You don’t have to argue with me, it’s the experts in this field that find Yan’s conclusions not up to scientific snuff. Maybe you could argue with them, but since I’m not in the field I’ll defer to their conclusions.

As for...

Nope, running a virus though a series of animals could be done by one dedicated person with the right equipment without any knowledge of genetics or viruses at all. If they were trying to produce a specific thing and did so, that would be impressive. If they were just trying to adapt a virus to be able to infect and reproduce in a different host, that could be done by anyone who has read a few papers

Yeah, I saw Lorenzo’s Oil too, lol.

 

I have NOT seen Lorenzo's oil, but from your post figure that it's pretty much what I said. If you want to look up some IRL examples of the gain of function work that was done on H5N1 "bird flu", here's a place to start. The point being this research isn't exactly new.

https://www.sciencemag.org/news/201...iments-make-bird-flu-more-risky-poised-resume

 

I now know someone who has died from C-19
My daughter use to work with him in 2010, until he hit on her. I met him every time I would pick her up from work.

https://www.floridatoday.com/story/...-melbourne-doctor-he-had-covid-19/5864676002/


The truth is out there

 

I don’t know how some people can think this corona virus is a hoax. Really hits home when you know someone who has died from it.

 

He was a nice man, who cared about the community. I just wish he would have taken the virus more seriously.


The truth is out there

 

We need to keep in mind that evolution isn't a *directed* process. IOW, the virus isn't *trying* to get around masks and handwashing, it's just that mutations that are more able to do so are better able to infect people and so reproduce in more hosts.

 

Here's an article on people in North Dakota that refuse to wear masks. Telling where one jerk says, "I'm not selfish."

Another: “I know that (God) is in charge of me,” Chase said at the meeting. “I trust him and I trust the body that he has given to me and the immune system that he has given to me to be able to fight against viruses and diseases.”

Yes, God will save you from a virus you're too stupid to protect yourself and others from. If you get heart disease, too do nothing, just heal thyself!! Such rampant stupidity.

https://www.thedickinsonpress.com/newsmd/coronavirus/6676368-Why-some-North-Dakotans-wont-wear-masks

 

I guess people must have died during the Black Death because their faith just wasn’t strong enough.

 

Article on Germany and what happens when people actually follow the advice of their medical professionals.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/feat...ries-about-second-wave-of-covid?sref=4ZgkJ7cZ

 

Diane Feinstein at the airport - sans mask. She is the one who proposed a mandatory mask rule for air travel, btw. Also, she was taking a private jet so... not big on carbon emissions or global warming, either. Another "do as I say, not as I do" Dem.



https://www.foxnews.com/politics/dianne-feinstein-no-mask-tucker-carlson

 

America currently accounts for 21% of the world's coronavirus deaths while making up only 4% of the world's population.

 

Baloney. America tries to honestly try and report our numbers in this regard. Very few other countries do so. LOL, do you REALLY believe China has only had a total of 4500 deaths from Covid? Really? It's hard for me to believe how willing people are to think their own country is the worst in the world.

 

We need to stop looking into that mirror of exceptionalism. However, if we want to hang onto that illusion, why have we done so poorly with the numbers?

Take a look at this chart from the Guardian which shows the numbers from around the world.


https://www.theguardian.com/world/2...ountries-have-the-most-covid-cases-and-deaths

 

I think it's untrue to say we've done terribly in the first place. For example, we're pretty much matched with England, and much of Europe is in the same boat per capita. Many countries are worse. Some, like China and Russia, give numbers that are such obvious b.s. they aren't worth accepting at face value in the first place. Some small, isolated countries like Norway that have a scattered isolated and stable population aren't expected to be at much risk any more than people in Alaska would be, and have numbers to reflect that.

Look at the first graph in this article on "excess mortality from all causes" in 2020 and you'll see what I mean (you have to add in the U.S. to the table).

https://ourworldindata.org/excess-mortality-covid

Some countries like Germany and S. Korea are doing much better due to a better response and better testing of more of the population. Having an effectively homogeneous population that is willing to listen to the government helps in that regard, lol.

I want our country to do better than it is, but do not think it is doing as badly as a surface review of the numbers would indicate.


Perhaps a better way to look at the situation would be to add up the population of Europe (meaning N, S, and W but excluding the Eastern European countries) and you get around 420 million people. The U.S. has about 330 million. The deaths in Europe from Covid overall are about 230,000, and are about 200,000 in the U.S., so not overwhelmingly different from a "big picture" perspective.

 

I really, really don't understand why so many Americans think that socialism/communism is a good thing.

 

I think what you're struggling to understand, is the logic behind why. Because technically speaking, we know why. And we also know the why is absolutely ridiculous. But whatever. lol

 

I don’t have the time to really get into things now but seeing this post I don’t understand why so many people lump socialism and communism together. They’re not really one and the same. Just for clarification purposes I pulled this up from a History article...

Unlike in communism, a socialist economic system rewards individual effort and innovation. Social democracy, the most common form of modern socialism, focuses on achieving social reforms and redistribution of wealth through democratic processes, and can co-exist alongside a free-market capitalist economy.

Today, communism exists in China, Cuba, North Korea, Laos and Vietnam—although in reality, a purely communist state has never existed. Such countries can be classified as communist because in all of them, the central government controls all aspects of the economic and political system. But none of them have achieved the elimination of personal property, money or class systems that the communist ideology requires.

Likewise, no country in history has achieved a state of pure socialism. Even countries that are considered by some people to be socialist states, like Norway, Sweden and Denmark, have successful capitalist sectors and follow policies that are largely aligned with social democracy. Many European and Latin American countries have adopted socialist programs (such as free college tuition, universal health care and subsidized child care) and even elected socialist leaders, with varying levels of success.

https://www.history.com/news/socialism-communism-differences

So what is a democratic socialist? From an article (slightly dated but I like how they define terms)....

In the present day, "Democratic socialist" and "socialist" are often treated as interchangeable terms, which can be confusing given democratic socialists don't necessarily think the government should immediately take control of all aspects of the economy.

They do, however, generally believe the government should help provide for people's most basic needs and help all people have an equal chance at achieving success.

Democratic socialists also believe strongly in democracy and democratic principles. They are by no means proponents of authoritarian government systems many Americans associate socialism with.

As the DSA's website states: "At the root of our socialism is a profound commitment to democracy, as means and end. As we are unlikely to see an immediate end to capitalism tomorrow, DSA fights for reforms today that will weaken the power of corporations and increase the power of working people."

To put it another way, they don't feel socialism should be forced on people, but they are fundamentally anti-capitalist and believe the government should urge privately owned businesses toward granting workers as much control as possible.

https://www.businessinsider.com/difference-between-socialist-and-democratic-socialist-2018-6

The world is changing and some of these ideas are appealing to people. We already have “socialistic” institutions in place such as social security and Medicare which have integrated well and are accepted by the majors of US citizens, even the ones who otherwise would vehemently oppose “socialism”. A pick and choose approach to some of these other “socialistic” options might not be a bad idea.