- Joined
- Jan 27, 2020
Felt like shit this morning checked my temp. Nothing unusual. Allergies acting up.
Wuhan Coronavirus: Megathread - Got too big
- Thread starter JosephStalin
- Start date
- Status
- Joined
- Mar 5, 2018
Moscow targets Chinese with raids amid virus fears
https://apnews.com/8a43b0b86b63b1179ccd9a9c1977a339 (http://archive.vn/zXz6v)
MOSCOW (AP) — Bus drivers in Moscow kept their WhatsApp group chat buzzing with questions this week about what to do if they spotted passengers who might be from China riding with them in the Russian capital.
“Some Asian-looking (people) have just got on. Probably Chinese. Should I call (the police)?” one driver messaged his peers. “How do I figure out if they’re Chinese? Should I ask them?” a colleague wondered.
The befuddlement reflected in screenshots of the group exchanges seen by The Associated Press had a common source - instructions from Moscow’s public transit operator Wednesday for drivers to call a dispatcher if Chinese nationals boarded their buses, Russian media reported.
A leaked email that the media reports said was sent by the state-owned transportation company Mosgortrans told dispatchers who took such calls to notify the police. The email, which the company immediately described on Twitter as fake, carried a one-word subject line: coronavirus.
Since the outbreak of the new virus that has infected more than 76,000 people and killed more than 2,300 in mainland China, Russia has reported two cases. Both patients, Chinese nationals hospitalized in Siberia, recovered quickly. Russian authorities nevertheless are going to significant — some argue discriminatory — lengths to keep the virus from resurfacing and spreading.
Moscow officials ordered police raids of hotels, dormitories, apartment buildings and businesses to track down the shrinking number of Chinese people remaining in the city. They also authorized the use of facial recognition technology to find those suspected of evading a 14-day self-quarantine period upon their arrival in Russia.
“Conducting raids is an unpleasant task, but it is necessary, for the potential carriers of the virus as well,” Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said in a statement outlining various methods to find and track Chinese people the city approved as a virus prevention strategy.
The effort to identify Chinese citizens on public transportation applies not only to buses, but underground trains and street trams in Moscow, Russian media reported Wednesday.
Metro workers were instructed to stop riders from China and ask them to fill out questionnaires asking why they were in Russia and whether they observed the two-week quarantine, the reports said. The forms also ask respondents for their health condition and the address of where they are were staying.
In Yekaterinburg, a city located 1,790 kilometers (1,112 miles) away from Moscow in the Urals Mountains, members of the local Chinese community also are under watch. Self-styled Cossack patrols in the city hand out medical masks along with strong recommendations to visit a health clinic to Chinese residents.
Human rights advocates have condemned the targeting of Chinese nationals as racial profiling, not an effective epidemic control strategy.
“Prevention of any serious virus, be it a flu or the new coronavirus, should involve a proper information campaign and not discrimination of other people,” said Alyona Popova, an activist engaged in a year-long court challenge of Moscow’s use of facial recognition technology.
The containment measures in the capital came as the Russian government instituted an indefinite ban on Chinese nationals entering the country that could block up to 90% of travelers coming to Russia from China. Weeks before, Russia shut down the country’s long land border with China, suspended all trains and most flights between the two countries.
An employee of a Moscow-based company that employs Chinese nationals told the AP on condition of anonymity that police officers came to their office on Thursday and asked a dozen Chinese staffers to stay home for two weeks. The visit took place a little more than two weeks after these staffers returned from China and went through health checks at the airport, the employee said.
The employee spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly about what had happened.
The Moscow Metro confirmed to The Associated Press that the underground system was “actively monitoring the stations” and has a protocol in place for dealing with people who “have recently returned from the People’s Republic of China.”
“We ask to see their documents and to show us documents (proving) that if they have recently returned from the People’s Republic of China, they have undergone a two-week quarantine period,” Yulia Temnikova, Moscow Metro’s deputy chief of client and passenger services, said.
If an individual does not show proof of completing the quarantine, Metro workers ask the person to fill out the form and call an ambulance, Temnikova said.
Bus and tram drivers contacted their labor union about the instructions to look for Chinese nationals and report them to the dispatch center. The drivers were outraged and didn’t know what to do, Public Transport Workers Union chairman Yuri Dashkov said.
“So he saw a Chinese national, and then what?” Dashkov said. “How can he ascertain that he saw a Chinese national, or a Vietnamese national, or a Japanese, or (someone from the Russian region of) Yakutia?”
Dashkov showed the AP a photo of the email that officials at Mosgortrans were said to have sent out. He also showed three photos of on-bus electronic displays reading, “If Chinese nationals are discovered in the carriage, inform the dispatcher.”
The AP was unable to independently verify the authenticity of the email and the photos. Dashkov shared screenshots of what appeared to be a genuine bus drivers’ group chat in WhatsApp.
While Moscow public transit operator Mosgortrans dismissed the email as phony on its official Twitter account Wednesday, the company told the AP in a statement two days later that it does “conduct monitoring” and “sends data to the medics when necessary.”
Mosgortrans referred additional questions to the detailed statement from Moscow’s mayor, who on Friday acknowledged the sharp focus on Chinese people in the city’s virus-control plan.
Officials ordered everyone arriving from China to isolate themselves for two weeks, and those who skip the quarantine step will be identified through video surveillance and facial recognition technology, Sobyanin said. The systems give authorities the ability to “constantly control compliance with the protocol,” he said in the statement.
The mayor’s office did not respond to a request for comment on the city’s containment approach and the accusation that it’s discriminatory. But rights activist Popova insists the facial recognition program is unlawful whether the searches are seeking Russian or Chinese faces.
“We have a constitutional right to privacy, and citizens of (other countries) have it according to foreign and international legal norms,” she said.
Temnikova from the Moscow Metro rejected accusations of racial profiling. Subway workers “mainly look at the passenger’s (health) condition,” she said, and approach “people who need help.”
Addressing identification questions like the ones that worried the bus drivers, Temnikova said it should be “clear who could have arrived from China” because “it is obvious.”
The Cossacks of Yekaterinburg - men in conservative, often pro-Kremlin groups claiming to be successors of the proud guards who policed the Russian Empire’s frontiers - took fighting the virus into their own hands three weeks ago. They also have a system of sorts for deciding who needs a face mask and advice to see a medical professional.
“Mainly (we approach) people from China because it is from them that the coronavirus came. They are the main source,” Igor Gorbunov, elder of the Ural Volunteer Cossack Corps, told the AP during one such patrol Friday.
“But not only them,” Gorbunov continued. “There are different nationalities, there are many people of Asian appearance, and they seem to be vulnerable to this disease, the coronavirus, because it is them who are most often affected. Europeans are not yet affected much.”
https://apnews.com/8a43b0b86b63b1179ccd9a9c1977a339 (http://archive.vn/zXz6v)
MOSCOW (AP) — Bus drivers in Moscow kept their WhatsApp group chat buzzing with questions this week about what to do if they spotted passengers who might be from China riding with them in the Russian capital.
“Some Asian-looking (people) have just got on. Probably Chinese. Should I call (the police)?” one driver messaged his peers. “How do I figure out if they’re Chinese? Should I ask them?” a colleague wondered.
The befuddlement reflected in screenshots of the group exchanges seen by The Associated Press had a common source - instructions from Moscow’s public transit operator Wednesday for drivers to call a dispatcher if Chinese nationals boarded their buses, Russian media reported.
A leaked email that the media reports said was sent by the state-owned transportation company Mosgortrans told dispatchers who took such calls to notify the police. The email, which the company immediately described on Twitter as fake, carried a one-word subject line: coronavirus.
Since the outbreak of the new virus that has infected more than 76,000 people and killed more than 2,300 in mainland China, Russia has reported two cases. Both patients, Chinese nationals hospitalized in Siberia, recovered quickly. Russian authorities nevertheless are going to significant — some argue discriminatory — lengths to keep the virus from resurfacing and spreading.
Moscow officials ordered police raids of hotels, dormitories, apartment buildings and businesses to track down the shrinking number of Chinese people remaining in the city. They also authorized the use of facial recognition technology to find those suspected of evading a 14-day self-quarantine period upon their arrival in Russia.
“Conducting raids is an unpleasant task, but it is necessary, for the potential carriers of the virus as well,” Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said in a statement outlining various methods to find and track Chinese people the city approved as a virus prevention strategy.
The effort to identify Chinese citizens on public transportation applies not only to buses, but underground trains and street trams in Moscow, Russian media reported Wednesday.
Metro workers were instructed to stop riders from China and ask them to fill out questionnaires asking why they were in Russia and whether they observed the two-week quarantine, the reports said. The forms also ask respondents for their health condition and the address of where they are were staying.
In Yekaterinburg, a city located 1,790 kilometers (1,112 miles) away from Moscow in the Urals Mountains, members of the local Chinese community also are under watch. Self-styled Cossack patrols in the city hand out medical masks along with strong recommendations to visit a health clinic to Chinese residents.
Human rights advocates have condemned the targeting of Chinese nationals as racial profiling, not an effective epidemic control strategy.
“Prevention of any serious virus, be it a flu or the new coronavirus, should involve a proper information campaign and not discrimination of other people,” said Alyona Popova, an activist engaged in a year-long court challenge of Moscow’s use of facial recognition technology.
The containment measures in the capital came as the Russian government instituted an indefinite ban on Chinese nationals entering the country that could block up to 90% of travelers coming to Russia from China. Weeks before, Russia shut down the country’s long land border with China, suspended all trains and most flights between the two countries.
An employee of a Moscow-based company that employs Chinese nationals told the AP on condition of anonymity that police officers came to their office on Thursday and asked a dozen Chinese staffers to stay home for two weeks. The visit took place a little more than two weeks after these staffers returned from China and went through health checks at the airport, the employee said.
The employee spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly about what had happened.
The Moscow Metro confirmed to The Associated Press that the underground system was “actively monitoring the stations” and has a protocol in place for dealing with people who “have recently returned from the People’s Republic of China.”
“We ask to see their documents and to show us documents (proving) that if they have recently returned from the People’s Republic of China, they have undergone a two-week quarantine period,” Yulia Temnikova, Moscow Metro’s deputy chief of client and passenger services, said.
If an individual does not show proof of completing the quarantine, Metro workers ask the person to fill out the form and call an ambulance, Temnikova said.
Bus and tram drivers contacted their labor union about the instructions to look for Chinese nationals and report them to the dispatch center. The drivers were outraged and didn’t know what to do, Public Transport Workers Union chairman Yuri Dashkov said.
“So he saw a Chinese national, and then what?” Dashkov said. “How can he ascertain that he saw a Chinese national, or a Vietnamese national, or a Japanese, or (someone from the Russian region of) Yakutia?”
Dashkov showed the AP a photo of the email that officials at Mosgortrans were said to have sent out. He also showed three photos of on-bus electronic displays reading, “If Chinese nationals are discovered in the carriage, inform the dispatcher.”
The AP was unable to independently verify the authenticity of the email and the photos. Dashkov shared screenshots of what appeared to be a genuine bus drivers’ group chat in WhatsApp.
While Moscow public transit operator Mosgortrans dismissed the email as phony on its official Twitter account Wednesday, the company told the AP in a statement two days later that it does “conduct monitoring” and “sends data to the medics when necessary.”
Mosgortrans referred additional questions to the detailed statement from Moscow’s mayor, who on Friday acknowledged the sharp focus on Chinese people in the city’s virus-control plan.
Officials ordered everyone arriving from China to isolate themselves for two weeks, and those who skip the quarantine step will be identified through video surveillance and facial recognition technology, Sobyanin said. The systems give authorities the ability to “constantly control compliance with the protocol,” he said in the statement.
The mayor’s office did not respond to a request for comment on the city’s containment approach and the accusation that it’s discriminatory. But rights activist Popova insists the facial recognition program is unlawful whether the searches are seeking Russian or Chinese faces.
“We have a constitutional right to privacy, and citizens of (other countries) have it according to foreign and international legal norms,” she said.
Temnikova from the Moscow Metro rejected accusations of racial profiling. Subway workers “mainly look at the passenger’s (health) condition,” she said, and approach “people who need help.”
Addressing identification questions like the ones that worried the bus drivers, Temnikova said it should be “clear who could have arrived from China” because “it is obvious.”
The Cossacks of Yekaterinburg - men in conservative, often pro-Kremlin groups claiming to be successors of the proud guards who policed the Russian Empire’s frontiers - took fighting the virus into their own hands three weeks ago. They also have a system of sorts for deciding who needs a face mask and advice to see a medical professional.
“Mainly (we approach) people from China because it is from them that the coronavirus came. They are the main source,” Igor Gorbunov, elder of the Ural Volunteer Cossack Corps, told the AP during one such patrol Friday.
“But not only them,” Gorbunov continued. “There are different nationalities, there are many people of Asian appearance, and they seem to be vulnerable to this disease, the coronavirus, because it is them who are most often affected. Europeans are not yet affected much.”
Buddy Booth
kiwifarms.net
- Joined
- Dec 18, 2019
Yeah, the thing to keep in mind about Italy is that the north generally resembles a functioning country. The south is basically Africa.
- Joined
- Jun 14, 2018
Looks like the god of Marxist-Leninism couldn't save China from the wrath of Tian Shangdi and the love of Nurgle.
737 MAX Stan Account
kiwifarms.net
- Joined
- Jan 19, 2020
Now that I think about it, it's been awhile since I've seen one of those "Pure Michigan" commercials.
- Joined
- Feb 12, 2013
The headline made me think for a moment that Russian cops were aggressively spraying every chinese person they saw with giant cans of Raid
Would probably be more effective than the fucking magical kitchen waste the chinks are spraying everything with
- Joined
- Jul 15, 2016
I can help with this. Just in time, is a corner stone of the "TOYOYA PRODUCTION SYSTEM" or TPS. I used to live near the toyota head quarters. Anyway the idea is that having stock on hand is a cost you have to warehouse it maintain it, rotate it. But worse of all you can use stock to hide things. Nips are Alot better than chinks but understand that they will LIE to save face something like crazy. Lets say for example you get a defective part, you stop the line. So now everyone has to see why the line was stopped this put pressure on people to NOT PASS ISSUE UP THE LINE.
In detroit the philosophy was to always keep the line moving dont stop it. So if a defective park comes in you throw it into the reject bin and grab another. keep it moving. fix it later and then you get people running around removing parts to fix cars. when it alot easier to fix shit when you dont have the car fully put together
The great issue with Just in time no stock etc is that you can not handle supply chain shocks. Also its been over 10 years now but toyota back away from china even when i was around them. back then.
you can learn more about TPS from this dude
Taiichi Ohno - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org
I read his book a decade ago and it makes alot of sense.
AgateCameo
kiwifarms.net
- Joined
- Feb 8, 2018
Canada is fucked now.
Passenger aboard Air Canada flight to Vancouver from Montreal tests positive for COVID-19
Air Canada has confirmed that a passenger aboard one of its flights from Montreal to Vancouver on Valentine's Day has tested positive for the novel coronavirus, COVID-19.
The airline said health authorities confirmed the case on Feb. 22, more than a week after the flight. Air Canada says it's working with public health authorities and has taken "all recommended measures."
The Montreal Airport Authority told CBC News that it had not been informed about the case by either Air Canada or B.C. public health authorities, but it also wouldn't expect to hear if they did not feel it was necessary at this stage.
The plane departed from Pierre Elliott Trudeau Airport. The airport said it doesn't know how long the passenger may have been in the airport.
