Coronavirus COVID-19

[CID1990]

Well, I’m leaving Thailand in 2 weeks.

Thailand was the first country outside China to have the virus. Thailand’s tourist economy is hugely dependent on the Chinese, and at the time of the outbreak there were hundreds of thousands of Chinese tourists here.

Social distancing and mask wearing went into effect immediately, along with shutting down nonessential businesses.

Thailand stopped the virus in its tracks. In a country of 70 million, we have had less than 3000 total cases. We have less than 60 deaths. Initially, the curve here was steepening and we even had a couple cases at the embassy. Now, ALL of the active cases are with Thais returning home from abroad, and all people who arrive in country are immediately quarantined.

Thailand now has zero community spread. Literally all of the 100 or so active cases are in quarantine. Everything pretty much reopened 2-3 weeks ago, with distancing and mask rules in place. Asians are generally considerate so this is not a huge deal. No large gatherings or events.

Back in NC, where my dad is in hospice care and my elderly mother is taking care of him, the Altamahaw race track had a couple big events over the last week or so. Nobody distancing, few masks to be seen, it is like nobody gives a damn.

It is surreal to be leaving an Asian country where I have no concern about this virus, and coming back to America where at least 50% of the population seems to have lost its fucking mind. 90% of beating this thing is simply taking personal precautions... distancing, hygiene, masks. That’s it. And it is just simple consideration for your fellow citizens who are more vulnerable. Do those things, and the infection rate eventually drops off to where things can reopen. Thailand has already reopened and believe me when I say, Thailand is a backwards ass country in many respects. But they have consideration for others, particularly their elders, and social distancing was seen as a filial, patriotic duty.

From a distance, we Americans look petulant and disrespectful with no sense of duty, and infection rates reflect that.

Well said. The wearing of a mask has become us vs hem instead of some patriotic duty to help your fellow man. We don't just look petulant and disrespectful - we are. We've, once again, confirmed everyone's worst suspicions about ourselves.

Lookit, I’ll be the first person to say “fuck you” to some Pol who mandates my behavior.

The problem in America is a failure of leadership across the board. Right, left, Republican, Democrat, mayor, governor, President. They have all failed dismally because they do not understand a Americans. None of them do, because they are pampered politicians who have their asses wiped for them.

We fucking politicize EVERYTHING. Conservatives were against closing down, and therefore liberals were against it. And vice versa. It literally has nothing to do with reality or science, or anything. It is the climate change debate all over again, where each side possesses a sliver of truth and runs with it like Gospel.

God save me from every motherfucker in America. Seriously. I’m counting the months before I can offshore from this shit country.

And let me add - diversity is NOT our strength. If America has proven anything in 250 years its is that cultures cannot get along. Period.

[Ibanez]

Well said. The wearing of a mask has become us vs hem instead of some patriotic duty to help your fellow man. We don't just look petulant and disrespectful - we are. We've, once again, confirmed everyone's worst suspicions about ourselves.

Lookit, I’ll be the first person to say “fuck you” to some Pol who mandates my behavior.

The problem in America is a failure of leadership across the board. Right, left, Republican, Democrat, mayor, governor, President. They have all failed dismally because they do not understand a Americans. None of them do, because they are pampered politicians who have their asses wiped for them.

We fucking politicize EVERYTHING. Conservatives were against closing down, and therefore liberals were against it. And vice versa. It literally has nothing to do with reality or science, or anything. It is the climate change debate all over again, where each side possesses a sliver of truth and runs with it like Gospel.

God save me from every motherfucker in America. Seriously. I’m counting the months before I can offshore from this shit country.

And let me add - diversity is NOT our strength. If America has proven anything in 250 years its is that cultures cannot get along. Period.

I do not disagree. You're 100% right. We politicize everything. Instead of looking at science we've made it a political talking point.

I think we're heading towards some very dark days. I figured the protests would have died down by now. Maybe next week when Bolton's book is out and we can move to the next shiny object.

[CID1990]

Lookit, I’ll be the first person to say “fuck you” to some Pol who mandates my behavior.

The problem in America is a failure of leadership across the board. Right, left, Republican, Democrat, mayor, governor, President. They have all failed dismally because they do not understand a Americans. None of them do, because they are pampered politicians who have their asses wiped for them.

We fucking politicize EVERYTHING. Conservatives were against closing down, and therefore liberals were against it. And vice versa. It literally has nothing to do with reality or science, or anything. It is the climate change debate all over again, where each side possesses a sliver of truth and runs with it like Gospel.

God save me from every motherfucker in America. Seriously. I’m counting the months before I can offshore from this shit country.

And let me add - diversity is NOT our strength. If America has proven anything in 250 years its is that cultures cannot get along. Period.

I do not disagree. You're 100% right. We politicize everything. Instead of looking at science we've made it a political talking point.

I think we're heading towards some very dark days. I figured the protests would have died down by now. Maybe next week when Bolton's book is out and we can move to the next shiny object.

All I can say at this point is when you live in a conflict zone, you are only responsibke for you and yorn.

If you live in an urban area get a gun. I would suggest two: a SW airweight snub .38, and a Remington 870. Load the .38 with +P and the shotgun with buck.

If you live in places like where I come from, just invite your friends for a socially distant picnic, and bring lots of popcorn


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[GannonFan]

Well said. The wearing of a mask has become us vs hem instead of some patriotic duty to help your fellow man. We don't just look petulant and disrespectful - we are. We've, once again, confirmed everyone's worst suspicions about ourselves.

Lookit, I’ll be the first person to say “fuck you” to some Pol who mandates my behavior.

The problem in America is a failure of leadership across the board. Right, left, Republican, Democrat, mayor, governor, President. They have all failed dismally because they do not understand a Americans. None of them do, because they are pampered politicians who have their asses wiped for them.

We fucking politicize EVERYTHING. Conservatives were against closing down, and therefore liberals were against it. And vice versa. It literally has nothing to do with reality or science, or anything. It is the climate change debate all over again, where each side possesses a sliver of truth and runs with it like Gospel.

God save me from every motherfucker in America. Seriously. I’m counting the months before I can offshore from this shit country.

And let me add - diversity is NOT our strength. If America has proven anything in 250 years its is that cultures cannot get along. Period.

Agree with much of this - we are our own worst enemy, and we are a complete mess of different ideas, attitudes, perceptions, etc. I would potentially disagree with the diversity not being a strength, though. Not in the way that most people mean it, where it's strictly skin color and ethnic background, but in the way that we argue and debate everything. I think when it's done well, it really helps us in the long run. I think the problem with it today is that debates have gotten very much locked into echo chambers and people are talking past people. When that happens, nothing good can really come of it. But I don't think being loud and messy and dysfunctional is by itself a bad thing. And we are all of those things.

[CAA Flagship]

And let me add - diversity is NOT our strength. If America has proven anything in 250 years its is that cultures cannot get along. Period.

That's a bit much.
I believe that your sentence should read "cultures cannot get along easily". I think our history shows that different cultures can be embraced by entrenched Americans, but it takes time. Let's look at the Irish. I don't see any negative things being said/done against the Irish like what was happening 100 years ago. Same with Italians. We've embraced Mexican, Cuban, and various Asian foods.

We are not there yet with Indians, Arabs, and Persians.

With regard to Blacks, many have embraced their talents and cultural contributions, especially with regard to athletics and the arts (acting, music, etc.). The only problem is that a large percentage of Blacks have not been opportunistic. Much of this is because of government handouts that are enough to keep them from bettering themselves.

I think that after 250 years, America has shown that a country of mixed cultures can exist. It's the long, hard road to take. And maybe it's the "American Spirit" that is the key (cue patriotic music in the background). We still have it, maybe not as much as we once had, but it's still there. Other countries don't have it.

[GannonFan]

And let me add - diversity is NOT our strength. If America has proven anything in 250 years its is that cultures cannot get along. Period.

