Plague Diary

[The Wizard Joseph]

https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2020/04/hospitals-face-a-white-house-blockade-for-coronavirus-ppe.html?utm_source=fb&fbclid=IwAR1G8GYFvi6uYr6UOMEGglU_bOVPw6WPT1L4bHWZYEvegUvfCID8qVuhwts

I got a fucking explanation. Motherfucking TREASON. 

[altered]

Wooooooooow. 

https://theguardiansofdemocracy.com/gop-lawmaker-says-stay-at-home-orders-no-different-than-nazis-sending-jews-to-death-camps/?fbclid=IwAR37IZ4Ev-u2qcPTh7LhkdJFtnkssG8Rbj9FVDXRPXCOBmQxh8xJ6PT_E7k

"And when you have government telling you that your business is essential or non-essential, yours is non-essential and someone else's is essential, we have a problem there," Scott said. "I mean, that's no different than Nazi Germany where you had government telling people either you were an essential worker or a non-essential worker, and non-essential workers got put on a train."

I'm unsurprised only because internet dumbasses have been making this claim for weeks.

[Cramulus]

trying to predict the future by imagining the worst possible scenario


Following public health guidelines is now politicised. In a just world, this would only hurt the people not respecting social distancing.

In my mind, the worst case scenario is that a lot of people die, and then the Trump camp claims that it's not a big deal at all and does a victory lap.

And look - America hasn't cared about deaths at this scale for a long time. 647,000 Americans die each year from heart disease. Covid has killed 40k americans so far. So even if you multiply the covid deaths by 10, it's still not on par with heart disease, and we stomach that every year. I think about how all those kids got shot to death at Sandy Hook and we didn't do anything about it. In fact, the biggest long-term response to Sandy Hook was calling the victim's families liars and showing up in person to troll them. So I don't have faith that reality will ever land for these people.

The other worst case scenario I can imagine is that there's another covid wave, and November's getting closer and closer, so Trump decides to crack down at a federal level, but in ways that fuck up urban areas. Like basically any action that would intensify supply chain shorts (such as the proposal to slash salaries for H-1B visas, which fucks migrant farm workers that came here legally). And then we're in a situation where we actually do need to be liberated from the quarantine, but we've built a huge case about how irresponsible that would be.

[P3nT4gR4m]

trying to predict the future by imagining the worst possible scenario


Following public health guidelines is now politicised. In a just world, this would only hurt the people not respecting social distancing.

In my mind, the worst case scenario is that a lot of people die, and then the Trump camp claims that it's not a big deal at all and does a victory lap.

And look - America hasn't cared about deaths at this scale for a long time. 647,000 Americans die each year from heart disease. Covid has killed 40k americans so far. So even if you multiply the covid deaths by 10, it's still not on par with heart disease, and we stomach that every year. I think about how all those kids got shot to death at Sandy Hook and we didn't do anything about it. In fact, the biggest long-term response to Sandy Hook was calling the victim's families liars and showing up in person to troll them. So I don't have faith that reality will ever land for these people.

The other worst case scenario I can imagine is that there's another covid wave, and November's getting closer and closer, so Trump decides to crack down at a federal level, but in ways that fuck up urban areas. Like basically any action that would intensify supply chain shorts (such as the proposal to slash salaries for H-1B visas, which fucks migrant farm workers that came here legally). And then we're in a situation where we actually do need to be liberated from the quarantine, but we've built a huge case about how irresponsible that would be.

Multiplying the deaths by 10 isn't even looking like a realistic best-case right now. WHO estimates 2-3% global exposure. That would mean we're only just getting warmed up.

[Doktor Howl]

And look - America hasn't cared about deaths at this scale for a long time. 647,000 Americans die each year from heart disease. Covid has killed 40k americans so far. So even if you multiply the covid deaths by 10, it's still not on par with heart disease, and we stomach that every year. I think about how all those kids got shot to death at Sandy Hook and we didn't do anything about it. In fact, the biggest long-term response to Sandy Hook was calling the victim's families liars and showing up in person to troll them. So I don't have faith that reality will ever land for these people.

This is what we doktors call a "category error".

