Good To Know: Reputable doctors are trying to educate people

Today I ran across a video by Dr. Duc Vuong .  He is a weight loss surgeon in the US.  While he may not specialize in epidemology, he explains COVID-19 and the pandemic in simple enough terms for anyone to understand.  His language is a little strong and some of his choice of analogies sometimes questionable, but the videos get the point across.

Vuong recorded the first video below in March 2020, explaining how COVID-19 attacks the body and eventually kills people.  Also in the video he made predictions about rates of infection in the US, India and elsewhere over the summer.  His numbers were not exact, but his prediction of trends was.

More below the fold.

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Look Back: The best and worst parts of 2020 for me

I’ve seen people in various places summing up their thoughts on the year.  I thought with all that’s happened in one of the most frantic and tumultuous years, it would take pages and pages.  Nope.

The best part of 2020: Finding out who my friends are.

Every year always has its ups and downs friends and enemies, thinking fact checkers and ignorant rumour mongers. I knew who were the people I could count on, and they both stood by me and stood behind me, watching my back.

What surprised me was finding out certain people I didn’t know also had my back.   It turns out that showing up and helping unconditionally when others need it pays off.

The worst part of 2020: Finding out who my friends are.

Have you ever found that some who talk about social justice actually mean “socially, just us”?  Unsurprisingly, the ones I’ve seen were all white and cis.

It’s disappointing to learn some are “all for and support Me Too, Believe Women, LGBTQIA rights, and oppose racism!”

Until it conflicts with their personal friendships, that is.  Then their “friends” take priority – some of those “friends” being harassers, abusers, racists and bigots.

And while I knew it was a real thing, until 2020 I never knew what survivor guilt felt like.  Now I’m starting to understand.

He Couldn’t Shut Up, Could He?: Racism on top of racism

Dr. Susan Moore was receiving mistreatement at Indiana University Health North Hospital before she died of COVID-19 last week.

While in the hospital, she commented on social media about the racism she endured while there, how white “doctors” believed in and perpetuated hateful myths such as “Black people don’t feel pain” or “she might be an addict” when refusing pain medication.

After Dr. Moore died, the CEO released a poorly thought out statement, within which he says:

And the perspective of a nursing team trying to manage a set of critically ill patients in need of care who may have been intimidated by a knowledgeable patient who was using social media to voice her concerns and critique the care they were delivering.

He actually went there, piling more racism on top of racism by saying a Black woman was “intimidating” and a “threat”.  Even when she’s helpless and can’t breathe.

Incredible.

Credulity Strained: No, this isn’t a Poe or a troll

In a case of “so close to almost getting it”, Galt-right wingnut Jack Posobiec tweeted this:

What if instead of a vaccine we just were able to get exposed to a weak version of the virus that enabled us to build the antibodies we need to fight the real thing

I couldn’t believe he was serious. I spent ten minutes checking, thinking “this MUST be a Poe or a troll account!”.

It isn’t. Unbelievable.  Here’s another link in case that one doesn’t work.

 

Waiting To Happen: Opening this will definitely be a surprise

“Go along with it?”  The NRA is Negligent, Rapacious, and Arrogant.  Again.

If a gun nut’s spouse hates guns, this will end in an argument and ruin the party.

If the kids don’t see it, they’ll spend days trying to look without permission.

If the kids do see it, they’ll spend every day trying to get their hands on it.

If the kids do get their hands on it, somebody is going to get injured or killed.

Shonen Knife Cuts: Another of their songs

Just so I don’t get called a curmudgeon, here’s a xmas song.  And since it’s clear I’m a long-time Shonen Knife fan, it’s “Space Christmas” from 1991:

Regarding December 25th, it’s Constitution Day in Taiwan, adopted into law in 1946.

Here are two posts from last year:

Today, I Work: Real things to celebrate on December 25th

99.99% Sucks: I hate xmas ‘music’

I went to work on Friday and enjoyed the day.  But I am looking forward to having New Year’s Day off.

 

Worse Than Originally Thought: As if the story of the New Zealand pilot weren’t bad enough

Taiwan’s CDC, CECC and EVA Air have completed their investigation of the New Zealand pilot’s actions and movements.  They have given the all clear.  Based on their handling of COVID-19 thus far, public response has been positive and trusting.

(I won’t be using the term “plague rat” again because it could be interpreted as racism.  I wrote the first post under the assumption that the NZ pilot was white.  I have since learnt he is of Iranian descent.)

EVA Air announced today, two days after the story broke, that they have fired the pilot.  I suspect that had more to do with doing a thorough investigation and covering themselves legally.  I doubt they were dragging their heels or trying to keep him.  EVA Air has also been fined NT$1million (US$34,746) for failing to ensure employees followed all safety protocols.  They should sue the pilot and get the money back.

EVA Air fires pilot for contravening COVID-19 rules

EVA Airways Corp (長榮航空) yesterday dismissed a New Zealand pilot — national COVID-19 infection case No. 765 — as he failed to comply with the airline’s anti-virus measures and did not fully report his contact and activity history, it said in a statement.

EVA Air said that yesterday, its discipline committee teleconferenced with the man, who is in his 60s and hospitalized for treatment.

On Friday last week, the airline asked the pilot whether he had complied with its anti-virus measures, such as wearing a mask during a Dec. 12 flight to the US, after a Taiwanese in her 30s, a copilot on the flight, said that she had contracted COVID-19 and that the pilot had not worn a mask.

[. . .]

The New Zealander had visited Shin Kong Mitsukoshi Department Store’s Tianmu (天母) branch in Taipei between 11:30am and 12:30am on Dec. 8, Far Eastern SOGO Department Store’s Tianmu branch between 6:30pm and 7:30pm on Dec. 10, and Costco Wholesale Store’s Nankan (南崁) branch in Taoyuan between 11am and 12am on Dec. 11, the center said.

As the New Zealander failed to honestly report his contact and activity history, including not even mentioning having close contact with case No. 771, which is a breach of the Communicable Disease Control Act (傳染病防治法), he could be fined NT$60,000 to NT$300,000, the center said.

The pilot now claims he is a “scapegoat”, but his own actions speak volumes – refusing to tell where he went, who he was with.  He will be lucky if he is only subjected to a ten year exclusion order and not a criminal conviction.  He went to four department and warehouse stores. A Costco customer has been hospitalized with symptoms (including lost of smell).  He went to restaurants in the city.  He went to Xiangshan, one of the more popular tourist sites (easy access with an elevated view of the city).

He rode the MRT (subway) during rush hour putting everyone at risk.  He knew he had it and did this.

The CECC have fully tracked his movements, traced and tested all people he came into contact with.  As mentioned before, the government has said it’s safe to attend New Year’s eve parties, though they have cancelled a tourist event on the east coast, watching the first sunrise of the new year and set stronger mask wearing requirements for public places. I’ll probably stay home.

He’s not going to receive a warm welcome when he gets home.  New Zealanders have expressed their displeasure with him on social media, and I doubt the NZ government is going to let him off lightly.  I hope his license to fly is revoked permanently.

Don’t Starve: If you thought 2020 was bad….

One of the stories I’ve been tracking this year is food and the potential of shortages.  As COVID-19 spread and international travel and trade slowed, one of the things moving less was people: farm labourers.  This isn’t just a potential problem for the US because of Cheetolini’s racist policies, this affects farming on many continents.  Australia is currently seeing a shortage of fresh produce, and it’s likely to hit every continent.  Even without China’s flooding and crop loss, this is a coming worldwide problem.

I pessimistically thought food shortages would happen in the fall.  But based on what business pages and international aid agencies are saying, 2021 could see worldwide famines.  Including the US.

UN warns that 2021 could be catastrophic due to COVID-19 fallout and famine

Misery loves company. In the case of COVID-19, that company includes unemployment, economic turmoil – and famine. And they’re about to come knocking.

“2021 is literally going to be catastrophic based on what we’re seeing at this stage of the game,” said World Food Programme (WFP) chief David Beasley at the United Nations General Assembly on Friday.

Global famine is “knocking on the door”, he warns.

And if you think Australia won’t be affected by all this, think again.

The warning signs are already there.

Notice how scarce out-of-season foods have become on supermarket shelves? Many vegetables and fruits must come from overseas. International trade has been disrupted and Australia’s ability to exploit cheap international labour has also been choked. This leaves many of our crops at risk of rotting in the fields.

The situation, however, is much more dire in Africa and South America. And that could trigger a global shortages and economic shockwaves.

Beasley says 2021 would likely be “the worst humanitarian crisis year since the beginning of the United Nations … As I say, the icebergs in front of the Titanic.”

More below the fold.  The items below are only a fraction of the news stories.

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Now They Know: And they don’t like it

This is strictly an opinion piece, no references to back it up.  Take it as you will.

 

 

A month ago, millions in the US ignored the warnings of medical professionals and scientists and criss-crossed the country, gleefully spreading COVID-19.  Now at the solstice, millions more are doing the same because “this might be grandma’s last xmas!”  Yes, it will, if you infect her.  A lot of this superspreading can be attributed to ignorance and blind belief in Cheetolini’s dictums.  But I think there’s another reason they’re doing it.

When I was a kid back in the 1970s, we had only three TV channels, and one of them was CBC in French, which I only watched for La Soirée Du Hockey or English language movies with French subtitles.  There were no home computers, we didn’t have a second generation home console (i.e. no Atari VCS), and worse yet, we lived 20km out in the country.  Many times in December, just before school closed for the winter break, I would go to the school library and borrow as many books as I could. Every December was the same: I was trapped at home with for two to three weeks.  Nowhere to go, nothing to do except read books, do winter homework or play boardgames with unwilling siblings.

In my mid-teens we moved to a larger (but not that large) town where pretty much everything shut down from the 20th until after New Year’s.  That’s also whe we got our first computer, but it wasn’t much better because there was no privacy to play or program what I wanted.  After finishing high school and working my first fast food job, I was actually glad to be working right up until the 24th when the place closed for two days, taking shifts others didn’t want.  I would be back on the 27th, using the excuse, “Nobody else is able to go in,” to get away from my “family”.  Even though there were more TV channels, there still wasn’t anything on, all playing “holiday” themed crap, including the sports.  (The breeding pair were monarchists, so I was forced to sit through the thirty minute “royal address” every year.)

I moved out and started college in my mid-20s (yes, that late), working as a security guard on evenings and weekends.  Coming from an abusive home, I was still guilted into returning for “family xmas”.  But working security gave me the excuse to volunteer for shifts on statutory holidays (December 25th and 26th, January 1st).  I got out of the house, and I was paid double time.  But even when I was away from the friction, living in that town still sucked: again, most everything was still closed from December 20th to January 2nd or 3rd.  Improved computers made it more tolerable in one way: internet access via the college’s VAX.  (Even in 1990 before web browsers, it was fun – Telnet, Newsgroups, MUDs, etc.)

Call it cabin fever, call it the stir, call it what you will.  The two weeks at the end of December were always the worst weeks of the year because they were two weeks of isolation.

I only dealt with a fortnight of it once per year.   For millions, 2020 meant and entire year of that.  No work, no socializing, no entertainment other than what you have in the house.  Millions of people may have been mentally and emotionally damaged over the past twelve months of lockdowns.  I suspect the anti-maskers aren’t as much against masks or loss of income as they are freaking out because they can’t do anything.  Maybe it’s why many willingly bought into “COVID doesn’t exist” and “freedumb”, because the social and physical isolation was getting to them.

After moving abroad in 2001 to countries where “christmas” is a non-event or only commercial, it was a relief.  Lunar New Year also results in a long shutdown (6-10 days where nothing is open) but until 2020 I had the ability to travel to the Philippines or other places where the New Year is a non-event or a minor one.

But living abroad still comes with isolation: you’re living in a foreign country and not speaking the language.  Over nineteen years, I have lost count of foreigners doing “midnight runs”: packing a bag the night after getting paid and running for the airport.  This is why I tell people who plan to teach ESL, “Don’t come here if you can’t go three days without having a conversation.”  I see a lot of the same behaviours and reactions in midnight runners and those rebelling against lockdowns.   For those in the US, Canada and elsewhere, getting out of the mentally damaging situation didn’t require packing up and flying home.  They could just go out the door and pretend everything was fine.

We are already seeing mental health issues in kids, and increases of Intimate Partner Violence in relationships.  Just wait until things “go back to normal”.  Mental health could end up being as big a  pandemic as COVID-19.

 

 

Having said this, I do find it a delicious irony that the religious are now enduring the same boredom and social control that non-believers have to put up with on such “holidays”.   I love the fact that those who have long said, “participate or shut up” are now being forced to participate and have no way to opt out.

Now they know.  And they don’t like it.

Point Proven: And it only took two days

This item appeared in the Psy Post on December 20, 2020:

New study links psychopathic tendencies to racial prejudice and right-wing authoritarianism

Pathological personality traits are associated with prejudicial views, according to new research published in Personality and Individual Differences. The findings indicate that people with calloused, deceitful, and manipulative interpersonal styles are more likely to endorse right-wing authoritarianism and express hostile attitudes towards marginalized groups

[. . .]

The researchers found that heightened interpersonal and affective psychopathic traits were positively associated with social dominance orientation and right-wing authoritarianism, which in turn were linked to increased anti-immigrant attitudes towards Middle-Eastern refugees and distrust of minorities.

“The findings of the study suggest that psychopathic traits, particularly the calloused and deceptive traits, are robustly associated with the tendency to prefer a society that keeps marginalized groups low in status and power and are also predictive of the propensity to use aggression towards violators of traditional social norms, both of which are salient predictors of a variety of prejudicial attitudes,” [Sandeep Roy, a clinical psychology doctoral candidate at the University of North Texas] explained to PsyPost.

This item appeared in The Insider on December 22, 2020:

A white supremacist who has advocated for legalizing child porn was arrested and charged with kidnapping a 12-year-old girl he met online

A self-proclaimed white supremacist who has advocated for the legalization of child porn and created online chat rooms for pedophiles was arrested and charged with kidnapping a 12-year-old girl.

Authorities said Nathan Larson abducted the girl after meeting her on social media in the fall, according to a Saturday press release from the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office. Fresno police said Larson was arrested at the Denver International Airport during a layover with the girl, who was reported missing on December 14 and has since been reunited with her family. Larson, who is 40, was flying with the girl from Fresno to his home in Virginia, according to police.

I think we can safely say, point proven.

A Selfish Idiot Got In

People in Taiwan are pissed, and rightfully so.  A selfish idiot from New Zealand got loose in the country, violating quarantine and spreading COVID-19.  Likely, intentionally.  I want to know whether he has posted any “corona is a myth” garbage on social media.

The text is changed not because of the griping in the comments, but because a detail about the pilot came to light.

On Sunday, the government announced that a NZ cargo pilot (hereafter referred to as Plague Rat) violated quarantine on December 8, travelling around Taiwan, shopping in Costco and elsewhere, visiting tourist sites.  The scumbag claimed he “didn’t keep track of where he went” but failed to tell the CDC and CECC that he was accompanied by two other pilots, one Taiwanese and one Japanese.  His movements had to be tracked by surveillance camera and other means, and track down everyone he was potentially in contact with.

A woman has since tested positive, the first local transmission since April 12.  Potentially others may carry it as well.

Two colleagues of Taiwanese pilot among three new COVID-19 cases

Two colleagues of a Taiwanese pilot who tested positive for COVID-19 on Friday and an Indonesian man were the three new COVID-19 cases reported in Taiwan on Sunday, according to the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC).

The new cases brought the total number in the country to 766, CECC spokesman Chuang Jen-hsiang (莊人祥) said at a press conference.

The two colleagues of the Taiwanese pilot are a man from New Zealand in his 60s and a Japanese man in his 20s, both of whom are also pilots, Chuang said.

The three operated a cargo flight to the United States on Dec. 12, and returned to Taiwan on Dec. 16. That same day, the Taiwanese began to have a cough, runny nose, and a fever, and she was confirmed to be infected with COVID-19 on Friday.

The New Zealander and Japanese were thus tested for COVID-19 on Friday, and their results came back positive on Sunday, Chuang said.

According to Chuang, the New Zealander flew to Manila on a same-day return flight on Nov. 28, then flew to the U.S. on Nov. 29 and returned to Taiwan on Dec. 4.

[. . .]

The CECC is still tracking down possible contacts related to the airplane cluster, as the New Zealand man was active outside of his residence in northern Taiwan from Dec. 8 to 11 after completing his quarantine requirement. The man told CECC personnel that he did not keep track of where he went, so the CECC is still trying to determine the places he visited during that time, Chuang said.

The government has since levied a fine of NT$300,000, the heaviest yet related to COVID-19.  But I say that is still insufficient.

If a passenger’s behaviour forces a plane to land, they are often required to reimburse the airline, along with other fines and legal consequences.  The same should be done here, since his actions have forced multiple stores to close temporarily or indefinitely while their staff are checked and the buildings are disinfected, and the cost for the government to track and test.

Pilot fined NT$300,000 for impeding epidemic control probe

An EVA Airways pilot from New Zealand, who was recently diagnosed with COVID-19, was fined NT$300,000 (US$10,649) Tuesday for failing to provide comprehensive information during the contact tracing process by Taiwan authorities.

The Department of Public Health in Taoyuan, the city where the pilot lives, said he had violated the Communicable Disease Control Act, after he tested positive for COVID-19 on Dec. 20.

When the pilot was asked to list the places he had visited and the people with whom he had come into contact since his most recent entry into Taiwan on Dec. 4, he “failed to provide detailed and accurate information,” the department said in a statement.

Instead, he said he could not remember his movements after his three-day home quarantine period, which is the standard time for flight crews in Taiwan, and he did not mention that he had been in close contact with a Taiwanese woman Dec. 7-12, the department said.

Because of his selfishness and stupidity, Taiwan has now had its first local transmission in 254 days.  Time will tell if others were also infected.  Thankfully, Taiwanese people and foreign residents have, with a few exceptions, been responsible and responsive to the government’s rules, instructions and notices.  There have been a few vocal anti-vaxxer and anti-mask pinheads, but they have not travelled.  With only special exemptions like pilots, diplomatic or other types, leaving Taiwan is probably a one way trip.  Residents who leave may not be able to return.

Taiwan announces 1st local coronavirus case in 254 days

Taiwan’s Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) on Tuesday (Dec. 22) announced its first local case of the Wuhan coronavirus, breaking one of the longest streaks in the world without a domestic case at 254 days.

During a press conference on Tuesday afternoon, health minister and CECC head Chen Shih-chung (陳時中) announced Taiwan’s first confirmed local case of COVID-19 since April 12. Chen said the local infection, Case No. 771, is a woman in her 30s who came in close contact with Case No. 765, the New Zealander pilot who had been associated with a cluster infection among pilots.

[. . .]

The health department arranged for her to undergo a test for the coronavirus that day, and she tested positive on Dec. 22.

Thus far, the government hasn’t placed any new restrictions on cargo pilots entering or returning, but they should.  The crew of cargo ships coming into Taiwan’s ports are not allowed to leave their vessels.  They have to remain on board while loading and unloading.  The same should be done with foreign pilots, restricting them to a fixed location at the Taoyuan International Airport and not allowed into Taiwan.

I hope the scumbag is given a ten year exclusion, not allowed to enter until 2030.  On top of being fired from EVA Airlines (a Taiwanese carrier).

Infectious New Zealand pilot shopped in stores in Taipei, Taoyuan

Infected New Zealand pilot shopped at Sogo in Taipei and Costco Taoyuan

After news broke of Taiwan’s first domestic case of Wuhan coronavirus in eight months on Tuesday (Dec. 22), the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) listed the locales where a New Zeland cargo pilot had traveled when officials believe he was infectious.

[. . .]

During questioning with the CECC, the New Zealander claimed that he could not recall where he had gone and “did not have the habit of recording where he had traveled and when.” In order to clarify contacts of the New Zealander between Dec. 8 and 12, a detailed investigation of the man’s activity history was carried out by the health and police departments, and the inquest revealed that he had traveled to multiple public locations during the aforementioned period.

As can be seen in the chart below, he went to the Shin Kong Mitsukoshi Tienmu Store in Taipei between 11:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. on Dec. 8, the Far Eastern Sogo Tianmu Store in Taipei between 6:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. on Dec. 10, and the Costco Nankan Store in Taoyuan City between 11 a.m. and 12 p.m.

The CECC reminds those who were at any of these places during the time period listed above to please carefully monitor their health. If symptoms appear before Dec. 25, they should wear a mask, go to the nearest designated community testing center, and undergo a coronavirus test if a doctor deems it necessary.

In response to the news, Sogo Tienmu announced that it will be closing at 5 p.m. on Tuesday and will carry out extensive disinfection. All Tienmu store counter staff will begin self-health monitoring.

I was going to post this a few hours ago, but I couldn’t make myself cut out the profanities until now.

Taiwan’s CDC, CECC and government have done an amazing job at keeping COVID-19 under control and out of the country.  But all it takes to ruin it is one selfish individual.

 

2020 Just Piles On: If you’re looking forward to 2021, I have bad news

No, this is not another of my calendar reform rants. It’s about calendar reform that already happened.

Since 1971, the ISO standard calendar (ISO 8601) has been accepted worldwide and used in many systems and bodies: governments, business, accounting, UNIX and other computers, etc.  The standard was accepted primarily for financial systems, so that every year starts on a Monday.  There are no months in the ISO calendar, only weeks.  In 2015, a weekly numbering system was added, from 1 to either 52 or 53, depending on the year.

In the ISO calendar, the new year always starts on the Monday closest to January 1st, which can be up to three days before or after the actual date.  January 1st falls on a Monday four times every 28 years, but at intervals of 11, 6, 5, and 6 (2018, 2007, 2001, 1996, 1990, 1979, 1973, 1968, 1962, 1951, etc.).  The pattern is interrupted by a 12 year period (or 6 and 6) when the century is not a leap year (1906, 1900, 1894, 1883. . .1816, 1810, 1798, etc.).

In 2020 on the Gregorian calendar, Monday, December 27 is four days before January 1st (a Friday).

The first day of the ISO 2021 calendar is January 3rd.  

That means three more days of 2020.  Enjoy.

Tom Scott made a video about the ISO calendar on December 30, 2019.  If I believed in supernatural hokum, I’d say his words at 2:53 weren’t prophetic, they were a curse.

So, if 2019 has been a rough year for you, and you want to leave it behind, change calendars for a while. Welcome to the twenties.

Look What I Found: The “Music Time In Africa” archive

The Music Time in Africa archive is found on the University of Michigan website.  It aims to be a digitized audio collection of VoA radio broadcasts.  At the moment it mostly contains scans of scripts, but there are some digitized broadcasts available (e.g. MTiA of July 24, 1983).  The collection runs from 1966 to 1995, and covers broadcasts aired in and with artists from dozens of countries.

From the Voice of America site where I found it:

A journey from international shortwave to digital broadcast, the Music Time in Africa Archive takes audiences through an on-line experience of vintage Voice of America radio programs broadcast from 1966. The collaborative project with the University of Michigan digitized nearly 900 audio recordings and associated scripts of the weekly radio program. The archive now features 691 radio programs with a combination of program script and broadcast audio, with an additional 120 radio programs coming soon.

The broadcasts feature show hosts playing a variety of African music and original field recordings by VOA ’s “Music Man for Africa,” ethnomusicologist Leo Sarkisian.  Sarkisian recorded and collected music from the early 1960s through the late 1980s throughout the entire African continent, including pre-independence regions and states such as Balundo, Upper Volta, and Rhodesia. Visitors can play digitized broadcasts with original sounds and scripts, searchable by location or performer.

[. . .]

Launched in 1965 by Sarkisian, Music Time in Africa is VOA’s longest running radio broadcast to the African continent. The program continues to feature traditional and contemporary music from musicians throughout Africa.

This should be worth a few weeks or months worth sifting through.

This is as much for friends in Taiwan to click through as FtB readers.   In the past two years I’ve met a large number of people here from various countries, west, east and south.  Facebook doesn’t allow enough space or multiple links in its posts.