A Supplemental Dose

TheDose.jpg
A column for COVID conversation and updates.

It appears omicron is doing the job of providing natural immunity across much of the world. Those countries which effectively blocked widespread disease with lockdowns and other isolation measures, are now having the worse COVID outcomes (like China and New Zealand).

So COVID is more common than ever....extremely widespread....and now there's new variants.

https://www.health.ny.gov/press/releases/2022/2022-04-13_covid-19.htm
BA.2, now 80.6% of infections in New York
During March
BA.2.12 and BA.2.12.1 rose to 70% prevalence in Central New York
Data for April
Levels in Central New York are now above 90%
At this time, there is no evidence of increased disease severity by these subvariants

BA.2.12 and BA.2.12.1 in 40 other countries, and 30 states across the United States

NY city
Cases, + 2,104 ( 7 day average)
Up 60% (past 14 days)
Deaths, down 9% (past 14 days)

US

Cases, + 22%
Deaths, down 27%
Hospitalized, down 13%

So highly contagious, but fortunately not as virulent.

So let me post one more Dr John commentary. (14 min)
So despite the wide spread incidence of omicron, hospitalizations and deaths have trended down.

United States of America
(3 682 new deaths; -9%)
Republic of Korea
(2 186 new deaths; -6%
Russian Federation
(2 008 new deaths; -15%)
Germany
(1 686 new deaths; +6%)
Brazil
(1 120 new deaths; -22%).
Africa (WHO)
Cases, lowest since the pandemic began
Cases down, 29%
Deaths down, 37%
(239 deaths for the week)
No country in the region is currently seeing an increase of COVID-19 cases.

So, as we hoped, things are looking good for wide spread natural immunity and the evolution of the virus into an endemic cold like illness.

I thought an update was appropriate.

Share
up
13 users have voted.

Comments

Cassiodorus's picture

which prompt the body's immune responses. The BA2 variants are more contagious -- 15% more contagious than BA1, which is bizarrely all that it takes, and definitely more contagious than Delta, which has died out most everywhere. Delta was scary stuff. Key word: "was."

Enjoy slightly-lower gas prices while you can -- they are apparently a product of China's misguided lockdown policies in response to Omicron.

up
8 users have voted.

"The war on Gaza, backed by the West, is a demonstration that the West is willing to cross all lines. That it will discard any nuance of humanity. That it is willing to commit genocide" -- Moon of Alabama

Lookout's picture

@Cassiodorus

according to my understanding. So eventually it will spread to most people world wide. Fortunately most are asymptomatic cases. And you're right it is a good thing omicron out competed the more deadly delta variant.

up
10 users have voted.

“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”

snoopydawg's picture

@Cassiodorus

It’s been $4.45 here for the last few weeks and diesel is $5.40.

Post your prices.

up
3 users have voted.

Which AIPAC/MIC/pharma/bank bought politician are you going to vote for? Don’t be surprised when nothing changes.

@snoopydawg Back down in MN. Erratic but down. Saw a 3.60 yesterday. Diesel much higher.

up
2 users have voted.
Lookout's picture

@snoopydawg

I use non-ethanol gas in my old tractor and little machines. It is $4.30.

up
4 users have voted.

“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”

@snoopydawg Cloverdale is always high. 5.49 regular, 5.69 premium, 5.99 diesel. People still use premium in their fancy hondas and such. I did see five or six Teslas during my stroll from north to south and back this morning. Jesus christ on a bicycle! Lots of cars in church parking lots, except the seventh day one, they do Saturdays? I don't know. Ha ha oh man I see das gentrified tent future for these old boney fingers, coming soon... but again I digress. sry

One thing about the latest diet and fasting fads, they did prepare me better to be hungry all the time again. Every day. And skinnier than shit, like I'm in high school again. woo hoo. More belt holes! Yeah baby. Do not eat the leather belt. ein prosit

Hate and War
ding!

up
5 users have voted.
Cassiodorus's picture

@snoopydawg $4.50 if you don't shop around.

up
1 user has voted.

"The war on Gaza, backed by the West, is a demonstration that the West is willing to cross all lines. That it will discard any nuance of humanity. That it is willing to commit genocide" -- Moon of Alabama

studentofearth's picture

@Cassiodorus Financial community. They might loose some profit while China attempts to save lives of its citizens and prevent longterm complications associated with the infection.

Shanghai lockdown raising foreign investor hackles Asia Times April 13, 2022 (behind a paywall)

After the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China and the American Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai expressed concerns about the prolonged lockdown measures in China’s largest commercial city, the United States’ State Department on Monday ordered the departure of non-emergency US government workers from the consulate in Shanghai.

Foreign manufacturers in Shanghai are also suffering from lockdown measures as their factories are either being closed or faced with logistical problems.
...
Several foreign chambers of commerce have also expressed their concerns about the prolonged lockdown in Shanghai.

The European Union Chamber of Commerce in China said on Monday it had sent a letter to China’s State Council and Vice-Premier Hu Chunhua, urging the country to revise its “zero Covid” policy, which had disrupted European companies’ operations.
...
A joint survey conducted on March 29-30 by the American Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai and the American Chamber of Commerce in China in Shanghai showed that 99% of 167 respondents said they had been impacted by the recent outbreaks in China.

About 60% of respondents said they had to slow or reduce production because of a lack of employees, an inability to obtain supplies or government-ordered lockdowns. Among manufacturers, 82% reported slowed or reduced production.
...
by Jeff Pao April 13, 2022
The Shanghai Expo venue has become a mass testing venue. Photo: WikiCommons

Shanghai’s extended lockdown has failed to contain the virus, seen in rising cases and viral spread beyond the megacity, but has succeeded in shaking foreign investor confidence.

After the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China and the American Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai expressed concerns about the prolonged lockdown measures in China’s largest commercial city, the United States’ State Department on Monday ordered the departure of non-emergency US government workers from the consulate in Shanghai.

Foreign manufacturers in Shanghai are also suffering from lockdown measures as their factories are either being closed or faced with logistical problems.

Although the Shanghai government has eased lockdown measures in some low-risk areas to set free about 4.8 million people on Monday, more than 15 million people in the city are still locked down.

Residents have complained loudly about a shortage of vegetables and eggs, while some said they were sent to unfinished quarantine centers. Some residents in a high-rise compound screamed out their windows at night due to a lack of food. Some migrant workers even used grass to make dumplings, according to reports.

Shanghai was locked down on March 28 after thousands of Covid-19 cases – mostly asymptomatic, say authorities – were identified each day. Originally, the municipal government planned to lock down the eastern side of the city between March 28 and April 1 and the western side from April 1 to April 5, but then extended the lockdown period.

On Monday, the Shanghai government announced it had divided the entire city into three categories as part of targeted efforts to overcome a local Covid-19 resurgence. It said it had designated 7,624 closed-off management areas, 2,460 restrictive control areas and 7,565 prevention areas.
Workers clean the streets in Shanghai. Photo: WikiCommons

Residents in closed-off management areas cannot leave their homes, while those in restrictive control areas are not allowed to leave their small districts. Only about 4.8 million people in prevention areas, mainly in suburban areas, can now walk freely on the streets.

On Tuesday, the financial hub reported 1,189 new cases and 25,141 asymptomatic infections, compared with 994 new cases and 21,844 asymptomatic infections on Monday.

Lei Zhenglong, the deputy head of the Chinese National Health Commission’s (NHC) Bureau of Disease Prevention and Control, said Shanghai’s epidemic situation was still in a fast-growing period.

Lei said virus transmissions in communities had not yet been effectively suppressed, but had expanded to many neighboring cities and provinces. He said the number of infections in mainland China would remain at a high level in the coming days.

The US State Department was closely monitoring the Shanghai lockdown and evaluating its impacts on supply chains, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said on April 8. Although the port in Shanghai was operating normally, many factories and warehouses were shut down and other logistics problems could cause air cargo delays, Psaki said.

On Monday, the US State Department ordered its non-emergency US government workers to leave Shanghai, marking a policy change from last week, when the department only authorized non-emergency employees to leave on a voluntary basis.

“The movement from ‘authorized’ to ‘ordered’ departure means that we are now mandating that certain employees depart Shanghai rather than making this decision voluntary,” a US Embassy spokesperson said in a statement.

“Our change in posture reflects our assessment that it is best for our employees and their families to be reduced in number and our operations to be scaled down as we deal with the changing circumstances on the ground.”

“We deplore and reject the US’ politicization and instrumentalization of the issue of personnel departure. We have made solemn representations with the US side,” Zhao Lijian, a spokesperson of China’s foreign ministry, said Tuesday.

“The US should immediately stop attacking China’s anti-epidemic policies, stop political manipulation under the pretext of the epidemic and stop smearing China.”
The Shanghai Expo venue has become a mass testing venue. Photo: WikiCommons

Several foreign chambers of commerce have also expressed their concerns about the prolonged lockdown in Shanghai.

The European Union Chamber of Commerce in China said on Monday it had sent a letter to China’s State Council and Vice-Premier Hu Chunhua, urging the country to revise its “zero Covid” policy, which had disrupted European companies’ operations.

It said the “old toolbox of mass testing and isolation” was not able to stop the spread of the highly infectious Omicron variant.

A joint survey conducted on March 29-30 by the American Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai and the American Chamber of Commerce in China in Shanghai showed that 99% of 167 respondents said they had been impacted by the recent outbreaks in China.

About 60% of respondents said they had to slow or reduce production because of a lack of employees, an inability to obtain supplies or government-ordered lockdowns. Among manufacturers, 82% reported slowed or reduced production.

About half of the surveyed companies said they would reduce investment if China’s current Covid-19 restrictions remain in place into 2023.

“The current Covid-19 outbreak in China strongly disrupts German companies’ business operations, such as logistics, production and the entire supply chain within China,” the German Chamber of Commerce in China said on March 31.
...
On Tuesday, the Pegatron Corp, an iPhone assembler, said it had suspended production at its Chinese plants in Shanghai and Kunshan as China’s “zero Covid” policy disrupted global supply chains. The Taiwanese firm said the resumption of output at its sites would depend on notifications from the Chinese government.

Akio Yaita, the head of the Taipei branch of the Japanese media company Sankei Shimbun, said in a Facebook post on Tuesday that many Japanese business people, including his friends, were considering departing from China as they were afraid of the tough anti-epidemic measures.

Post COVID-19 Syndrome in Patients with Asymptomatic/Mild Form Pathogens Nov 2021

Majority of study was prior to widespread Omicron, but would not rule out similar rate of long term complications.

5. Conclusions
According to the analysis of original articles on PCS among asymptomatic/mild COVID-19 patients, PCS develops on average in 30–60% of patients, mainly among women, with fatigue, shortness of breath, cough, and anosmia being the most common symptoms. The possible association between the described PCS symptoms and brain damage during coronavirus infection suggests an alternative form of the course of the disease that develops in genetically predisposed individuals with a stronger immune response (in particular women), in which it predominantly affects the cells of the nervous system with the presence of an autoimmune component, which has similarities with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome or autoimmune disautonomia. In summary, the female gender and the presence of anosmia during an asymptomatic or mild form of the disease could be predictive factors of the development of PCS, which might be caused by autoimmune damage to neurons, glia, and cerebral vessels.

up
6 users have voted.

Still yourself, deep water can absorb many disturbances with minimal reaction.
--When the opening appears release yourself.

Lookout's picture

@studentofearth

We'll have to wait and see, but he has a pretty good track record...not perfect but good.

His idea is to let it spread while people have immune response from vaccination, because we know vaccine prevention wanes over time.

No matter how you see it, this disease and the response has been quite the experience and an interesting social phenomenon.

Thanks for the China insights!

up
5 users have voted.

“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”

Cassiodorus's picture

@Lookout so I don't know if Campbell's idea of natural immunity would apply to them.

up
0 users have voted.

"The war on Gaza, backed by the West, is a demonstration that the West is willing to cross all lines. That it will discard any nuance of humanity. That it is willing to commit genocide" -- Moon of Alabama

CB's picture

@Cassiodorus

Mainland China

59% of peak

1 infections per 100K people reported last 7 days

Updated 3:25 PM PDST

Mainland China is reporting 2,759 new infections on average each day, 59% of the peak - the highest daily average reported on February 12.

There have been 185,035 infections and 4,638 coronavirus-related deaths reported in the country since the pandemic began.
...
Vaccination

Mainland China has administered at least 3,315,186,000 doses of COVID vaccines so far. Assuming every person needs 2 doses, that\s enough to have vaccinated about 118.6% of the country's population.
...

https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/country/china/

Coronavirus Cases: 185,035
Deaths: 4,641
Recovered: 151,407
...
Latest News
April 18 (GMT)
Updates

2,742 new cases and 3 new deaths in China The number of new asymptomatic cases, which China counts separately, were 20,718 [source]
...

up
4 users have voted.
Cassiodorus's picture

@CB

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-03-18/only-half-of-chinese-...

up
2 users have voted.

"The war on Gaza, backed by the West, is a demonstration that the West is willing to cross all lines. That it will discard any nuance of humanity. That it is willing to commit genocide" -- Moon of Alabama

Pluto's Republic's picture

@Cassiodorus

Get ready to blame China for any and all adversities in the known universe.

I call bullshit on China directly affecting gas prices until I see a logical explanation that doesn't stink like a neocon.

up
12 users have voted.

____________________

The political system is what it is because the People are who they are. — Plato
Cassiodorus's picture

@Pluto's Republic in 2020 for a brief moment the gas prices at the Towne Pump in Medford were something like $2.20.

