Reader’s Links for March 27, 2020

Posted on by

Daily Links Post graphic

Each day at just after midnight Eastern, a post like this one is created for contributors and readers of this site to upload news links and video links on the issues that concern this site. Most notably, Islam and its effects on Classical Civilization, and various forms of leftism from Soviet era communism, to postmodernism and all the flavours of galloping statism and totalitarianism such as Nazism and Fascism which are increasingly snuffing out the classical liberalism which created our near, miraculous civilization the West has been building since the time of Socrates.

This document was written around the time this site was created, for those who wish to understand what this site is about. And while our understanding of the world and events has grown since then, the basic ideas remain sound and true to the purpose.

So please post all links, thoughts and ideas that you feel will benefit the readers of this site to the comments under this post each day. And thank you all for your contributions.

This is the new Samizdat. We must use it while we can.

About Eeyore

Canadian artist and counter-jihad and freedom of speech activist as well as devout Schrödinger's catholic

105 Replies to “Reader’s Links for March 27, 2020”

  1. the daily caller – Republicans Cave To Pelosi, Unanimously Vote To Give $350 Million To Refugees, Migrants

    Republican and Democratic senators unanimously voted to pass a coronavirus relief bill late Wednesday that gives $350,000,000 to assist refugees and migrants.

    Earlier this week, it was revealed that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s relief package would include $300,000,000 for refugee assistance.

    The new bill, approved by the Senate and now headed to the House, includes an additional $50 million on top of Pelosi’s initial $300 million for refugees.

    On page 817 of the 880-page bill, the measure calls for “an additional amount for ‘Migration and Refugee Assistance’, $350,000,000, to remain available until expended, to prevent, prepare for, and respond to coronavirus.”

    It’s unclear why the amount was increased.

    The vote in the Senate was 96-0, with every member present approving the measure. Trump is expected to sign the measure once it passes the House.

    Among Americans, the coronavirus panic continues to shake the economy. News broke Thursday morning that almost 3.3 million people filed for unemployment, an unprecedented number.

    https://dailycaller.com/2020/03/26/republicans-pelosi-coronavirus-bill-refugees-migrants/

    • zero hedge – Cruise Stocks Sink After COVID-19 Bailouts Unlikely

      Shares in cruise line stocks fell sharply Friday morning after a change to the coronavirus stimulus package blocking companies that aren’t incorporated in the US will prevent them from receiving aid, according to a Dow Jones report.

      Despite the three largest cruise companies being headquartered in Miami, Florida – they are all registered in other countries to avoid paying US taxes; Carnival is registered in Panama, Royal Caribbean in Liberia, and Norwegian Cruise Lines in Bermuda.

      Despite the fact that all three of their corporate headquarters are in Miami, annual filings show that these companies are part of an industry that paid an average tax rate of under 1%, which is well below the required 21% corporate tax rate in the United States. -OCCRP.org

      Shares were down more than 10% each in early Friday trade.

      The Miami Herald notes that the industry is responsible for “nearly $9 billion in annual economic impact to Florida.”

      Two congressional sources confirmed to the Miami Herald that the bill currently does not allow cruise lines to access the money. The bill is expected to pass the House of Representatives on Friday or Saturday without significant changes from the version that passed the U.S. Senate 96-0 on Wednesday night, and President Donald Trump is expected to sign it into law. -Miami Herald

      President Trump, meanwhile, said on Thursday that he wants cruise lines to be based in the United States and pay US taxes.

      “I do like the concept of, perhaps, coming in and registering here. Coming into the United States,” he said during yesterday’s coronavirus briefing. “It’s very tough to make a loan to a company when they’re based in a different country.”

      Conservative US Senators, meanwhile, are lobbying against relief for cruise lines – Including Florida Republican Sen. Rick Scott and Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley, who say they should not get bailouts if they aren’t based in the US.

      “I was very clear about my opposition to bailouts for big corporations,” said Scott in a statement. “While I still fear this bill could be used to provide relief to companies that can afford to take care of their workers without government assistance, I’m glad to see it requires a return on investment for the taxpayers.”

      Florida Democratic Congresswoman Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, meanwhile, expressed hope that the industry could receive funds in a future bailout, while Rep. Ted Deutch (D-FL) said on Thursday that “it’s important” to provide economic relief because the industry employs so many people from Miami-Dade counties,

      https://www.zerohedge.com/economics/cruise-stocks-plummet-after-coronavirus-bailouts-unlikely

  3. Like I said on the 25th, this Wuhan Flu/CV-19 is a little hyped- “never let a good crisis go to waste” (Rahm Emmanuel) and all that …

    We may be at the end of the emergency rather than the beginning because of the high existing antibody rates among the general population in many countries (eg Japan, South Korea, Iceland, UK).

    https://vladtepesblog.com/2020/03/25/readers-links-for-march-25-2020/comment-page-1/#comment-528337

    Here are new links:
    “British epidemiologist who predicted over 2 million Americans — and 500k Brits — would die from coronavirus now says his model, which went viral, is wrong. Says England is unlikely to have more than 20k deaths & potentially much less. Whoops.”
    https://twitter.com/ClayTravis/status/1243160548423991296

    https://thefederalist.com/2020/03/26/the-scientist-whose-doomsday-pandemic-model-predicted-armageddon-just-walked-back-the-apocalyptic-predictions/

    https://www.dailywire.com/news/epidemiologist-behind-highly-cited-coronavirus-model-admits-he-was-wrong-drastically-revises-model

    https://www.scotsman.com/read-this/covid-19-not-considered-high-consequence-infectious-disease-it-still-vital-observe-lockdown-2519188

