, invites to discuss:

Goldman Sachs asks in biotech research report: ‘Is curing patients a sustainable business model?’ (Apr 11, 2018)

One of those things where unchecked capitalism can go awry (say, the tragedy of the commons being another example)?
@Isaac, for one, has aired industry scandals.
How to respond?

capitalism — jorndoe

Capitalism? What are you describing as Capitalism? And how does Capitalism relate to the tragedy of the commons, given that perfect order within productive systems are emergent as a result of individuals in voluntary co-operation in pursuit of mutual benefit, which is an element of Capitalism?

co-operation in pursuit of mutual benefit, which is an element of Capitalism? — Garrett Travers

Co ops and Mutuals? No, mate, that's socialism. That's the stuff Margret Thatcher was concerned to privatise. Remember it well.

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I suspect there was a reason that was buried in the Shoutbox and not attached to the Coronavirus thread. As we've heard ad infinitum from the many contributors here, Covid vaccines are an exception to the rule, the one time that the pharmaceuticals acted for the good of mankind in a rare burst of humanity, they must've been watching Disney's Christmas Carol just beforehand. All lobbying was suspended for a year, no-one was paid off, they stopped funding research academies, stopped being the major donors to the top ten media companies, removed all their CEOs from the boards, reneged all their 'revolving door' offers of plush consultancies to FDA and NIH officials. Their main investors stopped funding the WHO, severed all ties with government policymakers, and social media platforms.

So everything was totally above board and not at all unduly influenced at all in their favour.

Back to business as usual now though. Grrr!

Co ops and Mutuals? No, mate, that's socialism. That's the stuff Margret Thatcher was concerned to privatise. Remember it well. — unenlightened

No, actually it's Epicureanism, from whence socialism plagiarised, perverted, adapted from Christendom induced historical influence, and has thereby turned into a murderous anti-human concept. The original communes we voluntarily participated in, anarchic, eductaional institutions of philosophy and empirical induction, that were characterized by property respecting, pleasure pursuing, mutually co-operating people interested in maximizing individual happiness as a matter of ethical imperative. In other words, what people would refer to today as "Anarcho-Capitalism." These communes sprung up right at the beginning of the Hellenestic era, and lasted for the next 500 years until the emperor Constantine's Council of Nicea which gave Chriatianity state power, culminating in the rape of Greek philosophical tradition, including the murder and opression of these Epicurean societies, which numbered in the hundreds of thousands by that time, and constituted the happiest, most harmonious, most intellegent, most literarily prolific, most non-violent independent sub-communities of which I've ever discovered any information on in the history of the world. Christendom stole their communes, turned them into monastaries, and when the concepts were redisocveredduring the Enlightenment, the anarchists and socialists, particularly Marx, plagiarised the concepts and transposed them over a pagan-formulated historical model of such striking similarity to Biblical structure that one can only roll their eyes at.

This all to mean that, what we all regard as "socialism" and "capitalism," are completely perverted, non-existent, ignorance induced representations of amorphic nonsense that the Dirgist controllers, like your Thatcher or Obama, or any other scum bag tyrant, are all using to keep you ignorant and hating your fellow citizen cuz "exploitation, bruh." Have a look, Marxism.org even has a full page on Epicurus, that is mostly accurate, up on their website if you go look. Here's something a bit more academic. I think you'll like the whole history, it's quite amazing:

http://www.faculty.umb.edu/gary_zabel/Courses/Spinoza/Texts/Epicurean%20History.htm

With the Ukraine crisis in effect, it looks like covid is becoming phased out as "the greatest threat of our generation". I suppose we can finally close this God forsaken thread. :hearts:

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Yes, it is unbelievable. Two years ago everything was messed up due to Covid. In just 24 months we normalize the situation and it looks like is no longer a problem

Yes, it is unbelievable. Two years ago everything was messed up due to Covid. In just 24 months we normalize the situation and it looks like is no longer a problem — javi2541997

It is unbelievable. I come away astounded at how insatiably and incredibly desperate the masses are for something exciting in their lives, a crisis, a reason to live...to the extent that they are willing to abide with some of the stupidest and most ridiculous rules ever imposed on adult humans. Looking back on it all, it is painfully hysterical. Remember when the lunatics mobbed the stores and horded all the toilet paper and water?

Remember when the lunatics mobbed the stores and horded all the toilet paper and water? — Merkwurdichliebe

Oh yes... We were run out of stock because of their negligence. When I saw this situation I thought: "the humans are not ready to face a catastrophic situation"

Oh yes... We were run out of stock because of their negligence. When I saw this situation I thought: "the humans are not ready to face a catastrophic situation" — javi2541997

Indeed :blush: The humans have a long, long long way to go.

Analysis: Future infectious diseases: Recent history shows we can never again be complacent about pathogens (Mar 2, 2022)

Either learn better to avoid, or learn to suffer better?

Now that Covid is endemic here in the U.K. and May we’ll be in other countries by now. Perhaps it’s time to consider if there is likely to be a deadly variant, or whether covid will fade away into fairly harmless variants.

A new variant has recently emerged in U.K,

A new Omicron variant has been found in the UK. XE is a "recombinant" i.e. a mutation of BA.1 and BA.2 Omicron strains.

I think Omicron ended up being the universal immunity maker.

Where I am, covid is practically gone. A few stragglers is it. Everybody's heads are spinning from it.

What's left is that people who are vulnerable still need to get vaccinated. Cancer patients, diabetes, heart disease, obesity, and people of color definitely need to be taking D3 supplements.

obesity — frank

How sizable is that in the USA nowadays? It's 14% here nowadays. When I was a teenager it was 8%.

They're huge. It's awful.

I got off of processed foods a while back and then discovered how the whole American scene is geared toward obesity.

As always, it's corporate interests vs the health of the people. In this case the sugar industry. :groan:

Hopefully you’re right, perhaps any scary variant which does emerge will not be all that bad as we become immune. I notice China is having a bit of a mare at the moment.

China's finally got it.

It looks like the commies are having a tough go of it.

“As well as the footage from Zhangjiang, other videos have captured “big whites” wrestling people to the ground and kicking them; screaming, yelling and even throwing things at residents who refuse to comply with instructions; and beating a dog to death after its owner was sent to isolation.”

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/world/article-shanghai-residents-pleas-for-help-in-covid-19-lockdown-result-in-their/

China has 370 million people on lockdown. :grimace:

China has 370 million people on lockdown. :grimace: — frank

Bunch of suckers.

It looks absolutely crazy:



I don't think this has now anything to do with the pandemic. This is simply riot police clothed in hazmat suits. I think this the Chinese leader using the old pandemic now as a political tool when otherwise the economy would already be wobbling under the global inflation etc. Actually when people here protest about what totalitarian system Covid has brought to us, perhaps a good reality check is to look at what's that actual totalitarian response like.



Here on the other hand, even the official line is that Covid (especially the omicron variant) is not a problem anymore. If you get Covid, stay home for 5 days and if you don't have serious symptoms, it's fine to go to work. And after 10 days, go to work even if you still are sneezing.

I don't understand what they're doing. Omicron is unstoppable. Plus it's not as dangerous as the others, so protecting vulnerable people and vaccinating should be the focus, not trying to remain zero-covid. Nature is going to win this battle.

I don't understand what they're doing. — frank

The only thing understandable is that this is some kind of power play from the leader Xi Jingping.

But it's hurting his economy. That can't be right.

But it's hurting his economy. That can't be right. — frank

Economy isn't as important as it is in American or Western politics.

Economy isn't as important as it is in American or Western politics. — ssu

That does not compute.

Economy isn't as important as it is in American or Western politics. — ssu


That does not compute. — frank

I think he means to say economy is not as important to them as, say, control.

I think he means to say economy is not as important to them as, say, control. — Merkwurdichliebe

I see. The American southeast was like for decades after the Civil War. Maybe it's a side effect of catastrophe.

I wonder if those who see Russia as an imperial state remember that. Russia went through a large scale catastrophe just 30 years ago.

New coronavirus subvariants escape antibodies from vaccination and prior Omicron infection, studies suggest

It ain't over yet! :fear: