offguardian--2020-03-11--Guardian uses misleading data to imply COVID worse than Spanish Flu

Further to her piece about Wikipedia ’ s misleading revisions of its Spanish Flu page Catte reveals the Graun up to the same thing The curious downgrading of the 1918 Spanish Flu case fatality rate , which I looked into March 9 , has taken an interesting new turn today , with the Guardian publishing this piece , by science journalist Laura Spinney Closed borders and ‘ black weddings ’ : what the 1918 flu teaches us about coronavirus which uses this anomalous lower figure ( 2.5 % ) to imply that COVID19 may prove more dangerous than the Spanish @ @ @ @ @ @ @ describes the 1918 Spanish Flu as : This is curious for a couple of reasons : • Because the Spanish Flu CFR ‘ number usually quoted ’ is NOT 2.5 % It ’ s 10-20 % .
Or 50-100 million deaths from 500 million cases .
• Because Spinney herself has pointed out in her book , Pale Rider : the Spanish Flu of 1918 & How it Changed the World , that this lower CFR ( 2.5 % ) is irreconcilable with the commonly accepted numbers of dead : Indeed , as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ those two figures – a death-rate of 50-100 million and a CFR of 2.5 % can ’ t co-exist .
They are mutually exclusive .
For 50 million to be 2.5 % of all cases there would have to have been 2 billion cases .
If 100 million is 2.5 % of all cases then there would have to have been 4 billion cases .
Even the lower figure is greater than the entire population of the world at that time .
It ’ s an obvious error .
But how did it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ anomalous 2.5 % figure seeing a resurgence of use in very recent days ?
A recent Twitter thread by Ferres Jabr , a science writer for the NYT magazine , does a lot to expose how the two twisted and irreconcilable stats – 50-100 million dead and a CFR of 2.5 % originally came about .
I urge you all to read this entire thing , it ’ s excellent ( the thread is also available in PDF form here , just in case it gets memory holed ) : To sum up @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Flu cases worldwide has long been estimated at around 500 million , and this estimate has not changed .
However the number of estimated deaths has changed quite dramatically in recent times , and this is the source of the error .
Back in the 1970s the total number of deaths was estimated at around 20 million , due to a failure to assimilate many cases from the non-Western world .
The CFR of 2.5 % it estimated was a little low but broadly inline with its other figure .
But in 2002 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ non-Western cases and produced the estimate of worldwide deaths we are familiar with now – 50-100 million .
This meant the CFR was no longer 2.5 % but now 10-20 % of total estimated cases .
Then a later study , from 2006 , used these updated fatality figures , but omitted to update the CFR , citing it as still 2.5 % .
Which meant it was offering the impossible and contradictory number recently adopted by Wikipedia .
Obviously this was a simple error , and it has been pointed out several @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for example here ) .
But , as the recently ‘ corrected ’ Wikipedia article shows , it ’ s proving a very fortuitous error right now for those wanting to instil very high amounts of public fear .
Pretty obviously this innocent error is being exploited as part of a very cynical bid by some entities , including the Wikipedia editors , to make the current coronavirus scare seem , well , scarier .
The 1918 flu pandemic is embedded in the collective mind as an exemplar of a terrifying outbreak .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ allow people to claim its CFR was actually lower than COVID19 – well that ’ s some valuable fear porn for use in articles and headlines , and by sock puppets BTL trying to create memes .
To that end , the current confusion is a bit of a Godsend .
Spinney ’ s article illustrates this very well .
Spinney is well aware of the ‘ 2.5 % anomaly ’ as she herself has drawn attention to it , but no reference to it appears anywhere in this piece .
And , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ claiming COVID19 is going to be bigger than the Spanish Flu , the opening paras – which will be the most read of course – certainly leave that possibility more than open , where they directly compare the alleged CFR of the current coronavirus ( 3.4 % ) with the 2.5 % figure for Spanish Flu – which she knows to be erroneous .
This is cynically providing a nice easy and totally misleading quote for anyone who wants to claim COVID19 is measurably more dangerous than the Spanish Flu , while stopping @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Spinney ought , at very least , to have added her own rider from her own book to this Guardian article , and made it perfectly clear that the ‘ commonly accepted ’ Spanish Flu CFR of 2.5 % is not just wrong , but impossible .
The fact she chose not to , or was possibly deterred from doing so by her editor , is not just revealing of agenda , it ’ s actually shameful and irresponsible to a very high degree .
The UK government has asked people to report @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
This Guardian article is clearly one such , but I highly doubt it is the kind of ‘ misinformation ’ they want to be apprised of .
next time I really will be discussing the PCR tests , and the weird story of the ‘ unreliable ’ kits being shipped out by the CDC , as promised

Further to her piece about Wikipedia’s misleading revisions of its Spanish Flu page Catte reveals the Graun up to the same thing
Catte Black
The curious downgrading of the 1918 Spanish Flu case fatality rate, which I looked into March 9, has taken an interesting new turn today, with the Guardian publishing this piece, by science journalist Laura Spinney
Closed borders and ‘black weddings’: what the 1918 flu teaches us about coronavirus
which uses this anomalous lower figure (2.5%) to imply that COVID19 may prove more dangerous than the Spanish Flu:
Last week the WHO provisionally quoted a CFR of 3.4% [for COVID19], which would be alarming if it were correct. The CFR of the 1918 flu is still being debated… but the number usually quoted is 2.5%…
Elsewhere, however she also describes the 1918 Spanish Flu as:
That global human catastrophe, which killed between 50 million and 100 million people…
This is curious for a couple of reasons:
Because the Spanish Flu CFR ‘number usually quoted’ is NOT 2.5% It’s 10-20%. Or 50-100 million deaths from 500 million cases. Because Spinney herself has pointed out in her book, Pale Rider:the Spanish Flu of 1918 & How it Changed the World, that this lower CFR (2.5%) is irreconcilable with the commonly accepted numbers of dead:
Indeed, as I showed in my previous article, those two figures – a death-rate of 50-100 million and a CFR of 2.5% can’t co-exist. They are mutually exclusive. For 50 million to be 2.5% of all cases there would have to have been 2 billion cases. If 100 million is 2.5% of all cases then there would have to have been 4 billion cases. Even the lower figure is greater than the entire population of the world at that time. It’s an obvious error.
But how did it come about? And why is this anomalous 2.5% figure seeing a resurgence of use in very recent days?
A recent Twitter thread by Ferres Jabr, a science writer for the NYT magazine, does a lot to expose how the two twisted and irreconcilable stats – 50-100 million dead and a CFR of 2.5% originally came about. I urge you all to read this entire thing, it’s excellent (the thread is also available in PDF form here, just in case it gets memory holed):
Many people are claiming that the new coronavirus is as deadly as the 1918 Spanish flu, citing a case fatality rate (CFR) of ~2.5% The truth is that this comparison is, at best, highly unreliable, and may be completely wrong. Here's why: — Ferris Jabr (@ferrisjabr) February 24, 2020
To sum up its findings. The number of Spanish Flu cases worldwide has long been estimated at around 500 million, and this estimate has not changed. However the number of estimated deaths has changed quite dramatically in recent times, and this is the source of the error.
Back in the 1970s the total number of deaths was estimated at around 20 million, due to a failure to assimilate many cases from the non-Western world. The CFR of 2.5% it estimated was a little low but broadly inline with its other figure.
But in 2002 a new study corrected the lacuna in non-Western cases and produced the estimate of worldwide deaths we are familiar with now – 50-100 million. This meant the CFR was no longer 2.5% but now 10-20% of total estimated cases.
Then a later study, from 2006, used these updated fatality figures, but omitted to update the CFR, citing it as still 2.5%. Which meant it was offering the impossible and contradictory number recently adopted by Wikipedia.
Obviously this was a simple error, and it has been pointed out several times in the intervening years (see for example here). But, as the recently ‘corrected’ Wikipedia article shows, it’s proving a very fortuitous error right now for those wanting to instil very high amounts of public fear.
Pretty obviously this innocent error is being exploited as part of a very cynical bid by some entities, including the Wikipedia editors, to make the current coronavirus scare seem, well, scarier. The 1918 flu pandemic is embedded in the collective mind as an exemplar of a terrifying outbreak. If the stats can be manipulated to allow people to claim its CFR was actually lower than COVID19 – well that’s some valuable fear porn for use in articles and headlines, and by sock puppets BTL trying to create memes.
To that end, the current confusion is a bit of a Godsend.
Spinney’s article illustrates this very well. Spinney is well aware of the ‘2.5% anomaly’ as she herself has drawn attention to it, but no reference to it appears anywhere in this piece. And, while her article stops short of actually claiming COVID19 is going to be bigger than the Spanish Flu, the opening paras – which will be the most read of course – certainly leave that possibility more than open, where they directly compare the alleged CFR of the current coronavirus (3.4%) with the 2.5% figure for Spanish Flu – which she knows to be erroneous.
This is cynically providing a nice easy and totally misleading quote for anyone who wants to claim COVID19 is measurably more dangerous than the Spanish Flu, while stopping short of actually making the claim.
Spinney ought, at very least, to have added her own rider from her own book to this Guardian article, and made it perfectly clear that the ‘commonly accepted’ Spanish Flu CFR of 2.5% is not just wrong, but impossible.
The fact she chose not to, or was possibly deterred from doing so by her editor, is not just revealing of agenda, it’s actually shameful and irresponsible to a very high degree.
The UK government has asked people to report any sources of misleading information on COVID19. This Guardian article is clearly one such, but I highly doubt it is the kind of ‘misinformation’ they want to be apprised of.
next time I really will be discussing the PCR tests, and the weird story of the ‘unreliable’ kits being shipped out by the CDC, as promised


