These are the top six headlines on https://www.reddit.com/r/news/ at this moment:

Cops arrest armed men, Texas bar owner who violated order to close - Sheriff said armed men were there to intimidate officers.

Costco limits meat purchases in U.S. as supply shortages loom

One in five Wendy's is out of beef, analyst says

Amazon is cracking down on protesters and organizing, workers say

Barack Obama will headline televised prime-time commencement

HK protesters say they were tortured in prison.

The only good news here is that we'll see a bit more of Barack Obama for a day. The most distressing headlines are probably that first one and the last. A meat shortage doesn't bother me except it might lead to desperation and, hence, more headlines like the first.

I haven't read the stories yet.

The only headline in Australia that the media has deemed worthy of competing with the virus is about an ex-footballer and coach who was arrested for stalking while wearing a dress and make-up - photos of which were leaked by police officers.

That's kind of depressing as well.

What's going on in HK is a great concern. China is going for it under cover of the virus. For me HK is the frontline in the whole Data War thing.

Jeez. I had to look it up: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8282037/Dean-Laidley-dressed-woman-questioned-...

And so of course, any story on crackdown and torture in HK is going to pale next to this.

I fear where seeing the tip of the iceberg with regards to sociopolitical ramifications of this pandemic. China is taking advantage of it to not only clamp down on HK, but everyplace else it wishes to.

I fear where seeing the tip of the iceberg with regards to sociopolitical ramifications of this pandemic. China is taking advantage of it to not only clamp down on HK, but everyplace else it wishes to.

I still believe/hope the HK protest can hit back - they've shown great ingenuity so far - but check out what they're up against in full virus crackdown mode:

Article about the turning of the screws mentions 7000 arrested - some alarming CCP language:

"Beijing’s top political office in Hong Kong has called protesters a “political virus” and said the semi-autonomous city will never be calm until “poisonous” and “violent” black-clad demonstrators are eliminated."

I don't know if this one is depressing or just stupid:

Cuomo says it’s ‘shocking’ most new coronavirus hospitalizations are people who had been staying home

“If you notice, 18% of the people came from nursing homes, less than 1% came from jail or prison, 2% came from the homeless population, 2% from other congregate facilities, but 66% of the people were at home, which is shocking to us,” Cuomo said."

I read those stats i think that sounds about right. Most people are at home - it is a lockdown. Where did he think they were gonna come from? The moon?

So true! Not to mention that many of those on lockdown have family members who are going out, going to work, and bringing home the virus.

Here's a depressing headline:

Fixture Throwback: Watch the highlights from old classics

It's from the Australian Football League website. There are still no games - not even without audiences. It's not just the games but the drama around the game - and the fact it's just a game - it's escapism

Btw, Dean Laidley - the guy in the salacious news story - he played then coached my team - North Melbourne Kangaroos. Our star captain at that time was Wayne Carey - considered one of the best ever. Unfortunately he had to leave the club after he was busted fucking the wife of the vice-captain in the bathroom at a party - at the vice-captain's house.

"Unfortunately he had to leave the club after he was busted fucking the wife of the vice-captain in the bathroom at a party - at the vice-captain's house."

LOL! Why does this strike me as so Australian even though I've never been to Australia?

News: North Melbourne legend Wayne Carey has responded to reports he will be banned from Crown Resorts premises for two years after being caught with a bag of white powder in a Perth casino last week.

According to The Herald Sun, the 51-year-old was evicted from Crown Burswood on Thursday evening after a zip-lock bag containing a white substance dropped from his pocket onto a gaming room table.

Whoops ... Accidentally spilled out with some dollar bills as he was buying chips. He's already an AFL Legend - but that confirms his party-boy Legendariness as well. (Carey is the same footballer who, as captain, got caught banging the vice-captain's wife in the bathroom at a party - at the VC's house)

Although Carey said it was not a great look, turns out there was a perfectly innocent explanation ...

9 News: Carey last night denied the white powder was illegal, saying it was just crushed up anti-inflammatory drugs he takes for pain-killing purpose.

Carey's Lawyers: Mr Carey is prescribed anti-inflammatories and painkilling medicine to help manage the significant pain caused by debilitating football injuries – including a shoulder that needs replacing and a neck injury that requires three discs to be replaced.

Mr Carey is distressed that the casino actions have led to media attention leaving the public to also wrongly assume the bag contained an illegal drug.

We are considering whether Crown Casino unlawfully discriminated against Mr Carey by excluding him from its premises as a result of a pre-existing disability.

As a North supporter, i totally believe him. This is also serendipitous coz within the Sir Jeremy Farrar rabbit-hole i learned that Wellcome Trust founder made his billions from being the first establishment player to put powder medicines into pill form. Simple, but he was the first to do it. That has been the prevailing trend in western (not eastern - still lots of powders there) medicine ever since.

That's until 2022, when North Melbourne FC Legend, Wayne Carey, reversed the process, by grinding up anti-inflammatory tablets back into a powder-form.

Again, so simple - but no-one'd thought of doing it. I didn't - coz occasionally i take anti-inflammatory pills - never thought about grinding them up, putting the powder in a ziploc bag for a night out at the casino. That's what separates normal people from the pharmaceutical visionaries.

Carey: It was not an illegal substance .. Security didn’t take it. They just said it’s not a great look, I understood that, and we left without incident.

Until it became front-page news ...

THE science is still out on whether crushed tablet is better than normal tablet, but in the meantime i'd also recommend against the practice if you were flying internationally, or doing anything public, really, especially if you've got a reputation of being a Celebrity Coke-head.