2020 flashing by ...

2020 in 7 minutes - Vox > . 

Gradual Recovery from Patriarchal Religiosity

[Misogynistic religionists will not be pleased by pro-choice progress.]

Argentina abortion: Senate approves legalisation in historic decision:

Argentina's Congress has legalised abortions up to the 14th week of pregnancy, a ground-breaking move for a region that has some of the world's most restrictive termination laws. Pro-choice activists hope the passing of the law in Argentina - one of the largest and most influential countries in the region - will inspire other countries to follow suit.

Until now, abortions were only permitted in cases of rape or when the mother's health was at risk.

The bill had been approved by the Chamber of Deputies earlier this month.
Senators voted in favour of the bill after a marathon session with 38 in favour, 29 against and one abstention.

The Catholic Church [aka Pedophile Protection Agency], which remains highly influential in Latin America, had opposed the move, calling on senators to reject the bill supported by centre-left President Alberto Fernández.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-55475036 .

2020 - When Stupidity Proved Infectious

[Apologies for the ghastly, petulant, malicious orange thing in the thumbnail. No, not that one, the thing on the "right".]

Contagion of the Mind: How the World Failed in 2020 - BlQu > .

Over the course of the past year, humanity witnessed a public health catastrophe unlike any seen in a century. Before the novel coronavirus struck, it may have been reasonable to expect that global institutions, international cooperation and 21st century know-how would trigger a fast and methodical worldwide fight to tame the pathogen and minimize loss of life. Unfortunately, that isn't what happened. [Just as culpable, stupid, credulous, selfish twerps not only refused to follow recommendations, but spread DISinformation counter to scientific expertise.]

2020

More than the big, bad C (and whining about victimization, real or imagined) happened in 2020:

The News You Missed in 2020, From Every Country in the World (Part 1) - Wend > .

The News You Missed in 2020, From Every Country in the World (Part 2) - Wend > .

Autocrats LIE

[No surprises here] Russian COVID deaths three times the official toll:

Russia's deputy prime minister has revealed more than 80% of excess deaths this year are linked to COVID-19, which would mean its death toll is three times higher than previously reported. 

Excess deaths are the difference between the total number of deaths registered and the average over the previous years for the same period. Official figures say 55,827 people have died with COVID-19 in Russia. The deputy prime minister said excess deaths would take that to 186,000.

Countries use different methods when reporting deaths related to the virus, which makes international comparisons difficult. Russia has been criticised for calculating its official deaths from COVID-19 based on the number of post-mortem examinations that list coronavirus as the main cause of death. However, this means that other deaths linked to COVID-19, which did not list it as the main cause of death, will not have been included.

The new numbers mean Russia's coronavirus death toll could be the world's third-highest, after the US with 335,000 deaths and Brazil, which has had 192,000, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University.

More than 3.1 million infections have been reported in the country.

Defeated by a dusting

Heavy snow in Midlands leads to travel warnings and road disruption .

The horrors of regular tires and drivers who can't cope with in an inch or so of snow.

Terrified Totalitarian Regimes

Terrified? Yup. Control-freaks are always terrified of not having total control.

Zhang Zhan: China jails citizen journalist for Wuhan reports:

A Chinese citizen journalist who covered Wuhan's coronavirus outbreak has been jailed for four years. Zhang Zhan was found guilty of "picking quarrels and provoking trouble", a frequent charge against activists. The 37-year-old former lawyer was detained in May, and has been on hunger strike for several months. Her lawyers say she is in poor health. Ms Zhang is one of several citizen journalists who have run into trouble for reporting on Wuhan.

There is no free media in China and authorities are known to clamp down on activists or whistleblowers seen as undermining the government's response to the outbreak. [Undermining what aspect of the response? Undermining the "face-saving" cover-up. Needless to say, cover-ups reflect badly instead of saving face.]

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-55463241 .

Childish!

Boy Scouts of America accuse Girl Scouts of starting 'war':

A recruitment drive by the Boy Scouts of America is proving "highly damaging" to the Girl Scouts, lawyers acting for the latter organisation say. The "infringement" meant many parents mistakenly signed their daughters up for Boy Scouts, thinking it was Girl Scouts, lawyers said. In response, the Boy Scouts accused the Girl Scouts of starting a "ground war".

The Boy Scouts dropped the word "boy" from its recruitment programme, and opened up to female members, in 2018. It said at the time that it was renaming the Boy Scouts programme Scouts BSA as it prepared to allow girls to join.

But the Girl Scouts said the change would erode their brand, calling the move "uniquely damaging" to them, filing an initial lawsuit in November 2018 against trademark infringement. 

Last month, lawyers acting on behalf of the Boy Scouts asked a judge to throw out the lawsuit, which suggested it could not use "scouts" or "scouting" in its recruitment material for girls.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-55460888 .

Hell hath no fury like a domineering male scorned

A Russian historian who admitted shooting and dismembering his student partner in St Petersburg has been jailed for 12 and a half years. Oleg Sokolov, 63, an expert on the Napoleonic wars, pleaded guilty to the murder of Anastasia Yeshchenko, 24. He was found drunk in a river in November 2019 with Ms Yeshchenko's severed arms in his backpack.

Women's rights activists say the case shows indifference towards harassment and domestic violence in Russia. An online petition with more than 7,500 signatures accused St Petersburg State University of ignoring previous complaints from students against Sokolov.

 https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-55447557 .

Abominable, sulky, moronic, sore LOSER

[As though pardoning treasonous scum and murderers isn't bad enough,] US UNpresident LOSER-in-Cheat has vetoed a $740bn (£549bn) defence spending bill that passed Congress this month. Agent Orange is objecting to provisions that limit troop withdrawals from Afghanistan and Europe and remove Confederate leaders' names from military bases. Infant-in-Chief also wanted it to repeal a liability shield for social media companies. 

Lawmakers passed the measure with a veto-proof margin, meaning they could override the president's rejection. If Congress does not override the UNpresident's petulant veto - which requires a two-thirds majority in both chambers - it would be the first time in 60 years that the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) does not become law.

Ode on a Microbial Curse

'Twas the Nightshift Before COVIDmas > .

Cult of Hubristic Ignorance

“There is a cult of ignorance in the United States, and there has always been. The strain of anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that 'my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge.” ~ Isaac Asimov, 1980

"It’s a familiar contention. There have been critiques of American anti-intellectualism since the country’s founding, though whether or not that phenomenon has intensified, as Susan Jacoby alleged in The Age of American Unreason, may be a subject of debate. Not all of the unreason is partisan, as the anti-vaccination movement has shown."

[Has the phenomenon intensified? YES.]

"Nonetheless, the widespread (though hardly universal) availability of free resources on the internet has made self-education a reality for many people, and certainly for most Americans. But perhaps not even Isaac Asimov could have foreseen the bitter polarization and disinformation campaigns that technology has also enabled. Needless to say, “A Cult of Ignorance” was not one of Asimov’s most popular pieces of writing. [Unsurprising, given that truth can be uncomfortable.] First published on January 21, 1980 in Newsweek, the short essay has never been reprinted in any of Asimov’s collections. You can read the essay as a PDF here. There’s also, one of our readers reminds us, a transcript on Github."

C*N*servative, Pedophile, Both?

Cardinal Pell says his [odious] conservative views drove public against him.

