Saturday, May 23, 2020

And another day of conspiracies and denialism comes to a close. It was kind of fun putting this one together today:

“Listen to me, if we break quarantine, we could all die.” -- Ripley

“The GOP—which just nominated a QAnon believer as its Senate candidate in Oregon—is becoming a modern-day Know Nothing Party, a cesspool of prejudice and irrationality. What was once the fringe has now moved into the mainstream.” — Max Boot

Deaths
US: 98,983 (+1036)
World: 343,975 (+3972)

Countdown: 164 days.

The three reasons conspiracy theories are more dangerous than ever. It doesn’t much matter if someone thinks that UFOs landed at Roswell, N.M., or that Elvis is still alive — but it matters greatly if someone thinks that the coronavirus isn’t real or that a vaccine may be more dangerous than the disease. Such beliefs, if they become widespread, pose a danger to public health. Indeed, anti-vaccine activists are already a menace. Third, we now have an unhinged conspiracy-monger in the White House.

New Yahoo News/YouGov poll shows coronavirus conspiracy theories spreading on the right may hamper vaccine efforts. According to a new Yahoo News/YouGov poll, 44 percent of Republicans believe that Bill Gates is plotting to use a mass COVID-19 vaccination campaign as a pretext to implant microchips in billions of people and monitor their movements — a widely debunked conspiracy theory with no basis in fact. — It’s 50% for Fox News viewers. These people vote. Make sure you vote, too.

A shockingly large number of people believe Bill Gates wants to microchip them. By the way, if Bill Gates did want to track you, do you really think he’d use something as primitive as microchips? Please. Microchips are for pet cats. He’d use nanobots in the vaccine, which would allow him to control your mind as well as to track your every move. Come on, sheeple.

Why we might not get a coronavirus vaccine. More than 30 years after scientists isolated HIV, the virus that causes Aids, we have no vaccine. The dengue fever virus was identified in 1943, but the first vaccine was approved only last year, and even then amid concerns it made the infection worse in some people. The fastest vaccine ever developed was for mumps. It took four years.

Trump Golfs As America Approaches 100,000 Virus Deaths. -- “Rome is burning, Nero!” “Where’s my fiddle?”

Jair Bolsonaro is not only not doing anything about the coronavirus crisis, he has actively campaigned against efforts to control the pandemic. -- Like Trump, bad people do bad things.

Bolsonaro calls coronavirus a 'little flu.' Inside Brazil's hospitals, doctors know the horrifying reality.

Hair stylist exposed 91 people to the virus. -- Hope getting that haircut was worth it.

Trump is reportedly considering creating a panel to examine bias online. The president and GOP have long complained that conservative views are censored on social media. -- More likely it’s that their ideas are rubbish. Didn’t something like this happen in the 1980’s which then eventually led to Fox News and “conservative talk radio” which then led to the bullshit we’re currently in? The whole goal here is divisiveness. They’re just masking it to make it look like conservatives are victims. They are not. But as has been shown time and time again, the American people are victims when Republicans are in charge. Vote them all out.

White House, State Dept. fail to turn over documents related to firing of watchdog. -- Nothing to see here folks. Move along.

Food Banks Get The Love, But SNAP Does More To Fight Hunger.

At Notre Dame, students will report to campus two weeks early — August 10 instead of August 24. -- The virus will care about that.

For trade students, online classes can’t replicate hands-on.

Massive fire erupts at San Francisco's iconic Fisherman's Wharf. -- It was huge. It destroyed 25% of Pier 45.

Spain’s coronavirus death toll climbs by 48.

La Liga gets government green light to resume from June 8.

Portugal offers feast of summer football with matches almost daily.

Astronomers find the Wolfe Disk, an unlikely galaxy, in the distant universe.

Life’s short. Live, love, create, and help others.

Until next time, my friends. Stay safe and stay sane. Good night.