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This story is a merge of 28 story submissions. Given that it was well over 18,000 words of original source material (excluding HTML markup!), a great deal of pruning was performed to get it to a manageable size. We strongly encourage folks to read the linked articles for more information.
For latest statistics, and finer granularity, see https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/ or https://www.arcgis.com/apps/opsdashboard/index.html.
Coronavirus Cases: 1,700,741
Deaths: 102,774
Recovered: 376,572Active Cases:
1,221,395 Currently Infected Patients
1,171,568 (96%) in Mild Condition
49,872 (4%) Serious or CriticalClosed Cases:
479,346 Cases which had an outcome:
376,572 (79%) Recovered / Discharged
102,774 (21%) DeathsData as at 11 Apr 2020, at 08:01 UTC.
DIGITAL LIBERTY
Europe's Privacy Officials are Working on Geolocation Guidelines for Tracking COVID-19
Europe's privacy officials are working on geolocation guidelines for tracking COVID-19:
The European Data Protection Board said Tuesday that it would be creating guidelines for collecting data for surveillance tied to the coronavirus pandemic, including geolocation, contact tracing and health information.
Governments around the world are relying on phone location data to help track the coronavirus outbreak, without any formal restrictions or mandates on how that data can be used. Countries including Singapore, the United Kingdom and Israel have developed their own apps for tracking people's movements and examining how COVID-19 spreads, and the only privacy protections are based on trusting the government's promises.
[...] "The EDPB will move swiftly to issue guidance on these topics within the shortest possible notice to help make sure that technology is used in a responsible way to support and hopefully win the battle against the corona pandemic," EDPB Chairwoman Andrea Jelinek said in a statement. "I strongly believe data protection and public health go hand in hand."
Europe's General Data Protection Regulation doesn't have geolocation data guidelines for a pandemic like COVID-19, and many data protection commissioners, including in Ireland, Germany and Italy, have said that they're prioritizing saving lives over privacy during the outbreak.
The GDPR does address what privacy restrictions there are during a health crisis, including allowing for public health officials to gather personal data without consent during a pandemic. But it doesn't have specific rules regarding geolocation data tracking during a pandemic, which the EDPB is looking to quickly establish. On March 16, Jelinek issued a statement that location data should be used only when it's anonymized or with people's consent.
Google Releases Location Data For Tracking COVID-19 Cases
Google has released location data in 131 countries to help governments track citizens with COVID-19.
Alphabet's Google division has on Thursday published data for 131 countries that shows whether people are obeying self-isolating and quarantine rules.
The 'Community Mobility Reports' from the search engine giant showed whether visits to shops, parks and workplaces dropped in March, Reuters reported.
March is when many countries around the world brought in their lock-down rules, and readers can click here to see the Google reports on their particular country.
BUSINESS
Red Light Camera Company Says It's Dying Of Coronavirus
Red Light Camera Company Says It's Dying Of Coronavirus:
We are again being asked to shed a tear for a law enforcement-adjacent industry. Social distancing and sheltering-in-place in response to the coronavirus has led to a downturn in driving. And if there's fewer drivers on the road, proxy cops are seeing their revenue streams dry up.
Redflex, an Australian company that operates "traffic safety programs" in roughly 100 US and Canadian cities, warned that less traffic and suspended construction amid the pandemic will be a stress on its balance sheet.
"Approximately 15% of group revenue is dependent on volume-based contracts," the company said in a regulatory filing Monday first spotted by The Wall Street Journal, hinting at its business line that includes enforcement cameras. "We anticipate our revenue from these contracts will be impacted broadly in line with the reduction in traffic volumes as well as the duration of the disruption."
[...] Hope springs eternal at Redflex, even with COVID-19's wet blanket dampening the company's enthusiasm.
On a call with investors Monday, Redflex CEO Mark Talbot warned that further travel restrictions could delay new installations and therefore impact revenues.
ENVIRONMENT
Himalayas Visible Due to COVID-19 Fueled Pollution Drop
Have you ever wondered what would happen around the planet if humans disappeared, or just went into hiding, one day? Well, now we know. One side effect of the COVID-19 lockdown is that the himalayas are now visible due to the lack of pollution that is normally generated by factories.
Lockdown measures to fight the spread of COVID-19 have rolled out across the world and while it is having a devastating impact on the world's economy, the environment is clearly reaping the rewards,
Some residents in northern India say the lockdown measures across the country have given locals a view many have not seen in at least 30 years.
While for others in the Jalandhar district of Punjab in India, it's a sight they've never seen before.
Mother Earth thanks you, Coronavirus 19.
