Garden press conference last month, President Donald Trump proclaimed that the company's rapid coronavirus test -- which takes minutes instead of days to return results -- would be 'a whole new ballgame' in expanding testing for the disease… The federal government duly distributed devices across the country last week -- but accompanied them with only enough test kits to test around 115 people in each state." The machine isn't very useful without the material needed to run the tests.
Remember me mentioning false-negatives? "Dozens of blood tests are rapidly coming on the market to identify people who have been exposed to the coronavirus by checking for antibodies against it… The Food and Drug Administration doesn't set standards for these kinds of tests, but even those that meet the government's informal standard may produce many false answers and provide false assurances. The imperfect results could be a big disappointment to people who are looking toward these tests to help them return to something resembling a normal life."
"A total of 141 people who had apparently recovered from Covid-19 have tested positive again, South Korea's Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) said on Thursday."
"It's a moment that people with disabilities have long feared: there's a shortage of life-saving equipment, like ventilators, and doctors say they may be forced to decide who lives and who dies… People with disabilities worry those judgments will reflect a prejudice that their lives hold less value." This is not an overstatement. Hell, patients who have difficulty hearing or speaking (and especially the deaf, or people who have been trached or are on a vent) are practically ignored by most healthcare workers. I've been told patients are "non-responsive", only to find you just need to take a little more time, speak clearly, or just let the patient read your lips. I've gotten comments from nurses when I talk to patients who are zoned out (either by drugs or their condition), but having experienced syncope myself (from dehydration), I'm always aware that the patient may be full conscious inside, able to receive input, but unable to respond. So I do the whole routine with them, introduce myself, tell them what I'm there to do, apologize for making them uncomfortable, and thank them at the end. But then, I also address the dead the same way. It's a matter of respect and honoring the patient as a person. Also, I just have to say it, doctors are not the brightest when it comes to a full appreciation of what patients' lives are like, or what patients must do (even for procedures in the hospital). I can't tell you how many times I've had to call a doctor with, "This patient has a suspected hip/femur fracture and you ordered a 2-view chest, that requires we sit the patient upright or roll them fully on their side…" Note, for almost any fracture, this is something you don't want to do, but especially if the fracture is somewhere that will have to bear the weight of the patient.
"Medical residents in New York City described their fears and hopes to NBC News and said they never imagined they would have to bear witness to so much death this early in their careers. As of Tuesday evening, there were more than 111,000 known coronavirus cases in the city, with more than 6,800 confirmed deaths." Time of your life, eh kid?
"A tip of a body in a shed led Andover Police to one of New Jersey's largest nursing homes Monday evening where they found 17 bodies in the facility's morgue, one of the responding officers told CNN."
"For the latest COVID-19 statistics, updated in near real time, millions of people around the world have been turning to an interactive, Web-based dashboard created by a small team at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore." And if you look at the dashboard (link in the article), it's a pretty damning indictment of the US response.
"'Some of the scientists and doctors say there could be other strains later on, this could come back in the fall in a limited way,' Conway said in an April 15 'Fox & Friends' interview. 'This is COVID-19, not COVID-1, folks. And so you would think that people charged with the World Health Organization facts and figures would be on top of that… People should know the facts,' she added." Yes they should, Kellyanne, especially when they represent the president. The stupid, it burns. It does appears as if someone in her office was able to correct her quickly before she did the next interview on Fox, and then she spent the day walking back and trying to explain that she meant something different.
Nero is fiddling. "President Donald Trump's make America open again campaign will deliver exactly what he wants Thursday -- a victory lap over the coronavirus pandemic that leaves the life and death decisions to others." Note the president has absolutely dick to say about reopening the economy (lifting stay-at-home orders). He actually could help restart the economy, but he and his advisors have no idea what to do because that's not their focus, and it would violate even more conservative ideology (hint, it's time for "infrastructure week" to become a reality).
"Millions of people received their stimulus payments from the federal government this week, but some are at risk of immediately losing the money if they owe credit card, medical, or private student loan debts… A loophole in the law could mean some of those who are most in need of the emergency aid don't get the money. About a third of Americans -- some 71 million adults -- have debt in collections and could be impacted, according to the National Consumer Law Center." This is one way to not restart the economy.
"The Treasury Department and the Internal Revenue Service launched the 'Get My Payment' web application allowing people to track their payout, which was hit with early glitches at the time of launch… Around 80 million people were to receive the deposit this week, the Treasury Department said on Monday. But Wednesday, many people expressed concern and worry when the government website said the cash, up to $1,200 per person, was sent to a bank account that didn't seem to belong to them." Also not helping.
"County leaders across the country are asking the federal government for more emergency aid money as they watch tax revenues sink because of the coronavirus shutdown."
"Three weeks into Ohio’s stay-at-home order, Gov. Mike DeWine is facing increasing pressure to restart some nonessential work around the state, especially in areas with few confirmed cases of the coronavirus… Republicans from rural Ohio who are worried about an economic collapse and owners of small businesses who fear losing their life investments are calling on DeWine to relax social distancing restrictions that brought many workplaces to a standstill." Look at the morons. I would say, let them all get the Covids, if I weren't completely sure that they would infect others, including us healthcare workers, because of their stupidity. For some reason, those people jammed against the windows of the Ohio Statehouse remind me of every patient that refuses to wear a mask, or sets the mask below their nose. It's the same obstinance, ignorance, and libertarian "freedom for me" assholiness on their faces. And here in Ohio, the only businesses really closed are the service industries like bars and restaurants. Almost everyone else qualifies as "essential." So mostly I see these people mad that they can't get their beer after 8pm. But I may be jaded to the "wisdom of the rural folks." (Grokked from Tobias Buckell)
"Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's decision to toughen rather than relax what already was one of the nation's strictest stay-home orders in response to the coronavirus is hitting opposition in her home state, where Republicans who backed her moves initially are now ratcheting up their criticism… GOP legislators are upset because she did not align Michigan with a federal agency's revised list of critical infrastructure, which would have allowed more people to return to work. The list is advisory and not a directive, but House Speaker Lee Chatfield says the state should transition to asking which activities are safe or unsafe rather than essential vs. nonessential."
"'I'm hopeful that he doesn't follow through on (defunding WHO) because we need their support. This is a global problem. They are the institution that, you know, brings nations together and make sure that, you know, that were sharing best practices between all of those countries,' said (Bill) Gates, who spoke to Muir along with wife Melinda Gates on Wednesday."
"Another 5.2 million workers filed for their first week of unemployment benefits last week, according to the US Department of Labor, bringing the total number of Americans who have filed initial jobless claims to around 22 million, or roughly 13.5% of the labor force, since March 14." They're now predicting a "second wave" as people begin to realize just how deep this recession is going to be.
It's a Fox Business story, but… "China, where the coronavirus pandemic started in December, is cautiously trying to get back to business, but it's not easy when many millions of workers are wary of spending much or even going out."
So how's that OPEC+ agreement stabilizing the world oil market? "The global oil industry is about to test just how much crude oil it can transport and store, according to an intergovernmental agency, as disappearing oil demand creates an unprecedented glut of crude oil… The imbalance is keeping prices extraordinarily low. The price of West Texas Intermediate, a benchmark for American crude, has plunged to below $20 from around $60 per barrel at the start of the year." The good news is it looks like OPEC and Russia picked the exact wrong time to try this stunt. The bad news is it still doesn't look good for domestic production. The really bad news is all that oil stored above ground, in newly purposed caverns, and in ships on the sea are all ripe for massive spills.
"Retail spending is in a free fall — nosediving a record 8.7% last month — as more companies continue to furlough workers as stores, malls and restaurants remain shuttered across the country during the coronavirus pandemic." Whispers, consumer spending is 70% of our economy. And if the government continues to allow banks to garnish the "relief" checks coming in to people's accounts, consider that a double-tap to the economy.
Never let a crisis go to waste. "'For those earning $1 million annually, a tax break buried in the recent coronavirus relief legislation is so generous that its total cost is more than total new funding for all hospitals in America and more than the total provided to all state and local governments,' said Doggett. 'Someone wrongly seized on this health emergency to reward ultrarich beneficiaries, likely including the Trump family, with a tax loophole not available to middle class families. This net operating loss loophole is a loser that should be repealed.'" (Grokked form Cat Rambo, I think)
"U.S. Secretary of Defense Mark Esper indicated Thursday that it's possible Navy Capt. Brett Crozier, who was relieved of his command of the USS Theodore Roosevelt after raising concerns about a coronavirus outbreak, could be reinstated." If another captain has been appointed to the ship, you don't reinstate command. Only if Capt. Crozier's second in command has been temporarily in charge could you bring him back to the ship. The department of the Navy should do a mea culpa, apologize to the crew, formally apologize to give Capt. Crozier, remove the dismissal from his record (or add a letter of reinstatement) and make sure he has full benefits and retirement at his pay grade.
"The story of one Bloomberg reporter and his wife showcases the widespread use of such legal restraints (NDAs) at the company… Six years ago, Bloomberg News killed an investigation into the wealth of Communist Party elites in China, fearful of repercussions by the Chinese government. The company successfully silenced the reporters involved. And it sought to keep the spouse of one of the reporters quiet, too." The rich and powerful will always cover for the other rich and powerful, unless they see an angle they can use to profit from it. And they will go whichever way there is the potential for more profit.
"Thousands have taken to social media the last few days in support of the U.S. Postal Service. With the agency in financial trouble during the coronavirus crisis, Twitter users are urging others to buy stamps as a lifeline for the beleaguered agency." The president has already hurt the USPS by driving Amazon away from their service. And now conservatives hope to finish the job of killing the USPS. Probably for no other reason that the USPS is a successful and popular government entity. And the USPS would not be in this situation if they weren't required by law to fully fund the retirement of postal workers who haven't even been born yet (and they've been doing this since the 90s). Also, the USPS has a very strong union.
"Last week's Wisconsin election was extraordinary for a number of reasons… When results were finally reported on April 13, former Vice President Joe Biden won the state's Democratic presidential primary, and a judge backed by Democrats was elected to a 10-year term on the Wisconsin's Supreme Court." Thank you, Wisconsin, for resisting and fighting back against overwhelming attempts to suppress voter turn out in "liberal" areas of the state. And to everyone else, make sure your registration is up to date, and look into requesting an absentee ballot for the Fall. Request it early.
"President Donald Trump on Wednesday threatened to do what no American president before him has done: Unilaterally adjourn Congress so that he can appoint his nominees to senior positions and the federal bench without Senate approval… But according to legal scholars, the president only has the authority to adjourn Congress if — and only if — the House and the Senate disagree with one another over when to adjourn. Currently, there is no such disagreement." Or, you know, the president could actually do his job and formally nominate people that would be run through the Republican controlled Senate. But that would be actual work, and the president and his administration are opposed to doing actual work. But the Reichstag won't burn itself down, you know.
"To confirm Herashchenko’s claim (of safe radiation levels in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone), Ukraine’s Emergency Situations Service published a photo showing a firefighter holding a Geiger counter showing a reading of 0.14 microSieverts per hour (mSv/h) – indicating a radiation level considered safe or normal… The claim is misleading." Nuclear power, the gift that keeps on giving.
