on Dec 21, faced with projections of 15-30,000 new cases daily by Jan 24 and threats of impossible burden on ICUs, Ontario went into moderate lockdown. Whether due to this policy or otherwise, new cases remained under 3000 at Jan 12, declining to 2200 by Jan 24.
2/ nonetheless, on Jan 12, Science Table, Ontario science advisors took time out from worrying about microaggressions at University of Toronto to declare that policy failing. They presented new projections, this time projecting up to 45000 new cases by mid-Feb.
3/ As on Dec 21, they showed extrapolations at daily growth rates of 3%, 5% and 7%, even though there had been negligible increase in daily new cases since Dec 21. On right, I added Dec 21 projections plus 2 days of actuals not shown by Science Table.
4/ Science Table failed to show actuals against forecast of only 3 weeks earlier. Instead, they simply re-initiated exponential growth at Jan 21 at rates that were wildly in excess of anything observed under existing moderate lockdown, projecting 20-45000 daily cases by mid-Feb
5/ intimidated by Science Table members (none of whom missed a paycheck during lockdown), Ontario government ratcheted down economic oppression of small private businesses. Store after store on main artery near my house now stand empty. (Even Starbucks and McDonalds).
6/ where are the taxes going to come from to support the well-fed and well-pensioned public sector so quick to erase the livelihoods, savings and businesses of private people?
7/ needless to say, case levels have declined in Ontario, as they have in northern US states regardless of lockdown, and are far below Science Table's exponential projections. However, little change in policy of economic annihilation worthy of Joe Biden.
8/ cartoon showing Science Table Steini Brown tricking premier Ford one more time.
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Chris Rentsch - not a climate scientist - has done an astounding calculation that, for some reason, Gavin Schmidt and climate "community" have failed to do. He's used absorption spectra over past 18 years to measure CO2 forcing.
2/ CO2 absorption spectra have long been used as evidence of existence of CO2 greenhouse effect, but measuring change in CO2 absorption spectra over time and on a global basis is a very non-trivial calculation. Rentsch has done it.
3/ even if there were no immediate implications for the overall debate, this would be an important and praiseworthy accomplishment. If the calculation showed that things were "worse than we thought", Rentsch would almost certainly been feted by scientific societies.
it's now 14 days since Ontario received any COVID vaccines from feckless Trudeau government. Nearly all vaccines in this period have been 2nd doses. So NO NEW vaccinations are taking place.
yesterday, CCODWG reported that Ontario got 26325 vaccines on Feb 4 - the only delivery in past 16 days. These will presumably be used for 2nd doses. New vaccinations are at standstill for more than 2 weeks. github.com/ccodwg/Covid19…
one of the contributing factors to Canadian vaccine drought is that Canadian bureaucrats, none of whom have lost a day's pay, haven't approved the AstraZeneca vaccine which is being widely used in UK (and where we made large advance purchase.)
in all my life, I've never seen a Globe and Mail front page like this. Vaccine deliveries to Canada have collapsed. Provinces have set up distribution but have NOTHING to distribute. Total fiasco.
2/ federal government's information page on vaccination to date and future deliveries hasn't been updated in two weeks. canada.ca/en/public-heal…
3/ Canada dependent on vaccines from EU, which were cut to zero for us (but no one else). EU instituted export controls, so Trudeau's ostentatious rollout plans are now in dust.
@JMichaelWaller you are right to recall Grant administration, but you and everyone else are missing an elephant in the room. The ONLY out-of-office impeachment in US history was of Secretary of War in Grant administration who enforced Reconstruction (Belknap).
@JMichaelWaller 2/ Democrats took control of House in 1874 and sought to discredit Grant administration. Belknap resigned over allegations of corruption. Many other corruption cases in US history. Why was Belknap impeached out of office? More relentless pursuit than any other official.
@JMichaelWaller 3/ apply usual test: cui bono? Democrats were then dominated by Jim Crow advocates. Impeachment of Belknap undermined the party of Lincoln in 1876 elections, which were closest in US history and not decided until crooked agreement in March 1877.
Both Lindsey Graham and Bill Barr professed particular concern over why Crossfire Hurricane wasn't reeled in as a result of Primary Subsource testimony in Jan 2017 and promised to investigate.
2/ on Apr 27, 2020, Graham made a well-constructed request to DOJ for the key FBI memos and texts that would document FBI's reception of PSS/Danchenko testimony which ought to have raised concern about fraud in Steele dossier judiciary.senate.gov/press/rep/rele…
3/ only ONE relevant document has been produced: the EC on the Jan 2017 interview with PSS/Danchenko, which is arguably the single most important document on Russiagate hoax thus far made available.
Matthew Petti, in Reason magazine reason.com/2021/01/10/why… asks the sensible question "Why is America still in Syria?", but falsely stated that "Trump brought chaos to a region already on the brink". While I am very disappointed in Trump's failure to disentangle, it is ludicrous
2/ to blame Trump admin for chaos initiated under Obama regime. In late 2016, ISIS (grey) controlled vast swathes of Iraq and Syria, while AlQaeda and allies controlled northwest and southwest Syria. Syria's largest city, Aleppo, partly controlled by AlQaeda.
3/ Trump did not "bring chaos" to Syria. It was Obama admin which tried to carry out regime change in Syria, in a program in which it out-sourced "ground game", recklessly arming jihadis and militants until both AlQaeda and ISIS were formidable forces.