• Menu
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Before Header

  • About Us
  • Lexicon
  • Contact Us
  • Our Store
  • ↑
  • ↓
  • ←
  • →

Balloon Juice

Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

They love authoritarianism, but only when they get to be the authoritarians.

No one could have predicted…

Following reporting rules is only for the little people, apparently.

Only Democrats have agency, apparently.

Anyone who bans teaching American history has no right to shape America’s future.

I wonder if trump will be tried as an adult.

No Justins, No Peace

Some judge needs to shut this circus down soon.

So many bastards, so little time.

Authoritarian republicans are opposed to freedom for the rest of us.

Republicans do not pay their debts.

You don’t get to peddle hatred on saturday and offer condolences on sunday.

rich, arrogant assholes who equate luck with genius

Tick tock motherfuckers!

Let us savor the impending downfall of lawless scoundrels who richly deserve the trouble barreling their way.

Bad news for Ron DeSantis is great news for America.

As long as McCarthy is Speaker, the House will never be in order.

Jack Smith: “Why did you start campaigning in the middle of my investigation?!”

“I never thought they’d lock HIM up,” sobbed a distraught member of the Lock Her Up Party.

“Squeaker” McCarthy

Since when do we limit our critiques to things we could do better ourselves?

My years-long effort to drive family and friends away has really paid off this year.

Happy indictment week to all who celebrate!

… among the most cringeworthy communications in the history of the alphabet!

Mobile Menu

  • Winnable VA House Races
  • Donate with Venmo, Zelle & PayPal
  • Site Feedback
  • War in Ukraine
  • Submit Photos to On the Road
  • Politics
  • On The Road
  • Open Threads
  • Topics
  • COVID-19 Coronavirus
  • Authors
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Lexicon
  • Our Store
  • Politics
  • Open Threads
  • War in Ukraine
  • Garden Chats
  • On The Road
  • 2021-22 Fundraising!
You are here: Home / Healthcare / COVID-19 Coronavirus / COVID-19 Coronavirus Update – Wednesday/Thursday, April 22/23

COVID-19 Coronavirus Update – Wednesday/Thursday, April 22/23

by Anne Laurie|  April 23, 20204:55 am| 78 Comments

This post is in: COVID-19 Coronavirus, Foreign Affairs

FacebookTweetEmail

Warning: LOUD (couldn’t find a level fix)

(h/t Amir Khalid)

What a weird atmosphere in Brazil right now as – even with the Covid-19 death toll rising & horrifying images coming out of Amazon – there’s a distinct whiff of: Oh, if we just pretend everything is normal & coronavirus doesn’t exist, it will probably go away.

— Tom Phillips (@tomphillipsin) April 22, 2020

After some very flattering comments last night, I feel like I should stress: I’m not a reporter, I’m an aggregator, only as good as my sources. I was lucky to start searching for links before the firehose of information (disinformation / misinformation) became overwhelming, so I have a bunch of smart twitter people whose judgement I trust, but please do let me know when I’ve gone wrong!

Here’s the reason not to share these studies until there’s some sort of agreement among them. https://t.co/mdML8hYPlX

— Cheryl Rofer (@CherylRofer) April 22, 2020

Follow @Reuters liveblog for the latest developments around the coronavirus outbreak https://t.co/cEBwkoEQ5P pic.twitter.com/9gStcN6dEl

— Reuters (@Reuters) April 23, 2020

More than 4 in 10 coronavirus cases are spread by those not obviously sick, a study suggests. https://t.co/gTRHDYOZd0

— Science News (@ScienceNews) April 23, 2020

The world is inching toward a new phase in the coronavirus crisis, as some countries like Vietnam and New Zealand reporting few new cases moved toward ending their pandemic shutdowns while others like Singapore and Japan were doubling down. https://t.co/jb1tVPM2hO

— The Associated Press (@AP) April 23, 2020

Rushing into testing, but with what test(s)?
"Cleveland Clinic tested 239 specimens using 5 of most commonly used #coronavirus tests…The Abbott ID NOW only detected the virus in 85.2% of the samples, meaning it had a false-negative rate of 14.8%"https://t.co/jrb66iwWQU

— Laurie Garrett (@Laurie_Garrett) April 23, 2020

New study suggests saliva can be as effective as nasopharyngeal swabs for detection of #coronavirus; allowing self-collection that can reduce direct provider-patient interactions, lowering the risk to healthcare system and demand on testing supply chain. https://t.co/IilDUdjEAr pic.twitter.com/5rfkY2001a

— Scott Gottlieb, MD (@ScottGottliebMD) April 23, 2020

Good rundown from @florian_krammer on #COVID19 #vaccines in the pipeline right now. Follow the thread to see 6 that are now recruiting volunteers willing to try experimental vaxes. https://t.co/I11eKL65X9

— Laurie Garrett (@Laurie_Garrett) April 22, 2020

Momentum is building to speed the development of coronavirus vaccines by intentionally infecting healthy, young volunteers with the virus. https://t.co/ttWgAxg6J7

— Scientific American (@sciam) April 22, 2020

A Coronavirus Death in Early February Was ‘Probably the Tip of an Iceberg’

The startling discovery that the virus was responsible for a Feb. 6 death raises questions@thomasfullerNYT @ByMikeBaker @sherifink & @ShawnHubler report https://t.co/mjWuaa1Ret

— Yashar Ali ? (@yashar) April 23, 2020

Key signif of new autopsy info:
– pushes back the date for 1st US #COVID19 death by a full month
– shows virus was in Calif in early Feb, maybe late Jan
– shows there was already community spread
– #Trump China travel ban started Feb 2 — virus already in 2 states, at least.

— Laurie Garrett (@Laurie_Garrett) April 22, 2020

New virus infections in Wuhan had fallen to almost zero and travel restrictions were easing. As a 76-day lockdown neared its end, journalists and others were allowed to enter the Chinese city where the pandemic started. Getting out was more challenging. https://t.co/GLsBS3r5Ca

— The Associated Press (@AP) April 23, 2020



Long (meaty!) twitter thread, backstopping a highly recommended article:

JUST POSTED: 316 million people in 42 states urged to stay at home. Whose idea was this? Well, here is the never-before-told story of the birth of this policy & intense fight over it 15 yrs ago. This is your life now. Read this fascinating tale w @jestei https://t.co/fX9tndNzZ6

— Eric Lipton (@EricLiptonNYT) April 22, 2020

I was amazed when I dug into this story. Something so big–impacting hundreds of millions. Yet no one had said how this idea came about? Who were the people behind this? How did they come up with this idea? The Red Dawn emails were my first hint. https://t.co/5NWdk5TQCo

— Eric Lipton (@EricLiptonNYT) April 22, 2020

Hi, please find the unroll here: @EricLiptonNYT: JUST POSTED: 316 million people in 42 states urged to stay at home. Whose idea was this? Well, here is… https://t.co/GSsowKbzld Talk to you soon. ?

— Thread Reader App (@threadreaderapp) April 22, 2020

The world is pumping more than $8 trillion in fiscal stimulus to fight coronavirus. That still isn't enough. https://t.co/F7iiOUMw7b

— Bloomberg (@business) April 23, 2020

The Financial Times doesn’t paywall this article, which is well worth reading for the reasoning behind the stats:

Dear China. UK coronavirus deaths more than double official figure according to FT study | https://t.co/IzaU6Nbenr

— Howard French (@hofrench) April 22, 2020

Three negatives and a positive: problems with coronavirus tests in China https://t.co/A87JB3zBaW by @brendagoh_ pic.twitter.com/TfYnG3PwJA

— Reuters (@Reuters) April 23, 2020

Vietnam lifts #lockdown: How a country of 97 million bordering China recorded zero #coronavirus deaths ?https://t.co/gFRuoQdy4E

— The Telegraph (@Telegraph) April 23, 2020

At least 21,393 coronavirus cases have now been recorded in India, according to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. https://t.co/Ougwlr3xBM

— CNN International (@cnni) April 23, 2020

Thailand reports 13 new coronavirus cases, one new death https://t.co/4qCJJduRxD pic.twitter.com/6spJgyzaI9

— Reuters (@Reuters) April 23, 2020

The government is starting a major new study to track the rate of infection of #coronavirus.

This will give us a much better understanding of the virus in the UK.

➡️https://t.co/EpIdQT269q pic.twitter.com/JHIfPj00a0

— UK Prime Minister (@10DowningStreet) April 23, 2020

Briatin’s poor novel coronavirus testing capacity means that it is likely be one of the world’s laggards to exit the stringent lockdown that has so badly hammered its consumption-based economy, Deutsche Bank said https://t.co/njhf1OHUOw

— Reuters UK (@ReutersUK) April 23, 2020

NEW: Germany is still at the beginning of the #coronavirus pandemic and will have to live with it for a long time – Chancellor Angela Merkel

“We have won time,” Merkel said BUT

“We are not living in the final phase of the pandemic, but still at the beginning” pic.twitter.com/VJVRJyfP3t

— Darren McCaffrey (@DarrenEuronews) April 23, 2020

The Spanish parliament voted to approve the extension of the state of emergency for the third time until May 9, prolonging the country’s stay-at-home order to eight weeks in total. The state of emergency was first decreed on March 14. https://t.co/b0WNhTrrbR

— CNN International (@cnni) April 23, 2020

Mexico coronavirus cases top 10,000 as sickly economy contracts https://t.co/0X4AWeKAlF pic.twitter.com/EVPA84K6H3

— Reuters (@Reuters) April 23, 2020

How do you prepare for #coronavirus… when you've had to flee your home? pic.twitter.com/ia2ua4x3Ln

— UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency (@Refugees) April 23, 2020

What is the exit strategy out of the #coronavirus pandemic? Most researchers agree that reopening society will be a long haul, marked by trial and error. https://t.co/xjyGdxEzPU

— News from Science (@NewsfromScience) April 23, 2020

Since this published, I’ve heard from brokers who say they are the good guys in the PPE trade.

1) Do you have a direct connection to a supplier?

2) Do you add some other value, like quality control or logistics?

If you answer no and no, you’re wasting people’s time and money. https://t.co/pBS1ahM90K

— Mara Hvistendahl (@MaraHvistendahl) April 22, 2020

The illegal drug trade is a casualty of the COVID-19 outbreak. On three continents, @Reuters found busted cocaine supply chains, delivery delays, disgruntled workers and millions of customers on lockdown. But innovation and opportunism thrive https://t.co/VjMsPZrNpH pic.twitter.com/0AZv1BcYNu

— Reuters (@Reuters) April 23, 2020

“We report, you decide die”…

“Greater exposure to ‘Hannity’ relative to ‘Tucker Carlson Tonight’ increased the number of total cases and deaths in the initial stages of the coronavirus pandemic.” https://t.co/lPE4E8JeLR

— Vox (@voxdotcom) April 22, 2020

FacebookTweetEmail
Previous Post: « Semi-Respite Open Thread: World Music
Next Post: On The Road – Sharks – Beau Bois Castle Comfort Dominica »

Reader Interactions

78Comments

  1. 1.

    Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes

    April 23, 2020 at 6:05 am

    I read an article today that was trying to make that the new normal is going to be a world where there are virtual hotel check ins, no minibar, no coffee stations, no room service, box meals in fridges to be eaten in solitude, an indefinite closure of bars and restaurants.

    Repeat after me – electronic communication, social media. Zoom meeting IS NO FUCKING SUBSTITUTE FOR HUMAN INTERACTION, NO MATTRR HOW MUCH THE TECH FUCKHEADS SAY IT IS. Therapy by zoom would be a bust with me.

