These are posts from March 2020. I remove posts from Facebook periodically. To preserve the old posts, I copy some of them to this blog.

Mar 4

Blowing up right now is a Biden campaign scandal. His AAPI outreach leader, Amit Jani, is an activist who supports Modi and the BJP. I thought maybe it was just his father who was the supporter, but it looks like they both are.

I’m not on Team Biden, but wish they would hire a uniter, not someone so divisive who could create division in the AAPI coalition, and serve to discourage Muslims from participating.

Mar 5

Non-citizens were allowed to vote in some states, prior to 1926, when rising racism and nativism created the political conditions to limit voting to citizens.

Mar 5

Another crazy story about Japan. They used to have these cholera outbreaks. Epidemics. My mom’s aunt or grandmother or something got it. Back then, they quarantined people, and told them they were getting medicine. But it wasn’t medicine. It was poison, and they were killed. At least that’s the theory. I’m thinking they just died. I’m going to need to ask about this again.

Mar 9

Why are people buying tp during this pandemic?

Mar 9

I think Bernie should switch from big rallies to going fully internet “virtual” and organize around phone calling and building local phone trees and mutual aid networks. I’m COVID-19-paranoid, for sure, but imagine the mess if people get sick from going to a rally.

Mar 9

I’m sure most of you all don’t need to be told this… but I’m also sure that some do:

Shower every day, and use soap and water.

Mar 10

Medicare for All is insufficient to manage a pandemic.

Medical care is also insufficient.

You need social coordination, education, and prioritization of needs.

Mar 10

Coronanomics 101 | by Barry Eichengreen
project-syndicate.org
I know everyone’s freaking out about the stock market (at least if you have a retirement fund or are a day trader).

Trump responded with lower interest rates, and there’s a general push to increase liquidity and juice the economy.

They’re missing the fact: the drop is a response to a forced cessation of business and production.

This brings back classical economics: labor as the source of wealth, and what Marx called the “commodity fetish”.

The former is also called the “labor theory of value”, which was invented by Ben Franklin, not Marx.

The latter is this interesting feature of capitalism that profit is dependent on the exchange of goods (and services). Until that transaction happens, there is no profit. This is called the “commodity fetish”: you can’t have profits without the exchange of the commodity.

A lot of people think “commodity fetish” means that capitalist societies worship consumer goods. I don’t think that’s all he was talking about.

Rather, I think it describes one of the weird facts of business, which is that you need to put in labor to make, and then market the product, hoping for an exchange to happen, before you realize profits. There’s all this unpaid labor, and then, in one small moment, all the payments happen when a commodity is exchanged for money.

Coronavirus is preventing this exchange, and it’s hammering the economy.

Mar 10

I know that COVID is being compared to the flu, but they aren’t entirely comparable, because most people get a flu vaccination, creating herd immunity.

Herd immunity creates a population of immune people who won’t get sick. Viruses expend their energy getting into a host who won’t replicate the virus, and that knocks out transmission.

COVID-19 seems to be worse at spreading than the flus, but COVID-19 does not face the hurdle of herd immunity.

Mar 10

I just realized what I’m replaying in my mind, with this COVID epidemic: The AIDS Epidemic.

I wasn’t directly affected, but I was blanketed with information about it, and saw part of the gay community response, mainly because I was in the SF Bay. It was a huge community effort to stop the spread of the epidemic, and it seemed to create a new LGBT politics. (It also led to the legalization of marijuana.)

Mar 11

The Iranian government released an official coronavirus app for Iranians, but Google pulled it from its app store
businessinsider.com

Mar 11

COVID-19 paranoia in effect here.

A chemical in algicide for yellow algae in pools is the same as what’s used to sanitize hospitals. A paper said this chemical is effective at killing the virus. Dilute to 1000 ppm.

Dollar store Spic and Span and antiviral Pine Cleaner has around 1/3 the concentration of various ammonium chlorides as antiviral wet wipes. Don’t use either on your face. It burns your eyes.

If you are worried about viruses mutating to adapt to these chemicals, yeah, I get it, but this is an epidemic.

I used to be hella fat. Now I’m just fat. With the fat I have left, I can probably go 2 months eating very little, and may do just that. All the fat people out there need to think about doing this.

Mar 11

Italy suspends mortgage payments amid coronavirus lockdown
independent.co.uk
Capitalism needs to take a brief vacation during this epidemic.

Mar 11

Schools are closed for COVID-19, and parents complaining they don’t have childcare.

Childcare?

DO NOT GO TO WORK.

DEMAND WELFARE FROM THE GOVERNMENT.

Mar 11

Hong Kong merchants are demanding a reduction in rents, because business is down, due to the shutdown.

Mar 11

We need
Disaster Communism,
not
Disaster Capitalism.

Mar 11

Fuck Trump’s payroll tax cut proposal. They will keep people going to work, when people should be staying home.

Mar 11

30 mins cooking at 60C 140F kills SARS, so they are assuming this works with COVID-19.

SOUP NOT SALAD.

It’s generally not thought that SARS or COVID-19 is spread through food.

Still, why risk it.

Mar 11

For #COVID19:

Don’t panic. Just chill.

At Home.

For 12 weeks.

And clean up around the house.

Mar 11

(Link to John Campbell video.)

He mentions that Chicago is planning on having a big St. Pats event. What the fuck? What the fucking fuck? Cancel that.

Mar 12

The test aren’t complete 🤦🏻‍♀️ not enough ingredients also he said they’re not closing Disneyland with all these tourists should’ve shut that shit down first smh !! Pinche pendejos

Mar 12

This is terrible. Stimulus that could help create jobs. Jobs that cause people to go to work, at workplaces that cause people to spread the virus.

The stimulus we need right now is survival money to pay people to stay at home. Just several hundred dollars per person, maybe limiting it to lower income workers.

Mar 12

This is so interesting. We hoard to feel secure.

My hoard so far is around 15 cans of tuna (only .59 each!), 1 cabbage (from 3), 3 bottles of various cleaners (Lysol, Spic n Span, and Pine Glo, 2 bottles of 50% alcohol, 3 packs of wipes, and 3 rolls of paper towels. This is in excess of what I’d normally buy, or stuff in my regular hoards (which are mainly toothbrushes and various soaps).

I admit, I’m a relatively filthy person, compared to most, as far as maintaining a stock of cleaning products.

I failed to buy toilet paper.

Mar 12

TABO : A FILIPINO HYGIENE
youtube.com
I’m learning about washing my butt with soap and water after going number two. Yes, I know, an almost alien concept, the washing with soap and water thing. Youtube is helping. Then I see this.

I feel very “judged” as an American.

Mar 12

I started watching TV news. OMG. It’s so scary! I want to go back to reading web pages.

Mar 12

China locks down city of Wuhan, new details about U.S. coronavirus victim emerge
bing.com
This is from 1/23, just 1.5 months ago, at the start of China’s lockdown of Wuhan. At the time, there were 17 deaths. In hindsight, it was the right thing to do, but too late.

Presently, we are at 30 deaths in the US.

Mar 13

Taiwan’s response to COVID-19 resulted in only 47 cases and 1 death so far. Their population is a bit more than half of California’s. https://www.businessinsider.com/coronavirus-taiwan-case-study-rapid-response-containment-2020-3

Mar 13

Tulsi is right on this one #EmergencyUBI, direct cash payments to enable self-quarantine and survival. It would soften the crash.

Mar 13

We need a #UBI for coronavirus self-quarantine.

Expanding unemployment (the Bernie and Biden ideas) is too slow.

The #PayrollTaxCut encourages working or job creation, which encourages going to work, which can increase the epidemic. The payroll tax cut can kill people as it saves the economy.

Mar 14

Third Street Promenade Apple store employee tests positive for COVID-19
foxla.com
Fortunately, he has not been working for a while, but still. It’s here. It’s going to be in what’s called “community spread”, meaning all the testing isn’t really going to help prevent as much. It’ll be for stricter quarantines and to get an idea of how it’s growing.

In this fog-of-war situation, when we don’t know what’s really going on, it’s best to be maximally cautious.

Mar 14

I support Bernie’s idea for Congress to take over from the Executive branch, to have a scientific board manage this crisis.

I support Tulsi’s bill to put money into peoples hands, so they can self-quarantine, because that is what the board will say is the way to slow the spread.

I also support this Democrat bill, with the pile of money for states, and UI money and other spending. That will help, but I don’t think it’s as good as Tulsi’s idea of $1000 to each adult. Doing both is best.

Mar 14

This is a must read. We are on a death path, and need to change paths.

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-whos-flattening-the-curve-on-the-coronavirus-and-who-isnt-a/

Mar 14

Hong Kong is giving every adult $1,200—no strings attached
fortune.com
The most capitalist part of China is giving away “free money” to save their own asses

Mar 14

I am reading a post by someone who doesn’t know if they have COVID-19, but they are very ill. Their spouse is still going to work, because they need the money.

That’s why we need cash to quarantine people.

Mar 14

Beyond Berets: The Black Panthers as Health Activists
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

March 15

We need to lockdown yesterday. The longer we delay, the worse we’ll suffer. Look at how little infection some Asian countries have experienced, excepting Wuhan in China, and Iran, of course.

Mar 15

The US is fucking up real bad. Trump is unintentionally keeping the spread of disease secret by screwing up testing. Media is not pushing self-quarantine, at least not yet. Wingnuts on the left and right have gone wokeatarian and not believing the media – but also not reading or believing WHO and CDC info. So, they’re not worried, and also not enacting proper behaviors to slow the epidemic.

Mar 15

People working at grocery stores, particularly checkers, need 100% medical care, and 2x regular pay as a kind of hazard pay. Also priority for having their temperature taken daily to detect possible infection.

Mar 15

I want to be nice but I need to say this. If you don’t have to be out, stay the fck home!!! Too many selfish people out and about. You may be infected and not know or your immune system could fight it off. But someone you come in contact with could be immune compromised. People have cancelled their weddings/quinceañeras and other events. There is no need to go bar hopping or going to the mall. People are going to force cities and states to have mandatory shutdowns like Italy. Mark my words, it’s coming. Stay home!!! #COVID2019 #COVIDー19 #coronavirus

Mar 15

I’m guessing that we’ll see a surge of new cases as more tests are done.

Just keep that in mind. We’re just seeing what we couldn’t see before.

“Stay calm,” I guess is the word… unless you didn’t care before and weren’t worried or afraid. In which case, get with the program and start to worry.

More importantly, whatever you think of the virus, please practice the hand washing, social distancing, etc. If us alarmists are wrong, you can mock us mercilessly in the future.

Mar 15

I’ve been #PVSQ Partially Voluntarily Self-Quarantined since, I think, the evening of the 10th. It isn’t that bad. It’s kind of relaxing.

Mar 16

I’ve been planning out my shopping-drop-off thing, and trying to figure out (calculate) the advantages and disadvantages of having a single person service multiple households.

Then, Google/YouTube shows me this video, because they’ve probably tracked me via ads, and saw that I searched for some information about probabilities.

There’s a section about the effects of travel on the spread of virus.

It dawned on me that services like Uber, Lyft, Instacart, Shipt, and Postmates can spread the virus, A LOT, during a quarantine.

To reduce spread enlist the workers to be exclusive to your local community, or a cluster of households. Alternatively, enlist someone in your networks to be the driver/shopper.

Mar 16

Grocery Outlet Rosemead has food. Not all full but good enough. They are also hiring.

Mar 16

Stores saying “don’t hoard”. I get it. But the normal mode of operations at a store is to hoard. They’re called “store” for a reason.

Mar 16

As you are shopping, please be mindful of the WIC designation. Families who receive WIC benefits to feed their kids aged 5 and under may only buy items labeled WIC. Please consider choosing something else so that WIC-approved products are available to them.

Mar 16

China and a few other Asian countries have not only flattened the curve – they’ve really controlled the epidemic.

Mar 16

During the SF Lockdown, you can still go to the store to get food. You can take a walk. You just can’t go to anywhere crowded, like work.

You can stay at home and look into legislation to pass the mini-UBI.

Mar 16

We need to have lockdowns for flu season every year.

Mar 17

Would people have hoarded food in a panic, if the schools hadn’t taught us that the government could refuse to feed us?

Mar 17

I was watching the press conference from the State of Ohio. I’d like California to do something more detailed like this. I think Newsom has been good, but, I guess I would like more detail.

They suspended the election today and pushed it out to June. I think they made a good decision.

Mar 17

This is shocking. Capitalists are investing in vaccines and vaccination in the Global South. They are seeking a return on investment.

That’s to say, they are looking at people as units of labor, and vaccination is necessary to reduce mortality rates.

We need an alternative, to reduce mortality without an expansion of exploitation. To provide vaccines without handing over control of development to the North.

(Obviously. This has always been the motivation.)

Mar 17

I suspect Trump has the Coronavirus.

They all took a “temperature test”, meaning they didn’t take the oral swab test to detect the virus.

They are trying to avoid taking the real test, or they did take it, and are hiding the results.

Mar 18

Every once in a while, I see a post or comment that says covid19 is a Chinese bioweapon. I don’t get the logic. If it’s a Chinese bioweapon, why was it killing Chinese people, like, out of control? That’s like constructing a gun, and shooting yourself.

Mar 18

Seriously. The hotels need to convert over to housing infected people. They need to work together to enable this, and should get paid by the state for this space.

Tourism is dead.

Mar 19

The Trump administration said some racist anti-Asian shit, and then used the “it can’t be racist, I’m married to an Asian” argument.

I thought this nonsense excuse went out with the 1990s

Mar 19

GOP senator says China ‘to blame’ for coronavirus spread because of ‘culture where people eat bats and snakes and dogs’
usatoday.com
I have to remind myself…

I keep forgetting that, because, all day, I’m in a yellow-and-brown space. I’ve seen and suffered, at worst, microaggressions. At worst, I’ve been overly apologetic for a brushed shoulder.

I have to be reminded that people who look like me are being beat up.

Mar 19

I posted this comment to a local group:

I’m extremely worried [about covid19]. The worst case scenario so far is Italy, and it’s not pretty. The health care system is overloaded beyond anything, and they are having to choose who lives and dies.

I’m glad the state and city are a bit ahead of most of the country on getting beds, doing semi-lockdowns, and talking in terms of lockdowns. I’m happy to see things less busy, and people prepping.

I haven’t really watched too much tv media. I’m mainly watching youtube, and reading reports from the WHO, and also the local info from cities and the state, and some other states. I’m also reading up on medical info.

Right now, I’m on a personal lockdown, and I’m trying to keep 3 other people more isolated, by doing their shopping and laundry. My mom, who is 85 and has diabetes, and two other people with diabetes and asthma. Anything people can do to prevent spread is appreciated. Wearing masks is appreciated, and I have only a few and will start wearing one.

Mar 19

Gavin Newsom: we don’t need threats of martial law. We need more education about the virus. We need better press conferences.

Mar 19

Yasurai Matsuri: Town Elders’ Prayers Embodied in Flowers and Dance – Core Kyoto – TV | NHK WORLD-JAPAN Live & Programs
www3.nhk.or.jp
In Kyoto, Japan, they have an annual festival to recreate the dances people performed in the past, to ward off the plague that came every spring.

I hate to say it, but I laughed a little. The festival rituals could have been spreading the plague.

I hope they have a small “science” section to this festival that critiques the behavior, to balance out this celebration of superstition.

Mar 19

Coronavirus Ravages 7 Members of a Single Family, Killing 3
msn.com
This is sad. The lesson in it, is: do not wait for test results, or even tests.

Mar 20

(This article influenced me in how I thought about responses to COVID-19.)

Smallpox and the Epidemiological Heritage of Modern Japan: Towards a Total History
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
This is a paper about the history of responses to epidemics in Japan. It was developed at the local level as a response to smallpox. In contrast, European responses were to the plauge, and centralized.

In the absence of a strong central power, epidemics were managed at the village level, with varying effects. With this distributed response in place, later governments did not create centralized responses to cholera epidemics.

This might be a reason why COVID-19 hasn’t hit Japan that hard.

This could be of interest to people engaging in community mutual aid, and anarchists in general.

Please read and share.

Mar 20

Interesting. Pay attention to diarrhea as a symptom. It was ignored, but appears to be an early symptom.

Mar 20

They Clean the Buildings Workers Are Fleeing. But Who’s Protecting Them?
news.yahoo.com
“I felt as if I didn’t matter,” said Santamaria, who earns $22 an hourp

While many look to avoid any contact with the coronavirus, low-wage janitors are sometimes being asked to do the opposite.

Mar 20

2009 H1N1 Flu Pandemic Timeline
cdc.gov
Some history. The H1N1 flu pandemic. Remember this? Ugh. Fortunately, I wasn’t affected, as far as I know.

Mar 20

Is it messed up that I engage in trolling people who assert that we won’t have martial law or concentration camps in America, and then stop the discussion with this?

Mar 20

OK, some of these things made me laugh. Medical cannabis dispensaries are considered “essential”. I think they are, too, but it’s also funny. Also, “personal grooming services”? Really?

This document is like a peek into the new pandemic economy.

https://laist.com/latest/post/20200320/what-you-can-do-under-stay-at-home

Mar 20

The desolate streets and closed stores remind me of how cities used to shut down on weekends, especially Sunday.

I kind of enjoy the economic side of this collapse.

I’m still worried about the disease.

Mar 20

Highlight of yesterday was when the press guy asked if it was against the law to be out and about doing business or something, and if they saw someone, should they be like “see something, say something”, and the mayor was like “yah, say something, but don’t call the cops, just say something to that person.”

Mar 20

I wonder if they could make “social distancing” mass transit. Lots of leg room. Maybe a little “mini bar” and a desk for reading.

Mar 20

CHP has arrived in El Sereno on the block of the reclaimers homes.

Mar 21

Hermit Excursion Calculator

This is a spreadsheet I’m using to track excursions to the outside world. It calculates 14 days into the future, the date when a possible infection from a specific trip fails to present COVID-19 symptoms.

Feel free to copy and use.

I know, this is morbid.

Please use it ASAP because I’ll turn global sharing off in the future.

Mar 21

I wrote this as a comment about “Chinese Virus” on a video: You’re wrong about how the leaders influence people. People who want to attack Chinese-appearing people now feel more justified.

The president should say that it’s wrong to attack Asians or others who are suspected of having the virus. The fact that he does not do this is horrific to me.

When 911 happened, one of the first things Bush did was say that Muslim Americans should not be blamed or attacked. Trump needs to be a good person, and do the same for Asian Americans, because we’re being harassed, beat up, and stabbed.

Also, I didn’t find the term “Chinese Virus” offensive. However, given what’s happening to Chinese-appearing people, it’s bad strategy to try and rename “Coronavirus” to “Chinese Virus”. It’s a hostile action against some Americans.

Mar 21

Anyone with a hook up with a 3d printer and someone to run it? Check this out. Colleges, high schools, tech companies, some machine shops, have 3d printers.

Link them up with hospitals.

Mar 22

Asian guy coughs, and this white guy thinks, “I’ll get really close to him and get into an argument”.

