#corona virus suspect

[istherewifiinhell]

Spending more effort looking for a post than it would be to just. Remake a post but otherwise i HAVE. reaffirmed my timeline

Sept 12th. Get the rona. Put [1? 2?] Ep of tf 07 in fever haze

Sept 13-19 watch utena

Sept 20 [like 3-6 am] The Good Fic

Sept 21 -> 84 tf.

Also my first rona sts was in there sept 17 and i was stuck on the couch watching like 5 eps of tng. Thats not really related to the arc its just a good [bad] time

[madamepestilence]

H5N1: What to know before fear spreads

What is H5N1?

H5N1 is a 1996 strain of the Spanish or Avian Flu first detected in Chinese birds before spreading globally across various avian species. H5N1 is similar to H1N1, but spreads slower and has a much higher mortality rate.

H5N1 may also be referred to as Influenza A. The American Association of Bovine Practitioners has seen fit to rename H5N1 to Bovine Influenza A Virus, or BIAV, and are encouraging others to use the same terminology.

I would not be surprised if the colloquial name among the public becomes Bovine Flu or American Flu in the coming months, and may be referred to as the Chinese Flu by the same folks who took the spark of the SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) pandemic as an excuse to be publicly racist to East Asian people without social repercussions.

BIAV is a virus, meaning that it is a (probably) non-living packet of self-replicating infectious material with a high rate of mutation. BIAV is structured similarly to SARS-CoV-2, having a packet of infectious material encased in a spherical shell with a corona, or crown, of proteins that can latch to living cells to inject RNA.

Image source with interactive model: ViralZone - H5N1 subtype

What is the history of BIAV?

In 1996 and 1997, an outbreak of BIAV occurred among poultry and infected 18 people in Hong Kong, 6 of which died. This seemingly isolated incident then infected ~860 people with a >50% death rate.

At the time, BIAV was known as Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza, or HPAI, and killed nearly 100% of chickens within a 48 hour period.

From 2003 to 2005, continual outbreaks occurred in China and other East Asian countries, before spreading to Cambodia, the Netherlands, Thailand, and Vietnam.

From 2014 to 2016, it began being detected in American fowl, as well as mutating the H5N6 (lethal in birds, no human to human transmission) and H5N8 (largely spread through turkeys, ducks had immunity) viruses.

BIAV has since evolved into a clade known as 2.3.4.4b, and was first detected in 2021 in wild American birds. This then caused outbreaks in 2022 among wild and domesticated birds (such as chickens) alike, but was largely being overshadowed by the pressing SARS-CoV-2 pandemic at the time.

From 2022 to 2023, it was observed to be spreading among various mammals, including humans. Now, in 2024, we're having the most concerning rapid outbreak of BIAV since 2003.

BIAV is known to spread from mammal to mammal, particularly between cows and humans. BIAV may also be spread from cow to cow (highly likely, but not confirmed - this is likely the reason the virus has spread to Idaho from Texan cattle), and is known to be lethal to domestic cats and birds within 48 hours.

How does BIAV spread?

BIAV spreads through fomites - direct contact with infected animals or infected surfaces and then touching parts of your face or other orifices - as well as through airborne particulates, which may be inhaled and enter the sinuses and lungs.

BIAV is known to spread through:

Asymptomatic Ducks, geese, swans, various shorebirds

Symptomatic, may be lethal Foxes, bears, seals, sea lions, polar bears, domestic cats, dogs, minks, goats, cows, (potentially human to human, but unconfirmed - there have only been 8 potential human to human cases in 2024).

How can I protect against BIAV?

As BIAV is a type of Influenza A, existing protocols should do fine.

Current recommendations are to wash your hands vigorously after interacting with birds (I would also recommend doing this with mammals), avoid touching your face or other open orifices, and wear N95 masks.

Avoid sick or dead animals entirely - I would also recommend reporting them to your local Animal Control or veterinary centre and warning them about the infection risk. People who work with animals are recommended to also wear full PPE such as N95 masks, eye protection, gloves, and partake in vigorous hand washing.

If you suspect you've caught BIAV, seek medical attention immediately. Existing medications such as oseltamivir phosphate, zanamivir, peramivir, and baloxavir marboxil can reduce BIAV's ability to replicate.

Standard flu shots will not protect against BIAV. Remember - symptoms of BIAV may not manifest for between 2 to 8 days, and potentially infected people should be monitored for at least 10 days.

How far has BIAV spread?

BIAV is currently a global virus, though the current infection location of note is the United States.

Image Key: Dark red - Countries with humans, poultry and wild birds killed by H5N1 Deep red - Countries with poultry or wild birds killed by H5N1 and has reported human cases of H5N1 Light red - Countries with poultry or wild birds killed by H5N1

Image source: Wikipedia - Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 - File: Global spread of H5N1 map

Image source: Metro.co.uk - Map shows where bird flu is spreading in US amid new warning - File: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s H5N1 bird flu detections map across the United States

Should I be afraid?

You needn't be afraid, just prepared. BIAV has a concerningly high lethality, but this ironically culls its spread somewhat.

In the event human to human transmission of BIAV is confirmed, this will likely mainly affect marginalized communities, poor people, and homeless people, who are likely to have less access to medical care, and a higher likelihood of working in jobs that require frequent close human contact, such as fast food or retail jobs.

Given the response to SARS-CoV-2, corporations - and probably the government - may shove a proper response under the rug and refuse to participate in a full quarantine, which may leave people forced to go to work in dangerous conditions.

If this does spread into an epidemic or pandemic, given our extensive knowledge about Influenza, and the US having a backup vaccine for a prior strain of H5N1, a vaccine should be able to be developed relatively quickly and would hopefully be deployed freely without charge - we won't have to worry about a situation like The Stand.

Wash your hands, keep clean, avoid large social gatherings where possible, wear an N95 mask if you can afford them (Remember: Cloth masks are the least protective, but are better than nothing. If you can't afford N95 masks, I recommend wearing a well-fitted cloth mask with a disposable face mask over it to prevent pneumonia from moisture buildup in the disposable mask), support the disabled, poor, and homeless, and stay educated.

We can do better this time.

Further things to check out:

YouTube: MedCram - H5N1 Cattle Outbreak: Background and Currently Known Facts (ft. Roger Seheult, M.D.)

Wikipedia - Influenza A virus subtype H5N1

Maine.gov - Avian Influenza and People

CDC.gov - Technical Report: Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza A(H5N1) Viruses

Wikipedia - H5N1 genetic structure

realagriculture - Influenza infection in cattle gets new name: Bovine Influenza A Virus (BIAV)

[yourgamemasterthewhiterabbit]

No but seriously coronavirus seems to do something to make your brain and nerve cells particularly vulnerable to all kinds of unrelated seeming problems even more than it acts like airborn aids to most of your body

The fucking neurological symptoms I got during the first stretches on long covid were unreal

I went from being able to solve a kind of puzzle in 7-10 moves to taking over 32 and then being lost and my nerves were so damaged I dropped my laptop and phone breaking them both in the same week

My mother developed meningitis from another virus due to covid fucking with her immune function

I literally spent years regaining neurological and nerve function after the first stretches of long covid and I strongly suspect that for a lot of people these symptoms will not be as temporary

They're already showing that repeated infection with covid causes brain damage, but I don't think they have began to touch on all the mechanisms of how it's causing it

When I wrote that depressing half real half unreality story about corona virus leading to zombies I was pulling from too close for comfort real life inspiration

[bopinion]

2024 / 33

Aperçu of the week

“All we have to do is call our opponent a communist or a socialist or someone who will destroy our country.”

(Donald Trump. We'll see about that...)

Bad News of the Week

Since the end of the coronavirus pandemic - although there hasn't actually been one - I've been waiting for its successor in a slightly anxious mood. Another rapidly infecting virus that spreads worldwide, is potentially deadly and, above all, restricts all our lives again. Now it's here: Mpox. For the first time since Corona, the WHO (World Health Organization of the United Nations) has declared the highest alert level, a “public health emergency of international concern”. Because of the virus that was previously called “Monkey Pox”. Discovered in Congo at the end of 2023, it has now also broken out in Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi and Kenya.

The initial figures spoke of 14,000 suspected cases. Based on the usual 50% rate and the reported 500 deaths, this means that one in twelve people who become infected will die. That's a lot. So it's certainly a virus that should be taken seriously. One day later, it was reported that the first case in Europe had emerged in Sweden. Then the first three in Asia in Pakistan. It's the usual pattern: on the one hand, every infectious disease spreads faster and more uncontrollably in times of international travel. On the other hand, specific cases are only discovered when they are specifically sought or tested for. So the numbers will now quickly go through the roof. Because the spread is already more advanced than we know.

What will happen now? What will the states do? How will society react this time? And above all: what have we learned? There is a lot of talk in Germany about the need to come to terms with everything that has happened around COVID. Also to learn from the mistakes. There is a lot of need for clarification - for example with regard to the procurement of masks, the closure of schools, compulsory vaccination, curfews and unequal treatment in the retail sector. And what has happened since (drum roll please!): Nothing. What applies to politics also applies in private life. Some friends turned out to be conspiracy theorists, others were law and order hardliners, most were simply irritated and unsettled. There were even rifts right through families. Rifts that still exist.

And now we could all be facing the same situation, just as ill-prepared. And if Mpox doesn't develop into a pandemic, perhaps swine fever will spread to humans. Or bird flu. Or something else entirely, be it from the South American jungle or from the secret laboratory of some deep state. Or a revenant from the past spreads again - cholera still exists after all and first cases of polio are reported from Gaza. No, I'm not panicking. But I do have one or two worries. After all, humanity has shown itself more than once to be incapable of learning from the past. I would love to be wrong about that.

Good News of the Week

Venezuela is not giving up. It is wonderful to see how the people are fighting for democracy, no longer wanting to put up with the corruption of their “elites” and finally wanting to have a perspective worth living in. Just under a month ago, elections were held in the Latin American country, which could actually live in prosperity and peace but is suffering from dramatic economic decline, inflation and poverty since years. Or as investigative journalist Sebastiana Barráez says in the news magazine Der Spiegel: “Maduro has couped!”

Initially, the state electoral authority declared President Nicolás Maduro Moro, who has been clinging to power since 2013, the winner without providing any evidence - as is actually required by the constitution. The opposition has now had access to more than 80 percent of the printed protocols of the individual polling stations and has made them public. According to these, their candidate Edmundo González won with around 67 percent of the vote - compared to 30 percent for the incumbent head of government. So did Maduro commit electoral fraud? It looks like it.

The United Nations and the Carter Center had sent election observers to Venezuela. They have now criticized the election authority's actions and declared that the official result was not achieved democratically. The panel of experts speaks of an “unprecedented process in recent electoral history”. No wonder that most Latin American countries as well as the USA and Europe did not recognize the “official result”. And Maduro? He doesn't give a damn. The despot has further intensified the repression against the population with the help of the military, the National Guard and other state organs loyal to him. According to the independent rights organization Foro Penal, over 2,000 people have been arrested since the election. These include opposition politicians. And journalists. That speaks a clear language.

According to a report in the Wall Street Journal, the US government has now offered Maduro and close associates of the regime an amnesty if they relinquish power. I wish the Venezuelans would keep up the pressure. And the international stage too. Until Madura and his clan really abdicate. Because then the country, which has already been abandoned by 20% of its population in recent years, could return to better times. In a survey conducted by the Gallup polling institute in December 2012, the country's inhabitants were among the happiest people on earth. It would be nice if this vague memory could become reality again.

Personal happy moment of the week

“Your application for an Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA) has been approved. You are now authorized to travel to Canada by air.” Nothing more to add here. Taking off this sunday. Boy am I excited...

I couldn't care less...

...about the discussion that Germany “only” came 10th in the medal table at the Summer Olympics in Paris - behind hosts France and Great Britain, even though their populations are smaller. “What does it take for more medals?” asks the Tagesschau news channel. That is of little interest to me. Much more important is the charisma of athletes as figures of identification for a nation, the role model function for children, the motivation to surpass oneself. After all, it's not for nothing that the Olympic motto is “Taking part is everything”. In that sense, Eddie the Eagle really did fly.

It's fine with me...

...that the Democrats' party conference is now turning into a coronation mass. Because the most important decisions have been made: Presidential candidate and his (better in this case “her”) running mate. Normally, I would now say that political program content should not be completely secondary. But I don't care about that at the moment. The main thing is momentum. The main thing is optimism. The main thing is not to go back. The main thing is that Donald Jessica Trump doesn't triumph in November. Harris Walz!

As I write this...

...we're trying to catch a mouse. Apparently it was raining too hard outside and it wanted to get out into the dry. Now she's hiding behind a bookshelf and is afraid of us - even though we want to rescue her and set her free. Update: we've got her and she's fine. Second update: there seems to be another one...

Post Scriptum

It's good when someone doesn't look away but points. Even if it's about Israel committing an injustice. After all, you are then almost reflexively vilified as an Anti-Semite. In this respect, I am pleased that the European Union is showing more and more backbone in this regard. In this case, I am not referring to the maltreated Gaza Strip, but to the West Bank, where the Palestinian population is suffering more and more from brutal attacks by militant Israeli settlers - who can be sure of the backing of Benjamin Netanyahu's increasingly right-wing extremist government.

Once again, there have been attacks by extremist Israeli settlers on the population of the West Bank. And now EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell has had enough. He will “present a proposal for EU sanctions against the supporters of the violent settlers, including some members of the Israeli government”. Including the government! That's a bombshell. I very much hope that he finds the necessary support for this. Because this massive problem is currently all too easily overlooked in the great shadow of Gaza.

[gatekeeper-watchman]

Cutting Payroll Taxes

President Trump has announced that he is going to pursue a stimulus to our economy in order to cope with its present decline resulting from the Corona Virus and the oil war between Russia and Saudi Arabia. As part of his stimulus, he proposes a cut in payroll taxes—an extremely shortsighted and unwise decision, to say the least. Just listening to this recalls to my mind the words of the great French economist, Frederic Bastiat (1801-1850) in his discussion of “That Which is Seen, and That Which is Not Seen”:

“In the department of economy, an act, a habit, an institution, a law, gives birth not only to an effect, but to a series of effects. Of these effects, the first only is immediate: it manifests itself simultaneously with its cause — it is seen. The others unfold in succession — they are not seen: it is well for us, if they are foreseen. Between a good and a bad economist this constitutes the whole difference — the one takes account of the visible effect; the other takes account both of the effects which are seen, and also of those which it is necessary to foresee. Now this difference is enormous, for it almost always happens that when the immediate consequence is favorable, the ultimate consequences are fatal, and the converse. Hence it follows that the bad economist pursues a small present good, which will be followed by a great evil to come, while the true economist pursues a great good to come, — at the risk of a small present evil.”

Reducing payroll taxes to stimulate the economy is easy. It is popular and readily acceptable to those on the receiving end; but, from whence does the money come to pay our Social Security and Medicare? Does it come out of the air? I don’t think so, and I suspect neither do you. How about when the time comes to reinstate these tax cuts? How popular and readily acceptable will that be then? How much harder will it be for our Representatives and Senators in the Congress to sell to the people?

Let us pursue this a little further. It is common knowledge that present payments into the fund are insufficient, and tax collections must be increased in order for the fund to remain solvent. How acceptable will that be? Now, when you add this increase to the reinstatement above, how much more difficult will that be to achieve? Are we just going to let our Social Security fund go broke?

But we are not only talking about Social Security. Also included in those payroll deductions are payments for Medicare. Although not frequently discussed, it too is common knowledge, i.e. everybody knows it or should, that Medicare is insufficiently funded. In fact, it is a major contributor to our annual government deficit and, therefore, national debt.

If our long range intent is to keep and improve these benefits for the good of our people, it would seem to me that cutting these payroll deductions to stimulate an already over-stimulated economy (One should note that the preponderance of spending by our country and our people is supported by borrowing, i.e. national debt, credit cards, mortgages, student loans, auto financing, payday loans at 100% interest plus, etc.) is, to say the least, very unwise and short-sighted.

On the other hand, if our plan is to eliminate Social Security and Medicare, this is the way to go. It’s a sure winner.

Hmm… This brings to mind the sayings of Forrest Gump. “You never know what you’re going to get when you open a box of chocolates” I think he also said, “Stupid is as stupid does”.

Also, I am compelled to quote the famous words of William Shakespeare in his play Julius Caesar, when Caesar is warned by the soothsayer to “beware the Ides of March”.

Respectfully,

From: Steven P. Miller, @ParkermillerQ, gatekeeperwatchman.org Founder and Administrator of Gatekeeper-Watchman International Group Wednesday, August 7, 2024, Jacksonville, Florida., Duval County, USA.  X … @ParkermillerQ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/Sparkermiller.JAX.FL.USA, Instagram: steven_parker_miller_1956 #GWIG, #GWIN, #GWINGO.

[writingwell]

Could you write a fic where Beckett has been sick for a bit and keeps insisting it’s a cold before Castle forces her to take a Covid test preferably pre-couple pretty pleaseeee🙏🏼

pre-couple but covid, idk what time machine shenanigans would go on for that, so i made it tried-to-be-a-couple didn't-work might-try-again-any-day. you might not be looking for that. but here you go:

What started innocently enough soon turned vicious: from a tickle to a hellacious barking, sniffing when she drank a freshly made cup of espresso to vampire sneezing explosively in rapid succession.

Every eyebrow in the bullpen went up. Every eye turned her way, suspicious and damning.

She seemed to notice her audience, turned to him instead, glaring as she spat, "It's not covid!"

"Uh-huh," he answered. Both hands raised in surrender.

But they all knew.

(Well, they all suspected, because it was 2022, and they were midway through boosters and Delta/Omicron and Great Flu Resurgence and some of the beat officers were getting RSV on top of that and then a stomach flu went around when the masks came off in the precinct, and really, coughing and sneezing and a scratchy voice—what else could it be?)

No one was immune to the suspicion, just as no one was immune to covid but in the window of time afforded to one by the life of the vaccine or a previous bout with the novel corona virus, and well, everyone had their own story to tell, much like after 9/11 when that was the first thing people talked about in the street or meeting for a drink, where were you, only now it was how many of your family died or how long were you laid up?

Rick Castle cornered her (not too closely, no; he knew she was contagious and he didn't want his mother getting it, vaccinated or not) in the parking garage of the Twelfth before she could ride up to Homicide.

"It's not covid," she hissed, before he could even speak.

"So take a test," he answered easily. "Put our minds at ease."

"I did. I have. I've taken three," she hissed.

If he stepped back to avoid whatever sprayed from her hissing, could you blame him? "This morning? Before the call about the body?"

"Last night," she said. A grudging hesitation. "It was negative last night."

"Okay, then maybe go to the City clinic," he said amicably. "Could be strep." Or whooping cough.

"I don't feel bad, no body aches, no fever—"

"Alexis got strep every winter until she was thirteen. That year, no strep! We joked she'd grown out of it. But then her best friend, after every sleepover, would mysteriously come down with strep and Alexis wouldn't. Friend's mom made me take her in and get tested. Sure enough, she was asymptomatic."

"It's not strep," Beckett answered. Scathingly, but she was the Captain, and she did often push him aside when she needed to get going and he was being difficult.

(Busy woman, the Captain of the Twelfth. He was often being difficult, considering he wouldn't quit her and she wouldn't commit to him.

But she wasn't wrong, since she had a press conference to get to and a Homicide division to micro-manage. Whoops, did he say micro-manage? He was being mean. In his own head. To the woman of his dreams/nightmares.

Theirs was often a love-hate relationship these days.)

He kept silent, rode the elevator up with her. He made her a cup of espresso in the break room while she prepped for the press conference. Granted, he was rushing to get it ready—coffee was still their love language, despite the bumps in their road—but when she took a sip and her face blanched, he knew.

"Ahem. Funny taste?"

"It's not covid, Castle."

At the press conference, she was in the middle of her rundown on the DB—okay, yes, Castle should have been listening but the guy had been a jackass member of City Council who had tried to get her fired—and her voice cracked.

She cleared her throat. Coughed delicately into her fist. Tried again.

Her voice broke like fine porcelain in the hands of underpaid movers, and the first question from the press was, Are you coming down with something?

She steadfastly refused to look at him. Deny deny deny, and she was getting good at it, as the Captain of the Twelfth, had to give her that.

He was home that night working on book edits—he was giving Nikki Heat a vicious bout of covid, laying her up in her apartment, when a murderer comes to call—when his phone vibrated off his desk and dropped to the floor.

Her face the ID. From that ill-fated night in his bed. She had changed it twice before he'd discovered a passcode to his phone she couldn't guess/wheedle from his mother. Even now, it filled with him a melange of dread and sweetness, terror and tenderness.

"Captain Beckett, you rang?"

"Castle—"

"You sound awf—"

"I have covid."

"I know," he murmured, rising to his feet. "I bought chicken soup from the Czech deli on my way home, and I have a guy on speed dial who can prescribe you paxlovid."

"The drug? I heard it gives you rebound covid."

"That's not because of the drug," he told her, gathering his keys and wallet, his jacket. "It's just a thing some people get, treatment or no."

"Okay," she croaked. "Get me drugs."

"I'll be right there."

He arrived forty-seven minutes later with the prescription, chicken soup, a package of KN95s, his laptop, and a determination he'd not felt since that botched night.

She took it all.

She wore the mask, laid on the couch in the living room with her face to a satin pillow, her eyes slitted like a cat, and watched him make edits on the book.

"Did you give her covid?" she rasped.

"Yes."

She didn't answer. Merely watched him.

He submitted his first round of edits and made her a bowl of soup, wore his own mask but wouldn't isolate from her as she sipped the broth. Her throat worked as if each swallow was pain. Her eyes had dark rings, bruised-looking, and her hair was limp. She coughed and they both flinched.

He fished a water with electrolytes from his bag of provisions, opened it for her because her fingers looked fragile. She drank. She eyed him.

She fell asleep with the bowl against her chest, half drunk. He took it from her, put the water on the floor close at hand, couldn't resist pushing the hair back behind her ear.

He bent low. Held his breath for an instant before he confessed: "I didn't want to. But. I still love you."

-----

[moviesandmania]

CORONA (2020) Infection thriller - free on Amazon Prime, Crackle, Plex, Redbox, Tubi, YouTube

‘Fear is a virus’ Corona is a 2020 Canadian thriller film about neighbours that are trapped in an elevator with a young Chinese woman they suspect has COVID-19; accusations and racism spread among them faster than a virus. Written, produced and directed by Mostafa Keshvari, the GrandMuse Pictures Andrea Stefancikova, Andy Canete, Emy Aneke, Josh Blacker, Richard Lett, Traei Tsai and Zarina…

[tajpharma2022]

For treatment of suspected or laboratory confirmed corona virus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in adults and children hospitalized with moderate to severe disease. #Remdesivir for Injection 100 mg/vial Lyophilized Powder for #Injection for IV Infusion #COVID-19: coronavirus disease 2019

[all-about-news24x7]

Hotel collapsed with suspected Corona patients

[] Hotel collapsed with suspected Corona patients 70 people were buried under the debris after a hotel building collapsed in Quanzhou city of China. According to the government media, this hotel was being used to keep patients suspected of Corona virus apart. According to government media, the five-story Xinjia Hotel building in Fujian province collapsed at 7.30 pm local time. Rescuers have…

[phillipcole]

The Morning Show with Eric Kaelin part 3

Kaelin: We’re back and I now present Phillip.

Phillip: Greetings, my name is Phillip the Boston intellectual.  (Sigh) It feels good to say that, more correctly, it feels good to say that without a long groan somewhere in the process.  As some of you know I’ve been very ill for about the last 8 years.  It’s not a crippling illness, though I use these crutches because I might fall down if I stand too long.  It isn’t even this corona virus that stopped the world for a time.  It’s because there are certain celebrities in the world that make me physically weak every time I hear their names.  One of them started doing something 8 years ago that has made most of the world sick and the only way to survive it was to go into a few comas.  However there is some good news.  That person and another man on my list might finally receive some comeuppance for their crimes.  That good news has brought me to the point where I can cautiously begin to resume my duties with Phillip and Cole’s Variety Team.  Thank you.

I have learned that, while some have been hoping and praying for my recovery others have risked, squandered their money gambling on who the last name on my list of celebrities that make me sick might be.  Not only that, I learned that some have made bets that are not only unlikely but impossible.  There are some who have wagered that one of the persons already on my list is the last name.  I assure you there is no one so dastardly he makes me sick twice.  Also there is a whole family on my list as a group.  Some are wagering on individual members.  That too is a waste of money.  For those who look elsewhere I have heard there are at least a few guesses almost as bad.  It seems that in my absence my colleagues-in pursuit of fame and fortune-have undertaken to remove individual suspects, yet people are still betting on those individuals.  Folks, these lists are not secret, only one human name is.  For those who still wish to gamble on the subject, better yet pick one name, write it down, tell no one and wait for the answer, think a bit first.  Cole and I auditioned for America’s Got Talent in February of 2014, so children born after that date are not likely to be on my list.  Celebrities who were only children at the time are also remote longshots.  So consider who is on the list.  Look at the list of persons eliminated from consideration, think about people who were already famous in February, 2014, then think about me.  I am a Boston intellectual.  I know a lot about many subjects of history, geography, science, literature, politics and the arts.  I can’t name every contestant in the run of a tv competition series.  Most of the people who are on my revealed list are overexposed persons I might have avoided knowing altogether if not for a media bombardment.  Look at the list and think who else might have similar characteristics and you will at least be making an educated guess.  Thank you and good night.

Kaelin: Wow!  Phil, is that the routine Phillip delivered last week?

PBC: About the same, yes.

Kaelin: Did anyone laugh?

PBC: Most of them were taking notes.

Kaelin: Ha ha ha ha ha.  That’s great.  So are you going to be performing at all while you’re in town?

PBC: Yes, at Tony Roley’s Comic Vibe Friday and Saturday.

Kaelin: Will Phillip be performing?

PBC: I’ll decide just before I go on.

Kaelin: That’s great.  If you’re ever in Michigan again look us up.

PBC: Not likely, but possible.

Kaelin: Thanks again for joining us.

PBC: My pleasure. 

[remembertheplunge]

So, now, on the eve of the advent of the 3 year anniversary of the Pandemic in March, 2020, I’m going to include here some entries from my journals then:

Tuesday 3/10/2020. 8:38pm///Jerry, my law clerk, said the junior college he attends is canceling some live classes. You can take them on line, due to the virus.///a Cruize ship, Princess, 2000 people stuck off Northern California coast because of the virus. ///. Big annual concert near Indio continued from April to October.///the Corona Virus hysteria builds rapidly. My sister sent me a long letter about the Virus. She warned me about it when I was in San Diego last month.///A huge social experiment unfolds. The satiated are confronted with potential mortality. Travel becomes suspect. Will you get trapped? Will you get infected.// it’s like everyone is 64 with death knocking. ///End of this part of the entry.

Note: Here, again, I. Am using the journal to work through my initial reaction to the impending Pandemic. I’m also catching and preserving my initial reactions. I find these initial impressions to be fascinating now.

[bhalamedia]

Trembling Marburg Virus: Infected means death Marburg.. The time has come to mark this word. This is not a seasonal viral fever.. It is not even a corona virus that can get rid of by spending 14 days in quarantine.. It is a more deadly virus than the dangerous Ebola. Once it enters our body, it survives for 21 days and turns us into a living organism. 88% mortality rate among those infected with this disease can be understood as a country virus. Recently.. this epidemic entry once again took place in Africa. Ten people lost their lives due to Marburg in the African country of Equatorial Guinea. A few hundred people are going through hell. The World Health Organization has also stepped in to deal with this epidemic. Suspects and close contacts were shifted to isolation and tests started. The blow to Marburg led to the quarantine of an entire province in Guinea. For more information https://bhalamedia.com/marburg-is-a-dangerous-virus-more-deadly-than-ebola/

[beautystone76]

THE PANDEMIC THAT CHANGED LIFE AS WE KNOW IT...

I don’t remember the exact date that I heard of the corona virus, but I do remember the fear I felt in the pit of my stomach. Though I knew very little at the time, I knew life would never be the same, for anyone. I suspect that like many others, at first I tried to convince myself that it was no big deal, that my life would remain untouched by this monster illness that was taking up more and…

[gatekeeper-watchman]

Cutting Payroll Taxes

President Trump has announced that he is going to pursue a stimulus to our economy to cope with its present decline resulting from the Corona Virus and the oil war between Russia and Saudi Arabia. As part of his stimulus, he proposes a cut in payroll taxes—an extremely shortsighted and unwise decision, to say the least. Just listening to this recalls to my mind the words of the great French economist, Frederic Bastiat (1801-1850) in his discussion of “That Which is Seen, and That Which is Not Seen”:

“In the department of economy, an act, a habit, an institution, a law, gives birth not only to an effect but to a series of effects. Of these effects, the first only is immediate: it manifests itself simultaneously with its cause — it is seen. The others unfold in succession — they are not seen: it is well for us if they are foreseen. Between a good and a bad economist, this constitutes the whole difference — the one takes account of the visible effect; the other takes account both of the effects which are seen and also of those which it is necessary to foresee. Now this difference is enormous, for it almost always happens that when the immediate consequence is favorable, the ultimate consequences are fatal, and the converse. Hence it follows that the bad economist pursues a small present good, which will be followed by a great evil to come, while the true economist pursues a great good to come, — at the risk of a small present evil.”

Reducing payroll taxes to stimulate the economy is easy. It is popular and readily acceptable to those on the receiving end; but, from whence does the money come to pay our Social Security and Medicare? Does it come out of the air? I don’t think so, and I suspect neither do you. How about when the time comes to reinstate these tax cuts? How popular and readily acceptable will that be then? How much harder will it be for our Representatives and Senators in Congress to sell to the people?

Let us pursue this a little further. It is common knowledge that present payments into the fund are insufficient, and tax collections must be increased for the fund to remain solvent. How acceptable will that be? Now, when you add this increase to the reinstatement above, how much more difficult will that be to achieve? Are we just going to let our Social Security fund go broke?

But we are not only talking about Social Security. Also included in those payroll deductions are payments for Medicare. Although not frequently discussed, it too is common knowledge, i.e. everybody knows it or should, that Medicare is insufficiently funded. It is a major contributor to our annual government deficit and, therefore, the national debt.

If our long-range intent is to keep and improve these benefits for the good of our people, it would seem to me that cutting these payroll deductions to stimulate an already over-stimulated economy (One should note that the preponderance of spending by our country and our people is supported by borrowing, i.e. national debt, credit cards, mortgages, student loans, auto financing, payday loans at 100% interest plus, etc.) is, to say the least, very unwise and short-sighted.

On the other hand, if we plan to eliminate Social Security and Medicare, this is the way to go. It’s a sure winner.

Hmm… This brings to mind the sayings of Forrest Gump. “You never know what you’re going to get when you open a box of chocolates,” I think he also said, “Stupid is as stupid does”.

Also, I am compelled to quote the famous words of William Shakespeare in his play Julius Caesar, when Caesar is warned by the soothsayer to “beware the Ides of March”. Sincerely, From: Steven P. Miller @ParkermillerQ, Founder of Gatekeeper-Watchman International Groups Wednesday, May 31, 2023, Jacksonville, Florida., Duval County, USA. Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/Sparkermiller.JAX.FL.USA, https://www.facebook.com/StevenParkerMillerQ Instagram: steven_parker_miller_1956, Twitter: @GatekeeperWatchman1, @ParkermillerQ, https://twitter.com/StevenPMiller6 Tumblr: https://www.tumblr.com/blog/gatekeeperwatchman, https://www.tumblr.com/gatekeeper-watchman, https://www.pinterest.com/GatekeeperWatchman1/ #GWIG, #GWIN, #GWINGO, #Ephraim1, #IAM, #Sparkermiller, #Eldermiller1981

[gatekeeperwatchman]

Cutting Payroll Taxes

Any President who announces that he is going to pursue a stimulus to our economy to cope with its present decline resulting from the Corona Virus and the oil was between Russia, Saudi Arabia, China, Iran, etc. As part of a stimulus, they have proposed a cut in payroll taxes—an extremely shortsighted and unwise decision, to say the least. Just listening to this recalls to my mind the words of the great French economist, Frederic Bastiat (1801-1850) in his discussion of “That Which is Seen, and That Which is Not Seen”:

“In the department of economy, an act, a habit, an institution, a law, gives birth not only to an effect but to a series of effects. Of these effects, the first only is immediate: it manifests itself simultaneously with its cause — it is seen. The others unfold in succession — they are not seen: it is well for us if they are foreseen. Between a good and a bad economist, this constitutes the whole difference — the one takes account of the visible effect; the other takes account both of the effects which are seen, and also of those which it is necessary to foresee. Now, this difference is enormous, for it almost always happens that when the immediate consequence is favorable, the ultimate consequences are fatal, and the converse. Hence it follows that the bad economist pursues a small present good, which will be followed by a great evil to come, while the true economist pursues a great good to come, — at the risk of a small present evil.”

Reducing payroll taxes to stimulate the economy is easy. It is popular and readily acceptable to those on the receiving end; but, from whence does the money come to pay for our Social Security and Medicare? Does it come out of the air? I don’t think so, and I suspect neither do you. How about when the time comes to reinstate these tax cuts? How popular and readily acceptable will that be then? How much harder will it be for our Representatives and Senators in Congress to sell to the people?

Let us pursue this a little further. It is common knowledge that present payments into the fund are insufficient, and tax collections must be increased for the fund to remain solvent. How acceptable will that be? Now, when you add this increase to the reinstatement above, how much more difficult will that be to achieve? Are we just going to let our Social Security fund go broke?

But we are not only talking about Social Security. Also included in those payroll deductions are payments for Medicare. Although not frequently discussed, it too is common knowledge, i.e. everybody knows it, or should, that Medicare is insufficiently funded. It is a major contributor to our annual government deficit and, therefore, the national debt.

If our long-range intent is to keep and improve these benefits for the good of our people, it would seem to me that cutting these payroll deductions to stimulate an already over-stimulated economy (One should note that the preponderance of spending by our country and our people is supported by borrowing, i.e. national debt, credit cards, mortgages, student loans, auto financing, payday loans at 100% interest plus, etc.) is, to say the least, very unwise and short-sighted.

On the other hand, if we plan to eliminate Social Security and Medicare, this is the way to go. It’s a sure winner.

Hmm… This brings to mind the sayings of Forrest Gump. “You never know what you’re going to get when you open a box of chocolates,” I think he also said, “Stupid is as stupid does”.

Also, I am compelled to quote the famous words of William Shakespeare in his play, Julius Caesar, when Caesar is warned by the soothsayer to “beware the Ides of March”.

Respectfully,

From: Steven P. Miller Founder of Gatekeeper-Watchman International Groups Jacksonville, Florida., Duval County, USA. Instagram: steven_parker_miller_1956, Twitter: @GatekeeperWatchman1, @ParkermillerQ, Parker Miller Stevens (Gatekeeper1) …@StevenPMiller6 Tumblr: https://www.tumblr.com/blog/gatekeeperwatchman URL: linkedin.com/in/steven-miller-b1ab21259 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ElderStevenMiller, #GWIG, #GWIN, #GWINGO, #Ephraim1, #IAM, #Sparkermiller, #Eldermiller1981

[giftsforus]

Ebola is real’: Uganda to trial vaccines and shut schools early to contain outbreak

Mubende, UgandaCNN — 

Joseph Singiringabo has lost almost everything and everyone he held dear to Ebola. In a few short weeks, the 78-year-old lost his wife, his son, and a newborn granddaughter to the disease.

He is left taking care of three grandchildren under 13 after their mother fled the village to escape the danger of Ebola. His livestock was stolen while he was away in the required 21-day quarantine, leaving him destitute and desperate.

As Ebola outbreak grows in Uganda, US ramps up preparedness plans

“ I don’t know where they got the virus from because I went and got checked and I left the hospital without any problem with these children of mine,” he said, sitting on a log outside his modest house in Madudu, in Uganda’s central Mubende district.

“The problem I am facing now is getting food. Secondly, I never went to school, but I want these grandchildren to continue and get educated.”

A deadly outbreak

Uganda is grappling with its deadliest Ebola outbreak in more than a decade, first detected in the Mubende district in late September.

The deadly disease has ravaged families, leaving authorities scrambling to control its spread.

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The 2012 Ebola outbreak in the Kibaale district in the country’s western region, led to 17 deaths out of 24 confirmed cases but was declared over in less than 3 months.

Officials have launched aggressive contact tracing to track down relatives and friends who handled the bodies of first victims or attended funerals.

Some escaped from quarantine facilities, others traveled as far as the capital Kampala, and a few visited traditional healers and witchdoctors for treatment instead.

“Some of the patients are still hiding and they don’t know that they have Ebola so they’re out there in the community,” public health physician Dr. Jackson Amone told CNN.

An Ebola treatment unit in Mubende, Uganda.Larry Madowo/CNN

He has been involved in every Ebola outbreak in Uganda as well as in Sierra Leone in 2017. “We need to do case investigation, a lot of contact tracing, and community engagement so that those who present with Ebola symptoms are brought for testing before we release them.”

Dr. Amone is leading the teams operating the Ebola Treatment Units in Mubende. The first was set up in a hurry on the edge of the Mubende Regional Referral Hospital.

Uganda announces lockdown as Ebola cases rise

A larger center operated by the medical non-profit Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is expanding with new ICU beds on the other side of town.

Health workers don extensive Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to enter the red zones where patients are receiving treatment.

In one zone, a health worker cradles a three-month-old baby suspected of having been infected. Her mother and another sibling are undergoing treatment for Ebola and the disease has already claimed the life of her father.

It’s a cruel welcome to the world for the infant who is wrapped in a blanket as steady rain falls on the makeshift treatment center.

It’s a familiar story across this region as Ebola spreads despite the Ugandan government’s best efforts.

“This Ebola is much easier to deal with than either corona(virus) or AIDS. The main problem here is behavior change,” President Yoweri Museveni told the nation in a Tuesday nightaddress, stressing the need to follow the government’s procedures for those who come into contact with the disease.

Vaccine trials offer hope

Ebola can spread from person to person through direct contact with blood or other bodily fluids such as saliva, sweat, semen, or feces, or through contaminated objects like bedding or needles.

“It doesn’t spread through the air like COVID-19 and does not hide for some months before it shows itself like AIDS,” Museveni said in his televised address.

The country had so far recorded 55 deaths from Ebola, 141 confirmed cases and 73 people had recovered, he said.

Health minister Dr. Jane Ruth Aceng Ocero told CNN she expects Uganda to have the outbreak under control by April if communities cooperate with the government.

Health workers don extensive Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to enter the red zones where patients are receiving treatmentLarry Madowo/CNN

There are currently two licensed Ebola vaccines,according to the World Health Organization, but they were developed to be safe and protective against the Zaire strain of the Ebola virus.

Unlike the previous Zaire ebolavirus, the Sudan strain currently circulating in Uganda has no known effective treatment or approved vaccine. However, the country is about to roll out three trial vaccines that have been certified as safe by the World Health Organization (WHO) working group.

The WHO said the first doses would beshipped to Uganda next weekand the country expects to expand the vaccine trials after reviewing results from the initial phase.

They are manufactured by the International Aids Vaccine Iniative (IAVI), the Sabin Vaccine Institute USA and a third developed by the University of Oxford and the Jenner Institute UK.

“Our further testing is about efficacy, and how long it protects. We are looking at 3,000 contacts of confirmed cases so we’ll be doing ring vaccination,” Aceng Ocero said, referring to a vaccine process that administers vaccines only to people in close contact with infected patients.

“If we have a confirmed case, then the contacts are the ones who are given the vaccine and they are followed up for 29 days because we want to see if they can quickly generate antibodies and can protect themselves from getting into full-blown disease,” Aceng Ocero added.

Obstacles of tradition and religion

Public health officials believe that cases are stabilizing due to increased vigilance, but tradition and religion are holding back progress. One community in Kassanda district, central Uganda, exhumed a body that had been buried safely by health workers to perform religious rites.

It led to “an explosion of over 41 cases within 5 days and 10 deaths,” President Museveni said in his address. He has now barred traditional healers and witchdoctors from taking clients during the Ebola outbreak.

Infections are also rising as it is hard to keep people apart in close-knit communal settings. Robert Twinamasiko, a 30-year-old driver is undergoing treatment after he helped an infected friend to an ambulance. The friend and one other person involved both died.

A 30-year-old driver, Robert Twinamasiko receives treatment for Ebola after helping an infected friend to an ambulance.Larry Madowo/CNN

Twinamasiko has spent 17 days in hospital but says he has no regrets. Although he looked frail, he was making a recovery and told CNN he was looking forward to going home.

“I’m just waiting for my blood work to be discharged but the world out there should know that Ebola is real,” he said from inside a red zone.

Uganda is also trying to contain the spread of the disease by closing the school term early to avoid an outbreak of Ebola in schools which could be hard to manage. “If you have one learner in a class testing positive, the entire class has to undergo quarantine. But also, you will not be 100% sure that that learner did not have contact with other learners outside that class,” Minister Aceng Ocero explained.

She said she was frustrated that Uganda wasn’t getting enough credit internationally for managing the Ebola crisis. “We have experience. This is our eighth Ebola outbreak. Every time we get an outbreak, our experience increases,” she said.

Some global health experts have criticized Uganda’s initial response to the outbreakas slow and inept. Some partners in the donor and diplomatic community have also bristled about how much information Ugandan authorities are sharing with them.