And that is one of the problems I have with this administration. Their science phobia got in the way. And trust me their gag orders and information embargo is something to behold. This time it contributed to a disaster.

No different in corporate America. NDAs cover up much more chit than people will ever realize.

Careers get sick and die because of them.

FYI, there's a channel on YouTube called "MedCram" where an M.D. explains various things, and their claim to fame is that they present the details clearly in the videos so they're easier to understand and they use memorable illustrations to help people recall the stuff later.

They have a long-running series of daily (Monday through Friday anyway) updates on the latest coronavirus developments. They're numbered. I think Friday's was 45, if I remember right. I've watched them since they were in the 30s.

They're good and worth watching each day. You'll hear stuff you won't hear elsewhere, you'll get more detail on certain things than you would elsewhere, and they do indeed explain clearly and with nice illustrations to help you retain the material.

Have a look. "MedCram" channel then look for the numbered coronavirus update videos.

.

One of the refreshing things I found was transparency. I kept very few secrets like I had to in the private for profit or not for profit world. Not loose lips sink ships but straight forward truth telling with no proprietary crap to protect. Foia ruled the day and if it was foiable we pretty much just released things.

It was one of the upsides and refreshing.

That has changed in recent years. It’s unsettling. And I do believe it’s hurt us.

What is foia?

FOSIA

Freedom of SOME info act....

If you want a closed down secretive government we are well on our way regardless of political affiliation. Sometimes in the immediate trivial political fights the big picture gets missed.

https://www.aier.org/article/we-were-wrong-so-sorry-that-we-ruined-your-life/ 

https://ourworldindata.org/causes-of-death?fbclid=IwAR1HW8zFBVTzwYk85Vi7KhVX6yW0WDZfngvCbJq_KqNwTEcwHWWsfG2uKyQ 

in the meantime...I'm social distancing until the virus crisis abates

even then, may avoid crowded places...definitely not going on anymore cruises...

https://imgur.com/gallery/OD1CkLY 

Not true. I was. I am. For me and mine. There are a bunch of us actually.

Not everyone is laying around watching tiger king and lolly gagging. Some of us are keeping a weather eye out on the world. I've been prepping since the first outbreaks in November, and got seriously motivated when it hit Hong Kong. I knew right then we were toast. Too much traffic in and out at the Chinese New Year.

Folks give us ****, but when things go south, we're the ones stepping up and pulling the rest out.

Doesn't mean I can't still get it, but I'm minimizing our risk factors the the best that I can manage them.

scary thought...pretty sure people will return to "normal" after a few years, and engage in behavior that contributes to the spread of diseases...the globalization that started 5-6 centuries ago is complete...the global economy is here and there's no way to reverse that process...too much money driving globalization and that will arrest the populist nationalism trend...

but we can learn that at the first sign of an outbreak, stop what we're doing and evaluate how the contagion spreads and take steps to CONTAIN...

I think spey was talking about mankind, in general...there are pockets of people like you, who are prepared, and there were plenty of public health experts and the like, who warned everybody...but we, as a species, seem oblivious to real danger if we're not confronted by it everyday...we're hopeful for the best, and that may be a reason for our survival, too...