iowaclimatescienceeducation--2020-04-23--Of Tests and Confirmed Cases

Of Tests and Confirmed Cases

I ’ ve been saying for some time now that the number of confirmed cases is a very poor way to measure the spread of the coronavirus infection .
This , I ’ ve said , is because the number of new cases you ’ ll find depends on how much testing is being done .
I ’ ve claimed that if you double your tests , you ’ ll get twice the confirmed cases .
However , that position was based on logic alone .
I did not have one scrap of data to support or confirm it .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ behind the website Our World In Data .
He has recently finished his coronavirus testing dataset , covering the patchwork quilt of testing in various countries .
The data is available here .
Being a ‘ Murican myself , I first looked at the US daily new testing versus number of US daily new confirmed cases .
I have to confess , when I saw it , I did laugh … Figure 1 .
Scatterplot , daily new tests versus daily new cases , United States .
Yellow/black line is linear trend .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the US , new cases is a function of new tests .
For every one hundred additional tests that we do , we find an additional nineteen confirmed cases of coronavirus .
Of course , when I looked further there were other countries which were nowhere near as linear as the US .
Here ’ s Australia , for example : Figure 2 .
Scatterplot , daily new tests versus daily new cases , Australia .
Yellow/black line is linear trend .
However , there are also plenty of countries that are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Figure 3 .
Scatterplot , daily new tests versus daily new cases , Turkey .
Yellow/black line is linear trend .
Poland shows the same type of mostly linear relationship .
Figure 4 .
Scatterplot , daily new tests versus daily new cases , Turkey .
Yellow/black line is linear trend .
So … how about for the whole world ?
Glad you asked .
Here ’ s that chart .
Figure 5 .
Scatterplot , world total daily new tests versus total daily new cases .
Units are thousands of tests and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the linear trend .
Black “ whiskers ” show the uncertainty ( one sigma ) of the individual mean values for the various days .
One item of interest is the difference in the rate of discovery of new cases in various countries .
In the US there are nineteen new confirmed cases per hundred new tests ; Turkey is 13/100 ; Poland is 4/100 ; Australia is 1/100 ; and globally , there are eleven new cases for every one hundred new tests .
I suspect that this variation depends directly on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the underlying number of cases in any given country , and exactly which subgroup is being tested .
For example , in the US we ’ re still short of tests .
So the tests are being reserved for people who are showing obvious symptoms … and as a result , the US tests would be expected to come up with more new cases than the global average .
This leads to a curious situation .
In addition to being a function of the number of tests , confirmed cases can also be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ … Conclusion ?
Don ’ t use confirmed cases as a metric of the spread of the virus—the number of cases is indeed a function of the numbers of tests .
PS—When you comment , please quote the exact words you are discussing .
It avoids endless misunderstandings .
PPS—While I ’ m here , let me shamelessly recommend the Watts Up With That Daily Coronavirus Data Graph Page .
I create the daily graphs and maintain the page .
I ’ ll also recommend my own blog , Skating Under The Ice @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been one full month since I publicly called at my blog for an end to the American Lockdown .
Finally , I ’ m on Twitter here .
Enjoy .

Guest Post by Willis Eschenbach
I’ve been saying for some time now that the number of confirmed cases is a very poor way to measure the spread of the coronavirus infection. This, I’ve said, is because the number of new cases you’ll find depends on how much testing is being done. I’ve claimed that if you double your tests, you’ll get twice the confirmed cases.
However, that position was based on logic alone. I did not have one scrap of data to support or confirm it.
Max Roser is the data display genius behind the website Our World In Data. He has recently finished his coronavirus testing dataset, covering the patchwork quilt of testing in various countries. The data is available here.
Being a ‘Murican myself, I first looked at the US daily new testing versus number of US daily new confirmed cases. I have to confess, when I saw it, I did laugh …
Figure 1. Scatterplot, daily new tests versus daily new cases, United States. Yellow/black line is linear trend.
Just as I have been saying, in the US, new cases is a function of new tests. For every one hundred additional tests that we do, we find an additional nineteen confirmed cases of coronavirus.
Of course, when I looked further there were other countries which were nowhere near as linear as the US. Here’s Australia, for example:
Figure 2. Scatterplot, daily new tests versus daily new cases, Australia. Yellow/black line is linear trend.
However, there are also plenty of countries that are just as linear as the US.
Figure 3. Scatterplot, daily new tests versus daily new cases, Turkey. Yellow/black line is linear trend.
Poland shows the same type of mostly linear relationship.
Figure 4. Scatterplot, daily new tests versus daily new cases, Turkey. Yellow/black line is linear trend.
So … how about for the whole world? Glad you asked. Here’s that chart.
Figure 5. Scatterplot, world total daily new tests versus total daily new cases. Units are thousands of tests and thousands of cases. Yellow/black line is the linear trend. Black “whiskers” show the uncertainty (one sigma) of the individual mean values for the various days.
One item of interest is the difference in the rate of discovery of new cases in various countries. In the US there are nineteen new confirmed cases per hundred new tests; Turkey is 13/100; Poland is 4/100; Australia is 1/100; and globally, there are eleven new cases for every one hundred new tests.
I suspect that this variation depends directly on at least a couple of things — the underlying number of cases in any given country, and exactly which subgroup is being tested.
For example, in the US we’re still short of tests. So the tests are being reserved for people who are showing obvious symptoms … and as a result, the US tests would be expected to come up with more new cases than the global average.
This leads to a curious situation. In addition to being a function of the number of tests, confirmed cases can also be a function of the scarcity of tests …
Conclusion? Don’t use confirmed cases as a metric of the spread of the virus—the number of cases is indeed a function of the numbers of tests.
w.
PS—When you comment, please quote the exact words you are discussing. It avoids endless misunderstandings.
PPS—While I’m here, let me shamelessly recommend the Watts Up With That Daily Coronavirus Data Graph Page. I create the daily graphs and maintain the page. I’ll also recommend my own blog, Skating Under The Ice. I note that it’s been one full month since I publicly called at my blog for an end to the American Lockdown. Finally, I’m on Twitter here. Enjoy.


Alarmist Math

My neighbor told me today that this is the worst pandemic ever , or at least since 1918 .
Actual @ @ @ @ @ deaths are still well below those of a typical flu season .
“ between 291,000 @ @ @ @ @ from seasonal influenza-related respiratory illnesses each year ”

My neighbor told me today that this is the worst pandemic ever, or at least since 1918. Actual data shows that global COVID-19 deaths are still well below those of a typical flu season.
“between 291,000 and 646,000 people worldwide die from seasonal influenza-related respiratory illnesses each year”
COVID Flu


iowaclimatescienceeducation--2020-04-24--COVID discussion thread IV

COVID discussion thread IV

A leaked Chinese study finds no benefit from anti-viral remdesivir in treating COVID-19 patients .
https : //reason.com/2020/04/23/leaked-study-finds-no-benefit-from-antiviral-remdesivir-in-treating-covid-19/… South Korean patients who test positive for reactivated COVID have little or no infectivity [ link ] on the use of saliva as a diagnostic sample for # SARSCoV2 testing [ link ] U.S. intelligence officials are still weighing the possibility that coronavirus might have escaped by accident from a Chinese lab .
[ link ] Pandemic death toll twice as high as official figure [ link ] Coronavirus : curse of the ‘ Bat Woman ’ .
What went on in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Coronavirus has mutated to become far deadlier in Europe than the milder strain that made its way to the US west coast , Chinese study finds https : //mol.im/a/8237849 How does coronavirus kill ?
Clinicians trace a ferocious rampage through the body [ link ] COVID-19 ability to mutate has been vastly underestimated [ link ] Early Results of Antibody Testing Suggest Number of COVID-19 Infections Far Exceeds Number of Confirmed Cases in Los Angeles County [ link ] public health interventions with the epidemiology of the COVID-19 outbreak in Wuhan based on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Wuhan till Mar 8 appeared on April 10 .
[ link ] Dont try to predict COVID19 .
if you must , use deep uncertainty methods [ link ] Coronavirus antibody testing shows LA County outbreak is up to 55 times bigger than reported cases .
[ link ] The secret to Germany ’ s COVID19 success : Angela Merkel is a scientist [ link ] COVID19 and the policy sciences : initial reactions and perspectives [ link ] Doubt is essential for science – but for politicians its a sign of weakness @ @ @ @ @ @ @ going back to normal .
What will the new normal look like ?
[ link ] COVID : do governments ever truly listen to the science ?
[ link ] What the WHO said about COVID19 as the pandemic unfolded [ link ] How China deceived the WHO [ link ] How to communicate effectively about the pandemic [ link ] Rethinking human ecology in the age of COVID19 [ link ] How not to lose the COVID19 communication war [ link ] Is the virus giving us back philosophy [ link ]

by Judith Curry
My latest roundup of articles
NY: first results from a statewide antibody study: 14% [link]
A leaked Chinese study finds no benefit from anti-viral remdesivir in treating COVID-19 patients. https://reason.com/2020/04/23/leaked-study-finds-no-benefit-from-antiviral-remdesivir-in-treating-covid-19/…
South Korean patients who test positive for reactivated COVID have little or no infectivity [link]
COVID-19 causes strokes in young adults [link]
COVID-19 superspreader events in 28 countries: critical patterns and lessons [link]
on the use of saliva as a diagnostic sample for #SARSCoV2 testing [link]
CDC’s failed coronavirus tests were tainted with coronavirus [link]
U.S. intelligence officials are still weighing the possibility that coronavirus might have escaped by accident from a Chinese lab. [link]
A mysterious blood-clotting complication is killing coronavirus patients [link]
Pandemic death toll twice as high as official figure [link]
Coronavirus patients don’t realize they have pneumonia [link]
Coronavirus: curse of the ‘Bat Woman’. What went on in the Wuhan lab? [link]
Coronavirus has mutated to become far deadlier in Europe than the milder strain that made its way to the US west coast, Chinese study finds https://mol.im/a/8237849
COVID19 – whats wrong with the models? [link]
How does coronavirus kill? Clinicians trace a ferocious rampage through the body [link]
COVID-19 ability to mutate has been vastly underestimated [link]
A roundup of COVID drugs/vaccines being tested [link]
Early Results of Antibody Testing Suggest Number of COVID-19 Infections Far Exceeds Number of Confirmed Cases in Los Angeles County [link]
Forecasting S-curves is hard [link]
Contamination delayed CDC’s coronavirus test, scientists say [link]
public health interventions with the epidemiology of the COVID-19 outbreak in Wuhan based on analysis of 32,000+ lab-confirmed COVID-19 cases in Wuhan till Mar 8 appeared on April 10. [link]
Dont try to predict COVID19. if you must, use deep uncertainty methods [link]
Policy and economy
Lockdowns don’t work [link]
Models, math and COVID19: A public health response [link]
Ed Dolan’s roadmap for ending the COVID lockdown [link]
Coronavirus antibody testing shows LA County outbreak is up to 55 times bigger than reported cases. [link]
The secret to Germany’s COVID19 success: Angela Merkel is a scientist [link]
COVID19 and the policy sciences: initial reactions and perspectives [link]
Doubt is essential for science – but for politicians its a sign of weakness [link]
Viral politics [link]
New pathogen, old politics [link]
Vietnam’s low cost COVID strategy [link]
We’re not going back to normal. What will the new normal look like? [link]
COVID: do governments ever truly listen to the science? [link]
What the WHO said about COVID19 as the pandemic unfolded [link]
How China deceived the WHO [link]
Inside America’s Two-Decade Failure to Prepare for Coronavirus https://politico.com/news/magazine/2020/04/11/america-two-decade-failure-prepare-coronavirus-179574…
“There is an absence of evidence to support the immediate national deployment of symptom tracking applications, digital contact tracing applications and digital immunity certificates.” [ link
.
Sociology
How to communicate effectively about the pandemic [link]
Could Covid-19 Affect Public Trust in Science? [link]
Typhoid Mary left a trail of scandal and death [link]
Rethinking human ecology in the age of COVID19 [link]
How not to lose the COVID19 communication war [link]
Is the virus giving us back philosophy [link]
via Climate Etc.
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April 23, 2020 at 06:48PM


iowaclimatescienceeducation--2020-04-23--How many die of the Chinese virus, and how many die with it? #coronavirus

One of the most frequently-asked questions about the Chinese virus is how many of those who die after becoming infected die of the virus , and how many merely die with it ?
The Office for National Statistics in the UK has now studied that question .
Of the deaths occurring in March 2020 in England Wales in patients known to be infected with the virus , five-sixths were deaths of the virus and the other one-sixth were deaths with it .
Of those who died of the virus , 91 % had pre-existing comorbidities .
It is not particularly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ deaths were caused by the virus , for it has a drastic effect on the respiratory systems of those whom it puts into intensive care , leaving little room for doubt as to the proximate cause of death .
Raw data show that up to 10 April 2020 , there had been 10,350 deaths registered in England and Wales involving the Chinese virus .
Of these , 6348 ( 61 % ) were male and 4002 ( 39 % ) were female .
Most deaths were among those aged 65 or over ( @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Of these , there were 3485 deaths among those over 85 ( 34 % ) .
These figures suggest that there would be little harm in allowing the under-50s to go back to work .
Globally , the daily compound growth rate in cumulative confirmed cases is now below 5 % in most of the countries we are tracking .
We are now at the point where it would be more useful to deduct deaths and recovered cases from the totals before calculating the growth rate , but both are so poorly counted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the present method .
The case-graph shows that countries that have been in lockdown can now start dismantling them .
Fig .
1 .
Mean compound daily growth rates in cumulative confirmed cases of COVID-19 for the world excluding China ( red ) and for several individual nations averaged over the successive seven-day periods ending on all dates from March 28 to April 22 , 2020 .
It has been suggested that looking at the growth rate in cumulative cases is not valuable because all that is really being measured is the increase @ @ @ @ @ @ @ close correlation between the number of tests and the number of confirmed cases , but – as this column has repeatedly pointed out before – correlation does not necessarily imply causation .
It remains true that most of the confirmed cases were tested because they were showing symptoms severe enough to require investigation .
It is no surprise , then , that there remains a tight correlation between the rates of growth in confirmed cases ( Fig .
1 ) and the rates of growth in deaths ( Fig .
2 ) , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ arise some 14 days after the appearance of frank symptoms .
Furthermore , since the rate of testing is increasing but the compound case-growth rates are falling , the indications that lockdowns can now be carefully dismantled are all the stronger .
Fig .
2 .
Mean compound daily growth rates in cumulative COVID-19 deaths for the world excluding China ( red ) and for several individual nations averaged over the successive seven-day periods ending on all dates from April 4 to April 22 , 2020 .

By Christopher Monckton of Brenchley
One of the most frequently-asked questions about the Chinese virus is how many of those who die after becoming infected die of the virus, and how many merely die with it? The Office for National Statistics in the UK has now studied that question. Of the deaths occurring in March 2020 in England Wales in patients known to be infected with the virus, five-sixths were deaths of the virus and the other one-sixth were deaths with it. Of those who died of the virus, 91% had pre-existing comorbidities.
It is not particularly surprising that the overwhelming majority of virus-related deaths were caused by the virus, for it has a drastic effect on the respiratory systems of those whom it puts into intensive care, leaving little room for doubt as to the proximate cause of death.
Raw data show that up to 10 April 2020, there had been 10,350 deaths registered in England and Wales involving the Chinese virus. Of these, 6348 (61%) were male and 4002 (39%) were female. Most deaths were among those aged 65 or over (8998, or 87%). Of these, there were 3485 deaths among those over 85 (34%). These figures suggest that there would be little harm in allowing the under-50s to go back to work.
Globally, the daily compound growth rate in cumulative confirmed cases is now below 5% in most of the countries we are tracking. We are now at the point where it would be more useful to deduct deaths and recovered cases from the totals before calculating the growth rate, but both are so poorly counted that it seems best to continue with the present method. The case-graph shows that countries that have been in lockdown can now start dismantling them.
Fig. 1. Mean compound daily growth rates in cumulative confirmed cases of COVID-19 for the world excluding China (red) and for several individual nations averaged over the successive seven-day periods ending on all dates from March 28 to April 22, 2020.
It has been suggested that looking at the growth rate in cumulative cases is not valuable because all that is really being measured is the increase in testing. There is indeed a close correlation between the number of tests and the number of confirmed cases, but – as this column has repeatedly pointed out before – correlation does not necessarily imply causation.
It remains true that most of the confirmed cases were tested because they were showing symptoms severe enough to require investigation. It is no surprise, then, that there remains a tight correlation between the rates of growth in confirmed cases (Fig. 1) and the rates of growth in deaths (Fig. 2), after allowing for the fact that deaths arise some 14 days after the appearance of frank symptoms.
Furthermore, since the rate of testing is increasing but the compound case-growth rates are falling, the indications that lockdowns can now be carefully dismantled are all the stronger.
Fig. 2. Mean compound daily growth rates in cumulative COVID-19 deaths for the world excluding China (red) and for several individual nations averaged over the successive seven-day periods ending on all dates from April 4 to April 22, 2020.


