Health and Sanity category archive
The Epidemiologist Is Released . . . 0
. . . and promptly writes a prescription. Side effects include unfeeling callousness with a lack of empathy.
“I’m so glad that he appears to be doing well, that he has doctors who can give him experimental drugs that aren’t available to the masses,” Sedlacek said. “For the rest of us, who are trying to protect ourselves, that behavior is an embarrassment.”
COVID-19 has infected about 7.5 million Americans, leaving more than 210,000 dead and millions more unemployed, including Sedlacek. The U.S. has less than 5% of the globe’s population but more than 20% of the reported deaths.
More side effects at the link.
The Stock Market Is Not the Economy, “The Happiest Place on Earth” Dept. 0
The caller, a Disneyland “cast member,” calls to discuss Disneyland’s laying off 28,000 employees. The caller’s voice fades several times and the hosts have to ask him to repeat himself, but I think, even with the audio issues, his story is worth the few minutes of your time.
The Privatization Scam, There’s No Money To Be Made from the Public Good Dept. 0
David and Richard Wolff discuss the economic reasons why capitalism failed to protect the public from the pandemic.
All Hallows Eve in These Viral Times 0
Stephanie Hayes re-imagines a haunted house for today.
Sacrificial Lambs 0
At the Idaho State Journal, Jim Jones explains.
Notes from the Reopening 0
At the Idaho State-Journal, Nick Geir argues that we are in no way returning to normalcy (remember normalcy?). A snippet (emphasis in the original):
US virus cases up 17 percent; deaths up 5 percent
“Out of control” most aptly describes government mismanagement in the U.S., Brazil and India. A Donald Trump-inspired premature opening of American businesses and schools, primarily in the South, led to record number of cases and deaths in July. Memorial Day celebrations may have been a primary driver.
Trump’s fatuous claim that “we have turned the corner,” belies a Labor Day spike and the opening of schools, colleges and universities. Virus cases are up 17 percent two weeks after a holiday and deaths have increased 5 percent.
Follow the link for the evidence.
Misdirection Play, Going Viral Dept. 0
Scott Maxwell unmasks Florida Governor DeSantis’s misdirection play, which, Maxwell submits, is an attempt to distract from his incompetent and bumbling response to COVID-19. A snippet (emphasis added):
(snip)
His plan was light on details and thick with questions about its constitutionality. So the internet quickly exploded.
Lefties put together videos like: “Trump-loving governor makes it LEGAL to kill protesters.”
Righties screamed: “DeSantis Creates Perfect Legislation That Will Effectively End “Peaceful Protesters” In Florida”
It was just what DeSantis needed to distract from his COVID problems … everyone screaming about something else.
The Unbelievers (Updated) 0
In The Kansas City Star, Melinda Henneberger reports on a small town in the Missouri countryside where most of the residents have chosen to disregard the danger of infection in these viral times. Many of them seem to have bought the herd immunity fairy tale that, if enough people get sick (lots of whom will die, but that part gets left out of the fairy tale version), somehow the threat will magically go away. Here’s a bit:
We are a society of stupid.
Addendum:
Headline of the day: Virus cases reach 7 million in US amid spike in heartland, home to anti-mask sentiments
Maskless Marauders 0
At the link, George Danby, the cartoonist, points out that
In the span of six months, the country has gone from the mantra of “We’re all in this together” to cries of “You can’t make me wear a mask.”
Aside:
I don’t remember a “we’re all in this together” period, nope, not at all.
And speaking of masks, I am again reminded of Professor Bill Shade’s mantra that history is irony.
Maskless Marauders 0
Sam and his crew struggle to understand maskless morons.
Maskless Marauders 0
Honest to Betsy, you can’t make this stuff up.
