Today’s News 8th May 2022

• "The Whole Planet Is A Pot, And We're All Frogs"
  “The Whole Planet Is A Pot, And We’re All Frogs”

  Authored by Ugo Bardi via The Seneca Effect blog,

  The lockdown in China: if the powerful are doing something that looks stupid, it’s because whatever they’re doing IS actually stupid

  I received several comments on my post “The Shanghai Lockdown: a Memetic Analysis,” and I think that some were so interesting to be worth reproducing in a full-fledged post. The first comment comes from an anonymous commenter living in China. It seems to me believable, and also consistent with my interpretation.

  In practice, the Chinese were (and are) not the only one who are conditioned by factors such as avoiding a loss of face.

  Italians did the same during the lockdowns of 2020 and 2021.

  There seems to be an enormous psychological problem that when you discover that you have been conned, you don’t want to admit that. It makes little difference if you are Chinese, Italian, or another nationality.

  There follows a comment by “Mon Seul Desir” on which I fully agree. So much that I used it in a condensed version for the title of this post.

  When something looks insane, most likely, it IS insane.

  

  A comment on “The Shanghai Lockdown: A Memetic Analysis”by “Anonymous”

  I am in Shanghai. I have been living here since 2007. I can read/speak Chinese at a high level of fluency. I also travelled extensively in the country.

  There is something that most foreign analyst do not grasp: the Chinese Mind (the “collective subconscious” if you wish.)

  • The Chinese Mind likes to be seen in the Struggle doing things to fight in the Struggle (no matter what the Struggle is, whether those actions give tangible results or not, at least they make great photo ops for the media.)

  • The Chinese Mind is hive-like, it’s blindly obedient, and it lashes out at the “Enemy” (whether real or imaginary)

  • The Chinese Mind is a bit childish, it is for sure stubborn, and non-rational/logical (non-Cartesian)

  • The Chinese Mind is constantly under ideological propaganda, everywhere, every time, from childhood til death, from home to the workspace…

  • The Chinese Mind is never guilty, it always blames the Other (and the object of the blame is constantly shifting)

  • The Chinese Mind hates losing face (what face, nobody knows) and hates being criticized (just shut up and put it under the carpet)

  Remember the famines? One day they wake up and decide to kill all the birds (that were eating bugs that were eating crops…)

  Same Mindset.

  Shanghai has always been seen as the most “civilized” city in China. Shanghai is often called Le Paris de l’Orient, it is an “international” first tier city… probably the top Chinese city in terms of openness, quality of life and access to medical care.

  Nobody expected to see such levels of insanity in Shanghai… in other areas of the country, yes, but not here. Looking at the conditions in the quarantine centers… Containers without doors in a field, tents set on a highway, toilets flooded with feces… open air zoo.

  They come take positive cases in big buses and ambulances almost daily. The police is patrolling streets at all times and we are unable to even set foot on the sidewalk. Every building that had a positive case is either: shut down with barriers OR has 1-2 men in a tent monitoring 24/7 (imagine all the manpower required.) Currently there are 3-4 of those tents in my compound. It’s basically Martial Law.

  The psychological toll is quite high. The monetary one must be hard of lower classes. Some neighbors have mental breakdowns. Some people spray alcohol in the air while walking to get tested… You’d think the Plague is upon us.

  Some people were getting messages in group chat about “foreign spies” and “foreign media fueling anti-China conspiracies.” Good ol’ shift the blame tricks.

  I have been in lockdown since mid-March, got tested 35 times, and lost about 12 pounds. The local governmental commune gave us a little bit of food, but barely enough to survive.

  Luckily we had some preps and were able to order some food. Now most delivery guys are not allowed to deliver to our address. We can get a bit of food, but we need to get imaginative to create new recipes (boiled/sweet and sour/spicy/fermented cabbage.)

  My take is:

  It could be a test for something much bigger (ie., war, energy crisis) or they are truly afraid of the unrest if lots of old people were to die. Chinese people tend to get emotional and the last thing the authorities want to deal with is mobs lynching doctors in the streets.

  Is the frog slowly boiling in the pot?

  I think so.

  Except the whole planet is pot and we’re all frogs.

  Posted by “Mon Seul Desir”

  I think that there’s far too many attempts to rationalize the conduct and policies of the powerful as being part of some astonishingly clever plan, myself I use Occam’s razor, if the powerful are doing something that looks incredibly stupid, self destructive and utterly insane, then it is because whatever they’re doing IS actually incredibly stupid, self destructive and utterly insane. I don’t buy the myth that those in power are unusually clever, informed or are far seeing. Here in Canada I’ve been witnessing the follies of our child-rulers for the past few years and the bungling of senile Brandon south of the border and this is governance on the level of Honorius and Arcadius and their corrupt intrigue filled courts. As for China, I saw a report on Xi’s appearance before the Congress of Peoples Deputies and I wondered. How many of the deputies applauding him are actually plotting against him?

  Tyler Durden
  Sat, 05/07/2022 – 23:20

• These Cities And States Are Leading America's Manufacturing Comeback
  These Cities And States Are Leading America’s Manufacturing Comeback

  The health of the US manufacturing sector has become a major political issue in recent years. Populist figures like Donald Trump on the right and Bernie Sanders on the left have seized on the supposed death of American manufacturing to criticize the ruling political order.

  From former President Trump’s focus on trade policy and President Biden’s $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill to companies “reshoring” plants for the sake of their supply chains – and for consumers expressing preferences for American-made goods – manufacturing in the US is poised for a comeback, according to one study.

  Still, manufacturing in the US represents a much smaller slice of jobs today than it did years ago.

  After manufacturing peaked at near 40% of American jobs at the height of World War II, the sector has seen a steady decline over time, to around 8.4% of employment today. In total employment, manufacturing jobs peaked at 19.5 million in the late 1970s and fell off sharply after 2000 to just 12.6 million today.

  

  Interestingly, despite the decrease in manufacturing employment over the past several decades, manufacturing output as a share of real GDP has stayed relatively stable. Since 1997, manufacturing has fluctuated between 11.5% and 13.2% of GDP.

  

  In terms of which states are responsible for the largest  growth in manufacturing jobs, Nevada has seen nearly 50% increase in both manufacturing employment in terms of jobs and percentage of GDP from 2010 to 2020, while California has seen a 45.6% increase in manufacturing GDP and Florida has reported an increase of 35.5%.

  At the metro level, many of the top locations for manufacturing currently are also found in these states, although a few Rust Belt metros have also enjoyed a resurgence in manufacturing, an industry that they historically saw.

  

  Meanwhile, here’s a breakdown of small and midsize metros where manufacturing activity is thriving.

  

  Meanwhile, here’s a breakdown of large cities where manufacturing is thriving.

  15. Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL

  14. Tucson, AZ

  13. Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL

  12. San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX

  11. Austin-Round Rock-Georgetown, TX

  10. Tulsa, OK

  9. Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ

  8. Raleigh-Cary, NC

  7. Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA

  6. Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin, TN

  5. San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley, CA

  4. Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI

  3. San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA

  2. San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA

  1. Grand Rapids-Kentwood, MI

  Tyler Durden
  Sat, 05/07/2022 – 22:45

• We Are All Traders Now
  We Are All Traders Now

  By Nicholas Colas of DataTrek Research

  Even the most committed long-term investor can learn a thing or two from how traders go about their process. The core tenets of trading are: 1) respect price action, 2) manage risk so you can meet your goals, and 3) maximize the impact of your time and attention. The last 2 days tell us US/global equities still have a slog ahead of them. The only goal now, for investors and traders alike, is to make it to the turn in asset prices (whenever that is) with the least amount of incremental damage to portfolios. A little bit of traders’ discipline can help.

  Ever since I (Nick) started on Wall Street in the mid 1980s, there has been a bright line between “traders” and “investors.” The stereotypes for each tell the story. Traders are momentum-chasing volatility addicts. Investors buy and hold no matter what the tape is saying.

  I have worked for and with individuals who have made billions of dollars for themselves and their investors following one or the other approach, so I am not much of a fan of these labels. Many people point to the fact that Warren Buffett is wealthier than any trader as proof that investing beats trading. Fair enough, but as Barron’s recently pointed out, Buffett made 90 percent of his money after age 65. His edge in the global wealth league tables is just as much about longevity as investment acumen. He has been blessed with both.

  One reason professional traders and investors are so different is due to their training. This was the approach when I got to SAC Capital in 1999:

  • You start with a base of capital, say $1 million.
  • Your goal is to make $1,000/day, every day, on that capital. This works out to a 25 percent annual return. Not a crazy amount, but well more than the S&P’s typical 7-10 percent return. And when I say “every day” that is exactly what I mean. Every day, no excuses.
  • Once you can reliably make $1,000/day for 4-6 weeks you up the goal to, say, $1,500/day.
  • If you stumble at $1,500/day, you go back to the $1,000/day goal. Once you make that for a few weeks, you try again to hit the higher target. The process then repeats. Eventually, you add more capital to the original $1 mm base and set ever-higher goals.

  This is nothing like the typical training for an “investor”. The usual path for them combines education (MBA or CFA preferred, as the help wanted ads often say) and on the job training. Many investors start as industry analysts, then run a sector portfolio, and finally a diversified book. I did the first part of this path myself, getting an MBA and then working as an industry analyst at Credit Suisse for 9 years. Only then did I go to SAC and undergo the training described above.

  I can tell you from those first-hand experiences that the difference in training leads to very different decision-making pathways for “traders” versus “investors”. A few simple examples:

  • Show a trader a stock making a 52-week low, and they’ll be inclined to short it. The investor, on the other hand, will be more inclined to want to buy it. Most stocks do not go to zero, they reason, so a “cheaper” stock may have better future return prospects.
  • If a trader owns a stock that drops 3-5 percent in a day, they will almost certainly sell it right there. That loss is a hit against their daily profit target, so selling clears the mental decks and provides the capital to focus on making that money back in other names. The investor is more likely to think that “the market has it wrong”. See Cathie Wood’s endless defense of her major holdings in the ARKK ETF for a case study in that way of thinking.
  • Traders focus on high conviction ideas – those that have the best chance to deliver their daily profit goal. They don’t need to have a perspective on anything else. Investors face a more wide-ranging challenge. Most are broadly diversified, which means they need a high level of competence across a wide array of asset classes, geographic regions, sectors, and stocks.

  The point here is not that trading is “better”, but that in challenging markets even the longest-term investor can use a trader’s discipline to achieve better results. A few examples:

  • As we have said many times of late, avoid holding on to new 52-week lows and certainly be very careful considering any stock or ETF that has recently made one. Wait for the price to level out for 1-3 months at least. Cheap stocks and sectors always get cheaper when markets are resetting valuations lower.
  • Scale risk exposure based on the CBOE VIX Index. When it gets to 36 (or, even better, 44 or 52) consider adding some risk. When it gets closer to 20, lighten up.
  • Focus only on future returns. Even the most novice trader does this by keeping to their $1,000/day goal. The hardest thing about making good investment decisions in a bear market is acknowledging prior mistakes, selling, and moving on.
  • Stocks don’t love you back. That’s an old saying among traders, and it is equally true for long term investors. It is easy, but wrong, to think that a stock or sector will work just because you’ve done a lot of work on it or think the CEO is a genius.

  The bottom line here is that trading emphasizes the importance of goal setting, following a disciplined process and embracing intellectual honesty – all essential habits for sensible investing in volatile markets. Traders may come across as less intelligent than investors, but their approach acknowledges that managing capital is ultimately about managing your time and emotions. “Investing”, grounded in academic theory, skips over those all-too-human considerations. That’s fine in a bull market, but in a bear market a more realistic approach is essential.

  Final thought: if you read these comments as a sign we think US/global equity markets have further to fall, you are correct. The good news, after a fashion, is that there will be some fantastic money to be made when asset prices turn around. The only goal now for investors should be to get to that point with a minimum of incremental damage to their portfolios.

  Tyler Durden
  Sat, 05/07/2022 – 22:10

• Top Tractor-Maker Warns Ransomware Attack Has "Adversely Affected" Production
  Top Tractor-Maker Warns Ransomware Attack Has “Adversely Affected” Production

  One of the world’s top manufacturers and distributors of agricultural equipment announced Thursday that a ransomware attack impacted operations. 

  Duluth, Georgia-based AGCO Corp. released a statement that some of its manufacturing plants have slowed production for several days because of a ransomware attack. 

  “AGCO is still investigating the extent of the attack, but it is anticipated that its business operations will be adversely affected for several days and potentially longer to fully resume all services depending upon how quickly the Company is able to repair its systems,” AGCO’s statement read. 

  AGCO has an extensive portfolio of machines and equipment manufacturers for farming. Some brands include Massey Ferguson, Valtra, Challenger, and Fendt. Its brands are sold around the world. 

  

  The company added this cautionary statement: 

  Our expectations with regard to resolving the issues are forward-looking statements, and actual results could be materially different due to a number of factors, including our ability to successfully reinstall software and restore IT operations at the effected sites.

  The ransomware attack comes only a few weeks after the FBI’s Cyber Division warned about increased cyber-attack threats on agricultural companies and comes after a curious string of fires and explosions that damaged major US food processing plants.

  Tyler Durden
  Sat, 05/07/2022 – 21:35

• 'Criminal, Inhumane And Unethical': EU Passes Resolution Condemning Chinese Regime’s Forced Organ Harvesting
  ‘Criminal, Inhumane And Unethical’: EU Passes Resolution Condemning Chinese Regime’s Forced Organ Harvesting

  Authored by Eva Fu via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

  The European Parliament has adopted a resolution voicing “serious concerns” about the Chinese regime’s ongoing forced organ harvesting, while calling on its member states to publicly condemn the abuse.

  “Parliament expresses serious concern about reports of persistent, systematic, inhumane and state-sanctioned organ harvesting from prisoners in China, and more specifically from Falun Gong practitioners,” reads a statement dated May 5 following the adoption of the text.

  

  The Parliament members “consider that the practice of organ harvesting from living prisoners on death row and prisoners of conscience in China may amount to crimes against humanity,” it reads.

  A 2019 independent panel, called the China Tribunal, found that the Chinese regime had for years been killing prisoners of conscience for their organs for transplant on a substantial scale, a practice that’s still going on. It concluded that such actions amounted to crimes against humanity and that the main victims were detained Falun Gong practitioners.

  Falun Gong is a spiritual practice consisting of meditative exercises and moral teachings based on the principles of truthfulness, compassion, and tolerance. In 1999, adherents became the target of a sweeping persecution campaign by Beijing after the practice’s vast popularity was perceived as a threat to the communist regime’s authoritarian control on society. Millions of detained Falun Gong practitioners around the country were essentially turned into a large involuntary organ bank for the Chinese regime’s hungry organ transplant system.

  

  Since reports of forced organ harvesting first emerged in the mid-2000s, the Chinese regime has repeatedly denied the allegations but has also refused outside access to medical and detention facilities to verify its claims.

  The EU resolution noted that the regime refused to testify before the China Tribunal.

  The resolution further denounced the lack of independent oversight on whether detainees had given consent to organ donation, and the Chinese authorities’ silence on reports that families were being prevented from claiming the bodies of loved ones who died in detention.

  The four-page resolution, adopted by a show of hands on May 5, was the first public statement from the European Union on the issue since 2013, when the European Parliament first put Beijing on notice that the practice of forced organ harvesting was unacceptable.

  Besides condemning the abuse in public, the resolution said, the EU and its member states should raise the organ harvesting issue “at every Human Rights Dialogue,” raise the issue in engaging with partners, and take necessary actions to prevent their citizens from participating in transplant tourism to China. Relevant institutions, it said, should reconsider their collaboration with Chinese counterparts on transplant medicine, research, and training.

  Human Rights ‘Not an Option’

  The passage of the resolution came three days ahead of U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet’s planned trip to China, and the European Parliament in the resolution urged the human rights body to investigate the issue during the visit.

  EU’s top foreign policy official Josep Borrell a day earlier highlighted the issue during a parliamentary debate, saying the 27-member bloc “condemns in the strongest possible terms the criminal, inhumane and unethical practice of forced organ harvesting.”

  “Respect for human rights is not an option, but a requirement in all areas, including in the challenging medical and ethical area of organ donation and transplantation,” he said in prepared remarks delivered by Jutta Urpilainen, commissioner for international partnerships, on his behalf.

  

  An April medical study published in the American Journal of Transplantation identified dozens of Chinese publications where physicians took out the hearts and lungs from people for transplant without following the standard protocol for establishing brain death. This effectively meant that patients were killed for their organs and that the hundreds of medical professionals involved were acting as “executioners” for the state, the authors said.

  Borrell’s speech was applauded by U.S. Rep. Gus Bilirakis (R-Fla.), who serves as the co-chairman of the International Religious Freedom Congressional Caucus.

  “China’s abominable human rights record, including the inhumane practice of organ harvesting of ethnic and religious minorities, will no longer be swept under the rug,” he told The Epoch Times. “It is imperative that the United States and her allies send a strong and unwavering message in defense of basic human rights and protections for all people.”

  Others believe the measure is still far from solving the problem.

  Torsten Trey, executive director of the medical ethics advocacy group Doctors Against Forced Organ Harvesting, noted the international community’s prolonged silence on the matter.

  “Three years have passed since the China Tribunal concluded that China is killing people for their organs. For over two decades China has persecuted Falun Gong practitioners and probably killed over a million of them, probably more than [the fatalities] in Ukraine up to today,” he told The Epoch Times.

  Compared to the world’s response to the war in Ukraine, the resolution has been “a feeble call to a communist regime that backs up Russia in its aggression,” he said.

  “We need actions on China, not calls. China heard these calls for two decades and ignored them,” he said.

  “At this point, Europe is being challenged by the CCP: Will Europe make basic human rights and values a non-negotiable condition for partnership, or ignore the gruesome practice of forced organ harvesting from living Falun Gong practitioners in China?”

  Tyler Durden
  Sat, 05/07/2022 – 21:00

• Used Car Prices Are Crashing At A Near Record Pace
  Used Car Prices Are Crashing At A Near Record Pace

  It’s been a challenging year for consumers. And with the highest inflation in four decades, some are paring back spending on big-ticket items, such as used automobiles. After jumping 90%, since the start of the virus pandemic, used car prices are cooling as buyers balk due to affordability issues stemming from soaring interest rates. 

  Outside of the COVID shock and Great Financial Crisis of 2008/09, the Manheim Used Vehicle Value Index, a wholesale tracker of used car prices, printed the most significant monthly decline in terms of rate of change averaged out over three months in April at 6.4%. It didn’t beat the April 2020 print of -11.2% nor December 2008 of -11.5%, but those two periods were in full-blown financial crises.

  

  Currently, the Federal Reserve and the Biden administration reassure everyone the economy is strong, and there’s nothing to worry about. The Fed routinely says monetary tightening will create a soft-landing, similar to the mid-90s. However, tightening financial conditions could only spark trouble for an economy based 70% on consumption and driven by access to cheap credit. 

  The cooling in the used car market could suggest a broader economic slowdown is ahead.

  Take a look at the used car market year-over-year growth rates versus used car auto loan rates. A jump in rates has dampened upward price pressure as fewer buyers can afford cars. 

  

  The rate surge was evident in April as used car sales slowed down precipitously, down 13% compared with March. 

  Though the Used Car Index tracks *wholesale pricing*

  Manheim estimates that *retail used car sales* declined 13% MoM in April.

  Time will tell how this will unfold

  but I will be sure to keep you posted on what I’m seeing on the ground floor.

  — CarDealershipGuy (@GuyDealership) May 6, 2022

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  Readers may recall the first used car price stall warning printed in early February. In a piece titled “Used Car Prices Arrive At Yet Another Major Inflection Point,” it was evident that the loss in momentum in used car prices was a grave concern. By mid-March, used car prices slid some more as supply chain congestion peaked and was believed to soon increase the supply of new cars. Then by early April, used car prices continued to slump as we asked the question: “Are Used Car Prices About To Peak For Real This Time?”

  Some have pointed out that used car prices via the CarGurus index have already rebounded and suggest Manheim could be a laggard indicator. 

  CarGurus index shows dip and recovery, what does that mean compared to auction prices? Is Manheim lagging? pic.twitter.com/V3qWFE4mp6

  — sixdee9er (@sixD9er) May 6, 2022

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  However, those in the industry have more confidence in Manheim than CarGurus. 

  I don’t trust this index.

  Manheim has *actual* sales data.

  Cargurus only tracks listing prices (which we all know are not accurate)

  — CarDealershipGuy (@GuyDealership) May 6, 2022

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  Consumers have likely tightened their belts in early May. This comes as the Fed is cooling off hot inflation. New and used vehicles account for 9.2% of consumer prices. And if the Fed wants to find the neutral rate by the midterms, interest rates will go higher and inflict more downward pressure on used car prices, thus helping to extinguish the inflation fire it sparked two years ago by printing trillions of dollars. 

  Tyler Durden
  Sat, 05/07/2022 – 20:33

• Visualizing The World's Largest Economies Since 1970
  Visualizing The World’s Largest Economies Since 1970

  Global GDP has grown massively over the last 50 years, but not all countries experienced this economic growth equally.

  In 1970, the world’s nominal GDP was just $3.4 trillion. Fast forward a few decades and it had reached $85.3 trillion by 2020. And thanks to shifting dynamics, such as industrialization and the rise and fall of political regimes, the world’s largest economies driving this global growth have changed over time.

  As Visual Capitalist’s Jenna Ross details in the slides below, using graphics from Ruben Berge Mathisen, show the distribution of global GDP among countries in 1970, 1995, and 2020.

  Methodology

  Using data from the United Nations, Mathisen collected nominal GDP in U.S. dollars for each country. He then determined each country’s GDP as a share of global GDP and sized each graphic’s bubbles accordingly.

  The bubbles were placed according to country latitude and longitude coordinates, but Mathisen programmed the bubbles so that they wouldn’t overlap with each other. For this reason, some countries are slightly displaced from their exact locations on a map.

  1970: USSR as a Major Player

  In 1970, the U.S. accounted for the largest share of global GDP, making up nearly one-third of the world economy. The table below shows the top 10 economies in 1970.

  

  Then a global superpower, the former Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) came in second place on the list of the world’s largest economies.

  In the years leading up to 1970, the USSR had seen impressive GDP growth largely due to adopting Western technologies that increased productivity. However, the USSR’s economy began to stagnate in the ‘70s, and eventually collapsed in 1991.

  On the other side, Germany (including both West and East Germany) was the third-largest economy in 1970 after rising from economic ruin following World War II. West Germany’s “Economic Miracle” is largely credited to the introduction of a new currency to replace the Riechsmark, large tax cuts brought in to spur investment, and the removal of price controls.

  1995: Japan Begins to Slow Down

  By 1995, the U.S. still held the top spot on the world’s largest economies list, but the country’s share of global GDP had shrunk.

  

  Meanwhile, Japan had leapfrogged into second place and nearly tripled its share of the global economy compared to 1970. A number of factors played into Japan’s economic success:

  • Large business groups known as keiretsu used their connections to undercut rivals

  • Fierce competition between companies encouraged innovation

  • Tax breaks and cheap credit stimulated investment

  • The well-educated workforce was willing to work extremely long hours

  But around 1990, the country’s economy had actually begun to slow down. Japan’s decreasing labor force participation rate and diminishing returns from higher education both could have played a role.

  2020: The World’s Largest Economies Shift Again

  In 2020, the United States continued to hold onto the number one spot among the world’s largest economies. However, Japan’s slowdown created a rare opportunity for a new powerhouse to emerge: China.

  

  China’s economy saw incredible growth following economic reforms in 1978. The reforms encouraged the formation of private businesses, liberalized foreign trade and investment, relaxed state control over some prices, and invested in industrial production and the education of its workforce. With profit incentives introduced to private businesses, productivity increased.

  China was also positioned as a cheap manufacturing hub for multinational corporations. Since rising into contention, the country has become the world’s largest exporter.

  India held the title of the sixth largest economy in 2020. Similar to China, the country’s growth came from relaxed economic restrictions, and it has seen particularly strong growth within the service sector, including telecommunications, IT, and software.

  With dynamics shifting, which countries will be on the leaderboard in another 25 years?

  Tyler Durden
  Sat, 05/07/2022 – 20:25

• FDA Investigating Reports Of COVID Relapses Following Use Of Pfizer’s Pill
  FDA Investigating Reports Of COVID Relapses Following Use Of Pfizer’s Pill

  Authored by Zachary Stieber via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

  The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is investigating reports of relapses among people who took Pfizer’s COVID-19 pill.

  

  The FDA “is evaluating the reports of viral load rebound after completing paxlovid treatment and will share recommendations if appropriate,” an agency spokesperson told The Epoch Times in an email.

  In a recent preprint case report, Veterans Affairs researchers reported that a 71-year-old male who took the pill, also known as nirmatrelvir, experienced a “rapid and progressive reduction” in the viral load of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.

  But four days after completing the treatment course, there was a “surprising rebound of viral load and symptoms,” they reported.

  The report “highlights the potential for recurrent, symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 replication after successful early treatment” with the pill, the researchers said.

  A number of others have said they saw renewed symptoms after taking paxlovid.

  In the FDA’s evaluation (pdf) of data on paxlovid, which the agency cleared on an emergency basis in 2021, the agency reported that in an ongoing phase 2/3 trial run by Pfizer, several participants “appeared to have a rebound” in viral load five to nine days after completing their treatment courses.

  In light of the new reports, additional analyses of the paxlovid trial data were performed and showed that 1 to 2 percent of the patients had one or more positive COVID-19 tests after testing negative, or an increase in the amount of viral load, after completing the treatment, Dr. John Farley of the FDA said in an interview the agency published on May 4.

  “This finding was observed in patients treated with the drug as well as patients who received placebo, so it is unclear at this point that this is related to drug treatment,” he said, adding that, at this time, the reports “do not change the conclusions from the paxlovid clinical trial which demonstrated a marked reduction in hospitalization and death.”

  As part of the authorization agreement, the FDA said Pfizer must later submit information regarding “prolonged virologic shedding or rebound in clinical trials.”

  Pfizer did not respond to a request for comment.

  The company told Bloomberg that the rate of rebound in its trial was not higher among people who took paxlovid than in people who took a placebo.

  “This suggests the observed increase in viral load is unlikely to be related to paxlovid,” the company said.

  Dr. Clifford Lane, deputy director for clinical research at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told the outlet that the agency will study the issue, calling it “a priority.”

  Lane and the agency did not return queries.

  The FDA authorized paxlovid for the treatment of mild to moderate COVID-19 in Americans 12 years or older. To get the pill, a person must test positive for COVID-19 and be deemed at high risk of progressing to severe disease.

  Tyler Durden
  Sat, 05/07/2022 – 19:50

• "Yeah, I'm Smart": Dr. Oz Repeatedly Booed At MAGA Rally Over Abortion Flip-Flop
  “Yeah, I’m Smart”: Dr. Oz Repeatedly Booed At MAGA Rally Over Abortion Flip-Flop

  US Senate candidate from Pennsylvania, Mehmet Oz (who had been living in New Jersey until recently), was savagely booed Friday night at a MAGA rally headlined by former President Donald Trump, who has endorsed Oz.

  

  The television doctor has come under fire for remarks two years ago calling efforts to overturn Roe v. Wade as a conspiratorial crusade – and was supportive of abortion rights after allegedly witnessing unsafe abortions in medical school.

  “I went to medical school in Philadelphia, and I saw women who had coat-hanger events. And I mean really traumatic events that happened when they were younger, before Roe v. Wade. And many of them were harmed for life,” he said in a 2019 interview.

  Here is @DrOz saying he opposes pro-life legislation

  He completely flipped on Roe v Wade to run for office in a state he never lived in

  Complete hack pic.twitter.com/R8qizhA7M5

  — Ultra Poso 🔥 (@JackPosobiec) May 6, 2022

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  Now, Oz has rebranded – and claims “I’m pro-life, life starts at conception, and that’s how I feel.”

  MAGA ain’t buying it…

  WATCH: Trump supporters boo Dr Oz videos at today’s rally in PA pic.twitter.com/REIrZcAyCV

  — Ultra Poso 🔥 (@JackPosobiec) May 6, 2022

  “President Trump endorsed me because he said I was smart, tough and I will never let you down,” Oz argued. “Yeah, I’m smart, but am I tough? That’s the question. He knew it because he checked it out. He did his homework. He wrote that announcement himself. ‘Cause I am smart. ‘Cause I’m tough as nails and I will never let you down.”

  https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

  What in the world even is this… pic.twitter.com/RTywW3aKqK

  — Ultra Poso 🔥 (@JackPosobiec) May 6, 2022

  As Mediaite notes, Trump’s endorsement of Oz ‘has left some conservatives scratching their heads.’

  I have enormous respect for President Trump. I was honored to have his endorsement in PA.
  Twice
  But I’m disappointed by this. Oz is the antithesis of everything that made Trump the best president of my lifetime—he’s the farthest thing from America First & he’d be very bad for PA https://t.co/kuTo4pp53U

  — Sean Parnell (@SeanParnellUSA) April 9, 2022

  https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

  Oz is Romney 2.0. Awful endorsement.

  — Tim Swain (@SwainForSenate) April 10, 2022

  https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

  This is happening because Trump’s surrounded himself by staff who are on McConnell’s payroll & hostile to the MAGA agenda. Everybody telling Trump who to endorse in primaries works for The Swamp.

  They played him. Again. https://t.co/SoD656HT0V

  — Mo Brooks (@MoBrooks) April 10, 2022

  Tyler Durden
  Sat, 05/07/2022 – 19:15

• Poor Rail Service Threatens US Economy, Shippers Tell Federal Regulators
  Poor Rail Service Threatens US Economy, Shippers Tell Federal Regulators

  By Bill Stephens of Trains.com,

  Utilities are worried that the slowdown in coal deliveries could threaten U.S. electricity supply and destabilize the power grid.

  

  Chemical producers say erratic rail service has forced them to curtail production of essentials like chlorine used to treat public drinking water systems and the plastics used in medical products.

  And one of the nation’s largest retailers of diesel fuel, renewable diesel, ethanol, and diesel exhaust fluid says Union Pacific’s plan to cut its shipments by 50% will create fuel shortages, bring trucking to a halt, and raise prices at the pump.

  Those were among the shipper concerns raised on Wednesday during a second day of hearings on railroad service problems that have been created by a shortage of train crews.

  “The nation’s supply chains are in a dire situation today because of this. And it’s not getting better, it’s getting worse. And the longer it goes on, the worse it’s going to get,” Ross Corthell, chair of the National Industrial Transportation League’s rail committee, told the Surface Transportation Board.

  He adds: “I don’t want to be doomsday, but it’s critical to our national security at some point in time. We have to be able to move commodities. And it’s becoming more and more challenging every day.”

