The societal impacts of COVID-19

[RBP]

It's also time to start tracking the social impacts...

Watch the crime rates, the overdose rates, suicide rates, and the biggest one... the domestic violence rates. I shudder at the people (kids especially) that the government has forced to stay home with their abusers.

Post articles as you find them... it's going to get interesting.

[RBP]

Bloomberg March 30, 2020, 9:11 AM CDT

With more than two-thirds of the U.S. population ordered to stay home amid the coronavirus pandemic, it’s tougher for burglars to find an empty house to target. But the cooped-up residents seem more likely to fight each other.

That’s what crime statistics show in major U.S. cities where residents are spending almost all their time inside.

In Los Angeles, property crime was down 18% in the four weeks that ended March 21 from the previous four weeks. Calls for police services in Chicago have declined 30% for the month and crime in New York City fell almost 25% in the week ended March 22, compared with the week before.

“You know, you’ve never seen Fifth Avenue so open,” New York Police Department Commissioner Dermot Shea said last week. “You never see crosstown streets so open. We saw an immediate drop in most categories, I would say, of crime.”

The rapidly spreading infections from the coronavirus, with New York City as now the epicenter, have most Americans hunkering down. About 217 million people in at least 23 states, 17 cities and one territory were being urged to stay home as of Friday.

In Los Angeles, the number of burglaries and theft from motor vehicles, the most prevalent crime in the car-loving city, was down 24%. In areas such as Hollywood, car break-ins fell more than 40%, according to police. Burglaries dropped almost 20% in New York and rapes were down by more than half; there was one murder, compared with eight in the earlier week. (The pandemic can offer criminals opportunities. In Europe, a Dutch museum that’s closed to check the virus’s spread said Monday a Van Gogh was stolen in an overnight raid, the AP reported.)

The changes in violent crime were less pronounced in other cities.

In Chicago, there’s been a significant reduction in vehicle and pedestrian stops by police, Charlie Beck, the city’s interim police superintendent, said at a press conference Tuesday.

“All of this indicates to me that people are doing what we ask,” Beck said. “That they are staying home, that they are by and large creating good social distance, that our police officers are only focusing on things that have a direct impact on public safety and making sure that we all get through this together.”

In San Francisco, larceny-theft, which includes shoplifting and bicycle theft, was down 30% during the first three weeks of March versus the same period a year earlier.

But with people stuck indoors enduring the stress of an unprecedented public-health crisis and worrying about jobs disappearing, domestic squabbles are rising.

In Seattle, police got 614 domestic violence calls in the first two weeks of March, a 22% increase from a year earlier.

“The vast majority were for a DV disturbance, which means there is no arrest because it was just an argument where the police ended up responding,” Detective Patrick Michaud of the Seattle police department said in an email, referring to domestic violence calls. “No assault. No property damage. No additional crime. Just an argument.”

In San Diego, District Attorney Summer Stephan on Friday acknowledged the increased risk of domestic violence.

“Losing a job and kids at home due to school closures can be triggers for domestic violence,” Stephan said in a statement. “We want people who are seeing warning signs of abuse or who are being abused to know that we stand ready to help them and that they shouldn’t suffer in silence.”

Los Angeles-based lawyer Lisa Bloom said she’s received dozens of calls in recent weeks from women who have been in violent confrontations with their boyfriends or husbands.

“And they are all coronavirus related,” Bloom said in a phone interview.

In some instances, fights between couples erupted over the state’s stay-at-home order, with people allowed to leave their homes only for essential errands or exercise. Last week, Bloom said, she got a restraining order for a woman who was beaten up by her partner after she complained he was going out for hours.

[Godfather]

Coronavirus: 36% Of Americans Say Pandemic Has Made A ‘Serious Impact’ On Their Mental Health


Topline: As hospitals strain to keep up with an influx of coronavirus patients, some mental health providers report an increase in people seeking mental health treatment, as Americans report feeling anxious about the pandemic and its ramifications.

- 36% of Americans told an American Psychiatric Association poll that the pandemic has had a serious impact on their mental health, and according to a PiplSay poll, 31% of Americans say they’re sleeping less because of coronavirus-related anxiety.
- As people self-quarantine, remote therapy services like Talkspace and Brightside have seen an increase in demand— Talkspace told Bloomberg it experienced a 65% increase in customers since mid February and Brightside has seen a 50% increase in new users since the start of the year.
- Rhiana Holmes, a trauma therapist specializing in disaster psychology out of Denver, Colorado, has switched to virtual appointments in the name of social distancing, but told Forbes there’s been an increase in people reaching out about their mental health.
- “My private practice has seen a huge uptick in new clients because people are feeling really anxious. Interestingly, many of them don't necessarily relate it to coronavirus— but if someone has pre-existing conditions like anxiety or depression, stress is likely to bring out problematic symptoms in light of the pandemic,” Holmes said.
- Depression and anxiety “thrive on social isolation and disruption of routine,” Holmes said, making the coronavirus pandemic and resulting quarantines prime for mental health upheavals.
- Down the line, more people may need treatment if they develop anxiety, depression or acute adjustment disorder from their time during the pandemic, or the more extreme post-traumatic stress disorder, Holmes said.

Crucial quote: “Much like how we don’t know how many asymptomatic coronavirus carriers are going to manifest into needing care, we’re seeing the same thing in mental health,” Brightside cofounder Mimi Weinberg told Bloomberg. “All of us that are struggling with the adjustments to new circumstances, some percentage will actually manifest into clinical anxiety or depression.”

Key background: Even before coronavirus, America was experiencing a mental health crisis. Rates of suicide have continued to rise in recent years, up 35% since 1999. According to the CDC, 47,000 deaths in the U.S. were attributed to suicide, or about one death every 11 minutes, in 2017. Even more Americans consider suicide— the same year, the CDC reported that 10.6 million people “seriously thought” about suicide, 3.2 million made a plan and 1.4 million attempted it. By National Institute of Mental Health estimates, 17.3 million adults in 2017 experienced a major depressive episode lasting a minimum of two weeks. Despite the prevalence of mental health issues, it’s a subject many Americans want to keep hidden, with some reports suggesting as many as 80% of people who need help with their mental health don’t seek it out because of stigma associated with treatment.

Tangent: Adults aren’t the only ones feeling the stress of the pandemic. Children have reported feeling anxious and scared about coronavirus. The jury is still out on whether prolonged quarantining will affect today’s children in the long term, whether it be emotional or in terms of educational attainment. However, just like adults, sticking to schedules can help children cope during the tumultuous time of a pandemic and prevent further trauma, Holmes said.

Surprising fact: Depression can be expensive. It costs the U.S. economy $210 billion a year, about half of which costs employers via missed work and lost productivity, according to Bloomberg.


I find this interesting for sure. I don't know I'd say my mental health has been strongly impacted, but I've certainly lost some sleep worrying about things. My wife has a friend who is a doctor and told her privately yesterday that for the first time in her life she needed anti-anxiety meds because she cannot sleep anymore with all that's going on. I'm sure there is going to be a lot of that.

[Godfather]

RBP this is a totally anecdotal thought but I've got two buddies who are single right now and active on tinder. They said it's like fish in a barrel right now, my one buddy who isn't particularly attractive (in any sense of the word sadly :lol: ) said he had 30 matches last week up from 1-2 usually, and he lives in a tiny town. I wonder how horny this quarantine is making people - can't wait to see if we get a baby boom :lol:

[RBP]

Coronavirus: 36% Of Americans Say Pandemic Has Made A ‘Serious Impact’ On Their Mental Health

I find this interesting for sure. I don't know I'd say my mental health has been strongly impacted, but I've certainly lost some sleep worrying about things. My wife has a friend who is a doctor and told her privately yesterday that for the first time in her life she needed anti-anxiety meds because she cannot sleep anymore with all that's going on. I'm sure there is going to be a lot of that.

It's going be a while before we understand the numbers, but the anecdotal information is there, in just 2 weeks. I am concerned that we will see a scale of personal destruction (see categories in the OP) that outstrips the COVID numbers.

I am seriously considering just going to a distance counseling platform and doing it full time.

[RBP]

RBP this is a totally anecdotal thought but I've got two buddies who are single right now and active on tinder. They said it's like fish in a barrel right now, my one buddy who isn't particularly attractive (in any sense of the word sadly :lol: ) said he had 30 matches last week up from 1-2 usually, and he lives in a tiny town. I wonder how horny this quarantine is making people - can't wait to see if we get a baby boom :lol:

:lol: No question there will be a huge baby boom.

So when this pent up sexual frustration gets even worse, what happens? Increase in risk taking behavior? Seems counter-intuitive, but it's already been the trend. The Tindr crowd is completely exploding the STD numbers, including transmission to children at birth. It's fucked up, and has been since Plan B became widely available. Unfortunately, nobody is telling the girls that you can only use Plan B three times in your LIFE without greatly increasing the risk of infertility. Seems like the public is oblivious? ignorant? both?

[Godfather]

It's going be a while before we understand the numbers, but the anecdotal information is there, in just 2 weeks. I am concerned that we will see a scale of personal destruction (see categories in the OP) that outstrips the COVID numbers.

I am seriously considering just going to a distance counseling platform and doing it full time.

That sounds like a good career plan, my brother's girlfriend is a counselor and has just started doing that herself.

A major piece here is obviously the recession that's tied into this pandemic. I've read that past recessions lead to a reduction in mortality rate (https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-019-00210-0) (interesting article BTW), but I'm not sure how you compare that to this very unique situation we're in here with global qarantines that will impact mental health, domestic abuse and who knows what else. It all feels completely unprecedented. Interesting to say the least.

[DemonGeminiX]

And oddly enough, I'm sleeping like a baby during all of this shit. Strange.

[Griffin]

I'm actually sleeping more than ever. My naps have gotten to be like a Hobbits meals.

[Godfather]

And oddly enough, I'm sleeping like a baby during all of this shit. Strange.

Interesting, sleeping better than usual I take it? Any thoughts on why?

[DemonGeminiX]

Interesting, sleeping better than usual I take it? Any thoughts on why?

:idk:

I don't know. Stupid theory number 1: Maybe I'm just so fucked up in the head that when the world becomes even more fucked up than me, it sets my mind at ease.

[lost in melb.]

It's also time to start tracking the social impacts...

Watch the crime rates, the overdose rates, suicide rates, and the biggest one... the domestic violence rates. I shudder at the people (kids especially) that the government has forced to stay home with their abusers.

Post articles as you find them... it's going to get interesting.

Not sure I agree with the characterization that the government is the enemy.

But I completely agree with what you're saying here, for a lot of kids school is a safe environment. And also parents know that if they abuse the kids, school will pick up on it. neither of those two safety guards are in place at the moment. Add parental stress and confinement and you have the potential for a lot of psychological damage

[lost in melb.]

Australian government pumps $1bn into health and family violence services as coronavirus spreads (https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/australia-news/2020/mar/29/australian-government-to-pump-1bn-into-health-and-family-violence-services-as-coronavirus-spreads)

[RBP]

Australian government pumps $1bn into health and family violence services as coronavirus spreads (https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/australia-news/2020/mar/29/australian-government-to-pump-1bn-into-health-and-family-violence-services-as-coronavirus-spreads)

That's seems very appropriate.

[perrhaps]

:lol: No question there will be a huge baby boom.

So when this pent up sexual frustration gets even worse, what happens? Increase in risk taking behavior? Seems counter-intuitive, but it's already been the trend. The Tindr crowd is completely exploding the STD numbers, including transmission to children at birth. It's fucked up, and has been since Plan B became widely available. Unfortunately, nobody is telling the girls that you can only use Plan B three times in your LIFE without greatly increasing the risk of infertility. Seems like the public is oblivious? ignorant? both?

In 15 years these kids will be known as "Quaranteens".

[lost in melb.]

Coronavirus Australia: Man who 'visited girlfriend' faces $50,000 fine (https://amp.news.com.au/national/western-australia/coronavirus-australia-man-who-visited-girlfriend-faces-50000-fine/news-story/64fb8c2cd2f634cd4e6e1b0db2df51e3)

[DemonGeminiX]

:haha:

No booty calls for y'all.

[Godfather]

Sorry this is a Daily Beast article but I thought it was relevant anyways:

If You Have Anxiety and Depression but Feel Better During Coronavirus, You’re Not Alone

https://www.thedailybeast.com/coronavirus-is-making-a-lot-of-people-anxious-and-depressed-but-some-sufferers-actually-feel-better-now

[DemonGeminiX]

Sorry, but I'm not disabling my adblocker.

[RBP]

Sorry this is a Daily Beast article but I thought it was relevant anyways:

If You Have Anxiety and Depression but Feel Better During Coronavirus, You’re Not Alone

https://www.thedailybeast.com/coronavirus-is-making-a-lot-of-people-anxious-and-depressed-but-some-sufferers-actually-feel-better-now

Or maybe it's more simple. They are home, eliminating large swaths of what their brain usually ruminates about, combined with a massive issue for their brain to focus on at the same time. But even the article says it's 20% better and 20% worse. I'm willing to bet those benefits are far more in the category of anxiety primary and depression secondary.

Interesting nonetheless. Thanks.

[DemonGeminiX]

I heard somewhere that suicides were up by a significant margin in the US... any truth to that?

[lost in melb.]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">For those asking - yes - we’ve seen a copy of the actual infringement notice handed yesterday to a 17yo L Plater having a training drive with mum in the rain yesterday. <a href="https://t.co/VjZTkNJVni">pic.twitter.com/VjZTkNJVni</a></p>&mdash; Heidi Murphy (@heidimur) <a href="https://twitter.com/heidimur/status/1246995859515928576?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 6, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[RBP]

The bodies of a suburban Chicago man and a woman were found inside a residence in what authorities say was a murder-suicide that was apparently prompted by the man’s concern that the two of them had contracted the coronavirus.

In a news release, the Will County Sheriff’s Office says that deputies who were dispatched to a home in Lockport Township to conduct a welfare check discovered the bodies of 54—year-old Patrick Jesernik and 59-year-old Cheryl Schriefer. The two, whose bodies were found in separate rooms in the residence, had each been shot once and a gun was near Jesernik’s body.

The investigation determined that Jesernik had shot Schriefer in the back of the head before shooting himself.

According to the release, relatives told detectives that Jesernik had been frightened that he and Schriefer had contracted the COVID-19 virus and that Schriefer was having difficulty breathing.

The relatives told investigators that Schriefer had been tested earlier in the week but they did not believe she received the results yet. According to the release, an autopsy revealed determined that Jesernik and Schriefer tested negative for the virus.

======================

This was a retired sherriff's deputy

[RBP]

I heard somewhere that suicides were up by a significant margin in the US... any truth to that?

I saw "expected", but no actual statistics. The reporting lag will impact this, versus call volume to a DV response team, for example.

[Goofy]

I'm actually sleeping more than ever. My naps have gotten to be like a Hobbits meals.

Same.......... actually, my sleep schedule is completely cunted (3am here, i'm wide awake watching tv) :lol: Woke up at like 1pm today, had some brunch, got showered then went for a walk to the local shop, got home and stripped, cleaned and rebuilt my old valve amp, made some noise with the old Ibanez for an hour or so, made some dinner, played some xbox with a couple of Irish mates (always a good laugh), now it's back to tv in bed.

Pretty much how my daily schedule has been the last couple of weeks..........

[lost in melb.]

Some random girl just rubbed her pussy on a WhatsApp video call for me :obama:

Back to work....:dunno:

[Godfather]

https://gothamist.com/news/surge-number-new-yorkers-dying-home-officials-suspect-undercount-covid-19-related-deaths

This will be interesting to look at long-term as well. Deaths reported at home in New York are up a staggering margin.


The FDNY says it responded to 2,192 cases of deaths at home between March 20th and April 5th, or about 130 a day, an almost 400 percent increase from the same time period last year. (In 2019, there were just 453 cardiac arrest calls where a patient died, according to the FDNY.)

That number has been steadily increasing since March 30th, with 241 New Yorkers dying at home Sunday — more than the number of confirmed COVID-19 deaths that occurred citywide that day. On Monday night

Bodies collected from homes are not generally being tested for COVID it sounds like, so how will these stats be counted? Some are surely directly related to COVID-19 which points to a significant under-reporting of deaths - and acute coronary issues are now a known symptom of the virus - but others are likely people who did not go to the hospital out of fear. You could easily argue that those who didn't go to the hospital because of a pandemic are still 'pandemic related' but it definitely makes the numbers more murky. The article also doesn't reference the number of suicides in these 2000+ at-home deaths, which will be interesting as well (I'm presuming when they say 'natural deaths' that includes suicide as I believe that's how they're classified here, but that could be wrong).


“While undiagnosed cases that result in at-home deaths are connected to a public health pandemic...not all suspected COVID-19 deaths are brought in for examination by OCME, nor do we provide testing in most of these natural at-home deaths,” Lanza said.

[lost in melb.]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">We are faced with extraordinary uncertainty about the depth and duration of the crisis. Global growth will turn sharply negative in 2020. We anticipate the worst economic fallout since the Great Depression. <a href="https://t.co/fxjh0GVjrS">https://t.co/fxjh0GVjrS</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/IMFmeetings?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#IMFmeetings</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/COVID19?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#COVID19</a> <a href="https://t.co/PGpROGD1LE">pic.twitter.com/PGpROGD1LE</a></p>&mdash; Kristalina Georgieva (@KGeorgieva) <a href="https://twitter.com/KGeorgieva/status/1248238820019122176?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 9, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[lost in melb.]

Easter is 'the most important weekend' in Australia's coronavirus fight as police warn of fines (https://amp.abc.net.au/article/12138518)


Officers in Victoria will also be checking holiday destinations to enforce compliance, Police Minister Lisa Neville said.

"You can't go to an Airbnb, you can't camp, you can't caravan, you can't boat, you can't fish. Those are very clear rules," she said.

"You can't catch up with friends or family that don't currently live with you."

I am getting laid this weekend. The RSI is killing me :hand:

[Griffin]

So the Easter Wallaby wont be able to hide eggs this year huh?

[KevinD]

I dunno. I'm going to my moms Saturday to help her move, and sunday my brother in law is coming here for a couple days. Everyone has been sequestered except for me.
Call me an asshole if you want.

[Godfather]

http://filesforprogress.org/memos/the-staggering-economic-impact-coronavirus.pdf

This is wild. 52% under 45 polled have lost their job, been put on temp leave or had hours reduced. I wish they'd split it further by age groups but stunning all the same. 41% who lost their job already have trouble covering basic costs.

[lost in melb.]

The people who were renting my house (and were going to rent it in the future) have both lost work and moved back in with their parents.

I don't think I'd have diddly squat chance of renting it out now and am so grateful to be living in my own home because I'm not covering rent elsewhere. Best case of a bad scenario

[lost in melb.]

https://www.abc.net.au/cm/lb/12145504/data/initial-jobless-claims-data.png

[Pony]

The people who were renting my house (and were going to rent it in the future) have both lost work and moved back in with their parents.

I don't think I'd have diddly squat chance of renting it out now and am so grateful to be living in my own home because I'm not covering rent elsewhere. Best case of a bad scenario

No lease agreement?

[lost in melb.]

No lease agreement?

I had arranged to have my house back, anyway. The arrangement was said they can leave all their things here. But now they won't be able to move back so I have to find someone else.

[Teh One Who Knocks]

By Andrew O'Reilly | Fox News


At least 15,000 cars and trucks are expected to descend on Michigan’s state capital on Wednesday to protest what they’re calling Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s tyrannical new guidelines to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus in the state.

The so-called “drive-by” demonstration – in order to maintain social distancing -- aims to bring traffic to a gridlock in Lansing and protest the “Stay Home, Stay Safe” executive order by Whitmer, a Democrat, mandating what businesses could stay home, what some businesses could sell and ordering people in her state against any gatherings – no matter the size or family ties.

“Quarantine is when you restrict movement of sick people. Tyranny is when you restrict the movement of healthy people,” Meshawn Maddock, an organizer of the protest with the Michigan Conservative Coalition, told Fox News. “Every person has learned a harsh lesson about social distancing. We don’t need a nanny state to tell people how to be careful.”

The protest – called “Operation Gridlock” – would be just one of a number of demonstrations of civil disobedience around the country by Americans upset with their state’s stay-at-home orders amid the pandemic. While the contagion has infected over 568,000 Americans and killed over 23,000, according to the latest estimates, protestors from North Carolina to Wyoming said they’ve been just as concerned with the economic and financial impact the coronavirus has inflicted on the country – echoing President Trump’s complaint that “the cure be worse than the problem.”

Alex Berenson, a former New York Times reporter who has been sounding the alarm about what he believes are flawed models dictating the aggressive strategy, drew attention to the protests in North Carolina, as well as a social media uproar in Michigan.
1249674933967507457
“As someone wrote me, people in [Michigan] know when you lose jobs, they don’t come back,” he tweeted.
1249689545228128257
As for unemployment, some 16.8 million Americans have lost their jobs in the last three weeks – meaning one in ten working Americans was out of a job.

https://i.imgur.com/QtiUJsEl.jpg

The figures collectively constituted the largest and fastest string of job losses in records dating to 1948. By contrast, during the Great Recession, it took 44 weeks — roughly 10 months — for unemployment claims to go as high as they now have in less than a month.

Last Thursday, dozens of protestors carrying placards and wearing Guy Fawkes masks ignored Ohio’s social-distancing guidelines to demonstrate on steps of the state’s capital building in Columbus against Gov. Mike DeWine, a Republican, and his administration’s handling of the outbreak. Demonstrators held signs reading “Open Ohio,” “Quarantine worse than virus,” and “Social distancing or social conditioning. We do not consent.”

While DeWine acknowledged that Ohioans had a right to voice their feelings toward his orders, he also pleaded with his constituents to “hang in there,” saying that not doing so would hurt the economy more.

“All the evidence that we have indicates if we don’t hang in there, if we don’t continue to do what we’re doing, it’s going to cost a lot of lives,” he said. “And, it’s going to delay our ability to economically recover.”

https://i.imgur.com/yL1mzzol.jpg

In Wyoming, about 20 gathered last week in a park in Casper to protest the government-mandated measures to slow the spread of the coronavirus and let people go back to work, while a Facebook group called “ReOpen NC” has brought in over 21,000 members since it launched last Tuesday; it’s planning to gather in protest later this week.

“We are losing our small businesses, which are the backbone of our economy,” the group wrote on its page. “The shutdown is not warranted, nor sustainable for our area. The vulnerable can be isolated or protected in other ways, without sacrificing our entire state economy.”

Maddock and other protestors in Michigan said the orders not only hurt the economy, but also damaged their way of life – and even may have killed more people than the virus.

“The health-care system is basically shut down,” she said. “People with issues are having trouble seeing a doctor because everyone is focused on the virus. My husband and I are checking in on my in-laws, but even doing that is now breaking the law.”

Whitmer “is making a criminal out of all of us,” Maddock added. “People just need to use common sense, we can’t just shut down the entire state.”

Whitmer has remained steady in her resolve that Michigan needed to stick to its strict stay-at-home orders if the state wanted to tackle the virus as soon as possible. Echoing DeWine, she acknowledged that her constituents were sacrificing a lot but asked them to “remain steady.”

“We are living in a difficult time, & the unknown is scary,” she tweeted over the weekend. “But I do know that we must remain steady,” she tweeted over the weekend. “We can’t allow fear or panic to guide us. The lives of Michiganders are at stake. We must stay the course to save lives. Stay steady. We’re going to get through this together.”
1249077783067799553
Trump and many other conservatives have been pushing for weeks to find some way to reopen the shuttered economy amid the pandemic, with the president forming a second coronavirus task force to investigate how it could be done. But now, Democrats leading individual states also have been making plans to open up for business.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, along with the northeastern governors of New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Delaware, announced a regional effort to eventually reopen the economy in a “coordinated way” amid the coronavirus crisis. West Coast governors announced similar plans.

“We should start looking forward to 'reopening', but reopening with a plan and a smart plan because if you do it wrong, it can backfire,” Cuomo said during the event. “What the art form is going to be here is doing that smartly and doing that productively and doing that in a coordinated way -- in coordination with other states in the area and doing it as a cooperative effort where we learn from each other where we share information, share resources, where we share intelligence.”

In other parts of the globe that have reopened for business, such as Hong Kong and Singapore, there have been reports of new waves of COVID-19 outbreaks.

Recognizing that possibility, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy called the coronavirus crisis “the fight of our lives,” and noted, “reopening ourselves back up will be equally as challenging.”

[lost in melb.]

Coronavirus lockdowns could end in months if Australians are willing to have their movements monitored (https://amp.abc.net.au/article/12148210)

:yuck:

[Teh One Who Knocks]

Coronavirus lockdowns could end in months if Australians are willing to have their movements monitored (https://amp.abc.net.au/article/12148210)

:yuck:Just go get your RFID chip implanted and you're good to go :tup:

[lost in melb.]

Just go get your RFID chip implanted and you're good to go :tup:

https://i.giphy.com/media/vk7VesvyZEwuI/giphy.webp

[lost in melb.]

Sounds like you've got your own problems. Today:


"When somebody is the president of the United States, the authority is total,” Trump said...

:huh:

[Griffin]

https://forwhomthegearturns.files.wordpress.com/2015/09/0dc.jpg?w=555

[perrhaps]

Sounds like you've got your own problems. Today:



:huh:

That's what happens when you only read the Cliff's Notes version of the Constitution.

[lost in melb.]

:facepalm:

[RBP]

I have been laughing at Trump's brilliance on reopening.

Trump: We should talk about reopening.
Media: Nope. Not interested.
Trump: Oh. Okay.
pause.
Trump: I have sole authority.
Every media outlet: :hitler: He's not a king. :hitler: Lets discuss reopening with every possible authority on the air to prove it. The people will decide not a dictator!
Trump: *drops mic*

[Pony]

I have been laughing at Trump's brilliance on reopening.

Trump: We should talk about reopening.
Media: Nope. Not interested.
Trump: Oh. Okay.
pause.
Trump: I have sole authority.
Every media outlet: :hitler: He's not a king. :hitler: Lets discuss reopening with every possible authority on the air to prove it. The people will decide not a dictator!
Trump: *drops mic*

I've cracked up laughing at least once during every press conference. The comments the other day about Biden probably doesn't even know what's going on....

:rofl:

[RBP]

It was the best news Steve Mastropietro could have hoped to receive.

His 91-year-old father had made a near-miraculous rebound last Saturday morning after being diagnosed two days before with COVID-19.

A nurse at the New Jersey Veterans Home in Paramus said Tom Mastropietro no longer had a fever. The Korean War veteran had not only eaten breakfast, but even walked to the bathroom unaided.

ast time I saw him. They made me think he had turned a corner.”

Four hours later, the nursing staff called again.

They had made a terrible mistake.

Tom Mastropietro had died hours earlier.

Steve would soon learn that his father and another patient were given the wrong identification bands amid the chaos that had overtaken the Paramus nursing home in recent weeks as coronavirus tore through the facility, infecting dozens of residents and staff.

Tom's body had even been taken to the other man's funeral home to be prepared for cremation the next day — Tom's wishes were to be buried next to his wife. It was a funeral home worker who noticed two medical bracelets on the body with two different names.

What happened to the Mastropietro family is an egregious example of the breakdown in care and communication at New Jersey's state-run veterans homes in Paramus and Menlo Park.

“We are devastated that this error occurred and we offer our most sincere apology for the mistake in the notification of their father’s passing,” said Dr. Mark Piterski, deputy commissioner with the New Jersey Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, which oversees the homes.

COVID-19 has infected at least 25% of the two homes' 504 residents, killing at least 50 residents as of Thursday. The death toll due to COVID-19, however, may be far greater since the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs is only counting those residents who tested positive for coronavirus. Since March 23, at least 80 residents have died at the two homes.

The virus has infected dozens of nurses and aides, causing such a significant staff shortage that Gov. Phil Murphy sent in National Guard medics and dozens of federal Veterans Affairs nurses to assist.

Staff at the homes, who have requested anonymity, said no service training was held in preparation for the pandemic, and workers initially were told not to wear masks, gowns or gloves because it would scare the residents. Some brought their own protective gear.

Since NorthJersey.com and the USA TODAY NETWORK New Jersey broke the story last week of the death toll at the Paramus home, families across New Jersey with veterans home residents living and deceased have described a near-blackout of communications from the facilities.

Phones go unanswered. Voicemails are not returned. When families do get someone on the phone, it is often a hurried conversation with little or confusing information conveyed. The residents' best advocates — their families — have been barred from entering the homes for over a month in an effort to avoid infection. It is a story being played out at many of the more than 300 nursing homes in New Jersey.

And there may be no family that has experienced this more than the Mastropietros.

Tom Mastropietro’s formal education ended at grade school, yet he spent his life acquiring skills like carpentry, which helped him build a small summer home on Lake Hopatcong and fashion triangular boxes to hold ceremonial flags for families of deceased veterans.

The longtime North Bergen resident was a “jack-of-all-trades,” his son Steve said. “He could do anything.”

Tom and his wife, Mary, raised three boys, Thomas, Michael and Stephen. Tom worked as a boiler maintenance man at Bendix aircraft in Teterboro.

But before any of that, he served in the U.S. Army for four years during the Korean War, which made him eligible to live out his days in a veterans home if need be.

When Mary died in 2016 and dementia started taking its slow but ceaseless toll on Tom, his family tried using nursing aides in his home for a few years. But Tom gradually showed signs of depression from being alone. He ate erratically and lost weight.

In early February, he moved into the New Jersey Veterans Home in Paramus. “I thought, ‘Let’s try this,’” Steve said. “If it doesn’t work out, it’s OK. It’s temporary. We can take him out.”

The veterans home lifted Tom’s spirits. He gained his weight back and was happy to be around people. His favorite activity was a modified cooking and baking class that — nurses said jokingly — he tried to take over.

“I was initially upset about putting him in there, but after two or three weeks that was gone,” Steve said. “He was happy. He was doing better than he had been doing in a long time. And we felt like we made a great decision. But we didn’t know what was coming.”

Steve visited his father in early March, and noticed that one of the wards called Valor had been closed off from the rest of the home to house residents with respiratory issues. “I inquired about the coronavirus and was told there were no cases,” Steve said. “Looking back I’m sure there were coronavirus cases, but no one had been tested.”

Shortly after the visit, the Paramus home barred visitors for fear of infecting residents.

Steve felt his dad was safe since he was in a room by himself and in a ward away from those suspected to have the disease. He called the home several times and questioned staffers if coronavirus had broken out but was told it had not.

“I made the decision to leave him there and I’m kicking myself,” Steve said.

On April 6, Steve received a call that his dad had a fever and cough, and would be tested for coronavirus. Steve kept calling for updates.

“One hour he was fine and then hours later I was called to see if they should move him to the hospital,” he said. “I had no idea of his condition. The information was not clear.”

Having seen images of overrun emergency rooms and intensive care units, Steve didn’t want his dad going to the hospital for fear of exposure.

On April 8, he was finally able to see his dad via FaceTime. “He looked like death,” Steve said. “He looked weak and was incoherent.”

The next day, the test result came back. To no one's surprise, Tom had COVID-19 and was moved to the Valor ward with the other coronavirus residents.

It's here that Steve suspects the wrong identification bands were given to his father and another man, because the next day a nurse told Steve that his father had only a low-grade fever.

At 8 a.m. on Saturday, April 11, Steve called again and was given the surprising news that his father was making tremendous strides.

But Tom had already been dead for several hours.

Anthony Cassie, the funeral director of S.W. Brown & Son Funeral Home in Nutley, was called early that morning by the other man's family to pick up what they believed to be his body.

Cassie said the Paramus home's staff brought him to the room and identified Tom Mastropietro as the other man. The identification band on Tom's wrist had the other man's name.

Cassie took Tom's body to his funeral home and received a call shortly after from the Paramus home saying they may have misidentified the body. Cassi examined the body and found a medical bracelet near an elbow with the name: Tom Mastropietro. It was given to Tom by his family.

At noon, the Paramus home staff called Steve and told him Tom was dead.

"They gave us hope and it was total misinformation," Steve said. "It was crushing."

:shock: :shock:

[lost in melb.]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Will be forever haunted by this image of protestors in Ohio demanding the governor open businesses back up <a href="https://t.co/P0nivaYSsY">pic.twitter.com/P0nivaYSsY</a></p>&mdash; future canon (@futurecanon) <a href="https://twitter.com/futurecanon/status/1250502000640512000?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 15, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[lost in melb.]

Virgin airlines is tanked. Gone

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Bulldozers blocking Virgin planes at Perth Airport as airport seizes the airline’s property for debts owed!! <a href="https://t.co/a699d8BKUB">pic.twitter.com/a699d8BKUB</a></p>&mdash; Gary Adshead (@Gary_Adshead) <a href="https://twitter.com/Gary_Adshead/status/1253573660004118533?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 24, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[lost in melb.]

As a personal aside, one of the air hostesses from Virgin is now working at my local organic store. Man, to say that she outclasses the women there is no exaggeration. It's like Cinderella amongst the goblins :lol:


P. S. She is so nice, not to mention physically healthy. And I think she likes me. Probably just being professional :sad2:

[RBP]

As a personal aside, one of the air hostesses from Virgin is now working at my local organic store. Man, to say that she outclasses the women there is no exaggeration. It's like Cinderella amongst the goblins :lol:


P. S. She is so nice, not to mention physically healthy. And I think she likes me. Probably just being professional :sad2:

Make a bunch of Virgin puns. I bet the novelty of it will win her over. :lol:

[DemonGeminiX]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4zgu7WvkHlw

[lost in melb.]

"A Melbourne cafe owner who has been struggling during the coronavirus pandemic has been left “lost for words” by a stranger’s kind act.

Pierre Patole, who owns The Timbuktu Cafe in Brighton East, took to Facebook to share the contents of an envelope that had been placed under the cafe’s door."

https://cdn.newsapi.com.au/image/v1/377a308864ffe2af98e02bb982a18e9e?width=650

[Teh One Who Knocks]

The College Fix Staff


A New Jersey high school teacher was caught on video screaming at a group of teenagers playing in a park in violation of coronavirus restrictions.

According to The Trentonian, Steinert High School math teacher Nicole Griggs was walking her dog when she spotted the teens playing football. One of them, a freshman at Griggs’ school, said the teacher began to berate them from behind a fence.

Another student recorded Griggs and put the video on TikTok. (It’s also posted in the Trentonian story.)

“Parks closed. The whole area,” Griggs tells the students. “Get it through your thick head. You are the reason we are in this situation. You are the problem, not the solution. Go ahead keep recording. Who are you going to show it to? Post me on social media. You’re the idiot doing the wrong thing. I’m just trying to save your ass and save your life. But die, OK. I hope both of you get the coronavirus. I hope you both die a long, painful death.”
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It appears wishing ill upon people with whom she disagrees isn’t new to Ms. Griggs. The Trentonian confirmed she acted similarly earlier this month:


In an April 6 post on the Facebook page of Nikki Leigh, which Griggs appears to operate under an alias, she says: “We are surrounded by idiots!!!!!! Rode our bikes near Kuser Park this afternoon and what to [sic] we see but a younger couple with their daughter maybe 2/3 years old UNDOING the caution tape around the jungle gym so she could slide. I totally called them out on it, wished illness on them and commented that it was scary to even think they were parents. Their response: ‘We were going to put it back.’”

The (freshman) student said he and his pals “now know they shouldn’t have been in the park,” but added Griggs “shocked” them by wishing they’d die.

“I didn’t know someone would say something like that, especially a teacher,” he said. “She should be smarter with her words.”

Hamilton Township School District Superintendent Scott Rocco said he “will address the issue immediately.”

