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RE: In your locality – what’s it really like?
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Piwin
Posts: 3559
Joined: Feb. 9 2016
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 RE: In your locality – what’s it... (in reply to hamia)
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I'm not sure what is educational about calling it "the CCP virus". It's just political signalling. And these new forms of cold war nationalism just feed on each other, stoke each other's fire as it were. One calls it the CCP virus, which makes another feel attacked and justified in counteracting by calling it the American virus. Or vice-versa. It certainly doesn't leave much room for a more critical reflexion on the situation. And of course, it's great fodder for politicians who, whichever country they happen to be in, can use it to deflect from their own responsibility.
As far as I'm concerned, it's SARS-cov-2, or covid or coronavirus for the sake of brevity. If I want to talk about political failings in China, I can do that just fine without adding politically loaded terminology. With the dizzying amount of institutional (and individual) failing we have seen pretty much all over the planet, I see no good reason to single out one country over others. There was a total of 9k confirmed cases when the WHO called it a global emergency. We're now at 20 million, still growing exponentially.
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Date Aug. 10 2020 22:02:57
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Piwin
Posts: 3559
Joined: Feb. 9 2016
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RE: In your locality – what’s it... (in reply to Goldwinghai)
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That kind of comparison might've worked for those who call it "Wuhan virus" or whatever. In fact, that is what they started out with. However, "Wuhan virus" could be mistakenly understood as just a description of the geographic origin of the pandemic. And this was not the message they wanted to convey. Hence why they switched to "CCP virus" (@mark it means Chinese Communist Party), which is overtly political and leaves no room at all for doubt about what they mean by it.
The way linguistic consensus emerges is endlessly fascinating. But once a consensus has emerged, it's perfectly reasonable to ask what are the motivations of those who refuse the commonly accepted term. If someone persistently writes "tick disease" instead of "Lyme's disease", then it would be perfectly reasonable to assume he's motivated to do so for political (writ large) reasons (whether we agree with those reasons is another matter). Likewise, when a consensus has emerged over how to call SARS-cov-2 in common parlance, someone who refuses to call it by any of the commonly accepted terms is doing so to signal something quite different, something that has nothing at all to do with the disease or with its geographic origin.
Nigel knows that I like him and don't mean any disrespect. I just think that when you call it "CCP virus", you know what you're doing, and responding to people's reaction to it by saying that you "can't be bothered responding to cheap political gibes" is rather unfair IMHO.
Back on topic: I'm also seeing more and more examples of people not respecting social distancing or other prevention measures. Given the amount of new confirmed cases over the last few weeks, it makes me fear that we'll soon be in for another hard lockdown, if not nationally, at least locally. I hope not, but I'm not optimistic given what I'm seeing...
I've said this before but man did you make the right call Goldwinghai when you decided not to travel!
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Date Aug. 11 2020 0:54:22
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Mark2
Posts: 1868
Joined: Jul. 12 2004
From: San Francisco
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RE: In your locality – what’s it... (in reply to Piwin)
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Since we don't yet truly know the origin of the virus, it might be pre mature to define the "commonly accepted term"
Personally I am for waiting until we know before laying "blame"
But if it turns out the Chinese government has responsibility for it, then let the chips fall.
quote:
ORIGINAL: Piwin
That kind of comparison might've worked for those who call it "Wuhan virus" or whatever. In fact, that is what they started out with. However, "Wuhan virus" could be mistakenly understood as just a description of the geographic origin of the pandemic. And this was not the message they wanted to convey. Hence why they switched to "CCP virus" (@mark it means Chinese Communist Party), which is overtly political and leaves no room at all for doubt about what they mean by it.
The way linguistic consensus emerges is endlessly fascinating. But once a consensus has emerged, it's perfectly reasonable to ask what are the motivations of those who refuse the commonly accepted term. If someone persistently writes "tick disease" instead of "Lyme's disease", then it would be perfectly reasonable to assume he's motivated to do so for political (writ large) reasons (whether we agree with those reasons is another matter). Likewise, when a consensus has emerged over how to call SARS-cov-2 in common parlance, someone who refuses to call it by any of the commonly accepted terms is doing so to signal something quite different, something that has nothing at all to do with the disease or with its geographic origin.
Nigel knows that I like him and don't mean any disrespect. I just think that when you call it "CCP virus", you know what you're doing, and responding to people's reaction to it by saying that you "can't be bothered responding to cheap political gibes" is rather unfair IMHO.
Back on topic: I'm also seeing more and more examples of people not respecting social distancing or other prevention measures. Given the amount of new confirmed cases over the last few weeks, it makes me fear that we'll soon be in for another hard lockdown, if not nationally, at least locally. I hope not, but I'm not optimistic given what I'm seeing...
I've said this before but man did you make the right call Goldwinghai when you decided not to travel!
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Date Aug. 11 2020 17:14:52
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kitarist
Posts: 1715
Joined: Dec. 4 2012
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RE: In your locality – what’s it... (in reply to Piwin)
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Fun facts:
1. While there is not enough data to pinpoint the exact start, the first reported cases of the 1918 flu were from Kansas, USA:
"The pandemic is conventionally marked as having begun on 4 March 1918, with the recording of the case of Albert Gitchell, an army cook at Camp Funston in Kansas, United States, despite there likely having been cases before him. The disease had been observed in Haskell County [Kansas] in January 1918, prompting local doctor Loring Miner to warn the US Public Health Service's academic journal."
2. Ironically, the flu was incorrectly named 'Spanish' as a result of neutral Spain's transparent reporting vs. other countries' war censorship (!):
"The first observations of illness and mortality were documented in the United States, France , Germany and the United Kingdom. To maintain morale, World War I censors minimized these early reports. Newspapers were free to report the epidemic's effects in neutral Spain, such as the grave illness of King Alfonso XIII, and these stories created a false impression of Spain as especially hard hit. This gave rise to the name "Spanish" flu."
Both quotes from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_flu
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Konstantin
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Date Aug. 14 2020 18:27:15
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Escribano
Posts: 6415
Joined: Jul. 6 2003
From: England, living in Italy
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RE: In your locality – what’s it... (in reply to Graham_B)
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Here, they fear the virus, not the state. I don't think they see it as a loss of freedom, more the protection of life. Nearly everyone wears masks, even outside (which is not legally required). They will look at you funny if you are not at least displaying yours. I wear mine around my arm when in the clear outside to reassure them. You see lone drivers wearing a mask in their own car. Hand sanitisers are everywhere and some small shops still limit to one person at a time.
You will see orderly, distanced queues for the pharmacy, the post office and the bakers. Still they go to bars and cafes. They will go to the market and mingle at a respectful distance. The regional and commune instructions have always be clear and presented in good time. No U-turns to my knowledge. Lots of local initiatives to promote culture, outdoor films, museums and concerts etc.
There are more inter-generational families in a single house. One of the main factors in the initial infections in Lombardy. Many students are at home, studying on line.
Italy is seen as doing very well, for now. Perhaps they have more respect for their community, their family and their elders?
A relevant article from the Guardian
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Date Sep. 26 2020 9:48:00
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Richard Jernigan
Posts: 3430
Joined: Jan. 20 2004
From: Austin, Texas USA
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RE: In your locality – what’s it... (in reply to Escribano)
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I really shouldn't have been surprised, but...
Austin and Houston have tried to lessen the danger of the upcoming election. Houston has mailed out applications for mail-in ballots. Not ballots themselves, rather the standard application form used for years.
There's kind of a double Catch 22 involved. You can vote by mail if you're over 65, or if you have a health issue or disability that keeps you from voting in person, or if you're actually going to be out of your home county on election day. The Republican Party brought a lawsuit, which the right wing State Supreme Court upheld, specifying that fear of contracting the coronavirus didn't qualify you for mail-in voting. But the law says that election officials may not inquire into the voter's claim of a health issue, and you don't have to be specific on the application form. So the Republicans' lawsuit is ineffective in practice.
All the major cities have started setting up stations where you can drop off your maiil-in ballot, which goes straight to the election officials without getting choked up in the Post Office. But our heroic governor has issued an order that there will be only one such station per county, so there can be poll watchers there to protect our sacred right to vote. He seems to have forgotten that there are statutory provisions for poll watchers at every polling place, including the drop off sites.
This one is going to court too, but I'm not holding out much hope that reason will prevail.
Demographic trends show that Texas will almost surely have a Democrat majority some time in the fairly near future. Meanwhile the Republicans are mounting a rear guard defense worthy of Roland at Roncesvalles--equally suicidal, both figuratively and literally.
RNJ
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Date Oct. 3 2020 1:53:01
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Piwin
Posts: 3559
Joined: Feb. 9 2016
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RE: In your locality – what’s it... (in reply to Richard Jernigan)
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quote:
worthy of Roland at Roncesvalles
In the last moments of the battle, a mortally-wounded Roland swung his sword against the cliffs that demarcate the top of the cirque of Gavarnie in an attempt to destroy it. Durandal, the legendary blade forged by Weyland the Smith (known as Galan in the French tradition), must not fall in Saracen hands. But Durandal did not break. Instead, the mountain did, and a breach 40m wide and 70m high opened up in the rock. Such was the strength of Durandal. In a last-ditch effort to safeguard the weapon, Roland asked the Archangel Michael for help, blew a call in his oliphant that was heard hundreds of kilometers around and heaved Durandal towards France. It landed in Rocamadour, some 300km north, safe from enemy hands.
The breach (first picture, center left) straddles the border between France and Spain. It feels like walking through a great door from one country to the other. In Rocamadour there is a stand-in sword in the cliff to represent where Durandal landed. It can be found near the top of the chapel Notre-Dame de Rocamadour, a pilgrimage site known for its Black Madonna.
On the Spanish side, the legend has a cornered Roland escaping his pursuers by jumping on his horse from one rock formation to another at the "Salto de Roldan" (2nd picture), near Huesca. The horse died from the jump, but Roland survived. He then made his way to Gavarnie and smote the mountain to be able to cast his gaze on his beloved homeland one last time before dying.
The stories we tell...
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Date Oct. 3 2020 6:05:30
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: over here life is hard. Covid just keeps on spreading, and I'm the only one here who wears a mask. I'm surrounded by idiots who just won't wear one. 
: dude...we're bits of computer code...we can't get covid. 
and 
: well, I've tried but how the hell am I supposed to put a mask on when I don't have ears?! 
: You know that muscle you contract to stop peeing? You gotta contract that and the shape of your face will change just enough so glasses will stick. 
: What? 