The other worst case scenario I can imagine is that there's another covid wave, and November's getting closer and closer, so Trump decides to crack down at a federal level, but in ways that fuck up urban areas. Like basically any action that would intensify supply chain shorts (such as the proposal to slash salaries for H-1B visas, which fucks migrant farm workers that came here legally). And then we're in a situation where we actually do need to be liberated from the quarantine, but we've built a huge case about how irresponsible that would be.

He's already doing that (he just closed the borders at the same exact time he's asking for people to rebel against quarantine).  And you are correct, it's going to get worse.

[Doktor Howl]

Imagine learning that teachers are in fact worth paying.

https://apnews.com/a3e86445d1387ecd8d1df8f9f7743e1f

[Cain]

 

[The Wizard Joseph]

  4/21/2020

I'm on the verge of despair for the moment and at least I have this diary to get shit off my chest. Today while I was trying to nap I had the distinct displeasure of hearing one of my dad's loudmouth friends in the house despite all of our collective efforts to isolate for my dad's fucking sake mostly. They talked a bunch of ignorant political bullshit about how there wasn't really a big old virus problem and that the fucking DEMOCRATS were just tryin to disrupt the election by having all those mail-in votes re-written and counted in their favor. Between my brother getting his soul eaten by a giant, outlandish conspiracy theory lie-monster and listening to my dad violate our major sacrifices to maintain isolation just to talk stupid shit out of his ass with a agreeable fucking moron nodding along the whole way I'm just about to rage quit. I tried to sit with dad for a little bit to eat dinner at his request. He asked me what was wrong. When I told him he low-key fucking mocked me for thinking I knew things and then, when I called him on it, he gas-lit me. I'm so fucking done. I CANNOT continue to bear any more grief or consideration for any fucker in this house just to be directly shit on for my trouble. I have to continue to go about my various projects, but I'm living in a house of corpses as far as I care. If someone gets seriously ill it will be my final courtesy to give them silence rather than an "I told you so asshole" in all my bitterness and spite. I am dealing with a LOT of bitterness and spite in addition to extraordinary grief, trauma, paranoia, personality disorder, burgeoning rage, and I'm down to the last of my meds with just a bit of the mood stabilizer in reserve for an emergency and a couple months worth of antidepressant left from a stockpile given to me by HHS in LaCrosse before I moved.

I can't even keep writing for the moment. Just getting that out has my hands shaking just a bit and my stomach is now sour despite just having eaten.

[Q. G. Pennyworth]

I am breaking. A baby bird I tried very hard not to adopt is now in and out of the hospital. Her abusive partner has finally moved out, but I deeply question the long distance couple who she's latched on to as a replacement. She can't use her legs and lives with a useless roommate. It's fucking killing me.

City Council can't get their shit together to approve of rental assistance. I quit my position in the local Our Rev group because I can't deal with their "we can't let the crisis affect the process" bullshit right now.

I am no longer friends with someone I devoted a lot of time and resources to. She decided her comfort was more important than the safety of the community. I have no remorse.

The guy I ran against is making phone calls to seniors and doing delivery runs I send him on. No ego, no posturing. I am not going to forget /that/ either.

Every night is a struggle to convince myself to go to bed instead of wandering the streets. I am carrying too much for too many people.

[Cramulus]

4/21/2020

I'm on the verge of despair for the moment and at least I have this diary to get shit off my chest. Today while I was trying to nap I had the distinct displeasure of hearing one of my dad's loudmouth friends in the house despite all of our collective efforts to isolate for my dad's fucking sake mostly. They talked a bunch of ignorant political bullshit about how there wasn't really a big old virus problem and that the fucking DEMOCRATS were just tryin to disrupt the election by having all those mail-in votes re-written and counted in their favor. Between my brother getting his soul eaten by a giant, outlandish conspiracy theory lie-monster and listening to my dad violate our major sacrifices to maintain isolation just to talk stupid shit out of his ass with a agreeable fucking moron nodding along the whole way I'm just about to rage quit. I tried to sit with dad for a little bit to eat dinner at his request. He asked me what was wrong. When I told him he low-key fucking mocked me for thinking I knew things and then, when I called him on it, he gas-lit me. I'm so fucking done. I CANNOT continue to bear any more grief or consideration for any fucker in this house just to be directly shit on for my trouble. I have to continue to go about my various projects, but I'm living in a house of corpses as far as I care. If someone gets seriously ill it will be my final courtesy to give them silence rather than an "I told you so asshole" in all my bitterness and spite. I am dealing with a LOT of bitterness and spite in addition to extraordinary grief, trauma, paranoia, personality disorder, burgeoning rage, and I'm down to the last of my meds with just a bit of the mood stabilizer in reserve for an emergency and a couple months worth of antidepressant left from a stockpile given to me by HHS in LaCrosse before I moved.

I can't even keep writing for the moment. Just getting that out has my hands shaking just a bit and my stomach is now sour despite just having eaten.

That sounds frustrating as all fuck-out, man.

I know it's little consolation--but there are periods where everybody goes insane. You can't do much about it, they've chosen it. And that's contageous, too. All we can do is try to stay sane ourselves. Maybe it takes a mental quarantine.

[Cramulus]

I am breaking. A baby bird I tried very hard not to adopt is now in and out of the hospital. Her abusive partner has finally moved out, but I deeply question the long distance couple who she's latched on to as a replacement. She can't use her legs and lives with a useless roommate. It's fucking killing me.

City Council can't get their shit together to approve of rental assistance. I quit my position in the local Our Rev group because I can't deal with their "we can't let the crisis affect the process" bullshit right now.

I am no longer friends with someone I devoted a lot of time and resources to. She decided her comfort was more important than the safety of the community. I have no remorse.

The guy I ran against is making phone calls to seniors and doing delivery runs I send him on. No ego, no posturing. I am not going to forget /that/ either.

Every night is a struggle to convince myself to go to bed instead of wandering the streets. I am carrying too much for too many people.

Your heart is so powerful.. And what you do is so important. Sincerely: Mr. Rogers would be very proud of you.

I know someone who is doing her best to pull someone out of an abusive situation, and it's not working... and it's breaking her too. The hard part (for her) is recognizing the limit, the point at which she can't give more than she's already given. Past that point, all effort is wasted.

[Doktor Howl]

4/22/20

I have 50 employees working from home, 18 employees working on site, and 32 employees home on full pay.

Today, two of the employees here tried to start a mutiny because other people are being paid for not working, so why should they work?  The extra $5 hazard pay and the lack of risk notwithstanding (and which they still expect to get if they go home).  The funniest bit is the two people bitching about having to work are also MAGA freaks who think the virus is a liberal plot.

It occurred to me 30 minutes into listening them bitch that I could just feed them to HR and bring in two other people that would like the extra pay.  So I did.

Yes, I know there's a plague on.  Yes, I know that Donald Trump is here to save us all.  But if you are safer here than you are at home and you want to have it both ways AND the middle, then just call me Lieutenant-Colonel E. V. Martin, because I am simply not having that shit.

[chaotic neutral observer]

2020 Apr. 26

I learned something about supply chains today.  The land surrounding Saskatoon is primarily agricultural, and you can find grazing cattle less than twenty minutes from the city limits.  I assumed that our meat was largely sourced from the cattle pastures that dot the nearby prairies.

I was wrong.

The Cargill meat packing plant in High River, Alberta, has been closed to an outbreak.  As of Friday, there were 558 cases among plant employees.  I didn't think this would have any effect here; after all, the plant is over 600 km away.  But today my usual grocery store had notices up that, due to the plant closure, there was a purchase limit on beef (4 pkgs per customer).  They were entirely out of ground beef, and what little pot-roast was left was the most expensive cuts.

The store running low on flour and sugar is annoying, but it's just caused by people hoarding.  If actual consumption doesn't increase, it's not a big deal; it's just a glitch in distribution as some long-term inventory moves from store shelves and warehouses to people's pantries.  A disruption in production itself is more worrisome, particularly when it shows how fragile a system can become when you exploit economies of scale to the point of introducing single points of failure.

[Bruno]

Some fuckers around here are getting aggressive towards people for wearing masks i.e. loudly mocking them and violating their space, reaching over them to "browse" things on the shelves, etc...

Also, I should mention that as of January 1 this year, Tennesseans can get their concealed carry permit online by watching a 90 minute video, and paying a hundred bucks. I don't think there is even a test.


Things around here are about to get Real Fun.

[Doktor Howl]

Some fuckers around here are getting aggressive towards people for wearing masks i.e. loudly mocking them and violating their space, reaching over them to "browse" things on the shelves, etc...

In the 1918 pandemic, crowds in San Francisco would attack people wearing masks.  Humans are stupid.