104 thoughts on “The Queen”

  4. NYC being the covid19 epicenter, wonder if their alleyways are now littered with dead cat bodies.  if it’s not one thing it’s another to worry over.

    from the news yesterday about a tiger at Bronx soo coming down with the virus and this story from the guardian the other day:

    The team, at Harbin Veterinary Research Institute in China, found that cats are highly susceptible to Covid-19 and appear to be able to transmit the virus through respiratory droplets to other cats. Dogs, chickens, pigs and ducks were found to be unlikely to catch the infection, however.
    The findings followed recent reports of a pet cat in Belgium being infected with Covid-19. About a week after the cat’s owner started showing symptoms, the cat also developed breathing difficulties, diarrhoea and vomiting, and subsequent tests by vets at the University of Liège showed the animal was infected with coronavirus.

  8. It looks like all mammals are susceptible to this novel, kennel cough.  Maybe, in addition to light-blocking asteroids, viruses are how large numbers of beings go missing or even become extinct.

  9. I had a dream that the next stimulus package had a mandatory, cost of living raise for all Americans, based on their most recent pay.  Then, silver pieces (quarters & dimes) fell out of the ceiling, as well as teeth studded with little diamonds.

  10. “..while we have still more to endure, better days will return. we will be with our friends again. we will be with our families again. we will meet again.”

    lizzie II final words above reminiscent of song from wwII days which would make a good theme song for us in the current catastrophe.

  14. There’s reporting that Trump international will begin shipping the new “Trump Test” by the end of the week.  They’re Beautiful!  Perrrrrrfect!

  16. A great ad would be showing Trump refusing to let Fauci answer the question about Trump’s snake oil

  18. Jack, crying is important. I told my son, the doc, to give himself permission to cry from all the stress and death. It’s part of being human. There have been a few times, though,  I’ve wished I didn’t have emotions, any emotions. But the only way to survive stuff like this is to go through it, sober, fell it and come out the other side regardless of how long that takes. There’s that saying, that which doesn’t kill us makes us stronger. Well, I can now leap over tall buildings in a single bound.

  20. Someone on The View just posed an interesting question.  Why is Prez Cockwoble J. Trump touting hydrocloroquine as the cure?  Is he going to get a kickback from the producer of that drug or something?    

  21. Probably,  Trump just wants to trade science for some magic beans.  Fart the virus away.    

  22. Here’s two good reasons not to be heavily invested in oil stocks today:

    – SFB doesn’t realize that we only produce 3/4 of the oil the country needs (prior to the second bullet point below) rather than being self sufficient with respect to oil.

    – With the majority of Americans staying at home amid the coronavirus outbreak, demand for gasoline has plummeted. According to data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration and analyzed by Ned Davis Research, the hit to demand is far more severe than during the financial crisis.  (Demand for gasoline is down 1/3 from 2 weeks ago.  

    With his kind of insight …

  23. Isaac Asimov died OTD in 1992. This quotation from 1980 holds up: “There is a cult of ignorance in the United States…. [It is] nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that ‘my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge.’”

  24. The air is a lot cleaner now that people aren’t driving.  Maybe a clue that another source of energy is in order. 

  26. I bought gasoline this morning for the first time in a month.  As someone who works from home, I usually buy gas every other week anyways.  I paid $1.99 per gallon at the only station in this one horse town.  With prices like that, it sure would be nice to go somewhere….  but….

  28. BiD, your dream = PTSD?  But it was am interesting one.
    Jamie, excellent quote!  “There is a cult of ignorance in the United States…. [It is] nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that ‘my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge.’”
    Cuomo’s on.  He’s giving New Yorkers hell.
    Why is today our Iwo Jima? Maybe for New York, but not for everyone else.  As this moves through the country, every other place will have their own Iwo Jima.  I’m confused.
     

  32. in category of “my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge”

    the guardian:

    The same evening, reports emerged that Navarro got into a verbal fight with Fauci at a coronavirus taskforce meeting in the White House Situation Room on Saturday.
    Speaking to CNN on Monday, Navarro acknowledged the disagreement and said he told Fauci in response to his concerns about the anecdotal nature of evidence regarding hydroxychloroquine: “I would have two words for you: ‘second opinion’.”
    Navarro told CNN that studies including one published in the last few days involving Wuhan, China prove hydroxychloroquine can help coronavirus patients recover. Navarro said the Wuhan study was one of the first randomized in a control group.
    The trade adviser also claimed his PhD in economics qualified him to have such debates with health experts like Fauci.
    “Doctors disagree about things all the time,” he said. “My qualifications in terms of looking at the science is that I’m a social scientist. I have a PhD, and I understand how to read statistical studies.”

