The Covid-19 Thread: News, Preparation Tips, Etc

vevster

Well-Known Member
The Weather Channel app says in Queens alone 7000 cases almost 500 deaths in all of NY state. I don’t think this virus is natural. I got an email from a health practitioner, asian, that says COVID-19 is a weaponized coronavirus out of a bio lab in Wuhan, China.

Elmhurst Hospital is a 15 minute drive from me :(
 
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chocolat79

Well-Known Member
I haven't read many posts in this thread, but I work at a hospital in Cali. We're reusing N95 masks and goggles, but so far have access to gowns. We've started locking up our masks because people will come through the department and take them.

I heard that at the beginning of hearing about the shortage, a lot of our Filipino staff took boxes of masks and sent them to the Phillipines. We have a huge Filipino community demographic in our area, so sounds about right.

We're being extra cautious with visitors and patients with symptoms. Our hospital is allowing one person in L&D and Mother- Baby unit.

We screen everyone that comes through the ER with a questionnaire and if you're not the one who's sick, you can't wait with the person. I think we still allow one visitor and have greatly reduced visiting hours. We used to be a free- for-all prior to coronavirus.

Right now, our hospital is unusually slow, but I'm sure it's the calm before the storm.

It's certainly going to get worse.

Our union DID secure 39 million masks and found a distributor who'll be making 20 million/ week, which is good.

I feel like in the end, Trump will be completely ruined, in every aspect, including financially and it'll be his comeuppance. It's ironic that for all the negativity and venom he spewed about Obama and trying to taint his legacy, his will be catastrophically worse.
 

Ganjababy

Well-Known Member
People are so evil. I have decided not to buy anything that cannot be peeled or do not have packaging. I reckon not all of these psychos are caught in the act...


Grocery store throws out US$35,000 in food that woman intentionally coughed on: Pa. police


A woman purposely coughed on US$35,000 worth of food at a Pennsylvania grocery store, police said. She likely faces criminal charges for coughing, one of the primary ways the novel coronavirus spreads.

The unnamed woman entered small grocery chain Gerrity's Supermarket in Hanover Township and started coughing on produce, bakery items, meat and other merchandise, chain co-owner Joe Fasula wrote on Facebook.

Newsletter sign-up: Get The COVID-19 Brief sent to your inbox

Staff quickly removed her from the store and called Hanover Township Police, who found her a few hours later and took her into custody, Police Chief Albert Walker told CNN.

Hanover Township police said the woman "intentionally contaminated" the food, and they plan to file criminal charges against her once her mental health treatment concludes.

Officials don't believe she's infected with coronavirus but "will make every effort to see that she is tested," Fasula wrote.

Despite considering what she did a "very twisted prank," Fasula said the store threw out every item she came into contact with and worked with a local health inspector to identify and disinfect areas she entered.

Ultimately, he said, the store disposed of $35,000 worth of food.

"I am absolutely sick to my stomach about the loss of food," Fasula said. "While it is always a shame when food is wasted, in these times when so many people are worried about the security of our food supply, it is even more disturbing."

It's not clear what charges the woman may face when she leaves mental health treatment.

People who threatened to spread the virus charged with terrorism

The Department of Justice affirmed Wednesday that people who intentionally spread the novel coronavirus could be charged with terrorism.

Officials across the states are taking threats of spreading coronavirus seriously. Earlier this week, a New Jersey man who police said purposely coughed on a grocery store employee and said he had coronavirus was charged with making "terroristic threats." It was not clear whether the man had a lawyer, the state's attorney general said.

And in Missouri, a 26-year-old man was charged this week with making a terrorist threat after he was filmed in early March licking sticks of deodorant at a Walmart, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported. In a video, the man asks, "Who's scared of coronavirus?" the newspaper reported.

That man's attorney called the action "immature ... tasteless and impulsive" but said it happened before the World Health Organization declared the virus a pandemic, the Post-Dispatch reported. That declaration "should not work retroactively and convert a tasteless and impulsive act into a criminal terrorist threat," the lawyer told the paper.

According to a Justice Department memo, the virus meets the criteria for a "biological agent," and threatening to spread it or "use Covid-19 as a weapon against Americans" could constitute a terrorist threat.

