Coronavirus: Miles away from ordinary.

https://slate.com/human-interest/2020/08/how-to-make-online-learning-successful.html

 

Classes returned in Georgia today. Nothing to worry about...



Also in Woodstock Georgia, they had their seniors bunch for a photo. Not. One. Fucking. Mask:



...It’s fitting how they’re all wearing black, something they can wear to the funeral of the loved one they will inevitably kill.

 

I see comments elsewhere, the Trump supporters say he’s not great but he’s better than Biden who will, take your pick; raise taxes, cave to the radical side of the Democratic Party, is senile, will try to push healthcare reform again......

 

JESUS H CHRIST I HATE THAT FUCKING PHRASE.

When I was in prison, you would hear that phrase EVERY FUCKING DAY in regards to how bad the conditions were.

EX: "Damn, man, I was last in line at the chow hall today, and once I went through the line, all I got was a scoop of juice with a couple of beans left in it."

"It is what it is."

I've got a question: When is it what it's not?!

 

Gives those people Alaska, then build an electrified fence around them that never shuts off. Have planes fly over twice a day to air-drop them fast food and colouring books, and everyone will be happy.

...But don’t fucking let them back in, whatever you do. They are a state of broken that simply cannot be fixed.

 

Look at the size of his hat compared to the width of his head. It is literally held on by the power of ‘Froness.

 

Florida man strikes again.
https://apnews.com/ed39fed36300dcae...AP&utm_campaign=SocialFlow&utm_source=Twitter

 

They need to bring back the Catherine Wheel as punishment for people like this. It’s as if people are trying to one-up each other every day with an even more disgusting act.

 

There’s nothing like getting over COVID to discover your grandkids will still be footing your bill long after you’re dead.

Looks like this virus turned out to be a great profit generator. “Go broke or Die” isn’t much of a fucking choice. Jesus Christ, do better.

 

I need a term for people who wear a mask, but expose their mouth and nose. "Muggle mouth-breathing mud-fuckers" rolls of the tongue. Most of these offenders are at my gym. Between 4 a.m. and 7 a.m. is when I go, and it's as safe as you could ask for: tons of space, ample cleaning equipment, two floors with good ventilation. The only problem are the people who can't seem to comply with the most basic of asks.

School started in SC yesterday, and....fuck. My family is terrified for my niece. My friends who teach are frustrated, scared and sad beyond words. One of them said "Every time I have thought about losing my life because of my job, I figured it was because of a school shooter. Now, I have to consider that my job, which I am passionate about, is going to risk my life, as well as my husband's and my child." My mom has been pretty fucked up about the possibility of my niece infecting her and my grandmother.

I got sent to Hurricane Hanna in Texas, because....well, I have no wife, no kids, not even a dog. If I fall victim to the virus, I'm not leaving behind an orphan or a widow, and I'd rather go and make sure someone who would can stay behind. We're now looking at the most active hurricane season in recent memory, with so many named storms predicted we may run out of letters. We feel a strong sense of foreboding, because everything is so fragile right now, and if we get the predicted 3-6 storms of 111+ mph winds, we all have to go, and we are all coming to terms with what that means. Some of the more macho among us resort to denial: "it's like the flu", "so and so had it and was fine", "we'll be safe, it's nothing to worry about." Most of us in this field are more realistic, and quietly check up on our life insurance, work with our doctors to set up virtual appointments, and pile up hand sanitizer and masks. I am not fatalistic, I know the chances of me as an individual contracting it are still quite small, and the likelihood of dying from it smaller still. The last time we had a busy hurricane season, we had around 150,000 people in the field at one time, across a dozen states. My office at the time had 3300 people in it. The flu and strep throat took out 300+ a week in that environment. So, while the hammer might not fall on me, it is very likely to fall on someone. I don't get a lot of sleep these days, and I think most of us down here at least know someone who has fallen victim to the virus. For me, it was my boss' grandmother, one of my colleagues, and a few acquaintances, most of them in their 50's and 60's.

As this wears on, and for some people, as it gets worse (claiming loved ones, jobs, or opportunities), people will find something or someone to blame. I think a lot of the conspiracy theories now are the result of a need to blame something that doesn't conflict with their politics, or something that jives with their mistrust in institutions. I think in some ways, the fallout from this will be worse than the virus itself: as a country, we've been tearing ourselves apart for years and we're about to hit a boiling point that we haven't seen since 1968. My weird hope is that as more people get it, more people accept that this is real, dangerous and stop with their bullshit. One of the hallmarks of Republican response is "I don't give a shit what happened to you, until it happens to me." If things continue apace, it seems like most of us will at least know someone with it.

My prediction is we'll see some scary ass storms, one of which will up-fuck the mid-Atlantic, hitting VA,DC, MD, PA, DE, and WV. It will be similar to Sandy, except that it will involve several major cities like Baltimore, DC, Philly and a bunch of minor ones like Charleston and Charlottesville. The ensuing shit-show will let the virus run amok, exacerbated by a slow rebuild that forces people to cope with storm recovery in winter. We'll have another black-swan type event, that exposes a vulnerability we didn't know existed, like the West, Texas explosion, and that will likely happen right before the election.

The election will also exacerbate the virus, because voting takes place mostly in schools where I'm from, and schools are open. Neither entity (the voting commission or the school district) has spare funds to pay for a deep cleaning, so...it won't get done.

We're now entering the window, where a miracle vaccine can't get produced and distributed fast enough to make a difference this year, and I've yet to hear any credible source saying a vaccine is imminent. Whatever the formula is, it'll take at least 90 days to get approved, manufactured, distributed and start dosing people.

So, between schools, disasters, and voting...the stage is set for this spread to accelerate quicker than what we've seen before. We're worse off in terms of fatigue, testing and top-level data (thanks, WH Task Force!), and public compliance. No major intervention is going to become available to change the math. And we're in the busiest hurricane season in memory, with a half dozen other full blown crises going on (fires, earthquakes, economic, domestic violence, etc.).

From inside the bubble, we're seeing cases spike in Baltimore and DC. Two in every 100 in Baltimore have tested positive for it, even with abysmal testing....and they are continuing to open back up.

Granted, at some point I am paid to worry and think like this, and I hope that I'm wrong. Everything I'm seeing is pointing to some of the worst, most challenging months we've faced as a country in many years are ahead of us, with no outside help coming, no competent leadership in place and literally the only thing we have is each other.

 

I guess I'm a little more optimistic. Based on our info we're at 3.9% death rate (and falling) with 91.9% of those deaths over 60 in Indiana. Those over 70-80 could easily have been slowly dying of something else and Covid pushed them over the edge. I'm no Dr but my guess (and sincerest hope) would be that once the dust settles this won't be as deadly as many fear. That is not to say that we shouldn't be cautious or that precautions are not warranted but that I don't think this is a doomsday event. It sucks that we all know or will know someone or multiple people that will die from this, it's a lot like cancer or heart disease in that way but if the death rate continues to drop as we learn how to treat it (or it evolves as viruses do to keep the host alive so it can spread) we'll be okay in the end.

 

Perhaps it's because I don't have a wife and kids, but while I'm not going to act like those things aren't a concern I'm not built to worry about what could be. That may be dumb, and I fully accept that, but until it is a problem (keep in mind, I am distancing and wearing a mask so I'm not one of those calling this joke) it isn't. I choose to remain optimistic primarily because I think we have reason to be.

 

If any of you can work remotely and can afford a ridiculously high cost of living, Bermuda is essentially covid free and offering one year residency permits.