So, Trump is holding another press conference today (maybe sell now?), and also the spreading virus is foreigners’ fault and Trump appointee Jay Powell is to blame for the economy:
Trump will find many people to blame this afternoon, and President Obama, Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer will likely get name-checked. But Trump-adjacent entertainers and elected officials have been debuting other possible scapegoats this week:
On Fox & Friends, Jerry Falwell Jr claims people are "overreacting" to coronavirus, the national response is "their next attempt to get Trump," and the virus itself is a North Korean bioweapon. pic.twitter.com/2JPuNBW7C3
— Bobby Lewis (@revrrlewis) March 13, 2020
There’s no internal logic there since a bioweapon is by definition a big fucking deal. But that’ll sail right over the Fox News audience’s heads. Sparkling pool enthusiast Falwell Jr. and the network’s sofa squatting assholes’ reckless blather is probably going to get more than just the stupid people killed.
The Bobble-Throated Slap-Dick from Arkansas* is also pushing the bioweapon conspiracy theory:
I don’t think Trump has endorsed the conspiracy theory yet, but that could change this afternoon. Sure would put a crimp in trade negotiations! But these people don’t think long term. They don’t think at all.
The animating principle of the Trump administration is to pin the blame on someone else for the consequences of Trump’s towering incompetence. That applies to every result of each of the many incidences of Trump’s bungling. It’s just that the scale of this incident is so massive that it might take World War III to obscure it.
Open thread.
[H/T: Charles P. Pierce]
Distance Teaching (Surprise!) and COVID-19: A Lurker
Dorothy A. Winsor
On twitter, Cheryl says she’s heard he’s going to declare a national emergency. That part might be useful. Other than that, he makes things worse every time he opens his mouth.
japa21
Some believe the news conference will be to announce a national emergency. Stock market will go up. Of course it will be accompanied by all the scapegoating he is capable of as well as extreme patting himself on the back.
And that tweet about borders is totally asinine.
ETA: As usual Dorothy is ahead of me.
Jerry
Which is it, slapdicks, North Korea or China?
Another Scott
(Repost from downstairs)
We all know that Donnie is going to be hospitalized before this is over. Right? Maybe less than 2 weeks?!
Who in the Administration is studying up on the 25th Amendment, Section 3? Jared?? Anyone else???!
:-/
(I am not an MD. Just my supposition. I know no more than anyone else. But we need to be planning for such things, and stop being in hyper-reactive mode.)
Cheers,
Scott.
Betty Cracker
National emergency declaration must mean Jared finished his book report and gave it the thumbs up. We’ll take it.
otmar
Someone is auditing for Darwin Awards.
SFAW
@otmar:
We can only hope. [I assume you meant to write “auditioning,” but …]
geg6
Jesus fucking Christ, no one wants to hear anything from that asshole unless it’s to declare a national emergency and that he will just shut the fuck up now for the duration. Other than that, he has nothing to say that will interest me or that I’ll believe until I can actually see it with my own eyes.
sdhays
But, aren’t Dump and Kim Jong Un in love? I thought they were sending love letters back and forth with the “i’s” dotted with ❤️’s. Where is the loovvvee???
jimmiraybob
You mean like maybe a viable infrastructure program?
Chris Johnson
I’m still interested to know what the survival stats are for the ‘millionaire old white male’ demographic.
That said, Trump fucks that one up too, because apparently he is refusing to acknowledge anything is happening? The ‘LA LA LA CAN’T HEAR YOU’ school of epidemology. Anyone other than Trump would be running to real doctors and throwing money at them, but not Trump, and not anybody who’s really deeply committed to remaining in his good graces.
Scout211
If he really is sick right now, that would definitely mean a national emergency to him. Despite what his reasons are, I hope he really does declare a national emergency.
MattF
Trump is getting pressure from McConnell, IMO. A number of R senators have disappeared from view— self-quarantine, I guess. From all those reporters and their damned cameras.
The Dangerman
This morning, at about 8:25a my time (PDST), CNN was covering the virus with an MD (duh), MSNBC was covering the virus with someone eminently forgetful (duh), and FOX had Karl Rove on to say how the Democratic Establishment boned Bernie Sanders. Somehow Rove was saying AOC was agreeing with him, which I don’t understand as I thought AOC was some Commie to the Right, but maybe I’m missing something…
…so, if this is a National Emergency declaration, the emergency is Trump’s numbers are flatlining.
dmsilev
@Jerry:
Are we sure Trump knows that those are different countries?
Leto
Day 1 of total lockdown in PA: outlook positive, supplies holding steady, enough books to last several lifetimes, internet still working, hope in leadership abandoned Nov 2016, still enough Rice Krispy treats.
Did Jared stay within the lines when he submitted the book report? (I’m saying it’s a MAGA filled coloring book of racist dick-slap bullshit meant to appease the fragile ego of the tiny dick rapist)
sdhays
@Chris Johnson: Dump expects money to be thrown at him and only him. He knows more about this stuff than anyone because his uncle mopped floors at MIT (or something).
Leto
@The Dangerman: I’ll repeat the common knowledge around here, but I just don’t see how we as a society survive this with half of our populace being fed this steady stream of constant disinformation. Something has to change.
PenAndKey
@geg6: Don’t worry, even if it’s just to announce a national emergency designation he’ll still find a way to screw it up. He’ll probably make some idiotic off-hand remark about suspending elections or something.
Mike R
@jimmiraybob: Oh no, we must cut taxes and especially on the wealthy as they know how to spend it to the best economic effect, sorry can’t even joke about these pathetic mother grabbers any more. They just suck. The sooner november comes the better, enough of this trumpian shit, may they all rot in prison.
Immanentize
@The Dangerman: I just read at Huffpo that AOC basically dissed the Sanders camp’s request for many appearances for the last month, after they complained about her messaging on immigration and M4A. And Joe Rogen.
Interesting times.
MattF
@sdhays: Trump did have a smart uncle. An argument that would be dismaying in a vaudeville routine.
Immanentize
@Leto: Not gonna see you here next week, huh? Stay safe, brother.
Chyron HR
B-but the letters, the beautiful letters.
Immanentize
@MattF: And frankly, a smart sister who was considered a very fair federal judge. He is the dummy.
JPL
Will a reporter ask him why he keeps lying about President Obama?
Baud
Regular voters should start wearing “Blame me, Trump” buttons.
japa21
Chicago Archdiocese is closing all schools effective Monday. My son teaches at St. Ignatius HS, which, unfortunately, is not officially part of the archdiocese. The principal there has said they will only close if there is a confirmed case.
Calouste
@Leto: Unintended side effect of this epidemic is that a number of the people who are fed this misinformation won’t survive. See it as a self-correcting feedback loop. A number of people who are spreading this misinformation won’t survive either, because they believe their own bullshit.
The Dangerman
OK, what’s he trying to stimulate now…
@japa21:
Oh dear God…
….WHEW.
Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes
I want the pig-eyed motherfucker to get this disease and to die a painful, choking death, along wit h every member of his disgusting family out to three generations. I want private citizen McConnell to get spat on in public, unable to even get courteous service at a rural drive-through.
is that wrong?
Brachiator
This. In Trump Imagination Land, his actions must be the greatest, most beautiful ever, greater than any previous president and double especially Obama. Or, it is somebody else’s fault, big time.
None of this is the behavior of a mature adult, let alone anyone who ever should have been elected president.
Added to this absurdity is the strange fact that Trump’s right wing nutjob defenders are stuck in his fantasy world as well. They keep falling back on the same lies, tricks, and nonsense and are utterly incapable of saying “Enough. This crises demands competence and expertise.”
It will be interesting to see how many of these idiots might be willing to die for their Supreme Leader Donald.
ETA: I heard a BBC news story that the mega-wealthy are building deluxe bunkers, complete with entertainment complexes and swimming pools, in case the virus continues to spread. And private jet companies are being retained to fly people who don’t want to breathe plebeian air.
snoey
@Chris Johnson: Survival is about the same as about anyone else in the top half of the US. You get the same ventilator as everybody else – there isn’t anything else much useful that money can buy.
Baud
@Immanentize: Oh, fun. I hope there is a rift that becomes public.
catclub
A second MO of Trump is to break something, cause a mini-crisis, and then return to nearly the status quo (but worse) and proclaim victory – NKorea, Trade, borderwall all qualify.
A real crisis does not fit this model.
Leto
@Immanentize: unfortunately not; I already canceled my trip to NBSS, but we’re rescheduling it so we’ll be back in the area later. Fingers crossed and all. You two stay safe too :)
Josie
MSNBC just reported that the mayor of Miami tested positive after spending time with the Brazilians. How many degrees of separation?
Calouste
@PenAndKey: The UK is postponing local elections until next year. Which is a bit less of a deal than it sounds, because they have them every year, but only in one quarter of the country.
