WHO finally admits lockdowns are harmful, “doubling” global poverty

The World Health Organization (WHO) has finally come to its senses in condemning the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) lockdowns that it earlier supported, admitting that they in fact created a “ghastly global catastrophe” by crashing the world economy.

Speaking on behalf of the WHO’s United Kingdom envoy, Dr. David Nabarro urged world leaders in an appeal to stop “using lockdowns as your primary control method,” and to instead allow people to live their lives as normal while encouraging the “vulnerable” to protect themselves as they normally would.

The only thing lockdowns achieved, according to Nabarro, was poverty, which makes them a no-go for countries that want to actually survive this crisis. Continuing to lock down businesses, sports facilities and other societal necessities will only lead to more misery, more poverty and ultimately more death, he warns.

“Just look at what’s happened to the tourism industry, for example in the Caribbean or in the Pacific, because people aren’t taking their holidays,” Nabarro further explained.

“Look what’s happening to poverty levels. It seems that we may well have a doubling of world poverty by next year. Seems that we may well have at least a doubling of child malnutrition because children are not getting meals at school and their parents, in poor families, are not able to afford it.”

The WHO is right, for once

Nabarro’s words are a stark contrast to those uttered by WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, who back in April offered full support for lockdowns and even warned that lifting them too soon might cause a “spike” in COVID-19 cases.

At the time, Ghebreyesus had nothing but gushing praise for nations like the U.K. and France, which utilized lockdown and other “tools at their disposal to tackle any new spikes.”

Should the lockdowns continue, however, there will very soon be a “doubling” in the levels of world poverty and child malnutrition, Nabarro warns. By 2021, poor people are going to become “an awful lot poorer,” Nabarro claims.

“I want to say it again: We in the world Health Organization do not advocate lockdowns as a primary means of controlling this virus,” Nabarro further added.

“And so, we really do appeal to all world leaders: Stop using lockdown as your primary control method. Develop better systems for doing it. Work together and learn from each other.”

https://patriotrising.com/who-finally-admits-lockdowns-are-harmful-doubling-global-poverty/

How Amazon Makes Its Money

With a market cap of $1.7 trillion, Amazon is the most valuable retailer in the world. But the company has grown into more than just an online store.

Amazon is now the proud owner of multiple billion-dollar revenue streams—but what are these different business segments, and how much does each unit contribute to the company’s overall revenue mix?

Here’s a look at Amazon’s different business segments, and how much each contributed to the company’s total revenue in 2019 (which was a casual $281 billion):

While online stores generated the highest amount of revenue at 50.4%, third-party seller services made up a significant portion as well, making up 19.2% of the total.

Third-party selling has seen significant growth over the years—in 2018, it accounted for 58% of Amazon’s gross merchandise sales, which is a vast increase compared to 2000, when it made up merely 3%.

Amazon Web Services (AWS) is the third most important revenue stream, contributing 12.5% to the overall mix. However, despite contributing a relatively small percentage to total revenue in 2019, AWS made up a large portion of Amazon’s operating income, making it the key to the company’s overall profitability.

https://www.investmentwatchblog.com/how-amazon-makes-its-money/

Portland Protests Have Been "Hijacked By Criminals" And Downtown Residents Are Now Pleading For Law And Order

Downtown Portland residents appear to be at their wits end, pleading for a respite from what has been nightly violence and chaos that started as "peaceful protests" months ago.

Those protests have now been "hijacked by criminals" causing "violence and destruction", according to local CBS affiliate KOIN.

The Portland residents continue to support the Black Lives Matter message, the report says, but have been speaking out about attacks on the city, saying they "harm progress made by the racial justice movement".

Over the weekend, statues of Presidents Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln (you know, of the Emancipation Proclamation) were overturned during an event called “Indigenous Peoples Day of Rage.”

The event led to damage at "the Oregon Historical Society building, the Portland State University campus public safety office, a jewelry store, multiple restaurants, a coffee shop, a bank and a phone store," according to KOIN.

A local deli owner showed KOIN the damage and shattered windows at his store. He said: “It’s the strangest thing to be quite honest. I’ve been here about ten years, I could’ve never have imagined that we’d be where we are today in Portland.”

Portland's Mayor, Ted Wheeler, continues to sit idly by and allow the city to be torn to shreds. And we're sure when tax revenue falls off a cliff and property values crash over the next year or two amidst and exodus from the city, Wheeler will blame President Trump and white supremacy for the problems.

Wheeler told KOIN he is "committed to doing what it takes to make people who are downtown feel safe…" before tacking on a qualifier to the end of that statement: "…while still listening to those fighting for equality and police accountability."

Portland has cut $15 million from its police budget since May, which resulted in the loss of a gun violence team and transit police.

Resident John Toran, despite Wheeler's obvious incompetence, concluded: “America has a dirty past but we’ve evolved quite a bit and to me that’s a lesson to the rest of the world, that we can evolve. I believe that’s part of our system. Are we a perfect country? No. But I wake up hoping we can be better and better every day.”

Sure, John. Talk to us after the "peaceful protesters" show up on your front lawn and shatter your windows.

https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/portland-protests-have-been-hijacked-criminals-and-downtown-residents-are-now-pleading-law

HUGE! TWITTER SHUTS DOWN After Tucker Carlson Announces He Will Release NEW HUNTER BIDEN EMAILS on His Show Tonight!

Fox News’ Tucker Carlson announced on Thursday that he will be revealing more emails tonight that further expose corruption by the Biden family.

Tucker Carlson tweeted this at 4:16 PM on Thursday.

Greg Gutfield mentioned this news on The Five tonight.

This will be a MUST SEE!

IMMEDIATELY following this news TWITTER SHUT DOWN!

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2020/10/huge-twitter-shuts-tucker-carlson-reveals-will-release-new-hunter-biden-emails-show-tonight/

China Sells Dollar Bonds Directly To US Buyers For The First Time, Gets Record Demand

On Thursday, China for the first time sold dollar-denominated bonds directly to US buyers and with the Chinese 10Y offering a record 2.5% pickup in yield compared to 10Y Treasuries, it's hardly a surprise that demand was off the charts.

The $6 billion bond offering which took place in Hong Kong, drew record demand, in part due to the attractive yield offered by Chinese paper and in part due to China's impressive recovery from the coronavirus, with an orderbook more than $27 billion, or roughly $10 billion more than an offering of the same size last November, according to the FT, which added about 15% of the offering went to American investors.

The $6BN USD-denominated bond offering was as follows:

$1.25BN in 3-year dollar bonds at 0.425%

$2.25BN 5-year dollar bonds at 0.604%

$2BN 10-year dollar bonds at 1.226%

$500MM 30-year dollar bonds at 2.310%

The yield on the 10-year bond was about 0.5% above the equivalent US Treasury, and helped the bond sales receive “a strong reception from US onshore real money investors”, said Samuel Fischer, head of China onshore debt capital markets at Deutsche Bank, which helped arrange the deal. Other arrangers of the bond sale included Standard Chartered, Bank of America, Citigroup, Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan.

What was unique about today's offering is that unlike previous issuance, "the debt was sold under a mechanism that gave institutional investors in the US the chance to buy in."

Somewhat surprising is that frictions between Beijing and Washington had no impact "at all" on demand from US buyers, which included an American pension fund, one banker told the FT. In fact, the strategic timing of the bond sale which was arranged by the Chinese government just weeks before Americans head to the polls for the presidential election was meant to show "how tightly the financial systems of the two countries are linked, despite a trade war and tensions over technology and geopolitics."

"This is the investor community showing confidence in [China’s] recovery," said another banker on the sale, who added that “US investor participation in Chinese paper is not reduced by any means."

Analyst responses were broadly enthusiastic about the offering:

Frances Cheung, head of macro strategy for Asia at lender Westpac, said the issuance suggested Beijing believed restrictions on access to dollar funding were “very unlikely to become a policy option” for Washington.

Hayden Briscoe, head of fixed income for Asia Pacific at UBS Asset Management, said the bonds would help “set the benchmark” for Chinese corporates such as petrochemical groups Sinopec and Sinochem, which also borrow in dollars. "A lot of their expenses are in US dollars, and they borrow in the dollar market to match funds to that." He added that the bonds benefited from strong demand partly due to their scarcity value. "There’s so few of them and they suit sovereign wealth fund type buyers — they tend to just disappear."

https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/china-sells-dollar-bonds-directly-us-buyers-first-time-gets-record-demand

>>11092297

CLOWN

Barack Obama mocks Donald Trump’s calls for he and Joe Biden to be charged with crimes

Donald Trump has been on a tear against his predecessor Barack Obama in recent weeks. Today the former president responded.

Former US president Barack Obama has hit back at Donald Trump’s repeated calls for him to be indicted and prosecuted, dismissing the President’s theories as “absurd”.

Since he left Walter Reed Medical Centre earlier this month, Mr Trump has been more fixated than usual on his belief that Mr Obama directed US intelligence agencies to illegally “spy” on his presidential campaign in 2016.

In an interview with Fox Business last week, the President said Mr Obama, his 2020 election opponent Joe Biden and his 2016 opponent Hillary Clinton should all be indicted and charged with crimes.

“Unless Bill Barr indicts these people for crimes, the greatest political crime in the history of our country, then we’re going to get little satisfaction unless I win,” he said.

“And we’ll just have to go, because I won’t forget it.”

Mr Trump has also been tweeting about the subject, often in all caps.

Overnight Mr Obama appeared on Pod Save America, a podcast hosted by his former staffers Jon Favreau, Tommy Vietor and Jon Lovett.

It was never going to be a hostile interview, so keep that in mind as we run through the questions they asked Mr Obama, along with his responses.

“President Trump keeps tweeting that the Attorney-General should indict you or indict vice president Biden for spying on his campaign,” Vietor said.

“The allegation is absurd. It’s false. It’s seemingly part of just his general rage at any discussion of Russian interference in the 2016 campaign. It’s remarkable to me how used to this kind of language (Washington) D.C. has become.

“Is it weird for you when he tweets that you should be indicted?”

“Well look, as you said, this is something that even his fellow Republicans tend to just pretend doesn’t happen,” Mr Obama said of Mr Trump’s comments.

“They kind of dodge reporters when they’re asked about it. The allegations are so absurd that even Republican-controlled committees looking into it have dismissed them. And you know, Attorney-General (William) Barr has dismissed them.”

https://www.news.com.au/finance/work/leaders/barack-obama-mocks-donald-trumps-calls-for-he-and-joe-biden-to-be-charged-with-crimes/news-story/9bd2d2b5f96a496bb7bb0bd7086a8c1f

FCC chief says Facebook and Twitter will face greater regulation after NY Post Biden debacle

"They do not have a First Amendment right to a special immunity"

The chairman of the Federal Communications Commission issued a statement warning that change is coming to the rule governing the federal regulation of companies like Twitter and Facebook after New York Post Biden debacle.

Ajit Pai tweeted his statement via his official social media account on Thursday.

"Members of all three branches of the federal government have expressed serious concerns about the prevailing interpretation of the immunity set forth in section 230 of the Communications Act. There is bipartisan support in Congress to reform the law," said Pai.

Pai noted that Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas opined that internet platforms have been granted protections by courts that extend far beyond the original intent of the law.

"The Commission's General Counsel has informed me that the FCC has the legal authority to interpret Section 230. Consistent with this advice, I intend to move forward with a rulemaking to clarify its meaning," Pai continued.

"Throughout my tenure at the Federal Communications Commission, I have favored regulatory parity, transparency, and free expression. Social media companies have a First Amendment right to free speech," he concluded. "But they do not have a First Amendment right to a special immunity denied to other media outlets, such as newspapers and broadcasters.

Pai didn't mention the controversy over the banning of the NY Post Biden story, but critics and supporters alike immediately connected his announcement to the scandal.

"This is a major announcement"

Pai's announcement was greeted with applause from those who have been demanding an expansion of federal oversight over the more prominent social media companies.