  33. obvious that dr Navarro has already been practicing medicine =  brain surgery on IMpotus

  34. $530 million = Queen Elizabeth’s personal net worth.
    $107 million = Annual amount the government of the UK spends to maintain all the palaces and pay all the expenses of the Royal Family.  
    Some people are not “suffering” as much as others during this crisis.
    Journalist Mike Barnicle (one of my fellow Irish American Bostonians) once referred to the Royal Family as “the world’s best dressed welfare recipients.”
     

  35. Here’s one of SFB’s tweets from today:

    “My Press Conferences are vital,” Trump tweeted earlier Monday. “They are reaching millions of people that are not being told the truth, & haven’t been for years (Witch-Hunts, Fake News)!”

    His pressers continue that tradition.

  36. During World War II the British were led by Prime Minister Winston Churchill.
    During the Covid-19 pandemic, the British are led by Prime Minister Boris Johnson
    Oxford graduate Johnson is an upper class twit who can at least claim to be slightly smarter than Trump. 
    But not much smarter.  Boris Johnson is currently hospitalized with Covid-19. 
    According to today’s edition of the  UK Newspaper “The Guardian,” Johnson is “doing well.”
    (“The Guardian” sometimes slips a little left wing irony into their headlines.) 
     

  37. Just a reminder, it has only been 3 months since the Chinese told the world it had a problem. 

    Dec. 31, 2019 — Chinese authorities inform WHO’s China office of pneumonia cases in Wuhan City, Hubei province, China, with unknown cause.

    That was from this excellent time line of the last 3 months and 6 days that  I found.
    Jack
     

  38. Social science statistics seldom involve the type randomization utilized in medical studies.  They typically treat the data as is if it was a level above what it actually is (e.g. accidental data is treated as randomized in many, if not most, social science studies).  More importantly, it is a very rare social science study that establishes causation as opposed to correlation.  Fauci knows this – Navarro apparently does not.

  39. Nash…  when I first moved up here to NH from Massachusetts, Barnicle wrote for the Boston Globe.  He wrote in that paper that the real reason NH voted for Ronald Reagan was because he looked like The Old Man in the Mountain.  God… I laughed my ass off at that one.

  40. So, it’s becoming apparent that this virus IS airborne over intermediate distances (30 ft?).  i guess that fact isn’t being stressed because it would scare the shit out of people, but be advised:  don’t speak with people without great distance between you and them.

    That infected choir of note is the key, and the same issue is why one carrier in a closed setting like a funeral or church infects EVERYONE in that group.

  41. TT, pass my support and good thought on to your son. And remind him that stress can cause just as much health problems as Covid-19. So take breaks, rest and connect with loved ones, it is vitale  in a situation like he is in.  I know Doctors are trained when interns to work until you drop. But that old school attitude just put the doctor in a bed besides his patient. Being tired mentally means you make mistakes and you don’t want to make a mistake with this disease.
    Talked to my sister the nurse yesterday. She works as a cardiac care nurse.. Said she worked the hardest week she had ever worked in her 30 years of nursing last. They had canceled all elective surgery so all she had were people with critical needs. Same patient load  but everyone of them required constant attention. 
    Jack

  42. Nash, can we believe what anyone’s saying about Boris? He’s had the virus for something like 10 days and now he goes into hospital?

  44. Jack, good Covid link. And thanks! I’ll tell my son, as in text.
    Bink, yes, seems we can get it from just breathing or singing near someone.  They need to say that the mask does protect us!
    https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2020-03-29/coronavirus-choir-outbreak
    “Sixty singers showed up. A greeter offered hand sanitizer at the door, and members refrained from the usual hugs and handshakes. After 2½ hours, the singers parted ways at 9 p.m.
    Nearly three weeks later, 45 have been diagnosed with COVID-19 or ill with the symptoms, at least three have been hospitalized, and two are dead. Everybody came with their own sheet music and avoided direct physical contact. Some members helped set up or remove folding chairs. A few helped themselves to mandarins that had been put out on a table in back.
    Experts said the choir outbreak is consistent with a growing body of evidence that the virus can be transmitted through aerosols — particles smaller than 5 micrometers that can float in the air for minutes or longer.”
     

  45. Renee, the Globe was my paper of choice when I was in NH – and I always looked forward to Barnicle’s columns.  Both of his controversial columns occurred after I left the area and I only became aware of the controversy sometime after the fact, the Globe not being widely available in WV (that is an understatement) and I have no idea whether it was in wide digital circulation in the late 90s.  I was reading the local rag and occasionally a Sunday WaPo or NYT, which were available at the local GoMart.

  46. https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/dem-lawmaker-wants-trump-prosecuted-at-international-court-for-crimes-against-humanity/ar-BB12dVjc?ocid=spartanntp

    A Democratic state representative in Ohio said she “can’t take it anymore” and vowed to refer President Trump to the International Criminal Court for “crimes against humanity” over Trump’s promotion of a drug that has not been conclusively proven to fight the coronavirus.
    State Rep. Tavia Galonski tweeted Sunday after President Trump spoke about hydroxychloroquine at his daily press briefing. The drug, normally used to treat malaria, is one of several that the president has pointed to as showing promise in the fight against COVID-19, but its effectiveness has been a subject of debate.
    “I can’t take it anymore. I’ve been to The Hague. I’m making a referral for crimes against humanity tomorrow,” Galonski said. “Today’s press conference was the last straw. I know the need for a prosecution referral when I see one.”

  48. Diligence cleaning surfaces is great but it’s the air one needs to worry about.
     
    i have too many people in my life using their personal stress and anxiety as an excuse to do nothing, and it’s getting old.  i’m stressed, too, but less so than i will be when i can’t breathe or eat.
     
    Jack, i’m terrible with words of consolation so i avoid such, but you ain’t dead, yet.  Stay strong.

  49. I agree IMpotus is committing a crime against humanity (and IS a crime against humanity himself) but why not just report him and Navarro to relevant regulatory boards for practicing medicine without a license?

  50. “Not dead yet.” 
    That was the old feller’s reply, back in Rapid City, after Don told him that drinking that strained sterno was going to kill him. 
    3 equally stressed syllables.

  51. Also, wear goggles or keep your eyes closed.   Any point of entry will do with this virus.   
    Nash – How many tourism dollars is (was) generated from tours of the royal palace, weddings & parades?     The Queen’s speech shows she is the leader of the heart, if only a figurehead.  
     
    TT – Vivid dreams have always been with me.  A friend in LA told me I should write scripts based on them.  I remember some from childhood.   

  53. On the trail early this morning, I saw maybe 5 out over a 30 minute period.   A guy stood at the top of the trail and waited for a woman to turn so he wouldn’t pass her in the walkway.   Even with a mask, I found myself walking off the path toward the pond, turning my face away from the few others I encountered.   

  54. Ive dearly loved every attorney that’s ever found him or herself on my side in some matter or other.

  56.  
     

    Tyson Foods Inc said on Monday it shut an Iowa hog slaughterhouse after more than 24 cases of COVID-19 involving employees at the facility, in the latest disruption to the U.S. food supply chain from the coronavirus outbreak.

    This plant produces 2% of the pork consumed in the US. 
    Something that will come out of this pandemic is the realization of how vulnerable our supply chains are. 

  57. Boris Johnson in ICU. Queens speech might not have been a coincidence. Thought she did a nice job. Not a fan of royals but in the absence of credible leadership here I’ll take her. 

  58. yep, that is the way herd immunity works, weed out the old and weak and those that survive pass on the traits that helped them survive. Viruses often have a different definition of “superior” then politicians.  Everybody is offering prayers but given the blood on his hands, I’ll let him and his God work tht one out.
     
    Jack

  60. RebelliousRenee:
    Mike Barnicle got fired from the “Boston Globe” for making up interviews that he claimed were real.
    Now he’s a (pretty good) political commentator on the Joe & Mika MSNBC morning show.
    Hey, everybody makes mistakes, right?
     
     
     

  62. Although, Trump doesn’t care about Repugz, either, since he insists there will be an IRL convention.   At least Dems will have a virtual convention in July.   Trump thinks all the wheels will be churning by then. He still doesn’t get it.

  63. For something different, this guy would not shut up during the last hour of work. I have the patio door open because the weather is so nice.

  64. Do the rich who have procured ventilators for themselves realize they will need someone to sedate and intubate them?  A ventilator is not an oxygen mask. 

  65. BB – He’s a beauty! Singing for his mate, no doubt.   The squirrels here are crazy.   

  66. Vanilla Birdies, If you’re out there, let us know how you are doing in NYC.  

  67. It won’t matter they all be dead from taking sfb’s s patent medicines.  

  69. Everyone might want to check with their auto insurer.  Several firms are giving sharp discounts for April and May because of decrease in mileage.

  72. They are in the second day of testing hydroxycloroquine on nursing home patients in TX.

  76. BiD

    Oh goodie.  A whole group of people likely to have heart conditions being fed a drug that has a regular side effect of heart attacks.  

     

  80. So, Modly chastised those left on the Petri dish/ship for applauding Crozier.   He said that Crozier was either naive or “stupid” if he didn’t think the media would get wind of his whistleblowing.    Jeez, Modly is a stupid weasel if he didn’t think blasting an announcement wasn’t going to get to the media.   Dumbass.

  82. I don’t care what Trump says, now that British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is now in an ICU, Trump has to be frightened that he may be next. 
    It is well known that Trump is a “germaphobe,” so this “brave public face” is just another Trump lie.
     
     
     
     

  83. Trump and his underlings have angered a lot of people in the Navy over the way Captain Crozier has been treated.
    Most people in the “all volunteer” military of today are conservatives who vote Republican, and they see this as a betrayal to their core values.

  85. Kumcho passed on the night of May 25th sometime during the last ten years. I have meaningful conversations with her several times every day. Upon my demise we shall be going together to Arlington. It was our last stop when I was on my journey to Vietnam back in ’65. We wrote each other every day. The letters usually took at least a week to make the journey. We never wrote a harsh word because we knew sentiments would change long before the letter would be received. We had a wonderful relationship–and others said it wouldn’t work.

  87. I was exceedingly fortunate in having generous, kind-hearted individuals risk their own careers by rescuing me from my transgressions involving outspoken criticism of my chain-of-command both uttered and published. General Powell is the most understanding individual in the world; he rescued me more than once.

  88. Please read below and share the word to help  an emergency effort to get out the vote tomorrow (April 7) for Wisconsin!

    At stake are many Mayoral races, a school bond, plus a key seat on the WI Supreme Court. This effort is also working to help build progressive infrastructure in the state of Wisconsin in preparation for the November election.

    As you can see from today’s news, the Democratic Governor issued an Executive Order to try and delay the election until June, after the Republican-controlled Legislature refused to open a Special Session to consider that proposal. They actually are driving people to the polls to vote in person during a pandemic! This is the legacy of Scott Walker and tomorrow’s election brings an opportunity to improve the Supreme Court and boost the outlook for progressives in the state. 

    Over 1.5 million Wisconsin voters requested absentee ballots and Republicans are turning in their ballots in much greater numbers than the Dems. Absentee ballots are not due until next week, so calling will continue beyond tomorrow to help answer voter questions and get those ballots returned.

    There will be trainings throughout the day tomorrow, beginning at 8 am pacific time, for anyone willing to make GOTV phone calls to Wisconsin. 

    Please reply to me if you can join the training and make some calls. We need:

    your name, email address, phone number and your state/time zone to help schedule your training and shift. 

    If you can’t make calls, can you recruit 1 or 2 people to join this effort? Help is needed throughout the week. Thanks for whatever you can do.

     sndybeech@gmail.com

     

  89. Pogo, glad I remembered ya.
     
    Tamiflu.  Anyone know why tamiflu isn’t even mentioned?
     
     

  90. Zika, SARS, Ebola, and MERS were recent but were epidemics not pandemics, thank the gods. I wonder how that happened. Guess I’ll have to spend TIME hunting down the answers. But, what else do I have to do that’s urgent?

  92. Tamiflu is to reduce the severity of influenza after you’ve tested positive for flu. 

    Ebola isn’t gone.

    Yesterday, I posted a link that showed outbreaks from Spanish flu going forward. Everything changed in 1999 with regard to cross-mutations.

  93. TT, as BiD mentioned, Tamiflu acts to lessen symptoms caused by flu. Zeke Emanuel mentioned it tonight as part of a cocktail for flu. He says anything that will be effective will be one of several meds attacking different actions of the virus and the body. 

  95. Oh, fuck, people.  D9n’t experiment with drugs.  

    You know what you CAN do, though?

  97.  
    Bink
    For a person who isn’t any good at it, ya done good.  Mostly the best words of comfort are simply “I am here”
    Jack

  98. I’m watching Paul Simon age on youtube from a baby faced  youth to old gray haired man. And he is a hell of a performer every step of that trip. 
    Jack

  99. Keep your mind right, good Sir💪❤️🇺🇸
     
    “Graceland” might be the ‘80s best album.  Clicking “play”.

    “ta-na-na-na”

    (omg you can edit comments without the embedded video stopping, WHOLE NEW BALLGAME)

  100. …back to my “Dance Pop Hotness” playlist.  i have to dance off the stress because i have to do the work of 3 families- mine, and the two closest to me that haven’t realized they are behind the 8-ball.  Fuck.  Good to be needed, i guess? 🤷‍♂️😭🇺🇸

  101. I don’t know about the 80’s but it is Paul Simons best, damn near any song on it. If you can only own one Paul Simon album then Graceland is it.
    Jack

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