'CANCEL THE RENT' 'SEND MORE VENTILATORS' 'STOP ICE RAIDS'
NYC-based political projection collective 'The Illuminator' staged a large-scale public projection in Manhattan on Saturday night to make several demands on local, state, and federal governments during the COVID-19 pandemic crisis. Read the rest
You need this. So do I. Read the rest
You do what you gotta do to get through this, people. Whatever it takes. Read the rest
American drug maker Johnson & Johnson said Monday it plans to begin the human testing phase of its experimental coronavirus vaccine by September 2020, with plans to make it available for emergency use in early 2021. Read the rest
Donald Trump has insisted that Plaquenil/hydroxychloroquine will cure COVID-19. The drug is commonly used to malaria, as well as lupus and rheumatoid arthritis. While there have been some successful results with drug after treating patients infected by the novel coronavirus, there's just not enough reliable information available right now.
But the President's endorsement of the drug has caused a bit of panic around it. First, there are people who have died after mistakenly taking related drugs. Now, according to Buzzfeed News, so healthcare providers are refusing to give the drug to people with conditions that it has been proven to treat:
A 45-year-old woman with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) said she received an online message from her health care provider stating it will no longer refill her vital hydroxychloroquine prescriptions because that drug is being used to treat the "critically ill with COVID-19," the disease caused by the novel coronavirus.
It gets worse. Here's the kicker:
The letter thanked her for her "sacrifice."
A sacrifice, it should be noted, that she had no choice in making — if it's even a sacrifice that actually works.
Like Alabama denying treatment to people with "severe mental retardation," it seems that all the conservative fearmongering around the made-up "Obamacare Death Panels" is finally coming true under the Trump Administration's handling of the coronavirus epidemic.
A Woman With Lupus Said Her Health Care Provider Is Stopping Her Chloroquine Prescription And Thanked Her For The “Sacrifice” [Tanya Chen and Dan Vergano / Buzzfeed News]
What We Know — and Don’t Know — About Possible Coronavirus Treatments Promoted by Trump [Charles Ornstein / ProPublica]
Image via Public Domain Pictures Read the rest
A registered sex offender hosting a coronavirus party despite Maryland's ban on gatherings during the outbreak refused to shut down his 60-person drunken bonfire, cops say. The party host did not win the argument with police officers. Read the rest
Dr. David Price of Weill Cornell Medical Center in New York City shares information in a March 22 Zoom call with his family and friends on empowering and protecting them during the COVID-19 pandemic.
As with any information coming out during this crisis, consume at your own risk and know that the situation and advice may change as knowledge of the virus and conditions on the group change.
I found this nearly one hour video to be extremely informative, level-headed, and moving.
The bottom line of the video is what we've been hearing since the beginning: Keep your hands clean, don't touch what other people touch (out of an abundance of caution), and don't touch your face.
He suggests wearing a mask if you go out, any mask, not to prevent exposure, but to remind you to keep your hands off your face! Read the rest
The Auralnauts are a comedy troupe that does video overdubs — most prolifically (and, in my opinion, hilariously) of Star Wars videos. Their latest masterpiece is this coronavirus rap performed by "Creepio" and "Fartoo," which digs deep into the Star Wars footage archives, even going as far as getting the Muppets involved in their hilarious but surprisingly helpful public service announcement. Read the rest
Politico asked 34 "macro thinkers" to share some of their thoughts on what the world will look like after we crawl from the wreckage of this thing. Some are hopeful, optimistic. Some, not so much. Definitely good food for thought. Here are a few excerpts.
Mark Lawrence Schrad is an associate professor of political science and author of the forthcoming Smashing the Liquor Machine: A Global History of Prohibition.
A new kind of patriotism When all is said and done, perhaps we will recognize their sacrifice as true patriotism, saluting our doctors and nurses, genuflecting and saying, “Thank you for your service,” as we now do for military veterans. We will give them guaranteed health benefits and corporate discounts, and build statues and have holidays for this new class of people who sacrifice their health and their lives for ours. Perhaps, too, we will finally start to understand patriotism more as cultivating the health and life of your community, rather than blowing up someone else’s community. Maybe the de-militarization of American patriotism and love of community will be one of the benefits to come out of this whole awful mess.
Read the restEric Klinenberg is professor of sociology and director of the Institute for Public Knowledge at New York University. He is the author, most recently, of Palaces for the People: How Social Infrastructure Can Help Fight Inequality, Polarization, and the Decline of Civic Life.
Less individualism The coronavirus pandemic marks the end of our romance with market society and hyper-individualism. We could turn toward authoritarianism.
This little ditty from Devotchka's 2018 album This Night Falls Forever, is both beautiful AND timely. The masks. The coming storm. the promise to be there for one another.
Love it.
Image: YouTube Read the rest
On Friday, Disney announced that Disneyland Resort and Walt Disney World Resort will remain closed until further notice. Read the rest
This right here is some seriously weird data from Nielsen today, about the sorts of things Americans have been purchasing as the coronavirus outbreak, and corresponding fear, spread. Read the rest
Forbes senior contributor, TJ McCue, has been keeping an updated list of various corporate and maker/makerspace initiatives to 3D print filter masks and face shields for healthcare workers. Read the rest
