The number of cases of Covid -19 infections in Brazil and deaths related to the pandemic may be much higher than official figures show. Testing of the living is not widespread and there are few resources for analysing the potential role of the virus as a cause of death. Virologist Fernando Spiliki gives us his bleak assessment.
A remarkable study from South Africa shows just how easily the virus can spread around a hospital, with a single infected person infecting many. However the route of infection is not necessarily direct person to person transmission says investigator Richard Lessells from the University of KwaZulu Natal.
And from London a study in a hospital with many Covid patients at the height of the pandemic supports the South African findings; Researchers found viral particles on surfaces and in the air says Professor Wendy Barclay from Imperial College.
An early warning system for outbreaks of the virus or second waves may come from analysis of sewage, Jordan Peccia from Yale University analysed waste from his local sewage treatment works and found peaks in concentrations of the virus in the sludge occurred a few days before increases in hospital admissions.
(Image: Supporters of Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro wear face masks as they demonstrate against quarantine and social distancing measures imposed by governors and mayors to combat the new coronavirus outbreak and demand military intervention.
Also this week, The kids take over. Our younger listeners are as curious as their parents, it seems, so presenter Marnie Chesterton seeks out the finest minds and attempts to answer a raft of their science questions, including why can’t you tickle yourself? Why don’t our eyebrows grow as long as the hair on our heads?
Not content with humankind, these whizz kids have been pondering deeply about other animals. Ava, 9, from the UK wants to know if any other animals kill for fun, like some humans do.
Not limited by planet Earth, these little thinkers have been contemplating even weightier questions. Joshua, 13, from Kenya wonders if our Solar System rotates around anything. And Seattle-based Michael, 10, puzzles over what would happen if a black hole collided with a wormhole.
These and other mysteries are uncovered by Marnie and her experts.
'The best Sundays are for long reads and deep conversations. Recently the hosts of the Let's Talk Bitcoin! Show gathered to discuss state sponsored propaganda, corporate censorship and how cryptocurrency or decentralization changes the game.
The rallying cry of the totalitarian is "He farted first", but if both systems have produced similar outcomes, is there much of a difference? Inspired by a recent article in the Atlantic, in today's wide-ranging discussion the hosts of Let's Talk Bitcoin! dig deeply into the questions of censorship, propaganda and how things are both better and worse than in years past.
Who are they censoring from and how do we unpack this manipulation?
The rallying cry of the totalitarian is always “He farted first”
Who gets to decide what is censored?
The squeaky wheel of child pornography gets the attention, the much more insidious problem of silencing certain voices, or giving preference to other voices.
Propaganda goes hand-in-hand with censorship
Propaganda is harder to detect ‘reverse censorship’
Private platform curation have the right to moderate which can be interpreted as censorship.
You have to choose if you’re a publisher or a platform
What if AT&T listened to your phone calls, sold ads against them and disconnected you whenever you say something that would trouble sponsors?
Common carriers vs. publishers
FOSTA, SESTA and turning platforms into publishers
Crony capitalism will always co-opt government
The only way to win is not to play
The only way to not be coopted as a protocol is to have it not be owned by anyone.
It may be impossible to be a platform if you’re not a protocol
Information overload and compartmentalization
Are the solutions that are being proposed the solution that we need to solve this problem?
What kind of side effects does the solution have?
It’s one thing to say “there are idiots out there who have not developed critical thinking and are easily swayed and we need to fix this” and a whole other thing to say “And that’s why only the landed gentry should vote”
Do tech companies think they’re helping?
Benevolent fascism is still fascism
The public school system was never meant for the average person to be able to form their own opinion, “it is for factory men not philosophers”
Manufacturing consent with the power to control, censor, frame, set up the base assumptions of belief and then seek to nail them down.
A dictatorship of the mind is far more effective than a dictatorship of violence.
If Let’s Talk Bitcoin! Were on Youtube, we wouldn’t be able to say the word Covid-19. Avoiding totalitarian controls means missing opportunities presented by big would-be platforms.
Government surveillance vs. private surveillance provided to the government
What we learned from Edward Snowden
Does China commercialize surveillance?
