Flashermac

Bernie wins in Nevada. Is the contest for the White House to be between two guys in their 70s? Bernie is even older than I am. p.s. Putin should like Bernie, since he spent his honeymoon in the Soviet Union.

Coronavirus has sparked racist attacks on Asians in Australia — including me With 10,000 confirmed cases of coronavirus and more than 200 deaths, as of Friday, it's no wonder many people feel anxious about the spread of the disease and the risk of infection. But if that isn't enough, a new problem is emerging: more and more people are reporting racist comments and abuse from those who believe that because the virus originated in China anyone with an Asian-looking face is likely to spread the disease. Before this experience, racism was something I knew existed but had only experienced via other people's stories. ... Several Chinese-Australian friends shared their own experiences when I brought up my supermarket encounter. One recounted how a waiter had dumped change at his table before turning and quickly walking away, after my friend paid cash for a meal at a Melbourne restaurant. Another, who wore a mask as a precaution at a shopping mall on Friday, had three teenagers tell her: "See you! Go and catch coronavirus". None of these three people have been to China recently, nor have had contact with anyone confirmed or suspected of having coronavirus. Vitriol leaves its mark Sydney man SK Zhang, who has lived in Australia for the past 20 years, said since news of the epidemic broke, he has been getting stares on public transport and is increasingly worried about how the online vitriol will affect Chinese-Australian children. "It's been a tough week … we are very fearful [of the virus] … but at the same time we are also being targeted with racism and a lot of unwanted attention," he said. "The way I would put it is right after 9/11, people looked at every Muslim as if they were terrorists, and that's how people are looking at us." https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-02-01/coronavirus-has-sparked-racist-attacks-on-asian-australians/11918962

But then they can't vote for your reelection.

"Don't forget that Bill Clinton pardoned his brother and a convicted Wall Street felon whose ex-wife contributed to Clinton's presidential library and Hillary Clinton's 2000 Senate campaign. In doing so, Clinton set a modern-day precedent for presidents who want to use the pardon power in ways that some may see as, well, unpardonable." Buffalo News

Larry Tesler: Computer scientist behind cut, copy and paste dies aged 74 Larry Tesler, an icon of early computing, has died at the age of 74. Mr Tesler started working in Silicon Valley in the early 1960s, at a time when computers were inaccessible to the vast majority of people. It was thanks to his innovations - which included the "cut", "copy" and "paste" commands - that the personal computer became simple to learn and use. Xerox, where Mr Tesler spent part of his career, paid tribute to him. "The inventor of cut/copy & paste, find & replace, and more, was former Xerox researcher Larry Tesler," the company tweeted. "Your workday is easier thanks to his revolutionary ideas." ... https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-51567695

Be aware of your surroundings at all times.

Boy Scouts: A wholesome US institution poisoned by predators The Boy Scouts of America (BSA) - one of the largest youth organisations in the US - has filed for bankruptcy amid an avalanche of sexual abuse allegations. The century-old group became as American as the Norman Rockwell paintings that immortalise their three-fingered salutes. But its considerable membership - 2.4 million youth participants - is about half what it was in the 1970s, a decline that tracks mounting scrutiny surrounding the Scouts. So what is behind the rise - and fall - of this American institution? ... Considered a bastion of traditional American values, the BSA's self-declared "foundation of scouting" includes an oath to fulfil one's "duty to God and my country", with a mission to "prepare young people to make ethical and moral choices". But behind the camp fire singalongs lurked "the largest paedophile ring on earth", a lawyer representing alleged victims said last year. The BSA has been beset with a deluge of sexual misconduct allegations. In February 2019, as reports emerged that BSA was considering filing for bankruptcy, the Abused in Scouting group used television ads to reach Boy Scouts across the country and found nearly 2,000 people with complaints, including one in every state, according to the New York Times. The organisation now faces hundreds of claims directed at nearly 8,000 Boy Scout leaders. And such controversy isn't entirely new. A 1935 article in the New York Times detailed files on hundreds of people, labelled as "degenerates" who had served as leaders with BSA. The organisation says its transition to bankruptcy is intended to build compensation for victims of sex abuse. "The BSA cares deeply about all victims of abuse and sincerely apologises to anyone who was harmed during their time in scouting. We are outraged that there have been times when individuals took advantage of our programmes to harm innocent children," chief executive Roger Mosby said in a statement. ... https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-51552576

The Life of Brian ...

He must have photocopies of his passport and visa. As to a receipt, never had one. Immigration takes your passport and goes off to do whatever it is that they do. But losing a passport is bizarre. It should never have been outside of their control, so it's their responsibility. Presumably it's buried in their stacks of records somewhere.

Pilfered from Memes R Us ...

Coronavirus: China and the virus that threatens everything A month or so on from its discovery, Covid-19 has shaken Chinese society and politics to the core. That tiny piece of genetic material, measured in ten-thousandths of a millimetre, has set in train a humanitarian and economic catastrophe counted in more than 1,000 Chinese lives and tens of billions of Chinese yuan. It has closed off whole cities, placing an estimated 70 million residents in effective quarantine, shutting down transport links and restricting their ability to leave their homes. And it has exposed the limits of a political system for which social control is the highest value, breaching the rigid layers of censorship with a tsunami of grief and rage. The risk for the ruling elite is obvious from their response, ordering into action the military, the media and every level of government from the very top to the lowliest village committee. ... https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-51449675

First US evacuee infected with coronavirus was mistakenly released from hospital The first US evacuee from China known to be infected with the Wuhan coronavirus was mistakenly released from a San Diego hospital after an initial test found the person had not been infected, local health officials said Monday. The patient arrived in the US last week at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar on a State Department flight from Wuhan, China, and was hospitalized with three others after showing possible symptoms of the virus. After an initial CDC test showed all four patients did not have the novel coronavirus, they were released Sunday and returned to the 14-day federal quarantine at Miramar, the University of California, San Diego Health said in a statement. "This morning, CDC officials advised San Diego Public Health that further testing revealed that one of the four patients tested positive for (novel coronavirus)," UC San Diego Health said in a statement. "The confirmed positive patient was returned to UC San Diego Health for observation and isolation until cleared by the CDC for release." Another person at Miramar was also hospitalized on Monday afternoon and was being tested for the coronavirus. Both patients "are doing well and have minimal symptoms," UC San Diego Health said. The San Diego case is the 13th to be confirmed in the US and the seventh in California. Eleven of these cases have been confirmed in people who recently traveled to Wuhan, China; the other two are instances of person-to-person transmission. https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/health-news/1st-infected-us-evacuee-was-mistakenly-discharged/ar-BBZRFX5?ocid=msedgntp&fbclid=IwAR2l7Vnex1Lozlv7w9-tpzo_kCJ6xd3tuh725KJK15Zu5wfRmjPNCHM9mvI Oops ...

Ah, still a young fellow then.

Be the first! Start a new fad.

How could they make all that underwater?

It turns out the gunman was a member of an ammunition battalion of the 2nd Army Support Command. He wasn't a combat soldier, just a a "bullet counter" (as they are disparagingly nicknamed). Yet there are reports that he was trained in planning ambushes and was totally fascinated with rifle marksmanship. And why was he so homicidal, deliberately hunting down innocent shoppers in the mall and killing them without exception - men, women and children? Surely one of his officers should have noticed he was acting strangely and kept an eye on him. But after all, the distinction between commissioned and enlisted is much greater than in the US Army I served in. Thai Army officers often treat the lower ranks as is they were their personal servants, ordering them to mow their lawns, wash their cars etc. "Jakrapanth, who was known to be a sharpshooter at the Surathampithak army camp, streamed much of the violence on Facebook Live, as well as making a number of posts on his home page as he ran amok. Some of his messages indicated his deep anger towards the slain commander who became his first victim. Jakrapanth accused his commander, Col Anantaroj Krasae, of cheating him out of commission money, amounting to 50,000 baht, over a house sale. " - Bangkok Post.

Is Jim Brown still alive? That's a big name I haven't heard in years.

Aboriginal Australians born overseas cannot be deported, court rules Australia's High Court has said Aboriginal people hold a special status under the law so cannot be deported - even if they are not citizens. The ruling is being seen as a historic moment for the recognition of Australia's first inhabitants. The case relates to an appeal by two men who have Aboriginal heritage but foreign citizenship, and were to be deported over their criminal record. The government said the ruling created "a new category of persons" under law. Brendan Thoms and Daniel Love - who had no prior connection - were born in New Zealand and Papua New Guinea but moved to Australia as children. Each man has Aboriginal heritage and one Australian parent. Both have children who are Australian citizens and were themselves permanent residents. The two men both had criminal records and had both served jail sentences for violent assault. Under controversial Australian laws, foreigners - or aliens - must lose their right to live and work in the country if they are sentenced to a year or more in prison. Both men had their visas cancelled in 2018, but appealed against the order. The High Court had been asked to rule for the first time on whether, as indigenous people, Love and Thoms could really be considered "aliens" under the constitution. The men's lawyers argued that the men could not be considered alien because of their deep ancestral roots to Australia. The judges ruled four to three that Aboriginal Australians were "not within the reach" of the constitutional references to foreign citizens. "Aboriginal Australians have a special cultural, historical and spiritual connection with the territory of Australia, which is central to their traditional laws and customs and which is recognised by the common law," said the ruling. The existence of that connection, they said, meant Aboriginal Australians could not be classed as "alien" under the law. ... Though the ruling will only directly affect a small number of people, it is being seen as a step forward for the legal recognition of indigenous Australians overall. Claire Gibbs, a lawyer for the two men, told reporters afterwards: "This case isn't about citizenship, it is about who belongs here. "What this means, and what the real significance of this case is, is that Aboriginal people, regardless of where they are born, will have protection from deportation." ... https://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-51455256 Some common sense for a change ...

US cities have gone nuts with their SWAT teams and even military style armoured vehicles. What the hell is that all about? p.s. The latest story is that the colonel's mother-in-law had cheated the soldier out of 300,000 baht in a land sale. She had become very wealthy from her crooked deals and she is the one the killer was talking about when he rambled on about what good would her money do her in hell. But if that's the case, why did he end up killing 29 more people, even hunting down those hiding for safety in the mall and shooting them in the head when he found them? He was killing complete strangers, even school children.