There are a number of threads from the Old World, any news from the New? Anything American goes.

Wasn't there some guy named Andrew Yang who proposed doing exactly that?

Wasn't there some guy named Andrew Yang who proposed doing exactly that?

Yes, he was a nominee for the Democratic nomination.

Doesn't matter much who is in the White House and the passing labelling of the present incumbent can be given to anyone there. Just a pity for the sensibles over there that it is really corporates whether Democrat or Republican parties than run things.

There are a few missing links, the closest known relative to SARS-CoV-2 is the batvirus RaTG13 (in Yunnan province in China, bordering Indochina). Some other closely related viruses have infected pangolins, but there is no indication that a pangolin species was an intermediate for SARS-CoV-2. When we don't know what, we don't know where either. 

However we can time the origin of the SARS-CoV-2 virus to November 2019. Given that the first patients started to come in to Wuhan hospitals in the beginning of December that would have given the virus preciously little time to travel the world. We don't know it started in Wuhan, but it is a pretty safe guess.

As for Trump's virus, it may have been born in China, but it has been many generations since it became an American immigrant and became naturalised. The US has imported a few cases from Europe, also from Iran, but otherwise the virus is as American as can be. 

You can trace the different strains if you are interested.

Not just a passing intellectual attempt  regarding the start as it WAS in China!

Colombia's ELN rebels call ceasefire over coronavirus

...coronavirus is obliterating the media

It's almost impossible to list off all the news organizations that are hurting, closing or firing people right now, (the New York Times did a recent sampling), but suffice it to say that pain is being felt in every outlet, except for a select few (which I will get to.)

[...]

Paradoxically demand for news is off the charts. People desperately want to know about all facets of the pandemic--a never-before-experienced phenomenon--plus they have more time, working from home or being jobless. Readership and viewership actually doubled at some properties in March.

But here's the rub. Marketers won't place their ads next to the endless parade of horrific coronavirus stories. (That's what happens when the news turns bad--like in the wake of 9/11 for instance.) Plus, millions of businesses that would be advertising right now are shuttered, bankrupt or slashing marketing budgets. (Sports advertising for instance has gone to zero.) So while audience numbers are soaring, ad numbers are plunging.

Advertising is the problem, which is nothing new. It's just worse now.

The local news is hit particularly hard. The enterprises that would normally advertise aren't even open. I think that other thing is more of an American oddity though.

You are a bit wrong ersi saying "a never-before-experienced phenomenon". Where is your history knowledge? In the early part of last century there was a really massive and heavily threatening world-wise health crisis that killed millions and that was due to Influenza.

The American online ammunition dealer Ammo.com reported an increase in sales of 792 percent between 23 February and the end of March compared with the almost 40-day period before that.

The President of the U.S. has declared war on the Virus and Americans are preparing accordingly by buying guns and ammo.
What could possibly go wrong?

I think it is a mass craziness in a country that goes so daft on weaponry and using the late 18th century as an excuse.

Damn, knew I forgot something. brb...

U.N. rights office says Blake shooting was 'excessive'

The U.N. human rights office said on Friday that the images of the shooting of Black man Jacob Blake in Wisconsin appeared to show that the police officer had used "excessive" force that was likely discriminatory in nature.

Sunday's shooting, captured on video, showed Blake was shot in the back by a white police officer as three of his young children watched. The footage has gone viral and set off angry protests.

"From the images available that we've seen at this point, the police appear to have used force against Jacob Blake that would seem to be excessive," Rupert Colville said at a virtual briefing in Geneva, saying the use of force did not appear to comply with international standards.  

"It also seems highly possible that the force used against Blake could be discriminatory in nature," he added.

The shooting of Blake has triggered unrest in Kenosha, Wisconsin, with a teenager shooting three demonstrators including two fatally on Tuesday night.

Asked to comment on the incident, Colville described it as an unfortunate example of "insufficient and lax" gun control measures in the United States, saying it has issued repeated warnings to prevent such events.

"It should be inconceivable to have a 17-year old running out with an automatic rifle in a position to shoot people in such a tense situation," he added.

Simple answer is that it is nutjobland........

Simple answers are often wrong... And the UN is -as RJ would say- a farce!

For a more detailed telling of Blake's "interaction" with the police, see this.

The simple answer is usually the best one.

Noted,Frenzie. Of course, context matters, and quantification is generally murky in conversation...

Let me offer, in this case, a more precise phrasing: Early reports, specially first reports, of "news" are notoriously inaccurate. It's okay, I think, to wait for more and better sourced information before coming to a conclusion.

(And I could spin the conjunction of those two statements as something less than a contradiction. )

(And I could spin the conjunction of those two statements as something less than a contradiction. )

Please do! (The best Oakdale tends to come in parentheses.)

The simple answer is usually the best one. Of course, simple answers are usually wrong...

I'll return to an old favorite of mine: Lord Russell wrote, "Naive realism leads to physics and physics, if true, shows that naive realism is false. Therefore, naive realism, if true, is false; therefore it is false."
Anyone here think it possible to begin with other than naive realism?

The simple answer is usually the best one. Of course, simple answers are usually wrong...

I'll return to an old favorite of mine: Lord Russell wrote, "Naive realism leads to physics and physics, if true, shows that naive realism is false. Therefore, naive realism, if true, is false; therefore it is false."
Anyone here think it possible to begin with other than naive realism?

