A Sense of Doubt blog post #1913 - The Weekly Gallimaufry for Thursday 2005.14
Welcome back to another weekly hodge podge, the gallimaufry, the myriad and sundry, the quotidian nonesuch, here's some stuff that caught my eye in the last week plus the weekly data update on COVID-19 infections, deaths, and recoveries.
Plus a lot of Twitter.
Plus another briefing by the great Andrew Cuomo, governor of New York, who is the president we should have had... and maybe in many ways is the president we have now as he's being the leader we need and deserve. If only, he could do it all, if only HE could marshal the full powers of the federal government, rather than needing the federal government for funding and aid.
And so here's my dumping ground of thinky bits with some images thrown in for window dressing and no comic books for once.
There's a great three-point rant by Rebecca Watson, my new favorite You Tube video person.
I re-share a great series of Instagrams to give us beautiful pictures to look at.
Additionally, here you will find articles, Twitter messages, and lots of pandemic news, especially a great series of thinky things from AAAS -- the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
Oh, and, after more MAGRITTE, who also provides the topper art this week, a beautiful song by Boyz II Men for Mother's Day that aired on the SNL at home finale of season 45.
45 seasons. Though I stopped watching for a while, I am once again an avid SNL fan, something I have been watching more than I haven't for 45 years. WOW. That's most of my life. Damn. How old is Lorne Michaels?
So, if you ventured here, dive into the content... because after all, THIS IS NOT A PIPE as Magritte's famous painting above (that's what the French means) tells us.
Think about it.
What's happening.
THIS IS NOT A FUCKING PIPE. Or just a pipe without the fucking word.
This was a beautiful song for Mother's Day:
We will win in November by offering up not just a contrast with who we are up against—but a vision about what we can do, together.— Pete Buttigieg (@PeteButtigieg) May 12, 2020
https://science.slashdot.org/story/20/05/09/0248224/america-authorizes-its-first-covid-19-diagnostic-tests-using-at-home-collection-of-saliva
America Authorizes Its First Covid-19 Diagnostic Tests Using At-Home Collection of Saliva
An anonymous reader quotes CNN:The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Friday issued an emergency use authorization for the first at-home Covid-19 test that uses saliva samples, the agency said in a news release. Rutgers University's RUCDR Infinite Biologics lab received an amended emergency authorization late Thursday. With the test, people can collect their own saliva at home and send their saliva samples to a lab for results...
"Authorizing additional diagnostic tests with the option of at-home sample collection will continue to increase patient access to testing for COVID-19. This provides an additional option for the easy, safe and convenient collection of samples required for testing without traveling to a doctor's office, hospital or testing site," FDA Commissioner Dr. Stephen M. Hahn said in the FDA's press release on Friday...
The test remains prescription only.
"Authorizing additional diagnostic tests with the option of at-home sample collection will continue to increase patient access to testing for COVID-19. This provides an additional option for the easy, safe and convenient collection of samples required for testing without traveling to a doctor's office, hospital or testing site," FDA Commissioner Dr. Stephen M. Hahn said in the FDA's press release on Friday...
The test remains prescription only.
As email takes over scholarly life, a friendly academic PSA pic.twitter.com/TGYfbtHzaJ— Dr Academic Batgirl (@AcademicBatgirl) May 8, 2020
WEEKLY PANDEMIC REPORT
I am a day late. But this week I am going to post both graphics. The estimates of 147,000 deaths by August seem low the way the death rate is climbing and with re-opening and relaxing of precautions.
Anyway, as usual, here's the weekly links to the data about cases (lower than reality) and deaths (lower than reality, also) due to COVID-19.
Data can be found here, as always:
This is also a good data site:
United States
Coronavirus Cases:
1,459,684
Deaths:
86,970
Recovered:
318,027
Three Rants About Our Present Situation
Transcript:
I was having trouble coming up with a video this week and eventually I realized that after two months of watching the complete clusterfuck that is the US response to COVID-19, I just have all these mostly unconnected rage thoughts about it. And I know my rage isn’t unique -- I try to only make videos that I think offer my own particular take on a particular topic but tons of way smarter people have already pointed all these things out. But still, I can’t move on until I just say them, for the record. And I apologize but I don’t even think I can say them in a particularly intelligent or clever way. Like, I literally sat down and started writing a script that reads “As Trinculo says in the Tempest, “misery acquaints a man with strange bedfellows,” which is why we are suddenly seeing conservatives displaying some very liberal tendencies” and I read that back and was just like, no. Shut up, Rebecca. Just shut up. No one cares what Trinculo said in the Tempest right now. So fuck it, here are a few things I just need to get off my chest, said probably in the dumbest way possible.
Thing one: suddenly conservatives care about bodily autonomy! Fuck those fucking hypocritical pieces of shit. The government, they argue, has no right to tell them what to do with their bodies, even if their choices lead directly to the death of another human being, or 253,000 human beings as of this recording, 70,000 of whom were in the US. Which is funny, because up until now these same people have vehemently argued for the outlawing of abortion. In fact, they’re still doing that: Texas governor Greg Abbott has used COVID-19 as an excuse to shut down abortion access in the state at the same time that he’s insisting on reopening businesses without requiring masks while the pandemic is still in full swing, which will surely lead to more human lives lost. What they’re saying is that a clump of cells usurps MY bodily autonomy but their bodily autonomy is more important than a living, breathing person’s life. I should be forced to use my body as an incubator for NINE FUCKING MONTHS, risking diabetes, preeclampsia, high blood pressure, and DEATH just to TURN A FUCKING EGG INTO A LIVING HUMAN BEING but you shouldn’t be forced to tie a piece of fabric around your stupid fucking face when you go to the grocery store to save literally tens of thousands of existing human lives. Got it. Great. Perfect sense. Love it. God bless America. Freedom. Etc.
Okay, thing two: we will never get the loudmouths to admit they’re wrong. Never. And it’s so obvious they’re wrong! They just keep moving the goalposts, broadcasting from the safety of their basements about how social distancing doesn’t work when we now have overwhelming data that shows otherwise. We know for a fact that literally 70,000 Americans are now dead because of this pandemic and because of the irresponsible shits at Fox News and in our government. More by the time I finish editing this and post it. And they’re still arguing that we can just reopen businesses and everything will be fine. And the most frustrating thing is that people will die and they STILL WON’T ADMIT THEY’RE WRONG. I remember at the beginning of all this thinking that the most annoying thing that was going to happen was that the experts would institute mass testing and quarantining, deaths would be limited, and conservatives would argue that we overreacted because not that many people died. I was wrong! It’s far, far more frustrating to see tens of thousands of people needlessly dying and STILL seeing conservatives saying we’re overreacting. THIS IS THE BAD PLACE.
Thing three: this one is gonna be a little controversial but fuck it: stop getting angry at people you think aren’t doing the right things during this pandemic. I’m not talking about the idiots protesting quarantine or the spring breakers ignoring authorities because YOLO -- absolutely get annoyed at them all you want. I’m talking about individuals, like the guy I saw the other day while I was walking my dog. He was also walking his dog but he was standing in the middle of the sidewalk talking on his phone with no mask on and he didn’t bother to move as we approached, so I had to take my dog into the street to avoid him. I was so annoyed, and my instinct was to say something mean to him. But then I thought, why? I don’t know that guy’s life! You don’t have to wear a mask to take your dog out for a quick pee, and maybe he just got a phone call saying he’d lost his job or his mom is in the hospital, so he was too distracted to notice that we were there. It doesn’t matter! We were able to avoid him and get on with our day. It’s not a big deal, and the only thing that me getting annoyed would do is to stress me out more.
This is a stupid, stupid time and aside from the Fox News crowd, everybody is just trying to get through in one piece. That runner who isn’t wearing a mask? Maybe he’s avoiding getting near anybody! Maybe running in a mask makes it really fucking hard to breathe! Maybe if he can’t run he feels like he wants to kill himself in isolation!
That group of guys you see hanging out in the park? Maybe they’re roommates who quarantine together already! Maybe they just want some fresh air and are avoiding anyone from outside their home!
Those crowds at the beach you saw in a photo? Maybe that photo was taken with a telephoto lens, which condenses space and makes people and objects look closer together than they are! Maybe those people were adhering to the 6-foot rule!
I’m just saying, unless you are a government official or law enforcement officer, it may be helpful for you to calm the fuck down about what the majority of other people are doing. Ultimately you can’t control them -- you can only control your own behavior and your reaction to others.
And yes, I get that I’m trying to control your behavior by telling you you can’t control other people’s behavior. Whatever, thank you for letting me get all of this off my chest so that I can actually move on to talking about anything else.
I just re-subscribed to AAAS. Here's the current newsletter.
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The OECD Committee for Scientific and Technological Policy and the Working Party of National Experts of Science and Technology Indicators (NESTI) launched a survey on the impact of COVID-19 on science and the use of science in decision-making. Researchers, administrators, policymakers and science communicators are encouraged to participate in the short survey. (BACK TO THE TOP)
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In a Policy Forum piece published in the journal Science, National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director Francis Collins was joined by Anthony Fauci, Laurence Corey and John Mascola in urging collaboration as the key to developing a COVID-19 vaccine. They outline why the development of vaccines will rely on public-private partnerships among “governments, academic institutions, industry and global philanthropic partners.” (BACK TO THE TOP)
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After initially suggesting it would be disbanded, President Trump announced last week that the White House’s coronavirus task force would shift to focus on reopening the economy. Meanwhile, at least three members of the task force are in full or partial self-quarantine after possible exposure to COVID-19. (BACK TO THE TOP)
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After a reportedly rocky rollout of distribution for remdesivir to treat patients with advanced cases of COVID-19, the federal government announced a plan to distribute the drug via state health departments. Those departments would then determine distribution to hospitals in their states. (BACK TO THE TOP)
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The Office of Special Counsel has recommended that Rick Bright, whom the administration removed from his post as director of the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), should be temporarily reinstated pending an investigation. The office said it found “reasonable grounds to believe” Bright’s allegation that the demotion was retaliation for clashes with other top health officials. (BACK TO THE TOP)
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According to the Associated Press, the Trump administration “shelved a document created by the nation’s top disease investigators with step-by-step advice to local authorities on how and when to reopen restaurants and other public places during the still-raging coronavirus outbreak.” The guidance was meant to assist business owners, educators, faith leaders and others in reopening. White House adviser Deborah Birx denied the report had been stopped, saying, “We’re still in editing.” (BACK TO THE TOP)
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After initially allowing antibody tests for COVID-19 onto the market without Food and Drug Administration (FDA) review, the FDA now requires manufacturers of antibody tests to apply for emergency use authorization within 10 business days after their product hits the market. (BACK TO THE TOP)
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While it remains tentative, Senate Appropriations Chair Richard Shelby (R-AL) and Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Subcommittee Chair Roy Blunt (R-MO) — who has oversight of NIH funding — have indicated they see June as a possible target for votes on 10 of 12 pieces of FY 2021 spending legislation. Regular appropriations have been delayed while Congress has focused its spending energy on COVID-19 emergency response. Appropriators are also likely to delay the Homeland Security and Military Construction bills over continuing border wall disagreements. ( BACK TO THE TOP)
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As expected, the federal deficit exploded in April, according to the latest review from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO). Due to COVID-19 emergency spending and delayed tax filing, the deficit in April alone reached $737 billion, a nearly $900 billion swing from last year’s April surplus. The year-to-date deficit is $1.5 trillion, though CBO expects it to grow much larger and approach World War II-era levels. (BACK TO THE TOP)
