All purpose news and politics thread part v: The quickening

[Tendrin]

Fair, shut that shit down too. So then that raises the question. Why has this happened multiple times in China and not the USA ?

I don't know enough to be able to have an opinion on that but if I had to hazard a guess, I'd say probably that the Chinese versions see wider and broader use, as the Chinese diet is full of a lot less processed food. Most wet market use isn't bad, in and of itself. Fresh meat and fish should be able to be obtainable for most people, as its a far healthier alternative to the processed crap we eat here in America, by and large. There's a reason places develop obesity epidemics as they turn towards more of an American model for food. We can hardly blame a people for wanting to avoid that.

But it does contain risks, and stricter oversight/management/protocols are important, alongside avoiding foods that are known vectors for novel viruses. None of this changes that the Chinese government screwed the pooch on its response initially and we should be able to talk about that and the practices that got us here, and use it to 1) do better ourselves and 2) demand better of others as well, even if we can't do those things because we have one set of racists wanting to blame 'China' in a racist exercise at ignoring our own failings and another set wanting to pretend that the only reason to talk about this at all is because anyone who broaches the subject is also racist.

[jetengine]

I don't know enough to be able to have an opinion on that but if I had to hazard a guess, I'd say probably that the Chinese versions see wider and broader use, as the Chinese diet is full of a lot less processed food. Most wet market use isn't bad, in and of itself. Fresh meat and fish should be able to be obtainable for most people, as its a far healthier alternative to the processed crap we eat here in America, by and large. There's a reason places develop obesity epidemics as they turn towards more of an American model for food. We can hardly blame a people for wanting to avoid that.

But it does contain risks, and stricter oversight/management/protocols are important, alongside avoiding foods that are known vectors for novel viruses. None of this changes that the Chinese government screwed the pooch on its response initially and we should be able to talk about that and the practices that got us here, and use it to 1) do better ourselves and 2) demand better of others as well, even if we can't do those things because we have one set of racists wanting to blame 'China' in a racist exercise at ignoring our own failings and another set wanting to pretend that the only reason to talk about this at all is because anyone who broaches the subject is also racist.

Definitely, after a bit of research it appears that China did indeed ban Live Animal sales at markets back in 2003 after SARS....and by 2004 they'd lifted it again learning absolutely nothing

[WestPhillyPunisher]

Was just coming to post this myself. Flu klux klan. WPP is gonna love it.

Heh! That IS plenty clever! I love it and will use it for those morons!

The USA has thousands of wet markets too. We're lucky it didn't strart here.

There's a wet market a block away from the main gate of the Navy base where I work. Pass by there every day on my way home and there's almost always a long line of cars outside the place. I had no idea of the potential dangers of such places until now.

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CDC Director Warns Americans Of Potential Second Wave Of Coronavirus This Winter

Robert Redfield told The Washington Post that a second wave could be harsher than the current one because it may overlap with the beginning of flu season.

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Trump’s Hoax: Obama Didn’t Predict This Coronavirus And Design A Test For It

Trump has all kinds of excuses for his failures, including attacking his predecessor for not making a test for a disease that wouldn’t come to pass for three years

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Missouri Becomes First U.S. State To Sue China For Lying, Not Doing Enough About COVID-19

But legal experts say efforts to hold China accountable for the coronavirus in U.S. courts are likely to be unsuccessful.

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GOP Gov. Hogan On Trump’s Snub: ‘I Have No Idea What He’s Upset About’

“We did what he told us to do,” said Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, whose decision to source 500,000 coronavirus test kits from abroad displeased the president.

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Michigan Gov. Says Trump’s Messaging Putting Public In ‘Greater Danger’

Gretchen Whitmer said President Donald Trump’s plan to suspend immigration is part of “inconsistent messages” that spread fear and put the public in “greater danger.”

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Environmental Destruction Brought Us COVID-19. What It Brings Next Could Be Far Worse.

A virus that originated in animals has upended life across the globe. But the next deadly pandemic could make this look like “a warmup.”

[jetengine]

Oh I dont know if this has been mentioned in this thread but Linda McMahon (Vinces wife iirc) of WWE fame effectively bribed Florida into declaring televised sports "essential services" via her donating a ton of money to Trump funds.

[Darkspellmaster]

Oh I dont know if this has been mentioned in this thread but Linda McMahon (Vinces wife iirc) of WWE fame effectively bribed Florida into declaring televised sports "essential services" via her donating a ton of money to Trump funds.

Someone get this family out of business! They're a danger to public health and safety now.

Regarding most wet bars. I think state side there are strict laws and regulations that are in place regarding the type of animal served there. Like I think you can't do exotic meat, and certain animals need to be kept in a particular way so as to be safe.

I don't know if it counts as a war bar, but a butcher shop like place where my grandmother used to get ducks blood for a type of polish soup kept them in the back, free, and would have them checked by an inspector every month or something like that.

[jetengine]

Someone get this family out of business! They're a danger to public health and safety now.

Regarding most wet bars. I think state side there are strict laws and regulations that are in place regarding the type of animal served there. Like I think you can't do exotic meat, and certain animals need to be kept in a particular way so as to be safe.

I don't know if it counts as a war bar, but a butcher shop like place where my grandmother used to get ducks blood for a type of polish soup kept them in the back, free, and would have them checked by an inspector every month or something like that.

Vince is a danger to his industry in general.

