Saturday, May 16, 2020

Coronavirus News (103)



The Masked Versus the Unmasked How can Trump opponents take on people who will stop at nothing? ........ a neighbor in Colorado would tell me it was time for liberals to “gun up.” ......... Civil war, or something like it, is coming. Gun up, dude, before it’s too late. ........ the giveaway dress of the liberal egghead terrorized by the virus ....... The responsible crowd, with face half-hidden, confronting the unmasked live-free-or-die crowd across the vastness and fracture of an unled country. ..... Biking onto the Manhattan Bridge I pass a new piece of graffiti: “Bezos made the virus.”............

If he could deny the visible, like the number of people at his inauguration, imagine what he could do with the invisible. Or don’t imagine it, just look around.

.......... If he could deny the visible, like the number of people at his inauguration, imagine what he could do with the invisible. Or don’t imagine it, just look around. ....... Christian Drosten, a top German virologist with a popular podcast, receives death threats, like Anthony Fauci, America’s top infectious disease expert. History, science, truth, the Enlightenment are under siege. Anything could happen in America between now and November. ........... I mean, anything. ......... think of “gun up” as get real, get tough, get registered, get mobilized, get implacable and vote Trump out

Large areas of London to be made car-free as lockdown eased Mayor Sadiq Khan says city needs to be repurposed for people as it emerges from coronavirus restrictions



Sweden Stayed Open. A Deadly Month Shows the Risks. Sweden’s outbreak has been far deadlier than those of its neighbors, but it’s still better off than many countries that enforced strict lockdown. ........ while Sweden has avoided the devastating tolls of outbreaks in Italy, Spain and Britain, it also has seen an extraordinary increase in deaths ........... While Sweden is the largest country in Scandinavia, all have strong public health care systems and low health inequality across the population. .......... Swedish officials chose not to implement a nationwide lockdown, trusting that people would do their part to stay safe. Schools, restaurants, gyms and bars remained open, with social distancing rules enforced, while gatherings were restricted to 50 people. ........ “Once you get into a lockdown, it’s difficult to get out of it,” Sweden’s state epidemiologist, Anders Tegnell, said. “How do you reopen? When?” .........

As a whole, Swedes visited restaurants, retail shops and other recreation spots almost as little as residents of neighboring countries

........ In Italy, the virus tore through multigenerational households, where it easily spread from young people to their older relatives. ........ the country’s G.D.P. will contract by 7 to 10 percent this year ........ “Sweden will be judged at the finish line”

Former Coronavirus Skeptic Warns Others To Take Pandemic Seriously After Infection Brian Lee Hitchens said he used to believe COVID-19 was a “fake crisis.” Now he’s imploring people to listen to the experts. ........ A patient battling COVID-19 in Florida admits that he used to believe the pandemic was being blown out of proportion. But, after he and his wife were hospitalized with serious infections, he’s urging people to take coronavirus seriously. ....... “Many people still think that the Coronavirus is a fake crisis which at one time I did too,” he wrote. “And not that I thought it wasn’t a real virus going around but at one time I felt that it was blown out of proportion and it wasn’t that serious.” .......... following a stint in home isolation, they began to feel so fatigued and sick that they checked into the Palm Beach Gardens Medical Center. They tested positive for the virus and were admitted to the intensive care unit. ......... He’s holding on to hope for his wife, who is still on a ventilator and has been for several weeks. The two aren’t able to see one another and don’t know when they might be discharged. ........ “Please listen to the authorities and heed the advice of the experts,” he implored people in his Facebook post.

“Looking back I should have wore a mask in the beginning but I didn’t and perhaps I’m paying the price for it now.”



Newly reopened South Florida seen as an emerging coronavirus hot spot
Why American life went on as normal during the killer pandemic of 1969 H3N2 (or the “Hong Kong flu,” as it was more popularly known) was an influenza strain that the New York Times described as “one of the worst in the nation’s history.” The first case of H3N2, which evolved from the H2N2 influenza strain that caused the 1957 pandemic, was reported in mid-July 1968 in Hong Kong. By September, it had infected Marines returning to the States from the Vietnam War. By mid-December, the Hong Kong flu had arrived in all fifty states. ....... the first wave ended by early March 1969, and it didn’t flare up again until November of that year........... by all projections, the coronavirus will surpass H3N2’s body count even with a global shutdown. ......... President Lyndon Johnson and Vice President Humphrey both fell ill from H3N2 and recovered ..........

