thewakingtimes--2020-04-16--COVID: The Chinese Regime, Sun Tzu and The Art of War

COVID : The Chinese Regime , Sun Tzu and The Art of War My longer-term readers know my position on the pandemic : an unproven claim of having discovered a new virus ; diagnostic tests which are worthless , but open the door to the phony escalation of case numbers ; the gathering and corralling of people who have DIFFERENT traditional diseases ( and perhaps a few new non-viral conditions ) under the meaningless umbrella term , “ COVID-19 ” ; the plan to introduce a toxic vaccine as the “ solution.
” I fully realize there are several possible @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in this global crisis .
And by crisis , I mean lockdowns and economic devastation .
I ’ m laying out one possible role here .
To begin : The Chinese regime ’ s model of absolute control over its population is fully in line with Rockefeller-type Globalists ’ model of control for all of Earth .
But the Beijing regime prefers to extend its own formidable Empire .
It will cooperate with Globalist elites on certain operations , but only because the benefits accrue to China .
In the case of this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be pleased to contribute to nations locking down populations and closing out economic activity .
Why ?
Because the result would be significant weakening of those nations—whom the Chinese regime views as opponents or potential satellites .
Weakening nations is also the ambition of Globalist elites , to be sure .
Flailing countries are easier to take over .
Easier to convert to a New Technocracy .
A Brave New World .
But the Chinese leadership is not a basic Rockefeller partner .
The China bosses are for China .
If , in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in this pandemic forgery , the Chinese nation absorbs economic losses and deaths of its own citizens , the regime is more than willing to write them off as necessary sacrifices .
Temporary .
“ We bounce back quickly .
Other nations are not so fortunate .
They don ’ t have our level of power over their citizenry .
They don ’ t have 1.4 billion people under a moment to moment gun.
” The next Chinese-regime idea : “ We could try to unleash a killer virus , altered in a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , but this is ridiculous for many reasons .
—Among which , the rebound effect on ourselves is unpredictable , and only in science fiction movies is there a magic antidote .
Worse , all viruses are unstable and mutate very quickly , so we have no idea what would happen .
A hundred dead , ten thousand dead before the virus mutates into a harmless variety .
This strategy lacks what we want all the time , in every situation : control.
” The next idea : “ But suppose we could @ @ @ @ @ @ @ That would serve us well .
In terms of our goals , it would be a success : economic destruction visited on our enemies .
As a bonus , we buy bereft governments , more foreign companies , and more foreign land at bargain basement prices.
” The next idea : “ We could lay out a ‘ tempting meal ’ for the obsessed virus hunters at the World Health Organization and the CDC .
Help them go where they already want to go… ” In that regard , let ’ s travel @ @ @ @ @ @ @ all started : Wuhan .
To the virus hounds from the CDC and WHO , the Chinese government COULD HAVE said : Yes , the Chinese regime could have said that , but they didn ’ t .
Consider an alternative scenario : The Chinese regime DECIDED to tell the Globalist Rockefeller-type CDC/WHO virus hounds exactly what they wanted to hear : a new coronavirus that had never infected humans before was on the loose .
And THEN—and this was the key—the regime suddenly locked down three huge cities and quarantined 50 million @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that started the global ball rolling .
No quarantine of such size had ever been tried before .
The Globalist CDC and WHO drooled with joy , pushed a few buttons , and their whole epidemic PR apparatus swung into action .
Since then , the Chinese economy has taken a major hit .
The country has been blamed , in some quarters , for spreading a deadly virus all over the globe .
To which , of course , the Chinese regime replies : “ What ?
We Chinese have been weakened @ @ @ @ @ @ @ forward a few months .
Who ’ s taking a hit now ?
The US , Italy , and many other countries .
The US has shut down anything that moves .
The US stock market and trading markets all over the world are tanking .
Around the world , hundreds of millions of people have been thrown out of work , and untold numbers of small business owners have been driven into bankruptcy .
By “ humbly acceding ” to the authority and desire of the CDC and WHO—who always say they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ virus ’ —the Chinese government has helped engineer , in the freest and craziest and most powerful nation in the world , the USA , a massive lockdown similar to the one now ending in China .
Who does all this remind you of ?
It reminds me of the ancient Chinese general and philosopher , Sun Tzu ( 6th century BC ) , who wrote the erudite and wildly popular treatise , The Art of War .
Here is a sprinkling of Sun Tzu observations and advices .
Read carefully .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ CDC and Dr. WHO , it does appear , as you say , that here in China we have a new virus .
You ’ re the experts .
[ Thought bubble : ‘ You ’ re always willing to fake the discovery of new viruses.
’ ] We bow to your wisdom .
Certainly , we have to contain the virus .
If we ’ ve somehow made a misstep here , we apologize .
You ’ re the leaders in this field .
Do what you think best .
If alerts @ @ @ @ @ @ @ issue them .
We ’ ll help .
Do you think the spread will escalate ?
” Meanwhile , in typical fashion , CDC and WHO haven ’ t done , and will never do , the necessary procedures for proving they ’ ve actually found a new virus ( as I ’ ve described in other articles ) .
The Chinese government watches the epidemic propaganda start to lift off—and suddenly , as I just mentioned , locks down 50 million people for no rational medical reason—thus giving the Globalist CDC and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ job , a super-story , a super-scenario , a fairy tale about a pandemic , an excuse to enact their own lock downs , across the whole planet .
Soon , one leader , who happens to be engaged in a trade battle with China—Trump—is boxed in .
Usually arrogant , of choleric temperament , as Sun Tzu characterizes certain leaders , Trump must now dial back his attitude and go along .
He believes he can ’ t buck the medical authorities .
He believes he can ’ t do his usual @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the gut .
He can ’ t turn the stock market around by citing economic victories .
He can ’ t talk about winning a trade war against the Chinese government .
He ’ s stifled .
Deflated , he has to go on TV , and read from script the measures he ’ s taking to “ stop the spread of the virus.
” —As he signs away more trillions of dollars the government doesn ’ t have .
Of course , many people refuse to believe there is a thing called @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ The Chinese government couldn ’ t be so clever.
” Really ?
How about a regime which has a few thousand years of tradition behind it , based on the arts of covert operations ?
The current smash-and-grab Chinese dictatorship shows one face , but it is not their only face .
The dictatorship gave the CDC and WHO what they fervently wanted : a reason to launch—laid out like a dinner on the table .
There was a little something extra in the food .
Not a virus .
Instead @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wrote at the beginning of this article , I ’ m presenting a POSSIBLE description of a path the Chinese regime could be taking .
It IS possible .
Imagine a small group of Chinese-government elite professionals looking at reports : “ With this fake pandemic operation , we have MANY enemies we want to subdue .
For a moment , let ’ s look at just one .
Trump .
We can ’ t let him reject the lockdowns .
If he does , other nations might reject them , too .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ trade war against us .
He is effective along certain domestic fronts .
He knows how to rally his supporters .
He has great energy .
He can inspire enthusiasm from his troops .
He promotes a brand of nationalism , which strikes a deep note with many Americans , and which could be dangerous to us .
His critics and opponents are , on the whole , ineffective .
They ’ re annoying amateurs .
Trump ’ s self-confidence , arrogance , his tendency to become irritated and lash out…this is what @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are strengths which can also be weaknesses .
He will fail to see attacks coming from unexpected sources and directions .
He thinks he sees the whole map of threats to his presidency .
In this regard , he has limited perspective .
He views his potential enemies as blunt aggressors—because he himself is blunt .
He sees warfare as open clash , as direct leverage .
There is where we have our opportunity .
We need a subtle operation that , at first , looks like a peripheral problem or crisis .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ it will be too late .
Not only Trump , but the whole of America will be caught in the squeeze play .
Of course , in the process , we ’ ll inflict economic damage on ourselves .
‘ We ’ re victims , too , ’ we ’ ll say .
That will be our cover story… ” “ Oh , ” people reply again , “ that ’ s impossible .
The Chinese regime couldn ’ t be that devious .
I mean , that plan has too many steps @ @ @ @ @ @ @ firepower ?
Where are the laser weapons flashing in space , you know , like we see in movies ?
Without that , there is no war.
” Well , when people insist the game has to look like tic-tac-toe with missiles , but the opponent is really playing chess or Go…Iron Man doesn ’ t come out on top .
Of course , the Chinese regime permits itself the right to exert an occasional PUSH and TWIST .
To create torque and help events unfold .
In that regard , a few @ @ @ @ @ @ @ huge and lopsided financial arrangement with the Chinese regime ?
What country has seen the Chinese pour gigantic amounts of money into its government coffers , and buy up its companies ?
What country is laboring under the undue influence of China ?
What country ’ s government might , therefore , take an enormous and dire action under more or less direct orders from Beijing ?
What country ’ s head of government SUDDENLY , without warning all its governors , locked down half the nation overnight ?
What country therefore created @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you ’ re looking for one country that answers EVERY question , its name is Italy .
Once the center of the greatest renaissance since ancient Athens .
Now masked and quarantined .
And the new beachhead is Europe and the West .
One reason I ’ ve written this article ?
Given the existence of certain structures in this world—I ’ m imparting how easy it is to lock down a few billion people inside a reality egg .
FREEDOM involves cracking and climbing out of the egg .
Jon Rappoport is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ THE MATRIX REVEALED , EXIT FROM THE MATRIX , and POWER OUTSIDE THE MATRIX , Jon was a candidate for a US Congressional seat in the 29thDistrict of California .
He maintains a consulting practice for private clients , the purpose of which is the expansion of personal creative power .
Nominated for a Pulitzer Prize , he has worked as an investigative reporter for 30 years , writing articles on politics , medicine , and health for CBS Healthwatch , LA Weekly , Spin Magazine , Stern , and other newspapers and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Jon has delivered lectures and seminars on global politics , health , logic , and creative power to audiences around the world .
You can sign up for his free emails at NoMoreFakeNews.com or OutsideTheRealityMachine .
Like Waking Times on Facebook .
Follow Waking Times on Twitter .

