Yesterday, the Big-10 conference suspended or cancelled their football season.
Report: Big Ten will not play in 2020 https://t.co/iICfNLItuh
— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) August 10, 2020
Yesterday, a good chunk of the Duke and UNC-Chapel Hill undergraduate populations are back on campus.
Yesterday, schools that re-opened last week in Georgia are closing for performative cleaning as community spread is ongoing.
Today, most of Europe is able to go to school, with appropriate precautions, meet with a friend for a drink outside and carry on a life that closely resembles a life that they would have conceived last December.
We can’t do that.
The United States has not systemically crushed community spread. Vermont and Maine each have under 1 new case per 100,000 residents per day. Conneticutt, New York, New Jersey, and New Hampshire have between 2 and 4 new cases per 100,000. These states are suppressing community spread to the point where targeted public health interventions can work quite effectively with the current workforce. Everywhere else, we need broad, and crude protective measures as Florida and Georgia each have over 30 new cases per 100,000 residents per day; North Carolina has 16 new cases per 100,000 residents per day, Texas and South Carolina are in the middle of those three states. Most of the Big-10 states are between 11 and 15.
We can’t have anything nice until community spread is crushed.
That means we need to get real. That means we need lots of diagnostic and screening tests. That means we need rapid turn-around. That means we need to support people who are isolating out of an abundance of caution. That means we need to wear masks. That means we need to minimize interactions.
Until we do the work needed to suppress local community spread, we’re just going to be omnishambling along.
Cheryl Rofer
Gregg Gonsalves said the other day
Cheryl Rofer
I often think about scientific facts as hard barriers that contain what we can do.
So storing 2750 tons of ammonium nitrate next to a grain silo, probably other combustibles, means that at some time you will have a gigantic explosion. The leaders of Lebanon chose to ignore that.
In a pandemic, we know the math of how the virus propagates. This virus has been true to that math. Trump would prefer to ignore that.
So no football this year. Maybe not next year either.
MomSense
The trump administration is unconcerned with our well being at best (red states) and trying to kill us in the blue states. It all comes down to your state government. Those of us with Democratic governors at least have a shot at some kind of attempt to save lives. You wouldn’t believe the shit and threats our governor faces in Maine.
The northeast states who are doing well now will not be able to sustain it if the rest of the country is a five alarm fire. And when we hit flu season in New England and the heat comes on – expect a surge.
Cheryl Rofer
David, do you have a pool on when Duke will shut down? I give it two weeks, max.
Gin & Tonic
My daughter-in-law flew out of Kyiv yesterday. They do rapid PCR testing at the international airport. Why can’t the US be as advanced?
MomSense
@Gin & Tonic:
We could be just as advanced. We chose not to. Like I said above, the trump administration is trying to kill us.
DavidC
My day job is facilitating the development of products to use in case of radiation exposure (like a 10 kT device explosion). This means that I work with the preparedness folks at ASPR and I have some understanding of the health effects of multi-organ injury. Not to mention having experience in vaccine development.* The experience since March is like watching a slow-motion disaster and knowing the consequences of our inactions and lies from the top. I think it was Andy Slavitt who wrote that the #1 task is to control the outbreak – all resources should be directed against that and we should try to ameliorate the hardships.
*So I’m obviously an elitist who doesn’t know any more than some random guy on the internet.
Bruce K
@Gin & Tonic:
My guesses:
On second thought, was that a rhetorical question?
OzarkHillbilly
It’s the American way, or at least the Republican way.
@Gin & Tonic: Because we are a shithole country?
leeleeFL
@Cheryl Rofer: Stephen King! Great book series!
Raven
The Big Ten did not but carry on.
BruceFromOhio
250,000 covidiots in Sturgis demonstrate the suicide pact of death cult America. Until these people and those that believe and act similarly either die off or change behaviors, we all stew in this pathology. The “AH GAHT MAH RAHTS” anti-mask crowd will willingly, almost joyfully destroy everything. If you can vaccinate against that, this democracy may have a shot at surviving.
I look forward to buying a cheap used Harley in the spring, I’ve always wanted one of those.
PenAndKey
This has been absolutely true. Every time we breach another million cases reported I update a post for my family on Facebook and give them a rough prediction of when they can expect the next post. So far I’ve nailed it +/- 1 day for 3, 4, and 5 million. If the trend continues I’d expect 6 million by the 18th. We know the numbers. We know the mitigation steps necessary. What we’re lacking is the leadership to implement those steps. It’s why my daughter is going on her 4th month and has seen a total of 5 people so far. It’s why she will likely never meet her sick maternal grandfather before he dies. It’s why I can’t surprise my wife with a trip to Toronto for our honeymoon (12 years after the wedding, but still) and to try and entice her to agree to move there.
Basically, it’s why our country is, literally, dying.