George Pell, the Australian cardinal whose conviction for child abuse was overturned [NB, "overturned" means that the verdict was judged "unsafe". The decision does NOT automatically exonerate Pell by making liars of all who came forward to accuse him of child sexual abuse] this year, has said his [moralistic control-freak] "conservative Christian" views drove public opinion against him.

[Unsafe, not exoneration?] In his appeal to the High Court, the cleric argued that the jury's verdict had relied too heavily on evidence from the surviving victim. His lawyers did not try to discredit that testimony, but argued that other evidence had not been properly considered.

Speaking Whining to the BBC, the 79-year-old [shifted blame from his worst transgressions when he] said there was "no doubt" that his direct style and "traditional" [read, intolerant authoritarian] approach to issues such as abortion had contributed to a hostile atmosphere. The former Vatican treasurer said he would NOT apologise for those views.

[Actually, Pell, I suspect that I am NOT the only person who distrusts the sexual history of those who rise high in the Pedophile Protection Agency.]

2020 Science

2020 Breakthrough of the Year - Science > .

1920

What happened 100 years ago? - December 1920 - TGW > .

1984

Spitting Image (1984) - S1, E1 | Full > .

Xiao Juan

A moody, excoriating diatribe against domestic violence, Xiao Juan has both captivated and inspired hundreds of thousands of Chinese women since its release.

Its lyrics rail against misogyny and victim blaming in China, referencing specific cases of violence against women which have dominated China's news headlines this year.

And it's a bold statement. Tan is one of few mainstream musicians in China - perhaps the only one - using her music to address the issue, which is still considered a taboo topic for many. [Because, after all, actual violence by authoritarian males must remain protected by secrecy.] 

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-55312878 .

Argumentum ad absurdum

On the moral obligation to stop shit-stirring:

"Utilitarianism – the idea that we should evaluate the moral worth of an action by its consequences, and that the best actions are those that bring about the most good for the most people – is the ideal public morality for our troubled age. It requires us to focus not only on what we do, but also on what we didn’t do but might have done. Non-action in the face of threats such as climate change, pandemics and technologically facilitated extremism has moral implications of its own, and it’s utilitarianism that offers the most emphatic responses to these problems."

...

"There are far too many people who reflect that, since they aren’t deliberately harming the environment and aren’t personally racist, they are therefore absolved from acting. There’s a problem when it seems reasonable to respond to a utilitarian’s demand that one think about what one could do by saying: ‘I think I understand your utilitarian argument for a moral obligation to immediately address climate change, but isn’t utilitarianism the theory that says it’s fine to kill babies? Why should I listen to that?’" [shooting the messenger fallacy = a metaphoric phrase used to describe the act of blaming the bearer, in this case an argument, of unwelcome news]

In logic, reductio ad absurdum ('"reduction to absurdity"'), also known as argumentum ad absurdum ("argument to absurdity"), apagogical arguments, negation introduction or the appeal to extremes, is the form of argument that attempts to establish a claim by showing that the opposite scenario would lead to absurdity or contradiction. It can be used [in an attempt, as above] to disprove a statement by showing that it would inevitably lead to a ridiculous, absurd, or impractical conclusion, or to prove a statement by showing that if it were false, then the result would be absurd or impossible. Traced back to classical Greek philosophy in Aristotle's Prior Analytics (ἡ εἰς τὸ ἀδύνατον ἀπόδειξις, lit. "demonstration to the impossible", 62b), this technique has been used throughout history in both formal mathematical and philosophical reasoning, as well as in debate.

Reductio ad absurdum was used throughout Greek philosophy. The earliest example of a reductio argument can be found in a satirical poem attributed to Xenophanes of Colophon (c. 570 – c. 475 BCE). Criticizing Homer's attribution of human faults to the gods, Xenophanes states that humans also believe that the gods' bodies have human form. But if horses and oxen could draw, they would draw the gods with horse and ox bodies. The gods cannot have both forms, so this is a contradiction. Therefore, the attribution of other human characteristics to the gods, such as human faults, is also false.

Greek mathematicians proved fundamental propositions utilizing reductio ad absurdum. Euclid of Alexandria (mid-3rd – mid-4th centuries BCE) and Archimedes of Syracuse (c. 287 – c. 212 BCE) are two very early examples.

The earlier dialogues of Plato (424–348 BCE), relating the discourses of Socrates, raised the use of reductio arguments to a formal dialectical method (elenchus), also called the Socratic method. Typically, Socrates' opponent would make what would seem to be an innocuous assertion. In response, Socrates, via a step-by-step train of reasoning, bringing in other background assumptions, would make the person admit that the assertion resulted in an absurd or contradictory conclusion, forcing him to abandon his assertion and adopt a position of aporia. The technique was also a focus of the work of Aristotle (384–322 BCE). The Pyrrhonists and the Academic Skeptics extensively used reductio ad absurdum arguments to refute the dogmas of the other schools of Hellenistic philosophy.

TARTUS & FLATUS

Merry Superstitions from the [Worst Family] - Spit > .  

Laura Benanti confides escape plan to Stephen Colbert > .

Satan's 2020

Satan's Busy Year of Sneaky Tricks - BeBo > .

Fitting observations

Intelligence and Religious and Political Differences Among Members of the U.S. Academic Elite. 

"There is sound evidence of a negative correlation between intelligence and religiosity and [a negative correlation] between intelligence and political extremism. This makes it unlikely that these results are a statistical fluke. Therefore the most probable reason behind elite social scientists being more religious than are elite physical scientists is that [on average] social scientists are less intelligent [than are physical scientists]. Intelligence is also a factor in interdisciplinary differences in political extremism, physicists, who have high IQs, being among the least extreme and lower-IQ scholars being among the most extreme. Future research using larger academic samples would be extremely useful in exploring these areas in greater depth."

Physics & Astronomy: average IQ = 133
Social Sciences: average IQ = 115

Mean IQ score of persons in various occupations, taken from a variety of Western studies

Professors and researchers.......131, 134
Physicians and surgeons............128
Lawyers........................................128
Accountants..................................119, 128
Engineers (civil and mechanical)125
School teachers............................121, 123
General managers in business...122
Education administrators............122
Stenographers..............................119, 121
Pharmacists..................................120
Nurses...........................................119
Senior clerks................................118
Managers, production.................118
Clerks (general)...........................118
Managers, miscellaneous...........116
Cashiers.......................................116
Foremen, industrial......................114
Salesmen.....................................114
Clerks...........................................112
Electricians..................................109
Policemen....................................108
Mechanics....................................106
Machine operator........................105
Store managers..........................103
Shopkeepers...............................103
Butchers.......................................103
Carpenters, construction............102

Warehouse men...........................98
Carpenters and cabinet makers.97
Machine operator.........................97
Cooks and bakers........................97
Drivers, truck and van...................97
Laborers........................................96
Small farmers................................96
Gardeners.....................................95
Unskilled laborer...........................90
Factory packers and sorters........85

https://www.iqcomparisonsite.com/occupations.aspx .

More homoauthoritarian bile

"Such A Surprise" - Dr. Jill Biden Reacts To [Puerile] Attack On Her Doctorate > .

In September 1970, Harper's Magazine published an article by Joseph Epstein called "Homo/Hetero: The Struggle for Sexual Identity" that used the N-word to describe being gay and was criticized for its perceived blatant homophobia. Epstein wrote that he considered homosexuality "a curse, in a literal sense" and that his sons could do nothing to make him sadder than "if any of them were to become homosexual." 

[Clearly, Epstein was ignorant of realities. Individuals are born with innate sexual proclivities. Although they might choose not to act on their urges, they do not "become homosexual". Unsurprisingly, research has demonstrated that many of the most virulent homophobes struggle against their own homoerotic urges. Hm.] 

Gay activists characterized the essay as portraying every gay man the author met, or fantasized about meeting, as predatory, sex-obsessed, and a threat to civilization. In the essay, he says that, if possible, "I would wish homosexuality off the face of the earth", a statement that was interpreted by gay writer and editor Merle Miller as a call to genocide. A sit-in took place at Harper's by members of the Gay Activists Alliance.

In 2015, Epstein wrote an article for the Washington Examiner in which he mentioned the Harper's article from 1970. He wrote, "I am pleased the tolerance [not "acceptance, but "tolerance"] for homosexuality has widened in America and elsewhere, that in some respects my own aesthetic sensibility favors much homosexual artistic production [rather an insult to "homosexual artistic production", a term not used widely because it is inherently homophobic] ... My only hope now is that, on my gravestone, the words Noted Homophobe aren’t carved."

In an opinion piece published online on 20-12-11 in Wall Street Journal, Joseph Epstein, addressed Dr. Jill Biden as “kiddo” and offered her advice on “what may seem like a small but I think is a not unimportant matter.”

“Any chance you might drop the ‘Dr.’ before your name?” he wrote. “‘Dr. Jill Biden’ sounds and feels fraudulent, not to say a touch comic.”

He also critiqued the title of Biden's dissertation, "Student Retention at the Community College Level: Meeting Students' Needs", calling it "unpromising". His former employer, Northwestern University, released a statement condemning Epstein's opinions, writing, "Northwestern is firmly committed to equity, diversity and inclusion, and strongly disagrees with Mr. Epstein’s misogynistic views," and noted that he had not been employed to teach a course there since 2002.

If the reaction from Dr. Biden’s spokesman and from legions of women in academia is any indication, the answer is: not a chance.

“Some men are so threatened by educated women,” said Audrey Truschke, an associate professor of South Asian history at Rutgers University, who called Mr. Epstein’s piece a “misogynist, self-absorbed screed.” On Saturday, she was among a number of women who added Dr. to their names on Twitter in solidarity with Dr. Biden.

Michael LaRosa, a spokesman for Dr. Biden, called Mr. Epstein’s piece a “disgusting and sexist attack” and urged The Journal to remove it and apologize to Dr. Biden. Mr. Epstein declined to comment for this article. The Journal did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Saturday evening.

The raw nerve touched by the piece underscored the enduring power of the title — two letters that convey accomplishment, respect and authority.

In the 19th century, the title was widely contested, and people were sued for using “doctor” on calling cards or advertisements if they hadn’t graduated from a recognized medical school, according to Naomi Rogers, a professor of the history of medicine at Yale University.

[If Epstein, who does not boast a PhD, had cautioned Jill Biden for (unlike many with PhDs) confusingly using a term which the public associates with a particular profession, he might have appeared less of a jealous boor.] 

[Homoauthoritarianism (updated neologism) = non-erotic or erotic preference for own sex exhibited by power-hungry, authoritarian males who regard women variously as recreational vehicles, brood mares, and/or fit only for domestic servitude.]

I see DUPED malcontents

As Bids to Overturn Vote Fail, Cheat-in-Chief Supporters at Protests Stick With Him: A crowd of thousands in Washington cheered as LIAR-in-Cheat flew overhead in a helicopter. Many said they remained convinced that the election was stolen, no matter what the courts say.

[CONned malcontents who function below the 50th percentile on a rationality scale.]

Why not Meryl Streep?

Why not? Easy. She's not black, indigenous, or ethnic.

Meryl Streep Isn’t on Our List of Greatest Actors. Here’s Why. The Times’s co-chief film critics explain their rationale for some surprising inclusions, and exclusions, on their list of the greatest actors of the 21st century (so far).

There are few better ways to court the internet’s ire than to publish a list ranking the 25 greatest actors of the 21st century that does not include the words “Meryl” or “Streep.”

Encouraging natural selection?

Joe Biden: Covid vaccination in US will not be mandatory.

DUHnocchio's excessive numbers

Why DUHnocchio keeps outperforming the polls ...

Cheating? Too many Americans are dimmer than we feared? Inaccurate polling?

And another homoerotic homophobe

Jozsef Szajer: Hungary MEP quits after allegedly fleeing gay orgy: An MEP from Hungary's ruling party, which is hostile to LGBT rights, has quit after he was caught attending what Belgian media describe as a gay sex party in Brussels on Friday.

Jozsef Szajer, a top member of Prime Minister Viktor Dicktator Orban's Fidesz party, was stopped by police after reports of a house party violating lockdown rules. Prosecutors say he was found with drugs as he tried to flee the gathering, reportedly shinning down a drainpipe.

And another attention-seeker

 At least he's not claiming to be "they": Elliot Page: Juno star announces he is transgender. "I love that I am trans. And I love that I am queer."

[Queer? Has he left his girlfriend for a man? Good luck to him, but I cannot help but worry that some drastic decisions might end in misery when underlying issues are not resolved by hormones +/- surgery.]
 

Abandoned Principles

notā bene / notate bene: RepuGNican =/= Repugnican =/= Republican

Manipulating Voters

Your data and how it is used to gain your vote: How much do political parties know about you - and how is it used to try to sway your vote?

The Cambridge Analytica scandal threw light on how the Facebook data of millions was harvested and turned into a messaging tool. The revelations were criticised far and wide by politicians of all stripes. But now, a report from the UK's Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) puts the spotlight on the relationship between data brokers and the politicians here.

Buying someone's name can lead to making guesses about their income, number of children and ethnicity - which is then used to tailor a political message for them. The report suggests that the [UK] Conservative Party is doing just that, using so-called "onomastic data": information derived from the study of people's names which could identify their ethnic origin or religion. It has done that for 10 million voters, most of whom will be unaware of exactly how their information is being used.

Political parties can legitimately hold personal data on individuals to help them campaign more effectively. But sophisticated data analytics software can now combine information about individuals from multiple sources to find more about their voting characteristics and interests - something some people may find disturbing.

The Unbearable Grief of Needing Attention

Narcissism erodes boundaries and promotes exaggerated displays of emotionality. At least 15% of pregnancies end in miscarriage. Most women cope and move on.

Superspreader Turkeys

Public health officials have been pleading with Americans to stay home this year for Thanksgiving. And, despite busy airports this past weekend, most people plan to follow their advice, according to a huge survey asking Americans about their holiday plans.

Nationwide, the survey found that only around 27 percent of Americans plan to dine with people outside their household. That number is roughly consistent with the results of several recent smaller surveys, including those from YouGov, the Covid States Project and researchers at Ohio State University, which all find fewer than a third of Americans plan to celebrate in groups.

It also aligns with the results of a separate informal Times survey of epidemiologists. Out of 635 public health experts, only around 21 percent of them planned to celebrate Thanksgiving with people outside their household. The two surveys — of ordinary Americans and of epidemiologists — used identical question wording.

There is substantial regional variation in Thanksgiving plans, with people in some parts of the country much more likely to gather with others. In parts of Vermont, for example, only about 14 percent of households will be celebrating with people outside their household. In parts of Missouri, more than half of residents plan to.

