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2:43 AM 10/28/2020 – Hospitals in the Midwest and Southwest are seeing record levels of COVID-19 patients – Daily Mail

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2:43 AM 10/28/2020 – Mike Nova’s favorite articles on Inoreader: Hospitals in the Midwest and Southwest are seeing record levels of COVID-19 patients – Daily Mail

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Mike Nova’s favorite articles on Inoreader
Trumps campaign website apparently hacked
US sisters stabbed security guard 27 times after being told to wear masks
Hunter Biden emails: Tony Bobulinski says he was warned, ‘You’re just going to bury all of us’
Hospitals in the Midwest and Southwest are seeing record levels of COVID-19 patients – Daily Mail
Disease X-19 Symptoms from Michael_Novakhov (16 sites): Google Alert – gastrointestinal coronavirus: Global impact of the COVID19 pandemic on cytopathology practice: Results from an international …
Disease X-19 and Security from Michael_Novakhov (10 sites): Google Alert – Coronavirus and white supremacy: America faces a moment of choice
President Macron could announce new nationwide French lockdown TOMORROW – Daily Mail
PBS NewsHour West live episode, Oct. 27, 2020
AP News in Brief at 6:09 a.m. EDT – Fresno Bee
Germany: The worst waste of taxpayer money in 2020 – DW (English)
Putin rejects Donald Trumps criticism of Biden business links – Al Jazeera English
Report: U.S. Government Paid Over $2.5 Million To Trumps Businesses – Forbes
Donald Trump’s wildest election prediction – CNN
Trump appointee resigns as a ‘matter of conscience’ over executive order aimed at civil service – CNN
Shared Links from Michael_Novakhov (6 sites): mikenov on Twitter: RT @DailyMail: Melania slams Biden as a ‘socialist’ in full-on attack as she hits campaign trail in Pennsylvania trib.al/ffwQN1O ht
Walter Wallace Jr., who was shot by Philadelphia police, had a criminal history, rapped about shooting cops
Microsoft Internet Explorer users may be surprised when they get redirected to Edge next month
Melania Trump slashes Dems, media in speech at first solo 2020 rally in Pennsylvania
1. US Security from Michael_Novakhov (87 sites): The National Interest: Charles XII’s Gamble at Narva Paid Off
1. Russia from Michael_Novakhov (115 sites): Voice of America – English: The Infodemic: Will COVID-19 Ruin Halloween?
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Mike Nova’s favorite articles on Inoreader
Trumps campaign website apparently hacked
Wed, 28 Oct 2020 06:07:10 +0000
The campaign website for President Donald Trump was apparently hacked Tuesday.
US sisters stabbed security guard 27 times after being told to wear masks
Wed, 28 Oct 2020 06:07:05 +0000
Jayla Hill, 18, is accused of grabbing victims hair while Jessica Hill, 21, allegedly attacked him with small knife concealed in comb.
Hunter Biden emails: Tony Bobulinski says he was warned, ‘You’re just going to bury all of us’
Wed, 28 Oct 2020 06:06:55 +0000
A former Hunter Biden business partner said Tuesday he was warned against going public with information about their business dealings…
Hospitals in the Midwest and Southwest are seeing record levels of COVID-19 patients – Daily Mail
Wed, 28 Oct 2020 01:41:05 +0000
34919932-0-image-a-8_1603832032595.jpg

  1. Hospitals in the Midwest and Southwest are seeing record levels of COVID-19 patients  Daily Mail
  2. Hospitals across 38 states report increase in COVID-19 patients  CBS News
  3. GRAPH: COVID-19 hospital beds in use as of October 27, 2020  Denver7 The Denver Channel
  4. Jefferson City hospital struggles with COVID-19 bed space as virus cases climb  krcgtv.com
  5. OSF says there’s ‘plenty of room’ for COVID-19 patients in ICU  Eyewitness News WTVO WQRF
  6. View Full Coverage on Google News
Disease X-19 Symptoms from Michael_Novakhov (16 sites): Google Alert – gastrointestinal coronavirus: Global impact of the COVID19 pandemic on cytopathology practice: Results from an international …
Wed, 28 Oct 2020 01:39:01 +0000
To the authors’ knowledge, the impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 … salivary glands, central nervous system, gastrointestinal tract, pancreas, liver …7851811Google Alert – gastrointestinal coronavirus7862953Disease X-19 Symptoms from Michael_Novakhov (16 sites)
Disease X-19 and Security from Michael_Novakhov (10 sites): Google Alert – Coronavirus and white supremacy: America faces a moment of choice
Wed, 28 Oct 2020 01:38:48 +0000
White supremacy has become a growth industry, no longer reticent, and producing groups that have fomented fierce, even violent resistance to the …7851770Google Alert – Coronavirus and white supremacy7862911Disease X-19 and Security from Michael_Novakhov (10 sites)
President Macron could announce new nationwide French lockdown TOMORROW – Daily Mail
Wed, 28 Oct 2020 01:37:27 +0000
President Macron could announce new nationwide French lockdown TOMORROW  Daily Mail
PBS NewsHour West live episode, Oct. 27, 2020
Wed, 28 Oct 2020 01:37:12 +0000
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AP News in Brief at 6:09 a.m. EDT – Fresno Bee
Wed, 28 Oct 2020 01:36:53 +0000
AP News in Brief at 6:09 a.m. EDT  Fresno Bee
Germany: The worst waste of taxpayer money in 2020 – DW (English)
Wed, 28 Oct 2020 01:36:39 +0000
Germany: The worst waste of taxpayer money in 2020  DW (English)
Putin rejects Donald Trumps criticism of Biden business links – Al Jazeera English
Wed, 28 Oct 2020 01:36:34 +0000
Putin rejects Donald Trumps criticism of Biden business links  Al Jazeera English
Report: U.S. Government Paid Over $2.5 Million To Trumps Businesses – Forbes
Wed, 28 Oct 2020 01:36:28 +0000
Report: U.S. Government Paid Over $2.5 Million To Trumps Businesses  Forbes
Donald Trump’s wildest election prediction – CNN
Wed, 28 Oct 2020 01:36:16 +0000
Donald Trump’s wildest election prediction  CNN
Trump appointee resigns as a ‘matter of conscience’ over executive order aimed at civil service – CNN
Wed, 28 Oct 2020 01:36:09 +0000
Trump appointee resigns as a ‘matter of conscience’ over executive order aimed at civil service  CNN
Shared Links from Michael_Novakhov (6 sites): mikenov on Twitter: RT @DailyMail: Melania slams Biden as a ‘socialist’ in full-on attack as she hits campaign trail in Pennsylvania trib.al/ffwQN1O ht
Wed, 28 Oct 2020 01:35:57 +0000