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Last week, the Republican ranking members of seven key House committees issued a letter to Department of Education Secretary Betsy DeVos requesting all documentation related to foreign gift reporting submitted by universities as required under the Higher Education Act. The letter also requested that the Department of Education provide a staff-level briefing on the subject by May 11. Several days later, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) announced the formation of a special China Task Force to address allegations that China is restricting information on the origins of COVID-19. The task force is to be chaired by Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX) and will include a small group of Republican members who serve on key oversight committees. (BACK TO THE TOP)
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House Science, Space and Technology Committee Chairwoman Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX) sent a letter to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Andrew Wheeler requesting a further extension of the public comment period for EPA’s supplemental notice of proposed rulemaking of its Strengthening Transparency in Regulatory Science proposed rule. The chairwoman previously sent a letter requesting an extension to the original 30-day comment period, which was set to end on April 17; the EPA then extended the comment period an additional 30 days until May 18. This second extension request comes on the heels of the science committee’s majority staff releasing a memo detailing two meetings with EPA officials regarding the proposed rule. The memo outlines concerning responses from EPA staff on the potential consequences of the rule and a lack of answers on key aspects of the rule. Among the concerning responses, the EPA stated that the “the bulk of the responsibility for instituting new methods for access to data and models falls on outside parties. The researchers would be responsible for managing the logistics of making the data and models publicly available in a manner that complies with the rule, in consultation with EPA staff.” The AAAS resource page on the EPA Transparency Rule is continually updated with information for members wishing to learn more about the rule or submit public comment on the rule. The current deadline for the comment period is May 18. (BACK TO THE TOP)
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A bipartisan group of legislators in the Senate and House have introduced the bill “Furthering Our Recovery With American Research and Development,” or the FORWARD Act. This new legislation extends tax credits to small and medium-sized businesses that invest in research and development toward new cures, products and technologies through a reduction in payroll taxes. The bill also expands tax credits to cover R&D workforce training and provides training, education and outreach for businesses that lack accounting expertise via the Small Business Administration and the IRS. (BACK TO THE TOP)
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On Tuesday, May 12, the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) held a hearing on safely getting back to work and school. The virtual hearing featured testimony from National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) Director Anthony Fauci, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Robert Redfield, FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn, and Brett Giroir, who serves as assistant secretary for health at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Also on May 12, the Senate Committee on the Judiciary held a hearing on examining liability during the pandemic. On Wednesday, May 13, the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee will review the Cyberspace Solarium Commission’s finished report and the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation will discuss the state of broadband amid the COVID-19 pandemic. On Thursday, May 14, former BARDA Director Rick Bright will testify before the House Committee on Energy and Commerce on protecting scientific integrity in the COVID-19 response. (BACK TO THE TOP)
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The Department of Education has released an extensive Title IX regulation change to combat sexual harassment at academic institutions. Provisions included in the new rule provide updates to current regulations, such as an expanded definition of harassment and more prescriptive criteria for conducting investigations that provide equity for both accusers and the accused. The new rule has drawn criticism across stakeholder groups. Organizations such as the ACLU have voiced opposition to the narrow definition of sexual assault outlined in the regulation. Additionally, the American Council on Education described the agency’s release of “the most complex and challenging regulation that the agency has ever issued” during a pandemic when universities are closed as “cruel and counterproductive.” Institutions will be required to comply with all the provisions included in the 2,000-page rule by August 14. (BACK TO THE TOP)
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The National Science Board (NSB), the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) policymaking board, last week released a new report, Vision 2030, that urged action to retain America’s lead in fundamental research and to increase STEM skills and opportunities for all Americans. The report “lays out the actions that the Board, NSF, and others can take to achieve that vision so that America remains a global leader,” said Roger Beachy, NSB Vision 2030 Task Force chair. (BACK TO THE TOP)
