Fear and Loathing, a Rat Flu Odyssey

[The SnowShow]

71.8k new cases today in the US.

[Ted Striker]

Now if we can just figure out how to get on planes without going into an airport.

Treadmills.

[Benny Profane]

I love the Italians.


Italian governor says covid-19 means no parties for Halloween, which is ‘a huge American stupidity’ anyway

By Adam Taylor

Vincenzo De Luca, the forthright Italian governor who heads the southern Campania region, said that the rise in coronavirus cases in the country should curtail any planned Halloween parties.

“Halloween is this huge stupidity. A huge American stupidity which we have imported into our country,” De Luca said in a video posted to his Facebook page, where he has over 1 million fans, according to a translation by Reuters News Agency.

To stop late-night parties, the governor said, he would be imposing a 10 p.m. curfew on the weekend surrounding Oct. 31. It would be a “total curfew,” he explained, meaning transiting home after this time would not be allowed.

“With these numbers, you cannot joke,” De Luca said, adding that the aim was to keep up to 90 percent of the economy running by people taking simple measures like wearing masks and no “irresponsible outings at night.”

De Luca is a popular center-left politician in Campania, a region that includes Naples, and he easily won reelection in September. In March, he had threatened strong action after rumors of students planning a graduation celebration. “We’ll send the police,” he said. “We’ll send them in with a flamethrower.”

[Casey E]

That is fucking criminal and someone should go to jail for that shit. Unreal.

They are already casting the movie of that. One of a 5 season, 50 chapter “House of Shards” series. One episode per week of 2020. Trumps Eleven or the Great Pandemic Heist-type thing. Blockbuster! Greatest scam ever!

PT Barnum would be awed.

[teledad]

Now, you tell me why someone who has worked in "public service" all her life, and comes from a political family in Maryland (father mayor of Baltimore), so, second generation politician, should be worth 16 million dollars. That's a lot of fucking money. Are you worth even half that? Know anybody who is? And, I assume, you worked all your life, like me. Silly us.

Yeah, and how did Melinda Gates make all that money? I mean, she was a marketing manager at Microsoft for a few years, and basically hasn't worked in 24 years, and now she's worth 120 billion. It's a mystery.

[old goat]

I see you want more information on the Swedish approach. Here are some more quotes from the NYTimes:

“Today, all of the European countries are more or less following the Swedish model, combined with the testing, tracing and quarantine procedures the Germans have introduced, but none will admit it,” said Antoine Flahault, director of the Institute of Global Health, in Geneva. “Instead, they made a caricature out of the Swedish strategy. Almost everyone has called it inhumane and a failure.”

[In Sweden] gatherings of more than 50 people were banned, museums closed and sporting events canceled. But that was the extent of the measures, with officials saying they would trust in the good sense of Swedes to keep their distance and wash their hands.

Mr. Flahault lauded Sweden’s government for that part of its approach. “The Swedes went into self-lockdown,” he said. “They trusted in their people to self-apply social distancing measures without punishing them.”

“We are happy that the number of cases is going down rapidly and we do believe immunity in the population has something to do with that,” Mr. Tegnell said, “and we hope that the immunity in the population will help us get thought this fall with cases at a low level.”

Some experts believe Sweden is now almost fully in control of the virus.

“There are indications that the Swedes have gained an element of immunity to the disease, which, together with everything else they are doing to prevent the infection from spreading, is enough to keep the disease down,” Kim Sneppen, professor of biocomplexity at the Niels Bohr Institute in Copenhagen, said in an interview.

He stressed that the country could have avoided the high death toll in the beginning, but said that Sweden had regained control from mid-April, when deaths declined steadily.

While the Swedes are far from having achieved herd immunity, he said, “we can conclude that their social distancing rules have proven essential.”

Swedish officials have been right to worry about “sustainability.” Strict lockdowns bring their own steep costs for society. With a vaccine at least months away, societies probably need to grapple with how to restart activities while minimizing risk.

Sweden’s leaders do not seem to have found the ideal strategy, but they are asking a reasonable question. “We see a disease that we’re going to have to handle for a long time,” Anders Tegnell, Sweden’s top epidemiologist, “and we need to build up systems for doing that.”

The fact that Sweden is no longer an extreme outlier in new virus cases — even as life there looks more normal than in most places — offers a new opportunity to assess risk.

https://nyti.ms/3cFCOlD

If Europe is really following the Swedish approach that doesn't speak well for it, given that Europe is seriously spiking.

[bodywhomper]

The Swedes that i know (over 70) never stopped doing their regular thing. No social distancing, no mask wearing, social restaurant gatherings with friends almost daily, transit commuting to town, face to face client meetings. So far so good.

Sent from my SPH-L710 using TGR Forums mobile app

[Patarero]

A friends piece about the surge work:

https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.105...qaeMlA.twitter

There is a collective feeling of dread going into the next few months. It definitely hit me in Sept when I took a vacation and slowed down a bit.

I submitted a large grant earlier this fall and one of the reviewers critiqued my lack of ‘productivity’ since March. I am thinking of resubmitting the grant with a note on front saying ‘go fuck yourself’, but something tells me that won’t help my score.

Eeeyuup, take away grad students, normal staff ops, pile on an exorbitant amount of liability paperwork, increase operational costs...productivity is going to take a hit.

Sent from my SM-G970U using Tapatalk

[skifishbum]

I love the Italians.


Italian governor says covid-19 means no parties for Halloween, which is ‘a huge American stupidity’ anyway

By Adam Taylor

Vincenzo De Luca, the forthright Italian governor who heads the southern Campania region, said that the rise in coronavirus cases in the country should curtail any planned Halloween parties.

“Halloween is this huge stupidity. A huge American stupidity which we have imported into our country,” De Luca said in a video posted to his Facebook page, where he has over 1 million fans, according to a translation by Reuters News Agency.

To stop late-night parties, the governor said, he would be imposing a 10 p.m. curfew on the weekend surrounding Oct. 31. It would be a “total curfew,” he explained, meaning transiting home after this time would not be allowed.

“With these numbers, you cannot joke,” De Luca said, adding that the aim was to keep up to 90 percent of the economy running by people taking simple measures like wearing masks and no “irresponsible outings at night.”

De Luca is a popular center-left politician in Campania, a region that includes Naples, and he easily won reelection in September. In March, he had threatened strong action after rumors of students planning a graduation celebration. “We’ll send the police,” he said. “We’ll send them in with a flamethrower.”

telling a mils worth of sad zuckerbitch fans about hudge american stupidity they imported
oh he ironing hard

[riser4]

My sister in Germany said her husband was sent home and ordered to get a test. The person who uses his work vehicle for the other half of the day is one of three people at his work who tested positive. They have two kids in school. Oh, and their schools just decided that masks are to be worn at all times and not just in the hallways. It is only October. Buckle up.

[Benny Profane]

Yeah, and how did Melinda Gates make all that money? I mean, she was a marketing manager at Microsoft for a few years, and basically hasn't worked in 24 years, and now she's worth 120 billion. It's a mystery.

Really? Strange comparison. She had sex with a nerd, she didnt take campaign money from rich corporations.

[frorider]

We’re fucked.

a single fitness studio in Hamilton, Ontario, was linked to more than 72 positive cases of COVID-19, with an additional 2,500 people potentially exposed. What's shocking is that the gym seemingly did almost everything right: six-foot distancing, 50 percent capacity, screening customers, a robust sanitizing regime. "This is not about how well the gym was run; this is about how COVID spreads," Colin Furness, an infection control epidemiologist at the University of Toronto, explained to The Spec

[PB]

I see you want more information on the Swedish approach. Here are some more quotes from the NYTimes:

“Today, all of the European countries are more or less following the Swedish model, combined with the testing, tracing and quarantine procedures the Germans have introduced, but none will admit it,” said Antoine Flahault, director of the Institute of Global Health, in Geneva. “Instead, they made a caricature out of the Swedish strategy. Almost everyone has called it inhumane and a failure.”

[In Sweden] gatherings of more than 50 people were banned, museums closed and sporting events canceled. But that was the extent of the measures, with officials saying they would trust in the good sense of Swedes to keep their distance and wash their hands.

Mr. Flahault lauded Sweden’s government for that part of its approach. “The Swedes went into self-lockdown,” he said. “They trusted in their people to self-apply social distancing measures without punishing them.”

“We are happy that the number of cases is going down rapidly and we do believe immunity in the population has something to do with that,” Mr. Tegnell said, “and we hope that the immunity in the population will help us get thought this fall with cases at a low level.”

Some experts believe Sweden is now almost fully in control of the virus.

“There are indications that the Swedes have gained an element of immunity to the disease, which, together with everything else they are doing to prevent the infection from spreading, is enough to keep the disease down,” Kim Sneppen, professor of biocomplexity at the Niels Bohr Institute in Copenhagen, said in an interview.

He stressed that the country could have avoided the high death toll in the beginning, but said that Sweden had regained control from mid-April, when deaths declined steadily.

While the Swedes are far from having achieved herd immunity, he said, “we can conclude that their social distancing rules have proven essential.”

Swedish officials have been right to worry about “sustainability.” Strict lockdowns bring their own steep costs for society. With a vaccine at least months away, societies probably need to grapple with how to restart activities while minimizing risk.

Sweden’s leaders do not seem to have found the ideal strategy, but they are asking a reasonable question. “We see a disease that we’re going to have to handle for a long time,” Anders Tegnell, Sweden’s top epidemiologist, “and we need to build up systems for doing that.”

The fact that Sweden is no longer an extreme outlier in new virus cases — even as life there looks more normal than in most places — offers a new opportunity to assess risk.

https://nyti.ms/3cFCOlD

Ha! Well in that case, one could argue that the US has been following the Swedish model as well, only with for shit masking and spacing, right?

[altasnob]

Ha! Well in that case, one could argue that the US has been following the Swedish model as well, only with for shit masking and spacing, right?

The crazy thing is they don't wear masks in Sweden. From the NYTimes article:

A major flaw in the Swedish approach. “They continue not to wear masks. That can be a big drawback in the Swedish strategy if masks prove effective and key in fighting the pandemic.”

Sweden might also just be enjoying a lull between peaks of infection. Mr. Tegnell, agrees, but noted “Sweden has gone from being one of the countries in Europe with the most spread to one that has some of the fewest cases in Europe.”

Mr. Tegnell said that Sweden would in certain cases prescribe face masks, particularly to contain local outbreaks. And in a break from the past, he would now even consider limited, local restrictions on movement and school closures.

But he still insists that distancing provided overall better protection than masks, which he says could give people a false sense of security.

[4matic]

When your head of state is a quantum chemist.


https://twitter.com/carlquintanilla/...991954432?s=20

[altasnob]

My point on Sweden is they kept their rules simple and consistent in order to gain and maintain the public's trust. They understood that government over-reaction during a pandemic has more negative effect than under-reaction because an overreaction will cause citizens to doubt the government's expertise. I know we are not Sweden; we are fat, all hate each other, and have an imbecile for a leader. But maintaining the public's trust is the most important thing.

In Washington State, we closed some businesses but left others open. We closed some parks, but left others open. We chastised people for outdoor recreation. And there is some truth that the closures and openings were based on who was able to lobby the the governor the hardest. This creates doubt in our government. You can't blame Trump for this.

