Texas Re-Opening Announced

[Brisketexan 104,628]

Also, I’m REALLY enjoying these “MAH CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS”* idiots berating and attacking employees of private businesses who require them to wear a mask: the guy berating the Costco employee, a customer who broke a target employee’s arm, the Waffle House employee who got shot.

* except they don’t even get that - constitution doesn’t forbid private businesses from imposing non-discriminatory restrictions on customers. You know, no shirt no shoes no service and shit. Fucking idiots. We have an infestation of idiots.

[Guest Lobo]

Here is a fun one based on your own messiah’s treasury department.  There is absolutely no legal or constitutional protection for you To pay with a $100 bill at a store that says they won’t accept any bills larger than $20/$50.  If that’s their policy, even though you are attempting to buy goods with legal US currency; they can tell you go away and you get nothing.  Not only can these businesses make their own rules, they don’t even have to accept your a Trump signed monies.  
 

 

 

[pyrohornIII 4,809]

I've been watching the headlines on COVID cases in Brazos County the past few weeks.  Been up and down from 7 to 13.  Until yesterday.  21.  All time new high. 

Yep, this reopening shit is going to be something else.  

Of course everyone here is acting like the air raid sirens just ended and its time to come out and party in the streets.   I watch all these people around me acting like it's all been imagined...that the worst wasn't all that bad.    I just can't help but get that eye of the storm feeling.  And the back end of this storm is going to take out a lot more due to their lack of  caution.  

Or am I just nuts for feeling this trepidation?  It's really easy when you are in the middle of so many who feel it's all over, the threat has passed to catch that same optimism.  I can see how people who only listen to Trump and Abbott can be swept up in this mania of disregard going on.   

Maybe Abbott won't shut things down again, but I can't help but think by mid July, it won't be his decision to make anymore.   He's made his play here.  It's not well thought out and it's going to show.  

 

[Bama Chick 28,596]

I feel the same way.

In Alabama, our testing has remained flat since May 1st but we have reached the following milestones this week -

-highest new cases in one day (broke that record three times this week)

-highest number of deaths in one day

-highest number of total hospitalizations statewide

Just today the City of Montgomery announced they have officially reached 100% ICU capacity and Tuscaloosa County has seen a steady increase in new cases after seeing declining cases for the 10 days prior.

The hospital where I work announced our first confirmed cluster of employee spread cases (one nursing assistant caught it from her asymptomatic husband; he works at, you guessed it, a poultry plant) and we have our highest number of hospitalizations currently.

We are definitely in the eye of the hurricane right now.  But I'm afraid that the red state governors are hoping it stays out of sight out of mind and that people have just stopped paying attention the the numbers.  

We flattened the curve to keep our hospitals from being overwhelmed and I'm afraid the only thing that will force the Trump administration and republican governors into reinstating restrictions is our hospitals actually being overwhelmed.  

One death is a tragedy; 100,000 deaths is a statistic.  That's where most people are now - until it affects them personally.

[HenryJames 65,890]

 

[Bateshorn 9,905]

Yeah, man. 
 

I threw some serious eye darts at the hipster who lingered a bit long in front of the cheese section at the organic market yesterday.  I mean,  that Point Reyes isn’t just going to leap 6 feet into my cart.

[Bateshorn 9,905]

9 hours ago, Fudge Nuggets said:

No, youngest is always up front.  Dad's arms reaching around them to grab the handle bars and work the throttle, clutch and brakes (if working) are all the protection they are afforded.

Rest are arranged for proper ballast loading.

I’ve seen 6 on a bike in Bali. It’s both incredible from a physics/balance perspective and utterly horrifying from a safety standpoint.

The mask thing is also for air pollution.  You’ll damn near choke to death if you try to go anywhere outside the city center of Phenom Penh without a mask. If nothing else due to dust.

Edited May 21, 2020 by Bateshorn

[Guest Lobo]

56 minutes ago, HenryJames said:

 

say girl...where you get the black eye at?

"I Got it at Ross!" 

[Grade of D as in David 13,253]

1 hour ago, HenryJames said:

 

That might be the worst camera work I've ever seen. What was that a 30 degree angle?

[Guest Lobo]

30, 31...whatever it takes.   (and thanks for recognizing the store jingle from years ago without any musical accompaniment) 

Edited May 21, 2020 by Lobo

[Bateshorn 9,905]

56 minutes ago, Grade of D as in David said:

That might be the worst camera work I've ever seen. What was that a 30 degree angle?

Let's be honest:  That was the real tragedy here.

[RDCanecutter 26,281]

3 hours ago, HenryJames said:

 

1. They aren't eating, plus

2. They are exercising, which equals

3. Slightly less co-morbidly obese, just like everybody said they should try to be.

[RDCanecutter 26,281]

Mrs. Canecutter is Girl Scientist at a large establishment. She went back in yesterday, saw a great variety from masked and distanced, to people leaning in blathering at each other with their big slobbery suckholes spewing droplets.

They don't do that to her. She is masked, and has no problem unleashing her Inner New Jersey. She was talking to one IT guy (who has health issues and takes this seriously) who said the head of IT is a conspiracy nut who rails about it being fake, while breathing on the unhealthy guy. Makes you want to shank a bitch. The administration may have once respected social distancing and masking, but appear to have given into Pretending It Away because that's what cool kids do.

Luckily, she has a lab she can barricade against jackasses, and I really do think they are slightly scared of her and her magical knowledge.

Good news, is when I had to pick up supplies for my meth lab at CVS, it was 100% masked employees and customers, almost like we were in some weird country with brain cells. Our grocery store is similar. Both places suggest but do not require masks, understanding that Alabamians will follow a suggestion, but cannot genetically follow a rule. At the grocery store there's occasionally somebody trying to stage a scene, asking if they have to wear a mask, and the staff gently deal with the person as with an idiot child that won't wipe its ass. If we were Ohio or California I am sure there would be yelling matches, but people here just avoid the nuts, maybe because we get so much practice at family reunions.

Personally, I think it's going to shake out that I spend money at places that wear masks, and avoid all the places where they Pretend It Away. I'll give money to that bald-headed bitch Bezos instead.

[pyrohornIII 4,809]

9 hours ago, Bama Chick said:

I feel the same way.

In Alabama, our testing has remained flat since May 1st but we have reached the following milestones this week -

-highest new cases in one day (broke that record three times this week)

-highest number of deaths in one day

-highest number of total hospitalizations statewide

Just today the City of Montgomery announced they have officially reached 100% ICU capacity and Tuscaloosa County has seen a steady increase in new cases after seeing declining cases for the 10 days prior.

The hospital where I work announced our first confirmed cluster of employee spread cases (one nursing assistant caught it from her asymptomatic husband; he works at, you guessed it, a poultry plant) and we have our highest number of hospitalizations currently.

We are definitely in the eye of the hurricane right now.  But I'm afraid that the red state governors are hoping it stays out of sight out of mind and that people have just stopped paying attention the the numbers.  

We flattened the curve to keep our hospitals from being overwhelmed and I'm afraid the only thing that will force the Trump administration and republican governors into reinstating restrictions is our hospitals actually being overwhelmed.  

One death is a tragedy; 100,000 deaths is a statistic.  That's where most people are now - until it affects them personally.

 

Here's an article to support you, Bama.  Governor MeMaw must have finally succumbed to the message.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/nicholasreimann/2020/05/20/dire-situation-in-alabama-capital-icus-full-coronavirus-cases-double-in-may/#3b0f0db4fa38

Quote

Dire Situation In Alabama Capital: ICUs Full, Coronavirus Cases Double In May

The mayor of Montgomery, Alabama, says the city’s health care system has been “maxed out” as cases of coronavirus have more than doubled in May—a sharp contrast to the slowing coronavirus spread that’s taken place across much of the U.S.—while city businesses were allowed to reopen May 11, even as it appeared that Alabama hadn’t hit White House reopening guidelines.

More in article.

 

[pyrohornIII 4,809]

6 minutes ago, RDCanecutter said:

Mrs. Canecutter is Girl Scientist at a large establishment. She went back in yesterday, saw a great variety from masked and distanced, to people leaning in blathering at each other with their big slobbery suckholes spewing droplets.

They don't do that to her. She is masked, and has no problem unleashing her Inner New Jersey. She was talking to one IT guy (who has health issues and takes this seriously) who said the head of IT is a conspiracy nut who rails about it being fake, while breathing on the unhealthy guy. Makes you want to shank a bitch. The administration may have once respected social distancing and masking, but appear to have given into Pretending It Away because that's what cool kids do.

Luckily, she has a lab she can barricade against jackasses, and I really do think they are slightly scared of her and her magical knowledge.

Good news, is when I had to pick up supplies for my meth lab at CVS, it was 100% masked employees and customers, almost like we were in some weird country with brain cells. Our grocery store is similar. Both places suggest but do not require masks, understanding that Alabamians will follow a suggestion, but cannot genetically follow a rule. At the grocery store there's occasionally somebody trying to stage a scene, asking if they have to wear a mask, and the staff gently deal with the person as with an idiot child that won't wipe its ass. If we were Ohio or California I am sure there would be yelling matches, but people here just avoid the nuts, maybe because we get so much practice at family reunions.

Personally, I think it's going to shake out that I spend money at places that wear masks, and avoid all the places where they Pretend It Away. I'll give money to that bald-headed bitch Bezos instead.

Got any flat eathers?   I do.  

[RDCanecutter 26,281]

Just now, pyrohornIII said:

Got any flat eathers?   I do.  

My son had one work for him. Said he quit trying to reason with the guy after he noticed how reliable he was.

There is enough NASA influence here that it is generally accepted that the Earth was created as a sphere 5,000 years ago.

I do have one friend who is a Serpent Man Conspiracy Theorist. The brain is only able to handle so much LSD.

[gmr548 16,516]

There is enough NASA influence here that it is generally accepted that the Earth was created as a sphere 5,000 years ago.

I loled

[Born to Run 6,567]

A contradiction would be rural Asians that have no problem with a mask but pile the entire family in a 150cc scooter with no helmets and only rag tag flip flops.

I don't know. I've travelled a lot and I rarely see accidents especially in Urban areas. (I've seen plenty of gruesome highway deaths) Asia, Centraland South America especially. People take driving very seriously as a matter of pride and skill or at least some crazy challenge. And since everyone is hyper focused on the challenge and self enforce the local "rules" - shit works.

West Austin is whole different matter with entitled assholes texting, speeding and taking unnecessary risks constantly. I will typically see at least one bad accident a day and often a half dozen.

[Bateshorn 9,905]

6 minutes ago, Born to Run said:

I don't know. I've travelled a lot and I rarely see accidents especially in Urban areas. (I've seen plenty of gruesome highway deaths) Asia, Centraland South America especially. People take driving very seriously as a matter of pride and skill or at least some crazy challenge. And since everyone is hyper focused on the challenge and self enforce the local "rules" - shit works.

West Austin is whole different matter with entitled assholes texting, speeding and taking unnecessary risks constantly. I will typically see at least one bad accident a day and often a half dozen.

When crossing the street in Hanoi the most important rule is once you start you can’t stop or go back.  People are already starting to adjust for you and if you don’t keep On a steady path, you’ll die and get a bunch of other people hurt.

[bolverk 29,401]

2 hours ago, pyrohornIII said:

Got any flat eathers?   I do.  

I'd love to hear Dirt Bike's wild theories on all of this Covid mess, but I'm too lazy to find the thread and pose that question.

[Wanker Bob 379]

Here's something to keep an eye on as the lag time from the reopen continues to pass by

https://www.dmagazine.com/frontburner/2020/05/how-concerned-should-we-be-about-dallas-shrinking-icu-bed-capacity/

[workswithseed 2,037]

6 hours ago, bolverk said:

I'd love to hear Dirt Bike's wild theories on all of this Covid mess, but I'm too lazy to find the thread and pose that question.

He's fired, Jim. No more stories. 

[bolverk 29,401]

35 minutes ago, workswithseed said:

He's fired, Jim. No more stories. 

What a fucking let down. Just found the thread on the first page of Lulz. I missed the January update with this horrible news.

[Planet Houston 4,923]

My kids’ preschool is fully open for “camp” in the month of June. Surely I’m not the only one that thinks this is crazy, right?

They are requiring temperature checks, masks while indoors and keeping the classes small...but still. No way to enforce social distancing with a bunch of 3-5 year olds.

Surely (surly) this is bad news waiting to happen...right??? 

[Woland 729]

My kids’ preschool is fully open for “camp” in the month of June. Surely I’m not the only one that thinks this is crazy, right?
They are requiring temperature checks, masks while indoors and keeping the classes small...but still. No way to enforce social distancing with a bunch of 3-5 year olds.
Surely (surly) this is bad news waiting to happen...right??? 

Maybe not. Small children seem not to be able to receive sufficient viral load, but I haven’t done any reading on it in weeks and the the knowledge bank is expanding rapidly.

[Larry T. Spider 1,741]

7 minutes ago, Woland said:

Maybe not. Small children seem not to be able to receive sufficient viral load, but I haven’t done any reading on it in weeks and the the knowledge bank is expanding rapidly.

I think the concern is that they are filthy little carriers.

[Planet Houston 4,923]

Yes my concern is that I have no idea how careful other families in the school are being, and that other kids may be asymptomatic carriers. It just seems reckless IMO. 

[Patrick Bateman 3,903]

Whoops..... Wheels straight up lied the other day when he denied this.  It's sad that so many Texans pathetically put up with this shit.

 

[Hugo Stiglitz 23,356]

These next four weeks anywhere in SEC/Texas are not the time to take unnecessary risks.  Need to see how society deals with C19 for a month with everything open, everyone got the memo this time. I’m expecting a total shit show. I pray we get lucky. 

I’m keeping an eye on the cases and deaths in my area.  That’s all I can really do.

[Mrs Whiggins 13,049]

Popped into the big box home improvement store to pick up one item. In addition to my own mask wearing self, saw a few others. Employee was masked at checkout, too. Everyone else was walking around sans mask, including several in the 65+ crowd, but for the most part they were at least observing a little distance in the aisles. 
 

On the way home though, I took a gander at the Academy parking lot. Full up. Guess the UIL news regarding summer conditioning, etc meant everyone went to get stocked up on shoes, and workout gear. 

[Anastasis 23,394]

Three weeks in, and I am actually shocked the case numbers don't look worse.  If we can hold this course for another 3-4 weeks, it will be a very good sign. If we can bend the curve it will be pretty damn shocking. 

 

[DDD Dad 14,252]

Three weeks in, and I am actually shocked the case numbers don't look worse.  If we can hold this course for another 3-4 weeks, it will be a very good sign. If we can bend the curve it will be pretty damn shocking. 

 

Hope you’re right. However ICU bed occupancy is creeping up in Dallas and there was a report out tonight (CDC I think?) projecting Dallas and Houston as the next two likely hot spots based on population and reopening activities.

[Anastasis 23,394]

Just now, DDD Dad said:

Hope you’re right. However ICU bed occupancy is creeping up in Dallas and there was a report out tonight (CDC I think?) projecting Dallas and Houston as the next two likely hot spots based on population and reopening activities.

Yes, we should keep a tight watch on ICU capacity.

[6th Street 6,357]

Memorial Day weekend might be the next shoe to drop - crowded beaches, pools, and river tubing excursions could drive another wave of infections. 

[tx 3 putt 76,395]

20 minutes ago, 6th Street said:

Memorial Day weekend might be the next shoe to drop - crowded beaches, pools, and river tubing excursions could drive another wave of infections. 

 

 

[DCA_HORN 725]

I was down there today fishing. The beaches were back to normal but the stingaree was packed.

[Longhorn_Fan68 33,843]

1 hour ago, tx 3 putt said:

 

 

I weep for humanity. But in some respects, nah

[MaybeACoordinator 8,349]

Meh, outdoors shit is not going to fuel outbreaks. Church will. I know we Americans want fun to lead to death but in this case its shit like church and the office where the virus thrives.

[Bartles 769]

Agree ^ , beaches and parks shouldn't be a huge problem. But their communities aren't built for distancing - the shops and restaurants will be crowded. If hotel and AirBnB occupancy is high, there's gonna be some outbreaks as guests swap out with little time to let the room sit empty.

[Snake Diggity 4,614]

Cruise ships, nursing homes, churches, traditional office buildings, and restaurants (in that order) are the places this virus will spread rapidly.  Schools and daycares are also potentially in the mix but looks like they would require the parents to go to other places on the list since it doesn’t appear to affect children nearly as much.  Speaking of, why haven’t their been studies to show if these kids are asymptomatic spreaders or just somehow naturally not getting it?

[BradInATX 9,208]

7 minutes ago, Snake Diggity said:

  Speaking of, why haven’t their been studies to show if these kids are asymptomatic spreaders or just somehow naturally not getting it?

It's maddening to me that nobody has collected any good data on this. We can nitpick about shutting down a week earlier or whatever, but this is the type of stuff where leadership has completely failed. As things are re-opening, people are going to have to start making decisions where they're balancing their livelihood against their health and their children's health. And leadership, on all levels, has completely failed to provide us with any real data around where the real risks are. I mean, we're two-plus months into this motherfucker and we still don't know for sure whether we really need to wipe down our groceries or not. 

We are relying on Korea and France and China to give us the science and data behind the disease that we need to make decisions that are best for our families.

That is fucked up.