Melania slams Biden as a ‘socialist’ in full-on attack as she hits campaign trail in Pennsylvania trib.al/ffwQN1O pic.twitter.com/AMKLXzM3wd


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Retweeted by JKTgtWyf_normal.jpgMichael Novakhov (mikenov) on Tuesday, October 27th, 2020 9:13pm

63 likes, 19 retweets

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7578169Shared Links from Michael_Novakhov (6 sites)

Walter Wallace Jr., who was shot by Philadelphia police, had a criminal history, rapped about shooting cops
Wed, 28 Oct 2020 01:35:21 +0000
The Black man fatally shot by Philadelphia police officers on Monday was an aspiring rapper who sometimes rhymed about shooting people,…
Microsoft Internet Explorer users may be surprised when they get redirected to Edge next month
Wed, 28 Oct 2020 01:35:03 +0000
IE will launch Edge instead of completing your request
Melania Trump slashes Dems, media in speech at first solo 2020 rally in Pennsylvania
Wed, 28 Oct 2020 01:34:52 +0000
Melania Trump doesn’t give many speeches but she was prepared to unload on Joe Biden, Democrats and the media at a campaign rally in…
1. US Security from Michael_Novakhov (87 sites): The National Interest: Charles XII’s Gamble at Narva Paid Off
Tue, 27 Oct 2020 21:37:21 +0000
Warfare History NetworkHistory, EuropeWikimedia Commons

Narva is rightly remembered as a brilliant victory against the odds.

Just after dawn on the morning of November 20, 1700, two figures stood atop Hermansburg, a small rise that overlooked the fortress town of Narva in the Baltic province of Estonia. One of the men was plainly a high-ranking officer, an older man whose elaborate uniform and curly wig proclaimed his importance. Yet, curiously, he was deferential to his tall companion, a pink-faced teenager who swept the horizon with his telescope.

The youth was King Charles XII of Sweden, about to engage in the first major battle of his career. Charles was about five feet, nine inches tall, but his slender build made him seem even taller. He had an oval face, hawk nose, and thick lips, redeemed by piercing blue eyes that commanded respect. The young king was dressed in a simple blue uniform with brass buttons that marched down the front of his tunic; no sign of royalty, no gold braid or order of chivalry, was evident.

But perhaps the most unusual feature was his closely cropped blond hair, strands of which could be seen poking out from under a simple black tricorne. This was still the age of Louis XIV, where elaborately curled, full-bottomed wigs were not only standard but also almost mandatory. Charles left his wig in Stockholm, vowing never to wear it again.

Indeed, Charles had more on his mind than court fashion. Sweden was being assailed by a coalition of powerful enemies determined to dismantle an empire built over the previous 75 years by piety and blood. The Swedish king already had won his first laurels by knocking Denmark out of the war, but in facing the Russians he confronted his most daunting challenge.

The king lowered his telescope and spoke to the older man beside him, Field Marshal Carl Gustav Rehnskjold. Charles always spoke with laconic brevityclear, concise, and to the point. Narva was a major Swedish fortress, and it was being besieged by a Russian army of 35,000 to 40,000 men. Charles had no more than about 9,000 hungry and exhausted effectives.

There, spread out below the two mens feet, was a classic siege operation at the dawn of the 18th century. It was like an engineers plan brought to three-dimensional life. The Russian trenches encircled Narva in a sweeping arc that was some four miles in length. But the besieger had also constructed a second line of fortifications, this time facing out, not in, designed to keep any possible relief force at bay.

A cold rain was falling, and darkening clouds and plunging temperatures brought the chilling promise of a snowstorm. How could such a relative handful of Swedes triumph against a well-entrenched enemy four times its size? Looking down at the Russian host, many Swedish officers must have felt a chill that was entirely unrelated to the weather. But to Charles, the dire situation was a tonic that brought excitement, not despair.

The weather was worsening, but Charles took little notice. We will attack, the king said to Rehnskjold, leaving the older man to work out a suitable plan to carry out his royal wishes. Nothing less than Swedens status as a major European power hung in the balance. If Charles was defeated or destroyed, Sweden faced ruin and even possible foreign invasion. The Battle of Narva was about to begin.

Mistress of the North

The coming contest had its roots in the growth of Swedish power in the 17th century. By 1700, Sweden was the Mistress of the North, an imperial power whose greatness was both feared and admired. The Baltic was a Swedish Lake, since most of the islands and territories that bordered that great sea were controlled by Stockholm.

The Swedish empire included Finland and the provinces of Karelia, Estonia, Ingria, and Livonia. It also had footholds in northern Germany, with the most prominent being western Pomerania and the seaports of Settin, Stralsund, and Wismar. Sweden had a population of about  1.5 million, but it did possess probably the finest army in Europe at the time.

The Swedish infantry, magnificent in their blue uniforms with yellow facings, were armed with the latest flintlock muskets. They also had a relatively new innovation, the socket bayonet, which allowed a musket to be fired when attached, unlike the common plug bayonet that was jammed into the muzzle.

Swedish soldiers were tough and hearty peasants, accustomed to the icy blasts of Scandinavian winters. They shared the kings pious fatalism. Charles once said in effect that a man should not worry about being killed in battle; you would not die unless God decreed it was your time to die. This rough assurance gave the Swedish soldier unbounded strength and confidence.

Swedish power brought enemies as well as friends. Augustus the Strong, Elector of Saxony and King of Poland, cast covetous eyes on some of Swedens Baltic lands. Frederick IV of Denmark, another potential foe, wanted to reclaim some territory his country lost to Sweden earlier in the century.

A Window to the West

But Russia was going to be Swedens most dangerous enemy, though few believed this in 1700. After a long slumber lasting several centuries, the Russian bear was at last awakening from its self-imposed hibernation. Czar Peter admired the West and was determined to modernize a still largely medieval country. The Western calendar, Western dress, and above all Western technology were introduced to a backward nation, still drowsy from its long semi-isolation.

Peter, a colossus in body (he was six feet, seven inches tall), knew that Russia needed an ice-free port, a window to the West, if the country was ever to be accepted as an equal among the great powers of Europe. Such a seaport would be an umbilical cord to a modernizing nation, bringing in nourishing fresh ideas, trade, and technology to a country that was still a developing infant in Western terms.

The Russians were blocked from going souththat is gaining access to the Black Sea and the Mediterraneanby the weakening but still powerful Ottoman Empire. That left the north, but the Baltic coast was controlled by Sweden. The Swedish army was probably the best in Europe at the time, but if the Swedes were simultaneously attacked on several fronts, their military power might well be diluted and ultimately neutralized.

The secret allies began clandestine preparations for war. They were encouraged by the fact that Swedens new ruler, the 18-year-old King Charles XII, seemed a stripling youth. They misread their man. He was pious and moral, athletic and highly intelligent. Above all, he was a born soldier, reveling in military hardships and dangers.

Hostilities began when Augustus the Strong invaded Swedish Livonia without a declaration of war. The Danes also were on the march, invading Duke of Holstein-Gottorp Frederick IVs territory just south of their own country. The duke was a Swedish ally and also a cousin of Charles XII.

The Treaty of Travendal: Taking the Danes Out of the War

Charles took the news calmly, but inwardly he must have been seething with righteous indignation. He called for his council and announced his intentions: I have resolved, Charles said, never to start an unjust war, but also never ending a just war without overcoming my enemy. Augustus has broken his word. Our cause, then, is just and God will help us.

Denmark would be the first target of Charless offensive. The basic plan was to land troops on Zeeland, a Baltic island where Copenhagen is located. The main Danish army was tied up in Holstein-Gottorp, far to the south. If Charles could successfully land in Zeeland, he could take the Danish capital behind Frederick IVs back. The Danish king would be forced to sue for peace.

On June 16, 1700, the young Swedish king boarded his flagship King Charles at Karlskrona, the main Swedish naval base. Charles was scheduled to rendezvous with an Anglo-Dutch fleet, which was key to any success against the Danes. King William III of England, who was also ruler of the Netherlands, wanted a quick victory to stabilize the region. Only then could he focus on his main foe, Louis XIV of France.

But before the rendezvous could be completed and the two allied fleets joined, the Swedes had to pass through the Kattegat Sound, a treacherous channel some three miles long. Determined to prevent the allies from uniting, the Danish fleet lay close to the sounds main Baltic entrance. There were also dangerous shoals in the area, and well-placed Danish cannon added to the list of hazards.

There was one possibility, but Swedish Admiral Wachtmeister hesitated to order it. There was a secondary channel that was relatively unguarded, but its treacherous shoals made it a dangerous proposition. One or more of the Swedish warships might run aground, and that would also block further passage like a cork in a bottle.

Charles overruled his admirals objections and ordered the Swedish fleet to enter the secondary channel. Three of the largest vessels had to be left behindthey drew too much waterbut after some nail-biting moments the rest of the fleet got through.

The combined allied fleet now numbered 60 ships against 40 Danish men-of-war. The Danish fleet withdrew. There was nothing else it could do. On July 23, a Swedish landing force of some 4,000 men established a beachhead on Zeeland. Charles, impetuous as ever, jumped out of his boat before it touched shore, wading waist deep with drawn sword in hand.

More Swedish troops arrived, and in short order Copenhagen was under siege. Trenches and parallels were dug and the city bombarded. Frederick, hurrying back from the south, quickly capitulated. The Treaty of Travendal, signed August 18, 1700, was a complete triumph for Charles and his allies. Denmark was out of the war.