The idea that a pandemic could be controlled with social distancing and public lockdowns is a relatively new one, said Tucker. It was first suggested in a 2006 study by New Mexico scientist Robert J. Glass, who got the idea from his 14-year-old daughter’s science project.

....... “If I were 48 in 1968, I would have most likely served in World War II,” said Moir. “I would have had a little brother who served in Korea, and possibly might have a son or daughter fighting in Vietnam.” Death, he said, was a bigger and in some ways more accepted part of American life............

Dining out, for instance, was a rare indulgence for most American families then. Today, “we spend as much eating out as we do preparing food at home”

........ In 2020, we feel that being denied music festivals and restaurants is an egregious attack on our liberty. “A big part of our freakout over COVID-19 is a reaction to everything in this country that we’ve taken for granted,” Moir said. “When it’s taken away, we lose our minds.”

Mobility Trends
Sailors on sidelined carrier get virus for second time
How a Plague Exposed the “Christian Nation” Myth The evidence is in. The United States can finally abandon the pretense that it is a Christian nation. ........ Since its inception, America has demonstrated many of the same strengths and character flaws as other colonial western nations. ....... But if COVID-19 has done anything, it’s revealed that the U.S. brand of Christianity doesn’t look anything like Jesus. .......... There’s a point in the gospels when Jesus reveals he’s going to die. Peter promptly rebukes him. After all, Jesus can’t die. They’ve put all their hope in him as the Messiah and they expect him to deliver them from Roman oppression. .......... the phrase “dying to self.” .. a difficult conviction to hold when your cultural ethos focuses on your individual right to pursue happiness. .......... In the Incarnation, Jesus laid aside his deity to identify with humanity (Philippians 2). And at Calvary, he laid down his human life to make reconciliation possible. In both actions—laying aside his deity and taking up his cross—he renounced his rights. .........

In a culture and economy that operates on consumption and acquisition, it’s difficult to convince Christians to renounce anything.

....... Christianity in America is so entangled with patriotism and exceptionalism. When asked to shelter in place, Christians don’t think it’s odd to deck themselves out in G.I. Joe cosplay complete with AR-15s to storm a government building and demand their rights. ............ When an unarmed black man or woman is shot and killed on camera, they instantly make excuses on behalf of authorities. ........ But when asked to stay home, patriots have no problem grabbing their guns and defying orders. The mixture of Christianity and Americanism is a troubling tincture, enabling people to cite Romans 13 to get others to obey authority while they stock up weapons to fight off a potentially tyrannical government. ..........

Any religion that demands that others take up their cross while we take up our sword is not Christianity.

......... It’s strange, but nothing reveals the rot at the center of American Christianity like the response people have had to wearing masks. It requires zero sacrifice to put a mask on—but that’s still too much of an ask for many Americans. .........

Mask wearing is really the perfect litmus test for self-denial. It’s something we do for others. My mask protects you, and your mask protects me. It’s not only a legitimate way to stop the spread of germs, but it also communicates our care for others.

........ It’s such a low bar for denying one’s self. And yet, there are people all over the country who refuse this small act of solidarity. ............

Jesus suffered the indignity of an unfair trial in a kangaroo court. The Sanhedrin was looking for any excuse to kill him.

....... Following his example, every one of the disciples stoically endured horrible treatment from officials and their countrymen. But they had renounced the expectation to be treated fairly. They didn’t take up swords and demand their rights. They modeled themselves after their king.



The sun has entered a ‘lockdown’ period, which could cause freezing weather, famine Our sun has gone into lockdown, which could cause freezing weather, earthquakes and famine, scientists say. .......... The sun is currently in a period of “solar minimum,” meaning activity on its surface has fallen dramatically. ......

we are about to enter the deepest period of sunshine “recession” ever recorded as sunspots have virtually disappeared

.......... The sun’s magnetic field has become weak, allowing extra cosmic rays into the solar system ........

NASA scientists fear it could be a repeat of the Dalton Minimum, which happened between 1790 and 1830 — leading to periods of brutal cold, crop loss, famine and powerful volcanic eruptions.

......... Temperatures plummeted by up to 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) over 20 years, devastating the world’s food production. ...... On April 10, 1815, the second-largest volcanic eruption in 2,000 years happened at Mount Tambora in Indonesia, killing at least 71,000 people...... It also led to the so-called Year Without a Summer in 1816 — also nicknamed “eighteen hundred and froze to death” — when

there was snow in July

. ...... So far this year, the sun has been “blank” with no sunspots 76 percent of the time, a rate surpassed only once before in the Space Age — last year, when it was 77 percent blank.

Dalton minimum Dalton minimum, also called Modern minimum, period of reduced sunspot activity that occurred between roughly 1790 and 1830. ......... As with the Maunder minimum (1645–1715), a period of almost no sunspots that coincided with the coldest part of the Little Ice Age, the Dalton minimum coincided with a period of cooler temperatures around the world. ........ Parts of the Northern Hemisphere experienced sporadic periods of heavy snow and killing frost through June, July, and August 1816, which came to be known there as the “year without a summer.”)



American believers see coronavirus as sign from God to change ways The poll found 31% of Americans who believe in God feel "strongly" that the virus is God's way of telling us to "change how we are living" .......... Two-thirds of U.S. residents who believe in God see the pandemic as a divine message urging us to change our lifestyles ........ Evangelical Protestants are most likely to feel strongly that the virus contains deeper religious meaning, with 43 percent expressing that belief. Just 28 percent of both Catholics and mainline Protestants felt the same. ........ African Americans were most likely among racial backgrounds sampled to believe the virus was a sign from God to change. Forty-seven percent say they feel that strongly, compared with 37% of Latino and 27% of white Americans responders

Nearly 420,000 of NYC's richest residents have fled the city amid the pandemic with smartphone data showing Upper East Side and West Village populations down by 40 percent Five percent of New York City's population, or 420,000 people, left between March 1 and May 1 amid the coronavirus pandemic ...... Some neighborhoods such as the Upper East Side, SoHo and the West Village emptied by at least 40% ..... The majority fled to vacation homes in places such as Long Island, upstate New York, Pennsylvania, the Jersey Shore and Florida ....... Residents who fled typically were white, had rents of more than $2,000 per month, had college degrees or higher and earned incomes of more than $100,000 .......New York City is home to 8.399 million people

A cluster randomised trial of cloth masks compared with medical masks in healthcare workers Moisture retention, reuse of cloth masks and poor filtration may result in increased risk of infection. ....... cloth masks should not be recommended for HCWs, particularly in high-risk situations



The Risks - Know Them - Avoid Them It seems many people are breathing some relief, and I’m not sure why. ............

Assuming we have just crested in deaths at 70k, it is possible that we lose another 70,000 people over the next 6 weeks as we come off that peak. That's what's going to happen with a lockdown. .......... As states reopen, and we give the virus more fuel, all bets are off. I understand the reasons for reopening the economy, but I've said before, if you don't solve the biology, the economy won't recover.

........... There are very few states that have demonstrated a sustained decline in numbers of new infections. Indeed, as of May 3rd the majority are still increasing and reopening. ........

throughout most of the country we are going to add fuel to the viral fire by reopening

......... most people get infected in their own home. A household member contracts the virus in the community and brings it into the house where sustained contact between household members leads to infection. ......... Infection could occur, through 1000 infectious viral particles you receive in one breath or from one eye-rub, or 100 viral particles inhaled with each breath over 10 breaths, or 10 viral particles with 100 breaths. Each of these situations can lead to an infection. ...........

A single cough releases about 3,000 droplets and droplets travels at 50 miles per hour.

Most droplets are large, and fall quickly (gravity), but many do stay in the air and can travel across a room in a few seconds. .........

A single sneeze releases about 30,000 droplets, with droplets traveling at up to 200 miles per hour.