Edited May 22, 2020 by BradInATX

[Francisco 2.0 32,342]

2 minutes ago, Snake Diggity said:

Cruise ships, nursing homes, churches, traditional office buildings, and restaurants (in that order) are the places this virus will spread rapidly.  Schools and daycares are also potentially in the mix but looks like they would require the parents to go to other places on the list since it doesn’t appear to affect children nearly as much.  Speaking of, why haven’t their been studies to show if these kids are asymptomatic spreaders or just somehow naturally not getting it?

 

Schools are full of adults and parents, too.  Some of them are 65+ in age.

Schools are going to be one of the largest sticking points with all this.  You have an age range of 4-70, you have buses hauling in kids, you have kids going from room to room, building to building, (and interacting with kids and adults who are not in their class), you have completely different segments (cafeteria, bus transportation, classroom environment, physical education, so on), you have kids transported half way through the school day from one school site to another, you have adults who move from one school site to another (directors, special education teachers, etc).

There are so many variables in people, ages, modes of transportation, feeding, classroom environments, etc. in a school that you can't just lock down one aspect of it and call it good.

 

[Pescado_Rojo 19,331]

Speaking of schools, Mrs Rojo has a friend in administration at Leander ISD. The rumor is they are planning for distance learning in the fall, and also strongly considering canceling all Fall sports. Mrs Rojo also teaches a couple fitness classes for faculty & staff at ACC, and they are being told to prepare for distance learning in the fall as well. 

[tx 3 putt 76,395]

1 hour ago, Pescado_Rojo said:

Speaking of schools, Mrs Rojo has a friend in administration at Leander ISD. The rumor is they are planning for distance learning in the fall, and also strongly considering canceling all Fall sports. Mrs Rojo also teaches a couple fitness classes for faculty & staff at ACC, and they are being told to prepare for distance learning in the fall as well. 

im a big hs sports guy, i love going to the big games. no hs football this fall would hit harder than no college fb. fuck 

[RomaVicta 29,793]

12 hours ago, Hugo Stiglitz said:

These next four weeks anywhere in SEC/Texas are not the time to take unnecessary risks.  Need to see how society deals with C19 for a month with everything open, everyone got the memo this time. I’m expecting a total shit show. I pray we get lucky. 

I’m keeping an eye on the cases and deaths in my area.  That’s all I can really do.

The Atlantic article provided a few posts above yours further indicates how blindly we are all flying. The combination of corruption and ineptitude has reduced the population of The United States of America to crossing their fingers as the plane flies into a cloud bank near a mountain range.

Leonard Cohen: Waiting for the Miracle

[Grade of D as in David 13,253]

2 minutes ago, tx 3 putt said:

im a big hs sports guy, i love going to the big games. no hs football this fall would hit harder than no college fb. fuck 

As am I

[Francisco 2.0 32,342]

1 minute ago, tx 3 putt said:

im a big hs sports guy, i love going to the big games. no hs football this fall would hit harder than no college fb. fuck 

I go back to my post a bit ago.

How can you safely hold a hs football game, much less practice, the fieldhouse environment, the age (50+) of some coaches, etc.

How do you safely transport a team of 80 kids, plus all the ancillary staff and whatnot on a 2 hour bus ride, have the players compete with players from a different school, then ride back on the bus?

There's just so many questions, and as of today, there are just so few answers.

 

 

[tx 3 putt 76,395]

Just now, Francisco 2.0 said:

I go back to my post a bit ago.

How can you safely hold a hs football game, much less practice, the fieldhouse environment, the age (50+) of some coaches, etc.

How do you safely transport a team of 80 kids, plus all the ancillary staff and whatnot on a 2 hour bus ride, have the players compete with players from a different school, then ride back on the bus?

There's just so many questions, and as of today, there are just so few answers.

 

 

you can't

[RomaVicta 29,793]

9 hours ago, tx 3 putt said:

 

 

 

8 hours ago, Longhorn_Fan68 said:

I weep for humanity. But in some respects, nah

The Human Spirit Soars

I always think of things like this when I hear flowery bull shit about the human spirit. 

Edited May 22, 2020 by RomaVicta

[Nice Guy Eddie 13,414]

With Trump saying that the economy won't shut down again for any future covid wave, that opinion will be followed by Abbott, who will not allow counties or cities to override. sure cities and counties can ask for voluntary shutdowns and personal behavior changes but they would seem to have little options if Abbott opposes them.

the reins are off and people/places will be able to do whatever they want for the rest of this crisis. Even if the curve unflattens, I don't believe it will matter. Trump has an election to win and deaths < economy.