Whistleblowing coronavirus doctor at Wuhan hospital mysteriously vanishes
A Chinese doctor who claimed her bosses tried to silence her early warnings about coronavirus appears to have disappeared — stirring fears that she was detained, according to new reports.
Ai Fen had pointed out cases of the illness to colleagues at Wuhan Central Hospital, eight of whom were reprimanded themselves, Radio Free Asia (RFA) reported.
The whereabouts of Ai, who is head of the emergency department, are now unknown, 60 Minutes Australia reported Monday.
“Just two weeks ago the head of Emergency at Wuhan Central hospital went public, saying authorities had stopped her and her colleagues from warning the world,” the outlet tweeted. “She has now disappeared, her whereabouts unknown.”
Soon after the program aired, Ai posted a cryptic message to her page on the Chinese social media site Weibo.
“A river. A bridge. A road. A clock chime,” read the post, coupled with a Wuhan cityscape photo.
Nearly two weeks earlier, she had posted, “Thank you for your care and love. I’m fine at the moment and I’m still working.”
And on Wednesday, she shared a post captioned, “Happy April Fools Day,” showing her wearing a lab coat and mask, apparently at work at the hospital.
But RFA reported that detainees in custody in China have been known to either update their own social media accounts under authorities’ orders, or police may do so after gaining access to their devices.
In a now-deleted essay published in China’s People (Renwu) magazine titled “The one who supplied the whistle,” Ai detailed her boss’ efforts to silence her, RFA reported.
In the article, Ai said the reprimand came after she took a photo of a patient’s test results and circled the positive “SARS coronavirus” result in red.
China has been accused of attempting to cover up the coronavirus outbreak before the crisis escalated.
Back on Dec. 30, Dr. Li Wenliang — who worked with Ai and who died in early February — sent out a warning over the WeChat messaging app advising fellow med school grads to wear protective clothing to avoid infection after several patients from a local seafood market exhibited symptoms similar to SARS.
His attempts to sound an early alarm were denounced by authorities for “rumormongering.”
In a startling admission of error late last month, the ruling Communist Party said Wuhan’s police force revoked its admonishment of the doctor, which had included a threat of arrest.
China on Wednesday reported more than 1,300 asymptomatic coronavirus cases — the first time it has released such data following public concern over people who have tested positive without any symptoms of the illness, according to Agence France-Presse.
Health officials also reported the first imported case of COVID-19 in Wuhan — a Chinese national studying in the UK, who arrived in the city last week as it began to lift its travel restrictions.
A total of 81,554 infections and 3,312 deaths have been confirmed in China — most of them in Wuhan and surrounding Hubei province.
Seven more deaths were confirmed Wednesday, six in Hubei province.
The death toll in the US — now more than 4,000 — exceeded China’s count this week.
via: https://nypost.com/2020/04/01/whistleblowing-coronavirus-doctor-mysteriously-vanishes/
Photo Credit: weibo
Scientists say coronavirus can spread through ‘aerosolized feces’
Closing the toilet lid is highly recommended amid the coronavirus outbreak, according to a report, as a group of researchers have found that the bug can spread through fecal matter that escapes from the bowl during a flush.
The disease caused by the coronavirus, which scientists had already warned can be spread from fecal-oral transmission, can also be transmitted via “aerosolized feces,” according to Forbes, citing a study published by the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology.
Aerosolized feces can be propelled into the air through what’s called a toilet plume — the spread of aerosols, sometimes containing infectious fecal matter, caused by a flush.
“Close the lid and then flush,” a mechanical engineering professor from Purdue University, Dr. Qingyan Chen, told Forbes. He said it was a simple solution to help control the spread of the disease through toilet plumes.
Chen told the outlet that closing the lid can prevent 80 percent of the fecal particles from escaping into the air.
via: https://nypost.com/2020/04/03/scientists-say-covid-19-can-come-from-aerosolized-feces/
Photo Credit: nypost.com
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte orders police and military to kill citizens who defy coronavirus lockdown
In the Philippines, the 57 million residents of the country’s main island, Luzon, are under strict lockdown orders to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Despite that, many in a Manila slum took to the streets Wednesday to protest a lack of supplies, arguing they had not received any food packs since the lockdown started two weeks ago.
The local government refutes those claims and clashed with protestors, ultimately arresting 20 people who refused to return home.
Later that night, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte took to the airwaves with a chilling warning for his citizens: Defy the lockdown orders again and the police will shoot you dead.
“I will not hesitate. My orders are to the police and military, as well as village officials, if there is any trouble, or occasions where there’s violence and your lives are in danger, shoot them dead,” he said in a mix of Filipino and English in the televised address. “Do not intimidate the government. Do not challenge the government. You will lose.”
This sort of order is not out of character for the controversial leader, who is notoriously accused of presiding over extrajudicial killings of suspected drug dealers at the hands of police for years. Nevertheless, it marks a chilling escalation in the global fight against COVID-19.
According to Johns Hopkins, the Philippines has 2,633 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 107 deaths – significantly less than some other countries of comparable size.
So far, actions taken by authoritarian governments have proven most effective in stemming the spread of the virus – asking citizens to sacrifice privacy and some of their freedoms in exchange for public health.
Poland is making quarantined citizens use a selfie app to prove they’re staying inside. Singapore is using Bluetooth signals between cellphones to keep track of who people come into contact with.
But Duterte’s threat may be the boldest. “I will not hesitate my soldiers to shoot you,” Duterte said in forceful tones Wednesday. “I will not hesitate to order the police to arrest and detain you. Now, if you are detained, I will leave it up to you to find food.”
On Thursday, as often happens after Duterte makes these sorts of inflammatory public remarks, Filipino officials rushed to insist that the president was simply using hyperbole to communicate the gravity of the situation.
“Probably the president just overemphasized on implementing the law in this time of crisis,” Philippine National Police Chief Archie Gamboa said, adding that officers understood that they were not actually being instructed to kill troublemakers.
Photo Credit: cbsnews.com
Buena Park man convicted of raping 2-year-old girl he babysat
A 23-year-old Buena Park man faces up to 50 years to life in state prison after an Orange County jury convicted him Wednesday of raping a 2-year-old girl he was babysitting in 2016, officials said.
Working under special conditions due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the jury deliberated for about an hour before finding Arthur William Robert Callendar guilty of two counts of sexual intercourse with a child under the age of 10, according to the Orange County District Attorney’s Office.
Callendar was scheduled to return to court for sentencing on June 12.
Disturbing internet posts first tipped of investigators to the crimes, officials said.
“Callender was arrested in October 2016 after officers working on a Task Force with the Department of Homeland Security launched an investigation into several inappropriate internet postings involving a female toddler,” prosecutors said in a written statement.
The subsequent investigation led detectives to identify the victim and suspect. Callendar was arrested Oct. 6, 2019, Orange County booking records show.
Records listed Callendar’s occupation as “security.”
Callendar’s trial was in process on March 23, when the California Supreme Court issued an “unprecedented” order suspending court trials for 60 days to stem the spread of the novel coronavirus.
“Given the serious nature of the crimes and the advanced stage of Callender’s trial, Orange County Superior Court Judge Andre Manssourian found good cause to exempt Callender’s trial from the suspension order,” according to the DA’s office statement.
Jurors maintained social distancing during the trial, “with jurors being spread out across the entire courtroom instead of being restricted to the jury box,” the statement said. Many in the courtroom wore masks as a precaution.
Orange County DA Todd Spitzer commended the jury members for their important work under the highly unusual circumstances.
“The Orange County District Attorney’s Office is incredibly grateful to the jurors for their commitment to the criminal justice system,” he said. “Despite the challenges of dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic, these men and women came to court, considered the evidence, and returned a verdict that will keep this monster behind bars for decades. Their selflessness will prevent him from victimizing other children.”
via: https://ktla.com/news/local-news/buena-park-man-convicted-of-raping-2-year-old-girl-he-babysat/
Photo Credit: ktla.com
More than 40 spring breakers who ignored public health advice test positive for coronavirus
(CNN) — Dozens of spring breakers from Texas boarded a plane for fun and came home with coronavirus.
About 70 people in their 20s chartered a plane from Austin, Texas, to Mexico for spring break two weeks ago. They went against the advice of White House officials who asked that people avoid gathering in groups of more than 10 and nonessential air travel.
Now 44 of those people have tested positive for coronavirus — all of them University of Texas at Austin students, a university spokesman told CNN on Wednesday.
An elected official had a blunt message for the spring breakers.
“Quit being an a**,” Texas House Speaker Dennis Bonnen told CNN affiliate KXAN. “Get over yourselves. Whether you think this is an issue or not, it is. Whether you think it could affect you or not, it does. The reality of it is, if I’m a college kid who’s going to spring break in Mexico, you’re affecting a lot of people. Grow up.”
What’s also alarming is that some of the passengers who went on the trip to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, took commercial flights home, the Austin Public Health Department said.
Dozens of other passengers from the chartered flight are being monitored, public health officials said.
“The virus often hides in the healthy and is given to those who are at grave risk of being hospitalized or dying,” Austin-Travis County Interim Health Authority Dr. Mark Escott said in a statement. “While younger people have less risk for complications, they are not immune from severe illness and death from COVID-19.”
The local public health department and UT Health UT Health Austin and University Health Services have contacted all of the passengers on the plane using flight manifests from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The University of Texas at Austin is working to help public health officials.
“The university is working closely with Austin Public Health to assist in contact tracing,” university spokesman J.B. Bird said. “The incident is a reminder of the vital importance of taking seriously the warnings of public health authorities on the risks of becoming infected with COVID-19 and spreading it to others.”
The students who tested positive are in self-isolation, health officials said. The Department of State Health Services has been alerted.
University president Gregory L. Fenves urged students to practice good judgment and think about how their actions can affect others.
“(It) is our responsibility to follow local, state and national public health orders, and use good judgment during this crisis,” Fenves said in a statement Wednesday. “Our conduct and the decisions we make have direct ramifications on our own health and the health of everyone in our city and beyond. We must do everything we can to limit the spread of this virus — the consequences of reckless actions at this time could not be clearer.”
Mayor Steve Adler issued a stay-at-home order for Austin on March 24.
Mexico was not under a federal travel advisory when this happened, health officials said.
The United States announced plans March 19 to suspend nonessential travel between the two countries because of the pandemic.
Photo Credit: kmov.com
Former G-Unit Affiliate Trav Claims 50 Cent Was Taking Steroid Shots…Among Other Things
He claims to have been a “good kid” during his early days with G-Unit, but former Gorilla Unit affiliate has nothing good to say about Fif of his former team.
From his street beef where 50 Cent was shot nine times because of “Ghetto Quran” to the Slowbucks robbery at Summer Jam, Trav leaves no stone unturned. Check out this 40 minute long IG LIve where the Queens native lets loose. The question is how much of it is true?
Trav EXPOSES 50 Cent, Why He Robbed Slowbucks, Beef w/ Lloyd Banks & Tony Yayo, Jimmy Henchman
Article via TheSource
Check out some Lovelyti videos:
Naturi Naughton responds to 50 Cent AND Lil Kim dissing her #fullbreakdown
50 Cent says he ‘wouldn’t have a bad day’ if son Marquise Jackson was hit by a bus!
Autistic Teen Who Was CLOWNED By 50 CENT SPEAKS OUT
‘Tiger King’s’ Carole Baskin Denies Murdering Second Husband, Mincing Him and Feeding Him to Big Cats
In a lengthy post, the Baskins say the show also misrepresents their animal sanctuary and that they feel let down and deceived by the makers of the hit series.
Carole Baskin has hit back at suggestions in the Netflix show Tiger King that she murdered her second husband, Don Lewis, 23 years ago and fed him to her tigers.
Her third husband, Howard Baskin, with whom she runs a Florida tiger sanctuary, has also challenged Kim Kardashian to come and visit their rescue center after the reality-TV star sent out a tweet referencing the possibility that Carole murdered Lewis.
Wow the amount of texts I’ve gotten about Tiger King since I tweeted about it all have mentioned their belief that Carol killed her husband! What are your thoughts? Do you think Carol killed him?— Kim Kardashian West (@KimKardashian) March 23, 2020
The Baskins posted a lengthy statement and an emotional video on their website refuting the suggestions, made in Episode 3 by the documentary’s antihero, Joe Exotic, that Carole murdered Lewis and fed his body to their big cats.
Exotic went as far as to make a video showing a woman, who bore a resemblance to his archenemy Baskin, tossing meat to a big cat.
As viewer of the series will know, Exotic is in prison, serving 22 years for plotting to murder Baskin.
Hey All You Cool Cats and Kittens!
On Monday, Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister tweeted a message seeking new information on the disappearance of Lewis in August 1997, fanning the flames of rumors that Carole was involved in his disappearance.
Since @netflix and #Covid19 #Quarantine has made #TigerKing all the rage, I figured it was a good time to ask for new leads. #CaroleBaskin #DonLewis #Netflix #Tiger #BigCatRescue #JoeExotic #TigerKingNetflix #HCSO pic.twitter.com/LHoJcBZVOI— Chad Chronister (@ChadChronister) March 30, 2020
Carole said in her post that she believed Lewis had Alzheimer’s disease and admitted he was “not easy to live with.” Three months before his abandoned van was found at an airport near the couple’s home in Tampa, he had sought a domestic-violence injunction against Baskin.
However Baskin has long maintained that she had nothing to do with the disappearance of her second husband. Cops told Oxygen that Baskin was looked at as a “person of interest,” but “nothing linked her to being involved.”
In the video and post on their website, Howard and Carole pick through the many allegations leveled at them in the course of the hit Netflix docuseries, which lifts the lid on the bizarre world of backyard tiger keepers, zookeeper rivalries, and blackmail and betrayal in the exotic-animal trade.
The Baskins, who say their sanctuary has an excellent reputation in the big-cat world and is misrepresented in the show, slam the directors of the series, Eric Goode and Rebecca Chalking. They say they agreed to co-operate because the pair told them “they wanted to make the big cat version of Blackfish [the documentary that exposed abuse at SeaWorld] that would expose the misery caused by the rampant breeding of big cat cubs for cub-petting exploitation and the awful life the cats lead in roadside zoos and backyards if they survive.
