COVID impacts

[Bramblethorn]

There’s only so many tools available for controlling riots. Rioters had free choice as to whether they were there or not. Police rather less so, altho to my mind there best choice now is just stand back and watch. If I was a cop I’d be taking a 14 day quarantine about now and going “you deal with it”

That would probably be a win-win. When NYPD cut down their policing in 2014-15, major crime went down:

https://arstechnica.com/science/2017/09/nyc-cops-did-a-work-stop-yet-crime-dropped/

Gotta say, it's been fascinating in the last few months constructing the Venn diagram of "we need guns to protect us against the tyranny of the state" and "the state needs to control those people by force".

 

[Bramblethorn]

There's also been mild to moderate violence by police towards people who were following civil rights-era methods. They were just sitting or standing waiting to be arrested, and they still got roughed up and had phones smashed or taken from them. They've done it to journalists, too, even while they were filming. And think about that poor old guy they pushed and left bleeding on the pavement.

Hell, they've been shooting out eyes from journalists and from people who were just walking past protests. Firing baton rounds into people's faces is a terror tactic.

Long looong log of police malfeasance here: https://twitter.com/greg_doucette

 

[Black_and_White_Writer]

Hell, they've been shooting out eyes from journalists and from people who were just walking past protests. Firing baton rounds into people's faces is a terror tactic.

Long looong log of police malfeasance here: https://twitter.com/greg_doucette

I think the naive days of knowing and trusting the police are over. They are to a large extent racists and thugs in uniform. When many people in police departments have white supremacist views you’ve got problems. Sadly peaceful protest is over in the US. Peaceful protest will not bring about any real or meaningful change. I’ve been told all my life that things will get better. Well they won’t. Now with a white supremacist in the WH it’s obvious that things have gotten gradually worse.

It’s just a great shame and to the US’s shame that rioting is the only way to get change. Thank god for video and camera cell phones where we can now record the atrocities of some ‘law enforcement’ officers.

 

[Black_and_White_Writer]

With perseverance, the right moment, the right coverage and luck, it sometimes only takes one young girl with a simple sign to get things started. But it's hard to tell what makes the difference.

https://media.2oceansvibe.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/greta-featured.jpg

It can indeed. We do need to ensure that we make a better world for our children.

With the very rapid changes to the environment and the reduction of pollution and emissions the lie is dead. Moronic climate change deniers like Donald Trump cannot deny the impact human activity has on the planet.

Although knowing that man, he’ll swear black is white as my Grandmother used to say.

 

[ChloeTzang]

Glad you noticed

Why thank you

 

[ChloeTzang]

I think the naive days of knowing and trusting the police are over. They are to a large extent racists and thugs in uniform. When many people in police departments have white supremacist views you’ve got problems. Sadly peaceful protest is over in the US. Peaceful protest will not bring about any real or meaningful change. I’ve been told all my life that things will get better. Well they won’t. Now with a white supremacist in the WH it’s obvious that things have gotten gradually worse.

It’s just a great shame and to the US’s shame that rioting is the only way to get change. Thank god for video and camera cell phones where we can now record the atrocities of some ‘law enforcement’ officers.

I find it interesting to see these riots happening and the police called racist and white supremacist in states and cities where the same politicians or party have been in positions of power for some time. Like Washington State where they have a supermajority. Obviously time for a change - gotta vote these racist white supremacists out if they can’t even clean up their city and state police after so many years of control. 40 years for Minneapolis I believe.

 

[Black_and_White_Writer]

I find it interesting to see these riots happening and the police called racist and white supremacist in states and cities where the same politicians or party have been in positions of power for some time. Like Washington State where they have a supermajority. Obviously time for a change - gotta vote these racist white supremacists out if they can’t even clean up their city and state police after so many years of control. 40 years for Minneapolis I believe.

The lack of noise and the pandemic are factors to be sure, but I think this has reached a tipping point. Even you keep wanting change and people say change is coming in it’s own sweet time you realise you’re being sold another lie. Nothing just happens, and to quote a very good story.

 

[ChloeTzang]

The lack of noise and the pandemic are factors to be sure, but I think this has reached a tipping point. Even you keep wanting change and people say change is coming in it’s own sweet time you realise you’re being sold another lie. Nothing just happens, and to quote a very good story.

Yes, this pandemic has had a LOT of unexpected side effects that I don’t think anyone anticipated, but that’s the nature of black swan events. Altho I’m not quite sure this is a black swan event. For sure it’s highlighted all sorts of structural inequalities and flashpoint issues that were hidden beneath the surface, or ignored.

 

[Black_and_White_Writer]

Yes, this pandemic has had a LOT of unexpected side effects that I don’t think anyone anticipated, but that’s the nature of black swan events. Altho I’m not quite sure this is a black swan event. For sure it’s highlighted all sorts of structural inequalities and flashpoint issues that were hidden beneath the surface, or ignored.

Well this event is most certainly not a black swan event, unless you’re another duck – Donald. This was always going to happen, as was the (hopeful) catalysing of the BLM movement.

Opportunity like misery loves company, and this pandemic is a great opportunity to level the playing field. As a scientist said before, “The greatest pandemic facing us all is the planet. That’s a slow burning pandemic and one that we won’t have a cure for when it’s terminal. It won’t matter if you’re rich or poor, powerful or powerless – heck, it won’t even care if you don’t believe in it, it’ll still do it’s thing and you can go in denying climate change as it wipes you all out.”

It’s a shame it takes things like this to effect change.

“One can always count on Americans to do the right thing, only when they’ve exhausted all other options.”

 

[NotWise]

I think we need the bars and theaters to open. People have too much time to stew in their own juices.

The grounds of one of the City's museums contains a sculpture named "La Jornada" ("The Jouney") that includes a figure that is supposed to represent Juan de Onate, who lead the Spanish conquest of New Mexico in 1598.

Some group wanted the sculpture removed because of the Onate figure. There was a particularly brutal episode in the conquest that some people don't want commemorated. The brutality was against Native Americans, but as near as I can tell this group was not Native American.

Another group took it upon themselves to protect the sculpture. The conquest was an important part of Hispanic history here, and they want it recognized.

There was a protest that became a riot. People tried to take the statue down. Someone was shot.

The police were not involved.

 

[HeyAll]

From what I see, it looks like submissions are back to normal levels since states/counties have lifted their lockdowns.

Incest stories used to be loaded and stories were lucky to be on the Hub for 2 days. Many stories were on the Hub for only 1 day because there were so many stories.

Recently I've seen stories being there for 3 days, which was how it used to be.

 

[JamesMiehoff]

From what I see, it looks like submissions are back to normal levels since states/counties have lifted their lockdowns.

Incest stories used to be loaded and stories were lucky to be on the Hub for 2 days. Many stories were on the Hub for only 1 day because there were so many stories.

Recently I've seen stories being there for 3 days, which was how it used to be.

Which is somewhat the opposite for me. Despite not having to commute to and from work (commute is 21 stairs and 10 steps across to my home workspace) I am finding that I have less time to write. I am not quite sure what to attribute that to, other than using that additional time to work longer hours.

James

 

[NotWise]

From what I see, it looks like submissions are back to normal levels since states/counties have lifted their lockdowns.

I thought things might be getting back to normal. The size of the New list shrunk well under 900, but that may have been a lull or log jam. We have 153 new stories today, and the New list is back to 932 stories in eight days -- an average of more than 116/day.

 

[ElectricBlue]

I thought things might be getting back to normal. The size of the New list shrunk well under 900, but that may have been a lull or log jam. We have 153 new stories today, and the New list is back to 932 stories in eight days -- an average of more than 116/day.

The nation by nation curves I see here in Oz clearly show an up-kick in the US trajectory in recent days. You guys haven't got anywhere near the flat plateau yet, and the curve has notched in the wrong direction. Stay inside and hold on tight, I'd say.

 

[Enchantment_of_Nyx]

The nation by nation curves I see here in Oz clearly show an up-kick in the US trajectory in recent days. You guys haven't got anywhere near the flat plateau yet, and the curve has notched in the wrong direction. Stay inside and hold on tight, I'd say.

Our CDC appears to have given up. They said Monday that there is simply "too much virus" to control it like other countries do. Gee, I wonder how it got to be that way? We are apparently committed to pretending everything is better and we can just get back to business. Even wearing masks is frowned upon in some circles, like the U.S. cabinet. Some people say they have "free faces." They refuse to confine their germs to the inhumane prison of a mask. Stars, Stripes and viruses for all.

 

[KeithD]

Other countries have handled it from the national level. Until we get an administration that will step up to its responsibilities for the nation, we won't get out of that. That means Trump and the Republicans in Congress need to go--as soon as possible. Dereliction of duty.

 

[NotWise]

Our CDC appears to have given up. They said Monday that there is simply "too much virus" to control it like other countries do. Gee, I wonder how it got to be that way? We are apparently committed to pretending everything is better and we can just get back to business. Even wearing masks is frowned upon in some circles, like the U.S. cabinet. Some people say they have "free faces." They refuse to confine their germs to the inhumane prison of a mask. Stars, Stripes and viruses for all.

We've always known that there would be an uptick in infections when social restrictions were lifted, and we've used models to tell us whether the uptick would overwhelm our medical resources. The policy has not been to expunge the virus in some way, but to "flatten the curve" so that medical resources aren't overwhelmed.

In my county, we're now having the highest daily rate of new positive tests that we've ever had. It isn't just an uptick. On the other hand, the demands on medical resources are lower than they were before.

