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Tired of hearing right wing asswipes rage about stuff they do not know about or understand. Let's take advantage of the moment to look at what is going on around us here in the USA and use COVID-19 as a magnifying glass that highlights the larger pandemic of racial/ethnic disparities in health. African Americans have shorter life spans and more illness than white persons. Hispanic immigrants initially have a relatively healthy profile but with increasing length of stay in the US, their health tends to decline. A black infant born in the US is more than twice as likely to die before his or her first birthday compared with a white infant. In adulthood, black individuals have higher death rates than white persons for most of the leading causes of death. Compared with white individuals, African American individuals have higher rates of uninsurance and underinsurance. Segregation of health care also contributes to racial disparities in health care with access to care more limited in communities of color. COVID-19 testing centers are more likely to be in well-off suburbs of predominantly white residents than in low-income neighborhoods that are predominantly black. The advice to obtain testing through a primary care clinician limits access to testing for people who lack one. Lower-income and minority workers are overrepresented among essential service workers who must work outside the home when shelter-in place-directives are given. Many must travel to work on buses and subways. Segregation also adversely affects health because the concentration of poverty, poor-quality housing, and neighborhood environments leads to elevated exposure to chronic and acute psychosocial (eg, loss of loved ones, unemployment, violence) and environmental stressors, such as air and water pollution. The striking racial/ethnic disparities reported for COVID-19 infection, testing, and disease burden are a clear reminder that failure to protect the most vulnerable members of society not only harms them but also increases the risk of spread of the virus, with devastating health and economic consequences for all. COVID-19 disparities are not the fault of those who are experiencing them, but rather reflect social policies and systems that create health disparities in good times and inflate them in a crisis. Just a thought.

Think Drumpf is about to dump Fauci. Trump's rebuke of Fauci encapsulates rejection of science in virus fight https://www.cnn.com/2020/05/14/politics/donald-trump-anthony-fauci-science-coronavirus/index.html We will see who wins this long-term battle. Sometimes brains beat brawn.

I canceled my trip to Brazil and I already received my refund from Cheapo Air and Canada Airline. My flight was due to leave tomorrow and returning the 30th. Thanks to Covid-19 I'll be staying here and waiting for countries to open up again. I don't know a lot about what is going on in Brazil and I guess it depends on where you are. A friend in Sao Paulo tells me it's dead and boring with everything closed and no one going out. But a week earlier I talked with a Rio friend and he told me there is still fun going on but said not many tourists are around. Here where I live almost everything is closed. My employer is still in full swing with many office staff working from home. We recently had 2 workers test positive for Covid-19. Both recovered and are back to work. A few office workers who were sick with what was thought to be a long lasting cold since December of last year were found to have had Covid-19 at some point. None of my co workers were found to have severe symptoms or suffered harsh effects and none are spring chickens. I'm now of a mind to travel again when places loosen up, plane fly again and life returns to normal or the new normal everyone says we have to have. All I know is that once I see a ray of hope, I'll be on the first thing smoking to start my vacation. Funny thing though, when I think of Brazil, I don't imagine the guys, the clubs or the saunas. I think of the vast beaches brimming with life. I forget that I don't speak the language but I do remember feeling at home while there. In Thailand, I loved the place but I woke up feeling like a visitor, not that feeling like a visitor was bad but feeling like you belong is something special to me.

The HYPOCRISY is beyond staggering. It's OK to send Martha Stewart to jail for lying to Federal investigators, but it's not OK for Michael Flynn. Martha has said publicly that she felt her case/conviction was purely political. She donated heavily to the Democratic Party and she mocked George Bush. The Republicans did not like that. And now we have Senator Richard Burr, another corrupt Republican. "FBI agents reportedly serve warrant to Sen. Richard Burr." The shit is hitting the fan, and we'll have to wait and see if Trump comes to his rescue. Sen. Richard Burr stepping aside as Intelligence Committee chair amid FBI investigation of his stock sales The Republicans can only "WIN" by cheating. That's how they do. As long as lazy, ignorant voters are willing to tolerate this shit, America will go down into the gutter. Exceptionalism my ASS.

It does always surprise me how far the disease of Christianity has spread.

Excerpted from CNN Travel How expensive will air travel be after the Covid-19 crisis? (CNN) — When the state of Florida began enacting stay-at-home measures and closing beaches in mid-March, in response to the threat of Covid-19, Miami-based real estate agent and artist Nadia Bouzid was in the middle of painting a mural inside a new hotel in Cancun, Mexico. Putting down the paintbrush, she picked up her phone and began searching airfares to return home. "I watched a seat on the flight I wanted go from $200 to $70, to $350," Bouzid tells CNN Travel. "I booked it and flew, but the flight was spookily empty. I was panicking, and the changing price made me wonder how much I'd be paying to return to finish my work, when all this is over." As countries formulate plans towards reopening borders and businesses, and airlines begin to see a return of passenger traffic, Bouzid's question is pertinent. What will airfares be like, when "all this" is over? Social distancing means fewer seats sold, so will airfares go higher? Delta Air Lines is blocking middle seats and capping flight loads through June 30 for social distancing, allowing only 50 to 60% of available seats on a flight to be booked. Other airlines adopting similar controls include Emirates, American Airlines, Japan Airlines, United, Wizz Air and more. Many other airlines are allowing bookings as normal, with one going so far as attempting to have passengers pay to observe social distancing. On May 4, ultra-low-cost US carrier Frontier Airlines announced a "More Room" fee, purchasable for flights between May 8 and August 31. With this fee, a passenger could pay from $39 each way to guarantee that the middle seat stays unoccupied. The fee lasted all of 48 hours; late on May 6, the airline rescinded the plan after it received criticism from members of the United States Congress. Nonetheless, it's IATA, the global airline trade association, that wants to have the last word on the issue of social distancing on aircraft. Its May 5 press release advocates against forcing airlines to block middle seats. "IATA is essentially saying that airlines' financial health matters more than the health of their employees or customers," says Henry Harteveldt, airline analyst at Atmosphere Research Group. "That press release includes an estimate that airfares will have to increase if carriers are required to leave middle seats open. If demand remains low, and airlines have to compete for a limited number of travelers, airfares will likely use low fares to attract as many travelers as they're able." "Fear and trust will be the two emotions at the forefront of people's minds when planning a trip, and if a person doesn't feel an airline adequately respects their health, they will find an airline that does." Oil prices are dropping, so will airfares go lower? Blended and refined, crude oil becomes the jet fuel needed to literally power aviation. Airlines levy fuel surcharges to help pay for it, which are included in the final ticket price as a "YQ" fee, which accounts for variations in fuel cost. At the end of April, prices for barrels of crude oil dropped off a cliff. For a standard British Airways economy round-trip ticket between London and Johannesburg for a trip in August 2020, the YQ fuel surcharge is £189, 30% of the total £610 airfare (that's a $229 surcharge making up a $737 fare). Would British Airways seek to pass potential savings on jet fuel prices to passengers, by removing or lessening fuel surcharges? If only it was so simple. "Jet fuel typically accounts for 20-25% of an airline's operating expenses," Manoel Suhet tells CNN Travel. Suhet, CEO at Business Traveler Deals and a former airline executive with a background in international oil distribution, weighs that if crude oil and jet fuel prices continue to decline, air carriers may benefit from this lower price environment, but it will hardly be immediate. "Many airlines use fuel hedging to minimize the risk of fuel price volatility by agreeing to purchase a certain amount of oil in the future at a set price," says Suhet. "And the airlines are adapting these strategies to the current climate, to improve cash-flow position by streamlining costs." In other words, even though oil is cheap, jet fuel still needs to be refined from it, a process that adds to the price, and laying out cash right now to buy future fuel isn't exactly at the top of an airline's to-do list. Destinations need tourism, so will there be airfare deals? Uncertainty breeds hesitation and, for some, even shockingly low airfares may not be enough to inspire bookings until the health and economic situations of destinations stabilize. Kathy Kass, a New York City lawyer and fitness blogger, typically travels internationally every month and likes to monitor airfare deals. In March, she began canceling planned trips and holding off on planning others: "I was rebooking for late June into early July, thinking things have to be okay by then, but now I'm sitting with vouchers for a few airlines and I don't really want to collect more." She has been tempted, however. On April 29, travel blogs kicked up a frenzy over an $840 round-trip business class deal from Canada or Mexico to Bali, Indonesia, a ticket that typically prices more than four times that amount. Kass decided not to book. "I've always wanted to visit Bali, but I just don't know what the situation will be," she tells CNN Travel. "I don't want to put myself in harm's way. I also don't know what's going on in Indonesia, and don't know when Bali will again be ready for guests." Such sentiments will prove major obstacles to tourism revival, and the Italian island of Sicily has already announced their plan to overcome this hesitation and grease a return for holidaymakers. The Times of London reports that Sicily's regional government has set aside €50 million for paying half of airfares and one of every three hotel nights for visitors, while also including free entry to museums and archaeological sites. The caveat? Travelers willing to take advantage must holiday in Sicily this year, following the opening of Italy's borders to foreign tourists, and that date hasn't yet been set. Asiana Airlines is taking a similarly forgiving stance, promoting ticket sales with the promise of "buy now, fly any date." Book a flight from the United States to South Korea on Asiana and the airline will waive change fees not only once, a conciliation that has become standard among airlines during COVID, but up to three times. Airlines are adjusting for demand, so will airfares stay the same? In the heart of Australia's red center, at an airport more accustomed to welcoming tour groups bound for Uluru, the tarmac has transformed into a museum to modern Singaporean commercial aviation. More than $5 billion worth of aircraft are parked at Alice Springs Airport, from Singapore A380s and 777s, to Scoot 787s and SilkAir 737s. It's hopefully not "goodbye," but "see you later" for these planes, as the arid environment of the Outback helps keep them ready to resume service. But, for many other aircraft, the Covid-19 crisis will see them go gently into a good night. Virgin Atlantic has sped up the retirement of their 747 and A340-600 fleets, while also closing a base at London-Gatwick. KLM is saying goodbye to its iconic 747s sooner than planned, and American Airlines had a busy April retiring its 757, 767, E190 and A330-300 fleets (though some AA 767s are still flying as makeshift cargo planes). And, as planes leave the skies, so do flight and cabin crew. In a May note to the pilots of United Airlines, as obtained by Simple Flying, Bryan Quigley, senior vice president of flight operations at United, shares the sobering fact that United pilots currently outnumber passengers: "On average we are only carrying about 10,000 passengers per day...we currently have more pilots than passengers on any given day." This is hardly the leading edge of aviation sector jobs cuts; some airlines have been slicing staff for weeks, with Ryanair planning to lay off 3,000, British Airways furloughing more than 30,000, and Lufthansa Group placing 80,000 workers on reduced hours, all by the start of May. The note went on to state that United would be "displacing" 4,457 out of 12,250 pilots as of June 30. So, how expensive will air travel be? After the Covid-19 crisis ends and Nadia Bouzid goes to book a one-way economy flight back to Cancun to finish her mural, the price of the ticket may be $70, but it could also be $200 or $350. Airfares will continue to respond to supply and demand, but the possibility of tourism promotions or the need to purchase social distance on planes are emerging -- provisionally, at least -- as forces destined to push prices a little lower, or a little higher. Opinions on what are or are not good deals on tickets and the decision to purchase will, as before, still be up to you, the traveler.

If you have any precondition. that increases your chances to develop the nasty version of Covid-19, you are not being a pussy. I do not judge, but people hooking up like in normal times is not brave, probably just horny and irresponsible. I myself fell to temptation two weeks ago, but now I am back to abstinence. Fuck.

I really liked Michelle Obama's Becoming Movie on Netflix. Beautiful to watch!

If it's a means to re-election, your life and your health don't matter. CBS' 60 Minutes opened its Sunday show (5/10/20) with a whopper story. This is a scandal that everyone in America deserves to know about. It's a classic Trump operation. This president is a danger to all Americans. Watch the 60 Minutes Segment here: https://www.cbsnews.com/video/coronavirus-vaccine-politics-scientific-community-60-minutes-2020-05-10/ Read the article here: Trump administration cuts funding for coronavirus researcher, jeopardizing possible COVID-19 cure In the medical research community, Dr. Peter Daszak is a well-known expert on disease ecology. For many years, his research work was partly funded by the NIH. In a 2003 interview with 60 Minutes, while doing work on SARS, Daszak warned that a pandemic was coming. Trump is hell-bent on controlling the political narrative surrounding COVID-19, and he wants to point the finger of blame at China, specifically claiming that COVID is a Chinese lab experiment gone wrong. Trump has Congress asshole Matt Gaetz, Tucker Carlson, and FOX News helping to spread FAKE NEWS. Dr. Peter Daszak revealed the truth on Sunday's 60 Minutes episode. Soon after Daszak went public with the truth, the NIH ended their funding of Daszak's lab. As far as I know, Daszak's lab is the only research lab that has direct, authorized communication with research labs in China. This is a serious mess with far reaching ramifications for all of us. I suspect we will be hearing more about this story now that details are being exposed. Educate yourself and see what Trump is doing to fuck with our lives. Be sure to watch the 60 Minutes Segment on Dr. Daszak. TRUMP HAS TO GO!

Thanks for catching this. It was my error, not website's.

The news is good, but the headline is wrong, Remdesivir is not a vaccine, and there is no discussion about a vaccine to be provided in the article at all. Does CNBC not understand the difference one wonders? Hardly possible nowadays.... Sloppy journalism. ok ok, * nerdy hairsplitter mode off *

Many ASEAN countries to receive vaccine From CNBC American biopharmaceutical company Gilead Sciences has struck a licensing agreement with five generic drugmakers to make antiviral drug remdesivir in 127 countries, not including the United States, the company announced Tuesday. Drugmakers Mylan, Cipla, Ferozsons Laboratories, Hetero Labs and Jubilant Lifesciences will manufacture remdesivir for distribution in “low-income and lower-middle-income countries, as well as several upper-middle- and high-income countries” that face health-care obstacles amid the coronavirus pandemic, the company said. Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, Myanmar and the Philippines will be among those nations. The deal is “royalty-free” until the World Health Organization says the Covid-19 outbreak is no longer a global health crisis or “until a pharmaceutical product other than remdesivir or a vaccine is approved to treat or prevent Covid-19, whichever is earlier,” the company said. The Food and Drug Administration on May 1 granted emergency use authorization for Gilead’s remdesivir drug to treat Covid-19, which has infected more than 4 million people across the globe in a little over four months, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. The intravenous drug has helped shorten the recovery time of some hospitalized Covid-19 patients, new clinical trial data suggests. Without other proven treatments, physicians will likely be considering its use to treat the coronavirus. Gilead CEO Daniel O’Day told CNBC earlier this month that the company was working to expand its supply chain after learning from other serious outbreaks such as influenza. The company has said it expects to produce more than 140,000 rounds of its 10-day treatment regimen by the end of this month and anticipates it can make 1 million rounds by the end of this year. Gilead said it will be able to produce “several million” rounds of its antiviral drug next year.

Wish I had known about these live auditions. That's one of my great unfulfilled fantasies: To BE William Higgins (or George Duroy, or even Chi Chi LaRue) and have multiple guys arriving every day begging to take their clothes off.

Appearing as a hypocrite no longer scares them. Hypocrisy has reached a new level in our culture and our politics. There's plenty of evidence of this on this board. The number of people who believe it's OK to appear hypocritical has grown, just as narcissism has grown. Some people (foolishly) believe it comes with no consequence. More and more people have no shame and live with no spine. Hypocrisy is a byproduct of trolldom, and there is no greater, more talented troll than Trump. Trolls, bullies, and hypocrites (all the same animal) don't just exist online anymore. In the age of Trump, trolls exist everywhere. According to well monitored data, Trump averages 23.8 lies a day. FOX News is a professional network lie machine. We have never experienced such blatant hypocrisy from leaders before. If Trump can get away with it, then everyone can. That's the American mindset. Being a hypocrite is the right of passage to a troll. It grants them permission to adopt four or more faces. You don't really have to stand for anything anymore, as long as your four faces can appear on social media and attempt to control the narrative while feeding your need for attention. It's a sad state of affairs, for sure. The only way to win against a troll: you have to fight back harder. Unfortunately, a lot of people lose patience with the fight. It's not easy to bring down a cult, and do it without killing a ton of people.

Not too encouraging excerpt from above link: "Most foreign nationals will not be allowed to enter Thailand for most of this year, though it is believed that Chinese tourists may be allowed into the country by July as the number of infections in the country is under control. Operators believe there will be a large influx of Chinese tourists because they are not able to travel anywhere else."