CV Pandemic Daily Notes 200515

Updated: 220521

CV01. Protection: Scientific Coordination Security, CV03. Information: Unverified Science, CV06. Linguistics: Corona-Ninjas, Corona-Hyenas, CV06.1. Sinophobic, CV09. Arts, Creativity: Christiana's World, CV10. Spirituality, Philosophy: Of Masks and Men, CV13. Outliers: Verso Immigration, CV15. Death: Covid Fodder, Cognitive Dissonance, CV16. Consequences, Social Change: Conservation Distance, CV18. Narrative, Social Reality: Brave Individualism Anti Science, CV21. Syndemic, Concurrent Disasters: Wildfire CV, CV21.1. Vector Borne Disease, CV23. Polemic, Nocuous: Anti 1^st Amendment, CV23.1. Thug Vigilante Security, CV27. Learning: Reopening Schools Guidelines, CV27.1. African Experience, CV31. Futuring: Negligence and Effect, CV31.1. Housing Crisis,CV32. Anthromes: Bunkers for Doomsday  

PDN Introduction, Glossary

CV01. Protection: The Scientific Response to Covid-19 and Lessons for Security ^CV27. While many aspects of the response to the pandemic were wanting, the extraordinary global mobilisation of the scientific community is a source of hope.

CV03. Information: Unvetted Scientific Research about Covid-19 Is Becoming a Partisan Weapon ^{CV04 CV23}.

CV06. Linguistics: Corona-Ninjas and Corona-Hyenas: Covid-19 Rhetoric in Poland. “Each word tastes of the context and contexts in which it has lived its socially charged life”, Mikhail Bakhtin. Different words and phrases have been invented during the Coronavirus pandemic to impose order on the reality that is novel, chaotic, and unpredictable. The vocabulary people deploy in different local, national, and transnational contexts has changed every time the pandemic entered a new phase. In Poland at first, the quarantine was framed like a holiday by many people, but as various kinds of vulnerabilities – structural, material, psychological, and social – have become more apparent, the language also changed as the calling for social solidarity became more frequent. It is worthwhile reflecting on the language used to describe the disease, tame the unknown, control fears, distance oneself from the catastrophe, and normalize the altered world. Recording the Covid-19 rhetoric as it appears in different contexts is a good starting point for a comparative work, as well as it enables us to register the emic vocabulary reflecting the passage of Covid time and the accompanying emotions.

            -CV06.1. The Cultural Construction of the Bizzare. Disentangling Sinophobic Language in Media and Science During the Covid-19 Epidemic ^{CV04 CV18}. I always treated the Chinese Virus very seriously, and have done a very good job from the beginning, including my very early decision to close the borders from China – against the wishes of almost all. Many lives were saved. The Fake News new narrative is disgraceful & false. This tweet by Donald J. Trump from 18 March 2020 is revealing in several dimensions. 201113-CV03.

CV09. Arts, Creativity: The Controversial Story Behind Andrew Wyeth’s Most Famous Painting [Art, Photo, Cartoon, Art].

CV10. Spirituality, Philosophy: The Strange Conflation of Masks and Masculinity. That the Coronavirus pandemic would be shoehorned into our perpetual culture war was all but inevitable, but that masks would be a major point of contention has come as a surprise. That they would occasion a new discussion of masculinity is a stranger plot twist still.

CV13. Outliers: Temporary reversal of anti immigration. [Cartoon].

CV15. Death: Trump Said It's 'Beautiful' to See 'Nurses Running into Death Just like Soldiers Running into Bullets' =2= =3= =4=. Conflicts with Trump Blames Hospitals for Coronavirus Mask Shortages, Trump Claims He Would Have ‘Run’ into Florida High School During Shooting. ^CV17.

            -A. Having to confront this cognitive dissonance =2= is avoided with The Psychology Behind Donald Trump's Unwavering Support, New Study Identifies a Psychological Factor Linked to Trump Supporters’ Vindictiveness, the desire to matter and feel significant. ^CV03↑ ^CV23A↓. 200526-CV18.

CV16. Consequences, Social Change: Covid-19 Hits Conservation Efforts ^CV05. Researchers behind habitat restoration and wildlife protection groups are struggling to continue work amid the pandemic. In a normal year, about 40,000 people travel to Kearney between March and April to join popular crane festivals – a tradition that stretches back to the 1970s. But on March 13, Rowe Sanctuary shut down due to the spread of Covid-19, canceling its tours and closing all trails. Visitors couldn’t buy meals because many restaurants were shuttered. Most campgrounds were closed and few day trippers risked getting hotel rooms. Overall, the town lost around $10 million in business from the crane tourists. Conservation groups also took big hits losing about $300,000 – around a third of its annual budget and $500,000, roughly a quarter of its normal operating budget. The problem is global. Across North America, Africa, and elsewhere, conservation efforts that keep delicate ecosystems in check are struggling as the Covid-19 pandemic keeps many people confined to their homes. This can be exploited ^CV11 by assuring no other grants or funds reach conservation efforts. ADDED: Africa’s Endangered Wildlife at Risk as Tourism Dries Up. 201224-CV05.

CV18. Narrative, Social Reality: Didier Raoult in the NYT: The “Brave Maverick” Narrative and Bypassing Science Based Medicine. Unfortunately, much is left out of the profile, even as evidence mounts against hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin for Covid-19. 200415-CV16A. 200519-CV13.