    Updated every day, warning the same thing (hyped)
    https://swprs.org/a-swiss-doctor-on-covid-19/

    From 17th March:
    https://www.statnews.com/2020/03/17/a-fiasco-in-the-making-as-the-coronavirus-pandemic-takes-hold-we-are-making-decisions-without-reliable-data/

    https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-proximitypoll/how-many-americans-have-coronavirus-new-reuters-poll-might-offer-a-hint-idUSKBN21D2XJ?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Twitter

    https://forward.com/news/national/442285/coronavirus-hydroxychloroquine-trump-doctor/

    And finally, Dr Birx admits that “The predictions of the models don’t match the reality on the ground”,
    https://www.c-span.org/video/?c4864096/dr-deborah-birx-modeling

    JB

  4. Here is a hit piece on Orban that I post to illuminate a great hipocrisy. The European Union is run by non-elected bureaucrats who dictate, or at least try very hard to dictate laws, judicial orientation, public and foreign policies, and every other minutia within sovereign states. Canada’s Dear Leader, along with his Liberal party, were just this week stymied by the opposition in their attempt to grab infinite fiscal and political power. All over the world governments fearful of the virus unleashed by the communist Chinese take draconian measures to cope with contagion and unemployment. I saw not a single western media outlet complain about the ChiCom brutality seen in countless videos while trying to contain their epidemic. Yet, Hungary’s leader, elected by a landslide in a fair and transparent election, is accused of turning democracy on its head only because he places his country and his people first. And they fail to mention the salient fact that parliament can reverse the emergency controls at any time.

    The importance of this particular disinformation campaign is because Hungary acts as the strongest resistor in the EU circuit board, slowing the flow of Merkel and Co.’s political juice.

    We know that political and economic opportunists are working feverishly right now to exploit this world emergency. Let one leader of one tiny, relatively unimportant nation not subscribe to the multi-culti, one-government, one-currency, borderless agenda and watch the character assassins draw their knives. It’s wack-a-mole until no moles remain.

    https://www.ibtimes.com/spectre-coronavirus-quarantine-haunts-hungarian-democracy-2947789

    • Boy that graphic sure reminds me of Thomas Mann’s hockey stick graph for global warming for some reason.

      • Part of that hockey stick graph is because the US is getting test kits out to the Doctors and Hospitals and we are testing more people. Most of the new cases in the US are showing symptoms but mild symptoms. The Doctos on FOX were saying that with the test kits becoming available more people will be tested and the infection rate will increase while the death rate decreases. Those that were willing to talk about China said that we can’t rust the Chinese figures and several of them said that a second wave may be hitting China right now.

  7. CBC – ‘Worse’ pandemic on horizon unless world deals with wildlife markets

    Scientists believe novel coronavirus emerged from one of these markets in China

    The continued existence of wildlife markets, which are considered potential breeding grounds for the spread of harmful viruses, means it’s just a matter of time before the world is hit with another deadly pandemic, some scientists suggest.

    “If we do not deal with this, there is nothing to say that we could not in eighteen months’ time have another outbreak, and it could be worse,” said Kerry Bowman, an assistant professor and bioethicist at the University of Toronto’s Dalla Lana School of Public Health.

    Scientists believe the novel coronavirus that causes the disease COVID-19 emerged from one of these wildlife markets — also known as “wet markets” — in the Chinese city of Wuhan, possibly through an infected bat.

    Bats are just one of the animals that are sold at these markets, where customers come to purchase domestic livestock and wildlife, including pigs, chickens, civet cats, bamboo rats, porcupines and pangolins.

    But Bowman said shutting down such markets may prove extremely challenging, as these cultural practices date back thousands of years and have become part of a multi-billion-dollar global industry.

    Spillover event

    Bowman said the main concern with these markets is a spillover event, when viruses transfer from one species to another and then cross over to humans.

    On very rare occasions, humans will transmit that virus from one person to another, which is what occurred with Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) and, by all indications, is happening with COVID-19.

    “Mathematically, this is not a common occurrence. But if you actually wanted to create a laboratory-like experiment to design the conditions for a spillover event, you would create the kind of wildlife market that you have in China,” Bowman said.

    In a recent video message about COVID-19, famed primatologist Jane Goodall warned that the close relationship between people and wild animals in these markets “has unleashed the terror and misery of new viruses.”

    SARS may have spread to humans through wild mammals. The Ebola epidemics in west and central Africa are thought to have originated from bats, while Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) is suspected to have come from camels.

    All of these infected animals were in wildlife markets, where every day millions of people around the world still get their food.

    Not just in China

    Bowman emphasized that China is not the only culprit, nor is Asia “the only continent in the world that has this challenge.”

    “But it’s particularly tenacious in the Far East, and extends into Vietnam, a lot of Southeast Asia, Indonesia,” he said.

    In February, China announced a ban on the trade and consumption of wild animals. But it also imposed tough restrictions following the SARS outbreak in 2003, only to see the industry slowly re-emerge. Many environmentalists say such bans contain loopholes.

    The selling of wild animals accounts for “a significant portion of the economy. And it has created an economic opportunity for a lot of people,” Bowman said.

    There are different estimates, but Bowman said the size of the global wildlife trade is pegged at somewhere between $7 billion to $23 billion US a year.

