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Monday, March 23, 2015 |
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Friday, April 3, 2020 12:10:09 AM |
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There are not that many women in country leadership power, Ashwin. I doubt Pelosi or Merkel would. But Trump would if he could and they've let him get away with almost everything so far, and Orban of Hungary did.
"If a 'rally round the flag' mentality kicks in around the world, leaders could find ways to exploit it," says Klaas. "If you accept 9/11 made people happy to give up certain liberties, consider this: The Imperial study says there will be 2.2 million deaths in the US if there's no extreme and sustained government intervention. That's the equivalent of 9/11 happening nearly every day for over two years."
The example set by the US and its democratic allies really does matter. How countries like America, the UK, Germany and France emerge from this crisis will set the new bar for democratic norms.... At some point, this crisis will end and citizens around the world will be free to leave their homes. However, it's becoming abundantly clear that the world they walk into will be dramatically different from the one they left behind their front doors. And if the global population hasn't twigged this yet, their leaders already have.
"Taking advantage of a crisis has little to do with managing it well," says Khanna. "Strongmen leaders or elected authoritarians should never be confused with public-spirited technocrats ... they are very much wolves in sheep's clothing."
Global crises have a habit of creating distractions that leaders can exploit for their own power hunger. Right now, the world has plenty of power-hungry leaders. Couple that with a crisis the likes of which most of us have never seen, and it's not hard to see how this coronavirus global outbreak could be bad news for democracy, and those who depend on it.
https://www.cnn.com/2020/04/01/europe/coronavirus-and-the-threat-to-democracy-intl/index.html
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Lady Luck is a term used as chance personified as a controlling power in human affairs. It comes the goddess of fortune.
It is an old expression that comes from “Fortuna (Latin: Fortūna, equivalent to the Greek goddess Tyche) who was the goddess of fortune and the personification of luck in Roman religion and who, largely thanks to the Late Antique author Boethius, remained popular through the Middle Ages until at least the Renaissance.”
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Epi, an example of the lunatic fringe:
A train engineer intentionally drove a speeding locomotive off a track at the Port of Los Angeles because he was suspicious about the presence of a Navy hospital ship docked there to help during the coronovirus crisis, federal prosecutors said Wednesday.
The locomotive crashed through a series of barriers and fences before coming to rest more than 250 yards (230 metres) from the U.S. Navy Hospital Ship Mercy on Tuesday, the U.S. Department of Justice said in a release.
Nobody was hurt. CTV News, Canada
The fear also is that powerful men (and it is usually men) try to take advantage and seize more power during a crisis, as has happened elsewhere in the world.
Edited: Of course American right wingers are threatening Dr. Fauci, medical officer, for telling them the truth re this virus. American right wingers have to be suicidal.
And De Santis, FL governor, exempted religious gatherings from the stay at home rule, after leaving the beaches open spring break. Take a look at the map where the virus has spread the most and it matches quite well with the distribution of cell phones and their home base that were on at just one beach in Miami during spring break - that an enterprising person tracked.
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Sarri,
I too have lowered my anxiety to a level of concern after I found out our son did not have to go to work in Toronto where the Premier and Mayor are concerned that people are not doing as told and we could have another New York scenario there. ($100,000 fine and six months in jail has been announced now.) They figure they will know the trajectory next week. Medics think it will peak in three weeks in Ontario.
We should know tomorrow what further businesses are going to be shut down by the Premier in Ontario.
If we are still allowed to move house I think we have figured out how to take precautions. We'll stay a distance from the three men, I'll wipe down furniture when it is in place, we'll take boxes of stuff we need with us, and put those boxes they handle in the basement to be unpacked in a few days.
My husband turns 89 this week, has hemolytic anemia, a leaky valve, Atrial Fib, and one kidney. I don't feel like it but I'll be 80 this year (yikes - have to pass a driver written test) and an immune system that over reacts 24/7/365. We'll both be toast if we get it. We've been inside our own condo for two weeks on Sat. with only forays into the hall to run the garbage down to the garbage room. I actually don't mind staying in. And this time of year I'm not exposed to pollen as the trees are shedding early this year. It has been the hottest winter ever here - more like a Vancouver winter than Ontario.
But all anyone can do is take precautions and hope Lady Luck is with us.
Just as she was with a couple from the building who went on a cruise and was stuck down south. One ship had many sick and 4 died. Their ship was fine and they had two extra weeks of sunshine, free drinks, food, internet, and entertainment. Both random occurrences.
What is the hard part is that it feels as if we are fighting an invisible dragon. You never know where it could be lurking.
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Sarrriesfan wrote:Romany thanks, don’t worry too much I was feeling down yesterday.
I am supposed to have one of my Quarterly injections of B12 due to a Pernicious Anaemia, that’s what causes the megablastic anaemia and one of tHe causes of my autoimmune weakness, but the Surgery has been closed due to Coronavirus overwhelming them.
Without this injection my body would begin to get weaker than it is.
Today we were able to make alternative arrangements that should take the place of it, a Private prescription online from a reputable source the medicine will be couriered to my door and as I am a diabetic injecting myself is no problem.