NEWS
BP Gas Stations Give Health Care Workers 50 Cent Discount on Fuel - Roadshow
BP gas stations give health care workers 50 cent discount on fuel - Roadshow:
Let's enjoy some positive news amid the coronavirus outbreak on this World Health Day, shall we? We have just the thing, as BP announced Monday it will give back to health care workers and first responders.
Doctors, nurses and hospital workers are eligible for 50 cents off per gallon of fuel as a way for the company to say thank you to those on the front lines. The discount will be valid at BP and Amoco stations across the US and only requires those eligible to register at a link to use a discount code at the fuel pump.
BP said this little act of giving back will be valid for the entire month of April for health care workers.
[...] Aside from any discounts, fuel prices have reached record lows in the past weeks, partially due to the coronavirus pandemic, which is what causes COVID-19. With fewer drivers on the roads amid stay-at-home orders, demand continues to fall. Meanwhile, a Saudi-Russian oil price war dumped tons of cheap oil on the market to drive crude oil prices down. Just last week, the national average for a gallon of gas dropped below $2, and experts believe it could fall to as low as $1.50 per gallon.
Spitting gets worse in Australia to the point of fines and jail time
With COVID-19 on the brain the population is going nuts. Members of the public are spitting on and swearing at staff in pharmacies as paranoia and fear grip the nation. With purchases of common products such as Ventolin, Salbutamol and paracetamol now being limited to prevent hoarding, emotions are running high. Tougher penalties including jail time for offenders who attack with bodily fluids was introduced in 2019, but they have not had significant impact. In Britain a 55 year old man was jailed for coughing on police as was a woman who spat at police.
Medium.com banned a user for suggesting a possible category of treatments for COVID-19
Andrew Gaiziunas posted this article speculating that the Wuhan Coronavirus removes iron from red blood cells which leads to both oxygen deprivation in tissues and the lung damage that is seen in patients. If confirmed, this knowledge could lead to the development of better treatments in both early and late stages of the disease. Gaiziunas is not a doctor, but he claims that his father is one and helped work on the article. Medium deleted the article and his account has been suspended.
15 men arrested for alleged quarantine violation at New Jersey funeral
Fifteen men have been arrested during a funeral in New Jersey for allegedly defying the state's ban on public gatherings during the coronavirus pandemic, officials said. The incident in Ocean County late Wednesday was the fourth time in as many days that Lakewood police had to respond to a prohibited public event — this time a funeral where between 60 and 70 people gathered, according to a joint statement by Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer and Lakewood Police Chief Gregory Meyer.
"This gathering was in violation of (Gov. Phil Murphy's executive order), which bans gatherings of individuals, whether they be at weddings, parties, celebrations, or other social events including funerals," they said in the statement.
Source: https://nypost.com/2020/04/02/100-year-old-nj-man-arrested-for-alleged-quarantine-violation/
Yuval Noah Harari: The World After Coronavirus
Yuval Noah Harari: the world after coronavirus
Humankind is now facing a global crisis. Perhaps the biggest crisis of our generation. The decisions people and governments take in the next few weeks will probably shape the world for years to come. They will shape not just our healthcare systems but also our economy, politics and culture. We must act quickly and decisively. We should also take into account the long-term consequences of our actions. When choosing between alternatives, we should ask ourselves not only how to overcome the immediate threat, but also what kind of world we will inhabit once the storm passes. Yes, the storm will pass, humankind will survive, most of us will still be alive — but we will inhabit a different world.
Many short-term emergency measures will become a fixture of life. That is the nature of emergencies. They fast-forward historical processes. Decisions that in normal times could take years of deliberation are passed in a matter of hours. Immature and even dangerous technologies are pressed into service, because the risks of doing nothing are bigger. Entire countries serve as guinea-pigs in large-scale social experiments. What happens when everybody works from home and communicates only at a distance? What happens when entire schools and universities go online? In normal times, governments, businesses and educational boards would never agree to conduct such experiments. But these aren't normal times.
In this time of crisis, we face two particularly important choices. The first is between totalitarian surveillance and citizen empowerment. The second is between nationalist isolation and global solidarity.
More of Us are Now Supposed to Wear a Mask
More of us are now supposed to wear a mask:
The BioAid mask looks different than most health masks you've seen, because it's based on the idea that the best mask is the one that can be readily made. Its shell is like a retail blister pack and its filter is a swatch of the same HEPA material used in many home furnace filters and has been shown by NASA to be an efficient particulate filter. The BioAid isn't N95-certified yet, but co-inventor Marcus Hays is confident it soon will be -- and that the mask has value in the meantime as CDC mask guidelines broaden as the coronavirus emergency develops.
Hays' startup Orbis, based in Mill Valley, California, is developing in-wheel electric drive systems for automakers but temporarily pivoted to masks after an assessment of available materials. They determined that polyethylene plastic sheets are plentiful and familiar to many plastic thermoforming companies. The millions of blister packs, pill packs and water bottles they make are all close industrial cousins of the BioAid mask. "Normally it's not the most environmentally friendly way to go," Hays admitted, "but in this crisis, it's the smart thing to do."
The front of the BioAid mask shell is perforated with breathing holes that are backed by a two inch square of common HEPA air filter material. "Most important is the very small area of filter compared to a conventional N95," Hays said, "because (the availability of) filter material is at crisis stage." HEPA material is regarded as a relatively effective medium for capturing viruses, especially if the virus is attached to larger carrier particle like aerosolized mucous or saliva.
Largest Hospital System In The US Threatens To Fire Doctors & Nurses For Telling The Truth About COV
Last week we talked about just how insane it was that hospital administrators were threatening and/or firing doctors and nurses for speaking out publicly on social media about just how unprepared America's healthcare system has been for the COVID-19 pandemic -- and now we find out it gets even worse. Business Insider has seen a memo sent around by the country's largest hospital provider, HCA Healthcare, noting that they changed their social media guidelines just as the pandemic got really cooking, to tell those healthcare professionals on the frontline that telling the truth in public might cost them their jobs:
HCA Healthcare, which has 185 hospitals in 20 states, sent an email to employees on March 24 that added new guidelines for social media and media inquiries during the pandemic. The email said HCA employees could get disciplined or even fired for posting information on social media about its policies about treating patients with COVID-19, the illness caused by this coronavirus. The health system also barred employees from speaking to journalists about the virus without explicit permission from HCA's communications director.
One nurse, Jhonna Porter, told Business Insider that HCA Healthcare had already suspended her for violating these new guidelines and did so retroactively, for her activity before March 24. Porter, a charge nurse at West Hills Hospital in California, said HCA Healthcare suspended her without pay on March 25, a day after sending the email updating its social-media policy.
SCIENCE
Coronavirus Lockdowns Have Caused the Earth to Effectively Stop Shaking
Coronavirus lockdowns have caused the Earth to effectively stop shaking:
With travel effectively ground to a halt, seismologists around the globe have reported a drop in seismic noise, according to an article in the scientific journal Nature.
Researchers say the drop in activity, usually only seen to this magnitude around Christmas, could help experts find smaller earthquakes and monitor volcanic activity more effectively.
[...] "You'll get a signal with less noise on top, allowing you to squeeze a little more information out of those events," Andy Frassetto, a seismologist at the Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology in Washington, D.C., told Nature
"There's a big chance indeed it could lead to better measurements," Thomas Lecocq, a seismologist at the Royal Observatory of Belgium, added.
Lecocq told CNN that Brussels was seeing a 30 to 50 per cent reduction in ambient noise since it went on lockdown in the middle of March.
The Royal Observatory made sure to note the Earth was "still shaking," just at a significantly smaller measure.
POLITICS
China should be sued for $6.5 trillion for coronavirus damages says top UK think tank
According to the report, Coronavirus Compensation? by conservative London think tank The Henry Jackson Society[*], China could be sued under 10 possible legal avenues, including the International Health Regulations, which were beefed up after the SARS outbreak, which China also tried to cover up.
The report said had China provided accurate information at an early juncture, "the infection would not have left China."
China only reported the disease to the WHO on December 31 and said there was no evidence of human-to-human transmission.
Trump tells health officials to ask "quack" Fox News guest Dr. Oz for advice on coronavirus: report
President Donald Trump has allegedly urged top health officials to call the controversial TV pundit Dr. Mehmet Oz after watching the frequent Fox News guest discuss the coronavirus pandemic on the right-leaning network.
Oz, who has been repeatedly called out by other doctors as a "quack" for pushing discredited "miracle" health products, has frequently espoused the virtues of the malaria drug hydroxychloroquine as a coronavirus treatment on Fox's airwaves.
Trump has also promoted the unproven drug treatment for the new coronavirus at his news briefings despite top health experts like Dr. Anthony Fauci dismissing claims that the drug is effective in coronavirus cases as "anecdotal." Trump economic adviser Peter Navarro got into a heated altercation with Fauci at a recent White House coronavirus task force meeting over that description, according to Axios.
Trump's Aggressive Advocacy of Malaria Drug for Treating Coronavirus Divides Medical Community
Trump's Aggressive Advocacy of Malaria Drug for Treating Coronavirus Divides Medical Community:
Day after day, the salesman turned president has encouraged coronavirus patients to try hydroxychloroquine with all of the enthusiasm of a real estate developer. The passing reference he makes to the possible dangers is usually overwhelmed by the full-throated endorsement. "What do you have to lose?" he asked five times on Sunday.
Bolstered by his trade adviser, a television doctor, Larry Ellison of Oracle and Rudolph W. Giuliani, a former New York mayor, Mr. Trump has seized on the drug as a miracle cure for the virus that has killed thousands and paralyzed American life. Along the way, he has prompted an international debate about a drug that many doctors in New York and elsewhere have been trying in desperation even without conclusive scientific studies.
Mr. Trump may ultimately be right, and physicians report anecdotal evidence that has provided hope. But it remains far from certain, and the president's assertiveness in pressing the case over the advice of advisers like Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, the government's top infectious disease specialist, has driven a wedge inside his coronavirus task force and has raised questions about his motives.
If hydroxychloroquine becomes an accepted treatment, several pharmaceutical companies stand to profit, including shareholders and senior executives with connections to the president. Mr. Trump himself has a small personal financial interest in Sanofi, the French drugmaker that makes Plaquenil, the brand-name version of hydroxychloroquine.
[...] The professional organization that published a positive French study cited by Mr. Trump's allies changed its mind in recent days. The International Society of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy said, "The article does not meet the society's expected standard." Some hospitals in Sweden stopped providing hydroxychloroquine to treat the coronavirus after reports of adverse side effects, according to Swedish news media.
Big Pharma-Funded Group Founded by Billionaire Trump Backer Tied to President's Promotion of Malaria Drug for COVID-19
From New Civil Rights Movement,
The investigative news site Sludge reports a top Trump backer's advocacy group, fueled with funds from Big Pharma, "has been pushing Trump to approve the use of hydroxychloroquine for treating COVID-19."
Home Depot founder and billionaire right wing activist Bernie Marcus founded the non-profit group Job Creators Network, which works for right wing causes including lower taxes, less regulations, and so-called "free-market solutions."
Marcus donated millions to groups which worked to get Trump elected. He has said he will again donate millions to help get Trump re-elected.
Sludge reports the pharmaceutical industry has funded Marcus' Job Creators Network, which "has been pushing" Trump "to make the drug available."
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(Score: 5, Insightful) by barbara hudson on Saturday April 11 2020, @04:53PM (60 children)
SoylentNews is social media. Says so right in the slogan. Soylentnews is people, not tech.
(Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday April 11 2020, @05:01PM (19 children)
Even worse is that this is what was fully expected from him, and many people still support all the politicians responsible for making this such a big disaster. It is intentional sabotage, and reelection rates will still remain in the 90% range. This whole "majority rule" thing is no damn good. Tyranny is inevitable.
(Score: 2, Flamebait) by hemocyanin on Saturday April 11 2020, @05:33PM (8 children)
Let us remember that politicians are in it for themselves and we can only hope that they accidentally help us as they are accumulating wealth and power. Those who don't accidentally help us should be removed from office (in a perfect world they would apologize and resign), but I suspect that won't be happening:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eFCzoXhNM6c [youtube.com]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday April 11 2020, @05:42PM (7 children)
should be removed from office
That is upon the voters. The politicians are really only a reflection of the voters who expect them to bring home lots of bacon, juicy contracts and handouts. They react in a purely Pavlovian fashion. Their corruption is highly rewarding, getting a positive reaction every election day.
(Score: 5, Insightful) by catholocism on Saturday April 11 2020, @07:33PM (5 children)
This is only true in an unrigged system. Voter disenfranchisement has been going strong for a few decades, gerrymadering is legal according to SCOTUS, as is dark money. Blaming the voters is like blaming an abused spouse.
(Score: -1, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday April 11 2020, @07:52PM (4 children)
No, that's just whiny bullshit. The voters' biggest problem right now is the antipathy they have for each other. Stop making excuses for them. They can fix this, but they're too lazy and corrupt themselves. They just cynically vote for more promised pork.
(Score: 4, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday April 11 2020, @08:55PM (2 children)
Oooooh, that is why so many key districts keep being lost and the supreme court had to declare Bush a winner without a recount in 2000. I'm so glad to know that corruption and election fraud are totally not a problem because the real problem is not enough people voting to overwhelm the evil actions of others.
