Virus thread, the political one.

[72gmc]

cleverly disguised

Or not

[guido]

Opinion | Coronavirus Propaganda Is Coming. Be Ready for It. - The New York Times

"Last month, a viral post attributed to Stanford University circulated on social media claiming that if you can hold your breath without coughing for more than 10 seconds, you most likely don’t have Covid-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus. I initially believed it was credible and forwarded it to friends before I learned it was fake. I have studied influence campaigns for most of my career. How could I have been so foolish?

And then I began to wonder about the impact that pandemic conspiracies like this one, labeled “infodemic” campaigns by the World Health Organization, will have on the American election in November. What sorts of lies, rumors and wild theories about the coronavirus will enshroud the Democratic and Republican campaigns, conventions, debates and Election Day? American voters will be adrift in a fog of disinformation, uncertain whether to believe anything they read or hear. As a result, there is likely to be an even more fractured electorate shaping American society for the next four years, and perhaps well beyond."

[davids]

I don't think I am attacking the pension as much as one particular abuse of the system called spiking. It's a bigger problem in NYS than Mass. Mass.gov tried to address the problem on 2011 with MSRB to prohibit two forms of pension spiking.
As a public employee, you should be outraged at someone who has abused the system since they drag you into the mud with them.

It's not common in Boston. I've seen it. I don't like it at all.

But.

There are so many other things I am more outraged about than a plumber upping his pension. So much pillage and destruction from the captains of industry and corporate raiders, stock manipulators and management consultants hollowing out business and industries and gutting their communities as they turn workers out in the streets. So many gig workers living on the edges of destitution. So many low and moderate income Americans teetering on the edge. So much real need.

And the political enablers of this economic carnage keep pointing at the pickpockets standing at the edge of the crowd.

[davids]

Opinion | Coronavirus Propaganda Is Coming. Be Ready for It. - The New York Times

"Last month, a viral post attributed to Stanford University circulated on social media claiming that if you can hold your breath without coughing for more than 10 seconds, you most likely don’t have Covid-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus. I initially believed it was credible and forwarded it to friends before I learned it was fake. I have studied influence campaigns for most of my career. How could I have been so foolish?"

That post.

Two friends - educated and comfortable - posted it. I was so suspicious I immediately checked it out and then let them know it was bullshit. Dangerous bullshit.

Only one of them deleted the post.

[theflashunc]

Vic Dibitetto breaks down the looming mortgage and rent crisis and the failure to govern in a way I applaud for both it's clear-eyed evaluation of the current state of things and the repeated use of the word peckerhead.

[mzilliox]

wow, this mayor from las vegas is dense:
Occupy Democrats - Las Vegas' Mayor gives BONKERS interview, offers up city as "control group" to see how many die without social distancing | Facebook

[mzilliox]

Vic Dibitetto breaks down the looming mortgage and rent crisis and the failure to govern in a way I applaud for both it's clear-eyed evaluation of the current state of things and the repeated use of the word peckerhead.

amazing!

[Sbti]

News item:4/22/2020 Minnesota governor Tim Walz announced an ambitious COVID-19 testing partnership with the Mayo Clinic and the University of Minnesota.

When asked who Minnesotans should hold responsible if the testing capacity doesn’t materialize, Walz answered “Me … This plan and this program and the delivery of these tests — it lies with me.”

djt:“I don't take responsibility at all.

[jclay]

Worth reading, and reflection: The Coronavirus Revealed America’s Failures - The Atlantic

I hope that nobody on this list remains so foolish as to be willing to support Trump and virtually anybody in the GOP.

[crumpton]

With a moron like Donald J Trump at the helm, we are all fucked. How many people are going to mainline Clorox or Lysol tomorrow? Hey, let’s load up on UV... how the scientists do not just shut that fuck stick down on the spot I’ll never know. Always an unprecedented level of stupidity. Remarkable. And our president.

I know this doesn’t add much to the discussion but who the fuck else am I going to vent to?

[thollandpe]

I know this doesn’t add much to the discussion but who the fuck else am I going to vent to?

Nobody, Nick. Just jackasses like me poring over the Position Document on Infectious Aerosols form the American Society of Heating, Refrigeration, and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE).

The fact that anyone lets that asshole just get in front of the mic and riff is tragic. What he says is unintelligible.

[gregl]

The fact that anyone lets that asshole just get in front of the mic and riff is tragic. What he says is unintelligible.

The real tragedy is that people love what he is saying and will line up to vote for him. It's truly insanity on a large (~49% of the US population...) scale. I'm truly ashamed for my country.

Greg

[Mabouya]

With a moron like Donald J Trump at the helm, we are all fucked. How many people are going to mainline Clorox or Lysol tomorrow? Hey, let’s load up on UV... how the scientists do not just shut that fuck stick down on the spot I’ll never know. Always an unprecedented level of stupidity. Remarkable. And our president.