[DemonGeminiX]

:-k

I'm gonna go out on a limb and say that this one probably shouldn't be teaching.

[perrhaps]

Ah, Hamilton Township, where I spent the first 9 years of my life, and where my sister recently retired from teaching. A typical New Jersey cesspool of pay-to-play politics.

[Teh One Who Knocks]

By Elizabeth Rosner - New York Post


https://i.imgur.com/r6OngFv.jpg

Cyber affairs are thriving during the coronavirus pandemic as people in sexless marriages are quarantined at home with their spouses.

Married couples locked inside together are in desperate need of satisfaction and have been seeking cybersex in troves, according to a new report released by Ashley Madison — a website aimed for cheating spouses.

Ashley Madison has added 17,000 new members a day in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, compared to 15,500 new members a day in 2019.

“We’ve spoken to members, and they’re saying they’re using the site as a release valve for the tension that’s built up at home during the pandemic,” Paul Keable, the chief strategy officer of Ashley Madison, said in an interview with Venture Beat. “They’re looking to have needs met that aren’t being met at home.”

Some people want to chat with someone other than a spouse, while others are seeking emotional validation or the fantasy of pursuing a secret sex life, the study said.

The website even has a new tagline during this crisis, “Life is short. Have an affair.”

In its most recent study, the site found 30 percent of its female users are having cybersex with their affair partners and 14 percent of its male users were having virtual sex with their affair partners.

“Now with self-isolation a major factor in our lives, virtual affairs are being utilized to fill the gap,” Keable told Instyle.

“Often it’s a physical component, from an intimacy standpoint. By seeking an affair discreetly, they’re able to maintain all the aspects of life that they value and enjoy,” added Keable.

The website also asked members if they’re trying to spice up their sex life with their spouses while socially distancing –- with 76 percent of respondents saying no.

[Hikari Kisugi]

I wonder if all their new members are real this time, weren't they the company filled with bots?

[Teh One Who Knocks]

Lauren Pineda - Rare.us


https://i.imgur.com/Yqd6aEYl.jpg

As we continue to witness the brave fight health care workers have been putting up on the front lines against the coronavirus, we are also reminded that they are not immune to being human. Dr. Lorna Breen, an emergency room doctor who worked in the Columbia University Irving Medical Center and New York-Presbyterian Allen Hospital system, committed suicide on Sunday, April 26.

Dr. Breen was taken to the UVA Hospital in Charlottesville, Virginia after Charlottesville Police Department responded to a call for medical assistance at her sister’s house where she was staying. They later stated in a news release that Dr. Breen died at the UVA Hospital by “[succumbing] to self-inflicted injuries.”

Dr. Breen, the daughter of Dr. Philip Breen (a retired trauma surgeon), had expressed to her father about how the coronavirus outbreak had affected her and her colleagues. She explained specifically how the challenging front lines of the emergency department, along with most other health care institutions nationwide, have completely overextended its first responders, making this pandemic an even more challengingly difficult time.
1254961041122918402
Dr. Breen had been working endlessly for weeks in United States’ pandemic epicenter, New York City, as an ER doctor, tending to coronavirus patients first hand. She then contracted COVID-19 as well, but after taking only a week and a half off to recover, she immediately went back to “the trenches” of the front line. According to Breen’s father, she couldn’t even make it through a 12-hour shift but was determined to keep helping.

Eventually, a doctor friend of Breen’s told her to go home to Virginia to rest. She was admitted to the UVA Hospital for exhaustion, her mother being a doctor in the ward she was treated. A week later, Dr. Breen stayed with her mother, and then with her sister that weekend. And unfortunately, the mental devastation was too much.

“She went down in the trenches and was killed by the enemy on the front line. She loved New York and wouldn’t hear about living anywhere else. She loved her coworkers and did what she could for them. I just want people to know how special she was,” Breen’s father explained. Dr. Lorna Breen was so determined to do everything she could to help COVID-19 patients at the hand of her own mental health.

It’s important that we realize what those on the front lines against the coronavirus crisis are sacrificing in order to restore order again. These health care workers, first responders, police officers, and more are humans just like the people they are protecting. Their mental health is also at stake, even though we can’t always see it. If you know someone, anyone, having a difficult time with their mental health, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. It’s the least we can do to honor those who have truly given everything they have to protect us.

[lost in melb.]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">They’re shorts I promise ����*♂️</p>&mdash; Will Reeve (@ReeveWill) <a href="https://twitter.com/ReeveWill/status/1255115971766951937?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 28, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[DemonGeminiX]

Lauren Pineda - Rare.us


https://i.imgur.com/Yqd6aEYl.jpg

As we continue to witness the brave fight health care workers have been putting up on the front lines against the coronavirus, we are also reminded that they are not immune to being human. Dr. Lorna Breen, an emergency room doctor who worked in the Columbia University Irving Medical Center and New York-Presbyterian Allen Hospital system, committed suicide on Sunday, April 26.

Dr. Breen was taken to the UVA Hospital in Charlottesville, Virginia after Charlottesville Police Department responded to a call for medical assistance at her sister’s house where she was staying. They later stated in a news release that Dr. Breen died at the UVA Hospital by “[succumbing] to self-inflicted injuries.”

Dr. Breen, the daughter of Dr. Philip Breen (a retired trauma surgeon), had expressed to her father about how the coronavirus outbreak had affected her and her colleagues. She explained specifically how the challenging front lines of the emergency department, along with most other health care institutions nationwide, have completely overextended its first responders, making this pandemic an even more challengingly difficult time.
1254961041122918402
Dr. Breen had been working endlessly for weeks in United States’ pandemic epicenter, New York City, as an ER doctor, tending to coronavirus patients first hand. She then contracted COVID-19 as well, but after taking only a week and a half off to recover, she immediately went back to “the trenches” of the front line. According to Breen’s father, she couldn’t even make it through a 12-hour shift but was determined to keep helping.

Eventually, a doctor friend of Breen’s told her to go home to Virginia to rest. She was admitted to the UVA Hospital for exhaustion, her mother being a doctor in the ward she was treated. A week later, Dr. Breen stayed with her mother, and then with her sister that weekend. And unfortunately, the mental devastation was too much.

“She went down in the trenches and was killed by the enemy on the front line. She loved New York and wouldn’t hear about living anywhere else. She loved her coworkers and did what she could for them. I just want people to know how special she was,” Breen’s father explained. Dr. Lorna Breen was so determined to do everything she could to help COVID-19 patients at the hand of her own mental health.

It’s important that we realize what those on the front lines against the coronavirus crisis are sacrificing in order to restore order again. These health care workers, first responders, police officers, and more are humans just like the people they are protecting. Their mental health is also at stake, even though we can’t always see it. If you know someone, anyone, having a difficult time with their mental health, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. It’s the least we can do to honor those who have truly given everything they have to protect us.

:rip:

[lost in melb.]

:(

[lost in melb.]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">FREE AMERICA NOW</p>&mdash; Elon Musk (@elonmusk) <a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1255380013488189440?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 29, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script

[lost in melb.]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="fr" dir="ltr">Bon voyage</p>&mdash; Elon Musk (@elonmusk) <a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1255644946947694592?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 29, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[Teh One Who Knocks]

By Robert Gearty | Fox News


https://i.imgur.com/vpTXfvtl.jpg
Stillwater, Oklahoma, Mayor Will Joyce (City of Stillwater)

A city in Oklahoma has lifted a coronavirus mask requirement following reports of physical confrontations — and a threat of violence involving a gun -- at reopened stores and restaurants.

It happened Friday in Stillwater following the reopening of certain businesses forced to close to contain the spread of the virus.

“In the short time beginning on May 1, 2020, that face coverings have been required for entry into stores/restaurants, store employees have been threatened with physical violence and showered with verbal abuse," City Manager Norman McNickle said. “In addition, there has been one threat of violence using a firearm."

Now Stillwater said the mask requirement applies only to the employees of those establishments. A business owner can ask his or her customers to wear a mask. The original order was in effect only a few hours.

“I knew there would be some objections, but I did not expect physical confrontations with employees and threatening phone calls to city hall,” Stillwater Mayor Will Joyce tweeted. “I hate that our businesses and their employees had to deal with abuse today, and I apologize for putting them in that position.”
1256368232921006081
“I am not the kind of person who backs down from bullies, but I also will not send someone else to fight the battle for me,” Joyce said. “I issued a revised order this afternoon to correct this problem, and we will continue to reevaluate our approach to face coverings.

McNickle said that many of those who objected “cite the mistaken belief the requirement is unconstitutional, and under their theory, one cannot be forced to wear a mask.”

He said no law or court supports that view.

“It is further distressing that these people, while exercising their believed rights, put others at risk,” he said. “As mentioned, there is clear medical evidence the face coverings prevent COVID-19 spread; they are recommended by both the CDC and the Oklahoma State Department of Health. The wearing of face coverings is little inconvenience to protect both the wearer and anyone with whom they have contact. And, an unprotected person who contracts the virus can infect their own loved ones and others."

Oklahoma has reported at least 3,851 coronavirus cases and 238 deaths.

[lost in melb.]

If people are going to pull out guns I guess you have no choice.

[Griffin]

https://i.redd.it/n2fn9xzl8ol41.jpg

[PorkChopSandwiches]

:rofl:

[lost in melb.]

Millions predicted to develop tuberculosis as result of Covid-19 lockdown (https://amp.theguardian.com/global-development/2020/may/06/millions-develop-tuberculosis-tb-covid-19-lockdown)

:obama:

[lost in melb.]

https://imageresizer.static9.net.au/tXwm0S1SaaFt_60hZkOp-L37lBs=/1200x0/https%3A%2F%2Fprod.static9.net.au%2Ffs%2F4a2aef5f-3819-433d-94e0-45ebfa94d4dd

[Hikari Kisugi]

Millions predicted to develop tuberculosis as result of Covid-19 lockdown (https://amp.theguardian.com/global-development/2020/may/06/millions-develop-tuberculosis-tb-covid-19-lockdown)

:obama:

Plot twist they already have TB, we didn't care before, and frankly, as long as they don't travel here on passports, I don't care now either.

[Teh One Who Knocks]

THOMAS D. WILLIAMS, PH.D. - Breitbart


https://i.imgur.com/7IDkONc.jpg

The rise in the suicide rate caused by lockdowns in Australia is predicted to exceed deaths from the Wuhan coronavirus by a factor of ten, the Australian reported Thursday.

Researchers from Sydney University’s Brain and Mind Centre forecast a 50 percent rise in the national suicide rate because of the economic and social impact of government responses to the virus, which would drive deaths to as much as ten times higher than those causes by the coronavirus itself.

Already this year global deaths by suicide are significantly higher than those attributed to the coronavirus. According to the respected Worldometers running tallies, there have already been 374,225 suicides since the start of 2020, whereas the Wuhan coronavirus has claimed 251,898 lives, Johns Hopkins University reveals.

If the Australian research holds up for other nations as well, the global suicide rate could end up far outpacing the death toll from COVID-19.

The uptick in Australian suicides will be felt over a number of years, the Australian scholars suggest, and the coronavirus response could produce “a generational mental health crisis” resulting in an extra 1500 deaths each year over the next five years.

The university forecast has received backing from the Australian Medical Association, and Health Minister Greg Hunt is expected to present the results at the national cabinet next week.

Along with the sharp rise in suicides, the research also foresees substantial economic fallout from reduced productivity from the mental health effects of unemployment, school dropouts, and family crises.

According to Ian Hickie, Australia’s former mental health commissioner and the head of the Brain and Mind Centre, the annual rate of suicide could rise from 3000 to up to 4500, with youth suicides making up nearly half that figure.

“We are facing a situation where between an extra 750 and 1500 suicides may occur annually, this in addition to the 3000-plus lives that are lost to suicide already every year,” Professor Hickie said.

Deaths from mental health issues are just the tip of the iceberg in terms of the long-term health impacts from the lockdowns, however, leading some observers to propose that “locking down whole populations in the hope of ‘flattening the curve’ was a catastrophic error, perhaps the worst policy mistake ever committed by Western governments during peacetime.”

For instance, national lockdowns have forced countries across the globe to close down TB treatment programs, which reportedly could lead to 6.3 million additional cases of TB and 1.4 million deaths over the next five years.

[RBP]

Yup. But "the solution can't be worse than the problem" is ignorant bloviating. Huh.

[Griffin]

:shockface:

[lost in melb.]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Tesla is filing a lawsuit against Alameda County immediately. The unelected &amp; ignorant “Interim Health Officer” of Alameda is acting contrary to the Governor, the President, our Constitutional freedoms &amp; just plain common sense!</p>&mdash; Elon Musk (@elonmusk) <a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1259159878427267072?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 9, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Frankly, this is the final straw. Tesla will now move its HQ and future programs to Texas/Nevada immediately. If we even retain Fremont manufacturing activity at all, it will be dependen on how Tesla is treated in the future. Tesla is the last carmaker left in CA.</p>&mdash; Elon Musk (@elonmusk) <a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1259162367285317633?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 9, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[RBP]

NEW YORK — The isolation, grief and economic hardship related to COVID-19 are creating a mental health crisis in the U.S. that researchers warn could make the already-rising suicide rate worse.

A study released Friday tried to quantify the toll. The paper, which was not peer-reviewed, found that over the next decade as many as 75,000 additional people could die from “deaths of despair” as a result of the coronavirus crisis, a term that refers to suicides and substance-abuse-related deaths. The research was done by the Well Being Trust and researchers affiliated with the American Academy of Family Physicians.

“I hope in 10 years people look back and say, ‘Wow, they way overestimated it,’” said John Westfall, director of the Robert Graham Center for Policy Studies in Family Medicine and Primary Care, who co-wrote the report.

Even as the American economy rebounded after the last recession, suicides and overdoses cut into Americans’ life expectancy. Mental health experts worry that the economic uncertainty and social isolation of the pandemic will make things worse at a time when the healthcare system is already overwhelmed. The suicide rate in the U.S. has been rising for two decades, and in 2018 hit its highest level since 1941, according to a viewpoint piece in JAMA Psychiatry in April called “Suicide Mortality and Coronavirus Disease 2019 — A Perfect Storm?” Author Mark Reger argued social distancing could hamper suicide prevention efforts and said ensuring that doesn’t happen is a “national public health priority.”

“There’s a paradox,” said Jeffrey Reynolds, president of a Long Island-based nonprofit social services agency, the Family and Children’s Association. “Social isolation protects us from a contagious, life-threatening virus, but at the same time it puts people at risk for things that are the biggest killers in the United States: suicide, overdose and diseases related to alcohol abuse.”

Since the middle of March, the number of people filing for unemployment benefits has reached around 33 million. Americans’ life satisfaction has eroded rapidly throughout that same period, according to a poll released Friday by Gallup. The percentage of U.S. adults who are very content with their current lives and optimistic about their future outlook has dropped to a low not seen since November 2008 during the Great Recession, showed the analysis of more than 4,000 surveys.

“One of the main things people should take away from this paper is that employment matters,” said Benjamin Miller, chief strategy officer at the Well Being Trust and a clinical psychologist who worked on the paper. “It matters for our economic livelihood, and for our mental and emotional health.”

The financial uncertainty caused by the coronavirus pandemic, coupled with the pervasive sense of isolation exacerbated by stay-at-home orders, makes this moment unprecedented — different from any other economic downturn in recent history — and thus, potentially difficult to model based on past events.

“It’s useful to have a wake-up call,” said Ken Duckworth, chief medical officer at the National Alliance on Mental Illness. “Unemployment is going to have a very important impact on deaths of despair.”

Already data are showing lower-income Americans are more affected by coronavirus-related stress than their wealthier counterparts: A Kaiser Family Foundation study that showed 26% of people making less than $40,000 a year said the virus had a “major negative impact” on their mental health; only 14% of people making $90,000 or more a year said the same held true for them.

Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health started measuring “mental distress” starting in March drawing on studies from the SARS epidemic of 2003. Early in the month, hotspots like California, Washington, New York and Massachusetts reported mental distress “significantly increased” — even when adjusting for variables like age and income. Distress was higher among people who used alcohol or marijuana more frequently in the past week or who’d consumed more media or social media. It was also higher in younger people, perhaps surprising given that COVID-19 is more lethal for older people.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said his state is seeing a rise in drug use, alcohol consumption and domestic violence. “It has caused serious mental health issues,” he said in a public briefing last week. He encouraged New Yorkers to take advantage of a hotline set up for those in emotional distress. Meanwhile, on the national level, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration reported an 891% increase in calls to its Disaster Distress Hotline in March compared with a year earlier.

“We’ve seen from past work that policies play a really important role in shaping people’s experience and well-being,” Julia Raifman, assistant professor of health law at Boston University School of Public Health, said. New York, for example, asked psychologists and psychiatrists to volunteer to provide some free mental healthcare, which she said was a positive step. “I hope we’ll see other states start to do that. I think there’s a lot of room for innovation here.” States that had more generous unemployment benefits during the last recession saw fewer suicides, Raifman said.

Miller’s paper this week proposes long-term solutions like helping unemployed people find meaningful work or training the armies of contact tracers who will be sent out into communities to identify people at risk of a mental health crisis. He sees building up community-based mental healthcare services as a way to serve more people in need. Congress granted $425 million for mental health and substance use disorder initiatives in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act, or CARES, but Miller called that “almost an embarrassment” considering airlines got $25 billion in aid. “We are not taking this seriously as a nation,” he said.

[RBP]

The next big question. How do families decide when their at-risk members can resume active life? How do we tell Mom it's okay to socialize and venture out?

We can talk about stages and thresholds all we want. That doesn't answer the very personal and anxiety-riddled decision of when to say it's okay for our own family members.

[RBP]

I'm trying to reach out to a coworker who is off dealing with both parents testing positive and elderly. The measured responses have me think he's not doing well.

[Teh One Who Knocks]

The next big question. How do families decide when their at-risk members can resume active life? How do we tell Mom it's okay to socialize and venture out?

We can talk about stages and thresholds all we want. That doesn't answer the very personal and anxiety-riddled decision of when to say it's okay for our own family members.

That's a hard question with no real answers. It will be different for everyone and ever family. If you're elderly yet fairly healthy, does that mean it's safer for you to venture out? Unless a vaccine is developed, will it be to the point that if you are elderly and suffering from other health complications, you will never be safe to venture out? I guess everyone will need to examine how averse they are to the risks.

[Teh One Who Knocks]

https://i.imgur.com/Zee1Mxll.jpg

[lost in melb.]

https://image.cnbcfm.com/api/v1/image/106528970-1588965261609suitsupply.png?v=1588965622&w=720&h=405

[lost in melb.]

I did a slight cough at the supermarket behind plexiglass yesterday. The cashier looked at me like she was going to murder me

[RBP]

I talked to a psychologist in a small private practice. They've done 8 hospitalizations via video in the last 3 weeks. That is usually a year.

[Teh One Who Knocks]

By David Aaro | Fox News


https://i.imgur.com/itpCgpzl.png

Two men in California were arrested after brawling and breaking the arm of a Target employee who confronted them for not wearing masks during the coronavirus pandemic, according to police on Monday.

Phillip Hamilton, 31, and Paul Hamilton, 29, entered the Los Angeles retail store around 10:20 a.m. on May 1, without masks on, police said. Video of the incident allegedly shows them being escorted out by employees after they refused to wear the protective gear.

"As they approached the exit, one suspect, suddenly without provocation, turned and punched a store employee, causing him and the suspect to fall to the floor," according to the Los Angeles Police Department. "While on the ground, the store employee broke his left arm. A fight erupted between the two suspects and store employees."

After hitting the first security guard, the other was allegedly seen using his elbows to strike another employee who grabbed him in a bear hug, causing them both to fall to the ground. Several customers appear to step in to help towards the end of the video.

Paramedics transported the injured store employee to a local hospital where he was treated for his injuries, police said.

Target provided a statement to CBSLA on Monday.

"An unfortunate altercation occurred following a request from our team members that two guests at our Van Nuys store comply with the city order to wear face coverings while shopping," the company said. "We’re grateful for the support of local police and we’ll provide any information that can be helpful to their investigation.”

The two suspects were arrested the same day for felony battery, police said. Their bail was set at $50,000 bail but they were released from custody on May 5, according to jail records.

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti issued an emergency order in April that requires workers who provide non-medical essential services, and customers of these businesses, to wear face coverings while at work.

“We need to protect every worker on the front lines of this crisis,” Garcetti said. “Each one of us is a first responder in this emergency. Every employer should keep employees safe, and so should Angelenos patronizing these businesses. Cover up. Keep your distance. Save lives. It’s that simple.”

A similar order was issued by Los Angeles County officials. It took effect on April 15.

It's not clear if the two suspects were related.


================================================== =====================

There are more and more of these confrontations happening.

[lost in melb.]

Production Club, a design studio in Los Angeles, has come up with a prototype for a personal protective suit tailored to concertgoers.
Micrashell not only looks like a cyberpunk dream, but it also features some handy specs from a ventilation system, including the option to "mute" people in real life and a drinking design that ensures nobody can tamper with your drink.
https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/images/still-jpg-500x394-1588086782.jpg

[Griffin]

:hand: Nothing new there.The Power Rangers have had those suits for over 25 years.

[lost in melb.]

I must admit I like the ability to mute people :excellent:

[Teh One Who Knocks]

https://i.imgur.com/DZS9Hgm.jpg

[lost in melb.]

Parrot fever alert issued after three people test positive to bird disease in Blue Mountains (https://amp.abc.net.au/article/12243694)

We're all going to die!!

:hills:

[Godfather]

I'm not smart enough to know how to use the mention feature but I'd love RBP to have a read of this:

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/may/14/japan-suicides-fall-sharply-as-covid-19-lockdown-causes-shift-in-stress-factors?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other



Japan suicides decline as Covid-19 lockdown causes shift in stress factors

The suicide rate in Japan fell by 20% in April compared with the same time last year, the biggest drop in five years, despite fears the coronavirus pandemic would cause increased stress and many prevention helplines were either not operating or short-staffed.

People spending more time at home with their families, fewer people were commuting to work and delays to the start of the school year are seen as factors in the fall.

In April, 1,455 people took their lives in Japan, 359 fewer than in April 2019. Suicide has been on a downward trend in Japan since peaking at more than 34,000 cases annually in 2003. Last year saw just over 20,000, and the large drop last month came at a time when there were fears of a fresh spike.
Tokyo's state of emergency – in pictures

New coronavirus infections reached their peak in mid-April in Japan at more than 500 a day, leading the government to declare a state of emergency on 16 April, though the restrictions were less strict than those of other countries.

The stay-at-home measures affected suicide prevention organisations, with about 40% of them either shut down or working reduced hours, leading to worries about vulnerable people.

Amid the decline in suicide of recent years, there has been an increase among children, with bullying and other problems at school a frequently cited cause. The start of the academic year, in April in Japan, is a particularly stressful time for some, but its postponement due to the pandemic may have saved lives, at least temporarily.

“School is a pressure for some young people, but this April there is no such pressure,” said Yukio Saito, a former head of telephone counselling service the Japanese Federation of Inochi-no-Denwa. “At home with their families, they feel safe.”

As for adults, at times of national crisis and disasters, “traditionally, people don’t think about suicide”, said Saito, pointing to a drop in cases in 2011, the year of the giant earthquake, tsunami and nuclear meltdowns at Fukushima.

. A large drop in the number of people commuting to offices, where they often work long hours, is also being seen as another contributing factor in the lower suicide rate.

However, economic and work pressures are factors. The year after the 1997 Asian financial crisis saw a record rise of nearly 35%. A prolonged economic downturn caused by the pandemic could lead to a rebound in cases, said Saito, who also served as chair of the Japanese Association for Suicide Prevention.

Japan is an strange place, I don't pretend to know what to make of this at all but it sounds like normal workplace pressures in Japan are off the charts.

[RBP]

I'm not smart enough to know how to use the mention feature but I'd love RBP to have a read of this:

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/may/14/japan-suicides-fall-sharply-as-covid-19-lockdown-causes-shift-in-stress-factors?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

Japan is an strange place, I don't pretend to know what to make of this at all but it sounds like normal workplace pressures in Japan are off the charts.

Interesting, thanks. I imagine you are right, that the workplace pressures are at the heart of it. I'd have to look, but I would expect Asian suicides to be based in the cultural idea of "shame" than in the US.

You introduced me to the Hikikomori several years ago... here's an updated perspective with diagnostic criteria. It has suddenly become relevant internationally. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-athletes-way/202001/is-hikikomori-extreme-social-withdrawal-global-epidemic

[Godfather]

Cool, thanks I'll give that a read. I was thinking of the Hikkomori recently too. Max Brook's World War Z (super fun read if you haven't) features a hikikomori character during the apocalypse... just seems relevant right now :lol:

[lost in melb.]

https://imageresizer.static9.net.au/LAFoy9UPXEpJ8RsvRtSa9Y4KCrI=/1200x0/https%3A%2F%2Fprod.static9.net.au%2Ffs%2F143094cd-5554-44aa-99c2-194c72975d7a

[Pony]

I'm not smart enough to know how to use the mention feature but I'd love RBP to have a read of this:

Japan is an strange place, I don't pretend to know what to make of this at all but it sounds like normal workplace pressures in Japan are off the charts.

Godfather

Just click the "mention" button and type the username.

[Griffin]

https://imageresizer.static9.net.au/LAFoy9UPXEpJ8RsvRtSa9Y4KCrI=/1200x0/https%3A%2F%2Fprod.static9.net.au%2Ffs%2F143094cd-5554-44aa-99c2-194c72975d7a

That's fuckin awesome. :lol:
Take that you mask wearin bitches!

[lost in melb.]

McDonald's closes 12 restaurants after a delivery driver tests positive to COVID-19 (https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/mcdonald-s-closes-12-stores-after-a-delivery-driver-tests-positive-to-covid-19-20200517-p54tte.html)

:hills:

[DemonGeminiX]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g4wrBDAdsLI

[PorkChopSandwiches]

Always a reasonable voice

[Teh One Who Knocks]

By Evan Kruegel - FOX 31 Denver


https://i.imgur.com/UDI1w7ol.png

AURORA, Colo. (KDVR) — A man has been charged with attempted murder for allegedly shooting a Waffle House employee in Aurora one night after being asked to wear a face covering inside the restaurant.

Kelvin Watson, 27, was arrested Monday morning by the Aurora Police Department on a charge of attempted first-degree murder.

Employees at the Waffle House at 12880 E. Mississippi Ave. told police that Watson came to the restaurant shortly after midnight on May 14 and was not wearing a mask, according to an arrest affidavit. A waitress told Watson he needed to have a mask on or he could not be served, the court document says. The restaurant was offering carry-out orders.

Watson allegedly returned with a mask that he was not wearing, and was again told he could not be served. Police were told Watson pulled out a small gun and placed it on the counter, then told the cook he could “blow your brains out.”

The following night, May 15, just after midnight, police say Watson returned to the restaurant. The same cook from the previous night told Watson he was not going to be served, according to the court document. Watson then allegedly slapped the cook across the face.

The cook told police he began running toward the back of the Waffle House. Watson shot the cook in his chest or abdomen outside the restaurant, according to the court document. The cook told police he ran toward his home while calling 911.

Police say the cook was taken to a hospital. A Waffle House spokesperson said the employee was released Friday afternoon.

Njeri Boss, Director of Public Relations for Waffle House, issued the following statement Tuesday:

“We are relieved to hear that Aurora police have made an arrest for this terrible crime, and greatly appreciate the diligence of local law enforcement. This case involves a senseless act of violence that should not be tolerated in any community. We are very thankful that neither of our associates who were working when the incident occurred, suffered any life-threatening injuries. Our thoughts and well wishes remain with our associate who was injured and now is recovering at home.”

The City of Aurora does not have a mandate for wearing masks or face coverings in public places. Masks are required in public areas of some other communities across the Denver metro area.

The Tri-County Health Department, which covers Aurora, has strongly advised wearing face coverings in public places.

[DemonGeminiX]

:-s

Why didn't they call the cops on the first night after the initial threat?

[Teh One Who Knocks]

By Jordan Chavez - 9 News Denver


https://i.imgur.com/PP2jLQPl.jpg

DENVER — Current public health orders are in place to protect our most vulnerable populations, but some families of residents in senior care centers say those very rules are starting to become the problem.

That's the concern of Sara Spaulding, the daughter of Warren, 89, and Janet, 90, Spaulding who currently reside in an assisted living facility in Golden.

Sara said her parents have lived there for about two years now. Before that the couple was adventurous biking across Europe in their 70s and skiing into their 80s before Janet blew out her second knee, Sara said.

"They have been unbelievably active in their lives," she said.

Even in their new living situation, the couple remained active -- regularly attending exercise classes, going to happy hours and dancing.

"They love music and ballroom danced their entire lives," Sara said.

That was until the COVID-19 pandemic hit and senior care centers, including theirs, stopped hosting community events and put visitation hours on pause. That's something that's had a negative effect on both Janet and Warren, according to Sara who said her parents are "more forgetful, they’re more anxious, they’re sad, depressed."

Sara said it's had a big impact on her mom's short-term memory.

"She doesn’t remember the phone calls that we’ve made," Sara said. "She doesn’t understand why we haven’t been to see her."

And the situation has caused Warren to grow angrier.

"They don’t know how much longer they can do this," Sara said. "And that the quality of life is more important to them than to continuing to live this way."
1263658481665470467
The growing struggles with the couple's mental health can be scientifically explained, according to 9NEWS psychologist Dr. Max Wachtel.

"Social isolation causes stress and depression," Wachtel said. "We’ve known that forever that one of the best things you can do if you’re feeling stressed or depressed is to hang out with other people. And we are telling these poor seniors they can’t do that."

And that's only half of it. The downward turn in a person's mental health can have adverse effects on their physical health, too, since the "immune system, our brains and our mental health are tied together very well," Wachtel said.

"If you are stressed out or depressed, chances are your immune system is also lowered and it makes it easier to get sick that way," Wachtel said. "So that is a risk that we’re putting these seniors in."

He said this happens because depression and anxiety can cause inflammation in the body which then suppresses the immune system. Wachtel said that can "cause more depression and anxiety."

Both Sara and Wachtel said they understand why the current public health orders and place. However, Sara is hopeful a balanced solution will be proposed soon to continue protecting her parents' physical health while focusing on their mental health, too. She said senior care centers need to be able to create their own guidelines when it comes to visitation.

"I’m hopeful that the [Governor Polis] will give that control back to facilities so they can begin to introduce visitation for families while still keeping our seniors safe from the virus," Sara said. "Cover me from head to toe and allow me to spend time with my parents in their facility."

[lost in melb.]

China has issued a travel warning to its citizens, advising them against travel to Australia amid what it says is increased racism following the coronavirus outbreak.

Or is it something to do with the fact that travel is banned from China.

F****** Chinese China :watching:











:oops:

[lost in melb.]

Blood vessels, not lungs? COVID-19 might not be a respiratory disease
A group of researchers are now questioning whether COVID-19 is primarily a respiratory illness, as is widely believed.

Instead, they suggest, full-blown COVID-19 is a disease of the vascular system that preys on weakness in our blood vessels.
https://1v1d1e1lmiki1lgcvx32p49h8fe-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/GettyImages-1226248547-960x540.jpg
A group of researchers are now questioning whether COVID-19 is primarily a respiratory illness, as is widely believed. Instead, they suggest, full-blown COVID-19 is a disease of the vascular system that preys on weakness in our blood vessels. Does this matter in practical terms? In terms of targeting treatments in the early stage of the disease, yes it does. But don’t we catch it from coughing and sneezing? It’s accepted that we catch the COVID-19 via viral droplets that enter the nose, mouth or eyes, and that it presents initially as an upper respiratory tract infection. In many to most cases, the virus appears to be defeated by the body’s immune system. What has mystified doctors is the catastrophic second phase where patients – especially those with diabetes, cardio-vascular disease and obesity – develop a profound inflammatory response, often in the form of pneumonia. From the start of the pandemic, so many people were dying of pneumonia, and at at an overwhelming rate, that COVID-19 was thought to be a classic respiratory disease. Then it was found that young people were suffering blood clots and fatal strokes. Inflammation was found not only in the lungs, but in the kidneys, heart, liver, bowel and even the fingertips and toes in various patients. Suddenly, the disease seemed deeply mysterious and even more threatening. However, when taken together, all of these symptoms pointed to an impeded blood flow. So what is really going on? “The concept that’s emerging is that this is not a respiratory illness alone, this is a respiratory illness to start with, but it is actually a vascular illness that kills people through its involvement of the vasculature,” said Dr Mandeep Mehra, medical director of the Brigham and Women’s Hospital Heart and Vascular Center, in a widely-reported statement. Endothelial cells line blood vessels, like bricks in a tunnel. They form the barrier between vessels and tissues. Impaired function can lead to serious health issues throughout the body. They may be the key to COVID-19’s destructive sway. Photo: Getty In a paper published in April, Dr Mehra and his associates found that the SARS-CoV-2 virus can directly infect and inflame the endothelial cells that line the inside of blood vessels. Damage to these cells – that play a protective role to the body – was found in all major organs. What happens with these endothelial cells, when they become infected, appears to be the key to understanding the real nature of the disease. It is also key to that deadly second phase. Endothelial cells form a single cell layer along the walls of all blood vessels, also lining the chambers of the heart and the lymphatic vessels, and play multiple protective roles. The entire collection of endothelial cells – known as the endothelium – is considered to be an organ in its own right. Taken together, it weighs about a kilo, the same as the liver. The main function of endothelial cells is to provide a barrier between the blood and the rest of the body tissues. It’s a bit like the doorman at a nightclub – in this case deciding what substances to let into the bloodstream and what to keep out. When substances – chemicals, nutrition and white blood cells – are permitted to cross this selectively permeable layer, the endothelium then further directs them to where they are needed. The role of the endothelium as a door-keeper is critical around the brain, restricting the passage of large molecules, toxic substances, and bacteria into the brain tissue while allowing necessary molecules like oxygen, enzymes, and hormones to go through. But it also has a complex role in responding to pathogens – causing the sites of infection to become inflamed and hot – and to blood-clotting. On the one hand, it makes proteins that prevent blood clotting from happening inside the blood vessel – and thereby blocking it – but also enables blood clotting at the source of bleeding. Once infected with COVID-19, the endothelium goes awry, forfeits its ability as a guardian, and works against the body. And this explains why the virus has so successfully invaded and damaged people from head to toe.[/IMG]

Does this matter in practical terms? In terms of targeting treatments in the early stage of the disease, yes it does.

But don’t we catch it from coughing and sneezing?
It’s accepted that we catch the COVID-19 via viral droplets that enter the nose, mouth or eyes, and that it presents initially as an upper respiratory tract infection. In many to most cases, the virus appears to be defeated by the body’s immune system.

What has mystified doctors is the catastrophic second phase where patients – especially those with diabetes, cardio-vascular disease and obesity – develop a profound inflammatory response, often in the form of pneumonia.

From the start of the pandemic, so many people were dying of pneumonia, and at at an overwhelming rate, that COVID-19 was thought to be a classic respiratory disease.

Then it was found that young people were suffering blood clots and fatal strokes. Inflammation was found not only in the lungs, but in the kidneys, heart, liver, bowel and even the fingertips and toes in various patients.

Suddenly, the disease seemed deeply mysterious and even more threatening. However, when taken together, all of these symptoms pointed to an impeded blood flow.

So what is really going on?
“The concept that’s emerging is that this is not a respiratory illness alone, this is a respiratory illness to start with, but it is actually a vascular illness that kills people through its involvement of the vasculature,” said Dr Mandeep Mehra, medical director of the Brigham and Women’s Hospital Heart and Vascular Center, in a widely-reported statement.



https://1v1d1e1lmiki1lgcvx32p49h8fe-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/GettyImages-665143088-960x600-1.jpg
Endothelial cells line blood vessels, like bricks in a tunnel. They form the barrier between vessels and tissues. Impaired function can lead to serious health issues throughout the body. They may be the key to COVID-19’s destructive sway. Photo: Getty
In a paper published in April, Dr Mehra and his associates found that the SARS-CoV-2 virus can directly infect and inflame the endothelial cells that line the inside of blood vessels. Damage to these cells – that play a protective role to the body – was found in all major organs.

What happens with these endothelial cells, when they become infected, appears to be the key to understanding the real nature of the disease. It is also key to that deadly second phase.

Endothelial cells form a single cell layer along the walls of all blood vessels, also lining the chambers of the heart and the lymphatic vessels, and play multiple protective roles.

The entire collection of endothelial cells – known as the endothelium – is considered to be an organ in its own right. Taken together, it weighs about a kilo, the same as the liver.

The main function of endothelial cells is to provide a barrier between the blood and the rest of the body tissues. It’s a bit like the doorman at a nightclub – in this case deciding what substances to let into the bloodstream and what to keep out.

When substances – chemicals, nutrition and white blood cells – are permitted to cross this selectively permeable layer, the endothelium then further directs them to where they are needed.

The role of the endothelium as a door-keeper is critical around the brain, restricting the passage of large molecules, toxic substances, and bacteria into the brain tissue while allowing necessary molecules like oxygen, enzymes, and hormones to go through.

But it also has a complex role in responding to pathogens – causing the sites of infection to become inflamed and hot – and to blood-clotting.

On the one hand, it makes proteins that prevent blood clotting from happening inside the blood vessel – and thereby blocking it – but also enables blood clotting at the source of bleeding.

Once infected with COVID-19, the endothelium goes awry, forfeits its ability as a guardian, and works against the body.

And this explains why the virus has so successfully invaded and damaged people from head to toe.

[lost in melb.]

https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/FtKaTtgUkByktFYYqptL1A--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTY0MDtoPTMyMA--/https://s.yimg.com/uu/api/res/1.2/CAadK.6MCiW2muNhMj3Xhw--~B/aD0xMjAwO3c9MjQwMDtzbT0xO2FwcGlkPXl0YWNoeW9u/https://media.zenfs.com/en-US/nbc_today_217/666fed218c6aa66c282d87542b53cddf

[Griffin]

https://www.coronaworld.net/upload/gallery/Naljad-42.webp

[Placid]

I see America had its worst ever day of new cases 01/07/2020

https://i.imgur.com/Xl1u1xq.jpg


Despite the resurgence in Victoria and to a lesser extent NSW - we've been pretty lucky.

https://i.imgur.com/Z97t7AW.jpg


Even the UK, despite it previously bad figures, seems to be on a better path now.

https://i.imgur.com/69OLw1F.jpg

[Teh One Who Knocks]

By Zachary Folk - New York Post


https://i.imgur.com/0ZeLW7N.jpg

Students in Tuscaloosa, Alabama are reportedly throwing “COVID parties” with their friends and gambling on who will get sick first, according to local officials.

City Council member Sonya McKinstry testified on Wednesday that a series of previously reported parties were all part of a morbid game that included intentionally inviting COVID-positive students in an attempt to intentionally contract the deadly virus.

“They put money in a pot and they try to get COVID. Whoever gets COVID first gets the pot. It makes no sense,” she said.

City council members did not mention the University of Alabama by name, but the school is the largest college in the city and the flagship school of the state’s university system.

Tuscaloosa City Fire Chief Randy Smith briefed the council on these parties earlier this week, saying that authorities thought students’ intentional gambling on virus transmission “was kind of a rumor at first,” but added, “We did some additional research …. not only did the doctor’s offices help confirm it but the state confirmed they also had the same information.”

Despite the news, McKinstry insists the city is taking the public health threat of coronavirus seriously.

“We’re trying to break up any parties that we know of,” she told ABC News.

There have been at least 37,536 recorded coronavirus infections and 926 fatalities in Alabama.

[lost in melb.]

What do you think about this?

[Griffin]

What do you think about this?

That hiding behind a mask is akin to burying your head in the sand. That herd immunity is better than hiding from it. That you have as much chance of getting it as a cold or flu and if you are in fair health to begin with your symptoms will be the same. That the sooner we are allowed to get our lives back the sooner this will go away.

[Placid]

By Zachary Folk - New York Post


https://i.imgur.com/0ZeLW7N.jpg

Students in Tuscaloosa, Alabama are reportedly throwing “COVID parties” with their friends and gambling on who will get sick first, according to local officials.

City Council member Sonya McKinstry testified on Wednesday that a series of previously reported parties were all part of a morbid game that included intentionally inviting COVID-positive students in an attempt to intentionally contract the deadly virus.

“They put money in a pot and they try to get COVID. Whoever gets COVID first gets the pot. It makes no sense,” she said.

City council members did not mention the University of Alabama by name, but the school is the largest college in the city and the flagship school of the state’s university system.

Tuscaloosa City Fire Chief Randy Smith briefed the council on these parties earlier this week, saying that authorities thought students’ intentional gambling on virus transmission “was kind of a rumor at first,” but added, “We did some additional research …. not only did the doctor’s offices help confirm it but the state confirmed they also had the same information.”

Despite the news, McKinstry insists the city is taking the public health threat of coronavirus seriously.

“We’re trying to break up any parties that we know of,” she told ABC News.

There have been at least 37,536 recorded coronavirus infections and 926 fatalities in Alabama.

What's the average IQ in these places - not high by the sounds of it.... :sad:

[Placid]

That hiding behind a mask is akin to burying your head in the sand. That herd immunity is better than hiding from it. That you have as much chance of getting it as a cold or flu and if you are in fair health to begin with your symptoms will be the same. That the sooner we are allowed to get our lives back the sooner this will go away.

How many dead are you willing to accept for "herd immunity" :?:


https://i.imgur.com/LdKBbBb.jpg

[Pony]

How many dead are you willing to accept for "herd immunity" :?:
https://i.imgur.com/LdKBbBb.jpg

It's going to go through 80+% of the population no matter what we do. All the precautions being taken were originally designed to simply not overwhelm the hospitals.
So the real question is should 1000 people die over the next 6 months or the same 1000 people die over the next two years while ruining the global economy?

[RBP]

I get confused by the messaging also. "Flatten the Curve" is everywhere. It was the official message. It was never "prevent total infections" or "Less people will die".

But that has apparently changed? So the original intent was a lie? And why have I not heard any discussion of this in the media? Why haven't I heard this question asked?

[Teh One Who Knocks]

I get confused by the messaging also. "Flatten the Curve" is everywhere. It was the official message. It was never "prevent total infections" or "Less people will die".

But that has apparently changed? So the original intent was a lie? And why have I not heard any discussion of this in the media? Why haven't I heard this question asked?Because the MSM wants the populace scared. They want you to think that death is hiding behind every corner. They want you to think that if you don't wear a mask that you will die a horrible death as well as killing grandma and grandpa too. They want all this for one reason and one reason alone, to hurt Trump's reelection. They don't want people back at work and the economy recovering. They don't want people living their lives. That's why the narrative is always changing. That's why you can't contract Kung Flu at a riot peaceful protest, but if you dare venture to a bar or restaurant or party or a republican election really, then there is 1000% chance you will get it and kill everyone around you that you love and care about.

[Griffin]

That's what I've been trying to say from the beginning.

...but I don't talk so eloquently. :meh:

[RBP]

That's what I've been trying to say from the beginning.

...but I don't talk so eloquently. :meh:

You're eloquent as fuck.

[lost in melb.]

There's no MSM plot in Australia

[RBP]

There's no MSM plot in Australia

And yet you have protest about George Floyd. Fascinating.

[lost in melb.]

And yet you have protest about George Floyd. Fascinating.

It's an old grievance (Aboriginal deaths in custody). The whole movement around the world gave them an excuse to air it again.

I don't think it was much about George Floyd

[KevinD]

There's no MSM plot in Australia

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KqCu4wHCOh4/T_rIFERcz_I/AAAAAAAAFdQ/CrKTRVpS0MY/s1600/See+No+Evil,+Hear+No+Evil,+Speak+No+Evil2.jpg

[lost in melb.]

Nothing to report :dunno:

Any complaints and immediate upgrade to luxury suite

https://us.123rf.com/450wm/vicnt/vicnt1502/vicnt150200026/36753218-zelfmoord-strop-in-de-gevangenis-cel-interieur-3d-cocept.jpg?ver=6

[Teh One Who Knocks]

David Irvine - The Scottish Sun


https://i.imgur.com/6Uwr5zW.jpg

A SHOCKING 'Glasgow' shop sign demands customers TAKE OFF face coverings before entering the store.

The shop, believed to be in Glasgow, has gone viral after a picture of the sign was posted online.

It comes just one day after the Scottish Government made face coverings mandatory in shops.

The "gross and terrifying" note to shoppers read: "No facemasks allowed in store.

"Lower your mask or go somewhere else.

"Stop listening 2 your Gov't, they're dumbasses.

"This is the store polict for our employees safety.

"Please comply or go somewhere else."

The snap, uploaded to a Reddit thread titled 'Trashy', appears to show a bin in the background with the Glasgow City Council and People Make Glasgow signs.

The exact location of the shop is not yet known.

Social media users blasted the shocking sign as they questioned the reasoning behind the policy.

One said: "Gross and terrifying but I would rather they put a sign up that indicated they were stupid and dangerous than having to walk in to find out."

Another wrote: "Seems like an obvious reason to shut the place down honestly.

"Its clearly a danger to the public and should be treated as such. Their ignorance shouldn't be at the cost of our safety."

A third commented: "Did they reveal the logic used to explain how customers wearing masks is dangerous for employees?"

But one defended the shop's decision as they wrote: "I don’t mind to be honest. I wouldn’t want to give them my business. It’s their policy."

Another hit back: "Private property. They can make their own rules."

[Teh One Who Knocks]

By Lavender Baj - Pedestrian.tv


https://i.imgur.com/pIPqqKFl.jpg

Looking for a unique way to remind people to adhere to social distancing? Well, look no further than this man at Bunnings, who has gone viral for his iconic “1.5 metres, c*nt” hoodie.

Captured shopping at Melbourne’s Northland Bunnings store, the hoodie eloquently reminds you to keep your bloody distance. 1.5 metres, to be precise.

Obviously, if you’re in Melbourne, you should be staying home wherever possible. But if you *do* need to leave the house, you might want to invest in one of these to remind people to stay at least 1.5m away.

The photo quickly went viral on the r/straya and r/melbourne subreddits, with many replying with their own anecdotes of people blatantly ignoring social distancing protocol.

“I needed one of these jumpers at Aldi the other day, can’t believe there are still daft bastards crowding you at the checkout,” one redditor shared.

“Given people’s lack of distancing in the area, I’m surprised they’re not giving these hoodies away for free,” another added.

For the measly price of $69.99, you too can rock a “1.5 metres c*nt” hoodie, courtesy of Far Kew Emporium (get it? Far Kew). If you *really* want people to stay out of your personal space, you can also get a “two metres, c*nt” option.

Or, if you’re feeling a little more PG, they have a “1.5 metres, idiot” version as part of their coronavirus survival range, which also includes a “don’t fucking touch me” shirt and other clever merch items. You know, because even a pandemic is an excuse for a slogan tee.

https://i.imgur.com/yt3Q1Eb.png

While the merch is all a bit of fun, the actual coronavirus *really* not fun. Restrictions vary from state to state, but please try your hardest to abide by them.

[lost in melb.]

Ha, my first thought was that would be a hit Australia

[lost in melb.]

1240371160078000128

[Placid]

David Irvine - The Scottish Sun


https://i.imgur.com/6Uwr5zW.jpg

A SHOCKING 'Glasgow' shop sign demands customers TAKE OFF face coverings before entering the store.

The shop, believed to be in Glasgow, has gone viral after a picture of the sign was posted online.

It comes just one day after the Scottish Government made face coverings mandatory in shops.

The "gross and terrifying" note to shoppers read: "No facemasks allowed in store.

"Lower your mask or go somewhere else.

"Stop listening 2 your Gov't, they're dumbasses.

"This is the store polict for our employees safety.

"Please comply or go somewhere else."

The snap, uploaded to a Reddit thread titled 'Trashy', appears to show a bin in the background with the Glasgow City Council and People Make Glasgow signs.

The exact location of the shop is not yet known.

Social media users blasted the shocking sign as they questioned the reasoning behind the policy.

One said: "Gross and terrifying but I would rather they put a sign up that indicated they were stupid and dangerous than having to walk in to find out."

Another wrote: "Seems like an obvious reason to shut the place down honestly.

"Its clearly a danger to the public and should be treated as such. Their ignorance shouldn't be at the cost of our safety."

A third commented: "Did they reveal the logic used to explain how customers wearing masks is dangerous for employees?"

But one defended the shop's decision as they wrote: "I don’t mind to be honest. I wouldn’t want to give them my business. It’s their policy."

Another hit back: "Private property. They can make their own rules."



Fuck me! The Scots have also lost the plot!

[Placid]

1240371160078000128

Says a lot for what the level of a college education is worth...............

[Placid]

By Lavender Baj - Pedestrian.tv


https://i.imgur.com/pIPqqKFl.jpg

Looking for a unique way to remind people to adhere to social distancing? Well, look no further than this man at Bunnings, who has gone viral for his iconic “1.5 metres, c*nt” hoodie.

Captured shopping at Melbourne’s Northland Bunnings store, the hoodie eloquently reminds you to keep your bloody distance. 1.5 metres, to be precise.

Obviously, if you’re in Melbourne, you should be staying home wherever possible. But if you *do* need to leave the house, you might want to invest in one of these to remind people to stay at least 1.5m away.

The photo quickly went viral on the r/straya and r/melbourne subreddits, with many replying with their own anecdotes of people blatantly ignoring social distancing protocol.

“I needed one of these jumpers at Aldi the other day, can’t believe there are still daft bastards crowding you at the checkout,” one redditor shared.

“Given people’s lack of distancing in the area, I’m surprised they’re not giving these hoodies away for free,” another added.

For the measly price of $69.99, you too can rock a “1.5 metres c*nt” hoodie, courtesy of Far Kew Emporium (get it? Far Kew). If you *really* want people to stay out of your personal space, you can also get a “two metres, c*nt” option.

Or, if you’re feeling a little more PG, they have a “1.5 metres, idiot” version as part of their coronavirus survival range, which also includes a “don’t fucking touch me” shirt and other clever merch items. You know, because even a pandemic is an excuse for a slogan tee.

https://i.imgur.com/yt3Q1Eb.png

While the merch is all a bit of fun, the actual coronavirus *really* not fun. Restrictions vary from state to state, but please try your hardest to abide by them.



I went to my local Bunnings yesterday and when entering the store, I was told by an employee that I had to go out again as I had come in through the "Exit Only" . I complied but then noticed an employee entering the same "exit only".... when I questioned this, I was told he was only doing his job. Double Standards..... I complained to management and they don't see the problem .... employees are not poublic so are presumably immune. Fuck wits.

[RBP]

Getting tasted today. I got sent home after a determination that I had a "high risk exposure" at work. So of course the wife has to work from home and get tested also.

[Teh One Who Knocks]

Getting tasted today. I got sent home after a determination that I had a "high risk exposure" at work. So of course the wife has to work from home and get tested also.How does that work? Do they actually cut a piece of you off and give to someone to taste or does a medical person just come over and lick your arm or something? :-k

[Pony]

How does that work? Do they actually cut a piece of you off and give to someone to taste or does a medical person just come over and lick your arm or something? :-k

They do the Hind Lick.

[lost in melb.]

Getting tasted today. I got sent home after a determination that I had a "high risk exposure" at work. So of course the wife has to work from home and get tested also.

How terribly compliant of you :-s

[lost in melb.]

They do the Hind Lick.

https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn%3AANd9GcTfnYKYAYxsoOa6MriQMwX8TF0L9RU QESvPWA&usqp=CAU

[RBP]

Buncha jerks. :lol:

[Teh One Who Knocks]

:dance:

[RBP]

How terribly compliant of you :-s

I'm not in the defiant group. I wear a mask all day, doesn't bother me to wear one at the store. The testing is as much for my coworkers as myself. The asshats I work for would let me return with only a doctor's note.

Now, being told I have to use PTO, when they sent me home? That's where you'll see the defiance, aka grievance.

[Teh One Who Knocks]

I'm not in the defiant group.

I'm not defiant, I just refuse to do something that does absolutely nothing to protect myself from the Kung Flu. If I had to wear one for work as a condition of employment, that would be different, but I don't. I'm not sick and I keep my distance from people I don't know.

https://i.imgur.com/RL0hMjVh.jpg

:shhh:

[RBP]

I was just contrasting Lost's characterization of my actions as "compliant" as though he expects us all to be defiant. I totally understand both sides, I just don't care to pick that battle. Not that important to me. If it is to others, that's cool too.

[lost in melb.]

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews makes masks mandatory amid coronavirus crisis (https://7news.com.au/lifestyle/health-wellbeing/victorian-premier-daniel-andrews-makes-masks-mandatory-amid-coronavirus-crisis-c-1176469.amp/)

From Wednesday onwards. ...

Of course they help. Look at any hospital...

[lost in melb.]

I'm not in the defiant group. I wear a mask all day, doesn't bother me to wear one at the store. The testing is as much for my coworkers as myself. The asshats I work for would let me return with only a doctor's note.

Now, being told I have to use PTO, when they sent me home? That's where you'll see the defiance, aka grievance.

Got it. Every individual's got a different take.

[lost in melb.]

Now I have to go through the minefield of working out which masks actually work

[lost in melb.]

I'm not defiant, I just refuse to do something that does absolutely nothing to protect myself from the Kung Flu. If I had to wear one for work as a condition of employment, that would be different, but I don't. I'm not sick and I keep my distance from people I don't know.

https://i.imgur.com/RL0hMjVh.jpg

:shhh:

Well, it's not going to give you any extra protection if you're keeping your distance from people. But is that always possible? And also there's evidence that it spreads through aerosol that lingers in the air.

And also if there's a general rule for wearing masks then you're less likely to get covid from someone in your vicinity that is wearing a mask. You can still have covid and not have any symptoms i.e not be aware that you're sick

[lost in melb.]

https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/695/cpsprodpb/A18E/production/_113485314_4_2020-07-15t194016z_1080400255_rc2uth9ln5ds_rtrmadp_3_healt h-coronavirus-bolivia-sex-workers.jpg

[Placid]

I'm not defiant, I just refuse to do something that does absolutely nothing to protect myself from the Kung Flu. If I had to wear one for work as a condition of employment, that would be different, but I don't. I'm not sick and I keep my distance from people I don't know.

https://i.imgur.com/RL0hMjVh.jpg

:shhh:

I think you will find the evidence out there that a mask can help protect you....

[Placid]

Now I have to go through the minefield of working out which masks actually work

https://kirwanspharmacy.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/COVID19-Masks.png



https://needhamma.gov/ImageRepository/Document?documentId=21138




If the CDC recommends a mask, what makes some people believe that they are smarter than them :?:






Lastly......


https://twistedsifter.files.wordpress.com/2020/07/no-windows-34.jpg

[lost in melb.]

My Korean girlfriend's gonna make me one. An original :tup:

[RBP]

My Korean girlfriend's gonna make me one. An original :tup:

Me protect you long time, GI Joe.

[RBP]

test results back - Negative. No Covidcation for me. :sad2:

[Pony]

test results back - Negative. No Covidcation for me. :sad2:

So sorry bud. Now get back to work!

[lost in melb.]

:doh:


:lol:

[Placid]

My Korean girlfriend's gonna make me one. An original :tup:

Just remember - NO DICKNOSE! :mrgreen: when you wear it!

[lost in melb.]

New ad campaign in my state

https://twitter.com/helenrsullivan/status/1287172001203777536

[Teh One Who Knocks]

Mimi Elkalla - ABC 10 News San Diego


https://i.imgur.com/fCQGAfNl.jpg

SAN DIEGO (KGTV)- A trip to a dog park in Ocean Beach ended in a hospital visit for one San Diego couple.

“I want her to go to jail, she assaulted my husband, and I’m angry about it,” said Ash O’Brien.

Obrien said she and her husband were at Dusty Rhodes Dog Park in Ocean Beach Thursday afternoon with their three-month-old puppy. They sat at a picnic table and began enjoying a meal when a woman reportedly confronted them for not wearing facial coverings and eating at the park where there is a no food policy.

The confrontation ended with O’Brien’s husband being pepper-sprayed by the woman.

“If we knew there was a no food policy, we wouldn’t have brought it into the park,” said O’Brien. “The lady who maced him automatically started saying stuff about us not wearing a mask when we were social distancing; there was no one near us.”

O’Brien said that after exchanging words, the woman walked away from the picnic table but returned after a few minutes and did the unexpected.

“She just came up without saying anything and just stuck the mace can right in front of my face,” said O’Brien.

“My husband, being a good guy, walked in front of her and was like ‘hey calm down please don’t do this’ and then she grabbed him and just starting macing him, she used the entire can on him.”

“We drove to the hospital, he got treated and everything,” said O’Brien.

O’Brien said the pepper spray got on her arms and started to burn, while her husband was sprayed in the face.

A witness captured part of the incident on camera and told ABC 10News she was shocked at what she was seeing. She recorded the woman’s license plate number.

The couple filed a police report with the San Diego Police Department. The department confirmed they took a misdemeanor battery report but could not immediately provide further details.

O’Brien was thankful none of the dogs at the park were injured by the pepper spray and wants the woman to be held accountable for the incident.

“People don’t need to be getting assaulted for not wearing a mask in a public outdoor area,” she said.

[Griffin]

I wonder why a park with a no food policy has picnic tables? :-k

[Teh One Who Knocks]

I wonder why a park with a no food policy has picnic tables? :-k

They have them at the couple of dog parks near me. They're just there so you can sit down and let your dog(s) go play with other dogs.

[Griffin]

https://i5.walmartimages.com/asr/f49c4abf-dbec-4c88-ab3e-f1037fff8857_1.0b43d4ed7982de8e506ef475c495152d.jp eg?odnWidth=612&odnHeight=612&odnBg=ffffff:-k

[Teh One Who Knocks]

Do you eat food EVERY SINGLE TIME you sit down at an outdoor table? :-s

[Griffin]

well they are the perfect height to bend a slut over...

[RBP]

well they are the perfect height to bend a slut over...

I would have gone with "bitch" since it's a dog park

[Teh One Who Knocks]

By Gabrielle Fonrouge - New York Post


https://i.imgur.com/TcIVHBu.jpg
Met Council senior director Nechama Bakst

At the height of New York’s coronavirus lockdown, domestic violence in the five boroughs skyrocketed, data show.

When the pandemic first laid siege, experts predicted that mandatory lockdowns and soaring unemployment would cause a rise in household abuse, and figures now bear them out — with domestic-violence reports at some agencies doubling and even tripling in the past few months.

“We’ve never been busier,’’ lamented Nechama Bakst, senior director of the Met Council’s family-violence program.

“We have seen people who never experienced violence starting to experience violence, and people who have experienced violence experience worse violence.’’

Typically, the non-profit gets about 70 new cases a month — but in April, they juggled 135, another 145 in May and 146 more in June, the organization said.

“We see more choking, more sexual violence, kind of much more intense and serious acts of crime,’’ the director said.

At Sanctuary for Families, which also works with survivors, there was a similar increase in calls to its helpline.

In May, the group received 206 calls, compared to 102 for the month the year before. In June, calls more than tripled, with 259 compared to 73 last year.

“Domestic violence is fundamentally about power and control,” said Dorchen Leidholdt, director of SFF’s Legal Center. “The coronavirus pandemic gave abusers a powerful tool of control because their victims were in much closer proximity to them, 24/7 in many cases, and had less access to sources of support and assistance.’’

In many cases, the pandemic became just one more tool in a perpetrator’s arsenal, experts said.

Some abusers would withhold personal protective equipment from their victims so it wouldn’t be safe to leave home. In other cases, if an abuser ended up catching the coronavirus, they would shame and blame their partner for it or become physically violent, advocates said.

Some would also refuse to social distance or wash their hands — and then “taunt” their victims about it in a way that made them “feel unsafe,” Bakst said.

https://i.imgur.com/mBPoKux.jpg
Dorchen Leidholdt, director of Sanctuary for Families

One abuser warned a victim, “You better watch your back … because the courts are closed, so you can’t do anything,” said SFF — which helped the person in need get an order of protection.

High unemployment brought on by the virus only compounded the situation because abusers are more physically violent — and likely to kill — when they’re out of work, experts said.

“It was a twin tsunami,’’ Leidholdt said. “On the one hand, abusers were unemployed, angry and more abusive than ever with more access to their victims than ever. … And then victims were more economically dependent than ever before.’’

Amid the lockdowns, the abused were trapped inside with their perpetrators all day, forcing some to hide in their bathrooms in the dead of night so they could whisper frantic pleas for help into their phones as their abusers slept, said David Greenfield, the Met Council’s CEO.

In response, both the SFF and Met Council created a text-based helpline for victims, which was a much safer way to communicate.

The experts noted that the most dangerous moment for a victim is when they’re trying to leave their abuser, which is why most escapes are carried out when the attackers are out of the house.

With coronavirus stay-at-home orders in place, fleeing became more difficult and thus more dangerous — making “situations that are already bad … exponentially worse,” Greenfield told The Post.

In one case, a woman and her children were in a “highly, highly dangerous” situation with an abuser who kept weapons in the home, Bakst said.

The torment against the victims escalated amid the pandemic, and the woman asked the Met Council for help getting her and her kids out.

“We figured out a time of day, it was literally 15 minutes that she had where she was not being watched,” Bakst recalled.

“And in those 15 minutes, we coordinated a way to get her to a place where she can get out and get to safety.”

Still, for many victims, reaching out is never easy — and became even harder amid the pandemic, advocates said.

There was one woman who said she was too scared to call 911 because she was concerned police officers would give her coronavirus, Bakst said.

“Seeking help outside the home was more difficult than ever because the courts were operating virtually, there was a period when the NYPD was dealing with its own coronavirus crisis, and we did not see the same level of responsiveness when a survivor called 911,” Leidholdt added.

“The only way to get help is the telephone, and using a telephone when you’re in close quarters with an abuser [is nearly impossible].”

When victims did get a chance to call for help, they used “codes” devised with their case worker to discreetly communicate whether the offender was around.

“If someone starts giving us directions to the mall, that was code for, like, ‘I gotta go’ without saying ‘I gotta go, he’s here,’ ” Bakst explained.

https://i.imgur.com/XsJcZGf.jpg
Met Council CEO & Executive Director David Greenfield

“For some people it’s ‘I got to put dinner in the oven’ — and that means to the social worker, ‘FYI he’s here.’ ”

For abusers used to targeting vulnerable people, a global pandemic perfectly set the stage for increased exploitation, Leidholdt said.

“Abusers tend to be serial perpetrators. They seek out vulnerable victims and take advantage of victim’s vulnerability, and the coronavirus pandemic significantly increased the vulnerability of women and children in particular in New York City,” she said.

“It increased their vulnerability economically, it increased their vulnerability in terms of public health, it increased their vulnerability in what is a really very terrifying environment where venturing out unprotected can lead to illness and even death,” the advocate went on.

“Abusers take advantage of those kinds of situations, they use them, and they exploit them to increase their power and control over victims.”

At times, Leidholdt and her team found themselves “fairly overwhelmed by the need” of domestic violence survivors amid the pandemic, she said.

“Even though we had the help of eight large law firms, we got more calls and clients in need of assistance than in key moments we were able to assist,” Leidholdt recalled.

Ultimately, no one was turned away, but the nonprofit gets “many more referrals” than they have the capacity to assist, shining a light on the need for increased services for domestic violence victims, staff said.

The coronavirus pandemic has plunged the Big Apple billions of dollars into the red, and many programs for domestic violence survivors have been cut in the FY2021 budget, fiscal reports show. The cuts include programs that support survivors post-victimization and funding for various district attorney’s offices that allow for improved prosecution, even as crimes related to domestic violence such as murder, rape and assault have increased, reports show.

Funding for domestic violence programs under the Human Resources Administration was cut by nearly $1 million, the biggest decrease it has faced in years, reports show.

While Leidholdt said the cuts could’ve been a lot worse, funding wasn’t enough even before the pandemic.

“Certainly this isn’t new, but we see it more during the time of the coronavirus pandemic. There is a much greater need for legal services, for clinical services, for economic empowerment services and for shelter services than currently exists. For all of these services, there are wait lists,” Leidholdt said.

“The sad reality is, they are not remotely adequate.”

[Teh One Who Knocks]

By Amanda Prestigiacomo - The Daily Wire


https://i.imgur.com/DwgL26Nl.jpg

During a Buck Institute Webinar streamed on July 14, Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Robert Redfield promoted the general reopening of schools, highlighting the low coronavirus risk for children without preexisting conditions and the unfortunate spike in suicides and drug overdoses, which Redfield said are “far greater” in number than COVID-linked deaths in the young.

“It’s not risk of school openings versus public health. It’s public health versus public health,” asserted Redfield.

“I’m of the point of view, and I weigh that equation as an individual that has 11 grandchildren that the greater risk is actually to the nation to keep these schools closed,” he continued.

Redfield said that over 7 million children get mental health services from their school, “a lot of people get food and nutrition in schools,” and added that schools are vital “in terms of mandatory reporting sexual and child abuse.”

“Obviously, the socialization is important,” he said. “And, obviously, for some kids, I think actually a majority of kids, their learning in a face-to-face school is the most effective method of teaching.”

The reopening, Redfield underscored, “has to be done safely, and it has to be done with the confidence of the teachers. It has to be done with the confidence of parents. And so I think each of the school districts will begin to wrestle with this.”

Speaking of the risks of the China-originated coronavirus to children, Redfield said data shows the flu is some five to 10 times more deadly, adding that the odds of a child dying a COVID-linked death is “one in a million.”

“I think it is important to try to be factual as we go through this,” the CDC director said. “When we look at, right now, the mortality of this particular COVID virus, in the first almost 218,000 people we looked at February to July, there was 52 individuals under the age of 18. And if I recollect, about 35 were actually school age. Some of them were younger than school age. We’re looking critically at those individuals. And, you know, clearly, there’s an increase in comorbidities related to significant medical conditions…”

“But I think that’s important because what that means, actually, is the risk per 100,000, so far, you know, into the outbreak, six months into it, is, in fact, that we’re looking at about .1 per 100,000. So another way to say that, it’s one in a million,” Redfield said in reference to the death rate among children.

“Now, I’m not trying to belittle that, I’m just trying to make sure we look at it proportional,” he said. “Because if you do the same thing for influenza deaths for school-age children over the last five years, they’re anywhere from five to 10 times greater.”

“So I want people to understand the risk properly as they make that decision. And, obviously, influenza, we also benefit from having therapy and a vaccine. So I don’t want people to overestimate the risk of serious illness to individuals that are school age,” Redfield advised.

“That said, there is a real risk to vulnerable individuals that are teachers, potentially, that may have comorbidities,” he added. “And, obviously, there are some students that have a comorbidity.”

According to CDC.gov, “The risk of complications for healthy children is higher for flu compared to COVID-19. However, infants and children with underlying medical conditions are at increased risk for both flu and COVID-19.”

The CDC director then discussed the social tradeoff of the shutdown, particularly for our youths.

“But there has been another cost that we’ve seen, particularly in high schools,” he said. “We’re seeing, sadly, far greater suicides now than we are deaths from COVID. We’re seeing far greater deaths from drug overdose that are above excess that we had as background than we are seeing the deaths from COVID.”

“So this is why I keep coming back for the overall social being of individuals,” he continued, “is let’s all work together and find out how we can find common ground to get these schools open in a way that people are comfortable and their safe. And if there is a need for investment and resources, just like there is a need for some of the underprivileged children that are probably better served if they have certain comorbidities to do homeschooling, they need the access to be able to have the computer and the internet to do that.”

“The goal is to get all these kids back into education,” concluded Redfield. “I’d like to see the goal being face-to-face education, five days a week, as when we get there, then we’ve got there for those children that don’t have an underlying significant comorbidity that would preclude it. And, hopefully, the states and the federal government will work together to see that the resources to get these schools fully operational come to bear.”

[Teh One Who Knocks]

By Kenneth Garger - New York Post


https://i.imgur.com/JMK0e09.jpg

A Florida man was arrested for allegedly firing a gun inside the lobby of a Miami Beach hotel in response to a family flouting social distancing norms, a report said.

Douglas Marks, 29, is accused of squeezing off the rounds at the Crystal Beach Suites on Monday night, the Miami Herald reported, citing police.

Marks confronted a mother-son duo sitting on a lobby couch and told them, “You all aren’t social distancing,” according to an arrest report obtained by the paper.

The mother, Veronica Pena, and her son ignored Marks and remained in place, the report said.

Marks then allegedly said “Let me take care of them, I have two people not following directions,” before firing several shots. It’s unclear who Marks was speaking to.

Nobody was injured in the shooting, which Marks admitted to, but claimed to fire “four warning shots” because he was being followed by somebody, the paper reported.

Marks was hit with several weapons charges.

[FBD]

So do any of you guys actually wear this mask shit? :nana:

I was watching the weirdness in China in November. I had my n95 ready to go in early December as I was watching things unfold in Wuhan. But then, a curious thing happened as it "continued to spread all over the world"...we had a curious absence of pandemic videos in places like liveleak, bestgore, 4chan, etc. There were videos from China, but then once China closed up, the videos mostly stopped, and from the rest of the world? We got mostly nurse tiktok videos of them doing stupid dance routines.

I also saw the Indian scientists upload that paper highlighting the HIV segment in this sumbich, and the bioarxiv admins pulled it down and tried saying the authors retracted it, when they totally didnt.

So that 2+2 made sense for why it was so deadly in Wuhan, Italy, and Iran where they had the outbreaks - all 3 of those locations had tuberculosis outbreaks that preceded the arrival of coronachan. Ya dig on HIV related deaths and find out that something like 40% of all HIV related deaths have TB, its a particularly bad combination.

Then I watched the absolute insanity of war criminal politicians give the order to send corona patients into fkn nursing homes. The least they could have done was gotten my aunt Nancy and give Unc a break, if they were going to whack people in nursing homes! The # dead in nursing homes is off the wall, I want to see Cuomo and all these other assholes get charged with war crimes and face the death penalty for issuing and enforcing those orders, they are all responsible for tens of thousands of deaths. We had >80% in NYC, >80% in Canada, % of nursing home deaths as a % of total. THAT is complete fkn bullshit and people's heads should roll for it. Even Sweden, that touted its great response, >50% of the death totals there, from fkn nursing homes.

Right when all this info was starting to come to light, then we have the race riots kick off to stop people from noticing this? Its ok to participate in riots, got the CDC and insane docs telling us its ok to go riot oh wait I mean peacefully protest in a destructive manner, but dont go to church or have any gatherings cuz you might get wagged.

This is #1 bullshit, its all to try and force an all mail in ballot situation, that's literally the only hope in hell the democrats have of winning this election and trying to prevent the inevitable.

I proudly do not wear a mask, I've only been tossed out of that stupid hoity toity pet store (and I told them they just lost me, all my friends and family as customers for being idiot sheep)...and most of the comments have been positive, with one lady telling me she was jealous I wasnt wearing a mask :nana:

Imagine discarding eons of conventional wisdom, that flu season is an actual thing!

[Teh One Who Knocks]

So do any of you guys actually wear this mask shit? :nana:

I have yet to wear a mask, the whole thing is a scam. It's about compliance, not protection. Anyone with an 8th grade education knows that a cloth mask is not going to stop something as small as a virus.

However, I need to take my wife to the doctor for a minor medical procedure next week, so I am almost for sure going to be required to wear one, which I will, but only because I need to take care of my wife, not because of the state mandate here in Colorado. But I made sure to get one that will piss off/antagonize people the most:

http://www.tehfalloutshelter.com/showthread.php?5802-Post-what-you-are-thinking-at-this-very-moment&p=974702&viewfull=1#post974702

[FBD]

I have yet to wear a mask, the whole thing is a scam. It's about compliance, not protection. Anyone with an 8th grade education knows that a cloth mask is not going to stop something as small as a virus.

However, I need to take my wife to the doctor for a minor medical procedure next week, so I am almost for sure going to be required to wear one, which I will, but only because I need to take care of my wife, not because of the state mandate here in Colorado. But I made sure to get one that will piss off/antagonize people the most:

http://www.tehfalloutshelter.com/showthread.php?5802-Post-what-you-are-thinking-at-this-very-moment&p=974702&viewfull=1#post974702

bahahaha, nice, one of my favs said "This is a mind control device"

and cloth masks, lol....are basically like trying to keep out mosquitoes with a chain link fence :dance:

[Muddy]

I wear one when I just want to pop in and pop out of a store without having to deal with any controversy.. Truth be told Im a bit of a germaphobe anyway so I dont mind protecting myself from other peoples shit, covid related or not..

[KevinD]

I'm required to wear one if I enter the offices in West Texas. My company is Canadian owned, so they tend to do things differently. As for in public, nope, not at all. Twice I've been asked to at gas station convenience stores, but i declined. Funnily enough, the only time anyone has gotten upset that I wasn't wearing a mask was while pumping gas. She was middle aged,white/Hispanic, and just started ranting. I'm looking around thinking " its 23:00, we're the only ones around, in open air, and you're 30 feet away from me" I just ignored her which seemed to piss her off more, lol

[Teh One Who Knocks]

By Victor Garcia | Fox News


This story refers to suicide. If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).

Suicides have spiked amid the coronavirus pandemic, specifically among high school students. A guest on Thursday night's edition of "The Ingraham Angle" said Robert Redfield, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), should be sounding a louder alarm about the problem.

"It's pretty incredible because a lot of us predicted this might happen. And unfortunately, it appears that it has happened," the guest, Phil Kerpen, president of the Committee to Unleash Prosperity, said.

"Self-harm is the No. 2 cause of death among teenagers after accidents. Kills thousands a year. When you're comparing it to a virus that kills tens a year in that age bracket, even a tiny increase in the percentage is going to be a much bigger number. And we thought that might happen and that has happened.

"The insane thing to me," Kerpen continued, "is this is a big deal and the CDC is not touting it from the platform. They're not going to the White House podium. They're not going on a show like yours and saying it."

Redfield addressed to suicide issue July 14 during a Buck Institute webinar.

"We're seeing, sadly, far greater suicides now than we are deaths from COVID," Redfield said at the time. "We're seeing far greater deaths from drug overdose that are above excess that we had as background than we are seeing the deaths from COVID."

Separately, host Laura Ingraham brought up a German study that said "exposure to children may make adults less likely to contract COVID-19," noting the study wasn't peer-reviewed.

Kerpen responded: "Wouldn't that be an unbelievable irony after all of these strikes and these demands and all of this stuff from these teachers? If it turns out that being around children is actually protective, that the child had colds and other illnesses, they have challenges to the immune system of adults that protect them from future COVID infection?"

[lost in melb.]

Scenes like this relegated to the past :(


https://youtu.be/n27rzDmugus

[lost in melb.]

CDPdnPKh6kt

I never would have watched a video like this before..

[FBD]

So I had someone react a bit strongly when I asserted that Cuomo was a mass murderer war criminal who should face the death penalty for his having signed orders to send covid patients into nursing homes, they said they werent really a fan of cuomo but that's going a bit far?

The fuckers that gave the orders to send covid patients into nursing homes knew exactly what the implications of these actions would be - the purposeful inflation of the death count from covid - actions that are completely contrary to every established protocol.

(where else have we seen protocols completely abandoned before? I digress, for every situation it happens, it glows)

You dont send pandemic afflicted into populations that are the most vulnerable to being hit and killed by the disease. That is precisely what they did, even sending +tested patients from prisons, into nursing homes. That's the exact opposite of what should happen. Our nursing home patients should be protected from disease, not purposefully introduced to it. This was nothing short of an attack on America's elderly as a proxy stab against Trump - because Trump is the end of the traitors, it can be reduced that simply.

Cuomo et al that signed orders like this, every single last one of them are responsible for tens of thousands of deaths that otherwise would not have happened.

They are war criminals and deserve to hang or be injected lethally for their actions towards inflating the death counts from covid.

[lost in melb.]

We really need a special thread for these disturbing and highly important Covid conspiracies :-k

[FBD]

We really need a special thread for these disturbing and highly important Covid conspiracies :-k

:hand: the nazis werent allowed to use the "I was just following orders" excuse

perhaps its a bit much to include the level of severity of the sentence in my post, but its that level of serious, if you think about it. who in their right mind would sign such an order? except by direction from "someone"...and we saw it happen widely enough...there's no way its coincidence. every single person who gave such an order should be entirely under a microscope.

I'm just sayin', that's fkn enemy action

[DemonGeminiX]

News reports are saying that tuberculosis and malaria are on the rise worldwide again because the attention that Covid is getting is taking attention away from the former 2.

[FBD]

https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2020-08-05/hydroxychloroquine-and-coronavirus

[lost in melb.]

https://twitter.com/DanielAndrewsMP/status/1290595771482423297

[lost in melb.]

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EeksEVaU4AAIjq8?format=jpg&name=large

[Teh One Who Knocks]

By Hannah Sparks - New York Post


https://i.imgur.com/dbDaMcF.jpg

It’s a quaint tradition — with a very dark history.

Centuries ago, the bubonic plague, otherwise known as “black death,” swept through Europe, killing one-third of the continent’s population at the time. Originating in Asia, the disease made its way to Italy during the late Middle Ages, and spread north from there.

These days, we know just as well as medieval Italians that a stiff drink can go a long way to ease troubles during the global coronavirus pandemic.

Thus, the “wine windows,” or buchette del vino, of Tuscany. They are just as they sound: pint-size hatches, carved into the concrete walls of urban wineries and shops, where beverage merchants would serve sips at a safe social distance.

First introduced in the 1600s, their true purpose went untapped for centuries after the plague — that is, until a new one came along this year.

“Everyone is confined to home for two months and then the government permits a gradual reopening,” the Wine Window Association website reads. “During this time, some enterprising Florentine Wine Window owners have turned back the clock and are using their Wine Windows to dispense glasses of wine, cups of coffee, drinks, sandwiches and ice cream — all germ-free, contactless!”

https://i.imgur.com/pZbgUgI.jpg

Matteo Faglia, president of the Wine Window Association, told Insider, “People could knock on the little wooden shutters and have their bottles filled direct from the Antinori, Frescobaldi and Ricasoli families, who still produce some of Italy’s best-known wine today.”

https://i.imgur.com/mqyq1Dt.jpg

More than 150 wine windows — some of which have since been permanently filled — within Florence’s walled city, and even more, dotted the Tuscan region.

“The wine windows gradually became defunct, and many wooden ones were permanently lost in the floods of 1966,” said Faglia, whose historical association has begun the process of mapping these forgotten, and sometimes vandalized, relics throughout Italy’s wine country, marking them with a plaque to designate their import and authenticity.

“We want to put a plaque by all the wine windows, as people tend to respect them more when they understand what they are and their history,” he said.

https://i.imgur.com/Uw1ZM1d.jpg

The Mediterranean country was hit hard by COVID-19, losing more than 35,000 of its residents, according to the World Health Organization. In spite of this tragedy, the world has witnessed the culture and camaraderie that likely helped the country through the medieval epidemic.

At the height of their national coronavirus outbreak, choruses of Italians could be heard singing in solidarity through open windows and on rooftops — with a glass of wine in their hand all the while.

https://i.imgur.com/SUmwwaX.jpg

[FBD]

Soad they're trying to build a prison

https://www.aier.org/article/madness-in-melbourne

[FBD]

They'll bulldoze your home in England, shut off all your essential services to your home in LA, for compliance. All the left exposing themselves as the tyrants that the collectivist ideology always winds up with at the top of each local hill.

This is the death throes of collectivism we are witnessing.

[lost in melb.]

They'll bulldoze your home in England, shut off all your essential services to your home in LA, for compliance. All the left exposing themselves as the tyrants that the collectivist ideology always winds up with at the top of each local hill.

This is the death throes of collectivism we are witnessing.

Are you kidding? you need to do something that I've done and actually get out and meet the opposition. I've done so inWest Virginia that is conservative and it doesn't match up with the preconceptions of TV.

there are plenty of decent left wingers out there that are probably agonising over Biden right now - and will vote for him with the same reluctance that you voted for Trump. And roll their eyes at the extreme left antics with the same disgust that you do

[FBD]

hehe, I will concede that "all the left" is too wide of a net, it was a generalization - because really its that batshit 3-4% that is making otherwise reasonable lefties look bad. that 4% are the most useful of idiots, following whatever the bolsheviks tell them. I've met and interacted with plenty enough people who call themselves left of various degrees, I know plenty of people that call themselves left for what's most often a reason or two, who have their heads screwed on straight enough to point out blatantly reprehensible shit when they see it.

I didnt reluctantly vote for Trump :razz: by the time the 2016 election came around, the enemies had already by and large declared themselves, or at least their mouthpieces all did - and thus by actual election day I enthusiastically pulled the level for Trump.

so when I make statements like this is the death throes of collectivism, what I mean are the death throes of the bankster bolshevik collective - most "followers" simply wind up swaying whatever way the wind blows and once the wind blows badly for collectivist bankster shite, the followers will follow and that batshit 4% will still be standing where they are, wondering where everyone around them went that they thought was with them.

not for nothin the bulldoze your home and shut off your services are from actual news articles...

[lost in melb.]

True. Once Hilary showed up at the podium it would have been an instant decision for some
.

I think Trump has in part asks for the treatment that he get from mainstream media, sorry.

you should have seen how our media is treating our left wing leader in Victoria about the mistakes made leading to covid. You get roasted, and you need to deal with that without being a little nansy boy. Trump's a Playboy billionaire. What did he expect?

[FBD]

True. Once Hilary showed up at the podium it would have been an instant decision for some
.

I think Trump has in part asks for the treatment that he get from mainstream media, sorry.

you should have seen how our media is treating our left wing leader in Victoria about the mistakes made leading to covid. You get roasted, and you need to deal with that without being a little nansy boy. Trump's a Playboy billionaire. What did he expect?

part of the reason that Trump has been outright rude to some of these quasi journalists is that....well...pay attention to who he's been directly rude to, and there's a list of 'em that actively tried to help the democrats defraud 2016 and are more or less part of the network of traitors, and some of them may go to jail without passing go or collecting 200. the media was taken over as part of the full spectrum dominance approach, its exactly the extension of "the central banking owners" 0wnage of key government positions, corporations, media, academia (why do you think we've been dealing with this co2 malarkey ;) ) so what Trump is doing is help initiate an eventual purge...its coming, my bet is that they release enough to put the 2020 election beyond a doubt, and then make some real substantive corrections once victory is secured.

and once Trump wins and the avalanche commences, covid is going to be placed in its proper rank of weak ass flu with some high risk for peculiar comorbidity e.g. tuberculosis

[lost in melb.]

Fbd, I'm going to draw the line at equating media, academia, corporate and political as some kind of Uber conspiratorial NWO :hand:

[FBD]

Fbd, I'm going to draw the line at equating media, academia, corporate and political as some kind of Uber conspiratorial NWO :hand:

you're well within your rights to ignore the absolute mountains of circumstantial evidence of it, but imo its a bit naive to think nawwwwwwwwwww, they wouldnt do thaaaaaaaaaaat ;)

regardless, said journalists did in fact collude with other foreign and domestic entities to try and thwart the 2016 election, that be fact

[Teh One Who Knocks]

By Nick Givas | Fox News


https://i.imgur.com/I4qOa2Y.png

A convoy consisting of thousands of bikers headed for a South Dakota rally will not be allowed to cross Cheyenne River Sioux checkpoints on their way to the event, according to a Native American spokesman.

The spokesman said Saturday that the band of travelers would be stopped on their way to the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, in the name of preventing coronavirus from spreading any further.

The seven tribes that make up the Sioux Nation are now in a fight with federal and state officials, who deemed such checkpoints to be illegal.

A duty officer for the Cheyenne River Sioux told the Guardian Saturday that commercial and emergency vehicles will be allowed through the checkpoints, but nothing else. Some reservations have reportedly turned away bikers already.

Crowds had gathered for the start of the 10-day event on Friday, with many bikers adopting an attitude of defiance toward the COVID-19 restrictions that have drastically changed day-to-day life.

https://i.imgur.com/pcPMKmEL.jpg

“Screw COVID,” read the design on one of the T-shirts being sold. “I went to Sturgis.”

Gov. Kristi Noem, a Republican, has supported the Sturgis rally, citing the fact that no infections were reported as a result of the event held by President Trump at Mt. Rushmore last month. She's also avoided a mask mandate and highlighted the idea of personal responsibility.

For Arizona resident Stephen Sample, 66, who rode his bike to the event, the gathering is a break from the mostly monotonous routine of the last several months.

“I don’t want to die, but I don’t want to be cooped up all my life either,” he said.

Some of the crowd at Sturgis is composed of retirees and people in the age range deemed to be at risk from the coronavirus.

Business owners like bar owner Marsha Schmid, however, are trying to prevent her establishment from becoming a virus hotspot. She spaced out tables, offered hand sanitizer and scaled back the number of employees at the rally in an effort to help contain the disease.

Other residents wanted the rally to be postponed, but businesses insisted they needed the event to stave off any further economic ruin that occurred as a result of the shutdowns.

[lost in melb.]

Does it even make a difference anymore? :dunno:

[FBD]

nope, it'll be a thing of the past by the end of November :dance:

[Teh One Who Knocks]

Austin Carter - KTNV 13 Las Vegas


https://i.imgur.com/iS0gTr7l.png

LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Doctors and dentists say they’re seeing a new wave of dental issues from prolonged mask wearing due to COVID-19.

The wave is being coined ‘mask mouth’, and includes symptoms like bad breath, tooth decay and gum inflammation.

“It’s just not something we were expecting to see with a lot of mask wear,” says Dr. Daliah Wachs. “As we’re wearing the mask, rather than breathing through our nose, we’re breathing through our mouth”

Dr. Wachs says a lack of humidity in the mouth causes dry mouth, and less saliva is produced.

“We need saliva to help rinse off your teeth and keep everything copacetic,” says Dr. Wachs.

The term is a play off ‘meth mouth’, which is a common term referred to patients who have tooth decay from methamphetamine use.

However, mask mouth isn’t as visually glaring.

Doctors encourage continued mask use, and say the key to avoid any bacteria build up is to consistently hydrate.

“Just because we’re wearing a mask, and we’re not chewing gum and not worried about people smelling bad breath, it doesn’t mean we’re not having bad breath,” says Dr. Wachs. “You still have to concentrate on oral hygiene.”

Doctors are also encouraging patients to continue with regular appointments with their dentists as offices reopen.

[FBD]

https://consentfactory.org/2020/08/09/invasion-of-the-new-normals/


The slogan has been relentlessly repeated (in a textbook totalitarian “big lie” fashion) for going on the past six months. We have heard it repeated so many times that many of us have forgotten how insane it is, the idea that the fundamental structure of society needs to be drastically and irrevocably altered on account of a virus that poses no threat to the vast majority of the human species.

[FBD]

https://i.imgur.com/1PFo45m.png

https://i.imgur.com/QMAgWdx.png

https://i.imgur.com/NksEyAc.png

https://www.bitchute.com/video/zd1srAxBusU

[FBD]

https://youtu.be/P44IRnLfO0M

[Griffin]

Where's All Lives Matter when you need them?

[Muddy]

White bitch had it coming for being born a racist.

[Griffin]

White bitch had it coming for being born a racist.

:hand: That's Australia. Only white Americans can be racist.

[lost in melb.]

It's a role play enactment. She paid $10,000 for the privilege :hand:

[FBD]

It's a role play enactment. She paid $10,000 for the privilege :hand:

:lol:

[Teh One Who Knocks]

https://i.imgur.com/SvfCip5l.jpg

:|

[Teh One Who Knocks]

By Jon Brown - The Daily Wire


https://i.imgur.com/NhRkFGRl.jpg

More than 25% of young Americans aged 18-24 have seriously considered killing themselves during the last month, according to the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report released on Thursday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

“The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has been associated with mental health challenges related to the morbidity and mortality caused by the disease and to mitigation activities, including the impact of physical distancing and stay-at-home orders,” the report began. “Symptoms of anxiety disorder and depressive disorder increased considerably in the United States during April–June of 2020, compared with the same period in 2019.”
1293990087911514112
The report continued:


To assess mental health, substance use, and suicidal ideation during the pandemic, representative panel surveys were conducted among adults aged ≥18 years across the United States during June 24–30, 2020.

Overall, 40.9% of respondents reported at least one adverse mental or behavioral health condition, including symptoms of anxiety disorder or depressive disorder (30.9%), symptoms of a trauma- and stressor-related disorder (TSRD) related to the pandemic (26.3%), and having started or increased substance use to cope with stress or emotions related to COVID-19 (13.3%). The percentage of respondents who reported having seriously considered suicide in the 30 days before completing the survey (10.7%) was significantly higher among respondents aged 18–24 years (25.5%)[.]

The World Health Organization also recently reported skyrocketing levels of mental anguish worldwide since the advent of COVID-19. Substance abuse has also increased, WHO said, with “statistics from Canada [reporting] that 20% of 15-49 year-olds have increased their alcohol consumption during the pandemic.”

