Epidemiologist Who Triggered Worldwide Lockdowns Admits: Without Instituting Full Lockdown, Sweden Essentially Getting Same Effect

From Daily Wire.com (June 2):

On Tuesday, Professor Neil Ferguson, of Imperial College London, whose bleak projections of future deaths from COVID-19 influenced governments around the world to institute massive lockdowns, admitted of Sweden, which did not institute harsh lockdowns, “It is interesting that adopting a policy which is short of a full lockdown – they have closed secondary schools and universities and there is a significant amount of social distancing, but it’s not a full lockdown – they have got quite a long way to the same effect.”

Speaking before a House of Lords Science and Technology Committee, the man who half a million Britons could die from Covid-19 spoke of Sweden, whose 436 people per million mortality rate from the coronavirus is significantly lower than the UK’s 575 people per million. The Daily Mail noted, “As well as fewer deaths, Sweden’s GDP actually grew in the first quarter of 2020, suggesting it might avoid the worst of the economic fallout from the crisis

Ferguson admitted, “’There are differences in how science has influenced policies in different countries. I have the greatest respect for scientists there [in Sweden]. They came to a different policy conclusion but based really on quite similar science.” Asked why 4,000 people had died in Sweden instead of the 90,000 that had been forecast, he answered, “I think it’s an interesting question. It’s clear there have been significant social distancing in Sweden. Our best estimate is that that has led to a reduction in the reproduction number to around 1.” He cautioned, “It’s clear that when you look at their mortality, they are not seeing the rate of decline most European countries are seeing.” [read more]

Man Waiting for $1,700 Stimulus Payment Finds $8.2 Million in Account

From Breibart.com (Apr. 14):

A man said millions of dollars were deposited into his bank account instead of the anticipated $1,700 federal stimulus check on Friday in New Chicago, Indiana.

“I went to the ATM at the Family Express and once I withdrew $200 out of my account I looked at the available balance still left in my account,” explained volunteer firefighter Charles Calvin, according to WGN9.

To his surprise, Calvin’s account had $8.2 million in it when he was only supposed to receive $1,700 from the government.

To make sure, the firefighter ran his card again. but the amount was still the same.

Monday, he called his bank. Employees said they did not see the $8.2 million anymore, but noted that his stimulus check had been deposited in the correct amount.

Saturday, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced that the first round of coronavirus relief package payments were distributed to Americans, which led Calvin to believe the previous day’s deposit was a mistake.

“IRS deposited the first Economic Impact Payments into taxpayers’ bank accounts today,” the agency tweeted, adding, “We know many people are anxious to get their payments; we’ll continue issuing them as fast as we can.”

Even though it appeared to be an error by the government, the ATM, or his bank, Calvin took it all in stride.

“It kind of sucks. You go from being a millionaire one second then back to being broke again. But hey, once you’re poor you don’t have anywhere else to go but up,” he commented. [read more]

Yea, that would suck getting that amount of money deposited in your account and then finding it’s a mistake.

The Great American Story Course Notes Part 5

In his “Farewell Address,” George Washington urged his successors to avoid permanent alliances with foreign powers.

Theodore Roosevelt helped develop the pro-imperial argument for the United States.

Social Gospel was an influential movement in Christianity that encouraged imperialism through the argument that Christian nations had a moral obligation to spread their institutions and beliefs to the rest of the world.

Whether or not to annex the Philippines proved to be one of the defining questions of American imperialism.

The idea of imperialism was especially problematic for the United States because it conflicted with American principles of self-rule and liberty.

According to Dr. McClay, the Spanish-American War marked the end of the Spanish empire as any kind of coherent entity.

The Wisconsin Idea held that universities could help reform government by conducting scientific investigations aimed at making public administration more efficient, fair-minded, and expert.

John Dewey was the great philosopher of Progressivism.

Theodore Roosevelt’s “stewardship” theory argued that the president was permitted to do whatever was necessary for the well-being of the people.

Woodrow Wilson’s ideal government was one in which the President was a part of the legislative branch.

Wilson rejected the natural rights theory of the Declaration of Independence.

Source: “The Great American Story: A Land of Hope”

Monkeys run away with coronavirus test samples after attacking lab technician

From mirror.co.uk (May 29):

A group of monkeys ran away with coronavirus test samples after attacking a lab technician, it is reported.

The technician was carrying test samples of three suspected Covid-19 patients when the bizarre incident is believed to have happened in Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, India.

But the monkeys reportedly snatched the specimens and fled from the Meerut Medical College on Friday.

The samples had not yet been tested, Times Now reports.

Locals filmed what they say is one of the monkeys sat in a tree chewing one of the sample collection kits.

Fears are mounting about the virus spreading amid reports the monkeys are carrying the samples around nearby residential areas. [read more]

I think I’ve seen this event in a sci-fi movie. What happened next didn’t turn out so well.

Proposed Health Code App Sparks Anger in China

From Breitbart.com (May 26):

Beijing (AFP) – A Chinese local government’s proposal for a post-coronavirus health app that ranks citizens based on their smoking, drinking, exercise and sleep habits has sparked fury online over privacy concerns

China has already developed apps that indicate an individual’s likelihood of contracting coronavirus based on their travel history and whether they had come into contact with an infected case.

Hangzhou, a high-tech hub and home to e-commerce giant Alibaba, was among the first Chinese cities to adopt such an app, which gives people a green, yellow or red code that determines if they can buy travel tickets or enter public places.

But the health commission in the eastern city of 10 million people is now considering rolling out an app that looks much deeper into the health of citizens.

The software monitors users in real-time and ranks them on a 100-point “health gradient” scale, according to a post on the commission’s website.

According to shots of the app shared in the post, it ranks citizens out of the entire population of Hangzhou based on their health score, which changes according to the user’s daily actions. [read more]

Another health apps article: Virus-tracking app angers thousands in Moscow with fines

Soros: Zuckerberg, Sandberg should be removed from control of Facebook

From The Hill.com (Feb. 18):

Democratic donor George Soros said Tuesday that Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and chief operating officer Sheryl Sandberg should be removed from control of the social media company.

Soros targeted the two Facebook officials in a letter to the editor to the Financial Times responding to Zuckerberg’s comments Monday encouraging “more regulation of Big Tech.” He accused the CEO of “obfuscating the facts by piously arguing for government regulation.”

The Democratic donor alleged Zuckerberg has partnered with President Trump in a “mutual assistance arrangement” to help him get reelected through political advertising, an accusation he has made in the past.

“Facebook does not need to wait for government regulations to stop accepting any political advertising in 2020 until after the elections on November 4,” he said. “If there is any doubt whether an ad is political, it should err on the side of caution and refuse to publish.”

Soros said it is “unlikely” Facebook would refuse to publish political ads. [read more]

This white privilege moron is full of crap. Facebook is as far-Left as you can get.

Study Finds COVID-19 Patients Not Infectious After Day 11

From News Max.com (May 24):

COVID-19 patients might not be contagious 11 days after becoming ill, according to a study cited by the Singapore National Center for Infectious Diseases and the Academy of Medicine.

"Scientifically, I'm very confident that there is enough evidence that the person is no longer infectious after 11 days," NCID executive director Leo Yee Sin told Singaporean newspaper the Strait Times.

The study showed a patient can test positive for the virus on Day 12, but "viral RNA detection by PCR does not equate to infectiousness or viable virus" as COVID-19 "could not be isolated or cultured after day 11 of illness," according to researchers. PCR means polymerase chain reaction and is a method to read small samples.

"Based on the accumulated data since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the infectious period of SARS-CoV-2 in symptomatic individuals may begin around 2 days before the onset of symptoms, and persists for about 7-10 days after the onset of symptoms," the study concluded. "Active viral replication drops quickly after the first week, and viable virus was not found after the second week of illness despite the persistence of PCR detection of RNA. These findings are supported by epidemiologic, microbiologic and clinical data." [read more]

Similar articles on the subject:

• COVID-19 Less Deadly in the North American Arctic
• Do Medical Masks Work?

The Great American Story Course Notes Part 4

The Mexican War reopened national questions the Missouri Compromise had attempted to settle.

The Compromise of 1850 admitted California into the Union as a free state in exchange for a tougher Fugitive Slave law.

In the Civil War, the South had the advantages of fighting a defensive war on their home territory and very talented and accomplished generals.

Winston Churchill praised Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address as the ultimate expression of Shakespearean language.

In his Second Inaugural, Lincoln argued that slavery should be understood as national sin.

Roughly one of every four soldiers who fought in the Civil War were killed.

Abraham Lincoln argued that because secession was illegal, the Confederate states had never left the Union.

Reconstruction was driven primarily by Congress and not the President.

In the Compromise of 1877, Republicans agreed to withdraw the Reconstruction regime that governed the South in order to settle the dispute over the election of Rutherford Hayes.

The railroad industry was the first big business in the United States, and it helped spur the development of a national marketplace.

The rapid increase in immigration and the population of big cities during the late nineteenth century contributed to a change in the character of city government and the rise of the urban boss system.

In 1890, four out of five New York city residents were foreign-born.

According to the historian Frederick Jackson Turner, the disappearance of the western frontier would prove to be a major challenge to American democracy.

Source: “The Great American Story: A Land of Hope”

National Coronavirus Recovery Commission Releases Recommendations for Reducing Future Risks of Pandemics

From Heritage.org (May 19):

WASHINGTON—The National Coronavirus Recovery Commission announced a new set of recommendations today to guide governors, local leaders, federal officials, and the private sector with the steps necessary to reduce the risks of future pandemics. The commission has now put forward 264 recommendations that represent a strategy for achieving a prudent balance to protect both lives and livelihoods.

The commission held its fourth meeting Tuesday, bringing together 17 top experts and thinkers with experience in government, public health, disaster response and relief, academia and education, business, and the faith community.

The newest recommendations focus on the steps that government leaders and the private sector can take to prevent future pandemics. Effective preparedness requires looking back at where big-government policies failed and providing solutions for governments at every level to better understand the scope of both their responsibility and accountability before the next crisis.

The full list of 264 recommendations, organized by the sectors of government and society, can be foundhere.

Highlights of the latest recommendations, released today, are below.

• State policymakers, working with Congress as necessary, should prepare a new strategy to better equip hospitals to cope with a major pandemic.
• State legislatures should review (and possibly revise) their statutory grants of emergency powers to governors in light of executive actions taken throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.
• State and local governments should set aside a minimum of two months of operating expenditures or roughly 16% of expenditures for times of crisis as suggested by the Government Finance Officers.
• State and local governments should work to reopen K-12 classrooms and take targeted measures to protect student and teacher health.

[read more]

10 Key Education Recommendations for Reopening the K-12 Classroom

From The Daily Signal.com (May 25):

Homeroom has taken on a literal meaning over the past two months. Parents, while always their children’s first and foremost educators, have had to fully embrace homeschooling as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. And although that has been working great for many families – some 40% now say they’re more likely to continue homeschooling even when schools reopen – for others, it is either not the right fit for their child or doesn’t work with their job requirements.

Many families rely on that custodial function of the physical K-12 school to enable them to go to work. And although teleworking is likely to become a more prominent feature of American life moving forward, many families are eager to reunite their children with their teachers and classmates in person, in their public, charter, or private schools. Governors, school districts, and principals should plan to reopen schools safely as soon as possible.

The National Coronavirus Recovery Commission recently released a comprehensive set of 264 recommendations to guide America through this pandemic, while protecting both lives and livelihoods. The work of local school leaders in the public and private sectors will play a critical role in helping America get back to work, and the economy back on track.

What follows is a list of 10 recommendations put forward by the commission geared specifically toward K-12 schools across the country.

1. K-12 schools should act proactively in concert with state and local health officials to assist school administrators in making reopening decisions. School leaders should review all aspects of the school’s facilities and operations, looking for ways to best prevent transmission. That includes student transportation to and from school; class schedules, density, and layout; rotation of teachers instead of students; pedestrian traffic patterns; and the use of personal protective equipment and hand sanitization. They should implement thorough cleaning and sanitization guidelines for all surfaces, especially eating areas, locker rooms, and bathrooms.

2. State and local governments should allow K–12 schools to open this fall and selectively quarantine any students, faculty, or staff who show COVID-like symptoms by sending them home. Districts that have low incident rates should begin plans to reopen, and all school districts should have emergency response plans (including quick transitions to online learning) if they are forced to close again. If a student is sent home due to illness, or if a school has to close, the school should continue to provide online instruction for students who are sent home. For parents who choose to keep their children at home, schools should continue to offer online instruction while enabling students to demonstrate proficiency in mandatory subjects.

3. State and local governments should make decisions based on data for the local district, and even the specific school, not the entire state. If the cases in a single school that is not geographically connected to another school or schools rise beyond the number deemed appropriate by health professionals, in-person operations in an entire state or district do not need to be suspended.

4. State and local governments should consider suspending in-person operations schoolwide only if a school’s COVID-19 cases increase beyond an acceptable number as determined by health professionals. In the event of a local outbreak, school personnel should consult with health officials as to whether social distancing rules should be applied to certain events, such as athletic events, but such disruptions should be implemented only on an as-needed basis.

5. States should help families return to work and students maintain education continuity by making education funding student-centered and portable. Families across the country are currently unable to access the public schools they pay for through their tax dollars and are looking for continuity in their children’s education. In order to help families maintain education continuity, states should restructure per-pupil K–12 education dollars to provide emergency education savings accounts (ESAs) to students, enabling them to access their child’s share of state per-pupil funding to pay for online courses, online tutors, curriculum, and textbooks so that they can continue learning. [read more]

The other five recommendations are:

1. States with online schools lift any barriers to access, including caps, enrollment restrictions, or grade prohibitions for students in grades K–12.
2. Congress should provide spending flexibility with existing education dollars.
3. Congress should make federal funding portable for children from low-income families and children with special needs.
4. Congress should also support the education of military-connected children.
5. Congress should expand access to 529 savings accounts.

If the kiddos don’t go back to public school how will they continue their indoctrination by the Left? The Left-wing mayors didn’t consider that.

Another article on the matter: School Districts Owe Taxpaying Parents a COVID-19 Refund

Coronavirus pandemic could be over in the US by November 11: Scientific model predicts virus will continue its steady decline with NO second wave

From The Daily Mail.co.uk (May 23):

The coronavirus pandemic in the United States could be over as early as mid-November, new modeling has shown.

Researchers at Singapore University of Technology and Design have created a complex model predicting the exact date the pandemic will end in the US, UK, and other countries around the world.

According to the data, the US is on track to be coronavirus-free by November 11, while the UK could see an earlier end date of September 30. 

The model predicts the trajectory of the spread of the virus over time while tracking the actual number of new confirmed cases per day in a given country.

However, researchers noted the predictions by nature are likely to be uncertain due to the complexity of the virus as well as other factors including the restrictions and testing protocols in place in a country.  [read more]

Hope that’s true.

Senate Republicans issue first subpoena of investigation into Obama administration activity

From Just the News.com (May 20):

Senate Republicans on Wednesday issued the first subpoena in their probe into the relationship between Hunter Biden and the Ukrainian gas company Burisma Holdings.

The subpoena was issued by GOP Sen. Ron Johnson, chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, and sent to Blue Star Strategies, the firm tied to Biden, a son of Joe Biden, the 2020 Democratic presidential candidate and a former vice president.

The subpoena requests Blue Star Strategies records dating back to January 2013 "related to work for or on behalf of Burisma Holdings or individuals associated with Burisma." The committee is also requesting an interview with top Blue Star executives. [read more]

The question is will Hunter Biden honor the subpoena? Probably not.

