[Bongino] Caputo asserted that "millions of Chinese suck the blood out of rabid bats as an appetizer and eat the ass out of anteaters." He posts here sometimes, doesn't he? Sounds like it.
[Reuters] - When the first cases of the new coronavirus surfaced in Ohio’s prisons, the director in charge felt like she was fighting a ghost.
“We weren’t always able to pinpoint where all the cases were coming from,” said Annette Chambers-Smith, director of the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction. As the virus spread, they began mass testing.
They started with the Marion Correctional Institution, which houses 2,500 prisoners in north central Ohio, many of them older with pre-existing health conditions. After testing 2,300 inmates for the coronavirus, they were shocked. Of the 2,028 who tested positive, close to 95% had no symptoms.
“It was very surprising,” said Chambers-Smith, who oversees the state’s 28 correctional facilities.
As mass coronavirus testing expands in prisons, large numbers of inmates are showing no symptoms. In four state prison systems -- Arkansas, North Carolina, Ohio and Virginia -- 96% of 3,277 inmates who tested positive for the coronavirus were asymptomatic, according to interviews with officials and records reviewed by Reuters. That’s out of 4,693 tests that included results on symptoms.
The numbers are the latest evidence to suggest that people who are asymptomatic — contagious but not physically sick -- may be driving the spread of the virus, not only in state prisons that house 1.3 million inmates across the country, but also in communities across the globe. The figures also reinforce questions over whether testing of just people suspected of being infected is actually capturing the spread of the virus.
#1
The numbers are the latest evidence to suggest that people who are asymptomatic — contagious but not physically sick -- may be driving the spread of the virus
#4
The only people who should take unusual precautions like sheltering in place are the elderly, the frail and those whom the the elderly and frail depend on critically for assistance with their daily lives.
#5
The Diamond Princess data yet again are being validated:
Fatality to population = ca 1:1,000 in the absolute worst case
Infection rate of less than 20%, and the vast majority are asymptomatic or immune
Shame on our decision-makers. They had this actual, empirical data from an "ideal incubation environment" staring them in the face, and instead they chose to make decisions on the basis of an absurd doomsday hypothetical using garbage data and ridiculous assumptions.
#9
I can believe it. And why I wondered aloud in a prior post as to stats from the various "Chinatowns" in the US and around the world. I just do not hear of any massive devastation particular to the Chinese communities. Of course, we'll hear from the asymptomatic crowd, but still....
#15
Depends. Some people were found to be asymptomatic for a day or to before symptoms hit. Others have been walking around with it for 7-14 days and never got sick.
Release prisoners, get elevated crime rate for only a 4% illness rate.
[Arutz 7] - A 74 year old Ecuadorian woman thought to have died last month from coronavirus has been found to be alive, BBC reported.
On March 27, a local hospital told the family of Alba Maruri, a resident of the city of Guayaquil, that she had died.
According to a local report cited by BBC, the family was shown a corpse in the hospital morgue, but was not allowed to approach the body for fear that they would become infected.
The body was later cremated and the ashes sent to the family.
However, on Thursday, after a three week coma, Maruri awoke, surprising doctors after telling them her name and asking to call her sister to pick her up.
A team from the hospital visited the family to apologize, attributing the mix-up to chaos at the hospital due to the number of coronavirus cases.
The family is asking authorities for compensation to reimburse them for the cost of the cremation. Maruri has also been bought a new mattress, as her family had thrown her old one away after she had been presumed dead.
HONOLULU (AP) — Gov. David Ige on Saturday extended the state’s state-at-home order and the mandatory quarantine for visitors through May 31.
"This was not an easy decision. I know this has been difficult for everyone. Businesses need to reopen. People want to end this self-isolation and we want to return to normal," Ige said in a statement. "But this virus is potentially deadly, especially for the elderly and those with pre-existing conditions."
Ige also announced that elective surgeries may now take place and beaches will be open for exercise.
At a news conference to outline the moves, Ige pointed to alarming COVID-19 clusters on the Big Island and Maui, Hawaii News Now reported. "We still need to remain vigilant."
In his statement, Ige warned of undoing Hawaii’s progress in containing the virus if public places open up too early. Hawaii has 601 cases of coronavirus and 13 deaths from the illness, according to the Johns Hopkins University database.
"Thanks to our residents, we are flattening the curve, saving lives, and avoiding a resurgence of this virus by not reopening prematurely," Ige said.
The governor also extended the eviction moratorium, which prevents any eviction from a residential dwelling for failure to pay rent, through May 31.
For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia, and death. The vast majority of people recover.
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
04/26/2020 9:15 Comments ||
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#8
Yeah and apparently they're fining people for just being on a beach.
Posted by: Mullah Richard ||
04/26/2020 9:26 Comments ||
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#9
Considering all the Asian flights that end up in Hawaii, I thought there's be massive infection and death rates. Glad to see that hasn't happened. Hard to imagine, but it may be that the state gov't did something right.
#15
#9 Considering all the Asian flights that end up in Hawaii, I thought there's be massive infection and death rates. Glad to see that hasn't happened. Hard to imagine, but it may be that the state gov't did something right.
But there were thousands of Asian visitors arriving in HI, just as there were 150,000 or so Chinese visitors arriving in CA, in Dec. and Jan. prior to both the lockdown and the travel ban -- and there was no spike in fatalities then.
It simply cannot be the case that the lockdown caused fatalities to decline. It's likely that most Hawaiians, like Californians, have over time developed immunity to these Chinese flu viruses.
San Francisco total pop 881,549
Total C. deaths = 22. Yes, twenty-two.
fatalities : population = 1:44,000. At America's Ground Zero, for the Greatest Pandemic in Modern History.
Re Chinatown:
SF Chinese pop. = 21%, of which maybe one-third live in Chinatown = ca. 60,000.
Don't know how many COVID fatalities have been in Chinatown but even if half of all SF's fatalities were concentrated there, that would make the fatalities : population rate ca. 1:6,000.
#23
Imagine summary executions for body odor. g(r)imgarou would rub his hands together and agree.
I know one mod has spoken against this and Clem's backing him on that, but I'm fine with it. Civil, well-reasoned discourse (the Rantburg motto, remember?) on occasion loses the civil part. Y'all know that I'm not necessarily a fan of g(r)omgoru, as we've clashed in the past and he's pissed me off more than once (and I'm sure I've returned the favor) but he brings a unique perspective to a lot of things, one of our hallmarks here. Let them fight, if that's what they choose to do, or whoever fires the first verbal salvo. Remember Frank Zappa's admonition of Congress back in the 1990's when he was defending his song lyrics (with John Denver & Dee Snider of Twisted Sister) - 'they're just words'.
#24
Lots of obese folks in HI (what happens when poi meets girl) so their caution may make sense. But if there was societal susceptibility you’d likely see higher infection and death rates. Heat and sunshine might be playing a positive role.
#25
Raj - that Mod would be me. I haven't stepped in til someone (you know who) calls the other person a "cocksucker" in an otherwise gratuitous (meritless) slam, I have to step in. This is Fred's site, and it's supposed to be, at worse, PG rated. You don't like it, complain to mgmt. All the other swordfighting? I didn't/don't care.
I'm no CV-19 expert, and didn't stay in a Holiday Inn Express. I've been here since around 9/11, though and kinda know what flies/doesn't
Posted by: Frank G ||
04/26/2020 17:28 Comments ||
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#26
Frank G - fully understood on all counts. I'm not the most diplomatic of sorts and I'm inclined to let direct personal insults slide, having used them early and often here and elsewhere.
I've been here since the same 9/11 time frame, just as you are / were. I'm certain we're on the same page but I understand your role as a mod, so I'm just throwing my couple of cents in.
Flame wars are boring, and if repeated long enough become self-perpetuating until we are forced to ban someone, during which time perfectly blameless others leave us in disgust.
Those who enjoy participating in such things are perfectly welcome to exchange contact information and continue the conversation in private.
#33
"welcome to exchange contact information"
TW, is there a secure way to do that?
I don't want to join flame wars, but there are several people I would like to connect with outside of the burg.
Posted by: Rambler in Virginia ||
04/26/2020 19:56 Comments ||
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#34
Assuming that Frank G speaks for the mods, probably best to exit now and wish you all well.
Best,
L.
#40
I'll third that, Les. I've much appreciated your prolific, and seemingly intelligent, contributions.
Posted by: Bobby ||
04/26/2020 21:44 Comments ||
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#41
"welcome to exchange contact information"
TW, is there a secure way to do that?
Meet in the O Club chat room, Rambler. Fred does not archive those comments, so they age out in a day or three — or you can — or can request — that a comment be deleted. I’m not sure if clicking on the time stamp there will open one of your comments if you are not a moderator, but any of the mods can handle it for certain.
Lex, what brought that on? You’ve been reasonably well behaved, and your thoughtful comments have in general been much appreciated.
Childish, nasty personal attacks from a mod at the only place left where we can speak freely against the stupidity and madness of the world without fear of corporate/political/social retribution, maybe?
Combined with watching my nation, and the entire world (my family spams many nations), self-destruct, and destroy my entire life's work and my family's future, because of -- yes, shitty, stupid, incompetent, craven, wasp-stung, needless pseudo-leaders' botched understanding of the actual course of yet another annual Chinese flu bug?
Every day my little family huddles and wonders what flaming idiocy will hit us next. The only thing keeping us sane is Rantburg.
#47
@ #43 - Lex, I must have missed the attacks from a Mod. I thought they were from/between two others. But there are so many [good] posts here perhaps I missed something.
In any case, hang in there. The egesta we have to deal with (swamp, COVID-19 insanity, MSM, etc.) is rough enough. See you tomorrow!
#48
Lex - I've been here since my son went to Iraq in 2004 with the Marines. You'll be sorry if you leave. Me, too!
Posted by: Bobby ||
04/26/2020 22:39 Comments ||
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#49
It’s a fraught time, my dear, and we are all doing our imperfect best. Now is the time for a good scotch whiskey or the equivalent (a small Bailey’s for me but I have all the alcohol tolerance of a small guppy), a deep breath, and a long hug.
Meanwhile, out in the real world quarantines are being less observed, while the leading states are starting opening the economy this week. Slowly then very fast is intersecting passing the crest.
#51
Damn, I wish I had some Laphroaig to raise back. Don't leave, it would be dumb. Did I ever mention I am not glib? Ah, you already noticed? Good.
Drink another / few, stick around. I'd miss you.
Posted by: Whiskey Mike ||
04/26/2020 23:28 Comments ||
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[BBC] The US state of New York, the epicentre of the country's Covid-19 outbreak, will allow pharmacies to carry out tests for the virus, the governor says.
Andrew Cuomo said some 5,000 pharmacies would be able to carry out testing, with the aim to provide 40,000 per day.
The US has more than 938,000 confirmed cases. Almost a third of the 53,751 deaths happened in New York City alone.
Meanwhile, President Donald Trump did not hold his daily briefing, saying it was not worth his "time or effort".
Speaking on Twitter on Saturday, he blamed the media for asking "nothing but hostile questions". He was heavily criticised after suggesting at Thursday's White House news conference that disinfectant could potentially be used as a treatment for the virus.
#2
I woke up to a Meet The Press kind of show this morning. They were going on about how the Trump-promised expansion of testing could not happen because there is a shortage of chemical reagents for the foreseeable future, as everyone around the world needs the stuff. But Mr. Wife says China does not have a corner on reagent chemicals — they are produced worldwide, some as byproducts of the manufacture of other things, eg. Procter&Gamble is the world leader for glycerin as a result of making soap.