Grocery stores brave the pandemic

Coronavirus is changing the way grocery stores operate. Stores like Gerrity's are deemed "essential businesses" under states' stay-at-home orders, so they're one of the few public places residents of those states can visit during the pandemic.

But as customer visits to grocery stores spike and consumers continue to hoard supplies, industry groups fear that the US food supply will eventually dry up, too. A group that represents brands like PepsiCo and Clorox wrote to the State Department that panic buying coupled with countries cutting off exports to the US could exacerbate the public health crisis.

So stores like Gerrity's are taking extra measures to ensure their stores are safe. Some chains have slashed hours to disinfect stores after closing and restock supplies that sell out quickly. Others have beefed up security and installed off-duty police officers or private guards to manage crowded aisles and jammed parking lots.

The incident with the unnamed woman at Gerrity's showed employees why their strict safety measures are necessary, Fasula wrote on Facebook.

"The only silver lining to this travesty is that it gave us the unfortunate opportunity to test our protocols and demonstrate how seriously we take your safety," he said.

https://apple.news/AxWYw1J8JSxunUNwG4LVt9w
 
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Ganjababy

Well-Known Member
They have tested it and determined that it’s not engineered in a lab. The way they explained it, mentioning CRISPR made sense to me but it’s hard for me to explain. If I find the article I will post. If there was the slightest proof that it was created in a lab in Wuhan Trump would have jumped on it with such quickness
The Weather Channel app says in Queens alone 7000 cases almost 500 deaths. I don’t think this virus is natural. I got an email from a health practitioner, asian, that says COVID-19 is a weaponized coronavirus out of a bio lab in Wuhan, China.

Elmhurst Hospital is a 15 minute drive from me :(
 

vevster

Well-Known Member
They have tested it and determined that it’s not engineered in a lab. The way they explained it, mentioning CRISPR made sense to me but it’s hard for me to explain. If I find the article I will post. If there was the slightest proof that it was created in a lab in Wuhan Trump would have jumped on it with such quickness
Please do.
 

dicapr

Well-Known Member
I truly truly hope this is Trump's ruin, but I know that he's going to just point fingers and distance himself from any responsibility. Since no one seems to be able to stand up to him, I'm afraid of how he might manage to weasel out of this and carry on.

I think he will come out on top. I’m beginning to think this man really did sell his soul to the devil for success. Because I really can’t get my head around his Teflon armor. Even when people see through his smoke screen he is able to get away with everything!
 

Ganjababy

Well-Known Member
COVID-19 coronavirus epidemic has a natural origin


upload_2020-3-27_7-24-59.jpeg

Date:
March 17, 2020
Source:
Scripps Research Institute
Summary:
An analysis of public genome sequence data from SARS-CoV-2 and related viruses found no evidence that the virus was made in a laboratory or otherwise engineered.


The novel SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus that emerged in the city of Wuhan, China, last year and has since caused a large scale COVID-19 epidemic and spread to more than 70 other countries is the product of natural evolution, according to findings published today in the journal Nature Medicine.

The analysis of public genome sequence data from SARS-CoV-2 and related viruses found no evidence that the virus was made in a laboratory or otherwise engineered.

"By comparing the available genome sequence data for known coronavirus strains, we can firmly determine that SARS-CoV-2 originated through natural processes," said Kristian Andersen, PhD, an associate professor of immunology and microbiology at Scripps Research and corresponding author on the paper.

In addition to Andersen, authors on the paper, "The proximal origin of SARS-CoV-2," include Robert F. Garry, of Tulane University; Edward Holmes, of the University of Sydney; Andrew Rambaut, of University of Edinburgh; W. Ian Lipkin, of Columbia University.

Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses that can cause illnesses ranging widely in severity. The first known severe illness caused by a coronavirus emerged with the 2003 Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) epidemic in China. A second outbreak of severe illness began in 2012 in Saudi Arabia with the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS).

On December 31 of last year, Chinese authorities alerted the World Health Organization of an outbreak of a novel strain of coronavirus causing severe illness, which was subsequently named SARS-CoV-2. As of February 20, 2020, nearly 167,500 COVID-19 cases have been documented, although many more mild cases have likely gone undiagnosed. The virus has killed over 6,600 people.

