Fear and Loathing, a Rat Flu Odyssey

[KQ]

This make it here yet?

A bobblehead of Dr. Fauci will help pay to produce masks for health workers





(CNN) -- Dr. Anthony Fauci has achieved a new level of fame for a scientist: He's getting his own bobblehead.

Fauci, the nation's top expert in infectious diseases, has long been celebrated in the medical world. But Fauci has gained a following beyond the medical world and evolved into a celebrity overnight thanks to his appearances at White House coronavirus briefings.

Now, the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, is turning his friendly face into a bobblehead.

"Americans, including us, have fallen in love with Dr. Fauci and his simple and straightforward approach in giving us the facts and medical guidance that we need during these unprecedented times," museum co-founder and CEO Phil Sklar told CNN.

"We think bobbleheads are the ultimate honor and after seeing the doughnuts, socks and shirts featuring Dr. Fauci, we knew we had to make a bobblehead of him."

Fauci, 79, is the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, appointed in 1984 to the position. He has advised multiple presidents, Democratic and Republican, and played a critical role in the government's response to the AIDS epidemic.

His work on the coronavirus task force has brought him to the forefront of public attention again. He has not been afraid to speak his mind at White House briefings, even correcting President Trump at times. He's gained fans across the country and Twitter lights up with #whereisfauci if he doesn't appear at a briefing.

Other businesses across the country have quickly caught onto Fauci's fame and plastered him on food, candles, and clothes.

The 7-inch Dr. Fauci bobbleheads cost $25 and are available for pre-order. They are expected to ship in July.

A portion of each sale will go toward helping produce personal protective equipment for health care workers on the front lines of the battle against the coronavirus.

The National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum will donate $5 to the American Hospital Association for every Fauci bobblehead sold to raise money for the 100 Million Mask Challenge.

Sklar said he hopes the bobbleheads will give people around the world something to smile about in this time of chaos.

"I think everyone is looking for ways to help our fellow citizens during this pandemic, and we wanted to do something that would make a difference," Sklar said. "If we could have our factory crank out masks or ventilators, we would do that in a heartbeat."

[splat]

people trying to load attachments - you need to link, not upload.

[KQ]

Very interesting. ICU doctor in NYC just posted these messages the last two day. He says he thinks the way doctors are using respirators is actually killing patients. He thinks pressurizing the lungs is a huge mistake. He's really trying to get the word out:

My Qanon friend sent me something similar from a non-medical guy who at one point in his life made ventilators. I can't find the link now but if I do I'll update.

found it - I have no idea about this... not saying "yay" or "nay" to it. Just posting for consumption:

[Rideski]

people trying to load attachments - you need to link, not upload.

But they’re on the phone gallery not online.
Why would it suddenly stop working?
Can’t be from viral load, clearly thousands more photos in other threads.


ETA ok new info, yesterday I was able to still upload pics in other threads and someone else confirmed. Today, no dice I can’t upload in padded, ski, or music etc

[TBS]

I have one of those Mardi Gras doctor's plague masks, I'm going to have to start wearing it.

You know, I'm thinking of that plus my avalung for the next time I have to go to our village market for a few supplies. This whole face covering thing is turning into 9/11-level political theater.

Wife found a surgical mask in the closet and decided I should wear it when she sent me this AM. There's maybe 10 other people in the store; three (counting me) wearing face coverings. The store is big enough there is no reason people can't stay 10' away from each other with the tiniest bit of forethought.

A woman wearing a scarf over her face comes up to within two feet of where I'm standing at the milk cases. I look over and say "give me 6' please." She pulls down her scarf and sez "What?" then pulls her scarf back up. So I said, loudly, "Will you please move your ass 6 fucking feet away from me please?"

Her scarf fell down again as she harumphed and walked away.

[Rideski]

Can’t remember who posted this first but it’s awesome.

There’s not going to be any way to get everyone to do what’s right but hopefully a small dent will be enough to save my family and friends.

[Danno]

The 6 feet thing, people view it as the solution. But if you're walking behind someone 10' away from you, in the same direction, you might be walking through their droplets. Six feet is only the gold standard if nobody is moving.

[Core Shot]

Some good ones from insta:

Lulz.

I guess they’re smarter than me because I’ve been licking doorknobs.

Fuck this shit.

Get it over with. If I die you can piss on my grave and say I told you so.

[frorider]

How long before the orange snowflake fires Fauci?

“It’s a dangerous message for someone without a medical license to get up there and tell people to try it. You need to listen to physicians, people who understand science, before you go willy-nilly into the medicine cabinet.”

Fauci has been reluctant to directly criticise the president, with whom he speaks regularly, but has found himself repeatedly having to contradict the president over hydroxychloroquine, which has become a hobby horse at White House briefings.

[Core Shot]

Was that the unknown comic in the first Instagram pic?

[Rideski]

I recall earlier on in this thread (or one of the other covid threads) that someone linked a google doc table recording the daily totals. Was that by country or by state? Wanting to get a hold of daily numbers by-state.

The numbers don’t mean much. Just stay safe and help whoever you can. Hope the thing decides to subside on its own.

Coronavirus death toll: Americans are almost certainly dying of covid-19 but being left out of the official count

https://www.washingtonpost.com/inves...a6d_story.html

[MultiVerse]

This might be premature, and tangential, but it looks like the flu has all but disappeared from a surveillance standpoint as a result of social distancing and lockdown measures.

Week 13 ended Sunday, March 29. Compare 2020 week 13 with 2019 week 13 which was still the height of the flu season last year. And with any luck COVID-19 is seasonal as well:

[old goat]

You know, I'm thinking of that plus my avalung for the next time I have to go to our village market for a few supplies. This whole face covering thing is turning into 9/11-level political theater.