"This is a major announcement from FCC on #BigTech. Now Congress must act on #Section230," said Republican Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri. He went on to mock free market conservatives who decried big government intervention.

Others, like FCC commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel, perceived the announcement to be motivated by the political agenda of President Donald Trump.

"The FCC has no business being the President's speech police," said Rosenworcel.

https://www.theblaze.com/news/ajit-pai-section230-nypost-biden

List of 40 Bronfman-Funded Lawsuits – She Claims They Were Meritorious – Victims Said They Were Used as Weapons to Destroy Them

One of the considerations in the sentencing of Clare Bronfman to 81 months in prison was her history of vexatious litigation. Her attorney, Ronald Sullivan argued that every lawsuit was meritorious and that she won most of her lawsuits.

Sullivan told the court, without providing evidence, that “most of the litigation claimed to be vexatious was, in fact, successful in courts of competent jurisdiction.”

Her victims said she funded litigation against them for years for no purpose other than to destroy them. Four women in particular spoke at her sentencing to discuss the relentless nature of Bronfman-funded litigation. They were Toni Natalie: here ; Susan Dones: here; Barbara Bouchey: here; and Kristin Keeffe: here

They claim that Bronfman could afford a battery of attorneys and sue in various courts making her opponents spend all their money – and causing them great emotional and psychological damage.

Since there is a wide disparity between what Clare’s attorney claimed and what her victims say – and since the sentence is going to be appealed – let us take a look at Clare’s record of funding lawsuits.

Of 40 lawsuits, Clare was victorious in three cases.

Most cases were dismissed without a victor, other than the lawyers.

The following list of cases are ones where either Clare was a party or she funded the lawsuit, usually along with her sister, Sara.

https://frankreport.com/2020/10/15/list-of-40-bronfman-funded-lawsuits-she-claims-they-were-meritorious-victims-said-they-were-used-as-weapons-to-destroy-them/

It's Almost Impossible to Get COVID-19 on an Airplane, New Military Study Suggests

A new military-led study unveiled Thursday shows there is a low risk for passengers traveling aboard large commercial aircraft to contract an airborne virus such as COVID-19 – and it doesn't matter where they sit on the airplane.

Researchers concluded that because of sophisticated air particle filtration and ventilation systems on board the Boeing 767-300 and 777-200 aircraft the planes tested for the study airborne particles within the cabin have a very short lifespan, according to defense officials with U.S. Transportation Command, the Defense Advanced Research Project Agency (DARPA) and Air Mobility Command, which spearheaded the study.

"The favorable results are attributable to a combination of the airframes' high air exchange rates, coupled with the high efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filtration recirculation systems, and the downward airflow ventilation design which results in rapid dilution and purging of the disseminated aerosol particles," Vice Adm. Dee L. Mewbourne, deputy commander of U.S. Transportation Command, said during a virtual roundtable with reporters.

DARPA teamed up with biodefense company Zeteo Tech, scientific research company S3i and the University of Nebraska's National Strategic Research Institute (NSRI) for the trials. Industry partners included Boeing and United Airlines.; the study was funded by TRANSCOM, according to Army Lt Col Ellis Gales, spokesman for the command.

"All areas on both aircraft proved to be extremely effective in dispersing and filtering out the aerosol particles," said Navy Lt. Cmdr. Joseph Pope, TRANSCOM Operations directorate liaison for the airflow particle test. "So specifically, can I tell you to sit in seat XYZ? No; they all performed very well."

During the tests, held Aug. 24-31, analysts released two types of aerosols that had specific DNA signatures. The tagged fluorescent tracers allowed for researchers to better follow their distribution path, both in flight and on the ground.

Sensors throughout the aircraft measured over 300 iterations of aerosol releases at rates of 2 to 4 minutes across four cabin zones on the 777, and three zones on the 767, Mewboourne explained. The dispersions were mapped in real-time, he said.

https://www.military.com/daily-news/2020/10/15/its-almost-impossible-get-covid-19-airplane-new-military-study-suggests.html