Peter the Great Raises an Army

In the meantime, Peter had declared war on Sweden with the aim of recovering the lost provinces of Ingria and Karelia. As a first step, the czar would try to take Narva, a fortress in Estonia just over the border from Ingria. The actual Russian frontier was only 20 miles away, an easy march for an army of semi-raw recruits.

The Russian army was indeed new, hastily conscripted and trained in only a few months. The Streltsky, the old pre-reform Russian soldiers, had revolted a few years earlier and were ruthlessly exterminated. Only a few demoralized remnants remained. There were only four well-trained, modern regiments in the Russian army, the Guards regiments. The Lefort, Butursky, Preobrazhensky, and Semyonovsky would have to be the foundation on which the rest of the Russian forces would be built.

Moving quickly, Peter ordered that landowners, including monasteries and elements of the Orthodox Church, be taxed by providing serf peasants as recruits. The ranks were soon filled, but it took time to whipsometimes literallythese illiterate serfs into shape as soldiers. Mastering the drills was one problem, and learning to load and fire muskets like automatons was another.

The Russian officer corps was also relatively new, filled with courtiers more eager than helpful. At this stage his best officers were, with a few exceptions, foreigners with previous military experience. Peters cavalry arm was adequate but unseasoned, but his artillery was impressive. Ironically, 300 cannons had been a gift from Charles XII, originally intended to be used against the Turks.

The Russian Line of Contravallation

In mid-September, Prince Trubetskoy, governor of Novgorod, was ordered to march to Narva with an 8,000-man advance guard and invest the city. Field Marshal Fedor Golovin was tapped to command the main army, though, of course, Peter himself would loom large in any military decisions.

Narva was heavily fortified, with stout walls punctuated by bastions that radiated out like a glowing star, each bristling with cannon. The center of the town was typically Baltic German in style and architecture, with tree-lined streets, quaint gabled houses, and Lutheran churches whose steeples spiked the sky. The town nestled securely on the west bank of the Narva River, a meandering stream that was dotted with small islands.

Just across the river and linked to Narva by a bridge was the former Russian fortress of Ivangorodnow a Swedish outworka relic of the time when the area was a border frontier. It was plain that Narva was going to be a tough nut to crack.

Luckily, Peter had the services of General Ludwig von Hallert, a Saxon engineer. Hundreds of Russians were put to work digging trenches and creating siege lines. To guard against attack from the rearCharles might try to relieve the invested fortressa line of contravallation was also built to protect the besieging Russian army.

The contravallation line stretched for four miles and featured earthworks nine feet high with a trench six feet deep in front. The earthwork mounds were topped by chevaux de frise, logs whose tops had been carved to a point. Around 140 cannons protruded from the earthen ramparts, making an attackers task that much more difficult.

Surely God Will Protect Us

In the meantime, Charles was mulling over future plans. Augustus the Strong was besieging Riga, and to Charles the Polish king was the most deceitful and wicked of his enemies. Charles longed for the day when he could punish the double-dealing Saxon. But it was fall, and winter comes early to these northern climes. The Swedes would have to cross the Baltic in a season notorious for autumnal gales.

Headstrong as always, Charles gave orders for the army to be transported to Livonia. He hoped to give Augustus a drubbing, but if that were not possible, he was flexible enough to turn north and deal with Peter at Narva. The Swedish fleet set sail on October 1, 1700, the ships packed with troops and supplies of war.

The fleet was about halfway through its journey when it was hit by a raging storm. Warships and transports were scattered, buffeted by high winds and raging, foam-flecked seas. Some managed to anchor off Courland and ride out the storm; others foundered and were lost. The transports were tossed about like a childs bathtub toys, injuring many cavalry horses. Charles himself was so seasick he could barely function.

On October 6, the battered Swedish fleet reached Pernau on the Bay of Riga. Ships were repaired, and once the storm was over fresh transports brought additional troops and artillery from Sweden. While his army rested and recovered, Charles learned that the siege of Riga had been lifted and that Augustus was in winter quarters. Cheated of his primary prey, Charles now turned his attention to the Russian siege of Narva, some 150 miles away.

Charles set up his headquarters at Wesenburg, drilling his men while he waited for additional troops to join him. Most of his officers thought an attempt to relieve Narva so late in the season was sheer madness. It was a sevenday march to Narva, through desolate country made even worse by a Russian scorched-earth policy. The land itself was full of bogs, and heavy rains were turning it into a sea of mud.

The officers also pointed out that there was but one road to the beleaguered town and that ran through three passes that were easily defended. Rumor also had it that the Russians had 80,000 men at Narva (actually closer to 40,000). That meant the Swedes would be outnumbered eight to one.

Charles listened patiently, as he always did when matters of importance were discussed. When the last officer had his say, the king announced that, in spite of it all, they would march to Narva and engage the Russians as soon as possible. If Narva was taken, the Russians might well sweep on, taking much of Swedens Baltic provinces.

Surely God will protect us, Charles said, since our cause is righteous. Besides, with my brave blue boys behind me [a reference to their uniforms], I fear nothing. All arguments ceasedthey would march to Narva as soon as it was practical.

The Swedish Advance on Narva

But even Charles realized winter was fast coming onhe would march with the troops he had and not wait for reinforcements. That meant that the king had somewhere between 9,000 to 10,000 men, horse and foot, at his immediate disposal. The officers were still doubtful, and the rank and file still didnt know what to make of their teenaged monarch.

The Swedish army left Wesenburg on November 13. The march was a nightmare and even worse than predicted. The road was already muddy, but the tramp of thousands of feet churned it into a glutinous muck. Slate gray clouds unleashed a steady, driving rain, soaking the soldiers to the skin.

When the army halted for the night it faced new ordeals. The temperatures dropped to below freezing, turning the rain into wind-driven sleet and snow. Eschewing the comforts of royalty, Charles stoically camped on the bare ground, without tent or shelter. It was said that freezing snow speckled his face and body as he slept in the open air.

The darkened skies were lighted by the flaming remains of farm cottages put to the torch by the retreating Russians. There was no food to be had and no fodder for the horses. Some Swedes had a few crusts of bread in their knapsacks, but the constant dampness made the bread so heavy with mold it was all but inedible.

But to the Swedes great joy and relief the first two passes on the Narva road were completely undefended. The third obstacle, Pyhajoggi Pass, was defended by Russian cavalry, but the czars horsemen withdrew after a skirmish.

Field Marshal Rehnskjolds Plan of Attack

The news that Charles was coming created an uproar in the Russian siege camp at Narva.  At about 3 am on the morning of November 20, Peter summoned Charles Eugene, Duc Du Croy, and told him to assume command of the Russian army. Du Croy was technically an observer from Augustus of Poland. Although an experienced soldier, he didnt speak Russian, nor did he have confidence in the czars officers or his common soldiers.

Du Croy tried to politely decline, but it was hard to say no to a czar. He reluctantly assumed command, and Peter and General Fedor Golovin, the nominal Russian commander, departed soon after. The czar was going to use his presence to speed up reinforcements to Narva and to confront Augustus, asking why he lifted the siege of Riga so precipitously. Golovin was the Russian foreign minister, so it made sense, at least on paper, to have the general go with Peter.

When the Swedish army reached the outskirts of Narva, Charles and Field Marshal Rehnskjold went up to Hermannsburg Hill to scout the enemy positions. Charles noted a weaknessthe Russian fortifications were so extensive; the Russian army was spread thin. The Swedish army excelled in the offensive; the catchword Ga Pa (roughly, up and at em) was no mere exhortation, but an article of faith.

If the tough and disciplined Swedish infantry could effect a breach in the Russian works, they could pour in and wreak havoc from within. The bluecoated Swedish foxes would be in a very large Russian henhouse. It was a bold gamble, but Charles knew it was the best chance of victory. His small army was starving, exhausted, and far from home. Attacking was the only hope of salvation.

The basic plan was devised by Rehnskjold. The Swedish infantry, split into two divisions, would hit the center of the Russian earthworks. Once achieving a breakthrough, the Swedish left under Rehnskjold would push north. The Swedish right under General Otto Vellinck would push south. It was crucial for the Swedes to keep the Russian army separated into two halves. If all went well, they would be able to literally divide and conquer.

The Swedish cavalry would protect the infantrys flanks and deal with Russian horsemen, if any. They would also be on the lookout for any Russians trying to mount a sortie, or even simply trying to escape. King Charles and his DrabantsRoyal Life Guardswould be on the far left with cavalry under Colonel Magnus Stenbock.

The Snow is at Our Backs

General Du Croy observed the Swedes arrival, and at first felt no cause for alarm. Presumably Charles would start to dig siege trenchesin essence the Russian besiegers would become the besieged. Du Croy, bewigged and dressed in a bright red uniform, was puzzled by what he was seeing. It looked like the Swedes were making fascines, rough bundles of wood bound together, which could be dumped into ditches to help troops cross such barriers.

That could only mean that Charles was about to attack. Du Croy decided to send out a substantial force, which numbered approximately 15,000 men, to confront the newcomers. Unfortunately, the Russians refused to budge from their fortifications. Bowing to the inevitable, Du Croy ordered the Russian troops to place their regimental standards on the earthworks, stand to arms, and await developments.

It was 2 pm when Charles gave the order for the Swedish army to advance. The rain had stopped, but darkening clouds ominously hovered over the combatants. As the Swedes advanced, a ranging snowstorm suddenly descended on the battlefield like the wrath of God. Some Swedish officers hesitated. Should they postpone the attack until the weather cleared?

No! shouted Charles, his voice distinctly heard above the howling winds, The snow is at our backs, but it is full in the enemies eyes!  He was right. The snowstorm was a help, not a hindrance, since it blinded the Russians and disguised how few Swedes were advancing against them.

Tough Swedish Discipline

The storm became a full-fledged blizzard, the wind-lashed snow falling so rapidly the horizon was transformed into a blinding white void. The Russian troops, their eyes stung by the pelting flakes, could hear the sounds of the enemy but could see nothing. The blizzard was so perfectly timed it seemed that nature itself was allied with the Swedes.

Suddenly, a line of blue appeared out of the white swirl, apparitions that must have seemed almost like ghosts to the startled Russian soldiers. Most of Peters troops were muzhiks, long-suffering peasant serfs, whose bravery and stoicism was matched by an understandable superstition.

It was the Swedish infantry that halted, raised their muskets, and fired a thunderous volley. Flames spouted from hundreds of muskets, and Russians on the earthwork parapet fell like grass. Led by officers waving swords, the bluecoats went forward at the run. The regiments that had fascines threw them into the Russian ditch, making a bridge to cross over. Other Swedes simply dove into the ditch, climbed up, and fought their way into the Russian siege works.

The Russian soldiers fought bravely but were no match for Swedish determination and cold steel. Vicious hand-to-hand fighting ensued. We slew all who came at us, a Swedish officer grimly remembered, and it was a terrible slaughter. Once a breach had been made in the Russian works the Swedish soldiers poured in like a blue and yellow torrent.

In spite of the pelting snow and growing chaos, Swedish discipline assured that everything went according to plan. The two Swedish divisions separated and went about their assigned tasks with coolness and professionalism. The Russians fought bravely at first, but their morale was weakened by fear, confusion, and sheer lack of experience.

Panic arose and infected the Russian regiments like a deadly contagion. Orderly ranks of soldiers dissolved into fear-stricken mobs, men whose only thought was to escape as quickly as possible. Whole regiments took to their heels, some soldiers leaping over the parapets in an attempt to reach the open fields. Many fugitives were cut down by sword-wielding Swedish cavalry.

A Chaotic Rout: The Germans Have Betrayed Us!

Instinctively seeking a scapegoat for their own actions, Russian muzhiks shouted, The Germans have betrayed us! German was the Russian generic term for foreigner, and for many such officers the feeling was mutual. General Ludwig von Hallert, a Saxon serving the czar, was thoroughly disgusted. They [the Russians] ran about like a herd of cattle he recalled. One regiment was mixed up with another so that hardly 20 men could be got into line.

General Boris Sheremetevs cavalry did little to help the situation. The Russian horsemen, many of them dvoriane (nobles), galloped off the field in a wild panic, proving blue bloods could run away just as fast as commoners. Plunging headlong into the river, the fleeing horsemen and their lathered mounts perished in its twisting cataracts.

The Swedes pressed north and south, driving all before them. The Russian retreat soon became a rout. Thousands of terrified Russian soldiers, artillerymen, and wagon drivers desperately tried to cross to the east bank of the Narva River via the Kemperholm Bridge. It was a wild stampede of men, all pushing, shoving, and stumbling over each other in a frantic effort to make good their escape.

The bridge weakened under the unaccustomed weight of horses, wagons, and hundreds of men, and finally its timbers gave way. The whole structure collapsed into the river, taking scores of Russians to their deaths in the cold waters below. Worse still, a major avenue of escape was cut off from the rest of the panicking soldiery.

20,000 Prisoners of War

Charles was in the thick of the fight, but more like a common soldier than a commander in chief. Fearless to the point of recklessness, he exposed himself continuously to danger. At one point the king and his horse fell into a muddy ditch, and the viscous muck held both of them fast. He was freed after much effort but had to leave his horse and one boot behind.

That did not end his adventures. He mounted a second animal only to have the poor beast killed from under him. When a Swedish trooper gave him a third horse, Charles smilingly said, I see the enemy want me to practice riding. The king was also hit by a spent musket ball, which was later found in his cravat.

There was one pocket of strong Russian resistance. At the northern end of the battlefield, near the collapsed Kamperholm Bridge, several battalions hastily barricaded themselves behind an improvised wall of supply wagons and cannons. The holdouts included the Preobrazensky and Semyonnovsky regiments under General Ivan Buturlin. These were Peters pride, well trained and uniformed in the Western European fashion, and his confidence in them was justified.

A potential defeat loomed on the cusp of victory. Far to the south, General Weides 6,000-man Russian division was comparatively unscathed and intact. If Weide decided to mount an offensive, the triumphant but exhausted and still outnumbered Swedes would be caught between him and the Russian holdouts near the Kamperholm Bridge.

Luckily, the Russians capitulated, their spirit finally broken. Charles might well have played the magnanimous victor, but in his heart he was relieved they had surrendered. The king granted generous terms: the officers would be prisoners of war, but the bulk of the beaten army would be released and allowed to return home. In reality, the prospect of guarding some 20,000 prisoners with 9,000 Swedes was too fantastic to even contemplate.

The common Russian soldiers were allowed to keep their muskets, but standards, cannons, and war matériel were to be turned over to the Swedes The booty included 145 cannons, 10,000 cannonballs, 397 barrels of powder, and 230 standards.

A Young Kings Gamble Pays Off

Swedish casualties were amazingly low, with some 667 dead and around 1,200 wounded. It was harder to assess Russian casualties because of the chaotic nature of the fighting. Most accounts agree that the Russians lost 10,000 to 15,000 dead and wounded, and 20,000 were taken prisoner. Few battles have been so one sided.

The Russians were released at dawn the following day. Charles mounted a splendid horse and positioned himself near the repaired Kamperholm Bridge. As the Muscovites trudged past, crossing the span to gain their freedom, they doffed their hats in reluctant homage to their conqueror. Each Russian regiment laid its standard at the feet of the kings mount, the pile of silken banners growing larger with each passing minute.

Narva established Charles XII as one of the greatest generals of his time. It was the first of many victories he would win in the course of the next decade. But Narva also contained the seeds of defeat and disaster. After a brief interlude of carousing when he was a youth, Charles swore off liquor for the rest of his life. But soon he was drunk with military glory, a far more dangerous intoxication.

The Swedish victory against the odds can be attributed to three factors: Charless bold and unconventional leadership, Rehnskjolds careful planning, and the toughness and professionalism of their infantry. The Swedes were lucky, too, in that they were fighting a new, untested, embryonic Russian army that was still training. Properly led and trained, Russian soldiers were formidable foes, citadels to be demolished by cannon, as Napoleon once put it.