We all need to carry garbage bags and duct tape to prevent people from spraying their spittle all over the place, and so we don’t have to touch them when we break them up.

Learn to record video on your phones, because it would be funny/sad.

Mar 22

Germany bans gatherings of more than two people amid coronavirus pandemic
independent.co.uk
OK, this is going too far. This is absurd. If you see two people together, how do you know if it’s a “gathering”? Odds are they live together or are family.

Mar 22

(Another paper that influenced me, a lot.)

Effects of Air Temperature and Relative Humidity on Coronavirus Survival on Surfaces – PubMed
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
Please read, view the plots, and discuss. h/t margarita chavez

Mar 23

Fuck, they could just make a $1000 rent cut, and a $1000 mortgage deferral, and that would be like a monthly UBI check.

no checks needed

Mar 23

If we can’t stop the spread, or flatten the curve, and my mom gets COVID-19, she’s likely to die. She’s 85, and that means if she needs a ventilator, there won’t be one for her.

think about that

Mar 24

(Shared some DIY facemask videos.)

Mar 24

Listen to the angry Chinese guy.
If you make fun of him,
and ignore him,
you die.

Mar 24

US House Wants Stimulus Payments To Use eWallets | PYMNTS.com
pymnts.com
Edit: the e-wallet part was removed. Waters was pushing for it. Assuming she still wants it. I think it’s a bad idea.

Mar 24

(The LA County dashboard didn’t exist at the time, so I was copying daily numbers into a spreadsheet, and making plots.)

Plot of some Los Angeles County COVID-19 numbers.

Mar 24

My mom made a morbid joke about Keiro getting sold.

She said it was good timing that the sold out and robbed the community. The nursing home business is going to fall apart.

Mar 24

Time just melted away. Just a couple weeks ago, I was reading “Getting Things Done” and putting to-do items into Google Keep.

Mar 25

This person cools their home by moving cold basement air up into the hot areas of the house. Lowered their energy use by 50%. Designed with box fans and corrugated cardboard boxes.

Mar 25

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti warns of mass death, condemns ‘false hope,’ and tells us his cit…
businessinsider.com
Time to go goth-industrial, mayor. Represent for Los Angeles.

Mar 25

Here’s a crude projection of where we’ll be in the next several days. The data from the LA County website is on the left, and the last column of numbers is the projected total number of COVID-19 cases.

The numbers for today reflect the infections that happened from 1 to 2 weeks ago, because symptoms typically present after a 2 to 5 days, and get bad, before the person qualifies to be tested. Getting test results takes a few more days.

So, to get a sense of how widespread it is, you need to do two things. First, look one week into the future, for the projected number. Then, multiply it by 10 or 20, because much of the spread is invisible. (I haven’t figured out that multiplier yet. Once we have more dead people, we can figure that out.)

Now we know why Eric “Gloomy” Garcetti is so bummed out.

Let’s stop this epidemic! Stop the Spread!

Mar 25

This idea that COVID-19 affects only old people is the logic behind these statements that some old folks are willing to die for capitalism to continue. It’s superstition. Falling on the sword to feel heroic. An animal sacrifice.

The economy will collapse regardless of how many old people die.

Sending the laid-off back to work will just mean that they’ll get sick and be off of work for a month. Some would die. Sick and dead workers aren’t the engines of economic recovery.

They’re withdrawn from the economy to preserve their lives, and future employability.

Sheltering at home is an “investment” in life and the future.

Think about this: all the old people could die, and it wouldn’t bring back the economy.

In fact, you can look at Spain or Italy. Lots of dead old people, and no economy. In Spain, even working-age people are triaged to die.

The only way the economy will come back is when the production of goods and services adapts to the realities of global pandemics.

The way forward is to help preserve life, not undertake a national suicide mission.

Mar 26

I have some good news.

I went out on an excursion yesterday. I didn’t want to, but, after doing my projections for the weekend, I figured it’s better to go earlier than later, and pick up my drugs, and help with some financial stuff.

