Tracker

Welcome to Alberta's rigorous inspection program. You may recall something like this happened with tainted meat at Brooks a few years ago. And you don't want to hear about their (alleged) housing inspection program.

The problem is that often results are interpretable and researchers, being human can succumb to confirmation bias wherein they are favourably disposed to interpret ambiguous data in such a way as to support their biases. And sometimes the results are so bizarre that they do not fit within a existing paradigm, like the wave/particle conundrum of light.

Few people can pivot to the discussion of federal equalization payments in the middle of a pandemic like Alberta Premier Jason Kenney can. Last week, when announcing his province’s donation of hundreds of thousands of pieces of personal protective equipment (PPE) to Ontario, Quebec, and B.C. in their fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, Kenney was asked if he expected anything in return. “I obviously hope that our fellow Canadians will recognize in this contribution, the generous role that Albertans have always played across the country,” Kenney said. “This is one practical expression of that in a time of need, but we Albertans contribute $20 billion more to the rest of Canada than we get back in benefits every year. That helps to fund their hospital systems, their health-care systems, their schools.” https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/entry/jason-kenney-coronavirus-alberta_ca_5e9f7e5bc5b69150246a2992?utm_hp_ref=ca-homepage

Reports out of the US yesterday confirm that the Trump administration is looking to shield employers from criminal and civil liability if they force employees to work without protective equipment or rules and thus contract the Coronavirus. If employees refuse to work under these circumstances, they would be denied UI benefits. Ain't America great?

Trump Favorite Is Under Investigation—and Getting Big Bucks to Build the Wall Last Wednesday, while the country strained under a nationwide lockdown, Lt. General Semonite’s corps found time to award another border-wall contract to a company Trump personally championed—even as it’s under investigation by the Defense Department inspector general. Specifically, Fisher on Apr. 15 got $7,633,085 to build a mere “800 linear feet” of bollard barrier—that slatted design Trump favors—for the wall in Yuma, Ariz. https://www.thedailybeast.com/trump-favorite-is-under-investigationand-getting-big-bucks-to-build-the-wall?ref=home

As of 20:00h CDT, CBC is reporting 22 confirmed dead with a probability of more to come.

Talk about having bad Luck.

As much as I believe in science, it is not without stain. There are numerous instances where results have been either deliberately misrepresented to support a predetermined result, or misinterpreted. Corporations are not above sponsoring misleading "research". The tobacco industry is one example and the pharmaceutical industry has also been guilty, as the current furor about Trump's "cure" proves.

OOH OOOH WHY NOT US, TOO?!?!?

What do you have against drunks?

STATES ARE HAVING TO SMUGGLE COVID SUPPLIES TO KEEP THEM AWAY FROM FEDERAL GOVERNMENT SEIZURE APRIL 21, 2020 6:54PM (UTC) States have been forced to resort to smuggling shipments of personal protective equipment (PPE) after federal officials seized supplies ordered by hospitals without informing officials. Governors have long complained that the Trump administration has left them to bid against each other on the open market for critical supplies for health workers. However, numerous officials recently claimed that the federal government had seized supplies ordered by the states. Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, a Democrat, told CNN that the state bought 500 ventilators before they were "swept up" by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker, a Republican, said the Trump administration "confiscated" its order of 3 million masks. https://www.salon.com/2020/04/21/states-smuggle-covid-19-medical-supplies-to-avoid-federal-seizures-as-house-probes-jared-kushner/

The furor among the Tumpsters in the US has caused Trump to give credence to yet another insane theory. These are the same people who promoted the Pizzagate idiocy and Trump has to get in front of the parade of lemmings because he is their leader. China has no incentive to create or release such a plague because it has destroyed their economy at least as badly as it has the rest of the world's. Why would the Chinese slay the golden goose that has made them wealthy and powerful?

Economics is more like an art than a science. If it were cut and dried, then the secret would be public and people, corporations and governments would utilize it and be wealthy forever. Damned few are. Economics are a guess at a fluid and volatile stew of politics, weather, and stupidity, not to mention dumb luck.

https://www.salon.com/2020/04/20/us-experts-at-who-warned-trump-administration-about-new-coronavirus-in-real-time-last-year-report/ US experts at WHO warned Trump administration about new coronavirus in real time last year: report Trump claimed that he had defunded WHO after the organization "missed the call" by not sounding the alarm "earlier" IGOR DERYSH APRIL 20, 2020 8:28PM (UTC) More than a dozen U.S. health experts based at the headquarters of the World Health Organization (WHO) in Geneva provided real-time information about the new coronavirus in China last year, according to a new report. President Donald Trump announced last week that the U.S. would stop providing funding to WHO, because it allegedly "missed the call" by not sounding the alarm "months earlier." Trump, who also accused WHO of being "China-centric," has ramped up his rhetoric against the organization after numerous media reports revealed that the president and his advisers did not head warnings about the emerging pandemic from intelligence agencies, health experts, economists and even top White House aides. The president continued to downplay the threat publicly in an apparent attempt to calm the stock market.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/atlanta-rages-as-georgia-gov-kemp-eases-covid-19-lockdown?ref=home ‘Mortified and Appalled’: Atlanta Rages as Governor Eases Lockdown One resident chalked Georgia’s plan to reopen the state from COVID-19 shutdown up to “absolutely nothing but greed and the desire to kiss the president’s ass.”

https://www.alternet.org/2020/04/trump-plans-to-extort-states-into-reopening-as-mitch-mcconnell-holds-up-aid-report/ Trump plans to extort states into reopening as Mitch McConnell holds up aid: report

Honest to God: Trump’s golf business tweeted video claiming that drinking a bottle of vodka kills the coronavirus https://www.salon.com/2020/04/20/trumps-golf-business-tweeted-video-claiming-that-drinking-a-bottle-of-vodka-kills-the-coronavirus_partner/

And remember which political wing has historically used force to enforce dictates. Hint: it ain't socialists.

HEALTH CARE IN US APPROACHING CRISIS Cash-strapped hospitals lay off thousands of health workers despite COVID-19 staff shortages https://www.alternet.org/2020/04/cash-strapped-hospitals-lay-off-thousands-of-health-workers-despite-covid-19-staff-shortages/

Absolutely. Trump needs a hot war or a Reichstag incident involving lots of bloodshed.

Trump has no cards to play except to incite his base in an attempt to muddy the waters and claim that he is the victim of a vast conspiracy. His followers are already trying to resurrect "Pizzagate" and somehow tie it to Epstein. It is gonna get wilder and crazier.

Hmmm....i wonder if they will reference Elvis's pedophilia, drug abuse and mommy issues.

It will be interesting to watch Trump respond to this. He has no factual response, so will resort to the worst of personal attack ads and distortions in retaliation. His followers will eat it up as gospel and /i would not be surprised to see him advocate violence but deny he is doing so.

Publisher: Study Touting Hydroxychloroquine as COVID-19 Cure Doesn’t Meet ‘Standard’ The International Society of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy now says the hydroxychloroquine work by France’s Didier Raoult failed to meet its “expected standard.” https://www.thedailybeast.com/publisher-now-says-study-touting-hydroxychloroquine-as-covid-19-cure-doesnt-meet-its-standard?ref=home

To reinforce the previous point: