“Francesa’s March 30 rant about the president had gone viral, in part because it had surprised people, given Francesa’s known affection for Trump, but also because it sounded close to home, New Yorker to New Yorker, like he was yelling from a cab. Back in the day, a young Francesa had parked Fred Trump’s limousine at the Atlantic Beach Club, and he still had admiration for Fred’s son. “The President is brilliant at branding…brilliant at marketing,” Francesa told me. But he didn’t back down from his critiques: ‘I steadfastly stand by that. I think the federal government has not done a great job because I feel like they haven’t connected with the people.'”
Websites and stores are springing up selling products that claim to prevent, treat or cure COVID-19. The US Food and Drug Administration advises consumers to be cautious of fraudulent schemes since there are no FDA-approved products to prevent COVID-19.
What would be appropriate punishments for the people behind these websites and stores?
Whatever punishments you propose, make sure they are exceedingly slow and painful.
There’s a premium on medical advice during pandemics. Which begs a very difficult question everyone will answer differently, turn to a reality t.v. host for his specialized knowledge or medical professionals?
“Federal authorities and Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost said Tuesday they will prosecute any doctors who abused their power to prescribe themselves or family members experimental drugs to try to preventively treat COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus.
Ohio’s pharmacy board, in an emergency meeting Sunday, issued strict guidelines for the prescribing of hydroxychloroquine or chloroquine after pharmacists across Ohio said they were seeing hoarding by doctors of the pills for themselves or their families and friends.
The prescriptions started, pharmacists said, after President Donald Trump said during a news conference that the drugs could be effective in treating the disease. Doctors have refuted that assertion and have reiterated that there is no established cure or treatment for COVID-19 other than to support patients with breathing, pain and headache relief.”
This, it turns out, is a double negative:
“The drugs being prescribed are used to treat lupus and arthritis. Pharmacists said the rapid jump in prescriptions has created a shortage for patients who need the drugs to treat their pre-existing conditions.”
Our Pandemic Progress Report. Failing history, science, and math, and we’re utterly lacking critical thinking skills. Beyond that, our future is bright.
Except when it comes to the Seattle Mariners, I’m not normally a “glass half empty” guy, but I’m worn down by the President’s, Michael Medved’s, and some of my friends’ continuing, knee-jerk insistence that we’re the “greatest country in the world”, which increasingly sounds like Stuart Smiley trying to convince himself that “I’m good enough, I’m smart enough, and doggone it, people like me!”
The United States has still done only a bit more than 10 percent as many tests per capita as Canada, Austria and Denmark.
. . . one can argue that the U.S. is not only on the same path as Italy but is also less prepared, for America has fewer doctors and hospital beds per capita than Italy does — and a shorter life expectancy even in the best of times.
. . . the C.D.C. has posted official guidance advising that doctors and nurses ‘might use homemade masks (e.g., bandanna, scarf) for care of patients with Covid-19 as a last resort.’
the United States is in a weaker position than some other countries to confront the virus because it is the only advanced country that doesn’t have universal health coverage, and the only one that does not guarantee paid sick leave. With chronic diseases, the burden of these gaps is felt primarily by the poor; with infectious diseases, the burden will be shared by all Americans.
The True Believers will not only refute these facts, they will never change their view that the (dis)United States is the greatest country in the world. That notion is essential to their sense of self. And yet, their myopia will not do anything to reverse our steady slide. Their self-congratulatory insistence that we’re the greatest country in the world will only grow more delusional over time.
Kinda lonely this morning. Send me a request to workout with your fav blogger. I have just a few questions about whether you’re physically up to spotting my massive amounts of weight, and of course, about your handwashing habits.
By Jenny Odell. Even though I just finished it, I suspect Odell’s “How to Do Nothing” will be the most influential book I read in 2020 because it’s the most thought provoking book I’ve read since America the Anxious and Palaces of the People, books that also emphasize the importance of community, public places, and the common good. It is so unique, insightful, and challenging, I processed two-thirds of it at most; meaning, I need to reread it, which is a bit problematic since it’s due back at the library. I should probably make Eldest’s day, a true bibliophiliac, and just purchase it. Especially since it will take me a long time to even partially apply her numerous insights.
The front jacket lead, which I’ve amended, is a decent overview:
“A galvanizing critique of the forces vying for our attention—and our personal information—that redefines what we think of productivity, reconnects us with the environment, and reveals all that we’ve been (what we are) too distracted to see about ourselves and our world.”
If you are wary of individualism and seek more community, read Odell.
If you long for a more meaningful, less commercial existence, read Odell.
If you suspect your life might be enriched by less social media activity, read Odell.
If you want to think and care more deeply about your local ecology, climate change, economic privilege, and alternative ways of thinking about progress, read Odell.
If you want to see Odell explain her book while reflecting on the challenges posed by its unexpected success, watch this November 2019 talk.
“How to Do Nothing” is especially important for anyone thinking, “No way am I spending 23 minutes I don’t have to watch the video.”
And not too proud to admit it. Well, so far, the first 35 minutes, which to my TSwift-loving daughters, secures my place in the pantheon of history’s most outstanding fathers.
“Swift is certainly not exceptional in her yearning for approval, but her life has unfolded on an unprecedented scale.”
Not exactly original insights. If The New Yorker had commissioned me to write the review, which in hindsight they should’ve, I would’ve framed the film as another in a long line of case studies on the corrosive effects of fame. As my saying goes, “Fame tends to corrupt and absolute fame corrupts absolutely.” Then I would’ve referenced “Amy” the documentary about Amy Winehouse which powerfully illustrates how sadly pop icons’ stories often turn out especially when surrounded by selfish, financially dependent employees, family, and “friends”.
And it’s odd that The New Yorker’s choice for reviewer is silent on our mindless tendency towards celebrity worship, which I’d argue makes us complicit in Swift’s struggles and Winehouse’s demise.
It’s also disappointing that their reviewer is silent on Swift’s passive acceptance of her fame. Swift did lay low for a year, but more as a pause in her incredibly ambitious career. What’s stopping her, someone has to ask, from a complete retreat from the public sphere for much, much longer.
Taylor, if you’re reading this, which I suspect you are, eat up and change your appearance, move to Canada, make friends with Harry and Megan, and dig into the ancient Stoics. You won’t be disappointed.
I can’t speak for my daughters, but the rest of us will be okay.
Pressing Pause 