"Observations made with ESO's Very Large Telescope (VLT) have revealed for the first time that a star orbiting the supermassive black hole at the centre of the Milky Way moves just as predicted by Einstein's general theory of relativity. Its orbit is shaped like a rosette and not like an ellipse as predicted by Newton's theory of gravity. This long-sought-after result was made possible by increasingly precise measurements over nearly 30 years, which have enabled scientists to unlock the mysteries of the behemoth lurking at the heart of our galaxy."
"Stars, galaxies, planets, pretty much everything that makes up our everyday lives owes its existence to a cosmic quirk… The nature of this quirk, which allowed matter to dominate the Universe at the expense of antimatter, remains a mystery… Now, results from an experiment in Japan could help researchers solve the puzzle - one of the biggest in science."
"Europe's newest space telescope has begun ramping up its science operations… Cheops was launched in December to study and characterise planets outside our Solar System."
"A 99-year-old British World War II veteran has raised more than $9 million in donations for the U.K.'s National Health Service as it battles COVID-19… Tom Moore, who rose to the rank of army captain while serving in British-ruled India and Burma, set out to walk 100 laps of his back garden in Bedfordshire, around 50 miles northwest of London, before his 100th birthday on April 30." Stands and salutes.
"President Donald Trump said the U.S. has 'passed the peak' of the coronavirus outbreak, which has infected more than 632,000 people in America." Not yet, I'm afraid.
"Teaneck is the hardest hit town in the hardest hit county in the state and was an early epicenter for the outbreak. The rate of infection for the North Jersey suburb of 40,000 people is slightly higher than in New York City. Working the front lines is the all-volunteer, unpaid Teaneck EMT squad that for weeks has responded to an alarming number of calls."
"Despite all the personal and economic pain the coronavirus has caused, WHO officials say that in many places, it's too soon to get back to normal. And because any premature attempts to restart economies could trigger secondary peaks in COVID-19 cases, they warn that the process must be deliberate and widely coordinated… Any government that wants to start lifting restrictions, said Tedros of WHO, must first meet six conditions…" "You're not my real Dad," soon to be said by Trump, probably.
"US intelligence and national security officials say the United States government is looking into the possibility that the novel coronavirus originated in a Chinese laboratory rather than a market, according to multiple sources familiar with the matter who caution it is premature to draw any conclusions… The theory has been pushed by supporters of the President, including some congressional Republicans, who are eager to deflect criticisms of Trump's handling of the pandemic." Genetic analysis has already shown this to be false.
"Kroger, the largest U.S. grocery chain, has teamed up with the largest U.S. retail and food workers union in urging national and state officials to designate grocery employees as 'extended first responders' or 'emergency personnel.'… The goal is for grocery workers to get a higher priority for COVID-19 testing and access to safety gear like masks and gloves and other protections. Stores have struggled particularly to access a steady supply of masks, which are in shortage. Health workers and other first responders are also desperate to get them."
"As he unboxed a toaster-size device made by Abbott Laboratories at a Rose Garden press conference last month, President Donald Trump proclaimed that the company's rapid coronavirus test -- which takes minutes instead of days to return results -- would be 'a whole new ballgame' in expanding testing for the disease… The federal government duly distributed devices across the country last week -- but accompanied them with only enough test kits to test around 115 people in each state." The machine isn't very useful without the material needed to run the tests.
Remember me mentioning false-negatives? "Dozens of blood tests are rapidly coming on the market to identify people who have been exposed to the coronavirus by checking for antibodies against it… The Food and Drug Administration doesn't set standards for these kinds of tests, but even those that meet the government's informal standard may produce many false answers and provide false assurances. The imperfect results could be a big disappointment to people who are looking toward these tests to help them return to something resembling a normal life."
"A total of 141 people who had apparently recovered from Covid-19 have tested positive again, South Korea's Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) said on Thursday."
"It's a moment that people with disabilities have long feared: there's a shortage of life-saving equipment, like ventilators, and doctors say they may be forced to decide who lives and who dies… People with disabilities worry those judgments will reflect a prejudice that their lives hold less value." This is not an overstatement. Hell, patients who have difficulty hearing or speaking (and especially the deaf, or people who have been trached or are on a vent) are practically ignored by most healthcare workers. I've been told patients are "non-responsive", only to find you just need to take a little more time, speak clearly, or just let the patient read your lips. I've gotten comments from nurses when I talk to patients who are zoned out (either by drugs or their condition), but having experienced syncope myself (from dehydration), I'm always aware that the patient may be full conscious inside, able to receive input, but unable to respond. So I do the whole routine with them, introduce myself, tell them what I'm there to do, apologize for making them uncomfortable, and thank them at the end. But then, I also address the dead the same way. It's a matter of respect and honoring the patient as a person. Also, I just have to say it, doctors are not the brightest when it comes to a full appreciation of what patients' lives are like, or what patients must do (even for procedures in the hospital). I can't tell you how many times I've had to call a doctor with, "This patient has a suspected hip/femur fracture and you ordered a 2-view chest, that requires we sit the patient upright or roll them fully on their side…" Note, for almost any fracture, this is something you don't want to do, but especially if the fracture is somewhere that will have to bear the weight of the patient.
"Medical residents in New York City described their fears and hopes to NBC News and said they never imagined they would have to bear witness to so much death this early in their careers. As of Tuesday evening, there were more than 111,000 known coronavirus cases in the city, with more than 6,800 confirmed deaths." Time of your life, eh kid?
"A tip of a body in a shed led Andover Police to one of New Jersey's largest nursing homes Monday evening where they found 17 bodies in the facility's morgue, one of the responding officers told CNN."
"For the latest COVID-19 statistics, updated in near real time, millions of people around the world have been turning to an interactive, Web-based dashboard created by a small team at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore." And if you look at the dashboard (link in the article), it's a pretty damning indictment of the US response.
"'Some of the scientists and doctors say there could be other strains later on, this could come back in the fall in a limited way,' Conway said in an April 15 'Fox & Friends' interview. 'This is COVID-19, not COVID-1, folks. And so you would think that people charged with the World Health Organization facts and figures would be on top of that… People should know the facts,' she added." Yes they should, Kellyanne, especially when they represent the president. The stupid, it burns. It does appears as if someone in her office was able to correct her quickly before she did the next interview on Fox, and then she spent the day walking back and trying to explain that she meant something different.
Nero is fiddling. "President Donald Trump's make America open again campaign will deliver exactly what he wants Thursday -- a victory lap over the coronavirus pandemic that leaves the life and death decisions to others." Note the president has absolutely dick to say about reopening the economy (lifting stay-at-home orders). He actually could help restart the economy, but he and his advisors have no idea what to do because that's not their focus, and it would violate even more conservative ideology (hint, it's time for "infrastructure week" to become a reality).
"Millions of people received their stimulus payments from the federal government this week, but some are at risk of immediately losing the money if they owe credit card, medical, or private student loan debts… A loophole in the law could mean some of those who are most in need of the emergency aid don't get the money. About a third of Americans -- some 71 million adults -- have debt in collections and could be impacted, according to the National Consumer Law Center." This is one way to not restart the economy.
"The Treasury Department and the Internal Revenue Service launched the 'Get My Payment' web application allowing people to track their payout, which was hit with early glitches at the time of launch… Around 80 million people were to receive the deposit this week, the Treasury Department said on Monday. But Wednesday, many people expressed concern and worry when the government website said the cash, up to $1,200 per person, was sent to a bank account that didn't seem to belong to them." Also not helping.
"County leaders across the country are asking the federal government for more emergency aid money as they watch tax revenues sink because of the coronavirus shutdown."
"Three weeks into Ohio’s stay-at-home order, Gov. Mike DeWine is facing increasing pressure to restart some nonessential work around the state, especially in areas with few confirmed cases of the coronavirus… Republicans from rural Ohio who are worried about an economic collapse and owners of small businesses who fear losing their life investments are calling on DeWine to relax social distancing restrictions that brought many workplaces to a standstill." Look at the morons. I would say, let them all get the Covids, if I weren't completely sure that they would infect others, including us healthcare workers, because of their stupidity. For some reason, those people jammed against the windows of the Ohio Statehouse remind me of every patient that refuses to wear a mask, or sets the mask below their nose. It's the same obstinance, ignorance, and libertarian "freedom for me" assholiness on their faces. And here in Ohio, the only businesses really closed are the service industries like bars and restaurants. Almost everyone else qualifies as "essential." So mostly I see these people mad that they can't get their beer after 8pm. But I may be jaded to the "wisdom of the rural folks." (Grokked from Tobias Buckell)
"Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's decision to toughen rather than relax what already was one of the nation's strictest stay-home orders in response to the coronavirus is hitting opposition in her home state, where Republicans who backed her moves initially are now ratcheting up their criticism… GOP legislators are upset because she did not align Michigan with a federal agency's revised list of critical infrastructure, which would have allowed more people to return to work. The list is advisory and not a directive, but House Speaker Lee Chatfield says the state should transition to asking which activities are safe or unsafe rather than essential vs. nonessential."
"'I'm hopeful that he doesn't follow through on (defunding WHO) because we need their support. This is a global problem. They are the institution that, you know, brings nations together and make sure that, you know, that were sharing best practices between all of those countries,' said (Bill) Gates, who spoke to Muir along with wife Melinda Gates on Wednesday."
"Another 5.2 million workers filed for their first week of unemployment benefits last week, according to the US Department of Labor, bringing the total number of Americans who have filed initial jobless claims to around 22 million, or roughly 13.5% of the labor force, since March 14." They're now predicting a "second wave" as people begin to realize just how deep this recession is going to be.
It's a Fox Business story, but… "China, where the coronavirus pandemic started in December, is cautiously trying to get back to business, but it's not easy when many millions of workers are wary of spending much or even going out."
So how's that OPEC+ agreement stabilizing the world oil market? "The global oil industry is about to test just how much crude oil it can transport and store, according to an intergovernmental agency, as disappearing oil demand creates an unprecedented glut of crude oil… The imbalance is keeping prices extraordinarily low. The price of West Texas Intermediate, a benchmark for American crude, has plunged to below $20 from around $60 per barrel at the start of the year." The good news is it looks like OPEC and Russia picked the exact wrong time to try this stunt. The bad news is it still doesn't look good for domestic production. The really bad news is all that oil stored above ground, in newly purposed caverns, and in ships on the sea are all ripe for massive spills.
"Retail spending is in a free fall — nosediving a record 8.7% last month — as more companies continue to furlough workers as stores, malls and restaurants remain shuttered across the country during the coronavirus pandemic." Whispers, consumer spending is 70% of our economy. And if the government continues to allow banks to garnish the "relief" checks coming in to people's accounts, consider that a double-tap to the economy.
