#AND NO I’m not being negligent about the lockdown and covid | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

madamspeaker · 3 years

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agir1ukn0w: I’ve found that there’s a pretty wide divide between how pretty much everyone on this site views Johnson and how my mom views him. I think she acknowledges that he’s not a perfect prime minister by any means, but because he expressed that he hated having to deal with Trump and was apparently an ok mayor of London she’s more inclined to think better of him. I wish I knew every reason why people here hate people in England, because it just seems like a more complex situation (even tho there are undoubtedly some more black and white scenarios) And like, my mom is a really intelligent woman, she’s pretty progressive for someone who grew up in the heart of Republican territory (Kansas) and is now an Independent, she believes emphatically in climate change and hates Trumps guts. It may just be that she’s an independent that makes her less inclined to see Johnson as a truly awful PM like a lot of people do. I just can’t ever argue with her about these things because she gets her info from British news sources and no one here cites any of theirs, though I believe that at least half of it must have some basis in fact otherwise people wouldn’t be dying on this Johnson-hating hill in such large numbers. I hope I don’t sound like a boot-licker or whatever, I’m just genuinely trying to get to the bottom of why everyone hates this guy.

I am predisposed to loathe Tory Prime Ministers in general, although I can say that as much as I detested his government, I didn’t really mind John Major. Perhaps because for all his faults and the general awfulness of the party he lead, you got the sense that Major appreciated the seriousness of the job, that he understood the weight of it - that it wasn’t some gig to wing your way through, and he helped secure the Good Friday Agreement for Northern Ireland. He was a serious man (ignoring that insane episode with Edwina Currie) who understood legacy. You get no sense of that at all with Johnson, no sense that he understands anything beyond the title of the briefings he is presumably given, and from the looks of things never reads. He darts from one thing to another, one whim to the next, there’s no belief system governing anything he does other than the “what benefits Boris personally” ideology. That’s why he backed Brexit. It wasn’t because he had some ideological belief that the EU was bad for the UK (hell he wrote more than a few pro-EU articles for the Torygraph before he decided his career prospects looked better by flipping sides), it was because he looked at the referendum and made a calculation as to what side of the argument would most benefit him. He’s Trump to a degree, but far, far, FAR more dangerous. Trump is an unpleasant personality - he’s oafish, poorly spoken, he’s unattractive, and has no self awareness of any of this. Johnson is far more dangerous because he is aware of it, and he plays on these aspects of himself - he’s deliberately unkempt, he babbles, he plays up the clown aspect because he knows that it disarms people, they are so distracted by the exterior - the messy hair, the disheveled suits, the bumbling word salads for speeches, that a lot of people don’t see him as being capable of true evil and corruption. Trump looked and sounded like an idiot villain, whereas to a lot of people Johnson just seems like an idiot - and he’s not. The whole exterior is a calculation to mask a maliciously ambitious man, whose only concern is himself, and who has managed to rather easily convince a great swathe of England to go with him because like Trump, he is openly all those things that middle-Englanders have always been, but until 2016 was not acceptable to admit - like being racist - but unlike Trump, Johnson wraps up the racism in much more palatable ideas like animal welfare bills, and supporting climate change policies - so everyone who votes for the Tories can pretend that they’re really doing so because they want to have green and clean energy, and not because they really hate anyone who isn’t white and has a “foreign” accent. If you want to see the real Boris Johnson, look no further than the “let the bodies pile up” comment he made (and corroborated by several sources) before the second lockdown last year. The bubbling clown that appears on television doesn’t seem the sort who would say that, but the ambitious charlatan who lied to the Queen so he could get Parliament prorogued to try and stop any attemps to prevent the UK crashing out of the EU without a deal would. That whole thing is now widely forgotten, but it goes to his ruthless nature - he lied, abused centuries of precedent and history to try and get a “no deal” that would benefit him and his friends. In the end it was the Supreme Court that stopped him in his tracks there. But just as Trump’s disregard for procedure and rule of law has had little negative effect on how his supporters see him, the same applies to Johnson, because fundamentally he gives his base what they want - a license to be racist. All these people chanting about taking back power from the EU so as to make the UK Parliament sovereign (which it always was btw) are weirdly silent when Johnson undermines that very same UK Parliament, when he tries to by-pass it, when he tries to stop elected MPs having a say. It’s almost like it has nothing to do with EU power and everything to do with them liking the guy who compares Muslim women in niqabs to postboxes, and refers to Black people as “'piccaninnies” with “watermelon smiles”. And if there wasn’t enough reason to detest him for the racism, and the horrific attitude to Covid deaths, we have his utterly cavalier attitude to Northern Ireland and the Good Friday Agreement. He either genuinely seems to think he can just wing his way through a situation that requires a super sensitive touch, or he just doesn’t give a fuck if people start bombing each other again, all thanks to Brexit, his grand scheme. Either is pretty unforgivable. To be so lazy as to assume things will just work out no matter what you do, or to just not care if things do go wrong. Men and women spent years getting to the point of the GFA being signed, and to be fair to every Prime Minister since Major, they all took it seriously and understood the need to protect that agreement. Johnson, I doubt he’s even read it (and it’s not that long). That is why I detest him. That is why I want him gone, and I want him tried for negligence over how he has handled Covid. He’s an insidious and corrupt asshole, whose put on clownish buffonery masks what a terrifying and evil leader he is.

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amphtaminedreams · 3 years

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COVID-19, Negligent Manslaughter, and a Timeline of Tory Indifference

“I feel sorry for Boris Johnson. He is doing the best he can in the situation and I don’t think anybody else could have done a better job.”

[exhibit A: a gem somebody that I’m Facebook friends with reposted earlier]

It’s a sentiment that I cannot quite wrap my head around. I sit here hopeless and furious and trying to hold back tears because it’s been almost a year since England first went into lockdown and yet here we are, almost 100,000 dead, in an even worse position than we were before whilst other countries begin to slowly return to normality. It is clear to me who is to blame for this, however there are a large proportion of people who don’t want to “politicise” the actions of the PRIME MINISTER with regards to his approach towards handling a virus sweeping the country he GOVERNS.

Typically, these kind of posts making the rounds on social media will be accompanied by some kind of photo of Boris Johnson looking somber as if to suggest that the way things have played out were beyond his control and that he is some kind of broken man beleaguered by the suffering he has, despite good intentions, inadvertently caused.

This one in particular of Johnson with his head in his hands is a staple. In reality, this is a photo taken back in 2018 whilst he was receiving flack from party members for comparing Theresa May to a suicide bomber (for her handling of Brexit, ironically) as well as from the papers due to his rumoured (now also proven, in a completely non-surprising turn of events, to be true) affair with his former aide, Carrie Symonds.

So let’s shut this narrative-where we should feel for Boris because he’s doing his best, and apparently a better job than anybody else could’ve done in his situation- down right here. In a supposedly developed country with one of the world’s largest economies, if we’re talking by proportion, our COVID-19 death toll is up there with the worst of them. It seems that every other state figurehead (bar a small handful), and I mean almost every single one of them, is doing a better job. People love to throw figures out there about how densely populated we are to combat damning statistics as if we haven’t got just as many factors playing to our advantage, as if it’s unfair to compare our response to Germany’s or Japan’s or Singapore’s (both of which are far more densely populated) or New Zealand’s or Vietnam’s, but we are an ISLAND with world-leading technology and infrastructure and healthcare equipment and professionals and a relatively high standard of living. In what world is almost 70,000 dead in a country with abundant time and means to prepare a response reflective of said country’s leaders doing a good job?

Apparently we’re supposed to believe that Johnson feels some sense of moral responsibility for this astronomical failure. A man who refuses to acknowledge the multiple children he has fathered outside of his marriages and who has had repeatedly engaged in affairs and one-night stands throughout said marriages. A man who continued to cheat whilst his most recent wife was receiving treatment for cervical cancer, for fuck’s sake. Yep, a real stand-up guy.

So where does this idea that Johnson must feel remorseful for this catastrophe come from? We haven’t seen a second of remorse or a hint of accountability for the lives lost from him nor any members of his cabinet. That much is really no surprise; I have this hypothesis, and it’s not a stretch, that these people do not have an ounce of empathy in their bodies. These ridiculously privileged, privately-educated individuals who have had everything handed to them their entire lives simply cannot put themselves in the shoes of the average working person and that is the problem. Unable to recognise that what distinguishes them from most others is little more than the luck of being born into wealth and the abundance of recourses and connections that has entailed throughout their lives, they see us as beneath them-as less intelligent, less driven, and thus less deserving of the status and respect they enjoy. They see us as a bunch of whining, unmotivated idiots who do not recognise the chokehold they have over our media nor the fact that everything they do is a desperate grab to keep money and power within the hands of a select group of people, an exclusive members club from which most of us are barred (just take a simple Google search and watch Jacob Rees-Mogg’s opinion of the Grenfell victims or the buried Johnson speech where he talks about how inequality is essential). They know that we will squabble amongst ourselves about who is to blame rather than wising up to the truth which is that every decision they make is fuelled by cronyism and the inability to make and follow through with difficult choices, the pandemic being no exception. The supposedly self-made elite see the life of the average working class person as having far less value than their own, and their parties actions over the last 10 years have made that very clear.

It was in December 2019 that the first case of COVID-19 was declared to the World Health Organisation and on March the 11th that they announced they considered it as a pandemic. In Wuhan, people were dying of pneumonia in their clusters. And what was Boris Johnson doing in this time? Well for starters, here in the UK we didn’t even have a pandemic committee-Johnson had scrapped it six months before. If years of benefits cuts and defunding of the NHS in favour of funding nuclear weapon programs, keeping British troops on other people’s lands, and tax breaks for the mega corporations that donate to their party didn’t convince you that the Conservatives have little regard for human life, them getting rid of this committee-whilst a pandemic has been declared year after year as the greatest threat to mankind-should have been the first sign of trouble. As if that wasn’t enough, he also skipped five of the COBRA (meetings are made up of a cross-departmental committee put together to respond to national emergencies and PMs routinely attend those pertaining to crises on the scale of COVID-19) meetings addressing the situation. Whilst other countries were closing their borders and stocking up on PPE, Johnson and his ministers were selling PPE abroad and simply telling people to wash their hands to the length of the tune of happy birthday. Their only policy was one of “herd immunity”, which was in fact not a policy but just an abandonment of their party’s public duty disguised as one, intentionally obfuscated with pseudoscientific jargon.

Even thinking the absolute worst of politicians you would hope that when it came to the point where the UK’s non-response to COVID-19 was becoming an international disgrace, Johnson and his ministers would take proper protective measures if only to save face. But when they eventually seemed to do so, it became clear that the priority was not the safety of the ordinary people affected by the virus. Outsourcing their test and traces system to companies such as Serco, Sitel, Deloitte and G4S rather than public health services, Conservative ministers could not resist attempting to line the pockets of their friends and benefactors in the process. According to the Guardian, instead of reaching out to the experts or using publicly funded services to handle COVID containment measures, the Conservative party has awarded a disgusting £1.5 BILLION WORTH of contracts to businesses with explicit connections to its MPs and donors, the majority of which lack any relative experience of the tasks they’ve been trusted to carry out. Unsurprisingly, the National Audit office found that when awarding contracts relating to the production of COVID-19 protection measures and treatment needs, there was a “high-priority lane” for suppliers referred by senior politicians and officials; companies with a political referral were 10 times more likely to end up winning a government contract than those without. On top of this, it is not hard to draw a link between the late initiation of lockdown measures and preemptive openings of pubs and restaurants against scientific advice to the interests of frequent donors such as Wetherspoons owner Tim Martin. Even if one chooses to ignore the blatantly obvious correlation between the owners of the businesses whose profits were prioritised over safety concerns and the number of those owners who donate to the Conservatives, party officials at the very least were reluctant to follow the lead of many other countries in financing furlough schemes themselves and instead avoided this responsibility by using loose lockdown measures to leave it down to the discretion of small business owners, who couldn’t themselves afford to furlough staff, whether or not to stay open.

Time and time again, as the government flounder and fuck about, favouring personal desires to keep their powerful, high-paying jobs and to satisfy the corporate allies who make this possible, blame has been shifted from the public to care homes to NHS workers and back again whilst we, the public, make the biggest sacrifices of all under the illusion that we were being guided out of this pandemic rather than lied to and thrown under the bus. Whilst the elite continue to pick and choose what rules apply to them, it’s students and the elderly and the vulnerable paying the fines and scrabbling to afford basic living costs and hoping that they don’t lose someone dear to them.

Don’t get me wrong, a large proportion of the public have contributed to the spread too with their selfishness and entitlement and the arrogance it takes to develop a sudden refusal to acknowledge basic science from experts who have studied in the field their whole lives so that they can justify their need to go to the pub (speaking of, it’s absolutely HILARIOUS how many “mental health advocates” are suddenly coming out of the woodworks on football avi Twitter after they’ve spent years calling people on mental health Twitter attention seekers). And don't get me wrong, there were inevitably going to be casualties of this pandemic. But it didn't have to spread to this many people, and there didn’t have to be so many deaths due to a lack of preparation, and this wouldn’t have been the case if it weren’t for the inherent apathy of the Conservative party towards the lives of people of lesser status than them, the reluctance to put those lives before party interests. I wish I felt like there was an end in sight, I wish there was some positive takeaway from all of this, but even now, we continue to see corners being cut with the vaccine lauded as our saving grace and anti-maskers gathering outside hospitals to chant about how “oppressive” it is to be urged to wear a bit of cloth over their faces for the short periods of time in which they leave their houses and all I can think of is the selfishness that runs like poison through our country. It makes me sick and leaves me to question desperately where we go from here. I don’t like unanswered questions, I don’t like feeling politically directionless, and I don’t like the growing fear I have about the state of the world which seems to intensify every single day. In the UK at least, it’s starting to feel like nothing will ever change-we’re told we live in a democracy and yet mainstream media is owned by the people whose interest is to keep their Conservative friends in power. The stronghold they have over print media in particular allows them to continually get away with smearing and defaming every person who comes along and seems to want to actually help ordinary people, without being challenged, to the point where the only kind of “opposition” we’re left with promises nothing but a big boss approved tactical reshuffling of the status quo (which they call “electability”); it doesn’t feel like democracy when the majority of the country are being fed misleading information and convinced against voting in their best interests.

This is the result of that. The state we find ourselves in is the inevitable result of being manipulated into helping the elite build their protective wall whilst the rest of us scrabble to get in and step on each others heads along the way, the people inside shouting over that it’s those even more vulnerable than ourselves that are taking our places. Outside the wall, the earth is falling from beneath our feet, and instead of throwing over the ropes to help us out, the people inside are stockpiling them so they can secure their firm place above ground and then later flog the rest. How many more people have to die before we reach some kind of widespread realisation of that? Where do we go from here and what do we do? Well for one, we can stop spreading those god-fucking-awful textposts on Facebook and get our heads out of our arses. Wear our masks over and wear them over our fucking noses. Have some fucking consideration for others. Don’t wait til an issue affects you personally to give a fuck about it. AND START HOLDING THE FUCKING PRIME MINISTER AND HIS MINISTERS AND HIS ENTIRE PARTY AS WELL AS THE OPPOSITION MPS THAT HAVE SAT BY THE SIDELINES AND ALLOWED THIS TO GO ON WITHOUT PROTEST ACCOUNTABLE. That would be a good start.

I’m so tired. Things didn’t need to be this way, and yet because of the selfishness of the few, thousands upon thousands are dead. It’s not about “throwing around blame”, it’s not about “throwing around” anything, it’s about expecting a leader to do his best to protect lives. If that is “throwing blame”, let’s get things clear, I have no issue with hurtling it torpedo style at those who handed out a death sentence to so many in this country rather than do anything that might compromise their own privilege. Honestly, pass me the shovel after and I’ll happily bury the wreckage in the ground. Who wants to join?:-)

#rant #politics #anti capitalism #anticapitalist #covid-19 #covid #england #labour #socialism #fuck the tories #fuck the torys #fuck boris #rant post

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theotherjourney7 · 4 years

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“The Week In Tory:

1. The government launched a “Fix your bike” voucher website, only to break in less than an hour.

2. The government said we should all lose weight, yet is still issuing vouchers to help us buy burgers.

3. It was revealed the government spent £400m buying a bankrupt satellite company, OneWeb, to replace the Euro GPS system we lose due to Brexit. Months before, a study by MIT found that OneWeb’s tech is 6x less efficient than the EU solution: the worst of the technologies studied.

4. In June the government merged the Dept for International Development into the Foreign Office, and said the move "guaranteed there would be no cuts in International Aid". Only this week the government cut International Aid by £2.9bn.

5. And the government quietly granted permission for your health records to be given to Palantir, a controversial data-mining company said to have worked with Cambridge Analytica on Brexit.

6. It did both these things (numbers 4 & 5) the day parliament broke up, so there couldn’t be any questions.

7. In answer to questions about the Russia Report, the government’s suggested solution is to (I'm not making this up) to ask Russia to tell us who their spies are!

8. Ex-Russian intelligence staff say 85% of their work is not spying, but “political funding and misinformation".

9. Which brings us to Funding and Misinformation news:

1) Since 2012, the Tory party has had almost £3m in donations from members of Putin’s cabinets.

2) 14 current government ministers have received donations from individuals or companies connected to the Russian leadership.

3) Home Secretary Priti Patel said the Russia Report could be ignored because it was now 9 months old and “out of date”! The reason for the report being “out of date” as Ms. Patel claims is the government as it delayed the release of the report for 9 months, and the reasons given were described as “simply not true” (aka "misinformation") by the Intelligence Committee.

10. Now Covid news where Health Secretary Matt Hancock boasted he had met the targets on his “Six tests” on Covid 19. Well Full Fact found 4 of the 6 targets were missed, one target couldn’t be met because it had never been defined, and 1 “relied on a definition [that] does not reflect practice”.

11. The cross-party Media & Culture Committee found that the government’s support for arts was “vague and slow-coming” and “jeopardised UK culture”

12. The cross-party Public Accounts Committee found : 1)there was an “astonishing failure to plan for the economic impact” of Covid 19

2) It also said the policy of discharging patients into care homes was a “reckless and appalling policy error”

3) It called the government “slow, inconsistent [and] negligent”

4) The chair of the Committee said “A competent government does not run a country on the hoof”.

13. More on-the-hoof news: the government quarantined tourists returning from Spain because Spain was a danger! Yet only the day before, Spain had 2 Covid deaths. Britain had 114! Side note the transport secretary was on holiday in Spain, so was effectively trapped by his own department’s decision.

14. Which brings us to Brexit, and a report from London School of Economics showed a WTO Brexit will permanently shrink 16 out of the UK's 24 industry sectors by up to 15% each. Permanently!!!! This report lead to: 1) A Tory MP tweeted “👍🏼WTO here we come!”

2) Another pro-Brexit Tory MP with a grasp of what's to come tweeted “my strong advice is: take the opportunity to live abroad”

3) Dominic Cummings (chief adviser to the Prime Minister Boris Johnson and considered to be the main engineer for Brexit) tweeted that leaving the EU "could be an error”!!!!

15. And now PPE contracts, so prepare to begin eternal screaming:

1) £252m to Ayanda Capital, registered in Mauritius for tax purposes. PPE not delivered.

2) £186m to Uniserve. PPE not delivered.

3) £116m to P14 Medical Supplies, with assets of just £145. PPE not delivered.

4) £108m to PestFix, with just 16 employees. PPE not delivered.

5) £107m to Clandeboye Agencies, a sweet wholesaler. Yes, a sweet wholesaler. PPE not delivered.

6) £40m to Medicine Box Ltd, with assets of just £6000. PPE not delivered.

7) £48m to Initia Ventures Ltd, which registered itself as “dormant” in March. PPE not delivered.

8) £28m to Monarch Acoustics, which makes shop furniture. PPE not delivered.

9) £25m to Luxe Lifestyle, which has no employees, no assets, and no turnover. PPE not delivered.

10) £18m to Aventis Solutions, which has total assets of £332. Not a typo, £332. PPE not delivered.

11) £10m to Medco Solutions, incorporated just 3 days after lockdown, with share capital of (not a typo) £2. PPE not delivered.

In all, approximately £1bn to inexplicable suppliers for PPE that hasn’t been delivered!!!!!

The government still polls well for economic competence. Go figure.

16. Meanwhile a Nuffield Health study found after 10 years of "chronic underinvestment", UK is at the bottom of the league table for health resources; and diagnostics and surgery by the NHS will take 4 years to return to pre-Covid levels! But £1bn for non-existent PPE.

17. The government’s “world beating” test-and-trace programme was described as “scandalous” by the British Medical Journal, and found to miss its 80% target in every Covid hotspot announced this week.

18. And finally, Boris Johnson refused a public enquiry into government handling of Covid 19....”-Russ

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samtheflamingomain · 3 years

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i hate my boss

It took a pandemic for most of us to see how truly selfish and idiotic an alarming percent of the population is.

I walk into work today and there's easily double the limit of people we're currently allowed. We go back to "lockdown" (takeout only, so our small bar will be closed) Saturday.

I say offhandedly to my boss, "Seems like there's too many people in here..."

"Oh, yeah, I know. But like... I've only got today and tomorrow y'know? I'm willing to risk the fine."

The. Fine.

I almost bit my own tongue off not snapping back, "And you're also willing to risk my life?"

This girl just does not get it. She doesn't wear a mask half the time, patrons can roam the bar and change tables as they please, and, I shit you not, in the 1.5h I worked with her today, I saw her hug 4 people. And those are just the times I happened to be out front.

She is the epitome of the reason we're still in this mess. Here's the icing on top of this shitcake: I asked her, "Do you still need me Saturday? Are you going to be open for takeout?" She said yes, but only that day, to get rid of as much food as possible. "I guess (bartender) won't be working then?"

Yes, she will, because, and I quote, "I can't work that day, it's our big family Easter."

Big. Family. Easter.

This coming right on the tails of the lockdown announcement, wherein my Premier accused young people of being the biggest spreaders, "going to parties and thinking they're invincible". Yes, he actually said that.

90% of the people I see breaking rules are fucking boomers. They're the ones spreading the bullshit on Facebook, being Karens about masks, and protesting not being able to get their fucking hair cut.

I'm a "young person". The only exposure I have is at work, where I serve food and touch the used dishes of a bunch of old blue collar men in their 50s-70s. I don't like to generalize, but almost every single person that comes in bitches about masks, at the least. I ran out of fingers and toes counting the times I've heard long-ass rants about how it's all a conspiracy.

Statistically, I'm in one of the highest-risk categories for Covid: a line cook in a dive bar full of conspiracy theorists. But I'm not even mentioned in the conversation about vaccine priority.

I grew up abused and neglected, and had a very bleak and jaded outlook on life by age 4. It's never been worse than now. So many people that I thought were decent, semi-intelligent people are actually selfish, negligent assholes. And my boss is the worst one.

Stay Greater, Flamingos

#covid #ontario lockdown #sam #fuck capitalism

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allthebrazilianpolitics · 4 years

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What Bolsonaro said as Brazil's coronavirus cases climbed

That Brazil saw warning signs would be a dramatic understatement.

As Covid-19 raced across Europe, knocked the UK Prime Minister flat, and throttled New York City earlier this year, Brazil had plenty of notice that a catastrophe was on its way. But was some of the danger drowned out by the megaphone of its bombastic President Jair Bolsonaro, who has repeatedly dismissed the virus as a "little flu"? Brazil has now claimed the grim title of most Covid-19 cases globally after the US. More than 25,000 people in Brazil have died, and some experts say the death toll could quintuple by August. Hospitals and graveyards alike are being stretched to their limits.

Around the world, citizens are asking their governments how local outbreaks spiraled out of control. But in Brazil, where the acting Health Minister is a military general with no health background, and the President personally attends anti-lockdown rallies, it's not clear who in the federal government might even deign to answer the question.

A handful of cases

"When you ban football and other things, you fall into hysteria. Banning this and that isn't going to contain the spread," he told CNN Brasil on March 15. "We should take steps, the virus could turn into a fairly serious issue. But the economy has to function because we can't have a wave of unemployment."

The first death

"Our life has to go on. Jobs should be maintained," Bolsonaro said in a March 24 speech broadcast on national television and radio. Bolsonaro also tweeted videos of himself visiting shopping districts in Brasilia, encouraging people to continue work and boosting the unproven drug chloroquine as a cure.

1,000 deaths

On April 9, images showed the President barefaced at a local bakery, hugging supporters and posing with people in defiance of social distancing advice. Crowds could also be heard in the background booing and yelling out their windows from surrounding buildings.

5,000 deaths

By April 29, more than 5,000 people had died. Questioned by reporters outside of the presidential residence in Brasilia, the President uttered the infamous words, "So what? I'm sorry, but what do you want me to do?" He later added, "I'm sorry for the situation we are currently living with due to the virus. We express our solidarity to those who have lost loved ones, many of whom were elderly. But that's life, it could be me tomorrow."

10,000 deaths

"This story about lockdown, closing everything, that is not the path. ...That is the path to failure, to breaking Brazil," he told journalists on May 14 -- the same day that he signed a decree exempting public officials from liability for their responses to the pandemic unless an action had an "elevated degree of negligence, imprudence or malpractice."

15,000 deaths

Brazil's death toll surpassed 15,000 on May 16. That day, Bolsonaro joined another rally outside his official residence in Brasilia. Video streamed to Bolsonaro's YouTube page showed him wearing a face mask, shaking hands and even carrying several children.