[WestPhillyPunisher]

Oh I dont know if this has been mentioned in this thread but Linda McMahon (Vinces wife iirc) of WWE fame effectively bribed Florida into declaring televised sports "essential services" via her donating a ton of money to Trump funds.

Was that before or after Vince cut wrasslers and staff because of the shutdown?

[jetengine]

Was that before or after Vince cut wrasslers and staff because of the shutdown?

I....think after, because there was a general feeling of "If your going to cut people cause no ones working drop Goldberg and Lesnar" its bad all around though.

[Tendrin]

Oh WBE-Eeeeeeeeeeeee....

Alabama Secretary of State John Merrill (R) on Tuesday responded with mockery to tweets that noted the hurdles the state’s absentee voting rules pose, particularly during a pandemic.
The state requires a photo ID to vote, and as absentee voting expands due to the outbreak, one Twitter user tweeted at the secretary of state’s personal and official accounts asking for clarity on how the ID requirement applies to voters casting ballots by mail. The state requires that absentee ballot applications and the ballot itself both be submitted either by mail or in person.
“So to exercise my right to vote I need to have a computer, with Internet, a printer, with toner and paper, and a smart phone with a camera or a scanner or a copy machine?” the user said, prompting a generic response from the official account that he either call that office or get in touch with local election officials for assistance in getting an absentee ballot application.
Merrill, via his personal account, jumped in when the user persisted in his question about the equipment required to prove one’s identity when voting absentee.

https://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/j...ommentsWrapper

[Panfoot]

The $18.5 million dollar bribe from Linda McMahon's Super PAC came on the same day as the memo was released declaring the WWE an essential service, April 10th. The announcement of all the cut wrestlers/workers was on the 15th, so yeah, it's THAT shitty.

[InformationGeek]

And here's these two idiots complaining about money going to help people.

Republican senators Mike Lee and Rand Paul slammed the Senate today for passing a $484 billion coronavirus rescue package while lawmakers remained scattered across the U.S.

[Tami]

Viewers of Sean Hannity more likely to die from COVID-19 than those of Tucker Carlson: study

A new study from the University of Chicago's Becker Friedman Institute for Economics found that "greater viewership of 'Hannity' relative to 'Tucker Carlson Tonight' was strongly associated with a greater number of COVID-19 cases and deaths in the early stages of the pandemic."

Fox News host Sean Hannity has been heavily criticized for echoing President Donald Trump's initial attempts to downplay the threat posed by the new coronavirus. Meanwhile, Tucker Carlson, his colleague at the right-leaning network who has framed the issue in more nationalistic terms, has been credited with convincing the president to take the pandemic seriously.

Now all we need is a study to determine if viewers of Fox News overall are more likely to die than those who watch other news outlets/channels.

[Tami]

This coal company with ties to the Trump administration just got a $10 million small-business loan

A coal company based in Indiana received $10 million from a federal loan program intended to rescue faltering small businesses from the economic ravages of the coronavirus pandemic.

But Hallador Energy has several hundred more employees than the standard firm awarded money under the $2 trillion stimulus bill. And it has at least two important ties to the Trump administration: Scott Pruitt, the former Environmental Protection Agency administrator, was hired last year to lobby for the publicly traded firm in Indiana; and the company’s former government relations director now works at the Energy Department.

A coal and gas extraction firm, Hallador Energy said it got the low-interest loan from the Paycheck Protection Program, a nearly $350 billion fund designed to bolster small businesses during the downturn. The program quickly ran out of money in the face of wide-scale demand: Congress and the White House are nearing a deal that would provide about $310 billion to replenish the fund.

[Tami]

Coronavirus pandemic will cause global famines of 'biblical proportions,' UN warns

London (CNN)The world is facing multiple famines of "biblical proportions" in just a matter of months, the UN has said, warning that the coronavirus pandemic will push an additional 130 million people to the brink of starvation.

Famines could take hold in "about three dozen countries" in a worst-case scenario, the executive director of the World Food Programme (WFP) said in a stark address on Tuesday. Ten of those countries already have more than 1 million people on the verge of starvation, he said.

He cited conflict, an economic recession, a decline in aid and a collapse in oil prices as factors likely to lead to vast food shortages, and urged swift action to avert disaster.

"While dealing with a Covid-19 pandemic, we are also on the brink of a hunger pandemic," David Beasley told the UN's security council. "There is also a real danger that more people could potentially die from the economic impact of Covid-19 than from the virus itself."

The WFP had already warned that 2020 would be a devastating year for numerous countries ravaged by poverty or war, with 135 million people facing crisis levels of hunger or worse. Their updated projections nearly double that number.

[Tami]

'No way food safety not compromised': US regulation rollbacks during Covid-19 criticised

The US government is accelerating controversial regulatory rollbacks to speed up production at meat plants, as companies express growing alarm at the impact of Covid-19 on their operations.

Last week Smithfield shut down one of the largest pork plants in the country after hundreds of employees contracted the coronavirus. The plant in South Dakota – whose output represents 4–5% of US pork production – is reported to be the largest single-source coronavirus hotspot in the US, with more than 600 cases. In response, the company said it was “critical” for the meat industry to “continue to operate unabated”.

Now it has emerged that as a wave of plants announce closures, US meat plants are being granted permission to increase the speed of their production lines. This comes despite warnings that the waivers for higher speeds on slaughter and processing lines will compromise food safety.