The county hospital was pretty empty. This is not abnormal after business hours (6pm), but it was extremely empty. (Everyone had masks and gloves.)

The Montebello Big Lots (at 8pm) was nearly empty. Social distancing was easy. They were low on “stuff”, but they had some, and I got a few things I needed. (Unfortunately, the checker didn’t have a mask. I wish I had masks to give out.)

The post office (at 2pm) had several people there, which wasn’t that much less than normal. (Masks, gloves, and distancing were in effect!)

This was less hectic than the shopping I did on Monday. Monday was less hectic than the previous week. So I think people are sheltering at home more.

I have hope.

Let’s keep this up, and expand it.

Mar 26

Is there a way to have a coup, and then put Fauci in charge?

Mar 26

This is why we have no choice but to shelter-in-place and sometimes lockdown. Without sufficient information and testing, we cannot contain individual infections.

The national capacity to test is important, but more important is the local capacity to test thoroughly.

I suspect when we figure out how much testing is required, the smaller cities will be allowed to use testing to contain the virus, while larger out-of-control areas like Los Angeles will simply need to shelter-in-place longer, and have a kind of municipal quarantine – LA people won’t be allowed elsewhere.

Mar 26

Please use la.indymedia.org as a secondary channel for your info, in the event that FB is locked down.

Also, build your phone trees.

Mar 26

Holy shit. 1216 cases, 21 deaths.

Mar 27

When we get through this pandemic, the K-12 system will need to add a semester of Nursing Education as a mandatory class.

Mar 27

Los Angeles is buying 20,000 COVID-19 antigen test kits from a South Korean company.

I’m excited about this development.

This will allow us to identify people who will lead us through this dark time. Workers who have the antibody are less at risk of infection.

We’ll also discover how the disease has spread among people without symptoms.

I hope the company would open a factory in Los Angeles (or the safer outskirts). We could then apply the SK policies, learn their social practices to reduce spread, and identify industries and areas that could become less locked-down.

Mar 27

This is a sheet I don’t actually use, but it shows a way to track symptoms. You can track how your body is doing, and see patterns over time, or identify when things start to change.

I use a composition book with graph paper in it, and make some columns to track some of my numbers. So, it’s not necessary, or even desirable, to put your notes into the computer.

Most of my health info and even things like mileage are still recorded on paper. The way I see it, if I need to share this with someone, like an EMT or doctor in an ER, it’s easier than logging onto a laptop.

If I need to crunch numbers, I just type in the data I need to mess with.

Mar 27

Trying to the Chillroom up. https://killradio.org/ I hope it works.

Mar 28

When Trump gets covid-19, and then ends up in his private ventilator suit, we’ll all realize that he’s Darth Vader.

Mar 28

You Need To Listen To This Leading COVID-19 Expert From South Korea | ASIAN BOSS
youtube.com
At 16:20 he starts to talk about masks, and why we should be wearing them.

Mar 28

It’s a good time to lose some weight.

The people who die often have respiratory problems or obesity. Obesity impacts respiration by reducing lung capacity.

The big fat belly gets in the way of the lungs expanding. Notice how only the bottom of the lungs, above the belly, is able to move. The upper parts are trapped in the ribcage.

So, if you lose weight, your lung capacity increases.

Note that rapid weight loss > 10lbs a month, can be bad. So, lose it a little slower. Don’t worry – we are going to be in this emergency a long time. Every day matters.

Mar 28

There is no MERS vaccine.

There is no commercial SARS vaccine – it’s been developed but it’s not out there to be used.

There may not be a COVID-19 vaccine.

If we are to stop COVID-19, it’ll probably be the way MERS and SARS were stopped: science, social policy, collective and individual behavior, and changing society to manage the epidemics.

Mar 28

How should we change society to respond to the huge numbers of flu deaths?