If both systems have produced the same outcome, is there much of a difference between them?
A virtual prison camp
Suppression of information does not translate to changing reality
Biblical verses in the blockchain and
“A platform puts data out but search is editorialism”
Phone numbers, the yellow pages, cocaine and liability
Privacy, anonymity and another form of censorship
We need 30 different words for different kinds of censorship
Is it censorship when private companies do it?
Where did the word censorship come from and what words should we be using?
“The problem with censorship is not the content, it’s the person in which the control is vested”
Is this worse because of growing polarization and partisanship?
Was the internet free-er when nobody used it?
Letters to the editor and platforms that amplify
Even more insidious than censorship are the algorithms choosing what is seen and by who.
Geographic boundaries vs. idealogical boundaries and the demise of newspaper monopolies on local discourse
5G and Coronavirus: Niche ideas wouldn’t propagate if censorship worked
The Streisand effect, reach and survivor bias
The influence that Google’s page-rank has on congressional primaries
A generational divide in social media management skills and critical thinking
Masks, conspiracy theories and narrative control
Manipulating the wisdom of the crowds as manipulating the wisdom of society
Censorship by private forces for profit and by government for state control, and the coalition of the two.
Censorship as controlling access to the publishing of information vs. controlling what is amplified vs. how much reach it has.
A big difference is visible in implementation of severe consequences for speech
The chilling effect of harsh penalties and being “disappeared” for speech
Ostracism, state punishment or private corporate consequences
What are your favorite words or terms for specific kinds of censorship? Send us an email at adam@ltbshow.com
If you light your brainfarts on fire, is that flaring?
Credits
This episode of Let's Talk Bitcoin features Stephanie Murphy, Jonathan Mohan, Andreas M. Antonopoulos and Adam B. Levine. Music provided by Jared Rubens and Gurty Beats, with editing by Jonas.
Today's emergency episode breaks down everything you need to know about the death of George Floyd and the charges filed against Officer Derek Chauvin in Minnesota.
Since the pandemic began, people have been concerned about food—how safe it is, how to get it, whether it would be available. We answered many of those questions a couple of months ago. But now, with new state and local regulations coming out for how to reopen, things are slowly beginning to change. And Curious Citizens have asked us what it means for things like Chicago area farmers markets, take out and restaurants. We answer a few of those questions here:
What will it be like to shop at the outdoor farmers markets in the Chicago area?
The City of Chicago still hasn’t released its guidelines or set a date for the reopening of farmers markets within the city limits—much to the chagrin of organizers and shoppers. But several local area markets, including those in Oak Park and Evanston, are already open, along with dozens of others across the state. The Illinois Farmers Market Association has also put out recommendations for safety.
So even though city guidelines haven’t been announced, many Chicago area market operators already have a clear idea of what this year’s socially distant season will look like—and many have been operating virtually in the meantime. Here are some of the most common rules they say will be in place, once markets open for in-person shopping:
All markets we checked with in Chicago will require face coverings for all vendors and patrons for entry.
Market managers will limit the number of people who can be inside the shopping area at any one time. And, once inside, visitors will be encouraged to walk through the market in just one direction, keeping 6 feet from all others.
Managers and farmers want customers to pre-order and pre-pay for their produce in advance so they can pick it up from the market without any money changing hands. They encourage shoppers to use an app called WhatsGood that aggregates the products of all the market vendors in one spot for pre-order and delivery.
Most social aspects of the markets, like musical performances, yoga, chef demonstrations and kids activities have already been cancelled or at least delayed until the situation can be re-evaluated later in the year. At Chicago’s Green City Market, organizers have moved some activities, like their kids’ Club Sprouts, into the virtual sphere.
Logan Square Farmers Market organizers have developed detailed rules that they will combine with any city rules that emerge in the coming days. They also plan to experiment with a reservation system where shoppers can sign up for a specific time to enter the market in order to manage the flow of traffic and avoid long lines for entry.
Christine Carrino, a spokesperson for the City of Chicago, says they plan to share more information about the future of Chicago farmers markets sometime in early June.
What are farmers markets going to sell?
Shoppers can expect a more limited selection of items at farmers markets when they reopen for in-person shopping. Many market managers tell Curious City that they are going to focus on vendors selling fresh plants, herbs, fruits and vegetables in the early weeks. This will allow them to keep crowding down and expand gradually as shoppers get used to the new rules.
Jessica Wobbekind, executive director of the Logan Square Farmers Market, said they may add things like bakery items later in the season, but not prepared items—like tacos. This is to discourage people from hanging around the market and socializing.
Still some sacred farmers market traditions will remain in modified form, like the famous Oak Park Farmers Market doughnuts made at Pilgrim Church. They are still being sold at the market, but have to be pre-ordered through the WhatsGood app and pre boxed for pick up—so maybe they won’t be quite as hot.
What’s the best way to make sure local businesses—rather than third party delivery companies—are getting the money from takeout orders?
Under the stay-at-home order thousands of Illinois restaurants moved to a takeout and delivery model, including many in Chicago. Some restaurant owners say the model has served them surprisingly well and will remain a lasting part of their business—even at high-end dining establishments. Curious City looked at the safety aspects of this model in a previous story, but today there’s a lot more scrutiny on the economics of it.
That’s largely because Mayor Lori Lightfoot issued a directive in May requiring third party delivery services to disclose their fees on the customer’s receipt. This has cast a new spotlight on who is actually benefiting from the fees charged by companies like GrubHub and Uber Eats. Sometimes these companies can take up to 30 percent of the total bill.
If you want to ensure your local restaurant is getting the most money from takeout transactions, here are a few tips, according to restaurateurs we’ve spoken with:
Take a look at your next takeout or delivery receipt to see how much you are actually paying in various fees. The disclosure rules are already in effect in Chicago. You might see that some restaurants have added in-house COVID fees to their bills, and they should be able to answer customer questions about what these fees cover.
Don’t always believe what you see on Google or delivery sites in terms of how the restaurant’s takeout procedures operate—sometimes it’s wrong. If possible, call the restaurant first and ask them about their set up. Some may have their own in-house delivery person or have limited delivery. Others may have good curbside pick up options to avoid delivery altogether.
While most restaurants prefer contactless credit card transactions at this time, they also have to pay the credit card company fees for every transaction at around 1.75 percent. Call to ask if they have other payment options that they prefer.
Whether you are picking up or getting delivery, figure out the tip in advance by either putting it on the credit card when you order or having a clean envelope with the cash tip taped to your front door or in the part of your car (back seat or popped trunk) where the staffer is placing your food during curbside pickup.
What kinds of creative things are restaurants doing to maintain their business during COVID-19?
The prognosis for restaurants in Chicago—and across the nation—is not good. Many have announced permanent closures, others are hanging on by a thread and some may reopen only to fail, according to the National Restaurant Association.
While city and state authorities are still formulating rules for when and how local restaurants can reopen their indoor dining rooms, they recently announced rules for the next small step—allowing outdoor dining. You can read the city and state rules on these links.
Curious City has heard a lot of ideas from Chicago restaurateurs about how they might reshape in-person dining experiences, like removing half of the tables from the dining room, putting up bookcases between tables, creating tent-like structures around tables and even erecting plexiglass barriers. But a couple of our question askers wanted to know what other things restaurants were doing right now to adapt and try to sustain themselves safely in the time of COVID-19.
Some of the most creative innovations to keep restaurants open and people fed during COVID-19 have included everything from takeout meals you cook yourself at home to mixed cocktails (after the Illinois General Assembly passed legislation allowing restaurants and bars to sell the sealed to-go drinks).
Here are just a few examples of some of the creative adaptations now on offer in Chicago:
Logan Square’s award-winning Fat Rice restaurant has transformed into Super Fat Rice Mart, which sells whole kits to make the erstwhile restaurant’s signature dishes including Macanese vegetable curry and ginger and pork dumplings. More adventurous types can try the “Mystery Box” option, with ingredients and recipes for three unknown (in advance) Fat Rice dishes.
Pasta restaurant Daisies in Logan Square is now selling their fresh pasta along with produce and groceries from local farms, including milk, butter, flour and eggs.
El Che Steakhouse and Bar has become a butcher shop, selling premium cuts of meat, wine and grilling kits.
The popular Gibson’s Steak Houses are also selling aged prime cuts of meat, normally unavailable to ordinary consumers, for cooking at home.
El Ideas in Douglas Park on 14th Street is offering curbside pick up of its tasting menus paired with an optional Zoom meeting with chef Phillip Foss later in the night. Here diners can talk with Foss about the dishes and hear the inspiration behind them. “Even though dining rooms are closed,” Foss says, “I think people still want a way to connect.”
And one of the biggest surprises has been the sudden (relative) affordability of meals from Chicago’s top-rated Alinea and the Alinea group. Customers regularly paid more than $200 a head at the flagship Lincoln Park restaurant that now offers a nine-course tasting menu for about $50 per person through curbside pick up.
A few companies have tried to aggregate a lot of these creative offerings across the country including Chicago-based enterprises Dining at a Distance and Tock.
How else can you help out your local restaurants?
Kelly Cheng of Sun Wah BBQ in Uptown has a few tips for customers who want to help make the whole contactless takeout experience work better for everyone:
Order early. This helps the restaurant organize its workflow. For example, order at noon for a 4pm pick up
Try to do curbside pick up at off-times for quicker curbside service when you arrive. If you must pick up at a popular time (like 6:30pm), be patient. Dozens of others have probably chosen the same time for dinner pick ups.
Make sure you are clear about how the pick up will go—like, do you text when you get there or call to retrieve your order?
Consider putting a flag on your antenna or a sign in your window that says “Picking up Order for John Doe.” Cheng says, “It can be hard sometimes to hear and understand each other through masks and this way you can be sure you don’t have to get out of your car and interact.”
Park safely. “We have seen a few near accidents as people have parked in bike lanes while waiting for their pick up,” Cheng says.
Don’t pop your trunk until you see the staffer coming out of the restaurant with the food, “especially if it’s raining,” Cheng says.
Thank you to question askers Jennifer Ptak, Diane Danbury, Leslie Harris and Mary Beth Nevulis for your great food questions.
Monica Eng is a WBEZ reporter. You can contact her at meng@wbez.org.
Bestselling author Cheryl Strayed joins NPR's Ari Shaprio as listeners share stories about acts of kindness they've experienced.
These excerpts come from NPR's nightly radio show about the coronavirus crisis, The National Conversation. In this episode:
-NPR reporter Miles Parks answers questions about how upcoming elections can be run safely.
-Cheryl Strayed, bestselling author of 'Wild' and host of the podcast Sugar Calling, joins NPR host Ari Shapiro to hear listeners' stories about acts of kindness during the pandemic.
This SCOTUScast addresses the January 22 Supreme Court argument in Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue. The question, in this case, is whether it violates the Free Exercise Clause for a state supreme court to invalidate a school choice program, merely because that program includes religious options, pursuant to that state’s Blaine Amendment. The Institute for Justice represents the Plaintiffs in the case.
To discuss the case, we have Erica Smith, Senior Attorney at the Institute for Justice.
This podcast series tells the story of the Crusades from the Byzantine angle. It is based on the book "The Byzantine World War" by Nick Holmes. In this episode, the Byzantine and Seljuk Turkish armies are gathering for one of the greatest battles of the Middle Ages - the Battle of Manzikert.
Please take a look at my website nickholmesauthor.com where you can download a free copy of The Byzantine World War, my book that describes the origins of the First Crusade.
COVID-19 Update; News Items: Loners and Swarms, Dinosaur Asteroid Impact, Backward Time Universe, Why Beards, Solving Space Junk; Who's That Noisy; Your Questions and E-mails: Electrical Stimulation Treatment; Science or Fiction
The President and several U.S. Senators seem not to understand how key provisions of federal law protect social media platforms and other websites from their unwanted advances. Matthew Feeney comments.
The President and several U.S. Senators seem not to understand how key provisions of federal law protect social media platforms and other websites from their unwanted advances. Matthew Feeney comments.