“There are not words for how disappointing it is to see that the series not only does not do any of that, but has had the sole goal of being as salacious and sensational as possible to draw viewers. As part of that, it has a segment devoted to suggesting, with lies and innuendos from people who are not credible, that I had a role in the disappearance of my husband Don in 1997. The series presents this without any regard for the truth or in most cases even giving me an opportunity before publication to rebut the absurd claims. They did not care about truth. The unsavory lies are better for getting viewers.”
They also insist that their sanctuary is grossly misrepresented in the series as being in some way equivalent to roadside zoos.
“We take in abandoned, abused, confiscated, and orphaned cats and give them a permanent home. A sanctuary does not breed, buy, sell, allow people to touch the cats, or put them through the stress of traveling offsite. It is basically a retirement home. Joe Exotic incessantly bred tiger cubs so he could make money charging people to pet and take photos with them. The cubs are torn from their mothers at birth, a torment to any mammal mother and infant. They are deprived of the antibodies in the mother’s milk that prevent disease that bottle formula does not have. There is no tracking of how many die, although some years ago Joe was investigated for the death of 23 cubs. They are deprived of sleep whenever there are customers wanting to pay. They are physically punished to diminish their natural behaviors.”
“Our cats live in large, spacious enclosures in a natural setting full of foliage. Joe’s lived in small barren chain-link boxes with pebble floors that are bad for their feet.”
The Baskins also point out that their organization has a four-star rating at Charity Navigator, America’s largest independent charity evaluator.
“Charity Navigator, which reviews our audited financial statements in detail, gives us their top 4-star rating and a perfect numerical score of 100, something less than 1% of charities achieve,” Baskin says.
Article via TheDailyBeast
Charlamagne Tha God Breaks Silence On Leaving ‘The Breakfast Club’
Article via UrbanIslandz
Joe Budden has sent fans of Charlamagne Tha God into a slight panic by saying the radio host was leaving “The Breakfast Club.”
A large portion of people starts their day by tuning in to “The Breakfast Club” where Charlamagne Tha God and his co-hosts, DJ Envy and Angela Lee, keep listeners up to date with all the freshest hip hop happenings. Celebrities often find themselves sweating and revealing secrets while sitting in the studio as the team keeps them on their toes. While Envy and Angela are an integral part of the show, no one could argue that Charlamagne is the driving force behind that radio machine.
In addition to his daily morning show gig on Power 105.1, the Howard Stern of hip hop also hosts a YouTube series where he interviews celebrities, has written a couple of books and is generally a man to follow on social media. For the last couple of weeks, rumors have been rife that Lenard McKelvey, Chalarmagne’s government name, is planning to vacate his seat on “The Breakfast Club.” While NeNe Leakes was on the March 4th edition of the show to discuss her future on The Real Housewives of Atlanta, Charlamagne hinted at his own future by admitting that he had frequently quit the radio show mentally recently. Joe and his co-hosts even discussed the 41-year-old’s possible departure on his own podcast.
Is TBC OVER? Angela & Charlamagne unfollow each other after Gucci Mane interview #fullbreakdown
With his name flying around everywhere, Charlamagne has now chosen to address the rumors. “A lot of people ran with what I said in that interview and they did articles on it and stuff like that,” he said on his podcast , The Brilliant Idiots. “You know what I be more concerned about? I don’t like the misinformation about platforms, whether it’s The Brilliant Idiots or The Breakfast Club. I saw Joe say that and I was looking at YouTube comments and seeing people say ‘Brilliant Idiots isn’t that successful’ and I’m like, that’s so disrespectful because it just shows me how misinformed people are.”
Charlamagne Tha God confirmed that his current contract with The Breakfast Club is up in December, so we’ll see whether he hangs up his mic.
US hospitals tell staff to keep quiet about coronavirus working conditions
US hospitals are warning their employees to keep their mouths shut about their working conditions amid the coronavirus — or risk being fired.
“Hospitals are muzzling nurses and other health care workers in an attempt to preserve their image. It’s outrageous,” Ruth Schubert, a spokeswoman for the Washington State Nurses Association, told Bloomberg News.
She said the workers — who are toiling on the front lines of the deadly pandemic, many times without the appropriate safety gear — “must have the ability to tell the public what is really going on inside the facilities where they are caring for Covid-19 patients.”
In New York City, NYU Langone Health warned its workers last week that they could be fired if they talk to the press without prior approval, Bloomberg said.
Meanwhile, an emergency room doctor says he got the boot from his hospital in Washington state last week because he dared to publicize what he called the facility’s lack of necessary precautions, the Seattle Times reported.
And a nurse in Chicago also says she was fired — for sending an email to co-workers saying they need better protective face masks, according to a local report.
Photo Credit: JUSTIN LANE/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock