2020
Empty Grocery Shelves Are Alarming, But They're Not Permanent
America’s grocery supply chains are going strong. Shelves are bare because of spiked demand. “It’s like the weekend before Thanksgiving — day after day after day.” www.npr.org/2020/03/1…
Cory Doctorow: Fox News is a suicide cult. Theirs and Trump’s initial coronavirus denialism is still helping fuel the spread. pluralistic.net/2020/03/1…
Cory Doctorow: “How to structure a fair covid bailout: Stimulus, not private jets.” pluralistic.net/2020/03/1…
Cory Doctorow: The Democrats' worst Congressman is out of a job
“Congress’s worst Democrat is Dan Lipinski, a corrupt, anti-abortion, corporatist, gunhumping asshole…. "
And now he’s primaried out.
Shameful that the DNCC supported this clown.
15 Broadway Plays and Musicals You Can Watch On Stage From Home www.playbill.com/article/1…
Beijing fears Covid-19 is a turning point for China and globalization
China didn’t start coronavirus, but Chinese incompetence and authoritarianism is a big part of the reason why it’s now a global pandemic, rather than a local problem.
The same Chinese government that mishandled the crisis at first is now telling us that everything’s fine in China now; they’ve got it under control. Seriously?
Michael Auslin:
While the world fights the coronavirus pandemic, China is fighting a propaganda war. Beijing’s war aim is simple: shift away from China all blame for the outbreak, the botched initial response, and its early spread into the broader world. At stake is China’s global reputation, as well as the potential of a fundamental shift away from China for trade and manufacturing. Also at risk is the personal legacy of General Secretary Xi Jinping, who has staked his legitimacy on his technocratic competence. After dealing with the first great global crisis of the 21st century, the world must fundamentally rethink its dependence on China.
… no one knows if Beijing’s claims that new indigenous cases are slowing down are true or not, given long-standing doubt about the veracity of any official Chinese statistics, and the party’s failure to act in the early days of the coronavirus.
Auslin goes on to say that the coronavirus pandemic is making globalization downsides apparent, particularly the reliance on China for so much manufacturing, particularly essential drugs.
Jeet Heer: The Democratic party's DC leadership is failing the coronavirus test
Congressional Democrats are to the right of the GOP on coronavirus relief.
If Sanders, Warren, and Ocasio-Cortez find a way to speak with one voice, they can push the Pelosi–Chuck Schumer–Joe Biden wing to act with urgency. Otherwise, we’re stuck in a world where Romney and Cotton are to the left of the Democratic Party’s leadership.
We live in Zoom now www.nytimes.com/2020/03/1…
‘Friends’ Reunion Special Delayed at HBO Max www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed…
They will not be there for you.
When your phone links you to a crime: How law enforcement used a “geofence” warrant to identify a suspect of a crime he didn’t commit.
Google tracked his bike ride past a burglarized home. That made him a suspect.
Dr. Fabiano Di Marco, a doctor in a hospital in Bergamo, Italy, shares his story: “It’s like a war,” he says. “We cry every day.” The US may be headed the same way. www.nytimes.com/2020/03/1…
The origin stories of the peace sign, smiley face and power button symbol.
There are symbols all around us that we take for granted, like the lightning strike icon, which indicates that something is high voltage. Or a little campfire to indicate that something is flammable. Those icons are pretty obvious, but there are others that aren’t so straightforward. Like, why do a triangle and a stick in a circle indicate “peace”? Where does the smiley face actually come from?"
If you must smoke while wearing your influenza mask, 1918 reddit.com/r/OldScho…
How to avoid the time-suck of social networks while working at home www.zdnet.com/article/h…
Bill Gates: Countries shut for coronavirus could bounce back in weeks — www.cnbc.com/2020/03/1…
Sister Maria Elena Romero, a cloistered nun, offers advice on social distancing, which nuns and monks have been doing for nearly 2,000 years.
U.S. Virus Plan Anticipates 18-Month Pandemic and Widespread Shortages
18 months!
Cory Doctorow: Plague precautions from 1665.
A comprehensive list, resembling extreme measures we might see today – both virtues and flaws (tippling in public houses STILL permitted).
Science was just getting started then, but people had plenty of experience with plague.
Among the precautions: Public entertainments, including bear-baiting, are banned. The bears must have been pleased.
Cory Doctorow: "Bigoted Republican Congressjerk votes against coronavirus relief because it might cover same-sex partnerships."
Cory: “The Republican Party, folks. The party of death and poverty and tragedy and hate. Remember that in November.”
In reality, the law that hateful moron Andy Biggs (R-Az) objects to makes no change to US policy regarding same-sex partnerships. None.
Also, the way infectious disease works is that for any of us to be protected, all of us need protection. Even people we find contemptible, like Andy Biggs.