MiLilvies
Where is ‘Conneticutt’? Is it in the US?
bluefoot
@MomSense: Way back in early March, my brother, who reads an participates in conservative message boards (he’s always trying to be the voice of reason – I am in awe of his fortitude), told me that Trump was going to make sure the red states got ventilators and PPE and he was going to let NY, WA, MA (all the places with outbreaks) basically die. I told him there was no way anyone would be that much of a sociopath. Not to mention the fact that I thought it was illegal….Lo and behold, three weeks later, that was exactly what was going on. And NY and MA were having shipments of PPE stolen – er, “seized” – by the federal government.
Somehow we’ve all come to expect this, but people need to take a step back and really see how horrifying this is. The federal government actually, actively is trying to kill tens to hundreds of thousands of Americans, making them and many more suffer. It truly is a crime against humanity.
leeleeFL
Just wondering if anyone else has found themselves making decisions about which businesses you will be continuing to support based on things they say about the news in the virus.
I have always tried to support smaller local businesses and have found several I don’t plan to re-visit anymore. I also don’t want to put all my dollars in one big corporate shopping cart.
Definitely a first-world problem, but it’s going to be a factor for me.
leeleeFL
@BruceFromOhio: That’s like watching the obits for an apartment in NYC! Ghoulish, but, hey, it’s the American Way.
Geoboy
@MiLilvies: It’s inbetween Road Island and New Yawk.
leeleeFL
@bluefoot: We can only hope the failure of that plan is fucking epic!
RoonieRoo
@leeleeFL: I have been keeping a post-pandemic business list that is based on mostly how they have treated their employees. But I have crossed some businesses off because they are currently doing such a piss poor job of protecting their customers which makes me think they have owners who believe it’s a hoax.
Barbara
@bluefoot: It is horrifying, but in this case evil is matched if not quite eclipsed by stupidity. Those blue states have by and large shown their mettle, and done what needed to be done. Meanwhile, Trump, Pence and their fellow morons keep talking as if the things that are done to respond to the pandemic are more of a problem than the pandemic itself. That’s stupid, but thinking as they apparently did that they would be able to gain tactical political advantage from the virus by directing its damage to blue states is idiocy of the highest order.
Nicole
As I don’t follow most sports, the cancellation of college football doesn’t mean much to me (other than I’m glad steps are being taken to protect young athletes’ health), but I’ve been avidly following the GOP politicians’ freakout over it. Bread, circuses and resentment hold the right-wing voters in thrall and the GOP has blown up the bread and the circuses. I imagine they’ll still get pretty far with resentment, but I think it makes some of the GOP politicians uncomfortable that they’ll have to choose to start being more openly racist.
Another Scott
@DavidC: Yup.
I knew it was going to be a disaster when COVID-19 was in Mississippi – and soon in every county there – in early-mid March.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/COVID-19_pandemic_in_Mississippi
https://balloon-juice.com/2020/03/23/working-for-the-clampdown-2/#comment-7643237
It was everywhere very quickly. We had chances to limit the spread and the damage, but Donnie and his minions refused to take any action. They followed Bannon’s edict about breaking everything to a T.
Grr…
Cheers,
Scott.
PenAndKey
@leeleeFL: I have a few businesses in my area were I will no longer be a customer. One serviceable Italian restaurant who’s owners went full on MAGA “but mu rites!” has become practically a mecca for the local morons. The only thing keeping them afloat these days is the Trump crowd because nobody else wants anything to do with them.
Meanwhile, the Thai restaurant just down the street from my neighborhood only allows one customer in the door at a time for pickup only, mandates anyone entering the building have masks and gloves on at all times, and near as I can tell they’re all wearing masks, gloves, goggles, and face shields. It’s a small family business and the one son who doesn’t work there is, apparently, a nurse at the local hospital. They’re doing everything they can to stay safe short of shutting down completely and it’s obvious their son is giving them good advice.
Dog Mom
@BruceFromOhio: Love your line about the cheap, used Harley – going to steal!
narya
Illinois is such a microcosm of the whole mess. The initial outbreak was worst in Chicago, the bluest part of the state. But the blue governor and mayor worked hard, and folks in the city took it reasonably seriously, and brought that curve down. While the number of cases/day is still high, the Cook County rate per 100,000 is 12-14; not great, of course, but it’s holding steady. The state’s case rate is jumping up, however–largely because of the redder/downstate regions. Rather than learning from the blue states/areas, the red states/areas clung to their belief that they were safe (almost as if they believed that their redness would protect them . . .), and they are now getting hit badly, often in areas with even fewer resources. Lots of “can’t even” today . . .