All we have now is: Towne Pump Medford before China lockdown: $4.50
after China lockdown (given a delay) $4.30

So my claim that the China lockdown depressed the prices is a modest one. From $4.50 to $4.30 isn't much.

up
3 users have voted.

"The war on Gaza, backed by the West, is a demonstration that the West is willing to cross all lines. That it will discard any nuance of humanity. That it is willing to commit genocide" -- Moon of Alabama

On Monday I heard two stories of esophageal cancer. Both in young to middle age. Both totally out of the blue. (edit to add- Both terminal.)
I know there have been reports in huge spikes of cancer. Some concern about what is suddenly causing this.
Countering that concern, major insurers are NOT reporting an uptick in cancer. And I do not think they are allowed to lie in their quarterly reports, or other reports that investors look at for guidance.

up
9 users have voted.
Lookout's picture

@wouldsman

Scott Davison, the CEO of OneAmerica, a $100 billion insurance company based out of Indiana, has come out publicly and stated that based on life insurance claims, the death rate has skyrocketed an unprecedented 40% among those between the ages of 18 and 64, based on the 3rd quarter and into the 4th quarter of 2021.

https://vaccineimpact.com/2022/crisis-in-america-deaths-up-40-among-thos...

Not a good look for the vaccines, and so rarely mentioned...no better get a 4th booster is the message.

up
9 users have voted.

“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”

@Lookout

the vaccines have anything to do with this. Davidson addressed this...

“CDC data indicates that 65% of 3Q excess deaths can be directly attributed to COVID,” Davison said. “Our own claims data is consistent with that as well. Based on the data and our analysis, we believe that a significant portion of the remaining excess deaths are driven by deferred medical care and individuals who recover from COVID but later die from the toll COVID has taken on their bodies.”

up
2 users have voted.

"Without the right to offend, freedom of speech does not exist." Taslima Nasrin

Pluto's Republic's picture

@wouldsman

There have been warning about the long-term rise of various accelerated and aggressive cancers as a result of SARS-CoV-2 infections since the beginning of the pandemic. Over the past few months, physicians around the world are reporting the increase of various cancers including gastrointestinal cancers, liver cancers, lung cancers, etc.

Last week, a new study led by researchers from the University of Vermont indicates possible long-term medical conditions arising in Long COVID including various cancers. The researchers found that the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus is capable of hijacking the host DNA, causing mutagenesis and telomere dysregulation. The virus also impairs DNA mismatch repair, giving rise to hypermutability.

The study team alarmingly found that SARS-CoV-2 infection triggers host cell genome instability by modulating the expression of molecules of DNA repair and mutagenic translesion synthesis. (Translesion DNA synthesis (TLS) is the process by which cells copy DNA containing unrepaired damage that blocks progression of the replication fork.)

The study results have implications for understanding the pathobiological consequences of COVID-19. The study also involved medical scientists from Duke University, New York University and Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.

The study findings are published on Research Square, a preprint server. The findings are currently being peer reviewed. https://www.researchsquare.com/article/rs-1556634/v1

A reminder that catching Covid-19 is definitely not the same thing as catching a cold.

up
6 users have voted.

____________________

The political system is what it is because the People are who they are. — Plato
snoopydawg's picture

@Pluto's Republic

the massive increase in cancers? Devious.

up
8 users have voted.

Which AIPAC/MIC/pharma/bank bought politician are you going to vote for? Don’t be surprised when nothing changes.

Pluto's Republic's picture

@snoopydawg

I've been holding a lot of this stuff back. But I don't think I will anymore.

This one was published five months ago, in November 2021:

New International Study Warns That SARS-CoV-2 Infections Will Lead To Cancers Especially Colorectal Cancers

A new international study comprising of researchers from the University of Turin-Italy, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences-Iran,  University of Manitoba-Canada, Silesian University of Technology-Poland, University of Michigan-USA, Katowice School of Technology-Poland, Italian Institute for Genomic Medicine-Italy and the Candiolo Cancer Institute-Italy has alarmingly found that cancer will become one of the increasing conditions in Long COVID due to the ability of SARS-CoV-2 infections to cause disruptions in the human host cellular autophagy.

The researchers warn that although SARS-CoV-2 is not considered an oncogenic virus, the possibility of increased risk of cancer among COVID-19 survivors is extremely high. In their study findings, the study team provided an overview of the possible mechanisms leading to cancer development, particularly obesity-related cancers (e.g., colorectal cancer), resulting from defects in autophagy and the blockade of the autophagic flux, and also immune escape in COVID-19 survivors.

The study findings were published in the peer reviewed journal: Cancers
https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6694/13/22/5721/htm

What caught my attention was an attached note from one of the foreign reporting editors:

"It should be noted that we have been sounding the alarms since 2020 that SARS-CoV-2 will lead to an increase of a variety of cancers among those that were infected. But many of our efforts were blocked by various American and British agencies and also by the mainstream media from these two countries."

So, the medical deceit about Covid-19 in the US is not our imagination. I'm not sure people have all the information or an understanding of the risks they face to adequately protect themselves during this long-term depopulation event.

BTW, China knows what a Covid-19 infection means to the human body. That's why the Zero Covid policy has driven the Neocons wild! They know that the Chinese know what's really going on. Hasn't anyone been curious about what Zero Covid is all about?

up
7 users have voted.

____________________

The political system is what it is because the People are who they are. — Plato
snoopydawg's picture

@Pluto's Republic

I've been holding a lot of this stuff back. But I don't think I will anymore.

I’m glad that you aren’t. I do want to know everything that is out there on this. As for China I agree that they know as much about this as possible and it’s probably why they went with the old style vaccines that actually sterilize the virus. People are ticked that they have locked down Shanghai, but outside the city life is going on as usual. They are trying to keep it contained and it’s why the globalists are having a cow. Lots of horrid stories coming out from the city and who knows what is true? People were fed when they locked down Wuhan were they not? I can’t see China letting people starve if they are trying to keep them alive and well. We are in the biggest disinformation war in our lifetime.

There have been lots of rumors of Russia playing along with the great reset and I’ve been on the fence about it. I just read this and now I’m still not sure, but….Sputnik is an mRNA shot too. Lots of Russian cities have made the jabs mandatory.

https://edwardslavsquat.substack.com/p/more-brazen-disdain-for-the-russi...

I learn as much from the comments as from the essays.

up
9 users have voted.

Which AIPAC/MIC/pharma/bank bought politician are you going to vote for? Don’t be surprised when nothing changes.

Pricknick's picture

@snoopydawg

Sputnik is an mRNA shot

It's a adenovirus viral vector vaccine.
Totally different technologies.

up
6 users have voted.

Regardless of the path in life I chose, I realize it's always forward, never straight.

snoopydawg's picture

@Pricknick

That’s what I thought too but further reading led me elsewhere. I had thought that Russia and China did have that type of shot in the beginning of this show. Like I said lots of misinformation floating on the net and I’m having a time deciding what is true.

https://geopoliticsandempire.com/2022/04/13/russias-covid-collusion-with...

up
3 users have voted.

