April, 2020 archive
The Disinformation Superhighway 0
Gene Lyons tells of watching truth collide with fiction in a world where facts are what people think.
Turning Trickles on Wall Street 0
Thom discusses the path from trickle on economics to our botched response to COVID-19.
The Maskless Marauder 0
Mike Littwin is in a Pence-sive mood. A snippet:
And yet he purposefully and willfully and very publicly ignored them.
Follow the link for his theory as to why Pence violated policy, probity, and prudence. Methinks you may find it interesting.
Co-opting Covidiocy 0
Snopes has an article exploring why far-right groups, like the Proud Boys, are embracing the “reopen the economy” protests. An excerpt:
Once they’re standing side by side at a protest, members of far-right hate groups begin to share their ideas. That lures some people deeper into online groups and forums where they can be radicalized against immigrants, Jews or other stereotypical scapegoats.
Geeking Out 2
Ubuntu MATE with the Fluxbox window manager using the zimek-darkblue theme, xclock, and GKrellM. The wallpaper is from my collection.
If anyone can tell me what the building in the picture is, I would be most grateful. It seems clearly to be in Germany or possibly Austria . . . .
And Now for an Interlude 0
Courtesy my brother in Virginia’s Northern Neck.
Rose-breasted grosbeak
Rx 0
In the Portland Press-Herald, a Maine doctor who is actively involved in treating victims of COVID-19 offers some words of advice for these viral times (emphasis added):
I warn everyone away from those who call themselves “Doctor,” but either misappropriate the term (i.e., did not go to an accredited medical school) or no longer practice evidence-based medicine, using their titles to promote metaphysical ideas. Maine has a hardy crop. In the midst of a crisis, it is comforting to be around those who claim to know. Charlatans thrive in chaos. Accept a little discomfort, some unknowing, and double check all the “facts” that such people espouse ad nauseam. As Winston Churchill said, “When the eagles are silent, the parrots begin to jabber.”
Follow the link for the entire article. It is worth your while.
Supply Change 0
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution has an interesting analysis of how COVID-19 has affected the supply chain and why we are seeing shortages in grocery stores.
There’s more to it than hoarders and preppers and closed processing plants (closed, natch, due to managerial cupidity). Here’s one bit; follow the link for the list:
Consumers are home in dramatically higher numbers.
So tens of millions of households are buying from local stores for meals and needs that had been served away from home in pre-crisis days.
House of Cards Three-Card Monte
0
Writing at AL.com, Howard Bankhead argues that the economy pre-COVID-19 was not anywhere near as good as pols and pundits were saying, and that the pandemic as revealed its fundamental weakness. Here’s a bit:
My own theory is that for far too many persons the economy inhabits on short street in lower Manhattan where at one time stood a wall.
