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Iranians Thimk

More than 700 people have died in Iran after ingesting toxic methanol, erroneously thinking it can cure the new coronavirus.

Alcohol poisoning has seen a 10-fold increase in Iran in the past year, according to a government report released earlier in April, amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Iranian health ministry spokesman, Kianoush Jahanpour, said 5,011 people had been poisoned from methanol alcohol, adding that some 90 people have lost their eyesight or are suffering eye damage from the alcohol poisoning. Iran is facing the worst coronavirus outbreak in the Middle East with 5,806 deaths and more than 91,000 confirmed cases.

This will no doubt be ultimately blamed on the USA, rather than ignorance amongst Iranians themselves. But that's okay; we're kind of used to it. At least we won't have to send B-52s over there; antifreeze is far less expensive.

 

Even Your Dog's Not Safe

DURHAM, N.C. -- A pet dog tested positive for COVID-19 in North Carolina, in what researchers say is the first known novel coronavirus case in a canine. The positive case comes from a research study being conducted at Duke University.

While felines and humans are known vectors, the dog infection is unsettling, as it indicates that the virus targets mammals in general. I'm waiting to see if they find it in mice. Mice and other mammalian rodents are ubiquitous.

 

 

Cartoons Come To Life

GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. — Police say they have arrested the man accused of stealing mail in metro Atlanta: Speedy Gonzalez. (Yes, that is his legal name.)

Evidently, he wasn't all that Speedy.

Locking mailboxes are a good thing to have.

 

Good News: Get Used To COVID

“The virus is heat sensitive, but that’s when it’s exposed to 56 degrees Celsius for 30 minutes."

Bad news: that's 132.8°F.

That's a bit higher than your optimal body temperature.

So the new arrival will be with us for a very long time. As for immunity, that's still an open question. As a general rule, once you've had a viral disease and your immune system fights it off, you're good to go - you've developed antibodies that attack should you happen to be re-exposed. But that's not the case with some viral infections, such as the common cold, and it's not necessarily the case with Wuhan Flu. You do get immunity, but nobody knows how long it lasts, much less whether or not the effect is valid for the 30 or so different mutations that have been identified to date.

 

Free Bus Rides For Bums

TriMet has launched a temporary bus line to transport riders to one of the few places where they can return cans and bottles for cash. "We as a society must recognize that collecting bottles and cans is the only way some in our community can support themselves financially," said TriMet General Manager Doug Kelsey. Oregon's landmark Bottle Bill uses a 10-cent deposit to spur the recycling of empty containers. The bus line was requested by Gov. Kate Brown's office.

You ever been to a "bottle drop" location? I have. Plan to spend a couple of hours if you go.

It's another government failure.

Sorry, Doug, but bums aren't part of "our community". Now we give them "free" bus rides? But Chinese Flu!

"By offering this free service, to get people to where they can return the containers, we hope to help those who rely on that money and open up space on other bus lines as we continue to encourage social distancing on board," said Kelsey.

Who the heck relies on collecting bottles and cans for income? Bums.

Northwest Yeon is several miles from downtown. It can be reached on TriMet's No. 16 bus—but the transit agency is restricting each bus to no more than 15 passengers. So TriMet decided to start a dedicated line for riders with bags of cans.

Isn't that special?

 

 

Entirely Predictable - Sue The Cruise Line

SYDNEY (AFP) - Survivors of last year's New Zealand volcano eruption are planning to sue cruise ship company Royal Caribbean for failing to warn of the risks involved in touring the area, lawyers said on Monday (April 27).

There were 47 people, mainly Australian tourists, on White Island when it erupted on Dec 9 last year, killing 21 people.

Warnings had been issued, but those are relatively common. Heck, around here, USGS seems to issue them whenever a grasshopper moves near a monitoring station. So in many cases, it becomes like the fable of the boy who cried wolf, as far as some folks are concerned.

Here in the Pacific Northwest, we have a bunch of volcanoes, and when I was a kid, I used to hike around the "dormant" volcano now known as Mount Hood in Oregon (which actually has active fumaroles, and Mount Saint Helens in Washington. Used to fish around St. Helens, too. It was really pretty, and reminded me of photos I'd seen of Japan's Fuji. I was there about a week before St. Helens blew, just enjoying the time out there in early May. Warnings went out regarding activity in the volcano, so I did what seemed sensible, and left. The fish weren't biting anyway.

It wasn't much later, maybe a week, when she erupted - killing, I believe, some 57 people. I could see the eruptions from my place in Oregon, and they were pretty amazing. A few people were killed in the initial blast; most of the others were caught in the fast-moving pyroclastic flows.

May 18, 1980, everything changed. I dunno, but volcanoes seem to favor numbers that end in 7; 47 on White Island, 57 in the case of St. Helens.

Probably just a coinkydink.

 

Welcome To Portlandia

OAKLAND — Colorado and Nevada have joined a coalition of Western states coordinating a gradual lifting of coronavirus restrictions.

The governors of California, Washington and Oregon had already announced a regional pact aimed at restarting their economies as the pandemic's spread has slowed. The addition of two more states means the group will encompass some 60 million Americans, or about a fifth of the nation's population.

All five of the states are Democrat-dominated.

It remains to be seen as to whether or not they'll call their coalition "the united States".

 

PETA Again

STANISLAUS COUNTY (CBS13) — People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals says they will be putting up a billboard in remembrance of the thousands of chickens who died in a barn fire last week and to shame meat-eaters.

As for me, I've no problem with prefried chicken. But then, I'm a long-time member of PETA (People Eating Tasty Animals).

The other one will do anything for attention - and more donations from the addled.

 

 

Maybe The Jackass Should Have Paid The Rent

A lawsuit was filed on Wednesday, April 22 by tenant Austin Goodrich, 22, of Forest Grove, Ore., nearby Portland, against his property manager and landlord. The lawsuit seeks damages for Goodrich “feeling overwhelmingly violated and vulnerable.” When the story first made national and international headlines, reporters and Goodrich did not disclose that the landlord, Lois Ranstead, is also his grandmother and tax preparer.

There is currently an eviction moratorium in the state of Oregon, set out by Gov. Kate Brown.

Since filing the lawsuit, Goodrich temporarily locked his Twitter account after his familial relationship with the landlord emerged and the nature of his involvement with a radical antifa group came to light.

In March 2019, Goodrich was one of the members of Cascadian Resistance that shut down a College Republicans event at Portland State.

Granny should have known that the bum would stiff her on the rent.

 

Life In Hong Kong

For many, that means living in "cage homes" of 100 square feet or less - about the size of a prison cell.

Bathrooms are communal. Meals are prepared on a hot-plate. And so-called "social distancing" is impossible.

These "apartments" rent for around $230 per month. And if you miss a payment, the landlords are quick to dump you out.