{"id":39877,"date":"2020-05-24T09:44:48","date_gmt":"2020-05-24T16:44:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/?p=39877"},"modified":"2020-05-24T09:44:48","modified_gmt":"2020-05-24T16:44:48","slug":"open-thread-5-24-2020","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/2020\/05\/24\/open-thread-5-24-2020\/","title":{"rendered":"Open Thread–5\/24\/2020"},"content":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s a very busy day, here in the CatBox.  WWWendy should be here in half an hour, so I\u2019d better burn rubber.  This is today\u2019s only article.  Have a great holiday weekend.  If you must travel, please protect yourselves.  <\/font><\/p>\n

Jig Zone Puzzle<\/strong>:<\/font><\/p>\n

Today\u2019s took me 4:07 (average 5:58).  To do it, click here<\/a>.  How did you do?<\/font><\/p>\n

Cartoon<\/strong>:<\/font><\/p>\n

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Trump* Virus Update<\/strong>:<\/font><\/p>\n

\"0524TrumpVirusMap\"<\/font><\/p>\n

Cases: 1,669,311
Deaths: 98,740
Recovered: 446,982<\/font><\/strong><\/p>\n

Short Takes<\/strong>:<\/font><\/p>\n

From Alternet<\/a>: \u2026A new study shows that when it comes to forcing workers to go back into offices, stores, and factories, almost half the online voices shouting for the \u201creopening of America\u201d were, and are, bot accounts. Of the accounts that have tweeted most on this topic, more than half are bots. Of the most influential, almost all are bots. And behind the bots \u2026 is someone still unknown.<\/font><\/font><\/p>\n

The report comes out of Carnegie Mellon University<\/a>. Digging through over 200 million tweets discussing COVID-19 or the novel coronavirus, researchers focused in on the most influential accounts\u2014those most active, most retweeted, and most liked. Out of the top 1,000 accounts, 62% are bots. Perhaps even more amazing: of the 50 most influential accounts on this topic, 82% are bots<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

The bots may be numerous, but their message isn\u2019t varied. They\u2019re not being used to pass along accurate news about COVID-19, to encourage social distancing, or to support state government calls for preventive measures. In addition to pushing false cures, like Trump\u2019s much-pushed hydroxychloroquine, and spreading general false information about the dangers of COVID-19, there\u2019s one point where bots are driving the whole of social media. According to the report, they are \u201cdominating conversations about ending stay-at-home orders and \u2018reopening America.\u2019\u201d\u2026 [emphasis added<\/em>]<\/p>\n

We can be sure of one thing. Those bots are smarter than the Republican sheeple they influence. Even artificial intelligence is more than no intelligence at all.  RESIST<\/strong>!!<\/font><\/p>\n

From CNN<\/a>: With restaurants closed or open with limited capacity due to the coronavirus pandemic, a certain subset of those establishments’ “patrons” is struggling.<\/font><\/font><\/p>\n

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is warning<\/a> that certain areas across the country are reporting “an increase in rodent activity,” as rats search for sources of food other than restaurant dumpsters.<\/p>\n

“Jurisdictions have closed or limited service at restaurants and other commercial establishments to help limit the spread of COVID-19,” the CDC said. “Rodents rely on the food and waste generated by these establishments. Community-wide closures have led to a decrease in food available to rodents, especially in dense commercial areas.”<\/p>\n

As a result, rats are scampering elsewhere — including residential areas. Given the circumstances, they may even exhibit “unusual or aggressive” behavior, the CDC said.<\/p>\n

We need to do some heavy duty pest control to kill those rats. Not only do they spread disease, but also, you know they’ll vote Republican in November! RESIST<\/strong>!!<\/font><\/p>\n

From YouTube<\/a> (a blast from the past):  If I Were a Carpenter<\/font><\/font><\/p>\n