The Swamp

Shirley wrote: ↑Tue Feb 25, 2020 11:49 am We have a big event in Nashville next week that most of the company attends. Late last week, they decided to exclude all North American employees from traveling to it. It's interesting when you think of all the various ways that fear of this thing (justified or not) are going to slow the global economy.

Thanks, Obama.

Shirley wrote: ↑Tue Feb 25, 2020 12:04 am There are already a bunch of different labs working on creating a vaccine. While I agree that it's likely to keep spreading, I think we'll be able to stop it before it gets to anything like Spanish Flu numbers (or the 100 million Brian put out there). Plus, that one killed at something like a 10% rate, although they didn't have our test accuracy, so it's possible that a lot more people had it than we realized, so the mortality rate may have been much lower.

But then, viruses are tricky and maybe it's harder than I think.

I saw someone on Twitter joke (?) that it should be renamed the Obama Coronavirus so Trump is compelled to eradicate it.

Still, I'm not trying to fear-monger, but this is going to get really bad here relatively soon I think. Maybe not next week, maybe not even next month (and hopefully the precautions being taken in the US buy enough time for a vaccine or a treatment), but from what I've seen so far when this hits big in Africa, Asia and the poorer parts of Europe, we'll be lucky if the death toll is less than a million. That's the lucky scenario.

So as I'm reading through this, my wife comes in telling me San Fran just declared some sort of state of emergency. She is scheduled to go to SF next week for the Fortune Best Places to Work conference. She was saying she isn't scared of getting the virus, but scared of a reported case coming out and having the airport shut down. Apparently Facebook just cancelled some annual conference in SF. Then as I'm downplaying the danger, she gets an email from one of her employees saying her daughter was able to get on the last flight out of Florence, Italy, where she was studying abroad, because they decided to shut down the airports.

Funny how Limbaugh is so upset about the media "weaponizing" the scare to hurt Trump. I would bet the farm that Limbaugh attacked Obama for allowing Ebola to destroy 'Murica.

Wait. How can a state of emergency be declared when there are no confirmed cases?

People don’t need any evidence to panic. People are sheep.

degenerasian wrote: ↑Tue Feb 25, 2020 10:04 pm Wait. How can a state of emergency be declared when there are no confirmed cases?

I haven't looked into it, but she said it was due to the high rate of travel between SF and China.

The Sybian wrote: ↑Tue Feb 25, 2020 10:06 pm

degenerasian wrote: ↑Tue Feb 25, 2020 10:04 pm Wait. How can a state of emergency be declared when there are no confirmed cases?

I haven't looked into it, but she said it was due to the high rate of travel between SF and China.

Sure but there is high rate of travel between China and Vancouver and they even have 7? confirmed cases.

Doesnt declaring a state if emergency involve resources and military? Is it being done just to free funds?

The Sybian wrote: ↑Tue Feb 25, 2020 9:54 pm Then as I'm downplaying the danger, she gets an email from one of her employees saying her daughter was able to get on the last flight out of Florence, Italy, where she was studying abroad, because they decided to shut down the airports.

Crazy, one of my good friends was there for work and caught one of the last flights out.

I was reading a Public Health specialist last night online, and they were saying what's scary about this thing hitting the US is that a) lots of people here don't stay home from work when they are sick (due to PTO policies), and b) lots of people with substandard health insurance don't go to the doctors office. Those things are going to be factors.

They were also saying that it spreading in the Middle East is really bad, and that if it gets to the refugee camps in Syria, etc its gonna be really really bad.

The Sybian wrote: ↑Tue Feb 25, 2020 9:54 pm So as I'm reading through this, my wife comes in telling me San Fran just declared some sort of state of emergency. She is scheduled to go to SF next week for the Fortune Best Places to Work conference. She was saying she isn't scared of getting the virus, but scared of a reported case coming out and having the airport shut down. Apparently Facebook just cancelled some annual conference in SF. Then as I'm downplaying the danger, she gets an email from one of her employees saying her daughter was able to get on the last flight out of Florence, Italy, where she was studying abroad, because they decided to shut down the airports.

Hey, bud. If your wife is worried about them closing the SFO airport and stranding her out here, tell her you know somebody with a spare bedroom who’d be happy to host her!

The Sybian wrote: ↑Tue Feb 25, 2020 9:54 pm she gets an email from one of her employees saying her daughter was able to get on the last flight out of Florence, Italy, where she was studying abroad, because they decided to shut down the airports.

I just some texts from my daughter at Gonzaga. Gonzaga has a satellite campus in Florence, and they are bringing all of the students home. Problem is that its currently spring break for those kids, and they are scattered all over Europe.

DaveInSeattle wrote: ↑Wed Feb 26, 2020 2:54 pm

The Sybian wrote: ↑Tue Feb 25, 2020 9:54 pm she gets an email from one of her employees saying her daughter was able to get on the last flight out of Florence, Italy, where she was studying abroad, because they decided to shut down the airports.

I just some texts from my daughter at Gonzaga. Gonzaga has a satellite campus in Florence, and they are bringing all of the students home. Problem is that its currently spring break for those kids, and they are scattered all over Europe.

Syracuse is doing the same.

Good news! Trump is putting Pence in charge of the gov't response. As a former governor of Indiana, Pence must have some experience with this kind of thing...

Mike Pence's Defining Moment As Governor? Enabling An HIV Outbreak

With the exception of a brief detour into Indiana Gov. Mike Pence’s (R) anti-abortion beliefs during the vice presidential debate on Oct. 4, the night centered around foreign policy, not public health.

It’s a shame, since lackluster public health efforts are what led to the defining moment of Pence’s one-term Indiana governorship: a massive HIV outbreak spurred by public health funding cuts and Pence’s moralistic stance against needle exchanges.

It seems like a grave political error to put this in the VP’s hands, especially one that nobody likes. But it’s Trump, so what do I know.

CDC reports first case of unknown origin in the United States (in California). They’ll start popping up in other places soon.

rass wrote: ↑Wed Feb 26, 2020 2:42 pm

I (do not at all) like how this graphic for workers who need to wear masks for work got spun as a coronavirus mask guide and tweeted by dozens of local news stations as fact despite, you know, the advice that healthy people shouldn't wear masks

I assume this is going to disproportionally affect cities and high density areas, right? Between that, the fact that they can't waive fees for testing/treatment without proving Sanders right and the whole "non-white people brought this to America", its going to be a disaster.

I liked the beard drawings.

Rex wrote: ↑Wed Feb 26, 2020 7:02 pm It seems like a grave political error to put this in the VP’s hands, especially one that nobody likes. But it’s Trump, so what do I know.

Pence is soooooo getting set up as the fall guy. This goes badly, and it gives Trump the excuse to pitch him over the side...and, voila, Vice President Ivanka!

rass wrote: ↑Thu Feb 27, 2020 10:53 am I liked the beard drawings.

It's the chance for the Hitler/Toothbrush to come back into style!

DaveInSeattle wrote: ↑Thu Feb 27, 2020 12:34 pm

Rex wrote: ↑Wed Feb 26, 2020 7:02 pm It seems like a grave political error to put this in the VP’s hands, especially one that nobody likes. But it’s Trump, so what do I know.

Pence is soooooo getting set up as the fall guy. This goes badly, and it gives Trump the excuse to pitch him over the side...and, voila, Vice President Ivanka!

While that would be comical, Nikki Haley would be much more likely. Otherwise I agree Pence is being setup as the fall guy.

In all seriousness, they are already censoring information to play to the markets etc. Straight dictator shit.

DaveInSeattle wrote: ↑Thu Feb 27, 2020 12:35 pm

rass wrote: ↑Thu Feb 27, 2020 10:53 am I liked the beard drawings.

It's the chance for the Hitler/Toothbrush to come back into style!

tennbengal wrote: ↑Thu Feb 27, 2020 2:49 pm In all seriousness, they are already censoring information to play to the markets etc. Straight dictator shit.

This totally fills me with confidence:

Just so bad. Terrifying, the hubris and incompetence and stupidity.

This thread title has the potential to really look stupid down the line.

Everything is under control!

mister d wrote: ↑Thu Feb 27, 2020 3:08 pm This thread title has the potential to really look stupid down the line.

It was meant to be wry.

tennbengal wrote: ↑Thu Feb 27, 2020 3:27 pm

mister d wrote: ↑Thu Feb 27, 2020 3:08 pm This thread title has the potential to really look stupid down the line.

It was meant to be wry.

I didn't mean it as an insult, just imagining a thread named "That Pressure Cooker Thingy" or something.

mister d wrote: ↑Thu Feb 27, 2020 3:34 pm

tennbengal wrote: ↑Thu Feb 27, 2020 3:27 pm

mister d wrote: ↑Thu Feb 27, 2020 3:08 pm This thread title has the potential to really look stupid down the line.

It was meant to be wry.

I didn't mean it as an insult, just imagining a thread named "That Pressure Cooker Thingy" or something.

That was what I was going for - that kind of alleged bemused detachement - but not really that detached.

In any event, the Dow is off 900 points so good job Trump on the messaging on this...

Make that 1000 points. Wow.

tennbengal wrote: ↑Thu Feb 27, 2020 2:49 pm In all seriousness, they are already censoring information to play to the markets etc. Straight dictator shit.

And if the Democrats want to be ruthless, they can blame the eventual deaths and tanking market on the Republicans. It might change minds come November.

Noting that the money to combat this type of stuff was dried up 2 years ago and Liz Warren introducing a bill to divert wall money is a good start.

That same day (10/17/14) he complained that the "Ebola czar" was being forced to report to WH.

Almost a 1200 point drop - an absolute blood bath in the last hour.

tennbengal wrote: ↑Thu Feb 27, 2020 4:01 pm Almost a 1200 point drop - an absolute blood bath in the last hour.

Isn't down like 4000 points this week? MY company's stock went up $9 last week when our earnings report came out. Should have fucking sold it. Down $10 this week.