[Defense Post] A U.S. Navy destroyer deployed off Mexico’s western coast is the second American warship at sea to suffer an outbreak of coronavirus onboard, the Pentagon confirmed on Friday, April 24.
Eighteen sailors onboard the USS Kidd have tested positive for the virus, the Navy said Friday.
The outbreak aboard the USS Kidd, first reported by Reuters, was detected after a sailor exhibiting symptoms tested positive for COVID-19 and was later evacuated off the ship, Pentagon spokesperson Jonathan Hoffman said.
The USS Kidd is heading back to port "quickly" after an eight-person Navy medical team boarded the ship in an attempt to help contain the virus’ spread, Hoffman told reporters.
The Kidd is in the same carrier strike group as the USS Theodore Roosevelt, the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier pulled from rotation in the Pacific and ordered to port in Guam in March due to a coronavirus outbreak onboard.
So far 840 sailors from the Teddy Roosevelt have tested positive for the virus and one sailor has died, according to the Pentagon. Acting Navy Secretary Thomas Modly resigned earlier in April after upbraiding the ship’s former captain, Brett Crozier. Captain Crozier was relieved of his command when his urgent request to the Navy to evacuate his crew on Guam leaked to the media.
Hoffman did not specify where the USS Kidd had most recently been in port, nor where it is headed. The Kidd visited Guam in February during deployment with the USS Teddy Roosevelt, according to the Navy. It has since been ordered to a counter-narcotics deployment in the eastern Pacific.
"Within 24 hours of the first person who was symptomatic on the ship, they had a medical team on that ship doing a detailed analysis and contact tracing of members of the crew," Hoffman told reporters.
Once in port, the Kidd will undergo disinfection and may offload crew members to isolate the outbreak.
"Fingers crossed. The Navy’s doing everything they can right now," Hoffman said, adding, "This is a learning environment, this is not something we’ve had to deal with."
Pennsylvania Forced To Remove Hundreds Of Deaths From Coronavirus Death Count After Coroners Raise Red Flags
[DAILYWIRE] Pennsylvania has had to remove hundreds 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... deaths from its official death count this week, following questions of accuracy and highlighted discrepancies by area coroners.
The PA health department decided to include "probable" coronavirus deaths, or an assumed COVID-19-related death without testing for the virus, to their corpse counts, dating back days and even weeks ago. But the corpse count spike raised questions from coroners who came forward to highlight a discrepancy in death totals, which were not adding up to the number of all-cause deaths.
The scrutiny triggered multiple revisions and statements from the department, including the removal of 200 "probable" COVID-19 deaths and a claim of computer "glitching."
"Pennsylvania started to include ’probable deaths’ in its fatalities. As a result, the total number of coronavirus deaths grew by 276, then 360, in successive nights, almost doubling the number of deaths in the state in two days," a Fox News report explained. " The Pennsylvania Department of Health (DOH) subsequently removed 200 deaths from its count after facing mounting questions about the accuracy of the count."
Health Secretary Rachel Levine, who decided to include "probable deaths" in the department’s total count, acknowledged to the Philadelphia Inquirer that such deaths may change over time.
Researchers at Johns Hopkins University reported the death toll from COVID-19 stands at 200,698 as of Saturday.
Globally, the number of confirmed cases of the coronavirus stands at more than 2.85 million. Since the first cases were detected in China in December, the US now has the highest rate of infection with more than 905,000 confirmed cases and 51,949 deaths.
Coronavirus: New York survey finds fatality rate at 0.5%, 14% have antibodies
[ENGLISH.ALARABIYA.NET] A preliminary survey of New York state residents found that nearly 14 percent of those tested had antibodies against the novel 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... , suggesting that some 2.7 million may already have been infected, Governor Andrew Sonny Cuomo said on Thursday.
While noting the small sample size of 3,000 people and other limitations of the survey, Cuomo said the implied fatality rate of 0.5 percent of those infected was lower than some experts feared.
"If the infection rate is 13.9 percent, then it changes the theories of what the death rate is if you get infected," Cuomo told a daily briefing.
The implied fatality rate of 0.5 percent was calculated by dividing the official statewide death count to date of about 15,500 by the estimated number of infected - 14 percent of New York’s 19 million residents, or 2.7 million people.
As of Thursday, New York had 263,460 confirmed cases and a corpse count of 15,740, according to the state’s official count, or nearly 6 percent of those who tested positive for the coronavirus.
#Bahrain reports 70 new #coronavirus cases, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 2,588, while the number of recovered patients stands at 1,160, according to the Ministry of Health.#COVID_19https://t.co/cuw90I4llE
#2
Notice the countries that led the fake invasion under Obama into Africa and the middle East are the highest death rates and the countries invaded are minimal at best! Karma?
[Daily Wire] In an unorthodox move, California Governor Gavin Newsom announced on Friday that the government will pay select seniors to order food from local restaurants struggling to stay open amidst the state’s recent coronavirus directives.
The governor revealed in a press conference that the new program will be funded through a combination of money from the state, local governments, and the federal government, and that the program will reimburse eligible seniors for up to $16 for breakfast, $17 for lunch, and $28 for dinner.
"This partnership will allow for the ability for restaurants to start rehiring people, or keep people currently employed, and start preparing meals — three meals a day, seven days a week — and have those meals delivered to our seniors all throughout the state," said the governor.
The remaining $5 will be provided for incidental costs, reports The Los Angeles Times. Although the eligibility requirements do not yet seem clear, the governor said that the program would provide an "unlimited number of meals" to at-risk seniors.
"They must either have been at high risk of exposure to COVID-19, must be in a position where their economics are below 600% of federal poverty, must have already been impacted or exposed directly to COVID-19, or more broadly, have compromised immune systems," said Newsom.
The governor indicated that the program will follow certain nutrition guidelines and focus on local produce and independent restaurants.
During the press conference, Newsom also said that the program will generate funding for local government through sales taxes, claiming that the "generation of local sales taxes associated with these purchases actually could start generating revenue and support for the local economy."
If 2 million seniors participate, the program could cost as much as $4 billion a month, and that’s assuming that the $66 per senior is the only cost, reports Reuters.
Furthermore, the news agency reports that the federal government will cover 75% of the cost of the program, the state of California will cover 18.75% of the program, and local governments will pick up the rest of the tab.
Assuming the $66 daily reimbursement rate is the only cost associated with the program, local governments would have to raise at least $4 in sales tax or other related restaurant taxes per participating senior each day to generate new revenue.
It’s not clear if this will be possible, but any potential difference could theoretically be offset if people not eligible for the program continue to order from restaurants.
As The Daily Wire previously reported, The National Restaurant Association estimates that the majority of restaurant workers around the country have already been fired or furloughed.
While the total number is not known, the association said that a recent survey of 6,500 restaurants revealed that more than 8 million workers have been affected, about four in ten restaurants have already closed, and that the industry expects to lose $240 billion by the end of the year.
A fair bet that Noisome and other California pols have made personal investments in the delivery startups that will receive a windfall from this cockamamie scheme.
#9
I saw the other night on TV that there are some liability concerns. Imagine if a business opens and someone claims that he/she contracted COVID-19 (for that matter, why not any bug?) at a business establishment. In this litigation- and tort-claim-happy land, that might be the K.O. punch to crush businesses--and the economy, already fragile.
#11
SO that's one step closer to the end game? The State will bring your food, when you need it?
Much better than Venezuela!
Posted by: Bobby ||
04/26/2020 11:42 Comments ||
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#12
#9 By this time next year, I think we'll be saying that the litigation resulting from the virus and the shutdown is worse than either the virus or the shutdown.
Posted by: Matt ||
04/26/2020 12:56 Comments ||
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#13
/\ I wouldn't bet against that, Matt, that's for sure.
#16
Well, who cares right? I mean, if California's going bankrupt anyways, they might as well spend every last dime as quickly as they can... Before the current group of thieves lose their jobs.
#4
Trust and good will are earned. Lost, they are hard to get back
Posted by: Frank G ||
04/26/2020 10:10 Comments ||
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#5
Need creative Drone grounding contest.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
04/26/2020 10:26 Comments ||
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#6
Fear not. Bill 'Pearly' Gates has an embeddable chip for us human drones that will alert INGSOC in real time.
And Pearly's really smart. After all, he knows nothing about education and still his ingenious Common Core innovation singlehandedly reformed US public education.
#8
Fear not. Bill 'Pearly' Gates has an embeddable chip for us human drones that will alert INGSOC in real time.
And magic number worshipper G(r)imgaru is all on board.
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
04/26/2020 10:40 Comments ||
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#9
In the 1960s riots at UC Berkeley a police helicopter landed at a Berkeley northside park and chewed out a boy for flying a kite that could get tangled in the tail rotor.
Lo and behold, hours later Berkeley skies were full of kites like barrage balloons in WW2 England.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
04/26/2020 10:42 Comments ||
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#10
Only reason I wear a mask is to avoid the self-appointed angry mask police. I see them everywhere I go. Going to trip some of them given the chance.
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
04/26/2020 10:46 Comments ||
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#11
I only wear a mask if I absolutely must (e.g., stores as mandated by our guv-nah). Other than that, no más mask.
#12
Masks are now a requirement to enter businesses in Quincy, and that was enacted last Sunday. Anyone that's within ear shot of me will hear 'I can't wait until this f'n c()^$ucking bullship is over with' every time I have to wait in line to get into Ace's or Home Depot. It's a sure-fire conversation starter.
[France24] British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will be back at work on Monday, a Downing Street spokeswoman confirmed on Saturday, after having recovered from a case of coronavirus that sent him to intensive care for three nights in early April.
Johnson, 55, will take back control of a government under pressure from the economic fallout of shutdowns aimed at curbing the spread of the highly infectious virus, as well as a rising death toll.
As of Saturday, Britain has recorded more than 20,000 deaths from COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus.
Criticism is growing over the government response to the pandemic, with limited testing and shortages of protective equipment for medical workers and carers.
Johnson's stand-in leader Dominic Raab has faced questions over how Britain will ease the lockdown without a deadly second wave of infections.
[LI] British lawmakers and government officials have been told not to use the video conferencing platform Zoom due to concerns over Chinese surveillance, the London-based newspaper Guardian reported on Friday. The UK intelligence agency, Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ), cautioned them against using the web-based service for official or confidential matters — especially if they relate to China. The top British Intelligence service specifically warned the senior Members of Parliament "not use it to talk about things detrimental to the interests of China," the daily added.
The revelation comes as UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has been using the video conferencing service to hold Cabinet meetings in the wake of the Wuhan coronavirus pandemic, the BBC recently reported. In the United States, too, the service was still being used by military and government officials, recent news reports confirm.
Skipping down to the BLUF:
The FBI has also warned about cyber security concerns surrounding the platform. The hackers could use the app to "steal sensitive information, target individuals and businesses performing financial transactions, and engage in extortion," the agency cautioned earlier this month.
Researchers at the University of Toronto uncovered that Zoom’s encryption keys were issued by Chinese servers "even when call participants were outside of China," thereby making them vulnerable to Beijing’s surveillance, the Business Insider magazine reported. Following these alarming reports, Zoom CEO Eric Yuan admitted routing "some calls" made in North America through China "by mistake."
Taiwan and Australia, major targets of Chinese espionage, have already banned the official used of Zoom. Elon Musk’s commercial space company SpaceX has also ditched the service over similar fears.
The revelation once again highlight Communist China’s growing government and corporate spying activities across the world. In recent years, Beijing has perfected cyber espionage as a preferred tool for gathering information on its geopolitical rivals and appears to be bridging the technology gap by spying on foreign firms. According to a U.S. Justice Department report in 2018, China was behind 90 percent of all economic espionage cases handled by the agency. The West’s increasing dependence on China-based technology service providers makes it more and more vulnerable to Beijing’s spy operations.
#1
The leak now guarantees it was written when May was in office, and the goal is to damage Boris.
In any case, this is not really news -- if you've listened to the daily press conferences, you're aware most governments preferred spending on garbage like transgenders and corrupting the election process over preparing for a pandemic.
Posted by: Rob Crawford ||
04/26/2020 1:22 Comments ||
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#3
Given that if they had stockpiled, it would all have been sourced from China, in that case the leakers would now be shrieking because 80+% of the stockpile was substandard.
[JustTheNews] The statement celebrated the 75th anniversary of the 'Meeting on the Elbe.'
President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday issued a rare joint statement promoting unity and cooperation between their respective countries, calling for trust and cooperation "in pursuit of a greater cause."
The statement was meant to mark the 75th anniversary of the "Meeting on the Elbe," the historic confluence of American and Russian troops in Germany very near the end of World War II in what was seen as one of the final blows against Nazi Germany. Adolf Hitler would commit suicide five days after the two sets of troops met at the Elbe River, with Germany surrendering a week later.
In the joint statement, the two leaders said the meeting "represented a culmination of tremendous efforts by the many countries and peoples" that "required enormous sacrifice by millions of soldiers, sailors, and citizens in multiple theaters of war."
"The 'Spirit of the Elbe' is an example of how our countries can put aside differences, build trust, and cooperate in pursuit of a greater cause. As we work today to confront the most important challenges of the 21st century, we pay tribute to the valor and courage of all those who fought together to defeat fascism," the statement continues, also paying tribute to the domestic industries that supplied the efforts on the warfront.
The statement's message of fraternal international cooperation did not impress everyone, with the Wall Street Journal reporting that "some officials within the administration" have been "concerned about the decision to issue the statement, fearing that it may undercut the stern U.S. messages toward Moscow."
The message also stands in contrast to recent tensions between the two countries, such as Russia's recent intrusion earlier this month into the Alaskan Air Defense Identification Zone. Russian aircraft have been spotted numerous times in recent weeks near Alaskan airspace. [You listening, China?]
#11
Re #3 - Apparently Bank of China was trying to sell into last weeks long march into negative oil future prices. So cheap oil can bite the Chinese as well.
Posted by: York Harding ||
04/26/2020 10:43 Comments ||
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#12
Russian Oil wells in Siberia face daunting problems that make Alaska North Slope issues secondary. Then they have to deal with the Saudis.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
04/26/2020 10:59 Comments ||
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#13
Meanwhile, the tree huggers and climate change totalitarians are loving every minute of it. Look, ma, hardly any CO2 now....
#6
A health official said that the number of active confirmed patients in China has dropped below 1,000 for the first time and the total of critically ill cases in Wuhan has fallen to two.
"We shot the rest. No man, no virus."
Posted by: Matt ||
04/26/2020 16:23 Comments ||
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#6
And before anyone knew it Dennis Rodman was First Lady of North Korea. The new nation was not sane by any measure but became significantly less dangerous to the rest of the world.
Like the "flare up" the quarantine fanatics and media are counting on.
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
04/26/2020 8:48 Comments ||
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#11
The choochoo train observation could be the new supreme leader taking possession and picking out new curtains, or it could be pudgy playing the I’m dead, who wants s my job game, to find new things to use with his ZSU 23-4 toys. My hope is he’s only half dead and lingers for a long, painful twilight.
Posted by: Frank G ||
04/26/2020 11:39 Comments ||
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#19
I would also guess that Wonsan is one of the nicer locales in North Korea, one of the best places available to Pudgy to practice social distancing.
Dunno what the water temperature is but it looks like he'd have the whole beach to himself. He might find that floating in the water eases the pressure on his knees.
Posted by: Abu Uluque ||
04/26/2020 11:42 Comments ||
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#20
Hiding from the virus would be my guess. He's chock full of danger factors: morbid obesity, diabetes, heart trouble, and a really bad haircut.
NKor reports "no" coronavirus cases, which is possible because nobody goes there, but not likely because the only people who do go there are Chinese.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/26/2020 15:58 Comments ||
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#21
^He's also rumored to have a bunch of doubles.
[GatetoneInstitute] More than a dozen countries on four continents have recently disclosed problems with Chinese-made coronavirus tests and personal protective equipment. The problems range from test kits tainted with the coronavirus to medical garments contaminated with insects.
Chinese authorities have refused to take responsibility for the defective equipment and in many instances have cast blame on the countries that purchased the material. They have also called on nations of the world to stop "politicizing" the problem.
Slovakian Prime Minister Igor Matovič disclosed that more than a million coronavirus tests supplied by China for a cash payment of €15 million ($16 million) were inaccurate and unable to detect Covid-19. "We have a ton of tests and no use for them," he said. "They should just be thrown straight into the Danube."
U.S. Senator Kelly Loeffler from Georgia accused China of holding up shipments of test kits: "Testing is core to opening our country back up. I'm concerned that China's holding up test kits. They're playing games with trade policy to prevent us, the United States, from getting the testing that we need."
"[W]e should not lose sight of the foundational strategic challenge confronting the West in the emerging post-globalization era: We are in a long twilight competition with the Chinese communist regime, a struggle we cannot escape, whether we like it or not." ‐ Andrew Michta, George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies.
#3
U.S. Senator Kelly Loeffler from Georgia accused China of holding up shipments of test kits: "Testing is core to opening our country back up. I'm concerned that China's holding up test kits. They're playing games with trade policy to prevent us, the United States, from getting the testing that we need."
#5
Honestly, I don't know if the Chinese are even capable of supply effective medical supplies. How much of what they supplied was always sub-standard, and just foisted off on the third-world?
Posted by: Rob Crawford ||
04/26/2020 1:24 Comments ||
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#6
Cheating is in the Chinese DNA. Outsiders - and that means anyone not in the extended family - may be freely cheated. In fact you're selling yourself short if you play honestly. There's not enough to go around in China and too many people. Cheating is the norm.
This is just them ripping off distant foreigners they will never meet. Do they really even exist? If so, who cares? Your wife is pestering you to buy a house for her family to live in for free. Dare you oppose her?
The Chinese commercial practice, as described by Derbyshire (200x - I can't find the article) is. (a) Capture the market by selling superior product below costs.
(b) Once you driven the competitors out, recoup your looses by cutting quality (costs).
#8
This is just them ripping off distant foreigners they will never meet.
It's tough to rip off someone who will never buy shit made by the Chicom Chinks; I'm one of them now, have been for about a few months. This practice will pick up steam real soon.
#9
Sorry to be a spoil-sport, Raj, but the computer, on which you wrote this resolution, was made in China. So is your smart phone. And look at the small script on your heart meds.
- Will the virus last long?
- Don't worry, it's made in China!
Posted by: European Conservative ||
04/26/2020 7:43 Comments ||
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#11
I'm pretty sure ASUS motherboards & AMD chips are of Taiwanese origin. I have a flip phone (i.e., expensive watch), and I guess I'm SOL on the Amiodarone. I'll take that, I suppose - like I have a choice on that third one...
#16
Gigabyte Boards are made in either Taiwan or Singapore. I've used them for several builds and they're a really good product. They use 'solid capacitors', so you don't get the electrolytic cap failures like the other manufacturers' products (although many of those folks have upgraded to the solid-type in the last couple of years).
Posted by: Mullah Richard ||
04/26/2020 9:24 Comments ||
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#17
g(r)om - just checked the mobo, and it's indeed made in China.
#18
#17 Most computers/handhelds are. Used to worry about it quite a bit. Not because I believe they can conquer the World - they don't have what it takes. But because their history if full of periods when they pull in and pretend the rest of the World doesn't exists. And then what happens to us?
U.S Army EO-5C Dash 7 (Special Electronic Mission Aircraft). N158CL Alleged by some to be the most densely-packed sensor plane in the world. Over Korea. https://t.co/VyQ8kZ77ogpic.twitter.com/ZbPPQnG0A1
Posted by: Fred ||
04/26/2020 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[1 views]
Top|| File under: Commies
#1
The de Havilland Dash 7 has stayed in special applications such as the Army above. I saw an airborne geophysics platform Dash 7 at the Northway Airport at the ALCAN border. It was a flying antenna farm. The only commercial use of the Dash 7 I know of is Greenland Air.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
04/26/2020 10:13 Comments ||
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#5
To compile the data, Apple has used Apple Maps' tools to measure how people use different means of transport that the maps track. Apple said that the data is anonymized and aggregated to ease privacy concerns.
In a statement, Apple said: 'Maps does not associate mobility data with a user's Apple ID, and Apple does not keep a history of where a user has been. Using aggregated data collected from Apple Maps, the new website indicates mobility trends for major cities and 63 countries or regions.'
[Epoch Times] Frozen french fry sales at grocery stores spiked 78.6 percent for the four-week period ended April 4, according to Nielsen data, resulting in shortages at many U.S. supermarkets.
Mayewski, 25, a construction manager, has not seen frozen fries at the Giant Food or Safeway supermarkets near her Maryland home.
Kraft Heinz Co’s Ore-Ida, the main producer of frozen fries for supermarkets, is rushing to bolster supplies.
"Our Ore-Ida factory is running at full capacity to keep up with demand," Kraft spokesman Michael Mullen said. Meanwhile:
At the same time, major fast-food french fry suppliers McCain Foods, J.R. Simplot, and Lamb Weston Holdings are canceling potato orders.
Fast-food suppliers’ freezers are full of frozen fries, hash browns, and potato skins, and their storage sheds are packed with potatoes, farmers and experts told Reuters.
Their demand is down because four out of ten U.S. restaurants are closed, as are schools, hotels, and workplaces. Fast-food chains are doing drive-through only, and with no set date for lifting stay-at-home orders, the outlook for the foodservice industry is dim But:
Compounding problems, most foodservice operators do not have connections at supermarkets—where adding a new product can take several months.
"It would be a Herculean task," Allen said of rerouting supplies. And with all the uncertainty around demand, he added, "the investment would be tough to justify." Did you realize that there is an international signal flat message that reads
NOTHING CAN BE DONE BEFORE HIGH TIDE
Sounds like a job for Captain Know-how. Or maybe someone needs to write some B2B codes in COBOL.
#1
I'm doing my part! My wife and I go to lunch once or twice a week for fast food (Whataburger) for a picnic lunch in the parking lot (after the drive thru.)
If you are not doing your part, welcome to the destruction of the US economy!
Posted by: Bobby ||
04/26/2020 1:53 Comments ||
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#2
So tell me again why "bath tissue" is in short supply....
#5
Clem,TP rolls are still scarce because people are using their home toilets rather than those at work, school etc. (formerly ~35%) which generally use a different TP - folded, big rolls, etc. - which are in surplus. The two manufacturing set-ups are not easily interchanged.
#7
@ #5 - Valid point, Glenmore, and I definitely understand the "industrial" size versus home-use size, but if my memory serves me correctly, the hoarding began before any lock-down measures. I suppose people saw the writing on the wall in a sense.
Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse owner, Ruth’s Hospitality Group, announced Thursday that it is repaying the $20 million it received under the federal government’s Paycheck Protection Program.
By applying through two subsidiaries, the company was granted a total of $20 million in loans in early April, according to an SEC filing.