After Narva, Charles was faced with two choices: either invade Russia while Peter was still vulnerable or turn around and deal with the duplicitous Augustus of Saxony-Poland. He chose the latter, giving the czar much needed breathing space. Ultimately, when Charles became bogged down in central Europe the pause stretched to eight years.

Over the years some of Charless more admirable qualities had hardened. Stubborn courage had become a pig-headed obstinacy; he fought on when he could have had peace on Swedens terms. He also had contempt for the fighting qualities of his czarist enemies, not understanding that the Russian army of 1708-1709 was not the Russian army of 1700. The result was a catastrophic defeat at Poltava.

Yet, Narva is rightly remembered as a brilliant victory against the odds, when a young, courageous, and unconventional king gambled and won.

This article first appeared on the Warfare History Network.

Image: Wikimedia Commons.

278402The National Interest

65975591. US Security from Michael_Novakhov (87 sites)

1. Russia from Michael_Novakhov (115 sites): Voice of America – English: The Infodemic: Will COVID-19 Ruin Halloween?
Tue, 27 Oct 2020 21:37:03 +0000
Fake news about the coronavirus can do real harm. Polygraph.info is spotlighting fact-checks from other reliable sources here.

Daily Debunk

Question: “Can I celebrate Halloween during the pandemic?”

Verdict: Yes

Read the full story atAP Fact Check

 

Social Media Disinfo

 

Circulating on social media: “Gargling mouthwash prevents COVID-19.”

Verdict: False

Read the full story at: Misbar

Factual Reads on Coronavirus

Health Experts’ Thanksgiving Advice In The Time of COVID-19
While Thanksgiving is still weeks away, people hoping to connect with distant family members are already making anxious plans and if they arent, they should be, public health experts say.
— STAT News, October 16

 

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4:56 PM 10/27/2020 – Former CIA director accuses intel chief of selectively declassifying documents to help Trump – CNN

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Follow The Science – 1.2 Million COVID Deaths Edition
Tue, 27 Oct 2020 12:50:31 +0000
Follow The Science – 1.2 Million COVID Deaths Edition Tyler Durden Tue, 10/27/2020 – 11:55

Authored by Mark Jeftovic via OutOfTheCave.io,

This post was originally my comment to a person on Facebook, which somebody then deleted. This person repeatedly throws out the 1.2 M deaths worldwide number and I finally lost it and posted a response to him after he scolded people for spreading disinformation and not listening to science. He actually told people disputing the Second Wave Hysteria to shut up and listen to the government and science.

As one of my all-time favourite economists, Thomas Sowell, would say. Oh dear, where to begin?

 

1 million or 1.2 million deaths worldwide sounds like a big number and on its own you can use it to club Covidiots into silence, that is, until you actually look at it.

For starters, bandying out a number, any number in isolation is meaningless. For any number to have any relevance, to anything, it has to be part of a data set or otherwise part of some meaningful comparison.

If we take the 1.2 million COVID deaths worldwide, at its face (more on that below), the obvious question then becomes is that good or bad?

The most useful signal we can get from a global  COVID death toll is how it compares to what is called the Absolute Fatality Rates globally, which is simply the rate of all fatalities from all causes.

 

Source https://ourworldindata.org/excess-mortality-covid You can pick different countries. Canada was not an option, but most of the curves look the same.

From the charts, we can clearly see, there was a lot of excess mortality in March and April, and then, like every other meaningful metric around Coronavirus, it drops off drastically and starts to level out, with a slight seasonal rise as we head into the winter.

Interestingly, in no lockdown Sweden, it turns out their absolute death toll is much lower than one would think:

 

Source: https://www.statista.com/statistics/525353/sweden-number-of-deaths/

It could possibly come in lower by the end of the year, but if not, will come in not that much higher. Not as high as, say, the US or England.

If reducing fatalities is the goal, there is a much easier way to do that

Sadly, a lot of people die every day, and Im sure youve seen memes on social media on how many more people die from other causes like Tuberculosis (1.4M in 2019) than COVID-19.

In the US, where the COVID death toll currently sits at 225K, it is estimated that medical malpractice kills 250K Americans a year.

But an even bigger number, according to the WHO, is that alcohol abuse kills 3 million people annually, and that number will surely go even higher this year given the massive spike in mental illness, domestic violence, child abuse, depression and suicide caused by the lockdowns.

If this is about saving lives, we could literally bring those alcohol related deaths to zero, turning it off like the flick of a switch by instituting a global ban on alcohol. We could do it tomorrow. Should we? The lives we save may include your own.

In fact if we banned alcohol then we could let Coronavirus run and still be ahead nearly 2M preventable deaths annually, provided COVID-19 kept going with the same intensity it was going in March and April, which it clearly isnt (see below).

Of course, nobody would seriously entertain that, and they could probably articulate some decent logic around why we shouldnt.

But they may dismiss it without considering how closely the lockdown approach toward reducing COVID fatalities is analogous to a worldwide ban on alcohol to eliminate alcohol related deaths would be. Especially since we also know that a large portion of coronavirus fatalities die with COVID-19 and numerous other comorbidities* than of it (however, see my footnote on that at the end of this post).

In that sense, alcohol related carnage is very similar. Few alcoholics drink themselves to death outright. Comparatively more kill themselves (and others) in car accidents, commit suicide, or generally wreck their livers, hearts, kidneys, brains or generally run themselves down so low nearly anything else will finish them off.

Second Wave Hysteria

Case counts are clearly rising again globally, that much is true and we have oodles of data to track it. With it, there come fears of the dreaded Second Wave of fatalities.

In the often cited Spanish Flu of 1918, the bulk of the fatalities came in the second wave. However, the Spanish Flu was a very different pandemic than the one we have today. That one attacked people right in the early years of the prime-of-life  age curve:

 

Source: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3734171/

Scientists believe the nature of that strain caused cytokine storms, the phenomenon where the immune system overreacts and attacks itself. In a perverse twist of fate, this made the population with the strongest immune systems more vulnerable to the flu.

Contrast with COVID-19 where nobody disputes that the most vulnerable members of the population are the elderly and those with underlying medical conditions that render them immuno-compromised. In this sense, comparing 1918 to COVID-19 is not accurate or useful.

 

Source: https://www.statista.com/chart/20860/coronavirus-fatality-rate-by-age/

So, bear this in mind as I put in the graph below of how the Coronavirus Second Wave is playing out when it comes to case counts vs fatalities:

 


If we were in for a 1918-style Second Wave fatality overrun, we would see it in the data. As I pointed out in my previous post, the above data comes from the Province of Ontario, but pretty well all graphs from locales undergoing second waves in case counts, look the same. The fatalities are riding the floor (that spike in the fatality count was a data correction where they took previously missed data from the proceeding 90 days, and added them all to 2 data points), but the case counts are going up, as are the number of tests.

Right now the slope of the case count far exceeds the slope of the fatalities.

For the fatalities to come in anywhere near the Second Wave of 1918 scenario, the slope of the fatality line needs to blast off in a near vertical line right now. In the Ivor Cummins interview he mentioned Dr. Sunetra Guptas work indicating that COVID seems to peter out when it hits 20% of the population (but I cant find the cite). If true, it is hard to envision a scenario where that is mathematically possible.

If not true, and were about to experience a Second Wave of fatalities, it would be impossible to occur without seeing it in the data and right now, all of the data, everywhere is showing either a moderate rise with seasonality, or an aggregate, overall decrease in fatalities.

All of this should be good news, but for some reason, people become very upset when you try to walk them through this. Im open to all logic, data and science based objections or counter-points to where I am wrong on this, bearing in mind that SHUT UP AND LISTEN TO THE GOVERNMENT AND SCIENCE isnt a logical, scientific or data driven counter-argument.

What to do next.

I would close out with two additional reading exercises, one, I would go look at and sign The Great Barrington Declaration and two, have a look at the comparison of The Great Barrington Declaration with whats called The John Snow Memorandum.

If you want to follow my work, and I seem to be covering more about the lockdowns lately, then sign up for the mailing list here, or follow me on Twitter here.

Footnote on Comorbidities

(*The number you see bandied around a lot is 94% of all COVID-19 fatalities had comorbidities. This number largely keys off CDC data that only 6% of fatalities list only COVID-19 as a c.o.d. If you look at the CDC data on what the comorbidities are, the biggest one accounting for close to half of all fatalities, especially in the elderly, is pneumonia and influenza.  I think its inaccurate to just net-out all of those cases and dismiss them as comorbidities because that is one of the most common ways respiratory viruses manifest. But that said, the data, when you consider comorbidities and the looseness with which COVID gets added to c.o.ds, what all this means is that the headline number for fatalities is the top boundary. They arent higher, and they are probably for all practical purposes, lower).

Gold Tops $1,900 for First Time Since 2011, Heads Toward Record – BloombergQuint
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У врачей будет возможность выбрать, какую вакцину назначать конкретному пациенту.
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Black man shot dead by police in Philadelphia, sparking heated protests – NBC News
Tue, 27 Oct 2020 12:12:43 +0000201027-philadelphia-shooting-mc-10394_29

  1. Black man shot dead by police in Philadelphia, sparking heated protests  NBC News
  2. Philadelphia police shooting of armed Black man sparks violent clashes, at least 30 cops injured: reports  Fox News
  3. Walter Wallace shooting: Man reportedly armed with knife shot, killed by police in Philadelphia  6abc Philadelphia
  4. Protesters Gather Outside Police Precinct Hours After Officers Fatally Shoot Man Armed With Knife In West Philadelphia  CBS Philly
  5. Philadelphia police kill black man, sparking protests across city  The Telegraph
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Tue, 27 Oct 2020 12:12:36 +0000
1800.jpg?width=1200&height=630&quality=8Video shows riot police in Minsk bursting into an apartment in the city searching for protesters who had been seeking refuge after officers used stun grenades at a rally against the regime of Alexander Lukashenko, who continues to hold on to power despite two months of mass protests since he declared victory in the presidential election in August.The footage, filmed on Sunday and later posted to social media, shows a policeman using a baton to beat a man who was draped with the pre-Soviet red-and-white flag, the symbol adopted by the opposition. Police detained at least three other men, while several others were sheltering on the upper floors of the building, a witness said.

Officials in Belarus detained more than 500 people at nationwide anti-government protests on Sunday, including 160 in Minsk, the interior ministry said on Monday

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Tue, 27 Oct 2020 12:06:36 +0000
Guns, masks and voter challenges: Iowa officials prepare for what could be a contentious Election Day  Des Moines Register201027-philadelphia-shooting-mc-10394_29

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