    Plus, I don’t give a fuck about cute kids doing uplifting memes, I don’t want to pretend that House Party is a legit substitute, and I don’t know that a contactless world is worth being in.

  2. 2.

    Jimmm

    April 23, 2020 at 6:05 am

    I meant to delurk and chime in last night, but I’ll second the positive comments from everyone else:  this thread is either the last thing I read before bed or the first thing I read in the morning (depending on the day), and I’m mightily grateful for your aggregation efforts.

  3. 3.

    Amir Khalid

    April 23, 2020 at 6:08 am

    Malaysia’s worldometer numbers. 71 new cases, total 5,603; two deaths, total 95; 90 recovered patients, total 3,542 or 63% of total cases. Case fatality rate holding steady at 2.61%. Health Ministry DG Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah reports the state of Perlis, at the western end of the Thai border, has had no cases in two weeks, which meets the criterion for a green zone. (Right now, you need a police permit to cross a state border.)

  4. 4.

    Anne Laurie

    April 23, 2020 at 6:11 am

    @Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes: DON’T PANIC.  (It’s bad for your immune system, for one thing.)

    We *will* get through this, and life will go on.  Some things will change permanently, but human interaction will not end.  Although by the time this particular epidemic ends, some of what we now think of as ‘normal’ will have been effectively forgotten… the moral value of a firm, manly handgrip, for instance, will probably not survive outside of primitive feats-of-strength acting-out, like adolescents chest-bumping or shoulder-thumping each other.

    We’ll adapt.  (So, probably, will the virus.)  That’s our superpower, as a species:  We always adapt.

  5. 5.

    Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes

    April 23, 2020 at 6:16 am

    @Anne Laurie: 

    I’m not doing well at this. The loss I’m feeling is huge, and can’t imagine another few weeks of it, much less months or years.

  6. 6.

    Amir Khalid

    April 23, 2020 at 6:16 am

    May I add, for some reason it makes me happy to see my name bolded at the top of a Balloon Juice post.

  7. 7.

    Amir Khalid

    April 23, 2020 at 6:24 am

    I am surprised to read in reports that in some countries the mildly symptomatic are asked to self-quarantine at home. Per Dr Noor Hisham, the policy in Malaysia is that if you test positive, you get the ambulance ride straight to hospital for isolation and treatment.

  8. 8.

    Amir Khalid

    April 23, 2020 at 6:27 am

    @Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes:

    Do you have someone you can talk to, or is there a help line you can call? I think you already know you can vent here as much you need.

  9. 9.

    Sister Rail Gun of Warm Humanitarianism

    April 23, 2020 at 6:34 am

    I mentioned this last night, but for the morning crew:

    I was talking to someone yesterday who is certain that his ex-wife and her two sisters were sick with COVID-19 in early February after a trip to the Grammys in California. They’ve been wondering if there were recent travelers from China at the Staples Center for the awards, or maybe they shared the flight back with a recent traveler.

    They dismissed it as a weird flu at the time. All had the same symptoms: shortness of breath, fever, and profound fatigue.

  10. 10.

    Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes

    April 23, 2020 at 6:37 am

    @Amir Khalid:

    Thanks, but the notion of trying to do those sorts of interactions (and I know I need them) via Skype or zoom literally makes me cringe and will make things worse. I need to be physically present.

  11. 11.

    raven

    April 23, 2020 at 6:40 am

    @Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes: What do you think everyone else feels?

  12. 12.

    There go two miscreants

    April 23, 2020 at 6:42 am

    Adding my thanks for these posts. First thing I go to in the morning.

  13. 13.

    phdesmond

    April 23, 2020 at 6:42 am

    Anne —  see you later, aggregator!

  14. 14.

    Anne Laurie

    April 23, 2020 at 6:44 am

    @Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes: As a fellow Adult Familial-Disfunction PTSD survivor, I can relate — which I realize is not helpful.

    One thing that seems to help some people (including me) is getting involved in a new ‘hobby’ that can serve as a distraction.  Witness the whole bread-baking / sourdough craze, for instance.  I’ve always had a habit of ‘disconnecting’ from unavoidable stressors (bad jobs, illness, cross-country moves) by finding a New Thing I can obsess over… a collectable, an activity (like dog obedience) that can be researched endlessly, even if I can’t actually buy anything or go out to learn a new skill right this minute.

    From what you’ve shared here, I know you already have a lot of ‘outside interests’; is there something you’ve thought about in passing before, that might be The Thing to distract your juddering brain in this moment?  Stamp collecting?  (Lots of subcategories there.)  Genealogy, maybe of some family other than your own?  Seed-starting, whether ‘practical’ or something like heirloom greens or rare succulents?  Making your own… artifact, or potentially useful household appliance?

  15. 15.

    raven

    April 23, 2020 at 6:45 am

    @Anne Laurie: Or you can get into projects where the hilly skilled folks here can help you.

  16. 16.

    WaterGirl

    April 23, 2020 at 6:49 am

    @Amir Khalid: I think you are special, Amir!  I’m not sure that Anne Laurie usually bolds the hat tips, but she bolded yours. :-)

  17. 17.

    terben

    April 23, 2020 at 6:49 am

    Australian Department of Health bulletin
    As at 3:00pm on 23 April 2020, there have been 6,661 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Australia. There have been 12 new cases since 3:00pm yesterday.
    Of the 6,661 confirmed cases in Australia, 75 have died and 5,045 have been reported as recovered from COVID-19. More than 466,000 tests have been conducted across Australia.
    From these data, it can be seen than there are 1.43% positive results from testing and the CFR is 1.13%

  18. 18.

    WaterGirl

    April 23, 2020 at 6:51 am

    @phdesmond:  hahaha

  19. 19.

    raven

    April 23, 2020 at 6:52 am

    Don’t Bring Me Down!

  20. 20.

    WaterGirl

    April 23, 2020 at 6:54 am

    @raven: I always enjoy your back-and-forth with Ozark when you are working on a project.

    Which glue should I use, how would you handle the bevel on this, what kind of this should I use for that.  My dad would have loved you guys.

  21. 21.

    Sister Rail Gun of Warm Humanitarianism

    April 23, 2020 at 6:56 am

    @Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes: Are you an extrovert, by chance? One of those people who recharges by being around people?

    I ask because you’re sounding like the inverse of my experience, the fatigue and almost-panic that I feel when I’ve been in a crowd for too long.

  22. 22.

    raven

    April 23, 2020 at 6:57 am

    @WaterGirl: And then we get boat builders as a bonus!

  23. 23.

    New Deal democrat

    April 23, 2020 at 6:59 am

    @Anne Laurie: “Crush the curve” is going to fail in the US, not because of any medical shortcoming, but because Trump constantly reverts to his original “let it wash over” notion, and assisted by his cult, sabotages attempts to implement the necessary regimen.

    That means at least 9 more months of waxing and waning “bend the curve” instead, with new daily infections and deaths more or less where they are now.

    Meaning millions will have to stay at home throughout this period; or, as I’ve increasingly been realizing, We are all ‘kids in cages’ now.

  24. 24.

    raven

    April 23, 2020 at 7:00 am

    @New Deal democrat: There are a good number of big parties at frats here in Athens.

  25. 25.

    Jay Noble

    April 23, 2020 at 7:01 am

    Can’t remember where I read it today (my 3pm to 5 or 6am days) but was from a med professional who got Covid but didn’t get tested or bother even to get tested until the “shortness of breath” hit them. It was almost too late. And thinking back, the line from the ERs, Docs and hospitals has consistently been “Don’t go anywhere unless you are short of breath and then go to the ER.” And from the sounds of it, at that point they are in deep doo-doo already and it sounds like that may be accounting for many of the deaths and especially the “died at home” victims. Has anyone seen anything putting this together and rattling cages for earlier and more testing??

  26. 26.

    OzarkHillbilly

    April 23, 2020 at 7:01 am

    @Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes: Skype or zoom literally makes me cringe and will make things worse. I need to be physically present.

    I’m the same, I can barely tolerate phone calls*, those things drive me up the wall. Fortunately, I’m an introvert.

    * which are now interminable, NOLA son’s calls can last an hour, but he needs to talk things thru so I try to listen

  27. 27.

    WaterGirl

    April 23, 2020 at 7:02 am

    @raven: I think this is harder on some people than others.  Some people have spouses and kids, some just a spouse, some like me live alone, but I have my 4 furry guys, and some people live alone with no pets.

    I think the last one would be the hardest by far, but I think how each of us is ‘built’ also plays a big role.

    My niece lives alone, no pets, and is a very social person.  She has no one to touch, no one to snuggle with, and that can be really difficult, and even harder to sustain over time.

    But she feels a huge responsibility not to put anyone else at risk, so she’s hanging in there, but I know the some people are struggling with this more than others.

    But yeah, there are things we can all do to mitigate the stress.

    Challenging times, to say the least

    edit: Long comment, I didn’t mean to write a book about this, especially in reply to you because your comments are often short.

  28. 28.

    pb503

    April 23, 2020 at 7:02 am

    Thank you for your reports; you’re my daily go-to for information.  The Eric Lipton Twitter thread was fascinating.  I’m struck that the social distancing concept was initially supported by a high school student’s science project – Laura Glass, New Mexico.   It reminded me that there are so many people who ask so many questions and then go out & look for an answer.  It feeds my hope for the future of humans.  (Now if only we get the same intense search for solutions to climate change.)

  29. 29.

    WaterGirl

    April 23, 2020 at 7:05 am

    @raven: Still?  Someone needs to shut that down, pronto.

  30. 30.

    OzarkHillbilly

    April 23, 2020 at 7:05 am

    @terben: Here in Misery our positive tests have been running at 20% for the past few days. There is a lot of noise in the data tho so I can’t say what is really going on.

  31. 31.

    mrmoshpotato

    April 23, 2020 at 7:05 am

    @Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes: Are there any major chores that you can undertake to refocus your mind?

    I’m going through boxes of stuff I’ve accumulated and also doing some redecorating/rearranging of my place.  Nothing that involves having to drop any money at Lowe’s.

    My bicycle also needs a tune up, so that’s on the list too.

  32. 32.

    Jay Noble

    April 23, 2020 at 7:09 am

    @WaterGirl: I’m a lone guy by happenstance and get a little stir crazy now and then and just have to go cruise main for awhile (OK Boomer!). But boy howdy when this gets lifted, its mani/pedi/massage, restaurant with a book and shopping for me!

  33. 33.

    WaterGirl

    April 23, 2020 at 7:12 am

    Anne Laurie, I have long thought of you as a reporter with a beat, so when someone referred to you as a reporter yesterday, I was nodding my head.

  34. 34.

    WaterGirl

    April 23, 2020 at 7:13 am

    @mrmoshpotato: If you run out of things to do, let me know.  My bicycle needs a tune up, also.

  35. 35.

    JAFD

    April 23, 2020 at 7:13 am

    @Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes: I feel your pain. I’m about as much an introvert as you can find, have lotsa food and books and hobby stuf in my apartment, but still feel ‘I’m going stir-crazy’ occasionally.
    You’ve got a bloody right to be angry and frustrated. It Ain’t Your Fault that your life has been upended, the world’s in a mess, and the President* is an ignorant arrogant stupid asshole. Sometimes maybe just find a place where you can SCREAM AT THE TOP OF YOUR LUNGS for ten minutes. Then have good stiff drink.
    As I’ve said, remember the time the coach saw the demonstration of The Robot Quarterback …
    and said “This, too, shall pass”
    We care about you.

    PS – Happy Shakespeare’s Birthday, everyone !