    Animals in unsanitary conditions

    Bowman, who conducts research on this issue, said when he last visited a market in Wuhan, he counted 57 species of animals, about two-thirds of them wild, mostly of Asian origin. Cages were stacked on top of each other, in unsanitary conditions.

    He said operators had “high-powered hoses that are blasting around urine, feces, blood from one cage to another to another to another.”

    In terms of the general concepts of infectious diseases, wildlife markets are “a perfect opportunity for the mixing of bacteria and viruses as well as transmission to other groups,” said Jason Stull, assistant professor at the University of Prince Edward Island’s Atlantic Veterinary College.

    Not only that, but stress and malnutrition reduce the immune system of animals and potentially exacerbate this problem, Stull said. For example, an animal under duress may be more likely to shed higher amounts of virus.

    “All of these things likely can contribute to movement back and forth of diseases,” Stull said.

    Many infectious diseases linked to wildlife

    According to the EcoHealth Alliance, a New York-based organization that conducts scientific research into emerging infectious diseases, about three-fourths of all such diseases are somehow linked to wildlife.

    William Karesh, executive vice president for health and policy at the EcoHealth Alliance, said the current coronavirus outbreak was likely spread in two possible ways. It could have been a wild animal being sold in the market that contaminated the market. It’s also possible that a vendor in the market was infected somewhere else and then infected their customers.

    The animals that end up in the market are coming from two places — hunted in the wild or bred on farms.

    Bowman said there are deep cultural roots with this industry — thousands of years of tradition of eating wild animals. As well, the animals are used for traditional Chinese medicine, luxury goods and the pet trade.

    “What’s really changed is that this has gone from occasional domestic use with emerging populations in combination with the burgeoning wealth to a massive commercial enterprise,” Bowman said.

    Focus should be on education

    Karesh said ending these practices will take time, likely generations, and can only be done through education and helping countries improve their food systems.

    He suggested that instead of banning all wildlife trade, countries should focus on those animals that are more likely to have viruses that can be transmitted to humans — like rodents, bats and non-human primates.

    He said the international community must come to grips with the growing and unsustainable use of wildlife, or we will “continue to see pandemics.”

    “There are three to five emerging diseases every year, and only by luck and the grace of God … they don’t turn into pandemics each time.”

    https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/wildlife-markets-china-coronavirus-pandemic-1.5510045

    • Shrimp vendor at Wuhan market may be coronavirus ‘patient zero’

      A shrimp peddler at the Chinese market where the coronavirus pandemic likely began has been identified as one of the first victims of the disease — and possibly “patient zero.”

      The 57-year-old woman, identified by the Wall Street Journal as Wei Guixian, was the first person from the now-notorious Huanan market in Wuhan to test positive for the deadly bug.

      She was at work Dec. 10 when she developed what she thought were cold symptoms, Chinese outlet The Paper reported. So she walked to a small local clinic for treatment and then went back to work — likely spreading the contagion.

      “I felt a bit tired, but not as tired as previous years,” she told The Paper, according to a translation by news.com.au. “Every winter, I always suffer from the flu. So I thought it was the flu.”

      She visited a local clinic on Dec. 11 and received an injection, but didn’t feel any better, so she went to the Eleventh Hospital in Wuhan.

      “The doctor at the Eleventh Hospital could not figure out what was wrong with me and gave me pills,” Wei told the Chinese outlet — but those didn’t work either.

      “By then I felt a lot worse and very uncomfortable,” Wei said. “I did not have the strength or energy.”

      On Dec. 16, Wei went to Wuhan Union Hospital — one of the city’s biggest — to get checked out.

      A doctor there described her illness as “ruthless” and told her several other people from the same market had already come in with similar symptoms.

      By the end of the month, she was quarantined when doctors finally established the link between the emerging bug and the seafood market, the Chinese outlet reported.

      A Dec. 31 statement from the Wuhan Municipal Health Commission revealed that Wei was among the first 27 patients to test positive for COVID-19, and one of 24 cases with direct links to the seafood market.

      Wei, who has since recovered and left the hospital in January, said she thinks she contracted the infection from a market toilet in the market she shared with meat sellers and others, according to the Journal.

      The vendors who worked on either side of Wei, along with one of her daughters, a niece and the niece’s husband, also caught the deadly bug, the paper reported.

      “A lot fewer people would have died” in the country if the government had acted sooner, Wei told the Journal in February.

      Wei may have been “patient zero” at the market, but it’s still unclear if she was the first person to ever contract the novel coronavirus in the country.

      Since the start of the outbreak, 81,897 COVID-19 cases have been reported in China, Johns Hopkins University data shows. Worldwide, more than half a million have been infected.

      The US is the new epicenter of the outbreak, with at least 85,996 cases.

      https://nypost.com/2020/03/27/shrimp-vendor-at-wuhan-market-may-be-coronavirus-patient-zero/

    • Yad va’Shem – the Hand of G-d.
      The unspeakable cruelty to these creatures is immoral. Desecration of the one who gives life via His creation.
      It’s wrong. Stop it.
      Or else.

  10. the gateway pundit – Globalist Elites at G-7 Block Joint Statement After Countries Disagree on Using “Inappropriate” Term “Wuhan Virus”

    The foreign ministers of the G-7 countries could not agree on a joint statement this year after the US insisted on using the loaded term “Wuhan Virus” to describe the deadly virus from Wuhan.

    The traditional joint statement released at the end of G-7 meetings was nixed this year.

    The politically correct leaders from the seven countries along with officials from the CDC and WHO said the term “Wuhan Virus” would lead to a rise in discrimination.

    Meanwhile, the death toll from the Wuhan Virus continues to climb on a daily basis and most of the G7 economies are shut down.

    Via the Washington Post:

    Foreign ministers representing seven major industrialized nations failed to agree on a joint statement Wednesday after the Trump administration insisted on referring to the coronavirus outbreak as the “Wuhan virus,” three officials from G-7 countries told The Washington Post…

    …The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization have discouraged referring to the novel coronavirus by a geographical denomination amid concerns such terms are correlated with a rise in discrimination and targeted violence against Asian Americans…

    One European official, who like others spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive negotiations, said there were multiple disagreements among the G-7 members Wednesday but acknowledged “Wuhan virus” posed the most significant obstacle. Besides viewing the term as inappropriate, some officials noted that experts could not say with absolute certainty that the virus came from Wuhan until further research is conducted.

    https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2020/03/globalist-elites-at-g-7-block-joint-statement-after-countries-disagree-on-using-inappropriate-term-wuhan-virus/

  12. Fears Grow of Second Wave Outbreak?China Switches Narrative In Virus Disinfo War | Crossroads

  13. Beijing censors photo of crowds lining up at funeral home during CCP virus outbreak | China in Focus

  14. Rep. Fleischmann talks about moving forward with next phase of coronavirus stimulus package

  16. Opinion: Michigan’s doctors fight coronavirus, and governor’s office

    …
    “Off-label” use of medications is legal and common. It may even account for as many as 1 in 5 prescriptions in the United States. This practice is even accepted by the FDA. Furthermore, given the severity of the COVID-19 pandemic and the promise of these medications the FDA has avoided condemning the “off-label” use of hydroxychloroquine for COVID-19.

    But if you live in Michigan, and you or a loved one is infected with this potentially lethal disease, you’re out of luck.

    Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs literally threatened all doctors and pharmacists in the state who prescribe or dispense hydroxychloroquine to treat COVID-19.

    The agency’s March 24 letter warns physicians and pharmacists of professional consequences for the prescribing of hydroxychloroquine (and chloroquine). Beyond the rational recommendation against hoarding as production of this medication needs to be ramped up, the letter deviates into open threats of “administrative action” against the licenses of doctors that prescribe hydroxychloroquine.

    https://www.detroitnews.com/story/opinion/2020/03/26/opinion-michigans-doctors-fight-coronavirus-and-governors-office/2922272001/

    • Apart from Seth, how much reporting is there about EAST Syria vs. Idlib, WEST Syria? Why is one region covered while the other is ignored? What’s behind the disparity?

      Kurds, Christians, other minorities – people we called allies in the fight against ISIS – were disarmed and left to the tender mercies of Turkmen and other jihadis. Who regard them as Untermenschen, not human adversaries, but aliens to neutralize.

      400,000 people fled their homes in the 5 days after PTrump’s phone chat with the filthy Turk on Oct 6, 2019.

      The slander against these people came from OUR side. To wash his hands of them, the Prez revised history by centuries and shredded the map. A veil lifted: realpolitik didn’t leave the Oval Office with Henry Kissenger .

      Andy Bostom tagged the 400,000 as “Maoists” – which tells me more about Andy than I wanted to know.

  20. New York City jail population will be less than 5,000 for the first time since 1949 after de Blasio releases 200 inmates to stop the spread of the coronavirus – with another 175 expected to be released tonight
    The New York City mayor called the news a ‘major, major milestone,’ adding that an additional 175 inmates would be released be the end of the night
    de Blasio touted that the jail population was now below 5,000, marking the first time the number was that low since 1949
    There were 4,906 inmates in the city’s jails as of Thursday
    On Tuesday, de Blasio announced that he was freeing 300 inmates from Rikers Island
    In New York, there are now more than 37,000 cases of the virus and 385 people have died from it

    https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8158261/Mayor-Blasio-released-200-inmates-NYC-jails-stop-spread-coronavirus.html

  21. NYC Health Comissioner on Feb 9: “I want to remind everyone to enjoy the [Chinatown] parade and *not* change any plans *due to misinformation* spreading about coronavirus”

    http://archive.is/8NpQb

  24. GOP leader McCarthy slams Speaker Pelosi for pushing progressive agenda in coronavirus stimulus bill

    As the House prepares for a crucial vote on Congress’s most expensive economic recovery legislation in U.S. history in an effort to tackle the coronavirus, partisan fighting has continued to play out ahead of the motion on the bill.

    Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy slammed Democrats on Capitol Hill Thursday after Speaker Nancy Pelosi proposed her own pork-filled progressive version of the virus relief package earlier in the week, which delayed the Senate’s vote until Wednesday night.

    “Those people wanted to debate election law, Green New Deal or sanctuary cities in a bill that is meant to assist those who are struggling…families or health and our security,” said McCarthy. “Everyday matters is we debated a solution that would deliver much needed relief.”

    Before he took the stage, Speaker Pelosi stood at the lectern and touted the Democrats’ efforts to change language in the bill to reshape the legislation to fit their agenda.

    “We did jiu jitsu on it…that it went from a corporate first proposal that the Republicans put forth in the Senate to a workers first, Democratic worker’s first, legislation,” she stated.

    https://www.oann.com/gop-leader-mccarthy-slams-speaker-pelosi-for-pushing-progressive-agenda-in-coronavirus-stimulus-bill/

  25. Italy has yet to hit coronavirus peak, lockdown set to be extended

    ROME (Reuters) – Coronavirus infections in Italy have yet to reach their peak, the head of the country’s national health institute said on Friday, as officials warned that lockdown restrictions would have to be extended beyond April 3.

    Italy has reported 8,215 deaths from the illness, more than anywhere else in the world, while confirmed cases total 80,539, with latest data from Thursday showing no let up in new infections, stifling hopes of a possible turnaround.

    https://www.oann.com/italy-has-yet-to-hit-coronavirus-peak-lockdown-set-to-be-extended/

  26. Italy has not reached coronavirus contagion peak: national health chief

    ROME (Reuters) – Coronavirus infections in Italy have not reached their peak, the head of the country’s national health institute said on Friday, the day after more than 6,150 people tested positive and 712 died in single 24-hour period.

    “We haven’t reached the peak and we haven’t passed it,” the chief of the Superior Health Institute Silvio Brusaferro told a news conference.

    However, Brusaferro said there were “signs of a slowdown” in the numbers of people becoming infected, suggesting the peak may not be far away, after which new cases will show a visible downward trend.

    https://www.oann.com/italy-has-not-reached-coronavirus-contagion-peak-national-health-chief/

  27. Stanford Univ. researchers say evidence shows U.S. will recover from COVID-19 faster than expected

  28. Russia confirms coronavirus case in Putin’s administration, tightens curbs
    MOSCOW (Reuters) – The Kremlin confirmed a coronavirus case in President Vladimir Putin’s administration on Friday and the government said measures imposed in Moscow to fight the virus should be extended across Russia.

    The official tally of confirmed cases jumped by a record daily amount for the third day in a row, bringing Russia’s total to 1,036. Four people have died of the coronavirus.

    https://www.oann.com/russia-shuts-state-hotels-resorts-as-coronavirus-cases-rise-past-1000/

  29. Social Distancing: Migrant Attacks Baker After Being Asked to Wait Outside (breitbart, Mara 27, 2020)
    https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2020/03/27/migrant-attacks-italian-baker-told-wait-outside/

    “A baker in the city of Arezzo was attacked by a migrant after she asked the man to wait outside before being served to prevent gatherings in the shop and the spread of Wuhan coronavirus.

    The incident occurred earlier this week and saw the African migrant, who was described by the baker as being slightly intoxicated, enter the Boutique del Pane bakery while other customers were inside and was politely asked to wait outside until it was his turn to be served.

    The migrant reacted highly negatively to the suggestion and began to berate the baker and the female customers in the shop, shouting “You Italians are shit!”

    “I was serving a client when this young black guy entered, initially calm. I told him that he had to stay outside, that he had to respect like all the rules: in the shop no more than one at a time. And he has lost his mind,” the baker said, in comments reported by Italian newspaper La Nazione.

    “The bad news was when he started to wreak havoc. He ran his hands over the shelves and threw everything on the ground, smashing what happened to be within his range: tins, glass jars, beer bottles. An uncontrollable fury,” she added.

    Both the baker and a female customer were then attacked by the migrant who pushed them up against a wall and began hitting them.

    “I yelled at the client to call the police; he ran away at that point, without taking anything away. Fortunately, because at that time there was no one else who could give us a hand. The other shops were all closed. I wouldn’t have known who to ask for help,” the baker said.

    The incident comes after a 60-year-old man in Novara was attacked by an African migrant after he was asked to keep a safe distance to maintain social distancing.

    “He started to rail against the Italians calling them ‘bastards and racists’,” the victim said.

    Other countries have also seen tensions after lockdowns were put in place to halt the spread of coronavirus, including Britain, where youths set fire to food delivery vans and attacked police earlier this week.”

  30. EU Opens Membership Talks with Majority-Muslim Albania (breitbart, Mar 27, 2020)
    https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2020/03/27/eu-opens-membership-talks-with-majority-muslim-albania/

    “European Union leaders gave Albania and North Macedonia the greenlight Thursday to begin EU membership talks, ending a long series of setbacks and disappointments for the two Balkans nations’ quest to join.

    No date was set for the start of the membership negotiations, which can take several years.

    Albania and North Macedonia were meant to begin accession talks last year, but French President Emmanuel Macron blocked the move and said he would continue to do so until the process for allowing countries into the 27-nation bloc had been reformed.

    Macron did so despite warnings that further delays to the countries’ membership efforts could undermine stability in the volatile Balkans. North Macedonia’s leader reacted by stepping down and calling early parliamentary elections.

    The European Commission later revised the accession process for North Macedonia and Albania to respond to Macron’s objections and other questions raised by the Netherlands.”

  31. In Iran, false belief a poison fights virus kills hundreds (abcnews, Mar 27, 2020)
    https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/iran-false-belief-poison-fights-virus-kills-hundreds-69829225

    “Standing over the still body of an intubated 5-year-old boy wearing nothing but a plastic diaper, an Iranian health care worker in a hazmat suit and mask begged the public for just one thing: Stop drinking industrial alcohol over fears about the new coronavirus.

    The boy, now blind after his parents gave him toxic methanol in the mistaken belief it protects against the virus, is just one of hundreds of victims of an epidemic inside the pandemic now gripping Iran.

    Iranian media report nearly 300 people have been killed and more than 1,000 sickened so far by ingesting methanol across the Islamic Republic, where drinking alcohol is banned and where those who do rely on bootleggers. An Iranian doctor helping the country’s Health Ministry told The Associated Press on Friday the problem was even greater, giving a death toll of around 480 with 2,850 people sickened.

