Twinky

I just got in from watching Dune at the cinema (or "movies" to Americans). What a weird fillum! Maybe not so weird if one has read the book upon which it is based. All new to me, though. Anybody else seen it? What do you think?

I think we'd say that Lamarck was "reinventing himself" in today's parlance, Rocky. But I don't think that means his DNA would change markedly. I found this quite interesting academic paper about genetics and familial recombination of genetic material: Understanding genetic changes between generations | PNAS That's what Darwin's theory of evolution was about: how environment can change species. He worked that out by watching tortoises in the Galapagos Islands: tortoises that ate plants near the ground had rounded shells and shorter necks. Tortoises on islands with tall shrubs had longer necks and shells that bent upward, allowing them to stretch their necks. Survival of the most adaptable!! In human beings: skin colour, flare of nostrils. Even alcohol tolerance: some Asians lack the enzyme that metabolises alcohol and thus have a lower alcohol tolerance than Europeans. I am not, however, convinced that one's genes prevent one from changing one's mind. Is stubbornness learned, or inherited? Is adaptability and receptivity to new ideas learned, or inherited?

QUOTE: To be clear, this can be no more than conjecture at this point. All the same, the comprehensive rubbishing of the Astra vaccine that took place early this year, egged on by jealous national governments and commercially motivated rivals, looks ever more misplaced. Politics and commercial interests were allowed disgracefully to take priority over public health. QUOTE ENDS Unfortunately, there is some nastiness post-Brexit between the EU and the UK. And there are long-standing rivalries between the French and the British (only going back several hundred years). (Well, let's face it, the French think themselves superior to every other country - especially Britain.) And I wonder how much that played into those countries' choice(s) of vaccine. There was some serious squabbling about AstraZeneca when it first came out - Britain had funded a lot of the research and ordered millions of doses, some of which prepared in the Netherlands and other countries; but other countries (including the Netherlands) lagged behind in ordering, and then cried Foul! when they couldn't get the doses they needed. The EU tried to stop the legitimate export of the Dutch-prepared vaccine to the UK (which had ordered and paid for it). When that didn't work, the EU trashed the usefulness of AZ and went with Pfizer. Politicians!! This is millions of people's lives they're talking about here!! At this point, it seems clear that there has been a fresh wave of this illness throughout Europe and the UK, but it hasn't affected the UK half as badly as it's affected Europe. And we aren't having to endure another lockdown, as is happening in some parts of Europe. Anyway. Coming soon to a country near you...

Good TedX talk. Nothing wrong with changing one's mind, one's opinions, if more information comes along that causes another look at one's thinking. I'm thinking of Copernicus, Galileo (piggybacked onto Copernicus's theory) (= the Earth revolved round the sun, not the sun round Earth): Martin Luther (how the church had got "grace" all wrong); Einstein (theory of relativity; couldn't reconcile old paradigms); and there are many others. St Paul, if you like. Our world, our lives as we now know them, would be radically different if these men had not been able to change their minds. Do you know "plate tectonics" as an idea has only been accepted since mid- to late 1960s? But who would argue with that now? (And yet, that theory may still be wrong, but we won't know till more evidence comes to light). What about medical advances? Who these days would want to tie a dead mouse to their cheek to alleviate toothache? And who would want a surgeon who did not wash hands before operations? Okay, we're not all geniuses, and we may never come up with amazing new ideas like any of these. But being willing to accept we were wrong - could change our families, our communities.

Another Darwin award to this asthmatic mother: Unvaccinated mum, 27, dies with COVID as her father calls for people who refuse jab to be fined (msn.com)

And the Darwin awards go to: Anti-vaxxer who went to ‘corona party’ to become infected dies from Covid (msn.com)

Another reason why the AZ vaccine may (apparently) be more effective in the UK is that most Brits have been compliant in masking up. There's a lot of peer pressure. It was sweet to see little kids in supermarkets following Mum and Dad's example and insisting in wearing their own masks, even thought they weren't required to (and yes, I asked some of the mums and dads about it). Not to mention lockdowns, reduced travel on public transport, not going into busy offices, etc. Outcomes are probably a bit of everything.

No, cos I didn't view the article. Perhaps CNN or similar will pick up. The first link that I posted is available without paywall.

Interesting article in my news feed today: AstraZeneca jab could be the reason Britain is faring better than Europe, says vaccine boss (telegraph.co.uk) There is an associated article which looks interesting but it's behind a paywall. AstraZeneca lost the vaccine battle in Europe and the US – but is now winning the war globally (telegraph.co.uk)

Meanwhile, in Australia: Victoria AMA says Covid-deniers and anti-vaxxers should opt out of public health system and ‘let nature run its course’ | Australia news | The Guardian

Meanwhile, nincompoops in continental Europe are rioting at having "freedoms" curtailed. Austria has gone into lockdown again. Belgium and Holland are having riots; there's absolutely no excuse for the violence being exhibited there. I'm listening to a Dutch commentator on the radio: the radical opposition to vaxing all being pushed by a right-wing party with highly inflammatory, polarising language. And now, a WHO official is speaking. Cynically, I'd say, let them get on with being unvaxed; they've already shown contempt for health services so don't let 'em into ICU or even into hospital; let 'em die off; then these countries can be repopulated with the illegal immigrants who keep trying to get into the EU. (Of course, I don't really mean that.) Covid: Huge protests across Europe over new restrictions - BBC News

Today from The Guardian, a reputable UK newspaper. Article brought to my attention by a friend of mine who is a Intensive Care nurse, with the comment: "All true, sadly." ICU is full of the unvaccinated – my patience with them is wearing thin | Anonymous | The Guardian The writer is an NHS respiratory consultant who works across a number of hospitals.

