Today's News: February 06, 2020

World News

The Chinese doctor who sounded the alarm on the Wuhan coronavirus has died

CNN – The Chinese doctor who tried to warn others about the Wuhan coronavirus has died, according to several state media reports.
Li Wenliang, a 34-year-old doctor working in Wuhan, raised the alarm about the novel coronavirus in December, posting in his medical school alumni group on the Chinese messaging app WeChat that seven patients from a local seafood market had been diagnosed with a SARS-like illness and were quarantined in his hospital.
Soon after he posted the message, Li was accused of rumor-mongering by the Wuhan police. He was one of several medics targeted by police for trying to blow the whistle on the deadly virus in the early weeks of the outbreak, which has sickened more than 28,000 people and killed more than 560.
Li was hospitalized on January 12 after contracted the virus from one of his patients, and he was confirmed to have the coronavirus on February 1.
On Thursday, the World Health Organization responded to news of Li’s death on Twitter, writing “We are deeply saddened by the passing of Dr. Li Wenliang. We all need to celebrate work that he did on #2019nCoV.”
The death toll and number of people infected by the Wuhan coronavirus continues to grow, with no signs of slowing despite severe quarantine and population control methods put in place in central China.

The Coronavirus Outbreak Shows “No Signs Of Slowing” As Crematoriums Burn Bodies 24 Hours A Day

Michael Snyder – The outbreak of this mysterious new coronavirus is getting more frightening with each passing day. As you will see below, even the mainstream media is admitting that the number of cases shows “no signs of slowing” even though the Chinese government has implemented draconian measures in a desperate attempt to contain the virus. Many in the western world continue to insist that this disease is not any more dangerous than the common flu, but the Chinese never locked down entire cities for the flu before. In recent days, the images that have been coming out of China have been absolutely horrifying. If these images are accurate, people are literally dropping dead in restaurants, in shopping malls and in public transportation hubs. At the epicenter of this outbreak, crematoriums in Wuhan are burning bodies 24 hours a day as they try to keep up with the flood of dead bodies coming in, and the workers at those facilities are completely and totally overwhelmed.
When I last posted an article about this pandemic on The Economic Collapse Blog three days ago, there were 14,637 confirmed cases and the death toll had risen to 305.
Since that time, both numbers have nearly doubled

China deploys thermal drones to scan villagers for coronavirus from the skies

The Sun – China has turned to thermal drones to help fight the coronavirus outbreak that are capable for scanning potentially infected villagers.
The unmanned aerial vehicles, which are equipped with thermal imaging technology, can read the body temperatures in the sky with high readings suggesting infection.
The operator can receive accurate reading from the screen, which helps to control the outbreak at an early stage.
They can also send them warnings or urgent reminders through the speakers on the drones.
A spokesperson for the company behind the drones in Fuxin city of Liaoning province in northeastern China said: “We have two types of drones qualified to assist monitoring the outbreak – one equipped with speaker and one equipped with thermal imaging.

‘Very dire’ situation: EU calls for end to Syria bombing

Al Jazeera – The European Union has called for an end to the bombings in northwest Syria and the opening of a humanitarian corridor as Syrian forces push into the last rebel stronghold of Idlib.
Josep Borrell, the EU’s diplomatic chief, said on Thursday “bombings and other attacks on civilians in northwest Syria must stop”.

Tax the Rich: Pope Francis Calls for Global Wealth Redistribution

Breitbart – Tax cuts for the wealthy constitute a “structure of sin,” Pope Francis said Wednesday in a passionate address calling for international wealth redistribution.
“Every year hundreds of billions of dollars, which should be paid in taxes to fund health care and education, accumulate in tax haven accounts,” the pontiff told participants in a Vatican seminar, “thus impeding the possibility of the dignified and sustained development of all social agents.”
“Today’s structures of sin include repeated tax cuts for the richest people, often justified in the name of investment and development,” Francis told the meeting organized by the Pontifical Academy for Social Sciences.
During his discourse, the pope repeated his conviction that poverty is on the rise worldwide and “the poor increase around us.”

U.S. News, Politics & Government

Wisconsin case brings total infected in US to 12

New York Post – A case of the new coronavirus was confirmed in Wisconsin on Wednesday — bringing the number of people infected with the deadly disease in the US to 12.
The adult patient traveled to Beijing before falling ill, and was exposed to people with the virus while traveling in China, officials with the Wisconsin Department of Health Services said.
The unidentified person’s condition is reported to be mild, and did not require hospitalization, officials said. They are in self-quarantine at home.
“The risk of getting sick from 2019 novel coronavirus in Wisconsin is very low,” said State Health Officer Jeanne Ayers. “We are responding aggressively to the situation and monitoring all developments.”
There are 11 other confirmed cases in the US, including six in California, two in Illinois, and one each in Washington state, Arizona and Massachusetts.

Trump proudly displays ‘Acquitted’ headlines, mere feet from Pelosi at prayer breakfast

Fox – President Trump proudly displayed two newspapers with blaring “Acquitted” headlines Thursday morning, waving them before a National Prayer Breakfast audience in his first appearance since he was declared not guilty in his Senate impeachment trial.
The president brandished the headlines mere feet from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., after both arrived at the breakfast.
Trump first picked up a USA Today newspaper and presented it before the audience. He then put it down and picked up a copy of Thursday’s Washington Post, which had a similar headline.

Trump slams Romney & Pelosi for faith-based hypocrisy during impeachment

RT – US President Donald Trump took a veiled swipe at House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the sole Republican senator to vote for his removal, Mitt Romney, slamming those who use their faith to justify “doing what they know is wrong.”
Trump avoided calling the sanctimonious pair out by name during the annual National Prayer Breakfast on Thursday, but everyone listening seemed to know which “very dishonest and corrupt people” he was referring to with his accusations of rank religious hypocrisy.
“I don’t like people who use their faith as justification for doing what they know is wrong,” the president said. “Nor do I like people who say, ‘I pray for you,’ when they know that that’s not so.”
Romney made Democrats swoon, after the Senate voted to acquit Trump with a heavily religious-toned speech in which he equated voting to convict the president on the charge of ‘abuse of power’ to fulfilling his duties “before God,” though his own party was none too pleased with his decision. The Utah senator, a Mormon, has referenced his religion repeatedly in justifying his opposition to Trump. Pelosi has said she “prays for” Trump “all the time,” insisting – despite outward appearances and her speech-ripping antics earlier this week – that she “doesn’t hate anybody.”

Iowa results: Sanders and Buttigieg now too close to call

CS Monitor – Iowa has released 97% of caucus results, but there’s only .01% difference between the leading Democratic candidates: moderate Pete Buttigieg and progressive Bernie Sanders.

Police Called to School After 6-year-old Girl With Down Syndrome Made a “Gun” with Her Finger

Activist Post – In this day and age, threats of violence against schools, students, churches, or individuals is not and should not be tolerated. Before murdering more than a dozen people at his former high school in Parkland, Florida, Nikolas Cruz threatened to kill people multiple times, even stating that “I’m going to be a professional school shooter.” Had his threats been investigated, those children and teachers may still be alive. Anyone who who makes threats like his should be taken seriously and the police should act immediately.
But when should a threat not be taken seriously? How about when a 6-year-old girl with Down syndrome points her finger at a teacher and pretends to shoot? That’s when.
Unfortunately for Maggie Gaines, the mother of 6-year-old Margo, who is a student at Valley Forge Elementary School, her school did take it seriously and now her daughter has her name in a police report.
According to Gaines, Margo became frustrated in class last November and made a gesture with her hand that looked like a “gun.” This gesture then set off a series of events that ended with a 6-year-old with Down Syndrome having a police report on file.
Tredyffrin-Easttown School District says they had no other choice but to report the little girl to police and now Margo’s mom is fighting back.
Despite knowing no one was truly threatened, Margo’s actions were labelled as a transient threat and the police were called—for a 6-year-old girl with Down syndrome.
“They were asking her questions, and she was saying, ‘Oh, I shoot mommy,’ laughs, or, ‘I shoot my brother.’ The principal asked, ‘Did you mean to hurt your teacher?’ And she said no and it seemed like she didn’t even know what that meant,” Gaines stated.
As CBS Philly points out, even though police sources confirm it is a confidential record, Gaines fears potential ramifications for her daughter.
“She really didn’t understand what she was saying, and having Down syndrome is one aspect, but I’m sure all 6-year-olds don’t really know what that means,” Gaines said. “Now, there is a record at the police that says she made a threat to her teacher.”
After remaining silent about the decision to involve cops in her 6-year-old daughter’s finger pointing incident for two months, Gaines is now appealing to the school board to amend its policy. She has the support of at least one lawmaker as well.
“As a state senator, an educator, and a parent, I am concerned when I hear that such important decisions appear to be guided blindly by written policy or legal interpretation without those in positions of authority using their judgment, experience, and commonsense to weigh in. Furthermore, I am alarmed that a school seems to be acting as an extension of the police department in promulgating data and records on children as young as kindergartners,” Pennsylvania state Sen. Andrew Dinniman, who was contacted by the Gaines family, said in a statement.
After the incident went public, the school board then agreed to review the policy.

No One Knows Why Epstein’s Secret Bank Account Moved Millions Since His Death

Activist Post – A judge in the Virgin Islands has recently questioned the lawyers of Jeffrey Epstein’s estate, after an old bank account registered to Epstein received millions of dollars from the estate in the months since his death. The account was opened by Epstein in the Virgin Islands in 2014 and was reportedly intended to be used for an international banking firm that he planned to develop.
On his application, Epstein said that he wanted to pursue the “dynamic discipline of international banking.” Meanwhile, on that same application he glossed over his very serious criminal history and his status as a registered sex offender, saying that he dealt with a previous legal challenge but the case was discontinued.
The account in the Virgin Islands sat dormant with very little activity for many years, and it is unclear whether or not his international banking firm ever brought on clients. Local authorities suspect it was used as some type of shell company for his criminal enterprise. Despite the lack of activity and Epstein’s criminal record the bank renewed his license every year since he was first approved.
The fact that this account exists is not unusual in itself—Epstein had dozens of bank accounts throughout the world that he used for a variety of different purposes, both legal and illegal. What is strange is that tens of millions of dollars have been flowing from Epstein’s estate into this Virgin Islands account since his alleged suicide. To make matters even more suspicious, the account was nearly cleaned out by the beginning of 2020 with no clear explanation of where the money went.
The New York Times reported on Tuesday that the bank account had $693,157 in assets when Epstein died back in August but received roughly $12.9 million in the months since. The account was cleared out and left with just under a half-million dollars around the first of the year.
When questioned by Judge Carolyn Hermon-Purcell, the lawyers for Epstein’s estate said that the payments were made “in error,” but the judge was not satisfied with the explanation and demanded that the lawyers provide a full accounting of the payments made from the estate.
“There’s no explanation for it,” the judge said.
It is not clear when the lawyers for Epstein’s estate will be required to turn over the records, but it is expected to be a priority considering the many lawsuits that have been filed against the estate.

‘Homeland Security’ Suspends Enrollment of New Yorkers in Global Entry

WSJ – The Department of Homeland Security is suspending enrollment in Global Entry and other trusted-traveler programs for New York residents in response to the state’s so-called sanctuary policies to safeguard immigrants from deportation, the acting chief of the department said.
Chad Wolf announced the decision in a Fox News interview Wednesday, a day after President Trump devoted several minutes of his State of the Union address to excoriating sanctuary jurisdictions, which limit law-enforcement cooperation with U.S

Economy & Business

China to halve tariffs on some U.S. imports as virus risks grow

Reuters – China on Thursday said it would halve additional tariffs levied against 1,717 U.S. goods last year, following the signing of a Phase 1 deal that brought a truce to a bruising trade war between the world’s two largest economies.

Energy & Environment

“Green Energy” — Wind Turbines Are “Piling Up In Landfills,” Can’t Be Recycled

Activist Post – “Green energy” is just one giant grift operation.
From Bloomberg, “Wind Turbine Blades Can’t Be Recycled, So They’re Piling Up in Landfills”:
A wind turbine’s blades can be longer than a Boeing 747 wing, so at the end of their lifespan they can’t just be hauled away. First, you need to saw through the lissome fiberglass using a diamond-encrusted industrial saw to create three pieces small enough to be strapped to a tractor-trailer.
The municipal landfill in Casper, Wyoming, is the final resting place of 870 blades whose days making renewable energy have come to end. […]

These southern Utah sites were once off limits to development. Now, Trump will auction the right to drill and mine there

Washington Post – The Trump administration Thursday finalized plans to expand drilling, grazing and other forms of development across a broad area of southern Utah that used to be protected as two national monuments, Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante.
The decision comes more than two years after Trump dramatically cut the size of both monuments and will likely intensify a legal battle with tribes and conservation groups who have sought to have the protected areas restored.
The expanses of windswept badlands, narrow slot canyons and towering rock formations are sacred to several Native American nations and prized by paleontologists and outdoor enthusiasts. Bears Ears contains tens of thousands of cultural artifacts and rare rock art; in the rock layers of Grand Staircase, scientists have unearthed 75 million-year-old dinosaur fossils.
But the lands also harbor significant amounts of oil, gas and coal the administration hopes to develop. Officials from the Interior Department and U.S. Forest Service who manage the lands have said the new plans balance the region’s economic interests against the need to safeguard natural and cultural wonders.

