Coronavirus, now treatable with ForXthia!

[Ferocitus]

The lead author of these two articles sounds more like a political apparatchik than a journalist to me.

THREATS AND RESPONSES: THE IRAQIS; U.S. SAYS HUSSEIN INTENSIFIES QUEST FOR A-BOMB PARTS
By Michael R. Gordon and Judith Miller
https://www.nytimes.com/2002/09/08/...hussein-intensifies-quest-for-bomb-parts.html

“Intelligence on Sick Staff at Wuhan Lab Fuels Debate on Covid-19 Origin.”
By Michael R. Gordon, Warrn P. Strobel and Drew Hinshaw.
May 23, 2021 2:57 pm ET
https://www.wsj.com/articles/intell...b-fuels-debate-on-covid-19-origin-11621796228

 

[Ferocitus]

The Lowy Institute predicts only a third of Papua New Guinea's adult population will be fully vaccinated by April 2026.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-11-21/lowy-institute-pacific-vaccination-covid-19-png/100634994

 

[Narz]

And covid seems to gets worse on reinfections when it breaks through. There is no way this virus is going to "lose potency" with time. This one's a killer pandemic, the stuff of civilization collapse.

You're pretty paranoid bro. Civilization got 99 problems but covid isn't even top thousand

There will probably remain a few germaphobes who keep their distance from everyone or wear masks around town but society will move on to worrying about (and failing to solve) its other problems.

 

[amadeus]

What do you think would happen to a country if 10/20/30% of the workforce decided to simultaneously channel their inner Thoreau ... ?

I can think of a few YouTubers who’d need to go out and get regular jobs. Probably also a good time to buy a house.

Now, I'm sure your bias would leave you to believe the unvaccinated are low IQ, probably unemployed or low income. Fantastic.

Thanks, I like being told what I believe instead of thinking it for myself—so laborious!

I however want to play devil's advocate. Maybe there is one highly skilled heart surgeon who has saved many lives throughout his career.

Statistically unlikely if you consider the AMA’s survey of 300 physicians, of whom 96% were vaccinated. Not the best size or sampling methods, but probably close enough.

I'm in a very fortunate position where I don't have a bias.

...

 

[KingVercingetorix]

Your grand plan for solving a sudden and dramatic loss of labour is hiring "xxxsnipergodxxx" and his ilk. I'm sure his 4% kill death ratio isn't a transferable skill employers are looking for. How many of these YouTubers would be part the group destined for living in the woods if you had it your way? They're online all day, do they even need the vaccine? Women's Land Army. Solution. Women know how to works fields. They've been doing it for thousands of years. Knitting for Victory. Solution. Women have been making garments for thousands of years. The Grand YouTube Workers Exodus. LOL.

Women during wartime had transferable skills gained from looking after her family and community. Of course a lot of Twitch streamers and YouTubers aren't completely useless. Many held down jobs before making it big online. Why would these people even agree to going back into the real world? They don't need to. I fully support people who earn a living as a YouTuber/streamer, I'm sure they wouldn't want mass civil unrest. It won't do their monthly figures any good.

Way to brush off the statement about share indexes. When bodies are stacking in the streets and stocks/shares cease to exist we have a problem. Everything is positive right now, people are getting on with their lives. The unvaccinated you refer to as jerks and are desperate to make disappear haven't held progress back.

Now is your chance to tell me what you think about the unvaccinated. From what I have read you have at least some disdain for them. Are they low IQ and unlikely to hold high wage jobs? Speak now or forever hold your peace.

My hypothetical heart surgeon who may or may not be working in USA took the Hippocratic Oath. Do they lose the right to perform an incredibly highly skilled and in demand operation because of their vaccine status? This isn't something to be fussy over.

Please enlighten me on my bias. The governments of the world have the right to do what they want and I accept that. Forcible vaccinations and murder are such positions. Your comment on living in the woods was so outlandish I couldn't help but comment. The type of anarchy that would unfold if it occurred is simply unimaginable. A lot of vaccinated people living cushdy lives would be in danger. More danger than what C19 is capable of. Is that bias? A brief look at history would suggest people are very efficient at killing one another. A 21st century US civil war, new French/Russian revolution and everything in between simultaneously is going to eclipse any C19 numbers.

 

[Hrothbern]

The Netherlands had announced a partial lockdown (meaning closure of restaurants, bars, cinemas, etc, but only from 20h) on Monday, and yesterday evening there were violent protests in Rotterdam, cars burning, seven people injured, big groups arrested, police from all around the country.