  Shippers complained about how lengthy delays, erratic service, and missed switches forced them to curtail or halt production or shift some shipments to more expensive trucks. Some products, such as chlorine and coal, have no alternative to rail. “We need to move coal and right now it’s just not happening,” says Katie Mills, a lawyer for the National Mining Association.

  Shameek Konar, CEO of Pilot Travel Centers, says UP’s plan to restrict traffic as a way to ease congestion will squeeze already tight supplies of diesel fuel nationwide, and particularly of renewable diesel fuel required in California.

  UP initially asked Pilot to curtail its shipments by 26%, but subsequently said it would have to reduce its carloads by 50% or face railroad-imposed embargoes, Konar says. Unlike some shippers, who ordered extra cars as cycle times increased on UP, Pilot’s car fleet has held steady since January. UP gave Pilot a week to voluntarily reduce shipments but has not yet issued an embargo, Konar says. Pilot outlined the situation in a filing to the board last week.

  Eric Gehringer, UP’s executive vice president of operations, says the railroad continues to work with customers like Pilot to fully understand their car supply and shipment needs. “We’re still working through those details,” he says. “So we’re not pressuring them, saying you have to be at this level by this date. We’re still in the collaborative phase of ‘How can we do this together?’ ”

  STB steps up criticism

  STB Chairman Martin J. Oberman, who criticized CSX Transportation and Norfolk Southern officials in the first day of hearings, on Wednesday scolded BNSF Railway and UP for not maintaining a cushion of employees to handle a surge in traffic.

  Oberman pointed to June 2021 letters from BNSF CEO Katie Farmer and UP CEO Lance Fritz, who both offered assurances that their railroads would have enough crews to meet rising demand. Instead, both railroads have been holding a rising number of trains per day for a lack of crews and locomotives.

  Railroad officials apologized and said they were working as quickly as possible to hire crews and to pull locomotives out of storage. The railroads attributed their service problems to a combination factors: Traffic that rebounded faster than expected from pandemic lows; tangles in other links in the global supply chain, including ports, trucking, and warehouses; lower than anticipated return of furloughed crew members; higher than expected attrition of train crews and conductor trainees; and the struggle to hire conductors in a tight job market.

  BNSF aims to hire 1,700 conductors this year; UP says it will hire 1,400.

  “As BNSF has made clear in our communication with the board and to our customers, we’re not here to make excuses,” says Matt Garland, BNSF’s vice president of transportation. “Our service is our responsibility and we simply have not met our customer expectations in recent months.”

  BNSF expects service to be choppy over the next 30 days, but within 60 days should start to show signs of improvement as conductor trainees are deployed across the system, Garland told the board.

  UP’s terminals are fluid, he says, but main lines are congested due to excess car inventory. As UP’s customers have put 30,000 more cars into the system as the railroad slowed down, UP has had to run 70 to 90 additional trains per day. And that compounded congestion that feeds on itself by requiring more crews and more locomotives.

  “With the amount of congestion currently on the network, it will likely take us the better half of the year to decongest the network, assuming minimal variability on the network in addition to our customers’ crucial help in taking private cars off the network,” Gehringer says, based on the railroad’s recovery from similar events in 2014, 2017, and 2019.

  Board member Robert Primus was critical of UP’s use of embargoes, which he said are far and away higher than the rest of the industry. And he said it shows UP is penalizing its customers for the railroad’s inability to provide efficient and reliable service.

  Gehringer said UP only resorts to embargoes after lengthy discussions with customers and doesn’t restrict traffic if congestion at a customer facility or local serving is a result of UP service failures.

  BNSF defended its controversial Hi-Viz attendance policy, which is designed to boost crew availability. Crews can still use vacation and personal days, Garland says, and more than 90% of crews have earned points for good attendance since the policy was implemented this year.

  And he disputed labor union claims that the attendance policy has led to a wave of resignations. Attrition is slightly higher than normal, Garland says, but most of the 300 engineers and conductors who have left recently had not worked a shift in the past six months.

  KCS to the rescue?

  With UP and BNSF traffic snarled in the busy Houston terminal, Kansas City Southern has offered use of its crews to move dead trains parked on main lines. KCS, which was singled out for providing good service and was not required to attend the STB hearing, made the offer in a Friday letter to the STB.

  “Union Pacific understands the severity of the situation and is working hard to restore service to the levels our customers expect,” Gehringer says.

  The congestion has hurt the operation of KCS cross-border traffic that relies on long segments of trackage rights, mostly on UP, through Houston and across south Texas. On average, KCS has had to use two crews — instead of one — to move traffic between Beaumont and Kendleton, west of Houston.

  “To help resolve the Houston congestion problems, KCS has actually offered its crews on several occasions to move BNSF and UP trains that lacked crews off the main line so that KCS trains can pass,” John Orr, executive vice president of operations, wrote to the board. “We have also moved our interchange with BNSF for some auto traffic from the Robstown/Corpus Christi area to Rosenberg, just west of Houston, so BNSF has to expend fewer crews from their over-taxed crew base.”

  Orr suggested that the STB might consider granting KCS temporary trackage rights so that it and other railroads could bypass Houston congestion to reach the border at Laredo, Texas.

  “Can we do something to ease the congestion in Houston, at least … as a temporary measure if not a permanent one,” Oberman asked.

  UP and BNSF were unaware of the KCS filing but said they’d follow up. Gehringer was surprised about KCS’s claims, saying UP has spent $250 million in the last two years to extend tracks in its Englewood and Settegast yards in Houston, which are fed by a triple-track main. And Garland said BNSF and UP collaborate well every day to move traffic through Houston.

  Oberman asked the railroads to work together. “Really, you need to pull out all the stops,” he says.

  More PSR criticism

  For a second day, shippers and rail labor criticized the railroads’ implementation of the low-cost Precision Scheduled Railroading operating model and blamed it for cuts in personnel, yards, locomotives, and local service.

  The NIT League’s Corthell disputed railroads’ claims that their PSR implementations had been flawless, noting that local service complaints were brought to the board in 2019 – when CSX and NS both said their service was at record levels of reliability.

  And while railroads have blamed their service failures on crew availability and power, Corthell says the problem did not begin during the pandemic. “The problem started before COVID and it has its roots in the financial model known as Precision Scheduled Railroading, or PSR,” Corthell says. “And yes, I did say financial model.”

  Railroads have reduced local service in pursuit of lower operating ratios, Corthell says, and have continued to miss scheduled switches at an alarming rate. “Precision Scheduled Railroading has proven to be anything but precise at origin and destination,” he says.

  Unions representing mechanical and signal workers told the board that railroads are cannibalizing stored locomotives to keep active units in service and claimed that shop forces, car inspectors, and signal maintainers are spread too thin.

  Many have resigned due to working conditions, they said, including machinists with 10 to 20 years experience who have left Railroad Retirement benefits behind.

  “The problem is not inherently with a scheduled railroad, but a ruthless cost-cutting business model,” says labor lawyer Richard Edelman.

  Canadian Pacific, which like Canadian National and KCS was not required to attend the hearing, defended PSR. James Clements, the railway’s senior vice president of strategic planning and technology transformation, says CP has grown and run well despite disruptions over the past three years.

  The railway’s improved financial performance since adopting PSR in 2012 allowed it to invest in track upgrades, longer sidings, centralized traffic control, and yards that can handle longer trains. “We have built what I would call the foundation upon which you operate the PSR model,” Clements says, noting improvements in the railway’s service and customer satisfaction.

  Primus thanked CP and CN for attending. “You guys weren’t on the firing squad list to be here, and yet you came,” he says. But he was critical of Farmer and Fritz for not attending.

  Tyler Durden
  Sat, 05/07/2022 – 18:40

• Where The Press Is The Most (And Least) Free
  Where The Press Is The Most (And Least) Free

  Norway, Denmark and Sweden are the countries with the highest scores on this year’s World Press Freedom Index issued by Reporters Without Borders (RSF), with the first two scoring more than 90 points.

