covid-19

[Phil1111 910]

4 hours ago, kallend said:

Wisconsin, last Sunday.
https://www.wisn.com/article/coronavirus-wisconsin-lake-party-draws-criticism-for-lack-of-masks-social-distancing/33502836

Sturgis SD next weekend.

In Australia city wide curfews with police checking ID's and ticketing those who have no legitimate reason to be out of their homes. Cue America the beautiful with screenshots on covid intensive care wards.

[ryoder 1,381]

4 hours ago, kallend said:

Wisconsin, last Sunday.
https://www.wisn.com/article/coronavirus-wisconsin-lake-party-draws-criticism-for-lack-of-masks-social-distancing/33502836

Sturgis SD next weekend.

Jalopnik headline today: 

Great Touring Bike Deals Coming To An Estate Sale Near You, Sturgis Motorcycle Rally Hopes To Welcome 250,000

[yoink 321]

55 minutes ago, ryoder said:

Jalopnik headline today: 

Great Touring Bike Deals Coming To An Estate Sale Near You, Sturgis Motorcycle Rally Hopes To Welcome 250,000

I don't get it.

Why is the culture in America so different to the rest of the world? I've honestly never imagined the mass arrogance, self entitlement and stupidity as we're seeing over here recently.

EVERYWHERE else in the world while people bitch and moan about the quarantine and mask requirements they do it - because it's preferable to having the economy tanked for multiple years and greatly increasing your risk of choking to death, and it's enforced.

 

What is making Americans so different? It can't JUST be the lack of federal leadership. 

[JoeWeber 2,297]

6 minutes ago, yoink said:

I don't get it.

Why is the culture in America so different to the rest of the world? I've honestly never imagined the mass arrogance, self entitlement and stupidity as we're seeing over here recently.

EVERYWHERE else in the world while people bitch and moan about the quarantine and mask requirements they do it - because it's preferable to having the economy tanked for multiple years and greatly increasing your risk of choking to death, and it's enforced.

 

What is making Americans so different? It can't JUST be the lack of federal leadership. 

I've been in a several Island countries since this began, plus Puerto Rico and the USVI's, many of which have somewhat returned to normal. Obviously, small Islands and small populations are easier problems. But pretty much what stopped the spread was serious, consistent leadership and actual penalties. For example, one night in Sint Maarten some locals had what's called a Jump Up at midnight. It's a drunken block party with boom boxes, carousing etc. etc. The next day the cops showed up and all of the toys and a few cars were confiscated. Organizers were put in jail. Fines in the range of $2500USD were levied. Jump Up's stopped. 

[gowlerk 1,904]

33 minutes ago, yoink said:

What is making Americans so different? It can't JUST be the lack of federal leadership. 

It is leadership, but not just federal. State and local as well. In any society there would be people who would resent these rules. In America the leadership has allowed it to become an identity issue. I heard the governor of GA saying mandatory mask rules are unenforceable. That sends a clear message that you don't have to wear on if you don't want to. If instead they made a rule it would be difficult to enforce and you would not get 100% compliance. But you would get far more that just saying "do whatever".

Leadership matters. It can create social pressure to do the right thing or it can send the opposite message. The Sturgis MC rally? Are you freaking kidding me? State leadership could easily stop it from happening, or at least reduce it to a much smaller underground event. They can not possibly make enough money to be worth the enormous risk to the locals and the visitors who will go home and become spreaders.

[billvon 2,392]

23 minutes ago, gowlerk said:

They can not possibly make enough money to be worth the enormous risk to the locals and the visitors who will go home and become spreaders.

But that's the thing.  That one vendor who makes 80% of his money at Sturgis?  Disease in Nevada, Manitoba and Ohio doesn't affect him.  But not getting $$$ does affect him, very directly.

As you said, that's the sort of thing that has to be dealt with at a higher level.

[SkyDekker 1,121]

1 hour ago, yoink said:

I don't get it.

Why is the culture in America so different to the rest of the world? I've honestly never imagined the mass arrogance, self entitlement and stupidity as we're seeing over here recently.

EVERYWHERE else in the world while people bitch and moan about the quarantine and mask requirements they do it - because it's preferable to having the economy tanked for multiple years and greatly increasing your risk of choking to death, and it's enforced.

 

What is making Americans so different? It can't JUST be the lack of federal leadership. 

You are still running Honey BooBoo and Duck Dynasty on TV. I think that should answer it for you.

[gowlerk 1,904]

9 minutes ago, SkyDekker said:

You are still running Honey BooBoo and Duck Dynasty on TV. I think that should answer it for you.

Both well watched in Canada I'm afraid.

[wmw999 2,120]

I think the Russians also feel they're superior decision makers. At least in skydiving, the rules often don't apply to them.

We pride ourselves as a rule on our "intellectual independence" (as defined by someone else; go figure). And the cult of Ayn Rand seems to say that each producer's decision is superior, for them, to any other possible decisions. Does away with the need to engage in any pesky research or anything.

Wendy P.

[SkyDekker 1,121]

16 minutes ago, gowlerk said:

Both well watched in Canada I'm afraid.

Absolutely. Watching it wasn't what I was trying to draw attention to....

[ryoder 1,381]

2 hours ago, gowlerk said:

The Sturgis MC rally? Are you freaking kidding me? State leadership could easily stop it from happening, or at least reduce it to a much smaller underground event. They can not possibly make enough money to be worth the enormous risk to the locals and the visitors who will go home and become spreaders.

I would suggest if it is going to be held, then these rules could dramatically decrease the infection rate:

- Mandatory mask usage.

- No customers allowed inside businesses. All customers must be served outdoors.

[billvon 2,392]

1 hour ago, wmw999 said:

And the cult of Ayn Rand seems to say that each producer's decision is superior, for them, to any other possible decisions. Does away with the need to engage in any pesky research or anything.

For many such people that thinking only holds until they need something.  The Ayn Rand institute just applied for (and accepted) PPP funding.  A quote from a Tea Partyer from 2010, when asked how she reconciled her support for the Tea Party while she was collecting Social Security: "That’s a conundrum, isn’t it? I don’t know what to say. Maybe I don’t want smaller government. I guess I want smaller government and my Social Security. I didn’t look at it from the perspective of losing things I need. I think I’ve changed my mind."

We here in the US have the luxury of espousing a purely libertarian viewpoint precisely because so many of our needs are provided for by the government.  A libertarian can gripe about masks,  taxes, the nanny state, governmental overreach etc while driving to work on public roads, secure in the knowledge that if he gets in an accident, emergency services will be there for him.  That's just part of the background now, something many people don't think about.  (Until they are forced to, as in the above example.)

[nigel99 143]

And this is why America is screwed... Comment taken from the Hill

“As my wife pointed it out, this mask thing is a ploy to install the burqa and to normalize Sharia Law.
PATRIOTS, SAY “NO” TO MASKS, NO TO MANDATORY VACCINE, NO TO THE MARK OF THE BEAST.“

[billvon 2,392]

1 hour ago, nigel99 said:

And this is why America is screwed... Comment taken from the Hill

“As my wife pointed it out, this mask thing is a ploy to install the burqa and to normalize Sharia Law.
PATRIOTS, SAY “NO” TO MASKS, NO TO MANDATORY VACCINE, NO TO THE MARK OF THE BEAST.“

It's the End Times I tell ya!  First it's vaccines, and next you have to get a 666 tattooed on your forehead, just like last time.

[ryoder 1,381]

Facebook, Twitter penalize Trump for posts containing coronavirus misinformation

https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2020/08/05/trump-post-removed-facebook/

[Phil1111 910]

"When she returned to Germany last week from a vacation in Serbia, one of the first things Snjezana Kirstein did was to stop at a pop-up coronavirus testing center at Berlin’s Tegel Aiport.

Whereas such tests can be hard to find in the United States, with unpredictable costs and results two weeks in coming, Ms. Kirstein was on her way in a matter of minutes after having her nose and throat swabbed. She expected an answer in 24 to 48 hours. The test was not only swift, it was free.

“I think it is super,” Ms. Kirstein said. “It was so easy to find, and best of all, it didn’t cost me a thing.”

Trump: Anyone who wants virus test can get a test. "And the tests are perfect, like the letter was perfect,like the transcripts were perfect"

[Phil1111 910]

More and more Americans are giving up on getting a covid test. Long lineups to get a test as long as 12 hours. Waits of up to two weeks to get results. Is finally causing people to just give up on testing all together. Of course there is the expense of up to $2000.

Virus testing in the US is dropping, even as deaths mount

"U.S. testing for the coronavirus is dropping even as infections remain high and the death toll rises by more than 1,000 a day. It’s a worrisome trend that officials attribute largely to Americans getting discouraged over having to wait hours to get a test and days or weeks to find out the results. An Associated Press analysis finds that the number of tests per day slid 3.6% over the past two weeks to 750,000, with the count falling in 22 states. That includes places like Alabama, Mississippi, Missouri and Iowa where the percentage of positive tests is high and continuing to climb, an indicator that the virus is still spreading uncontrolled."

[kallend 1,622]

14 hours ago, nigel99 said:

And this is why America is screwed... Comment taken from the Hill

“As my wife pointed it out, this mask thing is a ploy to install the burqa and to normalize Sharia Law.
PATRIOTS, SAY “NO” TO MASKS, NO TO MANDATORY VACCINE, NO TO THE MARK OF THE BEAST.“

 

[JerryBaumchen 1,047]

Hi folks,

Well, this is one way to skin a cat:  'Los Angeles to shut off water and power to party houses'

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-53680761

Jerry Baumchen

[ryoder 1,381]

Count the masks. My tally was one.

 

[normiss 622]

Looks like Sturgis is killing it this year.

[piisfish 135]

On 8/5/2020 at 8:25 PM, ryoder said:

I would suggest if it is going to be held, then these rules could dramatically decrease the infection rate:

- Mandatory mask usage.

- No customers allowed inside businesses. All customers must be served outdoors.

Social distancing is key

[turtlespeed 212]

[ryoder 1,381]

This could be interesting:

Thousands of bikers heading to South Dakota rally to be blocked at tribal land checkpoints

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/aug/08/thousands-bikers-outh-dakota-rally-to-be-blocked-tribal-land-checkpoints

[JerryBaumchen 1,047]

1 hour ago, ryoder said:

This could be interesting:

Thousands of bikers heading to South Dakota rally to be blocked at tribal land checkpoints

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/aug/08/thousands-bikers-outh-dakota-rally-to-be-blocked-tribal-land-checkpoints

Hi Robert,

Re:  '“I’ve not seen one single person wearing a mask,” said bartender Jessica Christian, 29. “It’s just pretty much the mentality that, ‘If I get it, I get it.’”

That, along with Trump saying in the Axios interview, 'It is what it is.' pretty much says it all.

So much for common sense.

Jerry Baumchen