#1
Gerbalism was already trashing itself. Then one of their labs belched. They are done but don't know it yet. Avoid the staggering zombie as it falls...
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
03/16/2020 11:12 Comments ||
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[Wall Street Journal via HotAir] Apple Inc. has reopened all stores in its Chinese market, but said Friday it would close those everywhere else for two weeks. A Chinese soccer-league team from Wuhan, where the virus was discovered, planned to leave its temporary base in Spain because of worsening conditions there to return to China. Jack Ma, billionaire founder of Chinese online-retail giant Alibaba, recently pledged to donate 1 million masks and 500,000 virus test kits—to the U.S.
Previously focused on people within the country as potential virus carriers, China’s National Health Commission said Monday that preventing imported cases is now a priority. Beijing’s municipal government said Sunday that people coming into the city from abroad must quarantine at designated hotels and sites for 14 days, its latest step to protect the capital.
While life in China remains far from normal, people here feel the situation is under control. Many credit the Chinese public for its willingness to follow draconian government measures, such as business shutdowns, home quarantines, mask-wearing requirements and ubiquitous temperature checks. They also wonder: How could other countries be unprepared after observing what unfolded in the Asian nation for the past two months? "draconian government measures, such as: mass burnings of the dead, disappearances of Xi-critics and "deniers", abusers of Winnie The Pooh graphics..."
[DNYUZ] His nickname in China was "The Cannon," and Ren Zhiqiang’s latest commentary was among his most explosive yet.
Mr. Ren, an outspoken property tycoon in Beijing, wrote in a scathing essay that China’s leader, Xi Jinping, was a power-hungry "clown." He said the ruling Communist Party’s strict limits on free speech had exacerbated the coronavirus epidemic.
Now Mr. Ren, one of the most prominent critics of Mr. Xi in mainland China, is missing, his friends said on Saturday.
His disappearance comes amid a far-reaching campaign by the party to quash criticism of its slow, secretive initial response to the epidemic, which has killed over 3,100 people in China and sickened more than 80,000.
The Chinese government is working to portray Mr. Xi as a hero who is leading the country to victory in a "people’s war" against the virus. But officials are contending with deep anger from the Chinese public, with many people still seething over the government’s early efforts to conceal the crisis.
Mr. Ren, a party member, is well known for his searing critiques of Mr. Xi. In 2016, the party placed him on a year’s probation for denouncing Mr. Xi’s propaganda policies in comments online.
The government has monitored Mr. Ren’s movements intensely ever since, friends said, preventing him from leaving the country and deleting his social media accounts, where he had built a wide following.
His whereabouts was unclear on Saturday, and the police in Beijing did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
"We’re very worried about him," said Wang Ying, a retired entrepreneur and friend of Mr. Ren’s. "I will continue to look for him."
In recent weeks, an essay by Mr. Ren began circulating among elite circles in China and abroad. In it, he blamed the government for silencing whistle-blowers and trying to conceal the outbreak, which began in the central city of Wuhan in December.
While he did not explicitly use Mr. Xi’s name in the commentary, Mr. Ren left no doubt he was speaking about China’s leader, repeatedly referencing Mr. Xi’s speeches and actions.
"I see not an emperor standing there exhibiting his ’new clothes,’ but a clown who stripped naked and insisted on continuing to be an emperor," he wrote.
Addressing Mr. Xi, he wrote: "You don’t in the slightest hide your resolute ambition to be an emperor and your determination to destroy anyone who won’t let you."
Mr. Ren, 69, is the retired chairman of Huayuan Properties, a real estate developer. In 2016, Mr. Ren came under scrutiny after writing on his microblog that China’s news media should serve the people, not the party, contradicting one of Mr. Xi’s high-profile pronouncements. His remarks offered a window into growing frustration among Chinese intellectuals and entrepreneurs over Mr. Xi’s increasingly authoritarian rule.
The party moved quickly to censure him, saying he had "lost his party spirit." But he continued to speak out on other topics, such as China’s strict policies to limit the population in big cities.
As more details about China’s efforts to cover up the coronavirus outbreak have been disclosed by the Chinese news media in recent weeks, Mr. Xi has come under attack from several prominent Chinese activists and intellectuals.
Xu Zhangrun, a law professor in Beijing, published an essay last month saying that the epidemic had "revealed the rotten core of Chinese governance."
Xu Zhiyong, a prominent legal activist, released a letter to Mr. Xi on social media, accusing him of a cover-up and calling on him to step down. He was later detained.
Activists said Mr. Ren’s disappearance was a worrying sign that the government was escalating its latest crackdown on free speech.
"The epidemic has brought out the worst of Xi Jinping," said Yang Jianli, a rights activist based in the United States. "He is so determined not to give an inch, rightly understanding an inch would mean hundreds of miles."
The post Chinese Tycoon Who Criticized Xi’s Response to Coronavirus Has Vanished appeared first on New York Times.
Coronavirus: Over 300 American soldiers quarantined after returning from Afghanistan
[KhaamaPress] More than 300 American soldiers have been quarantined after returning from Afghanistan amid ongoing efforts to prevent the further outbreak of 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... . The 82nd Airborne Division in a statement said more than 300 paratroopers of the divisons will undergo health monitoring and medical treatment at Fort Bragg in North Carolina after completing a 9-month rotation in suport of the U.S.-led Resolute Support Mission and returning home.
Maj. Gen. James Mingus, 82nd Airborne Division commander said "My No. 1 priority is the protection of our Paratroopers, their families, our community, and the prevention of the spread of the COVID-19."
"We are taking proactive steps to protect and prevent spread," he was quoted as saying in a report by Stripes.
This comes as the Afghan officials have so far reported more than 10 positive cases of coronavirus across the country so far. The Ministry of Public Health said four new positive cases of coronavirus have been recorded in western Herat ...a venerable old Persian-speaking city in western Afghanistan, populated mostly by Tadjiks, which is why it's not as blood-soaked as areas controlled by Pashtuns... province, increasing the number of positive cases to 9. The Ministry also added that the authorities in central Daikundi province have also recorded a positive of coronavirus in the province. Earlier, the officials in northern Samangan province reported that they have recorded three positive cases of coronavirus in this province.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Government official: First dose to be delivered Monday in clinical trial for potential COVID-19 vaccine
NYC tops 300 coronavirus cases, marks fifth death
[NYPOST] Five New York City residents have now died of 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... , as the number of Big Apple cases blew past 300, Mayor Bill de Blasio ...cryptocommie mayor of New York and for some reason a Dem candidate for president in 2020. Corrupt and incompetent, his qualifications for office seem to consist of being married to a black woman, with whom he honeymooned in Cuba. He has a preppy-looking son named Dante, whose Divine Comedy involved getting his back hair up when a police car drove past him slowly. New Yorkers voted for him, so they deserve him... announced on Sunday.
De Blasio announced three new deaths in an afternoon press briefing at City Hall.
The newly deceased were identified as a 78-year-old man, a 56-year-old man and a 53-year-old woman.
That’s in addition to an 82-year-old woman who died late Friday and a 79-year-old woman who succumbed early Sunday.
Each of the five victims had at least one underlying health condition ‐ including diabetes and heart disease ‐ that undermined their health battles.
"I am very, very concerned that what we see [now] is the rapid spread of this disease," said de Blasio. "We’ve never been through anything like this. We’re all trying to make sense of this."
A total of 329 cases have now been confirmed across the five boroughs, representing nearly half of the 729 cases statewide.
In SKOR the Worst May Be Over in the Wuhan Virus Epidemic
[Yahoo] A total of 120 patients were released from hospitals and for the third day in a row the daily number of those recovered exceeded that of new confirmed cases since South Korea's first case was confirmed on Jan. 20.
"The number of infected patients have been decreasing the past week, and a daily infection has dropped from the previous week's 500 to 100," health minister Park Neung-hoo told reporters on Sunday. Total new cases last few days are:
8 March 248
9 March 131
10 March 242
11 March 114
12 March 110
13 March 107
14 March 76
They also have tested a lot of people and keep pretty decent records as noted on the Wikipedia website about this
#2
Maggie of Atlanta commenting on DM's "lockdown" article: "Your grandparents were called to war. You are being called to sit on your couch. You can do this."
[WFLX] A federal class-action lawsuit has been filed against the Chinese government "for damages suffered as a result of the coronavirus pandemic."
The Berman Law Group, based in Boca Raton, filed the lawsuit Thursday in Miami federal court.
According to the complaint, the People's Republic of China and the city of Wuhan, where the outbreak began, are named as defendants in the lawsuit.
"The PRC and the other defendants knew that COVID-19 was dangerous and capable of causing a pandemic, yet slowly acted, proverbially put their head in the sand and/or covered it up for their own economic self-interest," attorney Matthew Moore wrote in the lawsuit.
Two Miami-Dade County residents and two Palm Beach County residents are listed as plaintiffs in the lawsuit.
According to the lawsuit, "named plaintiffs have been in close proximity to the negligent conduct causing their injuries." Taste hot lawfare, Chicoms!
#1
Remeniscent of the old Warner Bros cartoon where a Pilgrim Elmer Fudd stops an Indian attack by telling the marauders that 'somebody's gonna pay fuh dat gwass' after they broke a window.
h/t Instapundit
[Independent] - The EU is banning the "non-essential" entry of all foreign nationals, in the most dramatic crackdown yet to try to curb the continent’s coronavirus pandemic.
Only residents, family members and essential staff ‐ healthcare workers and medical experts ‐ will be exempt from the measures, to be imposed for 30 days initially. What about "refugees"?
From Mr. Jarrett's Linked-In profile:
"Results driven leader with track record of getting things done the right way and on-time. Proven ability to collaborate with stakeholders at all levels of an organization including elected officials, executive leadership, managers, supervisors, and front-line staff. Excels in high pressure and multifaceted situations. Over 13 years of operational audit experience across county government with expertise in managing projects, mitigating organizational risk, and identifying efficiencies. Great communicator, skilled at presenting complex information to executive management."
[OpIndia] The Islamic Republic of Iran, one of the worst affected nations due to COVID-19 outbreak, on Saturday wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, over how the efforts to fight coronavirus has been “severely” impacted by the US sanctions.
President Hassan Rouhani, in his letter, emphasised that the fight against the coronavirus requires bolstering joint and coordinated regional and international measures, adopting serious strategies, and sustaining huge medical and care costs.
The pleading for help from the Islamic Republic of Iran comes at a time when Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei had stoked a controversy by threatening India of isolation in the Muslim world. He had asked the Indian government to confront what he called “extremist Hindus and their parties”, saying the hearts of Muslims all over the world are “grieving” over the recent communal violence in Delhi.
Posted by: John Frum ||
03/16/2020 16:26 ||
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[11129 views]
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#1
I thought medical supplies were not part of the sanctions. How much uranium do they need for Covid tests?
Posted by: Bobby ||
03/16/2020 16:44 Comments ||
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RATCHABURI, Thailand (Reuters) - Thai villagers scouring a dark cave for bat guano, sought after by farmers as a nutrient-rich crop fertilizer, are undaunted by scientists’ suggestion that it could be behind a coronavirus that has infected more than 150,000 people worldwide.
#2
Group Captain Lionel Mandrake: OK, Col. Bat Guano, if that really is your name... "
Col. Bat Guano:" If you don't get the President on the phone you're going to have to answer to the Coca Cola company.. M"
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
03/16/2020 8:50 Comments ||
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[WASHINGTONEXAMINER] The Federal Reserve lowered its interest rate target to zero and announced large purchases of goverment bonds Sunday to protect the economy against 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... pandemic."The effects of the coronavirus will weigh on economic activity in the near term and pose risks to the economic outlook," the central bank's monetary policy committee said in an unscheduled statement. The Fed will also purchase $700 billion in goverment-backed bonds in the "coming months," a move it said was meant to ensure the functioning of financial markets.
The statement said that the central bank would leave short-term interest rates at a range of between zero and 0.25% until "it is confident that the economy has weathered recent events and is on track to achieve its maximum employment and price stability goals."
Sunday's changes put the Fed back in the policy stance it adopted in the wake of the financial crisis, when it lowered rates to zero and engaged in large-scale bond purchases to try to prop up spending.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/16/2020 00:00 ||
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#4
The problem is not that companies are burdened with high-rate debt; the problem is that revenue is way down as customers stay home.
Lower rates will do nothing to fix that. Until PANIC TIME is over, I don't see any solution in sight.
Posted by: Tom ||
03/16/2020 15:19 Comments ||
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#5
Well. Think of the companies which should have zero revenue: Netflix, Gurgle, Apple (services) Fartbook, Twitter, ESPN, all sports leagues. A guy could start paying down the national debt with all that money...
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
03/16/2020 16:27 Comments ||
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#6
I don't see any solution in sight.
Same as ever.
Small B&M boutique high priced product, service and spontaneous purchase(malls) stores (Starbucks, asian Nail Salons, haircuts, cell stores...) will move online or drop their prices, or both, or die.
High end B&M will grow their online footprint, diversify product lines, refinance already capitalized inventory, reduce VMI churn and make money.
Durable goods manufacturing and transport will slow, materials will finance new inventory with slow delivery anticipating a midsummer turnaround.
Academia will move further online. Closed housing may be institutionalized as assisted living.
Those with money will make money.
Huge disruption for service labor.
#9
If I ran Wrangler, for example, I'd run my lines until my raw materials were used up. Instead of buying more raw materials I'd reach out to my suppliers and say let's work together on financing to get through this.
As for Starbucks, I hope they go bankrupt.
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
03/16/2020 18:11 Comments ||
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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.
[DNYUZ] His nickname in China was "The Cannon," and Ren Zhiqiang’s latest commentary was among his most explosive yet.
...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...
...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...
...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...
