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Violence by Taliban Spikes Despite Peace Efforts
Today's Headlines
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4 19:41 g(r)omgoru PB [2] 
15 20:56 Woodrow [7] 
16 22:53 Besoeker [4] 
6 18:35 M. Murcek [3] 
1 12:07 Skidmark [2] 
5 23:27 gorb [5] 
3 13:30 swksvolFF [4] 
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8 15:14 Alaska Paul [5] 
10 23:46 ruprecht [5] 
2 11:07 Lex [8] 
2 10:39 swksvolFF [9] 
2 05:13 g(r)omgoru [4] 
1 12:19 Skidmark [4] 
9 18:34 Anomalous Sources [5] 
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7 23:04 Canuckistan sniper [3]
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-Short Attention Span Theater-
Porn site allows Italians to watch all of its content for free during the country's coronavirus lockdown
Posted by: Skidmark || 03/14/2020 03:38 || Comments || Link || [4 views] Top|| File under:

#1  I feel a (cough, cough) fever .. no, a chill, whatever (cough, cough) coming on!
Posted by: AlmostAnonymous5839 || 03/14/2020 9:34 Comments || Top||

#2  Will that keep people at home? Do the Italians watch pron in public settings or at work?

The U.S., Japan, U.K., Canada, France and Germany all watch the pron website more than Italy. Is this free preventive medicine available in the U.S.; it's for the good of the country.
Posted by: JohnQC || 03/14/2020 11:44 Comments || Top||

#3  I expect your monthly internet health bill will be deductible, John.
Posted by: Skidmark || 03/14/2020 12:09 Comments || Top||


Fresh crisis for Boeing as Southwest 737 jet's skin CRACKS in mid-air forcing pilots to drop almost 20,000 feet as cabin lost pressure
[MAIL] Federal officers launched an investigation on Friday after a crack ruptured a Southwest Airlines Boeing 737, forcing pilots to drop nearly 20,000 feet after the jet lost cabin pressure.

Pilots began a rapid, six-minute descent from 39,000 feet to 22,000 feet to make the cabin pressure safe during the journey from Las Vegas to Boise, Idaho, on Monday, flight records show.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said a 12-inch crack was found in an inspection - in the skin of the plane´s crown behind the cockpit.

Airlines are required to inspect that area every 1,500 flights. The FAA said it was too early to know whether the frequency of inspections should be increased.
Posted by: Skidmark || 03/14/2020 03:08 || Comments || Link || [5 views] Top|| File under:

#1  F-150: No baggage fees. No TSA. Ample seating. Private arm rests. Plenty of leg room. Bluetooth compatible. Owner pre-approves all passengers and support animals. Plenty of free parking. Eco-friendly 525 mile range. No itinerary change or cancellation fees. Open cockpit fresh air, weather permitting. Concealed Carry friendly.
Posted by: Besoeker || 03/14/2020 7:07 Comments || Top||

#2  Used to take that hop many times in years past.
Posted by: Warthog || 03/14/2020 8:25 Comments || Top||

#3  737's getting old - cracks not surprising - should be more frequent inspections.
Posted by: Mercutio || 03/14/2020 8:51 Comments || Top||

#4  That's the unremarked problem with the 737Max - older planes can't be retired.

Unless the virus scare crashes travel sufficiently.
Posted by: Bobby || 03/14/2020 9:42 Comments || Top||

#5  Every 1,500 flights? That figure seems awfully high. So, if these birds fly four times per day, every day, that's an inspection every year roughly?
Posted by: Clem || 03/14/2020 10:33 Comments || Top||

#6  Pressurization cycles. We supposedly learned from the Aloha flight inland hopping flight.
Posted by: Alaska Paul || 03/14/2020 10:42 Comments || Top||

#7  6 minutes to fall 20,000 feet?
Pretty much a lawn dart power dive.
Posted by: Skidmark || 03/14/2020 12:14 Comments || Top||

#8  3000 ft a minute descent is not a power dive.
Posted by: Alaska Paul || 03/14/2020 15:14 Comments || Top||


-Signs, Portents, and the Weather-
WHO declares Europe the new 'epicenter' of coronavirus as nations close borders
[France24] Countries around the world on Saturday continued to close borders, impose strict entry and quarantine requirements and restrict large gatherings in efforts to contain the spread of the new coronavirus.

Apple Inc said it will close all its retail stores worldwide, outside Greater China, until March 27. Apple reopened all 42 of its branded stores in China on Friday as the spread of the virus on mainland China slowed dramatically.
Uh huh. On direct orders from the CCP?
Countries have shuttered museums, tourist attractions and sporting events to minimise the risk of coronavirus transmission, with more than 138,000 people worldwide infected and more than 5,000 dead.

Colombia said it will close its borders with Venezuela and stop visitors who have been in Europe or Asia, while a U.S. ban on entry for most people from continental Europe was due to start midnight Friday.

The World Health Organization (WHO) says Europe has become the pandemic’s current epicentre after reporting more cases and deaths than the rest of world combined, apart from China where the coronavirus originated last December.
Posted by: Besoeker || 03/14/2020 06:49 || Comments || Link || [4 views] Top|| File under:

#1  So Trump restricting flights to Europe was a lucky coincidence?
Posted by: Bobby || 03/14/2020 9:33 Comments || Top||

#2  Once again, OrangeMan is proved correct despite his haters.

This will blow over, markets will recover, the nation will finally get rid of the Chinese supply-chain yoke, and OrangeMan will be re-elected in November.,
Posted by: Lex || 03/14/2020 10:53 Comments || Top||

#3  Once again, OrangeMan is proved correct despite his haters.

No, it's still wrong when Trump does it, even if everyone else is now doing the same thing. It just is.
Posted by: SteveS || 03/14/2020 12:11 Comments || Top||

#4  Knocks the Open Borders theory all to hell...
Posted by: Alaska Paul || 03/14/2020 15:11 Comments || Top||

#5  No, it's still wrong when Trump does it, even if everyone else is now doing the same thing. It just is.

NO, it is not! When your biggest enemy is a substantial segment of your population, sworn to your destruction and does not play by any rules. At SOME point you have start playing for keeps.

We can longer afford the attitude of being "better than that"! This is for the survival of the Republic.
Posted by: Dino Clusoting3144 || 03/14/2020 16:36 Comments || Top||

#6  #3 - SteveS - I'm 99% with you on issues, but not this. It was the right decision and a painful one for all invoilved. Citzens, Perm Residents, and direct family weren't stopped (MSM doesn't tell you that) but asked to self-quarantine
Posted by: Frank G || 03/14/2020 17:23 Comments || Top||

#7  Cd be wrong but I believe #3 was snark, Frank...
Posted by: Lex || 03/14/2020 17:40 Comments || Top||

#8  SteveS - I'm 99% with you on issues, but...

Sorry if I wasn't clear. Jokes are never funny when you have to explain them.

I was goofing on the knee-jerk tendency of the Dems/Media to oppose whatever Trump does even when it's the sensible thing to do - like closing the borders. It's totally insane. And it's gotten so bad that if President Trump came out in favor of babies, the Dems would advocate killing infants in the womb. Oh, wait... but you get what I mean.

And for the record, I expect the rest of Lex's predictions in #2 to come to pass.
Posted by: SteveS || 03/14/2020 18:01 Comments || Top||

#9  What does "asked to self-quarantine" mean in the U.S.? Is it mandatory and strictly enforced?
Posted by: European Conservative || 03/14/2020 18:05 Comments || Top||

#10  Sorry, distracted enough to miss the snark. My bad
Posted by: Frank G || 03/14/2020 18:22 Comments || Top||

#11  What does "asked to self-quarantine" mean in the U.S.? Is it mandatory and strictly enforced?

I suspect not enforced, European Conservative. This may change, now that President Trump and several state governors have announced that they have emergency powers for all sorts of things during the emergency.

My household has a member who is now recovering from.... something. Once she realized she was sick she called the doctor’s office, which advised her to treat symptoms and self-isolate unless she gets bad enough to need hospitalization. So she cancelled activities and has been staying in her bedroom, living on homemade breakfast burritos and chicken noodle soup. Following her announcement we wiped down the house with sanitizing wipes again, and the rest of us are washing hands frequently and mostly staying home just in case, except for the occasional run to the grocery store and Mr. Wife’s martial arts class. Last night we ordered a pizza, which Mr. Wife picked up, paying by credit card.
Posted by: trailing wife || 03/14/2020 21:05 Comments || Top||

#12  Hoping for a speedy recovery, tw.

Posted by: European Conservative || 03/14/2020 21:44 Comments || Top||

#13  breakfast burritos, pizza, soup. I'm there...for the last six months :-)
Posted by: Frank G || 03/14/2020 22:41 Comments || Top||

#14  TW ~ Adding your family to my rather lengthy prayer list.
Posted by: Besoeker || 03/14/2020 22:45 Comments || Top||

#15  We’re fine, truly. Whatever it was didn’t get bad, and she asked me last night if it would be ok to go to her group meeting on Tuesday. (No. Just in case.) We’re just being excessively cautious on the off chance — and in case it makes us vulnerable to other things.
Posted by: trailing wife || 03/14/2020 22:52 Comments || Top||

#16  Great! You're now on the stand-by prayer list.
Posted by: Besoeker || 03/14/2020 22:53 Comments || Top||


Kentucky's first confirmed coronavirus patient fully recovered, discharged from hospital
Posted by: g(r)omgoru || 03/14/2020 05:34 || Comments || Link || [2 views] Top|| File under:

#1  a 27-year-old woman from Cynthiana in Harrison County who worked at the local Walmart

Worked as the Walmart greeter?
I don't think this is a cause for celebration.
Posted by: Skidmark || 03/14/2020 12:07 Comments || Top||


Pandemic accelerates push to move supply chains out of China
[Washington Examiner] The coronavirus pandemic has businesses and lawmakers intensifying efforts to move their supply chains out of China.