Never let a crisis go to waste. "'For those earning $1 million annually, a tax break buried in the recent coronavirus relief legislation is so generous that its total cost is more than total new funding for all hospitals in America and more than the total provided to all state and local governments,' said Doggett. 'Someone wrongly seized on this health emergency to reward ultrarich beneficiaries, likely including the Trump family, with a tax loophole not available to middle class families. This net operating loss loophole is a loser that should be repealed.'" (Grokked form Cat Rambo, I think)
"U.S. Secretary of Defense Mark Esper indicated Thursday that it's possible Navy Capt. Brett Crozier, who was relieved of his command of the USS Theodore Roosevelt after raising concerns about a coronavirus outbreak, could be reinstated." If another captain has been appointed to the ship, you don't reinstate command. Only if Capt. Crozier's second in command has been temporarily in charge could you bring him back to the ship. The department of the Navy should do a mea culpa, apologize to the crew, formally apologize to give Capt. Crozier, remove the dismissal from his record (or add a letter of reinstatement) and make sure he has full benefits and retirement at his pay grade.
"The story of one Bloomberg reporter and his wife showcases the widespread use of such legal restraints (NDAs) at the company… Six years ago, Bloomberg News killed an investigation into the wealth of Communist Party elites in China, fearful of repercussions by the Chinese government. The company successfully silenced the reporters involved. And it sought to keep the spouse of one of the reporters quiet, too." The rich and powerful will always cover for the other rich and powerful, unless they see an angle they can use to profit from it. And they will go whichever way there is the potential for more profit.
"Thousands have taken to social media the last few days in support of the U.S. Postal Service. With the agency in financial trouble during the coronavirus crisis, Twitter users are urging others to buy stamps as a lifeline for the beleaguered agency." The president has already hurt the USPS by driving Amazon away from their service. And now conservatives hope to finish the job of killing the USPS. Probably for no other reason that the USPS is a successful and popular government entity. And the USPS would not be in this situation if they weren't required by law to fully fund the retirement of postal workers who haven't even been born yet (and they've been doing this since the 90s). Also, the USPS has a very strong union.
"Last week's Wisconsin election was extraordinary for a number of reasons… When results were finally reported on April 13, former Vice President Joe Biden won the state's Democratic presidential primary, and a judge backed by Democrats was elected to a 10-year term on the Wisconsin's Supreme Court." Thank you, Wisconsin, for resisting and fighting back against overwhelming attempts to suppress voter turn out in "liberal" areas of the state. And to everyone else, make sure your registration is up to date, and look into requesting an absentee ballot for the Fall. Request it early.
"President Donald Trump on Wednesday threatened to do what no American president before him has done: Unilaterally adjourn Congress so that he can appoint his nominees to senior positions and the federal bench without Senate approval… But according to legal scholars, the president only has the authority to adjourn Congress if — and only if — the House and the Senate disagree with one another over when to adjourn. Currently, there is no such disagreement." Or, you know, the president could actually do his job and formally nominate people that would be run through the Republican controlled Senate. But that would be actual work, and the president and his administration are opposed to doing actual work. But the Reichstag won't burn itself down, you know.
Wednesday, April 15, 2020
Linkee-poo Wednesday
"Snowy, slick conditions led to a massive multi-vehicle crash on the Kennedy Expressway (in Chicago) Wednesday morning."
"More than 2 million coronavirus cases have been reported globally, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. The United States accounts for about 30% of those cases, with more than 600,000 nationwide."
"President Donald Trump's decision to withhold funding to the World Health Organization pending a review of its handling of the coronavirus pandemic is 'as dangerous as it sounds,' Bill Gates said Wednesday." I didn't need a "smart" person to tell me that. We all get that the president is trying to deflect criticism of his ignoring the problem until too late, and is willing to throw the entire world under the bus to try and burnish his image.
"The virus has since swept from one nursing home to another across the country, leaping between patients and staff. Carers at the Ambassador nursing and rehabilitation center in Detroit, home to about 150 long-term elderly residents, were disturbed as the symptoms spread… 'We didn’t have any protective gear,' a nursing assistant, who did not wish to be publicly identified out of concern over losing her job, told the Guardian. 'We had residents with symptoms and nothing to protect ourselves with … The management didn’t seem like they really cared.'" Diseases like the seasonal flu burn through nursing homes (and daycare centers) like wild fire, and until now that seemed to be an expected cost of doing business.
"California is in the 'optimistic phase' of the outbreak where they move from the surge phase to the suppression phase, Newsom said during a briefing on Tuesday. Officials have been mulling over how to ease restrictions for weeks, according to Newsom, and the announcement pulled back the curtain, making the private conversations public." Uh huh. Sure. Yeah, I think we're still heading through the "surge" phase, but whatever.
"Over the past few days, I’ve been reading the major plans for what comes after social distancing. You can read them, too. There’s one from the right-leaning American Enterprise Institute, the left-leaning Center for American Progress, Harvard University’s Safra Center for Ethics, and Nobel Prize-winning economist Paul Romer… I thought, perhaps naively, that reading them would be a comfort — at least then I’d be able to imagine the path back to normal. But it wasn’t. In different ways, all these plans say the same thing: Even if you can imagine the herculean political, social, and economic changes necessary to manage our way through this crisis effectively, there is no normal for the foreseeable future." Here's the thing, any plan to collect movement and contact data is a fucking marketing gold mine. Even if whatever organization is trustworthy enough to collect and not share it, the data pile is a huge honey pot. Every commercial hacker worth their salt will be trying to get it (and we might see corporate sponsored black-hat hacking come into the open). I'll also point out the line, "… even if the test has a high false-negative rate…" because it's becoming apparent that the current US testing does produce a number of false-negatives (currently blamed on "testing too early", but after a patient has symptoms).
"At least 5,400 nurses, doctors, and other health care workers responding to the coronavirus outbreak in the United States have been infected by the disease, and dozens have died, according to a BuzzFeed News review of data reported by every state and Washington, DC. However, the true number is undoubtedly much higher, due to inconsistent testing and tracking." Our current policy at the hospital is if you start showing symptoms, you are to self-quarantine at home, and use more precautions with patients. You will not be tested, however. That may change now that we have in-house testing (just this week), but I haven't read that update in the daily policy/procedure updates. I will also point out there are huge differences between hospitals on the use of PPE. Also note for the states that do at least some reporting breaking out healthcare workers our infection rate is running between 10-25% of all cases in the state.
"Speaking Tuesday in the Rose Garden of the White House, President Donald Trump denied making a comment he did make. He criticized the World Health Organization for the same thing he has done before. He wrongly suggested he was the only national leader to impose travel restrictions on China. He claimed he was 'authorizing' governors to lift coronavirus restrictions even though this power always belonged to governors. He falsely claimed, again, that 'nobody ever thought' there would be a crisis like this. And he repeated some of his favorite false claims about his tariffs on China." Fact checking, once thought to be the dry ground of intellectuals is now the daily fodder for reporting. And reporters are finally gaining memory to push-back in real time.
"While President Donald Trump commands the spotlight at White House coronavirus briefings – sometimes overshadowing and contradicting federal experts – America's governors often take a different tact, letting state epidemiologists and public health officials lead the way." Well, most state governors aren't as much of a narcissist as the president. Also, they're closer to the ground, as it were. They are also mostly politicians and know if they don't deliver, they will be out of office. Unless you're in Florida. Also, the presidential presser isn't actually meant to be informational, but instead is both a stand-in for the president's political rallies and his ego needs inflating as well as being a venue to show his supporters how tough he is with "the media."
"UnitedHealth, the largest U.S. health insurer, on Wednesday beat quarterly profit expectations, boosted by strength across its businesses, and maintained its 2020 outlook while it continues to assess the impact of COVID-19." Don't worry, that cost will come due soon enough.
"Bank of America said Wednesday that first-quarter profit slumped 45% as the company set aside $3.6 billion for loan-loss reserves because of the coronavirus pandemic."
"We could call this fading era, 'The Time of the Unicorn.' Unicorns were not just a number, they represented a kind of dream of a mythical startup investment that could make an early investor rich forever. Unicorns, as many pointed out, were getting suspiciously common." I know it seems impossible to the younger crowd, but history is littered with broken dreams of better technology, better services, fantastic products, all of which don't even survive memory. But don't worry, "The big money will be okay."
"South Korea has been holding an election unlike any other… Voters wore masks and stood at least 1m apart. They had their temperature taken, disinfected their hands and wore plastic gloves… Only then were they given their voting slip and allowed to head into the booth to cast their ballot."
"The U.S. government has started sending coronavirus stimulus payments to millions of Americans… Many people, however, are already griping that they had not yet seen their payments." Many rich people are griping they haven't gotten it yet. Actually I've heard more griping about the Payroll Protection loans way more. But you know those poors, it's never good enough. But the article reminds you to make sure your bank account information and address are updated/correct, and points to the website where you can apply if you normally don't submit a tax return (mostly senior citizens and students).
Why government needs "fixing". After nearly 4 decades of conservative ideology, most government infrastructure is showing it's age. Like many state's unemployment systems. "States have been starved of funding they need for running their unemployment insurance systems, money that under the 1935 Social Security Act is supposed to come from the federal government. According to a 2017 presentation by the National Association of State Workforce Agencies, the federal funding available for state unemployment insurance agencies to upgrade their technology, pay workers, and cover other administrative expenses has been falling steadily for the past 25 years, dipping roughly 30 percent below mid-1990s levels." You may remember the attempt to upgrade the IRS that failed because the current computers used were unable to interface with new technology and it was "too expensive" to rebuild from the ground up. Note it's not getting any cheaper the longer we wait. Also, please note, this is not for government not knowing the problems, it's because most of them either don't have the courage to do what is necessary, or the political ideology is driving the demand that government is to remain broken.
"Dozens of Facebook pages run by residents and emigres from the Balkan nation of Kosovo have been pushing inauthentic, and at times inflammatory, “blue lives matter” and other American-themed content, a months-long Snopes investigation has found. The pages, some of which have existed since 2014, have grown an audience of more than 2 million followers, primarily Americans, using pro-police and pro-military content, as well as nostalgic memes and illegitimate giveaways."
"More than 2 million coronavirus cases have been reported globally, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. The United States accounts for about 30% of those cases, with more than 600,000 nationwide."
"President Donald Trump's decision to withhold funding to the World Health Organization pending a review of its handling of the coronavirus pandemic is 'as dangerous as it sounds,' Bill Gates said Wednesday." I didn't need a "smart" person to tell me that. We all get that the president is trying to deflect criticism of his ignoring the problem until too late, and is willing to throw the entire world under the bus to try and burnish his image.
"The virus has since swept from one nursing home to another across the country, leaping between patients and staff. Carers at the Ambassador nursing and rehabilitation center in Detroit, home to about 150 long-term elderly residents, were disturbed as the symptoms spread… 'We didn’t have any protective gear,' a nursing assistant, who did not wish to be publicly identified out of concern over losing her job, told the Guardian. 'We had residents with symptoms and nothing to protect ourselves with … The management didn’t seem like they really cared.'" Diseases like the seasonal flu burn through nursing homes (and daycare centers) like wild fire, and until now that seemed to be an expected cost of doing business.
"California is in the 'optimistic phase' of the outbreak where they move from the surge phase to the suppression phase, Newsom said during a briefing on Tuesday. Officials have been mulling over how to ease restrictions for weeks, according to Newsom, and the announcement pulled back the curtain, making the private conversations public." Uh huh. Sure. Yeah, I think we're still heading through the "surge" phase, but whatever.