iowaclimatescienceeducation--2020-04-23--Time to lockdown China for its dishonesty

The one thing China may have successfully done with the CCPVirus is to rally the rest of the world to say Enough .
Enough of the crass mercenary games , the self-serving lies , and enough of the reckless hygiene or leaky labs .
We all helped to make China what it is , by buying the cheap goods , by selling our manufacturing base , and by assuming that China would follow in the footsteps of Japan , Taiwan and Korea .
Time to put China on lockdown for its dishonesty amid coronavirus crisis China needs to be isolated @ @ @ @ @ @ @ improves .
We are in the current situation , with deaths and economic devastation worldwide , because China handled this outbreak with its trademark mixture of dishonesty , incompetence and thuggery .
Were China a more civilized nation , this outbreak would have been stopped early… … wherever the virus came from , China ’ s response was inept , dishonest and utterly inconsiderate of the rest of the world .
A competent , honest response would have placed the world on notice much earlier .
A China that cared about the rest @ @ @ @ @ @ @ abroad while this disease was spreading , instead of allowing [ … ]

The one thing China may have successfully done with the CCPVirus is to rally the rest of the world to say Enough. Enough of the crass mercenary games, the self-serving lies, and enough of the reckless hygiene or leaky labs.
We all helped to make China what it is, by buying the cheap goods, by selling our manufacturing base, and by assuming that China would follow in the footsteps of Japan, Taiwan and Korea.
Time to put China on lockdown for its dishonesty amid coronavirus crisis
Glenn Harlan Reynolds, USA Today
China needs to be isolated from the civilized world until its behavior improves. We are in the current situation, with deaths and economic devastation worldwide, because China handled this outbreak with its trademark mixture of dishonesty, incompetence and thuggery. Were China a more civilized nation, this outbreak would have been stopped early…
… wherever the virus came from, China’s response was inept, dishonest and utterly inconsiderate of the rest of the world. A competent, honest response would have placed the world on notice much earlier. A China that cared about the rest of the world would have halted flights abroad while this disease was spreading, instead of allowing […]
Rating: 10.0/10 (1 vote cast)
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April 23, 2020 at 03:20PM


iowaclimatescienceeducation--2020-04-23--Volcanic activity escalating in part of Iceland that has not erupted for 800 years

Scientists warn it could cause disruption for centuries to come .
Since 21 January , the Reykjanes peninsula south-west of Iceland ’ s capital , Reykjavik , has experienced more than 8,000 earthquakes and about 10cm of land uplift due to magma intrusions underground .
“ It seems that after being relatively inactive for many centuries , this region is waking up , ” said volcanologist Dave McGarvie .
Reykjanes peninsula ’ s last active period started in the 10th century and lasted until the 13th .
Situated only nine miles ( 15km ) from Iceland ’ s international airport @ @ @ @ @ @ @ going it appears to splutter on and off for up to 300 years , producing eruptive episodes ( locally known as “ fires ” ) lasting a few decades .
Long thin cracks ( fissures ) extend up to five miles ( 8km ) , producing fountains of lava , usually without large amounts of ash or explosive activity .
“ People on the Reykjanes peninsula , and their descendants for several generations , may have to be on their guard and ready to evacuate every so often , ” said McGarvie .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ post Volcanic activity escalating in part of Iceland that has not erupted for 800 years appeared first on Ice Age Now .

Scientists warn it could cause disruption for centuries to come.
Since 21 January, the Reykjanes peninsula south-west of Iceland’s capital, Reykjavik, has experienced more than 8,000 earthquakes and about 10cm of land uplift due to magma intrusions underground.
“It seems that after being relatively inactive for many centuries, this region is waking up,” said volcanologist Dave McGarvie.
Reykjanes peninsula’s last active period started in the 10th century and lasted until the 13th. Situated only nine miles (15km) from Iceland’s international airport, when activity in this region gets going it appears to splutter on and off for up to 300 years, producing eruptive episodes (locally known as “fires”) lasting a few decades. Long thin cracks (fissures) extend up to five miles (8km), producing fountains of lava, usually without large amounts of ash or explosive activity.
The most recent “fires” occurred between 1210 and 1240 and covered about 50 sq km of land in lava.
“People on the Reykjanes peninsula, and their descendants for several generations, may have to be on their guard and ready to evacuate every so often,” said McGarvie.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/apr/10/awakening-volcanic-region-reykjanes-peninsula-iceland-disruption-centuries
Thanks to Joeb for this link
The post Volcanic activity escalating in part of Iceland that has not erupted for 800 years appeared first on Ice Age Now.
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April 23, 2020 at 01:38PM


iowaclimatescienceeducation--2020-04-23--Victoria Falls Back To Normal

Victoria Falls Back To Normal

Turns out it was not CLIMATE CHANGE , but WEATHER !
After photos from Victoria Falls amid its dry season caused great concern in December , the magnificent falls are stronger than ever .
Victoria Falls , located at the border of Zambia and Zimbabwe on the Zambezi River , is not only one of the seven wonders of the world and classified as the biggest waterfall in the world , but it is also a tourist destination that allows the economies of both African countries to thrive .
The Kololo tribe , which resided in the area in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , '' meaning `` the smoke that thunders . ''
Both the indigenous name and the name Victoria Falls , given by Scottish explorer David Livingstone , are recognized officially .
AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Jim Andrews said the climate of the upper Zambezi River watershed is tropical , seasonal and continental , with `` sharply distinct '' wet and dry seasons .
… .
Trevor Lane , a conservationist that works for Bhejane Trust , lives in Victoria Falls .
He made clear that while people may be concerned for the flow of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dry season , the water is not going anywhere any time soon .
`` The falls [ have ] been like this for hundreds of years , '' Lane said .
`` It ’ s almost like the river in rebellion has come down in this mess of floods this year to show that it ’ s not going to dry up . ''
via NOT A LOT OF PEOPLE KNOW THAT

By Paul Homewood
h/t Dennis Ambler
Remember the BBC’s fake news last November?
Turns out it was not CLIMATE CHANGE, but WEATHER!
After photos from Victoria Falls amid its dry season caused great concern in December, the magnificent falls are stronger than ever.
Victoria Falls, located at the border of Zambia and Zimbabwe on the Zambezi River, is not only one of the seven wonders of the world and classified as the biggest waterfall in the world, but it is also a tourist destination that allows the economies of both African countries to thrive.
The Kololo tribe, which resided in the area in the 1800s, named the falls "Mosi-oa-Tunya," meaning "the smoke that thunders." Both the indigenous name and the name Victoria Falls, given by Scottish explorer David Livingstone, are recognized officially.
AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Jim Andrews said the climate of the upper Zambezi River watershed is tropical, seasonal and continental, with "sharply distinct" wet and dry seasons. ….
Trevor Lane, a conservationist that works for Bhejane Trust, lives in Victoria Falls.
He made clear that while people may be concerned for the flow of the falls from the pictures of the dry season, the water is not going anywhere any time soon.
"The falls [have] been like this for hundreds of years," Lane said. "It’s almost like the river in rebellion has come down in this mess of floods this year to show that it’s not going to dry up."
https://www.accuweather.com/en/severe-weather/victoria-falls-thunders-again-after-stark-dry-season-photos/720151
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April 23, 2020 at 01:21PM


iowaclimatescienceeducation--2020-04-23--Sheriffs in Washington state refuse to enforce ‘unconstitutional’ stay-at-home order

“ Sheriff in Washington county where first US coronavirus case was reported says he won ’ t enforce the state @ @ @ @ @ stay-at-home order , ” reads the headline .
Fortney charged that lockdown measures were unconstitutional @ @ @ @ @ many businesses to close He said he and other sheriffs in the state ( italics @ @ @ @ @ the stay-home order ‘ I believe that preventing business owners to operate their businesses and @ @ @ @ @ on our right to life , liberty and the pursuit of happiness , ’ Fortney @ @ @ @ @ elected Sheriff I will always put your constitutional rights above politics or popular opinion.
’ @ @ @ @ @ amid mounting unrest over lockdowns across the US .
Thanks to an alert reader for @ @ @ @ @ in Washington state refuse to enforce ‘ unconstitutional ’ stay-at-home order appeared first on Ice @ @ @

“Sheriff in Washington county where first US coronavirus case was reported says he won’t enforce the state’s ‘unconstitutional’ stay-at-home order,” reads the headline.
Snohomish County Sheriff Adam Fortney condemned Washington’s stay-at-home order in a lengthy Facebook post on Tuesday night.
Fortney charged that lockdown measures were unconstitutional because they have forced so many businesses to close
He said he and other sheriffs in the state (italics added) will stop enforcing the stay-home order
‘I believe that preventing business owners to operate their businesses and provide for their families intrudes on our right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness,’ Fortney wrote.
‘As your elected Sheriff I will always put your constitutional rights above politics or popular opinion.’
Fortney’s protest comes amid mounting unrest over lockdowns across the US.
See entire article:
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8245923/Snohomish-County-sheriff-says-wont-enforce-Washingtons-unconstitutional-stay-home-order.html
Thanks to an alert reader for this link
The post Sheriffs in Washington state refuse to enforce ‘unconstitutional’ stay-at-home order appeared first on Ice Age Now.
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April 23, 2020 at 01:02PM


iowaclimatescienceeducation--2020-04-23--The End of Big Green? The Guardian Praises Michael Moore’s Anti Renewables Flick “Planet of the Huma

The End of Big Green? The Guardian Praises Michael Moore’s Anti Renewables Flick “Planet of the Humans”

The Guardian even mentions nuclear energy in a vaguely positive light ( unlike the Moore film ) .
Planet of the Humans review – contrarian eco-doc from the Michael Moore stable Jeff Gibbs ’ film , produced by Michael Moore , takes a pop at green , liberal A-listers such as Al Gore – but doesn ’ t dare criticise Greta Thunberg Gibbs has a cheeky habit of going backstage at music festivals that solemnly declare themselves to be using 100 % renewable energy , only to find that the fancy array of solar panels behind the tent is enough @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The rest of the energy is provided by just plugging into the shameful old electricity grid , provided by fossil fuels .
He sees it as symptomatic of the mainstream environmental movement , running on delusional piety .
All the green , liberal A-listers – Bill McKibben , Al Gore , Van Jones , Robert F Kennedy Jr – are attacked in this film as a pompous and complacent high-priest caste of the environmental movement , who are shilling for a fossil fuel industry that has sneakily taken them over .
( Although @ @ @ @ @ @ @ all his radical bravado , Gibbs does not dare criticise Thunberg . )
Gibbs doesn ’ t mention nuclear and – a little lamely , perhaps – has no clear lesson or moral , other than the need to take a fiercely critical look at the environmental establishment .
Well , it ’ s always valuable to re-examine a sacred cow .

Guest essay by Eric Worrall
The Guardian even mentions nuclear energy in a vaguely positive light (unlike the Moore film).
Planet of the Humans review – contrarian eco-doc from the Michael Moore stable
4 out of 5 stars.
Peter Bradshaw @PeterBradshaw1
Wed 22 Apr 2020 18.32 AEST
Last modified on Wed 22 Apr 2020 19.32 AEST
Jeff Gibbs’ film, produced by Michael Moore, takes a pop at green, liberal A-listers such as Al Gore – but doesn’t dare criticise Greta Thunberg
…
Gibbs has a cheeky habit of going backstage at music festivals that solemnly declare themselves to be using 100% renewable energy, only to find that the fancy array of solar panels behind the tent is enough to power a single bass guitar. The rest of the energy is provided by just plugging into the shameful old electricity grid, provided by fossil fuels. He sees it as symptomatic of the mainstream environmental movement, running on delusional piety.
All the green, liberal A-listers – Bill McKibben, Al Gore, Van Jones, Robert F Kennedy Jr – are attacked in this film as a pompous and complacent high-priest caste of the environmental movement, who are shilling for a fossil fuel industry that has sneakily taken them over. (Although it should be said that, for all his radical bravado, Gibbs does not dare criticise Thunberg.)
…
Gibbs doesn’t mention nuclear and – a little lamely, perhaps – has no clear lesson or moral, other than the need to take a fiercely critical look at the environmental establishment. Well, it’s always valuable to re-examine a sacred cow.
…


iowaclimatescienceeducation--2020-04-23--Did Gilead Helped the Hit Job against HCQ?

Gilead Sciences ( GILD , market cap 104B ) is the manufacturer and owner of patents for remdesivir .
Remdesivir @ @ @ @ @ as COVID-19 treatment , although more expensive , less tested , and , apparently , @ @ @ @ @ a generic drug with very low profit margins .
9 out of 50 members of @ @ @ @ @ Guidelines disclosed that they had financial ties to Gilead from May 1 , 2019 , @ @ @ @ @ .
Yes , the reporting period covered only 10 months , and ended three weeks @ @ @ @ @ .
Also , look at how flattering the fake news media and Google are to @ @ @ @ @ compare this with the coverage of HCQ : Each search has been done in a @ @ @ @ @ in Texas on April 23 round 11am .

Gilead Sciences (GILD, market cap 104B) is the manufacturer and owner of patents for remdesivir. Remdesivir is a competitor to hydroxychloroquine as COVID-19 treatment, although more expensive, less tested, and, apparently, less efficient. HCQ is a generic drug with very low profit margins.
9 out of 50 members of the Panel on COVID-19 Treatment Guidelines disclosed that they had financial ties to Gilead from May 1, 2019, to March 31, 2020. Yes, the reporting period covered only 10 months, and ended three weeks before publication of the report.
Also, look at how flattering the fake news media and Google are to Gilead and remdesivir:
and compare this with the coverage of HCQ:
Each search has been done in a browser in the clean state in Texas on April 23 round 11am.
More Screenshots
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April 23, 2020 at 11:30AM


iowaclimatescienceeducation--2020-04-24--Global Warming Empties Maldives’ Beaches

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Just as the experts predicted 30 years ago. Live Cam Maldives – Veligandu Island Resort 26 Sep 1988 – Threat to islands
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April 24, 2020 at 06:21AM


iowaclimatescienceeducation--2020-04-24--Finally Some Real Science!

Finally Some Real Science!