Public health officials are worried about Thanksgiving celebrations as coronavirus cases have reached record highs in many areas of the country. Traditional holiday celebrations, with long meals indoors and with some travel typically involved, could contribute to more cases of the disease, which is primarily spread through droplets and aerosols that can linger in unventilated indoor spaces. Last week, an array of federal and state health officials urged Americans to skip such plans and stay home for the holiday.

As in a similar survey of mask-wearing from the summer, partisanship appears to explain much of the regional variation in Thanksgiving plans. Over all, survey respondents who identified as members of the Libertarian, Green or RepuGNican parties were more likely to be planning a multi-household Thanksgiving than Democrats or those unaffiliated with a political party.

States that UNpresident Pathogen-in-Cheat won in the election this month were generally more likely to have higher rates of planned multi-household Thanksgivings than states won by Joe Biden. 

[In other words, natural selection is still in operation.]

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/11/24/upshot/thanksgiving-dinner-survey.html .

How many will succumb?

20-11-18 PM 

The US has recorded more than 250,000 deaths from COVID-19, a bleak marker as cases soar once again across the country.

According to Johns Hopkins University, the country has now reported 250,029 deaths and nearly 11.5 million cases. It has more infections and a higher death toll than any other country worldwide. And cases have once again started to soar throughout the US, hitting new daily highs in the last week.

20-11-18 AM

TOTAL REPORTED            ON NOV. 17           14-DAY CHANGE

Cases   11.4 million                  159,508                        +79% 

Deaths  248,46                        21,583                         +38%

Hospitalized                              76,823                         +48%

At least 1,583 new coronavirus deaths ( = 50% x 9/11 on a single day) and 159,508 new cases were reported in the United States on Nov. 17. Over the past week, there has been an average of 158,265 cases per day, an increase of 79 percent from the average two weeks earlier.

As of Wednesday morning, more than 11,439,000 people in the United States have been infected with the coronavirus and at least 248,400 have died, according to a New York Times database.

Congratulations, Pathogen-in-Chief. My condolences, America.

Herding Cats

‘The Far Left Is the RepuGNicans’ Finest Asset’: An intense battle between moderates and progressives has already spilled into public view.

A strategist stressed his own ambivalence [about Democratic divisions]:

We need to extend the tent and extend the map further in some way — out of necessity. That’s where I sympathize with the centrists. You also need a strong, passionate, determined base. That’s where I sympathize with the progressives.

The Democratic Party, he noted, is inherently 

hard to manage. From race, to culture, to socioeconomic status. All of these items — knowledge professions vs. working class, young vs. old, rural vs. suburban vs. urban — makes us far more complex to manage than the [resentment-motivated, pseudo-Christian, poorly-educated, older, mostly male, in-group whites who vote for the Greedy Obstructionist Plutocrats].

Moderates angrily lashed out at liberals woke-flakes, accusing them of allowing divisive rhetoric such as “defund the police” and calls for [non-corporate] socialism to go largely unchallenged. Those on the [exalt victimhood] left pushed right back, accusing centrists of seeking to downgrade the [dangerously excessive] demands of minorities, including those voiced at Black Lives Matter protests.

 

Larcenous flight risk

US man fails Bond-esque underwater escape from FBI using 'sea scooter':

Matthew Piercey, 44, a California man accused of financial crimes, briefly evaded justice when the FBI tried to arrest him on Monday morning. He first fled by car and then used a sea scooter to hide from agents underwater in a frigid lake. Agents watched his bubbles on the surface for around 25 minutes before he emerged and was handcuffed.

He is accused of leading a $35m (£27m) Ponzi scheme at his local church. Investigators say that he and his business partner Kenneth Winton used funds invested in their companies, Family Wealth Legacy and Zolla, to pay for personal expenses, and that few liquid assets remained for them to return to clients. Mr Piercey is charged with wire fraud, mail fraud, money laundering, and witness tampering and is facing 20 years in prison.

Prosecutors have also deemed him a flight risk. [I can't imagine why.]

Exposing religionism as contemptibly AUTHORITARIAN

[Terms corrected to reflect reality] Pervert-in-Cheat or No Pervert-in-Cheat, Religious Authoritarianism Is Here to Stay: Their unlikely ally may have lost the White House, but pseudo-Christian nationalists still plan to win the war.

Will President-elect Joe Biden’s victory force America’s pseudo-Christian nationalists to rethink the unholy alliance that powered LIAR-in-Chief’s four-year tour as one of the nation’s most dangerous UNpresidents? Don’t count on it.

The 2020 election is proof that religionist authoritarianism is here to stay, and the early signs now indicate that the movement seems determined to reinterpret defeat at the top of the ticket as evidence of persecution and of its own righteousness. With or without Hypocrite-in-Chief, they will remain committed to the illiberal politics that the UNpresident has so ably embodied.

As it did in 2016, the early analysis of the 2020 election results often circled around the racial, urban-rural, and income and education divides. But the religion divide tells an equally compelling story. According to preliminary exit polls from Edison Research (the data is necessarily rough at this stage), 28 percent of voters identified as either white evangelical proselytizing pseudo-Christian or white born-again pseudo-Christian, and of these, 76 percent voted for DUHnocchio. If these numbers hold (some other polls put the religious share at a lower number; others put the support for Idiot-in-Chief at a higher number), these results indicate a continuation of support for Putin's Puppet from this group.

The core of Crook-in-Cheat’s voting bloc, to be clear, does not come from white evangelicals proselytizing pseudo-Christians as such, but from an overlapping group of not necessarily evangelical proselytizing pseudo-Christian, and not necessarily white, people who identify at least loosely with control-freak-Christian nationalism: the idea that the United States is and ought to be an Authoritarian Christian nation governed under a reactionary understanding of Authoritarian Christian values. Unfortunately, data on that cohort is harder to find except in deeply researched work by sociologists like Andrew Whitehead and Samuel Perry.

Most pollsters shoehorn complex religious [and religionist] identities into necessarily broad labels, so they fail to separate out the different strands of Pervert-in-Cheat’s support. There are indications that the UNpresident in fact expanded his appeal among nonwhite proselytizing pseudo-Christians or born-again pseudo-Christians of color, particularly among Latinos. Mr. Biden, on the other hand, who made faith outreach a key feature of his campaign, appears to have done well among moderate and progressive voters of all faiths.

Conservative voters of faith obdurate delusion “came in massive numbers, seven and a half million more above the 2016 baseline, which was itself a record,” Ralph Reed, head of the Faith Delusion and Freedom Fiefdom Coalition and a longtime religious right wrong activist, said at a postelection press briefing. “We believe they’re the reason why RepuGNicans are going to hold the Senate.”

Truth Decay - a 'Murican specialty

Barack Obama: One election won't stop US 'truth decay' .

The US faces a huge task in reversing a culture of "crazy conspiracy theories" that have exacerbated divides in the country, Barack Obama says. In a BBC interview, the former president says the US is more sharply split than even four years ago, when (using the USA's foolish electoral process) LIAR-in-Cheat won stole the presidency.

Obama suggests Joe Biden's victory in the 2020 US election is just the start of repairing those divisions. "It'll take more than one election to reverse those trends," he says. Tackling a polarised nation, he argues, cannot be left only to the decisions of politicians, but also requires both structural change and people listening to one another - agreeing on a "common set of facts" before arguing what to do about them.

However he says he sees "great hope" in the "sophisticated" attitudes of the next generation [apparently, Obama is not aware of "woke" fallacies], urging young people to "cultivate that cautious optimism that the world can change" and "to be a part of that change".

[Town versus Clown] Anger and resentment between rural and urban America, immigration, injustices like inequality and "the kinds of crazy conspiracy theories - what some have called truth decay" have been amplified by some US media outlets and "turbocharged by social media". 

Deplorable authoritarians en masse

[Content modified for accuracy] Million Make America Ghastlier Again March: Protesters gather for pro-Putin's-Puppet rallies:

Supporters of UNpresident Criminal-in-Cheat are taking part in rallies in Washington DC to back his unsubstantiated claims of voter fraud in the US election. Far-right Far-wrong and anti-government groups including the Proud Boys, Oath Keepers and QAnon have indicated they will attend, amid heightened tensions over the election result. Protesters swarmed the UNpresidential motorcade as CON-in-Cheat drove past on his way to his golf course earlier.

Joe Biden won the 3 November election. On Saturday, he solidified his victory with a projected win in the state of Georgia - making him the first Democratic candidate to take the state since 1992. He now has 306 votes in the electoral college - the system the US uses to choose its president - which far exceeds the 270 threshold to win.

Returning to Epsilon 5?

Dominic Cummings to leave Downing Street by Christmas: 

Goodbye Dominic Cummings - SpIm > .

The Boris & Cummings Love Story is Over - SpIm > .

tRUMP is a LOSER!

Trump is a loser! - Pie > .

First at WORST

The US reported a third straight daily record for new coronavirus cases on 20-11-6, according to Johns Hopkins University. More than 127,000 infections were reported in 24 hours, as well as 1,149 deaths. [> 9/11 every 3 days]

The news comes as officials announced that White House chief of staff Mark Meadows had also tested positive for the virus. He is the latest Pathogen-in-Cheat Badministration official to contract the disease.


The US is the worst affected nation in the world by COVID-19, with more than 9.7 million confirmed cases and a death toll of more than 230,000.

[My condolences to those who lost loved ones because of the most inept, uncaring "administration" in living memory.]

3rd time lucky VS the sorest LOSER

Biden Wins Presidency, Ending Four Tumultuous Years Under Trump worst UNpresident in US history: Joseph R. Biden Jr. achieved victory offering a message of healing and unity. He will return to Washington facing a daunting set of crises.

To all who voted for sanity and decency, thank you.

To all who feared boogey-men (that exist only in the evil minds of manipulators) and voted to continue to corrupt America, shame on you.

Never underestimate

To quote my brother-in-law: "Never underestimate the stupidity of Americans."

To clarify: particularly old, white, non-college-educated, male Americans. 

Making America a S*ithole Nation

 How Putin's Puppet Lowered America’s Standing in the World:

"It has become impossible for democracies today to believe it is in their national interest to take Idiot-in-Cheat’s America seriously. With this UNpresident, there are simply too many petulant reversals of course. The presidency and dishonesty have become synonymous. Alliances are founded on trust. When that goes, they begin to dissolve.

Hence the talk in European capitals of the need to “contain” the United States, a verb once reserved for the Soviet Union. America, under Crook-in-Chief has lost the credibility and legitimacy that were cornerstones of its influence.

Allies believe a second second Agent Orange term would lead to the United States’ leaving NATO, following the decision to leave the World Health Organization. Departure from the World Trade Organization is also possible. Putin's Puppet has yet  to encounter a multilateral organization he does not want dead.

The values of liberty, democracy, freedom of expression and the rule of law for which the United States has stood, albeit with conspicuous failings, over the postwar decades have been abandoned. Despite the horrors of Vietnam and Abu Ghraib, and Cold War support for dictatorial regimes, America led not just because it had a huge army and nuclear arsenal, but also because it shared beliefs with its allies and worked with them. The United States has become a values-free international actor under a president who has led a values-free life.

This American abdication has allowed President Vladimir Putin of Russia to proclaim liberalism “obsolete.” It has led Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany to say Europeans must “take our fate into our own hands.” It has empowered President Xi Jinping of China to offer his country’s one-party system as an alternative model for developing countries. It has turned the phrase “leader of the free world,” as applied to the United States, into a laughable notion."

Fight for Democracy

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6h1-Ctbi8SM .

Not a CCP thing

Taiwan's military includes same-sex couples in wedding for first time .

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-54743789 .

Election 2020: DIRE prediction.

Election 2020: Pie's prediction - JoPi > .

NOT better than that

Frank Bruni has realized what non-USians already know:

How Will I Ever Look at America the Same Way Again?:

""It’s always assumed that those of us who felt certain of Hillary Clinton’s victory in 2016 were putting too much trust in polls.

I was putting too much trust in Americans.

I’d seen us err. I’d watched us stray. Still I didn’t think that enough of us would indulge a would-be leader as proudly hateful, patently fraudulent and flamboyantly dishonest as Crook-in-Chief.

We had episodes of ugliness, but this? No way. We were better than Idiot-in-Cheat.

Except, it turned out, we weren’t.""

[To be fair, almost 3 million Americans were more sensible than to vote for Putin's Orange-Slime Puppet, but far too many were too cynical, too blasé, too dim, too desperate, too duped, and/or too damned deplorable to vote against a clear and bombastic menace. Arrogant, defensive, poorly-informed, insular, anti-intellectual rationalization is one of the worst traits in any population. To those flaws, too many Americans add hyper-religiosity, belligerent selfishness, and unapologetic greed.]

Olbermann vs. Trump #15: The 50 Worst Trump Atrocities - KO > .

KO vs Orange Slime >> .

I beg to differ

"The essence of America is openness. History, geography, immigration and fate have established that. The shrinking of the American mind under Dimwit-in-Cheat therefore amounts, for Americans, to a dangerous denial of themselves. Prolonged for another four years, in a second Idiot-in-Cheat term, it would negate the American idea, without which, at least for this immigrant, the United States, as conceived, with all its flaws, ceases to be."

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/23/opinion/Trump-biden-debates.html .

Not from the viewpoint of non-USians. Here's a more accurate assessment:

"The essence of America is insular arrogance. History, geography, anti-immigration-sentiment and hubris have established that. The shrinking of the American mind began long before Dimwit-in-Cheat and amounts, in the oh-so average American, to a dangerous denial of science and rationality. Prolonged for another four years, in a second Idiot-in-Cheat term, kleptocracy would negate what little remains of America's stated ideals, the glaring absence of which, at least for non-Normegian immigrants, the United States, as touted, with its unacknowledged hubristic flaws, continues to be vastly overrated."

The Tok is Tikking

The Jinping Shuffle | Spitting Image > .

Good news!

Jacinda Ardern, Hero to Liberals Abroad, Is Validated at Home: New Zealand’s prime minister and her party are coasting to victory in national elections, though it is unclear how far she will push her progressive promises.

New Zealand election: Jacinda Ardern's Labour Party scores landslide win.

Cow Power

'Despite what you've been told COWS CAN SAVE THE WORLD' - lcdu > .

CONvid

[I wonder how long it will be before someone reveals that Pathogen-in-Cheat had CONvid, not COVID. It's easy to minimize what you never suffered]

20-10-10 Narcissist-in-Cheat holds rally. Pet doc claims DUHnocchio is no longer contagious.

Faker-in-Cheat Leaves Hospital, Minimizing Virus and Urging Americans ‘Don’t Let It Dominate Your Lives’: The COVID-FAKING UNpresident appeared eager to be back at the White House and dispel any questions about his [virus-untouched] capacity after being FALSELY diagnosed with the coronavirus, despite continuing questions about his [herd-mentality mental] health.

[To the RepuGNican mind, 210,000 do not count when profits and elections are threatened.]

Slumping Wrong

What's behind Germany's far-right AfD party slump in polls?: A survey has seen the AfD in eastern Germany — the party's longtime stronghold — drop from first to third position in just a year. Is this a sign of things to come for the far-right?

"There are several reasons for this development ... Firstly, several high profile violent events in 2019 changed the political discourse. ... Another major factor in the AfD's loss in support is party infighting which has played out publicly in recent months in a spate of scandals that have highlighted the far-right extremist streak running through the party. 
Over the six years of the party's existence, the AfD has become all too familiar with scandals surrounding Holocaust deniers and far-right extremists."

...

"No fresh ideas: Throughout their existence, the AfD party has thrived on key topics: In 2015, the far-right populists were brought back from near-extinction after adopting a staunchly anti-migrant stance in the face of the arrival of Syrian refugees. Attempts to capitalize on dissatisfaction with anti-coronavirus measures do not seem to have paid off. ... The AfD has failed to come up with suggestions to fight the coronavirus pandemic. Instead, it has latched on to coronavirus-skeptic demonstrations — frequented, among others, by conspiracy theorists and known far-right extremists. But in Germany, like in other countries, strong leadership in times of the pandemic give a boost to ruling parties. 

The AfD, meanwhile, has aligned itself with skeptics on the issue of climate change: They are seeking to protect Germany's auto industry and are campaigning against bans on diesel cars. Such rhetoric has resonated little to date since the topic of climate change has taken a back seat in times of coronavirus pandemic."

Tragi-Comedy

20-10-8 After Pence-Harris debate:

Black Flies Matter!!

I like politicians who don't ooze falsehoods.

After Announcement that Pathogen-in-Cheat is COVID positive

[paraphrased] Our thoughts are with the virus at this difficult time.

[paraphrased] Don't be afraid to jump out of a plane without a parachute. Don't let gravity dominate you.

Height of Self-Serving Irresponsibility

Top US virus expert Dr Anthony Fauci has criticised the White House for hosting a gathering last month that has been linked to an outbreak of COVID-19. Dr Fauci, a member of the White House's coronavirus task force, said the UNpresident's unveiling of his judicial nominee was a "superspreader event". Dozens of White House aides and other contacts were reportedly infected.

UNpresident Pathogen-in-Cheat's doctors have just cleared him to hold public events as he himself recovers from COVID-19. LIAR-in-Chief - who was discharged from hospital on Monday after three nights - held a medical "evaluation" on FAUX Lies on Friday night. He is expected to host an in-person White House event on Saturday.

[Needless to say, only fools and the greedy malevolent would attend any event where DUHnocchio is present.]

Thuggish and Present Danger

The Plot Against Gretchen Whitmer Shows the Danger of Private Militias: These groups have no constitutional right to exist.

"In the swirls of disinformation that now pollute our political discourse, one is particularly dangerous: that private militias are constitutionally protected.

Although these vigilante groups often cite the Second Amendment’s “well regulated militia” for their authority, history and Supreme Court precedent make clear that the phrase was not intended to — and does not — authorize private militias outside of government control.

Indeed, these armed groups have no authority to call themselves forth into militia service; the Second Amendment does not protect such activity; and all 50 states prohibit it.

The danger of these groups was brought home on 20-10-8 with the announcement that the F.B.I. had thwarted a plot by people associated with an extremist group in Michigan to kidnap Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and overthrow the government.

Court documents say that the group discussed trying the governor for treason and murdering “tyrants.” Six men now face federal kidnapping conspiracy charges, but unauthorized militia activity continues in Michigan and elsewhere.

The unnamed militia involved in the kidnapping plot is part of a growing number of private paramilitary groups mobilizing across the country, wholly outside of lawful authority or governmental accountability. These organizations — some of which openly refer to themselves as “militias,” while others reject the term — often train together in the use of firearms and other paramilitary techniques and “deploy,” heavily armed and sometimes in full military gear, when they deem it necessary."

...

"Most alarmingly, some of them are planning their own poll-watching and openly training in preparation for the post-election period.

Whatever their stated purpose, their conduct is unlawful and not constitutionally protected. Even before the adoption of the Constitution, the colonies recognized the importance of a “well regulated” militia to defend the state, in preference over standing armies, which they perceived as a threat to liberty. The militia consisted of able-bodied residents between certain ages who had a duty to respond when called forth by the government.

But “well regulated” meant that the militias were trained, armed and controlled by the state. Indeed, 48 states have provisions in their constitutions that explicitly require the militia to be strictly subordinate to the civil authority.

Likewise, state constitutions and laws then and now generally name the governor as the commander in chief of its armed forces — and only the governor or a designee has the power to call forth the able-bodied residents for militia service."

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/08/opinion/militias-gretchen-whitmer.html .

[I wonder whether Nationalist-in-Chief plans to make himself even more unpopular by pardoning them. If so, he will do it after the election during a temper tantrum tirade of destroying anything still in his power to destroy.]

cf Desperate Plots ..

Petulous-in-Cheat "Is Killing the Economy Out of Spite": So what will he do if he loses the election?

"Last year Infant-in-Chief called Nancy Pelosi, the House speaker, a “nasty, vindictive, horrible person.” Actually, she isn’t — but he is.

Agent Orange’s vindictiveness has become a major worry as the election approaches. He has already signaled that he won’t accept the result if he loses, which seems increasingly likely though not certain. Nobody knows what chaos, possibly including violence, he may unleash if the election doesn’t go his way.

Even aside from that concern, however, a defeated Narcissist-in-Cheat would still be president for two and a half months. Would he spend that time acting destructively, in effect taking revenge on America for rejecting him?

Well, we got a preview of what a lame-duck DUHnocchio UNpresidency might look like 20-10-6. Narcissist-in-Cheat hasn’t even lost yet, but he abruptly cut off talks on an economic relief package millions of Americans desperately need (although as of 20-10-8 he seemed to be backtracking). And his motivation seems to have been sheer spite.

Why do we need economic relief? Despite several months of large employment gains, America has only partly recovered from horrific job losses in the early months of the pandemic — and the pace of recovery has slowed to a relative crawl. All indications are that the economy will remain weak for many months, maybe even years."

...

"Warnings about the dangers of failing to provide more relief aren’t just coming from progressive Democrats; they’re coming from Wall Street analysts and Jerome Powell, the chairman of the Federal Reserve."

...

The question is, why did Dimwit-in-Chief choose to reject even the possibility of a deal less than a month before Election Day? True, it’s too late for legislation to make much difference to the state of the economy on Nov. 3, although a deal might have averted some corporate layoffs. But it would surely be in tRUMP’s political interest to at least look as if he’s trying to help Americans in distress. Why would tRUMP choose this, of all moments, to torpedo economic policy?

As far as I can tell, nobody has offered a plausible political motive, any way in which refusing even to try rescuing the economy helps tRUMP’s prospects. What this looks like, instead, is vindictiveness.

I don’t know whether tRUMP expects to lose the election. But he’s already acting like a deeply embittered man, lashing out at people he feels have treated him unfairly, which is basically everyone. And as usual he reserves special rage for smart, tough women; on 2--1o-8 [the widely acknowledged monster] called Kamala Harris a “monster.”

Yet getting a relief deal would have required accepting a compromise with that “nasty” woman Nancy Pelosi. And it seems that he would rather let the economy burn.

The thing is, if he’s behaving like this now, when he still has some chance of winning, how will he act if he loses?

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/08/opinion/donald-trump-economy.html .

[As above, very, very badly. After all, DUH is already encouraging RepuGNicans to risk long-term health problems, possibly death for being foolish enough to believe a word he says. One wonders how some of his fans managed to "graduate" from grade school.]

Desperate Plots

cf Thuggish and Present Danger ..

FBI busts militia 'plot' to abduct Michigan Gov Gretchen Whitmer: 

The FBI says it has thwarted a plot to abduct and overthrow Michigan's Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer. Mrs Whitmer has become a target of coronavirus sceptics after enacting strict mitigation measures that were overturned by a judge last week.

Officials say the kidnapping plot involved six men who planned to hold a "treason trial" for her. What were they allegedly planning?

According to a sworn FBI affidavit, an undercover law enforcement source attended a June meeting in Dublin, Ohio, where a group of Michigan-based militia members discussed overthrowing state governments "that they believed were violating the US Constitution". 

[As though kidnapping in an attempt to overthrow an elected government is in accord with the law or with their precious Constitution. As though accepting laundered money and consorting with a foreign government do not constitute better grounds for a treason trial.]

Armed lockdown protesters in Michigan statehouse .
What are US militia groups? . 

Counterfactual Political Manipulation

Science under Trump LIAR-in-Cheat: Four key moments - Nature > .

Why Nature needs to cover politics now more than ever: Science and politics are inseparable — and Nature will be publishing more politics news, comment and primary research in the coming weeks and months.

https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-02797-1 .

Implicitly admitting to the LIE

COVID: Pathogen-in-Cheat "free of symptoms for 24 hours, says doctor" .

[It's easy to be symptom-free when you never had the infection in the first place.]

Planet Subnormal & (enfin!) Helen Pluckrose

After 20 minutes of brainless, wrong-wing babble and grumbling lay-"science", Helen is given a chance to speak ... and then the video was switched to "private". One wonders why.

Planet Subnormal: Helen Pluckrose on why the woke need to wake up > .

More evidence of deceitful plot ...

COVID-19 Live Updates: Pathogen-in-Cheat Returns to a Capital in Chaos as Outbreak Spreads: The UNpresident abruptly ended talks on a stimulus bill intended to shore up the nation’s pandemic-stricken economy. In New York, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo imposed tough restrictions aimed at curbing virus clusters in parts of New York City and its northern suburbs.

Tracking the White House Coronavirus Outbreak ↝ 

Tawanda! Hack

Cellmate: Male chastity gadget hack could lock users in:

A security flaw in a hi-tech chastity belt for men made it possible for hackers to remotely lock all the devices in use simultaneously.

The internet-linked sheath has no manual override, so owners might have been faced with the prospect of having to use a grinder or bolt cutter to free themselves from its metal clamp.

The sex toy's app has been fixed by its Chinese developer after a team of UK security professionals flagged the bug.

https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-54436575 .

[This adds a hilarious new dimension to the concept of Denial-of-Service (DoS) attacks.]

And another Pedophile Protection Agency

Church of England failures 'allowed child sexual abusers to hide': 

The Church of England failed to protect children from sexual abuse, and created a culture where abusers "could hide", a report has concluded.

The Independent Inquiry into Child Sex Abuse's report says the Church's failure to respond consistently to abuse victims added to their trauma.

It added that alleged perpetrators were often given more support than victims.

The Church said it felt "shame" over the failings detailed in the "shocking" report.

[Shame or oh-whoops! embarrassment?]

Nationalist-pandering move against CRT

20-9-30 A two-page White House ‘race’ memo became a flash point in Tuesday’s debate: Racist-in-Chief wanted to ban federal agency training on ‘critical race theory,’ but agencies have scrambled, stumbled

"A two-page White House memo that directed federal agencies to halt “un-American” and “divisive” employee training has led to widening confusion and cancellations across the government, as stumped officials are unsure how to respond but fearful of backlash from UNpresident Nationalist-in-Chief."

...

"Their comments came one day after the White House issued its second set of guidelines on the attempted bans. The guidelines outlined how the government would retaliate against those who did not follow the new restrictions."

...

"Russell Vought, [director of White House’s Office of Management and Budget], updated the administration’s guidance after the National Park Service sent agency officials a memo last week suspending hundreds of training programs while it tried to understand how to comply with the order, according to emails and documents reviewed by The Washington Post. It would later narrow the list of suspended courses, but some employees said they still included ones on sexual harassment, tribal consultation and how to respond to people with disabilities."

...

"The chain of events stems from a Sept. 4 memo Vought issued, which said tRUMP had asked him to stop federal agencies from giving employee trainings on “white privilege” and critical race theory. Vought cast this approach as “divisive” and “un-American.”

The White House issued the memo after FAUX Lies ran a number of segments criticizing “diversity and inclusion” efforts in the federal government.

tRUMP saw one of the cable news programs and asked aides, “What is this crap?” a Badministration official said, describing his reaction, and he directed OMB to cancel the seminars. tRUMP saw the matter as a winning campaign issue. Within days, a guest on FAUX Lies who raised the issue had been called, Vought had been summoned to the Oval Office, and the memo from OMB had been drafted. It was released late on a Friday night (20-9-4)."

... However, we cannot accept our employees receiving training that seeks to undercut our core values as Americans and drive division within our workforce. 

The President has directed me to ensure that Federal agencies cease and desist from using taxpayer dollars to fund these divisive, un-American propaganda training sessions. Accordingly, to that end, the Office of Management and Budget will shortly issue more detailed guidance on implementing the President's directive. In the meantime, all agencies are directed to begin to identify all contracts or other agency spending related to any training on "critical race theory/9 "white privilege," or any other training or propaganda effort that teaches or suggests either (1) that the United States is an inherently racist or evil country or (2) that any race or ethnicity is inherently racist or evil. In addition, all agencies should begin to identify all available avenues within the law to cancel any such contracts and/or to divert Federal dollars away from these unAmerican propaganda training sessions. ...

[Unfortunately, extremist approaches at both poles of this issue (CRT:white nationalism) are problematic.]

Aren't spell-checkers hilarious?

 I might just start a collection:

"road ruff Shod"

Wrong. Ignorant. LIE ⇒ Attempted Transmission to Rival?

Tracking the White House Coronavirus Outbreak ↝ 

At least seven people who attended a White House event on Saturday Sept. 26 (20-9-26) have since tested positive for the coronavirus. Six of them, including the first lady, sat in the first several rows of a nomination ceremony for Judge Amy Coney Barrett in the White House Rose Garden. The seventh was the UNpresident himself.

[NB "Because a P.C.R. test is more sensitive to low viral loads, it may be able to detect a coronavirus infection very early on."]

Timeline?

26 Sep - exposure during afternoon?

morning 26 to pre-debate 29 - closed-door preparation meetings

27-29 Sep - viral infection (exposure on 26) should be detectable by daily PCR testing [below]

29 Sep - DJT's outrageous performance at debate in evening

30 Sep - post-debate uproar during day

1 Oct - DJT to golf club, met with other donors at an indoor roundtable

2 Oct - announcement of Hope Hick's positive test → hours later, announcement of DJT's and Melania's positive tests 

3 Oct - exhibiting mild, but "concerning" symptoms, DJT flown to Walter Reed medical center for hospitalization (unproven, but promising treatments earlier than usually indicated) → O2? 