It is too soon to say Sweden has been a model on how to handle the pandemic. But if they get through this winter and into Spring relatively unscathed, I think you can. Way back at the beginning of the pandemic, the argument was slow, but do not eliminate the virus spread (because you can't). It was never about trying to keep everyone from getting the virus, it was about flattening the curve. Sweden knew we are in this for a long haul, assumed there would never be a vaccine to bail us out, and acted accordingly.

[altasnob]

arl Quintanilla

When your head of state is a quantum chemist.


https://twitter.com/carlquintanilla/...991954432?s=20

At the top of the map, I noticed a land mass jutting down that is the same color as Germany (meaning low infections). What country is this? I don't think they have a quantum chemist as a leader and have been chastised by the world for their approach.

[bodywhomper]

Sweden has still had a lot more death and illness than Germany and other Nordic countries per capita. It looks like they are definitely experiencing wave #2, based on the graphs in worldometer. I haven’t seen any recent indication about social health, but the old Swedes that I know are completely oblivious to all of it. Their economy, apparently, from some indicators, is doing slightly better than the other Nordic counties. Has it been worth it? https://voxeu.org/article/labour-mar...its-neighbours

[The AD]

Now if we can just figure out how to get on planes without going into an airport.
And hope that everyone on the plane is compliant with wearing a mask and no one eats or drinks.

Have you flown anywhere since March? Airports are pretty empty for the most part. I'm not worried at all passing through airports. And of course there are the odd dipshits, but my experience is that mask compliance is pretty good on airplanes. Obviously there's not zero risk, but I feel pretty safe flying right now.

[The AD]

Really? Strange comparison. She had sex with a nerd, she didnt take campaign money from rich corporations.

Here's a hint for you, Benny:

Paul Francis Pelosi Sr. (born April 15, 1940) is an American businessman who owns and operates Financial Leasing Services, Inc., a San Francisco-based real estate and venture capital investment and consulting firm.

[plugboots]

Have you flown anywhere since March? Airports are pretty empty for the most part. I'm not worried at all passing through airports. And of course there are the odd dipshits, but my experience is that mask compliance is pretty good on airplanes. Obviously there's not zero risk, but I feel pretty safe flying right now.

I know it’s anecdotal, but I’m in Chicago, flew from Seattle on Wednesday night. 100% compliance in airport and on plane.
No dipshits wanting special treatment.

[Benny Profane]

Here's a hint for you, Benny:

Oh, yeah, of course! It's the husband! The husband who, I assume, has a very open channel to the most powerful house member, the same body that appropriates trillions of dollars in spending, before he makes investment decisions.

Remember that awesome futures contract that Hillary made a shitload of money on in like a week when she was first lady? How lucky was that?

Happens every fucking day in that town. Maybe not a million bucks, maybe just 50 grand, every week or so. And, it's all fucking legal. A CEO in the private world could go to jail for years doing the same shit.

[skifishbum]

speakin of sex with nerds
hows the former mrs. profane doing bunny?
remarry a wealthy politician
that would sure explain the hard on

[subtle plague]

Oh well numbers here are exploding.

I went bouldering instead of skiing. (mainly because I thought the weather would be worse). I'll be teaching fully masked from Monday on. I sure hope we'll make it to the holidays and the borders stay open.

[The AD]

Oh, yeah, of course! It's the husband! The husband who, I assume, has a very open channel to the most powerful house member, the same body that appropriates trillions of dollars in spending, before he makes investment decisions.

Remember that awesome futures contract that Hillary made a shitload of money on in like a week when she was first lady? How lucky was that?

Happens every fucking day in that town. Maybe not a million bucks, maybe just 50 grand, every week or so. And, it's all fucking legal. A CEO in the private world could go to jail for years doing the same shit.

I'm not saying that everything is necessarily on the up-and-up, but it certainly isn't clear that there's anything shady going on either based on her worth. You seem to think everyone who has money is shady and that's not true. Being rich doesn't automatically make you a bad person.