The Great American Story Course Notes Part 3

To solve the financial crisis the United States faced following the Revolution, Alexander
Hamilton proposed that the federal government ought to assume the debts of the states,
establish a nation bank, and enact high tariffs.

The War of 1812 produced two glorious results for the United States: Andrew Jackson’s victory
in New Orleans and “The Star-Spangled Banner.”

The Monroe Doctrine declared the Western Hemisphere off-limits to further European colonization.

Andrew Jackson argued that the common man was innately capable of governing.

The popularity of revivalism in the 1820s was an example of democracy’s influence on religion in
America.

Dr. McClay argues that the anti-slavery movement of the 1830s is best understood as a religious
cause.

Cotton was the most important and profitable sources of income for the South.

Eli Whitney’s invention of the cotton gin in 1793 made southern agricultural more productive
and increased the demand for slave labor.

In the early 1830s, it was still possible to have a debate about slavery in the South.

George Fitzhugh, a proponent of the positive good theory of slavery, argued that slavery was
the best form of socialism.

Source: “The Great American Story: A Land of Hope”

Trump signs executive order to create 'Bill of Rights' for businesses during pandemic

From Just the News.com (May 19):

As the country grapples with record unemployment in the wake of the coronavirus shutdown, President Trump signed an executive order Tuesday directing federal agencies to use emergency authorities to quickly identify regulations that can be rescinded or temporarily waived to spur job growth.

The executive order includes a “Regulatory Bill of Rights," putting the onus on rule-makers to be circumscribed and transparent in how they go about enforcing violations.

…………

The executive order also asks agencies to accelerate the rule-making process, which in some instances could shave years off regulatory deliberations.

The executive order's "Fairness in Administrative Enforcement and Adjudication," states that "The heads of all agencies shall consider the principles of fairness in administrative enforcement and adjudication listed below, and revise their procedures and practices in light of them, consistent with applicable law and as they deem appropriate in the context of particular statutory and regulatory programs and the policy considerations identified in section 1 of this order." [read more]

Ukraine judge orders Joe Biden be listed as alleged perpetrator of crime in prosecutor’s firing

From Just the News.com (May 19):

The infamous story of Joe Biden’s effort to force the firing of Ukraine’s chief prosecutor in 2016 has taken a new legal twist in Kiev, just as the former vice president is sewing up the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination in America.

In Kiev late last month, District Court Judge S. V. Vovk ordered the country’s law enforcement services to formally list the fired prosecutor, Victor Shokin, as the victim of an alleged crime by the former U.S. vice president, according to an official English translation of the ruling obtained by Just the News.

The court had previously ordered the Prosecutor General’s Office and the State Bureau of Investigations in February to investigate Shokin’s claim that he was fired in spring 2016 under pressure from Biden because he was investigating Burisma Holdings, the natural gas company where Biden’s son Hunter worked.

The court ruled then that there was adequate evidence to investigate Shokin’s claim that Biden’s pressure on then-President Petro Poroshenko, including a threat to withhold $1 billion in U.S. loan guarantees, amounted to unlawful interference in Shokin’s work as Ukraine’s chief prosecutor. [read more]

Failures of an Influential COVID-19 Model Used to Justify Lockdowns

Commentary from Kevin Dayaratna on The Daily Signal.com (May 16):

Professor Neil Ferguson, who led the COVID-19 modeling team at Imperial College in London, resigned May 5 from his government advisory role after breaking the very same British lockdown rules that he had a role in influencing.

Ferguson led the Imperial College team that designed the computer model that, among others, had been used to justify the recent stay-at-home orders in England as well as in the United States. We now know the model was so highly flawed it never should have been relied upon for policy decisions to begin with.

Epidemiology—the study of the incidence, prevalence, and impact of disease—frequently calls upon models to forecast potential outcomes of diseases. Not surprisingly, once COVID-19 became a pandemic, policy experts from all across the world began relying on such models.

The Imperial College researchers ran one such model they had used in prior research and forecast a number of potential outcomes, including that, by October, more than 500,000 people in Great Britain and 2 million people in the U.S. would die as a result of COVID-19.

The model also predicted the United States could incur up to 1 million deaths even with “enhanced social distancing” guidelines, including “shielding the elderly.” Imperial’s modeling results influenced British Prime Minister Boris Johnson to impose a nationwide lockdown and influenced the White House as well.

I asked Ferguson and his colleagues for their model on multiple occasions to see how they got their numbers, but they never replied to my emails.

According to Nature, they had been “working with Microsoft to tidy up the code and make it available.” I also asked the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for the codes it used to develop its COVID-19 forecasts, but got no response. [read more]

The shutdown was a bad idea. It should never be repeated. It didn’t slow down the virus. If anything it sped up the spread. Virus don’t like sunshine and fresh air—they don’t spread as well.

Other articles on the matter:

• Doctors raise alarm about health effects of continued coronavirus shutdown: 'Mass casualty incident'
• Stanford coronavirus research: Did politically-motivated scientists hype their speedy study?
• Viruses 101: How Overprotecting People from COVID 19 Could Make it More Lethal
• Driverless Cars Will Make the Next Pandemic Crackdown Complete
• 'The Pretense of Knowledge' has Cost America Dearly
• The Wuhan Virus Reminds Us: Beware Scientism and the Technocrats
• The Worldwide Lockdown May Be the Greatest Mistake in History

12 Urgent Actions to Reopen America and Prevent an Economic Depression

From Daily Signal.com (May 13):

The steps we take to reopen America safely will determine whether the United States has to contend with an economic depression—regardless of whether COVID-19 is suppressed in the next several months or the next year.

How we build on those steps will not just be critical in restarting the American economy, but also could help to increase the soundness of the economy coming out of this crisis.

The Heritage Foundation’s National Coronavirus Recovery Commission has put forward 179 recommendations for governors, local leaders, federal officials, and the private sector on the steps necessary to reopen America.

………………..

But as we talk specifically about getting America back to work, here are 12 of the most urgent actions that policymakers should take to prevent an economic depression.

1. Allow businesses in counties with low incidence of COVID-19 to reopen. Just five states—New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Illinois, and California—account for 54% of all of the confirmed COVID-19 cases in the U.S. and 61% of all related deaths. Most counties (80%) have had less than five deaths related to the new coronavirus.

2. Use stay-at-home orders sparingly and only where necessary. Better, more targeted approaches should focus on infection hot spots, isolate the sick from work, and protect the more vulnerable (those who are elderly, in nursing homes, or have preexisting conditions).

3. Establish a national portal with accessible data on the spread of the coronavirus as well as the modeling used to support decisions made by governments at all levels. Access to information is absolutely critical for governments, medical professionals, businesses, and individuals to make the best decisions on how best to respond.

………………

4. Immediately allow all medical offices to reopen. Many states shut down health care services considered “nonessential” to prepare for projected massive surges in patients infected by the coronavirus.

……………..

5. Review all regulations that have been waived or modified in response to COVID-19 and consider permanent changes. Such a clear statement by President Donald Trump to executive agencies would provide more long-term confidence and stability for businesses by ensuring regulatory regimes work in good times and bad, facilitate innovation and market advancement, and still protect health and safety. [read more]

The other actions are:

1. Expand liability protections with a safe harbor for businesses and workers that follow guidance by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in good faith.
2. Liberalize future Paycheck Protection Program loans to broaden eligible expenditures, extend the relevant period, and limit the loans to businesses that were hit hard.
3. Reduce small-business tax liability with a “physical presence” standard.
4. Make legislative and regulatory changes to expand access to capital for small businesses.
5. Incentivize research and development and infrastructure investments with permanent full expensing.
6. Honor and enforce contractual insurance obligations.
7. Eliminate all tariffs imposed since 2018.

The Great American Story Course Notes Part 2

George Washington was appointed Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army in June 1775.

In 1777, the American victory at Saratoga over British troops led by General Burgoyne was
instrumental in securing French support for the Americans.

Washington's army experienced a low point during the winter of 1777-78 while encamped at Valley Forge.

The surrender of General Cornwallis at the Battle of Yorktown effectively ended the
Revolutionary War.

The Articles of Confederation aimed to secure the sovereignty of the states.

In contrast to the Articles of Confederation, the Constitution reflected a sober, chastened view
of human nature.

The Constitution does not attempt to eliminate political conflict, but rather attempts to make
such conflict serve the common good.

The average age of the delegates attending the Constitutional Convention was 42.

Indentured servitude was an important form of labor to the development of colonies. It was the practice by which an employer would pay for a person’s passage to America in exchange for a period of contractual service.

The first black Africans in America arrived at Jamestown aboard a Dutch ship in 1619.

By the 1660s, colonial assemblies had passed slave codes dictating that Africans and their
offspring were to be held in permanent bondage.

The Anti-Federalists played an important role arguing for the adoption of the Bill of Rights.

Source: “The Great American Story: A Land of Hope”

Syracuse company develops coronavirus-killing drone for arenas and stadiums

From Syracuse.com (May 10):

Syracuse, N.Y. — Syracuse startup EagleHawk has developed a drone that can spray disinfectant to quickly kill the coronavirus in sports arenas and stadiums.

EagleHawk specializes in drones that use thermal cameras to detect roof leaks for government, college and university, medical and retail buildings. But when the coronavirus pandemic took hold in the U.S. in mid-March, much of that business dried up.

The company quickly shifted gears. It removed the thermal cameras from its drones and replaced them with a device that sprays disinfectant.

“As a team, we just kind of took a step back and said, ‘How can we help be part of the solution going forward with COVID-19,’” said CEO Patrick Walsh, referencing the highly contagious respiratory disease caused by the novel coronavirus.

The disinfectant is stored in a tank on the ground and pumped to the drone through an attached hose. A second drone flies near the disinfecting drone to hold the hose up to prevent it from getting caught on a seat or other objects. [read more]

5 Key Provisions in Democrats’ COVID-19 Bill That Will Hurt Our Economy

From The Daily Signal.com (May 12):

House Democrats have released a completely unserious proposal to respond to the public health and economic crisis the nation is confronting as a result of COVID-19.

Spanning more than 1,800 pages, the bill represents a partisan laundry list of mostly bad policies, calling for trillions of dollars of additional deficit spending on handouts and items unrelated to the crisis.

Lawmakers should focus on the task at hand and respond directly to the public health crisis and its related effects, not abuse these unprecedented circumstances to push through partisan priorities that would derail the recovery.

Lawmakers must work together to create the conditions to safely reopen America, removing barriers to working, creating, and trading, and to enable American society to rise up again and drive the economic recovery.

1. Extending the $600 unemployment bonus: The bill would extend the misguided and harmful $600 unemployment bonus through January 2021, with an additional extension possible through March of next year.

It’s one thing to provide short-term and targeted unemployment benefits during forced shutdowns, but providing a year’s worth of unprecedented additional unemployment benefits—up to an extra $31,200 per worker—would be devastating to our economy, potentially even threatening our ability to combat COVID-19 and Americans’ supply of essential goods and services.

……………

2. Lifting the SALT cap: The House Democrats’ bill would lift the current $10,000 cap on the federal deduction for state and local taxes in 2020 and 2021.

Temporarily lifting the cap would provide a two-year windfall tax cut to the wealthiest taxpayers in the highest-tax states.
Before the 2017 reforms, high-tax states such as California, Connecticut, and New York were subsidized by other federal taxpayers across the country. In the case of high-income California taxpayers, the federal state and local tax deduction reduced their overall state tax bill by 40%.

If this proposed change to uncap the deduction were made permanent, it could encourage state governments to increase some of their most economically harmful individual taxes, slowing the economic recovery and passing the costs onto more responsible states.

