Donating = Loving
Bringing you atheist articles and building active godless communities takes hundreds of hours and resources each month. If you find any joy or stimulation at Atheist Republic, please consider becoming a Supporting Member with a recurring monthly donation of your choosing, between a cup of tea and a good dinner.
Log in or create an account to join the discussions on the Atheist Republic forums.
Donating = Loving
Bringing you atheist articles and building active godless communities takes hundreds of hours and resources each month. If you find any joy or stimulation at Atheist Republic, please consider becoming a Supporting Member with a recurring monthly donation of your choosing, between a cup of tea and a good dinner.
Donating = Loving
Bringing you atheist articles and building active godless communities takes hundreds of hours and resources each month. If you find any joy or stimulation at Atheist Republic, please consider becoming a Supporting Member with a recurring monthly donation of your choosing, between a cup of tea and a good dinner.
FREE E-BOOKS
Get the book "Why There Is No God" and one more book for FREE!
Sign up below for the Atheist Republic Newsletter to get the books.
Record Your Message!
Record your voice here for it to be aired on the Atheist Republic Voicemails Podcast.
Send us your views and opinions, your personal stories, messages of support, comments on recent news, or any comments you would like to share about your part of the world.
Note : By clicking record you are allowing us to broadcast your message on any of our platforms.
Affiliate Disclaimer
Links to atheist related books, shirts and movies and other atheism related products are affiliate links.
All proceeds will go to keeping the Atheist Republic website up and running; providing resources, advocacy, community tools and encouragement to atheists all over the world.
@ Garrett Smith
Really?
We have herd immunity to MERS? Are you serious? That seems like an extremely ludicrous statement.
Hah, right. We don't have herd immunity to MERS. It just isn't a problem in the US.
As for SARS, it's not such a problem now. Why is that?
As for China… there is problem.
Garrett, you might be interested to know that COVID-19 shows some oddly different pathogenetic, epidemiological, and clinical features compared to SARS and MERS. Apples and oranges.
Hey, Garrett, was it you who disagreed with the posts over that I wrote? If so, I’m terribly interested in your reasoning.
Ummm, I disagreed with you Cyber. SARS-CoV(nov,2002) & the present pathogen, SARS-CoV-2(nov 2019), are genetically near identical...Hence the name of each. They have the same number of known and unknown proteins. It is expected that one of the yet fully identified proteins of the two, will differ, amongst the two. Hence the jump on vaccine development from the canadian/chinese team, whose vaccine development has been ongoing for awhile, and whose phase two human trials will likely start next week...instead of the 5-7 year, or longer, development time usually needed. It took researchers thirty years to develop a working vaccine for the spanish flu of 1918-19. In a sense, we are lucky that these two viruses are near identical.
Hi doG,
My post said nothing about the genetic or protein structure of the viruses. I completely agree that they are structurally similar. Instead, I said that they have very different pathogenetic, epidemiological, and clinical features.
@cyber
True. Sorry, misread. My mistake.
NP
I'm not an epidemiologist; but I'm pretty sure your claim we have SARS herd immunity is ludicrous as well. Crazy enough I suggest readers should disregard anything else you have to say on the subject.
e: Clearly one of us doesn't have a clue about what they are saying.
What happened to SARS? Oh, you don't know… for SARS-CoV, are you suggesting that we don't have herd immunity in major metropolitans? Where is the data to back that claim up?
@Garrett Smith
You said "we" have herd immunity to SARS. While I'm not exactly sure who you mean by "we"; I do not believe you. For example: according to the WHO, 27 Americans were infected with SARS. That does not sound like herd immunity.
Hey Garrett, the disease SARS CoV initiated back in 2002, was a significant respiratory pathogen, who's symptomatology made people severely ill within 10 hours of infection, with a very brief incubation period...it made them ill quickly, and kept them in the hospital isolation for a long period...not up and about spreading the virus...the numbers infected, do not point anywhere near heard immunity. The US and SARS CoV-2, is a different story. Unfortunately, the US is still on the front side of the curve.
Every pandemic is different because if they were not, the health services and medicine would contain it immediately.
@Thread
Fascinating article in Huffpost Canada today Tuesday May 26.
Scientists have created a model to predict pandemics using big data and AI. Not sure I understand it all, but I think I get the gist:
"BlueDot Creator Dr. Kamran Khan Says Data Will Help Predict Future Pandemics
The Canadian researcher who helped predict the COVID-19 pandemic says the future of disease management is in big data.
Laura OsmanCanadian Press
OTTAWA — The Canadian researcher who was among the first to predict the deadly spread of COVID-19 says the world needs to change the way it monitors for and reacts to disease outbreaks.
Dr. Kamran Khan set out to make a “smoke alarm” that would detect disease outbreaks around the world when he created his pandemic-predicting software BlueDot.
Khan and his team of about 50 experts used big data and artificial intelligence to warn the world of a potentially serious viral outbreak three days before the World Health Organization, though they picked up on the signs even earlier."
https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/entry/bluedot-pandemic-prediction-data_ca_...
What you said is wildly inaccurate. The CDC was reporting community spread at least as far back as the end of February.
On a side note, I actually read that document in February, and it lead to me writing the following two posts (in February), speculating about the future of the disease:
post 1
post 2
Probably should get a new conspiracy theory.
So someone at the CDC suggested possible community transmission at the end of February, OK. Good on them.
But there were other CDC posts, including the one I got temp banned from Twitter for replying to rudely, and those posts did say "no community transmission" and it was posted on a CDC site.
I already deleted the email from twitter telling me to delete that tweet and deleted the tweet itself (after months of waiting out an appeal). Googling "no community transmission" doesn't bring much up. It's been memory holed? I can't find it. But that was the line for quite some time. https://search.cdc.gov/search/index.html?query=%22no%20community%20trans...
Being in SDET, I'm big on testing, so I discussed this with my colleagues at work before they closed in March. The declaration of "no community transmission" was uncanny and they agreed. Then the company shuttered its doors to make us all "work from home", prior to the lockdown.
The doctor I saw when I got sick told me also that the confirmed case in Santa Clara, where I live, was confirmed by the CDC to be isolated and that there was no community transmission. She got this from official sources. About half of the people at the clinic then were sick. I think this was in March.
A lot of people in the bay area got sick. But of course, it couldn't be cuh-cuh- ……… no! Because the fear porn news made it seem so terrible like you were gonna be sick for a month and put on a ventilator. But yeah, two of the neighbor kids here were coughing bad for a couple of weeks. Many people sick, everywhere.
I was swab tested for flu and that was negative. The fatigue I had was serious. Sleep 9 hours, wake up for two, and crash soon. When I asked for the covid test, the doc asked if I'd had international travel and other such unrelated questions. I said "No, but I got in an uber" and she cut me off to say that I didn't meet the criteria. The doctors determined (guessed) that I probably had a bad viral infection. One of the doctors said something much more absurd, but that's beside the point.
I got sick and was denied a test. Now, they say I can get an unreliable antibodies test.
It seems that the evidence for your claim is missing; and there is mountains of evidence against it. Why do you think that is the case?
I know this one, is the answer "a barking mad conspiracy theory"?
@ Garrett Smith
Do you believe the US military has alien bodies at Area 51?
@thread
Huffpost today Wednesday May 27.
Many Canadians are very unhappy:
"Military Says It Found Disturbing Conditions In Ontario Care Homes
Canadian Armed Forces found shocking conditions at five Ontario long-term care homes grappling with outbreaks of COVID-19."
https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/entry/military-report-ontario-long-term-ca...
"OTTAWA — Half of Canadians believe they’re not getting the whole truth from their governments about COVID-19, a new poll suggests, and some also believe conspiracy theories about where the novel coronavirus began."
https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/entry/covid-19-crisis-governments-poll_ca_...
BUT, this news surely takes the biscuit:. I knew things were not perfect in Canada, but I had no idea it had become so dire. The poor man.
"Air Canada CEO Sees Compensation Cut In Half As Share Price Stalls
Rovinescu, 64, was entitled last year to a base salary of $1.4 million. The value of his share-based awards fell to $1.89 million from $3.55 million, and $3.5 million in options were worthless due to a big drop in the share price. His bonus was also cut by more than half, to $1.6 million from $3.5 million while his pension value was $875,000.
The CEO gave up his base salary until June 30. His total compensation was $11.6 million in 2018.
In 2019, Air Canada earned $1.4 billion in profits on $19.1 billion in revenues. COVID-19 turned everything upside down with the airline losing $1.05 billion in the first quarter ended March 31, in addition to forecasts that it would take more than three years to recover from the current crisis."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 25, 2020
https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/entry/covid-19-crisis-governments-poll_ca_...
Yea cranky47, here in Ontario almost everyone is recoiling in horror and shock from the report from the military.
As far as trust in the governments, I don't trust anyone. Our leaders were very slow in warning and educating everyone. And although Trudeau looks like a pretty boy, it is a brutal world in Canadian politics and you have to walk over a lot of bodies to get to the top.
But in my opinion, one of our largest hurdles is that we also witness the nonsense coming out of the White House, and the antics of our leaders pale in comparison. Compare to Trump, our leaders look like saints.
At the cost of a lot of death and suffering (it bugs the crap out of me), hopefully we will learn that many fundamental changes must be made for our societies and laws.
@David
Very wrong of me to say, I know, BUT that Ford fella looks like one of those used car salesmen who makes his own TV ads.
As for Justin Trudeau; I've been following his career for a couple of years. I think the bloke is a consummate politician. IE I wouldn't trust him as far as I could throw him
Here in Oz we have ScoMo (Scott Morrison) for PM. A happy clappy pentacostal, Scomo prays during a crisis
His current trick is to try to get a whole lot of reform legislation passed during the pandemic. The skanky cunt.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E5k5eNE6E9o
---------No discussions between a Liberal (conservative) government and unions in Oz has ever ended well for workers.
I once read there are three kinds of leaders: (1) Regularly walks on water (2) Walks on water in emergencies (3) Passes water in emergencies
Cranks...lol
Ford also makes cheesecake!!! And Trudeau’s “papa” is a conspiracy (google him and Castro) lol
@ cranky47
"Very wrong of me to say, I know, BUT that Ford fella looks like one of those used car salesmen who makes his own TV ads."
It is not that wrong. Doug Ford is the older brother of Rob Ford, Toronto's infamous cocaine alcoholic mayor who sadly passed away a few years ago. They were a tag team of chaos during their councilor days, Rob Ford made a mess and Doug was the enforcer. I never liked their methods or politics.
Even though I will never vote or him, he does deserve the proper recognition of putting his politics aside and working diligently to get us through this crisis.
I will never vote for him, but once this is over, I will submit to Ottawa that he be awarded the Order of Canada.
It is interesting that in a time of crises we witness the true character of a person.
@ Cranky,
Morrison has hinted at some extra-ordinary promises in this JobMaker scheme and remembering all the dishonest soothing words LNP pollies uttered during the debacle that was "WorkChoices", I think Labor deputy leader Richard Marles said it all.
"The idea that a Liberal government is about to engage in industrial relations reform will send a chill down the spine of every Australian worker,"
@Grinseed
"The idea that a Liberal government is about to engage in industrial relations reform will send a chill down the spine of every Australian worker,"
Politics in Oz has become so confusing.
When I was a junior voter,politics in Oz was a class war, pure and simple.
The Australian Labor Party began life as the political arm of the trade union movement. Its concern was social justice for the working class. EG; the 8 hour day, 40 hour week. First 'the needs basic wage", then a basic wag based on 'the capacity of industry to pay' --The Conciliation And Arbitration Commission to settle disputes impartially. (relatively speaking)
The LCL (Liberal and Country Party coalition) were for the top end of town, the silver tails and [ in those days] wealthy cockies.
Then Labor slowly moved to the centre, Liberals moved further to the right in response.
I left the Labor party when they made that opportunistic thug Mark Latham leader and he helped us snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.
I like to think that since the dismissal in 1975, your average Aussie voter has developed a healthy contempt for politicians of all stripes.
For the last decade at least. I have always voted against the most offensive bunch of venal incompetents on offer. Never for any party,and never for the same party in both houses.
00000000000000000000000000000000000))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))000000000000000000000000000000000000
Have never forgotten the incident in which PM John Howard was questioned about not keeping a particular campaign promise .
" That wasn't a core promise"
To show I'm not completely dogmatic: I still think Howard handled the Port Arthur Massacre in a compassionate and Statesmanlike way.
@ Cranky, I absolutely agree with your short history lesson and you have expressed it admirably.
As for "Honest" Johnny Howard I loved how it was his missus, Janet, gossiping on national radio who innocently drew the nation's attention to her husband's underhanded philosophy of "core and non-core" promises...stunned listeners were abuzz, asking, "did she just publicly reveal that he blatantly decides what promises he lies about?"...not a terrible new truth about any politician but I trace the slow and inevitable political collapse of "Uncle John" from that single interview.
To shamelessly reveal a certain dogmatic vein in my politics, his handling of the Port Arthur Massacre was the only compassionate and statesmanlike act he ever achieved and even that was driven by his self serving brand of politics. As a result of his ultimate act of disreputable dishonesty, "children overboard", he was identified ever so politely by a fellow party member, Georgie Porgy 'Bookcase' Brandis, as "a lying rodent" but it was widely understood that Howard had always been 'a little dishonest rat'.
Fuck. I think I have just blown my chances for an Order of Australia medal next year. Such is life.
@Grinseed
Thank you.
Didn't know all that stuff about Howard. Although l always thought he looked like an auditor***
According to some in the know, Kevin Rudd (aka Tin Tin) is also a slimy little turd and vulgar with it.
Always loathed that Gillard person. My personal nickname for her was' Lady Macbeth'
***I was an auditor for several years. Another auditor I knew described auditors as "people who go around after a battle and bayonet the wounded"
I remember watching this video a few years ago and was reassured that our politicians were not the dumbest assholes.
Those earrings of hers are actually little earbuds, and they constantly remind her "breathe in, breathe out, breathe in, breathe out" in an endless loop so she doesn't forget to breathe.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UYF08jJi9Hg
edit: I forgot to include the video. Now added.
Pages