looking in https://twitter.com/cmclymer
>https://twitter.com/joebiden/status/1187829299207954437
https://twitter.com/washingtonpost/status/1187386520837246976
https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2019/10/24/none-these-countries-us-included-is-fully-prepared-pandemic-report-says/
None of these 195 countries — the U.S. included — is fully prepared for a pandemic, report says
Lena H. Sun
Oct. 24, 2019 at 1:44 p.m. EDT
After an Ebola epidemic devastated West Africa in 2014, many countries took steps to boost their preparedness. But even as the risk of such outbreaks increases, no country — the United States included — is fully prepared to respond to a deliberate or accidental threat with the potential to wipe out humanity, according to a report assessing the efforts of 195 countries.
The report, released Thursday, is the first comprehensive assessment of global health capabilities, giving countries an overall score based on several measures. Unlike other ratings, the Global Health Security Index benchmarks health security in the context of tools critical to fighting outbreaks, such as robust health systems, adherence to global norms, and political and security risks, including public confidence in government.
The United States does well in five of six preparedness categories but ranks 19th — after Australia, Canada, Singapore and more than a half-dozen European countries — in an assessment of overall risk and vulnerability to biological threats. The factors driving down the U.S. score include the risks of social unrest and terrorism, and low public confidence in government. Liechtenstein ranked No. 1 on this measure.
Some other high-income countries also generally score well. But the report found that a number of middle- and low-income countries scored higher than some wealthy countries. Thailand, for example, is the only non-high-income country to rank in the top tier overall — sixth highest overall after the United States, United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Australia and Canada.
And some very affluent countries, such as Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, where experts expected to find better preparedness funding, score below 50 out of a possible score of 100. The average score among all 195 countries is 40.2
The index is a project of the Nuclear Threat Initiative, a D.C.-based nonprofit organization, and the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security. It was developed with guidance from an international panel of experts from 13 countries, with research by the Economist Intelligence Unit. More than 100 researchers spent a year collecting and validating publicly available data.
>https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2019/10/24/none-these-countries-us-included-is-fully-prepared-pandemic-report-says/
Organizers hope the rankings will galvanize action amid an ongoing Ebola outbreak in Congo that has killed more than 2,000 people.
“Health security is a collective responsibility,” said Beth Cameron, vice president for global biological policy and programs at the Nuclear Threat Initiative and one of the index’s leaders. “Countries need to know how prepared they are. And they need to know how prepared their neighbors are. Otherwise we’ll never improve.”
Over the past two decades, decision-makers have focused only sporadically on health security despite concerns after the 2001 anthrax attacks, the emergence of viruses that caused severe acute respiratory syndrome, or SARS, and Middle East respiratory syndrome, or MERS, and the looming threat of a pandemic caused by a novel strain of influenza, the report said.
Since the 2014-2016 Ebola epidemic killed more than 11,000 people, many countries — especially in Africa — have been more willing to report their level of preparedness, said Cameron, formerly senior director for global health security and biodefense at the National Security Council in the Obama administration.
“But in terms of financing to fill the gaps, not enough has been done,” she said.
There needs to be a fundamental shift in understanding that biological catastrophes are a major peace and security risk, Cameron said. While health experts have long recognized those risks, finance ministers, heads of states and other decision-makers have not.
Biological threats are catastrophic, yet responsibility for them is “buried in the bowels of health ministries around the world,” Cameron said.
During the 2014 Ebola crisis, the Obama administration created an Ebola czar and established a unit on global health security and biodefense, headed at the senior director level, at the National Security Council. That unit was abolished last year under a reorganization by then-national security adviser John Bolton.
In the United States, military readiness is staffed at the level of the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Biodefense is currently staffed at the level of assistant secretary at the Health and Human Services Department.
“When heads of states get together, among their five talking points, this isn’t always one of them,” Cameron said.
Among the report’s recommendations: The United Nations secretary general should designate a permanent unit for high-consequence biological threats and call a heads-of-state level summit by 2021 on biological threats that includes a focus on financing and emergency response. Responding to biological threats should also be a priority for the next U.S. president, organizers said.
Tom Frieden, who was director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention during the 2014 Ebola epidemic, said the report underscores the lack of significant action since then to close preparedness gaps. It also provides information on aspects of health security that haven’t been previously assessed.
The report also highlights an issue that is too often neglected: protecting front-line health workers, said Frieden, who heads Resolve to Save Lives, a New York-based public health nonprofit. His organization has also developed a tool that spotlights gaps in preparedness, and actions that countries and organizations can take to close them.
Dozens of health workers have been attacked or killed in Congo’s Ebola outbreak that began in August 2018, the second-deadliest in history, according to World Health Organization officials.
Among the report’s other findings:
Only 15 percent of countries score in the highest tier for public confidence in government.
Only 3 percent show a commitment to prioritizing services for health-care workers who become sick as a result of participating in a public health response.
89 percent of countries do not demonstrate that they have a system for dispensing medical countermeasures during health emergencies.
