That's right. We're to the stage of the pandemic where the 10-year-old figures out how to make his own mask out of paper towel and rubber bands (held together with staples). It breaks my heart that my kids are growing up in this world. They have to deal with school shooting drills, extreme weather drills (to be fair, we had tornado/fire drills too, but because of climate change, storms are much bigger and stronger today than they were back then), and now a global pandemic. They are growing up in a constant state of readiness for something terrible to happen to them or the people they love. And I can see it taking a toll on them each day.
In national news, the unemployment numbers came out this morning. Last week, 6.6 million people filed new claims for unemployment. In the past three weeks, more than 16 million people have filed new unemployment claims (and that figure doesn't even take into account people who get their hours reduced or who lose jobs but don't qualify for unemployment). The New York Times notes that 16 million is almost double the total unemployment figures for the entire Great Recession (which they're pinning at 2007-2009).
There are more and more reports coming out that the federal government, after having told the states to fend for themselves in terms of sourcing PPE and other supplies, has been seizing those supplies once the states procure them, with no explanation or justification. It's not clear exactly what happens to the supplies once the federal government seizes them, though it looks like the president's son-in-law's new medical supply company is a direct beneficiary of these seizures, as are states that curry favor with the president. In response, Governor Gavin Newsom of California is pretty much done dealing with the White House. He has announced that California is going to use its power as a "nation-state" to get the supplies the federal government has failed to provide. Further, he says that if California, which is a pretty wealthy and resource-rich state, has extras, it will help other states in need directly, without dealing with this federal BS. California has already sent shipments of ventilators to New York; Gov. Newsom instituted the first statewide stay-at-home order in the country, well before most other states, and as a result, California is weathering this crisis better than a lot of other places. And listen, this whole conflict between California and the federal government might turn out to be only pandemic specific ... but then again, it might not. It sure seems like Newsom is gearing up to really test Republicans' commitment to states' rights (which no doubt will evaporate if California uses those rights for the betterment of its people).
One last interesting story today: The New York Times had an article about the changing readings on the world's seismographs during this pandemic. I never really thought about it, but scientists measuring the earth's activity also pick up the activity of people — everything from kids playing on a school playground to construction equipment rumbling around to "Messiquakes" in Barcelona when soccer player Lionel Messi scores a goal, and the earth trembles with the force of the fans' celebration. But most of that is quiet now, and in the words of volcanologist Robin George Andrews, the “thumping pulse of civilization is now barely detectable.” Good job staying home, world!
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