Businesses will never pull out of China completely since it represents too large of a market in itself to ignore. But the virus has put many businesses on notice that they need to diversify their supply chains. At the same time, President Trump and members of Congress are providing additional incentives by vowing to change trade rules to discourage Chinese sources.

The trend of manufacturers rethinking China as a source began well before the virus, said Michael Dunne, director of ZoZo Go, a China-based automotive consulting group. Tariffs sparked by the Trump administration's trade war with Beijing forced many companies to realize that they depended too much on one region and were vulnerable if the terms of trade were altered. Many were well into a search when the year started for other places in Asia and the Pacific region to source materials or to establish manufacturing.

"Now, with the coronavirus, the urgency surrounding that has been amplified. Manufacturers and suppliers find themselves really hostage to events inside China and that, without sources outside of China, they are vulnerable," Dunne said in a podcast hosted by the Detroit-based think tank Center for Automotive Research.

The nonprofit Institute for Supply Management reported Thursday that 62% of companies report delays in receiving orders from China and that 53% report having a difficult time even getting information regarding what is happening inside China. The ones who are dealing with the virus best are the ones that diversified their supplier base previously, ISM chief Thomas Derry told the Washington Examiner.

"The move to diversify definitely accelerated in the fall when the 25% U.S. tariffs on Chinese goods became apparent. Getting alternate sources of supply became the primary strategy for many companies," Derry said. "The combination of the tariffs and now the coronavirus outbreak has accelerated it even further. Companies that were on the fence and saying, 'One of these factors we could deal with,' are now saying this is too much."

It isn't that China is now viewed as toxic by businesses, Derry added. It still has a lot of advantages, such as modern infrastructure. But the days when companies thought that China was a one-stop source have passed.

Related: Hot Air - Chinese State Media Warns It Could Cut America’s Pharmaceutical Drug Supply
Posted by: Besoeker || 03/14/2020 04:16 || Comments || Link || [5 views] Top|| File under: Commies

#1  Cutting off our pharma manufacturing supply chain during a pandemic is tantamount to an act of war.

This is the morass our elites have plunged us into. We are ruled by morons.
Posted by: Lex || 03/14/2020 10:34 Comments || Top||

#2  We have set things up with shipbuilding so as to retain at least a moderate domestic capacity despite the radically lower costs in (e.g.) Korea. Seems like there should be something similar in other strategic industries - like medical supplies & drugs (other than opiates and meth - have plenty of access to those...)
Posted by: Glenmore || 03/14/2020 11:13 Comments || Top||

#3  80% of drugs and vitamins come from China. This was a problem reported in 2018 and again in 2019. It is a security problem for the U.S. I hope as the result of POTUS' EO, things will speed up to bring this manufacturing back to the U.S.
Posted by: JohnQC || 03/14/2020 11:36 Comments || Top||

#4  ^^^^ this
Posted by: Chris || 03/14/2020 18:21 Comments || Top||

#5  Now if we can just remember this when it's over.
Posted by: gorb || 03/14/2020 23:27 Comments || Top||


Mexico is considering closing its border to stop Americans bringing coronavirus into its country as US case count passes 2,000
[MAIL] For once, the conversation over closing the US-Mexico border is being driven b Mexican health officials who say they are considering shutting out Americans to keep coronavirus out of their country.

There are currently more than 2,000 cases of the virus in the US and it is spreading rapidly. Forty-three people have died from it.

By contrast in Mexico, there have only been 16 confirmed cases and no deaths.

At a press conference on Friday, health minister Hugo Lopez-Gatell said: 'Mexico wouldn't bring the virus to the United States, rather the United States would bring it here.

'The possible flow of coronavirus would come from the north to the south.

'If it were technically necessary, we would consider mechanisms of restriction or stronger surveillance,' he said.

