Heartwarming Photo Shows Police Officer Sharing a Pizza With Homeless Woman

https://www.factcheck.org/2020/03/democrats-misleading-coronavirus-claims/

I'm not the Mike you're directing this towards, MM, so I'll restrict myself to a single point.I think many things Trump says on many fronts betray his ignorance and cold-hearted cunning. For me the most revealing comment he made about the current crisis is when he said he didn't want the passengers on the cruise ship to taken off the ship and be isolated and cared for on a military base on shore "because it will hurt our numbers."

I said I'd restrict myself to a single point and I will. But I could cite many, many examples of statements - which do indeed betray character - that Trump has made that betray his true and quite cold-hearted, manipulative, inherently deceitful self.

And one last thing: On this, and other matters, one great rule of thumb if you are fact checking is to consult a source that has .org on its website. That means it is staffed by professionals in whatever area it is that you are researching, or fact-check organizations that have reputation and a stated purpose for being even-handed - as opposed to think tanks or other sources that are driven by opinion slants in either direction or monied interests.

You'll discover things are more complicated that you'd like them to be, but at least you're on the right track.

Here, for example, on the CDC/Obama issue.

03/10/20 12:59 PM

#6921

Michael Boulware

Mary Margaret, I stated that Trump was not responsible for the disease, but he did not listen to the advice given to him. His goal was to contain the COVID-19. He wanted to keep it out instead of preparing for its arrival. He has been criticized for doing that.

Trump constantly assured us that the Corona Virus was contained and he had it under control. He was wrong. The Corona Virus has been in Washington since mid-January. Flights to and from China were canceled January 31. Travel restrictions were placed on south Korea, Italy, and Iraq on February 27. Fedral funding for testing kits was reduced , we did not have enough of them and we still do not.

If feel that if he listened to the CDC he would have developed a better plan; he did not listen to their advice. That is why I feel the federal government could have done more to prepare for The Corona Virus.

03/10/20 04:36 PM

#6922

John Jackson

Let me say first that part of me agrees with those who think the current reaction to coronavirus may be overblown – people always fear (and overreact to) new threats far more than the threats they’ve grown accustomed to. Having said that, I am concerned that a number of scientists, including the Surgeon General just yesterday, are now saying that we’re moving from a policy of “containment” to “mitigation” and that suggests to me they have more or less given up on trying to keep the general population from being exposed.

Last year we had 34,000 deaths from the flu and presumably many (most?) of us were exposed to it, in varying degrees. But the coronavirus mortality rate, while low compared to Ebola and SARS, is apparently 20 (or more) times higher than for the flu. So if the general population is exposed, doesn’t that mean we could be looking at many times more coronavirus deaths than from seasonal flu?

If we’ve done anything right to handle the coronavirus situation, it’s not been because of, but in spite of, Trump. As Mike’s example of his incredible comment about the cruise ship shows, in so many ways Trump has signaled to everyone in government that he wants this to go away because he thinks it affects his re-election chances. And those signals have made the government’s response slower and more tentative than it should have been.

And Anthony Fauci and the experts at CDC and NIH are indeed speaking, but they’re tempering their remarks and always looking over their shoulder for Trump’s reaction, remembering all the people that Trump has canned who didn’t toe the line. And although it makes me sick that Fauci (and other scientists who have spent their lifetimes studying this stuff) have to answer to Trump, I’m glad they’re living to fight another day because if they’re fired they will be replaced by the typical fawning and incompetent yes-men (and women) that Trump has increasingly chosen to staff the upper levels of the federal government.

03/10/20 10:07 PM

#6923

Apples and Oranges

This is more of my thoughts about the coronavirus which will dovetail on my comments in Post #6914. It is more of an "Op-Ed" but based on some known facts. Obviously, politics have gotten into the discussion of this disease but I want to concentrate on the medical/scientific aspects of it.

There have been a lot of comparisons mentioned in the press and on this Forum between COVID-19 and influenza infections. Some are valid. As I stated in #6914 personal, community, national (and international) hygienic and quarantine measures are important factors to help interrupt cycles of trainsmission for both. They are both viral infections of the respiratory system. However, outside of these I feel the comparison fades into the apple and oranges realm.

