Hide Yo Kids, Hide Yo Toilet Paper
April 3, 2020
“We have, as human beings, a storytelling problem. We’re a bit too quick to come up with explanations for things we don’t really have an explanation for.”
“It is those who are successful, in other words, who are most likely to be given the kinds of special opportunities that lead to further success. It’s the rich who get the biggest tax breaks. It’s the best students who get the best teaching and most attention. And it’s the biggest nine- and ten-year-olds who get the most coaching and practice. Success is the result of what sociologists like to call “accumulative advantage.”
― Malcolm Gladwell
The Numbers Don’t Lie, But China Most Likely Is
In a classified report to the White House, US intelligence concludes that China has been concealing the true extent of coronavirus cases and deaths in the country. Three US officials, who asked to remain anonymous, declined to discuss details in the secret report, but said the takeaway is that China’s public reporting is intentionally incomplete. Two confirmed that the report concluded China’s numbers are fake.
While the outbreak began in Hubei province in late 2019, China has publically reported only about 82,000 cases overall, with 3,300 deaths. That compares to more than 189,000 cases and over 4,000 deaths reported in the US.
Before receiving the intelligence report, President Trump said at Wednesday’s coronavirus briefing that the US and China were in constant communication, but he thought China’s virus data appeared to be on the “light side.” He added that both countries want to keep their trade deal in place, and Beijing would be spending $250 billion to purchase American products.
Vice President Mike Pence told CNN Wednesday: “The reality is that we could have been better off if China had been more forthcoming. What appears evident now is that long before the world learned in December that China was dealing with this, and maybe as much as a month earlier … the outbreak was real in China.”
Beijing has repeatedly revised its methodology for counting cases. The government had excluded people without symptoms from the count; only on Tuesday did it add more than 1,500 asymptomatic cases to its total. Public doubt in Beijing’s reporting has been driven by the sight of thousands of urns stacked outside funeral homes in Hubei province.
- Coronavirus Consequence: Crackdown on Press Freedom World-Wide: Hard-hit Iran and China have been among the most repressive, media groups say, but attacks on independent reporting have emerged widely (WSJ, $)
- Fox’s Fake News Contagion (NYT, $)
- Under Modi, India’s Press Is Not So Free Anymore (NYT, $)
- Meanwhile, much of the reliable reporting cited above that highlights fake news and repressed media is paywalled.
- China Asserts Claim to Global Leadership, Mask by Mask: Beijing is providing equipment to hard-hit nations such as Italy, drawing a contrast with the U.S. and making sure everyone knows about it (WSJ, $)
- Pence task force freezes coronavirus aid amid backlash (Politico)
- In Sudden Shift, U.S. and China Seek to Cooperate (NYT, $)
WHO Doesn’t Recognize Whom?
- Taiwan has one of the best health care systems in the world, and is seen as one of the few places on earth that has successfully stemmed the spread of coronavirus without resorting to draconian measures. Yet it’s still excluded from a number of international organizations due to its complicated relationship with China.
- In the middle of a global health crisis, the one organization that should be more open to Taiwan is the World Health Organization. The WHO doesn’t recognize Taiwan because the UN doesn’t, and also perhaps, as critics suggest, the WHO is biased toward China.
- Taiwan objects every time it’s excluded from a global body, saying it’s unfair and discriminatory. It’s made the same point this time, emphasizing that it specifically shouldn’t be left out now when global cooperation is needed more than ever. Not only is Taiwan excluded from emergency meetings and important global expert briefings on the pandemic, but the WHO lists Taiwan’s coronavirus statistics together with China’s, which skews the accuracy of the information.
- The exclusion issue came to a head over the weekend, when a top WHO official avoided questions about Taiwan in a TV interview. (BBC)
Stay Together For The Covidennials
- China only publishes nationwide statistics on divorce annually. But media reports from various cities show a surge of divorce filings in March as husbands and wives began emerging from weeks of government-mandated lockdowns intended to stop the spread of Covid-19. Incidents of domestic violence were also up.
- When the virus hit in late January, on the eve of China’s multiday Lunar New Year holiday, couples in many cities had to endure an additional two months trapped under the same roof, sometimes with extended family. For many it was too much.