That's because at first, a large part of the problem came from not protecting our at-risk population, especially in congregate care facilities. They died fast, and now the disease is flourishing in the more general population. The more general population is less likely to need hospitalization and less likely to die.

Local Native American tribes, who still depend on oral history, are mourning more than the loss of people. They're mourning the loss of history.

 

[BelleCanzuto]

We've always known that there would be an uptick in infections when social restrictions were lifted, and we've used models to tell us whether the uptick would overwhelm our medical resources. The policy has not been to expunge the virus in some way, but to "flatten the curve" so that medical resources aren't overwhelmed.

In my county, we're now having the highest daily rate of new positive tests that we've ever had. It isn't just an uptick. On the other hand, the demands on medical resources are lower than they were before.

That's because at first, a large part of the problem came from not protecting our at-risk population, especially in congregate care facilities. They died fast, and now the disease is flourishing in the more general population. The more general population is less likely to need hospitalization and less likely to die.

Local Native American tribes, who still depend on oral history, are mourning more than the loss of people. They're mourning the loss of history.

From everything I've seen, NM may be very fortunate right now regarding use of services. The major metro areas in AZ and TX are rapidly overwhelming their hospitals.

Today marked 50,000 known new covid cases, more than any other day, even at the height of the spread in NY/NJ/CT etc. Assuming it stays true that the population of people now being infected are less likely to die than previously, that's still a lot of potential deaths. And thers very little to prevent it from spreading back into congregate care settings, or into ones that escaped infection previously.

While attempting to honor this forum's apolitical nature, I'll just say this, other countries did things differently, and have had different results -- curves all the way down to about 1 death per million people per day. We've plateaued closer to 2 deaths per million people per day fot almost three weeks now.

 

[ishtat]

The successful countries have done many things differently but they all have efficient contact tracing in place. John Bolton dismantled that some 3 years ago in the US and it has not been revived. It cannot be done on a state basis, it has to be National and that is therefore the root of the failure. There is no reason yet to anticipate positive change for months ahead.

 

[ElectricBlue]

Local Native American tribes, who still depend on oral history, are mourning more than the loss of people. They're mourning the loss of history.

That's a tragedy, to lose the telling of history. I'd not thought of that.

 

[oggbashan]

Today I visited my physiotherapist for the first time since the lockdown for him to loosen up my neck affected by 35 years of Ankylosing Spondylitis.

Since he reopened with full PPE and careful management he has reduced his clinic's workload by 30% to allow for Covid-19 spacing. He is still financially viable but he has lost £240 a day from fees.
Earlier this year he was planning to open a second clinic. Now he won't and will concentrate on keeping his operation afloat. He has had to reduce his receptionists from two full time to one part-time and has fired his mother-in-law! Amazingly, she is still speaking to him.

 

[Piscator]

It was Canada Day here yesterday but no official fireworks due to covid-19, although people were setting some off for their kids in backyards.
I'm not sure whats happening south of the border for Independence Day
___________________________________________________________________

https://thumbs-prod.si-cdn.com/N5HytZS7Csv_gqcDXMVSwaTfhwE=/800x600/filters:no_upscale()/https://public-media.si-cdn.com/filer/53/ba/53bae430-8299-421c-ab94-1425e57ee16d/istock_65177049_medium.jpg

Tis not a year for fireworks

“And no bird weeping a lament
no bird crying the song of its honey voice
in the leaves of Spring’s many flowers
could outrun him
Pan, in song”

“Hymn to Pan,” The Homeric Hymns

Tis not a year for fireworks, when multitudes lie dying
While those in power obfuscate, fake news betrays their lying
Rue the day when counterfeit Pence spouts logic false decrying
That at last the tide has turned with more and younger expiring
As Pontius Trump unmasked washes his hands denying
All blame and then returns to golfing.​

______________________________________________________________



late edit Donald likes fireworks

The Washington Post.

Rocket’s red glare and protests: Trump’s Mount Rushmore fireworks anger tribes

 

[Damoiselle]

I've been officially laid off.

Too bad I haven't actually achieved that writing career, yet.

 

[BelleCanzuto]

I've been officially laid off.

Too bad I haven't actually achieved that writing career, yet.

Oh shit! Im so sorry.

 

[Bramblethorn]

I've been officially laid off.

Too bad I haven't actually achieved that writing career, yet.

Sorry to hear it.

We've had a flare-up here, which seems to be largely due to incompetent security at quarantine hotels - guards misusing PPE, shaking hands, playing cards, and even allegedly sleeping with returned travellers who are in quarantine (there's a story idea there somewhere...) So large chunks of Melbourne are under lockdown, with people not allowed to leave hotspots unless they have a valid reason.

Which has led to a bunch of jokes at our expense:

"Australia's coronavirus response is like the Spice Girls reunion: everybody's trying real hard, except Victoria."