40 minutes ago, Mark Maras said:

 I watched an interesting documentary about the 1918 (Spanish flu) pandemic last night on TV. The first reported case was at an Army base in Kansas, March 11, 1918, then it crossed the Atlantic to Brest, France with the WWI American troop landings. It became the "Spanish flu" because Spain, being neutral in the war was the first to announce it on May 22, 1918. None of the powers at war, at the time, wanted to let the other side know of their vulnerability due to the flu. That flu, thanks to the war, had a full two months to spread within the troops and into the population before anyone could step in and begin to take preventative measures.

How long did this one get to spread before anyone took any action? I have read of cases as early as October 2019. They threatened the doctor who tried to sound the alarm early on. Now he's dead and they just apologized to his widow. Lot's of good that does!

6 minutes ago, Patcon said:

Did you know that congress and their staffs are exempt from the insider trading laws?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/STOCK_Act

Dennis

The city's mandated "Shelter in Place" directive was feeling a little restrictive this afternoon, so I went for a drive to see what was happening around town.  I live in a tourist town that doubles in population this time of year.  All bars were closed, a few restaurants  had signs offering take-out food, street parking downtown was virtually empty because all the stores are closed, the casino was closed, and a few Urban Bedouins were hunkered down with their shopping carts on downtown sidewalks.  

Marijuana shops,  grocery stores and gas stations appeared to be the only essential stores allowed to remain open .

Welcome to the New Normal.  Shelter in Place lasts until April 3rd.

Dennis

 Meanwhile we listen to our Dear Leader tell us that he'd always known it was a pandemic and even felt it was a pandemic even before it was called a pandemic, then the next day he says the virus snuck up on us. The only truth I've heard from him was his admission that he's not responsible.

https://www.opensecrets.org/news/2020/03/burr-unloaded-stocks-before-coronavirus/

Never mind.  The facts tell their own story.

Edited March 20, 20205 yr by Zed Head

opensecrets.org = conspiracytheoriesR'Us.com

"Trust me," he said. 

EDIT: but this action does appear to be questionable. 

Edited March 20, 20205 yr by Pilgrim

There will always be people who respond without reading and thinking first.  Many politicians depend on that.

https://www.opensecrets.org/news/2020/03/burr-unloaded-stocks-before-coronavirus/
Never mind.  The facts tell their own story.

Gosh! That is quite shocking and clearly foreknowledge. Time and again we see this but no one in those positions of power is held to account - unless they are scape goats and it suits the narrative.

Financial Services sector workers would be castrated, fired instantly and shot at dawn for dealing even in their private pensions without prior declaration and approvals. It’s good to see elected officials with conflicts of interest having to live up to such high standards !!!

As for Trump, he is, if nothing else, consistent! ;)

And I agree with the comments above - they are “theories”. Somehow breaking out alternatives to the official narrative has been stigmatised historically with the words conspiracy theory.

If someone in the year 2000 told you that the government was listening to your calls and reading your emails you would have laughed in their face and called them a conspiracy theorist foil hat wearing nut job.

I try to always look at the facts before making assumptions vs people who make assumptions and then look for “facts” to support their view.   Conspiracy Theories are not just the product of stupid people we have some very intelligent people who somehow fall for this stuff too.   The fact of the matter many times there is some truth to many of them so it reinforces their way of thinking,  just like AK260 said about NSA that is able to listen to phone conversations and keeping all text data in a national data base,   I have a very close friend that is highly intelligent and successful but he is one of these guys that is always talking about Conspiracy Theories.  We’ve been friend since 1989 and so I know him well, he was my best man at my wedding.  He believes in the stupid conspiracy theory that the contrails you see from jet liners are “Chemtrails”, emitted by government to control the population.  I told him how stupid this theory is.  I’ve been flying airplanes since 1993.  I fly for one of the worlds biggest airlines, I know the business.  I sent him the science behind why jets produce a vapor trail and even send him photos of me tucked in formation 10 behind a tanker when a I flew fighters.  He still believe there are tanks in the jets with secret chemicals.  The logistics and people involved in this theory would be impossible to hide, not to mention if the government wanted to do something like  this there are much easier methods, like the tainting the  water or food supply.  But alas....he believes in Chemtrails still.