20,000 deaths

By May 21, 20,000 people had died. That night, when Bolsonaro stopped at a hot dog cart in Brasilia his entourage attracted a mix of supporters and angry protestors.

25,000 deaths

Bolsonaro has recently begun calling the fight against the virus a "war," though he continues to insist that economic stagnation will hurt Brazil more than the virus itself. As the total of known cases approaches half a million, it's not clear if any number of graves could reverse that calculus for him.

#brazil #brazilian politics #coronavirus #covid 19 #politics #jair bolsonaro #mod nise da silveira

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daprec · 3 years

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BJJ Floating Mat System DIY Walkthrough

I’m going to share the process of building a floating mat system, from design to sourcing materials and build. I figured I try to take out as much guess work since I had no guidance and had to learn on my own. There were several pieces of the puzzle that came as some small surprises, but hopefully this helps the next person who decided to make the leap to a better mat system. I’m unsure of the process for other countries, but in my case I will detail the process for importing goods into New Zealand – it may differ in other places. I’ll include links to the factory for all the specific mats I ordered in the post.

Towards the end of Sept 2020, just after the Covid-19 lockdown ended in New Zealand, I had an opportunity to expand my BJJ club and sub-lease space in our existing gym we ran out of. I had an elaborate vision of a floating mat system underneath some juicy dollamur mats for use to train in.

I was introduced to the floating mat system years ago when I lived in Los Angeles on a visit to Kron Gracie’s academy in Culver City. I had worked down the street and wanted to congratulate him and have a look around. My friend Ollie Barre worked there and he showed me around, even Kron said hello and mentioned the spring loaded floating mat system to me.

It was about 1/2 a meter high with actual springs under the floor with plywood on top and tatame on top of the ply. It was amazing!

Image courtesy of Kron Gracie Academy Linkedin page

I knew that’s what I wanted but I didn’t have the budget for springs, so I explored other options. After a few searches I came across a couple videos:

How to build the ultimate spring subfloor for your Judo, Jujitsu and Wrestling mats

How to build a Bjj subfloor

Foam and ply – sweet I can do that! Let’s measure the space:

9.7m x 4m – pretty decent space!

After the measurement I needed to visualize the build. I knew I had to see it and make something for others to see the vision I had, so I modeled everything out in Maya and made a 3D render:

Concept render

I used real world units to keep everything to spec, that means the units I use in the 3D application are accurate to and equal to the units I would use on the actual build. The sub-floor would be the most difficult thing to explain to a builder, so I did a couple renders of what the underbelly would look like:

14 sheets of plywood with sub-floor foam block layout

Single sheet plywood foam block layout

I began compiling a list of materials I would need:

15 sheets of 2440mm x 1200mm x 12mm non-structural plywood

6 sheets of closed cell polyethylene foam

tons of liquid nail

timber for boxing in – unsure of spec at that time

5cm thick floor mats, tatame finish

21 wall mats @ 183cm x 122cm x 5cm

Living in New Zealand is awesome BUT sourcing some of these materials was going to be difficult and super expensive. I started calling around and emailing different foam companies and dollamur reps. I was getting quotes just for the dollamur mats of $5-6k NZD alone! I found a company that imports foam and was quoted $500/sheet of PE foam! I didn’t even bother looking at the wall mats – it would have cost me closer to 10K to get everything from NZ companies, so I decided to cut out the middle man and source materials myself.

Of course this lead me to Alibaba.com – the Chinese based website that gives people like myself access to factories where these things are typically made. After a few days of searching and multiple emails, I found a factory – Quindao Sanhong Plastic Co, LTD – that appeared to manufacture everything I needed – floor mats, wall mats and PE foam sheets.

It was my 1st time using Alibaba and to be honest I was SUPER dubious. I would be dealing with people outside of the country I lived in which carries a larger sense of the unknown.

I ended up chatting with a service person named Emily. She was incredibly helpful and thorough and made sure she understood what I required. I sent her an absurd amount of photos, videos, all of my renderings of what I had in mind, the measurements and other specs. She talked me into getting a more dense mat (40kg/cbm – a new unit of measurement I was completely unfamiliar with) for both the floor mats and sub-floor mats.

Originally I intended to have that pool noodle type foam, but Emily urged me not to go that route and go for something thicker – the cost was negligible so I went for it. Trusting someone you’ve never met overseas was hard, but I figured I needed to roll the dice.

The floor mat specs I went with were 3 rolls of 9.7m x 1.33m x 5cm with a tatame finish

Link to mats here

Floor mats

Next were the wall mats. I needed 21 wall mats @ 183cm x 122cm x 5cm Link to mats here

Wall mats

Next was the closed cell sub-floor PE foam. Quindao made 2m x 1m sheets of this stuff, and I needed 6 sheets total to accommodate my space. These were roughly $40USD / sheet so if I got it wrong I figured it wouldn’t be TOO much of a loss. Link to foam sheets here

This is the pool noodle foam I was expecting, but not what I ended up receiving

Emily was very patient and understand of my reservations in dealing with an overseas factory. After a few more emails and messages I pulled the trigger and made the order. At this stage Emily walked me through the process and gave me a general idea of several unknown import costs. Her estimate on the NZ import tax was very close, but she did inform me there would be other costs she had no way of providing an estimate for.

I forgot to mention that a couple months prior to ordering I had already setup a legit business in anticipation of building my dream in the future. Emily had requested an NZ Import ID so fortunately I was already qualified to apply for a NZ business import ID through NZ Customs. This cost me about $200 to register my business and get an import ID.

After providing all of my information, she came back with a total cost and import tax estimate I would pay on arrival. Freight costs from China to NZ were SUPER cheap – about $80NZD to ship 700kg worth of stuff, so that was fine.

I paid the deposit so the manufacturing could get under way. Once they were finished making all of the mats/materials I would then pay in full prior to loading onto the ship. It took them about 4 weeks to finish everything. At that time there was one final check through that they had all of my correct information and import ID and that was that. The order started on 11/02/2020 and was shipped on 12/08/2020

Because of Covid, there were huge delays with international shipping and unloading, so the wait time was longer than usual. It was supposed to take 40 days but ended up being much longer than that. The mats arrived in NZ the 1st week of February 2021 – phew at least they made it safe!

This is where a lot of the surprises and unknowns came into play. I received an email from some guy at a freight company saying my mats had arrived and I needed to send all of the arrival documents to my broker

Evidently I had to obtain an import broker to forward all of the documents to, which no one makes any mention of. But here’s where things get a little…rackety. I ended up going with EasyFreight brokers who charged me about $200 for their services. They emailed documents from NZ Customs where I then had to pay around $500NZD for the Import Tax.

Once the Import Tax was paid, my mats could then be released BUT…the mysterious freight company who initially emailed me now says I need to pay them $1900NZD before they ship my mats to Wellington. This fee was for unloading the mats from the ship and onto the dock and storing them in a warehouse until all of the documents cleared. This almost doubled the cost of the mats I ordered and by now the total cost was getting close to what I was getting quotes from NZ based companies.

I paid the invoice and they put my mats onto a truck to be shipped down to Wellington to ANOTHER freight company – not directly to me for whatever dumb reason. I contacted the new freight company, had a bit of confusion and back and forth but eventually I ended up having to pay them another $250NZD to ship my mats to the gym. What a racketeering outfit huh?

They delivered the mats and I immediately started ripping up the packaging to have a look at my new goods. I have to say that what I purchased exceeded my expectations. The floor mats where BETTER than what I expected, the wall mats were BETTER than what I anticipated and the sub-floor foam ended up being more closer to memory foam than pool noodle foam. Holy hell we’re gonna have some sweet mats to roll on!

To the build!

After a trip to Bunnings to pickup timber, liquid nail and a few other things, that tallied up to over $1000NZD we were on our way.

The 1st order of business was to cut the foam sheets into blocks. I had originally calculated 7cm x 10cm x 10 cm but when we laid everything out, we’d only be using 2 sheets of foam and would have had to cut relatively tiny blocks. So instead we went with 20cm x 20cm x 10cm blocks – much easier to cut and deal with and even then we had a ton left over (which we made use of by the end of it.

Foam blocks

I worked out the numbers and we did 3 x 5 rows of blocks per plywood sheet

1st row of 8 pieces of 2440mm x 1200mm x 12mm plywood with 15 foam blocks liquid nailed to ply

We had all of the blocks glued to the ply and realized we had HEAPS left over, so we decided to re-jig some things around and use the extra blocks in the spaces inbetween sheets of ply on the seams and corners. This ended up adding an extra level of stability between the ply and would be less likely to damage the mats on top.

Using extra blocks underneath ply seams

Once all the plywood was laid out and the liquid nail given a bit of time to cure, we had to then box everything in to prevent sliding. This required a concrete drill/concrete bit, about 10 dynabolts (basically concrete bolts with anchors), some timber 2 x 4s, more liquid nail and a bit of good old fashioned elbow grease.

We made a mess!

The guys marked where the holes needed to be drilled roughly 1 1/2 meters apart. After the holes were drilled and swept, we laid down a very long 2×4 that was already predrilled with the initial concrete hole drilling. A dynabolt was hammered into the hole as far as it could, then racheted down with a socket wrench to tighten. The 1st piece of timber would be the foundation the other boxing in pieces would be anchored to.

The farside wall was crooked so that meant our sheets were slightly offset on the outside edge. As long as the surrounding box was square, the top layer mats would hide the crooked ply and we’d be fine.

Timber posts are rather expensive in NZ and usually crooked, so we ended up gluing and screwing 2 2×4 together so that 1. they cost less and 2. we could straighten them much easier.

Boxing in almost complete

To secure the 2x4s to the base we used nails and several Stud to Bottom galvanized fixings. We needed to make sure there would be absolutely no flex with the box.

To have a nicer finish, we added a thin layer of finger jointed pine on top of the 2x4s secured with finishing nails. The grain and look of it is much more eye pleasing than the sides of 2x4s and I can stain or paint it later.

Finishing touches on the sub-floor box

We left about a 3cm lip around the box so when the mats sit on top of the ply, the outer frame would contain and lock in the mats from sliding. The mats came very well packaged in three 1.3m x 9.7m x 5cm rolls

1 of 3 mat rolls

We placed extra ply against the walls to create a wedge/spacing for the wall mats. Upon rolling out the 1st roll we realized the wall was not straight…at all, but we made it work. 1st mat down!

The middle roll was relatively easy to to setup and the velcro attachment worked out perfectly.

That tatame finish texture is looking nice!

The final row did prove to be a bit more challenging but we eventually squeezed it into the remaining space. We can do math!!

After a full day of work we got the mats installed. We started at 11am, did a Bunnings run to collect tubes of liquid nail, screws, etc, got to the gym at around 12:30pm and finished just after 1am.

The following weekend we mounted the wall mats which were relatively straight forward. We ran 2 rows of 5m x 18mm pine planks along the wall, one at the top of the wall mats and one mid mat for support. I forgot to take pics but we basically created a support system and something to drill into instead of thick firewall jib.

We finished in the evening, cleaned up and of course we had a roll!

Some after thoughts

I can’t tell you how happy I am with this setup. Having an extra 10cm of foam under the sub floor has made a HUGE difference. It only took about 3 weeks to break in the harshness of new mats, and the tatame finish has been amazing. They aren’t slippery at all and are like heaven to roll on. One thing I would have done, which I most likely will do soon is to place 1 screw into each foam block under the sub floor.

What happens is the vibrations of people moving on the mats will cause the foam blocks to shift if they liquid nail didn’t stick. Not a big deal as we can simply lift the mats/play and move the foam, but that’s the only thing I would have done. Everything else worked out perfectly and I could not be more happy.

I hope this helps anyone who is interested in building something like this. There are a LOT of unknowns that go into importing goods from overseas, but I covered all of the “gotcha” moments along the way. Also I can with full confidence say that Quindao Plastics manufacture high spec and high quality mats/foam. They exceeded my expectations, so you can purchase with confidence. I knew nothing about them, only went by their Trade Assurance certification rating on Alibaba, but who the hell knows what that means? I’m thrilled I rolled the dice – they nailed it!

Reach out if you have any questions

Oss!

BJJ Floating Mat System DIY Walkthrough was originally published on davepreciado

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publiccollectors · 4 years

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QUARANZINE #14

QUARANZINE #14: Rachel Herman. Rachel was diagnosed as a presumptive positive for COVID-19 after a test for Influenza A and B turned up negative. She's been fighting the virus for just over two weeks. Yesterday she posted this long message on Facebook about her experience so far and I asked her about publishing it in QUARANZINE. She had been thinking about reaching out to me, so we were both on the same page. The text is very long for the format I adhere to so the type is quite small, unfortunately. Here it is in its entirety: Dear friends,

This is the week many of us will get sick. Social distancing is working, but most cities waited too long to declare shelter-in-place orders and many others have yet to. So, we will see spikes in confirmed cases within the next week or so. I want you all to be armed with pragmatic and useful information if this happens to you or someone you care about.

I am on Day 14 of what was diagnosed as a presumptive positive for COVID-19 after a test for Influenza A and B turned up negative. (I am still waiting for my COVID-19 results.) I’ve had a relatively mild case, and I’m on the mend. My congestion is clearing up, I can breathe deeply again, and going up and down the stairs doesn’t make me winded. My energy and appetite are coming back though I still have had a fever of 100+ for 14 straight days. Most of us will get a mild case. 40-70% of us will get it, but so much of the media frenzy right now is focused on things that were important last week and yesterday (every day feels a year these days, though, to be fair). I have seen shockingly few articles or helpful testimonials advising how best to treat ourselves at home, and, trust me, I’ve been looking. So much of the information we’re focused on now is preventing transmission, but there is woefully little on what to do IF and WHEN we get sick.

Being waylaid during the time that so many folks have been still frantically trying to avoid getting sick has offered me a strange bubble of calm and insight. I’m grateful for that because the fear out there is palpable. I would like for this to be an offering to assuage at least some panic. That is my hope anyway.

The CDC and the WHO have labored and lengthy instructions on how to prevent transmission to someone else in the household or orders to quarantine. This creates a new problem for us as caregivers. A potentially critically ill person separated from everyone else drastically reduces a caregiver’s ability to monitor, replenish fluids, and generally take care of the person who is sick. On top of that, these two trusted sources offer only the most basic (honestly, negligible) recommendations for treating symptoms: sleep, keep hydrated, and take Tylenol (or the generic acetaminophen). This kind of bare bones advice is, well, skeletal. We all want to know how best to take care of ourselves and each other so that we can avoid having to go to the hospital. We want to be able to recuperate at home because we want to prevent putting a strain on the system and, face it, the idea of going to the hospital in this scenario is downright daunting. The better we know how to nurse ourselves back to health, the better our odds are healing well in our own beds.

So, I wanted to share what I’ve learned.

Caveat emptors/disclaimers because I’m making this public and shareable: This is based on my own personal, lived experience. I am not a doctor, so this does not replace or supplant solid medical advice from a professional you trust. I have had relatively mild symptoms but still a longish case. I am one of the freakish 5% who has had never-ending nasal congestion that went into my upper respiratory tract, but I somehow avoided the dreaded cough. YMMV (your mileage may vary). I have no underlying health concerns, I’m 52, a non-smoker, and fortunate. I have a comfortable apartment to myself, and I was able to spend $500 to stock up on essentials before the lockdown and before I got sick. (For the love of all that is holy, I swear I did not stockpile anything, especially TP. Stocking up is simply incredibly expensive. I dwindled my account down to almost my last dollar, since I’m adjunct faculty at two local universities and don’t make a whole lot.) Still, that is more than so many of us are able to do, and I am grateful for all that I have. What follows goes a bit beyond common sense, because this virus is unlike anything I’ve experienced before, even though to be clear, this is certainly a far cry from the sickest I’ve ever been. I hope it can be a boon to friends and strangers alike.

Here are the things I did that helped:

WHILE YOU ARE WELL

1) Start taking your temperature in the morning and at night so that you have a baseline.

One of the first signs of the virus can be a low-grade fever, though this virus does present in different ways. Full disclosure: I was one of those people who had to go to 3 different drugstores on Wed Mar 11 looking for a thermometer amid decimated shelves.

2) Before you get sick, change your diet.

Stop eating and drinking things that will make it harder to fight off the virus. Mellow out on the processed foods, dairy, and sugar (alcohol and gluten are in this category too, sorry).

Increase your intake of immune-boosting foods like green vegetables, fish and other omega-threes, garlic, ginger, and citrus. You don’t have to give in to the whole elderberry craze (though it does taste pretty good). Replace coffee with chaga, a fungal immune booster that you can brew into a strong, soothing tea, for a few weeks.

If you think these dietary recommendations are extreme, consider that you are in a temporary but dire situation where everything else around us is collapsing. Change your eating habits this month, even if it’s just a little for a little while.

3) SLEEP at least 8 hours a night. (I know, I wake up at 4am in a blind panic too. But, still, try.)

4) Make a pot of soup NOW while you are healthy or at the first sign of any symptoms.

This is especially important if you are sheltering in place alone. When/if you get sick, trust me, you won’t have energy to cook. You will barely want to eat anything anyway. But you will force yourself to have two bowls of it every day, and it will help. The pot should be big enough so that you can eat from it for a week. Make your favorite broth-based recipe: chicken, vegetable, or bone. Bone is most healing, obviously. Avoid dairy and noodles because these ingredients increase congestion and inflammation. Freeze it if you don’t have any symptoms at this point, so you will be able to thaw it when you start to feel oogy.

WHEN YOU GET SICK

1) At the first sign of fatigue, a tickle in your throat, aches, or a fever, go to bed and stay there. SLEEP. Don’t try to keep working. Your body needs to heal, and it can do that most effectively when you are sleeping.

Early symptoms reportedly vary. Some have aches and fever, scratchy throat, and chest tightness with a dry cough. Headaches, sneezing + nasal congestion, shortness of breath, nausea, and diarrhea have all been reported. I woke up on Mar 14 with a headache, body aches, congestion, and a fever of 101. My fever spiked to 102.5 on Day 2, and I’ve had a fever of 100+ every day since along with body aches, nasal congestion (my nose opened up like an actual running faucet on day 5), chest tightness and upper respiratory congestion, exhaustion, lack of appetite, and some lower GI distress (though not full-on diarrhea, everything just felt labored and different and, sincere apologies for the vivid image I’m about to put in your head, my poop seemed to be covered in a gauzy cloud). The two aberrations from most commonly reported symptoms: I have only had a negligible cough, and I never had a sore throat. My baseline temp leading up to getting sick was 99, but I am usually a straight-up 98.6 kind of person.

I had a dinner party the Monday before I got sick, and a friend who helped me in the kitchen came down with the same thing at the same time. My friend has asthma and has had a much harder time of things. But we are both on the road to recovery, in large part because we have been sharing what we’ve learned, checking in with each other, and doing some intense jobs taking care of ourselves while in isolation. (No one else from the dinner party has gotten sick to date.)

2) DRINK WATER, every 15 minutes when you are awake. Every time you wake up or roll over, drink. It should be room temperature, not cold. Cold liquids exacerbate the illness.

3) Drink WARM liquids like herbal tea and broth. Hot liquids keep everything in your system moving. Make soothing, healing, and warming remedies out of whatever inexpensive supplies you already have available.

4) In the giant void of an antiviral treatment that works on COVID-19, I have turned/returned to plant medicine, and it has helped me a lot.

My cousin, who is taking a Chinese medicine course in Singapore right now, sent me directions on how to make a ginger and licorice root decoction that was used throughout China during the Hubei lockdown. It’s easy to make. You bake the licorice in molasses, and then you boil the licorice root and the ginger for an hour. The ginger licorice decoction has really helped my friend who also got sick at the same time I did.

Making tea from Chaga – an Alaskan mushroom – has been so incredibly helpful. I’ve made a large pot of it every day, reserving the chaga and re-steeping over and over again for the past two weeks. Was it the chaga or the fact that I was drinking a gallon of warm soothing liquid daily, ladling out a mugful every couple of hours, that helped me get better? I’ll go with a little of both.

Other natural antiviral immune boosters that might help include vitamin C, C60, and olive leaf extract, oregano oil, and Manuka honey. Since stores are closed and Amazon has stopped shipping, we have to make do with what we already have. Make a tea with citrus peels and cloves and sliced ginger, if that’s is in your fridge.

5) The word on the street is to manage fever with Tylenol or acetaminophen or paracetamol, which are supposed to be more suited to treating respiratory illness than other alternatives. Frankly, I have been taking acetaminophen as sparingly as possible to avoid putting strain on my other organs. Cool compresses work too.

Some people are saying NOT to take Advil and its generic ibuprofen, as they have anecdotally said to propel otherwise healthy people to hospitals for oxygen. There is a lot of noise and confusion in this debate, and I’m going to sidestep this thorny conversation for our purposes.

6) Zinc lozenges and elderberry syrup help with a scratchy throat and cough. A friend of mine prone to bronchitis recommended Myrtol, a German cough syrup made from natural ingredients, including elderberry. If you have a pharma protocol in place for managing a persistent, chronic cough, you are probably already on it.

7) The fatigue is real. It also becomes really hard to think clearly. That’s why it’s so important to have soup and tea and other supportive supplies ready ahead of time.8) When you think you are getting better the first three or four times, STAY IN BED.

The arc of this virus is really rollercoaster-y: up and down and up and down. After the initial alarm passes, (and it is alarming at first because you don’t know which way it’s going to go and that seizing up can make everything feel worse), I was able to focus on getting better, calmly. I made it through the first scary fever spikes, but right when I thought I was feeling better, I would get knocked down again. There were critical junctures around days 3, 5, and 7 where I was certain I’d turned a corner, and, well, yesterday.

I’d get up and do dishes, take out the trash, take my dog for a walk around the neighborhood (face covered), and try to get some work done (end of quarter grades were due at both my schools and my departments have been preparing like mad to take our classes online in the spring). Then I would feel hot and light-headed again, taking my temp only to see it had sprung back up to 101.5. You will feel better and want to get back up and do things only to get knocked right back down. The moment I ease up on drinking water and tea constantly, I start to feel horrible again.

Remember: YOU ARE ESSENTIALLY PREVENTING YOURSELF FROM DEVELOPING FULL-BLOWN VIRAL PNEUMONIA. I would say the new mantra needs to be SLEEP + DRINK WATER. Start now, to the extent that you can. Please resist the urge to get up and do things. Rest. Do your Zoom meetings from bed with a virtual office background, if you absolutely have to be on a call. But, truly, you shouldn’t because this is the time to sleep sleep sleep and binge watch The Good Place (my choice for existential dystopian laughs/insert whatever makes your socks go up and down). For the past few days, my temp has been normal in the morning only to spring back up to 100+ if I try to do too much (e.g. read: ANYTHING). When I let myself sleep, my temp goes back down.

9) A humidifier has helped. Some recommend running a hot shower and sitting in your own makeshift bathroom sauna. Steam eucalyptus or rosemary, if you have any, and inhale deeply. I just made a homemade vaporub with a base of coconut oil and a few drops each of clove, thyme, rosemary, and peppermint oil. It is wonderful.

10) My breathing never got dangerously shallow. But this virus can potentially fill your upper and lower respiratory tracts with mucous until you feel like you are drowning. A physical therapist wrote with life-saving advice about the importance of Postural Draining, a method of draining mucous from the lungs using gravity and percussion. It involves physically moving your body so that you tilt your lungs and bronchial tubes upside down and then firmly clap the back or chest. This allows the mucous to flow up out of the lungs along with deep, prolonged exhales. Then you can cough it the rest of the way out. You can do postural draining alone or have someone perform it on you. Google postural draining diagrams – there are different for positions for each of the five lobes of your lungs. Do these exercises for 3-5 minutes a day before you get too sick. You can get into position in a chair or laying over a yoga ball, bean bag, or pillows for support.

Failing steps 1-10, if you have difficulty breathing or your temperature spikes beyond what you and your doctor are comfortable with (I’ve heard different numbers), please go to the ER immediately. Some of you will develop dramatic and dangerous symptoms quickly. Please do not wait to seek care if your lungs are struggling beyond what you can manage at home. My advice is geared to keeping as many of us comfortable for as long as it takes to heal, but that obviously is only going to go so far for those who suffer from chronic conditions, are older, or are immunosuppressed. If you have a finger oximeter, and are able to monitor your oxygen levels numerically, then you will know when you have to go to the hospital. But very few of us have those, and they are way sold out.

THE OTHER SIDE

Healing from even a mild case (and mine IS mild) takes about two weeks to a month.

As my dad would day, take it easy. It is unclear how immunity works with COVID-19. Some have said that there was a patient in Japan who tested positive a second time. There is speculation that this, in fact, was a relapse and not re-infection. We need more time to learn about the virus. In the meantime, please give yourselves time to heal.

We don’t know how long immunity lasts, and we don’t know about immunity to slightly different mutated strains even if we have recovered from one of them. I do hope that we get to develop a fair amount of herd immunity in the next year, but, again, there is a lot to learn. We will obviously still need to protect our vulnerable populations, and our society will continue to bend and contort itself around the virus.

But I hope to be in a position to assist when others get sick. I will happily help you to the best of my abilities. Looking to a future I can hardly conceive at the moment, I anticipate learning more about plant medicine. Scientists will develop new antivirals, retrovirals, and vaccines. I look forward to donating plasma as part of a treatment for those who get sick in the future, whenever that near-distant moment may be.