Immanentize
@Baud: A la “I am Spartacus?”
Baud
I would love it if the White House announced that Trump had the disease and the stock market jumped 5000 points.
Ken
I see Trump has again tweeted how great he is because only 40 people have died from the virus
Well, I say “again”, because the last such tweet I saw – earlier this week, I believe – was only 23 deaths. I’m sure the implications escape him.
Edit: I’m also vaguely wondering at what number it will suddenly become someone else’s fault.
Baud
@Immanentize: Exactly. Something like that.
catclub
@Chyron HR: If the virus gets into NKorea, bad things will happen. Unreported famine all over again.
Immanentize
@Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes:
It may not be charitable, but wrong? Who is to say?
Immanentize
@Baud: I like it. Needs refining —
“Trump blamed me 4 Covid-19”
“Thanks, Obama!
/s/ Covid-19”
Chris Johnson
@Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes: No, not really. Seems commensurate to the offense, if not rather lenient.
Zzyzx
@Leto:
I saw someone at the QFC this morning doing Seattle prepping: dried beans, gluten free crackers, and TONS of Almond Milk.
jimmiraybob
I’m having less faith in November by the hour. Authoritarians have historically used crises to distract and to consolidate power. I see no reason that Trump won’t go the “suspend the elections” route that so many before him have done. Trump is a morally and ethically bereft ignoramus that is obsessed with himself and that lies to the American people on an hourly basis, if not more often. And don’t forget, he’s god’s anointed ruler. Obama, who they obsessed about being a dictator for 8 years actually believed in the the law and constitutional order. Trump does not. This is firmly established by the evidence – an empirical fact, some would say scientifically validated.
L85NJGT
He’s tested positive, or has symptoms and is refusing to be tested.
A complete lack of empathy, his motivations are always selfish.
Macro-stimulus is currently pointless, they are priming a dry well. Pump money into healthcare and individual Americans. But the markets have drowned President Over-leveraged, so…
Leto
@Brachiator:
Wealthy Considering Buying ‘Survival Condos’ in Nuclear Missile Silos Amid Coronavirus Outbreak
Here’s what I imagine: they flee to a bunker, someone discovers they’re infected, and it becomes some type of mutated zombie virus where the 74 other people are trapped with the 1 person who’s out to kill everyone. Idk, maybe we can just close the door behind them, put a simple wedge under it (because each door weighs roughly 5 tons), and simply “forget” about them.
Go back after like 10 years and discover what new dystopian hellhole society emerges, and let the anthropologists study them. Just the first thoughts off the top of my head.
Immanentize
@Baud: I really think that would be possible. If “confidence” is a market driver, the market is voting on Trump’s reactions as well as the actual disruptions. But no one is willing to say that, it seems.
japa21
Archdiocese of Chicago has also cancelled all masses.
Immanentize
@Leto:
“Blindness” by Jose Saramago. Great scary book.
Ken
@Leto: Galt’s Gulch in the time of plague.
Immanentize
@Zzyzx: That cracked me up. Exactly what is happening in Burlington VT, I guarantee it, With added Subaru!
hitchhiker
Just as a palate cleanser, this twitter account belongs to Trevor Bedford, one of the brilliant folks here in Seattle who is able to put numbers to work with respect to the virus. His clarity and thoughtfulness have been reminding me that expertise exists.
https://twitter.com/trvrb
Recommend for any moment when the rampant stupidity starts to overwhelm you.
Fair Economist
@Leto: I find supplies of Rice Krispy treats (or almost any treat/candy etc.) dwindle shockingly fast in any kind of stay home situation. :-(
The Dangerman
@catclub:
The biggest crisis in my lifetime … and Trump’s people are trying to sell me something about Bernie Sanders.
Right now, Rove and Trump should only be pondering Colonel Sanders and that people want to deep fat fry their ass (extra crispy, please).
Calouste
So Bolsonaro‘s
doctors have chickened out of telling him he has the virussecond test has come back negative.Immanentize
@Baud: It looks like AOC is “distancing” already, I hope in preparation for a Biden endorsement after next Tuesday?
Mike in Pasadena
Trump accuses Democrats of ignoring the virus. Up until today, he accused them of exaggerating the virus to hurt him politically. Never mind that it is not possible to draw attention to an issue and ignore it simultaneously. Never mind that trump was calling the virus a hoax for weeks, in other words trump was ignoring it. Projection as usual.
Another Scott
@catclub: +1
Donnie thinks he’s going to get some giant concession from the EU when he decides to allow travel again. Everything is transactional with him – he wants his vig, for being god-emperor.
And he’s killing people in the process.
Grr…
Cheers,
Scott.
Brachiator
@Baud:
That would be supremely ironic. Trump is an idiot for paying any attention to the stock market at all. But anything that might mark him as the failure that he is drives him up a wall.
SFAW
@sdhays:
From what I read earlier today. John Trump was not only a pretty sharp and creative physicist, he seems to have been a decent guy as well. I think he stayed away from from (more-or-less) because some of Fred’s “business models” were not as much on the up-and-up as John would have liked. In addition, it appears John Trump left a decent amount of money to Asshole’s cousins (Fred’s sister’s kids) — even though the writer believed them to be relatively comfortable/wealthy — and none to Asshole and his sibs.
Naturally, none of the above lends any credence to the idea that Asshole learned anything from his uncle. Or from anyone outside of his father and Roy Cohn, for that matter
ETA: I think John Trump was a prof at MIT for about 40 years, as well as having his doctorate from there (I think).
TaMara (HFG)
@Leto: Or Mar-a-Lago:
Leto
@Zzyzx: Avalune and I were following the reporting here, and locally, and were taking this seriously. It’s why we started prepping two weeks ago (book wise, shit, we’ve been prepping forever on that one) and why we’ll be fine for the next three to four weeks. Unlike everyone who bum rushed the local grocery stores yesterday and found the stores stripped bare. I believe the medical officials/scientists who said this was going to get worse. I’m treating this the same way as hurricane preparedness (I’ve been through two major ones: Hugo and Katrina).
TominNC
I heard the conspiracy to get Trump in Bank of America yesterday. The tellers were wearing gloves and they were all going to pray for themselves. I asked them if they realized that about 40% of the country would get the virus; and therefore 2 of the 5 people there would get it. The astonishment on their faces was real. They are all engrossed in the Fox News drive to kill them off.
japa21
@jimmiraybob: Elections are run by the states. He can’t suspend them.
Amir Khalid
@sdhays:
John Trump did more at MIT, a lot more, than mop the floors. That said, you’re still right: Donald Trump has no right to claim expertise in anything based on his uncle being a scientist.
schrodingers_cat
Did the Orange T give Bolsanaro the virus? He was playing kissy face with Modi a week before that.
geg6
@Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes:
Nope. Sounds about right to me.
The Dangerman
@Zzyzx:
Store here yesterday had water (hit hard, but reasonable supplies left), TP (same), but the dried beans were all gone. I’ve never heard of beans as prepper food but … I’m not a prepper, I guess. Maybe too many Blazing Saddles viewings.
Ruckus
@otmar:
Too late.
trump has already taken the gold. And silver. AND the bronze.
He is the all star moron.
Leto
@Fair Economist: I found this great pre-packaged one at my local grocery store and bought enough to last two weeks. Now, if I want to really stretch it I can cut them in half and go longer. But RKT are my kryptonite so…
@TaMara (HFG): Corona-Lago has a nice ring to it… COVID-19 will go nicely with all the bedbugs infecting the place.
Zzyzx
Outside of TP and cleaning supplies (and even the TP bullshit started when the rest of the country went insane), I haven’t had any problem in stores in Seattle so far. But I’m a low carb vegetarian so maybe I’m missing out on things.
eachother
Thank you Betty Cracker. You bring so much. It is about time to tell you how much I enjoy what you bring. Be well. Stay spirited. Me and the birds need your contributions.
Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes
@L85NJGT:
Stimulus needs to trickle up this time, not dribble via transfers to the already wealthy. Much of what is hammered isn’t going to benefit at all from a tax holiday – they’re coastline in terms of revenue and commissions.
Massive loans at fed fund rate to workers and businesses based on the annualized revenue from 2019 less revenue coming in now, with no other underwriting required, with a 10 year term and repayments deferred 24 months. Suspend student loan interest and repayment (maybe even forgive them all) for at least 18 months.
For once do something for the vast middle.
Brachiator
@Leto:
I think that all kinds of fun science fiction movies and tv shows will result from our tangle with this virus.
My current favorite idea. A group of plutocrats build an immense underground community. Years later they come above ground and discover that democratic socialism has taken root all around the world. Societies have recovered and created a world in which material wealth in meaningless.
The wealthy people, unable to adapt, go back to live in their underground society.
geg6
@Josie:
There’s a picture floating around the internet (I think I saw it on the NY Magazine site) of Trump and Bolsanaro, gripping and grinning like they are best buds, from last weekend at Mar-a-Lago. Fucker most likely has it and Bolsanaro definitely does.
EmbraceYourInnerCrone
@TaMara (HFG): And Ivanka is scheduled to be at the event I believe…
Leto
@SFAW: John sounds like the other two Koch brothers who didn’t participate in the family business.
Ruckus
@Leto:
What is worse is that the unwashed believe the bullshit.
Baud
@Leto:
Like.
jimmiraybob
He does not learn the normal way. I mean come on, he’s not one of the peasants. It’s all about having inherited the superior blood and genes. Very Nazi-like.
schrodingers_cat
@schrodingers_cat: And Bolsnaro was hugging Modi on Jan 26th.
Another Scott
It’s everywhere.
Wash your hands!!
:-(
Cheers,
Scott.
gwangung
@Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes: Hong Kong, Singapore and Macau have been giving folks a basic stipend to get them through the pandemic.
These are not particularly socialist countries…
mad citizen
@Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes: No one answered–I will. No, it is not wrong to wish this on the orange one.
Like I said a couple weeks ago, DJT is himself a National Emergency. I think we should be talking about moving the November sooner due to this catastrophe. Or a quicker change in power.
Ruckus
@Leto:
What is worse is that the unwashed believe the bullshit.
@Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes:
SFAW
@Ruckus:
I thought one of the criteria for winning a Darwin is the demise of the winner? Natural selection and all that.
geg6
@The Dangerman:
Can be a good source of protein in the absence of any other.
Josie
@geg6:
We can only hope.
Brachiator
@Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes:
I thought that Trump had proposed some substantial small business loan program.
But you are right. I haven’t had the time to read the detail about the various proposals coming from the president and from Congress, but it must combine programs that help business and individuals. And it must be massive and comprehensive. We have a big ass economy.
But here we are not really talking about stimulus, I am not sure what the best term might be, but the government should be helping to shore up an economy that is unnaturally contracting as society reacts to this virus.
Leto
@Brachiator: may your dreams become our reality…
I don’t know if you watch Star Trek: The Next Generation, but there was an episode in season 1 where the Enterprise comes across this deep space sleeper vessel (similar to the Botany Bay, Khan) and they pull these three people out from our time (1986). There’s this one guy in it who’s a Texan, over the top douchebag American, and basically he doesn’t believe that there’s no TV or money. Picard explains how society, as a whole, has moved on past those things. The guy doesn’t know what to do with himself…
Ruckus
@Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes:
It is wrong.
Also extremely normal, understandable and agreeable.
SFAW
@SFAW:
“from Fred (more-or-less)”
JHC, what a moron I am. Oh, wait …. “Damn you, autocorrkt”
L85NJGT
Rural communities are likely to take a beating on this one. The curve would need to be even lower when accounting for limited hospital beds and capabilities, as well as fewer practitioners per capita.
The Dangerman
@mad citizen:
At this point, I am praying for a President Pence; sure, he’s an idiot, but he’s not going to be on TV all the time telling us it’s not HIS fault, it’s all so unfair.
Trump is about as far out of his league as me trying to hit a Major League fastball. He needs to go away (resign, catch it, I don’t give a shit).
The histories that will be written someday (I hope) will so not be kind to our time.
Geoboy
@Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes: ”
I want the pig-eyed motherfucker to get this disease and to die a painful, choking death, along wit h every member of his disgusting family out to three generations. I want private citizen McConnell to get spat on in public, unable to even get courteous service at a rural drive-through.
is that wrong?”
It doesn’t go far enough, otherwise, no.
Just One More Canuck
@Chris Johnson:
don’t have stats that specific, but worldometer says that the death rate for those 70-79 is 8% (3.5% (?) overall?) but higher for males, and much higher for those with pre-existing conditions
Baud
@Brachiator:
That was the theme of HG Wells Time Machine.
dmsilev
Maybe _now_ Trump will take things seriously:
(WaPo’s coronavirus happening-now feed)
JPL
@Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes: Wow That was exactly my thought and prayer.
Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes
@Brachiator:
if it goes per every other SBA program, it will choke on loan underwriting and somebody missing paying a $54 medical debt 6 years ago. The credit reporting agencies need bypassing on this one.
ziggy
How does that work?–what do you eat besides celery?!
schrodingers_cat
@Leto: They should have made him New Yorker with a fake tan instead.
Jay
japa21
Quick review from the retail side.
The last two days have been bonkers at the Costco I work in. I have worked there 4 years and yesterday was by far the busiest day I have ever seen, including all the holiday seasons.
As I have mentioned, since food demos are cancelled I am doing stocking work, basically removing empty boxes and straightening out product.
Tuesday we had selves full of water. As of yesterday, none. All out of TP and paper towels, wipes and sanitizer and now regular hand soap. We did get one shipment of Costco’s private label sanitizer wipes yesterday. Roughly 200 cases. Gone within 45 minutes.
Big runs on flour (gone) organic sugar (gone) frozen vegetables (almost gone) fresh chicken (gone) frozen chicken breasts (almost gone).
Paper napkins are flying off the shelves (whether as a substitute for TP or paper towels I’m not sure).
All the shelf stable whole milk mini containers are gone. Almond and soy milk flying out although still have some of each. The only vegetable or canola oil left is the 5 gallon containers. Olive oil is getting scarce.
All bleach gone.
There are actually two reasons for the large crowds. One is obvious, people prepping for the apocalypse. The other is that Costco’s new monthly flyer started Wednesday. My guess is people who usually wait until closer to the end are out now buying because they don’t know what the situation will be in 4 weeks.
Leto
Avalune just read me a story that the largest mall in the area, King of Prussia Mall, will stay open because, quoting the owners: Gov Wolf didn’t define what non-essential stores were…
Profits over people.
Darkrose
@japa21: Hey! SICP Class of 1987 alum here! I’m thinking the big 150 year celebration isn’t going to happen though.
WereBear
@Leto: The funny thing about that is there is no testing: someone in the bunker was likely exposed, and there goes the ball game.
Baud
Who knows if they’re lying, but the story has changed.
The Dangerman
@Geoboy:
There is a long list of people discussed in this thread (McConnell, Rove, etc) that should never eat out again without watching their food being prepared.
Leto
@schrodingers_cat: I think they thought they were already waaaay over the top in writing this character, not sure they could’ve imagined how much further they needed to push it and still make it believable/relatable.
Punchy
Very non-important question, but one that intrigues me nonetheless:
What are sportsbars, e.g., BWW, going to show on their zillion TVs for the next few weeks? Outside of a few minor EU soccer leagues and maybe some golf….there’s literally no live sports happening. Will they all be turned off, or what? How will they attract any business (god knows their food wont)?
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@Baud:
as you say, the story has changed, and will probably change again before the press conference, if that happens
JustRuss
Just checked Liberty U’s website, they say they’re operating normally but today’s convocation is being streamed, no live attendees. Lucky for them they’re heading into spring break, I expect by the time that’s over Trump will finally have admitted we have a crisis so they can take measures without fear of incurring the wrath of Our Lord and Savior Trump.
Leto
@WereBear: Wait, you mean that the ultra wealthy aren’t inherently protected against everything because of their massive greenbacks?
It just hit me… War of the Worlds! It’ll be a War of the Worlds scenario. I like that…
Cameron
Way off-topic (although it’s tough to go off-topic on an open thread): does anybody else find this story as sketchy as I do? I confess to being a Gillum partisan.
https://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/politics/fl-ne-andrew-gillum-miami-beach-drugs-20200313-3plsrtuvdnhcpglfo34ojrehvu-story.html
Another Scott
Norm Ornstein at The Atlantic via GovExec:
Moscow Mitch is more interested in closing up shop (starting the recess) as soon as he’s able, so it’s probably going to take a lot of pressure for anything to happen.
Grr…
Cheers,
Scott.
SiubhanDuinne
@The Dangerman:
Every time I see that time zone abbreviation, I read it wrong. My immediate reaction is always along the lines of “Wow, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and dyslexia!”
:-)
germy
FelonyGovt
We apparently now have 2 confirmed COVID-19 cases in my little town. They are in self-quarantine here in town. Everyone’s hair is on fire around here.
Kelly
My plan for the quarantine was watch lots of basketball like I usually do in March. Did not expect the NCAA to pass up all that money.
PsiFighter37
Fuck…someone on my office floor has the virus. Been out all week but I have no idea about any more details. Great to find out less than 3 fucking hours before I get on a plane. Worse that it took so fucking long to figure out. Have to find out if I had any overlap before I switched to remote office this week.