Barbara
@Nicole: I am not a fan of college football, though I do sometimes watch the bowl games. A lot of football fans think the college game is more entertaining, faster — sort of like guerilla warfare compared to the WWI style of defensive combat that seems to have evolved at the professional level. Be that as it may, I had assumed that resuming football would be one of the hardest things to pull off because it is a contact sport involving a lot of people. The fact that the people at the highest risk and the raison e’etre for anyone to watch are the only people actually not being paid to participate sort of makes me less than anguished. But I really don’t feel any schadenfreude for the fans. The coaches, athletic directors and misguided university management, yes, for sure. But not the fans and the athletes.
Barbara
@narya: As I have said before, places like downstate Illinois and Arizona looked at the initial stages of the pandemic in NYC and Chicago, and focused on what made them different, e.g., mass transit, density of housing, multi-generational family living situations. They did not acknowledge the things that they have in common, such as nursing homes and food processing facilities, and they did not seem to understand that they might have their own higher risk elements, such as large church gatherings.
Amir Khalid
@Cheryl Rofer:
Something similar could happen in Scotland where, the Guardian reports, the 2020/21 football (or fitba’, as the locals call it) season has begun but could be brought to a halt by player indiscipline re quarantining.
Crashman06
Apparently there’s been quite a bit of pushback from the athletic directors in the Big Ten and there’s some speculation that the season won’t be cancelled after all, but perhaps just delayed by a few weeks. I really would not be surprised if some league (read: the SEC) just decides to Fyre Festival this whole thing and go forward with it, damn all the consequences.
Nicole
@PenAndKey: What I don’t understand about the resistance by restaurants is that it’s not impossible to do something different. I’m in NYC and the streets are now covered in outdoor dining tables. I haven’t gone to eat out at one of these places yet, because I’ve been left a little more shell-shocked by March and April than I thought and a lot of the tables are too close for my taste, BUT- it’s been over a month now and there haven’t been any outbreaks linked to NYC outdoor dining. We live near one of those drink-and-paint places, and they’ve moved everything, including the painting lesson, outdoors. And they’re full up every time they’re open. So far, no outbreaks.
Here, the city had to give permission for restaurants to set up tables in the street parking area- many restaurants outside of NYC have huge parking lots- I don’t see why they don’t turn some of that space over to tables while the weather is good.
I get that for some places, it probably is impossible to survive on outdoor dining only, but it just seems like a lot don’t even want to try. God forbid any flexibility in thinking.
zhena gogolia
@MiLilvies:
LOL. My Russian friends call it Cognac-tikoot (“cognac” being a term for a rotgut Soviet brandy), but I’ve never seen this spelling before.
Barbara
@Nicole: Restaurants in my neighborhood have opened up outdoor dining with tables and tents in their parking lots. It’s suboptimal because they can’t really do it in the rain, although it’s so warm around here into autumn that it really could work for all but the coldest months. Heck, there is a restaurant that we go to that has fire pits warm enough to accommodate outdoor dining all year round. Sort of like eating outside at a ski lodge. As long as it isn’t raining . . .
Another Scott
@Cheryl Rofer: Naahh. We just need to clap harder. This COVID-19 thing is overblown….
Grr….!!
Cheers,
Scott.
Kelly
Yep, I’m done with the most complete of my local hardware stores. Most of our local small biz owners are Republicans but he’s a standout wingnut. Leading the local anti mask brigade. Collecting Recall OR guv Kate Brown signatures in the parking lot. His lighted sign has “Spend your stimulus money on guns we need them” instead of the latest sale.
henrythefifth
@MomSense: The sadistic laziness (which sounds like an oxymoron–maybe it is), is so disturbing.
lee
As a Texan I can attest Texas will never implement any more safeguards. Even from the start the GOP’s stated goal was never to stop the spread but only to make sure the hospitals didn’t get overwhelmed.
gene108
@Gin & Tonic:
Because the USA gave up dealing with COVID19, without even starting to seriously try do necessary things to stop the spread.
Other countries in Asia have contact tracing apps that can record, who you are in contact with – assuming the other party has a cell phone with the app – incase you get infected, and report the information to the government, so it can quickly trace who you were in contact with.
That sort of thing is beyond what most in the USA think is even possible.
Another Scott
@Another Scott: https://rapidcityjournal.com/news/local/education/school-board-votes-to-require-masks-for-students-staff/article_34b2289a-a1ef-5189-b2aa-648111444d27.html
It’s going to be a disaster, given the Sturgis activities, unless they take this seriously. And idiots on the School Board are determined not to do so. Enforcement is simple – put on a mask and wear it correctly, or you aren’t allowed in the school.
Grr…
Cheers,
Scott.
Nicole
You’re right. I grew up in Central PA, which manages to be obsessed over both pro and college football and there will be a lot of people who will have no idea how to operate this fall if there’s no football on weekends. My Trump-voting uncle loves college football, but he’s also been very careful during the outbreak as he himself has health issues. I’m curious how he’ll take all this if Penn State doesn’t play.
