fuzzynormal

Facts, man. They don't work here anymore; if they ever really did. We're a society of self-aggrandizement and myth. Don't believe randos like me on the internet about the virus? How about listening to Larry Brilliant, epidemiologist: "Is this the worst outbreak you’ve ever seen? It's the most dangerous pandemic in our lifetime. We are being asked to do things, certainly, that never happened in my lifetime—stay in the house, stay 6 feet away from other people, don’t go to group gatherings. Are we getting the right advice? Well, as you reach me, I'm pretending that I'm in a meditation retreat, but I'm actually being semi-quarantined in Marin County. Yes, this is very good advice. But did we get good advice from the president of the United States for the first 12 weeks? No. All we got were lies. Saying it’s fake, by saying this is a Democratic hoax. There are still people today who believe that, to their detriment. Speaking as a public health person, this is the most irresponsible act of an elected official that I've ever witnessed in my lifetime. But what you're hearing now [to self-isolate, close schools, cancel events] is right. Is it going to protect us completely? Is it going to make the world safe forever? No. It's a great thing because we want to spread out the disease over time. Flatten the curve. By slowing it down or flattening it, we're not going to decrease the total number of cases, we're going to postpone many cases, until we get a vaccine—which we will, because there's nothing in the virology that makes me frightened that we won’t get a vaccine in 12 to 18 months. Is there in any way a brighter side to this? Well, I'm a scientist, but I'm also a person of faith. And I can't ever look at something without asking the question of isn't there a higher power that in some way will help us to be the best version of ourselves that we could be? I thought we would see the equivalent of empty streets in the civic arena, but the amount of civic engagement is greater than I've ever seen. But I'm seeing young kids, millennials, who are volunteering to go take groceries to people who are homebound, elderly. I'm seeing an incredible influx of nurses, heroic nurses, who are coming and working many more hours than they worked before, doctors who fearlessly go into the hospital to work. I've never seen the kind of volunteerism I'm seeing." https://www.wired.com/story/coronavirus-interview-larry-brilliant-smallpox-epidemiologist/

Jurassic Park sequels still happenin'. You ever read his books? Might as well just be publishing them in the Final Draft format. Not necessarily a bad thing. They're breezy reads, they just feel like a movie script even as a novel.

It's been a weird century for America, Andrew. We were tempered by the mid-20th for obvious reasons, but we're pretty much back to our standard MO. As for the facts of the article and the author's assertions, there's no doubt history has shown us that health, food, shelter are the pillars of society. When one of 'em wobbles, so do we all.

Good 'ol Michael Crichton. Still dealing with his storytelling impact on cinema all these years later. Quite a populist's legacy with that guy.

Societies are taking drastic measures, not because it's a virus of dangerous mortality, but it's a virus that of dangerous mortality to people that are medically vulnerable. Taking steps to protect the most vulnerable in society is reassuring.

Been to that store I think. Is this the one below the JR line?

Knowing the culture of the USA and that we're on a 2 week curve behind you guys. Well, doesn't look like much good news will be coming into the USA over the next 2 months. However, many actual citizens in the nation are pretty noble when things get difficult, so that's the hope I'm holding onto. In the meantime, I'm thinking I might actually might film a person I know -- as it looks like they might go into the healthcare system at this time. Risky yes, but the journey needs to be documented. It's a big decision involving my whole family weighing in. It's odd. Decisions like this in developed nations haven't really been around on a large scale for over 70 years. If nothing else, this new-normal may usher in a wave of pragmatism that's been lacking. Be good people (to everybody) y'all.

It's a truth that's self evident. All men are created equal.

I'm sure your boot-strap morals will not allow you to take the money, that's socialism, right? 😉

Trade war=virus? I can't tell if you're trying to be sarcastic. FWIW, the paternal side of my family is mostly soy bean farmers. If you don't believe me, believe soy bean farmers. Trump's trade war back fired so of course it affects everybody in the USA. I don't understand the rest of your comment and how it's germane to the original context. Do you know what supply-side economics are?

Trump. The one and only thing I've ever agreed with him on. Trade imbalance should be addressed by any and all administrations. However, two things: 1) His ham handed terms were so half-baked his trade war backfired, and 2) International trade is not supply-side economics. So how does Chinese trade address my comment, which was an inquiry from Mercer on how a Trump administration is/was affecting me?

