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New York Post, January 26: Schumer calls on Feds to declare coronavirus outbreak a public health emergency.

Republicans: ‘Nobody Expected’ the Coronavirus Pandemic. So Joe Biden Is Nobody?

One example of a major Democrat who took this seriously would be Joe Biden, who, as the party’s presumptive presidential nominee, is arguably the major Democrat. Biden wrote an op-ed on January 27 warning that Trump had left the country unprepared to handle the coronavirus outbreak, and proposing steps to counter it. One of his main advisers, Ron Klain, wrote an op-ed making similar points five days before that.

Army Warned in Early February That Coronavirus Could Kill 150,000 Americans

An unclassified briefing document on the novel coronavirus prepared on Feb. 3 by U.S. Army-North projected that “between 80,000 and 150,000 could die.” It framed the projection as a “Black Swan” analysis, meaning an outlier event of extreme consequence but often understood as an unlikely one.

In other words, the Army’s projections on Feb. 3 for the worst-case scenario in the coronavirus outbreak are, as of this week, the absolute best-case scenario—if not a miraculous one.

Public Health Emergency was declared on January 31st, but the National Emergency wasn't declared until March 13.

Via

Drivers Give Riders Wearing Helmets Less Room on the Road

Bicycle helmet wearing is associated with closer overtaking by drivers: A response to Olivier and Walter, 2013

Next time you're looking for something to watch: Crossing Africa and the Sahara by Truck

This "video" documents a journey made across Africa and the Sahara Desert in 1959/60. It uses color slides shot during the journey and shows how images from the past can be given a new lease of life. This is not a journey I would care to make today.

When the grandkid (4+) says he can't come for a visit because of the Corona Virus. He said it like he understands it.

Everyone has the things that make something "sink in". This was Nancy's.

I LOLed, but maybe it's just that I'm stuck here with two cats while Charlene is out of town. Cats — The Butthole Cut Trailer (YouTube video).

Via MeFi

RT Kyle but Thursday ⠈⠜ @KyleMisner

Boomers calling me millennial like I earned a degree in smart phones and social justice🤷🏼‍♂️

RT Ben Williams @bmwmtesq Replying to @JenKirkman

I remember them saying “we survived Obama. You’ll survive Trump.”

Turns out they were wrong.

Navy dismisses USS Theodore Roosevelt aircraft carrier captain who spoke out about coronavirus response

So the first diagnoses of COVID-19 on the ship were March 24th. The letter was written March 30th and published March 31st. The captain has been relieved because he "showed poor judgment" in sending the letter to a group of 20 or 30 people, one of them might have been the leaker and leaking the letter “would be something that would violate the principles of good order and discipline.”

Sounds like a bureaucracy that sat on their collective hands for nearly a week is firing this dude to cover up their own incompetence.

Black Illustrations. Free stock art of black people for your next digital project.

Great Twitter thread on the horrors of the EARN IT act

I kinda got a good feeling from donating my shop stash of N95 masks, but it feels like I'm getting more good vibes from mailing out all the old web cams I've accumulated over the years...

So the news this morning was that Georgia Governor Brian Kemp (R) is claiming that he didn't know that COVID-19 could spread by asymptomatic people until yesterday. I don't know what rock he was hiding under, but that sort of wilful denial of something that's been all over the place (and that we learned from the first cruise ship situations) is, at best, gross incompetence.

Meanwhile, US Senators Tom Cotton (R-AR) and Josh Hawley (R-MO) have introduced legislation "To authorize the imposition of sanctions with respect to the deliberate concealment or distortion of information about public health emergencies of international concern, and for other purposes." Unfortunately, those sanctions don't appear to American politicians who seem to have deliberately buried their heads in the sand for short-term political gain.

Speaking of American politicians who seem to have deliberately buried their heads in the sand for short-term political gain, I think it's worth going back and pointing out again that that disgusting Tim Morrison retcon claiming that Trump didn't disband the CDC pandemic response3 team is easily debunked by going back and reading news articles from the time. Or just looking at Twitter from two years ago:

When the next pandemic occurs (and make no mistake, it will) and the federal government is unable to respond in a coordinated and effective fashion to protect the lives of US citizens and others, this decision by John Bolton and Donald Trump will be why.

Top White House official in charge of pandemic response exits abruptly

(Also, it's not like Republicans have a lock on fucking up pandemic response, a reminder that Arnold Schwarzenegger tried to help California be more prepared, and Jerry Brown fucked that up.)

Anyway, your cheery news for the morning is that excess mortality rates are skyrocketing in Europe, suggesting that the mortalities attributed to COVID-19 are low.

Yikes.

Bonus: Partisan divisions on COVID-19 exist in Canada but they're deeper — and more dangerous — in the U.S.

Houseguest was using the shop to make a tobacco pipe, so I figured I'd make one at the same time to play with techniques. Olive, walnut and maple.

Between conflicting mask advice, all the politics, and advice from doctors conflicting with that from microbiologists, is there any COVID-19 information that we can trust? Scoop: Netanyahu shared fake video as proof of Iranian virus cover-up

... Several hours later, Netanyahu's office realized the video had nothing to do with Iran, or with the coronavirus crisis. It was a clip from “Pandemic," a 2007 Hallmark Channel mini-series.

COVID-19 vs. New York Daily Average Cause of Death. Fantastic little visualization of how this Coronavirus went from nothing to dominating.

So I love y'all, I really do, but I can tell who works from home and who... uh... doesn't by who loses track of what day it is.

A COVID-19 Admonition ***EXPLICIT (YouTube video) "Stay the fuck at home".

RT LMVT Catmin @LMVTACAB

I get all the guillotine jokes. I do. but in a moment of crisis like this, those kinds of jokes are inappropriate and dangerous. You can't maintain proper social distancing with a guillotine. Be responsible and use RANGED weaponry (at least 2 METER range) per CDC recommendations.

The Volatile Mermaid @OhNoSheTwitnt

Batman is rich, his parents are dead, and he allows animals that most people would consider pests to live in his house, therefore Batman is the Disney Princess of Gotham. I will not being taking questions at this time.

Oh, look, the economic stimulus package will help those struggling "...couples with more than $500,000 in annual capital gains or income from sources other than their business".

Bonanza for Rich Real Estate Investors, Tucked Into Stimulus Package

A small change to tax policy could hand $170 billion in tax savings to real estate tycoons.

RT Orli Matlow @HireMeImFunny

I just took a COVID-19 test turns out I’m 100% that rich

I have lost track of the days that we've been isolated. We're digging through the food stores, trying to piece together meals....

Friday, February 7th: "Biegun said the United States has also sent nearly 17.8 tons of medical supplies to China, including masks, gowns and other protective gear." Something about economists taking in each other's washing. https://mobile.reuters.com/article/amp/idUSKBN2012FH?

Shelter in place