Silver here. Claire graciously grants me access to her blog.
What an odd, contrived phrase is “Social Distancing.” PHYSICAL distancing may be helpful (solid information is extremely scarce these days) but why “Social” distancing? It’s almost as if those in power prefer that we remain isolated and afraid.
Not everyone is buying it. Here’s a lovely post from someone who recognizes the power of words, and suggests a sensible and lovely alternative.
Please spread this far and wide. This is an important message.
Silver, do you have somehow that we can fw or copy/paste?
The same as always. Forward the link to this post:
https://www.clairewolfe.com/blog/2020/03/28/social-inclusion/
If all you want is the image, right-click on the image and select “copy image.”
Yup, just click on the image and save. I’m glad you’re interested. I think that graphic and its message are brilliant.
Also, although neither Silver nor the creator want to toot their own horn, that was written and laid out by an acquaintance of Silver’s from a concept he’s been advocating over at the forums. Excellent work for an important message.
“Words have meaning. Words are tools.”
Amen. And we are being tooled.
Also, there’s a new thing, “Bear Hunting.”
https://mashable.com/article/coronavirus-teddy-bear-hunt-children/
http://www.talonsite.com/Barnaby.jpg
Under the current circumstances (or any other for that matter) I don’t see any issue with “bear hunting” in fact it’s a pretty nice thing to do. the parents aren’t the ones who issued these orders, and likely young children are pretty freaked out right now, so something to distract them is a good thing.
Like what Silver posted above, social isolation breeds depression, community gardens, like the one Claire mentioned in the previous post, singing to your neighbors like the people in Italy, simply waving to your neighbors.
It doesn’t really matter if COVID-19 is a real threat, or just hype at this point, everyone is in for a rough ride, small businesses will be crushed, the economy will take years to recover, the power grab by the government, all of it really will have effects on everyone.
Hopefully there will at least some independence and a free market left at the end of this.
“I think that graphic and its message are brilliant.”
+1
The “Bear Hunting” has been a thing here were I’m at for at least a couple of weeks. The Idea was pushed out here on Nextdoor (an app) just as the kids were sent home on the spring break. As an aside note, I think I have seen more people out walking around the neighborhood this weekend that I did most of the summer last year.
[…] our language and taking back, at least some of, our Power from the govts. From the fear. Over at Claire Wolfe’s blog, this graphic was shared…with permission/encouragement to share […]
So far 4.7% of the people who have contracted this virus have died, and your biggest issue is semantics? 🤣
https://graphics.reuters.com/CHINA-HEALTH-MAP/0100B59S39E/index.html
TK421a, no one has accurate information on the death rate for this disease because no one knows how many cases were asymptomatic or mild enough not to be reported.
If your 4.7% figure were accurate (that is, if it were based on large-scale testing of general populations), it would indeed be a high death rate compared with seasonal flu and other common infectious diseases. But apply your skepticism; that figure is based on limited testing of a selected group — the known, obvious, and reported sick. And a large portion of them being very old.
As to semantics, this is about much more than that. It’s about preserving our relationships and our communities and taking back our personal power from those who would manipulate us through terror — and BTW manipulate us through _their_ very carefully chosen semantics.
Claire is absolutely correct on these points, in fact it is likely many people had COVID-19 as early as last December and just didn’t know it, indeed the argument for the current lock is that, most people who have COVID-19 are unaware and could spread it.
Think about that last sentence, most people with COVID-19 would have symptoms so mild, they wouldn’t notice it.
As for being “manipulated us through their very carefully chosen semantics” (if I may paraphrase Claire) think how often TPTB have told whomever their very existence is at risk because of; anarchists, commies, gang members, drug kingpins, racketeers, terrorists, foreigners, global warming, HIV, COVID-19, what-have-you, and in each case the only way you’ll survive is to give up just a bit of freedom to the government
.
Thanks, Myself.