A silicone breast implant saved this woman’s life from a gunshot wound. Life-Saving Silicone Breast Implant After Firearm Injury: Case Report and Treatment Recommendations
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April 24, 2020 at 05:52AM


iowaclimatescienceeducation--2020-04-24--Continued CO2 Emissions Will Impair Cognition

Rising CO2 causes more than a climate crisis—it may directly harm our ability to think As the 21st century progresses , rising atmospheric carbon dioxide ( CO ) concentrations will cause urban and indoor levels of the gas to increase , and that may significantly reduce our basic decision-making ability and complex strategic thinking , according to a new CU Boulder-led study .
By the end of the century , people could be exposed to indoor CO levels up to 1400 parts per million—more than three times today ’ s outdoor levels and well beyond what humans have ever experienced @ @ @ @ @ @ @ high CO levels get in enclosed spaces , ” said Kris Karnauskas , CIRES Fellow , associate professor at CU Boulder and lead author of the new study published today in the AGU journal GeoHealth .
“ It affects everybody—from little kids packed into classrooms to scientists , business people and decision makers to regular folks in their houses and apartments.
” Shelly Miller , professor in CU Boulder ’ s school of engineering and coauthor adds that “ building ventilation typically modulates CO levels in buildings , but there are situations when @ @ @ @ @ @ @ enough fresh air to dilute the CO .
” CO can also build up in poorly ventilated spaces over longer periods of time , such as overnight while sleeping in bedrooms , she said .
Put simply , when we breathe air with high CO levels , the CO levels in our blood rise , reducing the amount of oxygen that reaches our brains .
Studies show that this can increase sleepiness and anxiety , and impair cognitive function .
We all know the feeling : Sit too long in a stuffy , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ many of us begin to feel drowsy or dull .
In general , CO concentrations are higher indoors than outdoors , the authors wrote .
And outdoor CO in urban areas is higher than in pristine locations .
The CO concentrations in buildings are a result of both the gas that is otherwise in equilibrium with the outdoors , and also the CO generated by building occupants as they exhale .
Atmospheric CO levels have been rising since the Industrial Revolution , reaching a 414 ppm peak at NOAA ’ s Mauna Loa @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the ongoing scenario in which people on Earth do not reduce greenhouse gas emissions , the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change predicts outdoor CO levels could climb to 930 ppm by 2100 .
And urban areas typically have around 100 ppm CO higher than this background .
Karnauskas and his colleagues developed a comprehensive approach that considers predicted future outdoor CO concentrations and the impact of localized urban emissions , a model of the relationship between indoor and outdoor CO levels and the impact on human cognition .
They found that if the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ppm , that would nudge the indoor concentrations to a harmful level of 1400 ppm .
“ At this level , some studies have demonstrated compelling evidence for significant cognitive impairment , ” said Anna Schapiro , assistant professor of psychology at the University of Pennsylvania and a coauthor on the study .
“ Though the literature contains some conflicting findings and much more research is needed , it appears that high level cognitive domains like decision-making and planning are especially susceptible to increasing CO concentrations.
” In fact , at 1400 ppm @ @ @ @ @ @ @ decision-making ability by 25 percent , and complex strategic thinking by around 50 percent , the authors found .

From Cires
Rising CO2 causes more than a climate crisis—it may directly harm our ability to think
Monday, April 20, 2020
As the 21st century progresses, rising atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) concentrations will cause urban and indoor levels of the gas to increase, and that may significantly reduce our basic decision-making ability and complex strategic thinking, according to a new CU Boulder-led study. By the end of the century, people could be exposed to indoor CO 2 levels up to 1400 parts per million—more than three times today’s outdoor levels and well beyond what humans have ever experienced.
“It’s amazing how high CO 2 levels get in enclosed spaces,” said Kris Karnauskas, CIRES Fellow, associate professor at CU Boulder and lead author of the new study published today in the AGU journal GeoHealth. “It affects everybody—from little kids packed into classrooms to scientists, business people and decision makers to regular folks in their houses and apartments.”
Shelly Miller, professor in CU Boulder’s school of engineering and coauthor adds that “building ventilation typically modulates CO 2 levels in buildings, but there are situations when there are too many people and not enough fresh air to dilute the CO 2 .” CO 2 can also build up in poorly ventilated spaces over longer periods of time, such as overnight while sleeping in bedrooms, she said.
Put simply, when we breathe air with high CO 2 levels, the CO 2 levels in our blood rise, reducing the amount of oxygen that reaches our brains. Studies show that this can increase sleepiness and anxiety, and impair cognitive function.
We all know the feeling: Sit too long in a stuffy, crowded lecture hall or conference room and many of us begin to feel drowsy or dull. In general, CO 2 concentrations are higher indoors than outdoors, the authors wrote. And outdoor CO 2 in urban areas is higher than in pristine locations. The CO 2 concentrations in buildings are a result of both the gas that is otherwise in equilibrium with the outdoors, and also the CO 2 generated by building occupants as they exhale.
Atmospheric CO 2 levels have been rising since the Industrial Revolution, reaching a 414 ppm peak at NOAA’s Mauna Loa Observatory in Hawaii in 2019. In the ongoing scenario in which people on Earth do not reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change predicts outdoor CO 2 levels could climb to 930 ppm by 2100. And urban areas typically have around 100 ppm CO 2 higher than this background.
Karnauskas and his colleagues developed a comprehensive approach that considers predicted future outdoor CO 2 concentrations and the impact of localized urban emissions, a model of the relationship between indoor and outdoor CO 2 levels and the impact on human cognition. They found that if the outdoor CO 2 concentrations do rise to 930 ppm, that would nudge the indoor concentrations to a harmful level of 1400 ppm.
“At this level, some studies have demonstrated compelling evidence for significant cognitive impairment,” said Anna Schapiro, assistant professor of psychology at the University of Pennsylvania and a coauthor on the study. “Though the literature contains some conflicting findings and much more research is needed, it appears that high level cognitive domains like decision-making and planning are especially susceptible to increasing CO 2 concentrations.”
In fact, at 1400 ppm, CO 2 concentrations may cut our basic decision-making ability by 25 percent, and complex strategic thinking by around 50 percent, the authors found.
Full article here


iowaclimatescienceeducation--2020-04-24--Jobs Freeze: America’s Wind & Solar ‘Industries’ Crushed By COVID-19 – 100,000 Sacked

So-called ‘ green ’ jobs are a case of easy come , easy go .
The wind and solar ‘ @ @ @ @ @ to those jobs simply can ’ t survive without massive and endless subsidies , which @ @ @ @ @ .
With the axe being taken to subsidies across the globe , their ultimate demise @ @ @ @ @ , not [ … ]

So-called ‘green’ jobs are a case of easy come, easy go. The wind and solar ‘industries’ that gave birth to those jobs simply can’t survive without massive and endless subsidies, which means their days are numbered. With the axe being taken to subsidies across the globe, their ultimate demise is a matter of when, not […]
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April 24, 2020 at 02:31AM


iowaclimatescienceeducation--2020-04-24--Scientists Criticise UK Government’s ‘Following The Science’ Claim

Ministers accused of abdicating political duty to narrow field of opaque expertise on Covid-19 Experts have voiced growing frustration over the UK government ’ s claim that it is “ following the science ” , saying the refrain is being used to abdicate responsibility for political decisions .
They also raised concerns that the views of public health experts were being overlooked , with disproportionate weight given to the views of modellers .
“ As a scientist , I hope I never again hear the phrase ‘ based on the best science and evidence ’ spoken by a politician , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ global public health at the University of Edinburgh , told the Guardian .
“ This phrase has become basically meaningless and used to explain anything and everything.
” The government has repeatedly said it is being “ led by the science ” on decisions ranging from banning mass gatherings to closing schools , the use of face masks and , most recently , the prospects of lifting the lockdown .
However , Sridhar and others argued that scientific views on these topics could be wide-ranging and dependent on a scientist ’ s field @ @ @ @ @ @ @ views was apparent in March when case numbers were rising rapidly but the government chose not to ban mass gatherings or introduce wide-reaching physical distancing .
“ World Health Organization advice , and what we ’ ve learned from lots of previous outbreaks in low- and middle-income countries , is that the faster you move at the start , the better , because it ’ s exponential growth , ” Sridhar said .
“ In public health , a test , trace and isolate campaign would ’ ve been where your mind first @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the government appeared to be basing policy on the presumption of a binary choice between two scenarios , played out in computer models , of either eradicating the virus or it becoming endemic .
The post Scientists Criticise UK Government ’ s ‘ Following The Science ’ Claim appeared first on The Global Warming Policy Forum ( GWPF ) .

Ministers accused of abdicating political duty to narrow field of opaque expertise on Covid-19
Experts have voiced growing frustration over the UK government’s claim that it is “following the science”, saying the refrain is being used to abdicate responsibility for political decisions.
They also raised concerns that the views of public health experts were being overlooked, with disproportionate weight given to the views of modellers.
“As a scientist, I hope I never again hear the phrase ‘based on the best science and evidence’ spoken by a politician,” Prof Devi Sridhar, chair of global public health at the University of Edinburgh, told the Guardian. “This phrase has become basically meaningless and used to explain anything and everything.”
The government has repeatedly said it is being “led by the science” on decisions ranging from banning mass gatherings to closing schools, the use of face masks and, most recently, the prospects of lifting the lockdown.
However, Sridhar and others argued that scientific views on these topics could be wide-ranging and dependent on a scientist’s field of expertise.
The diversity of scientific views was apparent in March when case numbers were rising rapidly but the government chose not to ban mass gatherings or introduce wide-reaching physical distancing.
“World Health Organization advice, and what we’ve learned from lots of previous outbreaks in low- and middle-income countries, is that the faster you move at the start, the better, because it’s exponential growth,” Sridhar said. “In public health, a test, trace and isolate campaign would’ve been where your mind first went.”
Instead, she said, the government appeared to be basing policy on the presumption of a binary choice between two scenarios, played out in computer models, of either eradicating the virus or it becoming endemic.
The post Scientists Criticise UK Government’s ‘Following The Science’ Claim appeared first on The Global Warming Policy Forum (GWPF).
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April 24, 2020 at 02:25AM


iowaclimatescienceeducation--2020-04-24--NEW MICHAEL MOORE FILM TRASHES RENEWABLES

A new documentary , “ Planet of the Humans , ” being released free to the public on YouTube today @ @ @ @ @ Earth Day , reveals that industrial wind farms , solar farms , biomass , and @ @ @ @ @ .
“ Planet of the Humans was produced by Oscar-winning filmmaker Michael Moore .
“ @ @ @ @ @ last forever , ” Moore told Reuters .
“ I didn ’ t know what @ @ @ @ @ them.
” The film shows both abandoned industrial wind and solar farms and new ones @ @ @ @ @ cutting down forests .
“ It suddenly dawned on me what we were looking at @ @ @ @ @ , ” says filmmaker Jeff Gibbs , staring at a former solar farm in California @ @ @ @ @ the solar panels don ’ t last .
”

This article Reviews the film and also has a link to it.
A new documentary, “Planet of the Humans,” being released free to the public on YouTube today, the 50th Anniversary of Earth Day, reveals that industrial wind farms, solar farms, biomass, and biofuels are wrecking natural environments.
“Planet of the Humans was produced by Oscar-winning filmmaker Michael Moore. “I assumed solar panels would last forever,” Moore told Reuters. “I didn’t know what went into the making of them.”


iowaclimatescienceeducation--2020-04-24--Coronavirus reality check means Australian Green tape is on the chopping block

Now is the perfect time to get rid of pointless green burdens on our economy Thanks to the rude wake @ @ @ @ @ global pandemic , suddenly the fluffy luxury of “ Green ” rules and strangling red @ @ @ @ @ right perspective .
Few are going to complain .
Despite this outbreak appearing to tick @ @ @ @ @ , any reality check exposes how frivolous most fashionable angst is .
There is a @ @ @ @ @ out some of the worst of the Big Government burden .
The Environmental Protection and @ @ @ @ @ the governments sights : Green tape to be cleared for recovery Environment Minister Sussan Ley @ @ @ @ @ tape in time for October ’ s post-coronavirus federal budget , as a new report @ @ @ @ @ grown 4½ times since 2000 and threaten to hamper the economic recovery .
Think tank @ @ @ @ @ ’ s new study of federal environment laws found regulations have grown by more than @ @ @ @ @ and have delayed up to $ 65bn in new [ … ]

Now is the perfect time to get rid of pointless green burdens on our economy
Thanks to the rude wake up call from a real global pandemic, suddenly the fluffy luxury of “Green” rules and strangling red tape are put in the right perspective. Few are going to complain.
Despite this outbreak appearing to tick the Green Left fantasy list, any reality check exposes how frivolous most fashionable angst is. There is a great opportunity here to clean out some of the worst of the Big Government burden.
The Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act is in the governments sights:
Green tape to be cleared for recovery
Richard Ferguson and Dennis Shanahan, The Australian
Environment Minister Sussan Ley is set to cut green tape in time for October’s post-coronavirus federal budget, as a new report shows restrictive environmental regulations have grown 4½ times since 2000 and threaten to hamper the economic recovery.
Think tank the Institute of Public Affairs’s new study of federal environment laws found regulations have grown by more than 10 per cent each year and have delayed up to $65bn in new […]
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April 24, 2020 at 01:03AM


iowaclimatescienceeducation--2020-04-24--Financiers of poverty, malnutrition and death – Part 2

It ’ s easy to farm organically in the wealthy , advanced EU and USA , where consumers can afford much more expensive organic meats , eggs , fruits and vegetables .
It ’ s much harder if you have to deal with the insects and crop diseases that plague African farmers on constant massive levels and locusts that bring true catastrophes every few decades – and then sell your meager crop yields to impoverished families .
That modern pesticides might save billions of dollars of crops every year and stop locusts before they can swarm by the tens of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ feed more people , from less land , with less water , with greater resistance to insects , with less need for chemical pesticides ( natural or manmade ) – never seems to occur , or matter , to those who demand nothing but organic for Africa .
Many African farmers are women , who today have almost no “ right to choose ” when it comes to which crops they will plant .
They labor sunup to sundown on mostly 2 to 5-acre plats , yet rarely have enough produce to feed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for extra money .
Millions live on a few dollars a day .
A 2005 Congress of Racial Equality biotechnology conference in the United Nations General Assembly hall and a related video documentary , “ Voices from Africa : Biotechnology and the subsistence farmer , ” dramatically highlighted the difficulties facing the continent ’ s farmers – and the ways GM/biotech crops can improve their lives , especially crops enhanced with Bacillus thuringiensis ( Bt ) genes that enable plants to kill insects that feed on the crops , while leaving beneficial insects @ @ @ @ @ @ @ much of Africa ’ s most important crop .
But because of drought , poor soil , multiple plant diseases , voracious insects , and lack of modern fertilizers , irrigation and mechanized equipment , average yields per acre in Sub-Saharan Africa are about the lowest in the world .
Other crops suffer similar fates .
“ I grow maize on a half hectare ” ( 1.25 acres ) , South Africa ’ s Elizabeth Ajele explained in the video .
“ The old plants would be destroyed by insects , but not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ profits I get from the new Bt maize , I can grow onions , spinach and tomatoes , and sell them for extra money to buy fertilizer .
We were struggling to keep hunger out of our house .
Now the future looks good .
If someone came and said we should stop using the new maize , I would cry.
” Countryman Richard Sithole shared her excitement .
“ Now I don ’ t have to buy chemical pesticides .
With the old maize , I got 100 bags from my 15 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 1,000 bags .
Now I have money to buy better food and send my children and grandchildren to school and even university.
” It was the same story with cotton .
“ With the new Bt cotton , I only spray pesticides two times , instead of six .
At the end of the day , we know the crop won ’ t be destroyed and we will have a harvest and money , ” South African widow , school principal and mother of five Thandi Myeni explained .
“ I sprayed five @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sometimes the insects still destroyed my entire crop , ” Kenyan Alice Wambuii said .
“ We would get pesticides all over our bodies .
Last year , I got 3,000 shillings for my cotton , but I had to spend 5,000 shillings for sprays.
” Bt cotton changed that for her , too .
Biotech maize and cotton enabled these South African farmers to triple their profits , cut their pesticide use up to 75 % and save 35-49 days per season working in fields – mostly spraying pesticides by hand .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Life looked much better .
But then the cabal of anti-biotech , anti-pesticide , agro-ecology pressure groups launched new attacks , aided by the growing network of ideologically like-minded donors that helped magnify anti-technology programs and messages – often while insulating the big financiers from direct connections to the radical , callous , eco-imperialist pressure groups .
The hopes and dreams , livelihoods and farming preferences of these African farmers mean nothing to the cabal .
The Swift Foundation was founded by an heir to a major stockholder in United Parcel Service , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Endowed with over $ 60 million , it awards grants of over $ 2 million a year and has been a major supporter of pro-organic , anti-agricultural technology organizations in the USA and abroad .
They include : Greenpeace , the Pesticide Action Network , the Center for Food Safety ( long a promoter of radical anti-GMO activist Vandana Shiva ) , and AgroEcology Fund ( AEF ) .
The Christensen Fund was created in 1957 by heirs of a wealthy industrial engineer .
Its $ 300 million in assets support “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ its Rift Valley Program , which funds “ stewards ” ( subsistence farmers ) who want to “ maintain culture-based livelihoods on their ancestral lands and adapt their resource management systems in innovative ways that advance food sovereignty and resilience.
” ( Resilience until they are confronted by droughts , locusts and other insects . )
The New Field Foundation ( NFF ) was founded in 2002 with money from San Francisco based real estate developers Barbara and D. Thomson Sargent .
It claims to support the efforts of rural women to overcome @ @ @ @ @ @ @ communities .
But it opposes biotech crops and other modern agricultural technologies , and gives hefty sums to La Via Campesina and other activists in Africa .
The NFF supports and works with the AEF and is a grantor to the Tides Center/Foundation .
With assets of nearly $ 200 million , Tides helps philanthropies “ manage and direct ” their giving , but has been described as behaving “ less like a philanthropy and more like a money laundering enterprise.
” The Center also receives funding and support from major US foundations @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Fund , Charles Stewart Mott Foundation , Rockefeller Brothers Fund , and David and Lucille Packard Foundation .
The Schmidt Family Foundation ( SFF ) was established in 2006 by Wendy and Eric Schmidt , former executive chairman of Google .
Its estimated assets of $ 178 million , including Google stock primarily help finance advancing “ the wiser use of energy and natural resources to support efforts worldwide that empower communities to build resilient systems for food , water and human resources.
” ( Resilience again . )
The SFF has donated @ @ @ @ @ @ @ groups like the Center for Biological Diversity , Center for Food Safety , Environmental Working Group , Friends of the Earth , Pesticide Action Network – and Greenpeace , an implacable opponent of Golden Rice .
This miracle rice could prevent some 500,000 children from going blind and save 250,000 lives every year from Vitamin A deficiency and malnutrition .
But opposition to Golden Rice caused the loss of at least 1,424,680 life years in India alone just between 2003 and 2013 .
Greenpeace couldn ’ t care less .
To date , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 1 ) has provided more than $ 6 million dollars to organizations that promote subsistence farming as a supposed alternative to far more productive modern farming technologies and methods .
This includes over $ 500,000 over the years to the Alliance for Food Sovereignty in Africa , as well as $ 200,000 to La Via Campesina and GroundSwell International .
In the USA , AEF and NFF donors and advisors have included the Packard Foundation , Ben & Jerry Foundation , Swift Foundation , Wallace Global Fund and many others around the world @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Pesticide Action Network Asia sits on AEF ’ s advisory board , and the global network of financiers finds ways to support PANA and many other ultra-radical groups .
Other callous foundations supporting Friends of the Earth ( a core member of AFSA , along with La Via Campesina ) has come from the Packard Foundation ( $ 600,000 ) , Foundation for the Carolinas ( $ 5,000,000 ) , Charles Stewart Mott Foundation ( $ 500,000 ) , Ford Foundation ( $ 328,500 ) , Rockefeller Brothers Fund ( $ 300,000 ) @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
These financiers and the radical organizations they support perpetuate what many would justifiably call crimes against humanity .
They use their tax-exempt status and clever terminology ( like agro-ecology , sustainability and food sovereignty ) to advance programs that deny people access to modern agricultural technologies that would improve crop yields , increase family wealth , prevent blindness and save lives .
They should be condemned and deprived of their tax-exempt status , for eco-imperialism and making false and ultimately lethal claims about the farming methods they promote and the modern methods @ @ @ @ @ @ @ American farmers from practicing .
Paul Driessen is senior policy analyst for the Committee For A Constructive Tomorrow ( www.CFACT.org ) and author of Eco-Imperialism : Green power ● Black death and other books and articles on energy , environment , climate and human rights issues .

Private ‘philanthropic’ foundations keep African families destitute, malnourished, dying early
Paul Driessen
It’s easy to farm organically in the wealthy, advanced EU and USA, where consumers can afford much more expensive organic meats, eggs, fruits and vegetables. It’s much harder if you have to deal with the insects and crop diseases that plague African farmers on constant massive levels and locusts that bring true catastrophes every few decades – and then sell your meager crop yields to impoverished families.
That modern pesticides might save billions of dollars of crops every year and stop locusts before they can swarm by the tens of billions – or that bioengineered crops might feed more people, from less land, with less water, with greater resistance to insects, with less need for chemical pesticides (natural or manmade) – never seems to occur, or matter, to those who demand nothing but organic for Africa.
Many African farmers are women, who today have almost no “right to choose” when it comes to which crops they will plant. They labor sunup to sundown on mostly 2 to 5-acre plats, yet rarely have enough produce to feed their own families, much less sell for extra money. Millions live on a few dollars a day.
A 2005 Congress of Racial Equality biotechnology conference in the United Nations General Assembly hall and a related video documentary, “Voices from Africa: Biotechnology and the subsistence farmer,” dramatically highlighted the difficulties facing the continent’s farmers – and the ways GM/biotech crops can improve their lives, especially crops enhanced with Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) genes that enable plants to kill insects that feed on the crops, while leaving beneficial insects unharmed.
Maize (corn) is much of Africa’s most important crop. But because of drought, poor soil, multiple plant diseases, voracious insects, and lack of modern fertilizers, irrigation and mechanized equipment, average yields per acre in Sub-Saharan Africa are about the lowest in the world. Other crops suffer similar fates.
“I grow maize on a half hectare” (1.25 acres), South Africa’s Elizabeth Ajele explained in the video. “The old plants would be destroyed by insects, but not the new biotech plants. With the profits I get from the new Bt maize, I can grow onions, spinach and tomatoes, and sell them for extra money to buy fertilizer. We were struggling to keep hunger out of our house. Now the future looks good. If someone came and said we should stop using the new maize, I would cry.”
Countryman Richard Sithole shared her excitement. “Now I don’t have to buy chemical pesticides. With the old maize, I got 100 bags from my 15 hectares. With Bt maize I get 1,000 bags. Now I have money to buy better food and send my children and grandchildren to school and even university.”
It was the same story with cotton. “With the new Bt cotton, I only spray pesticides two times, instead of six. At the end of the day, we know the crop won’t be destroyed and we will have a harvest and money,” South African widow, school principal and mother of five Thandi Myeni explained.
“I sprayed five times a season with pesticides, but sometimes the insects still destroyed my entire crop,” Kenyan Alice Wambuii said. “We would get pesticides all over our bodies. Last year, I got 3,000 shillings for my cotton, but I had to spend 5,000 shillings for sprays.” Bt cotton changed that for her, too.
Biotech maize and cotton enabled these South African farmers to triple their profits, cut their pesticide use up to 75% and save 35-49 days per season working in fields – mostly spraying pesticides by hand.
That was just 15 years ago. Life looked much better. But then the cabal of anti-biotech, anti-pesticide, agro-ecology pressure groups launched new attacks, aided by the growing network of ideologically like-minded donors that helped magnify anti-technology programs and messages – often while insulating the big financiers from direct connections to the radical, callous, eco-imperialist pressure groups. The hopes and dreams, livelihoods and farming preferences of these African farmers mean nothing to the cabal.
The Swift Foundation was founded by an heir to a major stockholder in United Parcel Service, from monies created by UPS going public. Endowed with over $60 million, it awards grants of over $2 million a year and has been a major supporter of pro-organic, anti-agricultural technology organizations in the USA and abroad. They include: Greenpeace, the Pesticide Action Network, the Center for Food Safety (long a promoter of radical anti-GMO activist Vandana Shiva), and AgroEcology Fund (AEF).
The Christensen Fund was created in 1957 by heirs of a wealthy industrial engineer. Its $300 million in assets support “biocultural diversity” and fund projects like its Rift Valley Program, which funds “stewards” (subsistence farmers) who want to “maintain culture-based livelihoods on their ancestral lands and adapt their resource management systems in innovative ways that advance food sovereignty and resilience.” (Resilience until they are confronted by droughts, locusts and other insects.)
The New Field Foundation (NFF) was founded in 2002 with money from San Francisco based real estate developers Barbara and D. Thomson Sargent. It claims to support the efforts of rural women to overcome poverty, violence and injustice in their communities. But it opposes biotech crops and other modern agricultural technologies, and gives hefty sums to La Via Campesina and other activists in Africa.
The NFF supports and works with the AEF and is a grantor to the Tides Center/Foundation. With assets of nearly $200 million, Tides helps philanthropies “manage and direct” their giving, but has been described as behaving “less like a philanthropy and more like a money laundering enterprise.” The Center also receives funding and support from major US foundations, including the NFF, Wallace Global Fund, Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, Rockefeller Brothers Fund, and David and Lucille Packard Foundation.
The Schmidt Family Foundation (SFF) was established in 2006 by Wendy and Eric Schmidt, former executive chairman of Google. Its estimated assets of $178 million, including Google stock primarily help finance advancing “the wiser use of energy and natural resources to support efforts worldwide that empower communities to build resilient systems for food, water and human resources.” (Resilience again.) The SFF has donated directly to radical domestic and global agro-ecology groups like the Center for Biological Diversity, Center for Food Safety, Environmental Working Group, Friends of the Earth, Pesticide Action Network – and Greenpeace, an implacable opponent of Golden Rice.
This miracle rice could prevent some 500,000 children from going blind and save 250,000 lives every year from Vitamin A deficiency and malnutrition. But opposition to Golden Rice caused the loss of at least 1,424,680 life years in India alone just between 2003 and 2013. Greenpeace couldn’t care less.
To date, the AgroEcology Fund (discussed in Part 1) has provided more than $6 million dollars to organizations that promote subsistence farming as a supposed alternative to far more productive modern farming technologies and methods. This includes over $500,000 over the years to the Alliance for Food Sovereignty in Africa, as well as $200,000 to La Via Campesina and GroundSwell International.
In the USA, AEF and NFF donors and advisors have included the Packard Foundation, Ben & Jerry Foundation, Swift Foundation, Wallace Global Fund and many others around the world. A representative of the radical anti-technology Pesticide Action Network Asia sits on AEF’s advisory board, and the global network of financiers finds ways to support PANA and many other ultra-radical groups.
Other callous foundations supporting Friends of the Earth (a core member of AFSA, along with La Via Campesina) has come from the Packard Foundation ($600,000), Foundation for the Carolinas ($5,000,000), Charles Stewart Mott Foundation ($500,000), Ford Foundation ($328,500), Rockefeller Brothers Fund ($300,000) and Schmidt Foundation ($125,000).
These financiers and the radical organizations they support perpetuate what many would justifiably call crimes against humanity. They use their tax-exempt status and clever terminology (like agro-ecology, sustainability and food sovereignty) to advance programs that deny people access to modern agricultural technologies that would improve crop yields, increase family wealth, prevent blindness and save lives.
They should be condemned and deprived of their tax-exempt status, for eco-imperialism and making false and ultimately lethal claims about the farming methods they promote and the modern methods they prevent African, Asian and Latin American farmers from practicing.
Paul Driessen is senior policy analyst for the Committee For A Constructive Tomorrow (www.CFACT.org) and author of Eco-Imperialism: Green power ● Black death and other books and articles on energy, environment, climate and human rights issues.


