Links 5/11/2020
Microbes could survive on planets with all-hydrogen atmospheres ABC
Touching the asteroid Ryugu revealed secrets of its surface and changing orbit Phys.org
Oil Stockpiles Have Stopped Growing in World’s Biggest Buyer Bloomberg
Factories Close for Good as Coronavirus Cuts Demand WSJ
Bond Market Veers From Historic Rallies to Record-Smashing Sales Bloomberg
Facebook and the Folly of Self-Regulation Wired
#COVID19
The science:
In Search of Preventative Strategies: Novel Anti-Inflammatory High-CBD Cannabis Sativa Extracts Modulate ACE2 Expression in COVID-19 Gateway Tissues (preprint) Preprints.org. From the abstract: “he extracts of our most successful and novel high CBD C. sativa lines, pending further investigation, may become a useful and safe addition to the treatment of COVID-19 as an adjunct therapy. They can be used to develop easy-to-use preventative treatments in the form of mouthwash and throat gargle products for both clinical and at-home use. Such products ought to be tested for their potential to decrease viral entry via the oral mucosa.” ‘Tis a consummation devoutly to be wished…..
Medical oncologist explains the strange way sugar could alter coronavirus’s aggressiveness Alternet (Furzy Mouse). “Explains” is too strong. There’s been a recent focus on SARS-COV-2 mutations (e.g., to D614G), which have been criticized on the grounds that mutations in themselves have no clinical effect. This observation-based article is a proposal for such a clinical effect.
* * *
Reopening:
New nightlife cluster causes spike in South Korea virus cases AFP
Wuhan reports first new coronavirus cases since end of lockdown FT
Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Daily Situation Report Robert Koch Institute. Worrisome post-relaxation numbers:
Reopening in Douglas County, Colorado:
Happy Mother’s Day from C& C in Castle Rock, where the owner said this is almost double a normal Mother’s Day. pic.twitter.com/cPSzjmAfAg
— Nick Puckett (@nick__puckett) May 10, 2020
We’ll check back in a couple of weeks…
* * *
Spread:
Applying principles of behaviour change to reduce SARS-CoV-2 transmission Nature. Handy diagram:
* * *
Masks:
How masks went from ‘muzzle’ to fashion’s object of desire Agence France Presse
Coronavirus: Abrupt reversals on face mask policy raise new questions France24
New Orleans designer develops face masks with holes for sipping cocktails during the coronavirus era Times-Picayune (JB). Further to my post yesterday.
* * *
Treatment:
Doctor Fired for Refusing to House Elderly With Possible COVID-19 Patient, Suit Alleges Mississippi Free Press
* * *
Testing:
Interpreting Diagnostic Tests for SARS-CoV-2 JAMA
After Four Antibody Tests, I’m Still Not Sure I’ve Had Covid-19 Bloomberg
The US already has the technology to test millions of people a day MIT Technology Review. From April, still germane. The tech problems are never the interesting ones. Imagine a functional state….
* * *
Finance response:
Effects of Covid-19 on the banking sector: the market’s assessment Bank of International Settlements
* * *
Political response:
The Four Men Responsible For America’s COVID-19 Test Disaster Rolling Stone. A tick-tock. (And we still don’t know what caused the “manufacturing failure” with the CDC test. Why not?) While I experience a certain schadenfreude at contemplating punishment for elite failure, I’ve got a very long list of elite failures where that never happened….
Birx said ‘there is nothing from the CDC that I can trust’ in a White House coronavirus task force meeting Business Insider
Coronavirus updates: White House considers new measures after staffers test positive for COVID-19 ABC
Sioux tribe rejects South Dakota governor request to remove Covid-19 checkpoints CNN
Latest far-right tactic: Naming names, threatening people who report coronavirus lockdown violations LA Times
* * *
Social determinants of health:
Nursing home residents and workers make up a third of coronavirus deaths. In some states, they account for half. Business Insider. To the ice floes!
* * *
Travel:
The People Flying During The Pandemic And How Airlines Are Trying To Protect Them NPR
Major U.S. airlines endorse temperature checks for passengers Reuters
* * *
Exit strategy:
The storm we can’t see WaPo. A must read.
The dark decade ahead The Week
* * *
Remedies and ameliorations:
Americans waiting out coronavirus in Canadian and Mexican border cities reflect on time away ABC
China?
US-China economic decoupling accelerates in first quarter of 2020 FT
The financial world’s nervous system is being rewired The Economist. “[OneConnect] belongs to a new breed of Chinese firms that are rewelding the pipes channelling money in the developing world. They are waging a ‘proxy battle’ against American giants, says Huw van Steenis of UBS, a bank.”
Coronavirus: China faces historic test as pandemic stokes fears of looming unemployment crisis South China Morning Post
China tries to calm ‘nationalist fever’ as calls for invasion of Taiwan grow South China Morning Post
Vietnam enters day 20 without community transmission of Covid-19 VN Express
Masks and no touching: Indonesia aims to keep traditional markets alive Reuters. Probably wise, given that supermarkets are crowded, air conditioned, closed environments.
Buddhist monks in Cambodia and Thailand adapt rituals during pandemic The Star
India
The coronavirus is crushing India’s Bollywood, the world’s most prolific film industry CNN
India to ‘gradually’ restart railway operations in coronavirus lockdown easing Straits Times
Syraqistan
Twin shocks threaten Saudi crown prince’s grand reform plans FT
Iran Says It’s Ready for Unconditional Prisoner Swap With U.S. Amid Coronavirus Fears Time
Iraq’s new govt reaches out to October protesters Agence France Presse
Colombia’s military attache to Washington removed over spying scandal Columbia Reports
Europe/UK
Sweden unlikely to feel economic benefit of no-lockdown approach FT (no paywall).
Brexit gears grind slowly on as deadlines draw closer RTE (PD).
No end to UK lockdown but some measures will be eased, says PM Johnson Reuters
Coronavirus: French arrivals exempt from UK quarantine plans BBC
Russiagate
The national debt is out of control Robert Samuelson, WaPo. Right on cue….
2020
Voters Listened When Trump Downplayed the COVID-19 Threat. But Will They Blame Him for the Fallout? Morning Consult
Our Famously Free Press
Big Tech Has Crushed the News Business. That’s About to Change. NYT
Gunz
Not all that’s made of wood:
The dude taking the selfie has a gun made out of wood. You can see the grain and knots. Total cosplay. pic.twitter.com/O9VYmMp9t6
— Jason Smith (@infotranecon) May 9, 2020
Check the thread for more hilarity.
Class Warfare
Hearst Loses Big at the National Labor Relations Board New York Magazine
The Fragility of the Global Nurse Supply Chain The Atlantic
Coronavirus: Male security guards, chefs and taxi drivers among those most likely to die with COVID-19, says ONS Sky News. Australia.
These are the most dangerous jobs you can have in the age of coronavirus NBC. The United States.
‘I’m scared to return’: Nebraska meatpacking workers and their families speak out Omaha World-Herald
Cleanup on aisle everywhere: A day in the life of supermarket workers during coronavirus Los Angeles Times
Restaurant Workers Are Testing Positive for Covid-19. What Businesses Do Next Is Uncertain. Washingtonian
The Bailout Is Working — for the Rich Pro Publica
Where Have All the Briskets Gone? Texas Monthly (Re Silc).
The Crisis of a Lifetime (interview) George Soros, Project Syndicate
Antidote du jour (via):
Bonus antidote:
Happy Mama’s Day pic.twitter.com/vOt0H6YRVT
— Yashar Ali 🐘 (@yashar) May 10, 2020
See yesterday’s Links and Antidote du Jour here.