COVID: The Chinese Regime, Sun Tzu and The Art of War
Jon Rappoport, Guest
Waking Times
My longer-term readers know my position on the pandemic: an unproven claim of having discovered a new virus; diagnostic tests which are worthless, but open the door to the phony escalation of case numbers; the gathering and corralling of people who have DIFFERENT traditional diseases (and perhaps a few new non-viral conditions) under the meaningless umbrella term, “COVID-19”; the plan to introduce a toxic vaccine as the “solution.”
I fully realize there are several possible roles the Chinese regime could be playing in this global crisis. And by crisis, I mean lockdowns and economic devastation.
I’m laying out one possible role here.
To begin: The Chinese regime’s model of absolute control over its population is fully in line with Rockefeller-type Globalists’ model of control for all of Earth.
But the Beijing regime prefers to extend its own formidable Empire. It will cooperate with Globalist elites on certain operations, but only because the benefits accrue to China.
In the case of this pandemic illusion, the Chinese government would be pleased to contribute to nations locking down populations and closing out economic activity. Why? Because the result would be significant weakening of those nations—whom the Chinese regime views as opponents or potential satellites.
Weakening nations is also the ambition of Globalist elites, to be sure. Flailing countries are easier to take over. Easier to convert to a New Technocracy. A Brave New World.
But the Chinese leadership is not a basic Rockefeller partner. The China bosses are for China.
If, in the process of playing along with Globalists in this pandemic forgery, the Chinese nation absorbs economic losses and deaths of its own citizens, the regime is more than willing to write them off as necessary sacrifices. Temporary. “We bounce back quickly. Other nations are not so fortunate. They don’t have our level of power over their citizenry. They don’t have 1.4 billion people under a moment to moment gun.”
The next Chinese-regime idea: “We could try to unleash a killer virus, altered in a lab, on the whole of Earth, but this is ridiculous for many reasons. —Among which, the rebound effect on ourselves is unpredictable, and only in science fiction movies is there a magic antidote. Worse, all viruses are unstable and mutate very quickly, so we have no idea what would happen. A hundred dead, ten thousand dead before the virus mutates into a harmless variety. This strategy lacks what we want all the time, in every situation: control.” The next idea: “But suppose we could launch the illusion of a pandemic. That would serve us well. In terms of our goals, it would be a success: economic destruction visited on our enemies. As a bonus, we buy bereft governments, more foreign companies, and more foreign land at bargain basement prices.” The next idea: “We could lay out a ‘tempting meal’ for the obsessed virus hunters at the World Health Organization and the CDC. Help them go where they already want to go…”
In that regard, let’s travel back to the beginning, where it all started: Wuhan.
To the virus hounds from the CDC and WHO, the Chinese government COULD HAVE said:
“Yes, we have a little outbreak in Wuhan. Nothing serious, nothing unusual. We have people coming to hospital with flu and pneumonia. About 300,000 people die of pneumonia every year in China, for all sorts of reasons. In Wuhan, the elderly have a major health problem owing to the air quality—pneumonia. We’ve been working very hard to fix that. At one point, we were going to build an incinerator for burning waste in Wuhan, but we discovered the technology would have created more pollution, so we abandoned the idea. We want to come up with a better facility, and we will. We’re sensitive to the needs of our people…”
Yes, the Chinese regime could have said that, but they didn’t.
Consider an alternative scenario: The Chinese regime DECIDED to tell the Globalist Rockefeller-type CDC/WHO virus hounds exactly what they wanted to hear: a new coronavirus that had never infected humans before was on the loose. And THEN—and this was the key—the regime suddenly locked down three huge cities and quarantined 50 million people overnight.
BANG.
THAT was the event that started the global ball rolling. No quarantine of such size had ever been tried before.
(In short order, the Hong Kong protests went away, the mainland protests against air pollution in major Chinese cities went away.)
The Globalist CDC and WHO drooled with joy, pushed a few buttons, and their whole epidemic PR apparatus swung into action.
“THIS ONE IS BIG. LOOK AT WHAT THE CHINESE JUST DID. THEY LOCKED DOWN 50 MILLION PEOPLE. SO IT’S ON. WE CAN DO IT, TOO. IN MANY NATIONS.”
Since then, the Chinese economy has taken a major hit. The country has been blamed, in some quarters, for spreading a deadly virus all over the globe. To which, of course, the Chinese regime replies: “What? We Chinese have been weakened greatly by the epidemic ourselves…”
Fast forward a few months. Who’s taking a hit now? The US, Italy, and many other countries. The US has shut down anything that moves. The US stock market and trading markets all over the world are tanking. Around the world, hundreds of millions of people have been thrown out of work, and untold numbers of small business owners have been driven into bankruptcy.
Magic.
By “humbly acceding” to the authority and desire of the CDC and WHO—who always say they’ve found ‘a new deadly virus’—the Chinese government has helped engineer, in the freest and craziest and most powerful nation in the world, the USA, a massive lockdown similar to the one now ending in China.
Who does all this remind you of? It reminds me of the ancient Chinese general and philosopher, Sun Tzu (6th century BC), who wrote the erudite and wildly popular treatise, The Art of War.
Here is a sprinkling of Sun Tzu observations and advices. Read carefully.
“All warfare is based on deception. Hence, when we are able to attack, we must seem unable; when using our forces, we must appear inactive…” “If your opponent is temperamental, seek to irritate him. Pretend to be weak, that he may grow arrogant. If he is taking his ease, give him no rest. If his forces are united, separate them. Attack him where he is unprepared, appear where you are not expected.” “Hold out baits to entice the enemy. Feign disorder, and crush him.” “Pretend inferiority and encourage his arrogance.” “If your opponent is of choleric temperament, seek to irritate him.” “To subdue the enemy without fighting is the acme of skill.” “…move swiftly where he [the enemy] does not expect you.” “Speed is the essence of war. Take advantage of the enemy’s unpreparedness; travel by unexpected routes and strike him where he has taken no precautions.”
—Getting the picture? Any bells ringing?
The Chinese regime: “Yes, Dr. CDC and Dr. WHO, it does appear, as you say, that here in China we have a new virus. You’re the experts. [Thought bubble: ‘You’re always willing to fake the discovery of new viruses.’] We bow to your wisdom. Certainly, we have to contain the virus. If we’ve somehow made a misstep here, we apologize. You’re the leaders in this field. Do what you think best. If alerts to national governments are in order, issue them. We’ll help. Do you think the spread will escalate?”
Meanwhile, in typical fashion, CDC and WHO haven’t done, and will never do, the necessary procedures for proving they’ve actually found a new virus (as I’ve described in other articles).
The Chinese government watches the epidemic propaganda start to lift off—and suddenly, as I just mentioned, locks down 50 million people for no rational medical reason—thus giving the Globalist CDC and WHO the shocking precedent for a super-con job, a super-story, a super-scenario, a fairy tale about a pandemic, an excuse to enact their own lock downs, across the whole planet.
Soon, one leader, who happens to be engaged in a trade battle with China—Trump—is boxed in. Usually arrogant, of choleric temperament, as Sun Tzu characterizes certain leaders, Trump must now dial back his attitude and go along. He believes he can’t buck the medical authorities. He believes he can’t do his usual THIS IS ALL FAKE NEWS punch to the gut. He can’t turn the stock market around by citing economic victories. He can’t talk about winning a trade war against the Chinese government. He’s stifled. Deflated, he has to go on TV, and read from script the measures he’s taking to “stop the spread of the virus.” —As he signs away more trillions of dollars the government doesn’t have.
Of course, many people refuse to believe there is a thing called subtlety in strategy, in covert warfare. “The Chinese government couldn’t be so clever.” Really? How about a regime which has a few thousand years of tradition behind it, based on the arts of covert operations? The current smash-and-grab Chinese dictatorship shows one face, but it is not their only face.
The dictatorship gave the CDC and WHO what they fervently wanted: a reason to launch—laid out like a dinner on the table.
“Enjoy your meal.”
There was a little something extra in the food. Not a virus. Instead, Sun Tzu spices.
As I wrote at the beginning of this article, I’m presenting a POSSIBLE description of a path the Chinese regime could be taking.
It IS possible. Imagine a small group of Chinese-government elite professionals looking at reports:
“With this fake pandemic operation, we have MANY enemies we want to subdue. For a moment, let’s look at just one. Trump. We can’t let him reject the lockdowns. If he does, other nations might reject them, too. He believes he’s winning a trade war against us. He is effective along certain domestic fronts. He knows how to rally his supporters. He has great energy. He can inspire enthusiasm from his troops. He promotes a brand of nationalism, which strikes a deep note with many Americans, and which could be dangerous to us. His critics and opponents are, on the whole, ineffective. They’re annoying amateurs. Trump’s self-confidence, arrogance, his tendency to become irritated and lash out…this is what we have to focus on. These are strengths which can also be weaknesses. He will fail to see attacks coming from unexpected sources and directions. He thinks he sees the whole map of threats to his presidency. In this regard, he has limited perspective. He views his potential enemies as blunt aggressors—because he himself is blunt. He sees warfare as open clash, as direct leverage. There is where we have our opportunity. We need a subtle operation that, at first, looks like a peripheral problem or crisis. But when the vise closes quickly, it will be too late. Not only Trump, but the whole of America will be caught in the squeeze play. Of course, in the process, we’ll inflict economic damage on ourselves. ‘We’re victims, too,’ we’ll say. That will be our cover story…” “Oh,” people reply again, “that’s impossible. The Chinese regime couldn’t be that devious. I mean, that plan has too many steps in it. Where’s the firepower? Where are the laser weapons flashing in space, you know, like we see in movies? Without that, there is no war.”
Well, when people insist the game has to look like tic-tac-toe with missiles, but the opponent is really playing chess or Go…Iron Man doesn’t come out on top.
2019. Chinese leadership: “Let’s enable our Globalist ‘friends’ to create a false pandemic and bury nations. We’ll only need to make a few moves on the board, and then they’ll do the rest. I suggest we call the operation the Sun Tzu Virus.”
Of course, the Chinese regime permits itself the right to exert an occasional PUSH and TWIST. To create torque and help events unfold. In that regard, a few key questions: What country has a huge and lopsided financial arrangement with the Chinese regime? What country has seen the Chinese pour gigantic amounts of money into its government coffers, and buy up its companies? What country is laboring under the undue influence of China? What country’s government might, therefore, take an enormous and dire action under more or less direct orders from Beijing? What country’s head of government SUDDENLY, without warning all its governors, locked down half the nation overnight? What country therefore created a new beachhead for lockdowns? If you’re looking for one country that answers EVERY question, its name is Italy. Once the center of the greatest renaissance since ancient Athens. Now masked and quarantined. And the new beachhead is Europe and the West.
One reason I’ve written this article? Given the existence of certain structures in this world—I’m imparting how easy it is to lock down a few billion people inside a reality egg.
FREEDOM involves cracking and climbing out of the egg.
About the Author
Jon Rappoport is the author of three explosive collections, THE MATRIX REVEALED, EXIT FROM THE MATRIX, and POWER OUTSIDE THE MATRIX, Jon was a candidate for a US Congressional seat in the 29thDistrict of California. He maintains a consulting practice for private clients, the purpose of which is the expansion of personal creative power. Nominated for a Pulitzer Prize, he has worked as an investigative reporter for 30 years, writing articles on politics, medicine, and health for CBS Healthwatch, LA Weekly, Spin Magazine, Stern, and other newspapers and magazines in the US and Europe. Jon has delivered lectures and seminars on global politics, health, logic, and creative power to audiences around the world. You can sign up for his free emails at NoMoreFakeNews.com or OutsideTheRealityMachine.
(To read about Jon’s mega-collection, Exit From The Matrix, click here.)


