Archive for 2020
February 28, 2020
REPORT: Tony Romo Reportedly Agrees to Record-Setting Deal With CBS. “Romo will become the highest-paid analyst in TV history with a contract worth $17 million per season.”
TODAY MARKS 37 YEARS SINCE M*A*S*H FINALE, “GOODBYE, FAREWELL AND AMEN.”
The show, which began with hilarious writing by Larry Gelbart, was running on fumes by its last couple of seasons. I found its finale to be remarkably anemic when I tried rewatching it a couple of years ago. Even veteran M*A*S*H scriptwriter turned blogger Ken Levine wrote of the finale, “I’ll be honest. I liked it but I didn’t love it. I know and greatly respect all the writers. And there are parts of it that are moving and brilliant. I also loved that everyone was affected in some way by the war. But I felt the show was too long and too serious. Just personal taste. I know many fans adored it.”
SPOILER: IT’S REPRESSION. Cuban infant mortality and longevity: health care or repression? “Although Cuban health statistics appear strong, they overstate the achievements because of data manipulation. Moreover, their strength is not derived from the successful delivery of health care but rather from the particular repressive nature of the regime which comes at the expense of other populations.”
CORONAVIRUS UPDATE: A second case of coronavirus found through spread in California.
‘I think it’s going to go everywhere’ | Galveston health officials preparing for coronavirus.
Working coronavirus test kits promised soon in all US states after faults found.
How Walk-In Clinics Are Preparing For The Coronavirus.
Coronavirus reappears in discharged patients, raising questions in containment fight.
Coronavirus risk upgraded to “very high” by World Health Organization as death toll mounts.
BTS Have Canceled Their South Korea Tour Dates Over The Coronavirus Outbreak.
SXSW organizers: We have no plans to cancel at this time.
Here are all the major tech conferences canceled so far because of Coronavirus.
Coronavirus travel: most travel insurance policies won’t cover cancellations.
Tim Cook says he’s ‘optimistic’ that China has the coronavirus situation under control. “He also said that factories in China that make iPhone parts are reopening.”
Coronavirus impact on activity is main issue for investors, says Krishna Memani.
Coronavirus fear creates the worst week on Wall Street since 2008.
PREPARING FOR CORONAVIRUS:
Preparing for the almost inevitable global spread of this virus, now dubbed COVID-19, is one of the most pro-social, altruistic things you can do in response to potential disruptions of this kind. . . .
We should prepare, not because we may feel personally at risk, but so that we can help lessen the risk for everyone. We should prepare not because we are facing a doomsday scenario out of our control, but because we can alter every aspect of this risk we face as a society.
That’s right, you should prepare because your neighbors need you to prepare—especially your elderly neighbors, your neighbors who work at hospitals, your neighbors with chronic illnesses, and your neighbors who may not have the means or the time to prepare because of lack of resources or time. . . .
Staying home without needing deliveries means that not only are you less likely to get sick, thus freeing up hospitals for more vulnerable populations, it means that you are less likely to infect others (while you may be having a mild case, you can still infect an elderly person or someone with cancer or another significant illness) and you allow delivery personnel to help out others.
This logic, though the author doesn’t quite seem to grasp it, actually applies to all varieties of prepping. The better you can look after yourself and yours, the less of a drain you are on emergency resources. The press wants to treat prepping as selfish, but it’s actually the opposite.
NINTH CIRCUIT STRIKES AGAIN: Breaking: Federal Appeals Court Blocks Trump’s ‘Remain in Mexico’ Policy.
NEWS YOU CAN USE: Five Reasons to Stop Freaking Out About Coronavirus.
FISA TO BE RE-UPPED, SPYGATE REFORMS DELAYED: Careful reading of the coronavirus emergency funding bill that will pass Congress soon will likely also uncover a reauthorization provision for the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA).
Just don’t expect to see any of the reforms Republicans say must be enacted to prevent future recurrences of the FBI surveillance abuses against the Trump campaign in 2016. Most important among those reforms is a ban on bulk metadata collection derived from telephone calls by individuals within and without the country.
GOOD HOBBY TO TAKE UP WHILE YOU’RE QUARANTINED: Home-Brewing Isn’t a Science—It’s an Art. Here’s How to Make Your Own Masterpiece. Just don’t brew up any . . . Corona.
AMERICA OFFERS TO HELP THE IRANIAN PEOPLE COMBAT THE CORONAVIRUS EPIDEMIC: The link goes to U.S. State Department website and a press statement made by SecState Mike Pompeo.
Extended quote:
The United States stands with the people of Iran during the public health crisis caused by the outbreak of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). The U.S. Government is prepared to assist the Iranian people in their response efforts. This offer of support to the Iranian people, which has been formally conveyed to Iran through the Government of Switzerland, underscores our ongoing commitment to address health crises and prevent the spread of infectious diseases.
The United States calls on Iran to cooperate fully and transparently with international aid and health organizations. We will continue to work closely with countries in the region to help address unmet needs in response to the virus.
Persons interested in providing support to the Iranian people should note that certain donations to Iran intended to relieve human suffering, including the donation of medicine, are exempt from U.S. sanctions…
The statement delivers a diplomatic three-fer. (1) It’s noble and generous –the right action to take in a humanitarian crisis. (2) Sanctions exemptions demonstrate by deed that the U.S. opposes “Death to America” ayatollahs, not the Iranian people. (3) It challenges the Iranian dictatorship to behave with “transparency.” If the ayatollah regime fails to do so, it is responsible for increasing the epidemic risk the Iranian people confront.
UPDATE: The BBC reports that Iran has rejected the U.S. offer.
A telling quote:
A member of the Tehran City Council told Ilna news agency that “the number of infected patients may rise to 10,000 or 15,000” in the coming weeks.
The head of the World Health Organization’s emergencies programme, Dr Michael Ryan, said on Thursday that the apparent high mortality rate in Iran indicated its outbreak might be more widespread than realized.
Stay tuned.
OH, THAT DEATH OF THE GROWN-UP: The Horrifying Things I’ve Seen as an Office Manager in Silicon Valley.
(Classical reference in headline.)
IS THIS REALLY NEWS? Long-overlooked arch is key to function, evolution of human foot.
SARAH HOYT: Don’t Fear The Wu-Flu. “The REALLY important thing to remember is that we really don’t have any idea — yet — how this will play in the US, but we don’t really have that much of a reason to panic either.”
As I wrote a couple of weeks ago, it would be nice to have better data. And we will, pretty soon.
WALKING DEATH: U.S. saw record number of pedestrian deaths in 2019.
DID YOU KNOW CAVEMEN DID THE FIRST COMIC BOOKS? Me either, but biochemist Fazale Rana makes a fascinating case for the proposition. Trigger Warning: God is mentioned along the way. And it has nothing to do with those old GEICO ads.
NEWS YOU CAN USE: How to Dox Yourself on the Internet.