Shitshow.
delk
I just early voted in Chicago. I left my house at 11:03 am and walked (according to Google) 0.5m to get to the polling place, voted, and then walked home 0.5m. Got home at 11:31. Those long lines at polling places in various red states are nothing but blatant voter suppression.
Ruckus
@Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes:
Need, best, reasonable, proper, these are among the many things that shit for brains doesn’t understand or agree with.
He thinks he was elected to be god, because he understands nothing. Whatever is the best thing he could do, he is going to do the most illogical opposite of that.
sdhays
@SFAW: My comment was not directed at John Trump, who is irrelevant. Obviously, he didn’t “mop floors at MIT” (unless that happened to be his “thing”) – and janitors at MIT can still brilliant, likely much, much smarter than the President of the United States. I was just being flippant about Dump’s claims to personally be a brilliant scientist because someone in his family tree wasn’t a stupid narcissistic dilettante. What his uncle did or knew doesn’t really matter.
catclub
@Immanentize:
Seattle Preppers — band name
Jim, Foolish Literalist
America First! time to be receiving foreign aid from China
Feathers
My groceries came. I got everything except toilet paper and penne pasta. Got the linguini, though. Forgot to order ditalini, which I use in my go to chickpea stew. Still have half a box, though. Also have my usual amount of TP, which I bought last week.
ziggy
@Punchy: That won’t be a problem, because they won’t be open. Once there is good circulation of cases in the local population, you’ll be surprised at how unappealing the idea of going out to eat is. Even the most popular, iconic restaurants in Seattle are closing down.
Poe Larity
With Ted Cruz double quarantined, IDK who TX looks to for leadership. How do you get re-exposed when you were already quarantined?
catclub
@Kelly: Maybe they will play MM reruns from previous years. If they don’t tell which year, the result might even be a surprise.
bemused
@Baud:
Oh yeah, Corona-Lago fits perfectly.
Geoboy
@Darkrose: and even if the 150 year reunion took place, it would probably be poorly attended (unless we’re going all “zombie apocalypse” now).
schrodingers_cat
@Baud: Miami’s mayor who met with Bolsanaro has tested positive for the virus
Another Scott
In other news, A giant robber crab stole my camera.
Cheers,
Scott.
Ruckus
@SFAW:
Absolutely nothing is normal about shit for brains. Not even winning a Darwin. And do not tell me you don’t think he’s far more than earned one. The damn award may have to be renamed!
MomSense
@Jerry:
What does that 400 lb hacker have to do to get his props?!?!11!?
Duane
Trumpov’s national address was a complete shitshow of lies and misinformation. This afternoon’s presser will be more of the same. He can declare a national emergency, but he’s incapable of doing what needs to be done.
Brachiator
@Leto:
The episode “The Neutral Zone.” I plan on watching it again. I think it is in CBS All Access.
Feathers
Massachusetts has banned all gatherings over 250 people. Grocery stores, malls, T or Logan.
WereBear
@Leto: Plus, they can’t live without servants, and where are they going to come from?
Who can fly the jets? Who can clean the terlets?
Spanky
@Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes:
Not only is it not wrong, it’s not too much of a stretch to say that it’s all becoming an inevitability.
Couch Thing
I know that at this very dangerous time this is the least important thing possible, but please tell me I am not alone in this. Every time I see a Trump tweet about the virus I want to die. CoronaVirus! Why the uppercase V? Why the exclamation point? Just why? Does he think that that is how it is spelled?
Feathers
Massachusetts has banned all gatherings over 250 people. Grocery stores, malls, T or Logan.
@Feathers: are exempt.
bluehill
Scheduling the presser at 3:00 before the markets close is interesting. Guess they think the market will like the news. Think it has to be more than just declaring a national emergency. Don’t think can be more rate cuts, because the market shrugged off the recent one and reaction to the fed intervention into the repo market seems muted given how much the market declined. Supposedly Pelosi and Mnuchin are close to a deal and that seems more fiscal stimulus based. Maybe there’s a bigger spending package. That said, Trump has shown he can f-up the simplest of jobs.
Gin & Tonic
@schrodingers_cat: I posted this in a dead thread downstairs: Bolsonaro and Trump last weekend.
mrmoshpotato
@Another Scott: But I thought Putin’s Puppet the Pussygrabber had the most luxurious tremendous bigly health and was going to live to be 200 years old and 239 pounds!?
Was that a lie?!?!
ETA – It’s really hard to take official announcements seriously when they’re peppered with stupid exclamation points. I look forward to President Biden’s adult Twitter posts.
Ken
@schrodingers_cat: What’s the count of people who’ve met with Bolsanaro and tested positive? Because at some point you’ve got to switch from “iron constitution, to be exposed like that and not be infected” to “yeah, he’s the source”.
schrodingers_cat
@Gin & Tonic: Heh and Modi was hugging both in Jan and Feb respectively!
Brachiator
@Just One More Canuck:
I think this is based primarily on the Chinese figures. Older people are clearly more at risk, but I don’t know whether the fatalities in other countries is causing these early analyses to be revised.
Ruckus
@Just One More Canuck:
Thank you for the update. I always like being in a high risk category. It’s always worked so well to my advantage in the past.
bemused
Hope, hope Pelosi doesn’t meet with trump and pence who say they won’t be tested for virus. Gotta keep that line of succession healthy.
EmbraceYourInnerCrone
@WereBear: I was wondering the same thing, are these rich people going to take care of their own kids, clean their own houses, do their own laundry and cook their own meals? Are they going to do their own shopping or do they expect the food to just magically appear (Amazon is convenient but are they going to get enough local drivers to do deliveries?)
Do they think their staff will magically not get sick or will they not allow them to leave the premises?
ljdramone
@Jerry:
Which one could Trump decide to nuke with less possible consequences? DPRK has about ten nuclear weapons. China has several hundred, and has functional ICBMs.
Trump thinks there’s no point to having nukes if you aren’t going to use them.
With full-throated support from Tom Cotton, Trump is going to nuke North Korea. You heard it here first.
:-(
Baud
@schrodingers_cat: Maybe they’ll rename it the antifavirus.
chopper
@Zzyzx:
“excuse me, is this seaweed juice free range?”
Timurid
@Brachiator:
Galt’s Grotto
Ken
@EmbraceYourInnerCrone: Have they ever read Poe’s The Masque of the Red Death?
(The AIP movie with Vincent Price is pretty good too.)
Frankensteinbeck
@Brachiator:
And, what, half of all Chinese males smoke? The coronavirus is bad news and we need to slow it down as much as possible, and sure as Hell try to keep it out of places like old age homes, but Spanish Flu it ain’t, thank goodness.
WaterGirl
@PsiFighter37: Scary. So sorry to hear that. Do you have to get on the plane?
geg6
For those of you who work with low income students who may need internet services during this crisis…
Comcast offering free Internet for a short period of time to help low income students.
https://www.wxyz.com/news/national/coronavirus/comcast-offering-internet-essentials-package-free-for-60-months-during-coronavirus-outbreak
The Dangerman
@Another Scott:
Moscow Mitch is more interested in closing up shop…
Only way shop opens any time soon is something happens to RBG. I hope she is somewhere very fucking safe (ok, there is no such place but at least not out in public).
Ruckus
@Jay:
Whatever is the most incorrect, stupid, dangerous thing he can do or say, that is what will fall out of his pie hole.
Geeez I thought this had been covered more than enough.
James E Powell
LA Schools – my employer – just announced they are closing for two weeks beginning Monday. They have been resisting this because a large percentage of the students get three meals a day at school. Also, parents, many single, do not have resources for child care. Still . . .
Our superintendent – billionaire Austin Beutner – says each child will leave school today with lesson plans. First I’m hearing about it. We are not able to go to online classes. This is going to be muy interestante.
opiejeanne
@otmar: The Darwin Award only works if the idiot hasn’t reproduced by the time of demise. Too late for Trump and all but one of his children.
Kent
So, question for the group.
My daughter is a senior at University of Arkansas in Fayetteville. Like everywhere else, their university is basically closed and all classes are gone online. Their spring break is coming up and they have reservations at some beach house down on the gulf coast on Dauphin Island AL.
They are planning to drive down and just spend the week on the beach. Any opinions on letting them go? I’m not quite sure how it makes any difference if they are staying at their rental house in Fayetteville, or driving down to the beach. Especially if they avoid social situations like night clubs.
Her senior year, graduation, and job prospects in May/June are probably torpedoed. She has a marketing and PR degree with emphasis on travel and lifestyle tourism. I don’t expect airlines, cruise lines, or hotel/resort chains are going to be in hiring mode come June. Do I pull the plug on her final spring break trip too?
Joey Maloney
“Bubble-throated slapdick” is worth the price of admission to this blog all by itself.
Jeffro
@Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes: it’s wrong only in that it’s too kind a fate for all of them
FelonyGovt
Here’s some useful information on the virus from UCSF, sent me by a doctor friend.
Leto
@WereBear: How much does a banana cost? $10? – Arrested Development
I’ve always wondered about that: why do they think their private security/”helpers” will stay loyal in an end-of-times scenario when money doesn’t mean anything? Why are they doing to listen to some “master of the universe” and not kill him/their family, and simply take all of their shit? This isn’t some Bond movie where the henchmen somehow remain loyal, even after watching their leader be continually kicked in the nuts over and over.
robmassing
Oh FFS, the utter stupidity of “this virus has only killed x, but H1N1 killed 17,000.” So far, you idiot, so far! Is he that dumb or is he hoping his audience is that dumb?
germy
@Feathers:
I visited my grocery store yesterday. It’s big, not as big as a walmart, but big. No hand sanitizer. No clorox or lysol wipes. No rubbing alcohol. Empty shelves.
When I got home and put our groceries away, I started wondering if any of the shelf stockers could have coughed into their hands while touching things like my water and juice bottles. I thought of this while I was drinking out of a water bottle.
The virus supposedly can survive 3 days on surfaces. If I’d had clorox wipes I would have wiped everything down before putting it away, but the shelves are empty.
I wonder if this means many people are buying a few of those items, or a few people are buying many of those items. I can imagine a hoarder rolling their shopping cart up to the shelf and taking every last item. I hope I’m wrong.
jimmiraybob
Shhhhhh. You’re giving too much away.
Nora Lenderbee
@The Dangerman: I’m afraid he’d get elected in November, simply for not being Dump.
FelonyGovt
@Kent: I’d let her go. Poor kid is going to have a rough go of it with that major, might as well enjoy herself on that trip, and as long as she stays with the same group, I don’t see the risk as much higher.
germy
GG weighs in
japa21
@germy: Most stores are placing limits on things, even Aldi’s.
Gin & Tonic
@robmassing: Yes.
Kent
Those are my thoughts. It’s her roommates either way. They are young and healthy. The beach is probably a better quarantine area anyway. And being outdoors in the salt air and water has to be a better environment than a college town.
schrodingers_cat
@germy: If Bolsanaro is anything like the despots I know he is a inveterate liar. Why should anyone actually believe him?
FelonyGovt
@Kent: My daughter is in a wedding party at a wedding in Philadelphia at the end of this month. I’m sick at the idea of her flying across country right now, but I keep telling myself that young people are less susceptible.
WaterGirl
@germy: Maybe a bad time to have “germs” as a nym? :-)
Mnemosyne
@Brachiator:
Unless they’re building those bunkers and flying those planes with their own two hands, it ain’t gonna help. Has NO ONE read “The Masque of the Red Death,” for FFS? You. Can’t. Hide.
MisterForkbeard
@Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes: Interestingly, a friend of mine who runs a small retro gaming store tells me that the payroll tax holiday would be a huge benefit to him. And he’s right! It would be pretty great so long as he maintains a decent amount of customers incoming.
The problem is that I think his (mostly retail) business is about to fall off a cliff, and his wife is 8 months pregnant with their first child. So the payroll tax would be great for their finances now and utterly useless in about 6 weeks.
The Dangerman
@FelonyGovt:
Agreed. As long as they stay out of the trouble zones (monster gatherings, etc.), might as well go have a good time for a last ride. It could be a while.
Ruckus
@Couch Thing:
Don’t try to figure out shit for brains. The effort isn’t worth the time. It won’t change how screwed up he is. It won’t lead to a cure. It won’t fix the crappy situation. It won’t convince those not yet convinced. It’s pointless and it hurts your brain.
germy
@schrodingers_cat: It’s best to believe the opposite of whatever they say.
Mandalay
@dmsilev:
But from 20 minutes ago….
I’m praying for Lara Trump.
p.a.
I’m good for 2 weeks between freezer, beans, rice, progresso soup, but water??? What is theavg usage per day for 1 adult American? TBG (to be googled)
Hasn’t been a run on Funny Bones yet, so I’m good there. AND they last indefinitely (but not as long as Twinkies)
ETA:For instance, a personwho is 200 pounds, should drink 100 oz. of water per day to be adequately hydrated.
Feathers
@germy: I hear you. I feel safer having the store pickers pulling stuff off the shelf than doing it myself. My understanding is that the shelves are restocked late at night and then the people filling the delivery orders take from the shelves of your local store, so that store gets the sale. My nearest stores are small and not great, so it’s the big, new store a town over that they come from. Maybe I’ll leave what I don’t need in the bag for three days!
Currently binging the final season of Mr. Robot.
Jeffro
They could just re-run Super Bowls 52 and 54 on a loop. ;)
Ken
@Mandalay: Betcha they tried to cancel and Mar-a-Lago told them no refunds.
germy
@WaterGirl: I made a bad choice, but I’m sticking with it.
Somewhat like those GOP voters, I suppose…
Darkrose
@geg6: Thank you! Making sure my Dean knows about this. We have 600 Chromebooks coming to distribute to students, so this will be a huge help.
geg6
@Kent:
I would. But that’s just me.
Kelly
@Kent: I’d say go. Easy to keep social distance on the beach. Bring supplies from home or make one careful supply run at the beach. I am just now writing a note to the kids that they might as well take the grandkids to ski and play in the snow. Stay out of the lodge, don’t share a chair with strangers. I won’t be spending time with the grandkids on this now 2 week spring break.
WereBear
I gather they have always been spoiled. And it’s very obvious they know nothing about actual economics.
They have training in niche areas: investment banking, place settings, fashion. Pure Thorsten Veblen.
mad citizen
I stopped closely following the March Madness years ago, but do listen to a bit of sports talk just as babble. Less since Clear Channel fired our local entertaining afternoon duo a few months ago. One positive of this could be killing off some national sports talk shows/channels.
There must be some good jokes about NCAA pools.
Indiana legalized sports betting this year–those companies won’t be doing much for a few weeks.
This is going to a bad economic hit for Indianapolis. No Big Ten Tourney; no NCAA Regional games; no Pacers. No conventions.
Trump will be desperate to get positive 2Q growth so we aren’t in a recession this fall.
Hoping he resigns this afternoon.
p.a.
Any indication in warm weather areas of the world that the virus gets knocked down somewhat?
Ken
@p.a.: What’s your situation that you wouldn’t have tap water? On a pump and worried you’ll lose power?
geg6
@germy:
For some reason, my John and I both each bought a gallon of bleach a couple of months ago (the bleach we had wasn’t anywhere near empty). We laughed about it and said, well, we won’t run out of bleach any time soon! Ha! Turned out well for us. We have put a little in a spray bottle, well diluted with mucho water, and have been spraying it on everything that can’t be ruined by bleach.
EmbraceYourInnerCrone
@Ken: I assume they have as many public schools teach Poe at some point or other but, I have found people don’t always easily relate things they read to their own lives. They some how feel untouchable, or at least like their money will protect them. Like what happened before can’t possibly happen now because “reasons” Well, as someone, maybe Mark Twain said History doesn’t repeat but it sure does rhyme.
zhena gogolia
@FelonyGovt:
“Anyone over 60 stay at home unless it’s critical.” God, I really don’t know how to do that. I’m not retired.
mrmoshpotato
@Ken:
“I’m luxurious at these 40 deaths! Burly, blubbering construction workers have told me with tears in their eyes!”
ETA – All 40 will be someone else’s fault. And then 41, 42, 43…
germy
@p.a.: It’s warm in Australia, and the virus is spreading there.
Aleta
I bet Trump wants more scene takes until satisfied he looks like a movie general or war president. Trump-Pence are obviously indifferent to saving the most lives and suffering. They look dangerously incompetent and absurd, but what they’re going for is the TV appearance of resolute action.
Fwiw, I keep thinking about the Bush-Cheney-Rove reelection campaign in the first half of 2004. (Trump people are not original thinkers.) Suggestions like “we’re at war.” “Our country (commander) is being tested.” “You don’t change commanders in the middle of a battle.” “Muslims/Arabs aren’t like us.” “Bush and Cheney are steady and resolute, while Kerry is too floopy/hazy to lead during this time of crisis.” *
Somehow despite Bush’s huge mistakes and lies that directly caused deaths and tragedy, the Bush campaign went all out to play the press and shift perceptions away from the facts. Now here’s the Trump campaign trying hard to make a TV show about Pence and T and Kushner being resolute and decisive in the fight against the virus. Horrendous lies and obvious fiction, but the Trumps are going for it.
* Similarly, Bush’s campaign people worked to identify Republicans with tax cuts while attacking Kerry for tax votes. Republicans used large military appropriations to identify themselves with the military while diminishing the importance and distorting the truth of Kerry’s military record. Afterward we were also told about Rove’s dedication to “getting out the base.” Which meant spending time and $ on evangelicals to make them believe Bush was on their side so they would want to come out to vote for him. As Trump has been doing since at least mid-2016. And Rove had much less concern (than past presidential campaigns did) for what so-called independent ‘swing voters’ thought.
Mike in NC
@Couch Thing:
He spent his entire rotten life as a snake-oil salesman. He can’t change what he is.
Zelma
We just decided not to have Sunday service at my little church in Stone Harbor, NJ. We have an older congregation who are in greater danger (myself included.). There is a “rumor” that we have a case in Cape May County, but they can’t get a test to make sure. In the off season, this is a very small place but also very old. We have a pretty decent community hospital but it will be swamped if the virus takes hold. Interesting times.
japa21
@p.a.: You mean like Australia which is summer right now?
lee
@Kent: Same advice as the other poster. I’d let her go. They are driving and being stuck at home at a beach is better than anywhere else.
My oldest is graduating in May. If the economy is tanked, I’m going to suggest that she take some grad school classes. Then look for a job in in the fall semester (repeat as necessary)
Martin
China is threatening to withhold exports of medicine to the US and/or cut off all travel (including goods) if the US keeps singling out China for blame (Pompeo and Trump accusations of cover-ups , demands for compensation ala Tom Cotton’s threats).
Baud
@zhena gogolia:
It’s important to remember that these are temporary measures to flatten the curve. People don’t think it’s possible anymore to stop the virus from spreading. They are working on making it spread more slowly to medical capacity can keep up. People who are going to get the virus are going to get it, it’s only a question of when.
Dorothy A. Winsor
Mr DAW went to pick up our prescriptions at WalMart and the pharmacist told him she’d seen people taking TP out one another’s carts.
JPL
@Baud: trump called and told him to lie.. I’m not sure of that but it is certainly possible, don’t you think.
Sister Golden Bear
@Leto: If you’re still willing to buy prepared food, apparently pizza freezes decently well. Just got myself a 14-inch deep dish, and will be packaging it into individual slices and putting it in the freezer. I figure I can stretch it into a week’s worth of dinners if needed.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
Skepticat
A physiological disadvantage? Is that when you get an obese fathead as president?
Baud
@JPL: Sure. Can’t trust anything those people say.
Mandalay
@gwangung:
Completely OT, but Singapore is a very socialist country in several ways. For example, “The Singaporean state owns 90 percent of the country’s land” and “Over 80 percent of Singapore’s population lives in housing constructed by the country’s public housing agency HDB“.
But – like Scandinavian countries – the media won’t talk about Singapore’s form of government much, because socialism here is generally equated to Stalin’s mass killings, and gulags under communism. Talking about successful socialism in other countries is bad for our 0.1%, and the media plays along.
geg6
@Jeffro:
Even better, Super Bowls X, XIII, XIV and XL.
germy
@Dorothy A. Winsor: times like this really bring out the best but also unfortunately the worst in people.
Dorothy A. Winsor
@Jim, Foolish Literalist:
So some people can get tested.
JMG
@Kent: Social distancing or no, a group of college girls on spring break is bound to attract one or more groups of college guys.
geg6
@p.a.:
Apparently, no evidence that warm weather does anything helpful.
EmbraceYourInnerCrone
@p.a.: Most likely not, or if it does, only by a modest amount. It is currently summer in the Southern Hemisphere, Australia, Singapore and parts of South America have active clusters, so do Egypt, Tunisia and Algeria.
https://ccdd.hsph.harvard.edu/will-covid-19-go-away-on-its-own-in-warmer-weather/
There is also the fact that Iran, Italy and Wuhan are basically at the same latitude and currently have the same basic weather 65 degrees F.
Martin
@bluehill: Or it could be that Trump thought the mistake was reading the prepared remarks instead of using his perfect personality to free-wheel this shit.
Who the fuck knows with that guy.
p.a.
@Ken: Nah, just worst-casing: city water here, and curious b/c I’ve never given it a second thought, except for hurricanes, when a clean bathtub, plastic storage containers, and water jugs suffice for the potential of a few days issue.
Martin
@germy: Seems like a good excuse to throw the lawyers in jail for a spell.
mrmoshpotato
@The Dangerman: Dump’s Extra Crispy Ass
Eww, no. (shudders)
Kelly
@Zelma:
Several times over the years I’ve had an ill/injured friend or relative that was hospitalized and the doc told us they planned to move them to an ICU bed “as soon as one frees up”. Usually the wait was less than a day.
This happened a few times under ordinary circumstances without an epidemic.
PsiFighter37
@WaterGirl: I don’t, but it might’ve been the last time to see my grandmother before she either can no longer speak, remembers me, or passes away (her dementia is pretty bad and she’s got health issues). So…that is what sucks the most.
Cancelled the trip because it’s the right thing to do health-wise, but certainly not what the heart wants. And now I have to figure out how to test myself.
Kent
Yes this. The media will fall all over themselves to give him a honeymoon and talk about “consistency in the face of crisis” and all that sort of bullshit. About how the real Republican daddies are now taking over so all is well and we have to trust their steady hand in a crisis.
JPL
@Kent: I agree with Felony… Just get her commitment to stay out of night clubs.
zhena gogolia
So are all the people over 60 on here staying home all the time?
ETA: We’re not traveling or going to crowded places, but we are having to switch to online teaching in 7 days so we have had to attend meetings (with people sitting far apart) and be in our offices (with barely anyone else in the building). We also have to go shopping for ourselves. And we picked this great moment to adopt cats, who are going to be delivered from NW Mass on Monday. I tried to get out of it or postpone it, but it’s us or the shelter.
NotMax
Let me get this wingnut fantasy straight.
N. Korea develops it and promptly deploys it in the one country most responsible for propping up the N. Korean regime and what passes for its economy.
Uh huh.
//
Kent
What can you do. She lives in a college town. They are still having house parties on her block.
Ken
@p.a.: I think if things get so bad that city water goes out for an extended time, we’re all pretty much hosed anyway.
I also think we’re more likely to lose city services and utilities because of the Trump depression than the virus.
FelonyGovt
@zhena gogolia: I’m pretty hunkered down, going out to the supermarket or Target as needed. I do work part time, and will travel for work as necessary.
Baud
@Ken: I think the key thing is that you should stay away from your daughter.
Calouste
@Couch Thing:
FTFY.
J R in WV
@ziggy:
p.a.
@Ken: ???
mrmoshpotato
@Ruckus:
And the platinum! (Yeah, I’m adding a fourth medal. For this amount of dumbshit, mobster manchild…)
Mandalay
@geg6:
At present there is also no evidence that it doesn’t. It’s a mistake to play gotcha and argue that there are coronavirus patients in Australia, and it is summer in Australia, so warm weather has no effect on the virus.
Things might be far worse in Australia if it wasn’t summer. AFAIK, nobody knows either way.
Kathleen
@Immanentize: But then she was on Fox saying that Bernie lost Michigan due to voter suppression.
pat
@germy:
I am reading “The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs” by Brusatte.
Highly recommended.
PenAndKey
From a risk standpoint going is riskier than staying, if for no better reason than they’re traveling to another location and interacting with the local population. Even if they avoid night clubs they will still be interacting with gas station attendants, food sales locations or drivers, and other low-level exposure risks from Point A to B to back again.
It is entirely up to your and her personal risk tolerances, but unlike the other commenters my advice would be to avoid all non-essential travel. And a final spring break vacation? Psychologically healthy, yes, but non-essential all the same.
Brachiator
@Mnemosyne:
And in honor of Max Von Sydow, the Danse Macabre in “The Seventh Seal.”
James E Powell
@zhena gogolia:
Very few of us know how to do this. We are going to have to learn, I guess. I don’t want to be scared, but I don’t want to be stupid either.
NotMax
@mrmoshpotato
Trumponium. The BEST element. Sharpied into the periodic table as TP.
;)
Ken
@Mandalay: Give it a week or so, plot the case numbers from Australia, and see how it compares to Northern Hemisphere countries.
Kelly
@zhena gogolia: We’ll do some careful grocery shopping trips. Shop in the morning when it’s not busy. Wear gloves. Shower when we get home, put on fresh clothes. We live on a dead end road where two rivers meet. Our favorite recreations are hiking, XC skiing and kayaking with just the two us so social distancing is mostly normal for us. Biggest regret is we’re staying away from the grandkids for the two week spring break.
PenAndKey
@Brachiator: This also reminds me of the book World War Z. There was an entire chunk of the book that detailed how a bunch of celebrities has a televised “surviving the zombie apocalypse” walled bunker partyhouse that was, by the end, overrun by people desperate for supplies. I’m pretty sure it was also eventually overrun by actual zombies, but that’s a detail I’m fuzzy on. Either way… these sorts of things don’t ever work if they’re not A) already in place and B) not widespread knowledge.
@Kelly: Don’t forget to clean your phone, pens, door handles, and anything else you handle between hand washings too. I’ve lost count of the number of people I’ve seen in the last week set down their phone, wash their hands, and immediate pick up their phone again. From a microbiology perspective I find it best to imagine your hands and everything you touch are all slowly being covered by sticky cheeto powder or toner ink dust. Anything you touch should be considered contaminated until cleaned.
Brachiator
@mrmoshpotato:
And the Participation Trophy.
James E Powell
@FelonyGovt:
That link isn’t working for me. Anyone have an alternate source?
Ksmiami
@Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes: No! SATSQ.
Mnemosyne
It’s intriguing that the one wingnut relative who’s still in my Facebook feed tried to post a video of Dr. Drew pooh-poohing the danger of the virus and she got pretty massive pushback from her friends. I think the spell may be starting to break.
?BillinGlendaleCA
@robmassing:
Yes.
p.a.
@zhena gogolia: I’m almost 61 but no underlying phys issues. RI has, I believe, 5 confirmed cases, state & Providence have declared states of emergency. Except for Wednesday pub trivia every planned event I had tix for has been cancelled, yesterday was my scheduled Planet Fitness day off (5 on 1 off religiously), taking today off to think on it (my neighborhood is good for walking to make up the cardio, but the weights…), I’m retired so I can hit the local megamart at its 6am opening to keep contact minimal and when shelves are at their max. But my GF is a psych nurse dealing w people who obviously have issues of support and general competence, so that is a concern. And I get cabin fever just like anyone else, although a drive can clear that up, no need to mingle.
Trivia night is a concern, GF wants to continue for now.
PenAndKey
@James E Powell: Sorry for the big info dump, but here’s the linked information.
(BJ Overlords: Feel free to delete this comment and/or extract it for a post. A quick look at the info has a lot of good details that should be familiar to anyone who’s been on the COVID threads over the last few days)
University of California, San Francisco BioHub Panel on COVID-19
March 10, 2020
What’s below are essentially direct quotes from the panelists. I bracketed the few things that are not quotes.
Brachiator
@NotMax:
One isotope is extremely unstable. The other is inert.
mrmoshpotato
@delk:
Yup. I’ve used vote-by-mail since 2018. I’m still working my way through the judges.
J R in WV
@Another Scott:
Regarding a quorum in either house of congress, from the constitution:
I suspect that fall back of “as each House may provide” could carry a lot of weight here. Plus, there are back up systems in place in case the capitol is destroyed by attack during the State of the Union speech. There has been serious thought dedicated to continuance of government in an emergency. Not recently, as in the last 3.3 years, of course, but prior to that, yes, preparedness has been defined.
We may get a female president yet!
NotMax
@Brachiator
Well played.
p.a.
@Mnemosyne: Anecdote =/= data, but I hope you’re right. Even 10-15% changeover among them (not even necessarily voting dem, but just staying home) will really help in November, not to mention listening to legit sources on the pandemic. Survival threats focus the mind.
Kelly
@PenAndKey: and we keep our grocery list with a smartphone app…
geg6
@zhena gogolia:
I’ll be working from home at least 3 days a week starting Monday. We have a pretty good stash of important goods, like meat in the freezer, veggies we canned last summer/fall, bleach and cleaning supplies. We will go pick things like Lovey’s insulin and John’s many prescriptions. Have set up auto delivery on the pets’ food and treats. Am now looking into grocery delivery and voting by mail (first time in my life I’ve been able to! Yay!). Also need to look into delivery from the state’s wine and liquor stores. We plan to hunker down with the sole exception of work. As I mentioned above, I’m only going in sporadically but his job has not made any announcement of modified work.
Mnemosyne
@Aleta:
Even Bush and Cheney found out that that strategy only works when the crisis is conveniently overseas where it’s harder for people to see and easier to slant the coverage. When the crisis hit New Orleans, they could no longer wave it away and they lost the 2006 midterms in a huge way.
zhena gogolia
@PenAndKey:
So how are you supposed to do this when all supplies of wipes and alcohol and bleach have disappeared from the stores?
Elizabelle
PDF for you. Poe’s The Masque of the Red Death. Always a good story, especially for now
We are stuck with the Masque of the Orange Fool. Lucky us.
mrmoshpotato
@catclub: Haha – the Sweet Sixteen turns out to be 16 completely different teams than are playing in the Elite Eight. And each game is from a different year.
NotMax
@zhena gogolia
Maybe check if Staples or Office Depot or Best Buy or the like has any boxes of pre-packaged screen cleaning towelettes? Not disinfectant but a step above nothing.
WaterGirl
@Baud: I guess Trump’s mom didn’t love him enough to read him the story of the boy who cried wolf?
PenAndKey
@zhena gogolia: That’s the million dollar question, and without access to a sanitizer cleaner of some sort (isopropanol, 60%+ ethanol, bleach, hydrogen peroxide, soap, ect) it’s damn hard to do. This is actually a big reason why I can’t fault people for stocking up on any of those, nor on paper towels.
Simply put, if a surface can’t be cleaned to a visual clean state and treated with a sanitizer of some sort it should be considered contaminated until it is. If there aren’t any sanitizers available, well…. ¯\_(ツ)_/
Edit: Also, to address FE’s comment at 288, this is absolutely an option. In the lab it’s not uncommon to use diluted powdered detergent that’s so low it barely bubbles in standard hardness water after vigorous mixing. It doesn’t take much, since the soap actively attacks the lipid (fat) membranes these sorts of viruses rely on to survive outside of the cell.
Fair Economist
@zhena gogolia: Detergent kills enveloped virus. Dilute detergent (1% or so) is used to kill enveloped viruses in blood products (invented to clear HIV out of hemophilia products). So if it’s washable, just wipe it down with mildly soapy water.
Miss Bianca
@Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes: I had a discussion with an ex-boyfriend yesterday, about whether it was evil to wish evil on an evil person. He concluded that it wasn’t. I’m inclined to agree with him, so…come sit by me, Monsieur Le Comte!
Just not too near. Health protocols, y’know.
WaterGirl
@PsiFighter37: Well, shit. You did the right thing, but man, that sucks. I’m so sorry.
Sister Rail Gun of Warm Humanitarianism
@Leto:
Still not king.
But still the prettiest.
NotMax
Anyone been in touch with frequent flier Steve in the Wherever?
Kelly
I put on disposable painting gloves when I leave the car, take them of after I put the groceries in the car. The store I plan to do all my shopping at has always had disinfecting hand wipes where you get your grocery cart so I give the cart a good swabbing. I’ll grab an extra one to clean my phone after I finish shopping. They also have always have a dispenser of hand cleaner at each checkout so I clean my gloves before I leave.
Oregon banned single use grocery bags Jan 1. That may be unfortunate timing. Some of our reusable grocery bags are machine washable, some aren’t. Would the virus die in our freezer?
NotMax
@Kelly
Careful. May contain ingredients which can damage the screen coating.
WaterGirl
@NotMax: I tried weeks ago, but it appeared to me that he had not supplied BJ with a a real email account that gets checked. Someone here (maybe Adam?) had his real email address, so the last I heard was that they were doing a lot of traveling. Hopefully Steve is someplace safe and is staying put.
Kelly
@NotMax: I’ll clean the phone when I get home.Have plenty of rubbing alcohol
PenAndKey
@Kelly: While enveloped viruses can be damaged by dry surface freezing they can often survive being frozen if in liquid or liquid droplets for extended periods. Honestly the freezing isn’t the most likely thing in your freezer to help here, it’s the freeze-thaw cycle. That being said, most enveloped viruses of this sort last under 24hr on surfaces, so after a day or two in the freezer or pantry I would hypothesize that your danger is minimal. Without studying the exact strain though it’s hard to say, and I don’t know if anyone has done that yet.
FelonyGovt
@PenAndKey: Thank you, that’s it. Don’t know why my link didn’t work.
Miss Bianca
@germy: Is it bad of me to hope that somehow GG has been infected, as well?
Kelly
@PenAndKey: Since I expect to shop less than once a week the bags should air out to safety. I’ll quit stuffing all the bags into one bag to improve the process.
opiejeanne
@Ruckus: I got an email from The Teaparty 247 today. It’s spam, but what got me was the title:
Woke Liberal Nonsense From Eurocrat Whining About Trump’s Travel Ban (This Is Crazy)
There are idiots who are going to believe this BS and they will make things worse when they end up infecting people around them.
There’s a photo of someone I don’t recognize at the top of the article, possibly not the Eurocrat, and I’m not going to click the link, but what a title
ETA: This is who they’re calling a whining Eurocrat.
Dacian Julien Cioloș is a Romanian agronomist who was Prime Minister of Romania between November 2015 and January 2017. In the Călin Popescu-Tăriceanu cabinet, he was Agriculture Minister from October 2007 to December 2008. Wikipedia
mrmoshpotato
@Mike in NC: Leopard. Spots. Fat Bastard. :)
NotMax
@Kelly
For most screens, my understanding is that alcohol and/or ammonia not recommended. Microfiber cloth very, very slightly dampened with a diluted detergent solution, then wiped with a section of same cloth very, very slightly dampened with plain water. Can finish with a dry section of the same cloth.
Mnemosyne
@Kelly:
You should be able to hand-wash the bags that aren’t machine washable. Gentle laundry detergent in a sink diluted with a lot of water. Let them soak for 10-15 minutes, swish them around, and rinse them out. Hang them up to air-dry and you should be all set.
Kent
@PenAndKey: Reading through the comment thread on the linked-in post it appears this is not any sort of official information. To wit…
mrmoshpotato
@Aleta: Shut up libtard.
George W. BushGod-emperor Trump is a We’re-at-war-with-CoronaVirus! president! Why do you hate the troops?Betty Cracker
@Cameron: Sketchy how? He admitted he was there. I voted for the man because DeSantis, but to be honest, I thought Gillum’s stories about scoring the Hamilton tickets and paying for the Costa Rica (I think?) vacation accommodations were sketchy as hell. And I don’t buy his bullshit line about settling the ethics complaint with a $5K fine because he just wanted to move on.
The ethical lapses were small potatoes in the scheme of things, and it was shitty of Trump and DeSantis to smear Gillum before the investigation was even concluded to sandbag him in the election. But his behavior in those incidents was at best stupid and at worst corrupt, albeit in a small-time way.
If this latest incident keeps him from running statewide again and crowding out a candidate with better judgment and less of a chance of blowing up in our face to keep a Republican in office, maybe we will have dodged a bullet.
J R in WV
@James E Powell:
Worked OK for me the first time. Firefox currently updated.
mrmoshpotato
@geg6: ?You damn well better be ready for some FOOOOTBAAAAALL!?
?
mrmoshpotato
@JMG: “What’s up girl? You look damn fine even from six feet away.” (Sorry.)
mrmoshpotato
@Martin: Improv night at the White House during a public health crisis! Where’s!
opiejeanne
@Punchy:
They’ll rerun superbowls and the seasons of the two teams that went to each bowl. Same with baseball and basket ball. Most amazing World Series games (2002 Game 6).
Kelly
@NotMax:
@Mnemosyne:
@PenAndKey:
Thanks for all the useful tips.
Think I’ll take me a walk outside.
what a day for a daydream
what a day for a daydreaming boy…
mrmoshpotato
@NotMax: LOL
mrmoshpotato
@mrmoshpotato: Where’s? It’s Wheeeee!
Autoincorrect strikes again!
Brachiator
@opiejeanne:
RE: How will they attract any business (god knows their food wont)?
Yep. Agree that running great games of the past will work fine.
But would these and other businesses be hurt by fear of crowds and recommendations of keeping a good social distance between people?
Darkrose
@Betty Cracker: I’m disappointed. I thought he was smarter than he’s turned out to be.
Ruckus
@zhena gogolia:
Not retired here either. I have to work to pay for life that happened the last time republicans fucked me, which wasn’t all that long ago, 2008 to be exact. But I’m staying in as much as possible and having the least amount of contact as possible. Everything and anything that can help lower the odds.
Bill Arnold
@Jerry:
There are others being blamed, too.
There is a plausible scenario involving randomness and a Wuhan wet market, but it is not yet substantiated. (There are other scenarios, some fairly weird.)
opiejeanne
@p.a.: Unless you’re on a well system that’s not safe, why are you worrying about bottled water? Tap water will usually not kill you, and it’s not expected to be interrupted because of the virus. This is not an earthquake.
J R in WV
We have had really early Wood Frogs in our tiny 10×14 foot pond for weeks now, two big egg masses floating in the sunny water.
Just now I heard a different frog calling for friends/mates. Wood frogs are 2 or 3 inches long, plus legs, and have a deep croak for a little frog. They’re usually the first frogs locally to dig out of hibernation as soon as the soil melts and they’re warm enough to dig around.
Yesterday evening a neighbor stopped by to pick up a UPS shipment he had dropped off at out house. Their house next door doesn’t have an address as they use a PO Box for routine mail, and our street address for actual package deliveries. We chatted at a 20 foot distance, and I remarked that I could hear tons of tiny tree frogs peeping in the forest around us.
So in the Appalachian woods the cycle of life goes on. We spent a good deal of money and effort to get the pond liner replaced and the pond deepened a little bit, and now that feels like a great investment as we can sit in our fav living space and hear a wide variety of frogs going about their natural good business.
In the past I have posted pics of the little pond and frogs, so if you search among On The Road posts there should be a few amphibians pictured in the springtime. Not a spoonbill, but still cute.
Ruckus
@NotMax:
And less useful than used TP……
opiejeanne
@geg6: Don’t forget Super Bowl XLVIII.
opiejeanne
@Brachiator: I’m sure that when this virus really gets going outside of the few hot spots, that the bars will be empty regardless of what they show on their tvs.
I tweeted this a couple of days ago: My kid is in Sarasota FL watching Spring Training games. She says the bleachers are packed, the restaurants are packed, the bars are packed, no one thinks this is serious. She is stunned.
Bmaccnm
@Kent: Your daughter is an adult, right? What does she want to do?
opiejeanne
@J R in WV: We have a frog with a deep-dish voice singing in the drainage ditch (semi-rural so these are our storm drains) across the street at night now, even though it’s still in the 30s at night and we’ve just had a couple of nights in the 20s. I love hearing frogs in the evening. There’s a pond next to the road half a mile away, and when we drive past it after dark we roll down the windows just to hear the huge chorus. The concerts only last a couple of weeks.
Mnemosyne
@opiejeanne:
The wingnut relative I mentioned above lives in Florida. Oh, and she’s a cop, so she’s going to get to deal with possible coronavirus patients up close and personal. Whee!
ballerat
@geg6: You might want to be careful with bleach and bleach containing cleaning products. Bleach it is a powerful respiratory irritant (lots of info out on the web about this, just google it). I have asthma and even the use of a very diluted bleach solution can trigger an asthma attack.
I understand COVID-19 is a respiratory illness involving inflammation of the lungs. You might want to rethink using bleach if you become ill with COVID-19. What seems harmless now with bleach could have serious consequences when you are struggling for air, based on my experience with dealing with bleach-containing cleaning products and asthma.
PS: Another terrible respiratory offender: Febreeze. Instant asthma attack for me. Lung sick for at least a day. Damned stuff should be outlawed.
ballerat
@ballerat:
FWIW, cleaning notes from an asthmatic:
I use Dawn detergent and water for floors, then a rinse. It doesn’t sanitize but it’s hard to actually sanitize something like floors in a house (or most other surfaces, for that matter). On the other hand, the virus envelope is vulnerable to soap and water.
As a sanitizer for hard surfaces I use hydrogen peroxide 3% (same stuff as sold in supermarkets, brown bottle usually next to the now-nonexistent rubbing alcohol) in an ordinary spray bottle. I use it on counter tops, door handles, wall switches, toilet seats, faucet handles, and refrigerator doors/handles, etc..
Hydrogen peroxide can kill just about everything, breaks down into products (oxygen and water, I believe) that have very little effect on my asthma, unless the room is small, not well ventilated and really wetted down, like after spraying all the walls in a shower stall. After a certain time it’s just water left. I just let it dry on its own. Nice not to have to rinse. (Note: other asthma sufferers’ mileage may vary regarding H2O2. But it works for me.)
Tip: I used to home-brew beer years ago and learned you can’t really sanitize without cleaning first, that disinfection is unlikely in a home setting, and you need an autoclave to sterilize.
jimmiraybob
@japa21: Elections are run by the states. He can’t suspend them.
Louisianna is talking of suspending a spring election. If Trump let it be known that he wanted November elections postponed how many R-controlled state governments would give it a try? I’m not predicting it but then again I didn’t predict Trump. I’ve since adjusted the model with new data.
James E Powell
@PenAndKey:
Thank you. My access may be restricted because I’m at school. Surprised because I figured if it would let me access Balloon Juice it would let me go anywhere.
Betty Cracker
@Darkrose: Yeah. It’s totally disappointing. He’s young, charismatic, advocates for great policies — an ideal politician in many ways, and I’d sure as hell rather have him in the governor’s mansion than the chump we’re stuck with now. It’s a shame, really.
Tehanu
Which makes him the classic idiot nephew, doesn’t it?