My apologies to whoever submitted this article yesterday — I accidentally deleted it instead of publishing. Please tell us in comments so you can get proper credit.
[FoxNews] Drones and drinks are a match made in Ireland.
A pub in Ireland is using a drone to deliver drinks to locals during the coronavirus pandemic. This is just one way that many of the country’s famous bars and pubs are trying to stay connected with customers during the shutdown.
McKeever’s Bar and Lounge uses the drone to make deliveries in its local community, The Guardian reports. The pub has been in business for 152 years and serves a rural community about 30 miles north of Dublin.
According to the news outlet, the drone will carry bottles or cans of beer, wine and occasionally even a bag of chips dangling from a string. While other establishments in the area have started making home deliveries with vans (with some even installing kegs in the vehicles), McKeever’s is flying their product directly to the customers.
Of course, using a drone does come with some issues.
Avril McKeever, owner of the pub, told The Guardian, “We had a bottle of wine and a bag of Tayto crisps ready to go last night but it didn’t take off because of the wind.”
[Dhaka Tribune] China on Sunday reported the first case of coronavirus (aka COVID19 or Chinese Plague) ...the twenty first century equivalent of bubonic plague, only instead of killing off a third of the population of Europe it kills 3.4 percent of those who notice they have it. It seems to be fond of the elderly, especially Iranian politicians and holy men... in over a month in Wuhan, the city where the outbreak first started in December last year.
China's National Health Commission also reported the first double-digit increase in countrywide cases in nearly 10 days, saying 14 new infections had been confirmed.
Two of the cases were imported into the country from overseas, the commission said.
The virus first emerged in Wuhan, a major industrial and transport city in central China, in December.
It has since infected nearly four million people worldwide - claiming more than 270,000 lives - and crippled the global economy.
The total number infected in China is 82,901, with an official corpse count of 4,633.
o new deaths have been reported for nearly a month.
China's ruling Communist Party imposed a quarantine lockdown on tens of millions of people - first in Wuhan and then the rest of Hubei province - beginning January 23, making Wuhan the first place in the world subjected to draconian restrictions.
Authorities started lifting restrictions in late March.
China has faced criticism both at home and abroad for downplaying the virus and concealing information about the outbreak when it first emerged in Wuhan.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/11/2020 00:00 ||
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[Sudan Tribune] The South Sudanese army continues to massively displace civilians in Central and Western Equatoria States, said the National Salvation Front (NAS) in a statement released on Saturday.
The holdout group recently accused the government forces of attacks on its positions in Central Equatoria and joint military operation with the SPLA-IO in Western Equatoria. It also said that civilians have been targeted because they are accused of supporting NAS fighters.
"NAS urges members of International Community and international humanitarian organizations to closely monitor this worrying development and hold the government responsible for the suffering they are inflicting on civilians," reads the statement.
The group further said the army has closed all the roads and denied access to the UNMISS peacekeepers who are mandated with the protection of civilians.
"The cancellation of movement of UNMISS and NGOs is to provide cover for this planned offensive and to deny UNMISS as well as NGOs access to areas and evidence of the humanitarian catastrophe in the making and the atrocities of the SSPDF- SPLA IO on civilians," said the group.
Earlier this year, NAS and its allied groups of the SSOMA, an alliance of the non-signatory groups of the revitalized peace agreement, have signed the Rome Declaration committing them and the government to negotiate a political settlement to the conflict.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/11/2020 00:00 ||
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[Sudan Tribune] South Sudan on Sunday reported 36 new coronavirus (aka COVID19 or Chinese Plague) ...the twenty first century equivalent of bubonic plague, only instead of killing off a third of the population of Europe it kills 3.4 percent of those who notice they have it. It seems to be fond of the elderly, especially Iranian politicians and holy men... cases, taking the country’s total to 156 confirmed infection.
In statements on Sunday, Richard Laku, director of planning and research at the health ministry said the confirmed cases include two Ugandan nationals, a Kenyan and a Congolese national.
Laku further said that confirmed that locally transmitted infections rose in the country without giving the number of patients infected inside the country.
The first cases of COVID-19 involved travellers arriving from abroad.
The ministry of environment will launch a campaign to disinfect markets and public transport as part of the government efforts to prevent the spread of the respiratory disease.
Activists on the social media released a video showing the Michael Makuei information minister urging people to go to work after saying South Sudan is free of coronavirus.
"South Sudan is free of coronavirus so people have to work," Makuei said on Friday.
South Sudan confirmed its first coronavirus case on 5 April.
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05/11/2020 00:00 ||
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#1
The Nazis feared Russian air units known as the Night Witches on the Russian front, female pilots between ages 17 and 25. Were given the worst planes and equipment available (bi-planes) but were excellent at surviving and taking out enemy ground targets. Not shown in this Russian TV series of the unit is they would shut down their engines near targets and swoop down at tree top level for accuracy while two other bi-planes drew Nazi ground fire higher up. The Night Witches sustained the least losses and were the most decorated Russian air unit in WWII. First episode of excellent intense Russian film making of the military unit.
[Aljazeera] Small protests erupted in Hong Kong as hundreds of people gathered in several shopping centres to call for independence and the resignation of the city's Beijing-backed leader.
The semi-autonomous Chinese city last year was rocked by months of often-violent demonstrations triggered by the introduction of a now-scrapped extradition bill. The demonstrations later morphed into a broader pro-democracy movement, but mass arrests and the coronavirus pandemic ushered in a period of calm in recent months.
But with Hong Kong successfully flattening its curve of COVID-19 infections, there has been a revival in anti-government protests over the last couple of weeks.
Small flashmob demonstrations broke out in at least eight shopping centres throughout Sunday, prompting riot police to rush in and disperse crowds of activists and shoppers on Mother's Day.
At least three arrests were made while groups of officers conducted multiple stop and searches.
Live footage also showed police issuing on the spot fines of 2,000 Hong Kong dollars ($260) to those allegedly breaching emergency anti-virus measures banning more than eight people gathering in public.
Authorities had banned an application for a march on Sunday, so small groups of masked protesters instead played a game of cat-and-mouse with police in different shopping centres, a tactic used frequently last year.
#1
More festivities planned for early/mid June;
4 June - Tiananmen Memorial
9 June - Anniversary of first million person march
12 June - Anniversary of Legislative Council protest
16 June - Anniversary of second million person march
Conventional wisdom on the ground here is that things will heat up again. Standby for heavy rolls.
Posted by: Bangkok Billy ||
05/11/2020 2:58 Comments ||
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#2
In Washington and within the IC, these dates are likely little more interesting coincidences:
4 June - Tiananmen Memorial
9 June - Anniversary of first million person march
12 June - Anniversary of Legislative Council protest
16 June - Anniversary of second million person march
#3
Will do Mr. B. The end of my tour draws nigh. I could see this place going pear-shaped especially if the ChiComms interfere (they will) with the election in September.
Had lunch today w/a VN vet Jarhead buddy of mine. He's been here for 30 years and said dream another dream - this dream is over. Good WSJ article on this today.
Posted by: Bangkok Billy ||
05/11/2020 7:56 Comments ||
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#4
Good luck with your next posting. If someone suggests retirement, shoot them. Keep your PR's current and your options open. God Bless you for the work you do fella.
#10
Yeah, but how hard can an amphibious assault be?
Considering it would be on the same scale as D-Day, with the same distance to cross a channel, with a 30 day window before typhoon season hits, where you would have to get 2.5 million men with their gear, supplies and reinforcements on during that 30 day window, with the enemy raining holy hell down on your little fleet of some 270 transport craft...
#11
Mr. B. My favorite. In Yancey Derringer episode I saw Yancey use the phrase. It seems to be an old southern expression. Older still is Huckelburr. Meaning I'm your pallbearer.
#13
An issue would be the extent to which the CCP has compromised Taiwan's command-and-control, or vice versa. They've been staring at each other for a long time.
A point about the Great Chinese Military Build-Up is how few training accidents are reported. You can find some, but not many. That means either (1) they're only posing for photo-ops or (2) they're training hard and not telling anyone about the accidents. Maybe our IC could take some time out from domestic politics to look into this situation.
Posted by: Matt ||
05/11/2020 10:50 Comments ||
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#14
PRC can take that "century of humiliation" and just shove it!
#15
To me this speaks of the deep rumblings inside the power elite in China and how PoohBear is signaling internally and externally a possible course of action that will terrify and give pause to Western leadership about escalating outcomes. Imagine a prolonged naval blockade and the interruption of commerce. Such a pretext shuts down Chinese exports without a direct excuse for confrontation with the US. How long before such an impact literally shuts down much of our already devastated economy as an election nears? This is a daunting possibility.
#16
We have had our economy crash before. We survived. Adapt, improvise, overcome. We're watching now the effect of compartmentalization that the states offer. How many big crashes has China survived?
#18
PRC lacks the ability to invade. They simply don't have the amphibious transports. There is a reason the theoretical invasion has long been known as "the million man swim".
And that too could prove to be a major embarrassment.
Posted by: Abu Uluque ||
05/11/2020 13:35 Comments ||
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#21
There are enemies on the Chinese borders that might take advantage it they get too tied up in sea warfare. The Vietnamese come to mind. They have some grudges . I'd also look for Thai proxies or people with grudges from Cambodia. If the Chinese leadership breaks the Iron Rice Bowl , long pig from Peking could be on the menu.
#22
This is Xi Jinping presenting himself as the good cop. In reality, any "bad cops" would quickly find themselves destined for a gulag where they'll rapidly die of starvation or exposure. They can plot against him secretly, if they can sidestep the Party Gestapo, but any public pronouncements have Xi Jinping's express permission. Or else the editors suddenly go missing, along with the "authors" of heterodox views.
#23
Open question. Has anyone here ever dealt with Chinese Communist Party officials in China? Not a meet and greet, but weeks long dealings. Asking for a friend.
Posted by: Whiskey Mike ||
05/11/2020 15:25 Comments ||
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#24
Aren't the only people on "Social Media' in China friends of the CCP?
Stone-throwing and arguments “ended in a fistfight," #India Army Eastern Command spokesman Mandeep Hooda tells @AFP about the incident near the 4,572-meter Nathu La crossing in #Sikkim, adding it was resolved after "dialogue and interaction" at a local level.
[Mises] The economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has reached all productive sectors. The massive spread of the virus and social distancing measures have led to a dramatic decrease in economic activity.
The aviation industry, vital for tourism and business, has been hit hard. Investors and analysts state that this crisis could be worse than the one that followed the SARS outbreak in 2003 and the one after 9/11.
In this article we will describe how the future of airlines looks and explain how bad the current situation is.
THE IMPACT ON THE AIRLINE INDUSTRY
The airline industry necessarily requires intensive social contact and is directly affected by travel restrictions. Therefore, it has been one of the industries that has suffered most from NPIs.
According to a Wall Street Journal report, the financial implications of the canceled flights and routes are immense. Statistics from Flightradar24...show a 73 percent fall in the number of commercial flights per day from the beginning of March to the second half of April....
Layoffs as a result of the shutdowns are already happening. The WSJ report notes that Cathay Pacific and Asiana Airlines have asked thousands of employees to take unpaid leave. Hong Kong Airlines announced that it would lay off four hundred employees, and its president said that it was a matter of survival. According to a CNBC report, Delta Airlines cut capacity by 70 percent, United Airlines by 65 percent, and American Airlines by 50 percent. Norwegian, SAS, and Lufthansa suspended most of their operations, and similar cuts are expected in other airlines.
The CEO of American Airlines, Doug Parker, stated that this is the worst crisis in the history of the industry.
CONCLUSION
In a nutshell, the economic impact of the COVID-19 crisis on the aviation industry is enormous, and the situation could get even worse.