I know this doesn’t add much to the discussion but who the fuck else am I going to vent to?

So how much Clorox do I have have to drink every meal to ensure that I don't catch C-19?

Do you think half a cup will be enough? One cup?

Will it taste better if I mix is with Kool-Aid? I've heard that that's worked for some folks in the past.

I have only one of those gallon-sized containers, maybe I should stop by WalMart when they open in the morning to stock up.

[Walter Sobchak]

Boofing Clorox and eating Gorebulbs to own the libs!

[Colinmclelland]

Vic Dibitetto breaks down the looming mortgage and rent crisis and the failure to govern in a way I applaud for both it's clear-eyed evaluation of the current state of things and the repeated use of the word peckerhead

That’s what Australian banks are doing. Up to 6 months of mortgage relief with the term extended by a matching period. Simples. And genuinely beneficial.

Of course they also benefit from the “four banks” policy and the deposit guarantee so there is that. They are kind of going to ask how high when the government tells them to jump. That’s why they are so eagerly doing their bit for Team Australia!

[Chik]

So the long awaited sequel to the Tide Pod Challenge is here. Unfuckingbelievable.

[Chik]

It's not all that rare to see incompetence in government and politics around the world, but there's a difference between "incompetent" and "criminal". Both unconscionable however.

[Mark Kelly]

It takes a lot to make the normally po-faced Brendan Murphy laugh, but Trump did it: Australia's top doctor advises against injecting disinfectant to treat coronavirus, as suggested by Donald Trump - Politics - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

[Chik]

Should I be buying Lysol shares?

[vertical_doug]

A luxury hotel company that owns multiple Ritz-Carltons received millions in small-business aid thanks to a loophole in the PPP
2020-04-23 20:53:11.559 GMT

(Business Insider)

* Three lodging companies chaired by hotel executive Monty Bennett have
received $59 million in Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) coronavirus
relief funds intended for small businesses, the Wall Street Journal
reported, effectively making Bennett the biggest winner in the
small-business bailout.
* On April 16, the PPP's $349 billion fund dried up with thousands of loan
requests still pending.
* A provision in the PPP allows hospitality and restaurant companies with
multiple locations to apply for loans as long as each location has 500
employees or less.
* While the travel and hospitality industries have been most impacted by the
coronavirus pandemic, larger companies have received backlash for
accepting millions of dollars in loans before smaller, independent
businesses could receive relief.
* The House is expected to vote on a bill today that will provide an
additional $320 billion for the PPP.
* Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

A real-estate investment firm that invests in luxury hotel properties —
including the Ritz-Carlton in St. Thomas — is one of three companies chaired
by Dallas hotel executive Monty Bennett that received a collective $59 million
in federal aid intended for small businesses, the Wall Street Journal
reported.

The companies — Ashford Inc., a Dallas-based asset management firm, and the
two real estate investment trusts it manages, Braemar Hotels & Resorts and
Ashford Hospitality Trust — represent over 130 hotel properties.

In its review of public filings this week, the Wall Street Journal found that
Ashford Inc. has received $12.8 million in loans; Braemar has been granted
$15.8 million; and Ashford Hospitality Trust has received $30 million for its
subsidiaries. While other large corporations have received millions, this trio
of companies has collectively benefited the most — the $30 million granted to
Ashford Hospitality Trust's subsidiaries was about eight times the average
amount other public companies received, the Journal's analysis shows.

Due to a provision in the $349 billion Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) —
part of the $2 trillion federal CARES Act — hospitality and restaurant
companies with multiple locations are able to apply for loans as long as each
location has 500 employees or less.

Last month, as the small-business bailout package was being negotiated,
Bennett's companies hired two Trump-connected lobbyists, and Bennett made a
$50,000 donation to Trump's joint fundraising committee, Business Insider's
Tom LoBianco previously reported. (Representatives for Bennett did not return
LoBianco's multiple requests for comment.)

Companies have been facing backlash for keeping coronavirus relief funds meant
for struggling small businesses

Despite rightfully qualifying for aid within these parameters, large
corporations such as Ruth's Chris Steakhouse have experienced
backlash for holding onto the funds while thousands of small businesses that
applied for loans did not receive funding. Bennett's companies secured more
than Shake Shack (which returned its $10 million coronavirus stimulus loan)
and Ruth's Chris Steak House combined.

The PPP ran out of funds on April 16, less than two weeks after launch. On
Tuesday, the Senate passed a bill approving an additional $320 billion for the
PPP. The House is expected to vote on the bill today.

In a White House briefing on Tuesday, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin warned
these companies of "severe consequences" if they take advantage of the program
going forward, Business Insider's Graham Rapier reported.

"We want to make sure this money is available to small businesses that need
it, people who have invested their entire life savings," Mnuchin said.

-0- Apr/23/2020 20:53 GMT