There have been decades of research into influenza viruses and the vaccines that can prevent them. The route which the flu viruses traverses through the USA is fairly consistent and goes from SW to NE in most years. This usually happens from the late fall into mid spring or so.The probability of which flu strains are going to occur is usually predictable and the vaccines are guided by those predictions. In most years the vaccines seem to be around 40-60% "effective". Even given that, the vaccines may still be proctective or, at least partially so (by attenuating the disease severity), in a multitude of individuals.

Past vaccine recipients may also have a greater protective effect when there is a current year "mismatch" since the viruses may share some properties with strains and the current vaccine may have an "anamnestic" effect on the host patient's immune system to develop a higer level of antibody response.

Another factor is that of "herd immunity" wherein more patients who get the vaccines and, therefore, may not become infected with the disease, cannot transfer the influenza infection to non-vaccinated persons.

Unlike influenza (which can be treated with things like Tamiflu and others) there are no drugs to offer patients in the early stages of COVID-19 infections.

COVID-19 has no vaccine currently. It is unknown whether it is a seasonal virus. It has not yet established a "natural" pathway for progression across the country since it is being spread mostly by the traveling public. We also don't know if infection and recovery results in immunity and there has not yet been been enough time for herd immunity to develop.

Why does COVID-19 appear to not affect children as severely as adults? My guess is that a child's lung cells may not yet have developed the needed "attachment" sites for the virus. But that is my own GUESS.

My opinion here is that comparisons between flu and COVID-19 are way to early to to have much validity. That includes death rates. Once we find a vaccine and/or antiviral medications that are effective, then we can make more appropropriate comparisons.

Jim

ADDENDUM:

Recently it has been found that COVID-19 can be shed in stools. This brings up the possibility of a fecal-oral transmission (sounds gross but it is mainly a breach in hand washing after toilet use type of prevention) and prompts me to wonder if that shedding continues for some time after resolution of the clinical respiratory disease or the quarantine time. After all, the source of the infection in China was believed to be in a market where food is sold and handled.

Indeed, there is much more that is needed to be learned about this virus.

03/11/20 11:54 AM

#6924

One question, Jim. As I understand it, the flu vaccine that everybody our age should get on an annual basis is adjusted, year to year, based on guesswork. They concoct a vaccine based on the genetic blueprint of the strain or strains that appear to be the ones that will be in circulation during that particular "flu" season. Can we assume that once they figure out the blueprint of this virus, it will just be added to the cocktail that comprise the the annual flu shot that is available each year?

I hope my layman's language is accurate enough to get my question across.

And if I may take one more shot at the Prez - and this is why your support of him puzzles me so much - his reaction to this flu is consistent with his uniform, horrendous and most of all dangerous disrespect for science. It matches up precisely with his climate change denial profile and the way he operates in egotistical ignorance across the board in other areas, such as diplomacy. He always says "I have a good grasp of this." "I just follow my gut." "I'm really good when it comes to this." And in that way he gives himself permission to be lazy, to be willfully and blissfully ignorant, to be succeptible to wacKo conspiracy theories, to ignore the information the experts are trying to give him so that he can make informed decisions. Again I am putting things in layman's terms and all those points and behavioral analysis has been better done by experts over these past few years.

I know it's bad form to ask you for an explanation and then say something that will get your dander up but I'm thinking you're up to both challenges.

03/11/20 12:51 PM

#6925

Ready or Not?

The question of us being ready for this virus or not seems to have been politicized.

Imagine that !

I get it that politicians need to cling to the British axiom - "Remain Calm, and Keep On (playing, dancing, drinking, or wathcing re-runs of Pettycoat Junction")". Panic does not help the situation. But making false claims doesn't seem to help either. Sadly, for an official to admit honestly, "I don't know" is a capital crime in today's spoiled, perfectionist, demanding society.

Who could expect us to have every single possible potion on hand - for a disease we've never seen before. Is anybody certain we have enough potion on hand for "Ghost Riders in the Sky" disease, or "Anxiety Before the Michigan Game" syndrome, or "Jolly Green Giant" phobia? But then, what about Purple, or Yellow Giant phobia variations? I do wish someone could come up with a potion for "Losing My Car Keys Syndrome".

Damn, I'd buy it by the gallon. But then, I might be accused of causing panic.

But covering up the simple fact that we really do NOT know for sure is misleading. And if done for purely political motives, is dishonest.

* In an article in this morning's USA Today would lead one to conclude that we are quite short of the neccessary test kits for lack of one particular ingredient made by the German Company Qiagen. That company has recently gone to three shifts a day in their production plants located in Germany and Spain. They were not negligent, dishonest, or even politically incorrect, but simply caught off guard by this sudden and unexpected spike in demand.

Gee, I've never been guilty of being caught off guard - not ever.

So who will win the race?

I have a daughter in Washington State - on Whidbey Island, just out in the "Sound" from Seattle. She says they are way behind on test kits locally.

03/11/20 12:59 PM

#6926

Mike,

There is actually a lot of science and epidemiology that goes into predicting which strains of the Influenza A and B viruses will be prevalent each year. Once that is determined then appropriate vaccines have to be developed and mass produced for distribution. All that, every year! That being said, there is an element of "guesswork" in the process. It is like predicting the weather, particularly here near the mountains. The meteorologists gather the data from satellites and several computer modules, put it all together and then broadcast their best guess at where the major snowfall will hit. Unfortunately, if the storm comes over the wrong side of Pikes Peak it may inundate a different part of the area.

Research is currently looking into developing a "universal" flu vaccine that would cover all posible antigenic varieties. That would certainly be a major breakthrough!

I strive to avoid poltical discussions on these infectious disease epidemics. But I will say thay I think we are taking a reasonable approach here in America. If anything, too much. I think that President Trump often talks in one manner but is doing the correct thing behind the scenes. When you have a serious infectious disease spreading worldwide and the best prevention currently available is simple hygiene, people get scared and panic results. They want a cure and a vaccine yesterday. That is an unrealistic wish.

Jim

03/11/20 01:52 PM

#6927

Mary Clare Hummer (Bauer)

Thanks Jim. I have a feeling it is both tedious work in execution and fascinating science in its underlying principles.

03/11/20 08:34 PM

#6928

Definitely a different spin on March Madness this year, don't you agree? Remember back on February 26 when we were told by the person in the White House that there were 15 cases and the 15 "within a couple of days is going to be down close to zero"? Imagine my surprise that this was not true. My daughter sent me a couple of tips she found. (That's a whole other new and uncomfortable experience--having my children worry about ME!!) Anyway these two things look easy and even if they don't help detect anything, they do no harm!!

Don't forget also to wash your hands, sign up for Netflix, hang around the house, and keep current on what the health experts are saying. Good health to you all.

Clare

03/11/20 10:49 PM

#6929

Clare,

I just read that the NBA has suspended it's season until further notice since a Utah Jazz player tested positive for COVID-19. I suppose that could eventually happen to March Madness.

One comment on that article you posted about the Japanese doctor. The coronavirus has recently been found to be shed in human stools (see my post #6939) and I suspect it got there after passing through the acid bath of the stomach. Whether that acid inactivates the virus is unknown. Also, millions of people in the USA and around the world take acid suppressing meds (Tagamet, Pepcid, Prilosec, etc.) and have significantly decreased stomach acid.

It seems that we are on a steep learning curve with regards to this infection and there are lot of unknowns.

Jim

03/12/20 01:35 AM

#6930

Mary Margaret Clark (Schultheis)

Clare,

Just follow that bit of old wisdom;

AVENGE YOUR SELF.

LIVE LONG ENOUGH TO BE A BURDEN TO YOUR KIDS.

--------------

Up late here so I will add to Jim's post - NCAA suspends all audiences.

And by the time you read this, you will all know that Tom Hanks and his wife tested positie in Australia - I think it was just today - Wednesday.

And the City of Savnnah, with what is often referred to as the second or third largest ST. Patrick's Day celebration in America (normally only about 500,000 of my closest friends) has just "postponed" it's huge St. Patrick's Day.

03/12/20 10:17 AM

#6931

All of which is to say that this too shall pass, as all things in life do. Most everyone I know is taking precautionary steps and heeding the recommendations to minimize contagion with this virus.

The reading from today's Mass seems rather timely: "Thus says the Lord; cursed is the man who trusts in human beings, who seeks his strength in flesh, whose heart turns away from the Lord. He is like a barren bush in the desert that enjoys no change of season, but stands in a lava waste, a salt and empty earth. Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose hope is the Lord. He is like a tree planted beside the waters, that stretches out its roots to the stream. It fears no the heat when it comes, its leaves stay green, in the year of drought it show no distress, but still bears fruit. More tortuous than all else is the human heart, beyond remedy; who can understand it? I, the Lord, alone probe the mind and test the heart, to reward everyone according to his ways, according to the merit of his deeds." 1 Jeremiah 17:5-10

The most important lesson I learned from my parents and from my aunts and uncles of the "greatest generation" when confronting the trials of life is the lesson in the above Scripture text......."trust in the Lord, whose hope is the Lord".

03/12/20 10:31 AM

#6932

Mary Margaret Clark (Schultheis)

And on a lighter note:

03/12/20 11:49 AM

#6933

Just got the word. Campus is shutting down. Will be teaching my class remotely for the rest of the semester and should be prepared to do the same in the fall. Seems a bit severe.

03/12/20 11:55 AM

#6934

Mike, Colorado College here in the Springs is also closing early for Spring Break and is considering remote teaching for the rest of the semester.

Jim

03/12/20 12:08 PM

#6935

I am really going to miss my students. It's just a small class -- 18 students -- and just a very interesting mix....for a third of them, English is their second language, so I've got quite the global blend and different backgrounds in the room, all of them working their butts off. Funny that this thing has been a remote, philosophical spectacle to me up to this moment -- that was quite a luxury, not being directly affected apart from being a shoulder to cry on when my girlfriend was worried about her daughter in China. But of course my woes don't compare to those who will be really hurt. Damn. Hold onto your hats folks. Smoke 'em if you got 'em.

03/12/20 01:29 PM

#6936

https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/03/trump-ensuring-worst-possible-outcome-coronavirus-crisis/607867/

I think it's about time we hear from our foreign correspondent about how some other parts of the world are reacting to the coronavirus pandemic. What say you Donna?

Jim

03/12/20 04:51 PM

#6937

John Jackson

I'm very interested to hear Donna's overseas perspective, but until we do, I’ll say that today's events remind me of the old adage “The Dow giveth and the Dow taketh away”. I know that attributing causes to stock market movements is a foolhardy exercise, but after yesterday’s 1400 point swoon, I really expected at least a slight uptick today. Today’s 2350 point drop (biggest percentage drop since 1987) is at least PARTIALLY a vote of no confidence in the ineptness of this administration.

Can you believe that last night in his Oval Office address to an anxious nation, Trump, reading from a teleprompter, got it wrong when he said all European freight (imports) would be embargoed, an issue of huge economic importance? Half an hour later the cleanup team had to issue a statement saying that Trump had “misspoken” on this point and that imports were not affected.

As David Frum, a conservative Republican and former speechwriter for George W. Bush, wrote in the Atlantic today:

“Financial futures began crashing even as Trump was talking, perhaps shocked by his lack of an economic plan, perhaps aghast at his latest attack on world trade”.

The financial world cynically supported and accepted Trump’s tax cuts (which were bad economic policy and totally unnecessary due to the strong economy he inherited from Obama) because it made them a lot of money. But now, when the U.S. economy is on the ropes and in need of effective leadership, they know a fool when they see one and your retirement accounts (and the prospects that many everyday Americans will be able to pay the rent and put food on the table) are paying the price.

I’m not suggesting that the stock market decline is mostly caused by Trump’s incompetence - a very large part of it is caused by the real economic damage from the effects of the virus (mostly not Trump’s fault) as Americans, rightly or wrongly, stay home and hunker down, strangling the 85% of the American economy that is fueled by consumer spending. But once a downturn of this magnitude starts, to keep it from feeding on itself there needs to be confidence in the leadership of the President, and I think that is sorely lacking.

Hang on tight…

03/12/20 09:01 PM

#6938

Timothy Lavelle

Host of game show: "John , John, John, why so negative? Just because you couldn't answer the question, 'who is the real third member of the holy trinity'?

Frank Pardo, tell Jarring Jack, what he's won here on "You Bet Your Ass".

Frank Pardo - "Thank you Kelly Anne, and a special thank you to Holy Trumpy without whose guidance the world would be a truly sick place...

Now JJ, for your spirited play, you've won a four year vacation for 300 million of your close friends. Better pack now folks, because those left alive in January 2021 will be starting a new chapter in life with such benefits as a full day without some embarrassing Whitehouse rudeness or how about NEVER having to hear from Don junior, ever again. You and all your friends will sail on the good ship "Can I getta Amen?" and we will see the shores of "Dis" slip away, leaving Disgust, Disappointment, or Disallusion far behind us."

