As the Dude would say.. New S**T has come to light.
I have been diagnosed with Lymphoma. Although it is a serious disease, I feel fortunate that I have a great team of doctors and the prognosis is good.
I’m starting treatment and will keep you posted on my recovery.
— Jeff Bridges (@TheJeffBridges) October 20, 2020
“Masterson faces 45 years to life in state prison if convicted as charged”
The incidents happened 17-19 years ago, but the prosecution insists that the statute of limitations excludes crimes of this nature. That may be right, but proving a case to a jury beyond a reasonable doubt is an ambitious prosecution for crimes that happened two decades ago.
Scott Atlas is a radiologist. He has no training in virology, epidemiology, public health management, statistical analysis, or any other field that would be relevant to the COVID crisis. It appears that he knows far less about viral diseases than laymen who have been cramming on the subject. You would be better off listening to a witch doctor. They always wear masks. And at least garlic poultices and incantations can’t do any harm. It is also believed that Atlas is nudging President Trump in the reckless direction of using a herd immunity strategy with no vaccine on the horizon.
As the director of the CDC pointed out bluntly, “Everything he (Scott Atlas) says is false.”
To repeat the math on herd immunity: scientists estimate that successful herd immunity would require about 2/3 of a population to carry antibodies. In the USA that is about 220 million people. At least 1.4% of Americans who contract the virus are expected to die from it (currently about 700 dead per day, and 50,000 infections per day), so the death toll would be three million.
And that’s if it works.
It probably won’t work because the immunity seems to be short-lived, which means that, lacking a vaccine, a population might never get to a point where 2/3 of the people have antibodies, because by the time the last people are infected, the immunity might be wearing off in those infected early. Let’s suppose that the antibodies last only four months. In that case, the only way to achieve herd immunity is to get antibodies into 220 million people almost instantly, and the only realistic way to do that is with a vaccine. Infecting 220 million people through community spread in three months may not even be possible, but if it were, the health care system could not possibly handle the number of hospital patients that would emerge from the strategy.
At this point I don’t know the actual average duration of immunity, nor does anyone else. Top researchers throughout the world are still learning about COVID-19. But if it is truly as short-lived as four months, we will have a decidedly difficult time with the logistics of fighting it – even with a vaccine, let alone by community spread.
Shortcut to the full report for Sunday.
One should not make too much of weekend numbers because of the reporting problems, but it can’t be good news that COVID fatalities in the USA are up 38% from last Sunday.
Once again, the Dakotas were the story. South Dakota was the only state in the triple red zone (new cases, fatalities, testing percentage), while North Dakota topped every country in the world in both new cases per capita and new fatalities per capita. It is not easy to top every country in the world, especially in the fatality category, since some of those countries treat corona patients with rapid drum beats and a stale stick of Teaberry gum.
The petition is signed by such notable experts as Dr. Johnny Bananas, Dr. I.P. Freely, and Dr. Person Fakename.
Doctor Dwight Mannsburden was apparently not available.
The original investigation by Sky News revealed that the fake names were actually some of the more reputable signatories. At least they were doctors, albeit imaginary ones. The list also included every kind of quack, crank and self-professed expert you can imagine: homeopaths, massage therapists, hypnotists, and one guy who claims to cure disease through song.
From the comments: “Also on the list: Dr Harold Shipman. This one’s a legit physician and also one of the most prolific serial killers of all time.”
“The federal prosecutor appointed by Attorney General William P. Barr to review whether Obama-era officials improperly requested the identities of individuals whose names were redacted in intelligence documents has completed his work without finding any substantive wrongdoing, according to people familiar with the matter.”
Do you wish him a recovery? There is one to test the limits of human charity.
Lyon Gardiner Tyler Jr. passed away last week at 95.
You’re thinking, “What makes him so special?” Lyon Tyler died 175 years after his grandfather left the White House! His grandpa was John Tyler, the 10th president, who was born in 1790. More amazing still is the fact that Lyon’s brother is still alive. As of about 10 days ago, John Tyler had two living grandchildren.
How can they have a grandfather born 230 years ago? President Tyler had 15 children over a long stretch of time, quite late in his life. He was 63 when his son Lyon Gardiner Tyler Sr. was born. In his turn, Lyon Sr. had sons when he was 71 (Lyon Jr) and 75 (Lyon’s brother, Harrison). Those sons, in their turn, lived to be very old men.
On its Trend Watch page, Merriam-Webster explained, “Schadenfreude is defined as ‘enjoyment obtained from the troubles of others.’”
“Throughout a pandemic that has now landed squarely in the West Wing, Trump officials — who routinely shunned masks — declined to institute thorough safety protocols to protect the White House press corps, according to interviews with reporters who now face the prospect of a rapidly escalating outbreak in their daily work space.”
Investigators probe ‘possible ecological catastrophe’ in Russia’s Kamchatka region
“Russian investigators said Saturday they were looking into “a possible ecological catastrophe” in the eastern Kamchatka region, after scores of dead sea creatures washed up in one of it bays and surfers reported burns to their eyes and throats.”
What more can go wrong this year?
It’s difficult to imagine anyone in the future looking back at 2020 with nostalgia.
Tonight, @FLOTUS and I tested positive for COVID-19. We will begin our quarantine and recovery process immediately. We will get through this TOGETHER!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 2, 2020
Update
They have now been joined by Kellyanne Conway, Chris Christie, the chairperson of the RNC, Trump’s campaign manager and three Republican senators.
There’s not much explanation in this article, but there is an excellent gallery of drone photos.
Because not many people seem to realize it, and because President Trump touts his success in terms of the stock market, it’s worth noting that he was doing worse than President Obama BEFORE the Corona Crash. (And that is true despite the fact that Obama’s first term was his weaker of the two.)
This sounds kind of silly, but …
Africans and East Asians don’t have any to this gene to speak of. Europeans have a lot, as do the people of the Indian subcontinent.
This is not good news for me. Here’s what it says on the top of my “23 and Me” page: “Hey Greg! You have more Neanderthal DNA than 75% of other customers.”
I did not make that up. It’s an exact quote.
The Times full article (part 1 of ??)
I read that you can get through the NYT paywall as follows: “Right click on the link. Choose ‘Open link in Incognito window.'”
If that fails … here is BBC’s summary.
Bosch said its test has a “sensitivity” — the ability to avoid false negatives — of 98 per cent, and a “specificity” — the ability to avoid false positives — of 100 per cent. Bosch claims can deliver a result in just under 40 minutes, and be processed using a portable device.
So head down to your Bosch dealer where you can stay in your car, get a covid test and new winshield wiper blades. The ultimate one-stop shopping.
I’ll bet he’s having some doubts about his choice of locations for the second coming (Siberia).
It’s not just that he has to worry about being arrested or poisoned by Pontius Putin, but is Siberia the place for his wardrobe? I’m not one to claim to understand the divine will, but if I were going to spend the day in robes and sandals, I’d make my long-awaited reappearance in Hawaii.
“This week, we’re introducing the COVID layer in Maps, a tool that shows critical information about COVID-19 cases in an area so you can make more informed decisions about where to go and what to do.”
Best legal letter ever …
“First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a socialist. Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out— because I was not a trade unionist. Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—because I was not a Jew. Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.”
– Martin Niemöller, speaking of the Third Reich.
“The Daily Caller Threatens to Sue Louisville Police After Two of its Reporters Arrested During Riots”
“I am packed in with 28 other people in a 20×20 cell. Not all of us have masks, and there is not enough room so people are sleeping on the floor.”
I’m not sure this article really has the answers, but their success has been astounding.
Laos, Myanmar, Cambodia, Vietnam and Thailand have about 250 million people between them and to date they have a total of 244 covid deaths for all five nations added together, despite the fact that three of those countries have borders with China. Laos and Cambodia have no fatalities at all, although Laos borders China.
That may not be a fair equivalence, but in more realistic terms we could compare the USA to Canada. If the USA had the same fatality rate as Canada, it would have about 80,000 fatalities rather than 200,000. That’s 120 thousand deaths that could have been avoided.
So far.
Man ODs on a fatal dose of black licorice
Was it MURDER? Police are following a colorful pink and white trail of Good ‘n Plenty.
“Governor Mike Parson has tested positive for coronavirus. The news comes hours after the Governor’s office confirmed First Lady Teresa Parson tested positive for the virus.”
Righteous math! As I have noted previously, we have now lost more people to the coronavirus in a few months than the U.S. Army lost fighting Hitler in the full 3 1/2 years of the war in Europe and the Mediterranean.
So by Trump’s logic, Hitler affected virtually nobody in the USA.
The predicted death toll for the virus through the end of this year is almost identical to the number we lost in the entire second world war, including all branches of service in all theaters of operation.
“Our nation has lost a justice of historic stature. Today we mourn but with confidence that future generations will remember Ruth Bader Ginsburg as we knew her, a tireless and resolute champion of justice.”
Chief Justice John Roberts
A new bronze statue of first lady Melania Trump was unveiled in Slovenia this week, after a wooden version of the memorial was burned in July. pic.twitter.com/0nVGXShV1E
— CBS News (@CBSNews) September 18, 2020
