An Amazon listing for a pack of 50 face masks has been flooded with one-star reviews from people who bought them thinking that they were made in the US
The photo in the listing shows an American flag and the words 'Based in the USA'
But the label on the product itself indicates that it was manufactured at a plant in Wuhan, China - where the coronavirus outbreak began
'I cannot think of a better or faster way to get the virus than ordering these masks,' one customer wrote in a review
The mask packs are sold by four different sellers for between $23 and $35
The two cheapest sellers say in the fine print that the product ships from China
[Red State] Just breaking across the wires that actor Tom Hanks and his wife, Rita Wilson have tested positive for the Wuhan virus.
They’re the first celebrities who have announced they are positive and they were down in Australia for work on an Elvis Presley movie in which Hanks is playing Col. Tom Parker, Elvis’ manager.
Hanks and his wife are both 63. The virus tends to hit the elderly more and they have more problems with it. Very few children are affected.
Hanks said they had been feeling tired and achy, that Rita had chills and fever so they got tested and both were positive.
#4
This will turn out to be important in the US.
* If they die the panic will go to 11.
* If they recover (as they will because they are wealthy and in good health) the panic will start to die down.
#11
You don't hear much about infection rates in Australia where they are coming out of Summer and should be immune to the 'cold and flu" season so far. Tom probably got it form some nasty journalist while on doing press for his new movie.
[NYPOST] A Big Apple conference about the coronavirus ...the twenty first century equivalent of bubonic plague, only instead of killing off a third of the population of Europe it kills 3.4 percent of those who notice they have it. It seems to be fond of the elderly, especially Iranian politicians and holy men... has been canceled ‐ because of the coronavirus, according to a report. If that don't make sense then what does make sense?
The Council on Foreign Relations was due to hold a roundtable titled "Doing Business Under Coronavirus" on Friday, but decided to cancel it amid fears that it could lead to a spread of the deadly bug, Bloomberg News reported.
The nonprofit think tank on US foreign policy and international affairs, on East 68th Street, also has called off other in-person meetings in New York, Washington, DC, and around the country from March 3 to April 3, the news outlet reported.
"There are currently no upcoming events. Please check back soon for new events," reads a statement on the CFR’s website.
BREAKING: El Salvador declares national quarantine, bans the entry of foreigners and closes all schools
— 🚨Wars on the Brink 🅙 (current focus coronavirus) (@WarsontheBrink) March 11, 2020
/ Up to 70% of Germany could become infected - Merkel
[BBC] German Chancellor Angela Merkel ...chancellor of Germany and the impetus behind Germany's remarkably ill-starred immigration program. Merkel used to be referred to by Germans as Mom. Now they make faces at her for inundating the country with Moslem colonists... has warned that up to 70% of the country's population - some 58 million people - could contract the coronavirus ...the twenty first century equivalent of bubonic plague, only instead of killing off a third of the population of Europe it kills 3.4 percent of those who notice they have it. It seems to be fond of the elderly, especially Iranian politicians and holy men... Mrs Merkel made the stark prediction at a news conference on Wednesday alongside Health Minister Jens Spahn.
She said since there was no known cure, the focus would fall on slowing the spread of the virus. "It's about winning time," she explained.
Her remarks came as Italia entered its second day of a national lockdown.
Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte announced the closure of schools, gyms, museums, nightclubs and other venues across the country, which on Wednesday passed 10,000 confirmed infections.
Breaking: Tom Hanks and his wife Rita Wilson announced Wednesday that they have tested positive for the coronavirus. https://t.co/oB8TCs59Y0
LATEST — World Health Organization classifies new coronavirus as a pandemic, deeply concerned by alarming levels of spread and severity https://t.co/QxocD6aUDq
Latest on COVID-19: • 1st deaths in Belgium, Indonesia • Iran's caseload passes 9,000 • Italy allocates €25B to fight epidemic • Schools closed in Ukraine capital, Poland • Merkel expects 60-70% of Germany to contract disease • Chinese city imports case from Italy via UAE
Mayor of small town in France defends hosting a record-breaking gathering of 3,500 "Smurfs," calling it a necessary antidote to "ambient gloom" amid #COVID19 outbreakhttps://t.co/EnTuO2JVSi
#3
A Skype teleconference is not really that hard to do. Takes some rational thinking and a little planning. Council on Foreign Relations is a bastion of geniuses.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
03/12/2020 12:03 Comments ||
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[AP] Dr. Charles Chiu at the University of California, San Francisco agreed. He provided genome sequencing of seven samples from infected passengers who got off the Grand Princess this week. An eighth sample from an earlier Grand Princess cruise to Mexico had ties to Washington state, Chiu said, and that person likely seeded the outbreak among passengers on board as the ship left for Hawaii. "Seeded the outbreak?" as in asymetric warfare? An interesting term of reference. Perhaps it's time to start classifying government activities relative to the pandemic. Oh wait !