And thank you, friends. I am good. I have everything I need. My inner circle is incredible (I love you, mom!). I have been quarantined since developing symptoms and went out for a half hour only to get tested (thank you, Howard Brown for your invaluable service). No one else I spent time with beforehand has gotten sick (except my one friend whose illness coincided with mine, and they are also struggling a bit today with the ups and downs. Please hold them in your thoughts).

May you and your loved ones stay healthy. Or, more to the point, may we all get well and stay well. Sending love to all corners.– Rachel Herman

#QUARANZINE #Rachel Herman #Public Collectors #Marc Fischer #Zines #RISO #Publications #covid-19 #coronavirus

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itsthrowawayyyyyblog · 3 years

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I never thought I would be back here a few years after I deleted my old blog/s, but here I am.

Why am I back, you ask?

2020 has been a rough year for a lot of people, including myself. It started off well for me! I spent a week in Toronto for training at my old job and got to meet some wonderful people. I travelled for myself for the first time and I found it freeing. Imagine taking a trip to a place you’ve wanted to visit for a while, without having to answer to anyone. It was great! I stayed at a condo and it was right next to the Rogers Centre and CN Tower and the balcony view was FAN-FREAKING-TASTIC. Imagine “going home” there after a long day at work, opening the door, looking to your right and seeing the CN Tower lit up. I saw that for 5 straight nights and I got to say, it was an experience. I also saw the Raptors play! It was on my bucket list, and I never thought I was going to be able to see them play, until 2020. I had the time of my life in Toronto, went back home and I was generally happier with my life and my expectations for the rest of the year were high. I mean, surely, the year is just getting started and good things are happening - it can only be better, right?

Right?

Then COVID happened. California and Australia were on fire, a black man was killed through police brutality, sparking riots all over the world. Governments failed to respond adequately to the COVID crisis, leading to lots of deaths and lockdowns to mitigate the spread of the virus. Injustice and incompetence was seen left, right, and centre.

It took a toll on me.

I was lucky to be able to keep my job during the beginning of the pandemic. I stayed at home, because I really had nowhere to go. The gyms were closed, so were the malls, karaoke bars and restaurants. I wasn’t able to socialize as I expected but that was okay (for the time being); Warzone came out and I played a ton of it with my friends. That’s how my friends and I socialized during the pandemic. We would send messages on the group chat saying, “Hopping on for Warzone at 9, see you there” and it was a routine we got into until summertime.

Lockdowns were eased, cases were going down, the snow was melting and it seemed to be the beginning of brighter and better days. I saw my friends again and I felt happy. I had my job, had an excellent tax return, and I was making money. I felt blessed, lucky, and the days were brighter and longer and I felt hopeful. However, there was something that started to nag me.

Work took a turn for the worse. I started getting lots of projects and was also asked to take over a few of them. Cool, I thought initially. My bosses were starting to think I was getting more responsible. I didn’t find out they laid off a few employees until weeks later. Them giving me more projects was just because they needed to offload the projects.

I started paying more attention to what’s going on around the world, When you can’t go out or see your friends, you turn to the internet and, as I mentioned before, injustice and incompetence were everywhere, you start to ask yourself: “What’s going on? Why does the world seem this bad?” It makes you think. Then you start to get curious. You start researching. You learn and realize that black people go through this everyday. You learn that a lot of the elected leaders in the government were merely puppets for the big corporations, as they were able to get a bailout relatively quickly. We’re in 2021 now and the people in the US government are still arguing whether they should send a $2000 stimulus to its citizens who have been struggling mentally and financially during the pandemic. You start to realize that profits and money mattered more to the people in charge rather than doing the right thing.

Then you start to realize that this was also the only thing that mattered to some of the people closest to you as well. You shake your head in disbelief, ask them how they can justify that. How can you think the system works when your neighbour is struggling to pay their bills, not because they are living beyond their means, but because everything is so profit-driven? Your neighbour has to work two jobs just to provide for their kids, just so they have a roof over their heads...

Maybe I should have gone out for walks more, but I could not ignore the injustices in the world any longer, as it was all over social media, group chats, the news, at work, everywhere. Maybe I should have disconnected more. It was taking a toll on me, but I could not look away. I started to question myself. I started to question my friends. I started to question my employers, who were getting more antsy as they were having to struggle between with keeping the company profitable and keeping clients happy. Additionally a lot of them were not able to take their usual vacations, so this made them sad and frustrated, and they kind of took it out on their employees. Including myself.

My employer at the time asked a coworker to basically ignore some codes and standards to get a project out the door. That can’t be right, I thought. On top of that, my employer has not been kind to my coworker as well. These circumstances caused my coworker to quit. She got a job immediately so I was happy for her. She was able to leave a toxic place and found something better. I understood why she would quit, looking back now, as I was asked to do this once as well just so the company can satisfy their clients. I did not heed that advice and spent a lot of hours in the office trying to make sure the project met codes and standards to the best of my abilities.

We had a project in the pipeline that required her expertise. Unfortunately, since she left the company, we had no one in the office or in the company that knew how to do this project. I’m not sure what my previous employer’s line of thinking was, but he thought we could do it. By we I mean he thought I, someone whose career just started, could do it. I told him, sure, I mean, with the right guidance and knowledge being passed along, I could do it, but I had no idea where to start. Who was I going to ask questions about this?

My employer said, ‘I asked someone who knows more about this and they haven’t gotten back to me. Anyway, no one’s going to notice if we’re off by a few inches here and there. I think you’re capable enough to do this in one week.’

‘A week?’

‘Yeah. By the way, I’m going on vacation next week, so I expect this to be done by the time I get back.’

‘I’m not exactly sure how I can get it done in a week when the no one in the office knows how to do this, But..’

Here’s where I should have said no.

‘..but I’ll see what I can do.’

I spent an entire week researching about how to do this project and I did have something penciled in. But the more I researched, the less confident I felt about it going right. I did not have the experience for this, I thought. This is a bit more complex than my boss thinks it is.. maybe I should sit him down when he gets back. I don’t want to finalize this only for us having to redo it because we missed something.

My boss gets back after his vacation. He then asks me on Teams where I was with the project, and whether we could have something to hand in to the client in an hour or so.

I said, ‘no, we’re not done. I did some more research to make sure we did not miss anything, and I think we need to look into this or that. I did not want to finalize this then have it come back for us to redo. I thought it was a waste of time and negligent if I tried to finalize something that the company does not know how to do.’

The next words were the words that caused me to quit my job.

‘That’s not acceptable. What am I supposed to tell my clients?”

I got frustrated once I heard that. So frustrated that I ignored him and took the afternoon and the rest of the week off.

I spent an entire week researching and asking questions on the internet how to do a project, learning that I did not know enough to proceed.. while my boss takes a vacation at his cabin. I started thinking about our previous interactions, his interactions with my coworkers, and at that point, it added up. He really was one of those people who prioritized profits over doing the right thing. The things that my coworkers have been saying about him were true.

I handed in my notice the week I came back. Two weeks after, I started grieving. I grieved because I felt like a failure. I felt like I handled the situation well, but it felt like a failure on my part. I grieved because people were losing their lives to incompetence by our leaders and through injustice. I grieved because I felt inadequate. I cut contact from my guy friends at the time, who didn’t seem to care and were indifferent about these things, so I turned to my girl friends for support. Am I ever thankful for them.

I grieved for a month. Then, I started taking out my frustrations at video games. I got frustrated at our government for not doing the right thing. COVID cases were on the rise and yet everything was still open like there was no pandemic. People were ignoring COVID, like everything was still fine. I felt so fucking hopeless, I felt like nothing I did mattered. I started getting angry at people for being so fucking selfish, and for not being able to look beyond their noses. I felt angry, hopeless. A big contrast to how I felt at the beginning of the year. I talked about this to my girl friends. They understood how I felt, and were very supportive about it.

Without their support I don’t think I would have mentally recovered. They didn’t judge me or make me feel hopeless. They were amazing through it all. I guess, in a way, to make it up for them, I educated myself about feminism. If most women in your life are so fucking supportive, I feel that you should return the favour and learn about their struggles. I watched a Netflix documentary about it and it really opened my eyes. To summarize how I felt: “I already thought it was bad but holy crap I did not think it was going to be as bad as it is..” at that point, I knew I was going to be an ally for everyone, and told myself that I need to educate myself more about it.

Christmas came and I was just thankful to reach it alive and without COVID. My family and friends are healthy, as well as myself, and I was grateful. At that point we all just wanted to make it through the year for one more week, and start fresh in 2021.

So, that’s my 2020. I didn’t really answer why I’m back.. I didn’t realize I needed to UNLEASH my 2020 experience until I talked to another girl friend. She encouraged me to write as a way to help me improve myself. As a way to track my thoughts and feelings throughout the year.

To summarize; 2020 started off good, ended bad, realized I deeply disliked the injustices around the world, realized that I needed to forgive myself for my mistakes and that I needed a better support group. Thank you to my girl friends, really, from the bottom of my fucking heart. I also realized that I didn’t like who I was becoming... I’m working on myself to change that.

For 2021, I would like to start writing more. Just start writing about how I felt throughout the day, and my thought processes. I’m also dropping all forms of expectations for 2021 and beyond. Another reason I felt depressed the last 3 months of 2020 is because I expected 2020 to be good to me. It has, in a way, from the lessons it taught me, but man it was NOT the way I expected it to be.

No expectations, and write more. And also, go outside more. You really need it buddy. And apply to more jobs too. You watched a video about bionics and it moved you. You want the world to be a better place and you want things to be more accessible to everyone. You already learned about the injustices in this world, and you have an excellent educational background to make it better, why not use it?

I think that’s enough writing for today. It’s a fucking mess and I really should have kept writing back then.. oh well. Live and learn.

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pastelpressmachine · 4 years

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The Domino Effect of COVID

The coronavirus (COVID-19) has sparked national and global discourse and action of varying effectiveness in the past several weeks. The events that are unraveling resemble the plots of films such as Contagion (2011) and shows like Contagion (2015). (And there are much more available for bingeing on Netflix, if you’re being responsible and practicing social distancing right now. But I wouldn’t advise overdoing and over viewing content that might play into your anxiety about the situation.)

Anyways, in many of these fictional films and shows, a mystery virus with no vaccine or cure begins killing people, inciting isolation and in gradually more extreme cases, food and resource hoarding, price gouging (stores dramatically marking up products that are in high demand), and quarantines, self or medically induced. Lack of understanding has historically (and in these made up worlds) caused people to act irrationally, out of fear.

When we don’t have information (or the correct information), we don’t seem to make the best decisions. And our decisions, good and bad, have consequences.

I, like everyone else, have been in a state of information overload, whether it be from Twitter, cable news, posts that are being shared and reshared on Facebook and Instagram, or the unavoidable conversations being had between my friends. This is the most prevalent thing happening in our lives right now. We’re concerned. Even though the vast majority of people are asymptomatic and fully recover, if they are infected, vulnerable populations are in a different boat. These include young children, older people, and immunosuppressed or immunocompromised individuals. In a week, many people who deemed themselves too healthy to take drastic measures to self-isolate might find themselves fighting a disease they underestimated. We can’t take our own health for granted, while gambling with the health of others. Our fates are very much intertwined, and I’m witnessing a lot of western countries simply not prioritize or care about that.

The vulnerable groups identified are characterized by the fact that they do not have the same level of strength in their immune systems to fight off common diseases and infections, much less a novel virus such as COVID-19.

The decision many young people are making to take advantage of cheap flights not only puts them at risk of contracting the disease through contact somewhere between where they live and where they arrive, it puts every single one of the individuals they interact with at risk. The flight to the Caribbean may seem enticing because prices are never that affordable, but that’s because people aren’t flying and measures are being taken to cancel flights entirely. This is a preventative measure that is being contradicted by sales of cheap flights that ultimately won’t be worth it. You could bring that disease (that might not affect you) to vulnerable populations.

The reasons for price-drops, from a capitalistic standpoint, might make sense because airlines, and many other businesses, still need to make money. The tourism industry will suffer, and countries that rely on a tourist economy will suffer if travel is completely suspended or banned, which is what is happening with Europe right now after Italy’s national lockdown. But traveling to other countries also risks exposing people who live there to the virus, if being carried by passengers. And travel bans have existed for years prior, with many Middle Eastern and African countries that Donald Trump blocked out during both crises of health and violence. Refugee crises and the Ebola outbreak in these regions of the world was not met with this much media coverage, and the deaths related to government negligence and xenophobia are echoed once again, this time targeting Asians (even though Asian countries are bouncing back) and Italy was on complete lockdown. People began physically assaulting Asian people on the street and public transportation and stopped eating at Chinese restaurants, but none of that sentiment was directed toward Italian-Americans or Italian establishments? It shouldn’t be happening either way, but this is blatantly racist and it cannot be called anything else.

