Mar 132020
 


Earl Theisen Walt Disney oiling scale model locomotive at home in LA 1951

 

Coronavirus Can Survive in the Air For Up To 3 Hours (GR)
Clinical Course, Risk Factors For Mortality Of Adults In Wuhan (Lancet)
Coronavirus May End By June If Countries Take Action – China Adviser (RT)
Policymakers Ramp Up Support As Coronavirus Shreds Markets (R.)
Ohio Health Official Estimates 100,000 People In State Have Coronavirus (Hill)
Many More Families Are Going To Lose Loved Ones Before Their Time (Ind.)
I’d Rather Be in Italy Than US for the Coronavirus Pandemic (IC)
Fed Rolls Out Fastest Money Printer Ever, up to $4.5 Trillion in 4 Weeks (WS)
Fed To Pump In More Than $1 Trillion Into Markets In Dramatic Move (CNBC)
Market Turmoil Sparked By Coronavirus Fears Worse Than 2008 – Bianco (CNBC)
Apple Reopens All Its Branded Stores In China (R.)
US Excludes Some Chinese Medical Products From Tariffs (R.)
Iran Asks IMF For $5 Billion Emergency Funding To Fight Coronavirus (R.)
Greening Our Way to Infection (CJ)
Two Angry Old Men Yelling at Each Other in Arizona (FPM)
Monsanto’s Secret Funding For Weedkiller Studies (G.)
Migrants On Greek Islands To Be Offered €2,000 To Go Home (G.)
Judge Orders Immediate Release Of Chelsea Manning (Ind.)

 

 

Over 9,000 new cases in a single day. It’s been a while, if it ever happened. New deaths are also crawling up. And in most places, we’re just getting started. Things like travel, public gatherings will soon be halted all over. There is no other choice. This virus can survive airborne for 3 hours, and patients can remain contagious for up to 37 days.

Get some extra vit.C, vit.D3 while you can, boost your health, wash more often. And prepare to hunker down for as much as 2 months. It’ll be a different world for a while. Get used to that while you can, while it’s voluntary.

And as you’re settling in, also prepare for a godalmighty financial crash. The Fed yesterday paid a nice round trillion for a 10% fall in stocks. Well, at least Chelsea Manning is free, albeit still in hospital.

 

Cases 135,809 (+ 9,165 from yesterday’s 126,644)

Deaths 4,990 (+ 351 from yesterday’s 4,639)

 

Apart from China, there are just 2 other countries left in this list that have less than 100 new cases.

From Worldometer yesterday evening (before their day’s close)

 

 

From SCMP: (Note: the SCMP graph was useful when China was the focal point; they are falling behind now)

 

 

From Worldometer (NOTE: mortality rate is back up to 7%!)

 

 

From COVID2019.app: (This site is playing with its formats while expanding, now over 200 global contributors)

 

 

 

 

“We found that viable virus could be detected in aerosols up to 3 hours post aerosolization, up to 4 hours on copper, up to 24 hours on cardboard and up to 2-3 days on plastic and stainless steel. HCoV-19 and SARS-CoV-1 exhibited similar half-lives in aerosols, with median estimates around 2.7 hours. ”

Coronavirus Can Survive in the Air For Up To 3 Hours (GR)

Scientists at Princeton University, the University of California-Los Angeles and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) have released a study on Wednesday according to which the novel form of coronavirus can survive in the air for several hours. Federally funded tests conducted by the scientists indicated that the COVID-19 virus could remain viable in the air “up to 3 hours post aerosolization,” while remaining alive on plastic and other surfaces for up to three days. “Our results indicate that aerosol and fomite transmission of HCoV-19 is plausible, as the virus can remain viable in aerosols for 42 multiple hours and on surfaces up to days,” reads the study’s abstract.


The test results suggest that humans could be infected by the disease simply carried through the air or on a solid surface, even if direct contact with an infected person does not occur. That finding, if accepted, would come in stark contrast to previous media reports that suggested the virus was not easily transmittable outside of direct human contact.

Read more …

I couldn’t find the 37-day figure this Twitter comment mentions, in the report (didn’t copy the writer). That doesn’t mean it’s wrong.

Study in the Lancet finds that #COVID19 viral shedding can be UP TO 37 DAYS, with an average of 20 DAYS. *Patients may still be contagious during that time* VERY BIG DEAL because current guidelines recommend only a 14 day (2 week) isolation time. This means patients may remain contagious well after they’re no longer symptomatic. And it means current guidelines (14 day isolation) may lead to additional propagation post quarantine.

Check the graph for hospital beds per 1,000 people in your country.

Clinical Course, Risk Factors For Mortality Of Adults In Wuhan (Lancet)

The level and duration of infectious virus replication are important factors in assessing the risk of transmission and guiding decisions regarding isolation of patients. Because coronavirus RNA detection is more sensitive than virus isolation, most studies have used qualitative or quantitative viral RNA tests as a potential marker for infectious coronavirus. For SARS-CoV, viral RNA was detected in respiratory specimens from about a third of patients as long as 4 weeks after disease onset. Similarly, the duration of MERS-CoV RNA detection in lower respiratory specimans persisted for at least 3 weeks, whereas the duration of SARS-CoV-2 RNA detection has not been well characterised.


In the current study, we found that the detectable SARS-CoV-2 RNA persisted for a median of 20 days in survivors and that it was sustained until death in non-survivors. This has important implications for both patient isolation decision making and guidance around the length of antiviral treatment. In severe influenza virus infection, prolonged viral shedding was associated with fatal outcome and delayed antiviral treatment was an independent risk factor for prolonged virus detection. Similarly, effective antiviral treatment might improve outcomes in COVID-19, although we did not observe shortening of viral shedding duration after lopinavir/ritonavir treatment in the current study.


Click for larger version in new tab

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When Zhong Nanshan said in late January that the China epidemic would be over in max 10 days, I said he sounded like a Beijing propagandist. He’s still at it.

Coronavirus May End By June If Countries Take Action – China Adviser (RT)

The deadly outbreak may be over by the start of summer, provided that all countries mobilize themselves against the pandemic, said Chinese government adviser in charge of tackling the coronavirus. Zhong Nanshan, Chinese coronavirus adviser and the epidemiologist who discovered Severe Acute respiratory Syndrome (SARS) in 2003, made the prediction while speaking to journalists on Thursday. He noted, however, that the breakthrough is heavily dependent on how World Health Organization’s (WHO) members are dealing with the crisis. Some countries still don’t take the situation very seriously and fail to aggressively contain the Covid-19, Zhong said. In this case, the epidemic might be prolonged even despite the summer heat that makes viral stains relatively inactive, the doctor warned.


His remarks come shortly after China’s National Health Commission (NHC) reported a decline in new Covid-19 cases across the mainland. “Broadly speaking, the peak of the epidemic has passed for China,” said Mi Feng, a spokesman for the National Health Commission. “The increase of new cases is falling.” As of Wednesday, the NHC recorded 15 new cases, about half as many as Tuesday’s figure. China has been leading a swift response to the disease, locking down whole provinces, canceling public events and even postponing key sessions of parliament. To contain Covid-19, Beijing dispatched around 42,000 medics who flocked to Hubei province – the epicenter of the epidemic – from all across the country. Academics, leading infectionists, and intensive-care specialists were all called in.

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“According to a survey of epidemiologists the coronavirus outbreak probably won’t peak before May, meaning it will be getting worse and worse and worse over the next two months, and for much of that time, presumably, exponentially worse.”

Policymakers Ramp Up Support As Coronavirus Shreds Markets (R.)

Governments and central banks readied more emergency measures to tackle the economic impacts of the coronavirus on Friday as Asian markets suffered their worst weekly crashes since the 2008 financial crisis. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s wife Sophie was among several thousand people newly diagnosed with the COVID-19 respiratory disease that has now infected almost 135,000 and killed more than 4,900 worldwide. Experts warn that due to a lack of testing and unreported cases, many more people may be affected by the outbreak that emerged in the Chinese city of Wuhan late last year. Major sporting events were canceled or postponed, large public gatherings restricted or banned and schools closed. “There is a sense of fear and panic,” said James Tao, an analyst at stockbroker Commsec in Sydney, where phones at the high-value client desk rang non-stop.


“It’s one of those situations where there is so much uncertainty that no-one quite knows how to respond … if it’s fight or flight, many people are choosing flight at the moment.” Japan’s Nikkei was in freefall, dropping 10% on Friday, after Wall Street stocks slumped around 10% in their worst day since the 1987 “Black Monday” crash. Travelers in Europe rushed to board flights to the United States after U.S. President Donald Trump imposed sweeping restrictions on travel from the continent, a decision that angered European leaders and frightened investors. Trump also suggested that the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo could be delayed by a year. “Maybe they postpone it for a year … if that’s possible,” Trump told reporters. “I like that better than I like having empty stadiums all over the place.”

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Simple math: “..at the very least, 1 percent of our population is carrying this virus in Ohio today,” Acton said. “We have 11.7 million people. So the math is over 100,000.”

Ohio Health Official Estimates 100,000 People In State Have Coronavirus (Hill)

A top health official in Ohio estimated on Thursday that more than 100,000 people in the state have coronavirus, a shockingly high number that underscores the limited testing so far. Ohio Department of Health Director Amy Acton said at a press conference alongside Gov. Mike DeWine (R) that given that the virus is spreading in the community in Ohio, she estimates at least 1 percent of the population in the state has the virus. “We know now, just the fact of community spread, says that at least 1 percent, at the very least, 1 percent of our population is carrying this virus in Ohio today,” Acton said. “We have 11.7 million people. So the math is over 100,000. So that just gives you a sense of how this virus spreads and is spreading quickly.”


She added that the slow rollout of testing means the state does not have good verified numbers to know for sure. “Our delay in being able to test has delayed our understanding of the spread of this,” Acton said. The Trump administration has come under intense criticism for the slow rollout of tests. Dr. Anthony Fauci, a top National Institutes of Health official, acknowledged earlier Thursday it is “a failing” that people cannot easily get tested for coronavirus in the United States. Not everyone with the virus has symptoms, and about 80 percent of people with the virus do not end up needing hospitalization, experts say.

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Boris Johnson doesn’t understand the simple math that Ohio Department of Health Director Amy Acton, above, does. But he still gets vilified for saying that not 500,000 (at the very least!), but just 10,000 are infected.

Maybe it just takes time to sink in?!

Boris also gets vilified for not closing schools, just like Dutch PM Rutte. Which is indeed a little odd: you ban gatherings of more than 100-200 people, but 1500-2000-pupil schools remain open. On the other hand, where would all those children go?

Here’s a thought: Will their phone addictions now save their lives? Kids these days are perfect isolationists. All they need is a screen.

Many More Families Are Going To Lose Loved Ones Before Their Time (Ind.)

Up to 10,000 people in the UK probably have coronavirus, officials have said, as they announced they were stepping up Britain’s response to the outbreak with new actions designed to delay its spread. Anyone showing cold or flu-like symptoms is being told to isolate themselves for seven days from Friday onwards – a measure brought forward by at least a week. They should then stay at least two metres, or “about three steps”, away from anyone else, sleep alone and ask for help “to get the things you need”. “Stay away from vulnerable individuals such as the elderly and those with underlying health conditions as much as possible,” the new advice reads.

Schools have been ordered to cancel all foreign trips, and elderly people or those with underlying health conditions are advised not to go on cruise ships. However, ministers have stepped back from immediate closures and sporting events will still go ahead, with fans allowed into stadiums. Patrick Vallance, the government’s chief scientific adviser, said the true number of infections was “likely” to be between 5,000 and 10,000 – many times higher than the current figure of 590. “We are in a period when we have got some, but it hasn’t yet taken off,” he told a press conference. The warning came as Boris Johnson sought to prepare the public for tougher times to come, saying: “This is the worst public health crisis for a generation.”


He dismissed comparisons to seasonal flu: “Because of the lack of immunity, this disease is more dangerous and it’s going to spread further. “Many more families are going to lose loved ones before their time.” Explaining the decision not to move to more draconian restrictions now, unlike almost all neighbouring countries, Mr Johnson said: “The most dangerous period is not now but some weeks away, depending on how fast it spreads. He hinted at a likely shift to banning fans from sporting events, saying: “We are not saying ‘No’ to that sort of measure, of course not – we are keeping it up our sleeve.”

https://twitter.com/EdConwaySky/status/1238177127951982594

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“I just can’t shake the terror that the United States, my adopted country, is fundamentally unequipped to handle what lies ahead.”

I’d Rather Be in Italy Than US for the Coronavirus Pandemic (IC)

I have spent the last week looking for flights from New York to Italy — not because of coronavirus-inspired flash sales, but because I would rather go home to a country that’s currently in the grip of one of the worst outbreaks in the world than stay in the United States, where life is about to get infinitely worse. More than 15,000 people have tested positive for the new coronavirus in Italy, more than 1,000 have died, and hospitals are at a breaking point. Hundreds of medical staff have been infected, and overwhelmed doctors are reporting having to choose which patients to treat. They are begging the rest of the world to take this virus more seriously. The entire country — 60.5 million people — has been on lockdown for almost a week.

In the U.S., meanwhile, where some are just starting to realize the enormity of the crisis and far too many remain in denial, confusion reigns, largely aided by our top officials’ inept response. Last night, after President Donald Trump abruptly announced he was blocking travel from Europe to the U.S. — though officials later retracted and clarified much of that statement — people in Europe raced to airports, reportedly paying as much as $20,000 to try to catch flights out. And still I am trying to figure out how to make the opposite trip. Even as the death toll back home continues to climb and the lockdown gets stricter by the day, I would much rather weather this pandemic in Italy than here. I just can’t shake the terror that the United States, my adopted country, is fundamentally unequipped to handle what lies ahead.


[..] It is a tragic irony that a public health emergency unlike anything we have seen in generations would come as Americans are constantly told that the idea of health care as a fundamental right is entitled, radical, crazy talk. What is crazy, to anyone outside the United States, is that it’s even a question. Back in Italy, people are worried they’ll get themselves or their loved ones sick, they are angry at directives that came late, they are even scared that hospitals won’t be able to keep up. But there are more hospital beds and doctors per capita in Italy than there are in the U.S. The Italian government’s harsh restrictions are in part an effort to stop the virus from spreading to the south, where the health care system is weaker. But for all their fears, Italians don’t have to worry that tests won’t be available, or that they’ll have to pay for those tests, or for any of their care. They don’t have to fear that if they seek help now, they’ll get a surprise bill later or that medical costs will bankrupt them.

https://twitter.com/i/status/1237944481153814529

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Could we fix health care with that? How much is that per American?

Fed Rolls Out Fastest Money Printer Ever, up to $4.5 Trillion in 4 Weeks (WS)

Thursday early afternoon, during the chaos when the S&P 500 was down nearly 9%, what would turn into the worst single-day stock market sell-off since the 1987 crash, the Fed rolled out its fastest mega money-printer yet, after its smaller money-printers malfunctioned. It’s not going to be a long-drawn-out QE – though there is a component that is just that – but it’s going to be trillions of dollars, essentially all at once, front-loaded, starting today, though today fizzled already. This is the Fed’s latest effort to bail out Wall Street, the cherished asset holders that are so essential to the Fed’s “wealth effect,” all repo market participants, the banks, and the Treasury market that suddenly has gone haywire. Lots of things have gone haywire as the Everything Bubble unwinds messily.


Last week, the 10-year Treasury yield had plunged toward zero during the stock market sell-off, which was crazy but in line with the logic that investors were all piling into safe assets, and early Monday morning it fell to an unthinkable all-time low of 0.38%. But then, the 10-year yield more than doubled from 0.38% at the low on Monday to 0.88% at the highpoint on Thursday. That the 10-year yield spikes during a stock market crash is somewhat of a scary thought. It means that both stocks and long-dated Treasury securities are selling off at the same time. And that probably made the Fed very nervous. For stocks, Thursday was the 16th trading day since the S&P 500 peak, and in those 15 trading days, the index has crashed nearly 27%.

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Inject a trillion, see markets lose 10%. Never a better moment to end the Fed.

Fed To Pump In More Than $1 Trillion Into Markets In Dramatic Move (CNBC)

The Federal Reserve stepped into financial markets Thursday for the second day in a row and the third time this week, this time dramatically ramping up asset purchases amid the turmoil created by the coronavirus. “These changes are being made to address highly unusual disruptions in Treasury financing markets associated with the coronavirus outbreak,” the New York Fed said in an early afternoon announcement amid a washout on Wall Street that was heading toward the worst day since 1987. Stocks were off their lows following the announcement though some of the gains were pared as the market digested the moves.

One part of the announcement saw the Fed widen the scale for its $60 billion worth of money the Treasury purchases, which to now had been confined to short-term T-bills. Under the new regime, the Fed will extend its purchases “across a range of maturities” to include bills, notes, Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities and other instruments. The central bank will begin purchasing coupon-bearing securities, something market participants have been clamoring for since late 2019. The purchases start Thursday and will continue through April 13.


The second part of the new operations will see the New York Fed desk offer $500 billion in a three-month repo operation and a one-month operation. The offerings will happen on a weekly basis through the remainder of the program. In addition, the Fed will continue to offer at least $175 billion in overnight repos and $45 billion in two-week operations. Repos are short-term operations in which financial institutions provide high-quality collateral in exchange for cash reserves they use to operate.

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“This is their tool. They’ve used it. It should be working”…

Market Turmoil Sparked By Coronavirus Fears Worse Than 2008 – Bianco (CNBC)

Market researcher James Bianco calls the Federal Reserve’s move to pump $1.5 trillion into the market the “nuclear option” to calm investors gripped by coronavirus fears. Only, it didn’t work Thursday. Instead, stocks saw their worst day since the 1987 Black Monday market crash. “Financial markets are not recovering. It’s incredible to think that a trillion dollars can’t get these markets moving,” the Bianco Research president told CNBC’s “Trading Nation.” “We’re at a critical time — unlike anything I’ve seen in my career even counting 2008.” On Thursday, the Fed attempted to stabilize the markets by massively boosting asset purchases in the market. It came five days before its policy meeting on interest rates.

“What the Fed did was they restarted QE, and they essentially announced that in the next two days they’re going to do more QE than they did in the last five years combined,” added Bianco. “The reason they’re doing it is because the financial markets have stopped functioning properly. There’s no liquidity. There’s hardly any trading.” Stocks initially rebounded, but failed to hold on to gains. The Dow sank 2,352 points or 10% to 21,200 while the S&P 500 fell 261 points or 9.5% to 2,480. The Dow and S&P are deep in bear market territory, off 28% and 27%, respectively, from their all-time highs. “This is their tool. They’ve used it. It should be working”, said Bianco.


According to Bianco, Wall Street may still be in shock due to the magnitude of the Fed’ s move. Plus, he suggests there may be logistical issues. [New York] Governor [Andrew] Cuomo just announced that any gathering of over 500 people in New York State is banned. So, these big dealer desks are now going to have to figure it out from home, he said. “If financial markets don’t start moving, and if a trillion dollars cannot get them off the lows of the day of $500 billion today, $500 billion tomorrow, then we’re going to have to start worrying that a panic is going to set in… and we’re going to see a lot more losses as we go forward,” Bianco said.

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I love you long time.

Apple Reopens All Its Branded Stores In China (R.)

Apple has reopened all 42 of its branded stores in China, more than a month after they were shut due to fears over the coronavirus outbreak, the iPhone maker’s Chinese website showed on Friday. Apple’s China website has listed the opening time for all stores, which vary from 10:00 am to 11:00 am local time. The website had previously carried an advisory saying not all stores were open. China placed curbs on travel and asked residents to avoid public places in late January, just ahead of the Lunar New Year festival, a major gift-giving holiday. Those restrictions stayed largely in place through most of February. The company sold fewer than half a million iPhones in China in February, government data showed on Monday, as the outbreak halved demand for smartphones. Apple had announced the shuttering of its branded stores in early February.

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Something tells me prices may have just gone up.

US Excludes Some Chinese Medical Products From Tariffs (R.)

The U.S. Trade Representative’s office said it granted on Thursday exclusions from import tariffs for some medical products imported from China, including face masks, stethoscope covers and blood pressure cuff sleeves. The exclusions were granted as the United States grapples with a coronavirus outbreak that threatens to strain its healthcare system. Earlier this month, USTR granted exclusions for other Chinese medical products, including hand sanitizing wipes and examination gloves.


The products were included in a fourth round of tariffs on Chinese goods imposed by President Donald Trump on Sept. 1, 2019, amid heated U.S.-China trade negotiations. The tariff rate on the medical products was initially set at 15%, but was lowered to 7.5% on Feb. 15 as part of the Phase 1 U.S.-China trade agreement. The deal leaves in place tariffs on about $370 billion worth of imports from China, including 25% duties on goods valued at around $250 billion.

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IMF meets sanctions x world health.

Iran Asks IMF For $5 Billion Emergency Funding To Fight Coronavirus (R.)

Iran has asked the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for emergency funding to help it fight the coronavirus outbreak that has hit the Islamic Republic hard, Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said on Thursday. The escalating outbreak in Iran – the worst-affected country in the Middle East – has killed 429 people and infected 10,075. The outbreak has damaged Iranian businesses and is bound to hit its non-oil exports after many neighboring countries and trade partners shut their borders. The IMF managing director, Kristalina Georgieva, “has stated that countries affected by #COVID19 (coronavirus) will be supported via Rapid Financial Instrument. Our Central Bank requested access to this facility immediately”, Zarif said in a tweet.


Iranian Central Bank chief Abdolnaser Hemmati wrote on his Instagram page that “in a letter addressed to the head of IMF, I have requested five billion U.S. dollars from the RFI emergency fund to help our fight against the coronavirus”. Iran’s economy was already battered by U.S. sanctions that curb oil and gas exports crucial for government revenues. A slowdown in economic activity caused by the virus outbreak and a sustained closure of its borders are expected to lead to a contraction this year, analysts have said. As Iran’s clerical rulers struggle to contain the coronavirus outbreak, Tehran has blamed the United States and its “maximum pressure” policy for restricting Iran’s ability to respond effectively to the virus.

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Bit right wing for me, but interesting.

Greening Our Way to Infection (CJ)

The COVID-19 outbreak is giving new meaning to those “sustainable” shopping bags that politicians and environmentalists have been so eager to impose on the public. These reusable tote bags can sustain the COVID-19 and flu viruses—and spread the viruses throughout the store. Researchers have been warning for years about the risks of these bags spreading deadly viral and bacterial diseases, but public officials have ignored their concerns, determined to eliminate single-use bags and other plastic products despite their obvious advantages in reducing the spread of pathogens. In New York State, a new law took effect this month banning single-use plastic bags in most retail businesses, and this week Democratic state legislators advanced a bill that would force coffee shops to accept consumers’ reusable cups—a practice that Starbucks and other chains have wisely suspended to avoid spreading the COVID-19 virus.

John Flanagan, the Republican leader of the New York State Senate, has criticized the new legislation and called for a suspension of the law banning plastic bags. “Senate Democrats’ desperate need to be green is unclean during the coronavirus outbreak,” he said Tuesday, but so far he’s been a lonely voice among public officials. The COVID-19 virus is just one of many pathogens that shoppers can spread unless they wash the bags regularly, which few people bother to do. Viruses and bacteria can survive in the tote bags up to nine days, according to one study of coronaviruses. The risk of spreading viruses was clearly demonstrated in a 2018 study published in the Journal of Environmental Health.


The researchers, led by Ryan Sinclair of the Loma Linda University School of Public Health, sent shoppers into three California grocery stores carrying polypropylene plastic tote bags that had been sprayed with a harmless surrogate of a virus. After the shoppers bought groceries and checked out, the researchers found sufficiently high traces of the surrogate to risk transmission on the hands of the shoppers and checkout clerks, as well as on many surfaces touched by the shoppers, including packaged food, unpackaged produce, shopping carts, checkout counters, and the touch screens used to pay for groceries. The researchers said that the results warranted the adaptation of “in-store hand hygiene” and “surface disinfection” by merchants, and they also recommended educating shoppers to wash their bags.

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I admit, included for the headline.

Two Angry Old Men Yelling at Each Other in Arizona (FPM)

Bernie’s got a problem. He’s struggling in the delegate count and Florida and New York are unlikely to help. He’s got one way to reverse the tide, and that’s destroy Biden in a debate. Destroying Biden is not so hard. He’s a confused and shambling wreck. Even Kamala Harris was temporarily able to pick up some of his voters that way. The trouble is Bernie is nearly as much of a mess. If his people weren’t complete psychos, they might have been able to build an alliance with Elizabeth Warren. Instead, all the bridges were burned, and Sanders benefited little from her dropping out. But Warren, staying in, could have served as Bernie’s hatchet woman. So might Tulsi Gabbard, though she last served as Biden’s hatchet woman.


But considering that she’s polling at nothing, there’s no pretext that could get her into the debate. And Bernie is a poor debater. Not as much as Biden, but close enough. All he can do is respond to every question with an angry rant about corporations and medical care. That’s not going to win anything. After Biden’s victory speech, it’s clear that the current brains behind his campaign have been able to get him to memorize his own speeches and deliver them in an angry tone that passes for energy. That’s Bernie’s shtick. And it’s probably not a coincidence. So the Arizona debate will consist of two old men angrily yelling at each other with stump speeches. Sounds like a winner.

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Upside down world: “..the loss of glyphosate would cause very severe impacts on UK agriculture and the environment..”

Monsanto’s Secret Funding For Weedkiller Studies (G.)

Monsanto secretly funded academic studies indicating “very severe impacts” on farming and the environment if its controversial glyphosate weedkiller were banned, an investigation has found. The research was used by the National Farmers’ Union and others to successfully lobby against a European ban in 2017. As a result of the revelations, the NFU has now amended its glyphosate information to declare the source of the research. Monsanto was bought by the agri-chemical multinational Bayer in 2018 and Bayer said the studies’ failure to disclose their funding broke its principles. However, the authors of the studies said the funding did not influence their work and the editor of the journal in which they were published said the papers would not be retracted or amended. Glyphosate is sold by Bayer as Roundup and is the world’s most widely used weedkiller.


The World Health Organization’s cancer agency, the IARC, declared that glyphosate was “probably carcinogenic to humans” in 2015 but several international agencies, including the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), subsequently came to opposite conclusions. Last year courts in the US ordered Monsanto to pay damages of up to $2bn to individuals with cancer and faces many more lawsuits. Bayer said it “stands fully behind its glyphosate-based products”. The new revelations centre on studies published in 2010 and 2014 by researchers at ADAS, an agricultural and environmental consultancy in the UK. The analyses concluded “the loss of glyphosate would cause very severe impacts on UK agriculture and the environment”. They suggested a 20% fall in wheat and rapeseed production.

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You blow up their home and then you toss them a handout to go back to that home.

Migrants On Greek Islands To Be Offered €2,000 To Go Home (G.)

Migrants on the Greek islands are to be offered €2,000 (£1,764) per person to go home under a voluntary scheme launched by the European Union in an attempt to ease desperate conditions in camps. The amount is more than five times the usual sum offered to migrants to help them rebuild their lives in their country of origin, under voluntary returns programmes run by the United Nations’ International Organization for Migration (IOM). The offer will last one month, as the commission fears an open-ended scheme would attract more migrants to Europe. It will not apply to refugees who have no homes to return to, but is intended to incentivise migrants seeking better living standards to leave the islands.

The EU’s home affairs commissioner, Ylva Johansson, said the scheme was “a window of opportunity for a targeted group”, adding that the IOM would run the scheme with the EU border agency Frontex. “Refugees will not return, of course, they can’t return, but economic migrants that maybe know they will not get a positive asylum decision could be interested in doing that,” she told a small group of reporters. The scheme, she said, could be a quick way to relieve the pressure on camps on the Greek islands, where conditions are “totally unacceptable”. The commission said it hoped 5,000 people will take up the offer, although it acknowledged it lacked statistics on how many people on the Greek islands were “economic migrants”, rather than refugees.


Migrants on the Greek mainland were likely to be offered extra money to leave – much less than €2,000, but higher than the usual resettlement sum of €370. Since 2016, 18,151 people have chosen to return home from Greece under a voluntary returns programme funded by the EU and run by the IOM. Only about one-fifth of them (3,927) were on the islands. [..] More than 20,000 people are living at the Moria camp on Lesbos, up from 5,000 last July. About 85% of last year’s arrivals were refugees, with most coming from Afghanistan and Syria, but also from Iraq, Palestine, Somalia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and elsewhere. More than 18,300 Moria residents were living in a facility designed for 2,200, while others were living in nearby olive groves.

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” Judge Anthony Trenga did not waive the $256k in penalties levied against her.”

Judge Orders Immediate Release Of Chelsea Manning (Ind.)

A US judge has ordered the immediate release of Chelsea Manning, the former American army officer who was remanded to prison after refusing to testify against WikiLeaks. The ruling states that it is no longer necessary for her to testify and follows her attorneys’ announcement that she had recently tried to kill herself while imprisoned. She is reportedly recovering in hospital. Ms Manning spent seven years in a military prison after leaking thousands of classified government documents to WikiLeaks before Barack Obama commuted her sentence in 2017. Last year, she was held in contempt of court after refusing to testify before a federal grand jury as part of an investigation into Julian Assange and WikiLeaks. She has been jailed since May.


In his ruling on Thursday, Judge Anthony Trenga did not waive the $256k in penalties levied against her. The ruling says that enforcement of the “accrued, conditional fines would not be punitive but rather necessary to the coercive purpose” of the court’s contempt order. She was scheduled to appear at a hearing in a Virginia federal court today. That appearance has been cancelled.

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Home Forums Debt Rattle March 13 2020

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  • #55225

    Earl Theisen Walt Disney oiling scale model locomotive at home in LA 1951   • Coronavirus Can Survive in the Air For Up To 3 Hours (GR) • Clinica
    [See the full post at: Debt Rattle March 13 2020]

    #55226
    V. Arnold
    Participant

    Thanks Ilargi; you’re doing a yeomans job on this…

    #55227
    teri
    Participant

    World meter now showing US has 1762 confirmed cases.

    #55228
    Dr. D
    Participant

    “UP TO 37 DAYS,” not 14.

    OMG, we knew that 2 months ago. THEY knew that 3 months ago. Yet they keep saying 14, which means nothing comes from nowhere.

    Also, P.S., this plus the aerosol is why they can’t stop it. And also why having all 10 elements of an engineered virus is why it’s an engineered virus. If you didn’t believe the U.N. bioweapons expert when he said so last month.

    Since no one’s tested or has symptoms, anyone have a death rate? Nope. Without both numerator and denominator, you have nothing. But yet we have to guess.

    Some countries still don’t take the situation very seriously and fail to aggressively contain

    Contain? Hahahaha, sure. But in any case, those who DON’T contain, as countries probably recover faster and better. That’s not a nice thing to say since they will also kill a % more people, mostly old or medical. What scale are we discussing? Micro or macro?

    Ohio estimated on Thursday that more than 100,000 people in the state have coronavirus

    Probably right, that’s what I’ve been saying. Number of deaths in Ohio? Zero. There’s your numerator and denominator. But it’s probably multiples of the flu, which isn’t safe. Say 300k? And sadly we wouldn’t notice. Unless you crash the economy, then 3M die, congratulations. And all those extra 2.7 million are totally voluntary, due to YOUR panic. (and 20 year selfish lack of preparedness since the ‘99 crash) So does that make Britain smart? Or dumb? If you’re on war footing, which China ALSO advised, then does it make sense now? Or do we just win with no hardship and no casualties? Do we sacrifice the whole nation, economy, AND pensioners trying to save people over 60? Hey, not saying those are GOOD ideas, I don’t really know, that’s why we advocate and vote. But they want NO casualties, NO hardship, NO work, and 100% whining, crying, and blaming.

    Fast market crashes mean nothing, and points mean nothing, only %. That’s only telling you that computers trade quickly (no kidding, Sherlock), and there are no real people in the market (also duh.) This is why they’re not markets, and haven’t been in 30 years while you applauded.

    I’d Rather Be in Italy Than US”

    That’s interesting, but also he’s moving from a nation post-peak impact FROM a nation not yet peak. That has nothing to do with either of our nations, it’s selfish arbitrage. I’d rather be here, but I don’t live in New Rochelle either.

    UBI as from yesterday, money, being a fantasy, is infinite. Real goods take work and are not. They’re proposing printing money and thereby transferring MY work to those who don’t work. As the old slogan goes. And that’s what caused the final spike in Wiemar, and the final complete loss of confidence in currency. But that’s been planned as 2018 since at least 1989, and you got a two year extension, so whatever. But if you want to more utterly destroy the poor than ever, go ahead and try it. Every single welfare transfer has made it worse before. It won’t matter, since they’ll just deny that was the cause after, and the destroyed, murdered poor will vote for it again, just like Zimbabwe and Argentina, for generations. Yes, Pete Townsend was wrong. Einstein was right “There are two things that are infinite, stupidity and the universe, and I’m not sure about the universe.”

    “Could we fix health care with that?”

    Therefore, NO. You CANNOT fix health care with money – and OBVIOUSLY!!! You fix it with doctors, nurses, clinicians…you know all those things Obamacare DIDN’T do, while they also added money, profit, administration, oversight, control of dissident medial records, obstacles, and paper-pushers at +10% p.a. for 12 years compounded. DOCTORS, silly. That takes 6 years. YOUR MONEY MEANS NOTHING TO ME, or to reality for that matter. Since reality is now optional, no one notices. THey’re saying “I’ve got money and we need food: why don’t we harvest TWICE at once, for 2020 and 2021, then plant twice?” A: because you’re a moron with the sense of a 3-year-old, that’s why. Back in the real world: Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall; pants first, then shoes, it’s not optional.

    Inject a trillion, see markets lose 10%. Never a better moment to end the Fed.

    …And that’s how – the ONLY WAY – to end the existing monetary system. He’s been at it for years now, discrediting the Fed, which richly deserves to be discredited, and has stolen 99% of the dollar, and the nation, in 99 years. So good, THIS apparently is what it takes to change people’s minds. Therefore THIS is what we do. As per Economist 1989. Also, anything the Fed “Wins” at means the rich only win, since they are the Fed’s sole constituency. Therefore the only way the working man wins is when the Fed LOSES. Loses credit and control. 1929 leveled income disparity. Why? Wages dropped uncomfortably, but Stocks, bonds, etc, dropped I N C R E D I B L Y. If you think about it, that’s the only POSSIBLE way. Because if the poor lose $50 they’ll all die. But the rich can lose billions and be fine. So that is what will happen.

    “the loss of glyphosate would cause very severe impacts on UK agriculture”

    Well too bad, it’s about to happen. Or where will you get the money and the product? From a bank? Through a factory, then a dock, a truck, a store? That’s going to slow down. They won’t get all the inputs they need. Aaaaaand now they’ve stopped all the cows, therefore all the manure, therefore all the self-seeds, therefore all the tractor parts, therefore all the…

    “Migrants on the Greek islands are to be offered €2,000 (£1,764) per person to go home

    That’s the best war reparations I’ve heard of. Just can’t come from Greece but Germany, Britain, United States…

    #55229
    Rototillerman
    Participant

    My wife is an epidemiologist in a western coastal state (until this past January she was the state’s respiratory influenza epidemiologist, now she just gets pulled in on an emergency basis: all hands on deck). The U.S. catches a lot of flak over how little testing is getting done, but the realities of testing are this: there is not enough test capability by a long shot, and sometimes the medical/epidemiological personnel get over-ruled for political reasons. The father of a kid in a school where there was a single case gets pneumonia and demands testing; initial ruling was no test necessary, as his bacteriological test came back positive. But a stink was raised, and he was tested; came back negative. You’ve got people coming out of the woodwork demanding testing for what are essentially seasonal cold symptoms. A much worse example: recently a cluster outbreak popped up in a nursing home in our state; the clamor for testing was intense, and eventually the state health department gave in and ordered everyone tested that was in contact. Here’s the problem: some of those tests are going to come back negative, and we know that this disease has false negatives in testing. Those people are going to think they’re in the clear, and if they’re workers at the facility they will probably not effectively quarantine, no matter what the state tells them. Why would they? Test came back negative! Also, testing the other inhabitants of the facility has no value: they’re not going anywhere, and they will just get treated as symptoms come up anyway. So a whole bunch of testing gets squandered because some county commissioner or whatever made a big stink.

    #55230
    neoh
    Participant

    Good points Rototillerman. I live in Ohio. Everything was quiet until yesterday when our fearless leader governor decided to close our schools and his health adviser announced that there are at least 100k active cases in Ohio (fwiw, they’re not going to the emergency room). Emergency room visits for respiratory problems have not increased, at least not yet, and are down slightly from last month.
    So now we have panic buying, paranoid people when they cough, paranoid people when someone coughs next to them…and not much toilet paper or dog food.
    It didn’t help when the Cleveland Clinic announced “free” testing. No such thing as a free lunch or anything for that matter.
    Not much happening in the summertime southern hemisphere. Not too bad in Greece (no ski slopes there).

    #55232
    zerosum
    Participant

    My rant coming up.

    People need cash directly in their hands. For some, it might mean the difference between life and death.
    The Fed. just printed 1.5 billion to make changes that they want to have happen.
    ( Some have called it “doing gods work”)

    Our society is changing. Yep. We here, at TAE, have all noticed. Other blogger have also noticed the changes that are happening.
    We are even noticing that some of those changes might have been caused and maybe even coordinated by someone or a group of people.
    Saying that there are humans involved in creating the changes of our social structures fall into the category of “He said, she said”, because if “they” are capable of doing manipulation on such a large scale, then “they” are smart enough to hide the evidence and smart enough to hire the necessary enablers to make the manipulation happen. ( there is no proof of wrong doing – Biden)

    So now, that we agree that the virus is making changes to our society, look, do you see anybody (groups), taking advantage of the situation to promote their agenda?

    Of course, you see groups taking advantage of the changes to promote their vision of what will be the future.
    I don’t need to remind you that those individuals are promoting a better world for themselves not necessarily a better world for you.
    Do you agree or disagree with their vision of the future? Do you agree with their manipulation methods?
    Changes are coming.
    Therefore, now is your chance to be involved in making changes.
    Join a movement or start your movement.
    Yes, you can smell it.
    Change is in the air. (It isn’t ozone and it isn’t due to lack of TP)

    #55233
    neoh
    Participant

    “There are two things that are infinite, stupidity and the universe, and I’m not sure about the universe.”
    Yes, like people being tested and thinking they’re in the clear. You might catch it while you are standing inline for your test. Acting like a test is a vaccination. Might as well get tested daily to be sure since pat results don’t guarantee future performance.
    Testing is way over rated. Might as well get a weekly cancer test also.
    I’m not against testing but I think people are assuming too much. Either they’ll die if positive or that they’re immune if negative.

    #55234
    boscohorowitz
    Participant

    Yesterday I watched a neighbor, old lady, carefully sanitize every bit of hand railing from her upstairs apt to ground level. Then she poured steamy water on the porch.

    Yesterday, the school bus came by,. stopped with its doors open for two minutes, then left without picking up children. Normally 3-4 kids.

    I plan to do some grocery shopping tonight. Should be sociologically interesting.

    Style

    Wait till the public learns that those macho metrosexuals lumberjack beards make great pathogen delivery systems.

    #55235
    boscohorowitz
    Participant

    An end to gender discrimination. Everybody looks like monks from the hidden city. Nobody takes their mask off except for close family.

    #55236
    Doc Robinson
    Participant

    “I couldn’t find the 37-day figure this Twitter comment mentions, in the report”

    Here it is:

    Findings… Median duration of viral shedding was 20·0 days (IQR 17·0–24·0) in survivors, but SARS-CoV-2 was detectable until death in non-survivors. The longest observed duration of viral shedding in survivors was 37 days.

    https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(20)30566-3/fulltext

    #55237
    boscohorowitz
    Participant

    I’m convinced that what blew out the 2008 bubble was energy costs. I’ve read some credible analysis to support this.

    This time, the bit of unbribable reality that is crashing our economy and culture is a virus.

    Reality is as reality does.

    Now we can all learn how to be hospitals:

    Uncle Bob

    #55238
    boscohorowitz
    Participant

    It was cute that the video above showed in my youtube feed today.

    #55239
    zerosum
    Participant

    When will the virus be used in assassination
    In Italy – not Iran – the president of the Medical Guild of Varese, Roberto Stella, has died of coronavirus at the age of 67.

    #55240
    zerosum
    Participant

    Canadian mp cancel work, (paychecks not cancelled) and go into self-isolation for 4 weeks.

    #55241
    Charles Alban
    Participant

    I’d agree with the article about Italy. i used to live in US, now I live in Italy. the longer I stay here the more respect I have for Italians. they seem to genuinely care and there seems to be more national unity than in countries with large immigrant populations.

    #55242
    zerosum
    Participant

    T-virus on bigger spending spree

    Trump
    I will be having a news conference today at 3:00 P.M., The White House. Topic: CoronaVirus!

    #55243

    “The message from the federal government was blunt. “What they said on that phone call very clearly was cease and desist to Helen Chu,” Dr. Lindquist [the state epidemiologist in Washington] remembered. “Stop testing.””
    Moon of Alabama.
    My understanding of dangerous people: Psychopaths do not seek approval, as narcissists do. They don’t feel rage or hatred as narcissists do (just try and stop a raging narcissist!), but if the deaths of others (including their own kids) empowers or enriches them, that’s not a problem. Sociopaths are created by circumstance- a kind of synthetic psychopath (think Calley at My Lai in Viet Nam). They tend towards vengeance and payback, and revel in personal triumph. They are extremely dangerous if they have power and situation in their favor. (A nod here to The Last Psychiatrist.)

    Testing would indicate a need to quarantine now, as Moon of Alabama wants. Demanding that tests not be done means the psychopaths behind this response haven’t got what they want yet. The deaths of pensioners and aged gov’t assistance recipients seems to be part of the goal.
    While some fancy voices on the pages of Zerohedge proclaimed cash to be useless, others mentioned the fanciest folk to have been hoarding cash. Considering the graph of the DJIA in the 20s, there was a lot of “up” followed by “bigger down”. I’m pretty sure some came out of the 20s as the most powerful psychopaths in the nation. They didn’t crow, but proceeded to take over the US government.
    I see the future of the US as neofeudal- a nation owned by the powerful, rented out to the power-hungry, and worked by the powerless, of which there are far too many in their dystopic dreams.
    They will tax you off of that little hundred acre Eden in fly-over country. There will be no havens. Show yourself to be resistant to their hazing (kill someone you love or admire; preform repugnant acts with a private audience, etc.) and they will eliminate you.
    Psychopaths collect narcissists and sociopaths, as they make useful knights in their kingdoms.
    Psychopaths ARE superior, when material wealth is the marker. They ARE superior, when love doesn’t count.
    Taking care of yourself for the sake of the community is an act of love. That’s why they will not test: you must not take care.
    Love is the enemy of the psychopath.

    #55244
    Dr D Rich
    Participant

    As if on cue, here’s a rich guy asking for a personal bailout, oops, I meant his own personal nominal GDP targeting. Why? Because saving his selfish ass will trickle down and save entire countries, perhaps the entire world. Because without his psychopathic/sociopathic leadership there would be no other alternative except anarchy. Anarchy! I say…..dogs and cats sleeping together, literally, all hell breaking loose.

    https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/appaloosas-david-tepper-says-fed-needs-conduct-targeted-qe

    #55245
    boscohorowitz
    Participant

    Anarchy!? Blasphemy! Or something.

    If Dogs Run Free

    #55246
    boscohorowitz
    Participant

    Daily medicine:

    Coocoo

    #55247
    boscohorowitz
    Participant
    #55248

    Italy comes in at +2,547 new cases and +250 new deaths.

    104 fewer new cases, but 61 more new deaths. It’ll take a while before the new isolation measures show in the numbers.

    #55249
    boscohorowitz
    Participant

    8 minutes ago as I write this, googlenews posts an article from The Atlantic in my feed titled The Trump Presidency Is Over… and at this point, it certainly is true, which makes the DNC’s shitting all over itself to “impeach” Trump especially tragic for them and hilarious for the rest of us.

    No one is going to be holding large political rallies anytime soon, eez szo? A strange new disconnect between media reportage and political reality seems imminent. One with an unusual range of plausible probabilities. Trump could be back in solid by October even after doing his best to imitate Joe Biden in real-time presidential footage of donald Himself fucking up awfully and unignorably on something very serious like diss here klung foo thing.

    Hot dog, this gonna be an exciting time to be alive.

    Meanwhile, an entire world begins to wonder:

    How long has this been going on?

    #55250

    Testing is not done to make sure people breath easier (sorry)- it is to assess the situation. Anyone who dies of a respiratory illness should be tested. (I’d even dig up a few of those vaping victims.) Anyone who comes in with severe respiratory illness should be tested. Anyone who goes to a clinic just to get tested because they feel a bit ill is crazy.
    It’s the analysis of how many likely have it now that matters. Cluster. Cluster. Boom.
    The markets are doing what so many knew was coming. Who couldn’t see that a world where someone went into debt to go on a cruise, or fly to a destination wedding, or buy the latest 600hp vehicle, or even purchase dubious IPOs was a world that was not going to continue?
    There are two things going on here. SARS-CoV-2 is a mighty convenient excuse for the other one. They are both deadly serious.

    #55251
    zerosum
    Participant

    Canada is now in LALALAND

    50 basic point was not enough therefore, here is another 50 basic. That ‘s down to .75 interest.
    You can now borrow cheaper. One billion wasn’t enough YOU WANT More! Okay!
    Here is another 50 billion that you can borrow.

    Imagine …. you cannot pay back your loans now at present rates …. take more loan … don’t worry about paying back when normal conditions return.

    Don’t try to tell me that capitalist do not take from the gov. The real socialist are the elite who serve themselves before letting anything trickle down to the people.

    Just think what kind of homeless and poverty problems that could be solved with all tha money.

    Stay tuned for more money for next week.

    #55252

    bosco, again, please stop posting the empty links. not the first time I ask this.

