Well, I've been slammed for my views in real life by people I never though would do so.
Covid sure has brought out the worse in people...

We told you earlier about the tennis players confined to their hotel rooms for two weeks before the Australian Open, having arrived on a flight with infected travellers.
Well world number one Novak Djokovic has made a series of demands for them. But the government in Victoria says players "will not be given any special treatment".
"The virus doesn't treat you specially, so neither do we," says Victorian premier Daniel Andrews.

Meanwhile, Australian tennis player Bernard Tomic and his girlfriend Vanessa Sierra have come under fire after she made a video complaining about the hotel food and that she could not get someone to wash her hair.
“This is the worst part of quarantine: I don’t wash my own hair. I've never washed my own hair. It's just not something I do. I normally have hairdressers do it twice a week for me. This is the situation that we're dealing with,” she says.
Tennis player Nick Kyrgios reacted by tweeting: "Djokovic is a tool. I don't mind Bernie but his Mrs obviously has no perspective, ridiculous scenes."

...then again it just reminds me of what I got told over 50 years ago - What goes in sober, comes out drunk.

Report: Anti-Vaccine Groups Collected Federal Covid Relief Funds

Several groups that have misleadingly questioned the safety of Covid-19 vaccines earned over $850,000 in federal coronavirus relief funding last year, the Washington Post reported Monday, leading some critics to question why organizations that could erode public health efforts qualified for large government-backed Paycheck Protection Program loans.

Key Facts

In total, five groups that have espoused anti-vaccine views received PPP loans, according to data from the Center for Countering Digital Hate published by the Post.

Two of these groups earned over $150,000, per federal data: Mercola, an organization whose website suggests (despite ample evidence to the contrary) Covid-19 vaccines are unsafe and face masks are ineffective, and the Informed Consent Action Network, which has published whitepapers falsely linking other common vaccines to autism.

Three other groups received less than $150,000: Children’s Health Defense, the National Vaccine Information Center and the Tenpenny Integrative Medical Center.

These groups likely didn’t run afoul of any federal rules by applying for PPP funds because the program’s qualifications are fairly broad, the Small Business Administration told the Post (the SBA did not respond to a request for comment from Forbes).

Children’s Health Defense founder Robert F. Kennedy Jr. told Forbes his organization qualified for a loan under federal law, and National Vaccine Information Center co-founder Barbara Loe Fisher said she used PPP to fund employees’ salaries; Kennedy and Fisher rejected the notion that their groups are anti-vaccine (both groups have published articles online insinuating that many common vaccines can be risky).

The other three groups that received funds did not respond to requests for comment.

Report: Anti-Vaccine Groups Collected Federal Covid Relief Funds

Several groups that have misleadingly questioned the safety of Covid-19 vaccines earned over $850,000 in federal coronavirus relief funding last year, the Washington Post reported Monday, leading some critics to question why organizations that could erode public health efforts qualified for large government-backed Paycheck Protection Program loans.

Key Facts

In total, five groups that have espoused anti-vaccine views received PPP loans, according to data from the Center for Countering Digital Hate published by the Post.

Two of these groups earned over $150,000, per federal data: Mercola, an organization whose website suggests (despite ample evidence to the contrary) Covid-19 vaccines are unsafe and face masks are ineffective, and the Informed Consent Action Network, which has published whitepapers falsely linking other common vaccines to autism.

Three other groups received less than $150,000: Children’s Health Defense, the National Vaccine Information Center and the Tenpenny Integrative Medical Center.

These groups likely didn’t run afoul of any federal rules by applying for PPP funds because the program’s qualifications are fairly broad, the Small Business Administration told the Post (the SBA did not respond to a request for comment from Forbes).

Children’s Health Defense founder Robert F. Kennedy Jr. told Forbes his organization qualified for a loan under federal law, and National Vaccine Information Center co-founder Barbara Loe Fisher said she used PPP to fund employees’ salaries; Kennedy and Fisher rejected the notion that their groups are anti-vaccine (both groups have published articles online insinuating that many common vaccines can be risky).

The other three groups that received funds did not respond to requests for comment.

Why not, the inmates are running the asylum.

---

At the end of the last reporting period the world's case tally has reached 95,994,967 while 2,048,631 deaths have been registered. :-(

Now for the latest case race place changes.