It cost a bit but it’s only money....
But I feel a lot more positive today.
Just getting back - glad things are working out! Keep us posted.
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What an fffing mess. One nurse tearfully explained that she quit her job because she didn't want to die.
Nurses and doctors should be allowed to claim EI if they are being forced to work with no protective equipment.
Meanwhile, the powers that be had no idea that medical gear was still being shipped OOC.
Capitalism at its finest.
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TMe wrote:Yes, Hope123 we are concerned about those who are on the frontline. Simultaneously we pray to Almighty for their good health and well-being. Have faith Hope, everything will be in place at last.
Thanks for the support, TMe.
Why don't you share what TMe means with the group? It is clever.
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https://www.boredpanda.com/funny-quarantine-parenting/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=organic
Teachers are saying, “Bingo”.
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Rom and Drago,
I didn't quite know how to respond because Canada does feel somewhat isolated here with the US talking about sending troops to the border for the first time when no Canadian in their right mind would want to cross into the States these days. What they might do is stop the Americans still trying to get into Canada, although they are now being turned back by the RCMP.
Many Canadians feel as if they have lost their best friend (and they have for now anyhow) and other countries in the Commonwealth are preoccupied with their own problems.
Canadians and their medical officers are quite concerned with the escalation of the disease in America - not only for them and our American friends, but for the repercussions in Canada because of our close alliance with them, economically and physically.
Canada, the US, and probably other countries sent supplies to China at the beginning to try to contain it at the source, and both countries are now short. So China does need to step up to help and reciprocate, and it is. Cuba has sent aid to the US even after the way they have been treated by the US.
Developing countries need help too.
https://www.canada.ca/en/global-affairs/news/2020/03/canadas-humanitarian-assistance-to-help-developing-countries-prepare-and-respond-to-covid-19.html
But I reread the article and it seems to me that the journalist was talking more about communication in methods at the beginning of how to tackle it in a coordinated manner. The G7 couldn't even agree on a statement because Pompeo, presumably at Trump's orders, insisted upon calling it the “China virus” instead of by its proper name. I think the powers that be in the different countries are now communicating by technology.
Drago, the hindrances are just as your “nuclear” speaker mentioned – not only “unwillingness to cooperate”, but “savage competition”. I would think Trump's trying to lure the German company to locate in the US and produce the vaccine for Americans is an example of that. Glad he was not allowed to succeed. Last I heard anyhow.
I had not heard of the diffusion method of disinfecting using those three products. I wonder if the rest of the world medical community knows about it - and they may. The public is not always aware of details.
I read a pessissimistic article by a vaccine researcher who said we can be positive and keep trying to find a vaccine for this virus, but don't count on it, especially not in 18 months. He said they have been looking for an HIV vaccine for years. He also said that after SARS and MERS was under control, they have not developed a vaccine for them so if there is any recurrence, we still don't have a vaccine. Human nature is the same in this case as needing to but can't fix the hole in the roof while it is raining, and when the rain stops there is no need to fix it then. Maybe a little negativity is a good thing to make us aware so we do better.
However, other researchers are more positive and many companies around the world are working on vaccines and treatments. The WHO is conducting a trial with its partners, called “Solidarity” to study the benefits of the four most promising drugs.
Patients will be from Argentina, Bahrain, Canada, France, Iran, Norway, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland, and Thailand.
https://bgr.com/2020/03/23/coronavirus-update-who-tests-covid-19-cures/
The US company, Pfizer announced that it would help develop and distribute BioNTech SE’s COVID-19 vaccine candidate, though the deal excludes China.
https://www.marketwatch.com/story/these-nine-companies-are-working-on-coronavirus-treatments-or-vaccines-heres-where-things-stand-2020-03-06
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Acupressure may stimulate the body in certain ways as a perhaps a bit of a preventive, but it is no match for Covid19. Once you are infected, you are infected.
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Romany, it is so good to have an overview from you as to what is actually happening on the other side of the pond. And that there are positive results happening.
I meant to post this in my previous post - The US rollbacks include a measure to weaken automobile fuel efficiency standards - as early as next week. Other efforts include loosening controls on toxic ash from coal plants, relaxing restrictions on mercury emissions and weakening the consideration of climate change in environmental reviews for most infrastructure projects.
Edited - it is so hard to understand how supporters can still support a man whose failings the rest of us know and don't condone, who has called the virus a democratic hoax, and now implies that there is a shortage of protective equipment because they could be “going out the back door” and the FBI should investigate. In effect accusing doctors and nurses of stealing for profit, as his thinking might be. If they are stealing, it is to wear them and protect themselves when he has failed to supply them. Straight from his Twitter feed. And who cuts off vendors of those supplies to states whose governors have assertively asked for more equipment. Like Michigan.
If 1000 nurses (say 2 hospitals in NYC) treat 30 patients a day and change their masks per safety guidelines each time, that’s 30K masks. Over a 10 day period, that’s 300K masks. No conspiracy, just math. And let this sink in - nurses are wearing the same masks all day!
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