What The Police Say Occurred





Source:      CNN     

Sunday's incident began when a woman called police saying "her boyfriend was present and was not supposed to be on the premises," the Wisconsin Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation said.

In a police call, a dispatcher names Blake and says he "isn't supposed to be there" and that he took the complainant's keys and refused to leave.

The dispatcher later explains she doesn't have more details because the caller was "uncooperative."

Police said that about five minutes after the initial report, a dispatcher received reports of shots fired.

Officers had attempted to arrest Blake and used a Taser in a failed attempt to stop him, the DCI said. Blake walked around his vehicle, "opened the driver's side door, and leaned forward," the agency said.

Kenosha Officer Rusten Sheskey, who has been with the department for seven years, then fired seven times into Blake's back, the agency said. No other officer fired their weapon.

The agency said Blake admitted he had a knife in his possession, and law enforcement agents said they recovered a knife from the driver's side floorboard of Blake's vehicle.

State investigators did not indicate why police moved to arrest Blake, whether he brandished or threatened to use the knife, or why Sheskey shot so many times into Blake's back, and it does not mention his children in the vehicle or other family members standing just feet away.

Authorities said Sheskey and another officer have been placed on administrative leave. The other officers involved in the shooting will be identified soon, according to the state's attorney general.

Police rendered aid to Blake and he was flown to a Milwaukee hospital, police said.

As you all know I was an owner of a Security Agency a few years back. We trained Law Enforcement professionals & private security agents in close quarters combat as well as security-policing tactics & procedures. My instructors trained many hundreds of private & public agents as well as Municipal Police recruits & Sheriff Deputies.

The trainees were taught when firing their weapons they were to completely focus on stopping the suspect(s), not wounding. A wounded suspect is still extremely dangerous. Therefore they were always instructed to take aim at center mass. This would ensure them the very best outcome when stopping a suspect was absolutely imperative. They were all made aware that this also meant, that because of the many vital organs located at their target site (center mass), there would be a high mortality rate associated with success.

As you should know, Law Enforcement Officers are no longer issued revolvers. All police forces have gone to issuing semi-automatics, utilizing 8-13 round magazines, depending on the caliber of ammunition utilized. 

That said, I was not at all surprised to hear how many shots were fired into/at the suspect, simply because the trainees are instructed when dealing in a highly dangerous situation, & stopping the suspect is imperative to the safety of all, they are instructed to fire as many rounds as required to immobilize the suspect completely. It's the officers split-second call how many that will be. My instructors traditionally suggested 3-5 shot bursts, as to ensure the officers ability to respond immediately if more shots are required......if threats still exist. Again at the officers discretion & best judgment. A typical advanced trainee can usually empty a semi-automatic weapon, on target, in about 3-4 seconds, & exchange to a fresh magazine in about 2 seconds.

I remain "surprised" that no one has yet mentioned the obvious (...except in a "How dare you!" mode, to the cops!): There were two or three kids in the back of that SUV. What cop would't think of their safety first?

I remain "surprised" that no one has yet mentioned the obvious (...except in a "How dare you!" mode): There were two or three kids in the back of that SUV. What cop would't think of their safety first?

That's an extremely high level of consideration that the officers must always ascertain.  No one knows the motives of the suspect that day, or his mental state.  What we do know is that the suspect was willing to fight with the police. We also know the police attempted to Tase him twice, with no affect.......We also know that the suspect did not obey numerous orders given to him by the police.....repeated orders to drop the knife....drop the knife. 
Were those children potential victims? What words were exchanged earlier.....by the suspect, the women on scene, the other bystanders.....words to & by the officers after they arrived?

As you know, when the shots were fired, from the camera's angle of view, all shots would have been fired away from the children's back seat location.

Was the officer defending the lives of those children from a crazed, knife wielding man?

PS......the police were aware of an outstanding felony arrest warrant on the suspect, prior to arriving on the scene..... 

......Matthews said officers were aware that Blake had an open warrant for felony sexual assault before they arrived......

https://kstp.com/minnesota-news/kenosha-wisconsin-police-union-gives-its-version-of-jacob-blake-shooting/5843322/


..

And in other news-you-might-not-have-heard: https://www.redstate.com/brandon_morse/2020/08/31/poll-suppression-trump/?utm_source=rsafternoonbriefing&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=nl&bcid=f5c1e4b11bbbbae6bb552e9ee1d2efdf

Those who live by the polls die by the polls.

There were two or three kids in the back of that SUV. What cop would't think of their safety first?

An American cop of course. American cops occasionally think of their own safety, but very often of nobody's safety.

American police is inexcusable with the blatant incompetence they keep demonstrating. They are just regular people with guns (and tanks!) believing they should have special authority without having any special skills, any special character.

American cops are officer Chauvin choking a detainee to death in public under video cameras (I get it that you may feel compelled to torture some suspect a bit occasionally, but how on earth do you assume such impunity that you choke someone in public under cameras for a quarter of an hour?) and officer McMuffin filming herself while whining about a delayed muffin. Please officers, any position of authority is obviously too much for you.

@ERSI   
Read This: https://thedndsanctuary.eu/index.php?topic=230.msg84507#msg84507

This suspect......Blake they call him......when Blake puts on his roller skates, he will remember forever what being an asshole got him by disobeying a direct order by the police to "....drop the knife...."

He got just what he deserved.....a life sentence on his jack-freekin'-ass.........he won't be walkin' away from no cops, no moe...ehh