thewakingtimes--2020-04-16--Anonymous Donor Spends $82,000 To Give $150 Gift Cards To Every Home In Small Iowa Town

Anonymous Donor Spends $ 82,000 To Give $ 150 Gift Cards To Every Home In Small Iowa Town An anonymous good samaritan has come up with a clever way to help local businesses stay afloat while also giving their neighbors a nice gift during this difficult time .
In the small Iowa town of Earlham , an anonymous donor contacted the town ’ s mayor , Jeff Lillie and told him that they were interested in doing something to help boost the local economy .
In their first conversation , the donor told the mayor that they planned on purchasing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be given to residents of the town .
The donor then called back later and suggested that they would be willing to give away up to 500 gift cards .
Lillie told the donor that there were only 549 households in the entire town , and they decided to give a gift card to every household in the town .
“ I said to him , at 500 , you ’ re darn near giving a gift card to every single household in Earlham .
When I told him there were 549 households @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ And that was it .
I was ecstatic because it made sure everyone would get a card , ” Lillie told CNN .
Each gift card was for $ 150 , and with a total of 549 cards purchased , that is a total donation of $ 82,350 .
Three local businesses were selected , and each received about $ 27,000 .
The idea behind this effort is that struggling businesses will be able to get much-needed income now , and residents of the town can have a gift for the future @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , these funds will be used to keep the employees paid , in addition to keeping the businesses alive .
The mayor said that he was “ completely overwhelmed ” by the gesture .
“ It came at the end of a couple really hard weeks .
I remember going home and walking through the front door , and I couldn ’ t speak for a minute .
I was just crying like a baby , and my little boy saw me and wrapped around my leg and said , ‘ Daddy what @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I was able to choke it out : ‘ Buddy , right now , for once , nothing ’ s wrong.
’ ” Lillie said .
Any of the town ’ s residents who feel like the donation could be put to better use by another family has been encouraged to give them away or drop them off at a bill pay slot at City Hall , where they will then be distributed to needy families in the area .
Last month , Truth Theory reported that a landlord in Jonesboro , Arkansas @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not be collecting rent from its restaurants during the shutdown , and instead suggested that they continue to pay their employees .
In fact , landlords all over the country have been waiving rent for their tenants .
However , not all landlords are giving leniency during the pandemic , there are still many people who are facing eviction under the current circumstances .
John Vibes is an author and journalist who takes a special interest in the counter culture , and focuses solutions-oriented approaches to social problems .
He is also a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and The Free Thought Project Podcast .

Anonymous Donor Spends $82,000 To Give $150 Gift Cards To Every Home In Small Iowa Town
John Vibes, Truth Theory
Waking Times
An anonymous good samaritan has come up with a clever way to help local businesses stay afloat while also giving their neighbors a nice gift during this difficult time. In the small Iowa town of Earlham, an anonymous donor contacted the town’s mayor, Jeff Lillie and told him that they were interested in doing something to help boost the local economy.
In their first conversation, the donor told the mayor that they planned on purchasing 100 gift cards from local businesses to be given to residents of the town. The donor then called back later and suggested that they would be willing to give away up to 500 gift cards. Lillie told the donor that there were only 549 households in the entire town, and they decided to give a gift card to every household in the town.
“I said to him, at 500, you’re darn near giving a gift card to every single household in Earlham. When I told him there were 549 households in town, he said ‘Done.’ And that was it. I was ecstatic because it made sure everyone would get a card,” Lillie told CNN.
Each gift card was for $150, and with a total of 549 cards purchased, that is a total donation of $82,350. Three local businesses were selected, and each received about $27,000.
The idea behind this effort is that struggling businesses will be able to get much-needed income now, and residents of the town can have a gift for the future when everything opens back up. Hopefully, these funds will be used to keep the employees paid, in addition to keeping the businesses alive.
The mayor said that he was “completely overwhelmed” by the gesture.
“It came at the end of a couple really hard weeks. I remember going home and walking through the front door, and I couldn’t speak for a minute. I was just crying like a baby, and my little boy saw me and wrapped around my leg and said, ‘Daddy what’s wrong?’ And eventually I was able to choke it out: ‘Buddy, right now, for once, nothing’s wrong.’” Lillie said.
Any of the town’s residents who feel like the donation could be put to better use by another family has been encouraged to give them away or drop them off at a bill pay slot at City Hall, where they will then be distributed to needy families in the area.
Last month, Truth Theory reported that a landlord in Jonesboro, Arkansas, has promised that his company would not be collecting rent from its restaurants during the shutdown, and instead suggested that they continue to pay their employees. In fact, landlords all over the country have been waiving rent for their tenants. However, not all landlords are giving leniency during the pandemic, there are still many people who are facing eviction under the current circumstances.
Residents of Earlham, Iowa woke up to the best gift: $150 in gift cards to local businesses, sent to all households by an anonymous donor! #UpLiftTODAY pic.twitter.com/j2EW1YfxlM — 3rd Hour of TODAY (@3rdHourTODAY) April 8, 2020
About the Author
John Vibes is an author and journalist who takes a special interest in the counter culture, and focuses solutions-oriented approaches to social problems. He is also a host of The Free Your Mind Conference and The Free Thought Project Podcast.


thewakingtimes--2020-04-16--With Tourists Being Kept Away, Groups of Crocodiles Take Over Mexico Beach to Play

With Tourists Being Kept Away , Groups of Crocodiles Take Over Mexico Beach to Play We ’ ve seen it play out across the globe , from India to Italy and U.S. National Parks—with human activity virtually screeching to a halt , the environment and the animal kingdom have enjoyed a small breather .
And while some places are seeing cute animals frolicking about , the tourist destination of La Ventanilla in Mexico ’ s southern state of Oaxaca is seeing massive crocodiles emerge to take over beaches for the first time in decades .
Located in the Oaxacan coastal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ village of La Ventanilla is a popular attraction due to its sensitive ecological sites including a mangrove lagoon where a range of rare birds , crustaceans , and reptiles dwell .
Among these creatures are a number of crocodiles of different sizes which are protected by local ecotourism cooperatives and who spend much of their time avoiding tourists visiting from the nearby beaches of Puerto Escondido and Huatulco , reports Mediotiempo .
Local authorities have long been concerned by the somewhat predictable outcome of humans and crocodiles coexisting in their shared habitat .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ human-populated zones , such as when a crocodile attacked a fisherman who was enjoying a siesta on the nearby Boca Barra beach in November , reports Mexico News Daily .
But as the English-language newspaper also noted : “ when the tourists are away , the crocs will play.
” And with the large reptilian creatures no longer forced to live in fear of humans , they ’ ve clearly become emboldened enough to encroach on abandoned sites left behind by vacationers .
On Saturday , a photo taken by Janitzio Ramos and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that this is clearly the case as a group of crocodiles—also known as a bask—could be seen lounging around on the Ventanilla beach .
Federal environmental protection agency Profepa had been carrying out a census in the local lagoons due to the frequently violent interactions between crocodiles and humans , reports Milenio .
However , due to a lack of resources and the public health crisis unleashed by the recent coronavirus pandemic , the project ground to a halt .
In early April , the Mexican federal government began to close all of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ crowds of people from gathering there and forming outbreak clusters that would spread the novel coronavirus .
The Mexican government has even mobilized the National Guard alongside municipal police agencies to prevent access to beaches , especially during the recent Semana Santa ( Holy Week ) and Easter holiday season which typically attracts tens of thousands of people from all over the world to the country ’ s beaches .
Last month , about 211 students from the University of Texas at Austin flew to Cabo San Lucas to take part in Spring @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of those students , 49 have tested positive for the novel coronavirus that causes CoViD-19 as of April 3 , according to the school .
In addition to crocodiles taking over the Oaxaca beach , there have also been reports that leatherback sea turtles and even jaguars are entering once-bustling tourist locations in places like Cancún and Riviera Maya .

With Tourists Being Kept Away, Groups of Crocodiles Take Over Mexico Beach to Play
Elias Marat, The Mind Unleashed
Waking Times
We’ve seen it play out across the globe, from India to Italy and U.S. National Parks—with human activity virtually screeching to a halt, the environment and the animal kingdom have enjoyed a small breather.
And while some places are seeing cute animals frolicking about, the tourist destination of La Ventanilla in Mexico’s southern state of Oaxaca is seeing massive crocodiles emerge to take over beaches for the first time in decades.
Located in the Oaxacan coastal city of Santa María Tonameca, the village of La Ventanilla is a popular attraction due to its sensitive ecological sites including a mangrove lagoon where a range of rare birds, crustaceans, and reptiles dwell.
Among these creatures are a number of crocodiles of different sizes which are protected by local ecotourism cooperatives and who spend much of their time avoiding tourists visiting from the nearby beaches of Puerto Escondido and Huatulco, reports Mediotiempo.
Local authorities have long been concerned by the somewhat predictable outcome of humans and crocodiles coexisting in their shared habitat.
In Oaxaca, crocodiles frequently encroach on human-populated zones, such as when a crocodile attacked a fisherman who was enjoying a siesta on the nearby Boca Barra beach in November, reports Mexico News Daily.
But as the English-language newspaper also noted: “when the tourists are away, the crocs will play.” And with the large reptilian creatures no longer forced to live in fear of humans, they’ve clearly become emboldened enough to encroach on abandoned sites left behind by vacationers.
On Saturday, a photo taken by Janitzio Ramos and shared on Facebook by Esau Zavaleta showed that this is clearly the case as a group of crocodiles—also known as a bask—could be seen lounging around on the Ventanilla beach.
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=2561352284182234&set=a.1412068802443927&type=3
Federal environmental protection agency Profepa had been carrying out a census in the local lagoons due to the frequently violent interactions between crocodiles and humans, reports Milenio. However, due to a lack of resources and the public health crisis unleashed by the recent coronavirus pandemic, the project ground to a halt.
In early April, the Mexican federal government began to close all of the country’s beaches to prevent crowds of people from gathering there and forming outbreak clusters that would spread the novel coronavirus.
The Mexican government has even mobilized the National Guard alongside municipal police agencies to prevent access to beaches, especially during the recent Semana Santa (Holy Week) and Easter holiday season which typically attracts tens of thousands of people from all over the world to the country’s beaches.
Last month, about 211 students from the University of Texas at Austin flew to Cabo San Lucas to take part in Spring Break revelries from March 14-19. Out of those students, 49 have tested positive for the novel coronavirus that causes CoViD-19 as of April 3, according to the school.
In addition to crocodiles taking over the Oaxaca beach, there have also been reports that leatherback sea turtles and even jaguars are entering once-bustling tourist locations in places like Cancún and Riviera Maya.
By Elias Marat | Creative Commons | TheMindUnleashed.com


thewakingtimes--2020-04-17--While America is on Lockdown New Bill Proposes Strictest Federal Gun Control Measures Ever

