vdare--2020-11-14--Carjackings Up 120% In Chicago And 93% In D.C.

Carjackings used to be so bad in Brazil that Sao Paulo ’ s rich took to traveling only by helicopter .
Is this what Joe Biden wants in the Biden Era ?
Challenging 2020 also brings major jump in Chicago carjackings By JEREMY GORNER CHICAGO TRIBUNE | OCT 14 , 2020 AT 5:00 AM Chicago ’ s surge in gun violence and two rounds of downtown looting have grabbed most of the attention of police and politicians this year , but a review of crime data shows the extent of another crime problem plaguing every corner of the city in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , there had been 914 carjackings in Chicago this year , more than double the number seen through the same date in 2019 and the most the city has seen in that period since 2003 , according to the city ’ s online crime data .
Out of the Chicago Police Department ’ s 22 patrol districts , 16 have seen carjackings more than double so far in 2020 , and in part of the North Side they have quadrupled .
I used to live on Chicago ’ s North Side .
Chicago @ @ @ @ @ @ @ spike earlier this year , even before the COVID-19 pandemic and the fallout over George Floyd ’ s death at the hands of police in Minnesota coincided with violent crime surges throughout the U.S. , including in Chicago .
But in the months since , Chicago ’ s carjacking problem has only gotten worse .
Brendan Deenihan , the Chicago Police Department ’ s chief of detectives , said carjackings already were up by 64 % through April compared with last year .
But he noted the increase only became greater as 2020 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ civil unrest spread throughout the city following Floyd ’ s death .
“ The numbers are extremely high , ” Deenihan said in a Tribune interview Tuesday .
“ Since really the beginning of June and then through July and August when the civil unrest started the carjackings really spiked out of control.
” Deenihan said the public ’ s mainstream use of masks due to the coronavirus has likely been a contributing factor .
It has made it easier for criminals to conceal their identity , perhaps emboldening some… .
Also contributing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the perpetrators , according to Deenihan .
More than half those arrested for the crime so far in 2020 have been under 18 , he said , compared with juveniles making up 32 % of arrestees a year earlier .
As a result of a change in the state law that took effect at the start of 2016 , a carjacking charge when a weapon is used no longer triggers an automatic transfer to adult court for juveniles , where the consequences are often far more severe .
Carjacking can be difficult @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he said , which also contributes to repeat offenses .
“ If you ’ re just arrested for ( possession of a stolen motor vehicle ) because we can ’ t prove up the case of ( a carjacking ) , then more than likely these juveniles are right back home and creating problems for us , ” Deenihan said .
… For example , in the Town Hall District , including North Side areas such as Lakeview , Uptown and Lincoln Park , carjackings have quadrupled , going from five through Oct. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ same period this year , the online crime data show .
I spent most of my free time from 1982-2000 in Lakeview , Uptown , Lincoln Park , Rogers Park , Central , Far North Side , and Near North .
The Rogers Park District on the Far North Side saw carjackings spike from 6 to 17 , according to the data .
And the two districts that cover downtown , Central and Near North , saw a combined total of 52 carjackings through Oct. 3 compared with 22 last year .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of over 50 % in total shootings and homicides in 2020 compared with last year .
But overall reported crime in the seven major crime categories , including crimes like burglary , criminal sexual assault and theft , had dropped by 7 % through Sunday , police statistics show .
Thanks goodness that crime has dropped in the discretionary categories but not in the mandatory reporting categories .

From CWBChicago.com:
… Carjacking reports are up 120% in Chicago this year as of October 24, according to CPD records, with 1,018 cases reported. There were 463 carjackings in the same period last year.
Carjackings used to be so bad in Brazil that Sao Paulo’s rich took to traveling only by helicopter. Is this what Joe Biden wants in the Biden Era?
From the Chicago Tribune:
Challenging 2020 also brings major jump in Chicago carjackings
By JEREMY GORNER
CHICAGO TRIBUNE |
OCT 14, 2020 AT 5:00 AM Chicago’s surge in gun violence and two rounds of downtown looting have grabbed most of the attention of police and politicians this year, but a review of crime data shows the extent of another crime problem plaguing every corner of the city in 2020: carjackings. Through Oct. 3, there had been 914 carjackings in Chicago this year, more than double the number seen through the same date in 2019 and the most the city has seen in that period since 2003, according to the city’s online crime data. Out of the Chicago Police Department’s 22 patrol districts, 16 have seen carjackings more than double so far in 2020, and in part of the North Side they have quadrupled.
I used to live on Chicago’s North Side.
Chicago police officials said they began noticing the spike earlier this year, even before the COVID-19 pandemic and the fallout over George Floyd’s death at the hands of police in Minnesota coincided with violent crime surges throughout the U.S., including in Chicago. But in the months since, Chicago’s carjacking problem has only gotten worse. Brendan Deenihan, the Chicago Police Department’s chief of detectives, said carjackings already were up by 64% through April compared with last year. But he noted the increase only became greater as 2020 progressed, particularly amid the chaos as civil unrest spread throughout the city following Floyd’s death. “The numbers are extremely high,” Deenihan said in a Tribune interview Tuesday. “Since really the beginning of June and then through July and August when the civil unrest started the carjackings really spiked out of control.” Deenihan said the public’s mainstream use of masks due to the coronavirus has likely been a contributing factor. It has made it easier for criminals to conceal their identity, perhaps emboldening some…. Also contributing to the spike could be the age of the perpetrators, according to Deenihan. More than half those arrested for the crime so far in 2020 have been under 18, he said, compared with juveniles making up 32% of arrestees a year earlier. As a result of a change in the state law that took effect at the start of 2016, a carjacking charge when a weapon is used no longer triggers an automatic transfer to adult court for juveniles, where the consequences are often far more severe. Carjacking can be difficult to prove in its own right, he said, which also contributes to repeat offenses. “If you’re just arrested for (possession of a stolen motor vehicle) because we can’t prove up the case of (a carjacking), then more than likely these juveniles are right back home and creating problems for us,” Deenihan said. … For example, in the Town Hall District, including North Side areas such as Lakeview, Uptown and Lincoln Park, carjackings have quadrupled, going from five through Oct. 3 in 2019 to 23 during the same period this year, the online crime data show.
I spent most of my free time from 1982–2000 in Lakeview, Uptown, Lincoln Park, Rogers Park, Central, Far North Side, and Near North.
The Rogers Park District on the Far North Side saw carjackings spike from 6 to 17, according to the data. And the two districts that cover downtown, Central and Near North, saw a combined total of 52 carjackings through Oct. 3 compared with 22 last year. The increase comes as Chicago has seen spikes of over 50% in total shootings and homicides in 2020 compared with last year. But overall reported crime in the seven major crime categories, including crimes like burglary, criminal sexual assault and theft, had dropped by 7% through Sunday, police statistics show.
Thanks goodness that crime has dropped in the discretionary categories but not in the mandatory reporting categories.
From Hey Jackass!:
From the Washington Post:
Police say 2,300 vehicles have been stolen so far this year in the District, up 44 percent from this time in 2019. Carjackings in that time have jumped from 100 to 193, with the biggest increases in the 4th, 5th, 6th and 7th police districts.
[Comment at Unz.com]


Trump's Vaccine: Moderna

It ought to be important to Donald Trump that his administration be remembered for doing an impressive amount to solve the pandemic of 2020-2021 by speeding the approval of vaccines .
On the other hand , Trump is mad at Pfizer for slow-walking the announcement of the efficacy of their vaccine until after Election Day .
Fortunately , it appears that a second “ messenger RNA ” vaccine like Pfizer ’ s , Moderna ’ s , will soon announce a successful trial , having reached its pre-approved first interim trial point of 53 cases .
It may well be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t be quite as wonderfully successful as Pfizer ’ s ( well over 90 % efficacy ) .
On the other hand , Moderna ’ s vaccine doesn ’ t require the extreme cold-storage of Pfizer ’ s .
But the announcement of a second successful vaccine in record time would be an impressive vindication of the Trump Administration ’ s determination to focus on removing regulatory roadblocks to development of a vaccine .
Trump should invite to a White House Rose Garden ceremony various dignitaries to be inoculated on-screen with their choice @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as Joe Biden , Ivanka Trump , Mike Pence , Kamala Harris , Nancy Pelosi , Mitch McConnell , John Roberts , Sonia Sotomayor , LeBron James , Tom Brady , Steven Spielberg , Christopher Nolan , and so forth .

It ought to be important to Donald Trump that his administration be remembered for doing an impressive amount to solve the pandemic of 2020-2021 by speeding the approval of vaccines. On the other hand, Trump is mad at Pfizer for slow-walking the announcement of the efficacy of their vaccine until after Election Day.
Fortunately, it appears that a second “messenger RNA” vaccine like Pfizer’s, Moderna’s, will soon announce a successful trial, having reached its pre-approved first interim trial point of 53 cases.
It may well be that Moderna’s vaccine won’t be quite as wonderfully successful as Pfizer’s (well over 90% efficacy). On the other hand, Moderna’s vaccine doesn’t require the extreme cold-storage of Pfizer’s.
But the announcement of a second successful vaccine in record time would be an impressive vindication of the Trump Administration’s determination to focus on removing regulatory roadblocks to development of a vaccine.
Trump should invite to a White House Rose Garden ceremony various dignitaries to be inoculated on-screen with their choice of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine such as Joe Biden, Ivanka Trump, Mike Pence, Kamala Harris, Nancy Pelosi, Mitch McConnell, John Roberts, Sonia Sotomayor, LeBron James, Tom Brady, Steven Spielberg, Christopher Nolan, and so forth.
[Comment at Unz.com]


vdare--2020-11-13--Biden Transition Official Thinks the U.S. Has Too Much Free Speech, Wants to Change That

So who is this person ?
And what did he write ?
So who defines `` speech that incites hate @ @ @ @ @ diplomats now authorized experts on the U.S. Constitution ?
Stengel says such speech `` can @ @ @ @ @ against another '' .
But the group perpetrating the violence is not the one exercising @ @ @ @ @ Muslims have veto power over what people in our society say about Islam ?
Here @ @ @ @ @ thing again .
What about all the false narratives spread by our own Mainstream Media @ @ @ @ @ them .
Even Stengel admits that `` there 's no agreed-upon definition of what hate @ @ @ @ @ That makes it a weapon to be used by a dominant group to shut out @ @ @ @ @ .
What about the anti-white rhetoric so common today ?
Would that be covered ?
@ @ @ @ @ speech and we need to do it now before we lose it .