Which AIPAC/MIC/pharma/bank bought politician are you going to vote for? Don’t be surprised when nothing changes.

Lookout's picture

@snoopydawg

Sputnik VTrusted Source, officially known as Gam-COVID-Vac, is an adenovirus-based vaccine created by the Gamaleya National Center of Epidemiology and Microbiology.

Sputnik V uses a modified version of two different adenoviruses to create immunity against SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. Adenoviruses cause respiratory, flu-like illnesses, and there are over 60 types.

Similar to other vaccines such as Pfizer, Sputnik V is administered in two doses, given 21 days apart. According to results from 2021 clinical trials, Sputnik V is up to 91.8 percentTrusted Source effective in preventing COVID-19.

https://www.healthline.com/health/adult-vaccines/sputnik-v#important-inf...

The sinovax is the same as I understand.

China’s CanSino Biologics also has an adenovirus vector vaccine for COVID-19, CEN reported. This uses the Ad5 vector, which has in the past brought up questions about effectiveness since many humans have some pre-existing immunity to that particular adenovirus strain.

https://heavy.com/news/which-covid-19-vaccines-adenovirus/

and you're right it is difficult to know what is true and propaganda.

up
9 users have voted.

“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”

@Pluto's Republic to my query: Are the cancer patients in the 40% rise vaxxed or not? Have they had COVID or not?
We agree the cancer rise is alarming. We do not necessarily agree on the cause.
We do agree on avoidance. I have no idea how to do that. I follow some protocols, but there is legitimate argument if they work or not.
Besides, if this is truly endemic, avoidance is not possible. Any lock down now helps nothing 3 months from now. We can not avoid it, day in and day out, forever.

endemic

up
8 users have voted.

"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981

janis b's picture

@on the cusp

At least for now NZ has switched from lockdown mode to happy easter vacation mode. I guess we just all have to wait and see, and in the meantime follow our hearts and care for ourselves.

up
7 users have voted.
Pluto's Republic's picture

@on the cusp

...researchers are aware that Covid patients who are otherwise healthy, suddenly develop a chronic disease. Diabetes is an example. Certain cancers are frequently reported.

These studies are reporting on the mechanism in Covid that turns it into a carcinogen.

There are also studies underway that are looking at the patients that developed various cancers, and collecting the stats you are asking for. I am looking at pre-prints and foreign journals, now, to find information that may have been suppressed in Anglo-world. I will let you know when I find one. I'm interested, too. Most of the data I've seen comes from highly-vaccinated countries and the observations are increasing in number. The results could also vary with the variant of coronavirus they were infected with. While there is nothing in the studies that suggest vaccines would affect the oncological mechanism, there were interesting observations pointing out ways to prevent this from happening through the use of certain compounds.

up
4 users have voted.

____________________

The political system is what it is because the People are who they are. — Plato

@Pluto's Republic Uh...why have a compound developed to prevent the vaxxes from producing cancer if there is no evidence that occurs? Very interesting that there is a concern for nothing. Also very cya thinking as well.

up
4 users have voted.

"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981

Pluto's Republic's picture

@on the cusp

...researchers are aware that Covid patients who are otherwise healthy, suddenly develop a chronic disease. Diabetes is an example. Certain cancers are frequently reported.

These studies are reporting on the mechanism in Covid that turns it into a carcinogen.

There are also studies underway that are looking at the patients that developed various cancers, and collecting the stats you are asking for. I am looking at pre-prints and foreign journals, now, to find information that may have been suppressed in Anglo-world. I will let you know when I find one. I'm interested, too. Most of the data I've seen comes from highly-vaccinated countries and the observations are increasing in number. The results could also vary with the variant of coronavirus they were infected with. While there is nothing in the studies that suggest vaccines would affect the oncological mechanism, there were interesting observations pointing out ways to prevent this from happening through the use of certain compounds.

up
0 users have voted.

____________________

The political system is what it is because the People are who they are. — Plato

@Pluto's Republic
a study suggesting a possible threat of the vaccines causing cancer or autoimmune disorders.
Amazing how fast studies can be done these days.

up
5 users have voted.

On to Biden since 1973

@wouldsman
can interfere with cellular level ‘housekeeping’, including identifying and destroying nascent clusters of abnormal cells. A robust and unmolested immune system is essential to good health and long life. Both COVID and it’s subunit components are suspects in recent increases in immune system problems and cancers, though more study is clearly needed to establish any definitive causality. A temporal association alone is not enough.

The question is, do those with both the means and the expertise to explore these questions actually want answers, and if not, why not?

up
9 users have voted.

Capitalism is the extraordinary belief that the nastiest of men for the nastiest of motives will somehow work for the benefit of all."
- John Maynard Keynes

Pluto's Republic's picture

Once again, U.S. faces another COVID-19 surge as cases rise nationally

Apr 15, 2022 — Yet again, the U.S. is trudging into what could be another COVID-19 surge, with cases rising nationally and in most states after a two-month decline.

One big unknown? “We don’t know how high that mountain’s gonna grow,” said Dr. Stuart Campbell Ray, an infectious disease expert at Johns Hopkins University.

No one expects a peak nearly as high as the last one, when the contagious omicron version of the coronavirus ripped through the population.

But experts warn that the coming wave – caused by a mutant called BA.2 that’s thought to be about 30% more contagious – will wash across the nation and push up hospitalizations in a growing number of states in the coming weeks. And the case wave will be bigger than it looks, they say, because reported numbers are vast undercounts as more people test at home without reporting their infections or skip testing altogether.

• • •

Ray said government leaders must be careful to strike the right tone when talking to people about protecting themselves and others after COVID restrictions have largely been lifted. Philadelphia recently became the first major U.S. city to reinstate its indoor mask mandate after a sharp increase in infections.

“It’s going to be hard to institute restrictive, draconian measures,” Ray said. “Fortunately, we have some tools that we can use to mitigate risk. And so I hope that leaders will emphasize the importance for people to watch the numbers,” be aware of risks and consider taking precautions such as wearing masks and getting vaccinated and boosted if they’re not already.

Vigilance is a good strategy, experts said, because the coronavirus is constantly throwing curveballs. One of the latest: even more contagious subvariants of BA.2 found in New York state, known as BA.2.12 and BA.2.12.1. And scientists warn that new and potentially dangerous variants could arise at any time.

.

Americans are among the most skilled reality-denialists on the planet. For that reason, it is essential to keep your guard up. There is now very little data being collected on Covid-19 numbers in the US (to protect the economy). So, everyone is flying blind. Keep in mind, life-long damage is done in the majority of bodies and minds that become infected, even mildly. Covid-19 is not like the flu where you can expect a full recovery. Currently, excess deaths are continuing nationwide from conditions other than Covid-19. Studies are underway to make the connection to the Pandemic.

The government is not your pet watchdog anymore. It has no intention of reminding you of the lurking dangers. Public Health's responsibility is to push vaccines onto the population. While they don't necessarily prevent infections, vaccines have made immune systems more resilient (temporarily) and hospital admissions more manageable. There are now early treatments that can also help the infected. The danger to you, however, is that any infection at all can steal years from your life.

The government is good with that. You got your vaccines. The risk is all yours now.

• • •

Covid-19 news has largely disappeared. Reporters from the US propaganda press still cover it sporadically. The latest from the New York Times:

BA.2 Rise Across U.S. Evident Even With Diminishing Test Data

Concerns over the subvariant are rising, particularly for the unvaccinated and unboosted.

April 15, 2022 — This month the Omicron BA.2 subvariant has [halted and ] flattened the steep downward glide in official case counts that Boston and the rest of the country had been on after the BA.1 surge in the winter. The turn is not unexpected, but it comes as in-person gatherings have resumed, vaccinations have flatlined, officially reported tests are falling and politicians and many Americans want an end to most restrictions.

And while hospitalizations and deaths remain on the decline nationally, concerns are rising for unvaccinated and unboosted people, who remain more vulnerable to serious illness and death.

BA.2, which is more transmissible and has spread even faster than BA.1, has quickly risen to account for what the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates to be 86 percent of all U.S. cases. Twenty states, including the entire Northeast, have seen their daily cases rise by at least 30 percent in the past two weeks. Experts believe that two new subvariants may be contributing to this growth.

.
At the NYT, Covid-19 news is behind a registration wall. No surprise there.

The rise of at-home testing obscures the data, and suggests that the true case increase may be far higher. Some newly available treatments are most effective when administered early in an infection, making testing more urgent.

“We’re right to be worried about our publicly available test results,” said Dr. Cassandra Pierre, the associate hospital epidemiologist and director of public health programs at Boston Medical Center, who emphasized that nationally, testing capacity has diminished. “I’m absolutely concerned because I see transmission in family and work groups, and to vulnerable people.”

At the height of the Omicron wave in early January, the United States was administering an average of 2.5 million tests per day. That number has dropped to an average of about 540,000 at the start of this week, according to the C.D.C.

Notable efforts to brake cases popped up this week, including the C.D.C.’s two-week extension of the federal transportation mask requirement; the White House’s renewal of the Covid public health emergency for at least three more months; Philadelphia’s announcement that its indoor mask mandate will return; and several universities’ reinstatement of their mask policies.

“Philadelphia is really the way it’s supposed to work,” said Samuel Scarpino, the vice president of pathogen surveillance at the Rockefeller Foundation’s Pandemic Prevention Institute. “The thing they do well is that they have public, published measures that say: If we hit this, the masks go on. People are ready, and it’s not a surprise.”

The C.D.C., as of Thursday, does not recommend mandated masking for Philadelphia, nor for almost the entire rest of the country. Using data on new Covid-related hospital admissions and the percentage of hospital beds occupied by Covid patients, it says that only 0.4 percent of counties in the United States have high community levels of the virus.

“When you use hospital-based metrics, you may be losing the story of what’s happening in a vulnerable community,” Dr. Pierre cautioned. She said that state and county data has become even more obscured because many states are phasing out testing, and because community testing centers have closed after the federal government ended a program that reimbursed providers for virus-related care for the uninsured.

BA.2 set off case surges earlier this year in Europe, where pandemic trends have acted as a harbinger for the United States. Americans have lower booster coverage than Europeans, Dr. Scarpino noted, and less immunity because more time has elapsed since most people got their second or third doses. “The risk is higher here than in the U.K. and in Europe,” he concluded.

Massachusetts, where new infections and positivity rates are rising, is offering family-friendly vaccination clinics at zoos, bowling alleys and Six Flags New England during next week’s school vacation period. The state is offering gift cards and free admission to some of the attractions, reminiscent of last year’s incentives when vaccines became widely available.

“It makes sense that we want to move forward because we can’t constantly stay on red alert,” Dr. Pierre said. “But this is not the time to do that.”

“There’s this assumption that future variants will be kinder and gentler, but there’s no evidence of that. What we experience now is something different from what we might experience in the fall or winter.”

.

In the end, prevention is EVERYTHING because Covid-19 could be forever.

Be careful, out there. If you decide you need to wear a mask to prevent a virus infection, use a certified mask like a professional would wear.

up
6 users have voted.

____________________

The political system is what it is because the People are who they are. — Plato
snoopydawg's picture

@Pluto's Republic

The Biden administration has cut all funding for testing, treatment and for money so that people can afford to stay home and not spread it to their coworkers. Democrats were all over Trump for dropping the ball and yet Biden has done much worse than Trump did. As you said it’s so the capitalist parasites can make even higher profits. But they will continue to bitch that they can’t find enough workers. How many people are home trying to deal with long Covid without any type of safety net? Doctors are telling people who have long Covid and jab injuries that they are just having anxiety and to pony up and get better. The government’s war against the people gets worse every damn day.

up
10 users have voted.

Which AIPAC/MIC/pharma/bank bought politician are you going to vote for? Don’t be surprised when nothing changes.

Pluto's Republic's picture

@snoopydawg

But Americans, as a population, have no reason to expect better from public health or healthcare in general.

They've had a lifetime to bring themselves up to the level of well being that the rest of the developed world enjoys. And they did not. Not for themselves. Not for their families.

They must live by their wits, now. Put their prepping instincts to use. Focus their paranoia on something real, for a change.

They got all they are going to get from their rogue government.

up
7 users have voted.

____________________

The political system is what it is because the People are who they are. — Plato
Lookout's picture

@Pluto's Republic @snoopydawg

That includes Vit. D, Vit. C, Zn, Quercitin, and I also take Mg. I don't use a mask anymore. As you say if you don't have a professional tight fitting mask (really a respirator) it does very little good.

Life here has been back to normal for months.

I'm still hopeful omicron will infer wide spread natural infection/immunity.

up
7 users have voted.

“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”

Pluto's Republic's picture

@Lookout

...as far as the Omicron variants ability to evade immunity. But there are just as many articles out there speculating the opposite. The fact that BA.2 has zoomed to 99 recent of the cases in the east coast in a matter of weeks tells a different story, I think. Not to mention the way it is burning through Europe. But your confidence makes me uncertain.

Assuming we have looked at the same science, what if the mutating effects of the virus are deliberately affecting our minds, forcing us into a Schrodinger's dilemma? In other words, the fluidity of opposing impressions and conclusions is part of the virus' immune evasions, leaving some of us unprotected at all times.

In any event, supplements are very important, I agree. I know that specific nutrient deficiencies are used as biomarkers for likely death from Covid-19. A specific probiotic has been named that offers significant immunity from the virus. I'm adding that to my dailies, which look almost identical to yours.

Be well.

(BTW: I have not read any recent science that suggests immunity from Covid-19 infections lasts any longer than 6 months, with rapid fall off beginning at 3 months. Is that sufficient for your theory? Of course, it's an entirely different Covid every 4 months or so. Which means that target is mutating, as well.)

up
5 users have voted.

____________________

The political system is what it is because the People are who they are. — Plato
Lookout's picture

@Pluto's Republic
https://www.virusinfoclub.com/how-long-does-natural-immunity-to-covid-last/

The positive cohort consisted of 6614 people, each of whom had either a prior positive test or were antibody positive. The negative cohort containing 14,173 patients had no previous positive test for COVID-19 and tested negative for antibodies for SARS-CoV-2 .

Observing these cohorts between 18 June and 9 November 2020, SIREN found 44 reinfections in the positive cohort, compared to 402 infections in the negative cohort. Using these data, the team established that prior infection provided an 83% effective protection against reinfection .

The Rockefeller study, led by Michel Nussenzweig, examined the antibody responses of 87 people 1 and 7 months after infection. This study revealed that while antibody levels were significantly reduced at the 7month mark compared to at 1 month, the levels of memory B cells were the same, if not higher, in some individuals .

These memory B cells are produced after an initial infection and can rapidly create antibodies on reinfection with the same pathogen. Further investigation of the B cells in the participants at the 7month mark indicated that several mutations had been acquired during this time, resulting in higher quality antibodies, more capable of nullifying SARS-CoV-2 and binding to other variants of the virus .

https://indiawest.com/2022/03/01/how-long-does-immunity-last/

...the mere detection of an immune response does not translate to full protection against COVID-19.

Based on the limited amount of time and research that researchers like us have been able to study COVID-19, it is difficult to precisely correlate the levels of antibodies and killer T cells with the degree of protection they offer.

So while it is becoming clear that some form of immune response against the virus can be detected for more than a year after COVID-19 infection, their levels may not be enough to provide full protection against reinfection.

So with previous infection and a healthy immune system it looks like you've got immunity for a year or so anyway. Plus those reinfected have very mild or asymptomatic cases.

I'm through being intimidated by this virus. Not that I've lost respect for the potential damage, but that I feel fairly protected and prepared.

Stay well and be healthy!

up
10 users have voted.

“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”

Creosote.'s picture

@Pluto's Republic
Nice if Adelle Davis were still here to help.

up
1 user has voted.

@Lookout It selected 6 vitamins and supplements you should not take if you are taking other medicines, or have any health issues. Among them, St. John's Wort, Vit. C, and Vit. D.(St. John's Wort would kill the positive effect of taking the upcoming Pfizer antiviral.)
They all but said taking vitamins is bad for your health. Pfizer is very, very worried...

up
11 users have voted.

"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981

Lookout's picture

@on the cusp

and meat consumption. Their only redeeming quality (maybe) is protecting social security and medicare.

As we've said many times, you're much more profitable sick than healthy.

Hope y'all had a good trip and music!

up
10 users have voted.

“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”

@Lookout Good music, miles and miles of gorgeous wildflowers alongside the roads. Good food, fun people.
I see some hesitancy in people sitting too close to each other, other than family members, maybe a stand back when in some line for the bathroom, but it is hardly noticeable.
People are over being afraid in this state. A minority never were.

up
9 users have voted.

"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981

Lookout's picture

@on the cusp

People are over being afraid in this state. A minority never were.

You sound immune to me between your infection and on going exposure. Don't see how omicron will be a problem for you. Congrats!

up
7 users have voted.

“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”

Creosote.'s picture

@on the cusp
but they've been known for years.
The other suggestions are not good.
AARP went to the corporate side years ago.

up
2 users have voted.

@Creosote. They hawk medicines, sell overpriced insurance, all allegedly for the good of the elderly.
One big money-making scam. But telling people vitamins are not good for you...take medicine instead, is actually dangerous. Targeting vit. D really caught my attention.

up
3 users have voted.

"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981

I’ve gotten a couple emails (below) from an activist, Tad Patterson, who’s worked with a people’s rights group in Oregon since before COVID. A couple years ago I wouldn’t have paid much attention to the subject. But I am concerned about return of the draconian measures here as well as future vaccine passports which Oregon reportedly has set and ready to go. In the second email he provides info for a conference call with Elisha from Kentucky. Anyone can join in so feel free if you’re interested in how they removed their Governor’s mandate and other powers.

From Tad 4/13/222:
I think I may have found the answer to many of the government overreach issues we have been having.
Elisha is with the Kentucky Jural assembly and they are getting incredible results. I think we could easily replicate the results they are getting as we have more people and more highly charged people than they do.
Please listen to the following recorded conference call and let me know if you guys would like to have another call for the PR group so we can learn how to do this here. They have been able to stop mask mandates and they even took away the Kentucky Governors power to issue MANDATES! We can do it too! We need to!

Please let me know what you guys want to do.
Tad
https://fccdl.in/RDCZSXnnku

From Tad 4/15/22:
Hello everyone,
I have scheduled a conference call with Elisha English and others from the Kentucky General
Jural assembly. They are going to share with us the successes they have had since becoming a
Jural body.

So far they have been able to take away the Governors mandate powers, remove the power
from the State Department of Education and issued orders to the County Boards of Education;
to cease the mask Mandates, social distancing, tracking and tracing and offering vaccines to
the children. There are many more successes coming and many in the works.

This live call will give us an opportunity to learn how we can follow in their footsteps and
learn the procedures to finally set ourselves up as a Jural governing body to address the
grievances against our Government.

Please join us Tuesday April 19th at 6PM Pacific

Dial In Number 1-(667) 770-1524

Participant Code 324292

Thank You
Tad

up
9 users have voted.

Anya

Lookout's picture

@Anya

Seems to me they'll need a more virulent variant to re-instate the mandates and lockdowns. Perhaps they have one in the wings, but if not, I don't see how it happens with the mild omicron circulating today. I mean it is pretty hard to scare people with a cold.

Lots of folks relocated to FL and TX to avoid all the mandate nonsense.

up
9 users have voted.

“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”

@Lookout Even drs.' offices no longer require masks. No way in hell school nurses will vax a kid without telling/obtaining consent from their parents.
I hope for the omicron cold.

up
8 users have voted.

"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981

Lookout's picture

@on the cusp

I doubt you would even express symptoms, and if so mild ones in all likelihood.

I like being back to normal. It is damaging not hugging, shaking hands, seeing faces, sitting in a circle making music, and so on. I think we over reacted, but it has been and still is a moving target.

up
8 users have voted.

“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”

@Lookout I was exposed to a limited amount of people constantly throughout
the variants, including Delta. Now, Omicron.
I had antibodies present over a year after I became sick.
I took some precautions, but rules require me to go to the jail, interview my client within 48 hours of being court appointed. If I want my client to understand what I am saying, I have to remove my mask. Period. That is just one example.
I have a very defiant attitude toward vax passport. Cold day in hell sort of attitude.

up
6 users have voted.

