Where's the petri dish thread?

[Shirley]

I think Ezekial has taken undeserved shots for speaking in evidence-based terms over saying what's popular in the past. But he's generally right. Like here.

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/23/opin ... ponse.html

It’s just not realistic. You can’t lock people down for two or three months and expect there to be anything left when it is over. People can’t go that long without an income. People who live alone can’t go that long without seeing family and friends. Heck, even the prison system doesn’t allow criminals to be placed in solitary confinement for that long.

Tear yourself away from Breitbart and Stormfront for a few minutes and see what "lockdown" amounts to in various locales.

[Mjl]

I think Ezekial has taken undeserved shots for speaking in evidence-based terms over saying what's popular in the past. But he's generally right. Like here.

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/23/opin ... ponse.html

It’s just not realistic. You can’t lock people down for two or three months and expect there to be anything left when it is over. People can’t go that long without an income. People who live alone can’t go that long without seeing family and friends. Heck, even the prison system doesn’t allow criminals to be placed in solitary confinement for that long.

It didn't say people would be out of income - it suggested the stimulus go to providing 80 percent of pay for those folks and to the small businesses.

What would be your suggestion for an alternative to Zeke's plan?

[Shirley]

[HouseDivided]

I think Ezekial has taken undeserved shots for speaking in evidence-based terms over saying what's popular in the past. But he's generally right. Like here.

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/23/opin ... ponse.html

It’s just not realistic. You can’t lock people down for two or three months and expect there to be anything left when it is over. People can’t go that long without an income. People who live alone can’t go that long without seeing family and friends. Heck, even the prison system doesn’t allow criminals to be placed in solitary confinement for that long.

Tear yourself away from Breitbart and Stormfront for a few minutes and see what "lockdown" amounts to in various locales.

I read neither of those sources. I would venture that we both read the same ones.

Thankfully, I am classified as essential worker, so I can still get out and earn, however, I live alone - a 45-minute drive from where my significant other currently lives and works, and a 15-minute drive from my kids. Expecting me to not see or have physical contact with them for three months is pretty much the equivalent of telling me to just go ahead and put a gun barrel in my mouth.

[HouseDivided]

I think Ezekial has taken undeserved shots for speaking in evidence-based terms over saying what's popular in the past. But he's generally right. Like here.

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/23/opin ... ponse.html

It’s just not realistic. You can’t lock people down for two or three months and expect there to be anything left when it is over. People can’t go that long without an income. People who live alone can’t go that long without seeing family and friends. Heck, even the prison system doesn’t allow criminals to be placed in solitary confinement for that long.

It didn't say people would be out of income - it suggested the stimulus go to providing 80 percent of pay for those folks and to the small businesses.

What would be your suggestion for an alternative to Zeke's plan?

Where is that money going to come from? The same people offering that solution were bitching about us being trillions in debt just a month ago.

We need to roll out the medical treatments that are showing promise in other countries immediately. Why do you think India just decided to hold their chloroquine stores? Answer: Because it works.

Apparently, physicians all over the U.S. are self-prescribing and stockpiling those same meds for themselves because they DON’T work:

https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/health ... r-BB11EMLa

[Deleted User 89]

could be that there are people who actually need the drug more

https://www.propublica.org/article/lupu ... -treatment

[zsn]

I was watching the Rachel Maddow program earlier tonight and I saw this graphic (or something close to it, from the Financial Times). While people are paying attention to various parts of the graph the part that struck me the most was the trajectory of the US curve. Watch how all the other (advanced) countries the shape of the curve tends towards the bottom as you move right the shape of the US curve is the opposite. We're the only country where this is the case. The initial shape tracks that of Japan and S.Korea and then something happened around day 12 (after the first 10 deaths) and then the curve tends steeper. So, we're doing (or not) that other countries are doing. In most countries the slope is rather linear for a long time, but ours clearly tends upward - there are two distinct trends. The graph I am talking about is here

https://www.ft.com/__origami/service/im ... width=1260

The whole article is here: https://www.ft.com/coronavirus-latest

[Mjl]

It’s just not realistic. You can’t lock people down for two or three months and expect there to be anything left when it is over. People can’t go that long without an income. People who live alone can’t go that long without seeing family and friends. Heck, even the prison system doesn’t allow criminals to be placed in solitary confinement for that long.

It didn't say people would be out of income - it suggested the stimulus go to providing 80 percent of pay for those folks and to the small businesses.

What would be your suggestion for an alternative to Zeke's plan?

Where is that money going to come from? The same people offering that solution were bitching about us being trillions in debt just a month ago.

We need to roll out the medical treatments that are showing promise in other countries immediately. Why do you think India just decided to hold their chloroquine stores? Answer: Because it works.

Apparently, physicians all over the U.S. are self-prescribing and stockpiling those same meds for themselves because they DON’T work:

https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/health ... r-BB11EMLa

1. I have been the most vocal about the deficit. And it's precisely because of this - you need to run a surplus when things are good so you can pay for this kind of thing. Your response indicates you don't understand the difference between deficit spending in good times vs bad times.

2. Your plan is chloroquine? This is alarming because I see you as that 40% that make up the Republican (certainly not conservative) base. And you're basing it off India not wanting to export it. Did you ever consider that they need it there for actual malaria especially now that the President has made everyone like you believe that this is the plan? What if it doesn't work? You realize that it most likely won't... right?

[zsn]

We need to roll out the medical treatments that are showing promise in other countries immediately. Why do you think India just decided to hold their chloroquine stores? Answer: Because it works.

You forgot to add "....against malaria" at the end of your answer. Malaria is still a big problem in India and they don't want their local generics manufacturer selling to the highest Western bidder for potential treatment which may or may not work. The bulk drug is so cheap that if I was a Western generics manufacturer I would just buy up all the supply of chloroquine whether or not it worked - think pharmaceutical toilet paper hoarding, on steroids!! The moral of the story is that the rainy season is around the corner (in a few months) and with it comes mosquitoes and malaria. Typical supply chain residence time for these drugs is about 2-3 months: ie. the bulk drug made today will hit the market as pills in about 3 months. So they are just making the chloroquine in anticipation of local demand. They just don't want it exported to possibly unscrupulous brokers and middlemen.

Good move, India.

Edit: Great point, MjI - saw your post after I posted!!

[Deleted User 289]

K.A.T.'s mother is in bad shape.

[HouseDivided]

It didn't say people would be out of income - it suggested the stimulus go to providing 80 percent of pay for those folks and to the small businesses.

What would be your suggestion for an alternative to Zeke's plan?

Where is that money going to come from? The same people offering that solution were bitching about us being trillions in debt just a month ago.

We need to roll out the medical treatments that are showing promise in other countries immediately. Why do you think India just decided to hold their chloroquine stores? Answer: Because it works.

Apparently, physicians all over the U.S. are self-prescribing and stockpiling those same meds for themselves because they DON’T work:

https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/health ... r-BB11EMLa

1. I have been the most vocal about the deficit. And it's precisely because of this - you need to run a surplus when things are good so you can pay for this kind of thing. Your response indicates you don't understand the difference between deficit spending in good times vs bad times.

2. Your plan is chloroquine? This is alarming because I see you as that 40% that make up the Republican (certainly not conservative) base. And you're basing it off India not wanting to export it. Did you ever consider that they need it there for actual malaria especially now that the President has made everyone like you believe that this is the plan? What if it doesn't work? You realize that it most likely won't... right?

1.) I am concerned about hyperinflation, which would make the purported $1,500 checks next to worthless.

2.) So U.S. physicians are self-prescribing and stockpiling a medication that won’t work? Or maybe they’re anticipating a malaria outbreak down the road? Or a koi pond cleaner shortage? There are promising studies of combinations with azithromycin and with zinc as well. I just don’t buy the argument that lockdowns are the only option in this day and age.

[twocoach]

I think Ezekial has taken undeserved shots for speaking in evidence-based terms over saying what's popular in the past. But he's generally right. Like here.

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/23/opin ... ponse.html

It’s just not realistic. You can’t lock people down for two or three months and expect there to be anything left when it is over. People can’t go that long without an income. People who live alone can’t go that long without seeing family and friends. Heck, even the prison system doesn’t allow criminals to be placed in solitary confinement for that long.

I would be curious to see how many Americans are without 100% of their income. We are missing up on about 25% of our household income right now. Mine hasnt changed at all (I am probably saving money per month by not driving or eating out for lunch most days) and my wife is out a chunk of hers with rinks closed.

As for not being able to go months without seeing family and friends, that's nonsense. There are a multitude of resources available, many of them free or free if you own or have access to a PC, to allow people to connect and communicate.

[HouseDivided]

K.A.T.'s mother is in bad shape.

Thank God we have knowledgeable, well-educated basketball players telling us what to think and do.

[twocoach]

K.A.T.'s mother is in bad shape.

Thank God we have knowledgeable, well-educated basketball players telling us what to think and do.

Folks have proven that they wont believe knowledgable, well educated scientists and doctors so it cant hurt to try their favorite basketball player or actor. If I recall correctly, this wasn't a real possibility to many until Tom Hanks was diagnosed.

[HouseDivided]

I think Ezekial has taken undeserved shots for speaking in evidence-based terms over saying what's popular in the past. But he's generally right. Like here.

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/23/opin ... ponse.html

It’s just not realistic. You can’t lock people down for two or three months and expect there to be anything left when it is over. People can’t go that long without an income. People who live alone can’t go that long without seeing family and friends. Heck, even the prison system doesn’t allow criminals to be placed in solitary confinement for that long.

I would be curious to see how many Americans are without 100% of their income. We are missing up on about 25% of our household income right now. Mine hasnt changed at all (I am probably saving money per month by not driving or eating out for lunch most days) and my wife is out a chunk of hers with drinks closed.

I saw seven patients in session yesterday, and six of them were in a panic about their finances. Granted, all were used to living paycheck-to-paycheck and at or above their means, but that is most people today, like it or not.

Personally, I have enough squirreled away to live for a year or so without any problem. I’m more concerned with my investments and having a job to go back to when the dust settles. And none of that touches the social isolation.

[HouseDivided]

K.A.T.'s mother is in bad shape.

Thank God we have knowledgeable, well-educated basketball players telling us what to think and do.

Folks have proven that they wont believe knowledgable, well educated scientists and doctors so it cant hurt to try their favorite basketball player or actor. If I recall correctly, this wasn't a real possibility to many until Tom Hanks was diagnosed.

Lulz. These are the same people who think DJT “told” them to drink koi pond cleaner, I assume?

[HouseDivided]

I think Ezekial has taken undeserved shots for speaking in evidence-based terms over saying what's popular in the past. But he's generally right. Like here.

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/23/opin ... ponse.html

It’s just not realistic. You can’t lock people down for two or three months and expect there to be anything left when it is over. People can’t go that long without an income. People who live alone can’t go that long without seeing family and friends. Heck, even the prison system doesn’t allow criminals to be placed in solitary confinement for that long.

As for not being able to go months without seeing family and friends, that's nonsense. There are a multitude of resources available, many of them free or free if you own or have access to a PC, to allow people to connect and communicate.

Spoken like someone who doesn’t remember what it was like to live alone and who takes human contact for granted. FaceTime and Zoom are not substitutes for proximity to another person. You don’t get oxytocin release from a text message. Spend thirty minutes in a nursing home and you’ll immediately notice how hungry people are for eye contact and physical touch.

[jfish26]

I feel sort of dumb thinking that Trump's apparent rush toward ending the shutdown had everything to do with some vague (and deeply stupid) wishcasting that the economy would recover despite bodies piling up in hockey rink morgues.

No, it's at least a good amount about him, and his day-to-day:

A restless Trump wants to end the country's isolation -- and his own

https://www.cnn.com/2020/03/24/politics ... index.html

Antsy at being sealed off, with no visiting dignitaries and no large crowds, Trump has wondered aloud to aides when life will again return to normal -- not just for the nation, but for himself. The slowdown in his own life has led, in part, to Trump's strong desire to see the guidelines he offered on avoiding crowds and staying at home lifted quickly.

[Deleted User 289]

K.A.T.'s mother is in bad shape.

Thank God we have knowledgeable, well-educated basketball players telling us what to think and do.

I'm an idiot for many reasons. One of them being that I can't tell if you are being sincere or sarcastic.

[Deleted User 289]

It’s just not realistic. You can’t lock people down for two or three months and expect there to be anything left when it is over. People can’t go that long without an income. People who live alone can’t go that long without seeing family and friends. Heck, even the prison system doesn’t allow criminals to be placed in solitary confinement for that long.

I would be curious to see how many Americans are without 100% of their income. We are missing up on about 25% of our household income right now. Mine hasnt changed at all (I am probably saving money per month by not driving or eating out for lunch most days) and my wife is out a chunk of hers with drinks closed.

I saw seven patients in session yesterday, and six of them were in a panic about their finances. Granted, all were used to living paycheck-to-paycheck and at or above their means, but that is most people today, like it or not.

Personally, I have enough squirreled away to live for a year or so without any problem. I’m more concerned with my investments and having a job to go back to when the dust settles. And none of that touches the social isolation.

You saw seven patients yesterday and you're concerned with having a job to go back to?
I know the psychotherapists in my building have been told not to see patients right now and to communicate with them via "Skype" and the telephone.
Being that you are not in a "hot spot", I assume you have been advised it's ok to see patients in person.
If so, then why are you concerned with not having a job to go back to?