92 percent of countries do not show evidence of requiring security checks for personnel with access to dangerous biological materials or toxins.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/to-your-health/wp/2018/04/24/inside-the-secret-u-s-stockpile-meant-to-save-us-all-in-a-bioterror-attack/
Inside the secret U.S. stockpile meant to save us all in a bioterror attack
https://qposts.online/post/4347
https://twitter.com/JoeBiden/status/1187829299207954437
Coincidence or foreknowledge?
Q
BLM Protesters Stopping Cars at Gunpoint in Indianapolis
>https://www.vice.com/en_au/article/akzyq5/private-equity-firm-blackstone-bought-ancestry-dna-company-for-billions
https://www.blackstone.com/press-releases/article/blackstone-to-acquire-ancestry-leading-online-family-history-business-for-4-7-billion/
Blackstone to Acquire Ancestry®, Leading Online Family History Business, for $4.7 Billion
New York, August 5, 2020 – Blackstone (NYSE:BX) today announced that private equity funds managed by Blackstone (“Blackstone”) have reached a definitive agreement to acquire Ancestry® from Silver Lake, GIC, Spectrum Equity, Permira, and other equity holders for a total enterprise value of $4.7 billion. Current Ancestry investor GIC will continue to retain a significant minority stake in the company. This transaction represents the first control acquisition for Blackstone’s eighth vintage of its flagship private equity vehicle.
Ancestry is the global leader in digital family history services, operating in more than 30 countries with more than 3 million paying subscribers across its Ancestry online properties and more than $1 billion in annual revenue. The company harnesses the information found in family trees and historical records to help people gain a new level of understanding about their lives. Ancestry also operates a market-leading consumer genomics business, which informs consumers about their heritage and key health characteristics.
David Kestnbaum, a Senior Managing Director at Blackstone, said: “We are very excited to partner with Ancestry and its management team. We believe Ancestry has significant runway for further growth as people of all ages and backgrounds become increasingly interested in learning more about their family histories and themselves. We look forward to investing behind further data, functionality, and product development across Ancestry’s market leading platform to continue to provide a differentiated service. Our investment is a prime example of Blackstone’s continued, high-conviction focus on investing in growing, digital consumer businesses, which are resilient in the current environment and beyond.”
Sachin Bavishi, a Managing Director at Blackstone, added: “Ancestry’s large network of highly engaged users, unique content, and scaled technology platform have made it a market leader. We look forward to contributing Blackstone’s resources and leveraging our strong expertise in digital content to further accelerate Ancestry’s growth.”
Margo Georgiadis, President and Chief Executive Officer of Ancestry, said: “Our entire leadership team is thrilled to have the opportunity to partner with Blackstone to further accelerate Ancestry’s global leadership in family history and consumer genomics, and to help us achieve our mission to empower journeys of personal discovery to enrich lives. Looking ahead, in collaboration with Blackstone, we will continue to leverage our unique content, powerhouse consumer brand and technology platform to expand our global Family History business while bringing to life our long-term vision of personalized preventive health.”
Howard Hochhauser, Ancestry’s Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer, added: “We want to thank Silver Lake, GIC, Spectrum Equity and Permira for their support in helping set up Ancestry for our next phase of growth.”
Stephen Evans and John Rudella, Managing Director and Director at Silver Lake, respectively, said: “We thank Ancestry’s management team, employees, and our co-investors on the board including GIC and Spectrum, as well as our Board Chairman Tim Sullivan, for their partnership during a period characterized by impressive growth, accelerating technology innovation and expansion across new products. We will be cheering on from the sidelines going forward, and hope and expect that the company will achieve continued success under Blackstone’s ownership.”
Choo Yong Cheen, Chief Investment Officer of Private Equity at GIC, said: “Ancestry is the clear leader in helping people discover, preserve, and share their family histories. As a long-term investor, we are proud to have contributed to Ancestry’s family history mission since 2012, and we are confident the team will continue to innovate for years to come. We appreciate the contributions of Silver Lake, Permira, and Spectrum and look forward to partnering with the Blackstone and Ancestry teams for this next phase of growth.”
Morgan Stanley & Co. LLCserved as lead financial advisor to Ancestry. Barclays also served as a financial advisor to Ancestry. Latham & Watkins LLP is serving as legal advisor to Ancestry and Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP is serving as legal advisor to Blackstone. Dechert LLP is serving as legal advisor to GIC.Committed debt financing for the transaction was provided by Bank of America and Credit Suisse.
>https://www.blackstone.com/press-releases/article/blackstone-to-acquire-ancestry-leading-online-family-history-business-for-4-7-billion/
About Blackstone
Blackstone is one of the world’s leading investment firms. We seek to create positive economic impact and long-term value for our investors, the companies we invest in, and the communities in which we work. We do this by using extraordinary people and flexible capital to help companies solve problems. Our asset management businesses, with $564 billion in assets under management, include investment vehicles focused on private equity, real estate, public debt and equity, growth equity, opportunistic, non-investment grade credit, real assets and secondary funds, all on a global basis. Further information is available at www.blackstone.com. Follow Blackstone on Twitter @Blackstone
About Ancestry®
Ancestry®, the global leader in family history and consumer genomics, empowers journeys of personal discovery to enrich lives. With our unparalleled collection of 24 billion records and over 18 million people in our growing AncestryDNA network, customers can discover their family story and gain actionable insights about their health and wellness. For over 30 years, we’ve built trusted relationships with millions of people who have chosen us as the platform for discovering, preserving and sharing the most important information about themselves and their families.
About Silver Lake
Silver Lake is a global technology investment firm, with more than $60 billion in combined assets under management and committed capital and a team of approximately 100 investment and operating professionals located in Silicon Valley, New York, London and Hong Kong. Silver Lake’s portfolio of investments collectively generates more than $230 billion of revenue annually and employs 370,000 people globally. For more information about Silver Lake and its portfolio, please visit silverlake.com.
About GIC
GIC is a leading global investment firm established in 1981 to manage Singapore’s foreign reserves. A disciplined long-term value investor, GIC is uniquely positioned for investments across a wide range of asset classes, including equities, fixed income, private equity, real estate and infrastructure. In private equity, GIC invests through funds as well as directly in companies, partnering with its fund managers and management teams to help world class businesses achieve their objectives. GIC has invested in the technology sector for nearly 40 years and seeks to be a lifetime partner to its portfolio companies. Headquartered in Singapore, GIC employs over 1,700 people across 10 offices in key financial cities worldwide. For more information about GIC, please visit www.gic.com.sg or follow us on LinkedIn.
About Spectrum Equity
Spectrum Equity is a leading growth equity firm providing capital and strategic support to innovative companies in the information economy. For over 25 years, the firm has partnered with proven entrepreneurs and management teams to build long-term value in market-leading internet-enabled software and information services companies. Representative investments include Ancestry, Bats Global Markets, Definitive Healthcare, GoodRx, Lynda.com, Origami Risk, SurveyMonkey, Trintech and Verafin. For more information, including a complete list of portfolio investments, visit www.spectrumequity.com.
Dr. Fauci wears a Mask while Running
Dr. Fauci now wants people to wear Goggles
Looks like the neon tiger print was a bad choice of camo.
>lithium
>lithium
>https://www.investopedia.com/articles/investing/090915/how-stephen-schwarzman-built-blackstone-group.asp
>Stephen Allen Schwarzman is an American businessman, investor, and philanthropist. He is the chairman and CEO of The Blackstone Group
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2007/jun/15/4
Born: February 14 1947
Family: Married to Christine Hearst, a lawyer. Three children between them from previous marriages
Education: BA from Yale ; MBA from Harvard business school
Employment: Began at Lehman Brothers; managing director by 31. Left 1985 to co-found Blackstone
Interests: Chairman, Kennedy Centre for Performing Arts; board of New York Public Library; member Council on Foreign Relations thinktank
>One of these has to work!
>https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8610013/White-House-reached-South-Dakota-governor-adding-Trump-Mount-Rushmore.html
>https://www.foxbusiness.com/technology/blackstone-microsoft-potential-bid-tiktok
Microsoft publicly announced its intentions to purchase TikTok's U.S. operations and possibly more of the app's business after its chief executive, Satya Nadella, spoke to Trump about the move. Trump said he would accept a deal as long as the company could guarantee no Chinese involvement and that U.S. user data would be secured.
>Phoenicia
was talking about that with family yesterday
Was Carthage (Tunisia) not originally a Phoenician colony?
Carthage was the center or capital city of the ancient Carthaginian civilization, on the eastern side of the Lake of Tunis in what is now the Tunis Governorate in Tunisia. Carthage was widely considered the most important trading hub of the Ancient Mediterranean and was arguably one of the most affluent cities of the classical world.
The city developed from a Phoenician colony into the capital of a Punic empire which dominated large parts of the Southwest Mediterranean during the first millennium BC. The legendary Queen Alyssa or Dido is regarded as the founder of the city, though her historicity has been questioned. According to accounts by Timaeus of Tauromenium, she purchased from a local tribe the amount of land that could be covered by an oxhide. Cutting the skin into strips, she laid out her claim and founded an empire that would become, through the Punic Wars, the only existential threat to Rome until the coming of the Vandals several centuries later.
>The city developed from a Phoenician colony
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tanit
Tanit was a Punic and Phoenician goddess, the chief deity of Carthage alongside her consort Baal-Hamon.
The name appears to have originated in Carthage (modern day Tunisia). She was equivalent to the war goddess Astarte, and later worshipped in Roman Carthage in her Romanized form as Caelestis.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tophet
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathan-howe-722ba24a
https://www.bizapedia.com/in/city-dump-records-llc.html
https://www.indiana-register.com/1197059-city-dump-records-llc
https://www.facebook.com/deeross4district14/videos/2486785184977519