san diego: dialed in: COVID: Reporting "Medium Risk"; Ignoring "High Transmission" | Massacre In Uvalde, Texas | Fuck Your Guns

Black Rhino Mates Kendi & Aria (Taken by Darren 5.26.22)

It's Monday morning and I decided that instead of just doomscrolling through my phone and pretending like I'm attempting sleep, I'd just catch up with work and this post so I can move on to all the others that I need to get on with.

I don't really need to rehash what a horrifying week it was. The massacre of children in Uvalde and then the back and forth on every news outlet, as if "both sides" even deserve a voice. Give me a break. I try not to even get into it because I am an extremist. I don't just want "common sense" gun laws or the cute memes of how hard it is to get a driver's license or an abortion applied to guns - I want them GONE. That whole "they're coming for our guns!" is a dream to me. A completely unrealistic, not happening in my lifetime fantasy, but fuck you and your guns and anyone equating gun-ownership to a "God-given" right is even more example of why I'm an atheist.

And then we still have COVID-19 lingering and everyone is fighting over the CDC's risk maps vs transmission maps and Dr. Walensky is making an ass of herself on Twitter about masking and people assessing their 'personal risk' even when almost everywhere has 'high transmission'. Nova is presently sick and though she's negative on the COVID tests, we're treating her like she has it and I'm not really taking any chances...today I left her to binge Stranger Things and escaped to Sea World since they were open until 9 and now it's nearly 5am and she'll get up soon which is precisely when I'll go to bed.

And speaking of COVID... I read so many articles and news things in a day that I can't really remember the sources of some information, but common sense here: airplanes claim to have frequent air exchanges and HEPA filtering, but when you're sitting in an airport, or waiting to board, or going through the boarding process, or sitting/taxiing on a runway, those air filtration systems are generally not on, so if you're traveling, wear a goddamn N-95 from the time you walk into an airport until the moment you're outside after arriving at your destination.

As I said, it was a hard week all around. And that doesn't even touch the continuing attack on Ukraine, the obvious supply problems, the chaos private equity firms are causing on all sectors of the economy, or the stupid new lease from my new property management for an apartment I've lived in for TEN YEARS. I'm angry and I'm sad and I'm frustrated and the only thing I know to do is to get my ass out of bed every day, take a shower every day, and find some joy, every day, whether that's going to the San Diego Zoo or Sea World or driving and singing at the top of my lungs to an old favorite album that I haven't listened to in far too long. I hope you can find the same kind of joy.

Stay safe out there. And worry not, the tourists will all go back home soon enough.

Get Involved With Gun Reform:

Demand Congress Confirm an ATF Director
Everytown For Gun Safety
Brady United Against Gun Violence
San Diegans For Gun Violence Prevention
Moms Demand Action
Sandy Hook Promise
Coalition To Stop Gun Violence
Prevention Institute
Stand With Parkland
Gun Violence Prevention: Resources and Information - San Diego Unified
5 facts about guns in America - Popular.info (5.26.22)
The Trace - Reporting On Guns and Violence In America
U.S. Bought Almost 20 Million Guns Last Year — Second-Highest Year On Record - Forbes (Updated 4.14.22)
A gun and a prayer: How the far right took control of Texas’ response to mass shootings. The “God-given right” to self-defense has become a rallying cry in Texas politics, further cementing gun ownership as a holy cause and political identity. The state’s Republican leadership has spent decades carrying the banner. - The Texas Tribune (5.29.22)
Gunfire on School Grounds Sees Sharp Increase - Statista (5.25.22)
Responding to Children about Violent Incidents - County News Center (5.25.22)
VOTE:

Starting Saturday, 39 Vote Centers Open for June Primary Election - County News Center (5.26.22)
Voting by Mail: Simple, Convenient, Secure - County News Center (5.17.22)

Why 18-Year-Olds in Texas Can Buy AR-15s but Not Handguns. The massacre at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, highlights disparities in how federal laws regulate rifles and handguns. The shooter bought two rifles days after his 18th birthday. - ProPublica (5.26.22)
‘This is our lane’: Doctors speak out against gun violence after Texas school shooting. Firearms are the No. 1 cause of death in kids in the U.S., recent research shows. - NBC News (5.26.22)

COVID-19:

Worsening COVID pushes Orange, Ventura, San Diego counties into new tier - LA Times (5.27.22)
As Milestone Nears, Public Reminded of COVID-19 Treatment Options - County News Center (5.26.22)
CDC Strengthens Recommendations and Expands Eligibility for COVID-19 Booster Shots - CDC (5.19.22)
San Diego metro area's Community Risk Level Has Increased To "Medium" according to Covid Act Now (5.24.22)

County Moves to Medium Risk in CDC’s COVID-19 Community Level - County News Center (5.26.22)
*Note: "Community Level" takes into account hospital admissions, hospital bed capacity and cases. This is different from "Transmission Level" which just looks at cases and is HIGH for our region, and has been for over a month.

More than 22,000 US Veterans have died in the COVID-19 pandemic. Bay Pines National Cemetery sees 20% increase in veteran burials from pandemic - ABC Action News (5.30.22)
Analysis of 6.4 million SARS-CoV-2 genomes identifies mutations associated with fitness - Science (5.24.22)
Statement from Governor Newsom’s Press Office (Newsom Positive for COVID) - Office of the Governor (5.28.22)

CDC MMWR:

Post–COVID Conditions Among Adult COVID Survivors Aged 18–64 and ≥65 Years — United States, March 2020–November 2021

Politics:

County Approves $10 Million for Cities to Address Homelessness - County News Center (5.24.22)
Advocates alarmed by use of private messaging app by San Diego public officials - kpbs (5.25.22)
Gómez-vs-Alvarez Ended a Friendship, and Previewed a New Dynamic in Democratic San Diego. As Democrats increasingly run against other Democrats, the factions that used to arrange themselves across the political spectrum could instead cluster around candidates who, in the not-so-distant past, used to seem the same, highlighting their differences in the process. - Voice of San Diego (5.26.22)
Some Voters Have Two State Assembly Contests on June 7 Ballot - County News Center (5.27.22)
California and New Zealand Partner to Advance Global Climate Leadership - Office of Governor Newsom (5.27.22)
In Major Milestone, California’s Rent Relief Programs Distribute Over $5 Billion to More Than One Million Residents - Office of Governor Newsom (5.26.22)
California Senate Votes to Support CARE Court, as Leading State Business Organizations Join Expanding Coalition - Office of Governor Newsom (5.25.22)

News:

US Supreme Court agrees with Arizona on death penalty cases, a blow to prisoners trying to prove innocence - azcentral (5.23.22)
FDA Flexibilities to Yield Millions of Cans of Additional Infant Formula in Coming Months to Increase Supply Available to U.S. Consumers - FDA (5.24.22)

Formula "Shortage" Update from Pattern (5.23.22):

Online demand for baby formula was down -22% last week compared to the week prior, though demand still up 568% compared to the average the rest of the year so far.
Among baby formula brands analyzed, Enfamil has experienced the largest surge in online demand during the shortage, up 320% compared to the average the rest of the year.
Similac has experienced the second largest surge—up 240% compared to the average the rest of the year.
Nutramigen is next (up 200%) followed by Enspire (up 86%).

More baby formula shipments arrive from overseas in an effort to ease the shortage - npr (5.28.22)
FDA Efforts to Result in Millions of Additional Bottles of Infant Formula to Further Increase U.S. Supply - FDA (5.27.22)