"Over the past few days, I’ve been reading the major plans for what comes after social distancing. You can read them, too. There’s one from the right-leaning American Enterprise Institute, the left-leaning Center for American Progress, Harvard University’s Safra Center for Ethics, and Nobel Prize-winning economist Paul Romer… I thought, perhaps naively, that reading them would be a comfort — at least then I’d be able to imagine the path back to normal. But it wasn’t. In different ways, all these plans say the same thing: Even if you can imagine the herculean political, social, and economic changes necessary to manage our way through this crisis effectively, there is no normal for the foreseeable future." Here's the thing, any plan to collect movement and contact data is a fucking marketing gold mine. Even if whatever organization is trustworthy enough to collect and not share it, the data pile is a huge honey pot. Every commercial hacker worth their salt will be trying to get it (and we might see corporate sponsored black-hat hacking come into the open). I'll also point out the line, "… even if the test has a high false-negative rate…" because it's becoming apparent that the current US testing does produce a number of false-negatives (currently blamed on "testing too early", but after a patient has symptoms).
"At least 5,400 nurses, doctors, and other health care workers responding to the coronavirus outbreak in the United States have been infected by the disease, and dozens have died, according to a BuzzFeed News review of data reported by every state and Washington, DC. However, the true number is undoubtedly much higher, due to inconsistent testing and tracking." Our current policy at the hospital is if you start showing symptoms, you are to self-quarantine at home, and use more precautions with patients. You will not be tested, however. That may change now that we have in-house testing (just this week), but I haven't read that update in the daily policy/procedure updates. I will also point out there are huge differences between hospitals on the use of PPE. Also note for the states that do at least some reporting breaking out healthcare workers our infection rate is running between 10-25% of all cases in the state.
"Speaking Tuesday in the Rose Garden of the White House, President Donald Trump denied making a comment he did make. He criticized the World Health Organization for the same thing he has done before. He wrongly suggested he was the only national leader to impose travel restrictions on China. He claimed he was 'authorizing' governors to lift coronavirus restrictions even though this power always belonged to governors. He falsely claimed, again, that 'nobody ever thought' there would be a crisis like this. And he repeated some of his favorite false claims about his tariffs on China." Fact checking, once thought to be the dry ground of intellectuals is now the daily fodder for reporting. And reporters are finally gaining memory to push-back in real time.
"While President Donald Trump commands the spotlight at White House coronavirus briefings – sometimes overshadowing and contradicting federal experts – America's governors often take a different tact, letting state epidemiologists and public health officials lead the way." Well, most state governors aren't as much of a narcissist as the president. Also, they're closer to the ground, as it were. They are also mostly politicians and know if they don't deliver, they will be out of office. Unless you're in Florida. Also, the presidential presser isn't actually meant to be informational, but instead is both a stand-in for the president's political rallies and his ego needs inflating as well as being a venue to show his supporters how tough he is with "the media."
"UnitedHealth, the largest U.S. health insurer, on Wednesday beat quarterly profit expectations, boosted by strength across its businesses, and maintained its 2020 outlook while it continues to assess the impact of COVID-19." Don't worry, that cost will come due soon enough.
"Bank of America said Wednesday that first-quarter profit slumped 45% as the company set aside $3.6 billion for loan-loss reserves because of the coronavirus pandemic."
"We could call this fading era, 'The Time of the Unicorn.' Unicorns were not just a number, they represented a kind of dream of a mythical startup investment that could make an early investor rich forever. Unicorns, as many pointed out, were getting suspiciously common." I know it seems impossible to the younger crowd, but history is littered with broken dreams of better technology, better services, fantastic products, all of which don't even survive memory. But don't worry, "The big money will be okay."
"South Korea has been holding an election unlike any other… Voters wore masks and stood at least 1m apart. They had their temperature taken, disinfected their hands and wore plastic gloves… Only then were they given their voting slip and allowed to head into the booth to cast their ballot."
"The U.S. government has started sending coronavirus stimulus payments to millions of Americans… Many people, however, are already griping that they had not yet seen their payments." Many rich people are griping they haven't gotten it yet. Actually I've heard more griping about the Payroll Protection loans way more. But you know those poors, it's never good enough. But the article reminds you to make sure your bank account information and address are updated/correct, and points to the website where you can apply if you normally don't submit a tax return (mostly senior citizens and students).
Why government needs "fixing". After nearly 4 decades of conservative ideology, most government infrastructure is showing it's age. Like many state's unemployment systems. "States have been starved of funding they need for running their unemployment insurance systems, money that under the 1935 Social Security Act is supposed to come from the federal government. According to a 2017 presentation by the National Association of State Workforce Agencies, the federal funding available for state unemployment insurance agencies to upgrade their technology, pay workers, and cover other administrative expenses has been falling steadily for the past 25 years, dipping roughly 30 percent below mid-1990s levels." You may remember the attempt to upgrade the IRS that failed because the current computers used were unable to interface with new technology and it was "too expensive" to rebuild from the ground up. Note it's not getting any cheaper the longer we wait. Also, please note, this is not for government not knowing the problems, it's because most of them either don't have the courage to do what is necessary, or the political ideology is driving the demand that government is to remain broken.
"Dozens of Facebook pages run by residents and emigres from the Balkan nation of Kosovo have been pushing inauthentic, and at times inflammatory, “blue lives matter” and other American-themed content, a months-long Snopes investigation has found. The pages, some of which have existed since 2014, have grown an audience of more than 2 million followers, primarily Americans, using pro-police and pro-military content, as well as nostalgic memes and illegitimate giveaways."
Tuesday, April 14, 2020
Linkee-poo Tuesday
"A piece of 50,000-year-old string - the oldest yet discovered - found in a cave in France has cast further doubt on the idea that Neanderthals were cognitively inferior to modern humans." Of course they weren't cognitively inferior. But, there's no evidence they could play Cat's Cradle, so we've still got them there.
"A mammoth star explosion known as SN2016aps, which occurred in a galaxy about 3.6 billion light-years from Earth, is the brightest supernova ever seen, a new study reports."
"While there have yet to be robust studies on the link between coronavirus and smell, doctors have reported anecdotally that losing the ability to smell may be among the virus's symptoms -- but how widespread that is, and how long it might last, is unclear."
"The coronavirus outbreak has fueled attempts to ban abortions in some states, but providers where the procedure remains available report increased demand, often from women distraught over economic stress and health concerns linked to the pandemic."
"Theresa’s daughter is currently living with her ex-husband, Eric Greene, who was granted temporary sole custody of their daughter on April 9 after arguing in court that Theresa is exposing the child to COVID-19 after treating patients." Never let a crisis go to waste, otherwise known as assholes will be even more assholey when they think they can get away with it.
Okay, yes, it's The Sun, but I can't find another good source on this. "A study testing the anti-malarial drug chloroquine for Covid-19 that was backed by Donald Trump has been stopped after some patients developed heart complications and 11 died… The trial, carried out in Brazil, saw some coronavirus patients who took a higher dose of the drug develop irregular heart rates." And this is why you do drug trials.
Uh oh, someone was telling the truth. "Florida's Surgeon General Scott A. Rivkees was removed from state Gov. Ron DeSantis' cabinet coronavirus meeting today moments after stating that social distancing measures would need to continue until the creation of a vaccine. Video captured Rivkees' comment and his subsequent removal by DeSantis' Communications Director, Helen Aguirre Ferré." Can't have that now, can we? Look, as the mayor of Amity noted so long ago, the beaches must be open for July 4th.
"In a Rose Garden address, flanked by leaders from giant retailers and medical testing companies, (Trump) promised a mobilization of public and private resources to attack the coronavirus… But few of the promises made that day have come to pass."
"The 10 U.S. states coordinating plans separately from the White House to reopen businesses shut by the coronavirus are responsible for an outsized proportion of the U.S. economy… Collectively the ten states generated 38.3% of the total U.S. economic output in the fourth quarter of 2019, highlighting how much of the U.S. economy depends on its most populous states." Just a hint, it's too soon.
"While straining to keep citizens safe in the Dutch capital, municipality officials and the British economist Kate Raworth from Oxford University’s Environmental Change Institute have also been plotting how the city will rebuild in a post-Covid-19 world… The conclusion? Out with the global attachment to economic growth and laws of supply and demand, and in with the so-called doughnut model devised by Raworth as a guide to what it means for countries, cities and people to thrive in balance with the planet." Don't expect that here in the US.
"'It is very likely that this year the global economy will experience its worst recession since the Great Depression, surpassing that seen during the global financial crisis a decade ago,' Gita Gopinath, the IMF’s chief economist, said in the latest World Economic Outlook report." That's gonna leave a mark.
"JPMorgan Chase on Tuesday posted first-quarter profit that was well below analysts’ expectations, although the bank’s revenue held up amid the coronavirus pandemic… The earnings drop was caused by a massive $6.8 billion addition to the bank’s credit reserves. The move signals that management expects a surge in defaults across the company’s lending businesses…" Uh, yep.
"Requests for (mortgage) forbearance jumped 78% for the week ended April 5 compared with the previous week, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association. The number of borrowers now in forbearance topped 2 million; the share of total loans in servicing portfolios in forbearance rose from 2.73% to 3.74% of total bank and nonbank servicing portfolios."
"But securing relief now could come back to haunt you later. Your bank still expects payment at some point and it may even require a lump sum at the break's end." Check those details.
Heinous fuckery. "Since early April, law firms have hosted Webinars and sent out alerts, and accounting firms have reached out to clients, all with the goal of explaining how they might be able to tap into the Paycheck Protection Program… Some hedge funds already have applied, filling out forms to show they have fewer than 500 employees and certifying the 'current economic uncertainty makes this loan request necessary to support the ongoing operations.'" I've never seen people so vociferously volunteer to be the first assholes against the wall.
"A nationwide lockdown imposed across India almost two weeks ago to stop the spread of the coronavirus – the largest lockdown of its kind attempted anywhere – has led to widespread chaos and suffering, especially among the country’s 300 million poor. Yet in Delhi, the world’s most polluted city, it has also resulted in some of the freshest air the capital has seen in decades." I doubt it'll actually change anything.
"North Korea launched what were believed to be multiple short-range cruise missiles into the sea between the Korean peninsula and Japan on Tuesday, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said, the latest in a series of weapons’ tests by the reclusive state."
"President Donald Trump lashed out at criticism of his handling of the coronavirus crisis during a grievance-fueled appearance from the White House that featured a propaganda-like video he said was produced by his aides… 'When somebody is president of the United States, your authority is total,' he said. He later added he would issue reports backing up his claim, which legal experts say isn't supported by the Constitution." Can't wait to see those. I didn't see it, but it sounds like that presser was a hellofa ride. No kings or landlords.
"On the one month anniversary of President Donald Trump proclaiming 'I don’t take responsibility at all' for problems with the government’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic, the president on Monday melted down on national TV in one of his more memorable scenes during the daily White House coronavirus press briefing. He went on to claim his 'authority is total' as president."
"A mammoth star explosion known as SN2016aps, which occurred in a galaxy about 3.6 billion light-years from Earth, is the brightest supernova ever seen, a new study reports."
"While there have yet to be robust studies on the link between coronavirus and smell, doctors have reported anecdotally that losing the ability to smell may be among the virus's symptoms -- but how widespread that is, and how long it might last, is unclear."
"The coronavirus outbreak has fueled attempts to ban abortions in some states, but providers where the procedure remains available report increased demand, often from women distraught over economic stress and health concerns linked to the pandemic."
"Theresa’s daughter is currently living with her ex-husband, Eric Greene, who was granted temporary sole custody of their daughter on April 9 after arguing in court that Theresa is exposing the child to COVID-19 after treating patients." Never let a crisis go to waste, otherwise known as assholes will be even more assholey when they think they can get away with it.
Okay, yes, it's The Sun, but I can't find another good source on this. "A study testing the anti-malarial drug chloroquine for Covid-19 that was backed by Donald Trump has been stopped after some patients developed heart complications and 11 died… The trial, carried out in Brazil, saw some coronavirus patients who took a higher dose of the drug develop irregular heart rates." And this is why you do drug trials.
Uh oh, someone was telling the truth. "Florida's Surgeon General Scott A. Rivkees was removed from state Gov. Ron DeSantis' cabinet coronavirus meeting today moments after stating that social distancing measures would need to continue until the creation of a vaccine. Video captured Rivkees' comment and his subsequent removal by DeSantis' Communications Director, Helen Aguirre Ferré." Can't have that now, can we? Look, as the mayor of Amity noted so long ago, the beaches must be open for July 4th.
"In a Rose Garden address, flanked by leaders from giant retailers and medical testing companies, (Trump) promised a mobilization of public and private resources to attack the coronavirus… But few of the promises made that day have come to pass."
"The 10 U.S. states coordinating plans separately from the White House to reopen businesses shut by the coronavirus are responsible for an outsized proportion of the U.S. economy… Collectively the ten states generated 38.3% of the total U.S. economic output in the fourth quarter of 2019, highlighting how much of the U.S. economy depends on its most populous states." Just a hint, it's too soon.
"While straining to keep citizens safe in the Dutch capital, municipality officials and the British economist Kate Raworth from Oxford University’s Environmental Change Institute have also been plotting how the city will rebuild in a post-Covid-19 world… The conclusion? Out with the global attachment to economic growth and laws of supply and demand, and in with the so-called doughnut model devised by Raworth as a guide to what it means for countries, cities and people to thrive in balance with the planet." Don't expect that here in the US.
"'It is very likely that this year the global economy will experience its worst recession since the Great Depression, surpassing that seen during the global financial crisis a decade ago,' Gita Gopinath, the IMF’s chief economist, said in the latest World Economic Outlook report." That's gonna leave a mark.
"JPMorgan Chase on Tuesday posted first-quarter profit that was well below analysts’ expectations, although the bank’s revenue held up amid the coronavirus pandemic… The earnings drop was caused by a massive $6.8 billion addition to the bank’s credit reserves. The move signals that management expects a surge in defaults across the company’s lending businesses…" Uh, yep.
"Requests for (mortgage) forbearance jumped 78% for the week ended April 5 compared with the previous week, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association. The number of borrowers now in forbearance topped 2 million; the share of total loans in servicing portfolios in forbearance rose from 2.73% to 3.74% of total bank and nonbank servicing portfolios."
"But securing relief now could come back to haunt you later. Your bank still expects payment at some point and it may even require a lump sum at the break's end." Check those details.
Heinous fuckery. "Since early April, law firms have hosted Webinars and sent out alerts, and accounting firms have reached out to clients, all with the goal of explaining how they might be able to tap into the Paycheck Protection Program… Some hedge funds already have applied, filling out forms to show they have fewer than 500 employees and certifying the 'current economic uncertainty makes this loan request necessary to support the ongoing operations.'" I've never seen people so vociferously volunteer to be the first assholes against the wall.
"A nationwide lockdown imposed across India almost two weeks ago to stop the spread of the coronavirus – the largest lockdown of its kind attempted anywhere – has led to widespread chaos and suffering, especially among the country’s 300 million poor. Yet in Delhi, the world’s most polluted city, it has also resulted in some of the freshest air the capital has seen in decades." I doubt it'll actually change anything.
"North Korea launched what were believed to be multiple short-range cruise missiles into the sea between the Korean peninsula and Japan on Tuesday, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said, the latest in a series of weapons’ tests by the reclusive state."
"President Donald Trump lashed out at criticism of his handling of the coronavirus crisis during a grievance-fueled appearance from the White House that featured a propaganda-like video he said was produced by his aides… 'When somebody is president of the United States, your authority is total,' he said. He later added he would issue reports backing up his claim, which legal experts say isn't supported by the Constitution." Can't wait to see those. I didn't see it, but it sounds like that presser was a hellofa ride. No kings or landlords.
"On the one month anniversary of President Donald Trump proclaiming 'I don’t take responsibility at all' for problems with the government’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic, the president on Monday melted down on national TV in one of his more memorable scenes during the daily White House coronavirus press briefing. He went on to claim his 'authority is total' as president."
Monday, April 13, 2020
Linkee-poo Monday
"COVID-19 resources, info, and assistance for the science fiction, fantasy, & horror communities." Salutes Jason Sanford.
"At least 18 people have been killed as severe weather and strong tornadoes continued to slash across the South on Monday, destroying hundreds of homes and businesses and leaving more than a million customers without electricity… There were more than 40 reports of tornadoes as the storms that began on Easter Sunday tore a deadly and destructive path from Texas and Arkansas, across Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia and into the Carolinas and Tennessee." Just a reminder that as COVID-19 soaks up the entire news cycle, the world keeps spinning. Stay safe.
Never let a crisis go to waste. "But the Mississippi governor would quickly make it clear on conservative talk radio that he saw the ruling as an opening to shut down the Jackson Women’s Health Organization in the capital city, which he had spent the past eight years trying to do as the state’s lieutenant governor and Senate president. Federal courts, including the 5th Circuit, have repeatedly blocked those efforts, though, including last year when the federal appeals court blocked a six-week abortion ban that Reeves championed in 2019… This Texas ruling, Reeves argued, could serve as a 'guideline' to finally stop abortions in the state—at least temporarily." (Grokked from Kathryn Cramer)
"China is reporting its highest number of new coronavirus cases in more than five weeks, saying most of them originated abroad." Sure most of them were "imported." Sure.
"The next few months will be full of grim updates about the spread of the new coronavirus, but they will also be full of homecomings. Patients hospitalized with severe COVID-19, some having spent weeks breathing with the help of a mechanical ventilator, will set about resuming their lives. Many will likely deal with lingering effects of the virus—and of the emergency treatments that allowed them to survive it."
"With a population of 10 million, larger than those of more than 40 states, (Los Angles County) is a prime location to launch a large-scale study that aims to answer that question (how bad is it) and learn more about antibodies that could potentially provide immunity from COVID-19, the disease associated with the coronavirus, according to public health and policy experts." Antibody testing gets a roll out.
"The coronavirus has officially reached nearly three-quarters of the country’s rural counties, with 1 in 7 reporting at least one death. Doctors and elected officials are warning that a late-arriving wave of illness could overwhelm rural communities that are older, poorer and sicker than much of the country, and already dangerously short on medical help." Here we go! At my hospital we are just waiting for it to hit the Amish community (which we serve). It's the Amish culture to wait until the very last (or when there is no option) to come into the hospital. And they haven't been practicing social distancing. The Amish also are always together and our strict rules on visitation are going to be both hard on them and an incentive to not come in. "The financial strain of gearing up to fight the coronavirus has put much pressure on cash-strapped rural hospitals. Many have canceled all nonemergency care like the colonoscopies, minor surgeries and physical therapy sessions that are a critical source of income." Waves to the crowd. (Grokked from Anne Wheaton)
"Spain, one of the countries worst hit by the coronavirus, is beginning to ease strict lockdown measures that have brought its economy to a standstill… People in manufacturing, construction and some services are being allowed to return to work, but must stick to strict safety guidelines." Also note the photo at the top of this article, "Police officers are handing out face masks at metro and railway stations in Spain." Compare and contrast this to how police in America have responded in a like circumstance, "A man was violently pulled off a commuter bus in Philadelphia by police for allegedly not wearing a mask." They say he was "unruly", but how much of that is "resisting arrest" (although he wasn't arrested)?
"Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said it 'could have gone either way' as he thanked healthcare workers for saving his life after being discharged from hospital." So, it sounds like it was more serious than we've been told. Also, I now wonder if Mr. Johnson has a different perspective on protecting the NHS than he had before this? Yeah, probably not. The after picture shows Johnson a little worse for wear, but in truth he always looks like that.
"Beijing is facing a diplomatic crisis in Africa after reports of alleged coronavirus-related discrimination against African nationals in China sparked widespread anger across the continent… African students and expatriates in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou were last week subject to forced coronavirus testing and arbitrary 14-day self-quarantine, regardless of recent travel history, amid heightened fears of imported infections."
"The Christ the Redeemer statue towered over Rio de Janeiro in a doctor's white coat on Easter Sunday, as a tribute to health care workers who put themselves at risk every day to help others during the COVID-19 pandemic. The striking scene included messages of thanks in many languages, along with images of nurses and doctors smiling in protective gear." Hey great, thanks. Would much rather have adequate PPE though.
As I've said on twitter, with this whole "hero" thing I've been channeling my inner Wade Wilson. I'm not a hero, I'm doing my job. A job for which I'm always willing to accept more pay, but I am reasonably compensated for doing. And with which, except for some fumbling this month, I have (crappy) health insurance. You want to "hero" somebody, increase pay and give insurance benefits to the grocery clerks, delivery people (food and packages), food processors, all those "essential" people without whom this country couldn't survive and would be doing a whole hellofalot worse in these times but for whom we pay minimum wage or less.
"As state governments and hospitals have scrambled to obtain masks and other medical supplies during the coronavirus pandemic, scammers attempted to sell a fake stockpile of 39 million masks to a California labor union… The Los Angeles Times first reported on Sunday that the FBI had uncovered the scam, which has been traced back to a broker in Australia and a supplier in Kuwait. The investigators discovered the scam because they were looking into whether the supply could be intercepted by the federal government through the Defense Production Act."
"Stanley Chera, New York real estate mogul and Trump friend, has died of coronavirus complications." I hate to have to say this, maybe we'll see some empathy and compassion now that it's hit close to the president. Yeah, I'm not holding my breath either.
"China’s northeastern border with Russia has become a frontline in the fight against a resurgence of the coronavirus epidemic as new daily cases rose to the highest in nearly six weeks - with more than 90% involving people coming from abroad." Stay safe, my Russian friends.
Oh no, someone is telling the truth. "… Neel Kashkari, the head of the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis… while acknowledging the downside of what a prolonged shutdown could mean for the economy, said the U.S., 'barring some health-care miracle,' is looking at an 18-month strategy of rolling shutdowns based on what has happened in other countries." And that's only if one of the vaccines in trials actually works.
"Saudi Arabia and Russia have struck a deal with other major oil producing nations to slash production as they attempt to stabilize a market that has been upended by the coronavirus."
"Ford Motor expects to report an adjusted pretax loss of about $600 million for the first quarter as the coronavirus depresses sales and production… Ford said total revenue for the first quarter is expected to be about $34 billion, down 15.7% from $40.3 billion a year ago." Ouch.
"America’s small businesses are racing against the clock to survive the economic devastation wrought by the coronavirus pandemic as they await hundreds of billions of dollars in federal loans… Many firms are still struggling to apply for the money as they face technical glitches and confusion about lending terms. Hundreds of thousands of others have gotten approval but still haven’t received funding. Still others are hesitant to apply without knowing what their businesses will look like when the outbreak eases and they reopen, possibly by summer… Meanwhile, the clock is ticking and their cash is dwindling."
"One of the country's largest pork processing facilities is closing until further notice as employees fall ill with Covid-19. The closure puts the country's meat supply at risk, said the CEO of Smithfield, which operates the plant." Ouch times 1000. "South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem said during a Saturday news briefing that Smithfield employees accounted for more than half of the active coronavirus cases in the state. About 240 employees are sick, she said, out of roughly 430 active cases in the state."
"Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ general counsel called a representative of the Miami Herald’s law firm seeking to quash a public records lawsuit that would force the state to divulge the names of all elder-care facilities that have had a positive test for the coronavirus." (Grokked from Chuck Wendig)
"Donald Trump’s response to the coronavirus pandemic, which he once dismissed as a hoax, has been fiercely criticised at home as woefully inadequate to the point of irresponsibility… Yet also thanks largely to Trump, a parallel disaster is unfolding across the world: the ruination of America’s reputation as a safe, trustworthy, competent international leader and partner."
"Trump has advocated for aggressive goals in recent days, and said Saturday on Fox News that he plans to base his decision on when to adjust federal social distancing guidelines and ask businesses to reopen 'on a lot of facts and a lot of instincts.'… But two of his health advisers, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Dr. Anthony Fauci and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) commissioner Dr. Stephen Hahn, argued for a decision based only on the former Sunday."
"President Trump retweeted a call to fire his top infectious disease specialist Anthony S. Fauci on Sunday evening, amid mounting criticism of the federal response to the coronavirus pandemic." Here we go again. Also we won't mention where Dr. Fauci is polling better than the president.
"A Facebook post shared widely chastised Vos for wearing protective gear at the polls that 'election workers he forced to work today do not have.'… Other poll workers in Burlington wore the same gear as Vos, so he didn’t receive any special treatment there like the claim implies. Poll workers in other parts of the state had some – but not necessarily all – of the same equipment used by Vos… That leaves us with a claim that contains some element of truth but ignores critical facts that would give a different impression. We rate it Mostly False."
"The U.S. Supreme Court announced on Monday it will hear arguments by teleconference next month in a high-profile dispute over whether President Donald Trump’s tax and financial records should be disclosed and other cases due to the coronavirus pandemic." Can't wait to see if this gets zoom-bombed.
"At least 18 people have been killed as severe weather and strong tornadoes continued to slash across the South on Monday, destroying hundreds of homes and businesses and leaving more than a million customers without electricity… There were more than 40 reports of tornadoes as the storms that began on Easter Sunday tore a deadly and destructive path from Texas and Arkansas, across Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia and into the Carolinas and Tennessee." Just a reminder that as COVID-19 soaks up the entire news cycle, the world keeps spinning. Stay safe.
Never let a crisis go to waste. "But the Mississippi governor would quickly make it clear on conservative talk radio that he saw the ruling as an opening to shut down the Jackson Women’s Health Organization in the capital city, which he had spent the past eight years trying to do as the state’s lieutenant governor and Senate president. Federal courts, including the 5th Circuit, have repeatedly blocked those efforts, though, including last year when the federal appeals court blocked a six-week abortion ban that Reeves championed in 2019… This Texas ruling, Reeves argued, could serve as a 'guideline' to finally stop abortions in the state—at least temporarily." (Grokked from Kathryn Cramer)
"China is reporting its highest number of new coronavirus cases in more than five weeks, saying most of them originated abroad." Sure most of them were "imported." Sure.
"The next few months will be full of grim updates about the spread of the new coronavirus, but they will also be full of homecomings. Patients hospitalized with severe COVID-19, some having spent weeks breathing with the help of a mechanical ventilator, will set about resuming their lives. Many will likely deal with lingering effects of the virus—and of the emergency treatments that allowed them to survive it."
"With a population of 10 million, larger than those of more than 40 states, (Los Angles County) is a prime location to launch a large-scale study that aims to answer that question (how bad is it) and learn more about antibodies that could potentially provide immunity from COVID-19, the disease associated with the coronavirus, according to public health and policy experts." Antibody testing gets a roll out.
"The coronavirus has officially reached nearly three-quarters of the country’s rural counties, with 1 in 7 reporting at least one death. Doctors and elected officials are warning that a late-arriving wave of illness could overwhelm rural communities that are older, poorer and sicker than much of the country, and already dangerously short on medical help." Here we go! At my hospital we are just waiting for it to hit the Amish community (which we serve). It's the Amish culture to wait until the very last (or when there is no option) to come into the hospital. And they haven't been practicing social distancing. The Amish also are always together and our strict rules on visitation are going to be both hard on them and an incentive to not come in. "The financial strain of gearing up to fight the coronavirus has put much pressure on cash-strapped rural hospitals. Many have canceled all nonemergency care like the colonoscopies, minor surgeries and physical therapy sessions that are a critical source of income." Waves to the crowd. (Grokked from Anne Wheaton)
"Spain, one of the countries worst hit by the coronavirus, is beginning to ease strict lockdown measures that have brought its economy to a standstill… People in manufacturing, construction and some services are being allowed to return to work, but must stick to strict safety guidelines." Also note the photo at the top of this article, "Police officers are handing out face masks at metro and railway stations in Spain." Compare and contrast this to how police in America have responded in a like circumstance, "A man was violently pulled off a commuter bus in Philadelphia by police for allegedly not wearing a mask." They say he was "unruly", but how much of that is "resisting arrest" (although he wasn't arrested)?
"Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said it 'could have gone either way' as he thanked healthcare workers for saving his life after being discharged from hospital." So, it sounds like it was more serious than we've been told. Also, I now wonder if Mr. Johnson has a different perspective on protecting the NHS than he had before this? Yeah, probably not. The after picture shows Johnson a little worse for wear, but in truth he always looks like that.
"Beijing is facing a diplomatic crisis in Africa after reports of alleged coronavirus-related discrimination against African nationals in China sparked widespread anger across the continent… African students and expatriates in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou were last week subject to forced coronavirus testing and arbitrary 14-day self-quarantine, regardless of recent travel history, amid heightened fears of imported infections."
"The Christ the Redeemer statue towered over Rio de Janeiro in a doctor's white coat on Easter Sunday, as a tribute to health care workers who put themselves at risk every day to help others during the COVID-19 pandemic. The striking scene included messages of thanks in many languages, along with images of nurses and doctors smiling in protective gear." Hey great, thanks. Would much rather have adequate PPE though.
As I've said on twitter, with this whole "hero" thing I've been channeling my inner Wade Wilson. I'm not a hero, I'm doing my job. A job for which I'm always willing to accept more pay, but I am reasonably compensated for doing. And with which, except for some fumbling this month, I have (crappy) health insurance. You want to "hero" somebody, increase pay and give insurance benefits to the grocery clerks, delivery people (food and packages), food processors, all those "essential" people without whom this country couldn't survive and would be doing a whole hellofalot worse in these times but for whom we pay minimum wage or less.
"As state governments and hospitals have scrambled to obtain masks and other medical supplies during the coronavirus pandemic, scammers attempted to sell a fake stockpile of 39 million masks to a California labor union… The Los Angeles Times first reported on Sunday that the FBI had uncovered the scam, which has been traced back to a broker in Australia and a supplier in Kuwait. The investigators discovered the scam because they were looking into whether the supply could be intercepted by the federal government through the Defense Production Act."
"Stanley Chera, New York real estate mogul and Trump friend, has died of coronavirus complications." I hate to have to say this, maybe we'll see some empathy and compassion now that it's hit close to the president. Yeah, I'm not holding my breath either.
"China’s northeastern border with Russia has become a frontline in the fight against a resurgence of the coronavirus epidemic as new daily cases rose to the highest in nearly six weeks - with more than 90% involving people coming from abroad." Stay safe, my Russian friends.
Oh no, someone is telling the truth. "… Neel Kashkari, the head of the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis… while acknowledging the downside of what a prolonged shutdown could mean for the economy, said the U.S., 'barring some health-care miracle,' is looking at an 18-month strategy of rolling shutdowns based on what has happened in other countries." And that's only if one of the vaccines in trials actually works.
"Saudi Arabia and Russia have struck a deal with other major oil producing nations to slash production as they attempt to stabilize a market that has been upended by the coronavirus."
"Ford Motor expects to report an adjusted pretax loss of about $600 million for the first quarter as the coronavirus depresses sales and production… Ford said total revenue for the first quarter is expected to be about $34 billion, down 15.7% from $40.3 billion a year ago." Ouch.
"America’s small businesses are racing against the clock to survive the economic devastation wrought by the coronavirus pandemic as they await hundreds of billions of dollars in federal loans… Many firms are still struggling to apply for the money as they face technical glitches and confusion about lending terms. Hundreds of thousands of others have gotten approval but still haven’t received funding. Still others are hesitant to apply without knowing what their businesses will look like when the outbreak eases and they reopen, possibly by summer… Meanwhile, the clock is ticking and their cash is dwindling."
"One of the country's largest pork processing facilities is closing until further notice as employees fall ill with Covid-19. The closure puts the country's meat supply at risk, said the CEO of Smithfield, which operates the plant." Ouch times 1000. "South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem said during a Saturday news briefing that Smithfield employees accounted for more than half of the active coronavirus cases in the state. About 240 employees are sick, she said, out of roughly 430 active cases in the state."
"Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ general counsel called a representative of the Miami Herald’s law firm seeking to quash a public records lawsuit that would force the state to divulge the names of all elder-care facilities that have had a positive test for the coronavirus." (Grokked from Chuck Wendig)
"Donald Trump’s response to the coronavirus pandemic, which he once dismissed as a hoax, has been fiercely criticised at home as woefully inadequate to the point of irresponsibility… Yet also thanks largely to Trump, a parallel disaster is unfolding across the world: the ruination of America’s reputation as a safe, trustworthy, competent international leader and partner."
"Trump has advocated for aggressive goals in recent days, and said Saturday on Fox News that he plans to base his decision on when to adjust federal social distancing guidelines and ask businesses to reopen 'on a lot of facts and a lot of instincts.'… But two of his health advisers, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Dr. Anthony Fauci and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) commissioner Dr. Stephen Hahn, argued for a decision based only on the former Sunday."
"President Trump retweeted a call to fire his top infectious disease specialist Anthony S. Fauci on Sunday evening, amid mounting criticism of the federal response to the coronavirus pandemic." Here we go again. Also we won't mention where Dr. Fauci is polling better than the president.
"A Facebook post shared widely chastised Vos for wearing protective gear at the polls that 'election workers he forced to work today do not have.'… Other poll workers in Burlington wore the same gear as Vos, so he didn’t receive any special treatment there like the claim implies. Poll workers in other parts of the state had some – but not necessarily all – of the same equipment used by Vos… That leaves us with a claim that contains some element of truth but ignores critical facts that would give a different impression. We rate it Mostly False."
"The U.S. Supreme Court announced on Monday it will hear arguments by teleconference next month in a high-profile dispute over whether President Donald Trump’s tax and financial records should be disclosed and other cases due to the coronavirus pandemic." Can't wait to see if this gets zoom-bombed.
Saturday, April 11, 2020
Linkee-poo Weekend
"Dorothy Allison treated the participants of the 2011 Summer Workshop to a spirited discussion of how characters should speak on the page. Not only 'he said, she said, none of them said a thing,' but a whole range of language issues—what is said and not said, dialect and rhythm, pacing, patterns in speech, and most importantly, the language of gesture and avoidance." Tin House is apparently going to release more of these talks. (Grokked from Kelly Link)
Story is powerful. "On functional MRI scans, many different areas of the brain light up when someone is listening to a narrative, Neeley says — not only the networks involved in language processing, but other neural circuits, too. One study of listeners found that the brain networks that process emotions arising from sounds — along with areas involved in movement — were activated, especially during the emotional parts of the story."
"A spacecraft bound for Mercury beamed home stunning views of Earth during a crucial flyby conducted early today (April 10)."
"The number of deaths caused by the coronavirus surged past the 100,000 mark on Friday, doubling in nearly a week as the pandemic continues to spread across the globe, according to data from Johns Hopkins University."
"South Korean officials on Friday reported 91 patients thought cleared of the new coronavirus had tested positive again. Jeong Eun-kyeong, director of the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, told a briefing that the virus may have been 'reactivated' rather than the patients being re-infected." While it still could be explained by testing irregularities, it's starting to look like either reactivation/re-infection or (whispers here) the test isn't very accurate and might have larger false-negative instance than believed.
"Antibody tests that would verify whether a person recently had the novel coronavirus could be available within a week, according to the nation's top infectious disease expert." Yeah, call me when we have one in hand. Although I believe Fauci more than I believe any of those others at the podium.
"But VA health workers say they need help. At least seven VA staff have died from the virus, and NPR has seen internal emails telling VA staff to use the same surgical mask for up to a week." We literally have a new masking policy every day at the hospital I work at. And different departments have different policies on PPE. Whispers, and none of this is based on medical efficacy, but instead on economic necessity.
"Gilead Sciences is reporting some preliminary results from the use of its antiviral drug remdesivir in treating patients with COVID-19… Thirty-six showed clinical improvement, while eight got worse. Patients who were not on a ventilator tended to do better than those who were. Seven of the 53 died… All were in serious condition and needed some kind of oxygen support, including mechanical ventilation." That is not promising.
"Concern is mounting after a doctor at a Texas nursing home started giving the anti-malarial drug hydroxychloroquine to dozens of elderly patients diagnosed with COVID-19 and tracking the outcomes in what he's calling an 'observational study.'" This is malpractice. "(The doctor doing this), who is a prominent GOP activist, called Republican Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick. He says Patrick reached out to Texas State Sen. Bryan Hughes, also a Republican, who knew someone on the board of the New Jersey-based company Amneal Pharmaceuticals… Two days later, Armstrong had received more than enough medication to begin giving it to patients." That is malfeasance.
"In the brutal months since France reported Europe's first coronavirus cases in January and then, in February, the first death on the continent, the scourge has infected so many thousands of doctors, nurses and other health workers in Europe that some have now recovered and are going from their sick beds back to the front lines." This has been a discussion among us at the hospital, from what will happen now to "remember when we were all sick back in November and nobody knew what it was?" conversations. Many people at the hospital had a "really bad flu" at the start of the season, knocking a few people out for weeks. We're now wondering if that wasn't the first wave. This year's flu was pretty bad, but there have been cases where people have had flu symptoms, but tested negative on the rapid A/B test. And now I'm waiting to see the new protocols update where they reassign workers who may have had COVID-19 to work with PUI (patients under investigation) and C-19 positive patients with reduced PPE (personal protective equipment).
"China took new measures on Wednesday to try to prevent asymptomatic 'silent carriers' of the new coronavirus from causing a second wave of infections, as the country reported another modest rise in confirmed cases."
"A 99-year-old World War II veteran who survived the coronavirus has been given a guard of honor by nurses as he was discharged from hospital."
"A handful of holdout U.S. churches plan to hold in-person services on Easter Sunday, saying their right to worship in person outweighs public health officials’ warnings against holding large gatherings during the coronavirus outbreak." Tie up the camel, then trust in God.
"Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear implored residents to avoid gathering this weekend for the Easter holiday, warning that anyone who violates the state's stay-at-home order will be subject to a 14-day mandatory self-quarantine… Beshear said the state will record license plate information of people seen attending mass gatherings and turn that information over to local public health officials. Quarantine notices will then be delivered in person."
"Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has announced she is extending the 'Stay Home, Stay Safe' executive order through to April 30… The executive order limits gatherings and travel and requires all workers who are not necessary to sustain or protect life to stay home. It also imposes more stringent limitations on stores to reduce foot traffic to help slow the spread of coronavirus."
Who we count is becoming an issue. "NBC News tallied 2,246 deaths associated with long-term care facilities, based on responses from 24 states. This, too, is an undercount; about half of all states said they could not provide data on nursing home deaths, or declined to do so. Some states said they do not track these deaths at all."
"Aerial images captured on Thursday showed 40 caskets lined up for burial at Hart Island — the same day New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo reported 799 new deaths across the state. Normally, about 25 bodies a week are interred there, mostly for people whose families can't afford a funeral, or who go unclaimed by relatives." Oddly enough, Fox News has the article with the least sensationalism in it.
"Rene Roach fired off a quick email in late March for an update on a colorectal cancer clinical trial for which she hoped to qualify… Worried about the coronavirus, she asked, almost as an afterthought, whether the study had been put on hold because of the pandemic.The answer crushed her: It had been."
"Low stocks of opioids in coronavirus hot spots — which have become dire enough for doctors to request that states divert death row supplies to hospitals instead — are compounded by the looming shortages of a range of other drugs, from antibiotics to inhalers, as hospitals struggle to cope with a massive wave of coronavirus patients." Just like the coronavirus panic exposed the fractures in the economy, it is now exposing the fractures in our market-based systems of "supply-sided" economics.
Related, "The coronavirus lockdown has been especially tough for people in recovery from addiction because support meetings have been cancelled."
"Word just reaching our news centre from multiple sources familiar with the issue, is that yesterday, Thursday, April 9, 2020, United States Customs and Border Protection seized some medical items, including masks, gloves, medication and other COVID-19 related supplies, ordered by the BVI Health Services Authority (BVIHSA)." (Grokked from Tobias Buckell)
"Firms partnering on the Airbridge flights tell NPR that under their agreement with the White House and FEMA, roughly half the medical equipment in those deliveries is theirs to sell however they like. The other half will be shipped to COVID-19 hotspots but not necessarily to the worst-hit hospitals. Once again, supplies go to existing customers."
"British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is 'able to do short walks' after he was moved out of intensive care at a London hospital where he has been receiving treatment for the coronavirus, a spokesman said Friday."
"Even before the novel coronavirus brought the country to an economic standstill, family farmers were struggling. In 2019, Chapter 12 family farm bankruptcies increased nearly 20% over 2018, according to the American Farm Bureau Federation. Wisconsin saw the highest number of family farms filing for bankruptcy, yet dairy farmers in the state known as 'America's dairyland' were hopeful that 2020 would bring sunnier weather."
"A severe weather outbreak, including the threat of widespread damaging winds, large hail and potentially strong tornadoes, is likely this weekend for portions of the South. The storms come as coronavirus concerns have prompted the shuttering of many community storm shelters, since some public officials fear the repercussions of prioritizing tornado safety over social distancing."
"'Severe weather season, flooding — those things don't stop because we're responding to COVID-19,' says Joyce Flinn, director of the Iowa Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management."
"Thousands of vehicles lined up before dawn Thursday to seek aid from the San Antonio Food Bank… The agency fed about 10,000 households at a South Side flea market amid the economic fallout caused by the coronavirus pandemic."
"The ozone hole covers an area roughly three times the size of Greenland, scientists from the European Space Agency (ESA) said in a statement, and could expose people living at far northern latitudes to high levels of ultraviolet radiation if it grows much larger. Fortunately, the hole looks likely to close on its own in the next few weeks, the ESA researchers said."
"Austad spoke with Invisibilia's Lulu Miller to discuss what science has uncovered about animal aging processes, and how researchers might be able to use what they've learned to extend human lifespans. There's no immortality on the horizon — or anything close to it — but it's likely science can eventually lengthen our lives by at least a little, Austad says."
"Six tips for looking great in a Zoom meeting." Also, trim your nose hairs and wear pants.
Conservative ideology… "New White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows is working with Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue to see how to reduce wage rates for foreign guest workers on American farms, in order to help U.S. farmers struggling during the coronavirus, according to U.S. officials and sources familiar with the plans."
"That absolutely nails what's gone wrong with these daily briefings. What began -- roughly a month ago -- as a useful way to inform a public desperate for facts and information in the face of the surging pandemic has turned into the Trump Show." It's what narcissists do, they always make it about them.
"Less attention gets paid to the photojournalists moving around the narrow, 49-seat chamber that has roared back to life thanks to Trump’s madcap performances at the lectern. Their work has its own intricacies and can be every bit as piercing as a killer question from the assembled reporters. They have a different medium with which to document the colorful and combative figure at the front of the room." On photographic the briefings.
"Americans eligible for the coronavirus economic stimulus package have started seeing payments arrive in their accounts. The one-time payment from the U.S. Treasury looks to help ease the pressure from the huge economic downturn as a result of the coronavirus outbreak."
"As abortion providers were scrambling to schedule procedures in Texas during the coronavirus pandemic, a federal appeals court has effectively reinstated a ban on most abortions in Texas… Friday's 2-1 decision includes a narrow exception allowing abortions for pregnancies approaching the state's 22-week cutoff."
"With an election year pandemic, mail-in ballots may become an increasingly popular way to vote, especially in states like Florida that allow any voter to use them… While those ballots accounted for nearly 1 in 4 of all ballots cast in 2018, President Trump this week said he wasn't in favor of expanding the practice during present health crisis, even as he used one himself when he voted (presumably for himself) in Florida's presidential primary last month." I'm old enough to remember when getting a mail-in-ballot was extremely hard and required extra documentation.
"But terribly is really too kind a word to describe it. A week of complete chaos, aided by Republican obstruction and conservative court interventions, led to an Election Day where many voters were forced to sacrifice their health to vote during a pandemic and others were told their vote wouldn't even count. The lesson from Wisconsin was simple: This can never happen again. Come November, every voter should be able to vote by mail in the federal election."
"President Donald Trump will watch Easter come and go this weekend without the nation 'raring to go' as a new debate buds over whether May 1 is now the target date of revival." This is an attention grabbing tactic intended to make you codependent. It's a classic abuser move. Hell, the 24/7 news channels are back to showing empty podiums while stating, "we're waiting for the president to appear…". Fuck that.
"On Fox News Thursday in discussion with Sean Hannity, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) made an extraordinary statement: That he wants the United States to 'cancel' some of the national debt held by the Chinese government as punishment for allowing the coronavirus to spread beyond its borders." In other news, conservatives continue their path of being self-serving idiots.
"In a Thursday interview with Politico, when asked if she was worried about Trump moving to reopen the country too early, (Speaker of the House Nancy) Pelosi said, 'I would hope that the scientific community would weigh in and say, "You can’t do this, it is only going to make matters worse if you go out too soon."'" Cough, they already have.
Story is powerful. "On functional MRI scans, many different areas of the brain light up when someone is listening to a narrative, Neeley says — not only the networks involved in language processing, but other neural circuits, too. One study of listeners found that the brain networks that process emotions arising from sounds — along with areas involved in movement — were activated, especially during the emotional parts of the story."
"A spacecraft bound for Mercury beamed home stunning views of Earth during a crucial flyby conducted early today (April 10)."
"The number of deaths caused by the coronavirus surged past the 100,000 mark on Friday, doubling in nearly a week as the pandemic continues to spread across the globe, according to data from Johns Hopkins University."
"South Korean officials on Friday reported 91 patients thought cleared of the new coronavirus had tested positive again. Jeong Eun-kyeong, director of the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, told a briefing that the virus may have been 'reactivated' rather than the patients being re-infected." While it still could be explained by testing irregularities, it's starting to look like either reactivation/re-infection or (whispers here) the test isn't very accurate and might have larger false-negative instance than believed.
"Antibody tests that would verify whether a person recently had the novel coronavirus could be available within a week, according to the nation's top infectious disease expert." Yeah, call me when we have one in hand. Although I believe Fauci more than I believe any of those others at the podium.
"But VA health workers say they need help. At least seven VA staff have died from the virus, and NPR has seen internal emails telling VA staff to use the same surgical mask for up to a week." We literally have a new masking policy every day at the hospital I work at. And different departments have different policies on PPE. Whispers, and none of this is based on medical efficacy, but instead on economic necessity.
"Gilead Sciences is reporting some preliminary results from the use of its antiviral drug remdesivir in treating patients with COVID-19… Thirty-six showed clinical improvement, while eight got worse. Patients who were not on a ventilator tended to do better than those who were. Seven of the 53 died… All were in serious condition and needed some kind of oxygen support, including mechanical ventilation." That is not promising.
"Concern is mounting after a doctor at a Texas nursing home started giving the anti-malarial drug hydroxychloroquine to dozens of elderly patients diagnosed with COVID-19 and tracking the outcomes in what he's calling an 'observational study.'" This is malpractice. "(The doctor doing this), who is a prominent GOP activist, called Republican Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick. He says Patrick reached out to Texas State Sen. Bryan Hughes, also a Republican, who knew someone on the board of the New Jersey-based company Amneal Pharmaceuticals… Two days later, Armstrong had received more than enough medication to begin giving it to patients." That is malfeasance.
"In the brutal months since France reported Europe's first coronavirus cases in January and then, in February, the first death on the continent, the scourge has infected so many thousands of doctors, nurses and other health workers in Europe that some have now recovered and are going from their sick beds back to the front lines." This has been a discussion among us at the hospital, from what will happen now to "remember when we were all sick back in November and nobody knew what it was?" conversations. Many people at the hospital had a "really bad flu" at the start of the season, knocking a few people out for weeks. We're now wondering if that wasn't the first wave. This year's flu was pretty bad, but there have been cases where people have had flu symptoms, but tested negative on the rapid A/B test. And now I'm waiting to see the new protocols update where they reassign workers who may have had COVID-19 to work with PUI (patients under investigation) and C-19 positive patients with reduced PPE (personal protective equipment).
"China took new measures on Wednesday to try to prevent asymptomatic 'silent carriers' of the new coronavirus from causing a second wave of infections, as the country reported another modest rise in confirmed cases."
"A 99-year-old World War II veteran who survived the coronavirus has been given a guard of honor by nurses as he was discharged from hospital."
"A handful of holdout U.S. churches plan to hold in-person services on Easter Sunday, saying their right to worship in person outweighs public health officials’ warnings against holding large gatherings during the coronavirus outbreak." Tie up the camel, then trust in God.
"Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear implored residents to avoid gathering this weekend for the Easter holiday, warning that anyone who violates the state's stay-at-home order will be subject to a 14-day mandatory self-quarantine… Beshear said the state will record license plate information of people seen attending mass gatherings and turn that information over to local public health officials. Quarantine notices will then be delivered in person."
"Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has announced she is extending the 'Stay Home, Stay Safe' executive order through to April 30… The executive order limits gatherings and travel and requires all workers who are not necessary to sustain or protect life to stay home. It also imposes more stringent limitations on stores to reduce foot traffic to help slow the spread of coronavirus."
Who we count is becoming an issue. "NBC News tallied 2,246 deaths associated with long-term care facilities, based on responses from 24 states. This, too, is an undercount; about half of all states said they could not provide data on nursing home deaths, or declined to do so. Some states said they do not track these deaths at all."
"Aerial images captured on Thursday showed 40 caskets lined up for burial at Hart Island — the same day New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo reported 799 new deaths across the state. Normally, about 25 bodies a week are interred there, mostly for people whose families can't afford a funeral, or who go unclaimed by relatives." Oddly enough, Fox News has the article with the least sensationalism in it.
"Rene Roach fired off a quick email in late March for an update on a colorectal cancer clinical trial for which she hoped to qualify… Worried about the coronavirus, she asked, almost as an afterthought, whether the study had been put on hold because of the pandemic.The answer crushed her: It had been."
"Low stocks of opioids in coronavirus hot spots — which have become dire enough for doctors to request that states divert death row supplies to hospitals instead — are compounded by the looming shortages of a range of other drugs, from antibiotics to inhalers, as hospitals struggle to cope with a massive wave of coronavirus patients." Just like the coronavirus panic exposed the fractures in the economy, it is now exposing the fractures in our market-based systems of "supply-sided" economics.
Related, "The coronavirus lockdown has been especially tough for people in recovery from addiction because support meetings have been cancelled."
"Word just reaching our news centre from multiple sources familiar with the issue, is that yesterday, Thursday, April 9, 2020, United States Customs and Border Protection seized some medical items, including masks, gloves, medication and other COVID-19 related supplies, ordered by the BVI Health Services Authority (BVIHSA)." (Grokked from Tobias Buckell)
"Firms partnering on the Airbridge flights tell NPR that under their agreement with the White House and FEMA, roughly half the medical equipment in those deliveries is theirs to sell however they like. The other half will be shipped to COVID-19 hotspots but not necessarily to the worst-hit hospitals. Once again, supplies go to existing customers."
"British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is 'able to do short walks' after he was moved out of intensive care at a London hospital where he has been receiving treatment for the coronavirus, a spokesman said Friday."
"Even before the novel coronavirus brought the country to an economic standstill, family farmers were struggling. In 2019, Chapter 12 family farm bankruptcies increased nearly 20% over 2018, according to the American Farm Bureau Federation. Wisconsin saw the highest number of family farms filing for bankruptcy, yet dairy farmers in the state known as 'America's dairyland' were hopeful that 2020 would bring sunnier weather."
"A severe weather outbreak, including the threat of widespread damaging winds, large hail and potentially strong tornadoes, is likely this weekend for portions of the South. The storms come as coronavirus concerns have prompted the shuttering of many community storm shelters, since some public officials fear the repercussions of prioritizing tornado safety over social distancing."
"'Severe weather season, flooding — those things don't stop because we're responding to COVID-19,' says Joyce Flinn, director of the Iowa Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management."
"Thousands of vehicles lined up before dawn Thursday to seek aid from the San Antonio Food Bank… The agency fed about 10,000 households at a South Side flea market amid the economic fallout caused by the coronavirus pandemic."
"The ozone hole covers an area roughly three times the size of Greenland, scientists from the European Space Agency (ESA) said in a statement, and could expose people living at far northern latitudes to high levels of ultraviolet radiation if it grows much larger. Fortunately, the hole looks likely to close on its own in the next few weeks, the ESA researchers said."
"Austad spoke with Invisibilia's Lulu Miller to discuss what science has uncovered about animal aging processes, and how researchers might be able to use what they've learned to extend human lifespans. There's no immortality on the horizon — or anything close to it — but it's likely science can eventually lengthen our lives by at least a little, Austad says."
"Six tips for looking great in a Zoom meeting." Also, trim your nose hairs and wear pants.
Conservative ideology… "New White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows is working with Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue to see how to reduce wage rates for foreign guest workers on American farms, in order to help U.S. farmers struggling during the coronavirus, according to U.S. officials and sources familiar with the plans."
"That absolutely nails what's gone wrong with these daily briefings. What began -- roughly a month ago -- as a useful way to inform a public desperate for facts and information in the face of the surging pandemic has turned into the Trump Show." It's what narcissists do, they always make it about them.
"Less attention gets paid to the photojournalists moving around the narrow, 49-seat chamber that has roared back to life thanks to Trump’s madcap performances at the lectern. Their work has its own intricacies and can be every bit as piercing as a killer question from the assembled reporters. They have a different medium with which to document the colorful and combative figure at the front of the room." On photographic the briefings.
"Americans eligible for the coronavirus economic stimulus package have started seeing payments arrive in their accounts. The one-time payment from the U.S. Treasury looks to help ease the pressure from the huge economic downturn as a result of the coronavirus outbreak."
"As abortion providers were scrambling to schedule procedures in Texas during the coronavirus pandemic, a federal appeals court has effectively reinstated a ban on most abortions in Texas… Friday's 2-1 decision includes a narrow exception allowing abortions for pregnancies approaching the state's 22-week cutoff."
"With an election year pandemic, mail-in ballots may become an increasingly popular way to vote, especially in states like Florida that allow any voter to use them… While those ballots accounted for nearly 1 in 4 of all ballots cast in 2018, President Trump this week said he wasn't in favor of expanding the practice during present health crisis, even as he used one himself when he voted (presumably for himself) in Florida's presidential primary last month." I'm old enough to remember when getting a mail-in-ballot was extremely hard and required extra documentation.
"But terribly is really too kind a word to describe it. A week of complete chaos, aided by Republican obstruction and conservative court interventions, led to an Election Day where many voters were forced to sacrifice their health to vote during a pandemic and others were told their vote wouldn't even count. The lesson from Wisconsin was simple: This can never happen again. Come November, every voter should be able to vote by mail in the federal election."
"President Donald Trump will watch Easter come and go this weekend without the nation 'raring to go' as a new debate buds over whether May 1 is now the target date of revival." This is an attention grabbing tactic intended to make you codependent. It's a classic abuser move. Hell, the 24/7 news channels are back to showing empty podiums while stating, "we're waiting for the president to appear…". Fuck that.
"On Fox News Thursday in discussion with Sean Hannity, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) made an extraordinary statement: That he wants the United States to 'cancel' some of the national debt held by the Chinese government as punishment for allowing the coronavirus to spread beyond its borders." In other news, conservatives continue their path of being self-serving idiots.
"In a Thursday interview with Politico, when asked if she was worried about Trump moving to reopen the country too early, (Speaker of the House Nancy) Pelosi said, 'I would hope that the scientific community would weigh in and say, "You can’t do this, it is only going to make matters worse if you go out too soon."'" Cough, they already have.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)