While America is on Lockdown New Bill Proposes Strictest Federal Gun Control Measures Ever While we ’ re all distracted by news about the coronavirus , lawmakers in Washington are attempting to sneak in one of the most draconian antigun bills that the country has ever seen .
Titled the “ Gun Violence Prevention and Community Safety Act of 2020 , ” this bill would require all Americans to obtain a license before purchasing a firearm , treating our constitutional right to keep and bear arms as a privilege in which we must first get permission for from the federal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ January 30th at the beginning of the pandemic , requires that a person must be 21 years or older to buy a gun , as well as go through a written and field test to “ demonstrate safe use of a firearm.
” The lawmakers tout that their bill would “ require individuals to obtain a license , ” “ raise the minimum age from 18 to 21 years , ” “ establish new background check requirements , ” and “ create a statutory process for a family or household member to petition @ @ @ @ @ @ @ order to remove firearms from an individual , ” among other things .
The purchaser must also hand over a photograph , giving the government valuable facial recognition data .
Additionally , the license only lasts for 10 years and gun buyers could have their purchase delayed by up to 40 days before the Attorney General issues it to them .
The law would also make it illegal for a parent to pass down a gun to their children without going through time-consuming and costly legal hoops first , at threat of fines @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the bill includes everything that the most radical anti-gunners want , short of an outright ban and repeal of the second amendment .
It includes new age limits , red flag confiscations , increased taxes on guns and ammunition , an arbitrary ban on nearly all semi-automatic rifles , and the requirement of a federal firearms license .
While also being what the Firearms Policy Coalition ( FPC ) calls , “ the worst anti-gun legislation that FPC have ever seen , ” the bill is illegal both in the letter and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ On every question of construction let us carry ourselves back to the time when the Constitution was adopted , ” said Thomas Jefferson on interpreting the constitution .
“ Recollect the spirit manifested in the debates , and instead of trying what meaning can be squeezed out of the text , or invented against it , conform to the probable one which was passed.
” It ’ s hard to imagine that the founding fathers , after fighting a brutal war for independence and passing the bill of rights specifically to protect the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ shall not be infringed ” to mean “ it ’ s okay if the federal government requires me to get a license , provide them with pictures , and pass their safety tests before I can exercise my right to keep and bear arms.
” Nonetheless , that won ’ t stop this coalition of 18 congressional Democrats from attempting to force their unconstitutional law on the American people .
If this bill were to pass , it would place the most draconian federal restrictions on access to firearms in the history @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a student as well as a staff writer and assistant editor for Waking Times .
If you would like to see more of his work , you can visit his website , or follow him on the free speech social network Minds .
This article ( While America is on Lockdown New Bill Proposes Strictest Federal Gun Control Measures Ever ) as originally created and published by Waking Times and is published here under a Creative Commons license with attribution to Phillip Schneider and WakingTimes.com .
It may be re-posted freely with proper @ @ @ @ @ @ @ copyright statement .

While America is on Lockdown New Bill Proposes Strictest Federal Gun Control Measures Ever
Phillip Schneider, Staff Writer
Waking Times
While we’re all distracted by news about the coronavirus, lawmakers in Washington are attempting to sneak in one of the most draconian antigun bills that the country has ever seen.
Titled the “Gun Violence Prevention and Community Safety Act of 2020,” this bill would require all Americans to obtain a license before purchasing a firearm, treating our constitutional right to keep and bear arms as a privilege in which we must first get permission for from the federal government.
The bill, introduced on January 30th at the beginning of the pandemic, requires that a person must be 21 years or older to buy a gun, as well as go through a written and field test to “demonstrate safe use of a firearm.”
The lawmakers tout that their bill would “require individuals to obtain a license,” “raise the minimum age from 18 to 21 years,” “establish new background check requirements,” and “create a statutory process for a family or household member to petition a court for an extreme risk protection order to remove firearms from an individual,” among other things.
The purchaser must also hand over a photograph, giving the government valuable facial recognition data. Additionally, the license only lasts for 10 years and gun buyers could have their purchase delayed by up to 40 days before the Attorney General issues it to them.
The law would also make it illegal for a parent to pass down a gun to their children without going through time-consuming and costly legal hoops first, at threat of fines or jail time.
In other words, the bill includes everything that the most radical anti-gunners want, short of an outright ban and repeal of the second amendment. It includes new age limits, red flag confiscations, increased taxes on guns and ammunition, an arbitrary ban on nearly all semi-automatic rifles, and the requirement of a federal firearms license.
While also being what the Firearms Policy Coalition (FPC) calls, “the worst anti-gun legislation that FPC have ever seen,” the bill is illegal both in the letter and spirit of the second amendment.
“On every question of construction let us carry ourselves back to the time when the Constitution was adopted,” said Thomas Jefferson on interpreting the constitution. “Recollect the spirit manifested in the debates, and instead of trying what meaning can be squeezed out of the text, or invented against it, conform to the probable one which was passed.”
It’s hard to imagine that the founding fathers, after fighting a brutal war for independence and passing the bill of rights specifically to protect the people against government overreach, intended for “shall not be infringed” to mean “it’s okay if the federal government requires me to get a license, provide them with pictures, and pass their safety tests before I can exercise my right to keep and bear arms.”
Nonetheless, that won’t stop this coalition of 18 congressional Democrats from attempting to force their unconstitutional law on the American people.
If this bill were to pass, it would place the most draconian federal restrictions on access to firearms in the history of the country.
About the Author
Phillip Schneider is a student as well as a staff writer and assistant editor for Waking Times. If you would like to see more of his work, you can visit his website, or follow him on the free speech social network Minds.
This article (While America is on Lockdown New Bill Proposes Strictest Federal Gun Control Measures Ever) as originally created and published by Waking Times and is published here under a Creative Commons license with attribution to Phillip Schneider and WakingTimes.com. It may be re-posted freely with proper attribution, author bio, and this copyright statement.


thewakingtimes--2020-04-17--MSM Takes the War on ‘Conspiracy Theories’ to Kids Telling Them to Fact-Check Their Parents

MSM Takes the War on ‘ Conspiracy Theories ’ to Kids Telling Them to Fact-Check Their Parents Canadian media outlet CBC tweeted a video on Wednesday instructing kids on how to shut down “ conspiracy theories ” about the coronavirus that they hear from their parents .
“ Conspiracies can be just as infectious–just as dangerous as a virus , ” the reporter says .
“ So , what do you do when this happens ?
” “ Maybe send an article from a legitimate source quoting credible scientists on why the virus wasn ’ t manufactured , ” she @ @ @ @ @ @ @ article from CBC titled ‘ No , the new coronavirus wasn ’ t created in a lab , scientists say.
’ As I ’ m sure you guessed , the ‘ fact checking ’ here is false .
As sources at Fox News and other mainstream sources have reported , coronavirus may in fact have been developed in a Chinese lab as an effort to compete with American biological research , meaning the CBC ’ s video is misleading .
“ Documents detail early efforts by doctors at the lab and early efforts @ @ @ @ @ @ @ identified as a possible point of origin never sold bats , and the sources tell Fox News that blaming the wet market was an effort by China to deflect blame from the laboratory , along with the country ’ s propaganda efforts targeting the U.S. and Italy.
” [ Source ] In 2017 , one of the world ’ s most widely read science journals voiced their concern over a lab in Wuhan , China which was specifically erected to study dangerous pathogens .
“ A laboratory in Wuhan is on the cusp @ @ @ @ @ @ @ world ’ s most dangerous pathogens , ” wrote David Cyranoski in Nature .
“ Some scientists outside China worry about pathogens escaping , and the addition of a biological dimension to geopolitical tensions between China and other nations.
” To make matters more interesting , on Tuesday , one day before the explosive Fox News story broke , UN Secretary-General António Guterres released a video explaining how “ the world must unite against [ misinformation ] .
” Many alternative news outlets have been hit with wrongful ‘ fact-checking ’ claims against @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as the fact that Intravenous Vitamin C ( IVC ) is being used effectively by some doctors in small trials to treat covid-19 patients .
The UN Secretary-General goes on to explain his plan to drown out competing voices in the independent press with the ‘ official ’ viewpoint of the world government body .
The push for kids to ‘ fact check ’ their parents on controversial news is a coordinated effort to recruit the youth into playing their part in a well-oiled propaganda machine that favors mainstream media and the Chinese @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as well as a staff writer and assistant editor for Waking Times .
If you would like to see more of his work , you can visit his website , or follow him on the free speech social network Minds .
This article ( MSM Takes the War on ‘ Conspiracy Theories ’ to Kids Telling Them to Fact-Check Their Parents ) as originally created and published by Waking Times and is published here under a Creative Commons license with attribution to Phillip Schneider and WakingTimes.com .
It may be re-posted freely with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this copyright statement .

