[Thorzdad]

Originally Posted by OreoCookie 

The Puerto Ricans should have been more thankful for all this generosity from its neighbor America in the aftermath of the hurricane.

Or, y'know, planned ahead and made masks from those rolls of paper towels tossed at them.

[OreoCookie]

Originally Posted by Thorzdad 

Or, y'know, planned ahead and made masks from those rolls of paper towels tossed at them.

Unthankful bunch.

[Thorzdad]

Trump administration pulls funding for drive-through C-19 testing.
Maybe the drive-throughs were running-up the confirmed-infection numbers?

FWIW, here in Indy, Eli Lilly have been doing drive-through testing operations all over the city. It’s only for healthcare workers with a doctor’s order, but they’ve been very busy. Hope those weren’t too dependent on fed dollars.

[andi*pandi]

There's no other reason to stop testing during what everyone agrees is the peak except to hide the numbers, leave the states with the bill for future testing, or both.

[OreoCookie]

Originally Posted by Thorzdad 

Trump administration pulls funding for drive-through C-19 testing.
Maybe the drive-throughs were running-up the confirmed-infection numbers?

FWIW, here in Indy, Eli Lilly have been doing drive-through testing operations all over the city. It’s only for healthcare workers with a doctor’s order, but they’ve been very busy. Hope those weren’t too dependent on fed dollars.

Oh, the Japanese approach is being exported to America, awesome.

[Waragainstsleep]

Maybe they weren't nice enough to him.

[subego]

Looks like Pence walked it back.

[Thorzdad]

There's a new front page graphic from the NYT (pdf) showing the rate of increase in US deaths over a two-week period. The explosion in NYC is insane. I heard on BBC World this morning that NYC has started burying bodies in mass graves.

There's an interesting sidebar story in that PDF on Trump getting rid of the guy in charge of keeping track of how the administration spends the C19 relief funds. Can't have anyone documenting the grift.

[andi*pandi]

There's too much grift to keep track of. Thank goodness for the Katie Porters of the world who don't let it slide. We were selling our stockpile abroad, states purchased their own PPE after not getting what they needed from gov, and those were confiscated (except the Patriots jetload... thanks bob kraft?).

Anyone looking for a good summary of the days wacky events follow Heather Cox Richardson, a political historian. She sums everything up with historical perspective. Unfortunately it's posted on facebook.

https://www.facebook.com/heathercoxrichardson/

[reader50]

The "NY mass graves" story appears to be overblown. Hart Island has been used to bury NYC unclaimed bodies for over a century. There are over 1 million buried there. Prisoners from Rikers Island nearby do the burials. The island has previously been a Civil War prison camp, a psychiatric institution, a tuberculosis sanatorium, a homeless shelter, a boys' reformatory, a jail, and a drug rehab center.

If one were a superstitious type, spending the night on Hart Island could be the experience of a lifetime.

[Thorzdad]

How did the US end up with nurses wearing garbage bags?

[reader50]

^^^ Thorz link is recommended reading.

With all this time at home, I should be cleaning & fixing stuff. Instead, I screw around as usual. My excuses need work.

[Thorzdad]

Being a very old punk (from wayyyy back in the day), I thought this C19-themed poster was kinda brilliant.

[P]

Originally Posted by Doc HM 

I wonder how this will play out for the Swedes who have gone an entirely different route regarding lockdow

There is less of a difference than newspapers make it out to be.

What is happening is that the Swedish government has decided to almost entirely follow the recommendations of the experts to the letter. Our neighbors have decided to go further to show strength and being proactive, against the advice of their own experts, and this is the difference.

The public health authority gives “recommendations” about what people should do. They can’t make rules that apply punishments for people who break them, because they don’t have that authority, but parliament will do that if those recommendations are not followed.

On March 12th, one of the few hard rules was put in place - banning all gatherings of over 500 people (it has since been lowered further to 50, but that’s less important now). The key is that the first death in Sweden was on the 11th, so this rule came very early in the spread from that perspective. It seems to have been effective. There are few other rules with actual penalties for breaking them. There are recommendations, but they are by and large being followed.

What has not worked is the retirement homes. These are administered by local regions, not nationally, and the regions were not all as quick about closing them. I live in Gothenburg, which closed those retirement homes to visitors on the 12th. The capital, Stockholm, closed them on April 1st after being ordered to do so by the central government. This difference has been extremely important. Stockholm has a confirmed death rate per capita that is several times higher than the rest of the country.

So given that most of the country has a remarkable low number of infected, the result of those actions are in general good, but Stockholm has clearly failed.

[ghporter]

I had to go to a big box home improvement store today. Had to because our kitchen faucet was leaking, and getting at the leak caused it to catastrophically fail - mostly because the parts that held it in had welded themselves together.

So first I researched the crap out of faucets to find one in stock and at a nearby store. The nearest Lowes had the product I wanted, and I headed there. I didn’t have a clue what to expect, but both Lowes and Home Depot around here have been very busy.

Lowes had plenty of people in it, but not a crowd. I had to get help to find the faucet - they had two in stock, which happened to be in a box on the top of the shelves. I stood in line to buy, with clearly marked “X” or signs delineating 6’ spacing. Quick and easy, but there seemed to be WAY too many families making an outing of wandering around Lowes.

It turned out that I needed adapters. The faucet has built-in feed lines, but the compression fittings on them didn’t match my supply lines. And Lowes didn’t have anything like the adapters I needed. So I checked out Home Depot. They had a two-pack (like other folks had run into this issue), and the web site even told me what aisle and area to find it.

Home Depot was managing the number of people in the store, so there was a line outside. They had “X” markings on the walkway, and at least some people observed them. It took about 5-6 minutes of waiting before I could go in. And again, family bonding time at Home Depot! There were “mom, dad, and both kids,” “mom, adult daughter, and ‘boyfriend’?”, and so on. And they were BROWSING. I zoomed to the place my parts were supposed to be, found them, and strode to the checkout - dodging more browsers. Somehow, even though they were limiting the number of folks in the store, those folks were less attentive-seeming than at Lowes.

And at both stores there were people with everything from nothing, to bandanas, to actual procedure masks, to cloth masks... I wore the procedure mask I keep in my car for being around others, and I tried to stay as antisocial as possible, but that wasn’t a common behavior.

Both stores made me anxious. Anxious because it seemed that most people in them felt that the virus wouldn’t bother them in a home improvement store... (Remember in Pleasantville when the dad says “we’re in a bowling alley, so we’re safe here”?). In contrast, the local grocery chain, H-E-B, has at least tried to cut down on family group shopping, and it seems to be working.

[turtle777]

Originally Posted by ghporter 

Home Depot was managing the number of people in the store, so there was a line outside. They had “X” markings on the walkway, and at least some people observed them. It took about 5-6 minutes of waiting before I could go in. And again, family bonding time at Home Depot! There were “mom, dad, and both kids,” “mom, adult daughter, and ‘boyfriend’?”, and so on. And they were BROWSING. .

This just pisses me off.

Now that the mall is closed, can’t they find other places to loiter ?
Can’t these idiots take a walk in a park or the woods ?

I don’t understand why these stores allow this.

-t

[Thorzdad]

Here's an interesting story on one of the widely-reported side-effects of being infected by C19...loss of smell.

[subego]

I heard about that. Definitely information that’s good to know.

[ghporter]

The loss of smell (and taste - a side effect of losing smell) appears to be caused by changes in the mucus - or reactions to the mucous membranes - due to the action of the virus or the immune system’s response. It’s still not fully understood, but it’s a common enough symptom. And it looks like it precedes other symptoms, too. As a marker for “uhoh, I’d better get checked out” it looks pretty solid.

After wearing a mask for a full shift every day, I can say that I empirically check my sense of smell every time I take off a mask. Procedure masks block a lot of odors for me, and when I take them off, it’s like my nose is turned back on.

I’m going to backpedal on my earlier stance that “most people shouldn’t wear masks most of the time.” If the entire US had done anything like a concerted, coordinated response to identifying people at risk, testing the heck out of potentially exposed people, and sufficiently encouraging people to stay the heck at home, I think I’d have been pretty safe with that stance.

But no, none of that happened. And now it looks like ANY face covering is a good idea. And contrary to what many people think, it’s not to keep the wearer safe. It’s to keep other people safe from the wearer.

[Doc HM]

COVID-19 or not America still loves to fly!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?featur...5w&app=desktop

[OreoCookie]

Originally Posted by ghporter 

I’m going to backpedal on my earlier stance that “most people shouldn’t wear masks most of the time.” If the entire US had done anything like a concerted, coordinated response to identifying people at risk, testing the heck out of potentially exposed people, and sufficiently encouraging people to stay the heck at home, I think I’d have been pretty safe with that stance.

I don't think it is necessarily backpedaling if we are following expert advice that is based on the best information available at that time. If the recommendations change, I'm happy to change my behavior.

In any case, IMHO the best argument against everyone wearing masks has nothing to do with their efficacy at preventing transmission (in either direction or both), but simply the scarcity of PPE for health care and care workers.

[ghporter]

I’ll add this as well. In this, a real internal medicine ER doctor with a PhD in biochemistry puts relative risk and what he calls “countermeasures” in perspective.

Warning: this is written VERY accessibly, and I think extremely well. Which surprises me a little because my experience with MD/PhDs has been in academia wherein they “already know everything” (as far as they know, anyway) and can’t be bothered to express anything in less than the most obtuse, obfuscated language possible.

[subego]

Originally Posted by Thorzdad 

Here's an interesting story on one of the widely-reported side-effects of being infected by C19...loss of smell.

Added bit I read about this today. Apparently loss of smell/taste is a good indicator you’ll recover.

[Thorzdad]

Trump claims total authority to force states to re-open.

[turtle777]

Originally Posted by Thorzdad 

Trump claims total authority to force states to re-open.

Typical Trump, a lot of talk.
What will happen is that he will listen to their intentions, and then “force” them to reopen when they feel ready.

Bullshit win-win.

-t

[reader50]

Hit Albertsons last night to restock the pantry. They're approaching normal on most stock.

But not a roll of TP in sight. Employee says it's there in the morning, and sells out quick. A few paper towel rolls had survived into the evening. But no facial tissue either.

I really thought the TP panic would have subsided by now. It's been over a month.

[andi*pandi]

There was an article that said it's not that we're using the bathroom more, we're using it at home. There's a lot of commercial rolls out there that can't get sold to groceries due to supply chain whatnot. Some restaurants have started selling their commercial rolls.

[Thorzdad]

Trump halts US funding of WHO.

[turtle777]

Originally Posted by andi*pandi 

There was an article that said it's not that we're using the bathroom more, we're using it at home. There's a lot of commercial rolls out there that can't get sold to groceries due to supply chain whatnot. Some restaurants have started selling their commercial rolls.

And on top, most of the commercial TP is shit.
Nobody wants 1 ply recycled sand paper for home use.

-t

[Doc HM]

You have a utter mentalist in charge.
Honestly if you can’t get your collective shit together and rid yourself of this man in November then I have no idea what would be going on in your heads.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/...cheques-report

[OreoCookie]

Originally Posted by Doc HM 

You have a utter mentalist in charge.
Honestly if you can’t get your collective shit together and rid yourself of this man in November then I have no idea what would be going on in your heads.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/...cheques-report

That would have made for a mildly amusing The Onion story a few months back.

[andi*pandi]

George Bush tried that (after 9/11?) with stimulus checks and the treasury shot him down. The checks are not Trump's personal money, they are tax dollars being given back to us.

Then again, Trump probably does think it is his money.

[Thorzdad]

Originally Posted by andi*pandi 

George Bush tried that (after 9/11?) with stimulus checks and the treasury shot him down.

Unfortunately, the Treasury is being run by a Trump sycophant, so it's a done deal unless someone objects strenuously enough to get the courts involved.

It's an incredibly transparent re-election play, but it's probably also a ploy to actually get the Democrats to object, which would further delay the checks going out, which would then be used as a weapon against Democrats, because "They don't want you to get the money!!!"" Or something like that. This timeline sucks.

[Waragainstsleep]

If Trump is ousted in November, will he be locked up? Its so obvious he's abusing the office at every turn.

[Thorzdad]

Originally Posted by Waragainstsleep 

If Trump is ousted in November, will he be locked up? Its so obvious he's abusing the office at every turn.

The level of effort (and funding) that will have to be expended just to repair the infrastructural damage Trump has done to the basic workings of government makes taking any legal action against him unviable. This will be doubly difficult if the Senate remains in republican control. I think you can mark it a done deal that a republican senate will block any effort by a democratic president to fix Trump's damage. They like the idea of a crippled government, afterall.

Then there's the inevitable recession that the next administration will have to deal with (ala Obama having to deal with W's recession). I'm afraid, if he loses in November, Trump will just trot off down to Mar-a-Lago unscathed.

[subego]

Politics 101: what goes around, comes around.

Anything you do to them opens the doors of them doing it to you.

For example. Should Trump get re-elected, and the Senate flip, I would hope the Democrats stonewall his Supreme Court picks. As I’ve said in the past, I’d actually prefer the Senate be the real ones in charge of that.

[Doc HM]

So, Americans decide to take to the streets (with guns natch) to "take back control" of their states.

Funded by the super wealthy elite who have obviously decided that peoples role is to spend (and die) so they can get richer.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/...t-stay-at-home

Are not the majority of Americans starting to have a vague feeling that your whole system may be profoundly sick (by which I mean morally and ethical not medically)?

[ghporter]

If our “whole system” were livestock, there are a number of folks who would feel that the morally and ethically responsible thing to do would be to euthanize the whole herd and burn the carcasses.

Groups of idiots who feel that their short term inconvenience is as big a problem as the prospect of dying - and clogging up the medical system, denying access to people who actually tried to avoid getting sick - are a huge exception. But they are part of a demographic that is, sadly, easily swayed. They were swayed (by whom?) to vote for His Orangness, they were swayed to gather with tiki torches to demonstrate for “white rights,” and so on. Now if they could only be swayed to sign away any potential right to medical care when they come down with COVID-19, I’d be just fine with that...

[Brien]

Originally Posted by turtle777 

This just pisses me off.

Now that the mall is closed, can’t they find other places to loiter ?
Can’t these idiots take a walk in a park or the woods ?

I don’t understand why these stores allow this.

-t

Grocery shopping and see the same thing. Almost positive some of those people are just walking around for an hour or two. Stay home!

[subego]

Finally got low enough on smokes I had to pop the seals on the bunker. Made it 40 days, though.


Edit: interesting that the last time I was out, I decided against wearing a mask because I wanted to be “treated normally”, and I wore one this time because I wanted to be “treated normally”.

[Thorzdad]

Originally Posted by Doc HM 

So, Americans decide to take to the streets (with guns natch) to "take back control" of their states.

Wellll...I'm not sure it's exactly accurate to say Americans "decided." It's beginning to seem that it's much more centrally-coordinated plan to agitate the easily-agitated.

Here's a not-a-dumpster-fire (by Reddit standards) Reddit thread by someone who decided to look into the sudden swath of protests.

It also doesn't help that the angry yam is also exhorting his followers to take to the streets.

[...deleted...]

[Waragainstsleep]

Theres a story about two Chinese doctors who woke up from their Covid-a9 cases to find their skin has darkened a lot. Its mostly due to liver damage and the drugs they were on and is expected to be temporary but I can just see that if the Trumpers get a hold of it, the headline will be "Covid-19 turns you black!" and the protests against lockdown will dry up entirely in a matter of seconds.

[Thorzdad]

Missouri files suit against China over Covid-19. Seems to me, if they’re intent on going after liars, they might want to take aim at a certain white house in DC.

[Thorzdad]

Former Labradoodle breeder tapped to lead U.S. pandemic task force. No, it's not an Onion headline.

[andi*pandi]

Journalism and science will save us all, if people only listen.

[reader50]

They really dislike education and experience. Those are what distinguish an expert from a crony.

Or perhaps the problem is experts don't offer kickbacks or blind personal loyalty.

[Brien]

Barr is threatening to sue states that don’t lift lockdowns. Fun.

[andi*pandi]

so much for states can decide.

Didn't Trump just throw Kemp (georgia gov) under the bus for opening early, claiming he thought it was too soon, after telling everyone to open?!? This admin is just FUBAR.
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/don...eopen-n1190061

[Thorzdad]

I was listening to a small business owner from Georgia talking about Kemp (or any other governor) opening the state early. They’ve been told, if their state opens, the businesses are no longer eligible for the small business grants/loans, because, hey, they can be open and are choosing to stay closed. Similarly, if a business opts to stay closed, their employees will no longer be able to collect unemployment because the business is staying closed by choice when it could be open. There were other similar issues, too...business insurance, utilities, etc. all demanding their cut now that businesses can be open.