Bear Pit: now the sole domicile of politics at LuLa

[Manoli]

You just can't give Trump credit for anything, can you?

I posted this before but as factual reality isn't part of your MO, I'm reposting it for your benefit. Briefest 'take away' from the Pfizer/BioNTECH vaccine is that Trump didn't figure.

Until last year Biontech, founded in 2008 and based in Mainz, was best known for building personalised cancer “vaccines” out of messenger RNA (mRNA), which carries genetic instructions for cells. Essentially, the vaccines prompt the body to mobilise against cancer the way it would against a virus.

Fortunately for mankind, this strategy would also be theoretically quite handy against the coronavirus.

In January Dr Sahin read an article in The Lancet about an outbreak of a novel infectious disease in Wuhan. He instantly spotted the danger. “Experts experienced with previous outbreaks said this will come and go,” he told the Financial Times months later. “I said, ‘No, this time it is different.’ ”

Within days of the pandemic’s arrival in Germany, Dr Tureci, Dr Sahin and their colleagues began adapting their technology to Covid-19. Biontech was placed on a “war footing” for what was known internally as the “speed of light” project because of the intense time pressure it was under.

Pfizer, an American pharmaceutical company, soon piled in with funding and the company’s share price tripled over the course of the summer. This increased the couple’s fortune to roughly €2.4 billion (£2.16 billion) by September, according to the Welt am Sonntag newspaper, which ranked the couple at 85th on its national rich list. Their young company is now worth more than €20 billion, making it more valuable than Porsche and Deutsche Bank.

Biontech’s mRNA-based approach is technically ambitious compared with the methods of other groups including the Oxford team, who have taken the more tried-and-tested path of adapting a virus that already exists in nature.

The manufacturing process, in which the mRNA is bundled into a microscopic blob of fat, is well suited to mass production and the company has said that it aims to have 100 million doses waiting to go by the end of the year. But the colossal scales involved are uncharted territory for the technique.

If the experiment pays off, it will not just be good news in the battle against coronavirus, as well as a vindication and a fabulously lucrative payday — on paper at least — for the scientists. It will also be proof of a concept for a promising new way of warding off a whole menagerie of diseases from HIV to melanoma through the body’s own fortifications.

[chez]

There's two  months before Biden takes over. In England, someone mentioned that the transfer takes place in around a week or ten days.  Fauci will still be there as will all the other department heads just like Obama's people continued on.  Ambassadors, CIA head, FBI chief, etc.  They don't leave on Jan 21st, oops, 20th. When Biden wants to make the transfer to new people, he can do that at any time later.  HOw long does a briefing take to find out what the North Koreans are up too? Does anyone think the Biden's going to remember anyway?

But exactly what is the purpose for Trump not to initiate this information sharing today? Alan how can you still defend Chetos actions and continually make up excuses for his childish temper tantrum behaviours?

[chez]

America isn't China.

True. US -> 250,000 deaths.  China -> 4,600 deaths.

[digitaldog]

True. US -> 250,000 deaths.  China -> 4,600 deaths.

And further: population of US -> 328 million (2019). China ->1.393 billion (2018).
Percentage of worlds death from Covid-19 in US 20%.

[John Camp]

Oh, boy. Most of the major news outlets are reporting that the military leadership and top security advisors had to talk Trump out of attacking Iran's nuclear facility in the past couple of weeks. Wonder if that's why he seeded the Defense Department with crazies?

[LesPalenik]

Oh, boy. Most of the major news outlets are reporting that the military leadership and top security advisors had to talk Trump out of attacking Iran's nuclear facility in the past couple of weeks. Wonder if that's why he seeded the Defense Department with crazies?

Based on the latest reports, Covid-19 survivors often experience lasting traumas and other problems.

[Alan Klein]

Speaking of ice skating rinks, last year they removed Trump's name from the names of the rinks because people didn't want to skate there with his name on the signs.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/oct/22/once-a-point-of-pride-trump-name-reportedly-scrubbed-from-new-york-ice-rinks

If it wasn't for Trump, those people would still be waiting for the rink to be repaired. 

[chez]

Based on the latest reports, Covid-19 survivors often experience lasting traumas and other problems.

Trump was irrational way before Covid ever existed.

[armand]

I feel the Trump following is cult-like, people can’t believe the truth even in front of their eyes.

South Dakota nurse says many dying patients still insist COVID-19 'not real'
https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/526204-south-dakota-nurse-says-many-dying-patients-still-insist-covid-19-not?fbclid=IwAR0_yeKxwc5k7zE1Ih1RFd_o6ewINA_lxg2--YksGOURpoB3h5Tx-T7W4Qg

[Frans Waterlander]

And further: population of US -> 328 million (2019). China ->1.393 billion (2018).
Percentage of worlds death from Covid-19 in US 20%.

Did it every occur to you that China may not be reporting accurately what goes on there re Covid-19?

[LesPalenik]

Did it every occur to you that China may not be reporting accurately what goes on there re Covid-19?

That could be, but I heard from a friend with a Chinese wife that Chinese are extremely strict with international travel and that was the main reason they brought the virus numbers down. Any inbound travellers must quarantine for 2 weeks and pay for that stay in advance 20,000 yuans (about $3.000US or $4,000CAD). Any medical bills are extra. That measure alone discourages a lot of non-essential travel. Masks wearing is still mandatory in many places, and even policemen and soldiers are wearing them.

If they have any unreported open cases or not is a big question, but for some time they have opened with limited capacity their restaurants, gyms, and theatres.   

[kers]

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/11/17/trump-considered-attacking-iran-nuclear-site-nyt-report

Lets hope he does not start a war before conceding...

[faberryman]

If it wasn't for Trump, those people would still be waiting for the rink to be repaired.

If nobody wants to skate at the ice rinks because Trump's name is on the signs, it doesn't matter if he repaired them 35 years ago or not. The owners did what they had to do to save a failing business - took his name off the signs. Just like the buildings and hotels that have taken the Trump name off of them. The Trump brand is toxic because he is such an odious person, and becoming even more odious by the day. The half of America who voted for him are not the ones who rent space in his buildings, buy his condos, sleep in his hotels, or play golf at his courses. They can't afford to. Trump's sons Don Jr. and Eric made a half-hearted attempt to start a chain of down-market hotels that his supporters might stay in, but that too resulted in failure.

You may have noticed that Don Jr. hasn't been involved in the family real estate business for the past couple of years. Eric, who is not exactly Mr. Personality, has been trying to hold down the fort back at headquarters, but COVID is killing the hospitality business. You would think that Trump would have recognized this, and it would have motivated him to take a more active roll in containing COVID, but no, that would be too much like work. So he abdicated his future and ours to the governors. And don't bother giving me any of your federalism crap. Leaders rise to the occasion; failures do not. As Reagan used to say, he will be relegated to the dust bin of history. But I do not expect you to absorb any of this; you are in way too deep. Witness your clinging to those old ice rinks as indicia of his success.

[Robert Roaldi]

If it wasn't for Trump, those people would still be waiting for the rink to be repaired.

That ice rink seems to have mythic importance for you. Lots of places all over the world repair ice rinks all the time.

[faberryman]

The Trump circus in the Pennsylvania courtroom continues in what may be its final act. On Monday, Trump replaced his entire legal team with Marc Scaringi, an attorney, conservative talk radio host, and unsuccessful Senate candidate. Every other law firm and lawyer, except poor Linda Kerns, a Philadelphia solo practitioner, managed to escape. The judge did not approve Scaringi's motion for a continuance to prepare, filed at 7:40 pm last night, and oral arguments are scheduled for today. Where is Rudy Giuliani? Nowhere to be found. Jenna Ellis, a lawyer supposedly assisting Giuliani in the nation-wide coordination of Trump's legal efforts, and who got massacred by Bill Maher on Sunday, offered up this little gem:

"Our substitution of local counsel is consistent with routine managing of complex litigation.”

You really ought to read this article. It is pretty hilarious. I want to be a judge when I grow up.

https://www.politico.com/news/2020/11/16/trump-campaign-legal-shake-up-436924

[Robert Roaldi]

The Trump circus in the Pennsylvania courtroom continues in what may be its final act. On Monday, Trump replaced his entire legal team with Marc Scaringi, an attorney, conservative talk radio host, and unsuccessful Senate candidate. Every other law firm and lawyer, except a Philadelphia solo practitioner, managed to escape. The judge did not approve Scaringi's motion for a continuance to prepare, and oral arguments are scheduled for today. Where is Rudy Giuliani? Nowhere to be found.

You really ought to read this article. It is pretty hilarious.

https://www.politico.com/news/2020/11/16/trump-campaign-legal-shake-up-436924

You're right, it was hilarious. I love this bit, "A campaign spokesman said last week that those lawyers “buckled” under the liberal onslaught and would be replaced with “rock-solid attorneys.”

"... buckled under the liberal onslaught ..." !!!  Could they be talking about the LULA forums?  What exactly is a "liberal onslaught" and how does it affect judicial proceedings?

[chez]

That could be, but I heard from a friend with a Chinese wife that Chinese are extremely strict with international travel and that was the main reason they brought the virus numbers down. Any inbound travellers must quarantine for 2 weeks and pay for that stay in advance 20,000 yuans (about $3.000US or $4,000CAD). Any medical bills are extra. That measure alone discourages a lot of non-essential travel. Masks wearing is still mandatory in many places, and even policemen and soldiers are wearing them.

If they have any unreported open cases or not is a big question, but for some time they have opened with limited capacity their restaurants, gyms, and theatres.

And their economy is starting to tick. We also just need to look at other Asian countries and see the same results. Look at Vietnam or Thailand...very low numbers.

[Alan Klein]

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/11/17/trump-considered-attacking-iran-nuclear-site-nyt-report

Lets hope he does not start a war before conceding...

He wants to reduce, possibly pull out all troops in Iraq, Afghanistan etc before he leaves to keep us out of war, one of his campaign arguments and promises in 2016.  Why would he start a new war?   You really don't understand Trump. 

[Alan Klein]

That ice rink seems to have mythic importance for you. Lots of places all over the world repair ice rinks all the time.

You missed it.  The ice rink is a metaphor regarding the vaccines and his ability to get the job done: "on time and under budget".   That's something the NYC government couldn't do with the skating rink, but he did for them as a private person. So now we have vaccines in months as he promised rather then in the years his adversaries were claiming it would take. 

[Alan Klein]

And their economy is starting to tick. We also just need to look at other Asian countries and see the same results. Look at Vietnam or Thailand...very low numbers.

Three dictatorial countries where you get arrested if you open your mouth.  Is that the solution?  Would you want to live under those regimes?