MSM Takes the War on ‘Conspiracy Theories’ to Kids Telling Them to Fact-Check Their Parents
Phillip Schneider, Staff Writer
Waking Times
Canadian media outlet CBC tweeted a video on Wednesday instructing kids on how to shut down “conspiracy theories” about the coronavirus that they hear from their parents.
“Conspiracies can be just as infectious–just as dangerous as a virus,” the reporter says. “So, what do you do when this happens?”
“Maybe send an article from a legitimate source quoting credible scientists on why the virus wasn’t manufactured,” she says, displaying a link to an article from CBC titled ‘No, the new coronavirus wasn’t created in a lab, scientists say.’
Is uncle Bob spreading COVID-19 misinformation in the family group chat? This doesn’t have to be awkward. pic.twitter.com/SxX5HVqY9a — CBC News: The National (@CBCTheNational) April 15, 2020
As I’m sure you guessed, the ‘fact checking’ here is false. As sources at Fox News and other mainstream sources have reported, coronavirus may in fact have been developed in a Chinese lab as an effort to compete with American biological research, meaning the CBC’s video is misleading.
“Documents detail early efforts by doctors at the lab and early efforts at containment… The Wuhan wet market initially identified as a possible point of origin never sold bats, and the sources tell Fox News that blaming the wet market was an effort by China to deflect blame from the laboratory, along with the country’s propaganda efforts targeting the U.S. and Italy.” [Source]
In 2017, one of the world’s most widely read science journals voiced their concern over a lab in Wuhan, China which was specifically erected to study dangerous pathogens.
“A laboratory in Wuhan is on the cusp of being cleared to work with the world’s most dangerous pathogens,” wrote David Cyranoski in Nature. “Some scientists outside China worry about pathogens escaping, and the addition of a biological dimension to geopolitical tensions between China and other nations.”
To make matters more interesting, on Tuesday, one day before the explosive Fox News story broke, UN Secretary-General António Guterres released a video explaining how “the world must unite against [misinformation].”
“Wild conspiracy theories are infecting the internet…I salute the journalists and others fact-checking the mountain of misleading stories and social media posts.” ~ UN Secretary-General António Guterres
Many alternative news outlets have been hit with wrongful ‘fact-checking’ claims against legitimate stories about the coronavirus, such as the fact that Intravenous Vitamin C (IVC) is being used effectively by some doctors in small trials to treat covid-19 patients.
“It was brought to my attention that…a Facebook ‘fact check’ function says that ‘no, the Shanghai government did not officially recommend high dose IVC in their Covid-19 treatment,’ Chinese doctor Richard Cheng said, who works on the front lines treating patients with IVC. “Well, I’d like to say it is a fact that [the] Shanghai government officially recommended high dose IVC in the treatment.”
The UN Secretary-General goes on to explain his plan to drown out competing voices in the independent press with the ‘official’ viewpoint of the world government body.
“Today I am announcing a new United Nations Communications Response Initiative to flood the internet with facts and science while countering the growing scourge of misinformation.” ~ UN Secretary-General António Guterres
The push for kids to ‘fact check’ their parents on controversial news is a coordinated effort to recruit the youth into playing their part in a well-oiled propaganda machine that favors mainstream media and the Chinese government.
About the Author
Phillip Schneider is a student as well as a staff writer and assistant editor for Waking Times. If you would like to see more of his work, you can visit his website, or follow him on the free speech social network Minds.
This article (MSM Takes the War on ‘Conspiracy Theories’ to Kids Telling Them to Fact-Check Their Parents) as originally created and published by Waking Times and is published here under a Creative Commons license with attribution to Phillip Schneider and WakingTimes.com. It may be re-posted freely with proper attribution, author bio, and this copyright statement.


thewakingtimes--2020-04-17--‘Biggest Coronavirus Stimulus of All’: Richest Man in the World Jeff Bezos Now $24 Billion Richer Am

‘ Biggest Coronavirus Stimulus of All ’ : Richest Man in the World Jeff Bezos Now $ 24 Billion Richer Amid Pandemic Amplifying fresh critiques of wealthy inequality that have mounted throughout the coronavirus pandemic , Amazon founder Jeff Bezos—the world ’ s richest man—has added nearly $ 24 billion to his already massive fortune in 2020 as virus-related lockdowns across the globe have forced people to stay inside and fueled increased e-commerce demand .
Bezos was worth $ 138 billion as of Tuesday , according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index .
He is Amazon ’ s CEO and president @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the e-commerce giant , which has come under fire for how it has treated workers during the outbreak .
While Bezos tops the index , Fortune noted that the 18th spot now belongs to his ex-wife MacKenzie , “ who was left with a 4 % stake in Amazon as part of the couple ’ s recent divorce settlement .
Her net worth has climbed $ 8.2 billion to $ 45.3 billion.
” The index updates followed a Forbes report from Saturday about how “ market gains led to a combined $ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ world ’ s billionaires since the market closed a week ago , on April 2.
” Bezos gained $ 6.8 billion in that time , an increase second to only that of Amancio Ortega of the Spanish fast-fashion retailer Inditex .
Sen. Bernie Sanders ( I-Vt. ) , a longtime labor rights advocate and foe of millionaires and billionaires , tweeted the Forbes report Wednesday and highlighted how the wealth increases of Bezos and other billionaires contrast with the millions of Americans who have lost their jobs because of the ongoing public health @ @ @ @ @ @ @ week , U.S. unemployment claims during the pandemic have soared to 16.8 million , which one economist noted “ is a mind-boggling 2,500 % increase over the pre-virus period.
” That contrast between U.S. billionaires and the nation ’ s newly unemployed was also pointed out on Twitter Wednesday by Public Citizen , which cited the Forbes report .
While millions of people across the United States have lost their incomes due to COVID-19 , Amazon has filled 100,000 new jobs since March and plans to add 75,000 more “ to help meet @ @ @ @ @ @ @ orders for essential products , ” according to a blog post on the company ’ s website .
The retailer has “ increased pay for hourly employees by $ 2/hour in the U.S. , C $ 2/hour in Canada , and €2/hour in many E.U .
countries.
” Amazon has “ made over 150 process updates to help protect employees—from enhanced cleaning and social distancing measures to piloting new efforts like using disinfectant fog in our New York fulfillment center , ” the blog post said .
The company is also building a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ COVID-19 and has “ distributed personal protective gear , such as masks for our employees , and implemented temperature checks across our operations worldwide.
” However , workers at Amazon warehouses and Whole Foods Market—the grocery chain acquired by Amazon in 2017—have expressed fear and frustration about working conditions , and accused the company of not doing enough to protect employees .
Just this week , Amazon also elicited condemnation for firing three workers who publicly criticized the company ’ s pandemic response and treatment of employees .
The safety of Amazon facilities @ @ @ @ @ @ @ raised particular alarm .
According to Business Insider : Some Amazon employees told Business Insider that they feel they have to choose between paying their bills and risking the health of themselves and vulnerable family members .
Jessica Corbett is a staff writer for Common Dreams .
Follow her on Twitter : @ corbett_jessica .

‘Biggest Coronavirus Stimulus of All’: Richest Man in the World Jeff Bezos Now $24 Billion Richer Amid Pandemic
Jessica Corbett, Common Dreams
Waking Times
Amplifying fresh critiques of wealthy inequality that have mounted throughout the coronavirus pandemic, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos—the world’s richest man—has added nearly $24 billion to his already massive fortune in 2020 as virus-related lockdowns across the globe have forced people to stay inside and fueled increased e-commerce demand.
Explaining the source of a nearly 5% jump in Bezos’ net worth Tuesday, Forbes reported that Amazon stock surged 5.3%, “hitting a new record close of $2,283 per share. The stock is now up over 20% so far this year, outpacing the benchmark index (the S&P 500 is down over 12%).”
Turns out Jeff Bezos has got the biggest coronavirus stimulus of all … https://t.co/10BrXbnIZ6 — Will Tooke (@willtooketv) April 15, 2020
Bezos was worth $138 billion as of Tuesday, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. He is Amazon’s CEO and president, and owns an 11.2% stake in the e-commerce giant, which has come under fire for how it has treated workers during the outbreak.
While Bezos tops the index, Fortune noted that the 18th spot now belongs to his ex-wife MacKenzie, “who was left with a 4% stake in Amazon as part of the couple’s recent divorce settlement. Her net worth has climbed $8.2 billion to $45.3 billion.”
The index updates followed a Forbes report from Saturday about how “market gains led to a combined $51.3 billion boost for 10 of the world’s billionaires since the market closed a week ago, on April 2.” Bezos gained $6.8 billion in that time, an increase second to only that of Amancio Ortega of the Spanish fast-fashion retailer Inditex.
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), a longtime labor rights advocate and foe of millionaires and billionaires, tweeted the Forbes report Wednesday and highlighted how the wealth increases of Bezos and other billionaires contrast with the millions of Americans who have lost their jobs because of the ongoing public health crisis.
$33.4 billion. That's how much the wealth of Jeff Bezos and six other billionaires increased last week while millions of Americans were filing for unemployment. Our society cannot sustain itself when so few have so much, while so many have so little. https://t.co/XwlhIXTMzS — Bernie Sanders (@SenSanders) April 15, 2020
As Common Dreams reported last week, U.S. unemployment claims during the pandemic have soared to 16.8 million, which one economist noted “is a mind-boggling 2,500% increase over the pre-virus period.”
That contrast between U.S. billionaires and the nation’s newly unemployed was also pointed out on Twitter Wednesday by Public Citizen, which cited the Forbes report.
Billionaire wealth increases last week: Jeff Bezos: +$6.8B Mark Zuckerberg: +$6.2B Warren Buffett: +$5B Elon Musk: +$4.2B Larry Ellison: +$4B Larry Page: +$3.6B Bill Gates: +$3.6B Meanwhile, more than 16 million Americans have filed for unemployment in the past month. — Public Citizen (@Public_Citizen) April 15, 2020
However, workers at Amazon warehouses and Whole Foods Market—the grocery chain acquired by Amazon in 2017—have expressed fear and frustration about working conditions, and accused the company of not doing enough to protect employees. Just this week, Amazon also elicited condemnation for firing three workers who publicly criticized the company’s pandemic response and treatment of employees.
“Instead of firing employees who want justice,” Sanders tweeted Tuesday, “maybe Jeff Bezos—the richest man in the world—can focus on providing his workers with paid sick leave, a safe workplace, and a livable planet.”
The safety of Amazon facilities in the midst of a pandemic has raised particular alarm. According to Business Insider:
More than 74 U.S. warehouses alone have now reported cases of the virus, and concerns from workers about safety and sanitation have ballooned, leading to employee walkouts and protests. On Tuesday, Business Insider broke the news that Amazon had seen its first warehouse worker death, an operations manager who worked at the company’s Hawthorne, California warehouse. The man died on March 31.
Some Amazon employees told Business Insider that they feel they have to choose between paying their bills and risking the health of themselves and vulnerable family members.
“I was grateful at first for the unlimited [unpaid time off] and $2 increase, but as things got worse and the virus was spreading more and more, it didn’t matter. I don’t want to be there, but I need the income,” said one worker who cares for an elderly relative. “The stress of bringing it home to him makes me physically ill.”
About the Author
Jessica Corbett is a staff writer for Common Dreams. Follow her on Twitter: @corbett_jessica.