I do follow horse racing, which resumed months ago (without fans), and they’ve had some shut-downs here and there, but those seem to have been due to a visiting jockey having contact with others indoors in the jockey rooms, so now they’ve restricted travel for jockeys- they can’t ride at any track other than their main one. As to the sport itself, being on a horse running 35 mph offers some pretty good social distancing, even when the jockeys are less than 100% about masks. Close huddles, contact with, I assume, some spittle, and a team sizable enough that I don’t know how you go about keeping everyone apart for showers and changing- I don’t know.
(I now buy masks like some people buy shoes, and I just got one with an image of that famous shot of Secretariat winning the Belmont with “Social Distancing G.O.A.T” on it. It makes me laugh.)
Nicole
@Another Scott:
As has been pointed out all over social media, schools have no problem enforcing dress codes for girls, and sending them home for the public health risk of wearing spaghetti straps.
NotMax
Found this info of Hawaii cases by age brackets both disturbing and enlightening.
Although it would prefer they keep the increments consistent and split 60+ into 60-79 and 80+.
Kelly
Every school administrator/board member that says mask can’t be enforced sure as hell enforces a dress code.
gvg
I read last night that the coaches were interested in having football in the spring, with a lot of “if it’s possible” meaning they know nothing is for sure.
One thing about keeping a list of businesses…I haven’t gone anywhere except to pickup for curbside where they walk it out and put in the back of my car. I don’t actually know how they behave inside the business because I haven’t been for months. Some of them want to scan my phone for the bar code but they do that through the glass window.
Some of them weren’t really prepared when the virus started and web sites and aps and phone staffing and signs for pickups have slowly been upgrades the longer its gone on. Ace hardware was faster than Home depot to start it by about 2 weeks. Home Depot clearly has plenty of in store business with people who don’t care, but their curbside has gotten better and better too. I think they are trying to please both set s of customers, the cautious and the fools. Individual store managers in chains seem to make a difference too.
Chyron HR
@Another Scott:
“The only person who doesn’t want our kids to go back to school is Donald Trump, who called coronavirus a hoax instead of making it safe for our kids to go back to school.”
rikyrah
you tell nothing but the truth
NotMax
When the Super Bowl is cancelled the force of the collective wailing may be enough to nudge the planet into a new orbit.
//
Aziz, light!
The rule in America is that if you’re out enjoying summer fun with friends, your camaraderie protects you from the virus and nobody needs to wear a mask. Young people especially are immune as they pile onto powerboats or catch some rays on the shore. If you have to go to the store to stock up on brewskis and they require masks to enter, you can pull it down below your nose. That’s close enough.
rikyrah
Well,
COVID-19 is in my total face right now.
Our office was just sent home.
Someone tested positive.
Now, I gotta find out how to get a test.
I could just scream.
Sab
OT: Have you called your Senator today about the USPS?
I want my meds. on time. I want my deaf Dad locked down in a nursing home to get mail. I want to pay my bills by mail so I don’t have to give every vendor my secret security code to my debit card.
I also want a unicorn pony, but I know that is too much to expect. The rest of what I want is quite reasonable.
germy
Fingers Crossed That Quarantine Depression Will Cancel Out Upcoming Seasonal Depression
Dorothy A. Winsor
@rikyrah: Oh man, what a pain. My son’s office had this happen a couple of times too.
Roger Moore
@MomSense:
Here in California, at least half a dozen important public health officials have resigned because of threats against their safety. In Michigan, armed terrorists occupied the statehouse to try to force the state legislature to end the lockdown. I have no trouble believing the kinds of threats your governor is facing.
The Thin Black Duke
@rikyrah: Damn. I’m sorry.
narya
@rikyrah: Are you in Chicago? I can point you to places to get tested.
rikyrah
@Chyron HR:
No lie told
germy
One thing I’ve noticed in my local media: Reporters will do “feel good” business-boosting stories about restaurants and taverns in my town, and invariably there’ll be one or two employees visible briefly with their masks below their noses. Or the owner will be telling the reporter about all the safety precautions, and he’ll be maskless, or wearing a loose bandana.
I took a walk downtown to the bookstore and passed several restaurants. I could see staff inside with their masks down. One person was outside, arranging a table and her mask was down. When they see a customer approach, up comes the mask.
zhena gogolia
@rikyrah:
Oh, prayers for a good outcome.
Enhanced Voting Techniques
I do wonder how much the crazy ideas of the Evangelicals plays into the refusal to deal with the virus. It’s not worthy that Pence and his staff are so prominent and Pence is previous claim to fame was miss managing a HIV outbreak in Indiana. The Godbotherors all believe HIV is gods judgment so I can see how it’s a short step for them mentally convince themselves COVID is the same thing.
