Society's ChildS


Bizarro Earth

New York will allow transgender children to change sex on birth certificate

UMCG transgenders
© RTV Noord/Erik Hoogeboom
New York State officials announced Tuesday that the state is changing its policy prohibiting transgender minors from changing their sex on their birth certificate, according to Dallas Voice.

Following a federal lawsuit that Lambda Legal, an LGBT legal defense nonprofit, filed against the state last month on behalf of a transgender boy, officials in Gov. Andrew Cuomo's and New York Attorney General Letitia James' offices announced the policy change allowing minors age 16 or younger to make a request for a sex change on their birth certificates through their parents or legal guardians, Dallas Voice reported.

Prior to the policy change, the State had been permitting people who were 18 and over to change their sex designation on birth certificates without surgery, but minors were prohibited from doing so.

Health

WHO chief: Europe now center of coronavirus pandemic, and other news

Ghebreyesus
© REUTERS/Denis Balibouse/File PhotoDirector-General of the WHO Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
The death toll from the coronavirus pandemic has now surpassed 5,000 and Europe has become the center of the outbreak, the head of the World Health Organization has said.

WHO director-general, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said the death toll passed the "tragic milestone" at Friday's daily briefing. He told the virtual press conference that Europe has become the center of the outbreak and the continent has more cases and deaths than the rest of the world combined apart from China.

The global health body said it is "impossible" to say when the pandemic will peak and Tedros warned world governments that a raft of measures are needed to tackle the disease.

He said that any country that thinks it could not fall victim to a large outbreak of the Covid-19 illness is making a "deadly mistake".

The health chief announced that the WHO is launching a Covid-19 solidarity response plan to enable individuals and organizations to contribute to disease control efforts.

Comment: The EU is running into problems coordinating its response among members. Rusula von der Leyen slammed Trump's travel ban, but individual EU nations are implementing their own travel restrictions. Austria banned travel from Italy. Slovakia banned all international travel. The Czech Republic shut the borders with Austria and Germany. Slovenia closed its border with Italy. Macron said any country closing borders with Italy is making a bad decision. (But says it may be appropriate in the future.) Merkel too thinks it is not appropriate.
The same spirit of unity and solidarity was notably absent last week, however, when France and Germany, among others, refused to lift controls on the export of protective medical gear to avoid facing shortages at home - even after a desperate request to do so from Italy.

The refusal was criticized by EU crisis management commissioner Janez Lenarcic, who said the ban risks "undermining" the bloc's "collective approach" to handling the crisis.
While Ireland has closed all schools, those in Britain will remain open "for the foreseeable future." France too is closing schools (the kids must be happy!), and banning gatherings of over 100 people - to "postpone the spike" as long as possible (or "flatten the curve" as it's being called).

Ukraine reported its first death, and Kazakhstan its first cases. Ukraine is closing its borders for the next two weeks. Iranian security forces have been ordered to clear the streets, making sure businesses and roads are shut down, and a nationwide lockdown has been ordered - to take effect in the next 24 hours. Russia has closed its border to anyone coming from Italy.

In the States, Louisiana postponed its Democratic primary for two months. New York "canceled Broadway" (and all other theaters), and banned gatherings of 500 or more people. And Wall Street had its worst day since 1987's Black Monday.

See also:


Bullseye

Coronavirus fears '50% panic,' could be over by summer - top Russian scientist

Medical staff
© Reuters / Agencja Gazeta/Jakub OrzechowskiMedical staff in protective gear stand near an ambulance upon the arrival at the infectious ward of the Public Hospital in Lublin, Poland March 12, 2020.
While some countries are experiencing a scramble for toilet paper and certain prominent politicians are calling the pandemic a hoax, the real experts are a bit more rational about Covid-19.

In Russia, one senior scientist believes the crisis could have stabilized by the middle of summer.

"It can be predicted that the spread in the world will subside by June-July. In China, the peak incidence rate passed on February 2," says Alexander Shestopalov, head of the experimental modeling and pathogenesis department of infectious diseases at the Federal Research Center for Fundamental and Translational Medicine.

Ambulance

Nigeria is already dealing with Lassa fever: Far deadlier viral outbreak than the coronavirus epidemic

nigeria lassa fever
Attending to a patient with Lassa fever in Nigeria
The detection of Covid-19 coronavirus in Nigeria raised early concerns about the country's capacity to handle a major epidemic but so far local public health officials have been commended for handling the outbreak with aplomb.

But the coronavirus is not the only viral outbreak in Africa's most populous country. Nigeria is currently dealing with what is turning out to be the world's largest epidemic of Lassa fever, a viral disease deadlier than coronavirus.

Lassa fever is a severe viral hemorrhagic fever (VHF) like Ebola and Marburg that occurs throughout the year in Nigeria and was declared an "active outbreak" by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) five weeks into 2020. The epidemic which occurs during the annual dry season (roughly November through March) has spread across half the country.

Comment: Nigeria has been through many epidemics, including ebola, meningitis and HIV. They have a good amount of expertise to bring to bear when COVID-19 makes its appearance. What they will need is material support for that expertise to be of any use.


Eye 1

Chelsea Manning showed 'moral strength' by choosing imprisonment over collaboration with US govt - Snowden

Chelsea Manning
© AFP / Getty Images / Win McNameeFormer U.S. Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning
Chelsea Manning's decision to sit in jail rather than cooperate with the US government's prosecution of WikiLeaks is a testament to her character and unwavering principles, NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden has said.

Commenting on Manning's newly-won freedom, Snowden noted that the former Army analyst-turned-whistleblower had been "cast into a dungeon" by the United States for refusing to work with the government to criminalize the publication of classified materials.
They offered to let her out in exchange for collaboration, but she chose her principles instead.
For Snowden, Manning's unwillingness to exchange her freedom for her beliefs was the ultimate display of "moral strength."

Comment: See also : Judge releases Chelsea Manning after suicide attempt, effectively fines her supporters $256,000




Handcuffs

US probe into Mexican drug cartel yields 750 arrests

DEA agents
© Richard Vogel / APDEA agents move in on a residential house during an arrest of a suspected drug trafficker on Wednesday in Diamond Bar, California. Federal agents fanned out across the U.S. after a six-month investigation aimed at dismantling the upper echelon of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, known as CJNG.
Agents also seized more than 20 kilograms of drugs and $20 million in cash from the cartel, the Justice Department said.

The Justice Department on Wednesday announced more than 750 arrests after a six-month investigation targeting Mexico's violent Jalisco New Generation Cartel, known as CJNG.

The Drug Enforcement Administration-led operation, called "Project Python," is the largest to date in U.S. efforts to take down the notorious drug dealing organization now considered one of the most powerful cartels in Mexico and known for brutal kidnappings and murders in that country.

In addition to the nationwide arrests, agents seized more than 20 kilograms of drugs and $20 million in cash. Officials say the cartel has hubs in Los Angeles, New York, Houston, Chicago and Atlanta and is a major presence on the Southwest border.

"CJNG has contributed to a catastrophic trail of human and physical destruction in Mexico," said Assistant Attorney General Brian Benczowski. "It is the most well-armed cartel in Mexico. Its members willingly confront rival cartels and even the security forces of the Mexican government. CJNG is responsible for grisly acts of violence and loss of life."

Officials say CJNG is responsible for trafficking tons of cocaine, methamphetamine and fentanyl-laced heroin into the United States.

Comment: See also:


Network

France prepares to greenlight Huawei's 5G

huawei
© Sputnik / Alehandro Martinez Velez
Around the time the clock was ticking for Brexit to be formally accomplished, the British government approved Huawei's participation in the country's next-gen networks, but capped its share at 35 percent and limited the involvement to non-core parts. The question has since been open regarding other key market players, namely France and Germany.

France will authorise the use of some Huawei equipment in the roll-out of its 5G networks despite Washington's vehement calls not to do so, according to two sources cited by Reuters.

The French cybersecurity agency ANSSI is reportedly set to instruct domestic telecoms companies which equipment they are allowed to use for the deployment of their next-gen mobile networks.

Comment: See also:


People 2

Life expectancy in UK began declining at "breakpoint" year of 2011

poverty uk
© AlamyWorld shed equivalent of 255 million jobs in 2020, United Nations said.
Far more men in deprived areas of England have died over the past decade than would be expected if recent trends had continued, new Office for National Statistics analysis has found.

Men's mortality rates - the number of people in a particular group who die over a specific period of time - were improving 138.1 times faster before 2011 than they did afterwards, the analysis found.

More women also died in the most deprived areas of England than earlier trends had suggested. The figures are particularly stark for the oldest: mortality rates for women aged 80-84 were improving 17 times faster before 2011 than they did afterwards.

Comment: Well over a decade of government imposed austerity, a rigged and crashing economic system, maintained by an insidiously corrupt establishment, will do that: Also check out SOTT radio's: NewsReal #26: Globalization vs Nationalism - The Hidden Causes of The Yellow Vest Protests in France


Tornado2

Wikipedia deletes the list of scientists who are skeptics of the sacred (fake) climate 'consensus'

Wikipedia delete list
The evidence is overwhelming but the names of 85 unconvinced experts threatens the Earth. Shield your eyes, sinner, lest ye faith be tested!

The Religion of Carbonoid-Weather-Control is so fragile, and Wikipedia so captured by philosophical fruit flies, that 35 editors voted down 19 other editors and now The List does not exist. Thus do 35 editors keep safe the minds of Wikipedia babes who might get confused when they see Richard Lindzen and Roy Spencer's names and mistake them for actual climate scientists... oh.

Thanks to Dr Roger Higgs:

Electroverse: Wikipedia Deletes "List of Scientists who Disagree with the Scientific Consensus on Global Warming" in Astonishing Act of Censorship

Comment: Wikipedia is on a roll! First they slash Spanish Flu death rates (probably to make coronavirus numbers look scary by comparison), and now they're deleting anyone who disagrees with "climate consensus". After all, how can it be a consensus if there's a whole list of people who don't agree? Wikipedia doesn't publish facts (except occasionally, likely by accident). They are willing mainstream narrative managers more interested in 'consensus' than truth.

See also:


Extinguisher

US Troops in Europe face limbo following canceled exercise, travel ban

defender europe soldiers
© U.S. Army/Capt. Ellen C. Brabo, 7th Army Training CommandU.S. Army Soldiers arrive for exercise DEFENDER-Europe 20 at the Nuremberg Aiprort, Germany, March 5, 2020.
The U.S. military in Europe is weighing how best to get what may be thousands of troops stateside following the release of a Defense Department policy memo Wednesday ordering a 60-day suspension of military travel to and from countries, including those in Europe.

Navy Lt. Cmdr. Joe Hontz, a spokesman for U.S. European Command, told Military.com on Thursday that command officials are working with individual bases and major commands within the continent to evaluate which troops will be sent home following their temporary duty assignment, and which will move on to their next duty station, which could be within Europe.

Hontz stressed the options are in line with Defense Secretary Mark Esper's latest guidance, which was distributed to personnel just hours after President Donald Trump announced the travel suspension. The Defense Department guidance imposes a 60-day ban on travel for service members, military families and DoD civilians to all countries designated as "Level 3 locations" by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention due to the widespread and ongoing transmission of the novel coronavirus.