4 Oct - announcement of "feeling better"

"The indoor White House gathering was far from the only time this week that tRUMP was in close quarters indoors with family, aides or supporters.

Ahead of the first presidential debate on Tuesday night in Cleveland, tRUMP held closed-door preparation sessions on Saturday, Sunday, Monday and Tuesday with a half-dozen aides and advisers, including Bill Stepien, his campaign manager; Kellyanne Conway, a former White House adviser; and Chris Christie, the former governor of New Jersey. All of them have since tested positive for the virus. Rudolph W. Giuliani, the president’s personal lawyer, also participated in debate preparation sessions but has said he tested negative.

Since the event in the Rose Garden, tRUMP has also traveled in close quarters aboard Air Force One to and from the debate and campaign events in Pennsylvania, Minnesota and New Jersey. At least three other people on those flights — Melania Trump, Hope Hicks, a senior Trump adviser, and Mr. Stepien — later tested positive."

...

A statement has been provided to pool reporters that contradicts Dr Sean Conley’s upbeat update on DUHnocchio’s health. It says the “the UNpresident’s vitals over the last 24 hours were very concerning and the next 48 hours will be critical in terms of his care. We’re still not on a clear path to a full recovery.”

The statement should be treated with caution as it is only attributed to “a source familiar with the president’s health” but it just adds to the confusion surrounding how ill The Donald is.

...

Pathogen-in-Cheat's "doctors said it had been 72 hours since Agent Orange’s diagnosis (so sometime on Wednesday 20-9-30), which does not fit in with what we know - or were told. We were told of LIAR-in-Chief’s illness late on Thursday 20-10-1/early Friday 20-10-2 Washington DC time. That means Denialist-in-Chief apparently went to a fundraiser in New Jersey knowing he had COVID-19. Indeed, on Thursday 20-10-1 tRUMP did not give any indication he had been diagnosed in a television appearance. So either Dr Sean Conley is wrong about the diagnosis, Trump was not told he had COVID-19 or he was not telling the truth."

...

[Considering the fact of daily testing of all WH staff, my money is on LIE — I also suspect that the positive test was earlier than Wednesday 20-9-30. Ego-in-Chief probably expected to miraculously remain sufficiently asymptomatic to hide the fact of being infected.]

...

"If Dr Sean Conley was indeed correct when he said Pathogen-in-Chief had been diagnosed with COVID-19 sometime on Wednesday 20-9-30, the UNpresident ([and]/or people around him) knew he had the virus when:

• He flew to Minnesota and attended an event in Minneapolis on Wednesday evening.
• He flew back to Washington DC that night with staff on Air Force One
• He left the White House at 1.15pm on Thursday 20-10-1 to go to his golf club where he addressed donors outdoors, and met with other donors at an indoor roundtable. The father of one of those donors died of COVID-19 in spring.

...

[If I am correct that DUHnocchio's infection predated 20-9-30, then he has potentially infected even more unsuspecting Americans. He might well have hoped to infect Joe Biden.]

...

"Conley will not be drawn on when or how tRUMP was infected. Conley says tRUMP is “male and slightly overweight” but other than that, he does not have any significant risk factors for COVID-19. He says tRUMP’s heart rate and blood pressure are within normal range. As to why the president was taken to hospital if he isn’t severely ill, Conley said it’s because tRUMP is “the [UN]president of United States”.

He clarifies an earlier statement and says tRUMP was not on oxygen on Thursday or Friday either. Odd given that Conley would not say earlier if tRUMP had never been on oxygen.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/live/2020/oct/03/donald-trump-covid-19-coronavirus-hospital-white-house-live-latest-news-updates .

The time between initial exposure to the virus and the appearance of symptoms is known as the incubation period. This period is typically four to five days, although it can last up to 14 days, or perhaps even longer in rare cases.

incubation

period

exposure

symptoms

It remains unclear who infected tRUMP, although there are many potential candidates, several of whom gathered with the UNpresident during events last weekend and have traveled with him to crowded campaign rallies.

Most people who come down with COVID recover within a couple weeks and do not require hospitalization. tRUMP has reportedly experienced only mild symptoms so far.

Severe cases, however, may take far longer to resolve. And a growing cohort of coronavirus survivors, called long-haulers, has reported symptoms and side effects — including fatigue, impaired memory and heart problems — that can linger for months.

exposure

symptoms

recovery

exposure

long-haulers

People who develop severe cases of COVID tend to be hospitalized within two weeks or so of the emergence of symptoms. But many of the factors that catapult certain people toward severe forms of the disease remain a scientific mystery. Scientists know that people who are male, older and obese — all descriptors of UNpresident tRUMP — are at higher risk for more serious effects of COVID.

After an initial exposure, the number of virus particles in a person’s body, or viral load, takes time to build up as the pathogen infiltrates cells and copies itself repeatedly. Mathematical models indicate that the viral load tends to peak before symptoms appear, if they appear at all, and starts to decline rather quickly in the days following the first signs of illness.

peak

viral load

exposure

symptoms

recovery

Experts have said that people are more likely to be contagious when their viral loads are high. If so, the window of peak infectiousness might be only a few days long, beginning a day or two before symptoms appear, and closing within a week thereafter.

viral load

infectious

exposure

symptoms

recovery

This also means that people can be highly contagious during the presymptomatic stage, in the days before they develop symptoms. Separately, asymptomatic carriers of the coronavirus have also been repeatedly pinpointed as the source of transmission events, although how the virus behaves in the bodies of such people is less understood.

For months, the White House has screened people coming into close contact with tRUMP. Many of these screenings are rapid tests, delivering actionable results within minutes without needing to send samples to a laboratory. Such speed and convenience can come at the cost of accuracy: Rapid tests are worse at picking up on low viral loads and very recent infections, and more often produce false negatives or false positives. Some experts argue that true positives from rapid tests might coincide with the period in which people are most contagious, although this has not yet been confirmed. Rapid tests like the much-discussed Abbott ID Now and BinaxNOW have been an emergency F.D.A. greenlight only for sick people who are within seven days of the start of symptoms. Use on individuals who don’t feel ill is considered off-label.

rapid tests

exposure

infectious

People with known exposure to an infected person — like tRUMP — or who have already developed symptoms may need to take a more sensitive test. Experts often recommend laboratory tests that rely on a technique called P.C.R. (polymerase chain reaction) that can detect very small amounts of the virus, but that usually takes several hours to run on sophisticated, expensive machines.

rapid tests

PCR test

exposure

infectious

Because a P.C.R. test is more sensitive to low viral loads, it may be able to detect a coronavirus infection very early on. But the diagnostic test can also pick up harmless bits of the virus that linger in the body after symptoms have resolved, and perhaps after a person stops being contagious.

[Most likely? Again, and because of the typical course of this disease, I suspect that tRUMP was exposed a few days to a week before the public were notified, and that, courtesy of daily WH testing, he was aware of being infectious before the debate. Since, despite probably knowing that he was infectious, tRUMP refused to follow precautions, it seems (to me) highly likely that Pathogen-in-Chief hoped to infect Joe Biden.]

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/10/02/science/charting-a-coronavirus-infection.html