Shortly after the epidemic began, Chinese scientists sequenced the genome of SARS-CoV-2 and made the data available to researchers worldwide. The resulting genomic sequence data has shown that Chinese authorities rapidly detected the epidemic and that the number of COVID-19 cases have been increasing because of human to human transmission after a single introduction into the human population. Andersen and collaborators at several other research institutions used this sequencing data to explore the origins and evolution of SARS-CoV-2 by focusing in on several tell-tale features of the virus.

The scientists analyzed the genetic template for spike proteins, armatures on the outside of the virus that it uses to grab and penetrate the outer walls of human and animal cells. More specifically, they focused on two important features of the spike protein: the receptor-binding domain (RBD), a kind of grappling hook that grips onto host cells, and the cleavage site, a molecular can opener that allows the virus to crack open and enter host cells.

Evidence for natural evolution

The scientists found that the RBD portion of the SARS-CoV-2 spike proteins had evolved to effectively target a molecular feature on the outside of human cells called ACE2, a receptor involved in regulating blood pressure. The SARS-CoV-2 spike protein was so effective at binding the human cells, in fact, that the scientists concluded it was the result of natural selection and not the product of genetic engineering.

This evidence for natural evolution was supported by data on SARS-CoV-2's backbone -- its overall molecular structure. If someone were seeking to engineer a new coronavirus as a pathogen, they would have constructed it from the backbone of a virus known to cause illness. But the scientists found that the SARS-CoV-2 backbone differed substantially from those of already known coronaviruses and mostly resembled related viruses found in bats and pangolins.

"These two features of the virus, the mutations in the RBD portion of the spike protein and its distinct backbone, rules out laboratory manipulation as a potential origin for SARS-CoV-2" said Andersen.


Josie Golding, PhD, epidemics lead at UK-based Wellcome Trust, said the findings by Andersen and his colleagues are "crucially important to bring an evidence-based view to the rumors that have been circulating about the origins of the virus (SARS-CoV-2) causing COVID-19."

"They conclude that the virus is the product of natural evolution," Goulding adds, "ending any speculation about deliberate genetic engineering."

Possible origins of the virus

Based on their genomic sequencing analysis, Andersen and his collaborators concluded that the most likely origins for SARS-CoV-2 followed one of two possible scenarios.

In one scenario, the virus evolved to its current pathogenic state through natural selection in a non-human host and then jumped to humans. This is how previous coronavirus outbreaks have emerged, with humans contracting the virus after direct exposure to civets (SARS) and camels (MERS). The researchers proposed bats as the most likely reservoir for SARS-CoV-2 as it is very similar to a bat coronavirus. There are no documented cases of direct bat-human transmission, however, suggesting that an intermediate host was likely involved between bats and humans.

In this scenario, both of the distinctive features of SARS-CoV-2's spike protein -- the RBD portion that binds to cells and the cleavage site that opens the virus up -- would have evolved to their current state prior to entering humans. In this case, the current epidemic would probably have emerged rapidly as soon as humans were infected, as the virus would have already evolved the features that make it pathogenic and able to spread between people.

In the other proposed scenario, a non-pathogenic version of the virus jumped from an animal host into humans and then evolved to its current pathogenic state within the human population. For instance, some coronaviruses from pangolins, armadillo-like mammals found in Asia and Africa, have an RBD structure very similar to that of SARS-CoV-2. A coronavirus from a pangolin could possibly have been transmitted to a human, either directly or through an intermediary host such as civets or ferrets.

Then the other distinct spike protein characteristic of SARS-CoV-2, the cleavage site, could have evolved within a human host, possibly via limited undetected circulation in the human population prior to the beginning of the epidemic. The researchers found that the SARS-CoV-2 cleavage site, appears similar to the cleavage sites of strains of bird flu that has been shown to transmit easily between people. SARS-CoV-2 could have evolved such a virulent cleavage site in human cells and soon kicked off the current epidemic, as the coronavirus would possibly have become far more capable of spreading between people.