    The poisonings come as fake remedies spread across social media in Iran, where people remain deeply suspicious of the government after it downplayed the crisis for days before it overwhelmed the country…”

  32. Turkey moves migrants from Greek border amid virus pandemic (abcnews, Mar 27, 2020)
    https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/turkey-moves-migrants-greek-border-amid-virus-pandemic-69835304

    “Turkish authorities on Friday evacuated hundreds of migrants who had been waiting at the border with Greece hoping to make their way into Europe, amid the coronavirus pandemic, Turkey’s state-run news agency reported.

    Thousands of migrants had massed at a border crossing with European Union-member Greece after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced last month that his country would no longer prevent refugees and other migrants wanting to travel to EU countries.

    Violent clashes erupted between the migrants and Greek border authorities trying to push them back.

    Anadolu Agency reported Friday that migrants waiting at the border crossing in Edirne province were transported in buses to state guest houses where they would be quarantined. They would be moved to other regions in Turkey at the end of the quarantine, the agency reported.

    Anadolu did not say how many people were transported away from the border area but an estimated 2,000 had been staying in a makeshift camp near the border gate.

    Turkey has reported so far reported 75 deaths related to the new coronavirus and 3,629 infections. It was not clear if any of the migrants at the border had contracted the virus.

    The Edirne governor’s office did not return calls.

    Greece hailed the development as an “important thing for our country and for Europe,” praising Greek authorities’ ability to guard its land and sea borders.

    Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, speaking during a teleconference with ministers on the situation at the border, said Greek authorities had “ascertained that the makeshift camp which had been created …. appears to have been dismantled and those who were on the Evros border have been moved away.”

    Greek authorities also shared a night-time video of a fire in a wooded area, which they said was Turkish authorities burning the tents left behind by the departing migrants.

    “A chapter might potentially be closing, but this battle, have no doubt, continues,” Mitsotakis told the ministers, according to a statement released by his office. “We managed to secure a very important thing for our country and for Europe. The ability and efficiency of guarding our land and sea borders.”

    A Turkish journalist based in Edirne said several buses were seen leaving the border area and that authorities later disinfected an area where the migrants had been camping.

    Anadolu said some of the migrants asked to be moved, while others had to be convinced .

    Turkey declared its borders open for migrants to cross into Europe following months of threats by Erdogan that he would allow millions of refugees into Europe unless the EU provided more support for the more than 3.5 million Syrian refugees in Turkey.”

  33. Saudi Arabia: King Salman chairs emergency virtual summit of G20 leaders amid coronavirus pandemic

    Saudi Arabia’s King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud chaired, on Thursday, an emergency virtual summit of G20 leaders via video conference from Riyadh, to discuss cooperation in combating the coronavirus pandemic.

    The G20 Summit is being held virtually via the Internet for the first time, with the participation of leaders of the world’s major economies including US President Donald Trump, Russian President Vladimir Putin and German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

    The leaders were expected to discuss coordinated actions to combat the spread of coronavirus and mitigate its economic consequences in cooperation with major international organisations such as the World Health Organization (WHO), International Monetary Fund (IMF), World Bank Group, United Nations (UN) and World Trade Organization (WTO).

  34. COVID-19 paralyzes religious tourism in Iraqi Karbala

    Iraqi authorities disinfected on Thursday gold-domed holy shrines in the city of Karbala, where religious tourism has nearly ground to a halt because of the new coronavirus.

    The shrines of Imam Hussein and his half-brother Imam Abbas were disinfected. Every year, hundreds of thousands of Shiite Muslim pilgrims visit the holy city of Karbala. But because of the new coronavirus, the city is nearly empty of tourists.

    Nearby hotels for pilgrims were almost deserted after authorities closed the borders to Iranian nationals.

    Iraq has confirmed 382 cases of the new virus and 36 deaths.

  35. Sky News – Italian police clamp down as deaths rise

    Italy remains the centre of the coronavirus crisis in crisis with more than seven thousand deaths.

    And now authorities have increased the fines for being on the streets with no valid reason to €4,000.

    • Sky News – Italy reports 919 virus deaths in one day

      Italy has reported its highest number of coronavirus-related deaths in one day, with 919 deaths announced on Friday.

  36. A little stab at humour: The Toronto Maple Leafs have been social-distancing from the Stanley Cup since 1967.

  37. 11. Tesoro’s Adhanom, another poor man before entering politics is now worth over 3 billion dollars. Yes, he did hide outbreaks. I will attempt to find the real story.

  38. the gateway pundit – Dr. Fauci Confirms His Friendship with WHO Director General Dr. Tedros, Both Are Connected to the Clinton Foundation in Ethiopia

    Yesterday, Dr. Anthony Fauci announced that he’s been friends with the World Health Organization (WHO)’s Director General, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. This announcement connected Dr. Fauci to the Clinton Foundation and the terrorist connected WHO leader.

    Dr. Anthony Fauci yesterday stood up for the WHO Director General. Dr Fauci said he has known the current WHO director for years, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, including when he was serving in Ethiopia. There are several reports that Ghebreyesus was abusing his office in Ethiopia at the time.

    Director General Adhanom, whom Dr. Fauci stood up for, was part of the leadership in Ethiopia when millions of dollars in aid provided for HIV assistance went missing.

    By ignoring many unpleasant details that have facilitated corruption in Ethiopia’s ministry of health, when Dr. Tedros Adhanom was the minister (2005-2012) – aid money from governments and philanthropists have been lost in several millions from those that needed treatments for HIV/AIDS in a country that has claimed hugely its toll in lives.”

    This also connects Dr. Fauci to the WHO Director General’s actions in Ethiopia related to the Clinton Foundation, which specifically notes Dr. Tedros on their site:

    The support from Clinton Foundation is coming at a time when we are scaling up our fight against HIV/AIDS very aggressively in all three fronts: prevention, treatment and care and support,” said Dr. Tedros Adhanom, the Minister of Health of Ethiopia. “The agreement with the Clinton Foundation is also unique in that it includes capacity building of the health system which is very crucial in sustaining the fight as indicated in our strategic plan. I would like to use this opportunity to thank President Clinton for his commitment to fight HIV/AIDS.”

    The Clinton Foundation was involved in millions of dollars worth of activities around the globe, including in Ethiopia.

    As we reported a couple days ago, the Director-General of the WHO, Dr. Tedros, reportedly promotes what China wants him to promote.

    At the Illustrated Primer website, Yaacov Apelbaum shares the links between the Director General and China. For example, in late January he met with China’s President Xi:

    Apelbaum reports:

    On February 15, 2020, the director-general of the World Health Organisation (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, addressed the Munich Security Conference. At that time, there were only about 60K cases of Covid-19 in China and about 500 in the rest of the world. Tedros was more concerned with misinformation than with containment. In his address, he said:

    “We’re not just fighting an epidemic; we’re fighting an infodemic. Fake news spreads faster and more easily than this virus, and is just as dangerous.” And if we don’t tackle this, he went on, “we are headed down a dark path that leads nowhere but division and disharmony.”

    Now the Director General is reporting whatever China wishes. As noted above by Apelbaum, China has invested millions in Ethiopia. This may be in part why Tedros has made the following statements about the WHO:

    Given the misinformation about the novel coronavirus epidemic, WHO has communicated with some companies including Google to ensure that the public will get the authoritative information from the WHO.”

    “Travel restrictions [to and from China] can have the effect of increasing fear and stigma, with little public health benefit.”

    “The lockdown of people is unprecedented in public health history, so it is certainly not a recommendation the WHO has made.”

    “The WHO highly appreciates the tremendous efforts China has made to contain the epidemic.”

    But Apelbaum also explains that the WHO Director General has a shocking past, riddled with death and destruction in Ethiopia:

    His rapid rise to the top of the directorship of the WHO began after his collaboration with Bill Gates and the Clinton Foundation and its Initiative (CHAI). Running some analytics on Tedros’s activity between 1991-2018 shows conduct riddled with fraud, corruption, the worst forms of human right abuses, and scandals.

    Tedros is who the world is relying on to provide accurate information on the coronavirus.

    He is linked to terrorist activities in Ethiopia and the Clinton Foundation and also Dr. Anthony Fauci. What the hell is going on here?

    https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2020/03/dr-fauci-confirms-his-friendship-with-who-director-general-dr-tedros-both-are-connected-to-the-clinton-foundation-in-ethiopia/

  39. MEMRI – Canadian Islamic Scholar: We Must Not Ally with Jews, Christians – It’s More Dangerous than COVID19

    In a Friday, March 20, 2020 sermon at Muslim Youth of Victoria, Canada, Sheikh Younus Kathrada, asked why Muslims do not take Allah’s commands to distance themselves from sin as seriously as they are taking medical professionals’ guidelines about social distancing amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

    He said that Muslims should distance themselves from fornication by lowering their gaze, wearing the hijab, and avoiding events where men and women can mingle freely, and he advised his audience to audit themselves and see if their closest friends are Muslims or non-Muslims, explaining that this matter is more dangerous that the coronavirus or any other plague.

    Sheikh Kathrada cited verses from the Quran that said that Muslims should not take infidels, Jews, or Christians as allies and that the Jews and the Christians will never be pleased with the Muslims until they follow their religion.

    He emphasized that non-Muslims are still human beings that should be treated justly and called to Islam, but added that Allah has warned the Muslims regarding what is in the hearts of the non-Muslims.

    In addition, Sheikh Kathrada criticized prominent English-speaking Muslim preachers who advise Muslims not to object to gay marriage.

    This statement may have been a reference to a recent lecture by prominent American scholar Omar Suleiman that was titled “Alliances and Coalition Building.”

    Sheikh Suleiman had delivered this lecture at the LGBTQ+ Conference that was hosted by the East Plano Islamic Center in Plano, Texas, and he has drawn some criticism from the Muslim community

  40. zero hedge – Hubei Residents Riot After Quarantine Lifted; Police Beaten With Their Own Shield, Cop Cars Overturned

    Residents of Hubei province in China teamed up with their local police force to battle the police from neighboring Jiangxi province – who set up a roadblock on the Yangtze River Bridge to prevent the people of Hubei from crossing and returning to work.

    Footage of Hubei residents overturning Jingxi police vehicles was captured and uploaded to Chinese social media – where Chinese authorities have reportedly already scrubbed it.

    more:

    https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/hubei-residents-riot-after-quarantine-lifted-police-beaten-their-own-shield-cop-cars

  41. America’s Superb, Unappreciated President

    A close look at what Trump has done to combat the current pandemic — amid constant Democrat assaults.
    March 27, 2020
    John Perazzo

    It has been a very long time since Americans last saw such a clear distinction between the considerable leadership qualities of their president, and the shameless political maneuverings of an opposition party constantly lusting for power. Let us review exactly what has happened in this country over the past two months, vis-a-vis the coronavirus pandemic.

    On January 29, President Donald Trump created a White House Coronavirus Task Force to coordinate the federal government’s response to the virus outbreak and to keep the American people as informed about it as possible.

    At that time, you might recall, congressional Democrats were giving precisely ZERO attention to the coronavirus threat. They had not held even a single hearing — for even a single moment — about the matter. Instead, they had spent the preceding four months entirely obsessed with one agenda item: impeaching President Trump and trying to remove him from office. The Senate impeachment trial, which had commenced on January 21, was still in high gear. Since the previous September, the faces of Nancy Pelosi, Charles Schumer, Jerrold Nadler, Adam Schiff, and a host of other Democrats had become fixtures on every television screen in America as they salivated over the smell of political blood. They talked about nothing but impeachment, as their normal legislative duties were all but forgotten. Coronavirus was, quite literally, the last thing on any of their minds.

    https://cms.frontpagemag.com/fpm/2020/03/americas-superb-unappreciated-president-john-perazzo

  43. Why is the Media Exempt from Coronavirus Business Shutdowns?

    Is sticking microphones in front of senior citizens not a public health hazard?
    March 27, 2020
    Daniel Greenfield

    “You’re actually sitting too close,” President Trump remarked at a press briefing. “Really, we should probably get rid of about 75, 80 percent of you.”

    Trump was only partly joking.

    The White House Correspondents Association had asked its members to sit one seat apart at press briefings, but at a time when most businesses have been shut down even when they offer far more space to customers and employees, the sight of crowded press briefings is still surreally hypocritical.

    Governor Jared Polis delivered his press briefing on social distancing surrounded by a huddle of other Colorado officials, including a sign language translator, and tightly packed reporters facing him. That’s not unusual. Governors and mayors have announced the shutdown of countless businesses for the sake of social distancing in the same format that is the opposite of social distancing.

    https://cms.frontpagemag.com/fpm/2020/03/why-media-exempt-coronavirus-business-shutdowns-daniel-greenfield

  46. California Dem-olition Drive

    Democrat legislation represses independent Californians and imperils the coronavirus response.

    California Assembly Bill 5, by San Diego Democrat Lorena Gonzalez, limits freelance writers, photographers and videographers to 35 submissions, per publication, per year. The openly repressive measure, signed last year by Gov. Gavin Newsom, also targets independent contractors, even those in the medical field, and that is challenging efforts to fight the coronavirus suffering in the Golden State.

    “Those challenges are particularly acute in rural California, where hospitals and clinics don’t have sufficient patient loads to support full time positions in a number of physician and nursing specialties,” former California congressman Doug Ose told the California Globe. “In the past, such needs have been met by contracting with independent contractors to provide services. That approach is problematic now that AB 5 has become law.”

    Rural Californians, notes Globe editor Katy Grimes, are “particularly vulnerable to the impacts of AB 5 during the coronavirus scare, largely because they already do not have enough doctors, nurses or even hospitals.”

    https://cms.frontpagemag.com/fpm/2020/03/california-dem-olition-drive-lloyd-billingsley

  47. Leftists’ Latest Lies Against Trump and American Capitalism

    Trump and businesses don’t care about American lives? Really?
    March 27, 2020
    Joseph Klein

    t this Wednesday’s press briefing by President Trump and his Coronavirus Task Force, President Trump was asked one of the most insulting questions that he has ever been asked during his presidency – and that’s saying something. A “reporter” wanted to know, “how many deaths are acceptable?” The president’s response was firm and direct: “How many? None. Okay? How many deaths are acceptable to me? None. Okay? None, if that’s your question.”

    The pretextual reason for this sinister question was to follow up on the extent of testing of Americans for the coronavirus that would be considered necessary before allowing people to go back to work. President Trump rejected the idea of testing 350 million people or requiring the testing of all persons within a state that has virtually no problem to date:

    https://cms.frontpagemag.com/fpm/2020/03/leftists-latest-lies-against-trump-and-american-joseph-klein

  48. Coronavirus Craziness From Turkey

    Conspiracy theories and inshallah-fatalism brought to you by the Religion of Peace.
    March 27, 2020
    Hugh Fitzgerald

    https://cms.frontpagemag.com/fpm/2020/03/coronavirus-craziness-turkey-hugh-fitzgerald

    Many examples of conspiracy theories, inshallah-fatalism, and sheer craziness have been on display in the Muslim Middle East, as it tries to make sense of the coronavirus. A recent roundup of voices from Turkey at Memri.org offers views often contradicting one another.

    Here is Memri’s summary of what the Turkish press and public have been saying:

  50. We Need John Wayne

    While we’re self-isolating, let’s look to the Duke for lessons in guts and grit.
    March 27, 2020
    Don Feder

    In Love, Actually, actor Liam Neeson’s character tells his pre-teen stepson who has a crush on a classmate, “We need Kate. We need Leo. And we need them now!” – referring to the film Titanic.

    While we contend with viruses, stimulus packages, and Democrat blackmail, we need inspiration. We need examples of courage, perseverance, and strength of character. We need John Wayne – and we need him now.

    While we’re self-isolating and preparing for a year which will determine America’s future, let’s look to the Duke for lessons in guts and grit. Here are ten John Wayne films that do just that:

    https://cms.frontpagemag.com/fpm/2020/03/we-need-john-wayne-don-feder

    Richard: FYI Harry Cary Sr. was good friends with Wyatt Earp while Earp was selling real estate in LA, he modeled his Western Character after Wyatt. John Wayne thought a lot of Harry Cary Sr. and modeled his western charcter after Harry Cary Sr. western charcter.