Phew! And here I thought the US had some sort of problems with elections. Thanks Sherlock /s
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday April 11 2020, @09:09PM
Keep jumping higher maggot. You need 55% to win in this house.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday April 11 2020, @09:23PM
If the voters don't unite and speak, screw 'em! That's how majority rule works.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday April 12 2020, @06:54PM
And the down modders only reveal their own petulance, refusing to acknowledge their own fundamental nature, even while putting it on full display. They are the maintainers of this sad state of affairs
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday April 12 2020, @05:32AM
There is no time. Impeach Again!! Remove from Orafice!
(Score: 4, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday April 11 2020, @07:01PM (9 children)
It's not majority rule, though. It's two party rule, with gerrymandering, plutocrats controlling over 90% of the media, and no national holidays on election days. So third parties have no chance and even on really active elections more than 40% of eligible voters don't participate. And for example, I have relatives and friends in states that always vote red and relatives and friends in states that always vote blue. If you don't agree with the majority in that state, why bother voting?
The two parties are working together to shoot down anything that would fix this. No support for holidays on election days. Little support for open primaries. No support for ranked voting (which would stop votes for third parties from being useless). No support for Congressional term limits. No support for abolishing the electoral college. No support for an amendment against gerrymandering. Sure, you can find individual Democrats and Republicans in Congress that supports these things, but never enough to matter. The great majority of influential Democrats would rather see Trump remain in office than undermine their own political power by instituting any policy. Likewise, when Obama was in office Republicans howled for his blood but never supported policies that would undermine their own power to bring him down.
The Founding Fathers, those misogynists and slaveholders brilliant and thoughtful men, couldn't have foreseen this when they wrote the Constitution. Now, we're all just on a runaway train and the majority doesn't have the power to apply the breaks or change tracks. The people in power are happy with how broken the system is.
(Score: 0, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday April 11 2020, @08:03PM (4 children)
Bla bla bla. The voters have to quit their whiny bullshit and organize. They have to be as active and interested as the lobbyists. If they're going to sit around and wait for the TV to tell them who to vote for every two years, they richly deserve what they get, it's what they asked for.
If they want something different, first they have to stop voting for republicans/democrats.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by PartTimeZombie on Sunday April 12 2020, @01:16AM (3 children)
The voters are the least important part of the US electoral system.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday April 12 2020, @03:43AM (2 children)
The failure to unite and speak up is their own. They can blame nobody else but themselves for failing to act.
Aside from that you are just plain wrong. The winner is decided by the votes received, not by the money spent.
(Score: 2) by PartTimeZombie on Sunday April 12 2020, @10:29PM (1 child)
That is why you have such a great choice of different political parties to choose from. Oh, hang on. No you don't.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday April 14 2020, @05:41PM
If enough people want different parties, they will have them. They don't care to seek them out as long as they are comfortable 'enough'. They fear losing even more if the wrong lizard gets in.
Make no mistake, the freedom to choose is upon the voters and nobody else. So see? There is a solution that for some reason, all of you refuse to acknowledge. The voters 'dilemma' is totally of their own making, and it's psychological, not political.
(Score: 5, Insightful) by hendrikboom on Saturday April 11 2020, @08:36PM (3 children)
Ranked voting would help.
So would proportional representation.
Either or both of these would make more than two parties viable.
-- hendrik
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday April 12 2020, @02:15PM (2 children)
Either or both of these would make more than two parties viable.
Nobody can rightfully claim that Australia, Canada, France, Germany, etc. are really any better off. Besides they are vassal states (in Europe, Japan, occupied territories), as part of the Oceania, Eurasia and Eastasia machine, allowed to exist with an offer they can't refuse.
Sorry, the only possible working solution is an active critical voter. Without them, it's all bullshit
(Score: 3, Insightful) by hendrikboom on Sunday April 12 2020, @09:31PM (1 child)
Of course you need active, critical voters. But as long as they are in the minority, you also need an electoral system that gives them a voice in government.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday April 14 2020, @06:36PM
you also need an electoral system that gives them a voice in government.
Without sufficient demand from the majority of voters, how do you expect such a system to be put in place?
In the US, the simple elimination of the 501(c) tax deductions will go far in remedying the problem. The other half will be solved when the voters learn to turn their backs on celebrity bling.
(Score: -1, Troll) by Runaway1956 on Saturday April 11 2020, @05:12PM (8 children)
Make America Corona Again
Or MAWA
Make America Wuhan Again
It's funny how everyone wants to blame the Orange Clown. It's even funnier how "surplus" equipment was auctioned off by NYC and other cities, long before Trump came into office. But, it's Trump's fault.
One day, you'll be right to blame Trump for something serious - but we'll be tired of the little boys who cried "Wolf!" ten thousand times when there was no wolf around.
