RichC: what the hell is going on ??
@rcownie.bsky.social
I'm Richard Cownie, a Boring Englishman in Brookline MA, he/him, writes software, plays fiddle, talks nonsense. I am still not Kid Rock.
Nobody in the USA. IIRC countries like South Korea, Japan, Singapore had really upped their public-health game after SARS and were well-prepared to respond to another crossover respiratory virus. But the pervasive racism implies that the USA is incapable of learning any lessons from anyone else.
December 14, 2025 at 8:36 PM
Nobody in the USA. IIRC countries like South Korea, Japan, Singapore had really upped their public-health game after SARS and were well-prepared to respond to another crossover respiratory virus. But the pervasive racism implies that the USA is incapable of learning any lessons from anyone else.
Shed a tear for unfortunate people who are committed to selling out but no-one's buying.
December 14, 2025 at 8:30 PM
Shed a tear for unfortunate people who are committed to selling out but no-one's buying.
So you really think it came from the lab, but then jumped several kilometers across a crowded city to form a cluster of cases close to the wet market, and particularly among people who worked near the live-animal stalls where COVID was found in the cages ? You and your peers are dumbasses.
December 14, 2025 at 6:38 PM
So you really think it came from the lab, but then jumped several kilometers across a crowded city to form a cluster of cases close to the wet market, and particularly among people who worked near the live-animal stalls where COVID was found in the cages ? You and your peers are dumbasses.
Further analysis is that you're a bullshitter. Happy now ?
December 14, 2025 at 6:29 PM
Further analysis is that you're a bullshitter. Happy now ?
Which is totally unsurprising. Zoonotic origin is normal, about 2/3 of human diseases crossed over from animals.
December 14, 2025 at 6:21 PM
Which is totally unsurprising. Zoonotic origin is normal, about 2/3 of human diseases crossed over from animals.
Should we worry about poor practices at virology labs ? Sure. But THAT WAS NOT THE CAUSE OF COVID-19. It was zoonotic origin at the wet market, done and done.
December 14, 2025 at 6:16 PM
Should we worry about poor practices at virology labs ? Sure. But THAT WAS NOT THE CAUSE OF COVID-19. It was zoonotic origin at the wet market, done and done.
I don't need to consider the probabilities about whether there *could* be an outbreak by release from a virology lab, because we have multiple lines of overwhelmingly solid peer-reviewed evidence that this was zoonotic transfer at the wet market. The other stuff is bullshit racist nonsense.
December 14, 2025 at 6:15 PM
I don't need to consider the probabilities about whether there *could* be an outbreak by release from a virology lab, because we have multiple lines of overwhelmingly solid peer-reviewed evidence that this was zoonotic transfer at the wet market. The other stuff is bullshit racist nonsense.
The detailed epidemiological evidence absolutely nailed it down to people who either lived near the wet market, or had close contact with the wet market, *and* they found COVID in the animal cages, *and* the DNA showed two separate strains of zoonotic crossover. The science is clear.
December 14, 2025 at 3:20 PM
The detailed epidemiological evidence absolutely nailed it down to people who either lived near the wet market, or had close contact with the wet market, *and* they found COVID in the animal cages, *and* the DNA showed two separate strains of zoonotic crossover. The science is clear.
To be fair, Silver has considerable expertise in modelling elections, which usually involve small linear perturbations from very similar earlier elections. But epidemiology isn't like that at all, the spread of infectious diseases is exponential. So he fucked it up and was deservedly smacked down.
December 14, 2025 at 3:16 PM
To be fair, Silver has considerable expertise in modelling elections, which usually involve small linear perturbations from very similar earlier elections. But epidemiology isn't like that at all, the spread of infectious diseases is exponential. So he fucked it up and was deservedly smacked down.
In close and delicately-controlled proximity to the one hand ...
December 11, 2025 at 10:14 PM
In close and delicately-controlled proximity to the one hand ...
Got some awesome high-quality copper on sale right now.
December 11, 2025 at 9:58 PM
Got some awesome high-quality copper on sale right now.
Strongly suspect "The Politician" has had 500+ affairs and somehow we rolled the dice and this is 2025 so we got *this* "book" rather than any of the 499 others that could not possibly have been worse.
December 11, 2025 at 9:57 PM
Strongly suspect "The Politician" has had 500+ affairs and somehow we rolled the dice and this is 2025 so we got *this* "book" rather than any of the 499 others that could not possibly have been worse.
"writing" and "book" seem like an exaggeration here ?
December 11, 2025 at 9:54 PM
"writing" and "book" seem like an exaggeration here ?
New answer to everything. Lower taxes, blow up stuff, deport everyone. "Conservative".
December 11, 2025 at 9:52 PM
New answer to everything. Lower taxes, blow up stuff, deport everyone. "Conservative".
And just the same kind of swing seen in special elections, to confirm that *everyone* has seen the shitshow and large numbers have the obvious reaction.
December 11, 2025 at 9:50 PM
And just the same kind of swing seen in special elections, to confirm that *everyone* has seen the shitshow and large numbers have the obvious reaction.
IOKIYAR
December 11, 2025 at 9:48 PM
IOKIYAR
If he drops below 30, they're going to deport all the pollsters. So that's the lowest we'll see.
December 11, 2025 at 9:47 PM
If he drops below 30, they're going to deport all the pollsters. So that's the lowest we'll see.
That's definitely what they're aiming for. I think probably 70% of Congress hates it, so it will be interesting to see whether they look at Trump's lousy approval rating and start exercising some oversight and using their considerable powers.
December 11, 2025 at 2:19 PM
That's definitely what they're aiming for. I think probably 70% of Congress hates it, so it will be interesting to see whether they look at Trump's lousy approval rating and start exercising some oversight and using their considerable powers.
His motto is "the bucks stop here".
December 9, 2025 at 4:24 PM
His motto is "the bucks stop here".
... and the polls showed her campaign was effective at GOTV and shrinking the margin in the states where they campaigned. The voters were just determined to have a change, even if it meant eating dogshit for 4 years.
December 8, 2025 at 5:14 PM
... and the polls showed her campaign was effective at GOTV and shrinking the margin in the states where they campaigned. The voters were just determined to have a change, even if it meant eating dogshit for 4 years.
Transition from VP - job is to keep breathing and make POTUS look good - to candidate is not easy, most VPs get about 2.5 years to try it and Kamala only had 100 days. I thought she did fabulously given the circumstances ...
December 8, 2025 at 5:14 PM
Transition from VP - job is to keep breathing and make POTUS look good - to candidate is not easy, most VPs get about 2.5 years to try it and Kamala only had 100 days. I thought she did fabulously given the circumstances ...
An impossible position for Kamala. As the sitting VP, she had a duty to support all Biden's policies, but as a candidate, she needed a chance to define her own positions. When Biden gave up on re-election he should have also resigned as POTUS. No good options.
December 8, 2025 at 5:09 PM
An impossible position for Kamala. As the sitting VP, she had a duty to support all Biden's policies, but as a candidate, she needed a chance to define her own positions. When Biden gave up on re-election he should have also resigned as POTUS. No good options.
I think all reasonable people have to commit to punching Nazis even if they pose as legal scholars saying well it's all abstruse who knows ?
December 7, 2025 at 10:35 PM
I think all reasonable people have to commit to punching Nazis even if they pose as legal scholars saying well it's all abstruse who knows ?