That's a can of worms question in my mind. Lots of stuff attached to an answer. You mentioned economics. Well, for instance, I believe that supply-side ideologist are capable of making economies that do benefit citizens, but only for certain citizens. Inflating the wealthy's access to money demands cost be paid by the opposite end of the spectrum. It's a fancy pyramid scheme with pretty graphs. I think good old-fashioned supply-and-demand enterprise is by far more equitable and just. Witnessing how the supply-side canard has wreaked havoc among the working class over the last 40 years is an ethical disaster, imho. But because it's easy to hide behind bad-faith arguments supporting supply-side ideas it's a useful political tool. So yeah. Supply-Side. And how that keeps exacerbating the inequality of wealth in the nation is a moral failing of leadership. That's definitely one thing I don't like.

With more people doing it because they ain't got anything better to do. Which is...same as normal then.

Methinks the next two months are going to be a crazy online bumpy ride. Millions of people sitting on their computers, out of work, just bloviating and hurumphing at each other. Maybe I can put my efforts into something slightly more productive: #ReleaseTheButtholeCut

Quickly? Effectively? Where are you at? Traveling or on an assignment? Assuming he's young and healthy so there's probably not a big health risk for him?

Do you mind if we return to the evangelical thing regarding one political side not having as much respect for science as the other? Not sure if you responded to that one.

If you want to know why I'm a little hot about this, it's simply because I have family that's currently sick (not with COVID-19 we think) but with the contagion peak set to hit within the next week or so it has me extremely paranoid about hospitalization. I'll readily admit I'm using this forum as an emotional release valve --and while I try to be respectable to all I do get frustrated.

On the contrary, all evidence shows that you're not afraid to talk politics. I will however suggest that you do deflect from certain questions.

Did you vote at all for POTUS in the last election?

I'm afraid it requires somber reflection on facts and evidence. Then action on that evidence may be beyond what we're capable of as a society. The pawn metaphor seems apt. All I hope is that there's a political pendulum swing in the USA that returns us to a deeper pragmatism as was held by the generation that survived the Spanish, Flu, Great Depression and WWII. My currently favorite (apocryphal) quote about the USA is Benjamin Franklin's. When asked, “Doctor, what have we got? A republic or a monarchy?” Franklin responded, “A republic, if you can keep it.”

Great! Available to you though? Half a dozen locations ain't bad news as it's finally a start, but it's a trifle. And why should testing only be finally rolled out now? Do you think it might have been better if the testing was happening 2 or 3 weeks ago? You know, like the out-of-work employees from the dismantled the National Security Council’s global health security office were saying since January? These are facts that illustrate the current administration in a unflattering light. A light so unflattering that Trump supporters, like you, prefer to ignore by employing the embarrassing deflecting rhetoric of "now's not the time to be political."

I invite you to please explain last week's quotes of "Democratic Hoax" or “Impeachment Scam” to me. Hold on, let me get go get some popcorn. Do you acknowledge even a hint of hypocrisy in your statement? At all? Just a little tiny weeny bit? If you respond with either a yes or no to that question I'd be flabbergasted. But, seriously, maybe we should just stop bouncing around the issue, stop this deflecting nonsense, and get right to the heart of the matter. My impression is simply that you just don't like Donald Trump being criticized. This upsets you, you resent it, and so you try and defend him. I think he's indefensible. There's probably no middle ground there because both of us are pretty convinced of our opinions, am I right? If that's the case, perhaps we should both just shut the hell up. What do you say?

Not necessarily true. Singapore, Taiwan, Japan, Hong Kong were prepared and have been good examples on how to handle it. If you want to get real about things. Let me ask you, if you wanted to get a COVID-19 test right now here in the USA, do you think you'd be able to do it?

As I said, I encourage you to read up on it. A little history and perspective never hurt anyone. It might temper the nationalistic angst you've been posting.

It's a duty as U.S. citizens to hold politicians into account when they are failing us. I mean, you do appreciate that aspect of the republic, right? That's the fundamental system. Granted, I don't feel regular citizens have as much agency as we should in the current system, but it's disingenuous or willfully obtuse to claim that Americans shouldn't do the thing they were expected to do by the founders of this nation.