(Score: 5, Insightful) by barbara hudson on Saturday April 11 2020, @05:21PM (7 children)
The buck stops at the desk of the president. The guy has innocent blood on his hands:
SoylentNews is social media. Says so right in the slogan. Soylentnews is people, not tech.
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday April 11 2020, @05:36PM (2 children)
Expert advice would have to quaranteen Wuhan in November, if China had behaved responsibly we would not be where we are. The WHO did nothing to restrict travel and spread, calling Trump racist for banning flights from Wuhan in January. Strangely silent on this though. [twitter.com]
(Score: 2) by barbara hudson on Saturday April 11 2020, @07:37PM (1 child)
SoylentNews is social media. Says so right in the slogan. Soylentnews is people, not tech.
(Score: 3, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday April 11 2020, @08:09PM
Is that all? [house.gov] I don't know how well you do with PDF documents, so here (without reference links) is the text:
(Score: 2, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday April 11 2020, @05:39PM (3 children)
Trump made his mistakes, but when you focus only on his, it looks partisan. There was a massive failure on both sides of the aisle and the woke Democrats encouraging people to mingle in crowds -- DeBlasio as late as March fucking Third -- are as much to blame. When I see one-sided anger directed at Trump when they all fucked up, it doesn't make me hate Trump. It makes me hate all those involved in the one-sided narrative.
https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/de-Blasio-London-Breed-tweets-coronavirus-March-2-15189898.php?ipid=newsrecirc [sfgate.com]
(Score: 1, Offtopic) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday April 11 2020, @06:38PM (2 children)
Let's not forget the impeachment shitshow the democrats put our country through earlier this year.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday April 11 2020, @06:46PM
It was a necessary distraction from the DNC corruption that led to Trump's victory.
(Score: 0, Troll) by Ethanol-fueled on Saturday April 11 2020, @10:01PM
The Jew Coup.
(Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday April 11 2020, @05:18PM (1 child)
China lied [telegraph.co.uk] and continues to lie. [theguardian.com] How do you prepare for an outbreak when the World Health Organization set up to coordinate global responses to pandemics is consistently issuing false information?
Tellingly the same people that seem to think Trump should have assumed control of the WHO in January berate him as unqualified to even talk about hydroxycloroquine. A casual observer can only observe people engaging in such mutually exclusive reasoning as more full of shit than Trump is.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday April 12 2020, @06:30AM
Neither of those links shows any evidence of lying. They just imply that China is trying to avoid a negative narrative by 'vetting' some papers regarding the origin of the virus before they're published. That is not to say that they aren't interested, just that any paper written, no matter how speculative/valid will end up on the front page of every paper if it says something particularly negative - as we know how much the media likes to demonise someone.
This whole 'China lies' narrative is pointless if it isn't about something important. And it's even worse, since most of it is based on speculation that China 'might be lying'.
(Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday April 11 2020, @05:23PM (8 children)
And Democrats are so great: https://www.frontpagemag.com/fpm/2020/04/identity-politics-lied-new-yorkers-died-daniel-greenfield/ [frontpagemag.com]
It's an interesting read. Yes it is biased but that doesn't make it less interesting because there actually are some real health dangers embedded in this new brand of woke identity equity politics infecting the left. And of course the constant media negativity tsunami toward Trump makes it hard to figure out what his real mistakes were, and what is nothing but an extension of the RussiaRussiaRussia coup attempt. Yes, die-hard Democrats will believe the media narrative, but those who actually count -- the independents -- are viewing the media with an increasingly jaundiced eye, and with good reason.
(Score: 5, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday April 11 2020, @05:40PM (5 children)
But initial NY Coronavirus cases overwhelmingly came from Europe, not China/Wuhan [thehill.com]:
(Score: 0, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday April 11 2020, @05:59PM (4 children)
And so it coming from Europe makes it smart to tell people that they can't get the virus riding the subway, they should congregate in dense masses in theaters or on the streets relives NY officials from all responsibility. Gotcha.
(Score: 0, Offtopic) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday April 11 2020, @08:25PM (1 child)
The point is Democrats told people to mingle literally shoulder to shoulder, I point that out, and it is "offtopic". This is what woke looks like.
(Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday April 11 2020, @09:07PM
I guess the point is, don't be a Dick. https://www.nationalreview.com/2018/03/dicks-sporting-goods-sales-sink-after-new-gun-policy/ [nationalreview.com]
(Score: 1, Touché) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday April 12 2020, @12:37AM (1 child)
I do admit a certain enjoyment at not having to listen to the cast of regulars that constantly berate us non-urbanites for driving our "SUVs" solo to the grocery a mile from our homes. How's that public transportation/tranmission working out for you New York City? Until there is a good effective vaccine, I think New York is going to look like the extras in Blade Runner.
(Score: 2, Touché) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday April 12 2020, @01:53AM
Who, specifically, are these "regulars" to which you refer? Names please. Not vague assertions about nameless purple-haired SJWs.
If they are, in fact, "regulars" berating "us non-urbanites for driving our "SUVs" solo to the grocery a mile from our homes."
Note that *one* person saying that *once* doesn't constitute anything regular.
Please, do tell us the *names* of these folk. Personally, I'd like to laugh at them as they're obviously idiots.
Or are the "regulars" you refer to simply figments of your imagination?
(Score: -1, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday April 11 2020, @07:00PM
When our democrat state government jailers let us out again, the social justice identity politics nonsense is one thing I expect to become extinct. The majority of Americans have to rebuild their shattered lives; even the champagne socialist democrat downmod mob here, currently happily at home still getting paid $100k+ programmer salaries, may by that time be met with layoffs due to the destruction of the nation's economy. At least they won't be getting the $1200 checks because their income *was* too high.
Latest stats from CDC:
2020 US corona deaths: 18 559 as of 11 April
2020 US flu deaths: up to 62 000 as of 4 April.
Total US population estimate: 328 239 523
(Score: 2) by PartTimeZombie on Sunday April 12 2020, @01:30AM
No, that's not an interesting read.
It is however a not very clever series of unverified assertions.
Yeah, OK, whatever.
(Score: 1, Insightful) by leon_the_cat on Saturday April 11 2020, @07:12PM (1 child)
Your use of a crisis for your political advocacy show you up for who you are. Its not like Trump was the only world leader caught out, nearly all were and it would not have made any difference if another party was in power. Still you continue along to push the idea of "all that matters is politics".
(Score: 3, Insightful) by barbara hudson on Sunday April 12 2020, @02:31AM
He wanted the job, he got the job, it comes with responsibilities, which he has been amazingly consistent in ignoring.
Trump has been using this crisis for political advocacy. Or do you deny that? His pressers are a shitfest of lies designed to stir up his base ("we have the best tests, we are doing the most tests" - total lies).
Strawman argument and whataboutism. I never said he was the only one. Most of them screwed the pooch big time. And they should all be called out for it.
Check my journals. I've cursed out Canada's Prime Minister and the Premier of Quebec for their lies as well. Has nothing to do with politics and everything to do with politicians who can't give an honest answer to "why did you fuck up so badly" by pointing to other countries that fucked up just as badly (whataboutism) instead of comparing themselves to the countries that got an early grip on the outbreak and learning the lessons that are sitting there in plain view.
"Testing testing testing" "Masks masks masks", "Contact tracing contract tracing contact tracing."
Taiwan is really close to China, they had lots of international traffic from China, they got their first confirmed case the same day as the US, and yet they're doing much better than the US. Testing, masks, and contact tracing.
You're the one attempting to use a political angle to deflect gross criminal negligence by Trump and many other politicians.
SoylentNews is social media. Says so right in the slogan. Soylentnews is people, not tech.
(Score: 1, Interesting) by aristarchus on Saturday April 11 2020, @07:54PM (16 children)
And the most important story did not make it to the summaries: https://soylentnews.org/submit.pl?op=viewsub&subid=40203 [soylentnews.org]
These people are crazy, possessed of magical thinking. Pre-scientific.
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday April 11 2020, @08:13PM (11 children)
And the most important story did not make it to the summaries
Yeah, after reading that link, I can see why!
You know, it's pretty obvious why your shit hardly ever makes the front page. Nobody likes your style.
(Score: 0, Troll) by aristarchus on Saturday April 11 2020, @08:32PM (6 children)
Especially the Nazi eds, who are just now complaining about how I will complain, in IRC, and expecting their comments to show up in my sig line! My style is intended to mock, and draw attention, to very, very, stupid people. Republicans, mostly.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday April 11 2020, @08:57PM
Whaaaat? They get together to gossip and shit talk people on the site? Noooooo, it can't be!
(Score: 3, Informative) by janrinok on Sunday April 12 2020, @07:58AM (4 children)
We rest our case:
https://soylentnews.org/comments.pl?noupdate=1&sid=37004&page=1&cid=981254#commentwrap [soylentnews.org]
If you don't like your submissions being rejected, follow the rules for posting submissions. YOUR OPINIONS SHOULD BE IN THE COMMENTS - NOT IN THE SUBMISSION.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by aristarchus on Sunday April 12 2020, @08:10AM (3 children)
Those are not opinions, janrinok! They are all objective actual facts that some reality deniers and death-eaters would rather not have to face. Now back to Microsoft astroturf, Amazonian archeology, and Diet Coke and Mentos, things that are after all only the editor's opinions of what should be on the front page.
