How COVID-19 is affecting society

[Clara D.]

fuck you, too

Turning on the other people on the life raft isn't the best strategy.

 

[Innula Zenovka]

A notebook detailing the US government's response to Coronavirus during the month of May

It begins

Week one: 3-9 May. Along with toilet paper, which remains scarce, condolence cards are sold out, though birthday cards are plentiful. Popular images include a trail of footprints in the sand and an angel with its forehead pressed into the crook of its arm.

As confirmed American coronavirus deaths pass 67,000, the president declares, in an interview with Fox News held inside the Lincoln Memorial, where events are traditionally banned: ‘They always said nobody got treated worse than Lincoln. I believe I am treated worse.’ A Twitter wit writes that, for the massive marble sculpture looming above, ‘It was the second worst thing Lincoln ever watched.’

Internal White House documents predict three thousand American deaths a day by the end of May. The president tweets: ‘Getting great reviews, finally, for how well we are handling the pandemic.’ He retweets that the Trump Turnberry golf course has been named by Golf World magazine as the best golf course in the UK and Ireland for 2020.

Eliot Weinberger · The American Virus

Throughout his presidency, Trump has had a favourability rating of around 40 per cent. (He is the only president never...

www.lrb.co.uk

Eliot Weinberger · The American Virus · LRB 4 June 2020

Week one: 3-9 May. Along with toilet paper, which remains scarce, condolence cards are sold out, though birthday cards are plentiful. Popular images include a trail of footprints in the sand and an a...

www.evernote.com

ETA:

The headline across the front page of the New York Times is: ‘US unemployment is worst since depression.’ That morning, the president tweets, along with the usual attacks on the FBI, Adam Schiff and the Obama-Russia conspiracy, and praise for a Trump golf course: ‘Why is it that all of the political pundits & consultants that I beat so easily & badly, people that charged their clients far more than their services were worth, have become so totally “unhinged” when it comes to your favourite President, me. These people are stone cold crazy!’ It is unclear what exactly prompted this. He also tweets his new campaign slogan, ‘Transition to Greatness’, which presumably does not refer to the transgender community.

 

[Innula Zenovka]

Coronavirus lockdown 'perfect storm' for abused children - Sajid Javid

The ex-home secretary is leading a "no holds barred" investigation into the issue in the UK.

www.bbc.co.uk

Mr Javid told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that something that "weighed the most heavily on him" during his time as home secretary in 2018 and 2019 was child sexual abuse and its "true scale".

He said he was "particularly concerned" about lockdown because "children are left to isolate alongside their abuser and they will therefore suffer severe long-term damage and this kind of thing isn't reflected in statistics just yet, but it will be, and I'm very concerned about that".

The former chancellor said the investigation into will look at organised child sexual exploitation, including gangs and on-street grooming.

 

[Eunoli]

Coronavirus lockdown 'perfect storm' for abused children - Sajid Javid

The ex-home secretary is leading a "no holds barred" investigation into the issue in the UK.

www.bbc.co.uk

So...children are perfectly safe with child abusers so long as its not during school hours?

 

[Innula Zenovka]

So...children are perfectly safe with child abusers so long as its not during school hours?

No, I think he's worried, and rightly so, about the way lockdown has lessened the child protection and welfare agencies' access to vulnerable children and made it more difficult for children to contact them.

It's similar to the problem of adults who have found themselves trapped with violent or abusive partners during the last 10 weeks or so (over here) -- an existing problem has been unavoidably exacerbated, and the appropriate agencies need to recognise that and deal with consequences as soon as they can

 

[Sredni Eel]

Because royal blood is immune? Ooops, maybe not.
Coronavirus: Belgian Prince Joachim tests positive after lockdown party

It's like Royals and rich people have never read any Poe.

 

[Sredni Eel]

fuck you, too

Aren't you a bright ray of sunshine.

My candidate didn't win the nomination. But since the alternative to Joe Biden getting elected is four more goddamned years of Trump, I'm voting for Biden. He's not perfect. No candidate is. And whoever takes over once Trump is dragged out kicking and screaming will have a long road to hoe. In fact, it will take at least a decade to fix some of the problems caused by the mendacious mango Mussolini.

I'm sorry you're pissed off that Fill-In-The-Blank person didn't win the candidacy, but fuck you if your panties are so wadded up that you can't be bothered to vote Trump out. Anyone who refuses to vote, or votes third party is voting for Trump.

 

[Jopsy Pendragon]

I was driving my mom today stopped at the gas station and was looking at the men going in not wearing masks, i told my mom i'm not wearing it for me don't want her to get sick.

If you think going into that gas station with your mask on is indirectly protecting your mom, you're not understanding the point of masks very well.

 

[Free]

If you think going into that gas station with your mask on is indirectly protecting your mom, you're not understanding the point of masks very well.

It very indirectly "protects" her mom, if she drives her mom everywhere.

 

[Kathryn Elisabeth]

New Ebola Outbreak Declared in Congo City That Last Saw the Virus in 2018 - Slashdot

Well Shit! There it goes.

 

[Sredni Eel]

2020 is every Michael Bay disaster movie rolled into one and directed by Ed Wood.

 

[Katheryne Helendale]

New Ebola Outbreak Declared in Congo City That Last Saw the Virus in 2018 - Slashdot

Well Shit! There it goes.

This is seriously like Jumanji on steroids!

 

[Aribeth Zelin]

2020 is every Michael Bay disaster movie rolled into one and directed by Ed Wood.

except, thought not intended to be, Ed Wood movies were funny.

 

[Kathryn Elisabeth]

Eh? Is just the Flu, right? With just a little bleeding from the eyes, right? *wanders off mumbling ... "Can I fit Year 3 & 4's food supply in here?"

 

[Casey Pelous]

This is seriously like Jumanji on steroids! bad acid!

 

[Shiloh Lyric]

fuck you, too

How many doors have you knocked on for a Democratic Socialist candidate? Especially in the suburbs of a Swing state?

 

[Lexxi]

2020 is every Michael Bay disaster movie rolled into one and directed by Ed Wood.

There was even an asteroid that came within 7,000 kilometres (4,300 mi) from Earth on 4 May 2020.
That's the closet approach by an asteroid this year. It'll be back in 1 year 10 months.

 

[Sredni Eel]

That asteroid can't come soon enough.

 

[Innula Zenovka]

The British government is said to be delaying the publication of an urgent report on the disproportionate number of BAME deaths from Covid-19 in the UK for fear of the consequences while the US protests continue


(I have to say, I don't like the phrase "racial tensions" in this context -- the problem isn't some sort of abstract and innate tension between races but the result of an unequal society and systemic racism as a result of bad decisions made by powerful white people).

ETA: It is said the government plans to publish the report later this week. In a way I can see why they might think it prudent to make sure everyone involved knows exactly what to do and what not to do, in order to avoid provoking rioting over here too.

ETA2: Looks like the news report was mistaken (or maybe it forced the government's hand) -- anyway, now the report into BAME deaths has been published and an urgent investigation into the causes has been announced:

UK coronavirus: Hancock urged to act over higher Covid-19 death rate for BAME people - as it happened

News updates: 324 new deaths in the UK; death rate in England higher among BAME people; testing data ‘widely criticised and often mistrusted’

www.theguardian.com

 

[Rose Karuna]

In fact, it will take at least a decade to fix some of the problems caused by the mendacious mango Mussolini.

I hope you don't mind but I've added this to my sig! Mendacious Mango Mussolini is an awesome description that I can't pass up.