Re: Corona virus, China major city lockdowns, etc.
Yeah, for now preparing for a possible week to two week home confinement probably isn't a bad idea, just to avoid empty shelves if you wait until panic sets in.
Paper products, non-perishables, some extra frozen items, soaps and first aid supplies if low, etc. Nothing crazy, just some extra quantities of things you'd normally use.
Re: Corona virus, China major city lockdowns, etc.
About Italy:
Foreign Minister
"As Foreign Ministry, we are committed to disseminating the correct data on the real size of the coronavirus in Italy abroad. And this image created by the Crisis Unit returns the reality of the facts, against any alarmism and imprecise information spread in these days.
As you can see, and I explained it to the foreign press today, only 0.1% of Italian municipalities are affected, as well as 0.05% of the national territory. Quarantined people instead represent 0.089% of the Italian population. And also in Lombardy and Veneto we speak of very restricted areas (0.5% of the Lombardy region, 0.2% of the Veneto region).
Let me also say that at this stage it is essential that the institutions communicate every news with a great sense of responsibility, because the risk is that there is a transition from a pandemic to an infodemic due to misinformation. And all this risks causing damage to our businesses, the tourism sector and the commercial fabric of the country, which represent national pride and which must be defended by any means.
Having taken strongly precautionary measures, such as having made about 10,000 swabs (while other countries have stopped a few hundred), it cannot be a fault. We continue to work intensively for our compatriots, abroad and at home, and to protect our economy."
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Re: Corona virus, China major city lockdowns, etc.
By the way, what are the specific criticisms about Trump's handling of the Corona Virus? I'm seeing some criticisms floating through my news feed, often by Dem party members but I'm not getting anything specific. It's all just general "he's not handling it right" messages. I'm struggling to imagine what the specifics would be and what you could blame him for.
Is there anything he's done or said (or tweeted) that he shouldn't have done? Is there a message people feel he should have sent out that he hasn't? A contingency he's blocked? Or is it just generalised mud slinging?
The best argument against democracy is a five minute conversation with the average voter - Winston Churchill
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Re: Corona virus, China major city lockdowns, etc.
The universities around here have already started to pull their study abroad students (regardless of location), and the company I work for has begun curbing international travel (which, as a govt contractor is not easy).
Re: Corona virus, China major city lockdowns, etc.
Originally Posted by FunkyDexter
By the way, what are the specific criticisms about Trump's handling of the Corona Virus? I'm seeing some criticisms floating through my news feed, often by Dem party members but I'm not getting anything specific. It's all just general "he's not handling it right" messages. I'm struggling to imagine what the specifics would be and what you could blame him for.
Is there anything he's done or said (or tweeted) that he shouldn't have done? Is there a message people feel he should have sent out that he hasn't? A contingency he's blocked? Or is it just generalised mud slinging?
Earlier this year he canned the person at the CDC that would be in charge of pandemic outbreaks for unspecified reasons. And then this week he put Pence in charge of dealing with the Corona out break here in the US. Because apparently that's his specialty.
Re: Corona virus, China major city lockdowns, etc.
The fun thing about Trump is that he's largely taken credit for the booming stock market, and really tied himself to it. Now that the market is melting down, so is Trump. He's trying to say that he shouldn't be blamed for the Corona virus, which is obviously true, but it wouldn't have been an issue if Trump hadn't made it an issue. He used the market as a metric for his success, while few others would. Now that the market is collapsing, that metric doesn't work so well for him and he's getting loud about it. You might say that it's a defective infective invective corrective.
Having gotten that out of the way, the issue I have with Trump on this has yet to materialize. He doesn't care about anything other than his success metrics, which are really just in his own mind, but they clearly weigh on him heavily. So, I feel that his past record suggests that he is very likely to respond poorly if there actually is a significant outbreak in the US. All he will care about is keeping it from being tied to him, not solving that, or anything else. Pence is an example of that. He's a weak sack, and Trump surely knows that. Putting him in charge is almost certainly a means of trying to control any message, as well as creating a scapegoat if one becomes necessary.
Re: Corona virus, China major city lockdowns, etc.
Originally Posted by techgnome
The flu only has a 14-day incubation period.... the COVID-19 has a 20-day incubation period... at least I think that's right ... which would make it harder to track, as well as contain since it takes longer for symptoms to set in. By the time it does, people may not make the connection of where they may have gotten it from since it was close to three weeks prior.
-tg
I never believed what a Chinese medical expert (official) said. Chinese doctors (modern doctors) are professional, but the vast majority of those medical expert/officials(those who show up and speak outside) are inexperienced, although most of them have the title of "Academician of Medicine". I don't think they have more medical knowledge than a VB6 programmer (DreamManor), they will become the laughingstock of the medical community.
Last edited by dreammanor; Feb 29th, 2020 at 12:35 AM.
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Re: Corona virus, China major city lockdowns, etc.
@Shaggy and TG, so if I'm reading you correctly the criticism so far boils down to failing to prepare, and probably being the sort of person who will fail to act effectively when required to do so. Have I got that about right?
I wasn't aware he'd canned his CDC director. I had a bit of a google and it seems he didn't actually fire him but rather the incumbent left (possibly because he felt the position had become untenable) and hasn't been replaced because "funding", which I guess amounts to the same thing (of course, the media has become so polarised in the US that it was hard to find objective information). Either way, that's a dropped ball at the wrong time.
You might say that it's a defective infective invective corrective.
Ha! You might. I'd have lacked the imagination.
The best argument against democracy is a five minute conversation with the average voter - Winston Churchill
Hadoop actually sounds more like the way they greet each other in Yorkshire - Inferrd
Re: Corona virus, China major city lockdowns, etc.
Yeah, there hasn't been much of anything to do, so the fact that he hasn't done anything doesn't matter much. However, things are changing. The first fatality in the US has just been announced, and yet another strange outbreak is popping up in Seattle. We may well see a bit of a panic. Trump is speaking at the moment, but thus far it's just a matter of boasting, lying, and non-statements. He has now said that we have taken the most aggressive actions in history, and the most aggressive actions of any country. We certainly have not, since China quarantined entire cities, and we have done essentially nothing.
He's been pretty vague on what they HAVE done, except that he just said that we had 43 million masks, which is interesting, since the CDC has said "don't bother" for the vast majority of people.
Re: Corona virus, China major city lockdowns, etc.
I really don't understand why the CDC would say that. If nothing else it seems they would help prevent transmitting the virus from your hands to your nose or mouth.
Re: Corona virus, China major city lockdowns, etc.
Originally Posted by Shaggy Hiker
The fun thing about Trump is that he's largely taken credit for the booming stock market, and really tied himself to it. Now that the market is melting down, so is Trump. He's trying to say that he shouldn't be blamed for the Corona virus, which is obviously true, but it wouldn't have been an issue if Trump hadn't made it an issue. He used the market as a metric for his success, while few others would. Now that the market is collapsing, that metric doesn't work so well for him and he's getting loud about it. You might say that it's a defective infective invective corrective.
Having gotten that out of the way, the issue I have with Trump on this has yet to materialize. He doesn't care about anything other than his success metrics, which are really just in his own mind, but they clearly weigh on him heavily. So, I feel that his past record suggests that he is very likely to respond poorly if there actually is a significant outbreak in the US. All he will care about is keeping it from being tied to him, not solving that, or anything else. Pence is an example of that. He's a weak sack, and Trump surely knows that. Putting him in charge is almost certainly a means of trying to control any message, as well as creating a scapegoat if one becomes necessary.
Re: Corona virus, China major city lockdowns, etc.
I realize that Trump is in the middle of this - for better or worse - but I hope this doesn't turn into a mostly Trump bashing thread.
That out of the way, a press conference was just held in Washington state. Apparently, at a nursing home, a resident and a worker have been confirmed to be infected, and dozens of other residents and workers are symptomatic and are being tested. Results of those tests are possibly coming as soon as later today.
I expect similar localized outbreaks in the coming days, unfortunately. After that, complete chaos and pandemonium.
Re: Corona virus, China major city lockdowns, etc.
Originally Posted by Shaggy Hiker
By keeping people from eating? Picking their noses? What?
It would definitely make it harder to pick your nose. Well worth the price of the mask!
I think it would reduce the amount of time we unconsciously touch our mouth or nose with our hands. My son has been staying with me and got some type of bug so I tried to make an effort not to touch my hand to my mouth or nose. I was amazed at the amount of times per day I caught myself doing it without even realizing. I think a mask would make it more obvious, if it reduces the chances by 5% then it's worth it, especially for people who are susceptible to pneumonia or already have some type of problem with their lungs. That said, I've never worn one, it just seem a reasonable precaution.
Re: Corona virus, China major city lockdowns, etc.
Those of us who are more hirsute tend to be touching our faces often...just to make sure we aren't carrying anything extra in the beard.
Still, I believe that what the CDC was getting at was that there is a certain amount of futility to wearing a mask if you aren't in a high risk area. On the other hand, in my experience, wearing those masks gets pretty doggone nasty after not all that long. If they aren't trapping the humidity from your breath, then they wouldn't be doing much against airborne particles, so they DO end up trapping plenty of humidity, and end up being rather foul.
As for Trump bashing, I don't think he's done anything right or wrong with the virus. Until this weekend, I don't feel there was much to do aside from studying things. Still, he's pretty much scored an own goal on this one when it comes to the stock market, and I do find that pretty amusing. If the president, ANY president, had a lever they could pull that would make the economy better, they'd pull that lever as soon as they got into the office and keep on pulling it throughout their term. There is no such lever. Presidents get too much blame for bad economies and too much credit for good economies. Most just smile, since they know they can't totally drive that bus. What's different about Trump is that he's been claiming credit for the booming stock market. So now....own goal.
Having said that, I felt that the market was overpriced ahead of this drop, and also felt that this was an overreaction. I'm not so sure about that latter statement, though. The measures governments are taking to curtail the virus is certainly going to harm the global economy. If the virus runs its course quickly enough, the harm won't be too great, but it likely will not be all that quick because the global economy was starting to look a bit sickly before the virus.
Re: Corona virus, China major city lockdowns, etc.
Yeah, swim masks don't work much better. Of course, it depends on the amount of facial hair. Perhaps if you have enough, they become effective again? Air would no longer pass through the mask, but through the labyrinthine depth of beard.
NEIL DIAMOND: touching hands
CDC: no don’t touch hands
NEIL DIAMOND: reaching out
CDC: please avoid that
NEIL DIAMOND: TOUCHING YOU-
CDC: everyone is Boston is doomed
Pink Floyd: HEY YOU
CDC: oh hell
Pink Floyd: out there on your own
CDC: ok, self quarantined, not so bad
Pink Floyd: sitting naked by the phone WOULD YOU TOUCH ME
CDC: god damnit
GEORGIA SATELLITES:
She said, "Don't give me no lies, and keep your hands to yourself."
CDC: She's 100% correct. Listen to what she says.
Re: Corona virus, China major city lockdowns, etc.
We'd best have a zombie apocalypse. The way people are reacting to this virus, it would be a shame if we had all this hysteria preparation without anything worthy of it. Every fine cat deserves a fine rat.
Re: Corona virus, China major city lockdowns, etc.
Originally Posted by FunkyDexter
By the way, what are the specific criticisms about Trump's handling of the Corona Virus? I'm seeing some criticisms floating through my news feed, often by Dem party members but I'm not getting anything specific. It's all just general "he's not handling it right" messages. I'm struggling to imagine what the specifics would be and what you could blame him for.
Is there anything he's done or said (or tweeted) that he shouldn't have done? Is there a message people feel he should have sent out that he hasn't? A contingency he's blocked? Or is it just generalised mud slinging?
That question seems to imply that Trump is fit to be president and so why the criticism...
Just generally he is a pathological liar. He can't help himself. That is not the kind of person you want to have in charge of a crisis. Here is an example, during one of his first press conferences he said a vaccine was "coming soon". His sycophants had to correct that ASAP saying what Trump really was talking about was the Ebola virus. Is that the kind of liar your want informing the nation? Can you really ever trust what he says? He can't even tell the truth about where his father was born...
Trump is a narcissist. Everything is about him. He wrongly, the economy has been on a steady ten year rise, claims he is the savior of the stock market. So what is his first reaction when it goes down, send out Larry Kudlow, the economic advisory, to calm people about the stock market. It is not about the nation and the virus, it is is about Trump.
Next up, put Pence in charge. He is blamed for a number of deaths because of how he handled HIV in Illinois. Not only does he not have any medical background at all he disputes the findings of people that do.
And what is Pence's priority? All news releases must go through him. Anyone that thinks that is for anything less than keeping damage control down for Trump is fooling themselves. He was touting Trump's "decisive actions saving us" on the Sunday shows. There isn't a bigger sycophant on the planet and Trump put him in change of our safety. With Trump in charge the virus is second to him as far as government action.
So my point is Trump's actions for the last three years is indicative of what he is doing now. Is everything we read in the news about the virus fake? Is the enemy of the people, the press, going to tell us lies about the virus to hurt Trumps election? That is what he says. So asking "but I'm not getting anything specific. It's all just general "he's not handling it right" messages. I'm struggling to imagine what the specifics would be and what you could blame him for." implies he is being wrongly thought of as unfit for a crisis.
The question I think should be asked is he fit for any crisis whatsoever?
Last edited by TysonLPrice; Mar 2nd, 2020 at 07:59 AM.
Re: Corona virus, China major city lockdowns, etc.
CoronaGate is just another political attack, and filthier than even RussiaGate and UkraineGate.
People are waking up to the antics of the crazies driving the Democratic Party bus these days. Throwing the people under that bus as well, merely to achieve mean-spirited cynical political aims, should set off alarm bells and ultimately cost them dearly come November.
I don't think anyone is suggesting you should embrace Trump and Pence. There is plenty to be worried about there. What should be scary is how much worse their opposition keeps proving it is.
Re: Corona virus, China major city lockdowns, etc.
Originally Posted by dilettante
CoronaGate is just another political attack, and filthier than even RussiaGate and UkraineGate.
People are waking up to the antics of the crazies driving the Democratic Party bus these days. Throwing the people under that bus as well, merely to achieve mean-spirited cynical political aims, should set off alarm bells and ultimately cost them dearly come November.
I don't think anyone is suggesting you should embrace Trump and Pence. There is plenty to be worried about there. What should be scary is how much worse their opposition keeps proving it is.
That is because every day that moron is in office things get worse. He is gutting intelligence agencies left and right, replacing career diplomats and professionals with his cronies, sacrificing decades of ally building, etc. Every single day spreading his hateful lies. You say that about people talking badly about Trump is somewhat misguided . Just listen to the fear mongering, hate filled rhetoric he spews out at his rallies. He is earning every bit of the loathing the country has for him every single day.
Blaming the opposition for his unfitness for office is the pot calling the kettle black.
Re: Corona virus, China major city lockdowns, etc.
Who'd a thunk this was really all about palace intrigue?
Every new regime throws old rascals out and replaces them with new rascals, typically no better. Career bureaucrats don't like having their cushy applecarts overturned. Cry me a river. I lived through such events myself in my career, it's just an unfortunate fact of the game.
In the meantime there are real factors in play like this new health threat.
Re: Corona virus, China major city lockdowns, etc.
Originally Posted by dilettante
Who'd a thunk this was really all about palace intrigue?
Every new regime throws old rascals out and replaces them with new rascals, typically no better. Career bureaucrats don't like having their cushy applecarts overturned. Cry me a river. I lived through such events myself in my career, it's just an unfortunate fact of the game.
In the meantime there are real factors in play like this new health threat.
What - he said just the other day a vaccine was coming soon. Oh that's right, he was talking out of his @ss and his sycophants corrected that by saying he really meant an Ebola vaccine.
Is that how to handle a health threat? Get up and lie about it to the country. How about him implying it is the Democrats fault? That is thinking about the nation first. How about worrying the stock market is the real the priority. Shouldn't the health risk come first?
I fully understand the nation might not want this to be political..if that is true take Trump's twitter account away from him.
Re: Corona virus, China major city lockdowns, etc.
Originally Posted by kfcSmitty
lol how did this turn into a political discussion?
We all know that republicans are racists and democrats are commies. Back to COVID-19!
I don't see how we can discuss the impact to the country without discussing how our government is reacting to it. And when the leader of the government implies the Democrats are the problem it becomes political. When instead of putting the medical and scientific communities in charge and instead put a political sycophant in charge it becomes political. When the president is more concerned about the stock market then the nation's health because it affects his election it becomes political.
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Re: Corona virus, China major city lockdowns, etc.
when the leader of the government implies the Democrats are the problem
Has he done that? I mean, he's implied they're at fault for just about everything else (though that's pretty standard fare in politics), but I haven't see him blame Covid on them. I could be wrong about that though. I genuinely don't know, which is why I'm asking.
instead of putting the medical and scientific communities in charge and instead put a political sycophant in charge
the president is more concerned about the stock market then the nation's health because it affects his election
Those seem like valid criticisms to me.
The best argument against democracy is a five minute conversation with the average voter - Winston Churchill
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Re: Corona virus, China major city lockdowns, etc.
Originally Posted by FunkyDexter
Has he done that? I mean, he's implied they're at fault for just about everything else (though that's pretty standard fare in politics), but I haven't see him blame Covid on them. I could be wrong about that though. I genuinely don't know, which is why I'm asking.
Those seem like valid criticisms to me.
He is calling it "This is their new hoax". So he isn't accusing them of actually spreading the disease. He is politicizing it that way though which is my point. His son has even more to say:
"But for them - Democrats - to try to take a pandemic and seemingly hope that it comes here and kills millions of people so that they could end Donald Trump’s streak of winning is a new level of sickness.”
The president's praise for his own handling of the corona virus has been his administration's most consistent response since the global outbreak began.
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Re: Corona virus, China major city lockdowns, etc.
"This is their new hoax"
OK, I think I understand where you're coming from. That sort of thing could really bite him in the ass if and when it does spread though.
His son has even more to say:
Yeah, I think the way Trump et al happily throw out accusations with no basis can get pretty sickening. The Dems want Trump to lose, no doubt about that. It doesn't equate to wanting people to die though.
The best argument against democracy is a five minute conversation with the average voter - Winston Churchill
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Re: Corona virus, China major city lockdowns, etc.
We had a big spike in the UK yesterday. Jumped from the mid 30s to the 80s in just one day. With a jump like that my hunch is that it was more to do with detection than infection but I'm not sure what would have changed to cause it. Also., I guess a 100+% jump from a very small sample can just be a statistical anomaly. Pretty startling though.
A friend of mine has just gone into self isolation. He's fairly sure he's just got a head cold but had just come back from Spain so he's not taking any chances. (He's young and fit so not really in any danger even if he is a genuine case).
The best argument against democracy is a five minute conversation with the average voter - Winston Churchill
Hadoop actually sounds more like the way they greet each other in Yorkshire - Inferrd