There is some good and interesting news out recently.
First, apparently so few people have been dying from accidents in the past two months that organ transplants aren't happening because they can't get enough organs. So while a lot of people have died from the virus, a lot have apparently been saved. Interesting world. In terms of death, we are still only about 15 days worth of death in the US.
Secondly, despite the media trying to sell the idea that the US is the worst at everything and trying to lay the blame at Trump's doorstep, the reality is that on a per capita basis, the US is nowhere near as bad as other European countries (there's no comparison to sh*thole countries because I suspect they are all much worse). In fact, eight European countries rank worse than we do on a per capita basis. The same has always been true with other ways to die too (like prenatal and heart attack stuff), but the media likes to skew the numbers to make us look bad. Plus, the Euros often lie about their numbers to look better. So much for "transparency."
Third, despite a pre-open surge in cases in red states which the media dutifully presented as being caused by the rushed reopening of those states, it seems that the number of new infections is falling in red states... and rising in blue. Imagine that.
Fourth, the media is doing their damndest to destroy Andrew Cuomo right now. Not sure why, but that's a good thing. I think he came out of this very popular and with strong leadership credentials... and now they are tearing those apart. In fact, they have been openly blaming him for turning New York into a disaster. Keep it coming, idiots! Eat your own.
Fifth, these guys protesting that they donts need to wears no mahhsks are assholes. They are not heroes. Don't be like them. Wearing a mask is courteous to the people around you.
Sixth, Biden just gets worse and worse day by day. He comes across right now like he's hiding in some basement shooting off crazy gaffes about random things and he's spending his days fighting with nobodies. His numbers suggest he's going to lose too. And picking the Governor of Michigan as his running mate is suicidal. She's proven to be the least qualified woman in the field right now. Not to mention, he needs a black chick or he won't get black turnout.
I hope you are all well and healthy. Summer is coming!
First, apparently so few people have been dying from accidents in the past two months that organ transplants aren't happening because they can't get enough organs. So while a lot of people have died from the virus, a lot have apparently been saved. Interesting world. In terms of death, we are still only about 15 days worth of death in the US.
Secondly, despite the media trying to sell the idea that the US is the worst at everything and trying to lay the blame at Trump's doorstep, the reality is that on a per capita basis, the US is nowhere near as bad as other European countries (there's no comparison to sh*thole countries because I suspect they are all much worse). In fact, eight European countries rank worse than we do on a per capita basis. The same has always been true with other ways to die too (like prenatal and heart attack stuff), but the media likes to skew the numbers to make us look bad. Plus, the Euros often lie about their numbers to look better. So much for "transparency."
Third, despite a pre-open surge in cases in red states which the media dutifully presented as being caused by the rushed reopening of those states, it seems that the number of new infections is falling in red states... and rising in blue. Imagine that.
Fourth, the media is doing their damndest to destroy Andrew Cuomo right now. Not sure why, but that's a good thing. I think he came out of this very popular and with strong leadership credentials... and now they are tearing those apart. In fact, they have been openly blaming him for turning New York into a disaster. Keep it coming, idiots! Eat your own.
Fifth, these guys protesting that they donts need to wears no mahhsks are assholes. They are not heroes. Don't be like them. Wearing a mask is courteous to the people around you.
Sixth, Biden just gets worse and worse day by day. He comes across right now like he's hiding in some basement shooting off crazy gaffes about random things and he's spending his days fighting with nobodies. His numbers suggest he's going to lose too. And picking the Governor of Michigan as his running mate is suicidal. She's proven to be the least qualified woman in the field right now. Not to mention, he needs a black chick or he won't get black turnout.
I hope you are all well and healthy. Summer is coming!
1 and 2, Can't add anything other than interesting to note.
ReplyDelete3. Not surprising. The apocalypse never happened down here in GA where we were one of the first to reopen and outside a few spots, mostly in Atlanta, we're doing fine.
4. I hadn't seen that but it's not surprising. Not even our media can spin sending infected nursing home residents right back to where they were in any way that'll help him.
5. I'd say there are plenty of legitimate reasons to not wear one, especially if you learn the hows and whys of how to sterilize them and how impractical they are for the average person (as well as the potential consequences for not sterilizing them properly) but the double middle finger approach doesn't help make that case.
6. Well he does have a woman of the right ethnicity auditioning for the role but it's out self proclaimed real winner of our last gubernatorial election, Stacey Abrams. I say go ahead and pick her, Joe. I'd be happy to see Georgia go for Trump by a bigger margin from you picking her.
Hi Daniel,
ReplyDeleteI have learned over time that our media is simply dishonest. It's too bad that it's true, but it's true.
I am shocked about the Cuomo thing though. You would think they would play him up as the antidote to Trump, but I suspect that (1) would make Biden look all the worse and (2) would stand in the way of whatever women they are planning to elevate as "the future." Still, it's crazy to tear down their most popular politician. Good for us though.
There are a couple of black women he's looking at, but right now he seems set on the Governor of Michigan. That's a mistake though.
Hey, sorry I've been scarce. I moved over the weekend (this house is amazing!)
ReplyDeleteI don't think we're at the end of the mask thing. While I agree that the double-middle finger against masks doesn't work well, I think the trend is on their side. Besides, the double-middle fingers are out on the pro-mask side, as well, with self-appointed thought leaders openly wondering if mask-refusers should sign a waiver and be denied medical care. You know, just wondering.
The public already appears tired of masks. While mask use as a condition of employment in grocery stores, restaurants, etc. is going up, general use appears to be going down.
The idea of masks as a courtesy won't hold once masks are themselves associated with health risks of their own. There's a steady drip of info on reasons not to wear a mask. Apparently, certain types of cancer patients/survivors cannot wear masks for any duration. I suspect there are other disease categories that this applies to. You can be sure the always vocal autism community will make their objections known. Doctors including surgeons are saying that masks were never meant to be worn for hours on end this way. In the end, it will be "your health ends where my health begins," back to the American status quo.
Speaking of doctors, I've noticed something and I'd like to know if anyone else has spotted it, too. The heroes of the pandemic, we are often reminded, are the "front line healthcare workers" and they are always pictured wearing blue scrubs. In visual language, that says "nurses." What you don't see as much are the white coats and stethoscopes that say "doctor." Where are the doctors?
I find this interesting because, whenever pols and news outlets are pushing a healthcare agenda, they always make sure folks in white coats in out front. The Obama admin even got caught once passing out lab coats ahead of an ACA presser. (I'm sure it was an isolated incident.)
So what's up now? Here's what I think. There isn't a strong consensus among doctors about anything covid related (nor should there be at this time). People who deal in absolutes can't handle this, and the modern media is made up entirely of these people. Rather than entertain differing opinions on covid topics, it appears the media has opted to put doctors as a group outside of the trust circle. To wit, I'd estimate I encounter ten times as many human interest pieces about nurses than I do serious analysis pieces involving doctors.
It also doesn't help that the nation's top doctors are all saying Trump is following their advice. It's hard to square "orange man bad" with "listen to science" when orange man listens to science.
Looks like your observations on the mask issue are largely similar to my own, tryanmax. I've also seen posts by doctors and nurses noting that N95 is the absolute minimum for effectiveness against the virus, that they're not meant to be used for the lengths that they are by employers (three hours max before disposal is the number I hear the most), the intensity of the hospital PPE sterilization process (which is largely impractical for the average person) needed to kill the virus, and how easily they're contaminated and put people at risk for bacterial infection just from the way most people use them (hanging them off an ear and putting them back on when less than six feet away from someone for a common example). The risks to cancer patients like you mentioned, with cardiac patients and asthmatics being two more frequently mentioned cases to add to your list, and I've seen reactions by autistics and people with types of anxiety get mentioned as well. Them being required for manual labor presents a risk of passing out from hypoxia, which many of my co-workers are well aware of since they're at risk of that happening to them in our workplace (a warehouse).
ReplyDeleteI've also seen the sort of smug and hateful behavior from aggressive pro-maskers you've mentioned as well, frequently in response to posts detailing the risks people aren't considering with the same tone as the ones we're making here. Not discounting how idiotic the yahoos who just go "Masks bad!" and list really bad reasons (if any) for their behavior or how much the media plays idiots like the Costco tantrum kid up but I don't see it as a cut and dry issue, especially knowing the potential issues and the ones that I've got to keep in mind knowing my own circumstances. That said, like you I'm barely seeing any masks among grocery and other store customers myself outside of the elderly and I suspect the south is going to be the proverbial early adopters for abandoning them altogether as well no thanks to the heat and humidity that we're so famous for. They're getting pretty bad already and we're still a little under a month off from the official start of summer!
I typically don't read human interest stories but that is interesting to note and sounds plausible as to the reason they're not putting more doctors out there. Regardless, thanks for the post. Glad I'm not the only one who saw these things.
What's going to kill masks is that it's very easy to be a pro-mask hypocrite but it's much harder to be an anti-mask hypocrite. LINK
ReplyDeleteCongrats on the house!! That's great news! :)
ReplyDeleteMasks were always going to be a losing battle, as we discussed some time ago. Culture and convenience will always triumph. That doesn't make it smart but such is life. It was it as, as they say.
ReplyDelete