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While I also agree that influenza should generally be taken more seriously, the Corona virus is currently running at 1 death every 50 confirmed cases (or approx 2%)
https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/coronavirus-death-rate/

I was wondering if the confirmed deaths tally was right (and not being underestimated) given the early reaction, but then your link says this:

A study found that out of 41 admitted hospital patients who had been identified as having laboratory-confirmed 2019-nCoV infection in China, 13 (32%) patients were admitted to an ICU and six (15%) died.[5]

Any wonder they were scared shitless if that was the earlier mortality rates.

So reasonably confident they are reporting true numbers (not that 2% is good or anything, but its better than 15%!).

Not everyone went to hospital though, some people only had moderate symptoms like 'flu. Only those badly affected ended up in hospital and more of these died.

But that would be the same with flu. The mortality rate for influenza is 0.055% of reported cases. Similarly, lots of people wouldn't report if they had the flu

I don't understand where 2% is coming from. To date ~43k people confirmed to have got it, 4.3K cured and ~1K dead. That's close to a 20% kill rate! It has to be based on cured/dead and not based on number of people that got it. There's still about 38K with it and they could go either way before this is done.

Mortality rate is the % of those infected who died from the infection.  Going by your figures, that's 1/43, which is slightly more than 2%.

That missed goal chance at the end of the 1st half probably cost Monaghan the win today.

Based on this game and the Dublin Kerry game, it looks like there's an effort this season to make sure that added time is added play time.  In both games 6 mins were added, and in both there was a lot of time during that 6 when the ball was dead.  And in both, the ref added 2-3 minutes on at the end.   Worked for the Dubs today, against them vs. Kerry.

It was a second yellow for a foul, not a red.  Contact was shoulder to shoulder, but the ball was long past and was not in playing distance, which is required for a fair shoulder challenge. 

Ref was poor for both teams today, but he got that right.

I Hear there is men in building sites doing coke on weekdays up and down the country.

The absolute state of this. Away and have a word with yourself.

I genuinely don't understand this.  Are you saying it isn't true?  Or that it shouldn't be said? Or what?  Plenty of people in construction, as in many walks of life, use coke.

I think that's right.  AFAIK, for card calls, VAR can only adjudicate on whether the correct card was awarded, not whether one should have been awarded if one wasn't (except for penalty calls where 'clear and obvious error' comes into play).

The Robertson challenge was right on the yellow/red cusp.  Reckless enough that he could have had no real complaints if he got the red though.

MSNBC show most of the PL games.

The Confession Killer on Netflix is excellent.  Five episode doc on Henry Lee Lucas, who confessed to over 300 murders.

Clearly stated article making the case that the BBC "mistakes" are evidence of bias (Franko's already made this case quite succinctly, but here's a more detailed account).

https://www.jacobinmag.com/2019/12/bbc-media-bias-boris-johnson-uk

https://www.jewishvoiceforlabour.org.uk/article/when-jews-are-just-fodder-for-the-tory-propaganda-machine/

Excellent piece by Antony Lerman (former founding director of the Institute for Jewish Policy Research, Associate Editor of the international academic journal on racism Patterns of Prejudice)

Has to pass both U.S. house and senate before becoming law.  Zero chance.

Not sure why Hitchens works for the mail. He's been good on this topic.

OPCW scientists leak document showing Douma report on alleged Chemical attack was falsified.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7718627/Sexed-dossier-furore-alleged-poison-gas-attack-Assad.html

[After all, the new Ireland will require significant support both politically and monetary from the UK Government.]

I don't think they're "fantastic" which is so subjective but MPs who've made significant contributions

Mark Durkan - Forced the British Gov to admit that if NI voted to unite with ROI they would be re-accepted into the EU without application process. Called out the SF and British dirty deal to give amnesty to Soldiers and Terrorists involved in the Troubles.

Aneran Bevan - Minister for Health

Parnell - Leader of Irish Nationalism

Leo Abse - Proposed Homosexual law reform

John Bercow - There's a case to be made here for how he has steered the Brexit debate

Seamus Mallon - Patten report was improved of the back of Mallon's work in the Commons

LSH - While a Unionist has fought as the lone NI Remain voice despite quite a vitriol from the DUP.

Jess Phillips
Iain Blackforth
Maidri Black

That's just off the top of my head. And you can pick holes and say they did that and this one did this and so on and so on. Such is the luxury of those on the sideline who don't have to make a stand.

No Minister is universally popular and they will have to make decisions that will make them unpopular or popular with their base. But they make decisions nonetheless and sometimes it's those unpopular decisions that we remember them for so perhaps electing MPs to go and argue in our favour isn't a bad idea. After all this is exactly what SF do in the Dail and in Brussels.

I support a United Ireland but to think it can be achieved by disengaging with the British state isn't a credible position. After all, the new Ireland will require significant support both politically and monetary from the UK Government.

A united Ireland will require financial and political support from Britain? Are you for real?

Whether you care to accept it or not, this will be a reality. Not even the most romantic dreamer would claim that it will be some sort of economic utopia from day 1. It would have to be carefully managed and would probably take 10 years or more to be fully operational in terms of the integration of sectors within the all island economy. Not to mention working out how to subsume education and health sectors. There may be short term pain which may require a gradual phasing out of UK subvention monies which I think UK government could be willing to pay if it meant a complete withdrawal was assured.

Even politically speaking there may have to be some sort of role for Stormont inside a new unified Ireland whilst the transition is being made and I think most rational people would be ok with that.

I wouldn't trust the Brits to pay. For anything.

Unless there's a Hell. They'd pay then, alright.

Funny it wasn't available for Poch.