Coronavirus

[Econoline]

A New Yorker is dying every 9 minutes from covid19.

Which New Yorker?

The magazine?

[Bicycle Bill]

In my opinion BB your humor often falls flat, but certainly this time.

For the record, having New York Yankees fans to hate is one of the great joys in the life of a BoSox fan. One of my fondest baseball memories was the time I went to a NYY v. BoSox game at Fenway with my Masshole cousins, and we ended up seated near a bunch of New Yorker Yankees fans - young guys - and one of them bought me a Sam Adams! (Because I don’t think we *really* hate each other.)

I'm sure it's the same with us Packer fans in Wisconsin and the Bears fans from that shithole to the south of us, or the Viking fans from Minnesota (or 'Baja Canada', as we sometimes refer to it).  We may pick on each other mercilessly, but when all is said and done I'd be willing to share a brat and a brewski with any of 'em.  Hell, if you were to ever come to a Brewers game and I was there I'd even treat YOU to the first round....

Don't think they have Sam Adams at the ballpark, though.  You'd have to drink a GOOD beer instead.  ( right back at'cha)

-"BB"-

[Econoline]

And now I’m sharing a song that I almost wore off the jukebox at my favorite bar in that shitty cowboy town because I listened to it so many times while playing in the winter pool league. I’m sharing it in tribute to John Prine, who is in very critical condition on a vent with covid, maybe even already gone by now.

Oh, shit. I hadn't heard about that. ("In Spite of Ourselves" is one of my absolute favorite John Prine songs, too.) I hope he somehow manages to pull through (again). It would be nice if he lives long enough to update the last verse of this song:

Some humans ain't human
Some people ain't kind
You open up their hearts
And here's what you'll find
A few frozen pizzas
Some ice cubes with hair
A broken Popsicle
You don't want to go there

Some humans ain't human
Though they walk like we do
They live and they breathe
Just to turn the old screw
They screw you when you're sleeping
They try to screw you blind
Some humans ain't human
Some people ain't kind

You might go to church
And sit down in a pew
Those humans who ain't human
Could be sittin' right next to you
They talk about your family
They talk about your clothes
When they don't know their own ass
From their own elbows

Jealousy and stupidity
Don't equal harmony
Jealousy and stupidity
Don't equal harmony

Mmmm Mmmm
Mmmm Mmmm
Mmmm Mmmm
Mmmm Mmmm

Spoken:
Have you ever noticed
When you're feeling really good
There's always a pigeon
That'll come shit on your hood

Or you're feeling your freedom
And the world's off your back
Some cowboy from Texas
Starts his own war in Iraq

Some humans ain't human
Some people ain't kind
They lie through their teeth
With their head up their behind
You open up their hearts
And here's what you'll find
Some humans ain't human
Some people ain't kind

Edit to correct a typo.

[rubato]

Damn, hope the best for John prine. Manu Dibango died last week of covid.

Yrs rubato

[Econoline]

[Bicycle Bill]

FYI — the "American Gothic" house is a real house, not just a figment of Grant Woods' imagination, and still stands in Eldon Iowa, about fifteen miles southeast of Ottumwa.

-"BB"-

[Gob]

There's hope...

The spread of coronavirus in the UK is showing early signs of slowing, according to Prof Neil Ferguson, a key epidemiologist advising the government.


Ferguson, whose modelling informed the government’s decision to impose a lockdown, said the data was showing signs that social distancing measures were beginning to work, although it has not yet had an effect on the number of daily reported deaths.

He told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “In the UK, we can see some early signs of slowing in some indicators. Less so in deaths because deaths are lagged by long time from when the measures come into force.


“But we look at the numbers of new hospital admissions today, for instance, that does seem to be slowing down a little bit now. It’s not yet plateaued as the numbers are increasing each day but the rate of that increase has slowed.

“We see similar patterns in a number of European countries.”

Ferguson also said that “maybe a third, maybe 40%” of people do not get any symptoms but there was no evidence to back up claims that the vast majority of people are asymptomatic.

He said it appeared that 3-5% of people in central London could have been infected, but the figure may be higher in hotspots, while the figure for the country at large is more likely to be 2-3%.

[Bicycle Bill]

-"BB"-

[ex-khobar Andy]

Not one of Prine's own songs but very appropriate for these times. The guitar work is lovely and I don't know if that is Prine himself (he is a very competent guitarist) or an accompanist.

[RayThom]

If Prine dies it appears he's going to do his damnedest to make up for lost time.

A month ago I was singing the same tune. I hope neither of us will have a need to revert to such divine behavior any time soon.

[Burning Petard]

The current optimistic guess from nat'l hq is 100,000 dead in USofA before this pandemic is over. So I logically realize I am gonna miss some of them when they are gone. But D A M N ! Why does it have to be someone like Prine? 'There's a Hole In Daddy's Arm' set me up with just what war means on the home front. It is never over. It killed my son 10 years after he hung up his uniform. Then Prine puts out something like 'We're not the Jet Set' After I took my spouse to visit Paris Missouri. I knew his health was not good six months ago. But still.

My life is better because John Prine walked this earth.

snailgate

[BoSoxGal]

Just read online that Prine’s wife tweeted today he is now in stable condition, still on a ventilator. Hopefully he will be one who beats this fucking virus - and then he can write us a song that helps us endure.

[Lord Jim]

Just read online that Prine’s wife tweeted today he is now in stable condition

[TPFKA@W]

The thing about this virus is that you can be stable at 1pm and by 5 pm they are calling your family to determine where your body is going to be sent. Hopefully he will fare better than that.

[Joe Guy]

I'm hoping John will recover and write a song about it. Maybe he could call it The Ventilator Lung Inflator Blues.

Stay with us, John....

[BoSoxGal]

[BoSoxGal]

Here’s a little something for the Doc Martin fans:

[Burning Petard]

I love it. I wonder if the staff of "the Good Doctor" could do something like this.

snailgate.

[liberty]

Does this country have enough manufacturing capacity to produce enough PPE for everyone? Do you remember those on the left who said manufacturing is dirty we don’t want that here to let other countries make stuff? This country needs to be able to make things need in an emergency.
I am going to try to fix my sewing machine and try my hand at making face masks. The problem is I don’t know what kind of material to use. My mother bought a lot of fabric and I didn’t have the heart to get rid of it. But what type would be best to use for a mask?

And I fear the liberal governor of Louisiana may be a coward; instead of begging he should be enforcing. Some towns are enforcing curfews and ticketing people violators. The governor should be enforcing social distancing.

[BoSoxGal]

Look at the crowds that thronged to see the Navy ship Comfort steam into NY harbor today.






What a fucking insult to the doctors, nurses and other healthcare providers putting themselves at risk of death to treat covid patients.