So we know we will never get the full story from governments, so I look at their actions to clue me into what their true intent is over their words.  
 

My small town declared a “State of Emergency”.  I live in a vacation town and people are rolling around here on bikes and playing volleyball on the beach like it’s spring break and the Mayor had to do something,  NY license plates everywhere, people with second vacation homes or grabbing a VRBO.  As of now only residents and critical persons are allowed on the the island (intercoastal island).  I smell lawsuits coming in the months ahead as the business here depend on tourist $$.  We haven’t had a COVID-19 case in my entire county and many will say them Mayor went to far too early.  Business won’t survive a long shutdown, many struggle to make it through the winter months.  
 

My final comment:  Many of us are able to financially weather this storm.  Some cannot.  I always told my Marines...”Influence your circle”. This means you have an obligation to assist those around you, that are not able to help themselves due to age, $$, or health reasons,  The best way we get through this is help your neighbors, friends and co-workers through this.  If you have a coupe in there 80’s maybe you go get their groceries.  This is the time to give if you have extra. This is a time to be extra vigilant with regards to people in your neighborhood that don’t belong there.  
I know there are many foreign members on this forum and this is not slight on them or their counties,  I can only speak for the US here.  American’s ....hated and loved for many reasons that are many times valid.  We have a segment of our population that I despise, watch Jerry Springer and you need not say more.  I hate airport terminals because your see people only concerned about themselves there.  At the same time we are also  a people with incredible spirit here, very giving and generous.  People here raise to the challenge, we do well when down , we come together when the odds are against us.  It’s in our DNA...I don’t know why.  I think we are our best when faced with a crisis.  Again please take no offense to the non-American’s.  These observations  may hold true for you and your home as well, but I cannot speak to them.     

On 3/19/2020 at 8:38 PM, Patcon said:

How long did this one get to spread before anyone took any action? I have read of cases as early as October 2019. They threatened the doctor who tried to sound the alarm early on. Now he's dead and they just apologized to his widow. Lot's of good that does!

We were aware of it mid-January.  I had to go to a conference in Hawaii  Jan 19-22 and was apprehensive as a lot of Chinese attend it. I brought masks but did not use.  I then had to fly to Dallas on Feb 11-14 and wore masks.  I remember one guy getting on the plane in Houston who was sweating profusely and demanding drinks of water from the stewardess when boarding!  Not sure if he just ran a 4min mile but it was odd for sure.

For the start of the virus, in early Jan, when news of the virus was getting out, the Chinese Govt confidently stated it began in early Dec and  pointed the finger at a fish market where it was claimed that animals were also sold... but shortly after they said patient 0 was an old man in a hospital who never had connections or went to the market. They said he started it in the first week of Dec..... but a month ago a Brit in Wuhan survived it and he said he got it in late Nov.   Recently it was stated that the first patient in Wuhan was  November 17.

As for the fish market story, locals who worked there said the ones who were infected were people who did not tend to the stalls but rather the regulars who hung out in front on the street and gambled/played card with passers-by.

For tracing the early infected, it is easy to do in China as they keep records on everyone  and track them just like the Nazi's did (association intended). Digital hospital records, cell phone tracking and face recognition tracking make it easy to track this virus. China knows more than they are saying.... the Wuhan P4 Biolab has not been cleared of association so who knows what will eventually turn up?

 

Edited March 21, 20205 yr by 240260280

19 hours ago, Zed Head said:

It's nice to be connected.  Could have got a head start on the financial problem.  I'll bet some of this audience made a killing, shorting the market.

https://www.npr.org/2020/03/19/818192535/burr-recording-sparks-questions-about-private-comments-on-covid-19

 

This train wreck about to happen was easy to see a month before it happened. Burr just had his eyes open.

The entire state of California is now on "Shelter in Place" status by order of the governor.  He says that it's unlikely that schools will be reopened this school year.  Stores are closed, streets are almost empty, and hoarding mentality abounds.  

Life imitates art and this is becoming every bad alien virus, zombie apocalypse, government experiment gone bad movie from the last 50 years.  Can't wait to see how it ends.

Dennis