Yep - and that's where folks at work got caught. It is the pseudoephedrine of today - a miracle drug that does what it says on the bottle. Druggies are bound to stuff it up for sick bastards like me that get the death rattle each year.

The age of BottlePunk is upon us
 

Check out the album.

Inspiring.

Trump today: "I didn't even know people could die from the flu!"

Least significant bit high.

<3 hong kong

If you'd said Japan I'd be wondering "Idiot or artist?"

Actually still wondering the same thing.

Melbourne GP clinic closed after doctor tests positive for coronavirus

Ugh.

1. He didn't meet the criteria for TESTING, let alone isolation
2. He was one of the majority "mild, flu-like symptoms" folks
3. He was asymptomatic initially - only once flights had started
4. USA still has no flight restrictions or warnings (and that includes USA -> NZ too...)
5. Most doctors here are contractors = no sick leave = huge pressure to work as clinic staff still needs to be paid (of course now the whole clinic has no income, so... yeah.)

Frankly in this circumstance it's hard on the clinic staff and patients, but the guy did nothing that dozens of docs with similar symptoms don't do daily across Australia. Good? No! But not the lynch-mob-required BS that many folks are making it out to be.

And that's the facepalm right there. This is what we're about. We go to work when we're sick, making others sick, cause mah economy. Like that isn't a contradiction.

Of course, it's not our economy is it? It's the economy of a tiny minority who can insulate themselves from such trifles.

Guess what Trump's grandfather died of?

White House claims the coronavirus has been 'contained' in the US.

Guess what absolutely hasn't been done?

I just watched some official lie straight to the camera, while Pence stood behind him.

He said some bullshit about when they start seeing evidence of an outbreak, they'll be ready to act then, but for now, head off to Disneyland!

These alternative handshake things are starting to get out of hand...

https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/...743.jpg?w=1005

Given where I live now? It is.

You miss my meaning. The economy isn't for you. You're just labour to be exploited.

Ahh. Yes, 1%'ers of course.

Hmm... My paranoid / conspiracy theorist side wonders if the reason for the non-response of the USA is to get rid of the less productive / less exploitable members of the modern peasant class (aka Middle-class and lower)

There's no coherent planning or organisation. Just powerful people being powerful. Something that doesn't require particular effort or insight.

This event could be part of the self-correction. Disease has a long history of ignoring human power structures.

You mean that drones have taken over the cannon fodder of front line infantry? :p

^^^
HAH! Sure - I'll go with that.

However it does tend to favour those that can afford comprehensive healthcare.

Not virus related, but it is at the same time. COVID 19 is the perfect moment of chaos by which to test the multi-tasking capability of your enemies.

https://www.oil-price.net/
Thanks MBS, Putin. They can extract more oil, at a lower cost than OPEC. Everyone loses, but OPEC / US loses more.

https://www.macrobusiness.com.au/202...l-thunderbust/
This may be a play to knock the US dollar out as the Oil-backed currency of the world.

It is a very aggressive currency war, in the middle of a trade war, while a proxy hot war is being fought in Syria.

Remember, Saudi Arabia have recently purchased hundreds of billions in US military equipment in recent years, which Trump was very proud of for some reason. It may have all been a delay tactic to stop Saudi Arabia from doing something like this.

Meanwhile, 94% of the Fortune 1,000 companies and 5 Million companies worldwide rely on manufacturing out of Wuhan. China is able to invoke a Supply Shock to the US economy at the flick of a switch. COVID 19 makes China look like they are just trying to stop the spread of this deadly disease rather than something sinister like intending to bring US to its knees.
https://fortune.com/2020/02/21/fortu...-chain-impact/

Also, India has limited exports of pharmaceutical ingredients:
https://www.in-pharmatechnologist.co...anic-over-APIs

Now the virus has community spread in the US, there is a Demand Shock (which has traditionally been, and will be eased by QE and rate cuts). But once you solve the demand shock with more money and liquidity, the Supply Shock means there will be nothing much to buy.

Demand Shock + Supply Shock has never happened before, ever.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xE6aKTziunE
This guy is entertaining and terrifying.

For sure, but stupidity and hubris favours disease.

Donald Trump Shook Hands with CPAC Chairman Exposed to Attendee Infected with Coronavirus

Good analysis of the events surrounding the oil crash today.

Since they put it behind a paywall..

Oil prices crashed by as much as 30 per cent after Saudi Arabia fired the first shots in a price war, in crude’s biggest one-day fall since the early 1990s Gulf war.

Riyadh’s threat to discount its crude and raise production prompted the price of brent crude, the international oil marker, to fall to as low as $31.02 per barrel. West Texas Intermediate, the US benchmark, fell to $27.71 a barrel.

But why did the world's top exporter decide to move so aggressively, with demand reeling from the coronavirus crisis? And what does it mean for the wider oil industry?

Why is Saudi Arabia launching a price war?

Saudi Arabia had wanted to lead Opec and Russia in making deeper cuts to oil production to support crude prices in the face of the coronavirus outbreak, which has disrupted global economic activity. But when Russia baulked at the plan, the Gulf kingdom turned on an ally it had worked with to prop up the oil market since 2016.

Riyadh responded by raising production and offering its crude at steep discounts. Analysts said that was an attempt to punish Russia for abandoning the so-called Opec+ alliance.

Saudi Arabia may also have wished to cement its position as the world’s top oil exporter, analysts added. The move demonstrated that Riyadh was willing to openly take on Russia and other higher cost producers.

“There was a consensus among Opec [to cut production]. Russia objected and has said that from April 1 everyone can produce whatever they like. So the kingdom too is exercising its right,” said one person familiar with Saudi oil policy.

Analysts have questioned the wisdom of Saudi Arabia’s approach. Its economy is not immune to a price crash, even if it believes it can win market share from its rivals.

But under Mohammed bin Salman, crown prince, the kingdom has gained a reputation for risky and unpredictable moves when it has felt the need to assert itself.

Why did Russia not agree to cut production?

Russia said it wanted to see the full impact of the coronavirus on oil demand before taking action.

But Moscow has also been keen to test the US shale industry. It believes that cutting output would only hand a lifeline to a sector whose growth has turned the US into the world’s largest oil producer, gaining customers at Russia’s expense.

US sanctions on Russian energy companies, including those that targeted the trading arm of state-backed oil champion Rosneft last month, and attempts to halt the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline to Germany, have infuriated the Kremlin.

US shale has struggled to be profitable despite its growth over the past decade. People briefed on Moscow’s strategy said Russia thought there was an opportunity to hurt the US oil industry.

“The total volume of oil that was reduced as a result of the repeated extension of the Opec+ agreement was completely and quickly replaced in the world market with American shale oil,” a spokesman for Rosneft said on Sunday.

Saudi Arabia’s approach to a possible deal with Russia was a take-it-or-leave-it demand to join them in reducing an additional 1.5m barrels a day, taking total cuts to 3.6m b/d or roughly 4 per cent of global supply. That is thought to have riled Moscow, which does not see itself as a junior partner.

Flight suspensions:
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-h...KBN20W0NV?il=0

Interesting that they're cancelling the flights to the one country that actually has a bit of a cap on it now, and ignoring the ones where there's some pretty major community spread happening. Oh wait: China doesn't play nice with the US.

I'm interested in how it's all gonna effect the inflated NZ housing markets with it's low supply high demand. I'm assuming when the middle falls out houses will just be picked up by those at the top.

Isnt that what always happens.
Markets crash, and while the top may lose the most amount of money (on paper), they can weather it. The middle crashes out, the top buys in, markets go up again and the top are even higher.

This is the era of voting for (Trump, Brexit), and protesting for (Yellow Vests, Hong Kong) anti-establishment / anti-status quo / anti all your damn lies.

Melbourne has protests outside parliament house every couple of weeks on pretty much every issue you can imagine.

The pot is bubbling over, and I believe the middle class will go feral if they get more hardship and debt, and news media + banks tell them this is good for "the economy" and therefore good for them.

Bring out the guillotines.

Qu'ils mangent de la brioche

If my investment money wasn't already tied up in property I would be buying tech stocks like a mofo right now. Amazon, Apple, Microsoft, buy buy buy. Hell even Twitter is looking good now that Jack's a dead man walking.

wait for the everything bubble to finish popping first, then buy buy buy TSLA AMZN APPL... oh and Bitcoin, Ethereum.

This is great.

https://technode.com/2020/03/02/ding...as-app-stores/

Yeah, that was fantastic.

I dont think we are anywhere near the bottom yet so I'm not buying.

Agreed, I wouldn't be buying into this chaotic market.

Curious that South Korea's death rate is so much lower than everyone elses. Intentional misreporting? Cleaner living? Better health care?

Well, they had that catchy dance song thing about washing your hands...

I'd be interested in their specific infection rates. If older people for some reason are less likely to encounter the virus in SK, that might explain the difference.