Passenger aboard Air Canada flight to Vancouver from Montreal tests positive for COVID-19
Air Canada has confirmed that a passenger aboard one of its flights from Montreal to Vancouver on Valentine's Day has tested positive for the novel coronavirus, COVID-19.
The airline said health authorities confirmed the case on Feb. 22, more than a week after the flight. Air Canada says it's working with public health authorities and has taken "all recommended measures."
The Montreal Airport Authority told CBC News that it had not been informed about the case by either Air Canada or B.C. public health authorities, but it also wouldn't expect to hear if they did not feel it was necessary at this stage.
The plane departed from Pierre Elliott Trudeau Airport. The airport said it doesn't know how long the passenger may have been in the airport.
- Joined
- Jul 18, 2017
Was it ever in doubt that if it made it to North America it would be via Canada?
737 MAX Stan Account
kiwifarms.net
- Joined
- Jan 19, 2020
Best case scenario: You won't need to speak mandarin in order to live in Vancouver, and super best case scenario: you might be able to afford property there.
- Joined
- Jul 10, 2017
Oh Fuck no, no doubt whatsoever
Dear Canukistani friends. Your short bus riding black faced underwear model PM has really good and fucked you all this time.
- Joined
- Aug 29, 2018
Found this French language article that said the passenger was en route from Iran.
This is bad. Because of it's location with Canada's bilingual belt, Montreal with 4 million people has four universities, 2 English (McGill and Concordia) and 2 French (Université de Montréal and Université du Québec à Montréal), with more French universities in the suburbs. There are 4.38 students per 100 people, almost the same as Boston. And of couse, there are a lot of International students, particularly from China and Iran, along with large communities of people from those cities. Note that this weak is Spring Break for Concordia and McGill will go on Spring Break the weak after, so there will students with nothing to do by go party with each other and travel to holiday or their home country, if they can (I don't think the Iranians and Chinese are going to be doing that) ... I think an "Italian surprise" for Montreal, Ottawa and possibly Kingston or even Toronto is not out of the question.
- Joined
- Jan 22, 2018
>You see, their morals, their code, it's a bad joke. Dropped at the first sign of trouble. They're only as good as the world allows them to be. I'll show you. When the chips are down, these... these civilized people, they'll eat each other. See, I'm not a monster. I'm just ahead of the curve.
- Joined
- Jan 9, 2020
Add me to the list of paranoid autists, for I have just caught up on the entire thread. Apparently I need to avoid all the international students at uni, not just the slants. There are more Arab international students here than Chinese, anyway.
I also just remembered that my professor had talked about coming back from visiting family (somewhere in China) over the break, well before the travel ban had been implemented...
Autistic overthinking aside, I found this article regarding possible school and business foreclosures--even if the US government were to try to implement this, would privately funded universities be subject to the command, as well? I'm not a law-savvy Kiwi by any means.
www.reuters.com
I also just remembered that my professor had talked about coming back from visiting family (somewhere in China) over the break, well before the travel ban had been implemented...
Autistic overthinking aside, I found this article regarding possible school and business foreclosures--even if the US government were to try to implement this, would privately funded universities be subject to the command, as well? I'm not a law-savvy Kiwi by any means.
U.S. prepares for coronavirus pandemic, school and business closures: health officials
U.S. health officials on Friday said they are preparing for the possibility of t...
(Reuters) - U.S. health officials on Friday said they are preparing for the possibility of the spread of the new coronavirus through U.S. communities that would force closures of schools and businesses.
The United States has yet to see community spread of the virus that emerged in central China in late December. But health authorities are preparing medical personnel for the risk, Nancy Messonnier, an official with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) told reporters on a conference call.
In coming weeks, if the virus begins to spread through U.S. communities, health authorities want to be ready to adopt school and business closures like those undertaken in Asian countries to contain the disease, Messonnier said.
“We’re not seeing community spread here in the United States yet, but it’s very possible, even likely, that it may eventually happen,” Messonnier said.
“Our goal continues to be to slow the introduction of the virus into the U.S. This buys us more time to prepare communities for more cases and possibly sustained spread.”
The CDC is taking steps to ensure frontline U.S. healthcare workers have supplies they need, she added, by working with businesses, hospitals, pharmacies and provisions manufacturers and distributors on what they can do to get ready.
The World Health Organization has warned that the window of opportunity to contain the international spread of the epidemic that has killed more than 2,200 people was closing, as the virus has spread to some 26 countries with a large cluster in South Korea and recent outbreaks in Iran, Lebanon and Italy
“If we do well, we can avert any serious crisis, but if we squander the opportunity then we will have a serious problem on our hands,” WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in Geneva.
The United States currently has 13 cases of people diagnosed with the virus within the country and 21 cases among Americans repatriated on evacuation flights from Wuhan, China, and from the Diamond Princess cruise ship in Japan, CDC said.
Of 329 Americans evacuated from the cruise ship, 18 tested positive for the virus. Eleven of them are at University of Nebraska Medical Center, five are in medical facilities near Travis Air Force Base in California and two are near Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas.
The United States has yet to see community spread of the virus that emerged in central China in late December. But health authorities are preparing medical personnel for the risk, Nancy Messonnier, an official with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) told reporters on a conference call.
In coming weeks, if the virus begins to spread through U.S. communities, health authorities want to be ready to adopt school and business closures like those undertaken in Asian countries to contain the disease, Messonnier said.
“We’re not seeing community spread here in the United States yet, but it’s very possible, even likely, that it may eventually happen,” Messonnier said.
“Our goal continues to be to slow the introduction of the virus into the U.S. This buys us more time to prepare communities for more cases and possibly sustained spread.”
The CDC is taking steps to ensure frontline U.S. healthcare workers have supplies they need, she added, by working with businesses, hospitals, pharmacies and provisions manufacturers and distributors on what they can do to get ready.
The World Health Organization has warned that the window of opportunity to contain the international spread of the epidemic that has killed more than 2,200 people was closing, as the virus has spread to some 26 countries with a large cluster in South Korea and recent outbreaks in Iran, Lebanon and Italy
“If we do well, we can avert any serious crisis, but if we squander the opportunity then we will have a serious problem on our hands,” WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in Geneva.
The United States currently has 13 cases of people diagnosed with the virus within the country and 21 cases among Americans repatriated on evacuation flights from Wuhan, China, and from the Diamond Princess cruise ship in Japan, CDC said.
Of 329 Americans evacuated from the cruise ship, 18 tested positive for the virus. Eleven of them are at University of Nebraska Medical Center, five are in medical facilities near Travis Air Force Base in California and two are near Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas.
- Joined
- Dec 17, 2019
Boston Mayor Urges Sony to Reconsider PAX East Absence Over Coronavirus, Says it Plays Into 'Harmful Stereotypes'
Only one Boston resident has been confirmed to have the disease.
By Joseph Knoop
Updated: 23 Feb 2020 2:56 pm
Posted: 23 Feb 2020 1:57 pm
It’s been less than a week since PlayStation announced it won’t be attending PAX East in Boston due to “increasing concerns” over COVID-19, otherwise known as the novel coronavirus. Now, the mayor of Boston has reached out to Sony to appeal to the company, urging them to make a decision based on “facts, not fear,” and urging PlayStation to not play into “harmful stereotypes” about Chinese people.
According to WCVB (via Eurogamer), Boston Mayor Marty Walsh has sent a letter to PlayStation CEO Kenichiro Yoshida, saying to the gaming company president that the risk of individuals contracting the COVID-19 in Boston and Massachusetts remains extremely low. Walsh also stated in the letter that anti-Chinese and anti-Asian sentiment and misinformation have played a role in the increasing fear of the COVID-19 in the United States.
"These fears reinforce harmful stereotypes that generations of Asians have worked hard to dismantle," reads Walsh's letter. "They trigger our worst impulses: to view entire groups of people with suspicion, to close ourselves off, and to miss out on the opportunities and connections our global city provides. Boston is united in our efforts to dispel these harmful and misguided fears."
Walsh specifically urged PlayStation to play a role in pushing back against these fears.
"As a large, international company, you have an opportunity to set a good example," Walsh wrote. "As a leader in technology, you can show that you are motivated by facts, not fear. As a leader in gaming and culture, you can show that you believe in connection, not isolation."
So far, only one Boston resident has been confirmed to have contracted COVID-19. That resident, a man in his 20s who attends the University of Massachusetts and returned from recent trip to Wuhan, the Chinese city at the center of the outbreak, has since been kept in isolation in his home where he is currently recovering.
Since COVID-19 appeared in Boston, Walsh has started a social media campaign focused on easing the fears of the city’s Chinatown’s business.
PlayStation has yet to publicly respond to Walsh’s letter.
An increase in racist comments and attacks has been linked to increasing fear over COVID-19. A viral video recorded recently shows a man on an LA subway train ranting at an Asian woman, saying “every disease has ever came from China.” Similarly, another video recorded at a Super 8 in Plymouth, Indiana shows a man denying a room to two Hmong men over a similar fear. Other video footage shows a man attacking an Asian woman seemingly for wearing a face mask, a common accessory in Asian communities long before COVID-19 arose.
As of February 23, COVID-19 has killed approximately 2,442 people in China’s mainland, with a total of 76,936 reported infections, according to Aljazeera. According to CNN, United States health officials have confirmed 35 cases of COVID-19 in the country. The highest concentration of individuals with COVID-19 appears to be in California, with a confirmed eight cases.
PlayStation and Facebook (which owns the Oculus VR brand) similarly also pulled out of the 2020 Game Developers Conference, which is hosted in San Francisco’s downtown district from March 16 to March 20, citing the same concerns over the coronavirus.
“We have made the difficult decision to cancel our participation in Game Developers Conference due to increasing concerns related to COVID-19… We felt this was the best option as the situation related to the virus and global travel restrictions are changing daily," Sony said in a statement. "We are disappointed to cancel our participation, but the health and safety of our global workforce is our highest concern. We look forward to participating in GDC in the future.”
PlayStation not attending PAX East also means that a previously planned demo of The Last of Us Part II will not be available for the public.
The outbreak of COVID-19 has interrupted other gaming events as well. The Overwatch development team has announced it will temporarily relocate its Chinese teams to South Korea, and Nintendo confirmed the outbreak will impact Animal Crossing: New Horizons shipments in Japan.
Joseph Knoop is a writer/producer for IGN.
---
Looks like the mayor wants Boston to become the next Wuhan, all in the name of anti-racism. Madness.
Marty boy is out of his god damn mind. I already decided not to go to PAX East this year even though I live in MA, but like hell do I want to take my chances considering the sizable Chinese diaspora in Boston alone. There's no telling how many might have been to the mainland during the New Year.
"Harmful Stereotypes" my ass. It's to prevent potential Typhoid Mary happening in my neck of the woods, so GTFO with that sanctimony. Viruses tend to *not discriminate* whom they kill.
- Joined
- May 19, 2019
When i see and hear bullshit like that sometimes i feel this outbreak was the best thing that could happen, ( in terms of opening people's eyes about the fact china is just the slave market of all our leftists billionnaires and how corrupt they are) as horrible as it sound, these ultra rich idiots need to realise that their money and asia pandering isn't going to save them, hope there are archive of all the blatant dick sucking when we need to remember who's responsible for the spread of this after the dust settles.
- Joined
- Aug 29, 2018
Article on the real disease, xenophobia.
XENOPHOBIA AND COVID-19
February 20, 2020
by Hugh Shirley
On January 30, the WHO declared the emerging coronavirus epidemic in China as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC). On February 11, the disease was officially designated COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019), and the virus was designated SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome virus 2) as a result of its similarities to the original SARS virus identified in 2003. As of February 19, China’s National Health Commission has reported 74,576 cases nationwide, the majority of which have centered around the city of Wuhan, and the WHO has reported 924 cases outside of China.
The epidemic has dominated headlines and captured international attention in recent weeks. This is, in part, because in our globalized world, an outbreak in one country is just a plane flight away from anywhere on the planet. Issues of sensationalized reporting and “fake news” can create challenges for credible health authorities trying to deliver accurate information to the public. Xenophobia is the fear and dislike of outsiders or strangers—including those of different nationalities, races or ethnicities, religions, or societies—and it can be exacerbated by the spread of misinformation and miscommunication about infectious diseases. COVID-19 is the latest in a long line of infectious diseases that have been used by some to justify discrimination and xenophobia under the guise of protecting the public’s health.
HISTORICAL EXAMPLES
Xenophobia can rear its head during outbreaks, particularly for poorly understood or novel diseases. This disease-related racism has manifested in profound ways across history. The emergence of syphilis, the 2009 H1N1 influenza pandemic, and the 2013-16 West Africa Ebola epidemic are three examples of international disease outbreaks that sparked fear and discrimination.
The exact origin of syphilis is still debated, but when it began widely circulating in Europe and Asia in the 1500s, many countries blamed their more promiscuous neighbors for the disease. A popular origin story at the time was that an encounter between a Spanish sex worker and an individual suffering from leprosy was responsible for the disease’s creation. In 1492, Spain expelled its Jewish population, numbering in the thousands, and many of them traveled to Rome, where a syphilis outbreak killed 30,000 people. The Jewish immigrants were blamed for the outbreak, which led to further persecution.
In 2009, a novel strain of H1N1 influenza resulted in a pandemic. Although it was unofficially referred to as “Swine Flu”—a name derived from its similarity to influenza strains that circulate in pigs—this name failed to capture the full picture. The virus contained a mix of genes from both pig and bird influenza strains, but the name Swine Flu stuck. In April 2009, Egypt’s government justified the culling of 300,000 pigs over concerns about H1N1, despite the fact that no cases had been identified in the country and that the virus had not actually been found in pigs. Egypt’s majority Muslim population does not consume pork, and the pigs were principally raised by the country’s minority Christian population, leading some to condemn the effort as discriminatory. Additionally, because some early cases of H1N1 were reported in the vicinity of Mexican pig farms, individuals of Mexican and other Latin American descent were stigmatized and blamed for the emergence and spread of the virus.
The 2013-16 West Africa Ebola epidemic brought the filovirus to an international and popular media stage. The epidemic demonstrated what happens when fear and the unknown allow misinformation to pervade public discourse. When Eric Duncan, a Liberian man, was diagnosed with Ebola in Dallas, Texas, rhetoric stigmatizing Africans and African-Americans quickly followed. According to Robin Wright, a fellow at the Woodrow Wilson International Center, Ebola recast Africa as the “Dark Continent” in many people’s minds. This stigmatization resulted in numerous instances of sweeping generalizations about Africa broadly and those of African descent, which highlight how xenophobic responses to epidemics can impact livelihoods and opportunities for even those who have no association with infected individuals or even affected countries. For example, students from Nigeria were denied entrance to a US school, despite the country being declared Ebola-free at the time, and some parents pulled their children from class over fears about a principal’s trip to Zambia, a country unaffected by the epidemic. Fears of Ebola reignited prejudice and xenophobia against Africans and those of African descent around the US.
NAMING INFECTIOUS DISEASES
Even the name of a disease has the potential to incite and circulate xenophobia. Historically, many viruses were named after locations or people associated with the disease. For example, Zika virus and Ebola virus are named after the areas where they were initially discovered. And Legionnaires’ disease received its name because it was first identified in attendees at an American Legion convention. Over the years, it has been observed that naming pathogens and diseases after specific locations or people can result in stigma and discrimination against associated populations, and naming conventions have changed to focus on characteristics of the pathogen or disease. In an early example of this recognition, a hantavirus initially named Muerto Canyon virus and then Four Corners virus, after the area in the American Southwest where it was discovered, was eventually renamed Sin Nombre virus (ie, the virus without a name) after the Navajo Nation and local communities called attention to the stigma and discrimination associated with the original names.
Before the official names were announced, both the disease and virus associated with the novel coronavirus epidemic were generally referred to in an official capacity as 2019-nCoV. Social and traditional media, however, utilized other names—including popular hashtags like #WuhanFlu, #WuhanPneumonia, and #WuFlu—to describe the growing outbreak. While these names are catchy, they can have harmful side effects. These terms called undue attention to and stigma against the city of Wuhan and individuals of Chinese descent. In addition to violating the WHO’s naming conventions by referencing a specific place, the term “Wuhan Flu” also incorrectly refers to the pathogen as influenza, which it is not. The WHO and the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses worked to identify disease and virus names (COVID-19 and SARS-CoV-2, respectively) that adhered to the current standards and avoided stigmatizing the victims or associated populations. Having a pronounceable, non-inflammatory name is an important way to combat misinformation and xenophobia in the midst of an outbreak and facilitate effective communication about the pathogen, disease, and outbreak.
XENOPHOBIA AND COVID-19
There are numerous examples of anti-Chinese rhetoric linked to COVID-19. For example, when a Chinese man suffered a heart attack in Sydney, Australia, passers-by reportedly kept their distance for fear of catching COVID-19, and the man ultimately died. As an Asian man, he fit the mass media description of a COVID-19 case. In this example, xenophobia likely manifested as a behavioral change that was informed not by logic, but by stereotyping and sensationalized reporting. The potential for xenophobia to cause harm underscores the necessity of accurate reporting and trust in public health authorities.
Other recent instances of xenophobia include a social media post by a University of California Berkeley account that suggested that xenophobia was a normal response to COVID-19. The university apologized and withdrew the infographic in response to criticism about the post. Additionally, Japanese tourists in Bolivia were detained at a hospital over fears of COVID-19, even though none exhibited any symptoms of the disease or had recent travel to China. In Canada, people have reported racial discrimination at work, distrust on public transit, and at school as individuals of Asian descent are singled out and discriminated against over concerns about COVID-19. An Asian-American teenager was allegedly bullied and assaulted in Los Angeles over fears surrounding COVID-19. There are numerous reports of sharp declines in business at Chinese restaurants and stores in cities across the US, particularly in Chinatown neighborhoods. In San Francisco, city and festival officials received public opposition to their decision to hold the Lunar New Year parade, and the economic disruption has prompted some local governments to implement campaigns to reassure the public and help entice customers to return.
Xenophobia may have also influenced national response measures to the epidemic. Officials in multiple countries have implemented policies that restrict travel to or from China, despite the WHO recommending against the usage and implementation of travel restrictions. One recent commentary published in The Lancet noted that “travel restrictions...stigmatise entire populations, and disproportionately harm the most vulnerable among us.” An article recently published by researchers from Johns Hopkins University and Washington University found limited-to-no evidence that travel bans successfully halted the spread of recent infectious disease outbreaks, such as Zika and SARS. Dr. Jennifer Nuzzo, Director of Outbreak Observatory, also testified at a recent Congressional hearing that travel bans have limited efficacy, especially for an epidemic the size of COVID-19. The Lancet article above also cites delays to supply shipments and international response activities as consequences of travel restrictions.
CONCLUSION
Xenophobia is a threat to public health control measures. COVID-19 has been used to justify anti-Chinese and anti-Asian rhetoric and actions as a means of protecting the public’s health. To combat and mitigate the risk of xenophobic behavior, public health officials and journalists should use care when discussing the epidemic, utilizing terminology that accurately characterizes the pathogen and disease. Communication should focus on the outbreak and the disease rather than associating a specific place or people with the outbreak. While it may be tempting to use sensational language or catchy taglines to boost readership, neutral and factual terminology is best. Utilizing the pathogen’s and disease’s official names will be more informative for readers and allow them to focus on the facts rather than frightening narratives. Xenophobia can compound the already difficult public health challenge of combating and emerging epidemic by contributing to misinformation and harmful policies, such as travel restrictions. The WHO has worked to fight xenophobia in infectious disease outbreaks through naming guidelines and policy recommendations. Government officials, subject matter experts, and the media must be mindful of the threat of xenophobia in the context of COVID-19 and future outbreaks in order to reduce discrimination and harm against people associated with the disease.
The Center for Health Security has published guidance for policymakers to help mitigate the risk of stigma and xenophobia in the context of the ongoing COVID-19 epidemic.
Outbreak Observatory aims to collect information on challenges and solutions associated with outbreak response and share it broadly to allow others to learn from these experiences in order to improve global outbreak response capabilities.
The FAQ is interesting with such helpful advise, such as:
Looks like they got the support of one e-cleb (of sorts):
XENOPHOBIA AND COVID-19
February 20, 2020
by Hugh Shirley
On January 30, the WHO declared the emerging coronavirus epidemic in China as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC). On February 11, the disease was officially designated COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019), and the virus was designated SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome virus 2) as a result of its similarities to the original SARS virus identified in 2003. As of February 19, China’s National Health Commission has reported 74,576 cases nationwide, the majority of which have centered around the city of Wuhan, and the WHO has reported 924 cases outside of China.
The epidemic has dominated headlines and captured international attention in recent weeks. This is, in part, because in our globalized world, an outbreak in one country is just a plane flight away from anywhere on the planet. Issues of sensationalized reporting and “fake news” can create challenges for credible health authorities trying to deliver accurate information to the public. Xenophobia is the fear and dislike of outsiders or strangers—including those of different nationalities, races or ethnicities, religions, or societies—and it can be exacerbated by the spread of misinformation and miscommunication about infectious diseases. COVID-19 is the latest in a long line of infectious diseases that have been used by some to justify discrimination and xenophobia under the guise of protecting the public’s health.
HISTORICAL EXAMPLES
Xenophobia can rear its head during outbreaks, particularly for poorly understood or novel diseases. This disease-related racism has manifested in profound ways across history. The emergence of syphilis, the 2009 H1N1 influenza pandemic, and the 2013-16 West Africa Ebola epidemic are three examples of international disease outbreaks that sparked fear and discrimination.
The exact origin of syphilis is still debated, but when it began widely circulating in Europe and Asia in the 1500s, many countries blamed their more promiscuous neighbors for the disease. A popular origin story at the time was that an encounter between a Spanish sex worker and an individual suffering from leprosy was responsible for the disease’s creation. In 1492, Spain expelled its Jewish population, numbering in the thousands, and many of them traveled to Rome, where a syphilis outbreak killed 30,000 people. The Jewish immigrants were blamed for the outbreak, which led to further persecution.
In 2009, a novel strain of H1N1 influenza resulted in a pandemic. Although it was unofficially referred to as “Swine Flu”—a name derived from its similarity to influenza strains that circulate in pigs—this name failed to capture the full picture. The virus contained a mix of genes from both pig and bird influenza strains, but the name Swine Flu stuck. In April 2009, Egypt’s government justified the culling of 300,000 pigs over concerns about H1N1, despite the fact that no cases had been identified in the country and that the virus had not actually been found in pigs. Egypt’s majority Muslim population does not consume pork, and the pigs were principally raised by the country’s minority Christian population, leading some to condemn the effort as discriminatory. Additionally, because some early cases of H1N1 were reported in the vicinity of Mexican pig farms, individuals of Mexican and other Latin American descent were stigmatized and blamed for the emergence and spread of the virus.
The 2013-16 West Africa Ebola epidemic brought the filovirus to an international and popular media stage. The epidemic demonstrated what happens when fear and the unknown allow misinformation to pervade public discourse. When Eric Duncan, a Liberian man, was diagnosed with Ebola in Dallas, Texas, rhetoric stigmatizing Africans and African-Americans quickly followed. According to Robin Wright, a fellow at the Woodrow Wilson International Center, Ebola recast Africa as the “Dark Continent” in many people’s minds. This stigmatization resulted in numerous instances of sweeping generalizations about Africa broadly and those of African descent, which highlight how xenophobic responses to epidemics can impact livelihoods and opportunities for even those who have no association with infected individuals or even affected countries. For example, students from Nigeria were denied entrance to a US school, despite the country being declared Ebola-free at the time, and some parents pulled their children from class over fears about a principal’s trip to Zambia, a country unaffected by the epidemic. Fears of Ebola reignited prejudice and xenophobia against Africans and those of African descent around the US.
NAMING INFECTIOUS DISEASES
Even the name of a disease has the potential to incite and circulate xenophobia. Historically, many viruses were named after locations or people associated with the disease. For example, Zika virus and Ebola virus are named after the areas where they were initially discovered. And Legionnaires’ disease received its name because it was first identified in attendees at an American Legion convention. Over the years, it has been observed that naming pathogens and diseases after specific locations or people can result in stigma and discrimination against associated populations, and naming conventions have changed to focus on characteristics of the pathogen or disease. In an early example of this recognition, a hantavirus initially named Muerto Canyon virus and then Four Corners virus, after the area in the American Southwest where it was discovered, was eventually renamed Sin Nombre virus (ie, the virus without a name) after the Navajo Nation and local communities called attention to the stigma and discrimination associated with the original names.
Before the official names were announced, both the disease and virus associated with the novel coronavirus epidemic were generally referred to in an official capacity as 2019-nCoV. Social and traditional media, however, utilized other names—including popular hashtags like #WuhanFlu, #WuhanPneumonia, and #WuFlu—to describe the growing outbreak. While these names are catchy, they can have harmful side effects. These terms called undue attention to and stigma against the city of Wuhan and individuals of Chinese descent. In addition to violating the WHO’s naming conventions by referencing a specific place, the term “Wuhan Flu” also incorrectly refers to the pathogen as influenza, which it is not. The WHO and the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses worked to identify disease and virus names (COVID-19 and SARS-CoV-2, respectively) that adhered to the current standards and avoided stigmatizing the victims or associated populations. Having a pronounceable, non-inflammatory name is an important way to combat misinformation and xenophobia in the midst of an outbreak and facilitate effective communication about the pathogen, disease, and outbreak.
XENOPHOBIA AND COVID-19
There are numerous examples of anti-Chinese rhetoric linked to COVID-19. For example, when a Chinese man suffered a heart attack in Sydney, Australia, passers-by reportedly kept their distance for fear of catching COVID-19, and the man ultimately died. As an Asian man, he fit the mass media description of a COVID-19 case. In this example, xenophobia likely manifested as a behavioral change that was informed not by logic, but by stereotyping and sensationalized reporting. The potential for xenophobia to cause harm underscores the necessity of accurate reporting and trust in public health authorities.
Other recent instances of xenophobia include a social media post by a University of California Berkeley account that suggested that xenophobia was a normal response to COVID-19. The university apologized and withdrew the infographic in response to criticism about the post. Additionally, Japanese tourists in Bolivia were detained at a hospital over fears of COVID-19, even though none exhibited any symptoms of the disease or had recent travel to China. In Canada, people have reported racial discrimination at work, distrust on public transit, and at school as individuals of Asian descent are singled out and discriminated against over concerns about COVID-19. An Asian-American teenager was allegedly bullied and assaulted in Los Angeles over fears surrounding COVID-19. There are numerous reports of sharp declines in business at Chinese restaurants and stores in cities across the US, particularly in Chinatown neighborhoods. In San Francisco, city and festival officials received public opposition to their decision to hold the Lunar New Year parade, and the economic disruption has prompted some local governments to implement campaigns to reassure the public and help entice customers to return.
Xenophobia may have also influenced national response measures to the epidemic. Officials in multiple countries have implemented policies that restrict travel to or from China, despite the WHO recommending against the usage and implementation of travel restrictions. One recent commentary published in The Lancet noted that “travel restrictions...stigmatise entire populations, and disproportionately harm the most vulnerable among us.” An article recently published by researchers from Johns Hopkins University and Washington University found limited-to-no evidence that travel bans successfully halted the spread of recent infectious disease outbreaks, such as Zika and SARS. Dr. Jennifer Nuzzo, Director of Outbreak Observatory, also testified at a recent Congressional hearing that travel bans have limited efficacy, especially for an epidemic the size of COVID-19. The Lancet article above also cites delays to supply shipments and international response activities as consequences of travel restrictions.
CONCLUSION
Xenophobia is a threat to public health control measures. COVID-19 has been used to justify anti-Chinese and anti-Asian rhetoric and actions as a means of protecting the public’s health. To combat and mitigate the risk of xenophobic behavior, public health officials and journalists should use care when discussing the epidemic, utilizing terminology that accurately characterizes the pathogen and disease. Communication should focus on the outbreak and the disease rather than associating a specific place or people with the outbreak. While it may be tempting to use sensational language or catchy taglines to boost readership, neutral and factual terminology is best. Utilizing the pathogen’s and disease’s official names will be more informative for readers and allow them to focus on the facts rather than frightening narratives. Xenophobia can compound the already difficult public health challenge of combating and emerging epidemic by contributing to misinformation and harmful policies, such as travel restrictions. The WHO has worked to fight xenophobia in infectious disease outbreaks through naming guidelines and policy recommendations. Government officials, subject matter experts, and the media must be mindful of the threat of xenophobia in the context of COVID-19 and future outbreaks in order to reduce discrimination and harm against people associated with the disease.
The Center for Health Security has published guidance for policymakers to help mitigate the risk of stigma and xenophobia in the context of the ongoing COVID-19 epidemic.
Outbreak Observatory aims to collect information on challenges and solutions associated with outbreak response and share it broadly to allow others to learn from these experiences in order to improve global outbreak response capabilities.
The FAQ is interesting with such helpful advise, such as:
Looks like they got the support of one e-cleb (of sorts):
- Joined
- Sep 19, 2018
The archives won't help as all the archive sites are slowly being bought out in advance of the 2020 election.
- Joined
- Dec 25, 2017
My prediction and bet is that it won't spread to Southern Italy. Or Eastern Europe.
- Joined
- Oct 9, 2019
I have yet to get up to date today so I'll probably be adding some more later. But I wanted to inform you of a situation I forgot would arise this year. I think we're REALLY gonna know if europe's got this contained or not in a few weeks. The Carnaval of Cadiz might be a real stress test this year. So slight power level. I'm from Cadiz. And while I migrated, much like practically every single classmate I had, I'm back home for Carnaval. Much like every single classmate I had… I think you can see where this is going but I'll leave a nationalistic rant in spoilers just to explain this situation:
Also, maybe we get a round two, so... here's another funny thing that'll happen soon enough.
Cadiz is a broken town. You might've heard of it from back when it was Spain's biggest port. And its culture as a result has always been quite unique. Hell, spain has always been a decentralized state, each region has its reasons to be proud and its traditions to bear. Cadiz has always been a town of merchants and sailors, a great place of culture, of stories, even before the romans it was cadiz the Phoenicians used as a base to trade with the rest of the Iberians and it has not changed, not for a single second… But.
After the discovery of america the major port was moved to seville due to a very bullshity bit of feudalistic corruption, it really shouldn't have, but that's when shit started going down for cadiz. It lost a lot of income, people started migrating… Then the brits barricaded our port and that just broke most things but Cadiz held strong and proud… And then Napoleon happened.
Cadiz's most proud moment was that it is the natal place of La Pepa, the first spanish constitution. You see, the reason the brits closed our port was because while the trade had been moved to seville Cadiz still had the best damned port and as such was the base for the spanish fleet, and after Trafalgar they did not want to know what our engineers could cook up next. They also stuck some french boats there just to fuck with them. The boats were fine doing commerce with the town and shit, but then Napoleon had to go and try to conquer spain. And he did, all but one little coastal town in its southernmost point. See, when the Gaditanos heard Napoleon was coming down, they decided something had to be done about his little fleet over here. And they were damned clever to do so as indeed after the siege of Madrid started the Napoleonic army essentially raced south as fast as they could hoping to use the cannons and food on said boats as reinforcements on Madrid. And as the troops ran across the fields the peasants decided to race against the clock. Now this was no easy feat, the french were well armed, well fed, disciplined soldiers with boats designed to siege towns like theirs and the town was in disrepair, and had lost most of its weapons to the brits. So... They built wooden replicas of the cannons. And placed them amongst the real weapons all over the bay, only even giving ammo to half of the real cannons because they didn't even have that, raised the chain to officialy close the bay, and sent a message to the french: surrender or die. You might think this was a really stupid idea as if the french were to see through this fairly blatant rouse they could raze the entire town. But they were french so of course they raised the white flag before you can say "baguette." And so once Napoleon's generals got to the town they found their cannons had been placed all over the walls alongside a bunch of very angry craftsmen that were currently throwing chairs at them. So Cadiz resisted, even once Madrid fell and Napo's bro was declared king of spain Cadiz just made a spanish constitution and declared him a tyrant just to fuck with the bastard. This is my hometown's legacy. We really never had any fucks left to give.
But enough about history. Let's focus on history! Where am I getting with this? Let's talk about Carnaval. Cadiz's Carnaval is quite unique. Sure it has its songs and dances and shit. But… It's not about that. It's about making fun of everyone and everything. All throughout history no matter who has been in charge of spain the Gaditanos have mocked him relentlessly on our little week of pissing people off. If you know Spanish stereotypes you know the 3 things everyone will tell you about the Gaditanos is we speak too much, make jokes all the time and use weird expressions. And Carnaval is the condensed version of this. We're spain's fools and most citizens of the town take damned pride in preparing all year for this one week where they'll show off their act.
This is important because… Well. The town's almost dead now. Sure Seville's backstab started this downturn but Franco finished it. The civil war didn't wreck the city that much but after Franco closed spain off to everyone the town that once lived off of trade and boatbuilding now… well… didn't have any trade or boats to build. As you can imagine. Shit went south fast. The town's impoverished, most people living there are vacationing retirees at this point. Almost all young people migrate to all over europe, and we get jobs quick too, we're still a studious bunch who loves their information, be it old tales or current science, hell I'm mentaly retarded and even I am a total nerd by most country's standards. As for those who don't, they have very low paying jobs, only the docks and the tourist industry are even worth anything. In all ways but one, we've failed.
But that one way is important. It's carnaval. And every damned year workers and students from all over europe come back home for one damned week, because our Carnaval wasn't canceled when the brits attacked, our Carnaval wasn't canceled when the town was literally all that was left of spain and they had nothing but bread and old, preserved fruit to eat, our Carnaval wasn't canceled when the Spanish Flu ravaged the world, our Carnaval wasn't canceled when the black death reaped through europe, our Carnaval couldn't be canceled despite Franco's best efforts to stomp on anyone who mocked him and even when the Civil War tore the damned country in half and our grandparents were imprisoned by both sides and sent to penal squads to build trenches under heavy artilley bombardment they were singing Chirigotas for that damned week in their cells. And I'll be damned I say if I let China's Waifu keep me from coming home for Carnaval and even though I'm a bit of a germophobe even I will be giving every man I meet the tightest bear hug possible and every woman a kiss on each cheek because we make even the Italians think we're too touchy but we just don't give a fuck. Not on the last week of february, not on Carnaval. So I guess if I find any news I'll be posting them. And if I get any symptoms I'll inform. Hell if I see any chirigotas making jokes about Corona you'll be sure to get the video though I doubt it because as I said most groups prepare all year long, it's typically more of a yearly parody recap than an up-to-date thing, that's why it's so damned good. But as you can imagine... if Corona-chan decides to give us a lapdance, we're fucked. I already made plans to self quarantine for a month when I return. But as scared as I am right now. This is about more than mere pride. Cadiz has nothing left but old tales and Carnaval. The day we give up on this one is the day the town dies. And even a doomer like me thinks it's a town worth reviving.
After the discovery of america the major port was moved to seville due to a very bullshity bit of feudalistic corruption, it really shouldn't have, but that's when shit started going down for cadiz. It lost a lot of income, people started migrating… Then the brits barricaded our port and that just broke most things but Cadiz held strong and proud… And then Napoleon happened.
Cadiz's most proud moment was that it is the natal place of La Pepa, the first spanish constitution. You see, the reason the brits closed our port was because while the trade had been moved to seville Cadiz still had the best damned port and as such was the base for the spanish fleet, and after Trafalgar they did not want to know what our engineers could cook up next. They also stuck some french boats there just to fuck with them. The boats were fine doing commerce with the town and shit, but then Napoleon had to go and try to conquer spain. And he did, all but one little coastal town in its southernmost point. See, when the Gaditanos heard Napoleon was coming down, they decided something had to be done about his little fleet over here. And they were damned clever to do so as indeed after the siege of Madrid started the Napoleonic army essentially raced south as fast as they could hoping to use the cannons and food on said boats as reinforcements on Madrid. And as the troops ran across the fields the peasants decided to race against the clock. Now this was no easy feat, the french were well armed, well fed, disciplined soldiers with boats designed to siege towns like theirs and the town was in disrepair, and had lost most of its weapons to the brits. So... They built wooden replicas of the cannons. And placed them amongst the real weapons all over the bay, only even giving ammo to half of the real cannons because they didn't even have that, raised the chain to officialy close the bay, and sent a message to the french: surrender or die. You might think this was a really stupid idea as if the french were to see through this fairly blatant rouse they could raze the entire town. But they were french so of course they raised the white flag before you can say "baguette." And so once Napoleon's generals got to the town they found their cannons had been placed all over the walls alongside a bunch of very angry craftsmen that were currently throwing chairs at them. So Cadiz resisted, even once Madrid fell and Napo's bro was declared king of spain Cadiz just made a spanish constitution and declared him a tyrant just to fuck with the bastard. This is my hometown's legacy. We really never had any fucks left to give.
But enough about history. Let's focus on history! Where am I getting with this? Let's talk about Carnaval. Cadiz's Carnaval is quite unique. Sure it has its songs and dances and shit. But… It's not about that. It's about making fun of everyone and everything. All throughout history no matter who has been in charge of spain the Gaditanos have mocked him relentlessly on our little week of pissing people off. If you know Spanish stereotypes you know the 3 things everyone will tell you about the Gaditanos is we speak too much, make jokes all the time and use weird expressions. And Carnaval is the condensed version of this. We're spain's fools and most citizens of the town take damned pride in preparing all year for this one week where they'll show off their act.
This is important because… Well. The town's almost dead now. Sure Seville's backstab started this downturn but Franco finished it. The civil war didn't wreck the city that much but after Franco closed spain off to everyone the town that once lived off of trade and boatbuilding now… well… didn't have any trade or boats to build. As you can imagine. Shit went south fast. The town's impoverished, most people living there are vacationing retirees at this point. Almost all young people migrate to all over europe, and we get jobs quick too, we're still a studious bunch who loves their information, be it old tales or current science, hell I'm mentaly retarded and even I am a total nerd by most country's standards. As for those who don't, they have very low paying jobs, only the docks and the tourist industry are even worth anything. In all ways but one, we've failed.
But that one way is important. It's carnaval. And every damned year workers and students from all over europe come back home for one damned week, because our Carnaval wasn't canceled when the brits attacked, our Carnaval wasn't canceled when the town was literally all that was left of spain and they had nothing but bread and old, preserved fruit to eat, our Carnaval wasn't canceled when the Spanish Flu ravaged the world, our Carnaval wasn't canceled when the black death reaped through europe, our Carnaval couldn't be canceled despite Franco's best efforts to stomp on anyone who mocked him and even when the Civil War tore the damned country in half and our grandparents were imprisoned by both sides and sent to penal squads to build trenches under heavy artilley bombardment they were singing Chirigotas for that damned week in their cells. And I'll be damned I say if I let China's Waifu keep me from coming home for Carnaval and even though I'm a bit of a germophobe even I will be giving every man I meet the tightest bear hug possible and every woman a kiss on each cheek because we make even the Italians think we're too touchy but we just don't give a fuck. Not on the last week of february, not on Carnaval. So I guess if I find any news I'll be posting them. And if I get any symptoms I'll inform. Hell if I see any chirigotas making jokes about Corona you'll be sure to get the video though I doubt it because as I said most groups prepare all year long, it's typically more of a yearly parody recap than an up-to-date thing, that's why it's so damned good. But as you can imagine... if Corona-chan decides to give us a lapdance, we're fucked. I already made plans to self quarantine for a month when I return. But as scared as I am right now. This is about more than mere pride. Cadiz has nothing left but old tales and Carnaval. The day we give up on this one is the day the town dies. And even a doomer like me thinks it's a town worth reviving.
So if you think Carnaval will fuck shit up... Easter always comes 40 days after Cadiz's Carnaval. And if you've searched for "Spain Easter" you know damned well people take this shit really seriously. Here are some images for those of you who don't know any better:
Thing is, for those who don't know. Here's the tale of Spain's Easter: Easter in spain as we know it nowadays was actually a product of the Penitent movement. So let's talk about the Penitents. Back when The Black Death ravaged the land, Germ Theory still didn't exist, and diseases were considered a type of possession by spirits, these were either the product of witches or most commonly sent by god. So the black death originally was believed to be so. This left the religious with 2 explanations, either witches, or God. This is why btw cats are considered to be the pets of witches, they carried lice which carried the plague and hence, a lot of strays got brutalized back them… Funny China would repeat such act of stupidity. The Penitents were a movement however than believed the second. They thought no witch was powerful enough for such horrors and as such this must be the will of god. This is why to this day the Spanish god has always been a much less… Benign god compared with other Christian regions. I mean, ever since the inquisition started spaniards always considered god to be more judgemental than most denominations, but the Penitents took the cake. They thought god had been offended so much than he DEMANDED BLOOD. And they decided the only way to save a sinful world was through the pain of the pious, much as Christ had been made to suffer to pardon humanity, now the true believers should be made to pay to save their bretheren. As such while other denominations searched for evil in others, the Penitents took the flail unto themselves, scarred their own flesh and prayed night and day as they inflicted upon themselves the most heinous punishments they could think of so that god may one day stop punishing their loved ones.
Bet those who didn't know about that didn't expect something so equaly awe inspiring and fucked up huh? Man humanity is fucking weird. Anyway, point is, it was the Penitents that started this type of cellebrations, they also made those suits to symbolyze atonement for one's own sins which is why they make the person anonymous so that it doesn't matter who they are only that they're human and paying for humanity's sins, which makes the KKK massive fucking hypocrits but hey what can you expect from Democrats? Ba-dum-tss. Point is once a year the brotherhoods of Penitents carry God's image around the streets, a lot of them barefoot, many commiting flagelation, and they repeat the traditions instilled by this movement. Many years parts of easter are canceled due to rain so as not to damage the statues as they're practically relics but even in the areas where that is the case while the statue isn't taken out a lot of the tradition is kept.
Now… for a lot of brotherhoods this is just tradition, which still means they'll fight tooth and nail to maintain it, it's even been used as a joke in plenty of spanish comedies just how beligerent they can get about tradition and I'd say the films sell them short, they're kinda creepy at times. But thing is, past those who think of it as tradition, some of the cookier still believe if spain doesn't cellebrate its easter, if the righteous don't pay for everyone's sins, the black death will return. And I assure you, there is nothing in this world that will keep those crazy bastards from gearing up cone in head and flail in hand and publicly shaming and lascerating themselves once a year while they beg god for forgiveness. NOTHING.
So, 40 days from Carnaval easter WILL be celebrated, no matter the cost, no matter how little tourism there is, people will walk the streets barefoot, congregate in giant groups carrying statues around, and blood will spill unto the streets as the believers pray to a god few outside of spain can understand anymore. For that is their burden. And I'm not much of a believer myself but I sure won't be trying to keep them from doing so... So we'll see how this evolves. Either way. It'll be fun.
Thing is, for those who don't know. Here's the tale of Spain's Easter: Easter in spain as we know it nowadays was actually a product of the Penitent movement. So let's talk about the Penitents. Back when The Black Death ravaged the land, Germ Theory still didn't exist, and diseases were considered a type of possession by spirits, these were either the product of witches or most commonly sent by god. So the black death originally was believed to be so. This left the religious with 2 explanations, either witches, or God. This is why btw cats are considered to be the pets of witches, they carried lice which carried the plague and hence, a lot of strays got brutalized back them… Funny China would repeat such act of stupidity. The Penitents were a movement however than believed the second. They thought no witch was powerful enough for such horrors and as such this must be the will of god. This is why to this day the Spanish god has always been a much less… Benign god compared with other Christian regions. I mean, ever since the inquisition started spaniards always considered god to be more judgemental than most denominations, but the Penitents took the cake. They thought god had been offended so much than he DEMANDED BLOOD. And they decided the only way to save a sinful world was through the pain of the pious, much as Christ had been made to suffer to pardon humanity, now the true believers should be made to pay to save their bretheren. As such while other denominations searched for evil in others, the Penitents took the flail unto themselves, scarred their own flesh and prayed night and day as they inflicted upon themselves the most heinous punishments they could think of so that god may one day stop punishing their loved ones.
Bet those who didn't know about that didn't expect something so equaly awe inspiring and fucked up huh? Man humanity is fucking weird. Anyway, point is, it was the Penitents that started this type of cellebrations, they also made those suits to symbolyze atonement for one's own sins which is why they make the person anonymous so that it doesn't matter who they are only that they're human and paying for humanity's sins, which makes the KKK massive fucking hypocrits but hey what can you expect from Democrats? Ba-dum-tss. Point is once a year the brotherhoods of Penitents carry God's image around the streets, a lot of them barefoot, many commiting flagelation, and they repeat the traditions instilled by this movement. Many years parts of easter are canceled due to rain so as not to damage the statues as they're practically relics but even in the areas where that is the case while the statue isn't taken out a lot of the tradition is kept.
Now… for a lot of brotherhoods this is just tradition, which still means they'll fight tooth and nail to maintain it, it's even been used as a joke in plenty of spanish comedies just how beligerent they can get about tradition and I'd say the films sell them short, they're kinda creepy at times. But thing is, past those who think of it as tradition, some of the cookier still believe if spain doesn't cellebrate its easter, if the righteous don't pay for everyone's sins, the black death will return. And I assure you, there is nothing in this world that will keep those crazy bastards from gearing up cone in head and flail in hand and publicly shaming and lascerating themselves once a year while they beg god for forgiveness. NOTHING.
So, 40 days from Carnaval easter WILL be celebrated, no matter the cost, no matter how little tourism there is, people will walk the streets barefoot, congregate in giant groups carrying statues around, and blood will spill unto the streets as the believers pray to a god few outside of spain can understand anymore. For that is their burden. And I'm not much of a believer myself but I sure won't be trying to keep them from doing so... So we'll see how this evolves. Either way. It'll be fun.
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