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The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) are soliciting nominations for people to serve on their advisory boards. NOAA is looking to fill board seats on its Science Advisory Board, and the USDA is looking to fill open slots within the National Agricultural Research, Extension, Education and Economics Advisory Board, the Specialty Crop Committee, the Citrus Disease Subcommittee, and the National Genetics Research Council. Nominations are due to NOAA by June 22 and to USDA by July 21. ( BACK TO THE TOP)
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The Center for Strategic and International Studies, in collaboration with the Henry A. Kissinger Center for Global Affairs at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, the Bridging the Gap Project, and MIT’s Security Studies Program, will hold a virtual forum titled “The Future of Cooperation and Conflict in the Time of Covid-19” from June 2 through June 5. The forum was launched in 2018 by MIT graduate students to help advance opportunities for women scholars in security studies. This year’s forum will examine the global response to the COVID-19 pandemic and related governance and policy challenges. ( BACK TO THE TOP)
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Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf (D) has rejected a bipartisan request from state lawmakers to rescind an executive order that directed the state to join the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI). The letter, signed by more than 50 legislators, cited questions about CO2 reductions likely to result from joining the 10-state carbon cap and trade pact, including analysis from ICF International estimating minimal CO2 reductions, which would come with price increases for electricity resulting from the state shuttering its coal-fired power plants. (BACK TO THE TOP)
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The New York Times has updated its page tracking the Trump administration’s activities on environmental rules, detailing over 98 actions to limit or roll back major climate and environmental policies; these actions include the EPA’s Strengthening Transparency in Regulatory Science proposed rule. (BACK TO THE TOP)
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Publisher: Office of Government Relations
Editor: Chloe McPherson
Contributors: Rebecca Aicher, Maysaa Alobaidi, Salma Bahramy, Daniel Barry, Joanne Carney, Sean Gallagher, Erin Heath, Matt Hourihan, Rachel Kerestes, André Porter, Deborah Runkle
COVID-19 Image Credit: Alissa Eckert, MS; Dan Higgins, MAMS
NOTE: The AAAS Policy Alert is a newsletter provided to AAAS members to inform them of developments in science and technology policy that may be of interest. Information in the Policy Alert is gathered from published news reports, unpublished documents and personal communications. Although the information contained in this newsletter is regarded as reliable, it is provided only for the convenience and private use of our members. Comments and suggestions regarding the Policy Alert are welcome. For more information, contact alert@aaas.org.
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Can Bookshop.org Save Independent Bookstores? (yahoo.com)
The Los Angeles Times recently checked in on Bookshop.org, an online bookseller, as it pulled in its first $1 million to help local bookstores across America (thanks partly to a partnership with Simon & Schuster)."(This milestone) means that we're accomplishing our mission of being a real meaningful support for independent bookstores," said Andy Hunter, Bookshop's founder and CEO. "We're exceedingly pleased with how much we've been able to earn for the stores and many stores are also grateful."
Bookshop, a Certified B corporation, was launched in January with a mission to help indie bookstores, which for years fought to compete with chains like Barnes & Noble and then the online retail giant Amazon. "Our goal is to take the conscious consumers away from Amazon and put them in a channel that supports local independent businesses and keeps bookstores in their communities," said Hunter, which "are really essential to our cultural fabric when it comes to books." Customers can choose to purchase from a specific indie bookstore affiliated with Bookshop or buy directly from the site.
But Hunter doesn't expect to beat the e-commerce behemoth -- only to help its competitors survive: "I expect Amazon will continue to sell more books than us for all eternity. We're not trying to sell more books than them, but we are trying to get customers who care about their downtowns, their quality of life and the world that they want to live in to make a switch."
The article notes that as lockdowns forced nonessential businesses to temporarily close, some bookstores "have turned to Bookshop to keep their businesses running." The Harvard Bookstore even created a special page touting its "Weird History" books.
"Indie stores that sell through Bookshop.org get 30% of every sale," reports the Los Angeles Times. "Affiliate stores that send in referrals also get a 10% commission, compared with Amazon's 4.5%. And for every sale made directly on Bookshop or through a referral, 10% is added to an earnings pool that is then distributed to indie bookstores every six months.