"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981

snoopydawg's picture

@Anya

but for the ones coming behind it. Gates has been warning that another one could hit at any time. Repeating something from last month on how the epidemic hit 189 countries almost at the same time and not one of them being able to find their patient zero makes lots of people question where the hell it came from. China, Iran and Italy were hit with a more deadly virus than other countries which cannot happen in nature. And wasn’t it just a tad weird that for every new outbreak it hit different ages of the population? And went from targeting certain parts of the body during the 1st round to omicron causing basically cold like symptoms?

Gates and the WHO are still working on a universal passport system to be in place for the next pandemic which will leave out individual country’s government to go into effect? Too much of just the virus aspect of the pandemic doesn’t make sense. Add in mandatory jabs for a non sterilizing jab that comes with lots of adverse reactions and no none of this adds up in my twisted brain. And how come almost every country locked away its elderly and put Covid positive people in with them? In many states here up to 40% of the deaths were in the elderly.

up
8 users have voted.

Which AIPAC/MIC/pharma/bank bought politician are you going to vote for? Don’t be surprised when nothing changes.

Lookout's picture

@snoopydawg

due to COVID was 82.5 YO...older than the average age of death in the UK.

Everything carries risks and benefits. Finding the balance has been the nature of the moving target.

Edit to add:
I hope we don't end up with the vax passports.

up
7 users have voted.

“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”

@Lookout

I hope we don't end up with the vax passports.

Hopefully I’ll be able to continue to pay the (ever increasing) costs of home ownership!

up
8 users have voted.

Capitalism is the extraordinary belief that the nastiest of men for the nastiest of motives will somehow work for the benefit of all."
- John Maynard Keynes

shaharazade's picture

@snoopydawg Read RFK junior's book and Gates plus Fauchi are the villains of this piece. I'm not vaxxed, not tested, been in self imposed lock down for 2 freaking years. I haven't trusted our so called medical system for years A lot of these symptoms are from sheer fright. As a life long hypochondriac I know fear has devastating effects that replicate all the symptoms of Covid.; Brain Fog lol. Fatigue. blab blab blab. Be afraid be very afraid

Cancer rates are increasing for myriad reasons. Lets drill some more. Lets fuck up the healthy food supply. My grain fog is slowly dissipating as I lose my fear. Husband who's not scared of the big bad wolf goes out but wears a mask the good one. Know lots of people experiencing all the symptoms listed in every list as Covid long or short. So maybe I had it. So what. No fever no cough just persistent freak outs from being deluged with fear.

Course I can avoid people as I never go out. Work from home. That also can make you feel sick. Data is deceiving and used to incite fear and loathing. Do they pull these numbers out of their butt's, where and who are not answered just +30% or -40% of what and from where. Sorry to rant here but man, enough is enough. So sick of epidemiologists, bogus 'scientists' and mad vax sellers. Meanwhile maybe I can pry myself out side and get some exercise.

up
7 users have voted.
snoopydawg's picture

Here’s hoping for the best!

up
9 users have voted.

Which AIPAC/MIC/pharma/bank bought politician are you going to vote for? Don’t be surprised when nothing changes.

@snoopydawg

be addressed...

Gonzalo Lira's “fair-and-balanced” accounts often involve wild claims about the supposedly obvious “evil” of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. The comedian-turned-politician is a known “cokehead,” Lira has claimed—a man who uses his people as shields, has provided arms to criminals who have terrorized the streets of Kyiv, and has possibly “deliberately tried to have a nuclear accident” to pin it on Russia and possibly drag America into his war. Meanwhile, Lira has portrayed the Russian assault as provoked—and as “one of the most brilliant invasions in military history.” He has insisted that the invaders don’t want to harm civilians or civilian infrastructure and are in fact taking pains not to, that the Russian advance has not stalled but is in fact right on course, and that Russian domination will likely be good for Ukraine in the end."

And..."Under the name Coach Red Pill, Lira made videos and hosted digital seminars in which he offered dating, life, and relationship advice. In the manosphere, a “red-pilled” person is someone who’s realized hidden supposed truths about gender and relationships. These are usually tired stereotypes about how all women supposedly think, and reactionary ideas about the glory of traditional gender roles and relations and how their erosion screws over men."

"“Never date a woman in her thirties,” Lira, who’s in his fifties, said in one video created in 2020. He also argued that, “irrespective of what they claim they want,” all women only truly desire money, a house, and kids, as child-rearing is the one thing that will biologically validate them. That women who are still single and childless in their thirties have supposedly ignored that imperative in order to live the ‘hedonistic’ lifestyle that a “degenerate” Western culture pushes them towards, chasing the hottest 15 percent of guys for meaningless sex. And that when they hit their thirties, they all get “baby rabies,” but realize their looks are fading. (“It’s biology,” he said. “Women age badly. Men age like wine.”) So, they will all supposedly lie and connive to trick a man into marriage and a pregnancy, after which they’ll reveal their true faces."

In my view it won't be a really bad thing if this guy stops "reporting" on Unkraine. Don't worry though, he'll turn up. He's a very skilled con artist. Just look him up.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/gonzalo-lira-is-a-pro-putin-shill-in-ukrai...

up
0 users have voted.

"Without the right to offend, freedom of speech does not exist." Taslima Nasrin

snoopydawg's picture

@Fishtroller 02

still supporting the Ukraine Nazis after its been pointed out to you.

up
7 users have voted.

Which AIPAC/MIC/pharma/bank bought politician are you going to vote for? Don’t be surprised when nothing changes.

@snoopydawg

Such obvious deflection on your part. I have pointed out to you many times that a good portion of your sources for information are shaky. Why won't you address this one?

up
0 users have voted.

"Without the right to offend, freedom of speech does not exist." Taslima Nasrin

snoopydawg's picture

@Fishtroller 02

This from the queen of deflection. You choose to ignore the facts that are inconvenient to you so you can have your righteous outrage. And buy a mirror on sources.

up
4 users have voted.

Which AIPAC/MIC/pharma/bank bought politician are you going to vote for? Don’t be surprised when nothing changes.

@Fishtroller 02

up
3 users have voted.

"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981

CB's picture

@Fishtroller 02

“One less traitor”: Zelensky oversees campaign of assassination, kidnapping and torture of political opposition
Max Blumenthal and Esha Krishnaswamy·April 17, 2022

While claiming to defend democracy, Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky has outlawed his opposition, ordered his rivals’ arrest, and presided over the disappearance and assassination of dissidents across the country.
...
US corporate media has responded by showering Zelensky with fawning press, driving a campaign for his nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize and inspiring a flamboyant musical tribute to himself and the Ukrainian military during the 2022 Grammy awards ceremony on April 3.