iowaclimatescienceeducation--2020-04-24--Arctic To Be Ice-Free, Again

Arctic To Be Ice-Free, Again

Fox News says the Arctic will be ice-free in 30 years , and it is “ disturbing.
” Disturbing study @ @ @ @ @ ice-free summers in 30 years | Fox News Experts are finally learning to push their @ @ @ @ @ reading →

Fox News says the Arctic will be ice-free in 30 years, and it is “disturbing.” Disturbing study says Arctic Ocean could have ice-free summers in 30 years | Fox News Experts are finally learning to push their predictions out past … Continue reading →
via Real Climate Science
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April 23, 2020 at 11:15PM


Ole Oleandrin!

John Solomon writes at JustThe News Does military ’ s biodefense lab hold a key to future coronavirus treatment ?
Excerpts in italics with my bolds .
Little noticed research on oleandrin extract from flowering plant gaining steam .
Though often omitted from public conversations about pandemic solutions , the U.S. military has a huge stake in fighting deadly infectious diseases and quietly has been researching novel treatments for years at its secretive biodefense lab at Fort Detrick .
The reasons are mission obvious .
With soldiers deployed in exotic locations around the world where novel viruses like Ebola , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ strike with lighting speed and alarming fatality , the Pentagon wants to make sure it has treatments to keep its forces from being disabled It ’ s from that body of research that an intriguing potential remedy , an organic extract , has emerged .
And of all sources , it comes from the common but toxic flowering plant oleander .
Dr. John Dye , chief of viral immunology at the USAMRIID lab at Fort Detrick , confirmed to Just the News that his team began testing the extract known as oleandrin a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ effective in fighting the Ebola and Marburg viruses .
The Army lab is now ramping up a rapid plan to test oleandrin against COVID-19 .
“ We found that at non-toxic concentrations , oleandrin was efficacious at slowing and halting viral growth in tissue culture assays ” for the Ebola and Marburg viruses , Dye said in emailed answers to questions .
Because those viruses are enveloped , just like COVID-19 , the lab is pressing ahead to do similar tests on the theory that the extract may have similar effects on the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s pandemic , he said .
Oleandrin “ fully inhibited ” the Marburg and Ebola viruses in petri dishes , suggesting the natural compound has “ broad spectrum efficacy ” and may also have “ antiviral efficacy against other enveloped viruses , ” the researchers ’ presentation declared in 2017 .
It was that data that gave Dye ’ s lab an interest in testing oleandrin against COVID-19 now .
If the in-vitro tests show it works , the next step would be human testing in clinical trials .
Because oleandrin already has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from a plentiful flower product , it has advantages in getting to market more quickly should Fort Detrick ’ s tests and then subsequent clinical trials find it is effective and safe , he added .

John Solomon writes at JustThe News Does military’s biodefense lab hold a key to future coronavirus treatment? Excerpts in italics with my bolds.
Little noticed research on oleandrin extract from flowering plant gaining steam.
Though often omitted from public conversations about pandemic solutions, the U.S. military has a huge stake in fighting deadly infectious diseases and quietly has been researching novel treatments for years at its secretive biodefense lab at Fort Detrick.
The reasons are mission obvious. With soldiers deployed in exotic locations around the world where novel viruses like Ebola, Zika or bird and swine flus can strike with lighting speed and alarming fatality, the Pentagon wants to make sure it has treatments to keep its forces from being disabled
It’s from that body of research that an intriguing potential remedy, an organic extract, has emerged. And of all sources, it comes from the common but toxic flowering plant oleander.
Dr. John Dye, chief of viral immunology at the USAMRIID lab at Fort Detrick, confirmed to Just the News that his team began testing the extract known as oleandrin a few years ago and found it was effective in fighting the Ebola and Marburg viruses. The Army lab is now ramping up a rapid plan to test oleandrin against COVID-19.
“We found that at non-toxic concentrations, oleandrin was efficacious at slowing and halting viral growth in tissue culture assays” for the Ebola and Marburg viruses, Dye said in emailed answers to questions.
Because those viruses are enveloped, just like COVID-19, the lab is pressing ahead to do similar tests on the theory that the extract may have similar effects on the coronavirus at the center of today’s pandemic, he said.
Oleandrin “fully inhibited” the Marburg and Ebola viruses in petri dishes, suggesting the natural compound has “broad spectrum efficacy” and may also have “antiviral efficacy against other enveloped viruses,” the researchers’ presentation declared in 2017.
It was that data that gave Dye’s lab an interest in testing oleandrin against COVID-19 now. If the in-vitro tests show it works, the next step would be human testing in clinical trials.
Because oleandrin already has wide user in cancer trials and comes from a plentiful flower product, it has advantages in getting to market more quickly should Fort Detrick’s tests and then subsequent clinical trials find it is effective and safe, he added.
via Science Matters
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April 23, 2020 at 09:26PM