“Paranoia strikes deep
Into your life it will creep”
“For What It’s Worth”
Buffalo Springfield
It’s gonna kill the concert business.
The good news? Many tickets are sold a year out, maybe more, especially to the most lucrative tours.
The bad news? Will promoters have to give all that money back when ticketholders are too scared to attend?
This will be a giant public relations problem, never mind the outright cancellation of shows.
Traditionally, shows are rain or shine, if the act can play, you’re SOL if you don’t show. Especially Broadway. But will the public put up with this?
The public is scared.
And disinformation is making people even more afraid. Especially in a world where facts take a back seat to emotions, where facts are fungible anyway.
I’ve got a compromised immune system. I didn’t think twice about it until all the nitwits in California decided not to vaccinate their children. They too are relying on bogus science, but it’s how they feel that counts, and they feel that only they matter, that they and their children are inviolate, living in a bubble, and the rest of society does not count. In other words, no herd immunity. This didn’t worry me until my doctor refused to give me the vaccine, since it is live. So if I go to Disneyland, if I go to your pre-school, I too could get infected and die.
But it doesn’t have to be this way.
So, should we buy masks or not? Instinct says to, the surgeon general says not to, he says they’re useless for the uninfected. But you want insurance, you want to wear one anyway, what difference does it make. And do you trust him? Or is he just trying to stop panic.
But panic is happening.
I just flew out of LAX. Masks were rampant. People got on the plane and immediately wiped down the armrests and tray tables, and during the flight the first person in the U.S. died, after Trump said no one would.
Let’s make it about Trump. Not his re-election, which is what Fox and Limbaugh are talking about, but the lies. We now live in a land where the law doesn’t matter, especially if you’re wealthy, and science is out the window, and you wonder why people are getting behind Bernie Sanders.
And at least Bernie Sanders is promising a better future, whereas all the rest of the candidates, and Trump himself, want us to jet back to the past.
And I live in California, which Trump abhors. If Newsom takes action independently, Trump/the government will sue the state, just like with auto emissions. And the car companies didn’t know which side to take. Because they wanted clarity, they wanted to establish a roadmap for the future, and now that was up for grabs.
I could envision dying in a car accident, getting cancer, skiing into a tree, but I never thought of dying by pandemic. And it’s not how I want to go.
But I grew up with a mother who didn’t believe in illness. So I’m not curtailing my activity, but how long until public places start shutting down, before concerts are canceled?
But it gets worse. There’s a cascade down the drain.
All those venues have employees, who are suddenly laid off, so they have no money and they cannot buy anything, certainly not luxuries. And the economy runs on consumer spending, and when people have no money, it crashes. Billionaires and the rest of the rich can only buy so many cars, can only go to so many concerts.
And the music business has completely flipped. Used to be the tour was the advertisement for the record, now the record is the advertisement for the tour. In other words, most acts make their money on the road…but there might not be a road.
So they won’t be able to meet expenses. Not only will they not tour, they’ll lay off their band, their crew, there will be no stage construction, no tour buses needed.
And with no shows, the promoters lay off people. Maybe not at first, but if the crisis sustains…
And we have no idea what will happen. One thing’s for sure, it’s not going away very soon, like Trump said.
And like me, no one wants to die of disease, something they have no control over.
So people start hoarding supplies, like masks, because it’s every person for themselves in America today. And then there are not enough supplies to service the sick.
And we’ve heard since Reagan that government is the problem, and costs have been cut because the free market reigns… The government is unprepared and the free market will make it so that companies will upcharge, like the Uber surcharge when traffic is heavy.
It was a distant story.
First, it was in China.
Then overseas, Italy and Korea.
We heard stories but it couldn’t happen here, because we’re the United States and we’re immune, and we can conquer any problem immediately. Like spam? It’s been twenty five years and your inbox is still cluttered with junk.
Which reminds me of the environment. Do we turn a blind eye figuring science will have a solution, or try to solve the problem now, or be like Trump and say there is no problem, and that if we can just get the stock market back up everything will be groovy.
But most people have no savings. So, soon they will not be able to pay their mortgage/rent, food will become a priority. And the homeless problem will increase. And uncovered medical costs are gonna shoot through the roof, because of the uninsured and the underinsured. Who’s gonna pay? You! Yup, that’s where your tax money is gonna go. But you think you’re entitled to 100% of your income because the government wastes money. Or that you could distribute it better. Are you gonna kill the coronavirus single-handedly?
Somehow, all the talking points of the last four years, of the last four decades, have come alive with the coronavirus. It’s your worst nightmare. And the rich are not immune. They’re part of society just like the rest of us.
So everybody stops flying. They’re already holding sporting events in empty venues.
Or maybe you believe you’re immune, that it can’t happen to you, that you can’t go bankrupt because of medical bills. And then, just like with AIDS, someone you know dies. And you could solve that problem by refusing to have sex. But at least there’s pleasure in sex. Now you can just be going about your business and lose your life.
So, you stay at home.
But food still has to be delivered. Were those people infected?
I have no idea where reality is on this. Whether a few thousand people get infected and only a handful die or whether millions pass away. We just don’t know.
But we do know everybody is afraid, paranoid.
Isn’t that what all the Democratic candidates other than Bernie are preaching? If you don’t elect them, bad things will happen, only they can solve the problem.
But now we don’t even trust the vote, never mind empty promises.
And suddenly, it’s the educated elite who will save us, the ones the people on the right despise.
This is why Trump is afraid, this is why Fox and Limbaugh are getting out ahead of the story. Unlike the disorganized Democrats, the Republicans get on the same page and spin a story as it happens, before it happens. They control the dialogue. They blame the left to neuter it. And then the left cries amongst itself, whining that it’s unfair as the right rolls right over it.
We no longer have faith in facts. And science. And government. And we believe that capitalism can solve all problems. What if this isn’t true?
This is the trickle-down effect. The corporations did not rain money down to the hoi polloi, but the inept government that Grover Norquist believes should be drowned in the bathtub exacerbated the coronavirus problem.
So, once again, you’re on your own.
Going broke is one thing.
Dying is quite another.
No one can calm you down. You trust no one. And the news is contrary. So you’re freaking out. Especially now that people are dying.
There will be economic consequences.
Responses from Bob’s readers. Please note, these comments have not been edited for grammar or content.
If the virus gets virulent this summer, will Trump declare martial law and cancel the November election?
Not my best of thoughts today…
Rick Turner
_________________________________________
“There will be economic consequences.”
There already are. I follow a couple of world wide sports-cycling and Formula 1 auto racing. Cycling is in the UAE for the Tour Of The UAE. The last two stages were cancelled and all teams and all media were locked down in their hotels. As of 5:30pm Saturday they were finally released. There are two big cycling races scheduled for the next two weekends in northern Italy. The scuttlebutt is they will be cancelled.
The Formula 1 Grand Prix Of Australia is in 2 weeks. There are questions if Pirelli-the tire supplier-and Ferrari will be allowed in because of the flare up in northern Italy. Likewise Japan for Honda. If you watch NHK news you will see that parts of Japan are ghost towns.
And the Swiss have banned gatherings of more than 1000 people, which means that Baselworld-the huge watch trade show-is cancelled. If the Swiss are cancelling the watch show you know it’s serious.
And it’s going to keep going. The Olympics are in Tokyo.
Phil Brown
Bob. I was in Costco today and it was like a winter blizzard was on its way. The shelves were empty. I asked one of the workers what was going on and she said “it’s that virus…people are crazed”. Do you think SXSW should really keeps its date. I know 9/11 crushed CMJ. Could SX survive a cancel so close to the event?
Best
Terry Tompkins
_________________________________________
Don’t Panic!
Having lived through SARS in Asia and now this one we are clearly all fully qualified virologists! What I do know for sure is that during SARS there was fear but no panic. BUT there was no social media and that, as you correctly point out, is fanning the flames and making people do strange things, like stockpiling toilet roll.
The event business, along with all hospitality or retail is being severely affected. Companies need to pivot, and fast.
In HK offices have been closed for a month with people working from home. Schools have been closed since January and remain so until after Easter to stop any spread. It’s ridiculous but we haven’t allowed it to disrupt us. In Singapore we’re operating a Team A/Team B where one is in the office each week, the others working remotely. Again minimal disruption.
Facemarks are useless other than stopping you touching your face but undoubtedly, if you are in a risk group – elderly or unwell – then you absolutely have to take precautions.
Maybe we should all avoid licking church doorhandles in South Korea too. But, again, the message from Asia to our American cousins is “DON’T PANIC”.
Please?
Stay well
Jasper
Jasper Donat
CEO, Branded
_________________________________________
Just came back from the UK where I was visiting my son who is studying at Cambridge. My nonstop BA flight from LHR to SFO was practically empty. Both airports felt less than busy as usual. I was surprised that there weren’t more people wearing masks.