thewakingtimes--2020-04-17--Battered Souls #004 – The Great Letting Go with Patrick James Hennessey

Battered Souls # 004 – The Great Letting Go with Patrick James Hennessey Patrick is the founder The LovEvolution Solution @ @ @ @ @ part in the Occupy Wall St. demonstrations in 2011 he has turned his attention to @ @ @ @ @ Center in the Blue Ridge Mountains as a place for community , connection and conversation @ @ @ @ @ of consciousness and cultural awakening , as an entrepreneur he has a keen understanding of @ @ @ @ @ situation .
In this talk we get into many of the dynamics involved in the @ @ @ @ @ , finance , and especially how this calls us to let go and transform .
@ @ @ @ @ those people that prefers to think deeply and speak truth rather than engage in small @ @ @ @ @ deep dive with Patrick .
Find Patrick at The LovEvolution Solution and Sacred Mountain Waters @ @ @ @ @ – Battered Souls

Battered Souls #004 – The Great Letting Go with Patrick James Hennessey

Patrick is the founder The LovEvolution Solution, and after playing a part in the Occupy Wall St. demonstrations in 2011 he has turned his attention to creating Sacred Mountain Waters Retreat Center in the Blue Ridge Mountains as a place for community, connection and conversation.
In addition to issues of consciousness and cultural awakening, as an entrepreneur he has a keen understanding of business and our current economic situation.
In this talk we get into many of the dynamics involved in the Coronavirus pandemic the information war, finance, and especially how this calls us to let go and transform.
He’s one of those people that prefers to think deeply and speak truth rather than engage in small talk, so enjoy this deep dive with Patrick.
————————————
Find Patrick at The LovEvolution Solution and Sacred Mountain Waters
————————————
Visit us on the web – Battered Souls
Stop by Dylan’s site – Waking Times
————————————
Support Battered Souls with Cryptos!
BITCOIN – 1PgkuMTxVwVEhgbKuXQQ1Qi8kYzsX2fn68
ETHEREUM – 0xaec9c156C492d964Ad6C8bD1377152b85Be230F6
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thewakingtimes--2020-04-17--Immunity Certificates: A Load of Nonsense and a Covert Op

Once again , in this article , I step into the world of official gibberish about the epidemic and the virus and tests and so on .
I point out the internal contradictions in the government position .
And then I step back and look at what they ’ re really up to , in the way of a covert operation .
Let ’ s start with the official word on so-called immunity certificates .
POLITICIO , 4/10 : “ Dr .
Anthony Fauci , director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases , revealed Friday the federal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ immunity from the coronavirus , as the Trump administration works to better identify those who have been infected and restart the U.S. economy in the coming weeks.
” “ The proposal is contingent upon the widespread deployment of antibody tests which the National Institutes of Health and the Food and Drug Administration are in the process of validating in the U.S. , Fauci said.
” “ Although coronavirus testing thus far has been able to determine if an individual has an active infection , antibody tests report whether an asymptomatic person was previously @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is immune ] , potentially allowing them to return to their jobs.
” Now let ’ s take that POLITICO article apart .
Immunity certificates would be issued to people who test POSITIVE on an antibody test .
Meaning : antibodies in a person ’ s body are a sign that he has gained immunity from the coronavirus .
But wait .
How about this ?
Science News , March 27 : “ Science News spoke with…Charles Cairns , dean of the Drexel University College of Medicine , about how antibody tests work @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of developing the tests.
” “ Cairns : ‘ The big question is : Does a positive response for the antibodies mean that person is actively infected , or that they have been infected in the past [ and are now immune ] … ?
’ ” In other words , when you penetrate an inch below the surface , you find there are even official/mainstream doubts , grave doubts about the meaning of a positive antibody test .
It could mean IMMUNE or it could mean INFECTED .
This would be like @ @ @ @ @ @ @ there was a sixteen-car wreck on Highway 5 or it was smooth sailing and there was no accident at all.
” Actually , since 1984 , a positive antibody test has generally been taken to mean the person is infected , has the disease in question .
So why the sudden turnaround now ?
Why are Fauci and other government officials claiming that a positive antibody test signals immunity ?
Answer : Because , with the widespread use of this simple and quick antibody test ( much quicker and easier to perform than @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reason is invented for issuing immunity certificates .
And this is what the goal is .
Introduce the population to immunity certificates .
As a tune-up for the underlying operation , which is : Immunity certificates for people who eventually receive vaccinations against COVID-19 ( and , finally , all vaccines ) .
Just take the COVID-19 vaccine and you ’ ll be immune and you can carry with you a certificate , wherever you go—and you WILL be allowed to go here and there and live a normal life .
With your @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Whether the certificate plan will be enacted this time around ( COVID-19 ) , or in the next fake pandemic , remains to be seen .
But the IDEA is now firmly planted in the public mind .
You can win a “ gold star ” on the blackboard from the teacher—your certificate to a better life .
Just obey and follow orders .
TAKE THE VACCINE .
Carrot and stick .
Be free , or be limited .
If , indeed , we see a COVID-19 vaccine introduced , another variation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Under Emergency regulations , everyone must take the shot.
” But when you do , you ’ ll get your very valuable certificate of immunity .
You ’ ll win a prize .
Isn ’ t that wonderful ?
And in this article , I haven ’ t discussed questions about what would actually be IN the COVID-19 vaccine .
I took up that subject in a recent piece about DNA vaccines .
The new DNA technology , if introduced , would PERMANENTLY alter the genetic makeup of the vaccine-recipient .
And meanwhile…don @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the government first locking you up , and then “ freeing ” you with an official seal of approval ?
Jon Rappoport is the author of three explosive collections , THE MATRIX REVEALED , EXIT FROM THE MATRIX , and POWER OUTSIDE THE MATRIX , Jon was a candidate for a US Congressional seat in the 29thDistrict of California .
He maintains a consulting practice for private clients , the purpose of which is the expansion of personal creative power .
Nominated for a Pulitzer Prize , he has worked as an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ articles on politics , medicine , and health for CBS Healthwatch , LA Weekly , Spin Magazine , Stern , and other newspapers and magazines in the US and Europe .
Jon has delivered lectures and seminars on global politics , health , logic , and creative power to audiences around the world .
You can sign up for his free emails at NoMoreFakeNews.com or OutsideTheRealityMachine .
Like Waking Times on Facebook .
Follow Waking Times on Twitter .

Immunity Certificates: A Load of Nonsense and a Covert Op
Jon Rappoport, Guest
Waking Times
Once again, in this article, I step into the world of official gibberish about the epidemic and the virus and tests and so on. I point out the internal contradictions in the government position. And then I step back and look at what they’re really up to, in the way of a covert operation.
Let’s start with the official word on so-called immunity certificates.
POLITICIO, 4/10: “Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, revealed Friday the federal government is considering issuing Americans certificates of immunity from the coronavirus, as the Trump administration works to better identify those who have been infected and restart the U.S. economy in the coming weeks.” “The proposal is contingent upon the widespread deployment of antibody tests which the National Institutes of Health and the Food and Drug Administration are in the process of validating in the U.S., Fauci said.” “Although coronavirus testing thus far has been able to determine if an individual has an active infection, antibody tests report whether an asymptomatic person was previously infected but has since recovered [and is immune], potentially allowing them to return to their jobs.”
Now let’s take that POLITICO article apart.
Immunity certificates would be issued to people who test POSITIVE on an antibody test. Meaning: antibodies in a person’s body are a sign that he has gained immunity from the coronavirus.
But wait. How about this?
Science News, March 27: “Science News spoke with…Charles Cairns, dean of the Drexel University College of Medicine, about how antibody tests work and what are some of the challenges of developing the tests.” “Cairns: ‘The big question is: Does a positive response for the antibodies mean that person is actively infected, or that they have been infected in the past [and are now immune]…?’”
What??
In other words, when you penetrate an inch below the surface, you find there are even official/mainstream doubts, grave doubts about the meaning of a positive antibody test. It could mean IMMUNE or it could mean INFECTED.
This would be like saying, “The photo either proves there was a sixteen-car wreck on Highway 5 or it was smooth sailing and there was no accident at all.”
Actually, since 1984, a positive antibody test has generally been taken to mean the person is infected, has the disease in question.
So why the sudden turnaround now? Why are Fauci and other government officials claiming that a positive antibody test signals immunity?
Answer: Because, with the widespread use of this simple and quick antibody test (much quicker and easier to perform than the current PCR test), a reason is invented for issuing immunity certificates. And this is what the goal is. Introduce the population to immunity certificates. As a tune-up for the underlying operation, which is:
Immunity certificates for people who eventually receive vaccinations against COVID-19 (and, finally, all vaccines).
Just take the COVID-19 vaccine and you’ll be immune and you can carry with you a certificate, wherever you go—and you WILL be allowed to go here and there and live a normal life. With your paper or digital or tattoo immunity certificate.
Whether the certificate plan will be enacted this time around (COVID-19), or in the next fake pandemic, remains to be seen. But the IDEA is now firmly planted in the public mind. You can win a “gold star” on the blackboard from the teacher—your certificate to a better life. Just obey and follow orders. TAKE THE VACCINE.
Carrot and stick. Be free, or be limited.
If, indeed, we see a COVID-19 vaccine introduced, another variation on this operation would be: “Under Emergency regulations, everyone must take the shot.” But when you do, you’ll get your very valuable certificate of immunity. You’ll win a prize. Isn’t that wonderful?
No. It isn’t.
It’s Corona Bologna.
It’s all about CONTROL.
And in this article, I haven’t discussed questions about what would actually be IN the COVID-19 vaccine. I took up that subject in a recent piece about DNA vaccines. The new DNA technology, if introduced, would PERMANENTLY alter the genetic makeup of the vaccine-recipient.
And meanwhile…don’t you just love the idea of the government first locking you up, and then “freeing” you with an official seal of approval?
“The gate is open for you, sir. You have your papers. But you, sir, you must go back. No papers.”
About the Author
Jon Rappoport is the author of three explosive collections, THE MATRIX REVEALED, EXIT FROM THE MATRIX, and POWER OUTSIDE THE MATRIX, Jon was a candidate for a US Congressional seat in the 29thDistrict of California. He maintains a consulting practice for private clients, the purpose of which is the expansion of personal creative power. Nominated for a Pulitzer Prize, he has worked as an investigative reporter for 30 years, writing articles on politics, medicine, and health for CBS Healthwatch, LA Weekly, Spin Magazine, Stern, and other newspapers and magazines in the US and Europe. Jon has delivered lectures and seminars on global politics, health, logic, and creative power to audiences around the world. You can sign up for his free emails at NoMoreFakeNews.com or OutsideTheRealityMachine.
(To read about Jon’s mega-collection, Exit From The Matrix, click here.)