offguardian--2020-03-11--The Great Chinese Bat Flu Panic of 2020

The Great Chinese Bat Flu Panic of 2020

Pray for me , my friends , because I have the flu .
No , not the Chinese Bat Flu , or Pangolin Flu , or Covid-19 , or Coronavirus , or whatever it ’ s called now … just the regular , annoying Winter flu that goes around Berlin every year during flu season .
It ’ s a particularly annoying flu this year .
You get it , recover from it , then you get it again .
All you want to do is crawl into bed , or sit around watching garbage on Netflix .
When you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sometimes a third time , it ’ s kind of a low-grade version of itself , maybe because your immune system knows it … or something .
I ’ m not sure how that works .
I ’ m not a professional virologist or anything .
Or , I don ’ t know , maybe it is the Bat Flu .
The more I read the corporate press , the more I ’ m beginning to suspect it is .
My suspicion isn ’ t based on facts .
I don ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
It ’ s just a feeling … like the feelings people had that Saddam had secret WMDs , and that Trump was a Russian intelligence asset , and that the world was going to end in the year 2012 .
OK , those feelings turned out to be wrong , but this one feels like an accurate feeling , and not like just the result of being relentlessly bombarded with hysterical headlines , pictures of people in hazmat suits , and obsessively researching ever-changing , wildly-varying statistics on the Internet , which @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that .
According to my latest Internet research , the Bat Flu will either subside by late April or will infect approximately 5 billion people ( i.e.
, 60 percent of the world population ) .
If my little Windows calculator is correct , at a death rate of 3.4 percent , that ’ s 157 million dead people , and at a 4 percent death rate ( which I just saw somewhere ) , we ’ re talking 200 million dead people !
If you consider that the 14th Century “ Black @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people , nearly a quarter of the world population ( because there weren ’ t as many people back then ) , and if you get hysterical and try to compare them ( which I ’ m finding it increasingly difficult not to do ) , this Bat Flu plague could kill 2 billion people , or maybe 6 or 7 billion people , which is almost the entire human species … anything is possible , after all !
Plus , even if I just have the flu ( i.e.
, the regular @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) , the statistics on that are pretty scary .
I don ’ t know the numbers here in Germany , but , according to the CDC , since 2010 , in the United States , the regular old garden variety flu has resulted in the following , annually : When you multiply all those numbers by 10 ( because it ’ s been 10 years since 2010 ) , you get : That ’ s 450 million possible cases and over half a million deaths , and that ’ s just in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ concrete , if you stood all those dead people on top of each other , head to toe , so that everyone was standing on everyone ’ s head , and used them as an enormous ladder , you could climb to the moon and back four times … or once or twice at the very least .
And that ’ s nothing compared to this Covid-19 !
No , according to The Guardian , Covid-19 is “ about ten times more deadly than the seasonal flu , ” so that ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ if the CDC tracks it for a full 10 years , that ’ s pretty close to 6 million dead people , which will make it just as bad as the Holocaust ( although the Holocaust only lasted four years , so I ’ ll have to adjust my math for that ) .
And , remember , that ’ s just in the United States , which is only 4.25 percent of the total global population .
So you multiply the Holocaust by 95 percent ( you can round the numbers to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ up with 7 billion dead people , which is nearly every last person on Earth , except for 700 million people !
Which , OK , that sounds like a lot of people ( i.e.
, the 700 million , not the 7 billion ) , but it ’ s fewer than there were in the 14th Century , i.e.
, before the “ Black Death ” plague killed everybody !
Anyway , whatever I have , or don ’ t have , and regardless of the fact that I ’ m under @ @ @ @ @ @ @ far as I know , and notwithstanding my algebraic skills , I ’ m thinking it ’ s time to take extreme measures .
I recommend you do the same .
The first thing to do is to arm yourself and go out and load up on toilet paper .
The epidemiologists are now predicting a worldwide toilet paper crisis more or less approaching the scale of the deadly Toilet Paper Crisis of 1813 !
This toilet paper crisis could continue for months , so you will want to purchase ( or otherwise @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you possibly can , and then hoard it in your house or apartment , or your remotely-located toilet paper depot .
Be prepared to fight for your toilet paper .
Things are getting rather ugly out there .
Gangs of heavily-armed toilet paper bandits are roving through the streets of Hong Kong robbing people of their toilet paper .
An Australian man was tasered by the police at the Big W store in Tamworth Shoppingworld after “ becoming aggressive ” over the lack of toilet paper .
In California , where a state @ @ @ @ @ @ @ presumably a full-scale lock-down is imminent ) , shoppers have been running amok at Costco , stripping the shelves of toilet paper , Kleenex , and feminine hygiene products .
New York has just declared a state of emergency ( possibly toilet paper-related ) .
Italy has locked down the region of Lombardy , although it isn ’ t clear exactly why , as they mostly use bidets in Italy … but that ’ s not really important at the moment .
Next , after you secure the toilet paper , you ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ water , hand sanitizer , those paper masks , MREs , protein bars , DVDs of the film Contagion , and other essential survival items .
You will want to do this in a mindless frenzy of butt-puckering Chinese Bat Flu panic , ideally while wearing a full-face respirator , or a wearable anti-Bat Flu shield , or some sort of homemade hazmat suit .
Don ’ t forget to bring along your favorite “ modern sporting rifle ” to mow down anyone who gets in your way … and anyone who might @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you have to assume is everyone !
Or , I don ’ t know , maybe I ’ m overreacting .
Maybe I just have the flu .
I mean , what if this whole Corona thing is just nature doing what nature does and not the end of civilization ?
Look , I don ’ t want to sound paranoid , but I can ’ t help wondering whether this virus warrants all the mass hysteria that the corporate media have been pumping out at us , relentlessly , for the last @ @ @ @ @ @ @ emergency that are being declared , and the quarantines that are going into effect , and the curfews , and banning of public gatherings , and whatever other “ emergency measures ” are going to be imposed in the coming weeks and months .
It all seems a little out of proportion to the actual threat we ’ re facing here , not to mention rather conveniently timed , in light of what ’ s happening around the world , politically , what with the global capitalist empire right in the thick of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ American election season underway , and the protests in France , and the general mood of public discontent ( or unbridled rage ) with global capitalism throughout the West .
Or , I don ’ t know , perhaps this Bat Flu panic stems from a deeper ideological source .
Maybe it has less to do with politics , and more to do with our fascistic pursuit of “ perfect health ” and “ perfect bodies , ” and our fear and hatred of ageing and dying , and our narcissistic obsession with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the cycle of life .
OK , take this with a grain of salt , because it ’ s probably just my fever talking , but sometimes I get this crazy notion that we human beings aren ’ t actually the Primary Purpose of the Entire Universe , or the Apotheosis of Creation , or whatever , and that it ’ s natural for some of us to get sick and die , and that every last single disease and health threat doesn ’ t need to be utterly eradicated , and life @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ safe.
” Because maybe sickness and death are , sure , things to be avoided whenever possible , but not at the cost of conditioning everyone to believe we are supposed to live forever , and never get sick or injured by anything , and to believe that things like sickness and death are “ enemies , ” like hostile aliens , or the sadistic whims of a God who hates us , or errors in the code of creation … which human beings are able to correct .
We ’ ve @ @ @ @ @ @ @ so far , correcting nature ’ s ( or God ’ s ) mistakes .
Haven ’ t we ?
I mean , look around .
And we have only been at it for a few hundred years .
Give us just a little more time , and we will get this whole ugly mess cleaned up , under control , and functioning smoothly if we have to lock down , quarantine , and genetically-correct every sentient creature and particle of matter in the universe to do it !
What is the alternative @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nature take it ’ s course , and let people die , like a bunch of savages ?
Sorry , I think I ’ m getting delirious .
It ’ s the fever .
It makes me all philosophical .
I ’ d better sign off and get back to Netflix .
Good luck surviving the Chinese Bat Flu , and the collapse of Western civilization .
And don ’ t forget to wash your hands !
C.J .
Hopkins is an award-winning American playwright , novelist and political satirist based in Berlin @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Publishing and Broadway Play Publishing , Inc. His dystopian novel , Zone 23 , is published by Snoggsworthy , Swaine & Cormorant .
Volume I of his Consent Factory Essays is published by Consent Factory Publishing , a wholly-owned subsidiary of Amalgamated Content , Inc .
He can be reached at cjhopkins.com or consentfactory.org .