President-elect Joe Biden’s transition team leader for US-owned media outlets wants to redefine freedom of speech and make “hate speech” a crime.
[Joe Biden transition official wrote op-ed advocating free speech restrictions, by Steven Nelson, New York Post, November 13, 2020]
So who is this person?
Richard Stengel is the Biden transition “Team Lead” for the US Agency for Global Media, the US government media empire that includes Voice of America, the Middle East Broadcasting Networks and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.
And what did he write?
Stengel, an Obama administration alumnus, wrote last year in a Washington Post op-ed that US freedom of speech was too unfettered and that changes must be considered. He wrote: “All speech is not equal. And where truth cannot drive out lies, we must add new guardrails. I’m all for protecting ‘thought that we hate,’ but not speech that incites hate.”
So who defines "speech that incites hate"?
Stengel offered two examples of speech that he has an issue with: Quran burning and circulation of “false narratives” by Russia during the 2016 election.
Regarding Quran burning
“Even the most sophisticated Arab diplomats that I dealt with did not understand why the First Amendment allows someone to burn a Koran. Why, they asked me, would you ever want to protect that?” Stengel wrote.
So are Arab diplomats now authorized experts on the U.S. Constitution?
“It’s a fair question. Yes, the First Amendment protects the ‘thought that we hate,’ but it should not protect hateful speech that can cause violence by one group against another. In an age when everyone has a megaphone, that seems like a design flaw.”
Stengel says such speech "can cause violence by one group against another." But the group perpetrating the violence is not the one exercising the free speech.
Should Muslims have veto power over what people in our society say about Islam?
Stengel wrote that “our foremost liberty also protects any bad actors who hide behind it to weaken our society,” adding, “Russian agents assumed fake identities, promulgated false narratives and spread lies on Twitter and Facebook, all protected by the First Amendment.”
Here we go with the Russia thing again.
What about all the false narratives spread by our own Mainstream Media? Stengel doesn't mention them.
Stengel until recently worked as a paid MSNBC contributor. He led the National Constitution Center from 2004 to 2006, and was undersecretary of state for public diplomacy and public affairs from 2014 to 2016 during the final years of the Obama administration. So a guy with this opinion was running the National Constitution Center? Did he believe what he believes now about free speech?
“Since World War II, many nations have passed laws to curb the incitement of racial and religious hatred. These laws started out as protections against the kinds of anti-Semitic bigotry that gave rise to the Holocaust. We call them hate speech laws, but there’s no agreed-upon definition of what hate speech actually is. In general, hate speech is speech that attacks and insults people on the basis of race, religion, ethnic origin and sexual orientation,” Stengel wrote.
Even Stengel admits that "there's no agreed-upon definition of what hate speech actually is." That makes it a weapon to be used by a dominant group to shut out speech by a less-dominant group.
“I think it’s time to consider these statutes. The modern standard of dangerous speech comes from Brandenburg v. Ohio (1969) and holds that speech that directly incites ‘imminent lawless action’ or is likely to do so can be restricted. Domestic terrorists such as Dylann Roof and Omar Mateen and the El Paso shooter were consumers of hate speech. Speech doesn’t pull the trigger, but does anyone seriously doubt that such hateful speech creates a climate where such acts are more likely?”
What about the anti-white rhetoric so common today? Would that be covered?
We need to defend free speech and we need to do it now before we lose it.


vdare--2020-11-15--Are Vaccines Really Going to Happen on a Mass Scale in 2020?

Vaccines are suddenly looking less like a theoretical hope than a nearly imminent reality .
Business Insider reports on the very bullish hopes of the White House ’ s Operation Warp Speed science adviser : … Twenty million Americans could get a COVID-19 shot before the end of 2020 , the leading scientist driving the US government ’ s coronavirus vaccine initiative said on Friday .
20 million Americans could get a coronavirus vaccine next month , according to the head of Operation Warp Speed Andrew Dunn 12 hours ago This sounds crazy fast , but Pfizer has been manufacturing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ some time and has several million doses already .
Moncef Slaoui , the chief advisor to Operation Warp Speed , laid out the potential availability of a coronavirus vaccine over the next few months at a Friday press conference at the White House .
After December , 25 million to 30 million people in the US could get a shot each month .
By the end of February , 70 million to 80 million people in the US could be immunized against the coronavirus , according to Slaoui ’ s forecast .
That @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the US population .
… During these first few months , limited quantities will be prioritized for frontline healthcare workers and people at highest risk of becoming critically ill , such as the elderly with multiple pre-existing health conditions .
The specifics on an allocation plan will be finalized by an advisory group to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention .
… Slaoui also noted that more vaccines could be authorized in early 2021 , further boosting available supply .
In an October interview with Business Insider , he outlined three @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Pfizer and Moderna making up the first pairing .
They could quickly be followed by shots from Johnson & Johnson and AstraZeneca , which are now in the final stage of clinical testing .
The third wave is made up of two more injections , respectively developed by Novavax and Sanofi/GlaxoSmithKline .
Those programs are expected to start the final stage of clinical trials in the US within the next few weeks .

Vaccines are suddenly looking less like a theoretical hope than a nearly imminent reality. Business Insider reports on the very bullish hopes of the White House’s Operation Warp Speed science adviser:
… Twenty million Americans could get a COVID-19 shot before the end of 2020, the leading scientist driving the US government’s coronavirus vaccine initiative said on Friday.
20 million Americans could get a coronavirus vaccine next month, according to the head of Operation Warp Speed Andrew Dunn 12 hours ago
This sounds crazy fast, but Pfizer has been manufacturing large quantities of its unapproved vaccine for some time and has several million doses already.
Moncef Slaoui, the chief advisor to Operation Warp Speed, laid out the potential availability of a coronavirus vaccine over the next few months at a Friday press conference at the White House. After December, 25 million to 30 million people in the US could get a shot each month.
By the end of February, 70 million to 80 million people in the US could be immunized against the coronavirus, according to Slaoui’s forecast. That’s as much as a quarter of the US population.
… During these first few months, limited quantities will be prioritized for frontline healthcare workers and people at highest risk of becoming critically ill, such as the elderly with multiple pre-existing health conditions. The specifics on an allocation plan will be finalized by an advisory group to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. …
Slaoui also noted that more vaccines could be authorized in early 2021, further boosting available supply. In an October interview with Business Insider, he outlined three waves of potential vaccine approvals, with Pfizer and Moderna making up the first pairing.
They could quickly be followed by shots from Johnson & Johnson and AstraZeneca, which are now in the final stage of clinical testing.
The third wave is made up of two more injections, respectively developed by Novavax and Sanofi/GlaxoSmithKline. Those programs are expected to start the final stage of clinical trials in the US within the next few weeks.


vdare--2020-11-15--Ezekiel Emanuel: the US Government Should Let Americans Die in Order to Give Scarce COVID Vaccines t

Ezekiel Emanuel: the US Government Should Let Americans Die in Order to Give Scarce COVID Vaccines to Countries Where People Die Young Anyway

Joe Biden recently named bioethicist Ezekiel Emanuel to his COVID council .
Emanuel , a member of the energetic Emanuel family that also includes Rahm , former mayor of Chicago , and Ari , the Hollywood agent who is the source for Jeremy Piven ’ s character on Entourage , is best known for his 2014 article in The Atlantic , “ Why I Hope to Die at 75 , ” in which he announced he would refuse to get a flu vaccination after age 75 , because nobody does anything of world-historical innovative significance after 75 , so what @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Many have therefore expressed concern for elderly COVID victims or for Joe Biden himself , but my suspicion is that Professor Emanuel was not thinking about killing off people like them , but about his own elderly father , the embarrassingly racist retired rightwing terrorist , as I explained in : To Rahm and Ari , condolences .
To Ezekiel , congratulations .
An ethical framework for global vaccine allocation Ezekiel J. Emanuel , [ et al ] Science 11 Sep 2020 : Once effective coronavirus disease 2019 ( COVID-19 ) vaccines are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ This presents the question of how to distribute them fairly across countries .
… Those who think countries will inevitably engage in “ vaccine nationalism ” ( 4 ) may deem an ethical framework for vaccine distribution among countries irrelevant .
Public sentiment in some countries for retaining vaccine developed within their borders is strong , and many governments will also try to obtain vaccines produced elsewhere .
But an ethical framework has broad relevance even in the face of nationalist attitudes .
Rather than simply asserting that might makes right , governments @ @ @ @ @ @ @ country ’ s right and duty to prioritize its own citizens .
Some defend national partiality as ethical .
Fellow citizens share “ associative ties , ” common governmental , civic , and other institutions , and a sense of shared identity .
Also , the legitimate authority of representative government officials inheres in their representing and promoting the interests of their citizens .
Plausibly , these relations support allowing countries to prioritize citizens over foreigners for vaccines .
Others view national partiality as unethical : People ’ s entitlement to lifesaving resources @ @ @ @ @ @ @ whether some national partiality is ethical , unlimited national partiality is not .
Associative ties only justify a government ’ s giving some priority to its own citizens , not absolute priority .
Moreover , associative ties extend across national borders E.g.
, during the Gulf War of 1991 , Rahm Emanuel , Barack Obama ’ s first chief of staff , volunteered to serve in the military … in Israel .
, and citizens of different countries share common institutions .
Finally , national governments have crossborder responsibilities to help satisfy fundamental @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in a global health emergency .
Reasonable defenders of national partiality will differ on how much priority countries should give their citizens for vaccines .
To establish the need for an equitable international distribution , it is unnecessary to determine an optimal level of priority .
It is sufficient to identify a clear upper bound : Reasonable national partiality does not permit retaining more vaccine than the amount needed to keep the rate of transmission ( Rt ) below 1 , when that vaccine could instead mitigate substantial COVID-19–related harms in other countries @ @ @ @ @ @ @ below 1 through ongoing public-health efforts .
That sounds all very reasonable , but Tyler Cowen made a good point recently about what we ’ ve learned fighting this pandemic : it ’ s hard to come up with a successful moderate response because most of the time you are either winning over it or losing to it .
Moderate efforts to finetune responses to keep R-nought just under 1.0 have tended to breakdown fairly quickly and then soon … uh-oh , here we go again .
Three Fundamental Values Fairly distributing a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of distributive justice .
Although governments will be the initial recipients of vaccine , fair distribution across countries must reflect a moral concern for the ultimate recipients : individuals .
Three values are particularly relevant : benefiting people and limiting harm , prioritizing the disadvantaged , and equal moral concern .
Benefiting people and limiting harm is widely recognized as important across ethical theories .
Realizing this value requires defining relevant benefits , measuring them , and assessing the relative urgency—the importance and time sensitivity—of countries ’ needs .
A successful vaccine produces @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and morbidity caused by infection .
It also produces indirect benefits by reducing death and morbidity arising from health systems overstressed by the pandemic , and by reducing poverty and social hardship such as closed schools .
Prioritizing the disadvantaged is a fundamental value in ethics and global health .
Realizing this value requires that vaccine distribution reflect special concern for people who are disadvantaged .
Fairly distributing a COVID-19 vaccine internationally therefore requires assessing different types of disadvantage .
Are the worst-off countries those experiencing the greatest poverty ?
Those where people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the vaccine to people with the lowest life expectancies is self-evidently silly .
Life expectancy before COVID was 54 years in Chad , so why prioritize American vaccines for Chadians so they can die of something else at 54 ?
But of course prioritizing on “ disadvantage ” has disparate impact on race and religion , with Japanese and Nordics having the longest life expectancies and therefore being the least deserving under Emanuel ’ s way of thinking .
Muslims , Hindus , and blacks tend to have the shortest life expectancies , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Ending the pandemic in the United States would hugely boost the world economy , which would do a lot of good for people in poor countries around the world .
If Americans start going to the mall again , demand for garments made in Bangladesh will go up .
In contrast , moderating the pandemic in Chad would have virtually no impact on people in , say , Bangladesh .
To revive the world economy , the most advantaged ( i.e.
, those with the most money to spend ) should be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ vaccines to come online , knock on wood , Pfizer ’ s and Moderna ’ s both demand expensive cold storage ( Moderna somewhat less than Pfizer ) and two injections several weeks apart , requirements best suited for first world economies .
Vaccines better suited to third world delivery capabilities are likely to follow .

Joe Biden recently named bioethicist Ezekiel Emanuel to his COVID council. Emanuel, a member of the energetic Emanuel family that also includes Rahm, former mayor of Chicago, and Ari, the Hollywood agent who is the source for Jeremy Piven’s character on Entourage, is best known for his 2014 article in The Atlantic, “Why I Hope to Die at 75,” in which he announced he would refuse to get a flu vaccination after age 75, because nobody does anything of world-historical innovative significance after 75, so what is the point of living anyway?
Many have therefore expressed concern for elderly COVID victims or for Joe Biden himself, but my suspicion is that Professor Emanuel was not thinking about killing off people like them, but about his own elderly father, the embarrassingly racist retired rightwing terrorist, as I explained in:
Dr. Benjamin Emanuel finally died last year at age 92.
To Rahm and Ari, condolences. To Ezekiel, congratulations.
From Science:
An ethical framework for global vaccine allocation
Ezekiel J. Emanuel, [et al]
Science 11 Sep 2020: Once effective coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccines are developed, they will be scarce. This presents the question of how to distribute them fairly across countries. … Those who think countries will inevitably engage in “vaccine nationalism” (4) may deem an ethical framework for vaccine distribution among countries irrelevant. Public sentiment in some countries for retaining vaccine developed within their borders is strong, and many governments will also try to obtain vaccines produced elsewhere. But an ethical framework has broad relevance even in the face of nationalist attitudes. Rather than simply asserting that might makes right, governments typically appeal to national partiality: a country’s right and duty to prioritize its own citizens. Some defend national partiality as ethical. Fellow citizens share “associative ties,” common governmental, civic, and other institutions, and a sense of shared identity. Also, the legitimate authority of representative government officials inheres in their representing and promoting the interests of their citizens. Plausibly, these relations support allowing countries to prioritize citizens over foreigners for vaccines. Others view national partiality as unethical: People’s entitlement to lifesaving resources should not depend on nationality Regardless of whether some national partiality is ethical, unlimited national partiality is not. Associative ties only justify a government’s giving some priority to its own citizens, not absolute priority. Moreover, associative ties extend across national borders
E.g., during the Gulf War of 1991, Rahm Emanuel, Barack Obama’s first chief of staff, volunteered to serve in the military … in Israel.
, and citizens of different countries share common institutions. Finally, national governments have crossborder responsibilities to help satisfy fundamental needs like basic health care, particularly in a global health emergency. Reasonable defenders of national partiality will differ on how much priority countries should give their citizens for vaccines. To establish the need for an equitable international distribution, it is unnecessary to determine an optimal level of priority. It is sufficient to identify a clear upper bound: Reasonable national partiality does not permit retaining more vaccine than the amount needed to keep the rate of transmission (Rt) below 1, when that vaccine could instead mitigate substantial COVID-19–related harms in other countries that have been unable to keep Rt below 1 through ongoing public-health efforts.
The marginal benefit of additional doses of vaccine in a country able to keep Rt below 1 generally will pale in comparison to the potential benefits to countries whose Rt remains above 1—at least until booster vaccination is needed to maintain immunity. Hence, with Rt below 1, there will not be sufficient vaccine-preventable harm to justify retaining vaccine. When a government reaches the limit of national partiality, it should release vaccines for other countries. This makes an account of fair allocation among countries relevant to reasonable national governments.
That sounds all very reasonable, but Tyler Cowen made a good point recently about what we’ve learned fighting this pandemic: it’s hard to come up with a successful moderate response because most of the time you are either winning over it or losing to it. Moderate efforts to finetune responses to keep R-nought just under 1.0 have tended to break down fairly quickly and then soon … uh-oh, here we go again.
Three Fundamental Values
Fairly distributing a COVID-19 vaccine among countries is a problem of distributive justice. Although governments will be the initial recipients of vaccine, fair distribution across countries must reflect a moral concern for the ultimate recipients: individuals. Three values are particularly relevant: benefiting people and limiting harm, prioritizing the disadvantaged, and equal moral concern. Benefiting people and limiting harm is widely recognized as important across ethical theories. Realizing this value requires defining relevant benefits, measuring them, and assessing the relative urgency—the importance and time sensitivity—of countries’ needs. A successful vaccine produces direct benefits by protecting people against death and morbidity caused by infection. It also produces indirect benefits by reducing death and morbidity arising from health systems overstressed by the pandemic, and by reducing poverty and social hardship such as closed schools. Prioritizing the disadvantaged is a fundamental value in ethics and global health. Realizing this value requires that vaccine distribution reflect special concern for people who are disadvantaged. Fairly distributing a COVID-19 vaccine internationally therefore requires assessing different types of disadvantage. Are the worst-off countries those experiencing the greatest poverty? Those where people have the lowest life expectancies?
Prioritizing the vaccine to people with the lowest life expectancies is self-evidently silly. Life expectancy before COVID was 54 years in Chad, so why prioritize American vaccines for Chadians so they can die of something else at 54?
Equal moral concern requires treating similar individuals similarly and not discriminating on the basis of morally irrelevant differences, such as sex, race, and religion.
But of course prioritizing on “disadvantage” has disparate impact on race and religion, with Japanese and Nordics having the longest life expectancies and therefore being the least deserving under Emanuel’s way of thinking. Muslims, Hindus, and blacks tend to have the shortest life expectancies, so therefore they are the most deserving.
Distributing different quantities of vaccine to different countries is not discriminatory if it effectively benefits people while prioritizing the disadvantaged.
Ending the pandemic in the United States would hugely boost the world economy, which would do a lot of good for people in poor countries around the world. If Americans start going to the mall again, demand for garments made in Bangladesh will go up. In contrast, moderating the pandemic in Chad would have virtually no impact on people in, say, Bangladesh.
To revive the world economy, the most advantaged (i.e., those with the most money to spend) should be prioritized.
Moreover, the first two vaccines to come online, knock on wood, Pfizer’s and Moderna’s, both demand expensive cold storage (Moderna somewhat less than Pfizer) and two injections several weeks apart, requirements best suited for first world economies. Vaccines better suited to third world delivery capabilities are likely to follow.
[Comment at Unz.com]


vdare--2020-11-15--The Continuing Misadventures of Stereotype Threat

Since the 1990s , “ stereotype threat ” — the assertion that the reason politically privileged groups score worse on high stakes tests is because they perversely make themselves live down to pernicious stereotypes — has been far more popular than vindicated by evidence from low stakes tests .
It ’ s easy to get papers upholding stereotype threat published , while the many failed replications tend to be tossed into the circular file .
From Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin in 2018 : Cardiovascular and Self-Regulatory Consequences of SES-Based Social Identity Threat September 2018 Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 10.1177/0146167218795157 Authors : Abdiel J. Flores 15.18Columbia University Tanya A. Chavez Niall Bolger 38.32Columbia University Bettina Casad 22.12University of Missouri – St. Louis This work examined the effects of socioeconomic status ( SES ) -based social identity threat on cardiovascular indexes of challenge and threat and self-regulatory strength .
Participants ( N = 104 ) took an exam described as either diagnostic of intellectual ability ( identity threat ) or framed as a problem-solving task ( control ) while we recorded cardiovascular reactivity and assessed participants ’ physical self-control .
Under identity threat @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , reduced self-control , and cardiovascular threat reactivity .
In contrast , higher SES students under threat exhibited the reverse pattern—a boost in performance , no change in self-regulation , and cardiovascular challenge reactivity .
Furthermore , while measures of general arousal ( heart rate and pre-ejection period ) were unrelated to performance , cardiovascular patterns of challenge and threat were significantly associated with performance under identity threat .
Results provide evidence that SES-based stigma influences physiological and self-regulatory processes .
From Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin in 2020 : The editor and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ article : Flores AJ , Chavez TA , Bolger N , Casad BJ .
Cardiovascular and Self-Regulatory Consequences of SES-Based Social Identity Threat .
Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin .
2019 ; 45 ( 5 ) :700-714 .
Original doi:10.1177/0146167218795157 .
This article is being retracted at the request of all of the authors .
The first author of the paper , Abdiel J. Flores , contacted the journal on his own initiative to inform it that he falsified data in the paper .
He altered specific data values in Figures 1 and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ incorrect and misleading results on the effects of SES identity threat on cardiovascular challenge/threat reactivity and on mathematics performance .
Because this data manipulation invalidates the findings , the entire article is being retracted .
Mr. Flores informed the journal that he takes full responsibility for alteration of data ; none of the co-authors participated in or had knowledge of the first author ’ s actions .
Mr. Flores self-reported this matter to his institution , Columbia University , which is handling it in accordance with institutional policy and procedure .

Earlier (2004): "Stereotype Threat" a.k.a. Occam's Butterknife
Since the 1990s, “stereotype threat”—the assertion that the reason politically privileged groups score worse on high stakes tests is because they perversely make themselves live down to pernicious stereotypes—has been far more popular than vindicated by evidence from low stakes tests. It’s easy to get papers upholding stereotype threat published, while the many failed replications tend to be tossed into the circular file.
From Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin in 2018:
Cardiovascular and Self-Regulatory Consequences of SES-Based Social Identity Threat
September 2018 Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin 45(5):014616721879515
DOI: 10.1177/0146167218795157
Authors:
Abdiel J. Flores
15.18Columbia University
Tanya A. Chavez
Niall Bolger
38.32Columbia University
Bettina Casad
22.12University of Missouri – St. Louis This work examined the effects of socioeconomic status (SES)-based social identity threat on cardiovascular indexes of challenge and threat and self-regulatory strength. Participants (N = 104) took an exam described as either diagnostic of intellectual ability (identity threat) or framed as a problem-solving task (control) while we recorded cardiovascular reactivity and assessed participants’ physical self-control. Under identity threat, lower SES students exhibited impaired performance, reduced self-control, and cardiovascular threat reactivity. In contrast, higher SES students under threat exhibited the reverse pattern—a boost in performance, no change in self-regulation, and cardiovascular challenge reactivity. Furthermore, while measures of general arousal (heart rate and pre-ejection period) were unrelated to performance, cardiovascular patterns of challenge and threat were significantly associated with performance under identity threat. Results provide evidence that SES-based stigma influences physiological and self-regulatory processes.
From Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin in 2020:
Retraction Notice
First Published November 13, 2020 Correction The editor and the authors agreed to retract the following article: Flores AJ, Chavez TA, Bolger N, Casad BJ. Cardiovascular and Self-Regulatory Consequences of SES-Based Social Identity Threat. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin. 2019;45(5):700-714. Original doi:10.1177/0146167218795157. This article is being retracted at the request of all of the authors. The first author of the paper, Abdiel J. Flores, contacted the journal on his own initiative to inform it that he falsified data in the paper. He altered specific data values in Figures 1 and 2 and associated analyses that resulted in incorrect and misleading results on the effects of SES identity threat on cardiovascular challenge/threat reactivity and on mathematics performance. Because this data manipulation invalidates the findings, the entire article is being retracted. Mr. Flores informed the journal that he takes full responsibility for alteration of data; none of the co-authors participated in or had knowledge of the first author’s actions. Mr. Flores self-reported this matter to his institution, Columbia University, which is handling it in accordance with institutional policy and procedure.
[Comment at Unz.com]


vdare--2020-11-16--We're Saved: Biden Fills Economic Posts With Experts On Systemic Racism

The incoming president tapped Mehrsa Baradaran , whose book “ The Color of Money ” is a key reference on the racial wealth gap , to prepare the Treasury Department for the transition .
She ’ s joined by Lisa Cook , an economist at Michigan State University , on the “ landing team ” for the Federal Reserve and banking and securities regulators .
They are among more than 500 experts who will focus on race as they shape Biden ’ s policies on issues like housing , health and small-business lending .
Baradaran declined to comment , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Observers say they ’ ve never seen expertise about race figure so prominently in economic roles .
“ It ’ s an incredible signal to the Black community , ” said Anna Gifty Opoku-Agyeman , co-founder of the Sadie Collective , a nonprofit working to get more Black women in economics .
“ This administration is going to be focused on thinking about : ‘ How do we build up Black wealth ?
How do we close this racial wealth gap ?
’ ” Disparities in economic opportunity and achievement have been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ year , since the summer ’ s widespread demonstrations against racism and police brutality .
Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta President Raphael Bostic , the first Black Fed president in the central bank ’ s 106-year history , has said systemic racism is both an economic and a moral issue .
Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris are emphasizing diversity as they prepare to assume power next year .
Women comprise more than 50 % of the new administration ’ s landing teams , according to the transition team , and more than @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that are historically underrepresented in the federal government , like racial minorities , people with disabilities and those who identify as LGBTQ .
… Among Biden ’ s other experts on the racial wealth gap are : • Don Graves , who leads the Treasury landing team .
He ’ s a former Obama administration official and was head of corporate responsibility at KeyBank until he joined the campaign in September .
• Bill Bynum , who will advise the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau .
He ’ s chief executive of the Hope @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who will serve on the Commerce Department ’ s landing team .
She ’ s the first executive director for the Greater Washington Black Chamber of Commerce .
Such personnel decisions hint at the incoming administration ’ s emphasis on addressing disparities .

From MSN:
The incoming president tapped Mehrsa Baradaran , whose book “The Color of Money” is a key reference on the racial wealth gap, to prepare the Treasury Department for the transition.
She’s joined by Lisa Cook, an economist at Michigan State University, on the “landing team” for the Federal Reserve and banking and securities regulators. They are among more than 500 experts who will focus on race as they shape Biden’s policies on issues like housing, health and small-business lending. Baradaran declined to comment, and Cook referred questions to the Biden team.
Observers say they’ve never seen expertise about race figure so prominently in economic roles.
“It’s an incredible signal to the Black community,” said Anna Gifty Opoku-Agyeman, co-founder of the Sadie Collective, a nonprofit working to get more Black women in economics. “This administration is going to be focused on thinking about: ‘How do we build up Black wealth? How do we close this racial wealth gap?’”
Disparities in economic opportunity and achievement have been a prominent topic in the U.S. this year, since the summer’s widespread demonstrations against racism and police brutality. Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta President Raphael Bostic, the first Black Fed president in the central bank’s 106-year history, has said systemic racism is both an economic and a moral issue.
Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris are emphasizing diversity as they prepare to assume power next year. Women comprise more than 50% of the new administration’s landing teams, according to the transition team, and more than 40% of advisers are from groups that are historically underrepresented in the federal government, like racial minorities, people with disabilities and those who identify as LGBTQ. …
Among Biden’s other experts on the racial wealth gap are:
Don Graves, who leads the Treasury landing team. He’s a former Obama administration official and was head of corporate responsibility at KeyBank until he joined the campaign in September.
Bill Bynum, who will advise the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. He’s chief executive of the Hope Credit Union.
Tene Dolphin, who will serve on the Commerce Department’s landing team. She’s the first executive director for the Greater Washington Black Chamber of Commerce.
Such personnel decisions hint at the incoming administration’s emphasis on addressing disparities.


vdare--2020-11-16--Patrick J. Buchanan: Biden Offers War Guarantee To Japan

Because of Donald Trump , Vice President Joe Biden thundered during the campaign , the U.S. `` is more isolated in the world than we 've ever been ... America First has made America alone . ''
Biden promised to repair relations with America 's allies .
And he appears to have gone some distance to do so in the congratulatory phone call he received from Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga of Japan .
According to Suga , during the brief call , Biden said Article V of the U.S.-Japan Mutual Security Treaty of 1960 covers the Senkaku Islands in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but China claims as its own .
`` President-elect Biden gave me a commitment that Article 5 of the US-Japan security treaty applies to the Senkaku Islands , '' said a delighted Suga .
And what does Article V commit us to ?
Message : The U.S. will treat a Chinese attempt to take the Senkakus , tiny rocky outcroppings in the East China Sea , as an attack on the USA , and America will fight China to secure Japan 's right to keep the islands .
Biden has removed any ambiguity @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a U.S. war guarantee that covers the Senkakus .
The response of China 's foreign ministry was to angrily lay claim to the islands they call the Diaoyus as `` inherently Chinese '' and to dismiss the U.S.-Japan security treaty as a `` product of the Cold War . ''
This diplomatic clash comes as Henry Kissinger was warning the Bloomberg Economic Forum : `` America and China are now drifting increasingly toward confrontation , and they 're conducting their diplomacy in a confrontational way .
...
The danger is that some crisis @ @ @ @ @ @ @ into actual military conflict . ''
Kissinger continued : `` Unless there is some basis for some cooperative action , the world will slide into a catastrophe comparable to World War I . ''
World War I was the worst calamity in Western civilization—until the next war to which it led inexorably : World War II .
Last week , we also learned that during Chinese military exercises in August , the People 's Liberation Army fired two missiles thousands of kilometers from the mainland that struck a targeted merchant ship sailing in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were the DF-21D and DF-26B .
Both missiles are known as `` aircraft carrier killers . ''
The U.S. routinely moves its carriers through these waters to underscore our contention that neither the South China Sea nor the Paracel and Spratly Islands within belong to China as Beijing claims .
Consistent with China 's toughening policies toward its neighbors , four members of the opposition in the Hong Kong legislature were ousted last week , which led to wholesale resignations that have left Hong Kong 's governing council under the total control of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ one country , two systems '' for Hong Kong , dating to the transfer of sovereignty by Great Britain , appears to be over .
The dissidents and demonstrators who filled the streets just months ago appear to have been routed , and the city 's future looks less like the Hong Kong of yesterday than the Beijing of tomorrow .
These actions are consistent with the hard lines Beijing has taken on its `` reeducation camps '' for Uighurs in Xinjiang and its border dispute with India in the Himalayas .
While @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sought to round up like-minded nations to stand up to China—Japan , Australia , India—there appears to be a reluctance , rooted in uncertainty as to whether Communist China or democratic America represents the future of Asia .
Trump 's `` America First '' policy asked the most basic of questions : Are all these half-century old alliances , these commitments to go to war for Japan , South Korea , Taiwan and the Philippines , as in Joe Biden 's estimation , assets to be nurtured and even expanded to cover more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they liabilities that could drag us into wars the American people do not want to fight ?
While we reject China 's claim to all the reefs , rocks and islets in the South China Sea and her claim to the Senkakus in the East China Sea , should we be obligated to go to war over these tiny parcels of land , especially when their legitimate owners are unwilling to fight for them ?
Biden repudiates an `` America First '' foreign policy that puts U.S. security , sovereignty , liberty and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ other nation .
But what is it , then , that Biden puts first ?
Been there , done that .
Sixty years ago when Richard Nixon and John F. Kennedy faced off , the foreign policy debate was over whether the U.S. should fight Mao 's China to defend the tiny offshore islands of Quemoy and Matsu .
Patrick J. Buchanan needs no introduction to VDARE.COM readers ; his books State of Emergency : The Third World Invasion and Conquest of America , and Suicide of a Superpower : Will America Survive @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Patrick J. Buchanan is the author of “ The Greatest Comeback : How Richard Nixon Rose From Defeat to Create the New Majority .
His latest book , published May , 2018 , is “ Nixon ’ s White House Wars : The Battles That Made and Broke a President and Divided America Forever.
” See Peter Brimelow ’ s review : “ Wheel And Fight ” —Pat Buchanan ’ s Nixon Book Provides Road Map For Trump .