[SEATTLETIMES] In the most drastic move yet to try to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus, Gov. Jay Inslee is expected Wednesday to restrict gatherings of more than 250 people in King, Snohomish and Pierce counties, a move aimed at sports, concerts and other cultural events.
The measure will be announced during a Seattle news conference, according to a source involved in conversations with the governor’s office but who has not been cleared to discuss the issue. The measure would not affect retail stores, according to the source.
The restriction applies to large public gatherings such as baseball games, concerts and cultural events, another source told The Times.
Chris Reykdal, Washington’s superintendent of public instruction, said Tuesday evening he doesn’t expect Inslee’s announcement to shut down public schools.
"We don’t have any indication at all that he’s closing schools tomorrow," said Reykdal.
But Reykdal added that people shouldn’t be surprised if Inslee discusses the possibility of preparing for schools to close as the numbers of cases grow, saying, "These are trying times."
So far, more than 115 public and private schools across Washington have shut down for at least a day because of coronavirus concerns.
NHS England chief executive said some of the 18,000 students in final year of training would be ‘invited’ into clinical practice
They are in their last 12 months of three-year degree and would start practising on hospital wards up to six months early without finishing their full training
Also, doctors to be told to get ready to work outside normal area of expertise
[DailyCaller] Two Russian pranksters posing as Greta Thunberg and her father reportedly fooled Britain’s Prince Harry into having a candid conversation that included scathing criticism of President Donald Trump.
Harry also went into detail about being on the outs with the Royal Family since he and wife Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, have decided to go their own way, according to The Sun, which identified the hoaxers as Vladimir Kuznetsov and Alexey Stolyarov — known as Vovan and Lexus.
#6
I do believe carbon emissions in the US have lowered more than they would have by the paris accords. Perhaps someone could ask Harry how that works visa-v blood on the hands and all.
#1
Now, that's not how it's done*. First, local leadership is executed for general failure that, almost, led to a catastrophe and attempts to deceive the Great Leader. However, the Great Leader - being omniscient - found out and saved the People in the nick of time.
#5
My normally intelligent son said he'd heard the Chinese were welding the doors shut in the home of the infected.
Welded? Bamboo?
Posted by: Bobby ||
03/12/2020 16:29 Comments ||
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#6
...that's what they did in Milan during the first round of the plague. Sealed families in their homes who showed signs of the disease. Milan would be an island of least effected in that run.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Leading U.S. lawmakers proposed legislation on Wednesday aimed at preventing goods made from forced labor in China’s Xinjiang region from reaching the United States.
The legislation would require importers to obtain certification from the U.S. government that goods were not produced using forced labor by minority Uighur Muslims in Xinjiang.
The heart of the proposed Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act is a "rebuttable presumption" that assumes that all goods manufactured in Xinjiang are made with forced labor and therefore banned under the 1930 Tariff Act, unless the commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection certifies otherwise. This would shift the burden of proof from the current rule, which bans goods if there is reasonable evidence of forced labor.
The bill also calls for the U.S. president to impose sanctions on "any foreign person who ’knowingly engages’" in forced labor of minority Muslims. It would also require firms to disclose dealings with Xinjiang.
The United Nations estimates that more than a million Muslim Uighurs have been detained in camps in Xinjiang over recent years as part of a wide-reaching campaign by Chinese officials to stamp out terrorism.
On Wednesday, China denied Uighurs were subject to forced labor after senior Democratic Senator Bob Menendez accused U.S. firms of willfully ignoring "horrific" conditions in Xinjiang and urged the Commerce Department to prevent American firms and consumers buying goods produced with such labor.
If the proposal becomes law, it could have a significant impact on the cotton industry in Xinjiang, which produces a substantial proportion of the world’s supply of the commodity.
Its introduction is likely to anger China, months after Beijing and the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump reached an agreement to ease a damaging trade war.
[The Hill] European Union leaders condemned President Trump’s decision to impose a 30-day ban on travel from Europe in response to the coronavirus outbreak, saying they were not consulted.
"The European Union disapproves of the fact that the U.S. decision to impose a travel ban was taken unilaterally and without consultation," European Council President Charles Michel and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in a joint statement, The Associated Press reported.
"The coronavirus is a global crisis, not limited to any continent and it requires cooperation rather than unilateral action," they added, rejecting the president’s claim that the EU had taken insufficient action on the virus and saying it "is taking strong action to limit the spread of the virus."
The travel ban announced by the White House does not apply to the United Kingdom or Ireland, the latter of which is an EU state but is not part of the 26-nation Schengen area that have abolished all passport and border control restrictions at their mutual borders. Trump initially claimed the ban would apply to trade as well before the White House walked this back.
European Commission spokesman Eric Mamer said the EU’s response to the move would "require... reflection," adding that the EU "isn’t in the habit of shooting from the hip."
The virus has been confirmed in all 27 EU countries, with von der Leyen this week announcing the launch of a $7.5 billion-euro response investment fund to prop up health care infrastructure as well as small businesses affected by the virus.
Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar previously announced travel restrictions for China, where the virus is believed to have originated, in early February, imposing mandatory quarantine on any returning U.S. citizen who was in China’s Hubei province in the preceding 14 days and denying entry to any foreign nationals who traveled in China in the preceding 14 days.
#3
No more boorish American tour pigs, so there you go. The Turkish hired ISJV mercenaries Libyans will make up the difference in volume.
Darth nails it.
What I find fascinating is that the sportsballers' risk assessment found that it is better to cancel the rest of the season.
All I ask, is that if there are no fans in the arena then leave the announcers out of it too and just do sounds of the game...or will what the players say be TV safe? Shit, most of the crowd noise is canned anyways.
#8
I seem to have lost the memo.
Are we opposed to this because:
a) Trump is pointlessly doing pointless things that won't make any difference
b) Trump is taking unilateral action which will destroy the global economy and literally make him Hitler?
[Stars and Stripes] STUTTGART, Germany ‐ The largest U.S. military exercise in Europe in a generation will be scaled back because of concerns about the coronavirus, marking a possible setback for the Army after the service spent years building up for the drill known as Defender-Europe 20.
U.S. European Command said Wednesday that the training, which initially called for sending 20,000 U.S.-based soldiers across the Atlantic Ocean, would be downsized.
"After careful review of the ongoing Defender-Europe 20 exercise activities and in light of the current coronavirus outbreak, we will modify the exercise by reducing the number of U.S. participants," EUCOM said in a statement
The training will be adjusted, but the military will still work with allies to meet "our highest priority training objectives," EUCOM said.
In all, more than 35,000 troops were originally slated to take part in Defender Europe, which is already underway and is slated to run until the end of June. Most of the major exercises, including paratroopers dropping into the Republic of Georgia and ground forces rehearsing the defense of territory in the vicinity of the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad, were to take place in April and May.
It was unclear Wednesday whether such large scale drills were still to take place or were among the activities curtailed. U.S. Army Europe said it is still working through the details of the adjustments.
"The decision to make the change is the right thing to do in light of the ongoing outbreak of the coronavirus. The health protection of our force, and that of our allies and partners, is a top priority," USAREUR said.
#1
"What if they gave a war and nobody came?
Why, then, the war would come to you!
He who stays home when the fight begins
And lets another fight for his cause
Should take care:
He who does not take part
In the battle will share in the defeat.
Even avoiding battle will not avoid battle.
Since not to fight for your own cause
Really means
Fighting on behalf of your enemy's cause."
[EN.ZAMANALWSL.NET] Italian police were Wednesday hunting for 11 prisoners who escaped in the aftermath of jail riots sparked by fears over coronavirus ...the twenty first century equivalent of bubonic plague, only instead of killing off a third of the population of Europe it kills 3.4 percent of those who notice they have it. It seems to be fond of the elderly, especially Iranian politicians and holy men... , as authorities began to test inmates and distribute face masks.
Those still on the run were part of a group of 72 inmates who escaped Monday from a prison in Foggia, located near Italia's southeastern coast, the justice ministry said.
They included a 36-year old man, Cristoforo Aghilar, who was arrested last October for killing the mother of his ex-girlfriend, as well as several men with links to organized crime.
At least 6,000 prisoners took part in the riots, which broke out Sunday across the country, Justice Minister Alfonso Bonafede told Senate Wednesday, which was nearly empty due to new restrictions on group assembly.
Twelve inmates died, mostly due to overdoses after rioters stormed prison infirmaries, and 40 guards were maimed, the minister said.
At the medium-security prison of Foggia, a few prisoners set their sheets and mattresses on fire Monday, attracting the attention of guards.
At the same time, a group of about 200 men managed to force open the doors of an exit corridor and some reached the outer limit of the prison and scaled the outside walls, Bonafede said.
The prison suffered serious structural damage, he said.
Before the riots, inmates had objected to new restrictions on visits by family members designed to keep coronavirus -- which has already killed 631 people in Italia -- out of the country's overcrowded prison system. "We have a RIGHT to get the virus! Just like everyone else!"
Posted by: Fred ||
03/12/2020 00:00 ||
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Link ||
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I'm sure they are working as hard as the guys at the Berlin Charité who in mid January developed the first quick test (2 hours).
They may be close to something that might work (like they do in Berlin), but they can't forgo the testing period.
18 months is a more realistic time frame. Only when all the testing is done, you can call it a real vaccine.
Posted by: European Conservative ||
03/12/2020 18:26 Comments ||
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#8
Yes, yes, EC. I'm sure Berlin Charité will wait for 18 months before talking about any vaccine. And everybody else working on a vaccine will keep num for 18 months.
Christian Drosten is one of the co-discoverers of the SARS virus (SARS-CoV). In 2003, together with Stephan Günther, he succeeded in developing a diagnostic test for the newly identified virus a few days after its identification, even before the Center for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta. Drosten immediately made his findings on SARS available to the scientific community via the Internet, even before his article appeared in the New England Journal of Medicine in May 2003.
The research group led by Christian Drosten also investigated the Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV). The group developed a test for the new coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 from China It made the test available worldwide in mid-January 2020. They also published the sequenced genome from samples obtained in Germany (first cases had occurred in Bavaria). Emerging viruses are generally a focus of her work.
Posted by: European Conservative ||
03/12/2020 20:18 Comments ||
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Posted by: Muggsy Smiter of the Geats7061 ||
03/12/2020 3:36 Comments ||
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#2
Or maybe Flyers v Penguins.
Posted by: Muggsy Smiter of the Geats7061 ||
03/12/2020 3:37 Comments ||
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#3
Squeegee Monkeys
Posted by: Frank G ||
03/12/2020 4:53 Comments ||
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#4
This is how monkeys evolved into men. Just watch, In a few more weeks, there will be reports of monkeys wearing yoga pants, mini-skirts, and black wigs ...
[The Federalist] Even those who disagree with David Daleiden and his techniques but care about how the legal actions against him could define press freedom need to follow this case.
An undercover reporter has been arraigned in California and charged with ten felonies for secretly recording conversations, and it's time to revisit how the judiciary and the law can stifle the First Amendment's guarantee of freedom of the press.
The accused, David Daleiden, used standard media undercover techniques to investigate and expose Planned Parenthood's sale of aborted fetus body parts. While the use of undercover techniques like Daleiden's is a controversial practice even within journalism circles, Daleiden's upcoming jury trial has far wider implications for journalists.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Seeking Cure For Ignorance ||
03/12/2020 06:42 ||
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#1
The criminal case, the one more likely to chill undercover work, was the product of then-California Attorney General Kamala Harris.
Where's my shocked face? Maybe this could be a topic for debate among the two remaining candidates.
Posted by: Bobby ||
03/12/2020 9:14 Comments ||
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#2
To find out who rules you, simply find out who you are not allowed to criticize.
Posted by: Herb McCoy ||
03/12/2020 10:20 Comments ||
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#3
Thought sunshine was the best disinfectant. Maybe I'm hopelessly out of date.
Posted by: Tom ||
03/12/2020 11:42 Comments ||
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#4
If its not an alphabet soup Legacy Infotainment Enterprise story, its fair game.
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.