(Score: 2) by janrinok on Sunday April 12 2020, @08:45AM (2 children)
All based on submissions provided by our community - and none of them processed by me. So your point is?
(Score: 2, Insightful) by aristarchus on Sunday April 12 2020, @09:49AM (1 child)
Our community of bots and scrapers? I honestly rarely look at who the submitter was, anymore. But, just go on censoring aristarchus, if that is what you think you have to do. Makes TMB happy, since he is not being painted with a broad brush, well, not by anyone but himself. But you should quit lying to me, janrinok, but more importantly, quit lying to yourself. I hope you and the Mrs. stay safe and well through our current situation.
(Score: 2) by janrinok on Sunday April 12 2020, @11:31AM
Which are used by members of our community as an easy way to submit stories. Or do you think that nobody else other than yourself is supposed to make submissions?
I call you out! How many of your submissions were in that round-up? Go on, count them and tell us in your reply. Then tell us how printing 3 of your submissions equates to censorship. Don't be an idiot.
I am not lying to anybody. Your objection appears to be that we didn't include 'the most important submission'. How are we to know which you think is the most important? If the others were less important should we have just deleted them? If you think that your editorialising is important then post the submission to your journal. Oh, sorry, is that another form of censorship that we are subjecting you to?.
Finally, you complain when your submissions are rejected, and now you complain when they are printed. This is NOT your personal soap box - get over it.
Thank you.
(Score: -1, Offtopic) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday April 11 2020, @08:34PM (3 children)
I'm glad you didn't tell him that nobody likes him. It may have hurt his poor widdle feelings. I'm sure that SOMEONE likes him. I know Buzzard is often amused by Aristarchus, but I'm not sure if that equates to liking. Still, life would be so "unfair" if nobody liked Aristarchus.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday April 12 2020, @02:36AM (2 children)
A regular AC here, I often enjoy Ari's posts and comments. So there!
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday April 12 2020, @03:50AM (1 child)
With that big of a ho, there's going to be a few simps lurking behind.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday April 12 2020, @05:38AM
Yet another, completely different AC here, and Ari is the only reason I still read this site. He seems to somewhat educated, and intelligent. Unlike his critics.
(Score: 2, Interesting) by khallow on Saturday April 11 2020, @10:05PM (3 children)
First, these drugs won't be "hard-to-get" nor is that their appeal. I think the appeal is that it's a quick fix. Worried about covid and months or years of tribulation? "There's a pill for that now."
Second, consider the fatuous appeal to "shared public good". The problem here is that we aren't all in this together on so many things. That's why the story exists in the first place, after all, both the difference in opinion on the effectiveness of this drug, on medical care in general, and on the pushing of the author's agenda which is not shared by her targets of criticism.
(Score: 0, Insightful) by aristarchus on Saturday April 11 2020, @11:06PM
Social Darwinist confirmed! We are in this together, khallow. Most of the world is. And it is only sociopathic libertariantards like yourself that believe we are not. You miss the entire point of the Salon piece: conservatives are afraid of their own ideology, and this makes them fall for snake oil and reality television actors, no to mention Mega-churches and Moses von Mises.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by barbara hudson on Sunday April 12 2020, @02:38AM (1 child)
First rule of credibility - never quote Salon. That went out the door 3 decades ago.
No, that's human nature. People want to think that they're special, that fate/god/whatever will look favourably upon them. Gamblers, religion, it's all part and parcel of the hope that stupid people put into non-science and non-logic. Because, as Jack Nicholson said "You want the truth? You can't handle the truth" - the truth being that fate/god/magic thinking/pixie dust will save you because you're "special." And the people who believe that ARE special - they took the short bus for "special kids" to school.
SoylentNews is social media. Says so right in the slogan. Soylentnews is people, not tech.
(Score: 2) by aristarchus on Sunday April 12 2020, @08:14AM
Schooled by Barbara Hudson on credibility! Coulda been worse, could have been jmichaelhudson, or better the ghost of MDC. Yep, gots to keep up my credibility on Soylent, 'cause if you ain't got that, well, that's something you don't have.
(Score: 4, Funny) by captain normal on Saturday April 11 2020, @09:35PM
We"re number one!! U.S. is leading the world! USA, USA...Yea...Yea!!
When life isn't going right, go left.