Posted by: Skidmark || 03/14/2020 03:03 || Comments || Link || [5 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Now, that's funny.
Posted by: g(r)omgoru PB || 03/14/2020 3:38 Comments || Top||

#2  The border is problematic. You've simply got to give Mexican health minister Hugo Lopez-Gatell credit.
Posted by: Besoeker || 03/14/2020 3:42 Comments || Top||

#3  History is the study of ebb and flow....
Posted by: Mercutio || 03/14/2020 8:46 Comments || Top||

#4  How do you say "irony" in Mexican?
Posted by: AlmostAnonymous5839 || 03/14/2020 9:36 Comments || Top||

#5  Eso es irónico.
Posted by: DarthVader || 03/14/2020 9:39 Comments || Top||

#6  Not the BEE?
Posted by: CrazyFool || 03/14/2020 10:05 Comments || Top||

#7  Maybe they should pay for us to finish the wall faster?
Posted by: gorb || 03/14/2020 10:55 Comments || Top||

#8  Deport the illegals first.
Posted by: Lex || 03/14/2020 10:56 Comments || Top||

#9  Funny doesn’t begin to describe this that suddenly they give a crap about illegal immigration?
Posted by: NoMoreBS || 03/14/2020 11:23 Comments || Top||

#10  They should build a big beautiful wall, and pay for it.
Posted by: ruprecht || 03/14/2020 23:46 Comments || Top||


U.S. summons Chinese envoy over Beijing's coronavirus comments
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. State Department summoned the Chinese ambassador to the United States on Friday to protest against comments by Beijing suggesting the U.S. military might have brought the coronavirus to Wuhan, as tensions between the two global powers over the outbreak intensified.

David Stillwell, the top U.S. diplomat for East Asia, delivered a very "stern representation" to China’s ambassador Cui Tiankai, a State Department official said, adding that Beijing’s envoy was "very defensive."

The State Department official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said China was seeking to deflect criticism of its role in "starting a global pandemic and not telling the world."

"Spreading conspiracy theories is dangerous and ridiculous. We wanted to put the government on notice we won’t tolerate it for the good of the Chinese people and the world."

Defense Department Spokeswoman Alyssa Farah wrote on Twitter on Friday that "the Communist Party of China has chosen to promulgate false & absurd conspiracy theories about the origin of COVID-19 blaming U.S. service members. #ChinaPropaganda"

The virus, also called COVID-19, has infected 138,000 people worldwide and killed more than 5,000.

China’s embassy did not respond to requests for comment.

Despite the signs of tension, U.S. President Donald Trump praised Beijing on Friday for its "data sharing".

Asked by a reporter during a White House news conference about "odd narratives" being offered by some Chinese officials, Trump appeared to brush off any concern, saying he had read one article on the subject, but that he did not think it was representative of his discussions with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Trump, who in a national address this week called the outbreak a "foreign virus" that started in China, added: "They know where it came from, we all know where it came from."

Tensions escalated after Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian took to Twitter on Thursday.

"When did patient zero begin in US? How many people are infected? What are the names of the hospitals? It might be US army who brought the epidemic to Wuhan. Be transparent! Make public your data! US owe us an explanation!" Zhao tweeted in English.

The episode is the latest in an increasing war of words between Washington and Beijing, whose already strained ties over issues including trade, intellectual property rights and press freedom have further been tested by the virus outbreak.

The coronavirus, which emerged in China in December, has spread around the world, pummeling financial markets, halting industry, bringing some flights to a standstill, closing schools and forcing the postponement of sports events and concerts.

Zhao’s comments came days after Robert O’Brien, the U.S. national security adviser, said China had reacted slowly to the coronavirus, probably costing the world two months when it could have been preparing.

Wuhan was ground zero for the outbreak, which the World Health Organization this week labeled a pandemic. It has infected more than 127,000 people worldwide, including nearly 81,000 in mainland China, and killed more than 5,000 people.

Beijing was criticized for initially attempting to censor some Chinese doctors who sounded an alarm over the virus. Since January, it has imposed draconian containment measures, effectively locking down Wuhan and the surrounding Hubei province, home to 60 million people.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has complained that the U.S. response had been hindered by what he called imperfect data from Beijing.

He and several other U.S. politicians have angered Beijing by referring to the "Wuhan virus." In a national address on Wednesday, Trump called the outbreak a "foreign virus" that started in China.
Posted by: Besoeker || 03/14/2020 02:20 || Comments || Link || [9 views] Top|| File under: Commies

#1  Zhao’s comments came days after Robert O’Brien, the U.S. national security adviser, said China had reacted slowly to the coronavirus, probably costing the world two months when it could have been preparing.

It would appear National Security Advisor O'Brien hit a nerve. Perhaps preventing world "prepartion" was a Chinese ancillary goal.

Zhao Lijian's blaming or targeting the US defense establishment is revealing. Could the asymmetric disabling or destruction of the US defense establishment be the ultimate goal ?

In the category of what's not being said, there appears to have been a slight change in the administration's heretofore collegial references to Chinese President Xi Jinping. He no longer writes. He no longer calls.

Note also the President's "they know and we know" NFI (not further identified) statement.

Meanwhile, Hong Kong protestations appear to have taken an unscheduled sabbatical.

Posted by: Besoeker || 03/14/2020 2:37 Comments || Top||

#2  Maybe someone mentioned Litigation.

"When did patient zero begin in US? How many people are infected? What are the names of the hospitals? It might be US army who brought the epidemic to Wuhan. Be transparent! Make public your data! US owe us an explanation!" Zhao tweeted in English.

Sounds too familiar...
Posted by: swksvolFF || 03/14/2020 10:39 Comments || Top||


Four people at Mar-a-Lago with Trump last weekend have now tested positive for coronavirus
[Twitter]
Posted by: 3dc || 03/14/2020 00:00 || Comments || Link || [4 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Routine target surveillance tourist curiosity. Nothing to be concerned about here.

Lu Jing, 56, was the second Chinese national to be arrested for trespassing last year at the resort where Trump often visits.

Her prosecution was left to local rather than federal authorities, as the president was not present on Dec. 18 when she entered the property and began taking pictures.
Posted by: Besoeker || 03/14/2020 3:20 Comments || Top||

#2  Potential false-positive rate among the 'asymptomatic infected individuals' in close contacts of COVID-19 patients

Objective:
As the prevention and control of COVID-19continues to advance, the active nucleic acid test screening in the close contacts of the patients has been carrying out in many parts of China. However, the false-positive rate of positive results in the screening has not been reported up to now. But to clearify the false-positive rate during screening is important in COVID-19 control and prevention.
Methods:
Point values and reasonable ranges of the indicators which impact the false-positive rate of positive results were estimated based on the information available to us at present. The false-positive rate of positive results in the active screening was deduced, and univariate and multivariate-probabilistic sensitivity analyses were performed to understand the robustness of the findings.
Results:
When the infection rate of the close contacts and the sensitivity and specificity of reported results were taken as the point estimates, the positive predictive value of the active screening was only 19.67%, in contrast, the false-positive rate of positive results was 80.33%. The multivariate-probabilistic sensitivity analysis results supported the base-case findings, with a 75% probability for the false-positive rate of positive results over 47%.
Conclusions:
In the close contacts of COVID-19 patients, nearly half or even more of the 'asymptomatic infected individuals' reported in the active nucleic acid test screening might be false positives.
Posted by: g(r)omgoru || 03/14/2020 5:13 Comments || Top||


From Wuhan to Washington State With ‘Love'
So why not Missouri, Kansas, or Wisconsin? Just thinking out loud.
[Townhall] U.S. travel restrictions came too late for the poor residents of the Life Care home in King County, Washington State.

Patient Zero, who very likely infected Washington State and beyond, arrived in my state, from Wuhan, China, on Jan. 15.

Thanks to the patient’s own diligence, he was tested on Jan. 20 and diagnosed with COVID-19. However, CDC contact tracing fell woefully short. As is done in South Korea and Israel, the man’s whereabouts‐not his identity‐ought to have been made public. In this way, anyone who had come in contact with the Man from Wuhan could have been quarantined and taken the necessary precautions to prevent further transmission.

Genetic sequencing of the virus extracted from infected patients allows scientists to pinpoint the virus’ origins and the timing of the "seeding event." That the virus that continues to kill poor old people in homes for the aged and the infirm in King County, WA, came from Wuhan is indisputable.

Writes Trevor Bedford, a sequencing scientist at the Fred Hutch Research Center: "The first case in the USA was ... from a traveler directly returning from Wuhan to Snohomish County on Jan. 15." But there was another traveler whose virus was related to that of Patient Zero, and who had, "exposed someone else to the virus in the period between Jan. 15 and Jan. 19, before they were isolated. If this second case was mild or asymptomatic, contact tracing efforts by public health would have had difficulty detecting it. After this point, community spread occurred and was undetected due to the CDC’s narrow case definition that required direct travel to China or direct contact with a known case to even be considered for testing. This lack of testing was a critical error and allowed an outbreak in Snohomish County and the surroundings to grow to a sizable problem before it was even detected."
Posted by: Besoeker || 03/14/2020 00:00 || Comments || Link || [4 views] Top|| File under:



Coronavirus roundup:
US Regulators Approve Roche's New And Faster COVID-19 Test
[IBTIMES] Swiss pharmaceutical giant Roche announced Friday it had received emergency approval from US regulators for a new and much faster test for diagnosing the deadly new coronavirus
...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 US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has given the green light to commercialise the SARS-CoV-2 Test to detect the virus that has sparked the global COVID-19 pandemic, Roche said in a statement.

The test can be run in high volumes on fully automated equipment, Roche said, suggesting it could provide more results far faster than other tests available.

"We are increasing the speed definitely by a factor of 10," Thomas Schinecker, head of Roche's diagnostics unit, said in an interview with Bloomberg News.

The new Roche tests, which will also now be available in markets that accept the European CE-mark certification, are run on Roche's widely available cobas 6800/8800 systems and can provide results within 3.5 hours, the company said.