That's a bit much.
I believe that your sentence should read "cultures cannot get along easily". I think our history shows that different cultures can be embraced by entrenched Americans, but it takes time. Let's look at the Irish. I don't see any negative things being said/done against the Irish like what was happening 100 years ago. Same with Italians. We've embraced Mexican, Cuban, and various Asian foods.

We are not there yet with Indians, Arabs, and Persians.

With regard to Blacks, many have embraced their talents and cultural contributions, especially with regard to athletics and the arts (acting, music, etc.). The only problem is that a large percentage of Blacks have not been opportunistic. Much of this is because of government handouts that are enough to keep them from bettering themselves.

I think that after 250 years, America has shown that a country of mixed cultures can exist. It's the long, hard road to take. And maybe it's the "American Spirit" that is the key (cue patriotic music in the background). We still have it, maybe not as much as we once had, but it's still there. Other countries don't have it.

I like your "cultures cannot get along easily" quote, that's right on the mark. Again, it's messy, but we're better for having the rancor.

As for the bolded part, I think that plays a part, to a point, but that also ignores the incredible violence and oppression that Blacks faced in this country, especially right after the Civil War during Reconstruction, and for the 100+ years of Jim Crow era laws. We as a nation do tend to not understand or even know the extent of violence that went on in the South during Reconstruction, as well as entrenched ideas in the North as well. It's eye-opening to read the history that we tend to gloss over in school. I think there is plenty of personal culpability that goes along with this and why African Americans have not been as successful as pretty much any other ethnic or racial group in this country, but there's been plenty of societal barriers as well. I think if we can find fixes in law enforcement, housing, and education, I think those would go a long way to removing the impediments for many Black families, especially as it pertains to helping to keep Black families together in the first place.

[CAA Flagship]

I like your "cultures cannot get along easily" quote, that's right on the mark. Again, it's messy, but we're better for having the rancor.

As for the bolded part, I think that plays a part, to a point, but that also ignores the incredible violence and oppression that Blacks faced in this country, especially right after the Civil War during Reconstruction, and for the 100+ years of Jim Crow era laws. We as a nation do tend to not understand or even know the extent of violence that went on in the South during Reconstruction, as well as entrenched ideas in the North as well. It's eye-opening to read the history that we tend to gloss over in school. I think there is plenty of personal culpability that goes along with this and why African Americans have not been as successful as pretty much any other ethnic or racial group in this country, but there's been plenty of societal barriers as well. I think if we can find fixes in law enforcement, housing, and education, I think those would go a long way to removing the impediments for many Black families, especially as it pertains to helping to keep Black families together in the first place.

I don't disagree. I was short in my reasoning. You correctly pointed out other reasons. But let's look at what was done for the Irish and Italians 100 years ago and compare it to what Blacks have received in the last 50 years. Over the last 50 years, I think Blacks have received much more than the I's have. But a much lower percentage have flourished.

[Gil Dobie]

And let me add - diversity is NOT our strength. If America has proven anything in 250 years its is that cultures cannot get along. Period.

That's a bit much.
I believe that your sentence should read "cultures cannot get along easily". I think our history shows that different cultures can be embraced by entrenched Americans, but it takes time. Let's look at the Irish. I don't see any negative things being said/done against the Irish like what was happening 100 years ago. Same with Italians. We've embraced Mexican, Cuban, and various Asian foods.

We are not there yet with Indians, Arabs, and Persians.

With regard to Blacks, many have embraced their talents and cultural contributions, especially with regard to athletics and the arts (acting, music, etc.). The only problem is that a large percentage of Blacks have not been opportunistic. Much of this is because of government handouts that are enough to keep them from bettering themselves.

I think that after 250 years, America has shown that a country of mixed cultures can exist. It's the long, hard road to take. And maybe it's the "American Spirit" that is the key (cue patriotic music in the background). We still have it, maybe not as much as we once had, but it's still there. Other countries don't have it.