Wife found a surgical mask in the closet and decided I should wear it when she sent me this AM. There's maybe 10 other people in the store; three (counting me) wearing face coverings. The store is big enough there is no reason people can't stay 10' away from each other with the tiniest bit of forethought.

A woman wearing a scarf over her face comes up to within two feet of where I'm standing at the milk cases. I look over and say "give me 6' please." She pulls down her scarf and sez "What?" then pulls her scarf back up. So I said, loudly, "Will you please move your ass 6 fucking feet away from me please?"

Her scarf fell down again as she harumphed and walked away.

To be clear, I was joking. I wear a mask if I'm going to a store, doctor etc. I don't wear one on a walk because where we are now in Sacramento and where we live in Truckee there are very few people outside and no trouble maintaining >>6 foot distance. Masks are not pandemic theater; gloves, at least as used by the public, are IMO. (Gloves got to be big during when AIDS hit, the idea being that the virus could get into you through tiny cuts in your skin if you got blood etc on your hands. I don't know if that turned out to be true. AFAIK Covid19 can't get into you through your skin.)

My unofficial unsubstantiated position on groceries after listening to Fauci talk about virus on surface. Bring them home, put them away, wash your hands. If you don't handle the cans and boxes for 24 hours after that you're good. If you do handle sooner, use, wash hands. For produce--wash when you take it out of the fridge. Leaving non perishables in the bag for a day works too.

[Name Redacted]

How long before the orange snowflake fires Fauci?

That would be a huge mistake. Fauci has got better credentials than anyone on earth for the position. He's advised 6 presidents. So Trump should be letting him go any day now.

[old goat]

The numbers don’t mean much. Just stay safe and help whoever you can. Hope the thing decides to subside on its own.





https://www.washingtonpost.com/inves...a6d_story.html

The reported numbers are a very useful surrogate for the actual numbers both for deaths and cases. We can assume that the reported figures will represent a reasonably stable proportion* of the true totals, and when we see the reported numbers decline and then reach very low numbers it is possible to start backing off from restrictions. As far as taking action, it's the trend that matters more than the absolute numbers.

*As testing becomes more and more available the reported numbers will continue to rise after the true numbers have started to fall--there will be a time lag in the reported numbers declining but eventually they will decline in parallel to the true numbers.

We never have an accurate count of every single case of anything--the number of unemployed, the number of flu cases and deaths, the GDP, the number of birds--but statisticians have gotten very good at obtaining useful information from sampling and incomplete data. It's one thing to say that the data isn't accurate; that's a far cry from saying don't pay any attention to it.

[huckbucket]

That would be a huge mistake. Fauci has got better credentials than anyone on earth for the position. He's advised 6 presidents. So Trump should be letting him go any day now.

Yeah, but does he have an uncle who was a professor at MIT?


Here's the daily toll of CV19 for the past month in the context of all of the other things that kill us every day. Pretty interesting.

https://public.flourish.studio/visualisation/1712761/

[Rideski]

Yeah that’s fair OG, I’m just frustrated with people in my city claiming it’s not that bad and don’t need protection because only x people have it here. I’ve done what I could, just ready to disengage from the general public at this point.

[truckeelocal]

It's one thing to say that the data isn't accurate; that's a far cry from saying don't pay any attention to it.

But if you don't like the information statistics produce then it's SOP to argue the numbers or the process. Much easier than acting on the information.

[I Skied Bandini Mountain]

I was just out doing a little work, then picked up ten new girls for my chicken ranch at the local garden center, then some feed at the local ranch store. I saw about 30 people and I was the only one covering up.

We're fucked.

[old goat]

Yeah that’s fair OG, I’m just frustrated with people in my city claiming it’s not that bad and don’t need protection because only x people have it here. I’ve done what I could, just ready to disengage from the general public at this point.

Oh, you're coming at it from the opposite side of where I thought you were. Sorry. I agree, just because the official figures say it's 0.02% of the population that has it is no reason to not take it very very seriously. Assume every person you meet and every surface you touch has virus. If they don't now, they will soon.

[uglymoney]

That's a juicy story. So the Father/son were white collar crooks, the son took the fall for the father and the son is who Trump pardoned. White collar crime does pay! What a country.

As for the quote - "who had no prior criminal record" I'm guessing we are all thinking he did plenty other financial fraud, he just wasn't caught. Like a serial killer who only has one murder conviction....so far.


You know it's possible to not be a crook and still help communities and people like he did: this is what I'd say to that family.

I'm glad you read it and saw some of the different layers of societal dysfunction in it represents. In the end the people that got screwed the worst were the immigrants that came and worked like slaves and contributed and then were disposed of by the Obama administration who was trying to look like they were taking immigration laws seriously. It is hard to take a hard side because the story has so many angles. The way the factory and immigrants it exploited revitalized a sleepy town. The way Trump gave a pass to the rich guy. It is amazing how stories like this have opened my eyes and made me more sympathetic to people I eyed with suspicion when I was a young man. The world is color...not black and white.

Anyway. Full circle. In the end...death and covid are great equalizers.

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

[splat]

Yo.

[4matic]

[funkendrenchman]

From Nate Silver at Fivethirtyeight about why the case count numbers have little meaning
https://fivethirtyeight.com/features...e-meaningless/

This should be obvious but everyone gets so caught up in the pure numbers.

One of the most interesting aspects of this virus for me is why it kills seemingly healthy young people and others get a mild cold or nothing.

https://www.cnn.com/2020/04/05/healt...pta/index.html

[funkendrenchman]

The 6 feet thing, people view it as the solution. But if you're walking behind someone 10' away from you, in the same direction, you might be walking through their droplets. Six feet is only the gold standard if nobody is moving.

I was wondering about then when I’m skinning, biking, running. I might start recreating with a face mask.