- As one divorce lawyer put it: “The more time [couples] spent together, the more they hate each other. People need space.” The trend could be an ominous warning for couples in the US and elsewhere who are in the early stages of isolating at home. (Bloomberg)
- Global condom shortage looms as coronavirus shuts down production: World’s biggest producer says lockdown has already caused shortfall of 100m condoms (Guardian)
- Coronavirus and Sex: Questions and Answers (NYT)
- ‘I could knife him in the back’: What it’s like seeking a divorce during coronavirus: Being quarantined together is trying even for happy couples. For those going through a divorce or in a dysfunctional relationship, it can be harrowing. (Fast Company)
- Coronavirus lockdown raises risk of online child abuse, charity says: NSPCC warns abusers will exploit shortage of moderators and children spending more time on internet (Guardian)
COVID-19
- Singing stops in Italy as fear and social unrest mount (Guardian)
- ‘Cybergulag’: Russia looks to surveillance technology to enforce lockdown (Guardian)
- If You Have Coronavirus Symptoms, Assume You Have the Illness, Even if You Test Negative (NYT)
- Obamacare Markets Will Not Reopen, Trump Decides (NYT)
- The Coronavirus Is Changing Who We Are (Atlantic)
- Trump’s Breakdown (Politico)
- The Coronavirus Patients Betrayed by Their Own Immune Systems (NYT)
- Kenya has freed nearly 5000 inmates via newly adopted Skype court sessions (CNN)
- Asia may have been right about coronavirus and face masks, and the rest of the world is coming around (CNN)
- Coronavirus deaths: The stark differences in countries’ case fatality rates, explained (Vox)
- Coronavirus threatens Myanmar’s most vulnerable in displacement camps (BBC)
- For India’s Laborers, Coronavirus Lockdown Is an Order to Starve (NYT)
- Kushner Firm Built the Coronavirus Website Trump Promised (Atlantic)
- You’ll Never Believe It but Jared Kushner May Have a Coronavirus Conflict of Interest: We know, we know, it’s so unlike him. (Vanity Fair)
- After Threats, Anthony Fauci to Receive Enhanced Personal Security (NYT, $)
- Humans are terrible at being apart. Here’s why and what to do (CNN)
- How to train yourself not to touch your face (CNN)
An American Tragedy, Disaster, and Nightmare
- Over ten million Americans applied for unemployment benefits in March. The past two weeks have erased nearly all the jobs created in the past five years, a sign of how rapid, deep and painful the economic shutdown has been on many American families who are struggling to pay rent and health insurance costs in the midst of a pandemic.
- Moreover, food banks across the US are reporting unprecedented demand — an eightfold increase in some areas. A third of the people seeking groceries at not-for-profit pantries last month have never needed emergency food assistance before.
- In cities including Cleveland, Phoenix and St Louis, the national guard has been deployed to help food banks cope with rising demand, while concerns grow that supplies may run low as the crisis evolves.
- Adding to that, donations from retailers have plummeted, and fewer personnel are available. Overstretched food pantries are switching to drive-thrus and home deliveries to minimize the spread of Covid-19. (WaPo, Guardian)
George Frey via Getty Images
The Only Thing We Have to Fear Is Fear-Buying Itself: Hide Yo Toilet Paper, Hide Yo Hand Sanitizer, Cling To Yo AR-15
- Also hitting a record high in March are the number of gun background checks, as panicked Americans rushed to buy firearms during the coronavirus pandemic.
- The FBI performed an estimated 2.375 million background checks, up from 1.3 million one year ago. Gun store owners across the country said they have seen an increase in first-time shoppers interested in handguns and shotguns for self-defense, as coronavirus stay-at-home orders and shortages of food and other supplies have sparked fears of a societal breakdown.
- Gun industry executives call the phenomenon “fear-based buying.” Prior to the health crisis, it was fear of new gun control legislation that drove increased gun sales. Gun buyers said they worried about potential burglaries in desperate times, as well as the early release of inmates in many states.
- Gun-control advocates, meanwhile, worry that more guns in homes could be dangerous when anxiety is running high. Groups on both sides of the gun issue urge first-time gun buyers to store their weapons safely and get proper training.
- The nationwide shutdown of non-essential businesses had provoked a battle over whether gun stores should be considered essential businesses. After gun industry groups lobbied the administration, the government urged states to let them stay open. Most states have. (WSJ)
- Antoine Dodson ‘Hide Yo Kids, Hide Yo Wife’ Interview (Original) (YouTube)
Darrian Traynor via Getty Images
Kills 99.9% Of Germs And You If You Don’t Pay Attention
- As we scurry around cleaning and disinfecting our homes during this pandemic, it’s good to be reminded that many of the cleaning agents we use can be hazardous when used incorrectly. So here are a few reminders about how not to accidentally poison yourself.
- Don’t spray yourself, other people, pets or food with Lysol. It’s a disinfectant meant only for inanimate surfaces. Also, don’t use it on painted wood, acrylic plastic, leather or silk. It can be used on children’s toys as long as they are rinsed afterward with water that’s safe to drink.
- Don’t mix cleaning products together. Especially don’t mix products that contain chlorine bleach, ammonia, alcohol or hydrogen peroxide, as these ingredients are especially dangerous. Bleach can be mixed with water, but always use it in a well ventilated area.
- Never puncture or cut open laundry detergent packs. If you need laundry detergent for spot cleaning or hand-laundering, use diluted liquid or powder laundry detergent.
- Call Poison Control immediately if the following happens:
- a product is swallowed or inhaled and causes burning or irritation of the mouth and throat
- a product gets in the eyes and causes irritation or burning
- a product gets on skin and causes burning itching or blistering.
- Lastly, Always — Always — keep cleaning products stored away from where children can reach them. (NYT)
Daily Pnut Positives
- Daily Pnut laugh: What does Snoop Dog wash his clothes with? Answer: Bleaochhhh
- How these CNN Heroes are fighting Covid-19 on the front lines (CNN)
- Larry David’s coronavirus PSA: Stay home, watch TV and stop ‘hurting old people like me’ (NBC)
- Elton John’s ‘Living Room Concert for America’ Raises $8 Million for Coronavirus Relief (Variety)