IMO, it's the politicians and news media and their ilk, that are divisive. During my career and schooling, I've been close to people from almost every county and culture. The only times that there are bad feelings, is when someone is not doing their job and pulling their weight. Everyone appears to accept everyone else's cultural differences, hangout after work, talk about families, go to sports events, concerts. Then you watch the news or listen to a politician, and you wonder what world they are talking about.

[Winterborn]

Just popped back in to say alot of good points made in the last couple of pages.


Now I got to get back to the salt mine before the foreman catches wind of me slacking off......

[kalm]

I do not disagree. You're 100% right. We politicize everything. Instead of looking at science we've made it a political talking point.

I think we're heading towards some very dark days. I figured the protests would have died down by now. Maybe next week when Bolton's book is out and we can move to the next shiny object.

All I can say at this point is when you live in a conflict zone, you are only responsibke for you and yorn.

If you live in an urban area get a gun. I would suggest two: a SW airweight snub .38, and a Remington 870. Load the .38 with +P and the shotgun with buck.

If you live in places like where I come from, just invite your friends for a socially distant picnic, and bring lots of popcorn


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Holy ripping the tits off this motherfucker!

Much of what’s happening now was inevitable. The course correction was bound to be either crisis or in the off chance, leadership.

[Skjellyfetti]

[CID1990]

All I can say at this point is when you live in a conflict zone, you are only responsibke for you and yorn.

If you live in an urban area get a gun. I would suggest two: a SW airweight snub .38, and a Remington 870. Load the .38 with +P and the shotgun with buck.

If you live in places like where I come from, just invite your friends for a socially distant picnic, and bring lots of popcorn


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Holy ripping the tits off this motherfucker!

Much of what’s happening now was inevitable. The course correction was bound to be either crisis or in the off chance, leadership.

Yeah

But really... why should 98% of Americans care? It should all be entertainment to most of us

What is CHAZ? Maybe, what? 6 blocks of Seattle?

It’s basically unreality TV (except for the business owners there... but I’m pretty sure they support the woke mayor)

I go home to NC and with the exception of the fact that.you stick a credit card in the gas pump instead of walking in the store and saying “five bucks on pump two”.... not much has changed in the last 40 years

We still all like each other, still bring covered dish to the bereaved, still hunt deer across property lines via CB, and still bush hog each other’s property when somebody is sick or out of town

What happens in some Pacific NW utopia might as well be on Mars

[BDKJMU]

America!!! Fuck yeah!!!

If you are under the age of 50 and have no immune system issues, you'll only have like a 98.9% chance of surviving the Chinese Flu if you catch it.

That’s not the point, SD. The point is to avoid proliferation so those who are vulnerable are not at continual risk. You may not be sick but you are spreading it around.

And again, we’re talking about wearing masks, cleaning your dick beaters, and staying 6 feet away from people - and then we go back to normal. And its just basic consideration.

I know it works because I’ve seen it first hand.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Agreed, but it didn't help that our so called experts for the 1st month said you didn't need masks.

I don't think most people if being explained to why, and asked to wear a mask indoors around other people as a sense of patriotic duty, stay 6 feet apart, have a problem of doing that. Its the
-being told masks are mandated by law.
-being told stay at home is mandated by law.
-the complete arbitrary and capricious nature of the shutdown of certain businesses, while others were allowed to remain open, without adequate redress for business owners & employees (antiquated unemployment systems swamped & delays on processing claims & getting people $$).
the threatening of people who violated the above (while at the same time turning a blind eye to the BLM protesters who violated the above) that has angered lots of people & caused them to rebel.

[BDKJMU]

All I can say at this point is when you live in a conflict zone, you are only responsibke for you and yorn.

If you live in an urban area get a gun. I would suggest two: a SW airweight snub .38, and a Remington 870. Load the .38 with +P and the shotgun with buck.

If you live in places like where I come from, just invite your friends for a socially distant picnic, and bring lots of popcorn


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Holy ripping the tits off this motherfucker!

Much of what’s happening now was inevitable. The course correction was bound to be either crisis or in the off chance, leadership.

Not really. If the so called experts hadn't said until late March/early April or whenever it was that masks weren't necessary, and if nursing homes had been properly taken care of (mostly in the northeast ex PA about 60% deaths) then we wouldn't have had nearly as many cases or deaths.

[Ibanez]

Holy ripping the tits off this motherfucker!

Much of what’s happening now was inevitable. The course correction was bound to be either crisis or in the off chance, leadership.

Not really. If the so called experts hadn't said until late March/early April or whenever it was that masks weren't necessary, and if nursing homes had been properly taken care of (mostly in the northeast ex PA about 60% deaths) then we wouldn't have had nearly as many cases or deaths.

Even experts make mistakes - especially when faced with something new.

[Winterborn]

Not really. If the so called experts hadn't said until late March/early April or whenever it was that masks weren't necessary, and if nursing homes had been properly taken care of (mostly in the northeast ex PA about 60% deaths) then we wouldn't have had nearly as many cases or deaths.

Even experts make mistakes - especially when faced with something new.

Which is why you then have to rely on goodwill at that point to help transition till you have more knowledge. And people for the most part did (IMHO) give the experts a certain level of goodwill initially. It is just that politicians and the media squandered it by playing partisan BS and being too busy bolstering their bases to give a crap about the end result.

Then you fast-forward to day and we are where we are now.

[Gil Dobie]

Wear your Masks Pukes!

Reuters Link

He said combining widespread mask use with social distancing and some lockdown measures, could be “an acceptable way of managing the pandemic and re-opening economic activity” before the development of an effective vaccine against COVID-19, the respiratory illness caused by the coronavirus.

The study’s findings were published in the “Proceedings of the Royal Society A” scientific journal.

At the onset of the pandemic, scientific evidence on the effectiveness of face masks in slowing transmission of respiratory diseases was limited, and there was no data on COVID-19 since it was a previously unknown disease.

[UNI88]

Well, I’m leaving Thailand in 2 weeks.

Thailand was the first country outside China to have the virus. Thailand’s tourist economy is hugely dependent on the Chinese, and at the time of the outbreak there were hundreds of thousands of Chinese tourists here.

Social distancing and mask wearing went into effect immediately, along with shutting down nonessential businesses.

Thailand stopped the virus in its tracks. In a country of 70 million, we have had less than 3000 total cases. We have less than 60 deaths. Initially, the curve here was steepening and we even had a couple cases at the embassy. Now, ALL of the active cases are with Thais returning home from abroad, and all people who arrive in country are immediately quarantined.

Thailand now has zero community spread. Literally all of the 100 or so active cases are in quarantine. Everything pretty much reopened 2-3 weeks ago, with distancing and mask rules in place. Asians are generally considerate so this is not a huge deal. No large gatherings or events.

Back in NC, where my dad is in hospice care and my elderly mother is taking care of him, the Altamahaw race track had a couple big events over the last week or so. Nobody distancing, few masks to be seen, it is like nobody gives a damn.

It is surreal to be leaving an Asian country where I have no concern about this virus, and coming back to America where at least 50% of the population seems to have lost its fucking mind. 90% of beating this thing is simply taking personal precautions... distancing, hygiene, masks. That’s it. And it is just simple consideration for your fellow citizens who are more vulnerable. Do those things, and the infection rate eventually drops off to where things can reopen. Thailand has already reopened and believe me when I say, Thailand is a backwards ass country in many respects. But they have consideration for others, particularly their elders, and social distancing was seen as a filial, patriotic duty.

From a distance, we Americans look petulant and disrespectful with no sense of duty, and infection rates reflect that.

Question: are Thais wearing masks everywhere in public or just inside for the most part?

[UNI88]

Not really. If the so called experts hadn't said until late March/early April or whenever it was that masks weren't necessary, and if nursing homes had been properly taken care of (mostly in the northeast ex PA about 60% deaths) then we wouldn't have had nearly as many cases or deaths.

Even experts make mistakes - especially when faced with something new.