  

  You will find more infographics at Statista

  As Statista’s Florian Zandt details below, while the top-ranked countries have changed somewhat compared to 2013, there’s a lot less movement in the bottom rungs, with one major exception.

  This exception is the Southeast Asian country of Myanmar, which in comparison with 2013 fell by 24 ranks to the fifth-last place. According to RSF, this can largely be attributed to the February 1, 2021 coup deposing State Counsellor of Myanmar Aung San Suu Kyi, in the wake of which the military junta banned a slew of media outlets dedicated to independent reporting from the region.

  

  You will find more infographics at Statista

  While countries like North Korea, China or Iran have always been among or around the bottom 20 in the past, the number of countries losing the classification of having “good” freedom of press compared to around ten years ago is a cause for concern. In 2013, 25 countries scored between 85 and 100 index points, while in 2022 only eight qualified for this bracket. For example, liberal democracy poster children like the United Kingdom, the United States or Germany only managed to get a “satisfactory” rating.

  This analysis comes with one important caveat: The index only portrays the level of freedom journalists and media workers enjoy in their corresponding countries and doesn’t serve as an indicator of the quality or quantity of the connected outlets.

  The World Press Freedom Index is based on an annual questionnaire conducted among journalists and media workers and covers five indicators across over 100 questions: political context (e.g. media autonomy), legal framework (e.g. ability to work without censorship), economic context (e.g. corruption and favoritism), sociocultural context (e.g. attacks on the press based on gender, class, ethnicity etc.) and safety (e.g. bodily harm).

  Tyler Durden
  Sat, 05/07/2022 – 18:05

• "AnalF**k69": Hunter Biden's Password Revealed In Whistleblower Tell-All
  “AnalF**k69”: Hunter Biden’s Password Revealed In Whistleblower Tell-All

  A Delaware computer repair shop owner who was driven out of business for blowing the whistle over Hunter Biden’s abandoned laptop has written a book, “American Injustice: My Battle to Expose the Truth, in which he details what went down behind the scenes with the sitting president’s crack-addict son.

  

  According to an excerpt published by the New York Post, John Paul Mac Isaac was about to close up shop on a Friday night when Hunter Biden ‘stumbled’ in carrying three MacBook Pros.

  “I’m glad you’re still open,” Hunter reportedly said with an “air of entitlement” radiating off of him. “I just came from the cigar bar, and they told me about your shop, but I had to hurry because you close at seven.”

  

  One of the computers, writes Mac Isaac, had a Beau Biden Foundation sticker covering the Apple logo. He proceeded to inspect the computers, when Hunter revealed his password: Analfuck69

  For some reason, maybe misplaced compassion, I decided to check them over then and there. One at a time, I performed a quick inspection of the machines. The 15-inch laptop was a complete write-off. It had extensive liquid damage, and because the drive was soldered to the logic board, data recovery was beyond my capability. (If a Mac can’t power on, you won’t be able to access the drive and get to the data.)

  The 13-inch 2015 MacBook Pro was in slightly better shape. It could boot up, but the keyboard was unresponsive. I pulled out an external keyboard and asked for permission to log in.

  Hunter started laughing.

  “My password is f–ked up. Don’t be offended!” he said, before announcing that it was “analf–k69” or something to that extent. His inebriated condition made it difficult to understand is speech. My eyes widened a bit, and I told him that maybe it would be best if he tried to log in himself.  -via the NY Post

  Mac Isaac then offered to loan Hunter the keyboard so he could perform his own hard drive recovery on one of the other laptops, before discovering porn on what would come to be known as the ‘laptop from hell.’

  

  “Scrolling down, I started to see files that didn’t align. I started to individually drag and drop the files to the recovery folder. It took only a few files before I noticed pornography appearing in the right column,” he writes.

  “How many of these does he have?” I wondered. It wasn’t just him alone either. Although it looked like he was having a love affair with himself, there also were photos with women. I decided I’d had enough, that I was no longer going to preview the data. I would just go by the file name and hope for the best. And I tried to work out how to keep a straight face when he returned for the recovery data.

  He then writes that there was a file labeled “income.pdf,” which showed what Hunter made in 2013, 2014 and 2015. “Next to each year was the amount of taxable income earned: $833,000+ in 2013, $847,000+ amended to $1,247,000+ in 2014, $2,478,000+ in 2015.” – all while Joe Biden was the sitting Vice President.

  Another note read, “Since you couldn’t have lived on $550,000 a year, you ‘borrowed’ some money from RSB in advance of payments.”

  The whole document seemed shady. I saw that a lot of money had exchanged hands, and it didn’t seem like it had been recorded lawfully. But what did I know? Plus, it was none of my business. It wasn’t my job to judge — just to transfer and verify. So I kept transferring data until I hit a rather large file. The file was about half transferred when the screen went blank. Dammit, the battery had run out.

  Now while all of this is certainly entertaining, what’s it going to take for the DOJ to launch a special counsel – given all the evidence of international dealings and other malarkey involving Joe Biden? If it was Don Jr’s laptop we would have already moved on to impeachment. Then again, we’re sure big tech platforms wouldn’t have interfered in the 2020 election by censoring the original story if the shoe was on the other foot.

  Tyler Durden
  Sat, 05/07/2022 – 17:34

• Hospital Workers Are Fleeing High Housing Costs: Where Are They Moving?
  Hospital Workers Are Fleeing High Housing Costs: Where Are They Moving?

  By Becker Hospital Reviews

  As hospitals battle workforce shortages, part of their struggles come from workers leaving their jobs at hospitals for various reasons. Some have left because of emotional exhaustion while others have retired early. But there is another factor contributing to the shortages: housing costs. For some hospitals, the issue has become so prevalent they are building employee housing.

  Although the nation’s mover rate has been decreasing for several years, almost half of all movers in 2021 cited housing-related reasons for moving, according to a U.S. Census Bureau report released March 7.

  Mary Broadworth, vice president of human resources at Burlington-based University of Vermont Medical Center, told Becker’s earlier this year there are hurdles when it comes to nurse recruitment and retention, including a lack of housing options because of migration to the state. 

  “We have a housing shortage, pretty much no inventory,” Ms. Broadworth said.

  “And there aren’t a lot of other industries for career advancement in the state. For example, we have someone who moves up [to Vermont] with a partner, the partner is challenged to find a job outside of healthcare.”

  To address this, the University of Vermont Health Network announced in March that it is investing $2.8 million to help finance housing in South Burlington that can be used for its workers. UVM Health Network officials told Becker’s on March 10 that the health system will take a 10-year master lease on 61 new one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments that are being built, then make those units available first to its workers, potentially at a subsidy for eligible employees.

  Where are people moving?

  To determine the top 10 moving destinations for 2021, moving truck rental company Penske examined one-way consumer truck rental reservations made through the company’s website, calls to its 1-800-GO-PENSKE call center and via one-way reservations made at Penske’s more than 2,500 truck rental locations.

  To find the metro areas with the highest and lowest housing costs for a family of four, 24/7 Wall St. analyzed data from the Economic Policy Institute’s 2022 Family Budget Calculator.

  The top 10 moving destinations for 2021, according to the Penske list, which was released May 2: 

  1. Houston

  2. Las Vegas

  3. Phoenix

  4. Charlotte, N.C. 

  5. Denver

  6. San Antonio 

  7. Dallas

  8. Orlando, Fla.

  9. Austin, Texas 

  10. Chicago

  The 10 metro areas where families pay the most for housing and the estimated annual housing costs, according to the 24/7 Wall St. analysis:

  1. San Francisco-Oakland-Berkely, Calif.: $42,636

  2. San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, Calif.: $36,612

  3. Santa Cruz-Watsonville, Calif.: $36,252

  4. Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, Calif.: $28,488

  5. Boston-Cambridge-Newton, Mass. and N.H.: $28,032

  6. San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, Calif.: $25,488

  7. Urban Honolulu, Hawaii: $24,876

  8. Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, Calif.: $24,696

  9. New York-Newark-Jersey City, N.Y., N.J. and Pa.: $24,636

  10. Napa, Calif.: $24,216

  The 10 metro areas where families pay the least for housing and the estimated annual housing costs, according to the 24/7 Wall St. analysis: 

  1. Jefferson City, Mo.: $8,136

  2. Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, N.C.: $8,316

  3. Kingsport-Bristol, Tenn. and Va.: $8,412

  4. Dothan, Ala.: $8,472

  5. Decatur, Ala.: $8,496

  6. Gadsden, Ala.: $8,604

  7. Anniston-Oxford, Ala.: $8,676

  8. Johnstown, Pa.: $8,688

  9. Fort Smith, Ark. and Okla.: $8,736

  10. Pine Bluff: Ark.: $8,748

  Tyler Durden
  Sat, 05/07/2022 – 17:30

• Taliban Orders All Afghan Women To Cover Faces In Public, Taking Country Back To Pre-2001
  Taliban Orders All Afghan Women To Cover Faces In Public, Taking Country Back To Pre-2001

  Over two decades after 9/11 and George W. Bush’s invasion of Afghanistan to overthrow the Taliban – which had at the time involved officials making arguments for the need (among other rationales offered) to secure women’s rights in central Asia – we’ve now come full circle…

  “Afghanistan’s Taliban leadership orders all Afghan women to wear the all-covering burqa in public,” The Associated Press reports based on the new Saturday published ruling.

  

  This means women will literally no longer be allowed to show their faces in public. The burqa, which is now required, goes far beyond the hijab which is typical in Sunni Islam and merely covers the hair; instead, the burqa prevents any skin including on the face from being shown at all. This is often accompanied by gloves covering the hands in hardline Islamic communities.

  The ruling, which is a reversion to the strict public code of pre-2001 prior to the US toppling the Taliban and installing its own national coalition (and more “democratic” secular-leaning) leaders, takes things back to the medieval style Islam of the Taliban.

  The man identified as supreme leader of the Islamic Emirate, Mawlawi Hibatullah Akhundzada, confirmed a statement that was issued by the “Vice and Virtue Ministry” (which ironically enough had prior to the Taliban taking the country back last August been known as the “Ministry of Women’s Affairs”), which reads as follows:

  …hijab is an obligation in Islam and that any dress that covers the body can be considered as hijab given that it is not “thin and tight.”

  The ruling said further according to national Tolo News:

  When it comes to the type of the covering or hijab that women will need to wear, the statement says that burka is the best type of hijab/covering “as it is part of Afghan culture and it has been used for ages.” 

  The statement, called “the descriptive and accomplishable plan on legitimate hijab,” also instructs women not to step out of home unless it is necessary, calling it one of the best ways of observing hijab.

  Perhaps all that’s left to do is remind the reader of the immense cost in blood and treasure (for both Americans and Afghanis, as well as allied coalition forces) of the 20+ year long so-called “Global War on Terror”…

  

  “Since invading Afghanistan in 2001, the United States has spent $2.313 trillion on the war, which includes operations in both Afghanistan and Pakistan,” a previous Brown University study found. “Note that this total does not include funds that the United States government is obligated to spend on lifetime care for American veterans of this war, nor does it include future interest payments on money borrowed to fund the war. This $2.313 trillion spent on Afghanistan is a portion of the total estimated cost of the post-9/11 wars.”

  Tyler Durden
  Sat, 05/07/2022 – 16:55

• Courts Can't Be "Bullied" Into Delivering Outcomes People Demand: Clarence Thomas
  Courts Can’t Be “Bullied” Into Delivering Outcomes People Demand: Clarence Thomas

  Authored by Tom Ozimek via The Epoch Times,

  U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas on Friday defended judicial independence, arguing that government institutions mustn’t allow themselves to be strong-armed into delivering outcomes that people demand, according to news outlets.

  

  Thomas made the remarks at a May 6 judicial conference in Atlanta, where he was asked by a moderator to discuss the biggest threats to judicial independence, according to Law360.

  In his response, Thomas decried what he described as an erosion of respect for the high court and made an apparent reference to protests that erupted after the leak of a draft Supreme Court opinion suggesting the court is poised to overturn Roe v. Wade, with major implications for access to abortion.

  He said that at as a society, “we are becoming addicted to wanting particular outcomes, not living with the outcomes we don’t like,” according to Reuters.

  “We can’t be an institution that can be bullied into giving you just the outcomes you want. The events from earlier this week are a symptom of that,” he added.

  A flurry of protests and counter-protests broke out outside the Supreme Court after Politico obtained and published the draft opinion that would uphold a Mississippi law banning abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy and overturn the Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion nationwide.

  The protests have been loud but mostly peaceful, though there have been reports that pro-abortion activists attacked pro-life pastors.

  In a bid to prevent violence, police have now surrounded the Supreme Court with a set of 9-foot high metal barricades, with an officer telling an Epoch Times reporter that the move was “just in case.”

  Speaking at the 11th Circuit Judicial Conference, a gathering of lawyers and judges, Thomas referred several times to the “unfortunate events” of the past week, bemoaning declining respect for institutions and the rule of law.

  “It bodes ill for a free society,” he said, according to The Washington Post.

   It can’t be that institutions “give you only the outcome you want, or can be bullied” into submission.

  Thomas also expressed concern about a “different attitude of the young” towards respect for institutions and the law, suggesting this is on the decline relative to past generations, as cited by the outlet.

  The Supreme Court has confirmed the authenticity of the draft opinion but called it preliminary.

  A ruling in the case is expected in June.

  Tyler Durden
  Sat, 05/07/2022 – 16:20

• Watch: Autonomous Chinese Drone Swarm Flies Through Forest While Hunting For Humans 
  Watch: Autonomous Chinese Drone Swarm Flies Through Forest While Hunting For Humans 

  A swarm of micro-drones autonomously navigated a dense bamboo forest in China without GPS, able to avoid trees, branches, and brush. The incredible footage suggests these drones could one day be used for search and rescue efforts or even put to sinister use: hunting humans.

  Chinese scientists from Zhejiang University published a report and footage of ten lightweight drones maneuvering at speed through a forest. The technology behind the drones autonomously navigates the best flight path through high-tech sensors. 

  Lead author Xin Zhou wrote in a paper published Wednesday, in the journal Science Robotics, that “multi-robot aerial systems are a symbol of future technology” and cited science fiction films, Prometheus (2012), Ender’s Game (2013), Star Wars: Episode III (2005), and Blade Runner 2049 (2017), where drones or drone swarms were used, which ultimately “inspired” the research team.  

  Here is the drone swarm navigating through the woods. Full video below. 

  In another experiment, Zhou and his team showed the drone swarm could track a human “target” through a field of trees. 

  

  Commenting on the breakthrough research is Enrica Soria, of the laboratory of intelligent systems at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne, Switzerland, who told The Telegraph: 

  “This work presents a notable contribution to the robotics community and an important step towards the application of drone swarms beyond the constrained environment of a laboratory, not only for exploration in forests but also for a range of safety-critical missions in human-made environments, such as urban areas with humans and buildings.”

  What’s terrifying is if researchers transfer the technology to Beijing, or even the military, who could use the advanced drone software for hunting humans, if that’s for domestic surveillance purposes, or equip it with weapons for the modern battlefield. 

  About five years ago, the world’s leading AI researchers and humanitarian organizations warned about lethal autonomous weapons systems, or killer robots, that select and kill targets without human control. Future of Life Institute released this dystopic video of “slaughter bots.”

  Tyler Durden
  Sat, 05/07/2022 – 15:45

• CDC Investigating 109 Mysterious Hepatitis Cases In Children, Including 5 Deaths
  CDC Investigating 109 Mysterious Hepatitis Cases In Children, Including 5 Deaths

  Authored by Jack Phillips via The Epoch Times,

  The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is investigating more than 100 cases of a mysterious form of hepatitis in children, saying that five have died so far.

  

  Dr. Jay Butler, the CDC’s deputy director of infectious diseases, said during a briefing said the agency is investigating 109 cases of acute hepatitis, or liver inflammation, in 24 U.S. states and Puerto Rico. The cause of the outbreak is not yet clear, he stressed, adding that about half of the children had adenovirus infections, although Butler said the CDC doesn’t know yet if adenovirus is the actual cause.

  Approximately 90 percent of the children required hospitalization, Butler said. Five have died so far, and more have required liver transplants, he added in the briefing.

  Last month, the CDC issued a nationwide alert after nine acute hepatitis cases were discovered among children in Georgia. Since then, a number of state agencies have reported cases and several deaths.

  Several days ago, the CDC issued a report saying that it found no evidence that COVID-19 vaccines caused the outbreak of hepatitis among children. None of the initial children in Alabama, the agency said, received the vaccine.

  Meanwhile, other countries have reported similar outbreaks of hepatitis among children. On Friday, the UK Health Security Agency reported that (pdf) the country’s case count had risen to 163, dating back to early January, adding that 11 children have received liver transplants so far.

  “Adenovirus remains the most frequently detected potential pathogen. Amongst 163 UK cases, 126 have been tested for adenovirus of which 91 had adenovirus detected,” said the agency.

  “Amongst cases the adenovirus has primarily been detected in blood.”

  UK officials also ruled out the COVID-19 vaccine as a potential cause.

  “There are fewer than five older case-patients recorded as having had a COVID-19 vaccination prior to hepatitis onset,” the report said, adding that most of the impacted children are too young to receive the shot.

  “There is no evidence of a link between COVID-19 vaccination and the acute hepatic syndrome.”

  Earlier this week, the World Health Organization (WHO) told news outlets that there were at least 228 probable cases of hepatitis worldwide in at least 20 countries. That statement came before the CDC’s latest announcement Friday.

  Hepatitis is an inflammation of the liver that can be caused by a viral infection, alcohol, prescription drugs, over-the-counter medications acetaminophen, high doses of certain herbal supplements, toxins, and various medical conditions. Hepatitis viruses, which spread via bodily fluids, can also cause liver inflammation. The hepatitis A, hepatitis B, and hepatitis C viruses are also well known to target the liver.

  Symptoms include abdominal pain—namely in the upper right part of the abdomen right below the ribs—dark-colored urine, light-colored stools, and jaundice, which is the yellowing of the skin and whites of the eyes.

  Tyler Durden
  Sat, 05/07/2022 – 15:10

• States Sue Biden Administration For 'Pressuring And Colluding' With Big Tech To Censor Free Speech
  States Sue Biden Administration For ‘Pressuring And Colluding’ With Big Tech To Censor Free Speech

  Authored by Katabella Roberts via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

  Two Republican-led states have filed a lawsuit against President Joe Biden, White House press secretary Jen Psaki, Dr. Anthony Fauci, and other top administration officials for allegedly pressuring and colluding with social media giants with the aim of censoring and suppressing free speech.

  

  Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt and Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry filed the lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana on April 5, they announced in separate statements on Thursday.

  The attorneys claim that Biden and other government officials worked with big tech companies like Meta, Twitter, and YouTube to censor conversation around matters relating to everything from COVID-19 and election integrity to the Hunter Biden laptop story, doing so under the guise of combating “misinformation.”

  Others named in the lawsuit include Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, and the executive director of DHS’s newly established “Disinformation Governance Board,” Nina Jankowicz.

  

  The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra, and Director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency Jen Easterly are also listed as defendants.

  In announcing the lawsuit on Thursday, attorney Schmitt stressed the importance of freedom of speech which he said is “paramount to a healthy society,” adding that “discourse, debate, and discussion have been the cornerstone of our country since the Founders codified that right in the Bill of Rights.”

  Schmitt stated that Americans use social media platforms to discuss an array of topics, noting that those topics have more recently, in light of the global COVID-19 pandemic, conversations regarding whether or not face coverings are effective in preventing the virus from spreading and whether the virus origins came from a lab leak in Wuhan, China.

  

  

  “In direct contravention to the First Amendment and freedom of speech, the Biden Administration has been engaged in a pernicious campaign to both pressure social media giants to censor and suppress speech and work directly with those platforms to achieve that censorship in a misguided and Orwellian campaign against ‘misinformation,’” said Schmitt, referencing George Orwell’s dystopian novel about a totalitarian state, 1984.

  The lawsuit filed on Thursday specifically accuses Biden and other government officials of working with big tech companies to remove “truthful information related to the lab-leak theory, the efficacy of masks, election integrity, and more,” Schmitt said.

  It also accuses Biden and other officials of “falsely” attacking the Hunter Biden laptop story as “disinformation” along with tech giants like Twitter.

  The story, which was first published by the New York Post in October 2020, detailed the contents of Hunter Biden’s laptop that was abandoned in a Delaware computer repair shop, and which included compromising pictures and emails regarding allegedly corrupt foreign business deals.

  Twitter labeled the story as “potentially harmful” and locked the New York Post’s main Twitter account while simultaneously blocking Twitter users from publishing the link to the story.

  

  The New York Times and the Washington Post have since acknowledged the existence of Hunter Biden’s laptop and emails.

  “Big Tech has become an extension of Biden’s Big Government, and neither are protecting the freedoms of Americans; rather, they are suppressing truth and demonizing those who think differently,” said Attorney General Landry.

  “Ripped from the playbook of Stalin and his ilk, Biden has been colluding with Big Tech to censor free speech and propagandize the masses. We are fighting back to ensure the rule of law and prevent the government from unconstitutional banning, chilling, and stifling of speech.”

  The lawsuit alleges that the federal government violated Missourians’, Louisianans’, and Americans’ First Amendment rights and “coerced, threatened, and pressured social-media platforms to censor disfavored speakers and viewpoints by using threats of adverse government action.”

  As a result of those threats, the lawsuit states, the defendants “are now directly colluding with social-media platforms to censor disfavored speakers and viewpoints, including by pressuring them to censor certain content and speakers, and ‘flagging’ disfavored content and speakers for censorship. These actions violate the First Amendment.”

  The attorneys asked the court to declare that Biden and other defendants violated the First Amendment, exceeded their statutory authority, and to stop the officials from continuing to engage in their “unlawful” conduct.

  Furthermore, they claim that the DHS and HHS officials’ conduct violates the Administrative Procedure Act.

  The Epoch Times has contacted a White House Spokesperson for comment.

  Tyler Durden
  Sat, 05/07/2022 – 14:00

• Peter Grandich: "Situation Is Beyond Fed's Control" As Recession Unstoppable
  Peter Grandich: “Situation Is Beyond Fed’s Control” As Recession Unstoppable

  Inflation today compared to the 1980s “is a completely different animal this time around, and the situation is so beyond what the Fed can do now,” says Peter Grandich, founder of Peter Grandich & Company.

  The enthusiasm over this week’s Fed rate hike is misrepresented, he tells Stansberry Research’s Daniela Cambone, because Powell and the Fed, “will still be behind the curve, and need to be more aggressive.”

  “Social and political disharmony is at the highest level since the onset of Civil War,” in the U.S., and “with the world suffering economic challenges, “it does not paint a good picture for the future,” he warns.

  General stocks and bonds have had a phenomenal run, but have been overdone on the upside, Grandich states, “and the only market I can risk capital on for capital appreciation is the gold market.”

  He concludes that the mining companies, “especially the majors, are in phenomenal shape,” with the juniors market still facing struggles.

  Watch the full interview here….

  Tyler Durden
  Sat, 05/07/2022 – 13:25

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