And today I was forced to have another LFT because I wanted to visit a friend in a care home. They wouldn't accept the test that I'd done not 24 hrs before. I can accept that that's what they want, but the woman I spoke to was so snarky about it. Anyway. Surprise. Negative. Maybe next week will be different. Been to a large funeral today, lots at the reception (wake) and lots of people breathing around and on me. Hope they're all clean and vaxed. Defo testing again next weekend!

Recommended once or twice a week here. Or was. I probably do a test every 1-2 weeks. Depends somewhat on what work one does, contact with what age groups. Many of my clients are quite elderly (80s, 90s) (though I'm not in close contact with any of them) and I want to be sure I'm not passing anything on to them. And I always do a test before I visit my fragile mum (age 92, nearly 93). Even though both I and my mum are double-vaxed and boosted. Had a disgustingly heavy cold when I visited mum a time or two ago. Snort, snort, cough, sneeze. I was in close contact doing physical caring duties and also slept in the same small room. BUT I wore a mask all the time that we were indoors (surprisingly, it really helped at night) and sanitised or washed my hands a lot. Was very pleased that she never got that stinker of a cold. Can only conclude that masks do work.

Well, I'm sure y'all will be pleased to know that I just completed another lateral flow test (that's the one where you shove a Q-tip up your nose; may not yet be available in the US) with the usual result: negative (= "not likely to be infectious" in test parlance).

Hey, I found this, which might interest some people here: "During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Xinhua News Agency claimed that the herbal product Shuanghuanglian can prevent or treat infections from coronaviruses, stimulating sales across the United States and China. However, these claims have no basis in science." Source: Snake oil - Wikipedia

Never heard of this guy, so I checked him out. Great references! I think I trust this man... Kevin Mark Trudeau (born February 6, 1963) is an American author, salesman, and convicted fraudster known for promotion of his books and resulting legal cases involving the US Federal Trade Commission. His ubiquitous late-night infomercials, which promoted unsubstantiated health, diet, and financial advice, earned him a fortune but resulted in civil and criminal penalties for fraud, larceny, and contempt of court. In the early 1990s, Trudeau was convicted of larceny and credit card fraud. ... In a 2004 settlement, he agreed to pay a $500,000 fine and cease marketing all products except his books... However, in 2011, he was fined $37.6 million for violating the 2004 settlement, and ordered to post a $2 million bond before engaging in any future infomercial advertising. ... In November 2013, Trudeau was convicted of criminal contempt, and was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison.[9] He will be eligible for release in 2022. ... In 2004, Trudeau began writing books and promoting them with infomercials in the U.S. The first book he published was a medical guide titled Natural Cures "They" Don't Want You to Know About, which was published in 2005. The book was criticized for containing no natural cures.[19][20] Trudeau claimed he was not able to include them because of threats by the FTC.[21] ... Source: Kevin Trudeau - Wikipedia A shedload of people must (have) believe(d) him, though. He seems to sell really tasty snake oil.

Oh, my. Childrens Hours on the radio on Saturday morning. All sing together now...!

Can't speak for the truth or otherwise of the article, but it's badly written and inaccurate in its use of the English language, which always makes me suspicious about less obvious content.

Here's some breaking news today. An interesting idea. Not likely to be available until 2025 at the earliest. https://www.theguardian.com/society/2021/nov/15/uk-firm-to-trial-t-cell-covid-vaccine-that-could-give-longer-immunity

Online Tribute - Nov 14 Sunday, 5 pm: PLUS........ In-Person Celebration in Indianapolis - Nov 21 Sunday, 6 pm: Visit Way Corps Site at: http://waycorps.ning.com/?xg_source=msg_mes_network To control which emails you receive on Way Corps Site, click here

There is an event celebrating 50 years of JL's ordination today. Still available. Also another event on 21 Nov.

Unkind, Rocky.

No, no, Rocky. Allan is a real person, he has a wife and kids (not so much "kids" now), they do live in Oz, and I've known him - jeepers, since 1989. I know when he got involved in TWI and why he left, and a lot more beside. But that's his story to tell - not mine. And he's right in that "if the USA 'sneezes', the Western world 'catches a cold' " - because a lot of faddy stuff emanates from the US, where it gets far too much air time. Not just covid, but many other fads, misinformation, bizarre ideas, conspiracy theories, tin hats, etc. (And right-wingishness, but let's not go there, too political.) Even BLM, especially in context of police brutality, has spread across the globe, in places where previously there didn't seem to be issues, certainly not to the extent they now are. Everybody's so "woke" that we forget to be aware. So some of the crazy ideas that spread across the US, and the head-in-sand mentality, or conspiracy theories, do spread also across the rest of the "western world." It's quite right to keep an eye on what's going on in the US - if only to be able to take evasive action (hehheh). Don't mind me. Probably time I went to bed. Cinderella's coach has long since departed. It's 1.15am.

Just curious, Allan: did you listen to the entirety of the links that T-Bone posted before you posted that he was being "clever" to avoid being struck off?