Because of Donald Trump, Vice President Joe Biden thundered during the campaign, the U.S. "is more isolated in the world than we've ever been ... America First has made America alone."
Biden promised to repair relations with America's allies. And he appears to have gone some distance to do so in the congratulatory phone call he received from Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga of Japan.
According to Suga, during the brief call, Biden said Article V of the U.S.-Japan Mutual Security Treaty of 1960 covers the Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea, islands Japan controls but China claims as its own.
"President-elect Biden gave me a commitment that Article 5 of the US-Japan security treaty applies to the Senkaku Islands," said a delighted Suga. And what does Article V commit us to?
"Each Party recognizes that an armed attack against either Party in the territories under the administration of Japan would be dangerous to its own peace and safety and declares that it would act to meet the common danger..."
Message: The U.S. will treat a Chinese attempt to take the Senkakus, tiny rocky outcroppings in the East China Sea, as an attack on the USA, and America will fight China to secure Japan's right to keep the islands.
Biden has removed any ambiguity that may have existed and given Tokyo a U.S. war guarantee that covers the Senkakus.
The response of China's foreign ministry was to angrily lay claim to the islands they call the Diaoyus as "inherently Chinese" and to dismiss the U.S.-Japan security treaty as a "product of the Cold War."
This diplomatic clash comes as Henry Kissinger was warning the Bloomberg Economic Forum: "America and China are now drifting increasingly toward confrontation, and they're conducting their diplomacy in a confrontational way. ... The danger is that some crisis will occur that will go beyond rhetoric into actual military conflict."
Kissinger continued: "Unless there is some basis for some cooperative action, the world will slide into a catastrophe comparable to World War I."
World War I was the worst calamity in Western civilization—until the next war to which it led inexorably: World War II.
Last week, we also learned that during Chinese military exercises in August, the People's Liberation Army fired two missiles thousands of kilometers from the mainland that struck a targeted merchant ship sailing in the South China Sea. The missiles were the DF-21D and DF-26B.
Both missiles are known as "aircraft carrier killers."
The U.S. routinely moves its carriers through these waters to underscore our contention that neither the South China Sea nor the Paracel and Spratly Islands within belong to China as Beijing claims.
Consistent with China's toughening policies toward its neighbors, four members of the opposition in the Hong Kong legislature were ousted last week, which led to wholesale resignations that have left Hong Kong's governing council under the total control of pro-Beijing hardliners.
The era of "one country, two systems" for Hong Kong, dating to the transfer of sovereignty by Great Britain, appears to be over. The dissidents and demonstrators who filled the streets just months ago appear to have been routed, and the city's future looks less like the Hong Kong of yesterday than the Beijing of tomorrow.
These actions are consistent with the hard lines Beijing has taken on its "reeducation camps" for Uighurs in Xinjiang and its border dispute with India in the Himalayas.
While Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has lately sought to round up like-minded nations to stand up to China—Japan, Australia, India—there appears to be a reluctance, rooted in uncertainty as to whether Communist China or democratic America represents the future of Asia.
Trump's "America First" policy asked the most basic of questions:
Are all these half-century old alliances, these commitments to go to war for Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and the Philippines, as in Joe Biden's estimation, assets to be nurtured and even expanded to cover more territories like the Senkakus? Or are they liabilities that could drag us into wars the American people do not want to fight?
While we reject China's claim to all the reefs, rocks and islets in the South China Sea and her claim to the Senkakus in the East China Sea, should we be obligated to go to war over these tiny parcels of land, especially when their legitimate owners are unwilling to fight for them?
Biden repudiates an "America First" foreign policy that puts U.S. security, sovereignty, liberty and vital interests above the interests of any other nation.
But what is it, then, that Biden puts first?
Globalism. A New World Order. A Crusade for Global Democracy.
Been there, done that.
Sixty years ago when Richard Nixon and John F. Kennedy faced off, the foreign policy debate was over whether the U.S. should fight Mao's China to defend the tiny offshore islands of Quemoy and Matsu.
Kennedy thought not. Kennedy won.
COPYRIGHT 2020 CREATORS.COM
Patrick J. Buchanan needs no introduction to VDARE.COM readers; his books State of Emergency: The Third World Invasion and Conquest of America, and Suicide of a Superpower: Will America Survive to 2025? are available from Amazon.com. Patrick J. Buchanan is the author of “The Greatest Comeback: How Richard Nixon Rose From Defeat to Create the New Majority.
His latest book, published May, 2018, is “Nixon’s White House Wars: The Battles That Made and Broke a President and Divided America Forever.”
See Peter Brimelow’s review: “Wheel And Fight”—Pat Buchanan’s Nixon Book Provides Road Map For Trump.


vdare--2020-11-16--A Reader Reports Anti-Trump Voter Hate And Discrimination By Black Postal Workers

From : An Anonymous Colorado Reader [ Email him ] I recently moved to Denver .
I was trying to rent a post office box on the day after the election , I did n't have all the right ID ( renting a post office box was harder than getting a two-week sublet ) .
One form of ID they can take is your voter registration .
There were two people talking to me at this point , one went to get her supervisor basically .
They commented that I `` look like a Trump voter , '' in kind @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and said no , and the supervisor said , `` Good , I would 've torn this lobby up . ''
I ended up not renting the box—I 'm paying more to rent one from UPS where at least they have decent customer service .
James Fulford writes ; Before the election , the MSM worried that Trump , as President , would Before the election , the MSM worried that Trump , as President , would `` do something '' to the USPS to prevent Biden votes from getting through .
That @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that mail-in ballots look like electing Biden , the idea that Post Office employees might backdate late ballots or lose Trump ballots is a conspiracy theory , according to the MSM , even though it requires no actual directed conspiracy , just a black culture of hate .

From: An Anonymous Colorado Reader [Email him]
I recently moved to Denver. I was trying to rent a post office box on the day after the election, I didn't have all the right ID (renting a post office box was harder than getting a two-week sublet).
One form of ID they can take is your voter registration. There were two people talking to me at this point, one went to get her supervisor basically. They commented that I "look like a Trump voter," in kind of a snide tone. I lied and said no, and the supervisor said, "Good, I would've torn this lobby up."
I ended up not renting the box—I'm paying more to rent one from UPS where at least they have decent customer service.
Both employees were Black.


vdare--2020-11-16--CBS Reality Shows to Be 50% “People of Color”—Why Not Just Ban Casting White People?

Why not just stop casting white people in scripted and unscripted ( reality ) programming ?
Wouldn ’ t this immediately introduce all of the diversity necessary to overcome decade after unfortunate decade of whiteness on network television ?
CBS announced a new diversity pledge Monday that will have a visible impact on its staple of reality shows : All future casts will contain at least 50 percent Black , indigenous and people of color .
That means hits like Survivor , Big Brother , and Love Island will be far more diverse starting with the 2021-2022 season .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that ’ s especially underrepresented , and needs to be more inclusive across development , casting , production and all phases of storytelling , ” said George Cheeks , president and chief executive officer for the CBS Entertainment Group .
“ As we strive to improve all of these creative aspects , the commitments announced today are important first steps in sourcing new voices to create content and further expanding the diversity in our unscripted programming , as well as on our network.
” The move follows several Survivorcontestants speaking out about the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s cast .
Over the summer , contestants including Sean Rector ( season 4 , Survivor : Marquesas ) and Jolanda Jones ( season 10 , Survivor : Palau ) formed a group called The Black Survivor Alliance with the goal of “ bringing light to our collective experience with implicit bias and racism on and off the show ” and had a series of meetings with CBS executives and host and executive producer Jeff Probst about the show being more equitable and inclusive .
The BSA was one of two groups @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with the network and producers .
In an interview with EW , Rector suggested his outspoken criticism of the show ’ s diversity issues was one reason he never appeared on the show again for one of its All-Starsseasons .
“ If you don ’ t think racism and implicit bias exists , tell me why [ Survivor : Marquesaswinner Vecepia Robinson ] has been completely ignored and has NEVER received an inquiry call or invite to even play in a season with all previous winners ?
, ” Rector wrote .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ she was boring or not great TV ’ BS ) .
Subsequently , ten seasons later , Earl Cole , a Black man , finally won and like my sis Vecepia and Marquesas , was largely ignored by showrunners … Television , specifically the Survivorfranchise , has a responsibility and the power to represent a more just and equitable playing field as a benchmark of real progress for ALL people , and not some concession of perceived power or standing that had to be compromised by one group to another.
” Other contestants @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s Julia Carter ( season 38 ) , Survivor : Cagayan ’ sJ ’ Tia Taylor ( season 28 ) and Jones have likewise recently spoken out in Ross ’ Quarantine Questionnaire series of interviews with past contestants .
( Below , the cast of 2017 ’ s Heroes vs. Healers vs. Hustlers ) .

Why not just stop casting white people in scripted and unscripted (reality) programming? Wouldn’t this immediately introduce all of the diversity necessary to overcome decade after unfortunate decade of whiteness on network television?
CBS pledges Survivor, Big Brother casts will now be 50 percent people of color, Entertainment Weekly, November 10, 2020
Following criticism from past contestants, shows like Survivor, Big Brother, and Love Islandwill include at least 50 percent people of color in their casts moving forward.
CBS announced a new diversity pledge Monday that will have a visible impact on its staple of reality shows: All future casts will contain at least 50 percent Black, indigenous and people of color. That means hits like Survivor, Big Brother,and Love Island will be far more diverse starting with the 2021-2022 season. “The reality TV genre is an area that’s especially underrepresented, and needs to be more inclusive across development, casting, production and all phases of storytelling,” said George Cheeks, president and chief executive officer for the CBS Entertainment Group. “As we strive to improve all of these creative aspects, the commitments announced today are important first steps in sourcing new voices to create content and further expanding the diversity in our unscripted programming, as well as on our network.” The move follows several Survivor contestants speaking out about the lack of diversity in the long-running show’s cast. Over the summer, contestants including Sean Rector (season 4, Survivor: Marquesas) and Jolanda Jones (season 10, Survivor: Palau) formed a group called The Black Survivor Alliance with the goal of “bringing light to our collective experience with implicit bias and racism on and off the show” and had a series of meetings with CBS executives and host and executive producer Jeff Probst about the show being more equitable and inclusive. The BSA was one of two groups of former Black contestants to hold meetings with the network and producers. In an interview with EW, Rector suggested his outspoken criticism of the show’s diversity issues was one reason he never appeared on the show again for one of its All-Stars seasons. “If you don’t think racism and implicit bias exists, tell me why [Survivor: Marquesas winner Vecepia Robinson] has been completely ignored and has NEVER received an inquiry call or invite to even play in a season with all previous winners?,” Rector wrote. “(Please miss me with the ‘she was boring or not great TV’ BS). Subsequently, ten seasons later, Earl Cole, a Black man, finally won and like my sis Vecepia and Marquesas, was largely ignored by showrunners … Television, specifically the Survivor franchise, has a responsibility and the power to represent a more just and equitable playing field as a benchmark of real progress for ALL people, and not some concession of perceived power or standing that had to be compromised by one group to another.” Other contestants like Survivor: Edge of Extinction’s Julia Carter (season 38), Survivor: Cagayan’sJ’Tia Taylor (season 28) and Jones have likewise recently spoken out in Ross’ Quarantine Questionnaire series of interviews with past contestants. (Below, the cast of 2017’s Heroes vs. Healers vs. Hustlers).
“My edit, and that of so many other Black people, caused me to organize the BSA and move to end systematic racism on Survivor,” Jones says. “Of the seasons I watched, the one that makes me the saddest, makes me cry and breaks my heart, is season 14, where there were three Black players, Earl Cole, Cassandra Franklin, and Dreamz Herd, as the finalists. The systematic/systemic racism, implicit bias, and microaggressions shown throughout the editing but especially during the final Tribal were so hard to watch. The thickness of the racism could be cut with a knife … ‘diverse’ does not mean the majority of the cast is white with a mixture of other races.”
Added Carter: “Many people do not realize the impacts that [diversity] has on the game. When you truly diversify the cast (and I don’t mean just a sprinkle of each race in every season), you even the playing field and allow every castaway a real opportunity to connect with more individuals, find allies, and win the game. Seasons like Cook Islands and Fiji, in which there was racially equal casting, should be the norm, not the exceptions.”
Agreed Taylor: “Lazy, crazy, workhorse, and sidekick are the typical ways that Survivor portrays African Americans, which is disproportionally negative. We are heroes, nerds, beauties, and so much more in real life. And I’d like to see that on Survivor.” Big Brother has likewise had controversies over racial issues over the years, particularly in 2019, due to remarks made by white contestants on the show. Also, just in general, more than any other broadcaster CBS has come under fire in recent years for a lack of diversity. In 2017, for example, the network’s entire new fall lineup consisted of six scripted shows all staring men – five of which were white men.
Since then, the network has announced a series of changes both behind the scenes and in front of the camera, with this reality TV casting goal as the latest move. Over the summer, for example, CBS announced it will allocate a minimum of 25 percent of its future script development budgets to projects created or co-created by Black, indigenous and people of color (a goal that will also now apply to unscripted shows), and also set a target for its writers’ rooms to be staffed with a minimum of 40 percent of same (a goal which increases to 50 percent in 2022). The network’s scripted cast diversity has also improved with series such as Bob Hearts Abishola, The Neighborhood, All Rise, SWAT and FBI.
Cord cutting for streaming services is at record highs. What percentage of people cutting cable and abandoning network television for streaming services (and watching lily white reruns of their favorite shows from decades ago) are doing so because of intense diversity mandates across not just CBS, but every channel?
Diversity just means limiting white people’s access to a vocation or an avocation.
[Comment at Unz.com]


vdare--2020-11-16--Black Teen Vandalizes Own Car With  “Hate”  Slogans, Charged with Insurance Fraud

It ’ s a well known fact the demand for white racism/white supremacy/implicit bias/systemic racism/redlining/structural inequality far exceeds the supply across the nation… BUFFALO , N.Y. — The owner of a BMW that was spray-painted with racist and homophobic graffiti in October is now facing insurance fraud charges .
Erie County District Attorney John Flynn announced Tuesday that , Clifton Eutsey , 18 , allegedly spray-painted messages of hate on his own car in North Buffalo .
Swastikas , the N-word , KKK and profanity against Black Lives Matter were spray-painted all over the car , a BMW X5 .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ was poured into the gas tank .
The incident happened on Saranac Avenue in North Buffalo .
Eutsey has been charged with : Insurance Fraud in the Third Degree , a Class “ D ” felony Offering a False Instrument for Filing in the Second Degree , a Class “ A ” misdemeanor Falsifying Business Records in the Second Degree , a Class “ A ” misdemeanor Falsely Reporting an Incident in the Third Degree , a Class “ A ” misdemeanor There was also a message of support for President Donald Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , 2 On Your Side reached out to the Erie County GOP for a response when the incident occurred .
Eutsey is scheduled to return on Monday , January 11 , 2021 for a felony hearing .
He was released on his own recognizance .
If convicted on all charges , Eutsey faces up to 7 years in prison .
Eutsey is also facing additional felony charges in a separate incident .
It is alleged that on October 24 , at 9:00 p.m. , Buffalo Police officers saw Eutsey leave a vehicle unattended @ @ @ @ @ @ @ home on Erskine Avenue .
Eutsey returned and drove the vehicle on Erskine Avenue toward Suffolk Street when he was stopped by Buffalo Police .
Officers allegedly found he was driving without a license and had two loaded , illegal firearms on his person , according to investigators .
He was arraigned before Buffalo City Court Judge Amy C. Martoche on two counts of Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree , Class “ C ” violent felonies .
He was also charged with vehicle and traffic law violations for driving @ @ @ @ @ @ @ vehicle unattended .

It’s a well-known fact the demand for white racism/white supremacy/implicit bias/systemic racism/redlining/structural inequality far exceeds the supply across the nation…
BUFFALO, N.Y. — The owner of a BMW that was spray-painted with racist and homophobic graffiti in October is now facing insurance fraud charges.
Erie County District Attorney John Flynn announced Tuesday that, Clifton Eutsey, 18, allegedly spray-painted messages of hate on his own car in North Buffalo.
Swastikas, the N-word, KKK and profanity against Black Lives Matter were spray-painted all over the car, a BMW X5. The police report also stated that sugar was poured into the gas tank.
The incident happened on Saranac Avenue in North Buffalo.
Eutsey has been charged with:
Insurance Fraud in the Third Degree, a Class “D” felony
Offering a False Instrument for Filing in the Second Degree, a Class “A” misdemeanor
Falsifying Business Records in the Second Degree, a Class “A” misdemeanor
Falsely Reporting an Incident in the Third Degree, a Class “A” misdemeanor
There was also a message of support for President Donald Trump that was also spray-painted on the car, 2 On Your Side reached out to the Erie County GOP for a response when the incident occurred.
Eutsey is scheduled to return on Monday, January 11, 2021 for a felony hearing. He was released on his own recognizance.
If convicted on all charges, Eutsey faces up to 7 years in prison.
Eutsey is also facing additional felony charges in a separate incident. It is alleged that on October 24, at 9:00 p.m., Buffalo Police officers saw Eutsey leave a vehicle unattended with the engine running outside of a home on Erskine Avenue.
Eutsey returned and drove the vehicle on Erskine Avenue toward Suffolk Street when he was stopped by Buffalo Police.
Officers allegedly found he was driving without a license and had two loaded, illegal firearms on his person, according to investigators.
He was arraigned before Buffalo City Court Judge Amy C. Martoche on two counts of Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree, Class “C” violent felonies. He was also charged with vehicle and traffic law violations for driving without a license and leaving a motor vehicle unattended.


vdare--2020-11-16--WASHINGTON POST: Transracialism Is Good (In Brazil)

Some Brazilians long considered themselves White .
Now many identify as Black as fight for equity inspires racial redefinition .
By Terrence McCoy and Heloísa Traiano November 15 , 2020 at 12:23 p.m. PST RIO DE JANEIRO — For most of his 57 years , to the extent that he thought about his race , José Antônio Gomes used the language he was raised with .
He was “ pardo ” — biracial — which was how his parents identified themselves .
Or maybe “ moreno , ” as people back in his hometown called him .
Perhaps “ mestiço @ @ @ @ @ @ @ It wasn ’ t until this year , when protests for racial justice erupted across the United States after George Floyd ’ s killing in police custody , that Gomes ’ s own uncertainty settled .
Watching television , he saw himself in the thousands of people of color protesting amid the racially diverse crowds .
He saw himself in Floyd .
Gomes realized he wasn ’ t mixed .
He was Black .
So in September , when he announced his candidacy for city council in the southeastern city of Turmalina , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ In reality , I ’ ve always been Black , ” he said .
“ But I didn ’ t think I was Black .
But now we have more courage to see ourselves that way.
” Brazil is home to more people of African heritage than any country outside Africa .
But it is rarely identified as a Black nation , or as closely identifying with any race , really .
It has seen itself as simply Brazilian — a tapestry of European , African and Indigenous backgrounds that has defied @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Some were darker , others lighter .
But almost everyone was a mix .
Now , however , as affirmative action policies diversify Brazilian institutions and the struggle for racial equality in the United States inspires a similar movement here , a growing number of people are redefining themselves .
Brazilians who long considered themselves to be White are reexamining their family histories and concluding that they ’ re pardo .
Others who thought of themselves as pardo now say they ’ re Black .

Earlier, on Brazil's racial problems: George Will's Disappearing Problem
From the Washington Post news section:
Some Brazilians long considered themselves White. Now many identify as Black as fight for equity inspires racial redefinition.
By Terrence McCoy and Heloísa Traiano
November 15, 2020 at 12:23 p.m. PST
RIO DE JANEIRO — For most of his 57 years, to the extent that he thought about his race, José Antônio Gomes used the language he was raised with. He was “pardo” — biracial — which was how his parents identified themselves. Or maybe “moreno,” as people back in his hometown called him. Perhaps “mestiço,” a blend of ethnicities.
It wasn’t until this year, when protests for racial justice erupted across the United States after George Floyd’s killing in police custody, that Gomes’s own uncertainty settled. Watching television, he saw himself in the thousands of people of color protesting amid the racially diverse crowds. He saw himself in Floyd.
Gomes realized he wasn’t mixed. He was Black.
So in September, when he announced his candidacy for city council in the southeastern city of Turmalina, Gomes officially identified himself that way. “In reality, I’ve always been Black,” he said. “But I didn’t think I was Black. But now we have more courage to see ourselves that way.”
Brazil is home to more people of African heritage than any country outside Africa. But it is rarely identified as a Black nation, or as closely identifying with any race, really. It has seen itself as simply Brazilian — a tapestry of European, African and Indigenous backgrounds that has defied the more rigid racial categories used elsewhere. Some were darker, others lighter. But almost everyone was a mix.


vdare--2020-11-16--Thirsty Small Children Must Go to the Back of the Bus

We have a few updates to share with you about our on-going commitment to anti-racism and equity , diversity , and inclusion ( EDI ) at the PNA .
You are probably familiar with the neighborhood tradition of the winter holiday monkeys .
For the last five years , these LED-lit metal monkeys hung in the windows of businesses and organizations along the Phinney-Greenwood corridor .
The monkey project was initially spearheaded by the PNA Business Group with the intent to bring a spirit and tradition unique to the PhinneyWood neighborhood .
They chose monkeys as a complement to Woodland @ @ @ @ @ @ @ escaped ” animals from that display .
… In December 2019 , the PNA hired Dar ’ Nesha Weary as the new executive director , who is Black .
Soon after she was hired , she expressed concern regarding the monkeys , given that monkeys are routinely used as a racist slur against Black people .
She felt uncomfortable “ selling ” the monkeys as part of her job representing the organization given that historic context .
Soon after she expressed this opinion , she and another member of our staff who is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ email that invoked exactly this racist imagery , with a derogatory caption that referenced her objection to the monkey lights as a symbol for the neighborhood .
The email claimed to be from “ Friends of the PNA.
” The PNA reported the incident to local police and tried to trace the origin of the email , but to no avail .
Dar ’ Nesha resigned from PNA in early June 2020 .
She has vocally stated that much of her decision to leave involved structural racism that she endured while working at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the monkeys , along with other examples , in her public statements .
The Board listened to her concerns , and determined that , at this critical moment in time , removing the monkeys as a visible symbol ( and fundraiser ) of PNA – a largely white organization who has been made more made aware of structural racism in our community – is the right thing to do .
.

The Phinney Neighborhood Association in Seattle reports:
Anti-racism work updates: Eliminating racist symbolism
July 27, 2020
Dear PhinneyWood Community,
We have a few updates to share with you about our on-going commitment to anti-racism and equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) at the PNA.
You are probably familiar with the neighborhood tradition of the winter holiday monkeys. For the last five years, these LED-lit metal monkeys hung in the windows of businesses and organizations along the Phinney-Greenwood corridor. The monkey project was initially spearheaded by the PNA Business Group with the intent to bring a spirit and tradition unique to the PhinneyWood neighborhood. They chose monkeys as a complement to Woodland Park Zoo WildLights, perhaps as “escaped” animals from that display. …
In December 2019, the PNA hired Dar’Nesha Weary as the new executive director, who is Black. Soon after she was hired, she expressed concern regarding the monkeys, given that monkeys are routinely used as a racist slur against Black people. She felt uncomfortable “selling” the monkeys as part of her job representing the organization given that historic context. Soon after she expressed this opinion, she and another member of our staff who is a person of color received a racist email that invoked exactly this racist imagery, with a derogatory caption that referenced her objection to the monkey lights as a symbol for the neighborhood. The email claimed to be from “Friends of the PNA.” The PNA reported the incident to local police and tried to trace the origin of the email, but to no avail.
Dar’Nesha resigned from PNA in early June 2020. She has vocally stated that much of her decision to leave involved structural racism that she endured while working at PNA, and she specifically has mentioned the monkeys, along with other examples, in her public statements. The Board listened to her concerns, and determined that, at this critical moment in time, removing the monkeys as a visible symbol (and fundraiser) of PNA – a largely white organization who has been made more made aware of structural racism in our community – is the right thing to do. .


vdare--2020-11-16--Whatever Happened to America's Scariest Problem, Foreign Election Interference, Anyway?

Earlier : Russian Meddling Case Shows Americans Won ’ t Tolerate Foreigners Messing In Our Elections !
( Unless They ’ re Mexican , Israeli , Saudi , Chinese… ) by Tyler Cowen November 15 , 2020 at 3:25 pm in Current Affairs Political Science What is the current take on foreign interference in the 2020 presidential election ?
I hardly hear anyone mentioning this .
Was there much ?
And if not , why not ?
Our sagest minds were warning of this for years , and I heard several nat sec experts warn me of this but a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hundreds of media articles about the topic .
So what is up ?
I see a few options : 1 .
There was lots of foreign interference ( again ) , but things turned out OK so it is not a major issue .
“ Never mind.
” The Bad Person lost , the Good Person won .
What more do you need to know from the New York Times and the Washington Post ?
2 .
President Donald Trump ensured election integrity through vigilance , good policy , and cooperation with Vladimir @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were alert this time around , and they choked off each and every instance of foreign election interference .
4 .
The major tech companies were alert this time around , and they choked off each and every instance of foreign election interference .
They didn ’ t even let the Russkies spend 60k on Facebook ads .
Those are such great companies .
5 .
Foreign election interference was never much of a significant issue to begin with .
“ Never mind.
” 6 .
Foreign powers are now all , in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ free and fair American elections , and they acted accordingly .
To be clear , I am not asking which is true .
I am asking which one I am supposed to believe .
You are just not supposed to think about the topic until the next time you are alerted to worry about it , at which point you will be informed of what you are to believe .

Earlier: Russian Meddling Case Shows Americans Won’t Tolerate Foreigners Messing In Our Elections! (Unless They’re Mexican, Israeli, Saudi, Chinese…)
At Marginal Revolution, Tyler Cowen inquires:
Asking for a friend by Tyler Cowen November 15, 2020 at 3:25 pm in Current Affairs Political Science What is the current take on foreign interference in the 2020 presidential election? I hardly hear anyone mentioning this. Was there much? And if not, why not? Our sagest minds were warning of this for years, and I heard several nat sec experts warn me of this but a few weeks ago. There have been hundreds of media articles about the topic. So what is up? I see a few options: 1. There was lots of foreign interference (again), but things turned out OK so it is not a major issue. “Never mind.”
The Bad Person lost, the Good Person won. What more do you need to know from the New York Times and the Washington Post?
2. President Donald Trump ensured election integrity through vigilance, good policy, and cooperation with Vladimir Putin. 3. Local election authorities were alert this time around, and they choked off each and every instance of foreign election interference. 4. The major tech companies were alert this time around, and they choked off each and every instance of foreign election interference. They didn’t even let the Russkies spend 60k on Facebook ads. Those are such great companies. 5. Foreign election interference was never much of a significant issue to begin with. “Never mind.” 6. Foreign powers are now all, in each and every country, committed to free and fair American elections, and they acted accordingly. To be clear, I am not asking which is true. I am asking which one I am supposed to believe.
You are just not supposed to think about the topic until the next time you are alerted to worry about it, at which point you will be informed of what you are to believe.
[Comment at Unz.com]


Defund the Referees

With such a short offseason , I fear the NBA won ’ t have time to do enough about systemic @ @ @ @ @ who , studies show , call more than 80 % of all personal fouls on @ @ @ @ @ news , a recent study finds that NFL referees are so racist that they haven @ @ @ @ @ on a white cornerback since 2003 .

With such a short offseason, I fear the NBA won’t have time to do enough about systemic racism among its referees, who, studies show, call more than 80% of all personal fouls on Black men.
In other news, a recent study finds that NFL referees are so racist that they haven’t called pass interference on a white cornerback since 2003.
[Comment at Unz.com]


vdare--2020-11-16--Another Vaccine Home Run: Moderna Vaccine Is 94.5% Effective

Moderna ’ s coronavirus vaccine is 94.5 % effective , according to company data ( CNN ) The Moderna vaccine is 94.5 % effective against coronavirus , according to early data released Monday by the company , making it the second vaccine in the United States to have a stunningly high success rate… .
Vaccinations could begin in the second half of December , Fauci said .
Vaccinations are expected to begin with high-risk groups and to be available for the rest of the population next spring .
Last week , Pfizer announced that early data show its vaccine is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ disease .
In Moderna ’ s trial , 15,000 study participants were given a placebo , which is a shot of saline that has no effect .
Over several months , 90 of them developed Covid-19 , with 11 developing severe forms of the disease .
Another 15,000 participants were given the vaccine , and only five of them developed Covid-19 .
None of the five became severely ill .
So Moderna ’ s sample size was 95 , very similar to Pfizer ’ s 94 .
As I pointed out in my @ @ @ @ @ @ @ likely could have stuck to its original plan and announced the success of its vaccine before the election ( perhaps on Monday , November 2 ) .
Whether that would have switched 1 out of 200 voters from voting for Biden to voting for Trump in the 3 states with less of a margin for Biden than 1.0 % , which would have led to a 269-269 Electoral College tie and probably a Trump victory in the House voting as state delegations ( or perhaps a breakdown in the process with Nancy Pelosi @ @ @ @ @ @ @ speculate upon .
Initially , there won ’ t be enough vaccine for everyone .
The highest priority groups , which include health care workers , the elderly , and people with underlying medical conditions , will get the vaccine first .
“ I think that everybody else will start to get vaccinated towards the end of April , ” Fauci said .
“ And that will go into May , June , July .
It will take a couple of months to do.
” So these two messenger RNA vaccines reduce susceptibility @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
A big question remaining is how much do they reduce infectiousness .
If they are equally effective at reducing outbound as well as inbound dangers , the vaccines would really do a number on R-nought .
But we don ’ t know that at present .
They ought to do a “ human challenge ” trial on a Navy ship crewed solely by healthy 20-something volunteers : give everybody on board vaccines .
Then after 28 days , inject half with the virus , and see how many of the other half @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a quite safe experimental design , with only one COVID case expected per every 20 infected , and those volunteers chosen for youth , vigor , and lack of risk factors .
While the two vaccines appear to have very similar safety and efficacy profiles , Moderna ’ s vaccine has a significant practical advantage over Pfizer ’ s .
Pfizer ’ s vaccine has to be kept at minus 75 degrees Celsius .
No other vaccine in the US needs to be kept that cold , and doctors ’ offices and pharmacies @ @ @ @ @ @ @ low .
Moderna ’ s vaccine can be kept at minus 20 degrees Celsius .
Other vaccines , such as the one against chickenpox , need to be kept at that temperature .
That means Moderna ’ s vaccine can be kept in “ a readily available freezer that is available in most doctors ’ offices and pharmacies , ” Zacks said .
“ We leverage infrastructure that already exists for other marketed vaccines.
” Another advantage of Moderna ’ s vaccine is that it can be kept for 30 days in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ above freezing ] , the company announced Monday .
Pfizer ’ s vaccine can last only five days in the refrigerator .
I suspect Pfizer ’ s vaccine would work OK logistically for mass inoculations : e.g.
, a thousand cars line up in the Dodger Stadium parking lot .
But it ’ s great news to have the less unwieldy Moderna vaccine .
It would be useful to know the breakdown among the 15 COVID cases among elders : 5 vaccine / 10 placebo would not be as good as 1 vaccine @ @ @ @ @ @ @ worst , it ’ s at least 50 % effective among people over 65 .
The interim analysis included a concurrent review of the available Phase 3 COVE study safety data by the DSMB , which did not report any significant safety concerns .
A review of solicited adverse events indicated that the vaccine was generally well tolerated .
The majority of adverse events were mild or moderate in severity .
Grade 3 ( severe ) events greater than or equal to 2 % in frequency after the first dose included injection site @ @ @ @ @ @ @ after the second dose included fatigue ( 9.7 % ) , myalgia ( 8.9 % ) , arthralgia ( 5.2 % ) , headache ( 4.5 % ) , pain ( 4.1 % ) and erythema/redness at the injection site ( 2.0 % ) .
These solicited adverse events were generally short-lived .
So , it ’ s not cost-free .
Still … Preliminary analysis suggests a broadly consistent safety and efficacy profile across all evaluated subgroups .
… The Phase 3 COVE study was designed in collaboration with the FDA and NIH @ @ @ @ @ @ @ COVID-19 disease and completed enrollment of 30,000 participants ages 18 and older in the U.S. on October 22 , including those at high risk of the severe complications of COVID-19 disease .
The COVE study includes more than 7,000 Americans over the age of 65 .
It also includes more than 5,000 Americans who are under the age of 65 but have high-risk chronic diseases that put them at increased risk of severe COVID-19 , such as diabetes , severe obesity and cardiac disease .
These medically high-risk groups represent 42 % of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ COVE study .
The study also included communities that have historically been under-represented in clinical research and have been disproportionately impacted by COVID-19 .
The study includes more than 11,000 participants from communities of color , representing 37 % of the study population , which is similar to the diversity of the U.S. at large .
This includes more than 6,000 participants who identify as Hispanic or LatinX , and more than 3,000 participants who identify as Black or African American .
… Unlike Pfizer , which was rich enough not to take @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , but did sign a nearly $ 2 billion purchase agreement with the Administration , Moderna took just under a billion dollars in direct subsidies and a $ 1.5 billion purchase agreement :

From CNN:
Moderna’s coronavirus vaccine is 94.5% effective, according to company data By Elizabeth Cohen, CNN Senior Medical Correspondent Updated 7:11 AM ET, Mon November 16, 2020 (CNN)The Moderna vaccine is 94.5% effective against coronavirus, according to early data released Monday by the company, making it the second vaccine in the United States to have a stunningly high success rate…. Vaccinations could begin in the second half of December, Fauci said. Vaccinations are expected to begin with high-risk groups and to be available for the rest of the population next spring. Last week, Pfizer announced that early data show its vaccine is more than 90% effective against the disease. In Moderna’s trial, 15,000 study participants were given a placebo, which is a shot of saline that has no effect. Over several months, 90 of them developed Covid-19, with 11 developing severe forms of the disease. Another 15,000 participants were given the vaccine, and only five of them developed Covid-19. None of the five became severely ill.
So Moderna’s sample size was 95, very similar to Pfizer’s 94. As I pointed out in my Taki’s column, Pfizer very likely could have stuck to its original plan and announced the success of its vaccine before the election (perhaps on Monday, November 2). Whether that would have switched 1 out of 200 voters from voting for Biden to voting for Trump in the 3 states with less of a margin for Biden than 1.0%, which would have led to a 269-269 Electoral College tie and probably a Trump victory in the House voting as state delegations (or perhaps a breakdown in the process with Nancy Pelosi becoming President), is interesting to speculate upon.
Initially, there won’t be enough vaccine for everyone. The highest priority groups, which include health care workers, the elderly, and people with underlying medical conditions, will get the vaccine first. “I think that everybody else will start to get vaccinated towards the end of April,” Fauci said. “And that will go into May, June, July. It will take a couple of months to do.”
So these two messenger RNA vaccines reduce susceptibility to getting COVID by over 90%. A big question remaining is how much do they reduce infectiousness. If they are equally effective at reducing outbound as well as inbound dangers, the vaccines would really do a number on R-nought.
But we don’t know that at present. They ought to do a “human challenge” trial on a Navy ship crewed solely by healthy 20-something volunteers: give everybody on board vaccines. Then after 28 days, inject half with the virus, and see how many of the other half get infected asymptotically. This would be a quite safe experimental design, with only one COVID case expected per every 20 infected, and those volunteers chosen for youth, vigor, and lack of risk factors.
While the two vaccines appear to have very similar safety and efficacy profiles, Moderna’s vaccine has a significant practical advantage over Pfizer’s. Pfizer’s vaccine has to be kept at minus 75 degrees Celsius. No other vaccine in the US needs to be kept that cold, and doctors’ offices and pharmacies do not have freezers that go that low. Moderna’s vaccine can be kept at minus 20 degrees Celsius. Other vaccines, such as the one against chickenpox, need to be kept at that temperature. That means Moderna’s vaccine can be kept in “a readily available freezer that is available in most doctors’ offices and pharmacies,” Zacks said. “We leverage infrastructure that already exists for other marketed vaccines.” Another advantage of Moderna’s vaccine is that it can be kept for 30 days in the refrigerator [i.e. a few degrees above freezing], the company announced Monday. Pfizer’s vaccine can last only five days in the refrigerator.
I suspect Pfizer’s vaccine would work OK logistically for mass inoculations: e.g., a thousand cars line up in the Dodger Stadium parking lot. But it’s great news to have the less unwieldy Moderna vaccine.
From Moderna’s press release:
The 95 COVID-19 cases included 15 older adults (ages 65+) …
It would be useful to know the breakdown among the 15 COVID cases among elders: 5 vaccine / 10 placebo would not be as good as 1 vaccine / 14 placebo. But, at worst, it’s at least 50% effective among people over 65.
The interim analysis included a concurrent review of the available Phase 3 COVE study safety data by the DSMB, which did not report any significant safety concerns. A review of solicited adverse events indicated that the vaccine was generally well tolerated. The majority of adverse events were mild or moderate in severity. Grade 3 (severe) events greater than or equal to 2% in frequency after the first dose included injection site pain (2.7%), and after the second dose included fatigue (9.7%), myalgia (8.9%), arthralgia (5.2%), headache (4.5%), pain (4.1%) and erythema/redness at the injection site (2.0%). These solicited adverse events were generally short-lived.
So, it’s not cost-free. Still …
Preliminary analysis suggests a broadly consistent safety and efficacy profile across all evaluated subgroups. … The Phase 3 COVE study was designed in collaboration with the FDA and NIH to evaluate Americans at risk of severe COVID-19 disease and completed enrollment of 30,000 participants ages 18 and older in the U.S. on October 22, including those at high risk of the severe complications of COVID-19 disease. The COVE study includes more than 7,000 Americans over the age of 65. It also includes more than 5,000 Americans who are under the age of 65 but have high-risk chronic diseases that put them at increased risk of severe COVID-19, such as diabetes, severe obesity and cardiac disease. These medically high-risk groups represent 42% of the total participants in the Phase 3 COVE study. The study also included communities that have historically been under-represented in clinical research and have been disproportionately impacted by COVID-19. The study includes more than 11,000 participants from communities of color, representing 37% of the study population, which is similar to the diversity of the U.S. at large. This includes more than 6,000 participants who identify as Hispanic or LatinX, and more than 3,000 participants who identify as Black or African American. …
Unlike Pfizer, which was rich enough not to take direct subsidies from the US federal government, but did sign a nearly $2 billion purchase agreement with the Administration, Moderna took just under a billion dollars in direct subsidies and a $1.5 billion purchase agreement:
BARDA is supporting the continued research and development of mRNA-1273 with $955 million in federal funding under Contract no. 75A50120C00034. BARDA is reimbursing Moderna for 100 percent of the allowable costs incurred by the Company for conducting the program described in the BARDA contract. The U.S. government has agreed to provide up to $1.525 billion to purchase supply of mRNA-1273 under U.S. Department of Defense Contract No. W911QY-20-C-0100.
[Comment at Unz.com]


vdare--2020-11-15--FORTUNE Magazine Wants Parler To Suppress VDARE.com, Others, Based On ADL Press Release

A brief Twitter thread , screenshotted to protect it from Twitter deletion .
See memories of Fortune Magazine here , @ @ @ @ @ !
Parler is a haven for extremists , anti-hate group says By Danielle Abril , @ @ @ @ @ 2020

A brief Twitter thread, screenshotted to protect it from Twitter deletion. See memories of Fortune Magazine here, and follow us on Parler!
Parler is a haven for extremists, anti-hate group says, by Danielle Abril, Fortune, November 13, 2020