    #55253

    Zero:

    TAE is doing a great job of gathering all of the critical world articles that link and result in a clearer picture of what the elites are doing to make their lives better. Thank you..

    Carol:

    I agree zerosum. Thank you TAE for your fantastic articles and insights.

    VA:

    Thanks Ilargi; you’re doing a yeomans job on this…

    Thank you all. I know there are people who don’t agree with my “alarmist” view, but at least it’s now obvious that my idea some 2 months ago when I started to pay attention, warning that the virus “had potential”, was not the craziest notion around. It’ll change a lot of things, and some in quite violent ways. This is the 1st inning, if not the warm -up.

    Still, we all know our societies are due for major changes, and they need them too. Badly. These things just don’t always happen when and where you would want them. But that’s one thing we don’t get to choose.

    I can also see that reader numbers are up quite a bit, but it’s not yet reflected in increasing revenue, and that worries me. Governments everywhere have funds for companies and individuals “hit” by the loss of business due to the virus, but not for me. I don’t fit the preferred model. By design.

    So do hit the appropriate buttons, Paypal, Patreon. I’m right now and here pondering if I should go back to Athens soon, I’m not even sure if that’ll be an option for more than 3-4 days (no kidding), but the homeless are the first to be hit and I feel I must make sure the project works as we want it to.

    But I even have to think about whether I can afford to do that, it means double fixed costs etc. And that irks me to no end.

    I think I should be able to do what I do, the work and time that goes into TAE in what has lately become more like “Virus” than Debt Rattles, and the time I spend taking care of Athens’ homeless, without having to continually worry about paying the bills that furnish my -very much deliberate- simple existence.

    Anyway, that said, thanks.

    #55254
    boscohorowitz
    Participant

    I think the popularity contest part of this eolection, candidates and shit, will look something like this:

    Unlikely Bedfellows

    Or maybe this:

    Submit to Satan

    #55255

    I would have added “vanity wars” and “buy back their own stock” to the list of foolish reasons to go into debt, but I suspect those will continue.

    #55256
    boscohorowitz
    Participant

    Youtube apparently understands both my sense of humor and the times we’re in. Just now suggested to me:

    Bernieing the Germs

    #55257

    My earlier post should have said “Moon of Alabama, Information Clearing House March 12” for the quote.
    The same MoA who wrote for FireDogLake?
    Also: Yea for Chelsea Manning!

    #55258
    boscohorowitz
    Participant

    Also: anyone else notice how Nancy Pelosi looks more and more like Nanci Reagan? I’m Joe Biden, and I snorted this message.

    #55259
    boscohorowitz
    Participant

    As if Nancy Reagan and Nanci Pelosi were both secret off spring of this woman:

    #55260
    boscohorowitz
    Participant

    And finally:

    Emerging Fully Formed From Biden’s Lobotomy

    She looks like a triumphant chest-burster in the article’s picture. He looks like a ventriloquist’s dummy in need of a paint job.

    #55262
    sumac.carol
    Participant

    https://www.jonbarron.org/colds-flus-infectious-diseases/covid-19-coronavirus/?utm_campaign=Jon%20Barron%27s%20Health%20Newsletter%20-%202x%20a%20month&utm_source=hs_email&utm_medium=email&utm_content=84681555&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_4zBpXU1I9qvIY-5Zts-ovYOGMBuEZOBB6Pof_1jh67VUd_JtvAg6bVvILYOi43q_8X2jOcpNJokGrEXf4SYKJke_96A&_hsmi=84681555

    Here is Jon Barron’s latest note on on the corona virus. Highlights:
    – Government response suggests that this is a short-term problem, but all evidence suggests that the virus will be around for a long time.
    – Since it will be around for a long time, odds are everyone will get it and rather than trying to avoid getting it we would more usefully focus on optimising our health to survive it (eg reduce viral load in our bodies, support the immune system)
    – Rates of infection and mortality are very much subject to testing rates, so don’t get too hung up on them.
    – If you are not elderly and don’t have an underlying health issue, you will most likely not experience this as anything different than the flu.
    – If you quarantine yourself when you do not have the virus, you will be at just as much risk (even more) of getting the virus, because you had no chance to develop some immunity.
    – Quarantining sick people will absolutely stop the spread of the virus from those people (and reduce long-term stress on health care systems), but will not stop the spread of the virus by others.
    – Long-term mass quarantines of everyone are simply not sustainable. You would have to bring the entire economy to a halt, and the moment you stop the quarantine, the disease cycle will start again.

    #55263
    boscohorowitz
    Participant

    Oh. Sorry, Raul. I didn’t see the first request. No more, then.

    #55264
    neoh
    Participant

    I dabble in silver. It’s dropped like a rock the past few weeks but try buying some. This is posted on BGASC website today:

    Please Note: To ensure we maintain our high level of service, BGASC is currently not accepting any new orders at this time. Our entire staff is working diligently to pack & ship the large volume of orders we have received in the past 72 hours. We will reopen our online store on Monday at 8:30am PDT for new orders. We appreciate your business.

    #55265

    Let’s pretend that you had “the flu” a couple weeks back (and you wisely steered clear of medical facilities). You test because you need to know if you can now visit Grampa. You test to see if you should not visit your friend undergoing chemo. You test to see if you can return to your job in the nursing home. You test because tests are cheap, and will soon be abundant, and even accurate.
    Do we get immunity from exposure to this virus? Isn’t one of the horrors of this particular virus that your own immune response is the deadly part?

    I don’t know. My head spins with all the “information” I have read and heard about this thing. There are at least two strains (maybe five?) “L” is very bad; “S” not as bad. Which is it where you live? Does exposure to “S” give immunity to “L”?
    You test because data are fun.
    We hope the strain will eventually weaken. The instant cull with an intensive care overload is brutal.

    I’m listening to the President’s market-boosting chat: a long-wait test is probably worse than useless. It will have to be as instant as possible, with a self-quarantine until the results come in.

    #55266
    Dave Note
    Participant

    “If you are not elderly and don’t have an underlying health issue, you will most likely not experience this as anything different than the flu”

    NOT TRUE!

    Twitter is full of accounts by Italian doctors who are in the belly of this beast and they are saying the first wave of patients was indeed elderly but following waves have larger and larger percent of younger patients, and most have NO underlying health issues.

    Some hospitals are so overrun they are not treating those over 60 so they can save those younger patients.

    They tried to distribute their case over flows to other parts of Itly but the tide of new cases has swamped even the other hospitals. It’s like battlefield triage.

    One Italian doctor said if you only have 3,000 ventilators in the region and 6,000 cases, very hard decisions have to be made.

    A large number of the doctors and nurses are now sick, even having used protection, and they are exhausted and demoralized.

    Dr. Daniele Macchini
    Dr Giacomo Grasselli

    This was 3 days ago, it’s worse now

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