Random Rant Thread

[K1power]

My hero!

[miscmisc]

Lockdown works mostly because of the closure of restaurants/bars/pubs/karaoke/gyms, and effectively banning house parties by limiting the number of guests that you can invite to your house.

So I suspect that targeted shutdown works almost as well as full lockdown at least on paper. But lockdown sends a strong message, which targeted shutdown can't. That probably matters, although its economic damage is profound and certainly much bigger than shutdown of a certain sectors plus banning large gatherings plus encouraging telework.

It's very difficult calculation. But lockdown is off the table in the US anyway.

I'm just giving you positive information that targeted measures CAN work.

[miscmisc]

OK, so you STILL want to talk about fucking Sweden? Seriously?

During the summer there were more restrictions in Sweden than in Spain and Italy and the UK, not to mention places like Czechia and Poland, who basically behaved like the pandemic was actually no more. Why do they keep talking about this shit without even knowing that?

The ACTUAL Swedish model is to rely on the discipline of the population - #1 in Europe on the social cohesion index FTW - to follow the social distancing rules, which are mostly designed specifically to mitigate the cause of super-spreading events. Aside from their silly woo-woo misunderstanding on masks, their approach is basically very Taiwanese/Japanese, although probably largely by accident.

And that's probably not enough to push back the second wave.

It's been months since they started talking about Sweden, yet still talking out of their asses.

EVERYONE should just stop talking about that country altogether. They never learn anything from the country's approach if they never stop misunderstanding the key points, as long as they keep thinking they can score some anti-lockdown point by invoking Sweden. Their simpleton binary brain doesn't seem to be able to process non-simpleton information. This stupid crap should end.

[miscmisc]

Masks.

Ventilation.

Very important.

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"But deaths aren't going up by much."

If there's anything immortal in this world, this crap is.

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New York was saved largely by the health workers and resources that came from other states in America.

That's not going to happen in this wave, because almost EVERYONE is in trouble.

Like I said a while ago, will you ask Hawaii and Maine for help?

[miscmisc]

I have to repeat this: You can add as much ICU *space* as you want. America is a big country after all.

But you can't just add *people*. We won't have enough doctors and nurses to attend those ICU beds.

[miscmisc]

Like I said, it is going to fucking explode in America, so you really ought to be mentally ready for it if you're in America.

Not that it isn't in other countries - I expect very few countries in the world - like New Zealand - to get out of this winter (though it's not winter down there) largely unscathed - but it's going to be very, very, very bad in most American states.

It's already godawful in many Midwestern states, but most of the mainstream media are based in Northeast. Can't convey the sense of urgency well.

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OK, I'm not a native English speaker, but this Irish accent by Walken isn't cringe-worthy?

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OK, so the great states of Vermont and Hawaii will give us their hands, and problem solved.

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Every one of you is unique; But none of you are special.

Let's always remember that.

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And our economy and society will be saved yet again by natural science and technology.

Not by your useless liberal-arts/social-science fantasy like natural herd immunity.

[miscmisc]

Ron Klain as the Chief of Staff for Biden - not totally surprising given the pandemic. At least miles better than Obama's choice in 2008 (that fucking you-know-who).

Well, Klain said this back in January (Yes, January):

Five presidents—liberals and conservatives, Democrats and Republicans—have looked to Tony Fauci for advice; it is not impossible to imagine Trump being the first to angrily dismiss the counsel he offers if it does not fit with his own poor instincts. A president who calls generals “babies and cowards” will have to sit face to face with experienced global-health-security professionals, and listen. He will have to put his isolationist biases and anti-science mind-set aside, and let expertise—not his personal inclinations or the political whims of his base—guide U.S. policy. He will have to trust bureaucrats, diplomats, career staff, and agency appointees who are not on Team MAGA.

He will have to govern, as Democratic and Republican presidents have before him, but unlike how he has conducted himself at any point in his presidency to date. Many lives—mostly abroad, but perhaps here as well—could depend on it.

Bingo.

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This x 100:

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Facebook is producing these horrendously misinformed yet highly opinionated people (= politically the worst kind) living in an alternate reality by hundreds if not thousands every day.

"Go, I don't even want to talk to you."

There is just nothing that you can do about these people. You have to live with them, somehow.