Alex_Krycek

Agreed. This whole debacle is turning out to be a shameful episode in human history. Countries expelling / preventing the entrance of foreigners. Increased division and xenophobia like never before. Really shows how little we've progressed as a society.

Asleep at the wheel.

Note: I'm not sure if this thread belongs in Politics or as part of another existing thread It might be interesting to discuss the success stories vs the failures so far in the COVID-19 pandemic. My definition of "success" is based on the number of deaths compared to the number of confirmed cases. Success Stories: Japan Singapore Taiwan Hong Kong South Korea Not so Successful: Pretty much every other country. Factors of Success: 1. Widespread and systematic testing - testing is readily available on demand and the throughput for testing (amount of tests that can be completed per day) is significantly higher than unsuccessful countries) South Korea reportedly can test 10,000 people per day. Everyone is encouraged to be tested, symptomatic or not, which is crucial when dealing with this kind of covert virus. https://www.propublica.org/article/how-south-korea-scaled-coronavirus-testing-while-the-us-fell-dangerously-behind 2. Sufficient medical supplies / stockpiles for a pandemic. Countries like Japan already stockpiled a medicine to be used against the first SARS, which was ready to deploy when this pandemic emerged. 3. Innovative use of technology to alert, inform, and track the general public with regards to testing stations, active COVID-19 cases, and protocol for those who might be infected. In South Korea they send out alerts to all mobile phones about active cases within a 100 metre radius. 4. A compliant general public. The public in these countries is taking the outbreak seriously and following government protocol. 5. They actually had a plan. Because of past experience with MERS, SARS-1, Avian Flu, and Swine Flu, these countries have already developed a serious action plan to confront an epidemic.

There have been some promising developments regarding Chloroquine (a generic anti-malarial) as a potential treatment for COVID-19. South Korea has apparently begun incorporating it into their treatment regimens, with positive results. Chloroquine (chloroquine diphosphate) allows Zinc to permeate the cell membrane and inhibit the replication of the virus. Here is the full breakdown with citations: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U7F1cnWup9M

Because if your goal is a perpetually expanding cycle of profit based on treating a problem then there's no solution to be found in a solution. The only solution is in perpetuating and controlling an ever expanding problem. Not if you already have a captive market, which the pharmaceutical companies do in the US, as they exercise control over the medical establishment and by extension their patients (via government lobbying, the private insurance industry, and privatization of hospitals). Make human beings the focus of society instead of profit. If this happens then everything changes.

Perhaps not. But I think this is more of a cultural problem in the US. There is a fixation on violence and control in our society that I haven't seen in other developed countries. The cult in this image is an example. At the slightest provocation an American is more likely to reach for a gun than any other developed nation, primarily because we're a country governed by paranoia and violence.

Is it? Many other countries have a comparable number of guns per capita as the US, and they don't experience these events. For example, in Europe and Canada many people own guns. There's something unique about the US, whether it's our culture, or lack of adequate mental health care, or some other contributing variable that sets us apart.

There doesn't seem to be much discussion about psychiatric medication being the cause of these shootings. The majority of school shooters have been on some form of medication, including Nikolas Cruz of Parkland. The media should be talking more about this, as most of these medications list homicidal / suicidal ideation as a known side effect. I doubt there will be much attention paid to this, however, as the pharmaceutical industry has so much clout and lobbying power. They're not about to entertain the notion that their products turn people into homicidal maniacs. It's easier just to blame guns. The International Society for Ethical Psychology and Psychiatry called for an investigation into this back in 2013 after Newtown. http://psychintegrity.org/statementontheconnectionbetweenpsychotropicddrugsandmassmurder/

Yeah, that's easily something Trump would write. "This is an ISLAND, surrounded by water. Big water. Ocean water." - Donald J. Trump, 45th President of the Unites States of America

MARSHALL, MN—Claiming that his gruff classroom demeanor was often misunderstood, no-nonsense chemistry teacher Bill Powderly explained on Wednesday that he was only tough on his students because he gets off on exploiting his authority. “Listen folks, I’m only stern with you kids because I care [about the surge of dopamine that rushes through my brain every time I raise my voice],” said Powderly, who added that his biggest source of happiness—besides bullying adolescents for the sheer thrill—was teaching. “You don’t have to like me, but I conduct myself in this manner because [it makes me feel like an omnipotent god-king].” Powderly went on to say that one day when they became adults, his students would look back and realize he was “a [small, vindictive] man who cared.” https://local.theonion.com/gruff-no-nonsense-teacher-only-hard-on-students-becaus-1822586332