CNN, the network most ardently dedicated to making Covid-19 sound like the worst thing since the Black Plague, just printed the findings of a study in the Lancet. The conclusion: the actual death rate is more like 0.66%. Higher in the old, of course, but almost infinitesimally small in the very young.
Now this finding is probably as inaccurate as any other because the data simply isn’t there yet. But it’s likely a lot more realistic than the standard media hype and scare stories.
It must have killed CNN to print a story contradicting its deadly fantasies.
Sorry for not linking. I’m on a phone and don’t know how to grab and paste a link. Still learning.
Claire,
I suspect when all said and done, the 0.66% will be closer to the truth, but likely we’ll never really know for sure as many people have COVID-19 and never know it
And call me a skeptic (please) but more than a few things don’t add up, take NYC for example, we’re told that almost 900 people have died from COVID-19 a horrible number to be sure, but we’re also told that hospitals have refer trucks outside for the bodies, seriously, a city the size of New York can’t find space for 900 bodies, there were almost 1900 murders in NYC in 1980, and only 320 in 2019, and yet they can’t find space for 900 bodies? most of which could be released to a funeral home almost immediately, seems strange to me.
Then there’s the issue of hospital ships, they were up and running quick, very strange when you consider that the civilian crews had to be assigned and the medical staff while mostly military, are also mostly reserves, so the USN called up reserves doctors, nurses techs ect, had them all report light off the steam plants (yes these ships started life as tankers and still have steam engines) and get them underway in a few days? OK if they say so.
Then there is the issue (or so we’re told) of shortages of medical supplies, again really, mask and gowns are disposable, and yet hospitals are out? and you have Trump saying if governors don’t kiss his ring they get no supplies, but again that makes little sense, the government doesn’t supply hospitals, hospitals buy from manufacturers directly, even public hospitals, so how could a pretend spat between the feds and the states stop that?
Perhaps I’m wrong, and this time TPTB are telling the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.
Anyway I hope you all enjoyed the songs I posted.
There is now an added fear-factor the media is trying to promote that the virus can re-occur, or has re-occurred, in those who have recovered. But the presence of a “positive” does not *necessarily* indicate the virus is active. In so short a time after recovery, the presence of a positive is not alarming — and doctors/scientists should know this. Whereas illness and death are obvious, non-symptomatic positives are not always proof of active disease — even in the original positive.
But those “re-occurring” numbers will be added to the total number of cases. (This may be happening in other countries as well.)
There have been claims that the corona virus responsible for covid-19 might be passed from people who are infected but showing no symptoms. This is called the incubation period. Until the virus has multiplied enough, its numbers are too small to damage the lining of the lungs and cause the coughing, sneezing, and fever that are the symptoms of the disease.
A paper from a Korean epidemiologist suggests otherwise. (PDF, 7 pages, easy read.)
A Chinese woman from Wuhan and her daughter traveled to Jeju island in Korea and stayed several days. The day after she returned to the mainland, she got sick. It was confirmed to be covid-19.
The epidemiologist used CCTV images and social media postings to track the woman’s path while on the island. He identified 11 people who had talked to her for more than 10 seconds and recommended quarantine. None of them got sick, all are now past the 14 days.
He concludes that the disease is not infectious during the incubation period. He’s thorough, he looked into a Chinese case that seemed to indicate the opposite, but showed that when the symptoms are mild, as most cases are, the patient may not realize they have the disease, and will report it as starting a day later when the symptoms become worse.
He recommends that doctors treat the infectious stage as starting one day before the patient reports being ill, just to be on the safe side. But he concludes that covid-19 is NOT infectious when people have no symptoms.
I hope this allays any fears about going outside and meeting with people who appear well. It should be safe.
In reply to Myself
“I suspect when all said and done, the 0.66% will be closer to the truth, but likely we’ll never really know for sure as many people have COVID-19 and never know it”
If I were a betting man, I’d wager that the true rate is closer to 0.066% fatality rate.
It’s not a fair bet, I had help.
In an article published on March 17 in Stat, he argues that we are making decisions without reliable evidence, and that this could be a once-in-a-century fiasco.
There’s no doubt about what you’re saying, Silver.
But there are diseases that continue to show positive after the cure and patients have been taken off medication (tuberculosis is one), while the scarring continues to linger in the body. I’m wondering if this virus may be a case in point.
There’s no way to be sure of this until time has lapsed, but this is a mutant organism here, so anything goes until the course of this pandemic is over.
As viruses become stronger and less responsive to medication, we might expect to see other large populations succumb to viral attacks — if not global, than in large regions around the world.
Another issue I have is why it’s taking so long for scientists to find an answer, to come up with a vaccine, or a “cure”. I know viruses are tricky, but in a pandemic in 2020 there should be no holds barred in the laboratory to find a way to control this organism. I suspect someone is holding back, and not just the Chinese.
re. asymptomatic transmission of SARS-CoV-2:
see https://academic.oup.com/cid/advance-article/doi/10.1093/cid/ciaa316/5810900
Guoqing Qian, Naibin Yang, Ada Hoi Yan Ma, Liping Wang, Guoxiang Li, Xueqin Chen, Xiaomin Chen, A COVID-19 Transmission within a family cluster by presymptomatic infectors in China, Clinical Infectious Diseases, ciaa316, https://doi.org/10.1093/cid/ciaa316 [published 23 MARCH 2020]
Read Everything, Just In Case.
Jeff,
Yes, absolutely read everything. Critically.
Study claiming new coronavirus can be transmitted by people without symptoms was flawed
As with most research, early results often disagree. Eventually the evidence mounts and there is a consensus. We’re not there yet, but the evidence of asymptomatic transmission is tenuous at best.
Pat,
This virus is a new strain of an old scourge, coronaviruses. They have been with us for a long time. Every year 3% to 11% (some reports say up to 15%) of patients with symptoms of the flu test positive for coronavirus. That’s in places that routinely test flu patients to determine the exact organism(s) that are causing the illness. The US typically doesn’t do that.
Coronavirus is not TB, and TB is caused by a bacteria, not a virus. Every year some 1.7 million people die of TB, something which hasn’t caused a panic and worldwide lockdown.
Speculating that this novel coronavirus is somehow much different than its other virus family members isn’t helpful. China and many other nations have large and growing groups of people who have recovered.
I haven’t seen any credible reports of long-lasting damage. That information may emerge, but I haven’t seen it yet.
As for the vaccine, they aren’t calling this novel coronavirus for nothing. It was only identified in October. There certainly are a number of labs working on both treatments and vaccines. But these things take time. I’m not the least bit interested in being injected with a vaccine that hasn’t be thoroughly tested.
There’s no evidence of anyone “holding back.” Congress threw a huge wad of money at the CDC for this very purpose, and plenty of private companies are racing to develop treatments and vaccines.
This stuff is HARD. I’ve been inside a facility that produces flu vaccine. It’s complicated, and it takes a long time. Every year the people who decide which strains of flu viruses are most likely to be prevalent in the coming season have to make their educated guess many months before the flu season starts. It takes experienced people working in well-developed, massive production facilities months to produce the millions of doses required. That’s for a vaccine that was developed years ago. It’s not surprising that there is no vaccine yet, it is expected.
Hi Silver , social distance sounds like a 1984 newspeak mandate… physical separation for a time is much more reasonable. This is something that actually happened to me in 2007 , my neighbor , in a small apt. complex only 3 units started receiving visits from this well dressed professional looking man once a week…I knew the neighbor well enough but politeness kept me from asking about the visitor …after a few months of this a few inquiries gave me the reason TB medication . I was living 10 ft. away from this guy and nobody bothered to tell me. something to think about…Patrick
Then there’s the issue of hospital ships, they were up and running quick, … and get them underway in a few days? OK if they say so.