  36. 36.

    mrmoshpotato

    April 23, 2020 at 7:15 am

    Retweeted by SUEtheTRex:

    The world is a vast hellscape right now, but remember, the mandarin word for “penguin” literally translates to “business goose”— Doth (@DothTheDoth) April 22, 2020

  37. 37.

    raven

    April 23, 2020 at 7:16 am

    @WaterGirl: My sis is in that boat. After 5 years of looking after her two nephews she is stuck at home alone. She shattered her elbow right before she was coming to my retirement gig and has real trouble doing anything around the house. I feel so helpless but she does have her kids fairly nearby.

  38. 38.

    mrmoshpotato

    April 23, 2020 at 7:16 am

    @WaterGirl: Hehe

    ?I want to ride my bicycle in the great outdoors ?

  39. 39.

    Sab

    April 23, 2020 at 7:17 am

    @WaterGirl: My husband has a coffee klatch that went zoom last week. Mostly they went to his parochial school graduating in 1969. A new participant was a classmate somewhere in upstate NY. She is all alone with no family nearby. She is finding this difficult.

    I am in my hometown with husband’s family all around. I am enjoying the quiet. My husband misses his kids. They talk every day, but they used to be here. We always had kids here, his kids, other’s kids. Now, nobody.

  40. 40.

    Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes

    April 23, 2020 at 7:17 am

    @Anne Laurie:

    Oh, I could do some home repairs and upgrades (which I despise, mainly because I hate this house and am coming to the resignation that I’m going to spend the rest of my life paying to make repairs, upgrades and living in a place I hate in an exurban community I hate with a daily commute I hate). I’m racking my brain for an amusement, or hobby, but literally everything I like to do is forbidden to me for the indefinite future. I mean, I hate the “open it up” protesters because what they’re doing is dishonest and deliberately harmful, but at the same time the combination of Federal malignant mismanagement, the huge levels of financial uncertainty presented in that response send my personal anxiety sky high – and hearing sunny, hopeful people say “do life virtually” winds up angering me like a kazoo at a funeral.

  41. 41.

    raven

    April 23, 2020 at 7:17 am

    @WaterGirl: As the gov opens things up? Not likely, people call the cops but they are not going to put a bunch of white kids in the clink.

  42. 42.

    Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes

    April 23, 2020 at 7:19 am

    @Sister Rail Gun of Warm Humanitarianism:

    Bingo. Always have been.

  43. 43.

    Bruce K

    April 23, 2020 at 7:20 am

    Latest from Greece is that the lockdown originally due to end on April 27 will be extended to May 4, and in the meantime, the government is going to prepare a plan to reopen the country in stages, presumably based on disease numbers rather than hard deadlines.

    Source: Kathimerini (https://www.ekathimerini.com/251945/article/ekathimerini/news/greece-extends-lockdown-until-may-4)

    Also in Kathimerini, a center-right-leaning newspaper, a view from outside of the current American problem. Complimentary of Dr. Fauci, very critical of Mr. Trump. (I refuse to use “President” adjacent to his name until I can add “former”.)

    https://www.ekathimerini.com/251886/opinion/ekathimerini/comment/the-two-americas-face-off-again

    For what little it’s worth.

  44. 44.

    mrmoshpotato

    April 23, 2020 at 7:23 am

    @Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes:

    angering me like a kazoo at a funeral. 

    I’m gonna borrow that one.

  45. 45.

    Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes

    April 23, 2020 at 7:24 am

    @mrmoshpotato:

    We had started redoing a bedroom before this dropped. I put the kabosh on the whole thing over the use of the sander to knock down the spackle – that sander spews a shit-ton of dust that gets all through a dust mask and I haven’t wanted that to mask actual symptoms (I still do a few hours a week at my office on a couple of days to get mail, prepare a few documents, use the postage machine). I don’t interact much, but I keep getting screamed at for doing it.

  46. 46.

    WaterGirl

    April 23, 2020 at 7:26 am

    @raven: I think nearly every day now about how hard it was being on my own when I broke my ankle two years ago – without this going on.

    That makes me aware of how hard this must be for so many people.  Every day, people are having babies, breaking their ankles, getting chemo.  Losing a beloved pet.  Stuck in a bad relationship, possibly with an abusive spouse, and stuck at home.

    Stress isn’t additive, it’s exponential.

  47. 47.

    Dorothy A. Winsor

    April 23, 2020 at 7:27 am

    I find my daily walk to be really helpful. I’ve gone even when the weather has been bad just because it helps so much.

  48. 48.

    mrmoshpotato

    April 23, 2020 at 7:30 am

    @Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes: Is the ceiling coming out, or were you basically just sanding the ceiling?

    I ask because why not just rip down the ceiling plaster?

  49. 49.

    David C

    April 23, 2020 at 7:32 am

    Careful curation is an important task. :-)

    RE: NYT article about social distancing – 14 years ago Richard Hatchett was my boss and we were preparing medical responses for the possibility of a nuclear explosion in a crowded city, where “shelter-n’place” was an important component to managing living in a fall-out field. The in the spring of 2009 when H1N1 hit he was summoned to the White House to prepare for the fall hit of the influenza. they, along with BARDA, managed to get a completely new vaccine out by November.

  50. 50.

    Brachiator

    April 23, 2020 at 7:40 am

    @Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes:

    Repeat after me – electronic communication, social media. Zoom meeting IS NO FUCKING SUBSTITUTE FOR HUMAN INTERACTION, NO MATTRR HOW MUCH THE TECH FUCKHEADS SAY IT IS. Therapy by zoom would be a bust with me.

    People adapt. It’s like finding a community with people that you have rarely, if ever met in real life. Oh, you know, like Balloon Juice.

    Also, for me, I love to be spared unnecessary interaction with people. Co-workers and I would stop at the bank to get cash on the way to lunch, in the early days of ATMs. Some of the crew did not like or trust the machine and would insist on going inside to get cash, even if there were a line. I would love, love, love being able to get money out of the machine, and not have to endure a moment of chit chat with a teller.  I just wanted my money in a simple, focused transaction.

    Also, I find that I can be sociable, but I value my alone time. There are times when I would rather someone send me an email or text message than come by for a visit.

    When I get my full hermit on, my motto is “It’s good to see you. It is even better to see you leave.”

    As always, your mileage may vary.

  51. 51.

    Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes

    April 23, 2020 at 7:41 am

    @mrmoshpotato:

    It was a child’s bedroom – the kid put up about a thousand different things with nails, and a bunch of installed shelves had to come out – the walls were beat to shit and there was a LOT of spackle needed. Now it needs sanding, sadly, and I’ll be coughing up dust and suffering red eyes for days after.

  52. 52.

    mrmoshpotato

    April 23, 2020 at 7:45 am

    @Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes: I see.  Stupid virus fucking with home renovations.

  53. 53.

    OzarkHillbilly

    April 23, 2020 at 7:47 am

    @mrmoshpotato:I ask because why not just rip down the ceiling plaster?

    If the aim is to avoid dust, tearing down a plaster ceiling is the last thing one wants to do. The best thing is to just drywall over it. Of course than one has to tape it and…

    Sand it, which puts dust in the air. One can avoid sanding by blowing popcorn on it, but that shit is ugly as hell.

  54. 54.

    OzarkHillbilly

    April 23, 2020 at 7:55 am

    @Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes: Not sure what you used but you can try sponging it, It takes some learning but one can get satisfactory results that way, depending on what you find satisfactory. For minor things in out of the way corners it is perfectly acceptable to me, but I am a little too anal about finishes for a whole wall done that way

    To repeat, it takes some learning, and I never got as good at it as I thought I should be. I think it would be worth it to try a few patches and see how you do anyway. You might find the results acceptable to you.

  55. 55.

    raven

    April 23, 2020 at 7:55 am

    @OzarkHillbilly: I got the wood back in. The scarf joint worked pretty well but it doesn’t quite match up at near the cab. I’ll be putting the toolbox back in and it will extend over that gap and I also plan to make a door under the box to keep compost and such out.

  56. 56.

    Brachiator

    April 23, 2020 at 7:55 am

    A little something that had me wondering.

    I find Michael Harriot of The Root to be a provocative and consistently interesting pundit. But maybe sometimes unreliable. Recently he noted the following about the pandemic in Vermont.

    Even in Vermont, the whitest state in the union, the percentage of black people infected with COVID-19 is 10 times the black population percentage.

    I cannot find where this is supported. One story noted 779 total cases, and of these 12 included black people, and 10 included Asian Americans.  The percentage for black people would be 1.54 percent, and the percentage for Asians would be 1.28 percent. The black population of Vermont is 1.29 percent, and the Asian percentage is 1.69 percent.

    Harriot’s larger point, that in many places in the US, the pandemic has disproportionately hit black Americans and Hispanic Americans.   But still, when some numbers appear to be wrong, it causes at the least an unnecessary distraction.

    ETA: This musing brought to you in part by lockdown insomnia.

  57. 57.

    Sister Rail Gun of Warm Humanitarianism

    April 23, 2020 at 7:57 am

    @Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes: OK, then you know as well as I do that it’s not just a preference. It’s a physical need. You’re in a famine situation, and you need a little sustenance to keep going.

    These are not necessarily smart things to advise, but you’re only going to feel crazier the longer you isolate.

    Get a mask and some gloves, and go shopping. Go to a big box grocery, grab a cart, push it around for a while. There will be people in there who can’t wait for the next delivery slot to get something. Just seeing that there are other humans still alive and functioning will scratch some of that itch.

    Pick out a friendly restaurant and order takeout, but don’t get it delivered. Go pick it up. We spend a little time every week chatting with the people who are still working at the restaurants we were regulars at in the before time.

    If you know a personal trainer or tai chi instructor, contact him and ask if he can put together a small class outdoors. I know a guy who is doing classes of two or three people in a nearby park, plenty of room to spread out, but enough human contact to help a bit.

    It’s not as satisfying as being able to sit in a crowded restaurant and just feel the humanity swirl around you, it will never substitute for the “move through the crowd and chat up everyone within range” that extroverts I know thrive on, but you’re not really looking for substitutes. You’re just looking to survive until we can somewhere closer to normal.

  58. 58.

    Anne Laurie

    April 23, 2020 at 7:59 am

    @Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes: I’m told that’s why wallpaper used to be so popular in places, like New England, with lots of older homes — with patterned paper, especially, you don’t notice the spackle flaws.

    Of course wallpaper has its own set of madness-inducing problems, but you could probably burn some angry energy just looking for the right pattern…

  59. 59.

    OzarkHillbilly

    April 23, 2020 at 8:01 am

    @raven: Cool. It’s to be expected that there might be a gap or 2. Doing it with a good table saw makes it whole lot easier.

    The door under the tool box, I never did anything like that because all too often I was sliding 2x4s and/or sheets of plywood underneath it. Used to drive me nuts digging stuff out from under it. My present truck has a 6′ bed, which I hate because now it doesn’t matter what I throw into the bed, I have to leave the tailgate down and strap everything in no matter what.

  60. 60.

    raven

    April 23, 2020 at 8:06 am

    @OzarkHillbilly: I had a door a while back and made it of 1/4′ and it was pretty flimsy. I have a 6″ piece of the 3/4 that I ripped so I think I’ll use that. I’m also thinking about some kind of flap because the old one would get jammed and really hard to open. It is a good place for my floor jack and jack stands. People seem to like the short beds bu I like my 8 footer.

  61. 61.

    Brachiator

    April 23, 2020 at 8:07 am

    @terben:

    Australian Department of Health bulletin
    As at 3:00pm on 23 April 2020, there have been 6,661 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Australia.

    It is interesting to see that Australia has been taking steps to try to protect the indigenous population.

    Lajamanu is on the edge of the Tanami Desert in Australia’s Northern Territory. Located 11 hours drive south of the region’s capital, Darwin, it is home to the indigenous Warlpiri people and is one of the country’s most remote communities.
    Now COVID-19 is adding to its isolation: the only road into the town has been closed, effectively sealing the community of 600 people off from the rest of the world.
    “The government sent health workers to Lajamanu to explain about the virus, and we have a good doctor in the community who has been here for a couple of years now,” said Steve Jampijinpa Patrick, a Warlpiri elder. “But people are still quite scared of it, and entry to the community is now closed so no one can come in or out.”

  62. 62.

    OzarkHillbilly

    April 23, 2020 at 8:17 am

    @raven:People seem to like the short beds bu I like my 8 footer.

    It comes in handy but I would give up the back seat in a NY second for an 8′ bed.

  63. 63.

    RSA

    April 23, 2020 at 8:18 am

    @Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes: I’m sorry.

    I sometimes re-read an article I came across a few years ago with advice on being happy. Things one can do, paraphrased:

    (1) When you’re feeling down, ask, “What am I grateful for?”
    (2) Label negative feelings.
    (3) Make a decision.

    The fourth is, unfortunately, “Touch people.” But still, the first three do me good.

    https://www.theladders.com/career-advice/neuroscience-reveals-4-rituals-that-will-make-you-happy

  64. 64.

    mali muso

    April 23, 2020 at 8:25 am

    My brother married and settled in Vietnam.  Feeling jealous of him and his family as it looks like their government managed an A+ response and are close to starting to re-open things.  Meanwhile back here in the so-called “greatest nation on earth”, we are locked in with no testing and no plan.  le sigh

    I worry about the impact of all this seclusion on my three year old.  She talks daily about how she wishes she could go back to school and see her friends.  In the past week or so, she has resisted going outside for our walks (when the weather permits) because she wants to “stay in our nice cozy house”.  The sociological research opportunities for the next generation of scholars will be endless.

  65. 65.

    Brachiator

    April 23, 2020 at 8:43 am

    @mali muso:

    In the past week or so, she has resisted going outside for our walks (when the weather permits) because she wants to “stay in our nice cozy house”. The sociological research opportunities for the next generation of scholars will be endless.

    I am not a psychologist, would not even pretend to be, but I wonder if you might tuck away the idea and look for tips about re-introducing children to the world when we get past this stuff.

  66. 66.

    Kay (not the front-pager)

    April 23, 2020 at 8:55 am

    Re: the Santa Clara death on Feb. 6 pushing community spread back a full month, I was sure this was the case. On March 9 I emailed Josh Marshall the following, in part:

    One of the questions that’s been haunting me in regard to the whole coronavirus issue is how long it’s been fulminating in the US, how many cases there really are, where they are, and who has been affected. You know, the same questions everyone has. Without testing, there’s not really a way to get a handle on it.We have to look for dogs that don’t bark. So I was thinking that some enterprising reporter, maybe a TPM reporter, could look at pneumonia hospitalizations and deaths in January and February, especially in Seattle, but also in surrounding areas in Washington and Oregon, and in California. It would be interesting to see if there was an increase, especially if there was a ramping up of cases toward the end of February.

    I never heard back, and as far as I can tell, Talking Points Memo never followed up, but it still seems like an important story. I hope someone decides to investigate. I thought it would be a good story for a smaller outlet like TPM since it a lot of the research could be done through records search. But the Sacramento Bee has a good investigative reporting staff too. Maybe it could get them another reporting award.

  67. 67.

    mali muso

    April 23, 2020 at 9:11 am

    @Brachiator: I definitely am.  Brave new world we’re living in.

  68. 68.

    terben

    April 23, 2020 at 9:25 am

    @Brachiator: In my home state, South Australia, the indigenous managers of the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara (APY) Lands, in SA’s northwest, shut off their communities to the outside world in the first week in March. More broadly, our state borders are shut to travellers and returning residents have to self-isolate for 14 days.

  69. 69.

    catclub

    April 23, 2020 at 11:09 am

    I see Angela Merkel resisted the urge to say “This is not the beginning of the end [of the pandemic], but it is the end of the beginning”

     

    ….  while wielding a large cigar.

  70. 70.

    Fair Economist

    April 23, 2020 at 11:12 am

    @Jay Noble:I am seeing, just now (which is inexcusably late) a push to earlier treatment, based on the realization that people can have dangerously low blood oxygen levels while not feeling anything particularly awful – significant fatigue, but not much else. The reason is that CO2 diffuses pretty well through fluids while oxygen doesn’t, so the lungs can get rid of CO2 even in advanced disease, and it’s high CO2 levels that make you feel breathless. By then you can already have organ damage from extended hypoxia. It’s like altitude sickness from climbing Everest without oxygen.

    So yeah, “stay at home until you feel really sick” is pretty dangerous. One thing backing it up is that most places are finding about half of deaths occur at home; this suggests a lot of people are getting dangerously ill without even realizing it.

  71. 71.

    Cheryl from Maryland

    April 23, 2020 at 11:36 am

    @Amir Khalid: I agree with you.  The mildly symptomatic can infect their families.  If not the hospital, then have hotels/dormitories/etc. for the mildly symptomatic to clear the disease.  Otherwise people’s homes, apartment buildings, etc. become hot spots.  And for those who live alone or whose caretakers aren’t close to professional medical standards (and who is?) a mild case can go downhill so fast that the patient is a lost cause upon arriving at the hospital.  Again, dormitories, where health professionals monitor the mildly ill for signs of becoming seriously ill and can intervene, would be ideal.  Of course, in the US, probably very few of the mildly symptomatic are tested.  And the US is nowhere near close to the ideal during this pandemic.  OT, thank you for your daily updates on what’s happening in Malaysia.

  72. 72.

    Another Scott

    April 23, 2020 at 11:48 am

    @Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes: Years ago, I tried using a sander with a shop vac and a water bucket to catch drywall dust.  It didn’t work well at all, and it was noisy and hard to use. It was horrible.

    I know money is tight, but Festool vacuums and the corresponding sander are amazing. (I have a different, larger, model.) The suction is adjustable, it’s quiet, it is amazing at capturing the dust. Spendy, but it really does exactly what it’s supposed to do.

    Just saying, you’ve got options. ;-)

    Hang in there. You’re an important part of the community here, and people at home need you, also too.

    Good luck!

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  73. 73.

    drylake

    April 23, 2020 at 2:40 pm

    @mrmoshpotato: Sorry, a mistranslation of qi’e 企鵝, which should be “standing goose.”

  74. 74.

    cckids

    April 23, 2020 at 2:41 pm

    @Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes: Hello, I’m so late to the thread, but I’m feeling you here. I’m very lucky  to still be working, one job from home and the part-time one at the grocery store; but the split personality of my current life is getting to me, and I feel like I’m going under the waves. Working full-time from home is slower, and I feel like I should be working any time I sit and rest.

    I can at least get out and walk around the neighborhood, but I really want to see my daughter, and she seems to need some time as well. Facetime and Zoom also make me crazy and anxious. I’m not ok, but I feel like I have to be.

    Hoping that you find some outlet if at all possible.

  75. 75.

    Jay

    April 23, 2020 at 3:25 pm

    @Another Scott:

    the Hilti version of the Festool Sander can be rented at a lot of Tool Rental places.

    I always use “dust free” drywall mud as the last coat/patch coat. ( it contains “weights” in the compound so that the dust falls, rather than floats).

    I use a Bosch 8” orbital sander, 180 grit, (pads have holes in them that feed through to the vacume/dust bag) with a vacume attachment. The vacume hose leads to a 5 gallon bucket holding a HEPA  filter bag, to which a Rigid shop vac with a HEPA filter is attached to provide the suction.

    Done right, this set up leaves no more of a dust issue in a closed room, than normally occures in a occupied house every week.

    Clients are not fans of having their homes filled with drywall dust during renovations, which is why the Trades have come up with a bunch of techniques and use products/strategies to minimize the dust/dirt issues. We do things like zipper door with air barriers, floor coverings, electrostatic filtering, tyveck suits and booties, etc.

    So yes Virginia, you can do drywall with virtually no dust mess.

  76. 76.

    Barbara

    April 23, 2020 at 4:45 pm

    @Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes: Way late, but have you organized your family photos? Perhaps you could make an album for each child?

  77. 77.

    soga98

    April 23, 2020 at 4:47 pm

    @drylake: Glad to see someone here knows Chinese.

  78. 78.

    J R in WV

    April 23, 2020 at 5:32 pm

     

    Regarding sheetrock, hanging, finishing, etc.

    Have an old friend who is called “Dr Mudd” by his coworkers in the building trades. He hangs sheetrock, and finishes it slowly, slowly.

    But when he’s done, you can just paint it, he’s done. Uses sponges as the joint compound hardens slowly. Trowels over and over, very finicky about seating the tape into the mud, smoothing the edges. Never needs to add more mud, just sponges the high points down into the background level.

    Later on, working on the little house in AZ, I hired a carpenter to hang doors and do finish work, including a little sheetrock — the differences between Rick’s work and Matt’s work, Dr Mudd, was night and day. Rick kept opening a new bucket of mud and putting it on the wall, over and over. Matt did it once, slowly, and done.

Comments are closed.

Primary Sidebar

VA Purple House Delegates

Donate

Political Action

Postcard Writing Information

Recent Comments

  • Sister Golden Bear on Burying the Lede (Oct 1, 2023 @ 12:45am)
  • Odie Hugh Manatee on Burying the Lede (Oct 1, 2023 @ 12:41am)
  • eclare on Burying the Lede (Oct 1, 2023 @ 12:41am)
  • cintibud on Burying the Lede (Oct 1, 2023 @ 12:39am)
  • owlbrick on Burying the Lede (Oct 1, 2023 @ 12:34am)

🎈Keep Balloon Juice Ad Free

Become a Balloon Juice Patreon
Donate with Venmo, Zelle or PayPal

Balloon Juice Posts

View by Topic
View by Author
View by Month & Year
View by Past Author

Featuring

Medium Cool
Artists in Our Midst
Authors in Our Midst
We All Need A Little Kindness
What Has Biden Done for You Lately?

Balloon Juice Meetups!

All Meetups
Talk of Meetups – Meetup Planning

Fundraising 2023-24

Wis*Dems Supreme Court + SD-8

Calling All Jackals

Site Feedback
Nominate a Rotating Tag
Submit Photos to On the Road
Balloon Juice Mailing List Signup
Balloon Juice Anniversary (All Links)
Balloon Juice Anniversary (All Posts)

Twitter / Spoutible

Balloon Juice (Spoutible)
WaterGirl (Spoutible)
TaMara (Spoutible)
John Cole
DougJ (aka NYT Pitchbot)
Betty Cracker
Tom Levenson
TaMara
David Anderson
Major Major Major Major
ActualCitizensUnited

Join the Fight!

Join the Fight Signup Form
All Join the Fight Posts

Balloon Juice for Ukraine

Donate

Cole & Friends Learn Español

Introductory Post
Cole & Friends Learn Español

Site Footer

Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

  • Facebook
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Comment Policy
  • Our Authors
  • Blogroll
  • Our Artists
  • Privacy Policy

Copyright © 2023 Dev Balloon Juice · All Rights Reserved · Powered by BizBudding Inc

Share this ArticleLike this article? Email it to a friend!

Email sent!