So, friends, I was going to pattern the above joke on "Survivor" but I thought that was a little too optimistic. No quotation marks were spared in the making of this post.

03/13/20 02:29 PM

#6939

Donna Kelley (Velazquez)

Your European correspondent reporting.

Barcelona March 13

6am Breakfast: Before reaching for the newspaper I see a request on the Forum for some input from across the seas about the pandemic coronavirus outbreak. I then look at the front page of La Vanguardia and read "Spain and the United States are at this moment the two countries where Covid-19 is spreading at the quickest rate, even more quickly than in Italy" according to the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

2:30 Back from a design project visit up the coast.

Lunchtime: Breaking News on TV: Spain declares a State of Emergency over Coronavirus.

I can't wait to see what dinnertime brings! Pass the botella de vino, please!

Schools in Madrid and some other Spanish provinces closed last week. In Barcelona area they have closed today for at least 15 days and many people are working from home. Some restaurants, shops and even beaches are closing. Coastal towns are requesting that people from the interior not visit their beach towns, spreading the virus.

I can give a few personal examples of how the situation is affecting people's lives. Workers we expected at a project downtown this morning called to say that their town Igualada (70 Km from Bcn) is on lockdown and they were unable to leave. Dozens of people in the area were diagnosed with the virus and over 200 people had been in contact with them, including several doctors and nurses at a local hospital. Later at the beach project I learned from a contractor that her niece was one of those nurses that is hospitalized. An American friend who has lived here for 40+ years has a slight heart condition. Today she has made the difficult decision to not fly to her only son's wedding in California.

Unfortunately I am afraid that no one will remain completely unaffected by COVID-19. Obviously it is not only ridiculous, but dangerous, to falsely pin the blame for this virus on one country or continent while at the same time denying the seriousness of its impact. Countries should be learning from the experience and practices that have been effective in other countries, offering support whenever possible. Keep safe. Keep healthy!

03/13/20 02:43 PM

#6940

Ugh!

Thank you dear "Correspondent from the East"

03/13/20 11:46 PM

#6941

Heartwarming Photo Shows Police Officer Sharing a Pizza With Homeless Woman

Facebook: Chris Barnes

A police officer from the Goldsboro Police Department is captivating the hearts of millions for his sweet sweet gesture. Officer Michael Rivers from North Carolina was roaming around when he came upon a homeless woman he hadn’t seen before. The woman was wearing a shirt that read, “Homeless. The fastest way of becoming a nobody.”

The 29-year-old officer then decided to do an act of kindness and bought her lunch after he asked if she had eaten and she said no. So, he grabbed a pepperoni and cheese pizza from a nearby pizza shop and just sat down on the grass right next to her. According to Rivers, the pizza they shared was great, but their conversation was even better.

For 45 minutes, Rivers and Michelle, the homeless woman was able to share a heartwarming moment. The officer quickly went viral after a passerby saw them, and shared a heartwarming photo on Facebook. The Facebook post notes, “Law enforcement does so much for our community, with a lot of it going unnoticed. We see you Goldsboro P.D. Keep up the good work.”

The North Carolina police officer stated when they were sharing their life stories, Michelle told him she had a 12-year-old daughter who is currently battling liver disease and is in foster care and has a23-year-old son. Her husband is also homeless and usually stands across the street from her. After their lunch, the duo went their separate ways, but the officer stated their interaction made him realize that he and Michelle were similar in how they are seen by society. Meaning, homeless are often shunned by people and blamed for “bringing hesitation upon themselves.”

Meanwhile, the officer feels that police are often portrayed as a “negative light” as society focuses on them being the bad guys. Rivers stated, “homeless people are just people who are down on their luck. It can happen to anybody.” He also noted he decided to become a cop not because he wanted to ruin a person’s day, rather to help people and make them smile by making them feel safe.

Police Chief Michael West saw the picture circulating on social media and applauded the kind office for his good deed. Speaking with CNN, West stated, “The circumstances around our job are often an unpleasant call to service, but this picture just shows we’re human like anyone else, and any chance we get to serve the community and help people, we take that chance. I’m very fortunate to have Officer Rivers in our department.”

03/13/20 11:52 PM

#6942