R_P wrote: 
do you know how to embed this element from the Guardian?

Bolsonaro is not the maverick outrider that the mainstream media is making him out to be. His extremely dismissive attitude to the coronavirus, which he persistently describes as a “little flu“, emulates Donald Trump’s repeated downplaying of the pandemic.

Bolsonaro’s approach is essentially to allow coronavirus to spread uncontrollably through the population, taking no serious measures to prevent it. This approach is very similar to the “herd immunity” strategy initially advocated by Boris Johnson and the British government on 12 March, which was only modified after a public outcry. The UK’s modifications, however, have proved too small and come too late to prevent the catastrophe which is now unfolding. At the time of writing, around 3,000 people have died from coronavirus in the UK, and the number of new daily cases continues to rise. Data from the Financial Times suggests that the UK and US responses to the coronavirus have been the worst in the world, with the death toll accelerating on a steeper trajectory than Italy and Spain.

There is a common theme to the global right wing’s response to the coronavirus pandemic: prioritise saving the economy (i.e. private profits) at the expense of saving people’s lives. But Bolsonaro’s stance and rhetoric represent the most extreme and crude version of this line. In countries where such an approach is being pursued, it has caused dangerous delays in the governments’ implementation of measures that are necessary to save lives. And when measures are taken, they’re insufficient half-measures – such as partial lockdowns or a failure to carry out widespread, timely testing – rather than the comprehensive approach set out by the World Health Organization (WHO).

Ultimately, the approach of Trump, Johnson, and Bolsonaro is failing to contain the virus; and this threatens the lives of hundreds of thousands of people. At the time of writing, the US is currently the epicentre of the global pandemic with around 240,000 cases. With Bolsonaro at the helm, Brazil could be on course for a similar catastrophe within the next few weeks.

 kurtster wrote: 
No, they are not related. 

What difference does it make where the incoming missile originally comes from when you have only limited time for damage mitigation. You have to act now to avoid taking a big hit with whatever resources you have at your disposal. 

We can sit down and talk about culpability later (which after all is what you are implying - that some nasty person did this to us). Was the missile fired intentionally? Was it a mistake? Did we fire it? Did our enemies fire it? All of these are moot when it is coming straight at you.

 

 NoEnzLefttoSplit wrote: 
Your first question is directly related to your second question, so yes the answer to question one does matter.

I'm out of mental gas.  While I'm recharging, see if you can figure out why I think the two are related and that the answer to question 2 is more dependent on the answer to question 1 rather than the other way around as you seem to present it.

 kurtster wrote: 
Ok, i've chilled.  

I admit I did take it out of the immediate context of it being an invitation to wild conjecture (comes partly from reading down and not back scrolling to the root of all evil: Scott!)

Nevertheless, I don't buy your claim of innocent intentions. I think, from all I have read you post on here over the years, that you actually do believe in this particular "CT" or at least are prepared to run with it until disproven. Which is what I instinctively reacted to. 

My first response was actually quite valid:  Even if this was all true (and let's just accept it is wild conjecture on your part for the sake of argument) then it doesn't make one jot of difference to the situation confronting us.

Agree or disagree?

Second question: which nation has done more to assist other nations of the world during this outbreak? China or the USA? 

Yes it's a leading question, and I don't want you to answer it, but I am getting heartily sick of this USA does everything better schtick and other countries with different systems are evil or a threat to our way of life and need to be punished. Proponents of CT theories -

Ok. I am no longer chilled. 

 

Go deep into the structure of SARS-CoV-2 virus with Nanome, a virtual reality environment that allows you to interact, experiment and design in 3-dimensional space — improving your understanding of the invisible world. Nanome is currently used as one of the tools to help combat COVID-19 by enabling scientists to gain insights into the molecular mechanics of the virus.

Join us in near-virtual reality as SynBioBeta founder John Cumbers and guests as they reveal how Nanome became one of the scientific tools used on the front lines against a global pandemic, and speculate on virtual reality's place in the future of research and collaboration. Special guests:

— Steve McCloskey, Nanome Founder & CEO
— Rob Rhinehart, Partner at Mars Bio and Director of The Corona Initiative
— Robert Scoble, VR guru
— Philip Rosedale, Founder of Second Life

Gates: Here’s how to make up for lost time on covid-19

There’s no question the United States missed the opportunity to get ahead of the novel coronavirus. But the window for making important decisions hasn’t closed. The choices we and our leaders make now will have an enormous impact on how soon case numbers start to go down, how long the economy remains shut down and how many Americans will have to bury a loved one because of covid-19.

 NoEnzLefttoSplit wrote:
 
Doesn't need friends. Just allies. And enemies.

 steeler wrote: 
then, yes you have a valid point.

I only do CT's by request anymore for the reasons you mention.

There.

44 Texas Spring-Breakers test positive for Coronavirus

CNN reported Wednesday that 44 students in a group of about 70 students who chartered a plane from Austin, Texas, to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, two weeks ago have now tested positive for the disease.  On Tuesday, the number of confirmed cases in the group was 28.

Halt the trebuchets. Looks like we won't have to catapult Covid blankets after all. 

 ScottFromWyoming wrote: 
And with diabetes being a usual side affect of obesity and being one of the highest of all risk factors, more than likely no.

 kurtster wrote:
 
I said I was making an overriding point and not intending to use this particular exchange as an example. In other words, I accepted that you posited the scenario as an exercise, at invitation. I just used it as a springboard to make a larger point about conspiracy theories — and stated so.

 westslope wrote:
 

Since cardiovascular disease is a contributing factor to negative Covid outcomes, I'd say odds are the answer is no.

 R_P wrote: 

 steeler wrote: 
Oh please. 

maybe if I just came in and said looky here, ya just gotta see this. They're pulling a fast one again ! 

But i did not do that.  It was an invite to do an exercise.  which I did.

Again, Chillax.  good grief ...

Obesity

The USA apparently accomplished a 40% adult obesity rate just recently.   Some believe it could end up at 50% in the near future.  75% of Americans are overweight.

Question:  Is being obese an advantage to coping with the COVID-19 virus were one to get sick with the virus?

 kurtster wrote:
 
I hate to use this particular theory as an example, as you have stated that it was meant as conjecture for fun purposes. But I will spring off it to make an overriding point. 

The problem in debating “conspiracy” theories with anyone is that it often quickly gets to the point where the proponent insists that it is incumbent upon the opponent to prove it is not true or not plausible/possible. Often, this is the equivalent of requiring someone to prove a negative. That some scenario is possible is a far cry from it being probable. In my experience, the conspiracy theories under debate involve scenarios that are not just improbable, they are highly unlikely. The burden of proof should be on the proponent to prove the scenario is true — or probable — or at least more probable than alternative scenarios. The burden should not shift to the opponent to prove the scenario is false (i.e., not possible).

 ScottFromWyoming wrote: 
No worries, we're good. 

Hey, all's I'm doing is ripping vinyl and have lot's of time to kill while waiting for a side to play.  After closely listening to the first spin for things that aren't right, there are two more spins and I'm just waiting for them to be done before I move onto the next side.  So figure at least an hour an a half for each side with cleaning and prep.  Three hours for one album.  it's more like watching paint dry anymore.