thewakingtimes--2020-04-18--Killing Ourselves to Flatten the Curve — Part 1

Killing Ourselves to Flatten the Curve — Part 1 An elderly woman sits on a park bench in England with no one nearby .
Police draw near — apparently protected from covid-19 by their law enforcement costumes — to intervene and issue her a hefty fine… Paris bans outdoor exercise during the day with disobedient joggers facing the threat of 6 months in jail .
Medical “ authorities ” at the W.H.O threaten “ to enter homes and remove family members ” in order to impose isolation on them .
Flashing signs at beaches in Australia warn visitors to monitor @ @ @ @ @ @ @ specifying how being on the sand might suddenly become “ dangerous ” — and after how long ) .
Innocent travellers are randomly pulled over and questioned — Nazi/Soviet-style — as to the purpose of the most mundane and innocuous voyages .
“ Papers please.
” Police in England threaten to literally examine the contents of people ’ s shopping trolleys to make sure people only buy “ essentials.
” Crosses mark where we can stand “ safely ” in line for an ATM — fortunately the virus seems not to be able @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lines , but only forwards and backwards .
I wish I was making even just a FRACTION of this up , but these are all REAL examples .
Regardless of your viewpoint on the coronavirus itself , it seems high time that we all assess the merits of the countermeasures being employed by governments around the world to fight covid-19 .
I want you to seriously entertain an uncomfortable question — consider it a thought experiment .
The question is this : By trying to “ flatten the curve ” using current methods @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and kill people at a higher rate than this apparent flu-like condition — that appears less and less threatening by the day — ever could ?
Consider “ social distancing ” and self-quarantine , a couple of supremely Orwellian terms .
We are told this is to “ flatten the curve ” and prevent the spread of the dread disease ( an idea which increasing numbers of medical professionals and scientists are challenging ) .
We are , paradoxically , “ united ” in our isolation .
What are the impacts of this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for mass enforcement of these measures ?
Let ’ s take a look .
Everyone knows the elderly represent a more susceptible demographic .
Government rhetoric tells us that the radical social measures will “ protect the vulnerable ” such as the elderly — but how true is this ?
In a study by Krumholtz on elderly people who were hospitalised for congestive heart failure , it was found that those who had no one to rely on for emotional support were three times more likely to have another episode requiring a return @ @ @ @ @ @ @ warm relationships .
[ i ] This speaks to the powerful psychosomatic component of health — part of the puzzle conspicuously absent from mainstream discourse , which — you may have noticed — focuses the covid-19 narrative entirely on the idea of vengeful microbes floating around waiting for an unsuspecting human host .
In 2003 , Dr Sheldon Cohen , a psychologist at Carnegie Mellon published the results of his intentional attempts at trying to give common colds to people , in a study featuring over 300 volunteers .
[ ii ] He @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to infectious conditions .
Under tightly controlled conditions he systematically exposed volunteers to a rhinovirus believed to cause the common cold .
Despite his best efforts , fully two thirds of the exposed volunteers were utterly unaffected .
All things being equal , simple exposure was clearly not the be all and end all .
Cohen et al .
also had something to say about cortisol : “ Sociability was associated with lower concentrations of…cortisol and the SNS hormone epinephrine.
” It is generally recognised nowadays that chronically elevated levels of cortisol have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , then , of the systematic shutdown of virtually the entire global economy and resulting plague of joblessness , poverty , and pressure to provide for family and dependents — a sure fire recipe for chronically elevated cortisol levels from these raw survival anxieties .
And then add on top of that the bonus of social deprivation ( let ’ s call it what it is ) — which ALSO has an immune-damping effect .
So , on the one hand , our loving governments have unleashed a pandemic of stress and anguish @ @ @ @ @ @ @ global economy and resulting Depression ( yes , it ’ s well under way ) — and on the other hand we have the Orwellian ban on free socialisation , depriving countless people of the most valuable thing in a time of crisis : an empathetic human touch .
We are not robots .
Studies done on babies have shown that those reared without physical contact suffer in a multitude of ways , including the stunting of natural physical growth .
Monetary tensions in a household are part of the texture of urban @ @ @ @ @ @ @ It ’ s axiomatic that finances are a common source of conflict in the home .
Consider the amplification of general household stress a Depression-level event like this global shutdown brings .
Like a lottery win — or a PCR test — the coronavirus lockdown situation is an amplifier of what is already present .
How does this bode for the health and immunity of people in tough — or even abusive — relationships ?
What Cohen found in his work was that participants who had an ongoing personal conflict were 2.5 times @ @ @ @ @ @ @ develop a cold , which put rough relationships in the same causal category as vitamin C deficiency and sleep deprivation !
[ iii ] But the hits keep coming .
In earlier phases of these studies , Cohen found that , of 276 volunteers exposed to rhinovirus : The people with the weakest social support levels were 4.2 times more susceptible than those with robust sociability .
Although smoking , poor sleep quality , low vitamin C , elevated catecholamine levels , and even introversion were all associated with greater susceptibility to colds @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the social support and connection felt by participants .
[ iv ] This means loneliness was even riskier than smoking in terms of developing a cold/upper respiratory illness .
Cohen and his team concluded , “ More diverse social networks were associated with greater resistance to upper respiratory illness.
” Consider this information in light of the “ COVID situation ” where we are being trained to view each other with fear and suspicion — and “ self-quarantine ” at home .
What effect does that have on people living alone ?
Or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ?
An elderly widow/er ?
Where has any of this information factored into our loving governments ’ actions ?
In short , Cohen ’ s studies showed that the more we socialise the less susceptible our immune systems become .
Vibrant social connections are mood-boosting , which creates a neutrotransmitter cascade and epigenetic response that augments our immunity .
The “ paradox ” ( and it ’ s only a paradox if you ’ re a militant subscriber to Germ Theory and ignore the mind-body connection and Terrain Theory ) is that relationships @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of exposure to the very infectious conditions many of us assume they pose .
A good hug releases oxytocin , dopamine , and serotonin .
It stimulates the vagus nerve and helps you relax , according to psychologist Tiffany Field .
It can decrease your heart rate and trigger a drop in the stress hormones cortisol and norepinephrine .
Where is this mentioned in the covid-19 narrative ?
The medical system — and the opinion-forming mainstream media — fixates us on the notion that we “ meat sacks ” are just hapless docking @ @ @ @ @ @ @ machines just waiting to break down… But in truth we are crawling with trillions of microbes and constantly exposed to all sorts of them in the course of a day — yet we remain okay .
It is now estimated there are some 380 trillion viruses in our bodies — aka the virome !
And don ’ t forget the 60 trillion bacteria in us .
Even Louis Pasteur , the godfather of Germ Theory ( and a plagiarist ) , admitted that , “ The microbe is nothing .
The terrain is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to be among his last words before he died .
Not satisfied , in 2015 Cohen replicated his earlier findings on the protective effects of socialisation on the immune system .
In a study involving 404 healthy adults , Cohen and his team studied the effects of perceived social support and the receipt of hugs on the participants ’ susceptibility to developing the common cold after being “ exposed to the virus.
” ( To my knowledge , true isolation and purification were not necessarily achieved — and rarely , if ever , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s another article for another day . )
People who perceived greater social support were less likely to develop a cold , and the researchers calculated that the stress-buffering effects of hugging explained nearly a third ( 32 percent ) of that beneficial effect .
For those participants who did develop a cold , those who felt greater social support and received more frequent hugs had less severe symptoms .
[ v ] In simple terms , basic physical expressions of affection and friendship ( aka love ) helps to keep colds @ @ @ @ @ @ @ professor at the University of Chicago and director of the University of Chicago Center for Cognitive and Social Neuroscience has done his own research into loneliness : The more intense and long-lasting it is , the more it undermines your health .
A 2008 study found that doses of oxytocin supported several immune functions and reduced the negative effects of bacterial endotoxin in a group of men .
In other words , oxytocin ( and the hugs that release it ) are immune-boosting and protective .
Why does no one discuss the many @ @ @ @ @ @ @ only ever hear about the supposed negatives as we are corralled into our homes-cum-prisons .
Once the fear sets in , it ’ s hard to think straight .
Ask yourself if the media ’ s reporting on “ COVID-19 ” might not be a tad biased and perhaps even deliberately sensationalist and fear-inducing… Cognitively speaking , once we are triggered into fear we are effectively less intelligent and mentally flexible .
Why would our governments and mass media report news and events in a way that puts people into a state of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ?
We continue our investigation in Part 2 — stay tuned .
Brendan D. Murphy – Co-founder of Global Freedom Movement and host of GFM Radio , Brendan D. Murphyis a leading Australian author , researcher , activist , and musician .
His acclaimed non-fiction epic The Grand Illusion : A Synthesis of Science & Spirituality – Book 1 is out now !
Come and get your mind blown at www.brendandmurphy.net [ ii ] S. Cohen , et al.
, SOCIABILITY AND SUSCEPTIBILITY TO THE COMMON COLD , American Psychological Society , VOL @ @ @ @ @ @ @ SEPTEMBER 2003 [ iv ] S. Cohen et al.
, Social Ties and Susceptibility to the Common Cold , JAMA , June25 , 1997-Vol 277 , №24 [ viii ] Oxytocin alleviates the neuroendocrine and cytokine response to bacterial endotoxin in healthy men

Killing Ourselves to Flatten the Curve
Brendan D. Murphy, Contributor
Waking Times
Picture This…
An elderly woman sits on a park bench in England with no one nearby. Police draw near — apparently protected from covid-19 by their law enforcement costumes — to intervene and issue her a hefty fine…
Paris bans outdoor exercise during the day with disobedient joggers facing the threat of 6 months in jail.
Medical “authorities” at the W.H.O threaten “to enter homes and remove family members” in order to impose isolation on them.
Flashing signs at beaches in Australia warn visitors to monitor their “sand time” (without specifying how being on the sand might suddenly become “dangerous” — and after how long).
Innocent travellers are randomly pulled over and questioned — Nazi/Soviet-style — as to the purpose of the most mundane and innocuous voyages. “Papers please.”
Police in England threaten to literally examine the contents of people’s shopping trolleys to make sure people only buy “essentials.”
Crosses mark where we can stand “safely” in line for an ATM — fortunately the virus seems not to be able to move sideways between people standing in lines, but only forwards and backwards.
I wish I was making even just a FRACTION of this up, but these are all REAL examples.
Regardless of your viewpoint on the coronavirus itself, it seems high time that we all assess the merits of the countermeasures being employed by governments around the world to fight covid-19.
I want you to seriously entertain an uncomfortable question — consider it a thought experiment.
The question is this:
By trying to “flatten the curve” using current methods are we actually going to ruin lives and kill people at a higher rate than this apparent flu-like condition — that appears less and less threatening by the day — ever could?
Consider “social distancing” and self-quarantine, a couple of supremely Orwellian terms. We are told this is to “flatten the curve” and prevent the spread of the dread disease (an idea which increasing numbers of medical professionals and scientists are challenging).
We are, paradoxically, “united” in our isolation.
What are the impacts of this isolation? Might there be unintended consequences for mass enforcement of these measures? Let’s take a look.
Self-Quarantine, Loneliness, and Impacts on Immunity
Everyone knows the elderly represent a more susceptible demographic. Government rhetoric tells us that the radical social measures will “protect the vulnerable” such as the elderly — but how true is this?
In a study by Krumholtz on elderly people who were hospitalised for congestive heart failure, it was found that those who had no one to rely on for emotional support were three times more likely to have another episode requiring a return to hospital than the patients who had warm relationships.[i]
This speaks to the powerful psychosomatic component of health — part of the puzzle conspicuously absent from mainstream discourse, which — you may have noticed — focuses the covid-19 narrative entirely on the idea of vengeful microbes floating around waiting for an unsuspecting human host.
There’s more.
In 2003, Dr Sheldon Cohen, a psychologist at Carnegie Mellon published the results of his intentional attempts at trying to give common colds to people, in a study featuring over 300 volunteers.[ii]
He wanted to test whether sociability predicted resistance to infectious conditions.
Under tightly controlled conditions he systematically exposed volunteers to a rhinovirus believed to cause the common cold. Despite his best efforts, fully two thirds of the exposed volunteers were utterly unaffected.
What Cohen and his colleagues found was that “sociability was associated with greater resistance to developing colds.”
All things being equal, simple exposure was clearly not the be all and end all. Cohen et al. also had something to say about cortisol: “Sociability was associated with lower concentrations of…cortisol and the SNS hormone epinephrine.”
It is generally recognised nowadays that chronically elevated levels of cortisol have an immune-damping effect.
Consider the impact, then, of the systematic shutdown of virtually the entire global economy and resulting plague of joblessness, poverty, and pressure to provide for family and dependents — a sure fire recipe for chronically elevated cortisol levels from these raw survival anxieties.
And then add on top of that the bonus of social deprivation (let’s call it what it is) — which ALSO has an immune-damping effect.
So, on the one hand, our loving governments have unleashed a pandemic of stress and anguish due to the wholesale destruction of the global economy and resulting Depression (yes, it’s well under way) — and on the other hand we have the Orwellian ban on free socialisation, depriving countless people of the most valuable thing in a time of crisis: an empathetic human touch.
We are not robots.
Studies done on babies have shown that those reared without physical contact suffer in a multitude of ways, including the stunting of natural physical growth.
Monetary tensions in a household are part of the texture of urban life and the stuff of legend. It’s axiomatic that finances are a common source of conflict in the home. Consider the amplification of general household stress a Depression-level event like this global shutdown brings.
Like a lottery win — or a PCR test — the coronavirus lockdown situation is an amplifier of what is already present.
How does this bode for the health and immunity of people in tough — or even abusive — relationships?
What Cohen found in his work was that participants who had an ongoing personal conflict were 2.5 times as likely as the other volunteers to develop a cold, which put rough relationships in the same causal category as vitamin C deficiency and sleep deprivation! [iii]
But the hits keep coming.
In earlier phases of these studies, Cohen found that, of 276 volunteers exposed to rhinovirus:
The people with the weakest social support levels were 4.2 times more susceptible than those with robust sociability. Although smoking, poor sleep quality, low vitamin C, elevated catecholamine levels, and even introversion were all associated with greater susceptibility to colds, they were not as important as the social support and connection felt by participants.[iv]
This means loneliness was even riskier than smoking in terms of developing a cold/upper respiratory illness.
Cohen and his team concluded, “More diverse social networks were associated with greater resistance to upper respiratory illness.”
Consider this information in light of the “COVID situation” where we are being trained to view each other with fear and suspicion — and “self-quarantine” at home. What effect does that have on people living alone? Or a single parent with an energetic child? An elderly widow/er?
Where has any of this information factored into our loving governments’ actions?
In short, Cohen’s studies showed that the more we socialise the less susceptible our immune systems become. Vibrant social connections are mood-boosting, which creates a neutrotransmitter cascade and epigenetic response that augments our immunity.
The “paradox” (and it’s only a paradox if you’re a militant subscriber to Germ Theory and ignore the mind-body connection and Terrain Theory) is that relationships protect us from the “risk” of exposure to the very infectious conditions many of us assume they pose.
A good hug releases oxytocin, dopamine, and serotonin. It stimulates the vagus nerve and helps you relax, according to psychologist Tiffany Field. It can decrease your heart rate and trigger a drop in the stress hormones cortisol and norepinephrine.
Where is this mentioned in the covid-19 narrative?
The medical system — and the opinion-forming mainstream media — fixates us on the notion that we “meat sacks” are just hapless docking sites for random invading microbes — flesh machines just waiting to break down…
But in truth we are crawling with trillions of microbes and constantly exposed to all sorts of them in the course of a day — yet we remain okay. It is now estimated there are some 380 trillion viruses in our bodies — aka the virome! And don’t forget the 60 trillion bacteria in us.
Even Louis Pasteur, the godfather of Germ Theory (and a plagiarist), admitted that, “The microbe is nothing. The terrain is everything.” Indeed, these are said to be among his last words before he died.
Not satisfied, in 2015 Cohen replicated his earlier findings on the protective effects of socialisation on the immune system.
In a study involving 404 healthy adults, Cohen and his team studied the effects of perceived social support and the receipt of hugs on the participants’ susceptibility to developing the common cold after being “exposed to the virus.” (To my knowledge, true isolation and purification were not necessarily achieved — and rarely, if ever, are, in truth — but that’s another article for another day.)
The findings?
People who perceived greater social support were less likely to develop a cold, and the researchers calculated that the stress-buffering effects of hugging explained nearly a third (32 percent) of that beneficial effect. For those participants who did develop a cold, those who felt greater social support and received more frequent hugs had less severe symptoms.[v]
“Hugging protects people who are under stress from the increased risk for colds [that’s] usually associated with stress,” said Cohen, adding that hugging “is a marker of intimacy and helps generate the feeling that others are there to help in the face of adversity.”[vi]
In simple terms, basic physical expressions of affection and friendship (aka love) helps to keep colds and flu away.
John Cacioppo, professor at the University of Chicago and director of the University of Chicago Center for Cognitive and Social Neuroscience has done his own research into loneliness: The more intense and long-lasting it is, the more it undermines your health.
Loneliness worsens depression, causes fragmented sleep and is tied to a higher risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease, studies show. Loneliness has several physiological effects, Cacioppo says, like making blood vessels more resistant to blood flow. The resulting rise in blood pressure shows up in older adults a few years later…Choice is the difference between being alone and being lonely, Cacioppo says — loneliness happens when people are forced to be alone.[vii]
A final note on hugs:
A 2008 study found that doses of oxytocin supported several immune functions and reduced the negative effects of bacterial endotoxin in a group of men.
Oxytocin treatment resulted in a transient or prolonged reduction of endotoxin-induced increases in plasma ACTH, cortisol, procalcitonin, and a number of other immune measures. “In summary, oxytocin decreases the neuroendocrine and cytokine activation caused by bacterial endotoxin…”[viii]
In other words, oxytocin (and the hugs that release it) are immune-boosting and protective.
Why does no one discuss the many immune-enhancing BENEFITS of social contact? We only ever hear about the supposed negatives as we are corralled into our homes-cum-prisons.
Once the fear sets in, it’s hard to think straight. Ask yourself if the media’s reporting on “COVID-19” might not be a tad biased and perhaps even deliberately sensationalist and fear-inducing…
Cognitively speaking, once we are triggered into fear we are effectively less intelligent and mentally flexible.
Why would our governments and mass media report news and events in a way that puts people into a state of fearful, un-thinking paralysis?
Who benefits? We continue our investigation in Part 2 — stay tuned.
About the Author
Brendan D. Murphy – Co-founder of Global Freedom Movement and host of GFM Radio, Brendan D. Murphyis a leading Australian author, researcher, activist, and musician. His acclaimed non-fiction epic The Grand Illusion: A Synthesis of Science & Spirituality – Book 1 is out now! Come and get your mind blown at www.brendandmurphy.net
References:
[i] Goleman, Social Intelligence, 224.
[ii] S. Cohen, et al., SOCIABILITY AND SUSCEPTIBILITY TO THE COMMON COLD, American Psychological Society, VOL. 14, NO. 5, SEPTEMBER 2003
[iii] Goleman, Social Intelligence, 229.
[iv] S. Cohen et al., Social Ties and Susceptibility to the Common Cold, JAMA, June25, 1997-Vol 277, №24
[v] Stacey Colino, The Health Benefits of Hugging, http://health.usnews.com/health-news/health-wellness/articles/2016-02-03/the-health-benefits-of-hugging
[vi] Ibid.
[vii] Lisa Esposito, How Seniors Plow Through Lonely Winters, http://health.usnews.com/health-news/health-wellness/articles/2016-01-29/how-seniors-plow-through-lonely-winters
[viii] Oxytocin alleviates the neuroendocrine and cytokine response to bacterial endotoxin in healthy men
[viii] Martin Clodi, Greisa Vila, René Geyeregger, Michaela Riedl, Thomas M. Stulnig, Joachim Struck, Thomas A. Luger, and Anton Luger, http://journals.physiology.org/doi/full/10.1152/ajpendo.90263.2008[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text][thrive_2step id=’24156′]