Although larger companies qualified for the loans, they received backlash because the emergency program ran out of money before many small businesses could access it.
Shake Shack announced last week that it would return its $10 million loan.
The program has given out nearly $600 million in loans to about 150 public companies. However, the $349 billion program ran out of money last week, prompting Congress to inject an additional $310 billion into the fund.
[Finance.Yahoo] Goldman Sachs Group Inc. bought up mortgage bonds during a wave of panic selling last month, a bet that’s almost certainly made money since the Federal Reserve unveiled massive stimulus turning a crash into a rally.
The Wall Street giant amassed mortgage-backed securities from funds that had bought them with borrowed money and needed to sell quickly, according to people familiar with the matter, who asked not to be identified because the details are private.
Goldman charged a fee for helping funds and investments trusts exit repurchase agreements and it also stood to gain if the bonds rallied in the period it held them. For the funds, the trade offered a way to free up cash and escape the pain of daily margin calls in a fast-falling market, the people said.
"Making markets -- buying from or selling to our clients -- is the core activity of our Global Markets division, and we do it regardless of markets conditions," Goldman Sachs said in a statement, adding that "we had no advance knowledge of any of the facilities the Fed announced and assumed risk when we bought securities from clients during this period." Well Timed
The high-risk bet proved to be well timed. Not long after, the Fed intervened to calm market panic and said it would buy unlimited amounts of Treasury bonds and mortgage securities. That allowed Goldman to sell some notes to the Fed, one of the people said, while even bonds that were ineligible for central bank purchases rallied after the Fed stepped in.
The Bloomberg Barclays Mortgage-Backed Securities Total Return index of the agency mortgage bonds that the Fed is buying has gained more than 3% in the last month. A Markit iBoxx benchmark of non-agency securities gained 14% over the same period.
Goldman was able to find a plentiful supply of willing sellers because the mortgage bond market is dominated by investors using leverage to amplify their positions. While buying mortgage-backed-securities using borrowed money with just a small percentage as a down payment can enhance potential profits, when asset values drop the creditor lending that money can suddenly demand a higher percentage, resulting in margin calls and a wave of forced liquidations.
And that's exactly what happened last month when the coronavirus credit meltdown reached the U.S. mortgage market, causing prices for bonds secured by home loans to collapse and spurring a chaotic rush to offload the bonds to meet redemptions and mounting margin calls. Some investors, including a number of real estate investment trusts, said the precipitous drop in the value of the securities meant they were unable to meet margin calls and even asked counterparties for forbearance agreements.
Goldman executed a few large trades with key clients and also approached several other structured credit hedge funds to see if they wanted to trade, said the people. The firm saw an increase of as much as 75% compared to regular volumes for similar trades as of early April, one of the people said.
SWEEPING MEASURES
Even before the Fed unveiled a sweeping package of measures to address the economic damage of coronavirus lockdowns, Goldman was confident it could find buyers for any bonds it took on and wouldn't need to warehouse them for a long period, according to one of the people. Still the Fed's timing was fortuitous.
The central bank announced last month it's buying unlimited amounts of mortgage securities to keep borrowing costs low, although it excluded the private U.S. mortgages that are packaged into non-agency mortgage-backed securities. It also set up programs to ensure more credit flows to businesses and expanded its Money Market Mutual Fund Liquidity Facility. After the announcement Goldman also bought securities from money market funds to sell to the Fed, one of the people said.
[It sure seems odd that when there is a hint of good news--especially something that Big Pharma can't profit from--it gets bans or simply demonized.]
[BBC] France has banned the online sale of nicotine products and limited their sale in pharmacies, after researchers suggested that nicotine may play a role in protecting against coronavirus.
The new rules cover products like nicotine gum and patches, designed to help people stop smoking.
Last week, data from a Paris hospital indicated that smokers were statistically less likely to be admitted for treatment for Covid-19.
Trials are set to continue in France.
France has reported nearly 22,000 coronavirus-related deaths since the start of the outbreak earlier this year.
#6
Same reason it's a pain to get nitrile gloves on Amazon -- reserved for people who need it. The French may be jumping the gun, or getting ahead of hoarding.
Posted by: Rob Crawford ||
04/26/2020 17:41 Comments ||
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[Methinks it took an unfortunate health crisis to put the kaboosh on the EU as COVID-19 is just accelerating the process of the EU's demise.]
2020-04-25, by Philipp Bagus
[Mises] The eurozone is a gigantic machine of monetary redistribution. Several independent governments can finance their expenditures through deficits that are monetized directly or indirectly by one printing press. More specifically, the European Central Bank (ECB) may buy eurozone government bonds directly from market participants or accept them as collateral in its lending operations, effectively increasing the monetary base. Through this monetization, a government can externalize the costs of its deficit partially onto the citizens of other eurozone countries in the form of a lower purchasing power for the euro. The setup resembles a tragedy of the commons. The commonly owned resource is the purchasing power of the euro, which is exploited by several users. These users are the eurozone governments. They issue debts resulting in an increase in the money supply. By running comparatively higher deficits than their peers, eurozone governments can attempt to live at the expense of foreigners.
It cannot be surprising that most governments have ignored the new treaty instituted in the wake of the European debt crisis to bring down debts and deficits. During the last years of moderate economic growth, with interest rates at virtually zero, highly indebted governments did not take advantage of the situation to reduce their debts. Rather they took advantage of the higher tax revenues and reduced interest spending to boost government expenditures in other areas. Governments think that they will get away with it. The rationale for this irresponsible behavior was simple: when there was another crisis someday, these governments would just print more government bonds, have their banks buy them, and make others pay in form of a loss in the euro's purchasing power. These governments believe that no one will put an end to the monetization, because ending this mechanism would trigger a sovereign debt default, which would harm the other eurozone governments. European banks and especially the ECB are loaded with eurozone government bonds. A government default would imply losses not only in the defaulting country, but for all eurozone banks. It would lead to cascading bankruptcies, an immense banking, sovereign debt, and economic crisis. The confidence in the euro could be severely shaken by the risk of (hyper)inflation.
Although southern governments such as Italy, France, and Spain did not use the last years to reduce their deficits, Germany and other northern countries such as the Netherlands did reduce their debts, thereby increasing, ironically, the possibility of southern government relying on Germany and the north for bailouts.
During the COVID-19 panic and resulting lockdowns, Italy, Spain, and France have vehemently demanded "solidarity" from Germany, bluffing about leaving the EU if their demands remain unfulfilled. In spite of their failure to reduce government spending and deficits in good times, they believe it to be their right to be bailed out. Their past excessive deficits can be explained by the prospect of European debt mutualization. Indeed, several bailout schemes have already been instituted during the corona panic. The ECB announced that it would buy €750 billion in bonds, and the EU has agreed upon a €540 billion bailout package.
Unfortunately, the moral hazard implied in the euro setup not only influenced excessive government spending before the corona crisis, but most likely is influencing government responses to the epidemic as well. The costs of lockdowns and government bailouts of citizens and companies are enormous. A government must carefully consider the decision to enforce a costly lockdown. But what if a government can externalize part of the lockdown costs on others through new debts or bailouts? If this possibility exists, as it does in the eurozone, it becomes more likely that a government will declare a lockdown and continue with it for longer. Instead of lifting the restrictions as fast as possible, southern governments maintain them, because they count on a bailout and the support of governments with better fiscal balance sheets. By ruining their own economies, southern governments actually increase the pressure for the institution of new redistribution schemes, and finally a European superstate. The reasoning, as exemplified by infamous former Greece finance minister Yanis Varoufakis, is: if you do not rescue us, we will default, leading to a European banking crisis, high losses for the ECB, and a severe depression. So, you better bail us out.
Thus, the setup of the euro may be responsible for suicidal lockdowns in some eurozone countries that will be longer than in other places, with all their detrimental social, political, health, and economic consequences. And it is possible that this crisis will lead to a final decision for the future of the euro and toward a European superstate.
[Arutz 7] - Health Ministry Director-General Moshe Bar Siman Tov on Saturday night called on Israelis to keep the coronavirus restrictions and not become complacent due to the eased lockdown.
"We are increasing the return to routine in the wake of the coronavirus epidemic," he said. "As always, our ability to succeed in the new stage depends only on us. If we adhere to the three rules - masks, distance, and hygiene - I believe we will be able to integrate routine with preventing the spread of the virus."
"Don't be complacent. I hear the voices that are saying that we exaggerated, but look around. Belgium, a country similar in size to Israel, has seen nearly 7,000 deaths. New York State, approximately twice the size of Israel, has seen over 21,700 deaths, and there are many more examples. We are happy that this is not the situation in Israel, and that's mostly thanks to the fact that we all kept the rules.
#2
^No, it's actually Israelis are used to emergencies (and know from experience, an emergency is not a dastardly government plot to steal our inalienable rights).
[IsraelTimes] After many years, sewing workshops are back to working at full capacity — producing masks, gloves and protective gowns for export. Instead of bomb/arson kites? Do tell!
For the first time in years, sewing factories in the Gazoo ...Hellhole adjunct to Israel and Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, inhabited by Gazooks. The place was acquired in the wake of the 1967 War and then presented to Paleostinian control in 2006 by Ariel Sharon, who had entered his dotage. It is currently ruled with an iron fist by Hamaswith about the living conditions you'd expect. It periodically attacks the Hated Zionist Entity whenever Iran needs a ruckus created or the hard boyz get bored, getting thumped by the IDF in return. The ruling turbans then wave the bloody shirt and holler loudly about oppression and disproportionate response... Strip are back to working at full capacity — producing masks, gloves and protective gowns, some of which are bound for Israel.
Continued on Page 49
#1
Politicians not satisfied with being Hollyweird for ugly people, they want to be Ben Casey now too.
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
04/26/2020 0:36 Comments ||
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#2
I'm going to guess our resident magic numbers worshipper will love this idea.
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
04/26/2020 0:37 Comments ||
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#3
"The DEADLY Coronavirus". Don't forget the 'deadly'.
Posted by: Bobby ||
04/26/2020 0:38 Comments ||
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#4
Prisons would make a great place to run such experiments. Rather than releasing felons, we should be packing them in like poorly ventilated sardines.
#7
Not saying I approve of something like this. But, if there's a call for volunteers - I'd expect all the people who's been telling me for months that Sars-CoV2 is just a flu, not dangerous to healthy people, to volunteer.
Not serious, just sure I'd find their excuses "why not" amusing.
Assailants lobbed an explosive device at a branch of Fransabank in the #Lebanese southern port city of Sidon, in the latest attack on financial institutions in a country facing its worst economic crisis in decades.https://t.co/lN9RqLjbzr
#2
From Wikipedia: "Fransabank is one of the oldest banks in Lebanon. Today, Fransabank Group has a consolidated presence in eight countries: Lebanon, France, Algeria, Sudan, Belarus, Iraq, UAE (Abu Dhabi) and in Ivory Coast. The Group also ranks first in terms of local branch network with 125 branches strategically spread all over the country."
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.
[Bongino] Caputo asserted that "millions of Chinese suck the blood out of rabid bats as an appetizer and eat the ass out of anteaters." 
[Defense Post] A U.S. Navy destroyer deployed off Mexico’s western coast is the second American warship at sea to suffer an outbreak of coronavirus onboard, the Pentagon confirmed on Friday, April 24.
...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...
Enough Clem. Please, enough ! 
[Epoch Times] Frozen french fry sales at grocery stores spiked 78.6 percent for the four-week period ended April 4, according to Nielsen data, resulting in shortages at many U.S. supermarkets.
