So it's another day in coronavirus exile paradise.
Is the pressure getting to you yet?
So the coronavirus has taken another life.
Well, not the disease itself but fear of the disease.
The man's wife said she'd watched televised briefings where Trump talked about the potential benefits of chloroquine. Even though no drugs are approved to prevent or treat COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, some early research suggests it may be useful as a therapy.
The toxic ingredient they consumed was not the medication form of chloroquine, used to treat malaria in humans. Instead, it was an ingredient listed on a parasite treatment for fish.
There’s a good reason why there’s distance between potential drug therapy and actual drug therapy. People who know what they are doing need a chance to sort out how drugs work, get the drugs made and then get them to the people who need them who can take them safely and for the purpose they are intended.
Talking about potential drug cures leads to tragedies like this one. People who are scared make desperate decisions to protect themselves.
And there’s a good reason why Donald Trump needs to shut the fuck up.
You know this moron is actually pushing to get the United States out of our current lockdown mode early? He seems to think 15 days is some kind of magic number that when we reach it, everything will be hunky dory, rainbows and lollypops and, most importantly, the stock market will be great again.
Except every damn medical expert is telling us we’re going to need more time than that. Including Tony Faucy who has now been put on a short lease and told not to speak to the media again without permission after apparently one time too many of Faucy contradicting Trump on the seriousness of the outbreak, the expected time line for social distancing and potential drug therapies.
Look, if given a choice on who to believe, Trump or the medical experts, there’s a sick and grieving widow in Arizona who might take issue with the wisdom of listening to anything Li’l Donnie has to say.
An
Arizona man died after ingesting chloroquine phosphate — believing it would
protect him from becoming infected with the coronavirus. The man's wife also
ingested the substance and is under critical care.
The man's wife said she'd watched televised briefings where Trump talked about the potential benefits of chloroquine. Even though no drugs are approved to prevent or treat COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, some early research suggests it may be useful as a therapy.
The toxic ingredient they consumed was not the medication form of chloroquine, used to treat malaria in humans. Instead, it was an ingredient listed on a parasite treatment for fish.
There’s a good reason why there’s distance between potential drug therapy and actual drug therapy. People who know what they are doing need a chance to sort out how drugs work, get the drugs made and then get them to the people who need them who can take them safely and for the purpose they are intended.
Talking about potential drug cures leads to tragedies like this one. People who are scared make desperate decisions to protect themselves.
And there’s a good reason why Donald Trump needs to shut the fuck up.
You know this moron is actually pushing to get the United States out of our current lockdown mode early? He seems to think 15 days is some kind of magic number that when we reach it, everything will be hunky dory, rainbows and lollypops and, most importantly, the stock market will be great again.
Except every damn medical expert is telling us we’re going to need more time than that. Including Tony Faucy who has now been put on a short lease and told not to speak to the media again without permission after apparently one time too many of Faucy contradicting Trump on the seriousness of the outbreak, the expected time line for social distancing and potential drug therapies.
Look, if given a choice on who to believe, Trump or the medical experts, there’s a sick and grieving widow in Arizona who might take issue with the wisdom of listening to anything Li’l Donnie has to say.
The Olympic Committee isn’t listening to Trump and have decided to postpone the summer Olympics that were scheduled for Toyko. This annoucment was not a total surprise. A couple of days ago, a Canadian member of the committee named Dick Pound said that….
OK, stop giggling! It’s the man’s real name, OK?
Anyway, Dick Pound had warned that…
I mean it! Stop giggling!!!
So… this guy said the committee was leaning in that direction to cancel the games and perhaps in the long term, reschedule them for 2021.
How sweet! He thinks we’re going to be here next year.
Also
gone: comic books.
This week, Diamond Distributors announced that starting with books with an April 1st sale date, they would no longer be distributing new product.
The next day, the printing plant in Canada that prints books for DC and other publishers announced a three week shut down, effective immediately.
Well, that sucks!
What does this mean for comic book shops like Acme Comics here in Greensboro overseen by the wise and benevolent Lord Retail, Jermaine Exum or Sterling Silver Comics in California, owned and operated by friend of the blog Mike Sterling?
Obviously without the weekly Wednesday fix of new comics, there will be less incentive for customers to come in on a regular basis. With the whole state of California on lockdown, Mike’s shop is not even open but he can still do business with customers online looking for back issues. Acme’s doors are open and they have curb side service and delivery for those customers who are trying to stay hunkered down away the virus as much as possible. And Lord Retail has a thriving business with back issues with clients all over the country including Twitter buddy Aaron Meyers.
But long term, even with creative marketing and having a substantial amount of classic product, the prognosis for comic book stores is not good. Just because books are not being printed and not being delivered doesn’t mean that comic books are not available for purchase. But while a spike in digital sales may help DC, Marvel and other publishers to weather the storm, such a dramatic shift in the paradigm from print to digital could have long term consequences beyond the current duration of the pandemic.
Me, I still like me comics in print form but I’m old and ornery and most decidedly not part of a growing demographic.
I imagine clever and sensible people like Mike and Jermaine will find a way to survive and even prosper.
But a broader view of the comic book retail industry is not a particularly positive perspective.
It's hard to be positive about anything. I believe this will not last forever and we will be more or less OK when this all over.
But I think the world will be fundamentally changed in ways that I cannot anticipate.
That's all for today's post. I think that maybe tomorrow I will do a FUN post about comics, how about that?
Until next time, remember to be good to one another.
And to yourself, while you're at it.
This week, Diamond Distributors announced that starting with books with an April 1st sale date, they would no longer be distributing new product.
The next day, the printing plant in Canada that prints books for DC and other publishers announced a three week shut down, effective immediately.
Well, that sucks!
What does this mean for comic book shops like Acme Comics here in Greensboro overseen by the wise and benevolent Lord Retail, Jermaine Exum or Sterling Silver Comics in California, owned and operated by friend of the blog Mike Sterling?
Obviously without the weekly Wednesday fix of new comics, there will be less incentive for customers to come in on a regular basis. With the whole state of California on lockdown, Mike’s shop is not even open but he can still do business with customers online looking for back issues. Acme’s doors are open and they have curb side service and delivery for those customers who are trying to stay hunkered down away the virus as much as possible. And Lord Retail has a thriving business with back issues with clients all over the country including Twitter buddy Aaron Meyers.
But long term, even with creative marketing and having a substantial amount of classic product, the prognosis for comic book stores is not good. Just because books are not being printed and not being delivered doesn’t mean that comic books are not available for purchase. But while a spike in digital sales may help DC, Marvel and other publishers to weather the storm, such a dramatic shift in the paradigm from print to digital could have long term consequences beyond the current duration of the pandemic.
Me, I still like me comics in print form but I’m old and ornery and most decidedly not part of a growing demographic.
I imagine clever and sensible people like Mike and Jermaine will find a way to survive and even prosper.
But a broader view of the comic book retail industry is not a particularly positive perspective.
It's hard to be positive about anything. I believe this will not last forever and we will be more or less OK when this all over.
But I think the world will be fundamentally changed in ways that I cannot anticipate.
That's all for today's post. I think that maybe tomorrow I will do a FUN post about comics, how about that?
Until next time, remember to be good to one another.
And to yourself, while you're at it.
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