General News Thread

[Mattias]

Sad to hear that Yang dropped out, but hopefully this won't be the last we hear of him.

Probably won't be. He's inoffensive, has decent ideas but no way to support them, is a visible minority, and hasn't really attacked either front runners. He's basically made to be the VP nomination.

Especially for Bernie, since his business background would act as a counterpoint to the anti-billionaire stance.

[Twelveseal]

When one waifu just isn't enough... legalize polygamy.

[Twelveseal]

Woot!

[SpoonyViking]

And all it took was the real-life equivalent of a Deus Ex Machina!

[rxrx]

The floods are also a problem if not dealt with properly though. At least the fires are finally under control after all these times.

[aldeayeah]

Take care. The only good news seems to be that it doesn't kill as much as the influenza does.

It doesn't kill as much as bird flu, which was pretty fucking scary, but it kills much more than any of the pandemic flus we've had in recent times - including swine flu.

[asterism42]

Yeah, but all studies show that the people most at risk are the elderly and infirm i.e. the same almost literally every strain of pandemic flu ever except Spanish

[Twelveseal]

China's air pollution problem probably isn't helping things.

[rxrx]

I though China's action of closing their city is a signal of how dangerous the new virus is. But other than Singapore, places like Japan and Korea that is now high on confirmed cases isn't doing enough, and cases are seen in Middle East, and most of all Europe's Italy.

[Twelveseal]

Iz spreading. To be honest though, I'm not sure how prepared most of the world is to deal with a large-scale disease like this, especially since it's coming in on top of an existing sick season.

[rxrx]

Iz spreading. To be honest though, I'm not sure how prepared most of the world is to deal with a large-scale disease like this, especially since it's coming in on top of an existing sick season.

Personally, I think prejudice on China made many people underestimate the virus. Sure, it is not perfect, but when such a country shuts most of its city function down, you know something is wrong. However, people are more busy laughing on their plight instead of taking the issue seriously. Even worse when you don't see much is done when places like Japan, Korea and Singapore sees a surge in numbers.

Now Italy is transmitting the virus to Europe and Iran to Middle East. Come on, don't let prejudice affect your judgement.

[Twelveseal]

Tbh, I think it's actually the opposite case. If it was a matter of prejudice, we'd probably have less of a problem. We would have just shut down all travel to and from China at the first signs of significant trouble instead of maintaining contact. No evacuations, no ships docking, no border crossings or flights disembarking, just... no contact at all.

It might have left the disease as a solely Chinese problem.

[rxrx]

Tbh, I think it's actually the opposite case. If it was a matter of prejudice, we'd probably have less of a problem. We would have just shut down all travel to and from China at the first signs of significant trouble instead of maintaining contact. No evacuations, no ships docking, no border crossings or flights disembarking, just... no contact at all.

It might have left the disease as a solely Chinese problem.

It won't. The earliest case in Japan comes from Hawaii and the couple has no contact with Chinese. Then Iran also pops up, no contact as well. Also, what do you do with nationals trapped in China if you do close the border? The best option is to abandon them, but it seems picking them up is inevitable. Look at how the Diamond Princess spread the virus.

The prejudice is thinking the virus is spreading due to China's lousy health care, and others do little to try prevent containing the virus.

[Mcjon01]

That wasn't the first case in Japan (that was someone who had been to Wuhan) or even the first case in Japan involving someone who hadn't been to China (that was a tour bus driver for tourists from China). I'm not sure what you're even trying to imply here, that the virus didn't originate in China or something?

[rxrx]

That wasn't the first case in Japan (that was someone who had been to Wuhan) or even the first case in Japan involving someone who hadn't been to China (that was a tour bus driver for tourists from China). I'm not sure what you're even trying to imply here, that the virus didn't originate in China or something?

Even if the case is from China, shouldn't people take a clue when it is shutting the country down?

[Mcjon01]

Yeah that's the other thing what's with this everybody's just laughing at China and not taking it seriously stuff, if anything it's the opposite everywhere I look everyone is freaking the fuck out

[rxrx]

Yeah that's the other thing what's with this everybody's just laughing at China and not taking it seriously stuff, if anything it's the opposite everywhere I look everyone is freaking the fuck out

My bad since I was looking at reddit and 4chan where many used to say China is over-reacting.

[asterism42]

People are freaking out too much imo

it's a concern but it's not the fuckin plague

[rxrx]

People are freaking out too much imo

it's a concern but it's not the fuckin plague

The virus is not only ridiculously contiguous, it also has a long incubation period, so some concern is needed. Then again, making sure people not rushing to hospital is correct, since it is believed that 41% of Wuhan's cases is due to cross contamination when people rushed to the hospital.

[Twelveseal]

In other words, keep calm and carry on. Panic seldom helps in an emergency.

I tend to agree that people are freaking out too much, and I don't think China is doing a bad job... an authoritarian response, sure, but it seems to be working. Wuhan was probably one of the worst places for this shit to start in CN and they seem to be getting it under control.