Links 8/2/2020
Wyoming’s ‘Bird Lady’ offers a haven for injured birds High Country News
Tech titans had their day before Congress. Now what? CNN
Landmark Fed business rescue struggles amid economy’s woes Politico
The Extremely Boring Idea That Could Save the Economy Slate (Re Silc: “Automatic stabilizers: learn them, live them, love them”).
#COVID19
We Need to Talk About Ventilation The Atlantic (cf. NC, May 25, 2020). Excellent round-up, well worth a read. A key paragraph:
Strikingly, in one database of more than 1,200 super-spreader events, just one incident is classified as outdoor transmission, where a single person was infected outdoors by their jogging partner, and only 39 are classified as outdoor/indoor events, which doesn’t mean that being outdoors played a role, but it couldn’t be ruled out. The rest were all indoor events, and many involved dozens or hundreds of people at once. Other research points to the same result: Super-spreader events occur overwhelmingly in indoor environments where there are a lot of people.
COVID-19 Data Dives: Why Arguments Against SARS-CoV-2 Aerosol Transmission Don’t Hold Water MedScape. A take-down of this article from JAMA. Also well worth a read, alone or in conjunction with the previous link. As it turns out, the terms “aerosol” and “airborne” are quite charged and contested. This thread from the author explains why:
1/ Should we call it “Airborne” or “Aerosol” transmission?
Term “airborne” appears to be quite divisive. I’ve reached out to scientists on both sides of debate, asked for reasons why they think we should do one or the other. Many thoughtful responses, this thread summarizes it
— Jose-Luis Jimenez (@jljcolorado) August 2, 2020
Aboard the Diamond Princess, a Case Study in Aerosol Transmission NYT. Since aerosols are now coming up on the charts in the mainstream, let me point out that this key study, which sampled hospital air and cultured “competent virus” from it, also found the virus on hospital windowsills. Even it it floats around, like invisible tobacco smoke, the virus still has to land somewhere! So, even if fomites are not the main method of transmission, keep washing your hands and cleaning surfaces.
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How does SARS-CoV-2 cause COVID-19? Science. “As a respiratory virus, SARS-CoV-2 must initially enter cells lining the respiratory tract. …ACE2 and TMPRSS2 expression to be highest [are] ciliated nasal epithelial cells, with lesser amounts in ciliated bronchial epithelial cells and type II alveolar epithelial cells (6). This translates to greater permissivity of upper versus lower respiratory tract epithelial cells for SARS-CoV-2 infection in vitro and fits disease pathology.” The nose knows!
Harvard professor develops a $50 nasal spray to thwart the spread of COVID-19 Fast Company (study). Hilariously, a subscription model. If a mask infringes on your freedom…
You’d Rather Get a Coronavirus Vaccine Through Your Nose NYT
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Trump planning for U.S. rollout of coronavirus vaccine falling short, officials warn Reuters
Rush To Produce, Sell Vaccine Put Kids In Philippines At Risk NPR. From 2019, still germane. There are 4,000 political appointees in the Federal government. They should all volunteer to be vaccinated as a public service and a condition of further employment. Federal electeds, as our representatives, should also volunteer to be vaccinated. I’m pro-vaccination generally (e.g., measles) as a proven public health measure, but the speed of Operation Warp Speed is concerning (as are the incentives for profit in our health care system).
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Vermont to hand out 200,000 free masks WCAX
The World’s Most Luxurious Face Masks from Sculptor Gabriel Dishaw Luxuo (Re Silc).
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How scientists revived an old-school treatment for a 21st century pandemic Los Angeles Times
A School Reopens, and the Coronavirus Creeps In NYT. On the first day of class….
Coronavirus: Russia plans mass vaccination campaign in October BBC
Great News About Births During Covid-19 Bloomberg
U.S. Created a Data Disaster With Its Uneven Covid Response Bloomberg. “The gap is due to decades of neglect of technological infrastructure, exacerbated by the country’s sprawling size and a state-by-state approach to collecting public health data. It has left not only government officials hunting for reliable data, but kept the public in the dark as well.” Not to mention health care-for-profit. The only data we really want to track is billing codes, and there’s an entire industry devoted to it (see NC here, here, and here).
China?
China’s Three Gorges Dam is one of the largest ever created. Was it worth it? CNN. Very good. Personally, I always regard gigantism (the A380, Apple headquarters, Versailles) as a sign of coming decay.
The Politburo did not bark:
The Belt and Road activity index produced by Caixin shows a steep drop this year.
Readout of China’s politburo meeting this week made no mention of the BRI for the first time since 2013, a sign its being deprioritised – at least while the pandemic shuts down developing economies pic.twitter.com/6MdP2SoLaN— Tom Hancock (@hancocktom) August 2, 2020
Hong Kong issues arrest warrant for U.S. citizen under new national security law NBC
Hong Kong third wave: free Covid-19 tests for residents as mainland Chinese clinical teams head to city South China Morning Post
A Newsroom at the Edge of Autocracy The Atlantic. The South China Morning Post.
India
India’s star state Kerala hit as virus forces return of Gulf workers FT
Sleeping patterns changed in lockdown, finds IIM Indore-IIT Madras Study Times of India
UK/EU
Unite sounds warning over Labour antisemitism payouts Guardian. Ka-ching.
On the NHS E.P. Thompson, London Review of Books. From 1987, still germane.
Grenfell Tower inquiry reveals more criminality by corporations involved in refurbishment WSWS (JMZ). NC Grenfell coverage here (gallery), here, here, here, and here).
Body Bags and Enemy Lists: How Far-Right Police Officers and Ex-Soldiers Planned for ‘Day X’ NYT
TechHub, once the heart of London’s start-up scene, goes bust FT
New Cold War
The ultimate high ground: Russia and US try to set rules for space weapons Christian Science Monitor
The Russians Are(n’t) Coming!: Paul Reveres, the Washington Hawks Are Not Antiwar.com
Trump Transition
Go Big On COVID Relief, Or Get Thrown Out Of Power The American Conservative
‘Progress’ but no deal as coronavirus talks head into next week The Hill
Comparison of the Heroes Act and HEALS Act Progressive Caucus Action Fund (GF). Very detailed table. Last updated: July 28, 2020, but very useful as a baseline for the sausage-marking in the coming week.
Postmaster general pick probed WaPo (via Arkansas Online).
2020
Trump vs Biden: can America conduct a fair election? FT
Joe Biden May Delay VP Running Mate Decision For Another Week MSN
Clyburn says more important to have Black woman on Supreme Court than as VP PBS. Oh.
Biden’s Weak Link On Energy And Ethics Is An Ex-Obama Official With Deep Fossil Fuel Ties HuffPo
Police State Watch
Mask Off: LA Sheriff’s Department Parties in Hollywood KNOCK.LA
US sheriffs rebel against state mask orders even as Covid-19 spreads Guardian
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Burns, bloody wounds, broken bones: Injuries mount at Portland protests Oregon Live
From 9/11 to Portland, it was inevitable ‘Homeland Security’ would be turned on the American people Will Bunch, Philadelphia Inquirer
Kentucky town hires social workers instead of more officers – and the results are surprising Wave3
Big Brother Is Watching You Watch
Amazon says police demands for customer data have gone up Tech Crunch. When you invite a never-sleeping snitch into your house…..
Our Famously Free Press
Media’s ‘Cancel Culture’ Debate Obscures Direct Threats to First Amendment FAIR
L’Affaire Jeffrey Epstein
Sports Desk
On a call with SEC leaders, worried football players pushed back: ‘Not good enough’ WaPo
Black Injustice Tipping Point
Army backs down from renaming Fort Slavery Was Cool DuffelBlog
Imperial Collapse Watch
Global Order in the Shadow of the Coronavirus: China, Russia and the West Lowy Institute. “The concept of a rules-based international order has been stripped of meaning, while liberalism faces its greatest crisis in decades.” Since Bush the Younger’s invasion of Iraq, I would say. If you want an inflection point, I’d pick the Abu Ghraib torture photos. Iconic!
Class Warfare
The Unemployment Crisis Is a True National Emergency The Intercept
It’s not just you: what’s going on with product shortages & what could be next The Prepared
Antidote du jour (PM):
PM writes from Basket Flat, WA: “Porch visitor!”
See yesterday’s Links and Antidote du Jour here.