Roger Moore
@narya:
I think this is the core of our country’s problem. The people in red states and red areas of blue states looked at the initial distribution of cases and saw they were hitting predominantly blue areas. They concluded that the disease was caused- or at least spread- by things unique to those places, so their red area would be safe. That made them oppose any attempt to control the pandemic because they saw it as punishment for sinful blue areas and never believed it could happen to them. I think a lot of them continue to believe they’ll be protected in spite of all the evidence, and they’ll never support any attempt to control it until they truly believe it could happen to them.
Sab
@rikyrah: Wow.
Nicole
@rikyrah: I’m so sorry. That sucks. That just totally sucks. Sending you all the good thoughts for a quick, negative test result.
NotMax
@germy
Bothers the bejeebus out of me that there’s a local TV ad running featuring two policepersons, standing less than a foot apart, encouraging practicing protection.
And both of them are not wearing a mask.
In fact, it rankles that ALL television ads at this point which feature more than one person do not show them masked.
narya
@Roger Moore: Exactly. And their insistence on an individualist approach to the world means that they are less likely to adopt the collective/mutual aid approaches and mindsets that would help. Their worldview means that if you get it (if something bad happens to you) you “deserve” it, you personally screwed up somehow.
Barbara
@rikyrah: This happened to my sister, who truly is an essential worker. And still, she tells me, people she works with are highly resistant to wearing masks. In their case, I think it’s an act of defiance and autonomy in a low wage, low respect but high stress job. A misguided way of exerting control in a situation and job in which they feel powerless. Indeed, I expect that there are a number of people whose defiance over masks is for the same reason.
I hope your test is negative. Let us know so we can help in whatever way we can.
rikyrah
@narya:
I found a place not far from my home.
NotMax
@narya
And the insidious subsection 2: “It’s God’s will.”
leeleeFL
@rikyrah: Sooooooo, I guess that is meaning no overtime?
Good luck on your test, rikyrah! I hope you were not infected. ?
Nicole
@Enhanced Voting Techniques:
I had an extremely religious friend from childhood (please note past tense, as once I really accepted how racist she was, I was done), who was obsessed with the idea that Jesus would come again during her lifetime. I mean, she REALLY wanted it. She talked about how disappointed she’d be if Jesus didn’t return while she was still alive. It was weird.
rikyrah
@narya:
You are so generous.
I’m gonna say it…they thought their WHITENESS would protect them. Once it was revealed that COVID-19 was hitting Non-White people hardest…that’s when the OPEN UP THE ECONOMY march started.
Bluegirlfromwyo
@lee: Once again proving that the GOP’s stated goals aren’t their real ones. Texas hospitals are overwhelmed now, right?
Haroldo
@rikyrah:
I’m glad you found a test facility close by. Good luck!
Roger Moore
@narya:
Emphasis on “you”. If they get it, it will be an unpredictable calamity in no way connected to their unwillingness to take even basic precautions.
Roger Moore
@Nicole:
I’m sure a lot of Evangelicals want to see the Second Coming because they don’t want to miss out on all the people they hate being judged wanting.
Sab
@Nicole: I fervently believed in Jesus coming back soon when I was twelve. Then I grew up and noticed that a bunch of people had believed that fervently for almost 2000 years.
Great way to hook the kids but not going to happen.
narya
@rikyrah: You are exactly right; thank you.
Nicole
@Roger Moore:
A lot of them do appear to have napped through the “judge not lest ye be judged” bit.
@Sab:
I had the same kind of moment as a teenager when it dawned on me that lots of people who believed things other than Christianity were just as firm in their beliefs as I (up until then) had been in mine. And I’ve never been a, “I’m right therefore you’re wrong” kind of person so it was all downhill from there.
leeleeFL
@rikyrah: No lie told…..with the added bonus of white Democratic voters in Blue states or areas might sicken and so be punished for their “sins”.
Happy to say that Democratic leaders’ natural tendency to follow science curtailed that little dream.
Soooooo very tired of the BS
germy
Smart!
And look at the guy. He’s what you’d get if Doodles Weaver and Ish Kabible had a baby.
Nicole
@rikyrah:
You’re not wrong. And it can’t be repeated often enough.
A Ghost to Most
@BruceFromOhio: I gave up my motorcycle when it became apparent that most bikers were right wing assholes. No joy.
Brendan in NC
@Crashman06: I’m fine with that; as long as the universities can be held liable for anyone who gets sick (students included), and be made to pay for thewir care. That would dissuade them real quick…
Gravenstone
@Amir Khalid:
Two MLB players for the Cleveland Indians (both starting pitchers, so 40% of that rotation) broke quarantine while visiting Chicago and have been forced to sequester themselves for at least 72 hours. It’s all just a pile of cards waiting for the inevitable collapse.