            -A. Trump's Rebuke of Fauci Encapsulates Rejection of Science in Virus Fight. The infectious disease expert warned that getting businesses and schools back open too quickly would lead to unnecessary suffering and death. "I was surprised by his answer, actually. To me it's not an acceptable answer, especially when it comes to schools". ^CV27↓. Outside US, Top Scientists Steer Debate Away from Politics.

CV21. Syndemic, Concurrent Disasters: Coronavirus a ‘Game Changer’ During California Wildfire Season. Since wildfire smoke steadily impairs a firefighter’s immune system, and traditional base camps can magnify infection risk, officials urge a blitzkrieg approach to wildfires that relies heavily on aircraft use. The DoD Pandemic planners had a similar plan with distributed mobile task forces and centralized Command and Control that was decentralized by highly secure communications networks, 200918-23. How Will America Keep Wildfire Crews Safe from Coronavirus During What's Expected to Be a Tough Season of Blazes. 220105-4.

            CV21.1. Insect Borne Diseases See Shocking Program Cuts as Covid-19 Consumes Resources.

CV23. Polemic, Nocuous: News Reporters Become Subjects of Ire at Anti Lockdown Protests. A reporter covering a reopening rally was harassed by a bevy of pro Trump protesters who called him "fake news,", a "traitor*", and so on by people who refused to wear masks in the middle of a pandemic. I was there to tell their story. Among the verbal arrows: "You're disgusting. You are the virus. You are the enemy of the people. You shouldn't be here. You guys are f---ing fake news". At one point the crowd chanted: "Fake news is not essential". ^{CV03 CV04 CV15A}↑ ^CV30. What Is the Opposite of Freedom of the Press. Can You Name the Five Freedoms of the First Amendment.

            -*A. Unclear what traitor =2= means ^CV06 in this context. May be related to race traitor =2=, gender traitor which are part of the appeals that Trump makes to supporters. The Trump Administration Is Using the Pandemic as an Excuse to Target Immigrants and Asylum Seekers ^CV11. Nativist scapegoating 200829-CV29 and racist restrictions in the name of public health are nothing new. But this time, anti migrant policy could have devastating effects. Peter Navarro Slams Ousted HHS Official Dr. Rick Bright as a Deserter in the War on the China Virus.

            CV23.1. Militias Provide Security for Some Coronavirus Protests as Lockdowns Prompt Armed Defiance. [Strip].

CV27. Learning: #Document Filling in the Blanks: National Research Needs to Guide Decisions about Reopening Schools in the United States, #Decision Flowchart Child Care Programs During the Covid-19 Pandemic ^CV29. Neither are particularly helpful, don’t seem to be coordinated with or have inputs from the other agencies that would be involved. The basic conclusion is that schools should not be opened at this time. ^CV18A↑.

            CV27.1. What African Nations Are Teaching the West About Fighting the Coronavirus. African governments, unlike their Western counterparts, aren’t relying on common sense. Judging from the numbers, and interpreting them with the scientific information that’s understood so far, Africa has made the better bet. Although cases on the continent are increasing, many African countries are not seeing the exponential daily growth in confirmed cases, nor in mortality, that has been happening in the United States and Western Europe. What if some African governments are doing a better job than our own of managing the Coronavirus. While the worst performing countries anticipate a disease curve that looks like those in Europe or the United States, the African countries where the response has been better, faster, and smarter may manage to stay ahead of it. Africa Facing a Quarter of a Billion Coronavirus Cases. 201224-CV05.

CV31. Futuring: Trends tend to lead to conclusions of what will happen next. One Chart Shows Where Daily Coronavirus Cases Are Surging. The US, Russia, and Brazil Now Have the Bulk of New Infections ^CV29. Bodies Pile Up: Why Brazil Is About to Become the Next Coronavirus Epicentre. Silent Encroachments: Counting and Grappling with Covid-19 in Unequal Brazil. Another Health Minister in Brazil Exits amid Chaotic Covid-19 Response.

            -CV31.1. The next Phase of America's Coronavirus Problem Is a Massive Housing Crisis. Millions of people are already unable to afford their rent or mortgage payments, and tens of millions more will be unable to in a few months if nothing changes. America is facing a major housing crisis if it doesn't get its act together. Either the economic rescue programs need to be strengthened and extended, or we need some kind of cancellation of rent and mortgage payments until things return to normal, or both. MORE: What Happens When the Eviction Bans End.

CV32. Anthromes: Doomsday Prepping in the Age of Coronavirus. I've hung out in bunker complexes on the Great Plains, with groups growing food in secret forests, with people building heavily armored vehicles, and with religious communities that have collected supplies that they're ready to hand over to strangers in need. According to these preppers, the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic is merely a "mid level*" event – a warm up for what is to come. They anticipated and prepared for a disaster just like this one, and – unlike most of us – say they weren't caught by surprise. 200216-3. America’s ‘Survivalists’ Feel Vindication as They Lock down for Coronavirus Epidemic – with ‘Beans, Bullets and Band Aids’.

            -*A. PDN places the biocalamity of CV as a low intensity one, while the parademic of CV is building toward mid intensity incidents, but unlikely to become a sustained event. Doomsday Preppers and the Architecture of Dread. Prepping is a practice of anticipating and adapting to impending conditions of calamity, ranging from low level crises to extinction level events. The 2020 Covid-19 pandemic, which preppers consider a 'mid level' event.