BlackMask Breaking News

Big landlords increased the number of eviction cases they filed after President Donald Trump announced his recent moratorium, signaling the struggle tenants face getting protection from the federal order. Institutional landlords filed more than 900 eviction cases across eight metropolitan areas from Sept. 2 to Sept. 8, according to data compiled by Private Equity Stakeholder Project, an activist group partly funded by organized labor. Landlords filed 165 cases in the same markets during the week of Aug. 3. Fears of an evictions crisis have swirled since expanded unemployment benefits and an original moratorium included in the federal CARES Act expired, with advocates worrying that millions of Americans will lose their homes. The Trump ban, enacted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to avert homelessness during a pandemic, was seen by tenant advocates as a way to delay evictions. But it provides no funding to cover unpaid rent, putting both landlords and tenants at risk and making it difficult to avert a rental crisis. “We’re quite surprised by the number of filings we saw,” Jim Baker, executive director at the Private Equity Shareholder Project, said in an interview. “What’s striking is that we’re not talking about mom-and-pop landlords. We’re talking about gigantic companies.” A wide range of institutional landlords, defined as those that own thousands of units, brought eviction cases during the first week of September. That includes industry giants Starwood Capital Group and Invitation Homes and lesser-known companies like Onni Group, a Vancouver-based developer that manages more than 7,200 apartments. Tenants who complete necessary paperwork should be protected by the moratorium, but that leaves a big hole if they’re not aware of the legal steps required to get protection and very few have lawyers to help. Baker’s organization started compiling eviction data in April to determine whether landlords were complying with the original moratorium, which was limited to buildings with federally backed financing. The research covers 10 large counties covering parts of Atlanta, Houston, Phoenix and five other large metro areas, offering a glimpse into how landlords proceeded in the week after the moratorium was announced on Sept 1. Baker wasn’t expecting to see a jump in evictions because Trump’s new ban goes beyond the old one and applies to all rental buildings. In more than half of the 17 cities tracked by Princeton University’s Eviction Lab, cases filed by landlords of all sizes surged after the CARES Act moratorium effectively expired Aug. 24, said Peter Hepburn, a research fellow for the group. While some building owners may not have been aware of the new tenant protections, others “might have been hoping that they could get under the wire, or that the local courts might take a landlord-friendly approach to enforcement,” Hepburn said. Baker’s research shows eviction cases were still being brought to court Sept. 8, when Invitation Homes, which owns roughly 80,000 single-family rental houses, filed three cases. “We have been doing what the CDC order directs since early in the pandemic – working with our residents facing COVID-related financial hardships and offering a variety of payment options so they can stay in their homes,” the company said in a statement. “As always, we will continue to follow all government directives.” Starwood Capital and Onni Group didn’t respond to requests for comment. The increase in evictions during the first week of September highlights key challenges to implementing the ban, according to John Pollock, coordinator for the National Coalition for a Civil Right to Counsel, an organization that seeks to establish a right to legal representation for defendants in housing court. One problem, he said, is the form tenants have to fill out to get protection, attesting that they’re eligible.“The moratorium is obviously a good thing and it’s going to help people if they know it exists,” he said. “But they have to learn the thing exists, get a copy, fill it out properly and get it to their landlord before the landlord rams an eviction through the court.” Nick Note: What goes around comes around. These heartless pricks swooped in with inside deals and bough thousands of houses in foreclosure.  They got fucked when they did not calculate the cost of repair, upkeep, taxes, insurance and vandalism. They tried to do the ole fliparoni and sell them on, that did not work. So then they set up management companies to rent them out. And hold them till a upswing… Well instead the coronavisrus came and is crashing real estate prices (even if your ERA lady won’t tell you).Now the tenants are defaulting on their leases in mass. So the landlords  are about to default on their REIT loans…  Could not happen to a nicer bunch of Class A assholes 

The coronavirus that causes COVID-19 can sometimes hijack brain cells, using the cells’ internal machinery to copy itself, according to a new study. The research, posted Sept. 8 to the preprint database bioRxiv, has not yet been published in a peer-reviewed journal, but it provides evidence that SARS-CoV-2 can directly infect brain cells called neurons. Although the coronavirus has been linked to various forms of brain damage, from deadly inflammation to brain diseases known as encephalopathies, all of which can cause confusion, brain fog and delirium, there was little evidence of the virus itself invading brain tissue until now. To see whether SARS-CoV-2 could break into brain cells, the study authors examined autopsied brain tissue from three patients who died of COVID-19. They also conducted experiments in mice infected with COVID-19 and in organoids — groups of cells grown in a lab dish to mimic the 3D structure of brain tissue. “This study is the first to do an extensive analysis of SARS-CoV-2 [brain] infection using three models,” said Dr. Maria Nagel, a professor of neurology and ophthalmology at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. In the organoids, the team found that the virus could enter neurons through the ACE2 receptor, a protein on the cell surface that the virus uses to enter the cell and  trigger infection. They then used an electron microscope, which uses beams of charged particles to illuminate the tissue, to peer inside infected cells. They could see coronavirus particles “budding” within the cell, demonstrating that the virus had commandeered the neurons’ internal machinery to build new copies of itself. While setting up shop in infected cells, the virus also caused metabolic changes in nearby neurons, which were not infected. These nearby cells died off in large numbers, suggesting that the infected cells might steal oxygen from their neighbors in order to keep producing new virus, the authors noted. in  the autopsied tissue, the team found SARS-CoV-2 had infected some neurons in the wrinkled cerebral cortex. Near these infected cells, they found evidence of “small strokes” having taken place, hinting that the virus might steal oxygen from nearby cells in the brain just as it did in the organoids, Iwasaki said.  Notably, the infected brain tissue was not flooded with immune cells, as might be expected. So it’s possible that when SARS-CoV-2 manages to infiltrate the brain, it may somehow escape the body’s typical defense against such invasions. It’s not yet known how this unusual immune response might affect the course of the infection, but it may make the virus more difficult to clear from the brain. And though few immune cells flock to the site of infection, dying neurons nearby can trigger a chain-reaction in the nervous system that still leads to harmful inflammation, the authors noted.

(Bloomberg) — Policy makers are facing the most economically challenging part of the Covid-19 crisis in avoiding the creation of “zombie” companies, according to the Bank for International Settlements  Ultra-easy monetary and fiscal support is helping companies avoid a liquidity crunch after the pandemic closed down businesses and demand collapsed. But that stance bears risks longer-term, said Claudio Borio, head of the Basel-based institution’s Monetary and Economic Department. “There’s a delicate balance to be struck between on the one hand withdrawing it too early, which will obliviously have short-term costs in terms of economic activity, and withdrawing it too late, which will mean that it will not favor necessary structural adjustments,” he said on Monday. Officials in Europe and the U.S. have unleashed unprecedented easing in response to the Covid-19 outbreak, which has pushed up equity markets even as economies face their deepest recession in decades. While the liquidity measures have helped companies stay afloat, there are concerns they may also be creating a swathe of uncompetitive firms that hold back investment and innovation. “The real challenge is to distinguish between viable and non-viable firms, which, given the uncertainty about future demand patterns, is not straightforward,” Borio said. Nick Note: Who is the arbitrator of what is a viable company. The answer is the market place. And it is cruel task master. Government cannot decide, special interest groups either. If they cannot cut the mustadr let them go. We are ending capitalism. The subsidized companies destroy the viable ones. You can’t afford the rent you lose the apartment. It might get them off their asses and the happy checks and become productive again. We are going down the road where we are subsidizing colossal losers. Its a new world order. And jet planes, and stadiums, most restaurants, hotels, college campuses have to be redesigned and most will be gone. Look the thinking here is to hold on until the magic vaccine the golden shot is invented, distributed and the really hard part. really really really works. My way is smarter… Assume their will be no vaccine (since their is not one) and act accordingly. And if if if their is a WORKING vaccine adjust your model according to what ever reality GOD send our way. But betting the capitalist system on a vaccine is beyond stupid…..

Historically, the closer to the election, the more outrageous it is likely to be, and outrageous is a Trump specialty

In a vitriolic Labor Day campaign speech parading as a news conference on the White House North Portico, US President Donald Trump predicted a “very safe and very effective” vaccine for COVID-19 could be available as early as next month, just in time to boost his reelection. Ordinarily such an announcement, at a time when 190,000 Americans have succumbed to the virus and 6.3 million more are infected, would be greeted enthusiastically, but coming from a pathological liar who once recommended injections of bleach, bright light and other quack remedies as curatives, the response has ranged from suspicious to disbelief. Former vice president Joe Biden, Democratic nominee for president, echoed the skepticism of many Americans. Aware that most scientists and health experts in and out of government doubt a safe and effective vaccine can be found that soon, he said he would want their testimony, not this president’s.  Trump has “said so many things that aren’t true, I’m worried if we do have a really good vaccine, people are going to be reluctant to take it,” he said. His running mate, Sen. Kamala Harris, was more blunt. “There’s very little that we can trust that can comes out of Donald Trump’s mouth,” she said. The president, sounding unhinged at times, called his opponents as “stupid,” “not competent,” “reckless” and “anti-vaccine” – and that was just Monday. Government scientists are reportedly worried about White House pressure on the Food and Drug Administration to approve a vaccine before it is proven safe and effective, as the law requires. The FDA leadership’s credibility is already suspect in the wake of its emergency authorization for convalescent plasma, and Trump has attacked agency staff as being “deep state” actors for questioning some his pronouncements. Trump’s abuse of a possible vaccine discovery for his own political gain could endanger millions of Americans who would avoid getting vaccinated because they won’t know this isn’t another Trump hoax or the real thing. If Trump does plan to spring his miracle cure surprise announcement, he might pick the third presidential debate on October 22 in Nashville. The value of an October surprise is to hold it until almost the last minute to avoid giving the opposition time to respond. Historically, the closer to the election, the more outrageous it is likely to be, and outrageous is a Trump specialty. Given Trump’s penchant for diversionary tactics, disinformation and surprise revelations, there are likely to be others. One possibility is an announcement by his consigliere, Attorney-General Bill Barr, of the results of John Durham’s investigation of the Mueller investigation into Russia’s role in the 2016 election. Durham, the US attorney in Connecticut, has turned up “surprising and damaging information,” Barr said, according to National Public Radio, and he refused to rule out releasing it before the election. Judging by how Barr misrepresented and delayed the Mueller report findings, you can expect him to give his version of Durham’s report without making any substance public, at least not before November 3.

As the coronavirus continues to evolve and become more virulent, there are many unanswered questions as there have been no proper clinical or scientific studies that have been conducted on it yet with regards to its properties etc as the 2019-nCoV coronavirus only made its maiden debut in December 2019. There are questions about how long a virus such as the coronavirus, can survive outside a host ie on surfaces. The influenza virus can survive anything between 5 hours up to 7 days on an outside surface depending on the environment temperature and humidity whereas noroviruses that typically attack the gastrointestinal tract, can survive up to four weeks on surfaces even in hot and dry conditions and can withstand most disinfectants. Typically most respiratory viruses such as the coronavirus favour a cooler temperature. There have been no studies done so far on the new coronavirus or even on the SARS virus, its ‘close cousin’ with regards to how long it can survive outside on surfaces. It is wrong to assume that the coronavirus can only remain active for a few hours on the surface as suggested by one health organization via its online site, that is claiming it’s the leading source of information on the coronavirus when there is no scientific proof of that. In order to be safe, as we still do not really know how long these coronaviruses can survive on surfaces, its best to disinfect areas that have lots of contact with people whether or not they are showing signs of having been infected or not. One good way to do that is by deploying ozone gas.
Ozone gas has been proven to kill the SARS coronavirus and since the structure of the new 2019-nCoV coronavirus is almost identical to that of the SARS coronavirus, it is relatively safe to say that it will also work on the new coronavirus though it must be noted that there are no studies to date except one that is currently ongoing n China at the Institute of Virology In Hubei with regards to this. Progress of that study has shown that it works and the study should be concluded by the end of this week and officially published in the journal Virology. There are more than 17 scientific studies that show Ozone gas is able to destroy the SARS coronavirus.
Ozone is a naturally occurring gas created from oxygen atoms. The oxygen molecule is made up of 2 oxygen atoms. These oxygen molecules are broken into atoms by the corona discharge during lightning storms or by UV light from the Sun. Single oxygen atoms cannot exist alone without regrouping back into diatomic oxygen molecules. During this recombination stage, some atoms will regroup into loosely bonded tri-atomic oxygen. This new molecule is called Ozone or O3. Ozone generators are able to make ozone from normal air and are normally used as room disinfectants.
The antipathogenic effects of ozone have been substantiated for several decades. Its killing action upon bacteria, viruses, fungi, and in many species of protozoa, serve as the basis for its increasing use in disinfecting municipal water supplies in cities worldwide. Typically, viruses are small, independent particles, built of crystals and macromolecules. Unlike bacteria, they multiply only within the host cell. Ozone destroys viruses by diffusing through the protein coat into the nucleic acid core, resulting in damage of the viral RNA. At higher concentrations, ozone destroys the capsid or exterior protein shell by oxidation. Numerous families of viruses including poliovirus I and 2, human rotavirus, Norwalk virus, Parvoviruses, and Hepatitis A, B and non-A non-B are among many others that are susceptible to the virucidal actions of ozone. Most research efforts on ozone’s virucidal effects have centered upon ozone’s propensity to break apart lipid molecules at sites of multiple bond configuration. Indeed, once the lipid envelope of the virus is fragmented, its DNA or RNA core cannot survive. Non-enveloped viruses (Adenoviridae, Picornaviridae, namely poliovirus, Coxsachie, Echovirus, Rhinovirus, Hepatitis A and E, and Reoviridae (Rotavirus), have also begun to be studied. Viruses that do not have an envelope are called “naked viruses.” They are constituted of a nucleic acid core (made of DNA or RNA) and a nucleic acid coat, or capsid, made of protein. Ozone, however, aside from its well-recognized action upon unsaturated lipids, can also interact with certain proteins and their constituents, namely amino acids. Indeed, when ozone comes in contact with capsid proteins, protein hydroxides and protein hydroxides and protein hydroperoxides are formed. Viruses have no protections against oxidative stress. The enveloped viruses are usually more sensitive to physico-chemical challenges than are naked virions. Although ozone’s effects upon unsaturated lipids are one of its best-documented biochemical action, ozone is known to interact with proteins, carbohydrates, and nucleic acids. The new coronavirus is an enveloped virus. Typically ozone generators should only be used by trained personnel as ozone is dangerous to humans. It can destroy your cells lining your mouth, nasal pathways, and your lungs. It has the ability to cause cell mutations and cause cancer. And for those with the underlying disease, brief exposure to it can be dangerous. When using the small ozone generators for small room disinfection, make sure you have a timer and never be in the room when the machine is on. The machine should be operated with windows closed and no living thing in the room including pets for about 10 to 15 minutes. (these small machines have a lower ozone volume output, hence a longer time is preferred.) Do not go into the room for at last 3 hours and upon entering, wear a mask and open all windows and air the place for about 15 minutes first before stepping back in.

References:

Gérard V. Sunnen, SARS and Ozone Therapy: Theoretical Considerations, http://www.triroc.com/sunnen/topics/sars.html (2003)

Ozone therapy: A clinical review
A. M. Elvis and J. S. Ekta
J Nat Sci Biol Med. 2011 Jan-Jun; 2(1): 66–70.
doi: 10.4103/0976-9668.82319

SARS: CLEARING THE AIR
Jerome J. Schentag, Pharm. D., Charles Akers, Ph.D., Pamela Campagna, and Paul Chirayath.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK92445/

Development of a Practical Method for Using Ozone Gas as a Virus Decontaminating Agent
James B. Hudson ,Manju Sharma &Selvarani Vimalanathan
Pages 216-223 | Received 30 Jun 2008, Accepted 26 Nov 2008, Published online: 27 May 2009, https://doi.org/10.1080/01919510902747969

Smokers are less likely to be diagnosed with COVID-19 compared to those who have never touched a cigarette, another study has claimed. An array of research carried out since the pandemic began has shown smokers are at lower risk of getting the coronavirus. Now researchers in Mexico have added more weight to the evidence, which experts have called bizarre and said warrants further investigation. Scientists analysed data from almost 90,000 patients and found smokers were 23 per cent less likely than non-smokers to get diagnosed with Covid-19. And the team also found smokers who did get infected were no more likely to need intensive care, be hooked up to a ventilator or die. The findings support the theory that smokers are somehow protected from Covid-19, with data from Britain, the US, China and Italy all suggesting the same.

Scientists are starting to believe nicotine may be able to block the coronavirus from entering cells, preventing the infection in the first place.

Others say nicotine may control the immune system, stopping it from dangerously over-reacting to infection – a phenomenon found to be killing many Covid-19 patients. Doctors are keen to trial nicotine patches in the fight against COVID-19 . But they have warned against encouraging smoking tobacco because of its known dangers. Smokers are 23 per cent less likely to be diagnosed with Covid-19 compared to those who have never touched a cigarette, a study claims. They are six per cent less likely to be admitted to hospital and no more at risk of ICU or death than non-smokers The study was a joint investigation by scientists in Mexico, Greece and the US, led by Dr Theodoros Giannouchos of the University of Utah. The team said to the best of their knowledge, this is the largest study of patients with a confirmed COVID-19 diagnosis. It included 236,439 people who had been to a medical centre with a suspected viral respiratory illness – 89,756 tested positive for Covid-19 and 146,683 tested negative. Any underlying health conditions, such as diabetes, were noted down. The team also identified whether or not the patient was a smoker. Some 8.3 per cent who were diagnosed were current smokers. In contrast, around 14 per cent of adults in Mexico are estimated to smoke. Smokers were 23 per cent less likely to be diagnosed with Covid-19 compared to non-smokers, the findings claim. Of those who were diagnosed, smokers were six per cent less likely to be admitted for hospital care compared to non-smokers. No major differences were observed between the current smokers and non-smokers when looking at adverse outcomes, including ventilation and death.  ‘Notably, smoking was not associated with a higher risk for adverse outcomes and hospitalization,’ the team wrote in their paper published on medRxiv. ‘Smokers were also less likely to be diagnosed with Covid-19.’ The experts added that the findings were ‘in agreement’ with a study from Israel. The Israeli study referenced, published last week, pooled data from more than three million people, including 115,000 swabbed for the virus. Dr Ariel Israel and his colleagues uncovered a ‘genuine’ protective effect of smoking. They also published their findings on MedRxiv.  Nick Note: The mystery for me started when i started to analyze in death statistics of people HOSPITALIZED with the covid19 virus. I discovered direct links to eating out at restaurants, I discovered that masks N95 and surgical masks were useless and i discovered that smokers were 4 times less likely to get infected or hospitalized. AND AND the outcome once hospitalized was the same for smokers and no smokers. These studies were conducted in China, France, Mexico and a massive review of cases out of Israel. So i cranked up the research machine and dove deep. I found MANY peer reviewed studies that showed that nicotine blocks viruses.  It can also act ace a ACEII inhibiter. SO i decided to add to my Vitamin D, Quinine water consumption, using a P3 UPLA respirator, Ozonening the house, Disinfecting everything in sight with bleach and alcohol, complete as possible isolation………  Smoking1 Cohiba (cigarettes are disgusting) Maduro 5  Genios cigar a day. Or 1 Cohiba Linea Beaike…… 56 of course when i can find them. I do not inhale and I smoke 1 at the end of the day in a extremely well ventilated room or outside. And besides hopefully driving the coronavirus away it has the added benefit of driving the millennials away too.  Part of the problem is the medical establishment does not like to kick down their golden idols. One of them is tobacco is BAD. So they suppress any information that may show something different. I believe inhaling cigarette smoke is deadly. BUT nicotine has powerful known medicinal properties that has been know for centuries. BUT  I repeat  smoking cigarettes  is proven additive and deadly. I believe a lot of the problem lies in the fact people inhale the additives like saltpeter tobacco companies add. On the other hand pure tobacco smoke not inhaled from a pipe or cigar  as in all things in moderation without inhaling can have benefits. See studies below:

This study indicates NONsmokers may be more susceptible to 2019-nCov l

Effect of Nicotine On Innate Antiviral Pathways and HCV Replication

pone.0086166

Washington won’t be there to support the economy this time, as infections inevitably rise as people head back indoors

BERKELEY, Calif. (Project Syndicate)—April marked the most dramatic and, some would say, dangerous phase of the COVID-19 crisis in the United States. Deaths were spiking, bodies were piling up in refrigerated trucks outside hospitals in New York City, and ventilators and personal protective equipment were in desperately short supply. The economy was falling off the proverbial cliff, with unemployment soaring to 14.7%. Since then, supplies of medical and protective equipment have improved. Doctors are figuring out when to put patients on ventilators and when to take them off. We have recognized the importance of protecting vulnerable populations, including the elderly. The infected are now younger on average, further reducing fatalities. With help from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, economic activity has stabilized, albeit at lower levels. In fact, the more dangerous phase of the crisis in the U.S. may actually be now, not last spring. While death rates among the infected are declining with improved treatment and a more favorable age profile, fatalities are still running at nearly a thousand per day. This matches levels at the beginning of April, reflecting the fact that the number of new infections is half again as high. Mortality, in any case, is only one aspect of the virus’s toll. Many surviving COVID-19 patients continue to suffer chronic cardiovascular problems and impaired mental function. If almost 40,000 cases a day is the new normal, then the implications for morbidity—and for human health and economic welfare—are truly dire. The silver bullet on which everyone is counting, of course, is a vaccine. This, in fact, is the gravest danger of all. And, like it or not, there is every indication that many Americans, or at least their current leaders, are willing to accept 40,000 new cases and 1,000 deaths a day. They have grown inured to the numbers. They are impatient with lockdowns. They have politicized masks. In March and April, policy makers pulled out all the stops to staunch the economic bleeding. But there will be less policy support now if the economy again goes south.  Although the Federal Reserve can always devise another asset-purchase program, it has already lowered interest rates to zero and hoovered up many of the relevant assets. This is why Fed officials have been pressing the Congress and the White House to act. Unfortunately, Congress seems incapable of replicating the bipartisanship that enabled passage of the CARES Act at the end of March. The $600 weekly supplement to unemployment benefits has been allowed to expire. Divisive rhetoric from President Donald Trump and other Republican leaders about “Democrat-led” cities implies that help for state and local governments is not in the cards. Consequently, if the economy falters a second time, whether because of inadequate fiscal stimulus or flu season and a second COVID-19 wave, it will not receive the additional monetary and fiscal support that protected it in the spring. The silver bullet on which everyone is counting, of course, is a vaccine. This, in fact, is the gravest danger of all. There is a high likelihood that a vaccine will be rolled out in late October, at Trump’s behest, whether or not Phase 3 clinical trials confirm its safety and effectiveness. This specter conjures memories of President Gerald Ford’s rushed swine flu vaccine, also prompted by a looming presidential election, which resulted in cases of Guillain-Barré syndrome and multiple deaths. This episode, together with a fraudulent scientific paper linking vaccination to autism, did much to help foster the modern antivax movement. If the economy falters a second time, whether because of inadequate fiscal stimulus or flu season and a second COVID-19 wave, it will not receive the additional monetary and fiscal support that protected it in the spring. The danger, then, is not merely side effects from a flawed vaccine, but also widespread public resistance even to a vaccine that passes its Phase 3 clinical trial and has the support of the scientific community. This is especially worrisome insofar as skepticism about the merits of vaccination tends to rise anyway in the aftermath of a pandemic that the public-health authorities, supposedly competent in such matters, failed to avert. Studies have shown that living through a pandemic negatively affects confidence that vaccines are safe and disinclines the affected to vaccinate their children. This is specifically the case for individuals who are in their “impressionable years” (ages 18-25) at the time of exposure, because it is at this age that attitudes about public policy, including health policy, are durably formed. This heightened skepticism about vaccination, observed in a variety of times and places, persists for the balance of the individual’s lifetime.