Bookshop, a Certified B corporation, was launched in January with a mission to help indie bookstores, which for years fought to compete with chains like Barnes & Noble and then the online retail giant Amazon. "Our goal is to take the conscious consumers away from Amazon and put them in a channel that supports local independent businesses and keeps bookstores in their communities," said Hunter, which "are really essential to our cultural fabric when it comes to books." Customers can choose to purchase from a specific indie bookstore affiliated with Bookshop or buy directly from the site.
But Hunter doesn't expect to beat the e-commerce behemoth -- only to help its competitors survive: "I expect Amazon will continue to sell more books than us for all eternity. We're not trying to sell more books than them, but we are trying to get customers who care about their downtowns, their quality of life and the world that they want to live in to make a switch."
The article notes that as lockdowns forced nonessential businesses to temporarily close, some bookstores "have turned to Bookshop to keep their businesses running." The Harvard Bookstore even created a special page touting its "Weird History" books.
"Indie stores that sell through Bookshop.org get 30% of every sale," reports the Los Angeles Times. "Affiliate stores that send in referrals also get a 10% commission, compared with Amazon's 4.5%. And for every sale made directly on Bookshop or through a referral, 10% is added to an earnings pool that is then distributed to indie bookstores every six months.
Editorial guidelines from Spicy Detective magazine, 1935
Via Futility Closet:
Editorial guidelines from Spicy Detective magazine, 1935:
- In describing breasts of a female character, avoid anatomical descriptions.
- If it is necessary for the story to have the girl give herself to a man, or be taken by him, do not go too carefully into details. …
- Whenever possible, avoid complete nudity of the female characters. You can have a girl strip to her underwear or transparent negligee or nightgown, or the thin torn shred of her garments, but while the girl is alive and in contact with a man, we do not want complete nudity.
- A nude female corpse is allowable, of course.
- Also a girl undressing in the privacy of her own room, but when men are in the action try to keep at least a shred of something on the girls.
- Do not have men in underwear in scenes with women, and no nude men at all.
“The idea is to have a very strong sex element in these stories without anything that might be interpreted as being vulgar or obscene.”
(From Nicholas Parsons, The Book of Literary Lists, 1987.)
https://boingboing.net/2020/05/07/this-tourist-shot-8mm-film-sho.html
This tourist-shot 8mm film shows what New York City looked like in 1976
In 1976 someone shot 8mm footage of New York City and added a soundtrack to make a nice little Christmas vacation movie. It's a treat to see the kind of New York Travis Bickle drove his taxi around in.
[via Dooby Brain]
Via Phil Gyford. The BBC have put these up to use as Zoom backgrounds. There’s only 14 of them, and four of them are of course Tardises (Tardisii?). But a few are early BBC science fiction:
How lovely to see.
Photographer, IG. Many new-house options
Photographer, IG.
The Tower of San Giovanni Battista, part of the former Republic of Genoa, lays within the Gulf of Poets. Photo by Ir0n4ss on IG.
Experts say it's time to think critically. https://t.co/AKncrtvpdz— Inverse (@inversedotcom) May 12, 2020
A few years ago when on vacation, this was captioned: "Vacation hard."
I need to copy over a bunch of these WACKY PACKAGES to my blog.
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- Bloggery committed by chris tower - 2005.14 - 10:10
- Days ago = 1776 days ago
- New note - On 1807.06, I ceased daily transmission of my Hey Mom feature after three years of daily conversations. I plan to continue Hey Mom posts at least twice per week but will continue to post the days since ("Days Ago") count on my blog each day. The blog entry numbering in the title has changed to reflect total Sense of Doubt posts since I began the blog on 0705.04, which include Hey Mom posts, Daily Bowie posts, and Sense of Doubt posts. Hey Mom posts will still be numbered sequentially. New Hey Mom posts will use the same format as all the other Hey Mom posts; all other posts will feature this format seen here.
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