Ivy League cancels conference tournaments due to Covid-19
And in personal news, my biggest client cancelled our meeting scheduled for tomorrow right as I was boarding the plane. On the plus side, there was practically nobody at either airport, so turning right around should be no problem.
You refer to your penis as a "pecker" and brag about having sex on a public forum.
Might want to back off calling other people "asshats"...
ROFLMAO....
If you're that worried about the virus, go buy Norton... he'll protect you!
Do you walk around calling people a "penis" do you really refer to your 'johnson' as a penis? LOL
If you can't handle a sexual reference on a web forum, it's time to get off the web and go back to that sterile work environment of yours.
Neat little trick I use: I don't walk around telling strangers about my genitals, so it's not an issue.
You would think someone as wise as you would know not to roll on the floor. Do you have any idea how dirty they are?
Its not that people can't handle a sexual reference on a web forum. Its that they aren't a dingus that uses the word "pecker"
Deleted comment.
I've literally never purchased Purell or sanitation wipes in my life, so you're wrong on that one. I have been washing my hands consistently - moreso than usual. As for the rest, I don't even know where to begin.
You never explained how my numbers are way off. The U.S. death toll is up to 28 now and this is on top of more than 600 in Italy and more than 1,000 in China alone. So, my numbers appear to be correct. But you say its really not that serious though right?
This is a major problem because it's dangerous for people who are elderly or who have respiratory problems or autoimmune diseases. They're the ones most at risk. And its spreading very easily and very quickly. Like I said, everyone needs to be smart, not scared. And not dismissive or childish.
No, it really isn't that serious.
The numbers are way off because most people who have the disease have never been tested for it, and therefore aren't being included in the calculations. The numbers that I've seen from highly-tested populations -- the Daegu area of South Korea, and the Diamond Princess cruise ship -- suggest that the mortality rate is about 0.6%. By comparison, influenza is about a 0.1% mortality rate, so, yes, it's bad, and it may end up killing tens of thousands of Americans the year. That's still likely to be less than the number who die in auto accidents.
Furthermore, most of the fatalities are going to be in at-risk groups of people. Everyone dies of something. Some of the deaths from COVID-19 are going to replace deaths from influenza or deaths from pneumonia or deaths from cancer or deaths from whatever else might have occurred.
Yes, we should take normal precautions. No, we should not be doing all of these social distancing measures, which are serving only to increase panic and are quite likely to do more harm than good. At this point, there is more bad information going around than good, and it's causing serious problems (like a shortage of masks for people that actually need them).
I'll pick my damn nose if I want to. Thank you very much
As I recall from my schooling at Homewood Campus in Bmore, there's a psychological and physiological basis for eating ones own boogers. Just curious if you do... this could be my next case study.
March 10th, 2020 at 12:15 PM ^
We are right on the brink of mass hysteria right now. Just balancing right there on the edge, unsure of which way we are going to fall. I will know in the next 48 hours whether to start stockpiling supplies, not because of Covid 19, but because of people losing their damn mind.
March 10th, 2020 at 12:17 PM ^
You're already behind on stockpiling. Most stores are already out of hand sanitizer and even toilet paper.
March 10th, 2020 at 12:18 PM ^
I went to Meijer last night. They had lots of all of that shit.
Except for hand sanitizer. But I have always been more of a soap guy, myself.
Soap and water are far more effective than Purell.
I got the last two packs of Cottonelle at my Target yesterday.
March 10th, 2020 at 12:24 PM ^
I understand where you are coming from in saying this, but on the other hand, Italy's health care system is stressed to the max, and some Italian doctors are saying they may have to resort to triage - i.e. choosing which patients to treat and choosing which to let die - if cases continue popping up at the current rate, due to hospitals being over capacity and medical workers being overworked.
Mass hysteria is bad, but a lack of urgency is a big reason why Italy's situation has progressed. I bet the Italians are wishing they were a little more anxious two weeks ago.
March 10th, 2020 at 12:34 PM ^
Italians are known for being free-spirited and taking orders as suggestions. I'm not surprised that their quarantines and other efforts have failed.
March 10th, 2020 at 12:44 PM ^
1% of the deaths in Italy were in the 10-19 YO range. Every other person was over 60, with 89% of them over 70 YO. It almost sounds like someone's trying to get revenge on Boomers or something.
This is very interesting website https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/coronavirus-age-sex-demographics/
What it shows is so far, the average age of the US deaths is 80.1 (as compared to normal life expectancy of 78.4) and over 70% of the deaths had a significant pre-existing condition of some significance.
My manager is 65, my dad turns 60 in 3 weeks. If I get COVID-19 (1/500 chance of dying) and I can easily pass them the disease (just under 1/25 chance of dying). At the end of this month we're throwing a shower/reception/celebration for our wedding where 100 of our closest friends and family are attending. My grandparents are in their 80s and 90s. Parents, aunts, and uncles, in their 50s/60s. I don't feel like being the reason anyone dies.
I'm definitely caught in between. I think the government isn't taking it seriously enough right now. Someone mentioned in the other thread that Michigan has something like 100 tests for the entire state. That isn't prepared enough for what realistically could happen within the next week. Do local governments have a plan in place for the worst case scenario? Based on our federal governments lead of not taking this seriously, it's hard to have faith in it. Them preaching "no big deal" while Italy quarantines it's entire nation causes more panic for me, personally.
For the time being, I think most of society can carry on about their day to day activities without much change. Go to work. Go to the grocery store. But taking precaution is a good thing during times like now. Getting people thinking about washing their hands as much as possible is a net good for society, pandemic or not. Maybe start using the home gym you have in the basement instead of going out to planet fitness. Eat in more often instead of going out for dinner. Don't visit your grandparents for a few weeks. If you have a cold, don't go to work.
You don't need a years worth of toilet paper though. Buying so much only causes a shortage leading to more panic that people need to stock up on everything!
Then again, planning for the worst can bring along much needed change. Detroiters just got their water turned back on en masse. Darden Restaurants (Olive Garden, Longhorn Steakhouse, etc.) just put a policy in place in which all hourly workers were given paid sick leave, nationwide. Basic rights restored to the lower & middle class which were previously ignored out of greed. Valuing human life, and healthiness over penny pinching leads to a better future, imo.
I'll chime in here regarding the tests - I spent a good chunk of my career in the diagnostic test space. In short, since this specific form of the coronavirus is somewhat new/unique it is really difficult to manufacture a large amount of tests. Even for LDT type tests. For example, you would need a good amount of coronavirus antibodies to develop these tests, and you'd probably want them from the same mono-clonal antibody cell line (although maybe not required).
In short, the lack of tests have little to do with government preparedness.
Couldn't disagree more...though I was smart enough to buy shit loads of stock in Purell/Johnson & Johnson *evil snicker*
The fear mongering has a real monetary and health consequence. Filling beds and hospital lobbies with idiots who are coughing and have been brainwashed to think they have COVID-19 by American media. Hell, I have more of a chance right now of getting hit by a drunk driver on my way home from work (for a third time) here in the South... because ya know, "drinking is a part of the culture" (their words not mine, by a police officer no less). Shelves are now empty of hand sanitizer, sanitation wipes, and other cleaning products, for those of us that actually ARE sick (flu), because we don't want to spread it... and sanitizers aren't good for long term sterilization because of the potential to create immunity etc. Furthermore, people are demanding antibiotics, because they're too stupid to realize that those do all of Jack and Shit.
So even if there were millions of test kits available...WTF will those test kits do for you? It's NOT a cure, and if you feel that sick, you're either already in the hospital anyways, and/or you've got the flu and need to isolate yourself regardless, due to potential health risk of others; having someone tell you that you have the virus doesn't change anything about the circumstances at this point. "Here Joe Blow, let me test you, yup... you've got COVID-19, sorry, no cure..." It's the complications that come with other ailments that are causing the deaths, as people who have healthy immune systems are walking away with common cold symptoms. In this case it doesn't matter if you get COVID-19 or the common Influenza, they're equally dangerous to people with compromised immune systems... please tell me I'm wrong and argue with me about it, would love to discuss microbiology-virology with an M grad.
However, I will agree with you on the following...America needs to stop eating out all the time. I'll disagree with you on the gym though... you CANNOT get the same workout at home that you can with commercial grade training equipment (cardio or high impact); running on asphalt is NOT good for your back or knees (goodbye cartilage and joints) Furthermore, you build up immunity by being out and about in the public and being exposed to other 'bugs', an entire life-cycle of strict isolation causes problems with immune systems; yes the age old wives tale about having a dog when you're a kid is true for allergies and bugs. Lastly you need to do more research on group immunity and inoculations. $10.00 to anyone who remembers the percentage necessary to reach group immunity from your cheesy UM classes (Hopkins grad here).
Social change you ask? Maybe if this country were to put "wash your hands" signs on all bathroom doors instead of worrying about what sex/gender sign is on the door, then we'd solve a lot of problems at once *shoulder shrug*
Or hey... do you! Go out and do your best drunk college student impression, until you're pissing alcohol, compromise your immune system, pick up a dinner menu (lots of nice bugs on those) then immediately eat a whole bunch of wings and lick your fingers and suck on them after every succulent bite, go use the rest room, lick the toilet bowl... then blame the FED because they didn't protect you from yourself. *gotcha* It's the FED's/leadership's fault because there aren't enough test kits...which aren't a cure anyways, but that's besides the point, lets blame people!
Take some responsibility, WASH YOUR HANDS! And for Christs sake, stop politicizing it.
....but you just politicized it.
Can you fuckin' imagine if something REALLY serious happened in this country... we're that fucking entitled and privileged that we don't know what real crisis is anymore...
You are being incredibly naive about this. Italy had over 160 people die just yesterday. That’s fairly early into the virus’s spread in that country. If they didn’t take draconian measures, it would likely be over one hundred thousand deaths over one year. The steps local governments and institutions and businesses are taking in the US are to prevent similar outbreaks here where the population is 5x, our health systems are ranked roughly the same, and the overall health of our elderly population is poorer.
You couldn't be more wrong... and you're spreading the "fear". I'll be as bold as to ask you your background in education... but later...
People aren't instantly giving up the ghost when they contract the virus (incubation is about 5 days), once again it's mainly very young and very old people with compromised immune systems that have severe symptoms that are at risk. In fact I can't think of a single case yet that I've heard of where some healthy person off the street, got it and just bit the bullet within a few days... it's not happening! So throwing out numbers like 160 deaths in one week, is a misinterpretation of the facts, you're not identifying the cross section of those that passed away.
Furthermore, those draconian measures you so eloquently illustrate are the same measures that were chastised on this very MGOBLOG just yesterday; "locking down the borders won't do anything "etc. lmao But yeah I'll agree with you somewhat, those draconian measures should have been done here in the US. Stop the transportation system, block flights and redirect... but that time has come and gone now...but you don't go out and create a citizen state of panic, further stressing your medical care system in order to achieve some sort of containment on the back end... that's NOT the way to handle this.
The fact that sanitizers are all but gone from stores is evidence that we're completely brain fucked in this country. Realizing that most people don't wash their hands regularly enough is the solution. Don't play dumb via high brow rhetoric, save it for your dissertation on modern mans existential dilemma.
Wash your hands regularly, stop picking your nose, cough into your elbow joint (not your hands), live your life, and you'll be fine.
So throwing out numbers like 160 deaths in one week, is a misinterpretation of the facts,
"The death toll in Italy, the center of the novel coronavirus outbreak in Europe, shot up by nearly 60% in one day, to 366 on Sunday from 233 previously, officials announced.
The 133 new deaths came alongside a spike in confirmed infections to 7,375 from 5,883."
That's because they can't test all of the people that have the virus, check the stats on JHU's website (my alma mater), Korea = 0.6%. I'll take my alma maters numbers over yours any day of the fuckin' week.
"JHU President Ronald J. Daniels announced March 10 that as of Wednesday, March 11, the university is canceling in-person classes for all students and transitioning to remote instruction through at least April 12."
March 11th, 2020 at 12:10 AM ^
You went to Bloomberg eh? Impressive, spent a fair amount of time there myself. I’d love your thoughts on those striking maps that you pass on your left as you come in the Wolfe Street entrance. If you went there, I’m sure you’ll remember. Otherwise, you’re hyping your undergrad at Hopkins in order to give you cred on a Michigan sports message board? Gtfo with that nonsense.
sincerely,
University of Michigan School of Public Health mph (hospital and molecular epidemiology concentration) and UofM microbiology undergrad
March 11th, 2020 at 11:31 AM ^
Thank you for dunking on this clown. I wonder where he got his degree in Insufferable Douchebaggery? Surely must be a top-flight program.