3. Bailing out states and localities: The bill also includes more than $1 trillion in aid to state and local governments with the vast majority being unrestricted aid that does not directly respond to costs incurred in the fight against COVID-19.

Congress should not be sending blank checks to states and localities, which would only serve to bail out many states that are financially mismanaged and to prop up excessive levels of state and local government spending, and could set a dangerous precedent for the future.

………….

4. Forgiving student loans: The bill would forgive up to $10,000 of student loans for every borrower.
Providing blanket student loan forgiveness is neither targeted nor directly related to addressing COVID-19’s impact. It would merely add greater burdens on those who did not take out the loans (the vast majority of taxpayers, nearly two-thirds of whom do not hold bachelor’s degrees).

Congress has already suspended student loan payments and interest to meet the needs of borrowers who are struggling to make payments, providing temporary relief.

5. Bailing out the Postal Service: The package includes $25 billion for the U.S. Postal Service, which is in addition to the $10 billion loan provided to the Postal Service in the CARES Act.

Although the USPS raised concerns about its short-term financial status in March, its most recent financial report explicitly states that it has enough funds on hand to maintain operations for at least the next year.

A bailout of the Postal Service is not warranted, and it would only maintain an unsustainable status quo. Further, the new legislation would allow the USPS to use the $10 billion CARES Act loan to repay old debts, rather than maintaining operations, which was the stated purpose of providing the loan in the first place. [read more]

Watch: 'Skynet'-Like Robot Dog Patrols Singapore's Parks To Ensure Humans Are Social Distancing

From Zero Hedge.com (May 11):

If there's one thing we try to keep a eye on, it's the potential use of this global pandemic for governments to try and unleash new and "interesting" ways of surveillance.

Thus, our eyes and ears perked up when we learned that Singapore was now going to be using robot dogs to patrol public areas and make sure that citizens are keeping their distance from one another. Municipal authorities are using Spot, a four legged robot dog made by Boston Dynamics, to remind visitors to parks to keep a safe distance from one another.

The robo-doggo officially started patrol at Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park on Friday as part of a two week trial, according to The Verge. Spot is fitted with cameras that are used to estimate the number of visitors in the park, but Singapore says it won't collect personal data or use the video to identify individuals. Sure.

Spot also comes equipped with a remote control, built-in sensors and will be accompanied by a guide. If the trial is deemed a success, Spot (and likely others like him) could become mainstays in the country's public parks. The robot “lowers the risk of exposure to the virus,” the National Parks Board said, using the virus to shoehorn its agenda forward. Signs like the one above warn park visitors not to disrupt robot at work.  [read more]

The word ‘dog’ should have been in quotations. Big Brother is watching you! So, just behave. I wonder how the AI Overload is going to use this technology. Hmmm.

DAIRY FARMER DECIDES TO BOTTLE HIS OWN MILK RATHER THAN DUMP IT, SELLS OUT IN HOURS!

From Steadfast Clash.com (May 8):

This is the definition of innovation. This is what is so great about being an entrepreneur as well. When people are faced with challenges, they can either adapt to change or die.

In fact, this is what happened to Toys R Us. Everyone loved Toys R Us, but as companies like Amazon started stepping in, Toys R Us failed to adjust their business model to better fit the new way of doing business so they ended up having to file for bankruptcy and close up shop.

The coronavirus pandemic is crushing businesses and farmers as well. One farmer who was having trouble was going to have to dump out gallons upon gallons of milk decided to adapt to change, innovate and bottle his own milk to sell to the public.

Once they did this, they sold their entire inventory of milk within hours!

According to Trib Live,

“We have 200 cows, and 70 currently produce milk. What we don’t sell in the farm store, (Schneider’s) comes out and purchases what’s left over every other day. This runs through Sunday, so who knows what will happen,” Brown said.

“We’re talking about 12 milkings we would have to dump. … I just don’t want to do that,” Brown said. [read more]

Good for him! No use in wasting the milk.