Pray for me, my friends, because I have the flu. No, not the Chinese Bat Flu, or Pangolin Flu, or Covid-19, or Coronavirus, or whatever it’s called now … just the regular, annoying Winter flu that goes around Berlin every year during flu season.
It’s a particularly annoying flu this year. You get it, recover from it, then you get it again. All you want to do is crawl into bed, or sit around watching garbage on Netflix. When you get it a second time, and sometimes a third time, it’s kind of a low-grade version of itself, maybe because your immune system knows it … or something. I’m not sure how that works. I’m not a professional virologist or anything.
Or, I don’t know, maybe it is the Bat Flu. The more I read the corporate press, the more I’m beginning to suspect it is. My suspicion isn’t based on facts. I don’t have any of the Bat Flu symptoms. It’s just a feeling … like the feelings people had that Saddam had secret WMDs, and that Trump was a Russian intelligence asset, and that the world was going to end in the year 2012.
OK, those feelings turned out to be wrong, but this one feels like an accurate feeling, and not like just the result of being relentlessly bombarded with hysterical headlines, pictures of people in hazmat suits, and obsessively researching ever-changing, wildly-varying statistics on the Internet, which … I really need to stop doing that.
According to my latest Internet research, the Bat Flu will either subside by late April or will infect approximately 5 billion people (i.e., 60 percent of the world population). If my little Windows calculator is correct, at a death rate of 3.4 percent, that’s 157 million dead people, and at a 4 percent death rate (which I just saw somewhere), we’re talking 200 million dead people!
If you consider that the 14th Century “Black Death” killed 100 to 200 million people, nearly a quarter of the world population (because there weren’t as many people back then), and if you get hysterical and try to compare them (which I’m finding it increasingly difficult not to do), this Bat Flu plague could kill 2 billion people, or maybe 6 or 7 billion people, which is almost the entire human species … anything is possible, after all!
Plus, even if I just have the flu (i.e., the regular flu, not the Chinese Bat Flu), the statistics on that are pretty scary. I don’t know the numbers here in Germany, but, according to the CDC, since 2010, in the United States, the regular old garden variety flu has resulted in the following, annually:
9 million – 45 million cases
140,000 – 810,000 hospitalizations
12,000 – 61,000 deaths
When you multiply all those numbers by 10 (because it’s been 10 years since 2010), you get:
90 million – 450 million cases
1,400,000 – 8,100,000 hospitalizations
120,000 – 610,000 deaths
That’s 450 million possible cases and over half a million deaths, and that’s just in the United States! To make it concrete, if you stood all those dead people on top of each other, head to toe, so that everyone was standing on everyone’s head, and used them as an enormous ladder, you could climb to the moon and back four times … or once or twice at the very least.
And that’s nothing compared to this Covid-19!
No, according to The Guardian, Covid-19 is “about ten times more deadly than the seasonal flu,” so that’s 610,000 deaths just this year, and if the CDC tracks it for a full 10 years, that’s pretty close to 6 million dead people, which will make it just as bad as the Holocaust (although the Holocaust only lasted four years, so I’ll have to adjust my math for that).
And, remember, that’s just in the United States, which is only 4.25 percent of the total global population. So you multiply the Holocaust by 95 percent (you can round the numbers to make this easier) and you end up with 7 billion dead people, which is nearly every last person on Earth, except for 700 million people! Which, OK, that sounds like a lot of people (i.e., the 700 million, not the 7 billion), but it’s fewer than there were in the 14th Century, i.e., before the “Black Death” plague killed everybody!
Anyway, whatever I have, or don’t have, and regardless of the fact that I’m under 70 and in fairly good health as far as I know, and notwithstanding my algebraic skills, I’m thinking it’s time to take extreme measures. I recommend you do the same.
The first thing to do is to arm yourself and go out and load up on toilet paper. The epidemiologists are now predicting a worldwide toilet paper crisis more or less approaching the scale of the deadly Toilet Paper Crisis of 1813! This toilet paper crisis could continue for months, so you will want to purchase (or otherwise obtain) as much toilet paper as you possibly can, and then hoard it in your house or apartment, or your remotely-located toilet paper depot.
Be prepared to fight for your toilet paper. Things are getting rather ugly out there. Gangs of heavily-armed toilet paper bandits are roving through the streets of Hong Kong robbing people of their toilet paper. An Australian man was tasered by the police at the Big W store in Tamworth Shoppingworld after “becoming aggressive” over the lack of toilet paper.
In California, where a state of emergency is in effect (and presumably a full-scale lock-down is imminent), shoppers have been running amok at Costco, stripping the shelves of toilet paper, Kleenex, and feminine hygiene products.
New York has just declared a state of emergency (possibly toilet paper-related). Italy has locked down the region of Lombardy, although it isn’t clear exactly why, as they mostly use bidets in Italy … but that’s not really important at the moment.
Next, after you secure the toilet paper, you’ll want to load up on mineral water, hand sanitizer, those paper masks, MREs, protein bars, DVDs of the film Contagion, and other essential survival items. You will want to do this in a mindless frenzy of butt-puckering Chinese Bat Flu panic, ideally while wearing a full-face respirator, or a wearable anti-Bat Flu shield, or some sort of homemade hazmat suit. Don’t forget to bring along your favorite “modern sporting rifle” to mow down anyone who gets in your way … and anyone who might be infected, which at this point you have to assume is everyone!
Or, I don’t know, maybe I’m overreacting. Maybe I just have the flu. I mean, what if this whole Corona thing is just nature doing what nature does and not the end of civilization? Look, I don’t want to sound paranoid, but I can’t help wondering whether this virus warrants all the mass hysteria that the corporate media have been pumping out at us, relentlessly, for the last two months, and the states of emergency that are being declared, and the quarantines that are going into effect, and the curfews, and banning of public gatherings, and whatever other “emergency measures” are going to be imposed in the coming weeks and months.
It all seems a little out of proportion to the actual threat we’re facing here, not to mention rather conveniently timed, in light of what’s happening around the world, politically, what with the global capitalist empire right in the thick of a War on Populism, and the American election season underway, and the protests in France, and the general mood of public discontent (or unbridled rage) with global capitalism throughout the West.
Or, I don’t know, perhaps this Bat Flu panic stems from a deeper ideological source. Maybe it has less to do with politics, and more to do with our fascistic pursuit of “perfect health” and “perfect bodies,” and our fear and hatred of ageing and dying, and our narcissistic obsession with ourselves, and our total disconnection from the cycle of life.
OK, take this with a grain of salt, because it’s probably just my fever talking, but sometimes I get this crazy notion that we human beings aren’t actually the Primary Purpose of the Entire Universe, or the Apotheosis of Creation, or whatever, and that it’s natural for some of us to get sick and die, and that every last single disease and health threat doesn’t need to be utterly eradicated, and life doesn’t need to be rendered “safe.” Because maybe sickness and death are, sure, things to be avoided whenever possible, but not at the cost of conditioning everyone to believe we are supposed to live forever, and never get sick or injured by anything, and to believe that things like sickness and death are “enemies,” like hostile aliens, or the sadistic whims of a God who hates us, or errors in the code of creation … which human beings are able to correct.
We’ve been doing a bang-up job of that so far, correcting nature’s (or God’s) mistakes. Haven’t we? I mean, look around. And we have only been at it for a few hundred years. Give us just a little more time, and we will get this whole ugly mess cleaned up, under control, and functioning smoothly if we have to lock down, quarantine, and genetically-correct every sentient creature and particle of matter in the universe to do it! What is the alternative, after all … to just let nature take it’s course, and let people die, like a bunch of savages?
Sorry, I think I’m getting delirious. It’s the fever. It makes me all philosophical. I’d better sign off and get back to Netflix. Good luck surviving the Chinese Bat Flu, and the collapse of Western civilization. And don’t forget to wash your hands!
C.J. Hopkins is an award-winning American playwright, novelist and political satirist based in Berlin. His plays are published by Bloomsbury Publishing and Broadway Play Publishing, Inc. His dystopian novel, Zone 23, is published by Snoggsworthy, Swaine & Cormorant. Volume I of his Consent Factory Essays is published by Consent Factory Publishing, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Amalgamated Content, Inc. He can be reached at cjhopkins.com or consentfactory.org.


offguardian--2020-03-10--DISCUSS: Latest Democratic Primaries

DISCUSS: Latest Democratic Primaries

The handful of American citizens who have by some miracle escaped the wave of death caused by the coronavirus will be braving the toilet-paper maddened crowds to vote in the latest round of Democratic primaries today .
There ’ s several more rounds of voting before the convention in July , but this is the last before the next debate on March 15th .
The process is kinda moot at this point .
The weight of the establishment has thrown itself – for some reason – behind Joe Biden .
Since his “ miraculous ” wins on Super Tuesday we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ stories praising his “ decency ” , happy that “ angry politics ” lost , and calling for the party to “ unite behind ” Biden .
And that ’ s just The Guardian .
Jonathan Freedland , in his special brand of smug establishment boot-licking , suggested that Biden being a long-term establishment democrat is his strength in these times of crisis .
You have to wonder if that crisis wasn ’ t awful convenient for Joe , in that instance .
None of the mainstream media have questioned the validity of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ process , although given the DNC ’ s history you ’ d be forgiven for doing so .
After Biden ’ s win , Trump immediately went on the offensive ( so to speak ) , questioning Biden ’ s mental acuity .
This is likely just a taste of things to come .
It has to be said , Biden is vulnerable in this area .
Seeing as he seemingly can ’ t go a single public appearance without forgetting what day it is , what position he ’ s running for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Independence , who his wife is , or his own name .
Given this , you have to wonder what the point of the exercise is .
Biden will likely be mauled by Trump , so are the Democrats even trying to win ?
Is the plan for Biden to have “ health problems ” before the convention , forcing the DNC to pick its own candidate ?
Or is the plan to have him run , win and then get Ned Starked by his vice-president whoever he or ( more likely ) @ @ @ @ @ @ @ turns out to be , progressives and leftists all over America will likely be disappointed in Bernie .
If last time is anything to go by , no matter how obviously he ( and more importantly his voters ) get screwed over , Sanders will just let it happen .
It seems like Bernie is a serial offender here .
Setting up hope only to fold faster than Superman on laundry day when the pressure is on .
You wonder if he ’ s being used as a tool to engage the youth @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to funnel all real leftist thinkers into a political cul-de-sac .
The other Great White Hope of American leftists – or should that be “ Great Native American hope ” ?
– Elizabeth Warren , dropped out last week…but is yet to endorse her fellow “ progressive ” , Bernie Sanders .
This could mean she ’ s spiteful , or it could mean she ’ s angling to be Biden ’ s VP nominee .
Either way , no real surprise and no real loss .
Warren always talked a better game @ @ @ @ @ @ @ talk all that well .
Oh , and the DNC changed their debate eligibility rules to exclude Tulsi Gabbard .
Something both the other candidates and the vast majority of the mainstream media have been quiet about .
• Are the democrats really rallying behind Joe Biden ?
• Are they planning to throw the race ?
• Who will each candidate pick as a running mate ?
• Will the DNC ever acknowledge Tulsi Gabbard exists ?

The handful of American citizens who have by some miracle escaped the wave of death caused by the coronavirus will be braving the toilet-paper maddened crowds to vote in the latest round of Democratic primaries today.
There’s several more rounds of voting before the convention in July, but this is the last before the next debate on March 15th.
The process is kinda moot at this point.
The weight of the establishment has thrown itself – for some reason – behind Joe Biden.
Since his “miraculous” wins on Super Tuesday we’ve been treated to dozens of stories praising his “decency”, happy that “angry politics” lost, and calling for the party to “unite behind” Biden. And that’s just The Guardian.
Jonathan Freedland, in his special brand of smug establishment boot-licking, suggested that Biden being a long-term establishment democrat is his strength in these times of crisis. You have to wonder if that crisis wasn’t awful convenient for Joe, in that instance.
None of the mainstream media have questioned the validity of results or the fairness of the electoral process, although given the DNC’s history you’d be forgiven for doing so.
After Biden’s win, Trump immediately went on the offensive (so to speak), questioning Biden’s mental acuity. This is likely just a taste of things to come.
It has to be said, Biden is vulnerable in this area. Seeing as he seemingly can’t go a single public appearance without forgetting what day it is, what position he’s running for, the words of the Declaration of Independence, who his wife is, or his own name.
Given this, you have to wonder what the point of the exercise is. Biden will likely be mauled by Trump, so are the Democrats even trying to win? Is the plan for Biden to have “health problems” before the convention, forcing the DNC to pick its own candidate? Or is the plan to have him run, win and then get Ned Starked by his vice-president whoever he or (more likely) she may be?
Whatever the plan turns out to be, progressives and leftists all over America will likely be disappointed in Bernie. If last time is anything to go by, no matter how obviously he (and more importantly his voters) get screwed over, Sanders will just let it happen.
It seems like Bernie is a serial offender here. Setting up hope only to fold faster than Superman on laundry day when the pressure is on. You wonder if he’s being used as a tool to engage the youth vote, or just a puppet designed to funnel all real leftist thinkers into a political cul-de-sac.
The other Great White Hope of American leftists – or should that be “Great Native American hope”? – Elizabeth Warren, dropped out last week…but is yet to endorse her fellow “progressive”, Bernie Sanders. This could mean she’s spiteful, or it could mean she’s angling to be Biden’s VP nominee. Either way, no real surprise and no real loss. Warren always talked a better game than she played…and she didn’t talk all that well.
Oh, and the DNC changed their debate eligibility rules to exclude Tulsi Gabbard. Something both the other candidates and the vast majority of the mainstream media have been quiet about.
Questions arise…
Are the democrats really rallying behind Joe Biden?
…why?!
Are they planning to throw the race?
Is Joe Biden going senile?
Who will each candidate pick as a running mate?
Will the DNC ever acknowledge Tulsi Gabbard exists?


offguardian--2020-03-15--This Week in The Guardian #4

This Week in The Guardian #4

Rounding out our first month , we have reformed terrorists , dangerous misinformation and Putin paying Nigerians to tweet celebrity gossip Every week , on a Sunday , we like to highlight three or four stories that go full-Guardian , but don ’ t require an entire article of refutation .
We encourage reader-participation here , so if you come across something you feel should be included in the next edition either post a link below , or send us an e-mail .
Martin Chulov ’ s rambling , emotionally manipulative piece about refugees in Idlib looks , at first @ @ @ @ @ @ @ touching story ” clickbait .
The kind of thing people share on Facebook alongside a crying emoji and a picture of a broken heart .
But buried in the text are some other things rather more malign .
For one , there are the repeated references to Turkey “ backing rebels ” and Turkish force ’ s “ offensive ” .
The Turkish strikes against Syrian fighters , on Syrian soil , are practically applauded , despite being literally defined as war crimes by the UN .
Every Turkish action in or against @ @ @ @ @ @ @ never mentioned .
Worse even than this is the pathetic attempts to somehow rehabilitate Islamic extremist groups : The coronavirus pandemic is “ like a war ” , according to Gabby Hinsliff , it ’ s going to totally reshape society , much as WWI and WWII did .
It ’ s hard not to call this an over-reaction , considering – at the time of publication of that article – Covid19 had killed fewer than a dozen people nationwide .
Nonetheless , we need to be prepared to change the way we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the way we vote , change everything .
One thing that won ’ t change is The Guardian ’ s view on “ misinformation ” , and how dangerous it is .
See : This article by Tom Philips , the head “ fact-checking charity ” Full Fact .
Sharing incorrect information is dangerous .
Only trust official sources .
The usual spiel .
Apparently Russia is looking to “ expand its influence ” in Africa by paying a couple of dozen people in Nigeria and Ghana to tweet about celebrities .
How @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mentioning Russia , or being at all political , remains a mystery : So how do we know they were backed by the Russians ?
Because we just do , alright !
Although the article has two listed authors , it ’ s pretty obvious which wrote this paragraph : This is a Luke Harding special .
If you ’ re not familiar enough to Harding ’ s prose style to recognise it immediately , well I envy you that , but the real clue is the “ compelling evidence ” which is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , no evidence whatsoever is supplied showing these accounts were a ) Fake , b ) Acting in bad faith , c ) Paid by “ the Russians ” .
It ’ s paranoid nonsense spreading a dangerous agenda , but hey you knew that as soon as you saw the by-line .
What we actually know is that Facebook and Twitter shut down some Ghanaian social media marketing company for tweeting about topical issues in a “ divisive manner ” .
Which is actually pretty creepy .
NB .
We completely missed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ eagle-eyed readers are so important .
BONUS – Where are the Yellow Vests ?
Our bonus this week takes the form of a challenge – a sort political scavenger hunt .
There was a huge Gilets Jaunes protest in Paris yesterday , breaking the laws limiting “ public gathering ” .
Our challenge to you is to scan the Guardian and find any evidence it took place .
All told , a busy week for The Guardian , we didn ’ t even touch on how climate change is sexist , the internet @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is being single during a pandemic .
Did we miss any others ?
Tell us about them in the comments below , and keep an eye out for articles that should go in the next issue .

Rounding out our first month, we have reformed terrorists, dangerous misinformation and Putin paying Nigerians to tweet celebrity gossip
Every week, on a Sunday, we like to highlight three or four stories that go full-Guardian, but don’t require an entire article of refutation.
We encourage reader-participation here, so if you come across something you feel should be included in the next edition either post a link below, or send us an e-mail.
Martin Chulov’s rambling, emotionally manipulative piece about refugees in Idlib looks, at first glance, to be your usual “touching story” clickbait. The kind of thing people share on Facebook alongside a crying emoji and a picture of a broken heart.
But buried in the text are some other things rather more malign.
For one, there are the repeated references to Turkey “backing rebels” and Turkish force’s “offensive”. The Turkish strikes against Syrian fighters, on Syrian soil, are practically applauded, despite being literally defined as war crimes by the UN. Every Turkish action in or against Syria is illegal, but that is never mentioned.
Worse even than this is the pathetic attempts to somehow rehabilitate Islamic extremist groups:
Elizabeth Tsurkov, a fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute who has studied HTS extensively, said the group appeared to have transformed – long a demand of governments who endorsed the humanitarian demands of the millions trapped in Idlib, but were determined not to deal with jihadists. “They truly severed ties with al-Qaida,” said Tsurkov.
Truly appalling.
Orwellian Coronavirus Response
The coronavirus pandemic is “like a war”, according to Gabby Hinsliff, it’s going to totally reshape society, much as WWI and WWII did. It’s hard not to call this an over-reaction, considering – at the time of publication of that article – Covid19 had killed fewer than a dozen people nationwide. Nonetheless, we need to be prepared to change the way we work, the way we educate, the way we vote, change everything.
One thing that won’t change is The Guardian’s view on “misinformation”, and how dangerous it is. See: This article by Tom Philips, the head “fact-checking charity” Full Fact. Sharing incorrect information is dangerous. Only trust official sources. The usual spiel.
Putin’s Secret African Facebook Army
Apparently Russia is looking to “expand its influence” in Africa by paying a couple of dozen people in Nigeria and Ghana to tweet about celebrities.
How they spread insidious Kremlin content without ever mentioning Russia, or being at all political, remains a mystery:
Although the Facebook network posted a significant amount of content, it steered clear of explicitly political postings
So how do we know they were backed by the Russians? Because we just do, alright!
Although the article has two listed authors, it’s pretty obvious which wrote this paragraph:
There is compelling evidence that the Kremlin has sought to reboot KGB methods of propaganda and disinformation via anonymous posts on social media.
This is a Luke Harding special. If you’re not familiar enough to Harding’s prose style to recognise it immediately, well I envy you that, but the real clue is the “compelling evidence” which is neither supplied nor described.
In fact, no evidence whatsoever is supplied showing these accounts were a) Fake, b) Acting in bad faith, c) Paid by “the Russians”. It’s paranoid nonsense spreading a dangerous agenda, but hey you knew that as soon as you saw the by-line.
What we actually know is that Facebook and Twitter shut down some Ghanaian social media marketing company for tweeting about topical issues in a “divisive manner”. Which is actually pretty creepy.
NB. We completely missed this one, this is why our eagle-eyed readers are so important.
BONUS – Where are the Yellow Vests?
Our bonus this week takes the form of a challenge – a sort political scavenger hunt. There was a huge Gilets Jaunes protest in Paris yesterday, breaking the laws limiting “public gathering”. Our challenge to you is to scan the Guardian and find any evidence it took place.
* * *
All told, a busy week for The Guardian, we didn’t even touch on how climate change is sexist, the internet is also sexist or how hard it is being single during a pandemic. Did we miss any others? Tell us about them in the comments below, and keep an eye out for articles that should go in the next issue.


offguardian--2020-03-16--Panic Pandemic – Why are people who should know better buying the Covid19 hype?

Panic Pandemic – Why are people who should know better buying the Covid19 hype ?
The only certainty about the ‘ novel ’ virus is that a great deal of nonsense is being talked about it by people who really ought to know better , and a great deal of opportunism is being displayed .
From Netanyahu grabbing the chance to postpone his corruption trial to Hollywood starlets claiming they have ‘ tested positive ’ ( surely not a sad and cynical attempt to up their profile ) , this bandwagon is seething and teeming with those trying to seize @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or stay out of jail or just join in the mayhem It ’ s cool to be nCoV-positive now .
Maybe that ’ s why such inordinate numbers of famous people are staking their claim to it .
ISIS are apparently a bit worried about nCoV also and is allegedly sending out travel advisories to its jihadists .
Yup , that ’ s a real thing , right there .
Really happening .
Definitely .
Meanwhile , the propaganda is relentless , and there ’ s a variety for all tastes .
If @ @ @ @ @ @ @ can read all the articles based on total speculation that tell you millions will die if we don ’ t demand martial law and vaccines .
( Speaking of vaccines , the as-yet-untested Covid19 vaccine is going to mandatory in Denmark , and in the US the manufacturers will have legal immunity should it cause any ill-effects ) .
If you are of a more sceptical turn of mind well , how about nCoV as bio-weapon ?
Plenty of juicy stuff on that topic also .
And scientists and science journals are not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of people with PhDs willing to talk nonsense with a sciencey spin in order to convince the more inquiring proles that the governments are correct to invoke emergency powers and get that untested vaccine cranking out asap .
Look at this beauty .
Written by a team of MDs and other ‘ experts ’ and appearing in The Lancet , it is about the most naked example I have seen to date of pseudoscience being used to inflate the perception of nCoV as something other than what it is .
The purpose of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sort of barely rational reason for estimating the nCoV case fatality rate to be higher than it actually is by a factor of ten .
They actually suggest with a straight face ( though they don ’ t say why ) that in order to get a ‘ real ’ figure for case fatality we need to count deaths as a percentage only of those who became infected at the same time as those who died .
So , if on Day One of a hypothetical new disease , two people get it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a 50 % case fatality ratio .
Sure , no problem .
Common sense and statistics agree with that .
But what if from Day Two to Day Ten inclusive 198 more people get it and none of them die ?
Well , according to the normal method of assessing CFR that would be 200 cases , one death , and a CFR of 0.5 % But with this brilliant new method , it would still be a CFR of 50 % – because we are only allowed to count the cases who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the fatality .
And only two people got sick that day , of whom 50 % died .
You see the corrupt genius of it ?
It ’ s a statistical nonsense that crucially gives permission to any would-be stats compilers in the WHO or elsewhere to overestimate the CFR of this bug , or indeed any other subsequent alleged ‘ killer ’ virus .
If you doubt this is the point , then read the article .
This is just what the authors do , having the total gall to claim the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ anywhere up to 20 % , based solely on this crazy new way of figuring out the stats .
Which will look great in future headlines , and help pave the way for public acceptance of a total fascist dictatorship .
If you ever doubted that corruption is now endemic and all our institutions – political , legal , medical – are stacked with yes-men and jobsworths or fools prepared to put their names to any junk proclamation that might get them a raise or save their professional skins , just think of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ‘ experts ’ , published in the Lancet , and nothing more than a word salad of contradictory nonsense and meaningless conclusions designed to promote a political and propagandist point .
It even at one point acknowledges the probability of many many subclinical or symptom-free carriers of this supposed virus .
But while the authors satisfy some dormant scrap of conscience by alluding to it they don ’ t draw their readers ’ attention to the concomitant fact this lowers the case fatality by quite a way .
In fact they allow themselves @ @ @ @ @ @ @ because that is the level on which such people work : This is just one example of the forest of disinformative , hysterical , fog-bound garbage being poured on our heads about this so-called pandemic .
That this is part of a coordinated and massive attempt to instil worldwide fear and enact worldwide population-management methods is now undeniable .
What is nCoV19 ?
I honestly do not know .
The more the fear porn ramps up , the less certain I become of any aspect of the narrative surrounding it .
We are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ virulence , discouraged from referring to its official fatality and case numbers , which do not correlate with the level of fear we are being told is appropriate .
There is certainly a massive and multifaceted attempt to fudge and inflate those numbers to bring them in line with the ‘ response ’ .
This brings us back to our revelation that good old Wikipedia have been downgrading the CFR of the Spanish Flu .
It ’ s hard not to see this as part of the same process .
The actual death @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
So talk them up , play pea and thimble games with the stats , and do some Memory-Holing so that the 1918 pandemic suddenly has a very similar CFR , allowing your tame media to make all the right comparisons in their op eds and editorials , pointing out how many millions died back then despite it only having a fatality ratio of 2.5 % .
They seem aware of the discrepancy , and are making efforts to prevent people researching it .
The WHO are warning people not to read “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ order to protect their mental health .
In a write up on the reccomendations , the BBC says this : Whether this virus is as imaginary as some are saying , or entirely real , it ’ s being hyped to a point beyond any connection with reality , and not just in the media .
It ’ s a multi-pronged assault on our minds right now .
Allegedly reliable and authoritative medical professionals are just as likely to talk propaganda at you as some government minister or media halfwit .
Even in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and gone full deer-in-the-headlights , devoting their websites to recycling government talking points and urging those same governments to lock down their citizens .
How bizarre is it that outlets who were – just weeks ago – warning against trusting anything that comes out of the mouths of our ‘ masters ’ , are now prepared to surrender entirely to official narratives and official ‘ safe-keeping ’ – and for a virus which , even if totally real , has killed about 7,000 people – or around 7 % of the numbers who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ – of the current flu .
Yes , that is a real statistic .
Check it out .
And no , don ’ t tell me it ’ s “ not a fair comparison ” because the flu is ‘ always ’ here and nCoV is new .
All you do by that is display your unthinking foolishness .
Flu viruses are RNA viruses that mutate all the time – which is why you can catch ‘ the flu ’ over and over again ; You ’ re catching a different strain , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ like nCoV it needs to travel by infection routes .
And just like nCov it has to start small .
But unlike nCov it has already managed to kill around 100,000 people since Jan 1 this year .
So let go of that particular piece of nonsense , ok ?
Do the alt-media types backing these extreme quarantine and self-isolation notions think the anti-assembly laws , mandatory vaccines and other special powers will all just vanish once this crisis has subsided ( because all pandemics eventually do go away ) ?
Do they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be temporary ?
Do they think we can just ask nice and everything will go back to the way it was ?
( assuming , of course , the entire system hasn ’ t morphed into the Hunger Games due to global financial meltdown and mass poverty , because we all basically signed off on closing down what remains of our economy .
Are they thinking at all , or just reacting ?
The panic is now seeding itself and doing the propaganda work for those who set it off , and an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ being rolled out right behind it .
It ’ s never been more important to stay alert , sceptical and objective .
We ’ ll keep trying to do that – and you should all do the same .

Panic Pandemic – Why are people who should know better buying the Covid19 hype?
Catte Black
The only certainty about the ‘novel’ virus is that a great deal of nonsense is being talked about it by people who really ought to know better, and a great deal of opportunism is being displayed.
From Netanyahu grabbing the chance to postpone his corruption trial to Hollywood starlets claiming they have ‘tested positive’ (surely not a sad and cynical attempt to up their profile), this bandwagon is seething and teeming with those trying to seize their moment of fame or get rich or stay out of jail or just join in the mayhem
It’s cool to be nCoV-positive now. Maybe that’s why such inordinate numbers of famous people are staking their claim to it.
ISIS are apparently a bit worried about nCoV also and is allegedly sending out travel advisories to its jihadists.
Yup, that’s a real thing, right there. Really happening. Definitely.
Meanwhile, the propaganda is relentless, and there’s a variety for all tastes.
If you like your fear porn vanilla you can read all the articles based on total speculation that tell you millions will die if we don’t demand martial law and vaccines. (Speaking of vaccines, the as-yet-untested Covid19 vaccine is going to mandatory in Denmark, and in the US the manufacturers will have legal immunity should it cause any ill-effects).
If you are of a more sceptical turn of mind well, how about nCoV as bio-weapon? Plenty of juicy stuff on that topic also.
And scientists and science journals are not immune. There’s no shortage of people with PhDs willing to talk nonsense with a sciencey spin in order to convince the more inquiring proles that the governments are correct to invoke emergency powers and get that untested vaccine cranking out asap.
Look at this beauty. Written by a team of MDs and other ‘experts’ and appearing in The Lancet, it is about the most naked example I have seen to date of pseudoscience being used to inflate the perception of nCoV as something other than what it is.
The purpose of the article is apparently to find some sort of barely rational reason for estimating the nCoV case fatality rate to be higher than it actually is by a factor of ten.
Here’s the ‘reasoning’ it offers:
However, these mortality rate estimates are based on the number of deaths relative to the number of confirmed cases of infection, which is not representative of the actual death rate; patients who die on any given day were infected much earlier, and thus the denominator of the mortality rate should be the total number of patients infected at the same time as those who died.
They actually suggest with a straight face (though they don’t say why) that in order to get a ‘real’ figure for case fatality we need to count deaths as a percentage only of those who became infected at the same time as those who died.
So, if on Day One of a hypothetical new disease, two people get it and one dies, this would be a 50% case fatality ratio.
Sure, no problem. Common sense and statistics agree with that.
But what if from Day Two to Day Ten inclusive 198 more people get it and none of them die?
Well, according to the normal method of assessing CFR that would be 200 cases, one death, and a CFR of 0.5%
But with this brilliant new method, it would still be a CFR of 50% – because we are only allowed to count the cases who got sick on the same day as the fatality. And only two people got sick that day, of whom 50% died.
You see the corrupt genius of it? It’s a statistical nonsense that crucially gives permission to any would-be stats compilers in the WHO or elsewhere to overestimate the CFR of this bug, or indeed any other subsequent alleged ‘killer’ virus.
If you doubt this is the point, then read the article. This is just what the authors do, having the total gall to claim the ‘real’ CFR for nCoV is anywhere up to 20%, based solely on this crazy new way of figuring out the stats.
Which will look great in future headlines, and help pave the way for public acceptance of a total fascist dictatorship.
If you ever doubted that corruption is now endemic and all our institutions – political, legal, medical – are stacked with yes-men and jobsworths or fools prepared to put their names to any junk proclamation that might get them a raise or save their professional skins, just think of this article. Written by alleged world-class ‘experts’, published in the Lancet, and nothing more than a word salad of contradictory nonsense and meaningless conclusions designed to promote a political and propagandist point.
It even at one point acknowledges the probability of many many subclinical or symptom-free carriers of this supposed virus. But while the authors satisfy some dormant scrap of conscience by alluding to it they don’t draw their readers’ attention to the concomitant fact this lowers the case fatality by quite a way. In fact they allow themselves to sort of imply the opposite, because that is the level on which such people work:
Notably, the full denominator remains unknown because asymptomatic cases or patients with very mild symptoms might not be tested and will not be identified.
This is just one example of the forest of disinformative, hysterical, fog-bound garbage being poured on our heads about this so-called pandemic. That this is part of a coordinated and massive attempt to instil worldwide fear and enact worldwide population-management methods is now undeniable.
What is nCoV19? I honestly do not know.
The more the fear porn ramps up, the less certain I become of any aspect of the narrative surrounding it. We are definitely all being discouraged from questioning its virulence, discouraged from referring to its official fatality and case numbers, which do not correlate with the level of fear we are being told is appropriate. There is certainly a massive and multifaceted attempt to fudge and inflate those numbers to bring them in line with the ‘response’.
This brings us back to our revelation that good old Wikipedia have been downgrading the CFR of the Spanish Flu. It’s hard not to see this as part of the same process.
The actual death rates just aren’t high enough. So talk them up, play pea and thimble games with the stats, and do some Memory-Holing so that the 1918 pandemic suddenly has a very similar CFR, allowing your tame media to make all the right comparisons in their op eds and editorials, pointing out how many millions died back then despite it only having a fatality ratio of 2.5%.
They seem aware of the discrepancy, and are making efforts to prevent people researching it. The WHO are warning people not to read “too much” about the disease in order to protect their mental health. In a write up on the reccomendations, the BBC says this:
There is a lot of misinformation swirling around – stay informed by sticking to trusted sources of information such as government and NHS websites
Whether this virus is as imaginary as some are saying, or entirely real, it’s being hyped to a point beyond any connection with reality, and not just in the media. It’s a multi-pronged assault on our minds right now. Allegedly reliable and authoritative medical professionals are just as likely to talk propaganda at you as some government minister or media halfwit.
Even in the alt-media, many have stopped thinking and gone full deer-in-the-headlights, devoting their websites to recycling government talking points and urging those same governments to lock down their citizens.
How bizarre is it that outlets who were – just weeks ago – warning against trusting anything that comes out of the mouths of our ‘masters’, are now prepared to surrender entirely to official narratives and official ‘safe-keeping’ – and for a virus which, even if totally real, has killed about 7,000 people – or around 7% of the numbers who have died over the same time period – of the current flu.
Yes, that is a real statistic. Check it out.
And no, don’t tell me it’s “not a fair comparison” because the flu is ‘always’ here and nCoV is new. All you do by that is display your unthinking foolishness. Flu viruses are RNA viruses that mutate all the time – which is why you can catch ‘the flu’ over and over again; You’re catching a different strain, a ‘new’ variant. Just like nCoV it needs to travel by infection routes. And just like nCov it has to start small.
But unlike nCov it has already managed to kill around 100,000 people since Jan 1 this year. So let go of that particular piece of nonsense, ok?
Do the alt-media types backing these extreme quarantine and self-isolation notions think the anti-assembly laws, mandatory vaccines and other special powers will all just vanish once this crisis has subsided (because all pandemics eventually do go away)? Do they think the de facto martial law will be temporary?
Do they think we can just ask nice and everything will go back to the way it was? (assuming, of course, the entire system hasn’t morphed into the Hunger Games due to global financial meltdown and mass poverty, because we all basically signed off on closing down what remains of our economy.
Are they thinking at all, or just reacting?
The panic is now seeding itself and doing the propaganda work for those who set it off, and an obvious and very very alarming agenda is being rolled out right behind it.
It’s never been more important to stay alert, sceptical and objective. We’ll keep trying to do that – and you should all do the same.


offguardian--2020-03-17--LISTEN: CBC Radio cuts off expert when he questions Covid19 narrative

A phone interview with a respected physician appears to have been cut short by CBC Radio when the Doctor went off-script Dr Joel Kettner was being interviewed by phone on the March 15th episode of CBC ’ s Cross Country Checkup podcast , when the host abruptly cut him off .
While the two earlier guests were very much taking the governmental line on the threat of Covid19 , Dr Kettner was striking a different tone To be clear , Dr Kettner is not a fringe or controversial character .
He is professor of Community Health Sciences and Surgery at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Officer for Manitoba province .
He was interviewed on Global News in January , when the pandemic was first hitting the news .
His comments are informative and interesting , but the host ’ s reaction perhaps more so .
Listen below ( starting at around 1 hour 12 minutes in ) , or we have transcribed them for you .
Duncan McCue ( DM , Host ) : Dr Joel Kettner is on the line from Manitoba .
Hi , Dr Kettner welcome to Checkup .
You teach at the University of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Manitoba , I understand .
So what do you think of how we are coping right now ?
Dr Joel Kettner ( JK ) : Well I don ’ t know what to think , frankly , but I ’ ll tell you what I do think .
First , I wan na say that in 30 years of public health medicine I have never seen anything like this , anything anywhere near like this .
I ’ m not talking about the pandemic , because I ’ ve seen 30 of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is called influenza .
And other respiratory illness viruses , we don ’ t always know what they are .
But I ’ ve never seen this reaction , and I ’ m trying to understand why .
I have to say that I really feel for my colleagues that are in public health practice .
it is easy for me to sit in the armchair of my office and look at this and observe it , and be critical and have ideas .
But I really feel for them for three reasons @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are getting is incomplete to really make sense of the size of the threat .
We are getting very crude numbers of cases and deaths , very little information about testing rates , contagious analysis , severity rates , who is being hospitalised , who is in intensive care , who is dying , what are the definitions to decide if someone died of the coronavirus or just died with the coronavirus .
There is so much important data that is very hard to get to guide the decisions on how serious a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is we actually do not have that much good evidence for the social distancing methods .
It was just a couple of review in the CDC emerging infectious disease journal , which showed that although some of them might work , we really don ’ t know to what degree and the evidence is pretty weak .
The third part is the pressure that is being put on public health doctors and public health leaders .
And that pressure is coming from various places .
The first place it came from was the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ WHO ) when he said “ This is a grave threat and a public enemy number one ” , I have never heard a Director-General of WHO use terms like that .
Then when he announced the pandemic he said he was doing it “ because of a grave alarming quick spread of the disease and an alarming amount of inaction around the world ” that puts a huge pressure on public health doctors and leaders and advisors and huge pressure on governments and then you get this what seems like a cascade @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on the countries and governments – provincial , state – to sort of…to keep up with this action that Dr Hoffman [ an earlier guest on the programme ] said that we are trying to avoid , or should avoid , which is an overreaction .
I don ’ t know what is an appropriate reaction , but I do know that I am having trouble trying to figure this out and I… DM : …So I ’ m sure that your medical colleagues across the country are probably nodding their heads when @ @ @ @ @ @ @ enough data , that they lack data .
I suspect health professionals around the world wish they had more data , whether it is testing rates , severity rates , all that kind of thing .
So it ’ s probably a valid concern .
But you mentioned that you are not confident with some of the literature with regard to social distancing and its effectiveness [ … ] What is the basis of your concern then ?
If social distancing is debatable in your mind , what do you worry about then @ @ @ @ @ @ @ consequences of social distancing .
I worry about people who are losing their jobs .
I worry about interruptions with the healthcare system itself .
There are many doctors in Manitoba in quarantine right now , because they have returned from other countries .
I worry about the message to the public , about the fear of coming into contact with people , being in the same space as people , shaking their hands , having meetings with people .
I worry about many , many consequences related to that .
If you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are actually dealing with , I want to give this example .
In Hubei , in the province of Hubei , where there has been the most cases and deaths by far , the actual number of cases reported is 1 per 1000 people and the actual rate of deaths reported is 1 per 20,000 .
So maybe that would help to put things into perspective , as to the actual rate and risks of this condition , because it is a lot lower in any other part of the world , including @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the United States… [ INTERRUPTED BY HOST AGAIN , INTERVIEW OVER ]

A phone interview with a respected physician appears to have been cut short by CBC Radio when the Doctor went off-script
Dr Joel Kettner phoned into the March 15th episode of CBC’s Cross Country Checkup podcast to discuss the Canadian (and international) reaction to the Covid19 pandemic. He was in the middle of making a point about statistics when the host abruptly cut him off.
While the two invited guests were very much taking the governmental line on the threat of Covid19, Dr Kettner was striking a different tone
To be clear, Dr Kettner is not a fringe or controversial character. He is professor of Community Health Sciences and Surgery at Manitoba University, former Chief Public Health Officer for Manitoba province and Medical Director of the International Centre for Infectious Diseases.
He was interviewed on Global News in January, when the pandemic was first hitting the news.
His comments are informative and interesting, but the host’s reaction perhaps more so. Listen below (starting at around 1 hour 12 minutes in), or we have transcribed them for you.
CBC Radio – Cross Country Checkup, March 15 2020
Duncan McCue (DM, Host): Dr Joel Kettner is on the line from Manitoba. Hi, Dr Kettner welcome to Checkup. You teach at the University of Manitoba and are former Chief Medical Officer of Manitoba, I understand. So what do you think of how we are coping right now?
Dr Joel Kettner (JK): Well I don’t know what to think, frankly, but I’ll tell you what I do think. First, I wanna say that in 30 years of public health medicine I have never seen anything like this, anything anywhere near like this. I’m not talking about the pandemic, because I’ve seen 30 of them, one every year. It is called influenza. And other respiratory illness viruses, we don’t always know what they are. But I’ve never seen this reaction, and I’m trying to understand why. I have to say that I really feel for my colleagues that are in public health practice. it is easy for me to sit in the armchair of my office and look at this and observe it, and be critical and have ideas. But I really feel for them for three reasons.
One is that the data they are getting is incomplete to really make sense of the size of the threat. We are getting very crude numbers of cases and deaths, very little information about testing rates, contagious analysis, severity rates, who is being hospitalised, who is in intensive care, who is dying, what are the definitions to decide if someone died of the coronavirus or just died with the coronavirus.
There is so much important data that is very hard to get to guide the decisions on how serious a threat this is.
The other part is we actually do not have that much good evidence for the social distancing methods. It was just a couple of review in the CDC emerging infectious disease journal, which showed that although some of them might work, we really don’t know to what degree and the evidence is pretty weak.
The third part is the pressure that is being put on public health doctors and public health leaders. And that pressure is coming from various places. The first place it came from was the Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO) when he said “This is a grave threat and a public enemy number one”, I have never heard a Director-General of WHO use terms like that.
Then when he announced the pandemic he said he was doing it “because of a grave alarming quick spread of the disease and an alarming amount of inaction around the world” that puts a huge pressure on public health doctors and leaders and advisors and huge pressure on governments and then you get this what seems like a cascade of decision making that really puts pressure on the countries and governments – provincial, state – to sort of…to keep up with this action that Dr Hoffman [an earlier guest on the programme] said that we are trying to avoid, or should avoid, which is an overreaction. I don’t know what is an appropriate reaction, but I do know that I am having trouble trying to figure this out and I…
[INTERRUPTED BY HOST]
DM: …So I’m sure that your medical colleagues across the country are probably nodding their heads when you say they don’t have enough data, that they lack data. I suspect health professionals around the world wish they had more data, whether it is testing rates, severity rates, all that kind of thing. So it’s probably a valid concern. But you mentioned that you are not confident with some of the literature with regard to social distancing and its effectiveness […] What is the basis of your concern then? If social distancing is debatable in your mind, what do you worry about then?
JK: I worry about the consequences of social distancing. I worry about people who are losing their jobs. I worry about interruptions with the healthcare system itself. There are many doctors in Manitoba in quarantine right now, because they have returned from other countries. I worry about the message to the public, about the fear of coming into contact with people, being in the same space as people, shaking their hands, having meetings with people. I worry about many, many consequences related to that.
If you look at the data for what we are actually dealing with, I want to give this example. In Hubei, in the province of Hubei, where there has been the most cases and deaths by far, the actual number of cases reported is 1 per 1000 people and the actual rate of deaths reported is 1 per 20,000. So maybe that would help to put things into perspective, as to the actual rate and risks of this condition, because it is a lot lower in any other part of the world, including Italy, and certainly in Canada and the United States…
[INTERRUPTED BY HOST AGAIN, INTERVIEW OVER]


Covid-19 Global Lockdown

Let ’ s try a little thought experiment .
Just for fun .
To pass the time while we ’ re indefinitely locked down inside our homes , compulsively checking the Covid-19 “ active cases ” and “ total death ” count , washing our hands every twenty minutes , and attempting not to touch our faces .
Before we do , though , I want to make it clear that I believe this Covid-19 thing is real , and is probably the deadliest threat to humanity in the history of deadly threats to humanity .
According to the data @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s only a matter of days , or hours , until nearly everyone on earth is infected and is either dying in agony and alone or suffering mild , common cold-like symptoms , or absolutely no symptoms whatsoever .
I feel that I need to state this clearly , before we do our thought experiment , because I don ’ t want anyone mistakenly thinking that I ’ m one of those probably Russian-backed Nazis who are going around saying , “ it ’ s just the flu , ” or who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and martial law , or who are otherwise doubting or questioning the wisdom of locking down the entire world ( and likely triggering a new Great Depression ) on account of the discovery of some glorified bug .
Obviously , this is not just the flu .
Thousands of people are dying from it .
OK , sure , the flu kills many more than that , hundreds of thousands of people annually , but this Covid-19 virus is totally new , and not like any of the other millions of viruses that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and the experts are saying it will probably kill , or seriously sicken , or briefly inconvenience , millions or even billions of people if we don ’ t lock down entire countries and terrorize everyone into submission .
Which , don ’ t get me wrong , I ’ m all for that … this is not the time to be questioning anything the corporate media and the authorities tell us .
This is a time to pull together , turn our minds off , and follow orders .
OK , sure @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to be skeptical , but we ’ re in a goddamn global state of emergency !
Idris Elba is infected for Chrissakes !
Sorry … I ’ m getting a little emotional .
I ’ m a big-time Idris Elba fan .
The point is , I ’ m not a Covid-denialist , or a conspiracy theorist , or one of those devious Chinese or Russian dissension-sowers .
I know for a fact that this pandemic is real , and warrants whatever “ emergency measures ” our governments , global corporations , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
No , I ’ m not an epidemiologist , but I have a close friend who knows a guy who dated a woman who dated a doctor who personally knows another doctor who works in a hospital in Italy somewhere , and she ( i.e.
, my friend , not the doctor in Italy ) posted something on Facebook yesterday that was way too long to read completely but was a gut-wrenching account of how Covid-19 is killing Kuwaiti babies in their incubators !
Or maybe it was Italian babies .
Like @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to read .
Also , did you see the story about the baby that was born infected ?
!
Or the stories about the people in their 30s and 40s who were more or less in perfect health ( except for , you know , cancer or whatever ) who died from ( or with ) the Covid plague ?
!
And what about all those charts and graphs ?
!
And those pictures of people in hazmat suits ?
!
And those Italians singing Turandot on their balconies ?
!
Doesn ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ break down and cry over the sheer humanity of it all ?
!
No , there is absolutely no doubt whatsoever that Covid-19 is the deadliest global pandemic humankind has ever faced , and that we have no choice but to cancel everything , confine everyone inside their home , wreck the entire global economy , force working class people even further into debt , pour trillions into the investment banks , cancel elections , censor the Internet , and otherwise implement a global police state .
But what if it wasn ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this wasn ’ t the deadliest global pandemic humankind has ever faced ?
( I ’ m just posing the question as a thought experiment , so please don ’ t report me to the WHO , or the CDC , or FEMA , or whoever . )
What if this new coronavirus was just another coronavirus like all the other coronaviruses that people die from ( or with ) all the time ?
What if the fact that this one is “ new ” didn ’ t really mean all that much @ @ @ @ @ @ @ because coronaviruses are always mutating , and every year there are a lot of new variants ?
Relax , OK ?
I know this one is different , and totally unlike anything ever encountered by virologists in the history of virology .
Remember , this is just a thought experiment .
These are just hypothetical questions .
Here ’ s another hypothetical question .
What if all the scary statistics we ’ ve been seeing ( e.g.
, the death rates , the explosion of “ cases , ” etc . )
weren @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rather , were , like other statistics , based on things like sample groups , and dependent on a host of factors and variables , which you kind of need to know to make sense of anything ?
Say , for example , you tested everyone that died of acute respiratory failure on a given day in your Italian hospital , and you discovered that , let ’ s say , five of those patients had been infected with Covid-19 .
So you feed that number to the WHO , and they add @ @ @ @ @ @ @ count , regardless of whether the folks who died had terminal cancer , or heart disease , or had also been infected with the common flu , or some other type of coronavirus .
That would probably skew your “ death ” count , wouldn ’ t it ?
Or , say you wanted to test for the virus to keep track of all the “ active cases ” and generate an infection rate , but you can ’ t test hundreds of millions of people , because no one has that many @ @ @ @ @ @ @ turns up sick , or thinks they ’ re sick and demands to be tested , or who touched someone sick who you already tested ( though you ’ re not even sure that your test is accurate ) and you come up with , let ’ s say , ten positive results .
So you feed that number to the WHO , and they add it to the “ active cases ” count , regardless of the fact that everyone knows the real number is likely twenty times higher .
OK , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cases ” number and your “ total deaths ” number and you do the math ( keeping in mind that your “ total deaths ” include those cancer and heart failure people ) , and you end up grossly underestimating your “ infection rate ” and “ active cases , ” and grossly overestimating your “ death rate ” and the number of “ total deaths.
” Just hypothetically , you understand .
I am not suggesting this is actually happening .
I certainly don ’ t want to get censored by Facebook @ @ @ @ @ @ @ innocuous technical glitch ) for posting “ Covid misinformation , ” or tempt the Wikipedia “ editors ” to rush back to my Wikipedia page and label me a dangerous “ conspiracy theorist ” … or , you know , get myself preventatively quarantined .
It probably won ’ t come to that anyway , i.e.
, rounding up “ infected persons , ” “ possibly infected persons , ” and “ disruptive ” and “ uncooperative persons , ” and quarantining us in , like , “ camps , ” or wherever @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the suspension of our civil rights , the manipulation of facts and figures , the muzzling of dissent , the illegal surveillance , governments legislating by decree , the soldiers , the quarantines , and all the rest of it … all these measures are temporary , and are being taken for our own good , and purely out of an “ abundance of caution.
” I mean , it ’ s not like the global capitalist empire was right in the middle of a War on Populism ( a war that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) and wanted to take this opportunity to crank up some disaster capitalism , terrorize the global public into a frenzy of selfish and irrational panic , and just flex its muscles to remind everybody what could happen if we all keep screwing around by voting for “ populists , ” tearing up Paris , leaving the European Union , and otherwise interfering with the forward march of global capitalism .
No , it certainly isn ’ t like that .
It is an actual plague that is probably going to kill you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t do exactly what you ’ re told .
So , forget this little thought experiment , and prepare yourself for global lockdown .
It probably won ’ t be so bad … unless they decide they need to run the part of exercise where it goes on too long , and people get squirrelly , and start rebelling , and looting , and otherwise not cooperating , and the military is eventually forced to deploy those Urban Unrest Suppression Vehicles , and those Anti-Domestic-Terror Forces , and … OK , I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
I ’ d better take my pills and get back to Facebook .
Oh , and … I should probably check up on Idris !
And see if Berlin has gone to “ Level 3 , ” in which case I ’ ll need to find whatever online application I need to fill out in order to leave my house .

CJ Hopkins
Let’s try a little thought experiment. Just for fun. To pass the time while we’re indefinitely locked down inside our homes, compulsively checking the Covid-19 “active cases” and “total death” count, washing our hands every twenty minutes, and attempting not to touch our faces.
Before we do, though, I want to make it clear that I believe this Covid-19 thing is real, and is probably the deadliest threat to humanity in the history of deadly threats to humanity.
According to the data I’ve been seeing, it’s only a matter of days, or hours, until nearly everyone on earth is infected and is either dying in agony and alone or suffering mild, common cold-like symptoms, or absolutely no symptoms whatsoever.
I feel that I need to state this clearly, before we do our thought experiment, because I don’t want anyone mistakenly thinking that I’m one of those probably Russian-backed Nazis who are going around saying, “it’s just the flu,” or who are spreading dangerous conspiracy theories about bio-weapons and martial law, or who are otherwise doubting or questioning the wisdom of locking down the entire world (and likely triggering a new Great Depression) on account of the discovery of some glorified bug.
Obviously, this is not just the flu. Thousands of people are dying from it. OK, sure, the flu kills many more than that, hundreds of thousands of people annually, but this Covid-19 virus is totally new, and not like any of the other millions of viruses that are going around all the time, and the experts are saying it will probably kill, or seriously sicken, or briefly inconvenience, millions or even billions of people if we don’t lock down entire countries and terrorize everyone into submission.
Which, don’t get me wrong, I’m all for that … this is not the time to be questioning anything the corporate media and the authorities tell us. This is a time to pull together, turn our minds off, and follow orders. OK, sure, normally, it’s good to be skeptical, but we’re in a goddamn global state of emergency! Idris Elba is infected for Chrissakes!
Sorry … I’m getting a little emotional. I’m a big-time Idris Elba fan. The point is, I’m not a Covid-denialist, or a conspiracy theorist, or one of those devious Chinese or Russian dissension-sowers. I know for a fact that this pandemic is real, and warrants whatever “emergency measures” our governments, global corporations, and intelligence agencies want to impose on us.
No, I’m not an epidemiologist, but I have a close friend who knows a guy who dated a woman who dated a doctor who personally knows another doctor who works in a hospital in Italy somewhere, and she (i.e., my friend, not the doctor in Italy) posted something on Facebook yesterday that was way too long to read completely but was a gut-wrenching account of how Covid-19 is killing Kuwaiti babies in their incubators!
Or maybe it was Italian babies. Like I said, it was too long to read.
Also, did you see the story about the baby that was born infected?! Or the stories about the people in their 30s and 40s who were more or less in perfect health (except for, you know, cancer or whatever) who died from (or with) the Covid plague?! And what about all those charts and graphs?! And those pictures of people in hazmat suits?! And those Italians singing Turandot on their balconies?! Doesn’t that just make you want to break down and cry over the sheer humanity of it all?!
No, there is absolutely no doubt whatsoever that Covid-19 is the deadliest global pandemic humankind has ever faced, and that we have no choice but to cancel everything, confine everyone inside their home, wreck the entire global economy, force working class people even further into debt, pour trillions into the investment banks, cancel elections, censor the Internet, and otherwise implement a global police state.
But what if it wasn’t? Just hypothetically. What if this wasn’t the deadliest global pandemic humankind has ever faced? (I’m just posing the question as a thought experiment, so please don’t report me to the WHO, or the CDC, or FEMA, or whoever.) What if this new coronavirus was just another coronavirus like all the other coronaviruses that people die from (or with) all the time? What if the fact that this one is “new” didn’t really mean all that much, or possibly anything at all, because coronaviruses are always mutating, and every year there are a lot of new variants?
Relax, OK? I know this one is different, and totally unlike anything ever encountered by virologists in the history of virology. Remember, this is just a thought experiment. These are just hypothetical questions.
Here’s another hypothetical question. What if all the scary statistics we’ve been seeing (e.g., the death rates, the explosion of “cases,” etc.) weren’t unquestionable scientific facts, but rather, were, like other statistics, based on things like sample groups, and dependent on a host of factors and variables, which you kind of need to know to make sense of anything?
Say, for example, you tested everyone that died of acute respiratory failure on a given day in your Italian hospital, and you discovered that, let’s say, five of those patients had been infected with Covid-19. So you feed that number to the WHO, and they add it to the “total deaths” count, regardless of whether the folks who died had terminal cancer, or heart disease, or had also been infected with the common flu, or some other type of coronavirus. That would probably skew your “death” count, wouldn’t it?
Or, say you wanted to test for the virus to keep track of all the “active cases” and generate an infection rate, but you can’t test hundreds of millions of people, because no one has that many tests So, you test everyone who turns up sick, or thinks they’re sick and demands to be tested, or who touched someone sick who you already tested (though you’re not even sure that your test is accurate) and you come up with, let’s say, ten positive results. So you feed that number to the WHO, and they add it to the “active cases” count, regardless of the fact that everyone knows the real number is likely twenty times higher.
OK, so now you take your “active cases” number and your “total deaths” number and you do the math (keeping in mind that your “total deaths” include those cancer and heart failure people), and you end up grossly underestimating your “infection rate” and “active cases,” and grossly overestimating your “death rate” and the number of “total deaths.”
Just hypothetically, you understand. I am not suggesting this is actually happening. I certainly don’t want to get censored by Facebook (or accidentally censored by some totally innocuous technical glitch) for posting “Covid misinformation,” or tempt the Wikipedia “editors” to rush back to my Wikipedia page and label me a dangerous “conspiracy theorist” … or, you know, get myself preventatively quarantined.
It probably won’t come to that anyway, i.e., rounding up “infected persons,” “possibly infected persons,” and “disruptive” and “uncooperative persons,” and quarantining us in, like, “camps,” or wherever. All this state of emergency stuff, the suspension of our civil rights, the manipulation of facts and figures, the muzzling of dissent, the illegal surveillance, governments legislating by decree, the soldiers, the quarantines, and all the rest of it … all these measures are temporary, and are being taken for our own good, and purely out of an “abundance of caution.”
I mean, it’s not like the global capitalist empire was right in the middle of a War on Populism (a war that it has been losing up to now) and wanted to take this opportunity to crank up some disaster capitalism, terrorize the global public into a frenzy of selfish and irrational panic, and just flex its muscles to remind everybody what could happen if we all keep screwing around by voting for “populists,” tearing up Paris, leaving the European Union, and otherwise interfering with the forward march of global capitalism.
No, it certainly isn’t like that. It is an actual plague that is probably going to kill you and your entire family if you don’t do exactly what you’re told. So, forget this little thought experiment, and prepare yourself for global lockdown. It probably won’t be so bad … unless they decide they need to run the part of exercise where it goes on too long, and people get squirrelly, and start rebelling, and looting, and otherwise not cooperating, and the military is eventually forced to deploy those Urban Unrest Suppression Vehicles, and those Anti-Domestic-Terror Forces, and …
OK, I’m getting all worked up again. I’d better take my pills and get back to Facebook. Oh, and … I should probably check up on Idris! And see if Berlin has gone to “Level 3,” in which case I’ll need to find whatever online application I need to fill out in order to leave my house.