Mar 29

Unreal. I feel it in my bones that they had stockpiled these broken ventilators for repair or for parts, and when CA made a request for ventilators, Trump had the broken inventory sent to us.

StopTheSpread

DIYMasks

Mar 29

Shoppers

No Masks?

No Shop.

Mar 29

An eviction ban and rent moratorium is a public health emergency issue. People moving around can spread the virus.

If the landlord cannot pay the mortgage, that must be pushed out, to the end of the mortgage.

Fact. Not opinion.

Mar 29

Boasting time. My driving hasn’t declined, but my shopping trip frequency has.

That means less risk exposure.

Five of my first trips are now 14+ days in the past, meaning that I did not get infected during those excursions.

Feel free to steal and improve this contact tracing and travel recording tool.

Also, know this – if we cannot regulate and manage this epidemic ourselves, the state is more likely to intervene as the crisis worsens. Both we and the authorities are trying to deal with this natural, environmental fact of the virus.

Ultimately, it’s up to us.

DIYMasks

Mar 29

I haven’t watched a live broadcast of the Trump press conferences until right now. OMG, the guy is fucked up. He says something, and then he says he didn’t say it. What a fucking mess.

Mar 29

COVID-19: WHY WE SHOULD ALL WEAR MASKS  — THERE IS NEW SCIENTIFIC RATIONALE
medium.com
Civil libertarians – read this. If masking up helps us flatten the curve and maybe stop the spread, the usage of “lockdown” might not be necessary in all places.

I don’t have hope for NYC, and Los Angeles may also be lost, but limits on freedom of movement in other cities could be increased if we have enough tests, and the R0 is pushed down enough.

Mar 30

Support the #Instacart Strike.

They don’t have a sick-pay policy, so people are under pressure to work while sick.

If a shopper is sick, they should be given sick pay, to stay out of work, and to protect themselves and all other shoppers.

When sick people go to the store, they turn a supermarket into an even higher-risk environment.

Stores are vectors. The stores should implement the following policies.

Masks, gloves, and sanitizer for all checkers. Safety equipment for all workers. Paid sick days for as long as the worker is ill and infectous. Conditioned on temperature and symptoms, not an official test.

Staff taking temperatures. Use no-contact thermometers at the entrance. Anyone with a fever cannot enter. They are given instructions to self-quarantine and call their doctor.

Masks required for shoppers. Let them buy one at the entrance.

—
Edit: Pay people with coronavirus $1000 a week while they are sick.

March 30

1911, China, a plague mask that was the first respirator. Seals around the face, layers of gauze stop bacteria. These worked.

https://www.fastcompany.com/90479846/the-untold-origin-story-of-the-n95-mask

March 31

Went shopping yesterday. Decided to count masks. I definitely could not impose my demand for “no-masks? no-shopping.” Estimates:

Rosemead Walmart: around 25% of customers had masks, and 10% of staff. Also, staff were not practicing distancing at all.

Pico Rivera Food4Less: around 20% of staff (maybe more) had masks, gloves, and maybe 10% of customers. Some customers were definitely aware of what’s up, but most were not masking up.

Boyle Heights Superior: a lot of staff, maybe up to 1/3, had masks, and maybe 10% to 15% of customers. They told people to practice social distancing over the PA system. Staff were not able to practice social distancing due to layout of checkouts.

If I do this again, I’ll do a more thorough count.

Mar 31

Kudos to Newsom and the mayors of all the cities, and all the people who have pushed hard to stay at home, and Elon Musk. Even the federal goverment. It looks like the state is now resourced well enough to survive this.

We can continue to do better, to push the curve flatter, to give the doctors and nurses more slack. Stay at home more.

As we get through this, “back to normal” isn’t enough. We’ll need to do better, to be more ready for health emergencies, not only at the state, county, and city level, but at the level of communities and individuals.

If we did it right, we’d already be sitting pretty, and able to send people to other states to help out. Even regular people could help out, if we had the right education in nursing and caregiving.