Most droplets are small and travel great distances (easily across a room)........... If a person is infected, the droplets in a single cough or sneeze may contain as many as 200,000,000 (two hundred million) virus particles which can all be dispersed into the environment around them.......... But even if that cough or sneeze was not directed at you, some infected droplets--the smallest of small--can hang in the air for a few minutes, filling every corner of a modest sized room with infectious viral particles. All you have to do is enter that room within a few minutes of the cough/sneeze and take a few breaths and you have potentially received enough virus to establish an infection. ........... This is also why it is critical for people who are symptomatic to stay home. Your sneezes and your coughs expel so much virus that you can infect a whole room of people. ........ at least 44% of all infections--and the majority of community-acquired transmissions--occur from people without any symptoms (asymptomatic or pre-symptomatic people). You can be shedding the virus into the environment for up to 5 days before symptoms begin......... Viral load generally builds up to the point where the person becomes symptomatic. So just prior to symptoms showing, you are releasing the most virus into the environment. Interestingly, the data shows that just 20% of infected people are responsible for 99% of viral load that could potentially be released into the environment .......... the biggest outbreaks are in prisons, religious ceremonies, and workplaces, such as meat packing facilities and call centers. Any environment that is enclosed, with poor air circulation and high density of people, spells trouble. ........... Bob was infected but didn't know. Bob shared a takeout meal, served from common serving dishes, with 2 family members. The dinner lasted 3 hours. The next day, Bob attended a funeral, hugging family members and others in attendance to express condolences. Within 4 days, both family members who shared the meal are sick. A third family member, who hugged Bob at the funeral became sick. But Bob wasn't done. Bob attended a birthday party with 9 other people. They hugged and shared food at the 3 hour party. Seven of those people became ill. Over the next few days Bob became sick, he was hospitalized, ventilated, and died........ Social distancing guidelines don't hold in indoor spaces where you spend a lot of time, as people on the opposite side of the room were infected. ........

Social distancing rules are really to protect you with brief exposures or outdoor exposures

........ The effects of sunlight, heat, and humidity on viral survival, all serve to minimize the risk to everyone when outside. ...... If you are sitting in a well ventilated space, with few people, the risk is low. ...... please don't forget surfaces. Those infected respiratory droplets land somewhere. Wash your hands often and stop touching your face!

Donald Trump And The Fed Could Be About To Crash The U.S. Dollar president Trump is piling pressure on Fed chair Jerome Powell to go further—taking interest rates below zero and weakening the U.S. dollar............. following the Bank of Japan and the European Central Bank into negative territory. .......

Negative rates can spur banks to lend by penalising them for hoarding cash. However, they also severely limit bank lending profits and the interest on savers' deposits.

........ "The inflation created to make negative rates possible will hurt wage earners," Euro Pacific Capital chief executive and gold investor Peter Schiff replied to Trump, adding "the overall economy will be less productive and living standards will be lower as a result." ........ Harvard University professor Kenneth Rogoff thinks the Fed should use "deep" negative interest rates to kick-start the economy, calling on the Fed to lower rates to -3%. ........... "For those who viewed negative interest rates as a bridge too far for central banks, it might be time to think again," Rogoff wrote in a Project Syndicate column, arguing

"a weaker dollar, stronger global growth, and a reduction in capital flight would help [emerging and developing economies]

.

Has The Coronavirus Pandemic Sealed The Dollar’s Fate?

The coronavirus pandemic has exacerbated and accelerated many global trends.

......... The U.S. dollar, which has so far weathered the coronavirus storm, has suddenly come under unexpected pressure—with its dominant position as the world's reserve currency looking precarious. ......... Americans should brace for more bleak unemployment and economic news before the coronavirus pandemic is over. ........ the massive action from both the Federal Reserve and Congress, as well as other governments and central banks around the world, has sparked fears over inflation and out-of-control debt. ..........

"The depth and magnitude of the economic drop-off took modern monetary theory—or the direct monetization of massive fiscal spending—from the theoretical to practice without any debate.

It has happened globally with such speed that even a market veteran like myself was left speechless." ........... Bitcoin, a cryptocurrency with a fixed supply of 21 million, has been one of the best performing assets since the broad coronavirus market crash in March, with the bitcoin price more than doubling from lows of around $4,000. ....... Jones, who is now known to have allocated at least 1% of his assets to bitcoin, described cash as a "wasting asset in your hand" due to inflation ...... the economic and financial disruption caused by the coronavirus could have weakened the dollar long term. ........

PayPal reported its largest single day of transactions ever on May 1.

........ Last year, Chinese customers made some $50 trillion worth of purchases via mobile, up 35 fold on 2013 ...........

Two of China's biggest tech firms, Alibaba and Tencent, have built "parallel banking systems," in order to help the country control the flow of money in the developing world

.......... China is also thought to have begun internally testing a digital yuan with its four largest commercial banks and has lined up a raft of international corporate partners including coffee chain Starbucks and fast food giant McDonald's......... Digital currencies are expected to work just like regular coins and notes issued by central banks but exist entirely online. Instead of printing or minting currency, the central banks would issue digital dollars via online accounts—allowing both online and in-person payments and easing the flow of international trade.......

while the U.S. has been wrestling with the coronavirus, China is back at work.

..... The U.S. dollar, out of shape and sickening, is being forced into a fight it's unprepared for—one that it can't afford to lose.

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