It looks like you're new here. If you want to get involved, click one of these buttons!
^ Back to Top
The MI6 Community is unofficial and in no way associated or linked with EON Productions, MGM, Sony Pictures, Activision or Ian Fleming Publications. Any views expressed on this website are of the individual members and do not necessarily reflect those of the Community owners. Any video or images displayed in topics on MI6 Community are embedded by users from third party sites and as such MI6 Community and its owners take no responsibility for this material.
James Bond News • James Bond Articles • James Bond Magazine
Comments
I.
Me.
Me and no-one else.
Me and my simple pleasures.
Me and my "rights".
This life has been so good to many of us, who never had to experience real poverty, hunger, military conflicts, boredom. And yet, we can't even stay home and read a book for a while. Some won't even wear masks because "it's unpleasant and it makes me look stupid". As a consequence, the elder, the very people who built this world for us, die in great numbers.
What does this say about us?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hong_Kong_flu
The documentary made parallels between the situation then (no governmental response, even when hospitals were overwhelmed) and today (governmental response, but slow to come), and and explained the difference by a few crisises that had happened since then (Aids, and the 2003 heatwave).
BTW, that strain of flu killed some 1 to 4 million people worldwide. It's thanks to means of prevention like masks, hygiene, and social distanciation that we're not there yet. Let's hope a vaccine or a cure can be found before we get to that point.
Chart begins at 100 cases. Compares U.S. with Europe. It goes where you think it will go ... still startling and so sad to see.
If you scroll down it shows other comparisons, other charts.
IMO, the real issue isn’t a lack of education per-say, but that power is currently being held by a political ideology that generally holds science, “experts” and even the very intuition of education in contempt. To them, scientists, doctors, etc.… are part of some “deep state” that is preventing them from completely putting into place their desired political and economic programs.
When you can’t win a factual augment, you start to demonize those delivering the message. In short, what this ideology questions are not the expertise brought to the table by given individuals, but the very need for that expertise. And the natural degree of uncertainty or lack of absolutes that comes with that expertise – for science is always evolving in the face of new data – is used to discredit the experts of the “deep state.”
I think that I’ve posted this before, but it’s so germane to the current political environment (especially here in the US) that I’ll do so again:
Isaac Asimov
“Anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that 'my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge.'”
Due to the new surge in COVID-19 cases, California (US) has reinstated some business closures.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/newsom-orders-statewide-closure-indoor-193346481.html
For what it’s worth, here in New York City provisions to allow for indoor dining were not included in our phase 3 re-opening, due, in part, to the surges of cases being experienced in other parts of the country. New York City’s own caseload continues to be low – at the moment. I’m not clear on the direct impact on movie theaters, but one can infer, that if they can open at all, it will be at only a small capacity.
Excellent post, @Dwayne! Dr A's quote is also very well chosen.
I'm definitely not blaming teachers, rather the system itself. As one who's married to somebody who grew up partly in the ussr, I can say that whatever horrible flaws communism had there, it's education system was very effective to the point that even the stupidest people had more respect for science than many 'educated' people in our society.
Florida reached 100,000 confirmed cases on June 22nd (22 days ago). Florida now has a total of over 287,000 confirmed cases.
The positive test rate - which indicates how much the virus is spreading, taking into account testing increases - is nearing 20%, the highest since early March when the pandemic hit the US.
One reported case in my municipality during the last few months, so it's going fine here. Holiday season now though, so you never know how the situation will continue.
Today, the CoronaVirus did another victim : the traditional Bastille Day Parade. Instead of a big parade, with tanks and 4 000 men and women going down the Champs Élysées, we got only 2 000 soldiers going around the Place de la Concorde, and very few military vehicles. As for the fireworks, I haven't seen any in the place where I live. You can add pyrotechnicians (who do the majority of their revenues in this period) to the list of professions being impacted by CoViD-19.
Thank the Maker! If France does something like that, Belgium is almost sure to follow. That would be so good.
Days above 50,000 since: 0 (out of 25 days).
The USA reached 50,000 daily cases on July 1st.
Days above 50,000 since: 11 (out of 13 days).
The USA first reached 60,000 daily cases on July 8th.
Days above 60,000 since: 5 (out of 6 days).
Lowest day since: July 12th (58,349).
All daily cases and deaths data will now be sent directly to the White House.
For users like @RogerJonMoorePertwee who kept complaining about daily updates of 'pessimistic' (but real) data coming from the USA, you can now rejoice. It will no longer be possible to report on the US situation as the numbers will now be tempered with and falsified directly by the White House.
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/14/us/politics/trump-cdc-coronavirus.html
https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2020/jul/14/uk-coronavirus-live-news-updates-boris-johnson-face-masks
https://www.ajc.com/news/georgia-governor-extends-coronavirus-restrictions/75SLQWLJ6FBULIGVEDMNSY5M64/
----
The USA has beaten their daily cases numbers yet again, with over 68,000 new cases recorded on July 15th. The past week's average has now reached 60,000 new cases per day.
---
The total death-toll in the USA has reached 140,000.
----
Available ICU beds in Florida hospitals goes below 1,000 as state reaches 300,000 total cases.
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/florida-hospitals-face-icu-bed-shortage-state-passes-300-000-n1233899
——
Yesterday, for the first time since June 9th, the USA recorded over 1,000 daily deaths.
And somehow he still has time to do Goya Bean commercials from the White House...
He's a nut. He's gonna get hundreds of thousands more killed.
He's trying fo a Mill by Christmas I guess.
In Italy has always been mandatory to wear a mask in every indoor public space/shop since day one. In Lombardy, the hardest hit region, only since yesterday is not mandatory anymore to wear a mask outside home.
Now that hospitals have been instructed NOT to send their info to CDC, I think we can expect the (reported) death rate to decline dramatically. So much winning!
Little by little, my country has become the a “banana republic.” What use to happen “over-there” is now happening right here at home. While some have explained away the administration’s response to COVID-19 as an example of its incompetence, to me it looks more and more like a deliberate effort.
Overt Political commentary to Follow ☹:
Several days ago, some of you wondered why Trump would give “dictators” equal status when referring to world leaders. Well the answer is fairly clear. Trump actually admires these dictators (North Korea, Russia, and China (despite his rhetoric about how badly they handled the initial COVID-19 outbreak). In short, he sees himself as holding a similar function in the U.S. The normal checks and balances built into our system of government are an anathema to him. IMO, this what happens when you elect leaders who proclaim loyalty to the “flag” – but have very little understanding about the very principals that the flag represents.
And they don't get that by November another hundred thousand or more here in the U.S. will be dead. Only THE most racist creeps will remain loyal to him once everyone knows someone who's died from this imcompetance...
With so many cases surging in the last month and half, one would assume the death rate would skyrocket, but it hasn't.