Slash and Yearn

“The U.S. central bank has not made an emergency move like this since late 2008. Fed leaders said it was done to protect the U.S. economy and financial markets as the coronavirus spreads.” WaPo Fed makes largest emergency cut to interest rates since the financial crisis. (So far, the Dow is not that psyched…)

+ “Other diseases have come along since the age of the internet, but none have been politicked in an era when the president gives social-media-born conspiracy theories and the CDC equal weight.” Nick Bilton in Vanity Fair: Coronavirus Is Creating a Fake-News Nightmarescape. (I’d like to wash my hands of fake news.)

+ 1 in 10 Iranian MPs Have Tested Positive For Coronavirus.

+ “It’s all about speed.” Vox: China’s cases of Covid-19 are finally declining. A WHO expert explains why.

+ “The key is to watch big macro numbers rather than obsessively watching things tied to virus and supply chains. If people aren’t getting haircuts anymore, that’s a bad sign.” NYT: Will the Coronavirus Cause a Recession? Keep Your Eye on the Barbershops.

+ “Per doctor’s orders, I had already redoubled my efforts on the hand-washing front, lathering up in the men’s room every couple hours like I was scrubbing in for surgery. Surely I could give up wiping my mouth, rubbing my eyes, and scratching my nose, too. How hard could it be? I’m not a 4-year-old licking the buttons in the elevator; I’m a grown man in control of my various scratching and rubbing functions.” Boston Globe: I tried to go 24 hours without touching my face. I made it 18 minutes. (Nice photo cameo by the excellent Rep Jim Himes who looks how I feel…) Pro tip: I’m biting my nails to keep from touching my face…

+ Here’s the latest from The Guardian. (My friend Mordy just told me that his son’s school in Kirkland is closing for the next six weeks. I think I responded as any friend would: “Holy shit.”)