*signals virtue in post trying to refute assertion than mask-wearing is a form of virtue signalling*

Europe must be full of self-centred people, then.

^ I highlighted the word experts to point out the irony of your signature.

I mentioned being "non-self-centered" to differentiate myself from you. It has nothing to do with Trump.

Stating facts and listening to expertise are a form virtue signalling now?

I mean I guess if one is trying to signal that they aren't an ignorant asshole, then it does achieve that.

*SIGH*

From CBS News:


Los Angeles County has more cases of coronavirus than entire country of Canada, mayor says



And this is a really big deal in my local area:

PASADENA TOURNAMENT OF ROSES UNABLE TO HOST 2021 ROSE PARADE ON NEW YEAR’S DAY

You can't? My friend and I get together to run twice a week and we both wear masks. It makes it a bit harder, and if there's a stretch where there are no other people around, I'll pull mine down. As we've gotten into summer and more people are in the park, it's a hassle to keep moving it up and down, so I tend to just leave it up.

Again, seeing these reports of people not wearing masks in Milan of all places, has me questioning what exactly is going on here in the US. Milan/Lombardy was the absolute epicenter of Covid before NYC took that dubious honor. You'd think people there would be serious about wearing masks everywhere. It just doesn't seem like behavior in parts of the US are that different than elsewhere in the world, yet we are surging and the rest of the world is not. I don't really understand it.

As I said upthread, I cycle around town wearing my mask. Because it's an N-95 it's a pain in the ass to try and take it off once my helmet is on, so I keep it on all the time - even when strenuously biking uphill. Occasionally I'll stretch out the mask a bit to get a breath of fresher air if no one is around, but that's about it.

I've gotten so used to wearing a mask, I feel weird going out without one. I keep a few in my car and I have cloth ones and several packs of the disposable ones at home.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...8bafb98f_c.jpg
Yours truly, taken July 1, 2020

There have been those people shown on the news who freak out about being asked to wear masks, and videos on the internet of people saying that after they put on their mask, 5 minutes later, they feel like they can't breathe, feel disoriented, weak... to me, that all sounds like they're having a panic attack. I think some of these people have anxiety issues.

Avoidance of public transportation has dropped in Paris.
I wouldn't say it's back to normal level but it's not like may and ealry june where you could easily seat.

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...46aa5a12_c.jpg
Ligne 4 by Minato ku, sur Flickr

I don't know if it will really get busier as more and more people are going in vacation.
Usually there is a sharp fall of ridership from mid July to end of August.

For an otherwise pretty insightful and intelligent guy, you are remarkably MAGA with respect to this. We aren't in Europe where infections have tapered off but the US where things out of control because a large portion of the population have attitudes such as yours to which we could be fiddle-fucking around with this virus for another six months. Just wear a mask. It's not another front on the culture war.

And Asia is full of virtue signalers? Why is it so controversial to put on a damn mask?

^ I think we are testing WAY more than the rest of the world, though

Parts of the US reopened indoor restaurants/bars too early is the short answer, I think. Also our contact tracing infrastructure (or compliance?) is probably shittier, although I dont' really know for sure, since I don't hear anything about contact tracing here, which makes me think it must be super shitty.

And we're still not testing enough in a lot of places. CDC guidelines say that rate of positive tests should be under 5%, but states like Florida and Texas have positive rates of nearly 20%, and Arizona is nearly 30%. Nationally, we're around 9%.

The US got 3.6 million positive for 139k deaths, compared to 2 million in Brazil and 75k deaths. Assuming mortality is similar in both countries, it seems they are running tests at the same rate by now.

For all you parents teaching the young kin at home, while working from home, and pulling one's hair, might as well teach the young kin some useful information:

https://www1.nyc.gov/site/planning/z...exposure_plane

Glossary of Planning Terms!!!!!!

Kids age 2-6 should understand zoning, development rights, zoning maps, and so on. If not... they are behind!

Fuck the lego blocks, I want my child to understand what a limited height district is! Than they could design thier lego block city with proper zoning and deal with real life bs, like lego NIMBYS and Lego people not wearing masks.

Current Phase Tracker:

1) New York City Phase 3

2) Northern Suburbs Phase 4

3) Long Island Phase 3

4) NJ and Connecticut Phase 2

For the State of PA...

Via Govt Tom Wolf:

^At this point, the virus should be wearing a MAGA hat and thanking the bloated orange shitgibbon for its incredible success in making America the world leader in COVID-19 infections and deaths.

I've seen some nice looking masks in some cases, with designs, over the last few weeks.

Where can I pick up a Hugo Boss or Armani Mask? I want the latest Louis Vuitton N95 Mask.

But in all seriousness, I spotted someone the other day with a mask that had a nice design on it, and I kinda liked it. Maybe it'll be a fashion trend in the future. :shrug: