Free Republic

As confirmed cases of the coronavirus in Germany soared past 10,000 last week, hundreds of Berliners crowded Volkspark am Friedrichshain to play soccer and basketball, and to let their kids loose on the park's many jungle gyms. The conditions seemed ideal for the spread of a virus that has killed thousands. Yet Germany's fatality rate so far — just 0.5% — is the world's lowest, by a long shot. "I believe that we are just testing much more than in other countries, and we are detecting our outbreak early," said Christian Drosten, director of the institute of virology at Berlin's...

Before anyone had ever heard of COVID-19, these YouTubers bought a huge amount of toilet paper, and used it to build a fort. Now they are giving it away for free. From the YouTube channel MoreJStu:These guys give away lots of free toilet paper to total strangers:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WsXslvgYGxUThey had originally bought it before anyone had ever heard of COVID-19…https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C-PvCvkt2T0… and they used it to build a fort:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZCbc4ZweYpA

“Don’t be so callous as to intentionally go to something and expose yourself to something that could kill other people,” Gov. Andy Beshear said.A group of young adults recently held a “coronavirus party” in defiance of rules against large gatherings in Kentucky, and now at least one of them is infected with COVID-19, Gov. Andy Beshear said.

It’s not out of the question if Biden keeps looking out of touch and irrelevant. Democrats are publicly talking about “contingency options” for their July convention in Milwaukee in case the coronavirus persists in being a public-health threat. But privately, some are also talking about needing a Plan B if Joe Biden, their nominee apparent, continues to flounder. Some Democrats are openly talking up New York governor Andrew Cuomo, whose profile has soared during the crisis, as a Biden stand-in. Yesterday, a Draft Cuomo 2020 account on Twitter announced that “Times have changed & we need Gov. Cuomo to be...

LOS ANGELES - The Los Angeles County Sheriff told FOX 11 on Tuesday night that enforcement efforts to close down local gun stores have been suspended after intervention from the county’s legal counsel.Sheriff Alex Villanueva told FOX 11 reporter Bill Melugin that county counsel Mary Wickham issued an opinion that gun stores can be classified as essential businesses under the Governor’s statewide executive order.Sheriff Villanueva everything is now in “limbo”, and added he reached out to the Governor’s office to get clarification on how gun stores should be classified, but never got a response.Up until the legal opinion, Villanueva said...

Saudi health authorities on Tuesday urged citizens to avoid “even small gatherings” which could prove “very dangerous” in spreading the coronavirus disease (COVID-19). The warning came as the Kingdom reported its first death from the virus – a 51-year-old Afghan resident in Madinah – and 205 new cases of infection, the biggest single daily jump since the start of the outbreak. Ministry of Health spokesman, Dr. Mohammed Al-Abd Al-Aly, urged people to stay indoors for as long as possible to help the Kingdom’s efforts to slow the spread of the killer COVID-19. “We urge everyone to stay away from gatherings,...

Life is at a standstill in most EU countries, but in Sweden the daily routine continues as normal. But with the number of infections on the rise, how long will the country stick to its relaxed approach? In his nationally televised address, Prime Minister Stefan Lofven did not mince words. "The infection is spreading in Sweden. Life, health and jobs are threatened. More people will fall ill, more will have to bid a loved one their last farewell," he said on Sunday. According to data from the World Health Organization (WHO), at least 2,200 people have been infected with COVID-19...

Steven Dick, Deputy Head of Mission at the British Embassy in Budapest, has died after contracting coronavirus, the Foreign Office said on Wednesday. The 37-year-old diplomat died in Hungary on Tuesday, it said in a statement. He had served as Deputy British Ambassador to Hungary since December, according to a biography published on the UK government’s website.

OVID-19 has made its way to Castlegar and local doctors are urging the public to take precautions to prevent its spread. A local medical professional has confirmed that there are COVID-19 cases in Castlegar, but asked not to be named because of Interior Health’s policy against naming individual cities with cases. In an open letter to the public issued Monday, Castlegar’s doctors made a plea for people to stay home and practice the social distancing and hygiene measures that the provincial health officer has been emphasizing.

Today, President Donald J. Trump declared that a major disaster exists in the State of Florida and ordered Federal assistance to supplement State, tribal, and local recovery efforts in the areas affected by the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic beginning on January 20, 2020, and continuing.The President’s action makes Federal funding available for Crisis Counseling for affected individuals in all areas in the State of Florida.Federal funding is also available to State, tribal, and eligible local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations for emergency protective measures, including direct Federal assistance, for all areas in the State of Florida impacted...

Today, President Donald J. Trump declared that a major disaster exists in the State of Texas and ordered Federal assistance to supplement State and local recovery efforts in the areas affected by the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic beginning on January 20, 2020, and continuing.The President’s action makes Federal funding available for Crisis Counseling for affected individuals in all areas in the State of Texas.Federal funding is also available to State and eligible local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations for emergency protective measures, including direct Federal assistance, for all areas in the State of Texas impacted by COVID-19.Pete...

On Tuesday President Donald Trump read off a Gateway Pundit article headline to FOX News anchor Bill Hemmer during their interview, “NY Gov. Cuomo Rejected Buying Recommended 16,000 Ventilators in 2015 for Pandemic, Established Death Panels and Lottery Instead.“ The TGP report written by contributor Kristinn Taylor was based on a column published earlier this month by the esteemed former New York Lieutenant Governor Betsy McCaughey (who served under Governor George Pataki), a February report by the New York Times and a 2015 press release by the Cuomo administration. And we also discovered evidence from a New York State Health...

Today, President Donald J. Trump declared that a major disaster exists in the State of Louisiana and ordered Federal assistance to supplement State, tribal, and local recovery efforts in the areas affected by the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic beginning on January 20, 2020, and continuing.The President’s action makes Federal funding available for Crisis Counseling for affected individuals in all areas in the State of Louisiana.Federal funding is also available to State, tribal, and eligible local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations for emergency protective measures, including direct Federal assistance, for all areas in the State of Louisiana impacted by...

The eco-fascists are showing their true face in the Coronavirus pandemic. Activists claiming to be from Extinction Rebellion have put up posters exulting in the loss of human life. They say: “Corona is the cure Humans are the disease.” The official national leadership of Extinction Rebellion has since sought to distance itself from the posters, claiming that the stickers are ‘not in line with what XR believes or stands for’ and blaming ‘far right groups.’

Three Republican senators are warning that they will oppose the $2 trillion coronavirus response package unless a “massive drafting error” in the legislation, that they say will create an incentive for employers to lay off employees, is fixed. Fox News is told the concern is that the current version could pay workers more in unemployment benefits than they're currently making, by sticking a $600 per week payment on top of ordinary benefits that are calculated as a percentage of income. This could disrupt the labor market further, the lawmakers warn. "A massive drafting error in the current version of the...

Sen. Richard Burr (D-NC) is facing a lawsuit for allegedly taking advantage of inside information to sell shares of his stock before the coronavirus outbreak sent the market plunging. The lawsuit was filed by Thomas P. O’Brien, a former federal prosecutor, on behalf of Wyndham Hotels shareholder Alan Jacobson, on Monday in Washington, DC. It alleges that Burr violated the law when he dumpled up to $1.7 million in stocks before the pandemic caused the global markets to collapse.

In the event of an outbreak of a new or rare disease, such as the novel coronavirus, RIVM convenes the Outbreak Management Team (OMT Outbreak Management Team ). This emergency response team brings together specialists from various backgrounds who know a great deal about the disease in question. These specialists discuss the outbreak based on the latest information and knowledge from the scientific community.

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) confirmed Wednesday that on Tuesday, the agency saw a record low in the number of passenger screenings in airports nationwide.According to CBS News Transportation Reporter Kris Van Cleave, the TSA screened only about 297,000 people on Tuesday seeing a 16 percent drop from Monday. Tuesday’s screenings were reported to be an 88 percent drop from the more than 2.3 million people screened on March 1. .@tsa confirms this is an all time record low for passengers screened in a day. https://t.co/JYKnIFTOUZ— Kris Van Cleave (@krisvancleave) March 25, 2020 The updated numbers from the TSA...

As the Chief Child Advocates in our respective communities, we are coming together to focus on what is best for students in the coming months. We all believe that the initial three-week school closure will be extended. While this probable extension is creating many conversations about what learning should look like during this time away from the classroom, this vision of education will be best coming from those of us who work with children. Our shared belief is that, in future years when children reflect on this time in their lives, what they will remember most are the positive connections...

Calling it "Amazing Art with matchsticks" does not do Patrick Acton's sculptures justice. Over the past 40 years, this Iowa native has been building some of the world's biggest and complicated matchstick sculptures. While some of the larger ones are in "Ripley's Believe it of Not Museums", many are in his own museum "Matcshstick Marvels" down the road from his home in Gladbrook, Iowa. Incredibly, he's made them all in his tiny basement workshop in his home. He estimates that he has used over 7.5 million matchsticks in his career. His most impressive builds include the State Capitol building, a...