The CDC report later noted, “Elevated levels of adverse mental health conditions, substance use, and suicidal ideation were reported by adults in the United States in June 2020. The prevalence of symptoms of anxiety disorder was approximately three times those reported in the second quarter of 2019 (25.5% versus 8.1%), and prevalence of depressive disorder was approximately four times that reported in the second quarter of 2019 (24.3% versus 6.5%).”

The report went on to advise, “Markedly elevated prevalences of reported adverse mental and behavioral health conditions associated with the COVID-19 pandemic highlight the broad impact of the pandemic and the need to prevent and treat these conditions.”

The CDC recently warned of severe consequences for young people if schools do not reopen in the fall, a position that President Donald Trump has echoed, despite pushback from some teachers’ unions. As The Daily Wire reported, “The AAP and CDC guidance says that children not allowed to attend school in the fall face greater risk of abuse, as well as detrimental impacts to their physical and emotional health. The advice also warns of lasting effects to a generation’s education and learning.”

Former first lady Michelle Obama recently revealed how she, too, has not been left unscathed from the depression sweeping the country, which she blamed in part on the Trump administration. Claiming she has been experiencing sleep disturbances, Obama said, “I know that I am dealing with some form of low-grade depression. Not just because of the quarantine, but because of the racial strife, and just seeing this administration, watching the hypocrisy of it, day in and day out, is dispiriting.”

[FBD]

oversampling progdemocrat zoomers :lol:

[lost in melb.]

Terrible. I don't think it's just covid though...

[lost in melb.]

https://twitter.com/AnyTechnology/status/1294696290937380865

[DemonGeminiX]

https://twitter.com/AnyTechnology/status/1294696290937380865

Grant Imahara from Mythbusters and the Asian kid from The Goonies would have been proud.

[Muddy]

Grant Imahara from Mythbusters and the Asian kid from The Goonies would have been proud.

I stand right here, Doctor Jones..!

[Teh One Who Knocks]

I stand right here, Doctor Jones..!https://youtu.be/DbY_IfcKM9s

[Muddy]

https://i.imgur.com/B3UxCvJ.png

[FBD]

anyone remember this one :lol:

https://i.postimg.cc/brWc2wWw/fauci2017.png

[FBD]

Wtf, Germany?


Germany is expected to extend its pandemic furlough scheme to 24 months after Angela Merkel indicated that she welcomed the proposal to let the Kurzarbeit programme run on.


Uh.....Australia, have you lost your minds?


Alright /pol/. My shitty country has announced mandatory vaccinations

Yall better hope I'm right about this that come november... :lol:

[lost in melb.]

It's not mandatory, they'll just pull social services if you don't get the vaccine.

Fbd, you're a little late to the party but just so you know we do things differently over here. We don't tolerate people dying in droves, getting shot, etc for the sake of the individual liberty of a few hot heads.

Sorry to characterize it like that, but let's not indulge in political correctness

[FBD]

It's not mandatory, they'll just pull social services if you don't get the vaccine.

:lol: acting like aus is outside banksterism





4587
COVID-19 Narrative Ends the Day After the Election; Expect Cyber Attacks/Attempts on Nov 4th
Q
!!Hs1Jq13jV6
17 Jul 2020 - 5:47:13 PM
https://twitter.com/realAlexBaumann/status/1284240420302536705
C19 narrative kill date: Election Day +1
Prepare for zero-day [massive cyber-power] attacks [attempts] on 11.4.
Q

[lost in melb.]

:lol: acting like aus is outside banksterism

We are. Not as much as we would like.

We haven't had as much time to perfect the art of shafting our own people on the altar of greed and consumerism :thumbsup:

[Griffin]

Won't give it a thanks but I can't disagree with that statement either. :meh:

[FBD]

We are. Not as much as we would like.


The Queen's relationship to Australia is unique.

you dont say :lol:

[FBD]

https://i.imgur.com/ktJQy97.jpg

[lost in melb.]

That is so wrong. Inclusive of the medical professional these guys are on the Frontline while you sit back and gloat. Sorry, but It's a little disgusting frankly

Almost wish that more of these right-wing gloaters would cop a severely sick or dying loved one just to clear their heads a bit

[FBD]

That is so wrong. Inclusive of the medical professional these guys are on the Frontline while you sit back and gloat. Sorry, but It's a little disgusting frankly

Almost wish that more of these right-wing gloaters would cop a severely sick or dying loved one just to clear their heads a bit

There's a difference between gloating and simply pointing at hypocrisy and laughing at it, bro. When Appeal to Authority becomes the only rationale for listening...

(gloating would be me jumping up on the desk and crotch thrusting repeatedly when Hillary gets put in gitmo :lol: )

[lost in melb.]

There's a difference between gloating and simply pointing at hypocrisy and laughing at it, bro. When Appeal to Authority becomes the only rationale for listening...

Ok, maybe pop it somewhere else. For context Dad's got cancer and I've had a couple of unexpected hospital visits myself this year... The good people working in the hospitals and working the long shifts doing the testing are not your enemy

[FBD]

Ok, maybe pop it somewhere else. For context Dad's got cancer and I've had a couple of unexpected hospital visits myself this year... The good people working in the hospitals and working the long shifts doing the testing are not your enemy

It wasnt referring your you average doctor in your local hospital, it was referring to the disingenuous asswipes at places like the CDC.

(and not for nothin, every single doctor I ever saw misdiagnosed me, with the exception of the guy who did surgery on my back, he was the second doc I saw, third doc concurred...but outside of that, without exception...98% of them either can look up your issue and have it tell them what to do, or they sit there scratching their heads....)

[Griffin]

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Ef6iTvSXYAEIOV1?format=jpg&name=large

[FBD]

https://i.imgur.com/BDUd3xv.jpg

[Griffin]

That time of year when temperatures are still high, precipitation is low, and ragweed pollen is at it's highest. Don't dare sneeze though because covid has eradicated every other known ailment to mankind. Show any signs of allergies and you are expected to self isolate apparently for the next 2 months through the usual hay fever season.

Fuck you bitch, get out of my face. I've been dealing with this shit for half a century, long before this mask hysteria.

[lost in melb.]

That is so wrong. Inclusive of the medical professional these guys are on the Frontline while you sit back and gloat. Sorry, but It's a little disgusting frankly

Almost wish that more of these right-wing gloaters would cop a severely sick or dying loved one just to clear their heads a bit

After thinking COVID-19 was hoax, US man loses wife to coronavirus

A Florida man who initially claimed the coronavirus was a "fake crisis" has lost his wife to deadly COVID-19.

Brian Hitchens and his wife Erin both caught the virus in May but, swayed by conspiracy theories on Facebook about 5G cellular networks and that coronavirus was a hoax, they did not immediately seek medical help.

After hospitalisation, he recovered, but Ms Hitchens, who was an asthma sufferer, died this month, the BBC reports.

Brian Hitchens, who initially thought the coronavirus was a hoax, has lost this his wife Erin to COVID-19.
Brian Hitchens, who initially thought the coronavirus was a hoax, has lost this his wife Erin to COVID-19. (Facebook)
Mr Hitchens made headlines earlier in the pandemic after admitting he had previously considered COVID-19 was a "fake crisis" that was "blown out of proportion".

In early April he said he was sticking with US health advice but that he wasn't afraid of the virus.

"I'm honoring (sic) what our government says to do during this epidemic but I do not fear this virus because I know that my God is bigger than this Virus will ever be," he wrote in one of several social media posts documenting his journey.

In another post on May 12, he revealed he and his wife had contracted the virus, forcing a total rethink.

"Many people still think that the Coronavirus is a fake crisis which at one time I did too and not that I thought it wasn't a real virus going around but at one time I felt that it was blown out of proportion and it wasn't that serious," he wrote.

https://imageresizer.static9.net.au/ukRwPO0oI7MbPNRLcltXww16zDk=/1200x0/https%3A%2F%2Fprod.static9.net.au%2Ffs%2Fb640097e-5d4a-465b-8da6-6d6f5b0830fd


From Facebook later




I am so thankful for all the doctors that are working so hard to try and help my wife get better and all the nurses that are working hard and everybody putting long hours in a day to help make a patient's day a brighter day. These doctors and nurses and all the hospital staff I am so thankful for. Everybody's been so good all the nurses have just been fantastic. What I love about the attitude of everybody in the hospital is that they treat us like we matter and not as a discarded piece of trash which means so much to me because there's people out there that treat those of us who are sick like where some discarded piece of trash. Everybody's been so kind and merciful and I'm so grateful I'm so blessed to be around such a wonderful Hospital staff. These nurses don't have it easy either as my nurse last night was telling me that sometimes it's really hard leaving work because you're still in your scrubs if you stop somewhere to get gas people will see you in your scrubs and automatically think you've been around covid-19 patients and you get avoided like the plague so lets remember all the nurses and Hospital staff and keep them in your prayers to because they don't have it easy either and if any of you work here at Palm Beach Gardens Medical Center thank you for all that you do.

https://amp.9news.com.au/article/b270f48b-b4bf-42ae-8d47-323abc3a2489

__________________________________________

3 months to die. Tragicll

[Griffin]

Yesterday was the first day back to school. The grandson's backpack still had the empty package for the mandatory mask.

https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/1518/4186/products/EmojiKidsCareCoverFaceMask_200x200@2x.jpg?v=159348 1891

I had to laugh when I pulled out the "product certificate" label that said "MADE IN CHINA".

[FBD]

I've already got materials on hand to blast myself with cq & z, should the need arise, because fuck hospitals :dance: (hcq is just the synthetic version of cq)

funny part is, that stuff is part of my normal stock and I didnt order anything extra because of the plandemic

speaking of plandemic (https://www.bitchute.com/video/IB3ijQuLkkUr/), that and plandemic part 2 (https://www.bitchute.com/video/4u7rt61YeGox/) are highly advisable to add to the watch list.

to clarify my position, the virus exists but in reality exponentially less than claimed, I dont trust the numbers in the least since it is painfully obvious the numbers were fucked with....and that's on top of the geriatricide that took place.

[FBD]

booyaaaaaaaa

https://twitter.com/TheJusticeDept/status/1298692635134177283


cuomo already preparing his red scarf & doorknob

[FBD]

yall dont get how serious this one is, do ya :lol: cept Kev, he gets it ;)

https://i.imgur.com/ptLD27P.jpg

you want to know why we're going to have an october surprise and a 1984 pattern? because cuomo will be arrested before the election because of this, and they will be looking into all of the democrat cities that did this, and people will know...they will know that tens of thousands were murdered upon order by democrats...

the democrats were given a choice, and they chose the form of their destruction

predictor.jpg

[Muddy]

yall dont get how serious this one is, do ya :lol: cept Kev, he gets it ;)

https://i.imgur.com/ptLD27P.jpg

you want to know why we're going to have an october surprise and a 1984 pattern? because cuomo will be arrested before the election because of this, and they will be looking into all of the democrat cities that did this, and people will know...they will know that tens of thousands were murdered upon order by democrats...

the democrats were given a choice, and they chose the form of their destruction

predictor.jpg

If Trump wins again the left is fucked... I can see a major crackdown coming on this lawlessness.

[FBD]

The Justice Department on Wednesday sent letters to the governors of New York and three other Democratic-led states, seeking data on whether they violated federal law by ordering public nursing homes to accept recovering COVID-19 patients from hospitals — actions that have been criticized for potentially fueling the spread of the virus.
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/justice-department/doj-seeks-data-nursing-home-deaths-4-states-led-democrats-n1238399

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/doj-requests-data-cuomo-governors-nursing-home-coronavirus-deaths

https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/justice-dept-requests-nursing-home-covid-19-data-from-four-democratic-governors/2020/08/26/9003d86e-e7d8-11ea-bc79-834454439a44_story.html

https://nypost.com/2020/08/26/doj-probes-nursing-home-deaths-in-4-states-including-in-ny/

https://lidblog.com/doj-coronavirus-govs-nursing-homes/

[lost in melb.]

If Trump wins again the left is fucked... I can see a major crackdown coming on this lawlessness.

I'm not so sure...putting words carefully I think there will be a lot less of this nonsense under Biden/Kamala (and I think she will be tough as well)

Trump is effectively impotent. Anything he touches catches on fire (whatever his intention)

[lost in melb.]

https://youtu.be/2BbpuFeZdUQ

[Muddy]

I'm not so sure...putting words carefully I think there will be a lot less of this nonsense under Biden/Kamala (and I think she will be tough as well)

Trump is effectively impotent. Anything he touches catches on fire (whatever his intention)

Hate to say it, but I think you may be on to something . To let them win though would be like caving in to a child's ultimate temper tantrum.

[FBD]

I'm not so sure...putting words carefully I think there will be a lot less of this nonsense under Biden/Kamala (and I think she will be tough as well)

Trump is effectively impotent. Anything he touches catches on fire (whatever his intention)

:lol: I cant wait until the news is no longer 100% weapons grade horseshit

[lost in melb.]

Hate to say it, but I think you may be on to something . To let them win though would be like caving in to a child's ultimate temper tantrum.

I think they lost their way the second Hillary called Trump supporters 'deplorables'. The left need to claw their way back to legitimacy...

[lost in melb.]

:lol: I cant wait until the news is no longer 100% weapons grade horseshit

Says the guy in love with the President who turned the White house into his private RNC pantaloon..

[FBD]

Says the guy in love with the President who turned the White house into his private RNC pantaloon..

:lol: wtf does that even mean...and I only became a fan of Trump once I saw the entire system recoil in horror and make up a shit ton of blatantly false crap. If he were a corrupt bastard then Zog would have wheeled and dealed with him instead of shooting itself in the foot 800 times and burn every last ounce of credibility trying to stop him.

[Griffin]

I think they lost their way the second Hillary called Trump supporters 'deplorables'. The left need to claw their way back to legitimacy...

She (they) never did get it that America didn't vote to put Trump in office... they voted to keep her out.

[KevinD]

Edxactamundo
I was (am still not) a Trump fan. His life long support of democrats is partially why we're in this situation. He is an arrogant, brash, braggart, etc, etc.

All that said, I DO believe he does love the US, and wants what he believes is best for it. His ideas and mine aren't the same necessarily, but, close enough.
Hillary (et al) on the other hand, is simply evil.

[Muddy]

Edxactamundo
I was (am still not) a Trump fan. His life long support of democrats is partially why we're in this situation. He is an arrogant, brash, braggart, etc, etc.

All that said, I DO believe he does love the US, and wants what he believes is best for it. His ideas and mine aren't the same necessarily, but, close enough.
Hillary (et al) on the other hand, is simply evil.

Sadly (in return) there are people that hate the guy so much they are ready to lay with the devil just to not have him in office..

[Griffin]

To be fair, ( insert Letterkenny meme here ) that's exactly what we did last time and will do this time.

[Griffin]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jv7jcciKB_s

[lost in melb.]

In the past 24 hours, Victoria police have issued 195 fines, including 27 for failing to wear a mask and 66 for curfew breaches.

That includes “two men and a woman [who] were found at a home in Boroondara after the resident invited friends around for drinks to watch the football.

“The resident attempted to hide the visitors letting them try and flee over a back fence. One of the men was found hiding in bushes.”

[Griffin]

all I can do is shake my head in disbelief

[lost in melb.]

https://i.ibb.co/sssh2Rv/960x0.jpg (https://ibb.co/BTTmt3V)
https://i.ibb.co/JkjhvqJ/960x0-1.jpg (https://ibb.co/ZTzZBSD)
https://i.ibb.co/gFMPLvb/960x0-2.jpg (https://ibb.co/prvRBW6)
https://i.ibb.co/YZGBd1D/960x0-3.jpg (https://ibb.co/cLdh8Zb)
https://i.ibb.co/25KTk8b/960x0-4.jpg (https://ibb.co/M9NmC8X)

[Griffin]

ooo... I wonder if they can do one in an Obi Wan Kenobi cape?

[Teh One Who Knocks]

sp!ked


https://i.imgur.com/nD23S40l.jpg

Not a single healthy child in Britain has died from coronavirus.

This is the key finding of a new study, which has confirmed what we already knew: the risk posed to children by Covid-19 is miniscule.
1299159377144840192
Of the children the British Medical Journal (BMJ) report considered, six tragically died in hospital with Covid. Importantly, all of those had underlying health problems. This is equivalent to one per cent of child hospital admissions for coronavirus – a ‘strikingly low’ figure when compared to the 27 per cent figure for other age groups.

Researchers added that the likelihood of children needing hospital care for Covid is ‘tiny’ – and ‘even tinier’ for critical care. Indeed, 82 per cent of those admitted to hospital as virus cases did not require intensive care.

These findings add to those of a previous study which reported most children who catch the virus suffer either only mild symptoms or none at all.

With the evidence mounting that kids are largely safe from Covid, it is clearer than ever that schools are safe. Those who want to hold up the return to education are massively over-stating the risks. In fact, they are causing harm to children by restricting their lives in the name of protecting them from a negligible threat.

Let’s stop scaremongering and get schools back to normal.

[FBD]

back to school ya little shits! :lol: seriously tho, lots of kids exponentially disillusioned with schoolbs from all this crap...."look I can get this stuff done from home" :lol:

[Muddy]

back to school ya little shits! :lol: seriously tho, lots of kids exponentially disillusioned with schoolbs from all this crap...."look I can get this stuff done from home" :lol:

Its not the kids.. It's the lazy fuggin' teachers and the psycho parents.

[Teh One Who Knocks]

Its not the kids.. It's the lazy fuggin' teachers and the psycho parents.Exactly, my kid WANTS to go back to school, she was pissed when she learned the first month was going to be remote and that they will "reevaluate things" in a month.

[FBD]

Exactly, my kid WANTS to go back to school, she was pissed when she learned the first month was going to be remote and that they will "reevaluate things" in a month.

yeah my niece too...I was kinda talking shit about the older ones, hehe