After 5 days of no bars and restaurants in the evening. And you want to close properly down the whole continent for months.

My reaction is a bit late perhaps, but I wanted some more confirmation from official sources before giving my wild ass guess:
that the violent part of that demo is from some Footballclub Feijenoord hooligans who hijacked the normal demo of some normal crazies.
These hooligans, a faction of all the Feijenoord hooligans is very violent because of their recent protests against the Feijenoord stadium (build pre WW2) to be replaced by a new building (combined with a lot of new housing and social housing).

At this moment official news is still with-holding but the picture is getting more clear on these hooligans.

In other words: what happens in NL is "normal" demos from crazies representing a very very small part of the population.

What also happens is that many many people are not really willing anymore to follow the intention of social distancing rules. The new rules of 1 week ago (and planned for 3 weeks) that were quite modest are as it looks now not (yet) followed up.

Reporting of further growth of confirmed cases will be heavily affected by lack of testing capacity (limit now approx 90,000 per day). What remains as "indicator" is that the % of confirmed cases per test goes up.
And ofc the hospital cases, but these are slower to act upon.

It will be interesting to see how the approach of the Dutch government to lean heavily on convincing citizens instead of really limitting rules will work the coming weeks and months.

 

[EnglishEdward]

My reaction is a bit late perhaps

OK, you have a life outside CFC. The reports I read are that two rioters got shot, but it didn't say with what.


Been looking at the replacement design:

https://www.archpaper.com/2019/01/oma-feyenoord-stadium/

Looks good to me.

 

[Aiken_Drumn]

You're pretty paranoid bro. Civilization got 99 problems but covid isn't even top thousand

There will probably remain a few germaphobes who keep their distance from everyone or wear masks around town but society will move on to worrying about (and failing to solve) its other problems.

Covid is again the biggest killer in most of Europe. This is worrying.

 

[Hrothbern]

OK, you have a life outside CFC. The reports I read are that two rioters got shot, but it didn't say with what.


Been looking at the replacement design:

https://www.archpaper.com/2019/01/oma-feyenoord-stadium/

Looks good to me.

Yeah.. That Stadium with housing, so despereately needed housing, well connnected to mass public transport, in the middle of many jobs, is a good project. Now expensive because steel prices etc high from global logistic issues, Covid supply disruptions, etc.

From the Guardian this comment today on the Rotterdam demo:
"Police opened fire on a crowd that had swelled to hundreds during the protest and three people believed to have been be hit by police bullets were still being treated in hospital on Sunday, according to a statement from authorities".

My understanding is that police did do warning shots (is well above the heads of a crowd) AND that the police did as well do some aimed shots in self defense against specific protesters (default aimed is low at the legs but always a risk ofc).

That's in my understanding of English something completely different than what the Guardian states (made bold by me).
Also the easy connection between the Rotterdam event and the other demos today.... it all shows me how bad informed a Guardian is or suits itself to be.

As long as the police investigation needs, to get proper evidence for the now suspects of criminal actions, the Guardian can write what it fancies.

 

[Birdjaguar]

This certainly wouldn't have gone the same way 40 years ago. The virus would have been crushed quickly, closing borders when necessary a non-issue.

Of course. the world was very different 40 years ago. international travel was far less and there were fewer idiots shouting from the bleachers. No one actually knows what would have happened. You are, as usual, just guessing in support of what you think you know now.

 

[amadeus]

Way to brush off the statement about share indexes.

Meh, markets adjust. There were fewer people in the U.S. than that when I was growing up and everything worked fine. If not, then I guess we can hang around grandma’s casket but at least she can rest peacefully knowing Nabisco is up 3⅝.

Please enlighten me on my bias.

Fallacy of the golden mean, as well as at least not acknowledging that compulsory vaccination in American history was neither unique nor controversial.

 

[Ferocitus]

Yes, his third term election is next year. He is building his path stone by stone. Between now and then he will work to show "leadership" and control over events. Reopening China's borders is a wildcard and too unpredictable. I don't think invading Taiwan is on his agenda until at least 2023. Leveling up to match Mao and Deng is an opportunity not to screwed up.

Predictions made with the confidence of somebody playing Lotto?

China Is Evading U.S. Spies — and the White House Is Worried
Under Xi Jinping, China has become an even harder target for America’s spying operation.

A lack of top-tier intelligence on Chinese President Xi Jinping’s inner circle is frustrating senior
Biden administration officials struggling to get ahead of Beijing’s next steps, according to current
and former officials who have reviewed the most sensitive U.S. intelligence reports.
...
“Our human intelligence has been lagging for decades,” former National Security Advisor John Bolton
said in an interview, when asked about China. “I never feel I have enough intelligence. I’m always
willing to hear more. I’m never satisfied. No decision maker should be.”
...
Several of the current and former officials say U.S. intelligence shortfalls are worsening, a
problem that comes as the 68-year-old Xi seeks to cement his legacy alongside former leaders Mao
Zedong and Deng Xiaoping at a key Communist Party meeting in Beijing this week. That gathering, one
of the last hurdles before Xi likely secures a third term as head of the party next year, takes
place with the U.S. having little insight on some basic issues, such as who his eventual successor
is likely to be. And it comes after some high-profile intelligence flubs on other topics, including
the failure to foresee the Taliban’s rapid takeover in Afghanistan.
...
Those efforts were detailed extensively in 2017 by the New York Times, which said as many as a dozen
U.S. sources were executed by China, with others jailed, in what represented one of the worst
breaches ever of American spying networks.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/arti...-for-cia-spies-hurting-biden-s-beijing-policy

 

[Birdjaguar]

Predictions made with the confidence of somebody playing Lotto?

Much better than lotto! Xi's goal is clear and his timeline is between now and fall 2022. The only things that will upset his election to a third term would be some kind of internal turmoil in the party or nation. An uncontrolled covid outbreak would certainly make him look bad. So would a war with the US over Taiwan. A bad recession would hurt too. He wants a steady state as much as he can get one. He is rightfully concerned that opening China's borders might bring an uncontrollable wave of cases since they have been largely isolated from Delta and their vaccines have not been seriously tested among the general public. I suspect he will keep the country closed through summer 2022. There is no rush to take Taiwan and doing so soon would put his election at risk if such a war went badly. The smart move is to wait. Think of it this way: if in a game you are level 99 and 95% of the way to 100 (the highest level) and dying would cost you a 10% or more penalty, would play cautiously or recklessly?

 

[Berzerker]

one of my older buddies about 70 may have gotten covid recently... and we played golf a few days ago

his temp was up around 102 but no other symptoms yet. He was double vaxxed but that was months ago, 6-8 i think.

and he's in several at risk groups... but he might have gotten covid very early on, even Dec 2019

he'll be tested tomorrow to find out if he got it

 

[Zardnaar]

one of my older buddies about 70 may have gotten covid recently... and we played golf a few days ago

his temp was up around 102 but no other symptoms yet. He was double vaxxed but that was months ago, 6-8 i think.

and he's in several at risk groups... but he might have gotten covid very early on, even Dec 2019

he'll be tested tomorrow to find out if he got it

Good luck. Not something you want to get.

 

[Kyriakos]

The Netherlands had announced a partial lockdown (meaning closure of restaurants, bars, cinemas, etc, but only from 20h) on Monday, and yesterday evening there were violent protests in Rotterdam, cars burning, seven people injured, big groups arrested, police from all around the country.

After 5 days of no bars and restaurants in the evening. And you want to close properly down the whole continent for months.

It seems that riots mostly happen in countries where the citizens have been used to enjoy a high quality of life.
At least in Childhood's End you could choose to relocate to an island and do whatever. Then again, it was a fake utopia, not a real dystopia like this.

 

[Gorbles]

A good and informative Twitter thread (I know!) about vaccinations and transmission.

The short version if you don't want to click is that vaccines do reduce transmission by virtue of reducing infection. Transmission via breakthrough infection is obviously separate.

 

[Aiken_Drumn]

It's alarming to me that vaccination is in any way a debate.

My parents are increasingly agitated as they near their booster. They understand their protection has wained and see the sky high numbers. I fear their remaining years will be spent as hermits, hiding from a invisible killer.

I have seen them once in nearly two years as a result. They dare not visit me.

 

[Berzerker]

this is anecdotal ofc, my friend's work required him to get vaccinated because of govt contracts, but he never got covid even though his coworker got it twice and they ride together in company trucks. I guess if you're facing forward people to your left and right are less likely to get it even in an enclosed vehicle.

 

[The_J]

A friend of mine also caught covid, after being fully vaccinated for a while. He doesn't feel much (yet), besides the loss of smell and taste.
He caught it at his Kizomba class (well, that makes sense; any way to get closer to someone would be a direct fluid exchange ).
So then all the positive-tested from the class decided to have a separate class.
What the heck .
Apparently couldn't go through with that, since the girls were somewhat exhausted. You don't say? Probably a sign of a lung disease, maybe, possible, at any chance?
At least this is the friend whom I'd trust the least to have common sense .