Health

Five Therapeutic Effects of Honey in Treating Wounds and Infections

GreenMedInfo – Natural remedies can do wonders in treating painful mouth ulcers, stomach inflammation, wounds and infections. When it comes to dealing with these cases, honey is a time-tested treatment to alleviate symptoms and provide relief for patients, whether young or old
Consuming honey often has a soothing effect and this sweet treat also has several notable health benefits. Its medicinal properties include being used as an antiseptic and antibacterial agent, as well as acting as a natural cough remedy.[i] At the same time, this celebrated ingredient is applied for chronic wound management and as a therapy for certain infections.

Honey for Painful Mouth Blisters and Ulcers

Research suggests that honey can help reduce painful mouth blisters among children with herpes simplex gingivostomatitis.[ii] Caused by the herpes virus, herpes simplex gingivostomatitis is an inflammation of the gums and lips, damaging the skin and resulting in mouth ulcers.

Honey Treats Radiation-Induced Mucositis

Patients with head and neck cancers may experience mucositis as an adverse effect of radiotherapy. Mucositis is an inflammation of the mucous membranes in the stomach, which causes stomach ulcers. Numerous studies have shown that using honey as an oral treatment can alleviate the adverse effects of radiation-induced mucositis.[iv]

Honey Fights Stomach Infections

When paired with green or black tea, honey can help treat other types of stomach conditions, such as infections caused by Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori). This bacterial infection often causes gastritis or stomach inflammation, peptic ulcer disease and certain types of stomach cancers. A 2015 study revealed that consuminghoney or green or black tea daily can decrease the prevalence of H. pylori infection.[vii]

Honey for Infections Associated With Burns

Honey can also be used in treating wounds and burns. Compared to boiled potato peel, honey dressing is more effective in covering fresh partial-thickness burns among patients. In fact, the burns healed 100% within two weeks after being treated with honey, compared to 50% when treated with boiled potato peel.[viii]

Therapeutic Effects for Bowel Resection

Oral intake of honey has potential therapeutic effects on patients who underwent massive bowel resection. A 2008 study revealed that animal subjects that had small bowel resection showed significant increase in their gross residual bowel length.[x] Researchers believe the results can be replicated among human patients.

Parkinson’s Traced to Malfunctioning Brain Cells at Birth

Newsmax – People who develop Parkinson’s disease at a younger age (before age 50) may have malfunctioning brain cells at birth, according to a study that also identified a drug that may help these patients.
At least 500,000 people in the United States are diagnosed with Parkinson’s each year. Most are
60 or older at diagnosis, but about 10% are between 21 and 50.
“Young-onset Parkinson’s is especially heartbreaking because it strikes people at the prime of life,” said study co-author Dr. Michele Tagliati, director of the Movement Disorders Program at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.
“This exciting new research provides hope that one day we may be able to detect and take early action to prevent this disease in at-risk individuals,” he said in a hospital news release.

Coconut Oil’s History in Destroying Viruses, Including Coronaviruses

Health Impact News – People living in the Philippines, a country of islands not very far off the coast of China, remember all too well the last time a deadly coronavirus epidemic broke out in China.
It was 2003 when the SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) coronavirus broke out in China. It infected over 7000 people in China with over 600 recorded deaths.
Even with its close proximity to China and large Chinese population in the Philippine nation of about 80 million people, only 14 cases of SARS was reported with two recorded deaths.
Canada, many thousands of miles away, had far more cases and more deaths recorded due to SARS infection from China than neighboring Philippine Islands.
One of the theories put forward at the time as to why the Filipino people had so few cases, was the country’s predominant use of cooking oil: Coconut Oil.
The Philippines is the world’s largest producer of coconut oil, with about 70% of the world’s coconut oil being exported from the country.
The medium chain fatty acids of coconut oil, and primarily lauric acid, have been known to destroy enveloped viruses by researchers for many years.
Dr. Fabian Dayrit, Ph.D. and Dr. Mary Newport, M.D. have just published a paper regarding coconut oil’s potential to also combat the new coronavirus currently infecting people in China.