Study co-author Andrew Rambaut cautioned that it is difficult if not impossible to know at this point which of the scenarios is most likely. If the SARS-CoV-2 entered humans in its current pathogenic form from an animal source, it raises the probability of future outbreaks, as the illness-causing strain of the virus could still be circulating in the animal population and might once again jump into humans. The chances are lower of a non-pathogenic coronavirus entering the human population and then evolving properties similar to SARS-CoV-2.

Funding for the research was provided by the US National Institutes of Health, the Pew Charitable Trusts, the Wellcome Trust, the European Research Council, and an ARC Australian Laureate Fellowship.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/03/200317175442.htm


Specifically, they found the unusual biochemical features of the virus could only have come about two ways after the virus jumped from animal to humans, or what’s called zoonotic transfer. The ways, they write, are: “1) natural selection in a non-human animal host prior to zoonotic transfer, and 2) natural selection in humans following zoonotic transfer.”

In other words, nature came up with these weird characteristics in the genome, either in an intermediary animal between bats and people or in humans after the virus infected one. As Racaniello put it on his podcast: “Humans could never have dreamed this up.”

What’s more, he noted, no known lab anywhere in the world was working on a coronavirus like this one, and its closest relative is a bat virus found in a cave in 2013 in Yunnan, China, 1,000 miles from Wuhan.“Presumably there’s a common ancestor, most likely from a bat or an intermediary animal that was contaminated by that bat,” Racaniello says.

https://www.vox.com/2020/3/4/21156607/how-did-the-coronavirus-get-started-china-wuhan-lab

O
ther articles debunking the myth...

https://www.the-scientist.com/news-...virus-escaped-from-a-lab-lacks-evidence-67229

https://www.sciencenews.org/article/coronavirus-covid-19-not-human-made-lab-genetic-analysis-nature
 
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UmSumayyah

Well-Known Member
I haven't read many posts in this thread, but I work at a hospital in Cali. We're reusing N95 masks and goggles, but so far have access to gowns. We've started locking up our masks because people will come through the department and take them.

I heard that at the beginning of hearing about the shortage, a lot of our Filipino staff took boxes of masks and sent them to the Phillipines. We have a huge Filipino community demographic in our area, so sounds about right.

We're being extra cautious with visitors and patients with symptoms. Our hospital is allowing one person in L&D and Mother- Baby unit.

We screen everyone that comes through the ER with a questionnaire and if you're not the one who's sick, you can't wait with the person. I think we still allow one visitor and have greatly reduced visiting hours. We used to be a free- for-all prior to coronavirus.

Right now, our hospital is unusually slow, but I'm sure it's the calm before the storm.

It's certainly going to get worse.

Our union DID secure 39 million masks and found a distributor who'll be making 20 million/ week, which is good.

I feel like in the end, Trump will be completely ruined, in every aspect, including financially and it'll be his comeuppance. It's ironic that for all the negativity and venom he spewed about Obama and trying to taint his legacy, his will be catastrophically worse.
CNN says Trump is as popular as he's ever been.

I don't think Biden or Sanders can win, but Sanders would have a better shot at this point
 

Chicoro

5 Year Shea Anniversary: Started Dec 16th, 2016!
https://www.washingtonpost.com/grap...il&utm_source=newsletter&wpisrc=nl_tyh&wpmk=1

Calculate how much you’ll get from the $1,200 (or more) coronavirus checks

The U.S. government is about to send checks — or direct deposits — to most Americans to help people survive financially as much of the economy shuts down in an effort to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus.

Bipartisan legislation passed by the Senate on Wednesday evening — which still must be passed by the House — would provide $1,200 payments to adults with annual incomes up to $75,000, plus another $500 per child. Some Americans earning more than $75,000 would also receive money if they meet certain qualifications outlined below. For most Americans, the money is likely to arrive in April via direct deposit. Mailed checks may take longer.

Use the calculator below to see how much you would receive. Under that, see answers to frequently asked questions.

See article to do the calculation for your household. (click link at beginning of this post)
 

werenumber2

Well-Known Member
Have you all seen the reports that more men are dying of this than women? It was like 50% more men are dying from it.

I think there’s a smoking/vaping component that is being downplayed - possibly to appease the tobacco industry. I’ve been checking local allergy reports because tree pollen season is coming, and randomly stumbled across this report on Pollen.com of all places:

COVID-19 Infection Likely Worse for Vapers, Smokers
WEDNESDAY, March 25, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- Smokers and vapers who get COVID-19 can probably expect a more severe infection, health experts warn.

Many advisories have focused on the risk facing older people, those with chronic conditions such as diabetes, and people with compromised immune systems, such as cancer patients. But doctors also caution that users of electronic cigarettes and tobacco are more in danger from the new coronavirus than the average healthy person.

Has anyone seen articles like this presented in more mainstream news channels?

All these seemingly healthy younger people who are dying from this - I can’t help but wonder how many of them are past or present smokers.
 

vevster

Well-Known Member
This is from a friend that has relatives in France. I think it is good info...

* The virus is not a living organism, but a protein molecule (DNA) covered by a protective layer of lipid (fat), which, when absorbed by the cells of the ocular, nasal or buccal mucosa, changes their genetic code. (mutation) and convert them into aggressor and multiplier cells.

* Since the virus is not a living organism but a protein molecule, it is not killed, but decays on its own. The disintegration time depends on the temperature, humidity and type of material where it lies.

* The virus is very fragile; the only thing that protects it is a thin outer layer of fat. That is why any soap or detergent is the best remedy, because the foam CUTS the FAT (that is why you have to rub so much: for 20 seconds or more, to make a lot of foam). By dissolving the fat layer, the protein molecule disperses and breaks down on its own.

* HEAT melts fat; this is why it is so good to use water above 25 degrees Celsius for washing hands, clothes and everything. In addition, hot water makes more foam and that makes it even more useful.

* Alcohol or any mixture with alcohol over 65% DISSOLVES ANY FAT, especially the external lipid layer of the virus.

* Any mix with 1 part bleach and 5 parts water directly dissolves the protein, breaks it down from the inside.

* Oxygenated water helps long after soap, alcohol and chlorine, because peroxide dissolves the virus protein, but you have to use it pure and it hurts your skin.


* NO BACTERICIDE SERVES. The virus is not a living organism like bacteria; they cannot kill what is not alive with anthobiotics, but quickly disintegrate its structure with everything said.


* NEVER shake used or unused clothing, sheets or cloth. While it is glued to a porous surface, it is very inert and disintegrates only between 3 hours (fabric and porous), 4 hours (copper, because it is naturally antiseptic; and wood, because it removes all the moisture and does not let it peel off and disintegrates). ), 24 hours (cardboard), 42 hours (metal) and 72 hours (plastic). But if you shake it or use a feather duster, the virus molecules float in the air for up to 3 hours, and can lodge in your nose.

* The virus molecules remain very stable in external cold, or artificial as air conditioners in houses and cars. They also need moisture to stay stable, and especially darkness. Therefore, dehumidified, dry, warm and bright environments will degrade it faster.

* UV LIGHT on any object that may contain it breaks down the virus protein. For example, to disinfect and reuse a mask is perfect. Be careful, it also breaks down collagen (which is protein) in the skin, eventually causing wrinkles and skin cancer.

* The virus CANNOT go through healthy skin.

* Vinegar is NOT useful because it does not break down the protective layer of fat.

* NO SPIRITS, NOR VODKA, serve. The strongest vodka is 40% alcohol, and you need 65%.

* LISTERINE IF IT SERVES! It is 65% alcohol.

* The more confined the space, the more concentration of the virus there can be. The more open or naturally ventilated, the less.

* This is super said, but you have to wash your hands before and after touching mucosa, food, locks, knobs, switches, remote control, cell phone, watches, computers, desks, TV, etc. And when using the bathroom.

* You have to HUMIDIFY HANDS DRY from so much washing them, because the molecules can hide in the micro cracks. The thicker the moisturizer, the better. * Also keep your NAILS SHORT so that the virus does not hide there.
 
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Jmartjrmd

Well-Known Member
Ok. Let's go back to this story posted by @Jmartjrmd ...

Diedre Wilkes' was a mammogram technician at Piedmont Newnan Hospital. She died in her home last week and a posthumous coronavirus test came back positive, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.

Wilkes was 42 years old. She appears to have died 12 to 16 hours before her body was found in her home. Her four-year-old child was near her body when police found her.


So her symptoms changed from bad to death so quickly she didn't even have time to summon help? And she worked for a hospital? And she had a four year old baby???!!!

It's happening a lot

Family says ‘perfectly healthy’ dad is dead days after coronavirus diagnosis
By Kenneth Garger

March 27, 2020 | 1:04am



TJ MendezFacebook
Sign up for our special edition newsletter to get a daily update on the coronavirus pandemic.

A “perfectly healthy” father of six from Texas died Thursday from the coronavirus — two days after he received his positive diagnosis, a report said.

Adolph Mendez, known as T.J, was 44-years-old.

The New Braunfels, Tx., resident was a beloved Kindergarten teacher at Oakwood Church who had a clean bill of health before catching the coronavirus, his family told the New Braunfels Herald-Zeitung.










“You hear that the people who die are older, or have previous health conditions, but he was neither and the virus took him down hard,” Mendez’s wife, Angela, told the paper

“It can happen to anyone, it’s not just a story that happens to people across the world. It’s here and it’s real and it can kill anyone, just like it did my husband.”

The couple have three boys and three girls.

One of their daughters, Brenda Johnson, described her father as “perfect healthy.” She also recounted how he was a fixture in his neighborhood.

“He was kind. He was patient. He cared about others,” Brenda told the paper. “He loved his family so much. He was very involved in our community and our church.”

She said her father’s students referred to his as “Mr. Sticker Man” since he would exchange stickers with them every Sunday.

“He was very loved by all,”


 

chocolat79

Well-Known Member
CNN says Trump is as popular as he's ever been.

I don't think Biden or Sanders can win, but Sanders would have a better shot at this point
Wait for it. Two things, coronavirus is going to get worse in this country. When those rural people from his base start dropping like flies because they don't have enough hospitals close by, they'll be looking at him. Also, if we're in a full blown recession when it's time for the election, and those same people don't have jobs/ money, it'll be a wrap for him. That statement may be true now, but it's still REALLY early.
 

UmSumayyah

Well-Known Member
Wait for it. Two things, coronavirus is going to get worse in this country. When those rural people from his base start dropping like flies because they don't have enough hospitals close by, they'll be looking at him. Also, if we're in a full blown recession when it's time for the election, and those same people don't have jobs/ money, it'll be a wrap for him. That statement may be true now, but it's still REALLY early.
Rural areas are so far not impacted nearly as much. Lack of density means fewer opportunities for Covid to hit, and if most people increase hand washing and social distancing chances of infection will be even lower.

Some people in those areas shop every month or two because the stores are inconvenient to reach.

In any case his base will blame China for lying about the problem.
 

chocolat79

Well-Known Member
Ok. Let's go back to this story posted by @Jmartjrmd ...

Diedre Wilkes' was a mammogram technician at Piedmont Newnan Hospital. She died in her home last week and a posthumous coronavirus test came back positive, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.

Wilkes was 42 years old. She appears to have died 12 to 16 hours before her body was found in her home. Her four-year-old child was near her body when police found her.


So her symptoms changed from bad to death so quickly she didn't even have time to summon help? And she worked for a hospital? And she had a four year old baby???!!!
Interestingly enough, hospitals aren't testing healthcare workers. They either stay home if they're symptomatic or go to work if they aren't. It's an act of Congress to get tested unless you're already on your death bed IN the hospital. If you're home, you're on your own. My coworker had symptoms and actually was able to get tested; we're awaiting his results, but it won't matter if we're asymptomatic; still gotta go to work and won't be tested. We could potentially be spreading it unknowingly.
 

Ganjababy

Well-Known Member
An elder in my family (my aunts father) just died from the virus. I am very close to my aunt. She is devastated. If anyone has any advice on how to be there for her without getting on her nerves I am all ears (eyes). I don’t want to be overbearing with my worry for her (calling and texting asking if she is okay every 5 minutes). Maybe I will post her a care package via amazon...

She is very high risk and is isolated in her house. I begged her not to try and convince anyone to enter her house. We don’t want to lose her too.

This is some terrible times. People dying and you cannot say bye to the body, bury them or go to the funeral if there is one. All those people against cremation have to be reconsidering.
 
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