And on that note, several points have been brought up regarding what the coronavirus has exposed about American behaviour and our government, and how capitalism is obviously unsustainable. This point has been made before, but it always seems to take a crisis to get people thinking and moving. Capitalism and public health simply cannot coexist. Maximum productivity and maximum profitability does not consider or care about mental health, rest, sick leave, or self care. You sacrifice that to be considered a hard, dedicated worker in America. Taking care of yourself is selfish and lazy.

People risk going to work sick because they do not have paid leave, health insurance, and have not been immersed in a culture that cares about anything other than how productive and lucrative they or their bodies can be. Capitalism exploits the labour of people of colour and lower-income groups more so than anyone else, feeding off racism and classism, because statistically, the least insured/paid and overworked groups are working class people and people of colour. A majority of Americans are both.

We have been advised to stay indoors and limit contact with others in practicing social distancing, but that does not mean to completely distract yourself from coronavirus updates and conversations. It can be overwhelming to think about it too much, but you also shouldn’t carry on like life is normal, like the reckless individuals who are still going out to bars and parties. Life isn’t the same, the world has changed, and the ones risking exposure this week will be the ones who will show signs of being infected next week because they didn’t listen.

They’re exacerbating the issue, and I don’t know how to convince them to stop, how to implore people to care about the ripple effect of how they respond to this outbreak, aside from writing this. I’m not trying to be self righteous or angry at them but we have to take it seriously, so at worst, a few weeks or months from now, it will look like overreacted. It’s better than under-reacting. Now more than ever, the saying “precaution is better than cure” matters.

And it won’t be an easy adjustment. It hasn’t been. We weren’t initially well prepared for this, our country didn’t implement strategies to protect us, and that’s not the messaging we’ve been raised or encouraged to abide by in an overly individualistic society that can somehow justify just even the worst in our leadership and in humanity.

You don’t want to swing the pendulum too drastically either way. Complete ignorance that downplays the severity nor complete “it’s the apocalypse, every man for himself” terror will work. Our strength is in information and community. We need to look out for each other because we are our own best shot at containing the spread. The best of us and the worst of us comes out during times like these, and we can prevent it from getting worse or more desperate, from resembling the plot of those films and shows any further. Because it gets worse in those stories. More people die because there was a lack of cooperation, community, and empathy.

The following points have been on the minds of millions these past few weeks, and they are worth some diving into, as well as retroactive accountability on part of our government. The following provides invaluable lessons about how to handle the current pandemic. It’s just a matter of if we, as a people and a government, are willing to learn and save ourselves?

PREVIOUS GLOBAL PANDEMICS

The AIDS crisis that ramped up from the 1960’s well into the 1990’s as global pandemic due to deliberate government inaction killed millions, mostly people of color and gay men. It was largely ignored by leadership and every day people who found themselves personally unaffected. Many AIDS/HIV+ people didn’t have access to affordable testing and continued to infect others because they didn’t know or weren’t able to find out if they were carriers.

The Ebola and SARS crises both happened during election years, shifting media attention away from corruption, rigged elections, and offering themselves as oddly convenient distractions for the American people to fixate on. Media coverage of Obama during the Ebola crisis, however, incited intentional fear and blamed him for its spread and mishandling. However, the Trump administration and media coverage this time is downplaying the severity of the pandemic and defending him from the public’s comments that demand accountability from him and blame him for its spread in the United States. After all, he did fire the pandemic response team in 2018, and then never replaced it. Why?

STRUCTURAL FLAWS

Lack of universal/affordable healthcare and paid time off/sick leave forces people to continue functioning in society, while infected, causing the disease to spread at work and ripple more and more outwards to whoever is coming in contact with a sick person who wasn’t able to prioritize their health or anyone else’s. Capitalism demonstrates its characteristic of exploitation once again by forcing workers to work while sick while also engaging in price gouging to increase business owners’ profits. Low-income people become scared and start panic-shopping and stockpiling items that everyone needs (such as hand sanitizer, soap, toilet paper, non-perishable food). It’s unnecessary, and the more people see others doing it, they think that they need to do it, too. While they clear shelves and hoard resources, they leave others at risk because now, they won’t get what they need to be clean, healthy, or safe. Long lines at crowded stores risk even more exposure of the virus. It is completely counterintuitive. How does socialism end up getting the blame for the direct side effects of capitalism collapsing on the American public?

If people can, after all, work from home, why did American workers and students with disabilities lose their jobs or drop out of school because they were previously told accommodations could not be made for them?

THE PSYCHOLOGY OF FEAR

As mentioned, when people see panicked behaviour, they think it’s serious (the coronavirus is a serious pandemic, but people were treating it like the end of the world long before the World Health Organization or any authoritative body provided facts about mortality, which means new and more serious information is less likely to be met rationally if we’re off to a hysterical start). Panic induces panic. We don’t act rationally when we’re panicking. We’re not worried about other people or reason when we think the world is ending and it’s every man for himself. That kind of thinking, again, works against us and hurts us further, faster, in worse ways. If our daily actions and interactions reduces hysteria, we can flatten the curve. See below.

The use of celebrities and public figures (ones relatively inaccessible for public comment, such as Justin Trudeau and his wife, Tom Hanks and his wife, or athletes because they are in different countries and isolated in one way or another) is further raising fears and concerns. Celebrity news draws attention back to the virus over and over again, in a way that seems a little suspicious. Beloved figures getting sick causes their fans and supporters to worry for them and themselves, which is effective if the public was starting to talk about the virus less and someone wanted us to start worrying again. But how did famous people get tested so quickly and get confirmed to have the virus, when the average American cannot get tested because they don’t have healthcare that covers the test or when doctors and receptionists are straight up telling them to stay home and that they cannot be helped so they shouldn’t come to the office. Or because there allegedly aren’t enough tests available?

TRUSTWORTHY LEADERSHIP AND INFORMATION:

DOES IT EXIST?

And seriously, why did Trump fire the national pandemic response team in 2018, and never replace them? Why did he call a reasonable question “nasty” when a reporter asked about it? Why is he always demonstrating defensive behaviour and gaslighting Americans who have a right to know what is going on, what the impetus behind his actions (and inaction or delayed action) are?

Does the government trust the American public to receive concerning information about public health? Is that why we were told too late, or that Trump called it a “hoax”? Was this orchestrated to benefit him and allow him to impose martial law at some point after declaring a national emergency? Is he using this to justify what’s next?

Is this proof we’re not able to handle the truth about other things/conspiracies/“hoaxes” (bioengineered diseases, Geostorm-like weather interference that attributes to climate change on top of the excessive burning of fossil fuels, aliens?)

There’s a lot we don’t know. And that’s frustrating because having the knowledge is half the battle. Being fed lies or misinformation, not being given the appropriate response in a timely, orderly manner designed with a country’s safety and sanity in mind...it’s unacceptable. And looking at that long, detailed list of topics above really illustrates how nothing sounds ridiculous anymore. Those points deserve contemplation and investigation.

In conclusion of this post but not of this conversation, we should, without a doubt, absolutely be vigilant and cautious in regards to staying clean and healthy, like any other day and especially during cold/flu and allergy season.

But the virus outbreak did things besides start turning people into germaphobes. It revealed how generally unhygienic Americans were prior to being scared. It peeled back another ugly layer of greed and racism. That scared me more than the virus itself.

But there have also been promising instances of people coming together, helping each other, and we must acknowledge that this happened by the public’s own volition, not government guidance or supplemental aid. The best of people, and the worst of people, was forced out because our government was failing us. And the government needs to get its act together too because it can’t fall solely on the people to beat this.

Dr. Donald McNeil breaks down how a country serious about coronavirus does testing and quarantine: https://youtu.be/e3gCbkeARbY

Everything mentioned so far is also telling us that we also need to be vigilant and cautious in regards to the information we are receiving, the patterns of it, the tendency of history to repeat itself— almost exclusively with the bad parts, and with America as a repeat offender.

The information is there for us to base our decisions and demands off. Hysteria, discrimination, and misinformation kills more people, and faster. And I do take large media networks’ reports with a grain of salt, but something that needs no confirmation is the importance of being clean and considerate.

We have the capacity to do better. And we have no other choice because we are our own salvation. We are the only ones who can push back on the final domino that is otherwise about to crush us.

#coronavirus #covid19 #corona

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terrablaze514 · 4 years

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So schools reopen in about 2 - 3 weeks from today. Excuse my math... I'm just worried about commute. Trying to figure out how to get to work safely without catching the virus on my clothes. Yes, I will wear a mask and a face shield. Disinfect and hand sanitize regularly... My biggest issue, however, is the "what if?" For students who might be returning to school at their parents' discretion, or when I get to see my bosses and colleagues. I want all of us and our communities to be safe from Covid-19 at all costs.

The real problem, in addition to our selfish government, is commuting to and from work. I'm immunocompromised along with family members, but I gotta find a way to survive this new chapter like a videogame. Remember Super Mario Bros, and Sonic the Hedgehog? Most utilities, rent, and other bills will not be managed without money rolling in regularly... Most grown folks already knows how ratchet billing companies can be, even during a pandemic. A recent hailstorm caused some families to struggle with gaining any support from the government, because they refuse to help with the repairs. You see, here in Canada, our PM messed up with additional scandals and cancelled income supports rather early (after getting caught), while many taxpayers had to make big sacrifices and focus on sustainable living, due to limited or lack of employment during lockdown (except first responders and essential workers), who helped keep our cities and towns functional.

And of course, the individuals who party or gather irresponsibly without considering the consequences of endangering everyone else. This includes those who crossed from the American side of the border for sightseeing or vacations... Now British Columbia is back at square one versus Covid-19. The same consequence rests on the entire country as many will no doubt return to work under safety guidelines. Schools are amongst them, and unlike my school, some schools don't have a solid, sensible reopening plan in place. I've been watching the News.

My current province is now in the top 3 of infections since yesterday. That's the icing on the cake. Here's the real issue that I'm anticipating:

My city discourages social distancing via public transport. So if, for any reason, I'm unable to keep myself safe while commuting back and forth, due to rule breakers, or individuals who don't care about personal hygiene and etiquette in public, then Uber and taxi will be my next permanent bet. It won't be easy, but I don't have much of a choice. I've been riding on transit for years and I can guarantee you, for every commute, there's always 1 - 2 people who don't care about safety while riding with fellow passengers. They will sneeze on anyone... cough on anyone... spit or smoke on a bus or train if they're that defiant. Truthfully, nobody wants to catch this virus. I've already lost two people from my previous church community to Covid-19, and there's many more who've lost their loved ones from this virus. Therefore, everyone has the right to remain safe while getting to their respective employers on time. I have an entire school community to protect when I head out and head back. I gotta protect my family as well. If Calgary Transit refuses to recognize that, they need to be held accountable.

I feel for the many middle and high school students that normally travel to school this way. What about their safety too, especially during rush hour? Yes, I do empathize with their parents, teachers, faculty and peers in this regard. Something needs to change, or else the infection will spread faster and that will be devastating. A major devastation if schools and businesses should shutdown again, due to negligence from the mayor (who's gotten rather quiet lately, which I find very strange) and public transportation.

I'm just being a realist. We are still living in a pandemic. By now, we understand how it works. The only way to manage it is to abide by safety guidelines and be vigilant. On a final note, if your gut tells you not to trust a lie or two that your government tells you, use your brain. Don't forget what many of us have learned about viruses and pandemics when we were growing up. And for those who pursued Science in higher studies, be honest. No more lies. We're all in this together. At least I hope we are.

And please, Canada, no federal elections right now. Listen to the parents, teachers, school boards/districts, other school staff, daycares and out-of-school care facilities, and countless students, who have expressed their questions and concerns about returning to learning since May. Not everywhere is ready to reopen. Thanks for attending my TEDTalk.

#tb514thoughts #honesty hour #pandemic #canada #covid 19 #calgary

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newstfionline · 4 years

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Headlines

World trade decline (Financial Times) World trade experienced an “unprecedented” decline in April as most big economies suffered from strict coronavirus lockdowns, according to widely watched data which found that the eurozone was the hardest-hit area. The volume of global trade in goods dropped by 12.1 per cent in April compared with the previous month, according to the Netherlands Bureau for Economic Policy Analysis—the largest monthly contraction since records began in 2000. The drop exacerbated the 2.4 per cent decline in world trade in March, the bureau’s CPB world trade monitor said, leaving global goods trade volumes 16.2 per cent smaller than the same time last year.

A step toward 51 (NYT) Today, for the first time, the House of Representatives is expected to approve statehood for Washington, D.C. The bill is likely to pass on party lines, with Democrats voting in favor and Republicans against it. Afterward, it is almost certain to die in the Republican-controlled Senate. But the vote is still significant, because it signals the Democratic Party’s growing focus on the issue. It now seems possible that the District of Columbia will become a state whenever Democrats next control the House, the Senate and the White House, which could be as soon as next year. Alaska and Hawaii are the most recent states to join, in 1959, which means the U.S. is in its longest stretch without adding a new state.

Texas Pauses Reopening as Virus Cases Soar Across the South and West (NYT) Just 55 days after reopening Texas restaurants and other businesses, Gov. Greg Abbott on Thursday hit the pause button, stopping additional phases of the state’s reopening as new coronavirus cases and hospitalizations soared and as the governor struggled to pull off the seemingly impossible task of keeping both the state open and the virus under control. The announcement by Mr. Abbott—which allows the many shopping malls, restaurants, bars, gyms and other businesses already open to continue operating—was an abrupt turnaround and came as a growing number of states paused reopenings amid rising case counts.

Venezuelans take extraordinary steps to beat water shortage (AP) Venezuela’s economic collapse has left most homes without reliable running water, so Caracas resident Iraima Moscoso saw water pooling inside an abandoned construction site as the end of suffering for thousands of her poor neighbors. Workers had long ago stopped building a nearby highway tunnel through the mountain above them. Yet, spring water continued to collect inside the viaduct and then stream past their homes, wasted. The construction firm had also left behind coils of tube. Moscoso, 59, rallied her neighbors to salvage the materials and build their own system, tapping into the tunnel’s vast lagoon and running the waterline to their homes. Today, they’re free of the city’s crumbling service and enjoy what many in Venezuela consider a luxury. Venezuela’s water crisis is nothing new, but it’s started driving residents to extraordinary measures—banding together to rig their own water systems and even hand dig shallow wells at home. Water today is even more important as a way to protect against the pandemic. An estimated 86% of Venezuelans reported unreliable water service, including 11% who have none at all, according to an April survey of 4,500 residents by the non-profit Venezuelan Observatory of Public Services.

A matter of state delays a matter of the heart (Foreign Policy) Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has had to postpone her wedding for a third time, after an extraordinary European Council summit was called on the weekend of her planned ceremony. The EU meeting, scheduled for July 17-18, will be the first in-person summit since the coronavirus pandemic began. In a Facebook post, Frederiksen pointed out that Denmark’s priorities come before her family’s, meaning her fiancé Bo Tengberg will have to wait. “I’m looking forward to saying yes to Bo (who fortunately is very patient),” she wrote.

After waves of COVID deaths, care homes face legal reckoning (AP) As families flock back to nursing homes that first reopened to limited visits in April and more widely this month, thousands no longer have mothers, fathers, grandparents and siblings to hug and to hold. With graves so fresh that some still don’t have headstones, grieving families across the country are increasingly demanding a reckoning, turning to lawyers to try to determine why almost half of France’s nearly 30,000 COVID-19 deaths hit residents of nursing homes, scything through the generations that came of age after World War I, endured the next world conflict and helped rebuild the country. Many homes had few, even no deaths. But others are emerging with their reputations in tatters, having lost scores in their care. Increasingly, homes are facing wrongful death lawsuits accusing them of negligent care, skimping on protective equipment and personnel, and lying to families about how their loved ones died and the measures they took to prevent infections. In the United States, nursing home residents account for nearly 1 in 10 of all coronavirus cases and more than a quarter of the deaths. In Europe, care home residents account from one-third to nearly two-thirds of the dead in many countries.

Scores dead in Indian lightning strikes (Foreign Policy) At least 107 people have died after being struck by lightning in India, according to local officials. The strikes are common during the country’s monsoon season, and the most recent figures show more than 2,300 Indians died from lightning strikes in 2018. Lakshmeshwar Rai, the disaster management minister for the state of Bihar, said it was the highest daily death toll he has seen in his state in recent years.

China’s Military Provokes Its Neighbors, but the Message Is for the United States (NYT) In the same week that Chinese and Indian soldiers engaged in a deadly brawl, one of China’s submarines cruised through the waters near Japan, prompting a scramble of aircraft and ships to track its furtive movements. Chinese fighter jets and at least one bomber buzzed Taiwan’s territorial airspace almost daily. With the world distracted by the coronavirus pandemic, China’s military has encroached upon its neighbors’ territories on several fronts throughout the spring and now into summer, flexing its military might in ways that have raised alarms across Asia and in Washington. China’s military assertiveness reflects a growing sense of confidence and capability, but also one of confrontation, particularly with the United States over the pandemic, the fate of Hong Kong and other issues that China considers central to its sovereignty and national pride. “I think the possibility of an accidental shot being fired is rising,” Wu Shicun, president of the National Institute for South China Sea Studies, said at a conference in Beijing this week, unveiling a report on American military activity in the region.

Toilet paper limits reintroduced as panic buying returns to Australia (Washington Post) Supermarkets in Australia have been forced to reintroduce limits on toilet paper and other goods to stop a fresh wave of customers from bulk buying unnecessarily. The recent panic is believed to have been triggered by a surge in coronavirus cases in the southeastern state of Victoria. Compared with other countries, Australia has had better success in containing the virus, with 7,595 confirmed cases and 104 deaths. Prime Minister Scott Morrison said Friday that Australia’s handling of the virus has been “remarkable,” but he added that there were “some challenges” in Victoria, citing the recent outbreak. Victoria recorded 30 new cases overnight, the 10th consecutive day of double-digit rises. Morrison described the behavior of those engaging in panic buying as “ridiculous.” Photos shared on Twitter this week showed empty shelves in grocery aisles in Sydney and Melbourne, as fears of a second wave seemingly spread across the country.

The coronavirus is jeopardizing a ‘very, very finite’ workforce: Africa’s doctors and nurses (Washington Post) Doctors in Nigeria have gone on strike, demanding face masks and pay that reflects the rising risk. Hospital staffers in Guinea-Bissau had to shutter a treatment ward after nearly everyone on the floor got sick. Nurses in Cameroon are working through fevers—even dodging tests—because they can’t afford to lose a shift’s wages. The coronavirus pandemic has tightened its grip on much of Africa, where reported cases have more than tripled over the last month, jeopardizing overstretched medical teams as the need for care soars. African health officials and medical professionals are raising concerns about cracks in a crucial armor: Infections among health-care workers have shot up 203 percent since late May, according to the World Health Organization’s Africa arm, following a spike in community transmission and a drop in access to protective gear. The trends have alarmed epidemiologists at the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, who warned in a June report that most countries face a “catastrophic shortage” of medical professionals.

#headlines #news

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sciencespies · 4 years

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COVID recovery choices shape future climate

https://sciencespies.com/environment/covid-recovery-choices-shape-future-climate/

COVID recovery choices shape future climate

A post-lockdown economic recovery plan that incorporates and emphasises climate-friendly choices could help significantly in the battle against global warming, according to a new study.

This is despite the sudden reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and air pollutants during lockdown having a negligible impact on holding down global temperature change.

The researchers warn that even with some lockdown measures staying in place to the end of 2021, without more structural interventions global temperatures will only be roughly 0.01°C lower than expected by 2030.

However, the international study, led by the University of Leeds, estimates that including climate policy measures as part of an economic recovery plan with strong green stimulus could prevent more than half of additional warming expected by 2050 under current policies.

This would provide a good chance of global temperatures staying below the Paris Agreement’s aspirational 1.5?C global warming limit and avoiding the risks and severe impacts that higher temperatures will bring.

Piers Forster began working with his daughter, Harriet, after her A levels were cancelled. They analysed the newly accessible global mobility data from Google and Apple. They calculated how 10 different greenhouse gases and air pollutants changed between February and June 2020 in 123 countries. They then brought in a wider team to help with the detailed analysis.

The team’s findings, published today in Nature Climate Change, detail how despite carbon dioxide (CO2), nitrogen oxides (NOx) and other emissions falling by between 10-30% globally, through the massive behavioural shifts seen during lockdown, there will be only a tiny impact on the climate, mainly because the decrease in emissions from confinement measures is temporary.

The researchers also modelled options for post-lockdown recovery, showing that the current situation provides a unique opportunity to implement a structural economic change that could help us move towards a more resilient, net-zero emissions future.

Study lead author Professor Piers Forster, director of the Priestley International Centre for Climate at Leeds and Principal Investigator of the CONSTRAIN consortium, said: “The choices made now could give us a strong chance of avoiding 0.3?C of additional warming by mid-century, halving the expected warming under current policies. This could mean the difference between success and failure when it comes to avoiding dangerous climate change.

“The study also highlights the opportunities in lowering traffic pollution by encouraging low emissions vehicles, public transport and cycle lanes. The better air quality will immediately have important health effects — and it will immediately start cooling the climate.”

Study co-author Harriet Forster, who has just completed her studies at Queen Margaret’s School, said: “Our paper shows that the actual effect of lockdown on the climate is small. The important thing to recognise is that we’ve been given a massive opportunity to boost the economy by investing in green industries — and this can make a huge difference to our future climate.

“I’m going to London next month to study art but I also did chemistry at A-level so was glad to use what I learned in my chemistry classes to do something useful.”

Study co-author Corinne Le Quéré from the University of East Anglia said: “The fall in emissions we experienced during COVID-19 is temporary and therefore it will do nothing to slow down climate change, but the Government responses could be a turning point if they focus on a green recovery, helping to avoid severe impacts from climate change.”

Study co-author Joeri Rogelj from the Grantham Institute — Climate Change and the Environment at Imperial College London said: “Both sobering and hopeful, the flash crash in global emissions due to lockdown measures will have no measurable impact on global temperatures by 2030; but the decisions we make this year about how to recover from this crisis can put us on a solid track to meet the Paris Agreement. Out of this tragedy comes an opportunity, but unless it is seized a more polluting next decade is not excluded.”

Study co-author Matthew Gidden from Climate Analytics, Berlin said: “The lasting effect of COVID-19 on climate will not depend on what happens during the crisis, but what comes after. “Stimulus focused on green recovery and low-carbon investment can provide the economic kick start needed while putting the world on track to meet climate pledges.”

Study co-author Professor Mathew Evans. From Wolfson Atmospheric Chemistry Laboratories, University of York and the National Centre for Atmospheric Science said: “The analysis of air quality observations from around the world showed us that the emissions reductions captured by Google and Apple’s mobility data were pretty close to those actually being experienced.”

Study co-author Christoph Keller from Goddard Earth Sciences, Technology and Research (GESTAR) based in the Global Modeling and Assimilation Office (GMAO) at NASA GSFC said: “The decrease in human activity in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic has created a unique opportunity to better quantify the human impact on atmospheric air pollution.

“Near real-time analysis of observations, mobility data, and NASA model simulations offers quantitative insights into the impact of COVID-19 containment measures on air pollution. This study demonstrates how such information can help to advance our understanding of the complicated interactions between air quality and climate.”

#Environment

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sakibkibriasami-blog · 4 years

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I’m here for a proposal about “Digital marketing and Freelancing”. We are spending this lockdown time in laziness and negligence. We are not doing anything productive. COVID is being considered as negative all over the world, but we can be efficient by using Covid as positive. It is noteworthy that millions of people around the world have lost their jobs. On the other hand, freelancers have chosen a better way of earning money by freelancing online. It can be seen that the owners of different businesses are looking for digital marketers. So you want to use your free time to become a skilled digital marketer? So use this quarantine and skilled yourself. Then you are getting a good income opportunity through online digital marketing by using your leisure time. Learn more by visiting our online career program. The program will be present there as our chief guest, AR Manik sir. He has been working as a digital marketer in Upwork since 2012. His position in CV ranking contribution is 29th out of 1st 50 people in the whole world. Another person also joins the program for giving us some life experience of him named MD. Alamin, Marketing manager, and social media Marketer. Schedule time of program: Monday, 06-July-2020, at 7:15pm. So,Take your decision, To attend the program Fill up the “Form “giver bellow: https://rb.gy/e16rhm Youtube Channel link: https://rb.gy/dhhs2v Facebook group: shorturl.at/ejJV6 Register Quickly The number of seats is limited. https://www.instagram.com/p/CCMXc75JYf7/?igshid=nsa8fvwzgzqz

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madstars-festival · 4 years

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HIRA MOHIBULLAH: “WITH ADVERTISING, I HELP THOSE WHO DON’T HAVE A VOICE”

Hira Mohibullah is an expert is telling stories that have a positive impact. We’re delighted to welcome her to our Final Jury this year representing BBDO Pakistan, where she is Executive Creative Director.

As the most awarded female creative in Pakistan, Hira Mohibullah believes that storytellers have a responsibility to tell the right kind of stories – especially in an industry as influential as advertising.

Her most notable campaigns include #BridalUniform, which raised awareness of the prevalence of underage brides; #BeatMe for UN Women, which challenged men to “beat” women (at something they excel at; and Chai Ka Nishaan (The Hot Tea Stain), a campaign that raised awareness on child burns caused through negligence around hot tea."