After all, it is not only about the ruin of the airlines or how they will manage to recover (if they survive). The aviation industry represents 3.6 percent of global GDP. Its crisis will have a wide impact on the economy as a whole. Today the industry supports 65.5 million jobs worldwide, and 25 million of them are now at risk.
This is not the time to stop worrying about industries’ performance. The global recession could have more devastating effects than the virus itself, and the example of the airlines put things in perspective.
#1
An effective and safe modification/alternative to recirculated air will be a major issue for the airlines.
There are plenty of other problems to solve, but that just seems like it's going to be a major factor in the general population being willing to chance flying again.
Another possibility is that passenger flight will go back to being a "boutique" industry.
Which will require a major, difficult transition for the business.
#9
I continue to notice a huge discrepancy between what is reported and what is happening in front of my own eyes. Flew to Florida for the weekend. Plane was full. Masks were required, but 30 min into the flight half of them were no longer being worn. People were enjoying the beaches and restaurants, though a disturbingly small percentage of them were open. Biggest problem I kept hearing about was business owners calling back workers who prefer unemployment for the time being.
#10
How hard would it be to add an ultraviolet treatment to the cabin air circulation filtration? It’s old technology, after all, a common addition to household HVAC set-ups.
#11
..you ask corporations that are still trying to figure out how to shoe horn more people into steerage and charge them extra for taking anything more on board than what they are wearing?
#12
According to Wikipedia Howard Hughes had his 1954 Chrysler New Yorker equipped with an aircraft-grade air filtration system that took up the entire trunk. He was, famously, a germophobe, but maybe he was on the right track?
The New York Times is deeply concerned about the homeless, as we know from the heart-rending articles it runs about them.But when push comes to shove, it tells the government and the public (quietly) that it doesn't have to worry about the virus, because it's sitting on a big pile of cash. Hypocritical bastids. From page 20:
[SEC.gov] The worldwide economic slowdown caused by the pandemic also led to a decline in our first-quarter 2020 advertising revenues, and to the extent conditions persist, we expect that our advertising revenues will continue to be adversely affected, including in the second quarter of 2020.
However, our strong balance sheet has enabled us to continue to operate without the liquidity issues being experienced by many other companies. As of March 29, 2020, we had cash, cash equivalents and short- and long-term marketable securities of $686.9 million, and we were debt-free. We believe our cash balance and cash provided by operations, in combination with other sources of cash, will be sufficient to meet our financing needs over the next twelve months, enabling us to continue hiring in our newsroom, and in product and technology and continue investment in important growth areas.
Posted by: Matt ||
05/11/2020 00:00 ||
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#1
our strong balance sheet has enabled us to continue to operate without the liquidity issues being experienced by many other companies. As of March 29, 2020, we had cash, cash equivalents and short- and long-term marketable securities of $686.9 million, and we were debt-free.
Anybody who can read a fuckin' balance sheet can see this is bullshit - $100 million in accounts payable? A $300 million pension obligation? A total of $200 million in short and long-term 'other' liabilities? Trying to blow smoke up our asses again?
#2
Actually they grew subscription revenues y-o-y by nearly 20%. Ad revenue declines were almost entirely offset by screaming fur theyr subscription-paying left-lib base. Plus their office rental increased by $8m, enabling total revenues to increase slightly.
Essentially this business operation resembles a Church that caters to the Faithful: revenues consist of 1) tithes and 2) rental income on the Church's valuable real estate holdings.
[The News (Pak)] The country registered a sharp increase in the number of coronavirus (aka COVID19 or Chinese Plague) ...the twenty first century equivalent of bubonic plague, only instead of killing off a third of the population of Europe it kills 3.4 percent of those who notice they have it. It seems to be fond of the elderly, especially Iranian politicians and holy men... confirmed cases and fatalities on Saturday with the ease of lockdown.Majority of people, especially those who were out to do the Eid shopping, had least regard for and adherence to the safety protocols set by the federal and provincial governments. The shopkeepers and the buyers were equally responsible for flouting the SOPs.
The number of confirmed cases increased to 28,745 in the country with addition of 2,301 cases.
Of the total 28,745 confirmed cases, Sindh reported 10,771, cases, Punjab 1.) Little Orphan Annie's bodyguard
2.) A province of Pakistain ruled by one of the Sharif brothers
3.) A province of India. It is majority (60 percent) Sikh and Hindoo (37 percent), which means it has relatively few Moslem riots.... 10,471, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa 4,509, Balochistan ...the Pak province bordering Kandahar and Uruzgun provinces in Afghanistan and Sistan Baluchistan in Iran. Its native Baloch propulation is being displaced by Pashtuns and Punjabis and they aren't happy about it... 1876, Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) 609, Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) 430 and Azad Jammu and Kashmir ...a disputed territory lying between India and Pakistain. After partition, the Paks grabbed half of it and call it Azad (Free) Kashmir. The remainder they refer to as "Indian Occupied Kashmir". They have fought four wars with India over it, the score currently 4-0 in New Delhi's favor. After 72 years of this nonsense, India cut the Gordian knot in 2019, removing the area's special status, breaking off Ladakh as a separate state, and allowing people from other areas to settle (or in the case of the Pandits, to resettle) there.... (AJK) 79 as of 12:25am.
The number of deaths has increased to 641, with Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa reporting 234 deaths, Sindh 181, Balochistan 24, Gilgit-Baltistan 4, Punjab 194, and Islamabad Capital Territory 4.
Meanwhile, ...back at the Hubba Hubba Club, Nunzio wondered: Where the hell was Chumbaloni? And where was his $600?... at least four persons have died while a staggering 1,080 new COVID-19 cases have emerged in Sindh during the last 24 hours, Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah said on Saturday, adding that of these, 691 cases were reported from Bloody Karachi ...formerly the capital of Pakistain, now merely its most important port and financial center. It is among the largest cities in the world, with a population of 18 million, most of whom hate each other and many of whom are armed and dangerous... alone.
This number,1,080, is the highest of the Covid-19 cases recorded in any province so far since the emergence of the first case on March 26, ringing alarm bells. Besides Karachi, Pir-jo-Goth of Khairpur district has emerged as another hot spot of the contagion with 246 new cases in a single day.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/11/2020 00:00 ||
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Townhall via Instapundit
Since the Wuhan coronavirus became a pandemic, we have learned more and more about China's incestuous relationship with the World Health Organization (WHO). When Taiwan attempted to blow the whistle on the virus that was raging on in China, the WHO turned their back and acted as though nothing was going on. In late January, the WHO parrotted the Chinese Communist Party's talking points, particularly that the Wuhan coronavirus was not transmitted from human-to-human. And the WHO knew they were wrong for ignoring Taiwan, which is why Bruce Alyward, the senior advisor to Director General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, hung up a Skype call with a reporter when asked about that very warning.
When President Donald Trump wanted to halt flights from China to the United States, the WHO advised against it. Of course, we've learned since then that it was the single best decision the president made during this crisis.
But now, it's looking like the relationship between the Chinese regime and the WHO goes much further than we once anticipated. President Xi Jinping personally asked Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus to delay publishing vital information about the Wuhan coronavirus, the Daily Caller reported. Specifically, Xi wanted the WHO to not tell the world that the coronavirus was transmitted from person-to-person, the BND, German's Federal Intelligence Service, concluded.
...If what the intelligence agencies around the world believe is in fact true, China prevented the world from having four to six weeks to prepare for the spread of the virus. Leaders in each country could have done more to protect their citizens, and there would have been a greater likelihood the virus would be contained to China, if not Wuhan.
#1
Time to move the UN to Shanghai* without us. So long, and enjoy all the fish.
[*to be shanghaied - dates back to the 1800s and the age of sailing ships. Ships needed crews, but working conditions were bad so that crews were often obtained by trickery, bribery, force and outright kidnapping]
The current challenge is that just one country, China, owns the market on extracting and purifying this critical resource despite the fact that other global countries, including the U.S., are rich in such metals. The detrimental environmental impact of current acid based separation and purification of rare earth metals prohibits most companies across the globe from entering the market.
New environmentally friendly technologies promise to be "game changers" in this field and enable the U.S. to create a more stable and reliable domestic source of these essential metals. Purdue University-patented extraction and purifying processes using ligand-assisted chromatography are shown to remove and purify such metals from coal ash, recycled magnets and raw ore safely, efficiently and with virtually no detrimental environmental impact.
"It’s a supply chain challenge with wide implications on the U.S. economy and national security. We have a critically needed product and one dominant source for this product. This new patented process promises to enable U.S. independence from the China near monopoly," said Dan Hasler, founder of Hasler Ventures. "This technology has been researched and developed at Purdue University for more than a decade and has proven to be versatile and robust."
"Conventional methods for producing high-purity rare earth elements employ two-phase liquid–liquid extraction methods, which require thousands of mixer-settler units in series or in parallel and generate large amounts of toxic waste," Wang said. "We use a two-zone ligand-assisted displacement chromatography system with a new zone-splitting method that is producing high-purity (>99%) metals with high yields (>99%)."
Wang's ligand assisted method has the potential for efficient and environmentally friendly purification of the rare earth metals from all sources of recyclates, such as waste magnets and ore-based sources and helps transform rare earth processing to a circular, sustainable process.
[JPost] - ...COVID toes, which is now a telltale symptom of the coronavirus infection, are reddish painful childblain-like lesions that appear on and around the toes, feet and ankles - often reaching several toes and in many cases both feet. Those who have COVID toes will see their feet blister up and become swollen, inflamed, irritated, itchy and "almost shiny" - over the course of the reaction the lesions may eventually appear purple.
[IsraelNationalNews] Maf'il Corporation, which markets 3D printing technology solutions for a variety of applications, has been harnessed during the days of the coronavirus crisis to help hospitals and the health care system and ease the remaining burden by establishing an unique technology center that includes 3D printers of all kinds that can print parts and products that are missing in hospitals.
Because of the rush in hospitals, there was a shortage of products, spare parts, and other components, but these could not be obtained quickly from other countries. Among these products, there was a great lack of special plastic masks that cover doctors' faces and protect them from virus exposure.
Also, Maf'il says 3D printers have printed ventilator parts that are currently a must-have item in any hospital.
For the benefit of the operation, Maf'il has set up a logistics center in its Petah Tikva office, where three-dimensional printers are located, including a production printer to produce final functional parts printed in airtight and waterproof materials, licensed for human body contact.
The center is headed by Maf'il 3D Division Director Anders Idesses. "The beauty of 3D printing is that you can print any product or missing part, get a functional part for final use in no time."
Maf'il has lent a number of printers to Tiltan College in Haifa, where a similar logistics center has been set up by groups that want to be of help in the current situation. Furthermore, the company is in contact with countries such as Spain, Italy, and more to explore possibilities for remote assistance and learn from what is being done there.
"We've made all the 3D printing equipment in our possession available to hospitals and the health care system," said Maf'il Director Raz Derby, "and we'll do everything we can to help in this global crisis."
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
...the twenty first century equivalent of bubonic plague, only instead of killing off a third of the population of Europe it kills 3.4 percent of those who notice they have it. It seems to be fond of the elderly, especially Iranian politicians and holy men...
...the twenty first century equivalent of bubonic plague, only instead of killing off a third of the population of Europe it kills 3.4 percent of those who notice they have it. It seems to be fond of the elderly, especially Iranian politicians and holy men...
[Aljazeera] Small protests erupted in Hong Kong as hundreds of people gathered in several shopping centres to call for independence and the resignation of the city's Beijing-backed leader.
[Mises] The economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has reached all productive sectors. The massive spread of the virus and social distancing measures have led to a dramatic decrease in economic activity.
...the twenty first century equivalent of bubonic plague, only instead of killing off a third of the population of Europe it kills 3.4 percent of those who notice they have it. It seems to be fond of the elderly, especially Iranian politicians and holy men...