Ken
@NotMax: I expect that in a few years there will be dissertations written on advertising during the pandemic. Or, as ads variously call it, “this time of uncertainty,” “the present conditions,” “these trying times,” or sometimes just “these days” – a lot of taboo patterns and euphemisms.
germy
Put this story into the “Once all the old boomers die out, everything will be fine” file:
NotMax
@germy
Years ago, named one of my WoW characters Ishkabibble as an homage.
;)
Kay
I actually don’t believe this. I think the Fox News personalities are of ordinary or better intelligence and they lie to the public for a very specific reason- to make millions and millions of dollars. They have real information for their own families. They just choose to mislead others because the owners mandate that they do it and when they do it they make big stacks of money.
No reason to make this complicated. It’s a transaction. She traded X for Y. Works for her!
germy
@NotMax:
I used to watch the Mike Douglas show back in the ’70s and he told a story about doing a nightclub act with him, and the flop sweat pouring down Kabible’s forehead when they bombed.
waspuppet
I’m still boggled by the end-to-end layout of the Trumpfail in Slate yesterday. Honestly, if Trump were nothing but a lazy dumbfck with no interests beyond getting reelected, his response would actually have been better. He’s spent the last six months actively making things worse.
Whether that’s because he’s under orders from Putin or MBS or whoever, or because he’s such a sociopath that a solution isn’t worth doing unless he can be the one up front taking credit for it, I don’t know and I don’t care — trying to divine Trump’s motivations is like opening a carton of smelly milk full of greasy chunks and trying to figure out whether it went bad a week ago or two weeks. But there’s really no question that’s what happend.
WereBear
@rikyrah: best of Luck!
bluefoot
@rikyrah: Ayup. As long as the “right people” are being hurt, these assholes don’t give a fuck. Plus they need non-white people to wait on them in order to shore up their self worth. Sitting at home provides no external reinforcement of their “superiority.” Hence high-risk places like restaurants and hair salons (and schools!) opening before lower-risk venues.
Good luck on the test! I got tested a couple of weeks ago and was negative. Having another one today since I am going back into the office.
WereBear
@Nicole: It is their get out of jail free card.
Sab
@Nicole: I still believe in God. I also believe that He gives us free choice. I also think America, given that free choice, is phucking up bigtime.
waspuppet
@Kay: Reminds me of the piece Jon Stewart did on Gretchen Carlson, where he revealed her deep, dark secret: She’s actually an intelligent, cultured woman.
germy
@Kay:
I remember reading about all the disinfecting that went on in the Fox studios and all the extra precautions (while the on-air talent was telling viewers there was nothing to worry about).
So many of those pundits on Fox (and my local sinclair station) telling people to get out there and go back to work, but they’re broadcasting from the safety of their lock down living rooms.
NotMax
@germy
In the years given up to playing WoW not a single other player I encountered evinced any recognition of the name.
jonas
Yeah, but that will only cause the number of cases to rise, creating higher demand for more testing, which causes more cases…on and on until every single person has been tested, and then dies. Why do you hate America?
/trumplogic
Miss Bianca
@Nicole:
Ooh, where did you find that one? I would totally wear a Secretariat mask! (racehorse crush!)
Kay
Our school district has about 20% opting remote but I think the coverage is missing some context. I went to a school meeting last night and just about every person is anticipating closures with an outbreak. The plan for the county (the school districts coordinated on one plan) anticipates abrupt closures. It’s just very, very difficult. Anyone running a public school has my heartfelt sympathy. What a mess.
a thousand flouncing lurkers was fidelio
@rikyrah: Hoping very strongly for the best result.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@Kay: @waspuppet: Carlson is still the gold standard for me of Fox’s contempt for its own audience, from back when the Rs were trying to portray Obama as a crazed tyrant when, following a trend that goes back at least to Nixon, the media started short-handing the head of some committees or task forces as “Czars”. Standford graduate Carlson pretended to be stunned when she looked up the word czar and learned it means king! Something one of the other ‘bots did the other day reminded me of that, but I can’t remember what that was. That said, what little I’ve seen of Earnhardt persuades me that she, like her couch-mate Doucey, is as dumb as Carlson and the Murdochs think their viewers are.
Just remembered the recent incident: Pretending to think Biden was serious when he told them on his bike ride that he had picked a Veep.
germy
Trump’s approach to Covid is as if instead of trying to catch a serial killer police hold a press conference every day to assure the public that sooner or later he’ll get tired of murdering.
“The good news is the killer isn’t from here.”
“He very rarely targets children.”
“You can lock your doors if you want, I won’t be because I’m protected by armed guards.”
“We believe he murders less in warm weather.”
“We thought he would only kill Democrats at first.”
(Bob Schooley)
Baud
@Nicole:
Jesus
savesdisappoints.jonas
@waspuppet: Lol. I remember that segment — it was great. She played this blonde ditz on FAF, but had actually graduated magna cum laude from Stanford or something.
germy
@NotMax: Yes, I was going to mention that. I’d be surprised if anyone got the pun.
CarolDuhart2
@NotMax: It will be cancelled, like the Olympics is cancelled. There’s no safe way to pull one off, even with a shortened season. You can’t keep fans from coming to one, and cancelling the parties and other side events? No way that happens.
Searcher
@Barbara:
@narya:
As someone who lived on the outskirts of Bumfuckville, Midwest, post-9/11, I remember how every chickenshit town thought they were going to be the next major terrorism target. “We’ve got that factory that makes widgets for the whatsits” or “We’re the third backup evacuation site for the state government in case of a nuclear war” or “I-70 comes right through here”.
This time, everyone looked at what was happening in NYC and said “Eh, it can’t happen here.”
Nicole
@Sab: I don’t have much of an opinion on the existence of God anymore, but I do still believe that faith can be a wonderful force for good, when one sees it as a responsibility to take care of one’s neighbors, and not, as Werebear put it, a get-out-of-jail-free card.
I’m fortunate enough in my life now to have more of the former than the latter in my circles, but man, the latter are good at making all the noise, aren’t they?
Ken
@Kay: I’m surprised districts are admitting that they have a backup plan for when their in-person plan causes a surge in cases and a shutdown. It could be taken as admission of negligence. Did their lawyers vet these statements?
(Now I’m wondering how many of the districts that claim there are no risks to in-person classes have consulted their lawyers.)
NotMax
@Miss Bianca
FYI, Seabiscuit is currently available on Netflix (and, with ads, a few other streaming services).
@germy
Wasn’t all that surprising. Had I gone with Kaykyser the non-reaction would have been identical.
;)
Nicole
@Miss Bianca: Here’s the link:
https://bobcoglianesephotos.photoshelter.com/gallery/Masks/G0000nGRslcDgjNg/C0000PMNoGzCdRM4
It’s Bob Coglianese’s website, if the link doesn’t work. He has gorgeous photos to look at, as well.
Puddinhead
@Nicole:
I live in central PA and there was a lot of consternation about no spectators being allowed at fall sports. Now with the possibility that fall sports might be canceled all together on the high school and college level, people are losing their damn minds. The idea that previous inaction is the cause of the actions currently being considered enters few social media conversations on this matter.
Ken
@Searcher: Post-911 there were vast pots of money for municipalities that could argue they were a possible terrorist target. IIRC Congress even set requirements on how much had to be spent in each state, and perhaps district. So your Bumfuckistan gets an armored tactical cruiser for the six-person police force to guard the widget factory, and funding to pour a concrete barrier around the backup-backup-backup evacuation site, because the money’s got to be spent on something.
catclub
No need to steal, pick it up at the estate sale.
Nicole
@Puddinhead:
A lot of my family still lives in Central PA, so I go home to visit pretty often. This does not surprise me a bit. Football ruled my high school.
NotMax
@Searcher
“Ah done heered they’re comin’ over here to attack the crownin’ of Miss Soybean.”
//
Searcher
@catclub: As a yard sale connoisseur, estate sales are where it is at.
The average “moving sale” or “getting rid of stuff we don’t want anymore” garage sale is mostly garbage that people don’t want for good reason. An estate sale, on the other hand, is the stuff people held onto until the bitter end.
Puddinhead
@Nicole:
I feel bad for the kids for a variety of reasons. Partly because a lot of them have parents who are more concerned with giving the finger to the governor than making sure the powers that be have a plan to ensure their kids’ safety. Also partly because there are a number of counties in the area with very low case numbers and some sports could be feasible with smart planning (football is a stretch though). Planning gets washed away in the constant bleating about how masks teach our kids to live in fear (then so do seat belts, safety seals on food, etc.) or the governor is on a power trip (yeah, he’s term limited so of course he wants to go out an tell all the kids no sports because reasons, that’ll help his legacy). A lot of people have so bought into the conspiracy nonsense regarding the virus that instead of proving the governor wrong by diligent panning and discipline, their working model seems to be that they are going to prove the governor wrong by “Fuck you!” Then when a bunch of kids get sick, we know whose fault it will be. They go back to school in less than two weeks and the level of planning on a local level here is highly variable, to be kind.
Miss Bianca
@rikyrah: Oh, rikyrah. So sorry to hear it. : (
Miss Bianca
@Nicole: Almost as if she didn’t believe she’d see Him after she was dead, hmm?//
Nicole
@Puddinhead: All good points, and I think you’re spot-on with the internal thinking for a lot of them. I think a lot of these folks are so afraid of being wrong that they’ll jeopardize their own health, and that of their families before they’ll admit they made a mistake.
Nicole
@Miss Bianca: Right? And her view of Heaven was… well, somewhat… odd. As in, a place where she could eat donuts all day and never gain weight. Like, that’s literally what she expected to find in her Heaven. Literally.
(Mind you, I don’t like donuts all that much, so maybe I’m missing something. ;) )
NotMax
@Nicole
Ever stop to ask her “Who makes the donuts?”
They can’t just magically appear, ’cause – y’know – magic is Satanic and all like that.
Puddinhead
@Nicole:
No, I think she’s right about the donuts part, but maybe that was just dumb luck.
rikyrah
@Kay:
They will start in-person. I am sure that it will not last
Steeplejack (phone)
@Chyron HR:
What are you quoting? Trump does want kids to go back to school.
Kay
@rikyrah:
100% of the teachers who were there last night think it won’t last. I think it’s why they aren’t objecting to coming in.
It really hasn’t been bad here, as far as discussion. Calm and civil with very few nutjobs. Our teachers have a strong union presence for such a red area- they went out on strike about 15 years ago and were out for weeks. But so far it’s all been good people really trying to figure it out. I’m grateful.
I was glad to see this. I thought it would tighten up more:
MomSense
@rikyrah:
Will keep you close in my thoughts.
???????❤️❤️❤️❤️
Kay
@Ken:
The backup plan is ostensibly for when the governor orders them closed. Ohio public school districts can close when 20% of students are absent for illness or some catastrophe. We had several rural districts close for short periods last year during a bad flu outbreak, so there’s existing rules and precedent. I don’t think there’s any real legal liability risk.
Kay
@Ken:
The issue for us is internet access. About 40% of our kids don’t have it other than data on a cell phone. Last spring they collected in the public library parking lot to do their work, which besides being sad and unfair also means they’re in a group.
We need a national program for universal internet access. Come on. It’s a utility! Socialize it. Pronto.
EthylEster
@germy: One person was outside, arranging a table and her mask was down. When they see a customer approach, up comes the mask.
Is that a problem? It’s the approach I take when I am outside and walking by myself but see someone approaching.
artem1s
here’s a comment from the NBC article…
dumbasses think the ‘rona is what’s killing interest in pro and college sports. Couldn’t be the general corruption, toxic masculinity, xenophobia, sex scandals, brain injuries, and diverting scarce resources from critical services or other academic programming to serve the needs of the few, could it?
Miss Bianca
@Kay:
Right now I am listening in on our School Board meeting. So far, the plan is to return to in-person classes as of August 19. Then there are various back-up plans. This should end well…//
And man, the new bells are loud!
EthylEster
@Jim, Foolish Literalist: Pretending to think Biden was serious when he told them on his bike ride that he had picked a Veep.
Wow. I thought Biden was serious.
germy
@EthylEster:
Her mask was down when she came out of the restaurant, and she was setting an outside table. I really wouldn’t want to eat at that restaurant, outside table or not.
J R in WV
@germy:
He looks like a dumber, much, much dumber of Mike Pence. My cousin used to spend a lot of time working in very rural WV, and once told us “You know how to tell if someone is really inbred don’t you? ‘ They eyes is reeeal close together, like a chicken! ‘ ”
And there is Sen. Thayn, with his eyes so, so close together. Hating medical staff for disagreeing with his theology.
BruceFromOhio
@A Ghost to Most: I hear you. I do solo rides because I still love it. My riding partner is also an exception, though his club has its share of Don’t-Tread-On-Me dingbats. And I hold out hope for others after seeing the two black grandmas astride monster Harley’s cruising through downtown Cleveland last summer, all smiles.
TerryC
@EthylEster:
If you are laying out merchandise and breathing on it that’s a problem. My son’s disc golf pro shop’s business is booming. He makes everyone wear a mask AND sanitize their hands before they can enter and handle the normally 10,000+ discs, but getting new inventory is slow.
BruceFromOhio
@germy: Holy crap! Thankfully his D opponent appears to have the votes to defeat him. But sheeee-it, such ingrained winger views for such a young guy. Let’s check back in ten years to see where he ends up.
BruceFromOhio
@catclub: That is the plan!
Searcher
@J R in WV: … aren’t chickens’ eyes on the sides of their heads?
The Lodger
@EthylEster: Jumping to the end of the thread here. It’s different because you’re not handling other people’s eating utensils when you’re on a walk.
greenergood
@Amir Khalid: Nicola First MInister has SHUT it down – no football. Aberdeen locked down cause stupid people went to the pub unmasked. No deaths for over two weeks – Kids go back to school tomorrow – this will be the test. Please fingers crossed for us – we’ve been working so hard for this. Meanwhile people come up north from England for ‘Staycations’ to visit tiny Highland villages with minimal health-care facilities – and they (the tiny villages) are shitting themselves – it’s like mini-Sturgises wth less motorcycles, but trailers and RVs full of virus. Gonna be a long couple of weeks
until the English schools go back and their Staycations leave here.