Coronavirus

Trump doesn’t even know what he intends. He just opens his mouth and what we get is the chitter chatter of the hamsters in his head while they be running on the wheel. For real.

In other news, I went out today to get prescriptions and takeout. Tons and tons of people out wearing masks, and I think it has emboldened them.

At this point we just need to open things back up. The people acting like idiots need more people out to shame them with normalizing judgments.

It amazes that of all things, mask production isn't a bigger priority. Maybe it is, but I try to avoid the news masheens. Should have taken a $100 out of everybody's stimulus and just made a mask fund. So many people treated that check like a tax refund anyways.


Give us masks. Take your chances. Make your priorities. Realize these things are part of the course of human history. There are too many people out in public that don't give a s#!+ and think this is all a joke anyways. I hate to hear myself sound like this, but if this economy craters out, who is gonna come in and pick up the pieces?

From what I can tell the issue with masks isn't money at all, it's just production. Even if you shift/ramp up immediately it takes awhile. One place said they were making 35 million! But for health care workers they have to be disposable, so you can go through a lot of them, too.

If anything, this pandemic has shown us just now unreliable disposal products are if you’re caught in an infectious pandemic. We really need to speed production on materials/products that are easily sanitized.

Speaking of emboldening - it certainly has had an effect on crime... every time there's an armed robbery and the police show up afterward to get info, they ask if the victims can describe the perpetrators and the description always comes back the same lately...
"Well... he was wearing a mask."

But on a more serious note... I think masks are one part effective and one part psychological.

Wearing one has become more of a social statement that says "I care enough to try to do the right thing by following the prescribed guidelines."

It also makes people feel more comfortable (not physically as the masks themselves are quite uncomfortable, but mentally).

Seeing others around them wearing masks makes people feel more comfortable and it makes the wearer feel more comfortable that they are less likely to spread virus. It also makes them feel safer from contracting the virus (but experts say that is an erroneous feeling).

The masks may be somewhat effective at keep your germs to yourself if you cough or sneeze around others, but as far as protecting you FROM getting the virus, experts say masks provide little protection.

As info continues to come in and be analyzed, it starting to seem that the psychological effect of masks is a bigger issue as their actual physical effectiveness of protecting people from getting and spreading the virus seems to be more in question day by day.

I read this on Facebook. I have a feeling you might get a kick out of it. I laughed. I'm paraphrasing:
Wearing a mask is like wearing pants. Imagine everyone running around completely naked. One day, the guy next to you decides to pee. Well, being completely naked he gets a bit of pee on himself, you, and really, anyone else standing around him. If you're wearing pants, then that's less pee that gets on you directly. If he's wearing pants too, then he only really pees on himself.


I can handle not getting any more pee on me than what's absolutely necessary.

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"My Dionne Warwick understanding of your dream indicates that you are ambivalent on how you want life to eventually screw you." - Joel

"Ever try to forcibly pin down a house cat? It's not easy." - Captain Steel

"I just can't get pass sticking a finger up a dog's butt." - John Dumbear

Masks has has become a catchall. Those folded napkin things don't count in my book.


The N95 or particulate respirators are what we need. I like the guys rolling into Walmart with the latter on. Like any second they're gonna uncork a gas grenade and s---- gonna get real

I have a N95 mask

I try not to talk about mine or the multiple packages of Kirkland TP

I'm still just trying to figure out how to apply this duct tape and saran wrap I've had stock-piled for the last twenty years or so.

Today was the nicest day of the year so far and I was driving around doing my things. I couldn't believe all the joggers, walkers, bicyclists, and even skateboarders wearing masks. I'm not wearing one when I'm walking the dogs and I don't know how or why these folks are doing it. There's no crowds, they're just by themselves. The governor's new directive dictates that masks must be worn in public, but when social distancing is not possible.

I was on the phone with a detective yesterday and he told me crime across the board is down except for two things in a big way: suicides and domestic violence, but it's not domestic violence between couples, but rather between parents and children.

This is the notice that we got from our co-op office recently, along with a note about people who were outside partying with friends like they're all on vacation, rather than abiding by the ordered lockdown:

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If I answer a game thread correctly, just skip my turn and continue with the game.
OPEN FLOOR.

This picture might be more accurate (as a visual metaphor) for indoors, but I kind of doubt it would look like this outdoors (even if the virus molecules were visible).

Contracting Covid19 outdoors by mere happenstance (say being near someone who coughed) would be against the odds because there are a lot of factors the outdoors provides that are not present indoors such as a humongous open air volume; air currents; winds; rain; the process of precipitation, condensation & evaporation; heat (depending on season), humidity; and Ultra Violet rays from the sun - all of which lower the odds of spreading a virus and limit the periods of time and environments where viruses can remain viable or concentrated enough to be infectious.

Here's an interesting article that talks about such factors...

https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/2...nfectious-dose

Liquor shops are opened in India from today after being closed for 40 days , though bars and pubs are closed as of now.

Mile long lines are formed in front of each shop where social distancing rules go for a toss .

But government has no choice because sale of alcohol gives valuable revenue in taxes which is much needed in these hard economic times.

There’s more than one hamster in his head?

For the first time EVER I found disposable masks for sale today. (God knows where the ones I ordered from China are.) Walgreens has 50 masks for $30, which is expensive, but not inordinately so. Could only buy one box, but might return tomorrow for a 2nd.

Not to mention the fact that most of the masks are made in China where this mess started & we have to import from them.

I was pissed at one oppositional old bugger today in Walgreens. Wandering around the store with a very adequate mask, but not wearing it. Nobody in the store did anything about him. I asked him several times to put his mask on, but he refused & rambled on in a very aggressive manner. Then he starts coughing! Boy, was I mad. Then he got mad at me & I told him to STFU. When he found himself in line directly behind me, he at last put the mask on. Ugh.

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I’m here only on Mondays, Wednesdays & Fridays. That’s why I’m here now.

From what I understand, for a mask to really protect the wearer, it has to be that N95, you need to be fitted for it, and you can't have facial hair. That disqualifies some of the women in my neighborhood.

Papua New Guinea gone green - 8 cases all recovered

Sorry!

I am editing my message, because I was upset and used some disrespectful language, after I learned that my mother entered a portuguese public hospital with a gangrene in late April, and she was refused treatment because of "special" COVID measures and laws, and sent back to her nursing home, still with a gangrene on her toe!

I am still very upset and her whole leg was amputated this morning (2 weeks later in May, after the Corona state of emergency ended), but she did survive the operation.

I would like to apologize for my earlier tone, it has been a tough week for me. Sorry once again for my original message full of hatred against the portuguese national health system.