First off, if you are Navy captain, and your Commander in Chief wants your boat in New York City, you darn well get it there, post haste.
Second, I’m betting as soon as word of a pandemic started to spread, like last December, admirals at the Pentagon were dusting off contingency plans and updating them, figuring the Hope and the Comfort might be going someplace.
Prepping the ships and assigning the crews probably started early in February.
By March the crews were assembling and supplies were being loaded.
When POTUS gave the order it was just a matter of laying in the destination and raising anchor.
you have Trump saying if governors don’t kiss his ring they get no supplies,
I’m not a Trump fan, but I listened to what he said, not what CNN said he said.
If Democratic governors who have been fighting everything he did tooth and nail need something, they are free to call him, or the VP, or others of the Trump administration, who will help. But Trump isn’t going to make “How ya doin” calls to people who under most circumstances would flip him off.
First off, the captains of the Mercy and Comfort are civilians not military, secondly any person can huff and puff and stamp their feet, it takes time to get a steam plant up, and it takes time to call up reserves plain and simple.
But perhaps you’re right and I’m wrong, and in this instance the government is telling the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth
It’s not what Trump said, it’s what governors have said, they claim that Trump is mad at them and they are not getting supplies, and as I said, that makes little sense.
But perhaps I’m wrong, and in this instance the government is telling the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.
Second, I’m betting as soon as word of a pandemic started to spread, like last December, admirals at the Pentagon were dusting off contingency plans and updating them, figuring the Hope and the Comfort might be going someplace.
Prepping the ships and assigning the crews probably started early in February.
By March the crews were assembling and supplies were being loaded.
Then why was the Comfort’s engine room taken apart and trying to schedule Coast Guard inspections? Why is the pentagon claiming to desperately need supplies, including an extra 100K body bags? Or so we’ve been told.
I’m betting as soon as word of a pandemic started to spread, like last December,
If this is true then the government lied to the people, I’m not shocked, and this actually makes my point, as late as February the government as saying there was nothing to worry about.
But perhaps I’m wrong, and in this instance the government is telling the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.
Silver –
“Every year the people who decide which strains of flu viruses are most likely to be prevalent in the coming season have to make their educated guess many months before the flu season starts.”
Exactly. And they invariably get it wrong. The vaccine has rarely, if ever, been for that current year.
I didn’t question that fact, anyway.
[Quote from Dictionary.com]
speculate [ spek-yuh-leyt ]
verb (used without object), spec·u·lat·ed, spec·u·lat·ing.
-to engage in thought or reflection; meditate (often followed by on, upon, or a clause).
-to indulge in conjectural thought.
-to engage in any business transaction involving considerable risk or the chance of large gains, especially to buy and sell commodities, stocks, etc., in the expectation of a quick or very large profit.[End of quote]
I was “speculating” in the first sense, “to engage in thought or reflection;…”, not to “conjecture” (nor to set in motion any negative conjecture from others; we can all think for ourselves here).
Not trying to start a brouhaha, but I do “believe” that strains of vaccine, no matter how closely related, can mutate into different forms and responses from their predecessors, and turn into monsters during the process. I have seen it at work in hospitals and in patients’ bodies. The mutation starts when that body reacts to it. In the process, it becomes a “different animal”, so to speak.
I admit I may be wrong about what to expect from the scientists, but am never surprised about the organism as it makes contact with the body; THAT is always a crapshoot.
If there was lack of knowledge on the part of the Chinese — and in the Western world, too — it is probably their misunderstanding of what to expect from body-virus contact. Governments and scientists (and frequently doctors themselves) have never learned to separate the human response from the statistical expectations. Organisms do not listen to statistics, however.
And now they tell us that diarrhea may be a symptom. That, too, would be a “mutation”, a different expectation from this coronavirus.
Re TB, I DO know the difference between viruses and bacteria. I was speaking of the *possibility* of similarity in their actions after treatment is finished and cure has been determined.