Western media has looked the other way, however, as Zelensky and top officials in his administration have sanctioned a campaign of kidnapping, torture, and assassination of local Ukrainian lawmakers accused of collaborating with Russia. Several mayors and other Ukrainian officials have been killed since the outbreak of war, many reportedly by Ukrainian state agents after engaging in de-escalation talks with Russia.
...
The Ukrainian SBU security services has served as the enforcement arm of the officially authorized campaign of repression. With training from the CIA and close coordination with Ukraine’s state-backed neo-Nazi paramilitaries, the SBU has spent the past weeks filling its vast archipelago of torture dungeons with political dissidents.

On the battlefield, meanwhile, the Ukrainian military has engaged in a series of atrocities against captured Russian troops and proudly exhibited its sadistic acts on social media. Here too, the perpetrators of human rights abuses appear to have received approval from the upper echelons of Ukrainian leadership.

While Zelensky spouts bromides about the defense of democracy before worshipful Western audiences, he is using the war as a theater for enacting a blood-drenched purge of political rivals, dissidents and critics.
...
In a March 19 executive order, Zelensky invoked martial law to ban 11 opposition parties. The outlawed parties consisted of the entire left-wing, socialist or anti-NATO spectrum in Ukraine. They included the For Life Party, the Left Opposition, the Progressive Socialist Party of Ukraine, the Socialist Party of Ukraine, Union of Left Forces, Socialists, the Party of Shariy, Ours, State, Opposition Bloc and the Volodymyr Saldo Bloc.

Openly fascist and pro-Nazi parties like the Azov National Corps were left untouched by the presidential decree, however.
...
Common Ukrainian citizens have also been subjected to torture since the start of the war this February. Seemingly countless videos have appeared on social media showing civilians tied to lamp posts, often with their genitals exposed or their faces painted green. Carried out by Territorial Defense volunteers tasked with enforcing law and order during wartime, these acts of humiliation and torture have targeted everyone from accused Russian sympathizers to Roma people to alleged thieves.
...
As weapons pour into Ukraine from NATO states and the war intensifies, the atrocities are almost certain to pile up – and with the blessing of leadership in Kiev. As Zelensky proclaimed during a visit to the city of Bucha this April, “if we do not find a civilized way out, you know our people – they will find an uncivilized way out.”

up
10 users have voted.

There were zero masks at the grocery yesterday, except one on the checkout person. Not one person outdoors wore a mask, and I counted ten on the ground as trash before giving up in despair. A pedestrian shithole is a car driver dream. yay

I don't believe any of the damn covid19 statistics anymore, it's all fear porn to me now. Which reminds me, I did get a postcard from the registrar of voters, "Voting in Sonoma County is Changing". Oh great! I thought I was off their fucking list, but no. They are making the list eternal, so what if my name and address skipped two elections? It's easier now. So easy! Flush it down the toilet and it still votes Democrat! LOL

Where was I? Oh yeah, Optum Serve is the outfit that pops up on the regular to charge workers for a nasal swab I guess? I think there's still a mandate for county health workers and others to be fully jabbed, or else get their sinuses reamed on the regular, to prove something to somebody somewhere. I'm curious so I looked up OptumServe. It's the Feds of course. This is das modern Stasi if you ask me, nobody does. The plutocrats are starving me out, fuck those guys.

About Optum Serve
We offer proven expertise to help federal agencies tackle some of the biggest challenges in health care.

During a time of unprecedented crisis in our nation’s history, federal health agencies are experiencing significant demands for services. There is mounting pressure to quickly modernize their systems, reduce costs and increase quality and value to citizens.

America’s health care system transforming simultaneously adds complexity. Agencies need trusted partners with the capabilities, experience and scale to support their mission and improve community health and well-being.

As a leading health services and innovation company that serves the nation’s entire health system, Optum understands these challenges. That’s why Optum Serve was created — to help federal health agencies tackle some of the biggest challenges in health care.

Well alrighty then! The bigliest challenge in health care is not my health, it's another damned database. I knew it! PU. If I dig around in more shit, will Bill Gates face appear? lol I mean only he could dream up an answer like "reset" for the nation's problems, and then market the idea to all his oligarch buddies. Did you try rebooting the planet?

War and Hate
ding!

up
11 users have voted.
janis b's picture

@eyo

"Did you try rebooting the planet?"

I’m trying, as I’m sure you and others are. Don't give up.

up
6 users have voted.

@janis b ha ha! Damn me if I didn't already know that complaining out loud about hunger would bring offers of generosity from others here.

I might have to eat the money mimi and Lookout sent to get my tooth pulled two years ago, and I feel terrible about that, had a bad reaction and posted while hungry. Regrets. I never got my tooth pulled. I forgot how impossible it is for me to pay cash for dentistry, or healthcare, or to travel anywhere, or to rent anything. I'm dumber now, and more forgetful. Sending me money now is like flushing it down the loo, with more digestion added. Useless eater, indeed.

I can't make it better, but I can say thank you to all, thanks a million for the kind thoughts and the spirit of generosity. Maybe next year...

up
9 users have voted.

@eyo having financial problems. I send them a Walmart gift card. Walmarts are everywhere. They sell some good food products. They have a deli in case you have no stove. They can be used for pharmacy, clothing, etc...
Before anyone jumps on the Hate the Waltons bandwagon, I can't buy gift cards to grocery stores. They do not sell them here. Plus, while we have HEB and Brookshire Brothers stores, other states may not. They all have Walmarts and their gift cards are available anywhere.
Send me a pm if I can help you.

up
9 users have voted.

"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981

mimi's picture

@eyo
You will eat, do you hear me?.
You will hear from me.

up
10 users have voted.
janis b's picture

@mimi

Loved your comment.

up
3 users have voted.
mimi's picture

@janis b

geesh today is not my day- I can't stand most of what I experience here with my fellow Germans. And today I got some extra doses of encounters with Germans-blah-blah-idiots.

So, my ungnädige Frau, please leave me alone...wrong comment, wrong timing, and it is of course all Putin's fault, and Selensky is a darling (of course, he must be), and you are all wrong. Basta.

Good I came here to read the EB. Not Fräulein stuff.

Smile I love you despite all of it. Good Night from here.

up
2 users have voted.

@mimi hello dear, yes I will eat, I did eat, I am eating every day. My crybaby meltdown was due to warmongers eating my entire Cost of Living Adjustment I was trying to save on top of what you already sent. Everyone knows, inflation blows, and fixed incomes do suck. lol

I still have this feeling of precariousness, not knowing what my landlord is planning to do, seeing the neighborhood upscale has been nerve wracking. I talked at my herbal neighbors yesterday, they're still selling house as soon as possible, relocating to Arizona. And they still offered me to come down there and pay them rent and help them grow a farm garden. If it happens, I'll probably ask for more help to get there at least moral support. I think they'll be gone by end of summer if not sooner. tempus fugit

P.S. They think I look great at this weight, so I'm going to think that too. Cheers.

up
3 users have voted.