I don't consider it a mistake as much of a shift in opinion based on the information available. When you make a shift like that you need to publicly acknowledge it and give some reasoning why expert opinion has changed. Otherwise it looks capricious and adds to doubt.

Kalm asked me how I knew psychologists weren't involved early. The reality is that I don't know for sure but I suspect it and the lack of enough explanation on the shift is one of the reasons. The epidemiologists are experts who expect to be believed and took it for granted that they could just make that shift without spending enough time explaining and promoting the change. A competent group of psychologists would have cautioned them to spend a little more time on it.

[BDKJMU]

Texas has close to 30 million people. So about 1 in 12,000 TX residents are now hospitalized to the Chinese Virus. The horror..

[BDKJMU]

Even experts make mistakes - especially when faced with something new.

I don't consider it a mistake as much of a shift in opinion based on the information available. When you make a shift like that you need to publicly acknowledge it and give some reasoning why expert opinion has changed. Otherwise it looks capricious and adds to doubt.

Kalm asked me how I knew psychologists weren't involved early. The reality is that I don't know for sure but I suspect it and the lack of enough explanation on the shift is one of the reasons. The epidemiologists are experts who expect to be believed and took it for granted that they could just make that shift without spending enough time explaining and promoting the change. A competent group of psychologists would have cautioned them to spend a little more time on it.

It was a lie. Fauci has even basically admitted it.

[UNI88]

I don't consider it a mistake as much of a shift in opinion based on the information available. When you make a shift like that you need to publicly acknowledge it and give some reasoning why expert opinion has changed. Otherwise it looks capricious and adds to doubt.

Kalm asked me how I knew psychologists weren't involved early. The reality is that I don't know for sure but I suspect it and the lack of enough explanation on the shift is one of the reasons. The epidemiologists are experts who expect to be believed and took it for granted that they could just make that shift without spending enough time explaining and promoting the change. A competent group of psychologists would have cautioned them to spend a little more time on it.

It was a lie. Fauci has even basically admitted it.

Links?

[BDKJMU]

It was a lie. Fauci has even basically admitted it.

Links?

Right leaning Washington Examiner even slams Trump over it for allowing the 'experts' to stick with it.
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opin ... -jobs-died

[Gil Dobie]

Links?

Right leaning Washington Examiner even slams Trump over it for allowing the 'experts' to stick with it.
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opin ... -jobs-died

And now that we know Masks work, what are we going to do? I get my info from the Mayo Clinic, not a political figurehead.

Can face masks help prevent the spread of the coronavirus that causes COVID-19? Yes, face masks combined with other preventive measures, such as frequent hand-washing and social distancing, help slow the spread of the virus.

So why weren't face masks recommended at the start of the pandemic? At that time, experts didn't yet know the extent to which people with COVID-19 could spread the virus before symptoms appeared. Nor was it known that some people have COVID-19 but don't have any symptoms. Both groups can unknowingly spread the virus to others.

These discoveries led the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to do an about-face on face masks. The CDC updated its guidance to recommend widespread use of simple cloth face coverings to help prevent transmission of the virus by people who have COVID-19 but don't know it.

Some public health groups argue that masks should be reserved for health care providers and point to the critical shortage of surgical masks and N95 masks. The CDC acknowledged this concern when it recommended cloth masks for the public and not the surgical and N95 masks needed by health care providers.

[Ibanez]

I don't consider it a mistake as much of a shift in opinion based on the information available. When you make a shift like that you need to publicly acknowledge it and give some reasoning why expert opinion has changed. Otherwise it looks capricious and adds to doubt.

Kalm asked me how I knew psychologists weren't involved early. The reality is that I don't know for sure but I suspect it and the lack of enough explanation on the shift is one of the reasons. The epidemiologists are experts who expect to be believed and took it for granted that they could just make that shift without spending enough time explaining and promoting the change. A competent group of psychologists would have cautioned them to spend a little more time on it.

It was a lie. Fauci has even basically admitted it.

Since when have you cared about lying?