As discussed previously, this is my weekly Twitter roundup. Note that tweets of articles generally include header images from the articles, which are not included here unless they happen to be available under a free license. Most are not. But I now add most of my commentary here, where I’m not restricted by the message length.

diagrams showing the division of the day and of the week

I also don’t generally attach pictures to posts with quotations.

9:03 – Mon 20 April 2020

Domestic Violence Is on the Rise With Coronavirus Lockdown. The Responses Are Missing the Point. from The Intercept

But we can’t think of the pre-pandemic prevalence of domestic violence as a tolerable “normal” to aim towards.

A related point is the “some people aren’t safe at home” articles, which also miss the point that you don’t necessarily need to shelter-in-place in your home. It’s not out of the question to find a friend with an “emergency” and be too worried about infecting your household to return…while you decide where to go after the pandemic eases.

12:03 – Mon 20 April 2020

The fact is that biological science is not old enough or advanced enough to give certain data that science of sciences which men call philosophy.

Joseph Jacobs

9:05 – Tue 21 April 2020

When buildings reopen, will the water be safe? from Futurity

But since no study has taken place on widespread, long-term building closures, knowledge gaps remain on how to best maintain stable water quality during a shutdown.

This is just a guess on my part, but everyone will probably want to be especially careful in smaller, suburban offices, especially the sorts of areas that used to be residential or are part of a downtown area. Those have different needs than the skyscrapers and generally only have a maintenance staff of one part-timer.

12:05 – Tue 21 April 2020

Alas! though often, thinking like a sage,

I thought, but never attempted, to depart;

For I would rather perish in my cage

Than break the golden threads of my poor heart.

Ameen Rihani

9:04 – Wed 22 April 2020

NBC Accused of Labor Violation Over Sleazy Union-Busting Scheme from VICE

…all of the “key leadership” from Peacock Productions would be transferred to NBC News Studios.

While all corporate-conglomerate-owned media outlets are going to value money over everything else and have no qualms about stepping on employees or customers, it’s notable how often there’s an NBC personality involved in the most egregious stories.

12:04 – Wed 22 April 2020

To understand the heart and mind of a person, look not at what he has already achieved, but what he aspires to.

Khalil Gibran

9:02 – Thu 23 April 2020

Even People Without Coronavirus Are Getting Sicker Right Now from VICE

Doctors who treat stroke and heart attacks, meanwhile, have found that their patients haven’t just waited, but disappeared.

It should go without saying, but if you’re somehow looking to me for medical advice, when you need a doctor, call your doctor.

12:02 – Thu 23 April 2020

No, by my God a heartless people receive only death as a gift.

Let history turn a page of failure and settle its accounts.

Perhaps rage, perhaps shame, perhaps fire may move the heart of a coward.

All these are in us, but all they move is the tongue.

Nasib Arida

9:01 – Fri 24 April 2020

Restarting the economy too soon could damage it more from Futurity

…and…

Trump’s Obsession With Reopening the Economy Ignores Public Health Experts from The Intercept

…a study by researchers at Harvard University, published this week in the journal Science, warned of “recurrent wintertime outbreaks” of Covid-19

This is exactly the problem with those idiotic astroturfing protests last weekend: Returning to work means that people die and the economy gets worse and we need to self-quarantine again, for longer, under stricter rules.

12:01 – Fri 24 April 2020

When an honorable woman sees another woman insulted, she feels as though the insult is directed at all women, not just one.

‘Afīfa Karam

Bonus

Because it accidentally became a tradition early on in the life of the blog, here’s a sixth article that didn’t fit into the week, but too weird to not mention.

How (Not) To Report On Russian Disinformation from Bellingcat

Many countries, just like Russia, pay (either directly or via friendly organizations/firms) actual humans to run accounts that promote a certain viewpoint or else are jerks to other people on social media.

A big part of the problem is that there’s a section of the media that’s exclusively representing corporate interests and wants to see Russians around every corner to avoid offending any domestic viewers, but there’s also another significant segment of the media that’s driven by an entirely contrary ideology that wants to pretend that any mention of Russia must be trying to deflect blame from whoever they feel like blaming.

They’re there. They’re not at the root of every problem, but they’re making existing problems worse.


Credits: Header image is Circular diagrams showing the division of the day and of the week from a manuscript drafted during the Carolingian Dynasty.