His initial comments were basically that it's a hoax by CNN and if we just called it something "innocuous" it wouldn't be a problem. Then he got called out on it and responded by writing lengthy screeds that basically said "I AM THE SMART ONE" that also included nonsense about his "pecker" and uncalled for and confusing insults of transgender people. This guy is the freaking worst.
Thanks again Stretch.
Ha, thanks. Yea, he strikes me as having a Dbag PhD with a thesis on obnoxious message board interactions. Most of his stuff got well into TL:DR territory for me, but who GAF where he went to undergrad? As if his undergrad degree in underwater basket weaving at Hopkins lends him any particular scientific authority.
Anyway, those maps I referenced are large world maps that are painted with the south at the top of the map. The essential point being that having north at the top is a cultural construction that came to define the convention. It's actually pretty jarring to look at after seeing thousands of maps with north facing up, if he had ever set foot in Bloomberg, he'd remember them.
March 10th, 2020 at 12:15 PM ^
That's a bummer for Amaker and Harvard. I thought they had a good shot of winning the Ivy League Tournament.
March 10th, 2020 at 12:24 PM ^
This weak ass flu better not effect the NCAA tourney.
March 10th, 2020 at 12:31 PM ^
I don't think it is weak but I also don't think it warrants this degree of panic, we have had similar outbreaks of other coronavirus and other disease in the past that killed thousands of people in vulnerable groups and people were not advocating for basically the shut down of society.
As to your point, I think we are closer to its cancellation than some people think. I would say it is hovering around 70/30 right now that it will happen. At the pace people are moving I could see them starting some conference tournaments and then cancelling them in the middle. I am 100% sure there are discussions right now about cancelling the BIG tourney.
I fear your right. My son goes to a Poe dunk juco in a town where the sheriff that arrests you on Friday will try you on Monday. He just called and said that they may cancel the semester and some baseball games. I’m sure it has the potential to be bad but the fucking media has done everything except say we’re all gonna die. If I was older or had health issues I’d be holding up like there’s a blizzard coming, meanwhile I gotta travel to NY from Detroit on Sunday cause well....I need the dam money!
Poe dunk.
I just can't get the image of Edgar Allen Poe posterizing some hapless 19th century literary figure with a monster dunk out of my head now.
Nathaniel Hawthorne was immortalized that way.
Indeed, he wrote about it in his memoir, The Scarlet Jersey.
March 10th, 2020 at 12:29 PM ^
This was a tournament with probably tens of people going to attend. March Madness will have thousands coming from around the country. There is too much betting and sponsor money wrapped up in March Madness to cancel but it'll be interesting to see if attendance goes down.
March 10th, 2020 at 12:59 PM ^
You're right - I think there's no way they cancel these tournaments. I think it would be a smart move to play without crowds but I don't think its drastic enough that they'll have to cancel them altogether.
Just play the games with no crowds and televise them. It would be weird but totally canceling them seems unnecessary.
Buffer zone around the court so players are separated from the spectators and attend at your own risk.
last year's ivy final had an attendance of 2572 in a building with a 2800 capacity.
March 10th, 2020 at 12:31 PM ^
There are rumors out there that the Big Ten Tournament will be cancelled later this afternoon
March 10th, 2020 at 12:33 PM ^
Expecting it at this point.
March 10th, 2020 at 12:34 PM ^
There are rumors out there that I'm gonna be pissed I moved my schedule around so much to go watch Michigan play Ruggers if the tournament gets canceled...
March 10th, 2020 at 12:39 PM ^
You have raised an interesting point. Right now there are a lot of people who are concerned about the virus and acting responsibly to take measures within reason to prevent its spread. Most of those people aren't buying into the hype that everybody is going to start keeling over right this moment. Those people are going to start getting PISSED if stuff like that starts happening. Everybody is "really really concerned" about this until schools start closing but they still have to go to work. Michigan schools are already discussing closing with a grand total of 0 confirmed cases in the state.
March 10th, 2020 at 12:35 PM ^
Where are you seeing this?