In a 24-hour period, the largest machines can provide results on up to 4,128 tests, it said.

Roche said it would have millions of tests available each month, and that it was committed to pushing the limits of its production capacity and delivering as many tests as possible.

U.S. Gen. Robert Abrams on Coronavirus: South Korea Is 'Trending Downward and Looking Good'
[BREITBART] U.S. Army Gen. Robert Abrams, commander of U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) in South Korea, said Friday that trends in South Korea, where there are more than 20,000 U.S. troops stationed, "are trending downward and looking good" in terms of the spread of the Chinese coronavirus.
...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...
"Currently, South Korea trends are trending downward and looking good," he said at a Pentagon video-conference briefing on Friday.

Among the USFK community, he said only nine out of 145 tested positive for coronavirus. That includes one service member and two family members, and the rest were South Korean employees or contractors. All nine lived off-base, he said.

"Out of a population of 58,000 that touches U.S. Forces Korea daily ‐ that’s a pretty low number," he said. "Less than 1/100th of a percent of positive cases."

Abrams said at the peak of the epidemic in South Korea, USFK had 392 people in self-quarantine, and today, there are 55 people in self-quarantine.

"We have seen a downward trend for the last two weeks," he said.

The general shared how USFK was able to stop the spread of coronavirus among its four installations in South Korea, close to China, where the novel coronavirus originated. He said on January 27, when the outbreak in China started to gain traction and national attention, USFK enhanced 24/7 monitoring and assessing.

On January 28, USFK initiated a data call for service members who had traveled to or through China.
Posted by: trailing wife || 03/14/2020 00:00 || Comments || Link || [5 views] Top|| File under:




#4  I don't wear a mask but I now go out in the public wearing a bandana around my neck ready to pull up if I detect being close to a sick person. I suggest the ladies wear scarves at the very least.
Posted by: Varmint Splat1454 || 03/14/2020 5:09 Comments || Top||

#5  #2 I knew EU was an epicenter of bad ideas, but Wuhan Flu?
Posted by: g(r)omgoru || 03/14/2020 5:18 Comments || Top||

#6  Bike Week getting "curtailed" in Daytona. Officials say they can't tell people to leave but they have pulled permits for the vendors and events that people are here for.
Posted by: M. Murcek || 03/14/2020 11:59 Comments || Top||

#7  Bike Week getting "curtailed" in Daytona.

I understand olfactory treatments of whiskey, cigars and cocaine are preventative.
Posted by: Skidmark || 03/14/2020 12:22 Comments || Top||

#8  Actually, like lots of locals in tourist destinations, Floridians love the tourist money but wish the tourists would just mail it and stay home.
Posted by: M. Murcek || 03/14/2020 12:38 Comments || Top||

#9 
Posted by: Anomalous Sources || 03/14/2020 18:34 Comments || Top||


-Land of the Free
Champaign, IL mayor links Corona Virus, Gun Control and More
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (WAND) - Champaign Mayor Deborah Frank Feinen has issued an executive order declaring an emergency in the city.

City officials said the emergency is related to the COVID-19, which is anticipated to cause an impact on the health of community members. Champaign Municipal Code allows the mayor to declare an emergency for a limited time.

Included in the executive order are ordinances that would give the city extraordinary powers to the Mayor.

  • Violating parts of the Open Meetings Act
  • Ban sale of firearms and ammunition
  • Ban sale of any alcohol
  • Closing of all bars, taverns, liquor stores, etc
  • Ban sale or giving away of gasoline or other liquid flammable or combustible products in any container other than a gasoline tank permanently fixed to a motor vehicle
  • Direct the shutoff of power, water, gas, etc
  • Take possession of private property and obtain full title to same
  • Prohibit or restrict ingress and egress to and from the City

    "The executive order allows the city to be flexible to properly respond to the emergency needs of our community. None of the options will necessarily will be implemented but are available in order to protect the welfare and safety of our community if needed," Jeff Hamilton the City of Champaign's Communications Manger told WAND-TV.

    Champaign leaders released a statement Friday evening in response to several false claims circulating online. They reiterated there is currently no firearm ban and no intent to seize property and close businesses.
  • Posted by: Besoeker || 03/14/2020 08:05 || Comments || Link || [7 views] Top|| File under:

    #1  Stalin et. al. would be proud
    Posted by: Warthog || 03/14/2020 8:17 Comments || Top||

    #2  Take possession of private property and obtain full title to same

    Probably the only way anyone will escape Illinois sky high property taxes.
    Posted by: Besoeker || 03/14/2020 8:23 Comments || Top||

    #3  Thought this was the Bee for certain. It is not satirical and more than idiotic. Please toss this guy out of office Champaign. Toast his send-off with some champagne.
    Posted by: JohnQC || 03/14/2020 9:09 Comments || Top||

    #4  College town, not unlike Madison, Wisconsin in 'collective thought'.
    Posted by: Mullah Richard || 03/14/2020 9:15 Comments || Top||

    #5  In 1989, Deb earned a bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Education from Mount Holyoke College. In 1991, she received her Juris Doctor from the Illinois Institute of Technology Kent College of Law. She was admitted into the Illinois Bar in 1992.

    Elected Mayor 2019. My future Father-in-Law was Mayor of Champaign in the 1968 campus riots, while I was dating his daughter. He instituted a curfew for a few days.

    Ms. Mayor
    Posted by: Bobby || 03/14/2020 9:27 Comments || Top||

    #6  When I lived there in the early 80's it wasn't that bad. But from the looks of the place on my last drive through--worse than Madison, I think.
    Do you live in the Madison area too?
    Posted by: James || 03/14/2020 9:32 Comments || Top||

    #7  SCOTUS already slapped this behavior down once. I guess some people didn't get don't want to acknowledge the memo.
    Posted by: M. Murcek || 03/14/2020 10:26 Comments || Top||

    #8  And all the little tyrants start stretching their legs.
    Posted by: swksvolFF || 03/14/2020 10:30 Comments || Top||

    #9  Somebody obviously wanted to be first up against the wall. Or they want to try a redo of the Battle of Athens.
    Posted by: Silentbrick || 03/14/2020 10:40 Comments || Top||

    #10  Patriots in this country in 1774 slapped this behavior down multiple times, with tar and feathers
    Posted by: Lex || 03/14/2020 11:05 Comments || Top||

    #11  Any excuse for a dry run
    Posted by: Rex Mundi || 03/14/2020 11:25 Comments || Top||

    #12  Whoops on the gender thingee. Please toss this gal out of office Champaign. Toast her send-off with some champagne.

    Seems pretty much like the usual Progressive/Dem agenda.
    Posted by: JohnQC || 03/14/2020 11:26 Comments || Top||

    #13  I keep my residence away from the "70 Square-Miles Surrounded by Reality", James.

    I do live within less than a day's driving distance and work out of there sometimes, though.

    That includes one of my least favorite jobs, having to 'Meet and Greet' political types and try to explain the real world to them.
    Posted by: Mullah Richard || 03/14/2020 12:42 Comments || Top||

    #14  Build a gibbet in front of her office and announce she'll be tried for treason.
    Posted by: Silentbrick || 03/14/2020 18:59 Comments || Top||

    #15  Take possession of private property and obtain full title to same

    Bitch this is why we have guns.
    Posted by: Woodrow || 03/14/2020 20:56 Comments || Top||


    -War on Police-
    ICE chief scorches Chicago mayor for glib response to latest sanctuary city horror crime
    When Groot and others like her in charge can be held personally liable, this shit will stop
    Posted by: Skidmark || 03/14/2020 02:54 || Comments || Link || [8 views] Top|| File under:

    #1  "ICE should do their job better"??? You mean like throwing your butt in Levenworth for felony violation of Federal law?
    Posted by: Mercutio || 03/14/2020 8:49 Comments || Top||

    #2  Indict any "sanctuary" city mayor for aiding & abetting
    Posted by: Lex || 03/14/2020 11:07 Comments || Top||


    China-Japan-Koreas
    Facemasks with Taiwan Flag to fend off ChiComs buying them all.



    Posted by: 3dc || 03/14/2020 03:31 || Comments || Link || [2 views] Top|| File under:

    #1  Possibly an even more effective deterrent.
    Posted by: Besoeker || 03/14/2020 3:46 Comments || Top||

    #2  Hong Kong flags, don't forget them.
    Posted by: swksvolFF || 03/14/2020 10:17 Comments || Top||

    #3  I find it all very disappointing that nobody is considering Lebron James and his Space Jam 2 ticket sales.
    Posted by: swksvolFF || 03/14/2020 13:28 Comments || Top||


    Cyber
    North Korea deploys Photoshop to beat coronavirus: Masks are superimposed onto propaganda images - while Kim is pictured without one to show he does not fear the disease
    Posted by: Skidmark || 03/14/2020 03:42 || Comments || Link || [4 views] Top|| File under:

    #1  Why hasn't he cured it yet?
    Posted by: gorb || 03/14/2020 10:49 Comments || Top||

    #2  He had. Death by execution is 100% effective.
    Posted by: CrazyFool || 03/14/2020 10:59 Comments || Top||

    #3  You all do know Dear Leader can destroy dangerous viruses much like a whale devours krill?
    Posted by: swksvolFF || 03/14/2020 13:30 Comments || Top||


    Europe
    Italy's coronavirus death toll surges as Lombardy seeks tougher curbs
    [France24] The death toll from coronavirus in Italy has jumped by 250 in the last 24 hours, the biggest daily increase ever recorded by any country, as the worst-affected Lombardy region asked for a complete shutdown of factories and offices.

    The government this week imposed drastic curbs nationwide, shutting bars, restaurants and most shops, and banning non-essential travel in an effort to halt the worst outbreak of the disease outside China.

    The measures so far show no sign of slowing the number of deaths, which rose by 25% in a day to 1,266, the head of the Civil Protection Agency said on Friday.

    The total number of cases rose to 17,660 from 15,113 the day before, an increase of some 17%.

    Lombardy's health chief Giulio Gallera said the government's restrictions were not enough for the region which surrounds the financial capital Milan and accounts for three quarters of all the country's fatalities.

    "We are asking for an exception to be made for Lombardy," he told RAI 3 television, calling for the closure of factories, offices and public transport in the region. "If we can resist for at least eight days, maybe we will see things turn around."

    There was no indication of whether Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte would agree to further curbs in Italy's business heartlands, with the government increasingly concerned about the long-term scars the virus will leave on the fragile economy.

    Some companies, such as car maker Fiat Chrysler, have decided to shut down part of their operations, while premium brakes maker Brembo announced on Friday it would temporarily stop work at all its four Italian plants.

    "Today we have two objectives: Taking care of the sick and preventing infections, and taking care of our economy," Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio said on Friday.

    He was speaking at an event to thank China for sending 31 tonnes of medical supplies, including masks and respirators, to Italy, as well as a team of doctors.

    "Italy is not alone," Di Maio said. "China is getting back on its feet and soon we too will be back on our feet."
    Posted by: Besoeker || 03/14/2020 06:47 || Comments || Link || [3 views] Top|| File under:

    #1  Metroids can't not be exposed.
    Time to toughen the immune response.
    Posted by: Skidmark || 03/14/2020 12:04 Comments || Top||

    #2  Italy's numbers of newly infected is slowing down... "only" 17% per day. This means the lockdown is working. Numbers in France, Spain and Germany are jumping 50%, even more in the UK.

    Radical social distancing may actually have worked in China, if the numbers in Italy are any indication. Too early to tell though.

    I expect the lockdown to happen here early next week. Nobody will care about a U.S. travel ban as nobody will be traveling anyway. The overwhelming majority og passengers was going to be returning Americans anyway.

    Supermarkets were well stocked today with everything except - indeed - toilet paper. Paper tissues were no problem. We went at 7am, not many customers. Picked up lots of fresh fruits but otherwise we're set.
    Posted by: European Conservative || 03/14/2020 17:38 Comments || Top||

    #3  Thanks for the timely update EC.
    Posted by: Besoeker || 03/14/2020 17:41 Comments || Top||

    #4  Almost all infections in Bavaria can be traced back to Germans returning from Italy, not Italians traveling to Bavaria. So REALLY look after returning Americans.
    Posted by: European Conservative || 03/14/2020 17:54 Comments || Top||

    #5  Well, EC, it's like this. Going back 10 years or more the media in the US has had a fetish about Americans "who don't have, never have had" a passport. Needless to say, people without a passport are a lesser breed as far as the media and elites are concerned. So, there's a degree of bifurcation here (not absolute by any means) Be that as it may, many of the returning from Italy crowd will infect their Trump hating urban neighbors and that's a two sided coin for sure. Time will tell.
    Posted by: M. Murcek || 03/14/2020 18:34 Comments || Top||

    #6  Disclosure: I've had a passport since I was 16 years old.
    Posted by: M. Murcek || 03/14/2020 18:35 Comments || Top||


    Israel-Palestine-Jordan
    Police investigating 21 Israelis suspected of violating quarantine
    [IsraelNationalNews] Israeli police have launched criminal investigations of 21 residents who are suspected of violating the terms of their mandated isolation to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

    Most on the list are citizens who are believed to have been observed outside their homes during the 14-day period after their return from a foreign country. Israel requires anyone returning from abroad to remain isolated for that amount of time before they are free to leave if they do not display symptoms.
    I saw people with masks on the bus today.
    Being an idiot is not a function of IQ.
    Posted by: g(r)omgoru || 03/14/2020 16:15 || Comments || Link || [2 views] Top|| File under:

    #1  Ooops.
    Posted by: g(r)omgoru || 03/14/2020 16:17 Comments || Top||

    #2  I will bet money they are arab israelis
    Posted by: Chris || 03/14/2020 18:20 Comments || Top||

    #3  Ooops

    Fixed. Sorry about the delay — with so many choosing to stay home, the internet is slow today.
    Posted by: trailing wife || 03/14/2020 19:27 Comments || Top||

    #4  ^Thanks
    Posted by: g(r)omgoru PB || 03/14/2020 19:41 Comments || Top||



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