OT: Corona virus

[Canoerebel]

+1

ORIGINAL: 22sec

ORIGINAL: mind_messing

We are going to get limited insights into the reality of racism in America from a demographic that is predominantly made up of older white, male and middle class.

Amusingly enough, that tends to be the exact same demographic that has the least exposure to racism and discrimination.

What a surprise, looking at some of the contributions [8|]

As a middle age white man in Jackson, Mississippi I fill compelled to share some observations about the reality on the ground in the south between African-Americans and white people. Are there strains, yes, sure old wounds take time to heal. For the most part, we live together in harmony with our neighbors our co-workers. We shop and eat, well use to eat, at the same places. We go to the same fishing holes. Our kids go to school together, play on the same teams together. These are friends, we share church pews together. So, while I as a middle aged white male, may not have the exact same perspective as my AA neighbor, we are all in this living and working together in peace and harmony as we are commanded. So, I’d rather not have someone with zero perspective, say from Scotland, chime in on the matter. Most of us Southerners, black and white, are working towards loving thy neighbor.

[RangerJoe]

ORIGINAL: Canoerebel

+1

ORIGINAL: 22sec

ORIGINAL: mind_messing

We are going to get limited insights into the reality of racism in America from a demographic that is predominantly made up of older white, male and middle class.

Amusingly enough, that tends to be the exact same demographic that has the least exposure to racism and discrimination.

What a surprise, looking at some of the contributions [8|]

As a middle age white man in Jackson, Mississippi I fill compelled to share some observations about the reality on the ground in the south between African-Americans and white people. Are there strains, yes, sure old wounds take time to heal. For the most part, we live together in harmony with our neighbors our co-workers. We shop and eat, well use to eat, at the same places. We go to the same fishing holes. Our kids go to school together, play on the same teams together. These are friends, we share church pews together. So, while I as a middle aged white male, may not have the exact same perspective as my AA neighbor, we are all in this living and working together in peace and harmony as we are commanded. So, I’d rather not have someone with zero perspective, say from Scotland, chime in on the matter. Most of us Southerners, black and white, are working towards loving thy neighbor.

+1

[RangerJoe]

#GivingTuesdayNow is a global day of giving and unity that will take place on May 5, 2020 as an emergency response to the unprecedented need caused by COVID-19.

A global threat like COVID-19 affects more than just the infected. A pandemic like this touches every person on the planet, and it presents an opportunity to come together as a global community.

Together we’ll show our support for frontline workers, unsung heroes, and the grassroots organizations that are helping our most vulnerable communities around the world. Mark your calendar for May 5, 2020 and get ready for the most epic #GivingTuesday yet. http://now.givingtuesday.org

Someone will probably complain about this:

Mystery donor sends gift cards to entire town to ease lockdown woes

Each home in Iowa town receives $150 credit for local businesses
Donation totals more than $82,000

Jeff Lillie, the town’s mayor, told the Washington Post that he received a phone call from a friend informing him of a donor interested in financially supporting the town. Earlham has a population of about 1,450 people.

“When I told him there were 549 households in town, he said ‘Done.’ And that was it,” Lillie said. “I was ecstatic because it made sure everyone would get a card.”

Within days of the call, each family began receiving three $50 gift cards each to a local restaurant, grocery store and coffee shop.

Some residents of Earlham will pay forward the good deed. Anyone who isn’t in need has the option of returning the cards at city hall, where they will be redistributed to families in the school district but who live outside the city limits.

Leslie Mineart, a public health educator and a single mother of two teenagers, donated her grocery store card. She told the Post it would have the most impact for someone unemployed.

“It was such a nice surprise to find those cards in my mailbox that I knew I should pass that joy down to somebody else,” she said.

Earlham’s gift is among several charitable donations to gain national attention. Last week, the actor and director Tyler Perry footed the grocery bill of every elderly shopper during senior shopping hour at 73 supermarkets across New Orleans, Atlanta and Georgia.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/202 ... s-lockdown

Those gift cards do not just help the people receiving them, they also help the local businesses.

For those interested, commit random acts of kindness to make the world a better place. Of course, I am the type of person to give a two year old child a full sized three musketeers candy bar at 7:30 pm. He was very happy . . . [:D]

[Cap Mandrake]

Local hospital ICU beds filling up slowly with COVID or suspected COVID.

The problem is the recuperation is quite slow so you see an accumulation effect.

Saw a 9 year old yesterday. Not very sick but BOTH parents are positive for COVID after their 23 year old daughter came home to visit and infected everyone. We have enough testing now so I ordered it on the 9 year old. The mom is pretty sick. You do NOT want to get this shit.

[durnedwolf]

ORIGINAL: MakeeLearn


Millions of farm animals culled as US food supply chain chokes up
US government vets said to be ready to assist with culls, or ‘depopulation’ of pigs, chickens and cattle because of coronavirus meat plant closures

29 Apr 2020


https://www.theguardian.com/environment ... oronavirus



"At least two million animals have already reportedly been culled on farm, and that number is expected to rise. Approved methods for slaughtering poultry include slow suffocation by covering them with foam, or by shutting off the ventilation into the barns.

A nationwide advisory issued last Friday by the US Department of Agriculture and the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service said state veterinarians and government officials would be ready to assist with culls, or “depopulation”, if alternatives could not be found."

Oh wait till the SPCA here's about that! We should start an adopt-a-pig movement. [X(]

[MakeeLearn]

It be a crazy world...

My Dad's Mother came from a family that were "Passing" as it's called. They passed for white.
She married a white man, (descendant of the kids that started the Salem Witch Trials) and had 10 kids of the rainbow. One kid had white hair his entire life. his nickname was Cotton. One was nicknamed Wop, because he looked so Italian(Black).

My Dad had dark hair, olive skin, yet his twin sister was redhead and light skin.

My sister has olive skin and dark hair. When she was on the Birmingham Police Department black people talked to her as if she was black.

Iam light skin, blue eyes, very light blonde hair. Yet my face looks like a white Wes Studi as Magua. I posted something about this last summer when one of the black kids noticed that me and one of the native kids looked just alike except for color.


With all that, there are still social truths that can not be ignored. Statistics from the FBI would put this thread in Lockdown.

[Lowpe]

ORIGINAL: Cap Mandrake

Local hospital ICU beds filling up slowly with COVID or suspected COVID.

The problem is the recuperation is quite slow so you see an accumulation effect.

Saw a 9 year old yesterday. Not very sick but BOTH parents are positive for COVID after their 23 year old daughter came home to visit and infected everyone. We have enough testing now so I ordered it on the 9 year old. The mom is pretty sick. You do NOT want to get this shit.

Thanks for posting, I have far more trust in anecdotal reporting from known sources than I do in modern day journalism. Well perhaps not so modern day, as I can recall a quote by Twain about for every 50 newspapers only one was not harmful.

[Cap Mandrake]

We now have full face shields, N-95 masks and gowns but not enough that you can throw everything away after one use. I had to make a hair covering out of a shoe covering. [:)]

Plenty of procedure masks and gloves and gel. Telehealth is surprisingly effective despite some technical snags. Still an absolutely striking fall off in asthma exacerbations. Markedly reduced minor trauma too (lacerations, concussions, extremity fractures). Going back to the main office on Monday from Fort Apache

[Lowpe]

ORIGINAL: HansBolter

ORIGINAL: Canoerebel

Ranger Joe, I hope my comment about canines and felines was sufficiently clear that you didn't think my "perpetually offended" caveat was aimed at you. It wasn't. It was aimed at the perpetually offended.

Meaning me?

Don't worry, just because I love and have dedicated my life to caring for cats doesn't automatically mean I am a dog hater.

Fact is I love all animals and they seem to reciprocate.

I recall as a teenager one of my brother's friends has an attack trained German Shepherd he constantly warned everyone to stay clear of. My first encounter with Killer resulted with his head in my lap and his tail wagging a hundred miles an hour. Brother's friend was incredulous.

I have a 'way' with animals.

Hans, you will be interested to know that my family, who recently lost our Siamese (over 20 years old), cares for one stray cat (got her serviced by a vet), and is now in the process of adopting 2 strays.

I am much more a dog person, but like most men in life discover, the women in my life must be obeyed.

[MakeeLearn]

Target, Walmart workers and others plan 'sickout' protests over coronavirus safety
The grassroots effort spreading through social media is coinciding with International Workers' Day, which is typically marked by labor rights demonstrations.
May 1, 2020

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/ta ... y-n1195126



"he grassroots effort — the latest example of a wave of worker activism during the coronavirus crisis — is asking customers to boycott those companies' local stores and services Friday to coincide with International Workers' Day, also known as May Day, which in a normal year is marked by massive labor rights demonstrations in major cities.

"As workers, we have agency, we have the ability to change things, and we don't have to be passive spectators in our political and social lives," said Adam Ryan, a Target employee in Christiansburg, Virginia, and a liaison with Target Workers Unite, a rank-and-file initiative supporting the sickout."

[Canoerebel]

Cap, haven't you all had some fairly serious heat, for this early in the year? Has that had any detectable impact on your area, or do you have medical thoughts in that regard?

Chickenboy has weighed in on this, a bit.

We're about to get our first strong heatwave of the spring here. If that helps generate a four- to six-month respite, allowing science and medicine to prepare for a second round in the mid-fall, that should be helpful.

[MakeeLearn]

Coronavirus outbreak spreading farther into rural America
04/30/20 06:06 PM EDT


https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watc ... al-america


"A new analysis by the Brookings Institute demographer William Frey shows the virus spreading to new areas in almost every state in the country. But its spread is now more concentrated in smaller towns, rural areas and exurban areas that had previously been untouched.

The coronavirus outbreak began as a largely urban phenomenon. A little more than 80 percent of the counties that were seeing a high prevalence of the virus by the end of March were urban cores, and only about 4 percent were composed mainly of small towns and rural areas."

[MakeeLearn]

White House reportedly plans to punish China for coronavirus pandemic
May 1, 2020


https://nypost.com/2020/05/01/white-hou ... ronavirus/



"The Trump administration is planning to punish the Chinese Communist Party for its perceived role in the coronavirus pandemic — including possible sanctions and cancellation of US debt, according to a new report.

Other potential measures to be taken against Beijing by the Trump administration include the creation of new trade policies, several sources close to the matter told CNN."

[HansBolter]

ORIGINAL: Canoerebel

Cap, haven't you all had some fairly serious heat, for this early in the year? Has that had any detectable impact on your area, or do you have medical thoughts in that regard?

Chickenboy has weighed in on this, a bit.

We're about to get our first strong heatwave of the spring here. If that helps generate a four- to six-month respite, allowing science and medicine to prepare for a second round in the mid-fall, that should be helpful.

Oddly, Florida is experiencing an unusually cool spring. Normally spring last for about two days here and we go straight into the heat and humidity of summer weather months before the summer solstice.

We have had several cool fronts pass through. Yesterday we had a deluge rain and last night not only did I not have to run the AC, I had to pull the fan out of the window as the cool night air had a little to much nip in it.

[MakeeLearn]

Nearly 900 workers at Tyson Foods plant in Indiana test positive for coronavirus
7 hrs ago


https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/nearl ... li=BBnb7Kz


"Almost 900 workers at a Tyson Foods plant in Indiana have tested positive for the coronavirus, according to a report on Wednesday.

The plant, located in Logansport, Ind., has seen 890 of its 2,200 employees test positive in just under a week -- which is more than 40 percent of its workforce. It's one of several Tyson plants across the country that have voluntarily closed due to virus outbreaks."

[MakeeLearn]

Mortgage bailouts grow as more owners delay payments
51 mins ago


https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/realest ... li=BBnb7Kz



"The numbers have been swelling at the rate of about half a million a week.

As of April 30, more than 3.8 million homeowners were in forbearance plans, representing 7.3% of all active mortgages, according to Black Knight, a mortgage data and analytics firm. Together, they account for $841 billion in unpaid principal and make up 6.1% of all GSE-backed loans (Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac) and 10.5% of all FHA/VA loans."

[Canoerebel]

Yeah, cool here too.

Chickenboy posted a week ago that it was in the 90s in Texas. And I saw that parts of California, Nevada and Arizona were under an excessive heat warning about a week ago. So the west has been under a ridge while we, in the east, have enjoyed a trough. It's about to end, I believe. In a few weeks, I'll be yearning for April (or October) weather.

ORIGINAL: HansBolter

ORIGINAL: Canoerebel

Cap, haven't you all had some fairly serious heat, for this early in the year? Has that had any detectable impact on your area, or do you have medical thoughts in that regard?

Chickenboy has weighed in on this, a bit.

We're about to get our first strong heatwave of the spring here. If that helps generate a four- to six-month respite, allowing science and medicine to prepare for a second round in the mid-fall, that should be helpful.

Oddly, Florida is experiencing an unusually cool spring. Normally spring last for about two days here and we go straight into the heat and humidity of summer weather months before the summer solstice.

We have had several cool fronts pass through. Yesterday we had a deluge rain and last night not only did I not have to run the AC, I had to pull the fan out of the window as the cool night air had a little to much nip in it.

[Canoerebel]

Univ. of Wash. projections have stopped for Mississippi and Tennessee, as noted yesterday. But not for other states that have begun easing countermeasures, like Georgia, South Carolina and Colorado.

The U.Wash. projection for Miss. includes this note: "Long-term projections are unavailable for this location. Our model does not account for easing social distancing or quantify the risk of resurgence." [emphasis added]

Does that account for the decision not to project for Miss but to continue doing so for other states, where social distancing is still in effect?

In Georgia, countermeaures began easing a week ago. And shelter-in-place expired at midnight. But "social distancing" (and other emergency provisions, including prohibitions on large gatherings) remains in place.

[Canoerebel]

Mississippi has had 261 mortalities, 11 yesterday. That's 87/million, which is 16th in the US.

Tennessee has had 199 deaths, 4 yesterday, and 30/million, which is 39th in the US.

[obvert]

ORIGINAL: RangerJoe

You specifically mentioned me by name then you stated that I made no such remark. That is abusive. So who is actually trying to drive people out of this discussion?

Sorry. I think you misinterpreted why I included you in that statement. I did say thanks in the note just before your name. You provided a more personal perspective which I found interesting.