Cyprus has taken 103rd spot from Australia with Cameroon, Zimbabwe and Mozambique in a race to see who's next to pass Australia while Zambia jumped over Estonia and Uganda into 98th (though Uganda hasn't reported in for a while due to their dubious elections), Latvia nudged Montenegro out of 91st as Nigeria knocked Libya out of 77th, Slovenia and Guatemala passed Greece to claim 66th and 67th respectively and Malaysia flew over Palestine, Moldova, Egypt and Kuwait to land in 61st.

Bolivia removed Costa Rica from 54th as Belarus slipped past Croatia to claim 48th, Lebanon displaced Georgia from 44th while Japan swept Jordan out of 39th, South Africa blew Iran from 15th and Spain is breaking records as it tries to chase down Italy and Turkey.

Meanwhile in the U.S. California has passed 3 million infections along with over 33,700 deaths which has prompted the air quality regulator to temporarily suspend cremation limits for LA County amid 'backlog' from pandemic.

Well that's it for now.

Meanwhile in the U.S. California has passed 3 million infections along with over 33,700 deaths which has prompted the air quality regulator to temporarily suspend cremation limits for LA County amid 'backlog' from pandemic.

The press does is usual terrible job reporting this. Having 4 permits on the wall, it specifies the number of pounds that can be cremated per month. The amount is far in excess of the amount the cremation chamber can actually do. Perhaps some places sought permits with lower limits but that is rather short sighted. In any case the permit fees are two components, one is a fixed amount to exist. The second is a fee based on the limit in pounds. The first is 99% of the cost and the second is 1%. Much easier and smarter to pay for some unused capacity. It comes in handy when all of a sudden all you get are obese cases and one of your competitors is down to fix equipment.

One for them one for us..
...and this is one of many results.

My question to you all is; would you get either of the currently available vaccines? I will choose to wait at least 6 months and see what, if any, side effects turn up.

---

Bob DeWoody

My motto: Never do today what you can put off until tomorrow as it may not be required. This no longer applies in light of current events.

I'll take the first one that is offered to me.

---

I'll take the first one that is offered to me.

Me too. ;-)

I'll take the first one that is offered to me.

Me too. ;-)

Personally, for myself, the choice is a "no-brainer":

Simply yes, get vaccinated, at the first opportunity.

The contents of the vaccines are vastly less dangerous than the multiple variants being randomly spread around by ignorant[*] people around the world.


Stay safe folks!
Martin

*: "Ignorant" in the meaning that the people concerned are unaware and unknowing in that they cannot know for a few days that they themselves are infected and spreading yet more of the virus. Only later, far too late, do they start to notice any symptoms for themselves...

---

See new freedom: Mageia Linux
Take a look for yourself: Linux Format
The Future is what We all make IT (GPLv3)

I'll take the first one that is offered to me.

Me too. ;-)

And me.

As soon s it comes round for me, which I guess is another couple of months.....

---

Bob Smith
Member of Seti PIPPS (Pluto is a Planet Protest Society)
Somewhere in the (un)known Universe?

I just have to wait until health/emergency workers and retirement/nursing home residents get done before I get mine.

Patel

In a video call obtained by Guido Fawkes, the home secretary told Tory supporters she was an "advocate" of closing the borders 10 months ago.

Bozo

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer asked Boris Johnson during Prime Minister's Questions why he "overruled the home secretary" on closing the borders last year.
Mr Johnson responded that the UK had now "instituted one of the toughest border regimes in the world", accusing Sir Keir of "looking backwards, playing politics and sniping from the side-lines" amidst the pandemic.
Asked for a further response, a No 10 spokesman said they would not "get into the detail of private conversations", and that the PM had full confidence in his home secretary.

So why overrule her?
History is filled with stable doors closed late.

There are still some numbers missing from the last reporting period, but it's time for another update.

The world's total case tally has now passed 97.2 million while the total death tally passes 2,081,600. :-(

In the case race Zimbabwe has removed Australia (after 4 days without a locally acquired case being reported here and maybe the 5th depending on Western Australia's numbers being added for today) from 104th place with Mozambique following right on their heels and both ready to make more overtaking maneuvers (Mozambique more so), Sri Lanka replaced Afghanistan in 93rd while Norway nudged Singapore out of 88th, Honduras displaced Myanmar from 70th as Malaysia took 60th from Armenia, Lithuania slipped past Kazakhstan to claim 58th and Tunisia knocked Costa Rica from 55th.

Slovakia jumped over Croatia and Azerbaijan to claim 48th after Belarus took 47th place from Azerbaijan while Lebanon removed the U.A.E. from 43rd, Panama became the 41st country to pass 300,000 cases and Switzerland became the 33rd to pass 500,000, Portugal took over 27th from Israel, Romania became the 23rd country to pass 700,000 infections as Czechia became the 21st to pass 900,000, Indonesia swept the Netherlands out of 19th and Italy blew Turkey out of 7th quickly followed Spain who is still setting new daily case records (over 41,500 now) and is positioned to blast Italy away next.

In the death race Germany has now removed Colombia from 11th spot.

Meanwhile the U.S. is now less than 1.4 million away from passing the combined totals of India (2nd), Brazil (3rd), Russia (4th) and the U.K. (5th). :-O

... [USA (1st),] India (2nd), Brazil (3rd), Russia (4th) and the U.K. (5th). :-O

Here's hoping that at last, long long too late but at least at last, Boris is sounding like he is getting a little more serious to clear COVID from the UK:


Covid: 'Too early' to say if lockdown will end in spring - Boris Johnson

... Speaking after a study suggested infections might have increased at the start of the latest lockdown in England, Mr Johnson said it was "absolutely crucial" that people observed the restrictions.

Referring to figures from the Imperial College London survey, he said they showed the new variant of the virus was "not more deadly but it is much more contagious and the numbers are very great".

Figures published by Public Health England show cases - meaning people who come forward to get tested while they are infected - have fallen across England since early January.

With the two sets of figures pointing in different directions [ - hospital admissions and deaths are increasing still], it will be some time before it is known for sure how long it will take for lockdown to relieve the pressure on hospitals. ...

Stay safe folks!
Martin

---

See new freedom: Mageia Linux
Take a look for yourself: Linux Format
The Future is what We all make IT (GPLv3)

Well since my latest update Spain has slipped in another correction of a massive 103,912 cases that took them well past Italy and 2.5 million cases and into 7th spot before setting themselves another new daily case record of 44,357 which took their current total past 2,560,580. :-O

It's not a house, so...

In a statement, the school said its hall had been leased out.

What the local Mayor had to say

He added: "Unfortunately, similar events have taken place even at this venue before and we need to be really clear how unacceptable it is.

Somewhat deadly slow to the party, here in the UK we finally have perhaps the first clear message to go out, months after the event:


Press release - New hard-hitting national TV ad urges the nation to stay at home
wrote:

Government launches new national campaign featuring hospital staff and COVID-19 patients to remind the public of the extreme pressures still facing the NHS.

* New emotive TV ad challenges the public to think about the impact their actions might have by asking: “Can you look them in the eyes and tell them you’re helping by staying at home?”

* The TV advert will launch on ITV and Channel 4 this evening and further advertising will run across radio, out of home, digital and across social media from Saturday evening

* Someone is admitted to hospital every 30 seconds with the virus, and a quarter of those are under the age of 55

There are currently over 38,000 beds taken up in England by COVID-19 patients.

Everyone across the UK is being asked “Can you look them in the eyes and tell them you’re helping by staying at home?” in a new government advertising campaign which will act as a stark reminder to the public of the ongoing impact of COVID-19 and the extreme pressures facing frontline workers.

The powerful new campaign will run across TV, radio, press, digital, out-of-home advertising and social media, looking into the eyes of NHS staff and COVID-19 patients and documenting their emotions. It will air for the first time on Friday evening (22 January 2021) on ITV and Channel 4.

With a shift in tone to previous adverts, the new campaign features raw footage and testimonials from patients who have COVID-19, as well as the NHS staff who are working around the clock to look after them...

Will that convince the public to get serious about the continuing ongoing COVID pandemic to at long last get serious enough to put a stop to spreading it further?


Stay safe folks!
Martin

---

See new freedom: Mageia Linux
Take a look for yourself: Linux Format
The Future is what We all make IT (GPLv3)