Randall
J. Randall Murphy
Transparency in the selection of therapeutic treatments: Where are the clinical trials of the tetracycline family (doxycycline) for SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19?
-
NEW! LOWEST RATES EVER -- SUPPORT THE SHOW AND ENJOY THE VERY BEST PREMIUM PARACAST EXPERIENCE! Welcome to The Paracast+, eight years young! For a low subscription fee, you can download the ad-free version of The Paracast and the exclusive, member-only, After The Paracast bonus podcast, featuring color commentary, exclusive interviews, the continuation of interviews that began on the main episode of The Paracast. We also offer lifetime memberships! Flash! Take advantage of our lowest rates ever! Act now! It's easier than ever to susbcribe! You can sign up right here!
Free episodes:
- Status
Randall
J. Randall Murphy
Border Patrol Stopped a Chinese Biologist Carrying Viable SARS, MERS Viruses
news.yahoo.com
Chinese researcher accused of trying to smuggle vials of ‘biological material’
www.scmp.com
Chinese Agents Helped Spread Messages That Sowed Virus Panic in U.S.
www.nytimes.com
A Made-in-China Pandemic
www.project-syndicate.org
Online claims that Chinese scientists stole coronavirus from Winnipeg lab have 'no factual basis'
Border Patrol Stopped a Chinese Biologist Carrying Viable SARS, MERS Viruses at Detroit Airport in 2018
U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents at Detroit Metro Airport stopped a Chinese scientist carrying vials believed to contain the MERS and SARS viruses in November 2018 — just over a year before the first reported Wuhan coronavirus case, according to an FBI tactical intelligence report...
Chinese researcher accused of trying to smuggle vials of ‘biological material’
Chinese researcher ‘tried to smuggle biological material out of US’
An affidavit from an FBI agent says Zheng Zaosong was detained at Boston Airport after vials containing a ‘brown liquid’ were found in his checked baggage.
www.scmp.com
Chinese Agents Helped Spread Messages That Sowed Virus Panic in U.S.
Chinese Agents Helped Spread Messages That Sowed Virus Panic in U.S., Officials Say (Published 2020)
American officials were alarmed by fake text messages and social media posts that said President Trump was locking down the country. Experts see a convergence with Russian tactics.
A Made-in-China Pandemic
A Made-in-China Pandemic | by Brahma Chellaney - Project Syndicate
Brahma Chellaney worries that the world is far too exposed to Chinese supply chains – beginning with the pharmaceutical sector.
www.project-syndicate.org
Online claims that Chinese scientists stole coronavirus from Winnipeg lab have 'no factual basis'
Last edited:
kanakaris
Paranormal Adept
Chinese are spreading the virus in the West ?
Any shred of evidence for this ludicrous idea ?
And you think Farrell is 'on the fringe'?
Randall
J. Randall Murphy
To frame this correctly. This isn't my personal theory. I heard it expressed on some talk radio shows and a YouTube video [ EXAMPLE ], so I decided to see if anyone had discovered anything substantial to back it up. I found nothing indisputable. But that also doesn't mean the theory is ludicrous. You can find some of the background detailed elsewhere on this thread. Let's put them in point form:
- Prior to the outbreak, a virologist working at the Wuhan lab published scientific papers about making coronavirus transmissible to humans
- The CCP initially covered-up the COVID-19 outbreak in the vicinity of the same lab, but denied it came from the lab.
- At least one doctor who tried to warn people in China was "disappeared" and his evidence destroyed
- Then the CCP knowingly let infected passengers on international flights out of China.
- An exiled chinese billionaire exposed a long term plan by the CCP to destabilize the West using a variety of tactics. [ LINK ]
- Bioweapons attacks are not unheard of. They have been used for over 2000 years
- The US tested biowarfare deployment system on its own citizens [ LINK ]
- Chinese agents have been found operating inside the USA [ LINK ]
Did I mention there have been arrests of scientists caught smuggling virals in on aircraft? They weren't connected to COVID-19, but apparently there's been a few other quiet arrest. We haven't been told the truth about COVID-19 from the very beginning. I wouldn't be the least but surprised to find that this "ludicrous" theory actually has some element of truth in it someplace.
Last edited:
Randall
J. Randall Murphy
How China is Exploiting the Coronavirus to Weaken Democracies
foreignpolicy.com
How China is Exploiting the Coronavirus to Weaken Democracies
Beijing is using the pandemic to drive wedges between members of the European Union, and to advance its propaganda war against the United States.
foreignpolicy.com
Randall
J. Randall Murphy
This should probably be in the COVID-19 News section, and we can always move it there if it goes that way, but the key point in what you said for me, especially against the backdrop of COVID-19, is the word "peddling". That's because the science behind COVID-19 has become intensely politicized and is being "peddled" by politicians and medical experts alike in a manner that fits their agenda and modus operandi.
We see the same sort of distorting of science when frackers say there's no "scientific proof" fracking causes the contamination of people's water supplies. As you know, I'm a big fan of science, but I'm not a big fan of deception, and unfortunately when politics and/or big business gets involved, science and deception can be used together to push personal, business, and political agendas, and COVID-19 is no different.
With COVID-19, the situation is a very complex, but as I've been saying from the start, we haven't been told everything about it all along, and we may never know everything. There are those that would call my opinions "crazy conspiracy" theories too, especially the CCP. But it's not only them that we need to be concerned about. The science of COVID-19 does not IMO justify the sweeping social, economic, and behavioral changes made by politicians.
Actually social distancing and wearing a mask do help a lot.
Richard Hawkins
Paranormal Adept
Yes they do and for those who don't care about themselves they should at least care for others.
Randall
J. Randall Murphy
In high risk settings I have no problem with the taking precautions, but outside high risk settings like hospitals and long-term care for the elderly, the risk of mortality from covid-19 is less than dozens of other hazards, and doesn't justify bringing in mandatory masks, vaccinations, and fining groups of people thousands of dollars for being on a picnic, and YES it has been going on, to the tune of over 15 million dollars in fines here in Canada, not to mention putting literally millions of people into a state of abject poverty, the death toll from which may exceed that of COVID-19.
UN: COVID-19 Could Push 34 Million Into Extreme Poverty
Total global economic losses from pandemic could hit $8.5 trillion, erasing nearly all gains of past four years, report says
www.voanews.com
Currently with 137,000 deaths blamed on COVID-19, the deaths from poverty before COVID-19 are already higher. Overall, 4.5% of U.S. deaths were found to be attributable to poverty—midway between previous estimates of 6% and 2.3%. For example, the number of deaths the researchers calculated as attributable to low education (245,000) is comparable to the number caused by heart attacks (192,898), which was the leading cause of U.S. deaths in 2000. The number of deaths attributable to racial segregation (176,000) is comparable to the number from cerebrovascular disease (167,661), the third leading cause of death in 2000, and the number attributable to low social support (162,000) compares to deaths from lung cancer (155,521).
How Many U.S. Deaths are Caused by Poverty? | Columbia Public Health
More recent research has begun to look at the contribution of social factors to U.S. mortality. Learn how many deaths are attributed to poverty and more today.
www.publichealth.columbia.edu
But it doesn't end there. The majority of those who die from COVID-19 are in high risk categories and COVID-19 just put them over the edge. Their life expectancy according to stats released here in Alberta is barely any different than had they not got COVID-19, and overall, the effect of COVID-19 on the life expectancy of the average person is not distinguishable from the figures before COVID-19. Yet business are going under, education is suffering, and people are serious suffering psychologically from the isolation and fear.
"In a legislature debate on the pandemic Wednesday, Premier Jason Kenney stressed that the disease has a low mortality rate among young people, and a high rate for those over 80.
'The average age of death from COVID in Alberta is 83, and I’ll remind the house that the average life expectancy in the province is 82. I’m not sure what to make of that, but it suggests that if you make it to 83 before dying of COVID-19 you’ve already beaten the odds, so, congratulations.' he said."
People need to get on with their lives and society needs to return to normal. Humans have been battling diseases for millions of years of evolution and COVID-19 itself isn't even going to come close to the scale of damage as the fear and political decisions. COVID-19 is now germophobia on a mass scale enforced by police. It needs to be put back into perspective with the bigger picture.
Last edited:
I think the governor of Texas, after his earlier lackadaisical attitude early on, now has it right. If a city has over a certain amount of positives, the mask and social distancing guidelines are mandated. Otherwise they aren't.
Had other governors observed these simple requirements, we'd be well past the worst of it now, as they are in Europe. Remember that the U.S. right now is number one in the world in terms of infections and deaths, about a quarter of the total, although population is only a little over 4%.
It's just a matter of perspective. Simple steps reduce infections and deaths, so why not follow them?
In saying that, it appears quite likely there will be one or more vaccines available to control coronavirus early in 2021.
One more thing: I'm not getting into the argument about China and what its plans are, except for this.
China wants to be thought of as the hero in this crisis. They continue to support the WHO, while the U.S. is pulling out. China doesn't want you to die. They want you to buy products built in China, which means employment for hundreds of millions of their people. Geely, the China-based owner of Volvo, wants you to buy a new Volvo. Why allow people to die when they can be made to feel warm and fuzzy with China and do business with them? It's just business, and China is absolutely ruthless about it.
China wants to be thought of as the hero in this crisis. They continue to support the WHO, while the U.S. is pulling out. China doesn't want you to die. They want you to buy products built in China, which means employment for hundreds of millions of their people. Geely, the China-based owner of Volvo, wants you to buy a new Volvo. Why allow people to die when they can be made to feel warm and fuzzy with China and do business with them? It's just business, and China is absolutely ruthless about it.
Randall
J. Randall Murphy
Exactly. It's just a matter of perspective. I was listening to the radio the other day when someone who had done the math suggested that had the amount of financial loss due to the lockdowns been used to solve the problems of poverty, education, and medical care; not only could those problems have been solved, more lives would be saved, and the quality of life for the nation as a whole would have been improved.
Of course making that happen in the absence of a crisis isn't as simple as reacting to a crisis by putting on a mask, physical distancing, restricting human rights, and fining people. So now we're stuck with the "simple" approach, and it's driving people into poverty, overloading the lousy US healthcare system, compromising education, and increasing the likelihood of even greater mortality from those causes.
Let's also not forget that prior to COVID-19, precautions against transmission of infections in general were already in place for high-risk locations like hospitals, long-term care units, and old-folks homes. So I'm not saying we should stop those. I'm saying the same thing I always have. Put some extra focus on the high-risk population, and let the rest of the world carry-on.
Many people get COVID-19 and the symptoms are so mild they don't even know they have it. It's less of a threat than a number of other causes of mortality I've posted the stats for already, none of which led to the sweeping fear, economic collapse, and social control we see now. Personally, I respect physical distancing and wear a mask when attending some appointments, but part of me is getting really fed-up with the enforced germaphobia.
Last edited:
marduk
quelling chaos since 2352BC
I think it's entirely one thing to be interested in alternative ideas as a spectator; it's how new things come to light and new ideas are made. I think it's entirely another when someone is in a position of authority and is picking and choosing the conspiracies they want to be believed when it's convenient - and when people's lives are on the line.
Nazi UFOs are fun conspiracies. Covid being made up is not fun.
‘I thought this was a hoax’: Man, 30, dies after Texas ‘COVID party’ - National | Globalnews.ca
The patient died at a hospital in San Antonio, Texas, after intentionally exposing himself to someone with the coronavirus, a doctor said.
globalnews.ca
marduk
quelling chaos since 2352BC
I love you man, but I don't buy that at all. It's shut down the world economy for months. For that reason alone it has a special status.
Masks don't hurt people. Limiting group sizes doesn't hurt people. We could already have fully reopened if people would take fairly simple and reasonable precautions.
I don't wear masks everywhere, but I do put one on when asked to do so. No big deal.
Randall
J. Randall Murphy
I liked you post because I appreciate honest counterpoint. The part I'm wondering about is what you you don't "buy at all" when they're not simply matters of opinion. I'm actually a bit surprised, but perhaps when you consider the following:
Masks: Masks actually can hurt people, and increase health risks. Some people are not required to wear them for that reason. Outside of high risk settings there is very little evidence to support the idea that masks make much difference at all unless you're symptomatic, in which case you shouldn't be out anyway. Recent studies also show that transmission from asymptomatic carriers is "rare". Exactly how rare isn't known. Let's not also forget the increased garbage from all the masks, especially those lying around on the ground. I can't be the only one who's seen them. How healthy is that?
Groups: Limiting group sizes also hurts people, especially financially, not just from the closing down of major events, but also small businesses, and social groups who have been fined, not to mention that the right to peacefully gather has been a societal right that is highly valued in the free world. I would much sooner take my chances catching COVID -19 than give that up.
The Shut Down: Over the long term, the shut down may very well result in many more deaths than the disease. I've outlined those reasons backed by studies already more than once. Even the existing deaths blamed on COVID-19 are largely misleading because the vast majority have been in high risk groups where whatever put them in the high-risk group to begin with was going to kill them anyway, and if not that, then some other disease or condition ( usually some sort of pneumonia or organ failure ) probably would, and within a fairly short time span.
I know that sounds harsh, and I don't envy the politicians who have to grapple with those facts, but the stats here show that the majority of deaths from COVID-19 are in the age group of those who have already exceeded their normal life expectancy, which means most are in long-term care homes for the elderly, and no longer working anyway.
So how does that justify shutting down the rest of society and telling young healthy people who will probably get over COVID-19 fine if they get it, that they can't live their lives the way they normally do. Yes there are a few outliers who might get sick from the disease and might have a bad reaction and might die, but that doesn't justify the sweeping restrictions on the hundreds of millions ( billions ) of the rest of us.
Lastly, you might remember how they changed the term "social distancing" to "physical distancing" to be more politically correct because they didn't want to give the impression that people should "socially distance". The truth is that physical distancing is social distancing. Proximity and touch are hugely important facets of social interaction.
So let the high risk people wear moon suits and live in bubbles along with other immunocompromised people, and let normal people live normal lives instead turning everyone in the world into unwilling germaphobes ( or face the consequences ).
Last edited:
The U.S. is an exception. In most other developed countries, the virus has been more or less held at bay because people did follow the guidelines. By not following the guidelines, many U.S. states have only made matters worse. More people impacted, more work days lost, more impact to companies already suffering.
The problem with young people with coronavirus is that they can infect their parents and grandparents, and that's a big issue here.
As with everything about this crisis, there is a whole lot of misinformation and no mitigation effort is at best more than partly successful.
And, no, it hasn't been demonstrated that lockdowns, social distancing and masks have increased deaths. They, in fact, save lives.
The problem with young people with coronavirus is that they can infect their parents and grandparents, and that's a big issue here.
As with everything about this crisis, there is a whole lot of misinformation and no mitigation effort is at best more than partly successful.
And, no, it hasn't been demonstrated that lockdowns, social distancing and masks have increased deaths. They, in fact, save lives.
- Status