Since joining BBDO Pakistan four years ago, she has won more than 170 international awards for her work. A mother of two, Mohibullah is also an advocate for gender balance in the workplace and helped set up a day-care room at BBDO to encourage more working mothers to join the workforce.

You live and work in Pakistan. Did you grow up there, too?

I’m a third culture kid, and so I don’t really know what place I call home. I grew up in the Middle East and moved to Pakistan when I was 14. I have very fond memories of my childhood and, quite contrary to popular belief, it was fun being a kid in Saudi Arabia! I had friends from all over the world, and from a very young age I was exposed to different cultures and languages, which I feel has shaped who I am today as a creative.

What led you to a career in advertising: did you always dream of impacting positive social change through your work?

Growing up, I’ve hopped (all too rapidly) from one dream career to another. One thing that I’ve always known about myself is that I get bored with one thing real quick, and so the versatility that advertising brings to my life every single day is what makes it such a perfect match. Right after I completed my A Levels (after having taken every subject under the sun), I chanced upon the communication design course. There it was, my love for creative writing and design brought miraculously together. Advertising was the most obvious choice after that, and I’ve never looked back since.

In my twenties, while my friends were writing their personal statements for college applications full to the brim with life-changing struggles, I was wishing I had more of a story to tell. I grew up in a house with parents who did not believe in gender discrimination. They had two daughters and they gave us the best education to the best of their abilities. There was absolutely no pressure on us to fit a certain mould. With a great support system, I grew up living a sheltered life of privilege. But today, I realise that’s what my story is: with advertising I use my position of privilege to help those who don’t have a voice. It's all come full circle.

#BridalUniform was an incredibly powerful campaign, which won countless awards – including several at AD STARS. What challenges did you face in bringing it to life?

As with most pro-bono campaigns we do at BBDO, we had absolutely no money to spend on this one. So getting the word out to the entire nation, that it was not okay to marry off underage girls, seemed impossible. That challenge gave birth to a genius solution: we hijacked the biggest bridal fashion show of Pakistan, one that was already being covered by all major media channels in the country. We partnered Ali Xeeshan, Pakistan's foremost bridal wear designer and launched the Bridal Uniform: a merger between a little girl's school uniform and embellishments from a typical bridal outfit. Amidst the pomp and show, out walked the showstopper: a little girl wearing the #BridalUniform, symbolising the trade-off that happens when a child is deprived of her right to an education and instead is dressed as someone's wife. Without spending a dime, we were able to rack up one billion organic impressions.

Creativity can help to bring people together in times of crisis: are there any inspiring initiatives taking place in Pakistan right now? What is BBDO doing to keep its staff motivated during the coronavirus crisis?

It’s overwhelming to see everybody fighting on the same front, for the same cause. It’s brought the industry together in a way nothing ever has. Every brand I work on is doing their part to help the nation cope with this unprecedented struggle. We’re all working from home currently (being amongst the first few to implement the policy) and besides a few teething issues in the start, we’re meeting all our timelines even when the work has doubled in amount. My team and I usually get the brainstorming out of the way earlier in the day and then go our separate ways to finish off the pending tasks. Keeping meticulous checklists of individual workflows has helped me stay afloat by giving me a good visibility on the tasks lined up for the entire week.

What does your typical day look like?

I have two kids who I bring to work with me (a 6 year-old and a 7 month old) and in pre-COVID times, I used to joke about “traveling” to work because I would lug around all their stuff in a mini carry-on... everyday! These days in lockdown, I start early, get my 6 year-old’s homework done and ship him off to another room for his online classes while I find myself a quiet corner to tackle my checklist for the day.

Do you have a process – is there a way you work through a problem? How much of your creative process happens subconsciously?

I’ve hardly ever had an idea strike me in a dream or in the shower, unlike many other creatives I know. For me, cracking a brief requires a formal session (always with a notebook in hand) where I start from a pain-point, deep-dive into real-world insights, colloquially unlock the idea for relevance, and finally tell the story in the voice of the brand. Also, being bi-lingual helps me tackle the creative process from two different vernacular angles.

Who are your creative heroes and why?

Fernando Machado. He’s brave, unapologetically relentless, he has an eye for what will absolutely shake the world and he’s not afraid to do it!

You recently spoke at TEDxLahore. What did you talk was about?

My joint talk at TEDx was about the importance of telling the right kind of stories. The stories we hear growing up shape us into the people we are today: they define our limits, our fears and our dreams. As advertisers, we call ourselves storytellers, and so imagine the kind of power we hold to change the lives of those around us. Moiz Khan and I talked about the stories we’ve told in our time at BBDO Pakistan, and how they have positively impacted our society.

As the most awarded female creative in Pakistan, do you have advice for others hoping to ‘make it’ in advertising?

No one makes it in advertising on their own! Find your tribe. Go out there and look for like-minded people and a place that matches your vision.

Are you working on anything interesting right now?

Pakistanis love their tea. They have tea for breakfast, tea in the afternoon and then in the evening. There’s tea with snacks and tea over gossip sessions. In a shocking revelation, we learnt that 80% of child burns happen due to hot tea spills. Now in a country where tea consumption is at an all-time high, there is considerable talk around removing tea stains from clothes but none around the perils of being negligent while preparing or drinking that tea. After a successful first leg of the campaign where we were able to bring down the number of accidents by 50%, we’re now working on Round 2 this year!

You attended AD STARS in 2018. Do you have any favourite memories of Busan?

My fondest memory of Busan is going to The Library of Mystery Literature, a quaint little place which is a library, a cafe and a museum all rolled into one. Due to an ongoing book-club, they were closed at the time I wanted to visit. I called up the owner, and with my receptionist translating everything for me, told her it was the only day I could come visit and she generously opened up the cafe especially for me. There I met the famous crime novelist Kim Seong-jong, read a crime novel with a cup of buckwheat tea offset against a book-reading in a foreign language… it was really something else.

Hira Mohibullah will judge the Brand Experience & Activation, Creative eCommerce, Direct, Media and PR categories at the AD STARS 2020 Awards. To enter, submit your work before 15th May via adstars.org.

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xtruss · 4 years

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Decadent like the late Roman Empire, the West is committing suicide through its irrational response to Covid-19

For years, I was puzzled why the Roman Empire ceased to exist and was replaced by barbarians. Looking at the West's response to COVID-19, I know now.

Decadent like the late Roman Empire, the West is committing suicide through its irrational response to Covid-19

— 25 March, 2020 | RT

Colosseum and Arch of Constantine during the Coronavirus pandemic (Covid-19). Rome (Italy), March 19th, 2020

By Dr. Luboš Motl, Czech theoretical physicist, who was an assistant professor at Harvard University from 2004 to 2007. He writes a science and politics blog called The Reference Frame

Many think Covid-19 is some kind of alien invasion that spells the end of the world. But the real threat to us is a much deadlier virus: a hatred of all the values that have underpinned our civilisation for centuries.

For years, I was puzzled as to why the Roman Empire ceased to exist and was replaced by communities that were uncivilized by comparison. How and why could mankind’s progress reverse in this way? Recent experience has eliminated the mystery. No special devastating event was needed; the cause of Rome's demise was simply the loss of its people's desire to support their ‘empire’ and its underlying values. And as it was 1,500 years or so ago, so I fear it is now.

The Covid-19 crisis – specifically, the reaction to it – demonstrates that people have grown bored, detached, and easily impressionable by things that have nothing to do with the roots of their society. We are all – or too many of us – fin de siècle Romans now.

A large number of Westerners are happy to accept the suicidal shutting down of their economies to try to halt a virus that predominantly causes old and sick people to die just a few weeks or months before they would have anyway. Just as they enthusiastically endorse proclamations such as that there are 46 sexes, not two; that the flatulence of a cow must be reduced to save a polar bear; that millions of migrants from the Third World must be invited to Europe and assumed to be neurosurgeons; and so on.

The widespread opinion that everything, including economies, must be sacrificed to beat coronavirus is a revival of medieval witch hunts; the sacrifice seems more important than finding an effective method to deal with the problem.

Our increasingly decadent mass culture has gradually become more ideological and openly opposed to the values Western civilization is based upon. And while it boasts of being ‘counter-culture’ and independent, it’s acquired a monopoly over almost all the information channels that determine opinions, including mainstream media and political parties.

Our leaders have become sucked into this group-thinking and happily institute policies that unleash shutdowns that may cause the worst recession in history. Thousands of businesses are closing and long-term prospects are bleak.

Governments are stepping in to pay wages and fund other services. As tax revenue will be virtually non-existent, public debt will soar. Some governments may default on their debts or resort to printing money, causing soaring inflation. These countries may be unable to fund healthcare, their police or their military, and be so weakened they will be invaded by others and be erased from the world map.

That may be a worst-case scenario, but it’s almost certain that the impact of the shutdowns will be a recession comparable to the Great Depression. Yet what do most Western citizens make of it? Well, they are either unaware, uncaring, or they’re happy about it. They don’t seem to appreciate the consequent dangers. Instead, they are more obsessed with the latest celebrity who’s caught the virus.

The consumers of this mass culture haven't built anything like what our ancestors did – enlightenment, the theory of relativity, parliamentary democracy, industrialisation, major advances in philosophy, science, literature and engineering. They don't have to defend any real values against a tangible enemy, because hiding in a herd with uniform group-think is good enough for them.

Our ancestors had difficult, short lives; they had to work hard, produce enough to survive, fight enemies, and defend what they’d inherited. Numerous lasting values emerged from those efforts. The current generations of Westerners are good only at producing and escalating irrationality and panic.

If a two-month lockdown isn’t deemed enough to contain the virus, they’re happy to extend it to six months, if not years. China decided to impose strict policies, but they were assertive enough to be relatively short-lived; many Westerners want less perfect policies to last for a much longer time. That’s clearly an irrational approach; instead of ‘flattening a curve’, rational leaders (like Beijing’s) try to turn the curve into a cliff. The faster you eliminate the virus, the cheaper it is.

Immortality As An Entitlement

This support for economically suicidal policies didn't start with Covid-19. Westerners have spent recent decades amid a prosperity in which they took material wealth and good healthcare for granted. They forgot what hunger (and, in most cases, unemployment) meant. They got used to demanding ever deeper ‘entitlements’, such as the ‘right not to be offended’.

Activists sensationalised smaller and more implausible threats and demanded that governments mitigated them. In particular, the climate change movement advocated that the 1-2 °C of warming caused by CO2 emissions in a century was equivalent to an armageddon that had to be avoided, whatever the cost.

In this context, it could be expected that the first ‘real challenge’ – and a new flu-like disease is certainly one – would make people fearful. Because if people were led to believe that 1-2 °C of warming was basically the end of the world, is it surprising that they're absolutely terrified of a new disease that has the potential to kill a few million old and sick people?

The existential threat posed by coronavirus – or at least, our irrationality towards it – is greater than the climate threat (though still very small). Westerners who haven't seen any real threats for a long time have developed a condition – termed "affluenflammation" by the American musician Remy – which is a pathological habit of inflating negligible threats. When this inflation of feelings is applied to a real threat, namely a pandemic, they lose their composure.

The context of Covid-19, where every death is presented with horror, makes it clear that ‘immortality’ is just another ‘human right’. This wisdom says that our leaders are failing because they cannot defend this so-called right. But this excessive sensitivity is just one part of the problem.

Many Westerners actively want to harm their economies, corporations, rich people, and governments, because they don't feel any attachment to or responsibility for them. They take security and prosperity for granted. Their money and food arrive from ‘somewhere’, and they don’t care about the source.

And they believe that the structures which allow them to survive – the governments, banks, and so on – are ‘evil’. Some are just financially illiterate. But others know what they are saying, and rejoice in demanding that trillions be sacrificed in order to infinitesimally increase the probability that a 90-year-old will avoid infection and live a little bit longer. They don't accept their dependence on society and the system at all. They don't realise that their moral values, their ‘human rights’, are only available if paid for by prosperous societies.

I have used some dramatic prose, so let me be clear: the scenario I’ve outlined – ending in the suicide of the West – is avoidable, and I hope and believe it will be. I know some who are willing to fight for its survival.

But even if this acceleration towards shutdowns is reversed and countries restore their pre-virus businesses, our world won't be the same. Many people will conclude that the crisis was exciting, and try to kickstart a repetition. The curfew is likely to reduce CO2 emissions this year, so climate activists may try for similar results in the future. Terrorists may deploy some new disease – which, after all, is likely to be more effective than any stabbing or bombing.

It's conceivable that the West’s brush with mortality will lead people to regain some common sense and survival instincts. Perhaps several nations going bankrupt will be a wake-up call. Maybe people will realise that the reaction to the coronavirus was disproportionate. But even if that is so, I’m afraid it won’t be enough.

We need to accept that the positive relationship of Westerners to the roots of their civilization will be still missing – and that this is a virus that poses a much more fundamental existential threat than Covid-19.

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