There is already a huge economic impact happening.
Maria Hoppe
_________________________________________
Not just concerts alone, but conventions and conferences are already getting canceled, many of which bring in bands for their attendee parties…
https://gdconf.com/news/important-gdc-2020-update
Alan Ralph
_________________________________________
The USA haven’t even started testing people for it yet. Less than 500 people have been tested here. Over 35,000 have been tested in South Korea. Hospitals in the US are sending people home with flu like symptoms as if business as usual. No test because no one has test. Wait until they start testing. It’s going to be crazy here. Imagine what the stock market will do on the day they announce 1000 cases in California.
Joe Buchanan
_________________________________________
I’m in the ‘live’ business too – a speaker, on stage around the world at about 40 events a year worldwide. I’m represented by the top speakers bureaus worldwide.
I’ve witnessed my business collapse in the last two weeks as conferences are cancelled. It’s not just concerts. Same ripple effect.
I’m not standing still.
I’ve fired up my home broadcast studio, have lined up my overseas producer, and next week launch a series of events on ‘how to innovate during a recession’ etc.
People still want insight. We’ll probably just do it in a different way for a time.
https://jimcarroll.com/2020/02/covad-19-moving-meetings-online-im-ready-to-go-are-you/
Jim Carroll
_________________________________________
Funny. I was just wondering what (if any) effect this will have on this year’s SXSW?
Leigh Lust
_________________________________________
I just came back from 8 days in Taiwan visiting my son who’s doing a semester there through Minerva college in SF. Everyone there is calm. Chris Botti was in fact cancelled last week as an isolated cancelled event but about half people are not wearing masks in Taipei and are not panicking at all. Business as usual. Outside of Taipei where we were masks were barely seen. And they’re much closer to it all geographically with 32 locals in isolation. Perhaps we can take the cue from them and not assume the worst will happen and go down the path of slowly shutting down the music business. If that happens oy vey! Remember, it’s still MUCH MUCH more likely you’ll die from the flu or in a car accident than from Coronavirus.
Best,
Hillel Wachs
_________________________________________
Greetings from Japan! People wear masks here all the time for various reasons but now they’re everywhere. From my understanding, it’s not airborne so masks wouldn’t be effective however it can be passed if someone with corona sneezes near you. So a mask is a good preventative measure.
label mondial
_________________________________________
I’m from a small Southern Illinois town. My family came in the early wagon trains. The Spanish flu was real. The Trail of Tears was real too. Sigh…
dw davis
_________________________________________
Try Home Depot- you want a n95 mask- like they use for painting- it blocks 95% of airborne particles…
Wallace Collins
_________________________________________
Always going to the dark side, Bob. We call this paranoia “broad jumping” in my family. Yes, there are a lot of holes in our national infrastructure, but extrapolating to the dark side of empty shelves and long gas lines is very premature, as well as not really helpful.
David Dennard
_________________________________________
I travel very often. Wiping down those surfaces shouldn’t be the result of a pandemic (?). Don’t forget the seat buckles and window shades. How often do you think those get cleaned? I mean really cleaned and disinfected? Come on people. I got tired of having the flu or a cold every time I came home from an air travel trip and I changed my behaviour. What if we all changed our behaviour on a grand scale? That’s what we need to do and you know it.
Sean Taylor
_________________________________________
There have been economic consequences already.
Stock markets down almost 14% in one week and the global economy has tanked to the tune of 5 trillion dollars.
I fear that this is but the tip of the iceberg.
Best regards,
Jim Smith, CTIE
_________________________________________
Jesus this was depressing
Jimmy Risk
_________________________________________
So Coronavirus is about paranoia? Will you feel the same if you and/or your loved ones catch it? Pretty ignorant, Bobby.
Aaron Campbell
_________________________________________
This is not helpful Bob.
Robert Steven Williams
_________________________________________
Jesus Christ, no one talks about the FLU and there’s TONS that die of it each year. Calm down Bob.
T J
_________________________________________
https://mobile.twitter.com/peterbakernyt/status/1233793655695200258
Edward Ryan
_________________________________________
Sorry Bob but isn’t this the absolute definition of fear mongering????
Doug Gillis
_________________________________________
Bob, I really hope you aren’t subscribing to all this hysteria around covid 19. Only 2% of folks who get the virus will die. With healthy american populations including young healthy concert goers (non smokers. FYI half of Chinese men are smokers!) it’s more like .01-.02%. So let’s stop acting like this is the bubonic plague. I love how the moment some white American people got infected it was a big deal for the stock market. Americans don’t fear poverty, gun violence, and they don’t care about folks during all over the world every day. But they are shook up over this coronavirus because it doesn’t discriminate against rich or poor, white or black, suburban or city! Coughs have no name tags! They are coming after all humans! So be ware of the poisonous sneeze from the Far East and the person next to you on the subway or Starbucks! Let’s be honest this is simply a new story finally more popular, infectious and scary than our greatest public health crisis, our crazy president!
Jeremiah Younossi
_________________________________________
If you have never read about the 1918 pandemic, it’s worth your time. Young people caught it and died, which defied the standard influenza cases. You got auburn spots on your face. Then your face/ears turned blue. Then the rest of you turned blue. Then you were dead. Sometimes within HOURS. Cyanosis. You drowned in your own fluids.
And the government of 1918? Forget about it. They made it worse.
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/journal-plague-year-180965222/
Bill Seipel
_________________________________________
Wow, Bob! Get a grip!
Enjoy the flowers that are still blooming!
Mary M.
_________________________________________
Science is going to kill Americans. Maybe then someone will start believing in it. All your president believes in is money.
Pinhey
_________________________________________
I’ve heard several interviews with top tier communicable disease specialists the last three days. The consensus to a woman was that masks are important…to health care providers. They are the ones who need to be protected from the daily parade of infectious cases. They use different masks which are really respirators and form fitted. The N-95 mask is semi useful for smoke are particle laden air but with viruses it only makes sense if YOU are infected and want to spare other people around you the exposure. These masks are also only effective for short periods of time and need to be constantly replaced.
Otherwise it is folly to think the mask will offer some protection. What you can do is wash your hands with sanitizer several times a day. Yes, wipe down the tray tables (the most germ ridden part of the plane). I get it that with a compromised immune system you have to be extra careful so wash, wash, wash. Stay home when in doubt until things settle down, but most masks will make no difference.
John Brodey
_________________________________________
A nice clean room at Trump Towers is probably safe.
Buskr
_________________________________________
https://ultimateclassicrock.com/green-day-asia-tour-coronavirus/
Green Day postpones tour and I saw that Neil Young is putting a hold on his Barn Tour as well.
As for vaccines, they wont have one for the Corona Virus for 1.5 years, but in general the problem I have is you look at the statistics and it doesn’t make sense if your a reasonably healthy individual. The other effects of vaccines outweigh the individual benefits. The general public is protected at the expense of the .1% of the people that have serious, life threatening side effects that are often permanent. Will 300,000 people die from the Corona virus in the USA? If your not the .1% then no big, but 300 million X .01 = 300,000 people that according to the CDC, can have:
- Risks of a vaccine reaction from DTaP
- Long-term seizures, coma, lowered consciousness, or permanent brain damage happen extremely rarely after DTaP vaccination.
As with any medicine, there is a very remote chance of a vaccine causing a severe allergic reaction, other serious injury, or death.
Vaccine Information Statement (Interim)
DTaP (Diphtheria, Tetanus, Pertussis) Vaccine
8/24/2018
42 U.S.C. § 300aa-26
Department of Health and Human Services Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Alan Fenton
_________________________________________
Bob – You are a light in the dark times. Stay healthy and check out this book on mindfulness practice called Full Catastrophe Living.
Thank you for sharing your insights over the years. It has been very insightful to many.
Best wishes,
Chris Schuman
_________________________________________
I agree, we’re not sure how this is playing out. I’m in a band (Ace of Cups). broads from the 60’s we’re still going….but it’s different. I feel your words. I was vibe-ing that our band may stop through no fault of mine! The money just stops. Things stop. Wow that would be something….the money stops. What do I really need now? Am I praying for that? No, but I have thought mightily that things couldn’t go on as they have been – printing money and making deals. I’ll await your next Post. I thought the train thing was awesome.
I don’t watch too much T.V. Or news. Only sometimes.
Mary Alifiler
_________________________________________
News flash – you don’t have to freak out or spread fear to all your readers.
Everything will be just fine
KJ Sawka
_________________________________________
Read Fantasyland by Kurt Andersen. We’ve been here before. America is the grand experiment in the viability of magical thinking and rejection of reason. Sometimes it comes with costs.
Tim Brunelle
_________________________________________
Gee Bob, thanks for the downer on a Saturday.
Seriously, I get it. Paranoia has struck deep. Meanwhile, this year’s death toll from the flu will exceed 15,000 just in the US.
The fragile nature of International trade and our over dependency on China for most consumer goods is being exposed. And then we have tRump blaming it all on the Democrats!
Yes, these are interesting times that we live in…
Burke Long
_________________________________________
” There will be economic consequences.”
This is the only sentence in that entire diatribe that makes sense. The rest is a very scary look into how the human mind can work. (!!) Get a grip, Bob. Better yet, get a flu shot.
Mark Terry
_________________________________________
Bob, you sure went down a rabbit hole there. Sounds disastrous. But look on the bright side, it’s NOT Ebola.
Linda Baker
_________________________________________
Paranoia
The destroyer
Oh yeah
-Ray Davies
Best,
Larry Blumenfeld
_________________________________________
You’re so full of crap. The Democrats have no vision. They hate Trump because he has hd success and cares about America. So Sanders wants to take us to the future —- communism? Really??? I don’t think so.
Jeff Payne
_________________________________________
You probably get all kinds of advice to save you from ruin…
I feel morally obligated to share a couple tips.
My wife’s ob-gyn told her that about 12 days before she has to fly to start taking a couple of drops of liquid Echinacea a couple of times per day to boost her immune system. https://www.webmd.com/vitamins/ai/ingredientmono-981/echinacea
I did a video shoot with a husband and wife who are both psychiatrists at Columbia University — Brown and Gergarg. https://www.breath-body-mind.com/rhodiola-rosea They study herbal medicine. They stressed that it is important to buy supplements from quality manufacturers. One of their books gives a list of good manufacturers. I buy my supplements from the ones they recommend. They are both advocates of the herb Rhodiola Rosea. They claim it helped cure Dr. Gerbarg’s debilitating case of Lyme Disease. They claim Russian cosmonauts take it while on the Space Shuttle because the herb is an “apdaptogen”, which means that because it grows at high elevations in harsh conditions it has learned to adapt to higher levels of radiation exposure that plants at lower elevations are exposed to. That would be useful for cosmonauts. Hell, that would be useful even for airline pilots and passengers.
I don’t know if the following homeopathic method actually works, but it makes sense and it doesn’t cost anything… Take a hot shower. Then at some point turn the hot water completely off and turn the cold water on. Let the cold water hit you on the face and chest. This will be a shock to your system. This mild shock will cause your immune system to be jumpstarted in response to the shock. It sounds reasonable.
Stay well!
John Swetye
_________________________________________
Bob I live in Italy and I can’t start telling how how much this idiocy is going to destroy the economy this year.
For music,
For tourism,
For just about anything!
People don’t care to look deep into things.
But a question arises in my mind: have you looked deep into the whole vaccination business?
Because judging by what you wrote I’d say you haven’t. And that’s the problem of this world: people are too eager to have an opinion about everything rather than looking into the real deal.
We’re all too busy googling the first page of anything and deciding that as a result we’re top scientists about what we skim red.
BULLSHIT.
That’s why we’re all going down the pan mate, and that’s why media wins over anything..
A normal
Flu kills over 300.000 people a year on the world.. Corona virus less than 3.000 so far. What the fuck is wrong with people? Epidemics? Yeh then I’m father xmas!
It’s just a fuckint flu!!! And what’s worse is that it’s not even that bad.
Of course we should take precautions but as usual NOBODY says on tv the most important thing:
The most important thing to do is not to wear a stupid mask but to boost your immune system. How to do that? With grandma’s approach: eat fresh organic fruit and veg, drip the sugar the alcohol and the junk-fried food. Start doing exercise. Eat very little in the evening to give your body time to put energy into the body rather than digestion over night.
In 2 weeks you can recoup immensely.
Sure also avoid crowded places and stay home more if you can as a precaution.
As for vaccinations: I’m not anti vax but I ain’t dumb.
Have you ever wondered why vaccinations are made from companies who’s sole purpose is to make a profit?
And what do you think would happen if we all got cured? THEY’D MAKE NO MORE MONEY!
- Vaccinations should be made by gov companies with the sole purpose of healing us 2. There should be appropriate screening to check the child’s immunity system BEFORE giving a vaccination 3. Vaccination in a very young child’s body should be only made if necessary and in areas of risk, otherwise it’d be best writing for when a child’s immune system is strong (after a year and a half at least).
- Sure we should vaccinate but one vaccine at the time, not a bunch together (in Italy now the first one is 6 viruses in one go so the vax company makes more money… again NOT in the interest of our safety).
I could go on…
And my info is coming from very well
Documented years of study.. not from the first page of google
Marco Spiezia
_________________________________________
Bob,
The people believe that much of their news is fake and for good reason…there are only 53 labs in the world with the highest rating BLS 4. They are allowed to work on the deadliest substances, including the coronavirus…there is only 1 in China…and they acknowledged they were working on the coronavirus…any guess where it was located? If you think the folks are unhappy now, just wait. Why isn’t this in the news?
The people believe that much of their science is fake and for good reason…big food and big pharma industries is the cigarette industry of the past…nothing to see here…the country grows richer but folks are obese and sick…would you like cheese on that?
The people believe much of what politicians say is fake and for good reason. Investors are expressing their concerns about CV-19, while US politicians are telling us not to worry. Who do you believe?
Don’t look to DC for help, not only because it’s an election year and all they’re interest in is scoring political points, rather in the US it’s the responsibility of state and local public health departments to handle the crisis. You’ll find vast differences in expertise and funding in the states. As like sanctuary cities, they can decide to enforce or not enforce federal dictates. This will not help fighting epidemics, like Ebola back in 2014, as noted in the Atlantic…
“Panic set in as political leaders squabbled and it became clear that there was no single, national plan to follow. State and local health officials are the final authority on what preventive measures to take within their jurisdiction. With this setup, having an effective national strategy when one is needed is complicated if not impossible.”
Now that COVID-19 is spreading here, let the fights begin between political leaders and public health officials… Politicians will squabble over who has the utlimate authority.. And the folks will see a higher level of incompetence of the folks they’ve hired to run the government.
TIME TO PREPARE IS NOW
Buy Essentials. (Do it now, don’t wait for the panic. The stuff you buy now can easily be replenished…if you wait there will be greater shortages when factories close and supply lines are compromised). Buy the stuff you’d normally buy at the grocery store and will use anyways…you don’t want to be in line behind a lot of sick people later… the items you’d hate to run out of. I was in Costco and bought toilet paper, rice, and a lot of canned goods and water. And medicines to fight the flu including Elderberry syrup known to cut the duration and severity of the flu in half as it boosts your immune system.
Limit Travel. Don’t risk traveling somewhere that you may not be able to get back. Quarantines are coming.
Cash is King. You don’t want to be lined up at the ATM behind a lot of folks with bad coughs…
Hunker Down. Prepare to spend a lot of time at home, so figure out how to occupy yourself, your kids and grandkids… and perhaps even your spouse? How about getting those home projects done…get to Home Depot by what you need to build those stocking shelves for canned goods in the basesment…a wine cellar ain’t going to do you much good…I kid, the wine cellar is the first defense.
If you wait until a politician tells you to prepare it’s too late…listen to investors…
And you can’t act fast enough…the speed of this virus is the beauty…it will arrive fast but it will be gone quickly as well.
Something else politicians and MSM are not covering…the speed of this virus and when it will hit and when it will leave…the power of compounding tells the story clearly…
Einstein was credited with stating, “compound interest is the most powerful force in the universe. He who understands it, earns it; he who doesn’t, pays it.”
If you’re following the growth of the Coronavirus outside of China, where the data is most reliable, you will notice that the infection count has doubled every 4 days. Going from 1,000 (2/19) to 2,000 (2/23), to 4,000(2/27), and it will reach 8000+ by tomorrow (3/2). At that pace, which is incredibly fast given the heads-up the rest of the world received from China over a month ago, the number of infected will approach 2 Million by the end of March, 250Million by the end of April and the remaining 4 Billion+ outside of China by mid May. It’s math!
Hopefully we can slow down the pace, Japan announcing it will close schools for a month…that is a start…what about offices in Japan, have you seen their subway system that employs workers to physically push/squeeze riders into the cars..And if it’s moving this fast in the developed world how fast do you think it will move in parts of Africa and Latin America? We will know the answers to these questions in weeks…
Pray for a cure and prepare for the worse…this virus is moving quick…very quick…don’t wait for the panic, prepare now…
And for you Bob, do whatever you can to improve your immune system…sleep, exercise and a lot of fresh organic fruits and veggies…skip all animal products/ processed foods, now until June…
Good Luck!
Ed Kelly
_________________________________________
Apt Analysis of the undereducated cult following of the right! However bad CV was going to be, Trumps fantasy that it will go “poof” and the “economy” ( read Stock Market) will rebound by April Fools Day..is an insane conclusion! Simply proving that he, the “fuck science “ president who puts ignorant loyalists in charge of a potential pandemic is the village idiot most of us loathe and want gone.
The only silver lining is maybe, after the piles of shit hit the fan soon, the moderates and marginal 2016 Trump voters feel a bit different ( like the AIDS pandemic during the Grandpa America Reagan years), when their parents, grandparents, friends and family become the infected or mortalities. Maybe then there will be organized backlash.
Perhaps The Gates Foundation, The Obama’s, Oprah, Ellen, AOC, Bezos, Tim Cook, Willie Nelson, Elton, Sir Paul, Neil Young, Mellencamp- known, rational activists with organizations and devoted followers — plus any others with ACTUAL REACH and power will USE THEIR INFLUENCE to finally dent or crush the now radical cult of Trump.
As for music? If everyone is gonna stay home perhaps Spotify should create a premium video lane that actually pays artists fairly for exclusive video content. House concerts , a deal with Daryls House, videos NOT Licensed for YouTube and ruthlessly prosecuted ala Prince to take free content down…
Giving consumers paid access to a post – MTV music channel . Netflix has the muscle to do this as well. Don’t trust 20,000 at the Staples Center or MSG not to infect and kill you? Stay home and binge on slickly produced concerts FOR SALE or rent that pay artists fairly, not Silicon Valley geeks stealing content for pennies versus dollars to the copyright owners. Just a thought .
Since MTV is not doing music and YouTubes paid app is overpriced ( and competing with its free lane), perhaps Apple, Spotify, Netflix, Bezos, Elon Musk, or any non-label company ( like Viacom, BMG, Universsl, Sony and others majors with their heads up their asses) will make lemonade out of the lemons of cancelled concerts and see a medical panic as an opening to bring the concert experience into the sterile safety of your home (or bunker lol) where you are happy to be hosting the family or block party to watch The Stones, Billie Eyelish, Gaga, Phil Collins, and festivals via “screened audience” ( think MTV unplugged) productions.
Now that “the crowd experience” might become immune system Russian Roulette, a “best on the block” home theater could be the next big thing. Instead of Super Bowl parties with your friends and family, have a Stoned, Eyelish, Red Rocks or Hip Hop party ( sans gangs and guns common to many urban clubs). I’m far more interested in where Warren Buffet and Elon Musk will put their money or market focus . Cause this is going to affect car sales, mass transportation usage , the NBA, NHL, NASCAR, and the entire ticketed events industry…
Hosting a house concert or watch party?
Just be sure to take everybody’s temperature on the way in the door …
Best,
Zannman Minneapolis
_________________________________________
Good morning,
I’m a Historian and a music industry specialist from Athens, Greece. I’ve been following closely the development of COVID19 since the first death was reported in January 2020 in Wuhan. Based on my observations and reading between the lines I’ve decided to cancel my business trip to Washington DC in early February. I knew back then that this would turn into a pandemic, it was obvious. Since last week Greece has (already) reported 7 mild cases. The problem with the US is its under reporting for many different reasons. but the virus has been certainly, circulating undetected for the past 6 weeks in Washington State.
I stay calm, I’ m not reading/ spreading misinformation and that’s one of the reasons I’ve decided to follow certain scientists on twitter who are doing a great job. I also wash my hands, do not touch my face, I avoid crowded places and I’m careful about my daily media consumption.
I know you have a twitter account and if I may I would suggest you follow some people who are currently working on vaccines and/or giving valuable information as far as the virus’ chain of transmission.
Last but not least, not a single country’s health system (except maybe Singapore’s?) will be able to meet the demands of its serious/critical cases. So what I’ve been saying to everybody that I know of is “protect yourself with the these 4 (above mentioned) health/mental practices”. That’s the only way so far to slow down the outbreak.
I don’t follow leaders, I never did, So I don’t really have the time or the will to put the blame on any government or country especially now. Virus knows no borders. I hope when this ends we will all understand (even for a short period of time) that mother earth is the real rock star of our times and we should treat her as such.
Take care, there’s no reason to panic with things you cannot control because then you forget how to protect yourself.
Kafka
_________________________________________
oh bob, you’re right about the music stuff and i’m not gonna question your stance on politics or the virus but i am an expert on vaccines. if you wanna know why educated people mistrust vaccines i can explain it better then you might expect…it aint because of jenny mcarthy or google. i know you watch fox to check out the other side, gimme 5 min of your time and catch a glimpse into the rationale for those questioning vaccines.
you mentioned facts and science, here are a few to consider.
pharmaceutical companies push junk science. they told you vioxx was safe remember? and opioids weren’t addictive. and cigarettes were fine during pregnancy. they create the studies that show their products to be safe and they grow their wealth on the “safety” proven by those studies. introduce regulatory capture and payola and their products get approved by FDA and CDC.
the journal of the american medical association claimed in a feb 5th 2007 report that medical doctors kill, injure and infect 15 million people per year in the US alone. in 2012 the institute of medicine said doctors defraud the american people of about 750 Billion with unnecessary treatments and prescriptions.
who do you think is behind that, your doctor? bad med schools? i’m no detective but i can easily ask qui bono and follow the money. leads us right to the most profitable industry in the US and the most powerful lobby in washington.
beginning in the 1970’s vaccine manufacturers were getting sued into the red when healthy people died or got damaged from shots. mostly kids. so they asked the government for protection. in 1986 the supreme court ruled that vaccines were “UNAVOIDABLY UNSAFE” and needed special legal protection. now if you get injured from a vaccine you go to special vaccine court and get paid by taxpayer dollars.
they’ve paid out over 6 BILLION dollars since then. again, their products are legally labeled “UNAVOIDABLY UNSAFE”! that should be enough right there to make everyone sit up take notice.
imagine i made cars and people kept suing me for making shitty cars. i go to the gov’t and say “well people need to travel so i gotta make these cars but they’r unsafe inherently. you gotta protect me.” then that same govt turned around and FORCED YOUR KIDS to ride in my unsafe car. you’d have a problem with that
we now have corporations with zero liability and zero incentive for transparency manufacturing products that are mandated to the public!
furthermore there have been no double blind, randomized, saline placebo controlled studies conducted on any vaccine nor are they tested for their carcinogenic or MUTAGENETIC effects. this should gross you out knowing there is mammal DNA in every shot, some of it human. i shit you not.
kids today get many many more vaccines by the age of 2 then you’ve ever gotten in your whole life. and the reason isn’t safety or “herd immunity”, it’s profit.
vaccines didn’t end measles, or eradicate polio or any such thing. viruses are cyclical. natural ones anyway, not the man made ones used in the bio-tech industry (hint, hint)..
wild type viruses bring down immune systems that are already compromised and that happens largely in the poorest populations without access to sanitation, clean drinking water, refrigeration and sterilization. by the 1950’s the mortality rates for these wild viruses had drastically decreased due to advancements in the standard of living (water, sanitation etc..) and THAT’S when the vaccine was introduced.
just like the flu shot. influenza kills almost no one in america today as apposed to 100 years ago and they just introduced the flu shot. in 50 years Merck will claim that they “eradicated the flu” with the vaccine.
jeremybackofen
_________________________________________
i could go on and on and on with reasons to question vaccine “science” and the ingredients of vaccines but you should take an hour and investigate it yourself. watch Vaxxed. or Trace Amounts. books by suzanne humphries, sherry tenpenny or many others.
we have the facts on our side and we have the science to back it all up. WE are speaking truth to power and exposing greed and corruption in the largest us corporations. we may not win but we have the truth on our side. they have the corporate mockingbird media.
thousands of parents across the world all have the same story, “my child was fine, then got the shot and now they’re all fucked up”
autism is 1 in 36!
oh right, the tv said shots dont cause autism….. notice how they never actually give you studies…? they just say words like “science” and “settled”.
well here’s some actual science that clearly shows otherwise.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3878266/
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21623535
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25377033
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24995277
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12145534
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21058170
there are many more studies.
at the present rate autism will cost the US 24% of GDP by 2025. that’s more then cancer or alzheimers. actually that’s a bigger budget then the defense dept.
and you’ve never heard a politician talk about “autism prevention”.
fuck the corona virus. Autism is going to bankrupt the US and NOBODY IS TALKING ABOUT IT!
those are just a few of the reasons we question vaccines. there are hundreds more.
thanks.
-jer.
_________________________________________
For the real truth about where the infections are showing up, who’s infected, who’s dying, and who’s recovered from it, this is the Johns Hopkins live/real life interactive map.
Johns Hopkins is using four (4) different sources to map this, including the WHO, which is only using their own (with their map).
https://www.arcgis.com/apps/opsdashboard/index.html#/bda7594740fd40299423467b48e9ecf6
Steve Cossaboom
_________________________________________
The upcharge has already started! click through to the buying options…I only came across this because the drug store is completely out of hand sanitizer:
