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newsThe sad history of Ukraine
I posted recently about my step-mother's escape from Hungary in 1956:
https://bkhome.org/news/202203/a-sad-time-for-europe.html
A couple of days ago, I read a post by a Russian person in a
forum, in support of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The post had
some truths, some half-truths, and some complete untruths.
What is particularly sad is the truths in that person's forum post. As an example that the Western countries cannot claim to be on the "moral high ground", he referred to the great lie of "weapons of mass destruction" used as an excuse to invade Iraq. Yes, I have posted about that:
https://bkhome.org/news/202109/the-spectator-on-tony-blair.html
Going back further, another example of the "moral low ground", the carpet-bombing of North Vietnam and the spraying of Agent Orange:
https://www.bkhome.org/news/201904/young-couple-cycling-around-the-world.html
One thing that astounded me after the invasion of Iraq, was that George W. Bush got re-elected! That was a huge lesson to me.
So, Putin's "spin" to justify invading Ukraine, and manipulating
the Russian media, nothing new here.
I won't post a link to that forum posted by the Russian person, as I don't want to target any individual.
In The West Australian newspaper today, Saturday 12 March, 2022, in the Letters to the Editor, page 145:
I knew nothing about this "Holodomor". Is that true? I did some research, and ascertained that it is true, Stalin ordered the deliberate starvation of millions of Ukrainians. Here is one reference:
https://www.britannica.com/event/Holodomor
Crystal-ball gazing, trying to think of possible futures, none of
it looks good. Is Moldova next on the invasion-list? Finland, if
it chooses to join Nato?
What about Turkey, just about economically bankrupt, will it re-orient itself away from Nato, toward Russia? In return for very cheap or free oil. That will mean the end of Georgia, as it blocks land access between Russia and Turkey. Ha ha, this is wild speculation, take no notice of this paragraph!
I suppose the "best" outcome will be that the war in Ukraine just
festers, no major escalation, and the attention of the world moves
on. Not a good outcome, but unfortunately a likely
one.
I really should not indulge in political posts! Back off Barry,
get back to EasyOS development!
Tags: ethos
A sad time for Europe
We are daily seeing the brutal attack on Ukraine, on TV and the Internet and newspapers -- except you won't be seeing this, or rather you will be seeing a censored version of events, if you live in certain countries that control the media.
These events have reminded me of my step-mother's escape from Hungary, in 1956. She was a young single woman, age 23, and she and her sister had employment working in a clothing manufacturing factory in Budapest.
One day she was waiting in a queue to use a public telephone, when suddenly a fight erupted between Hungarian freedom fighters and Russian soldiers. A stray bullet hit my step-mother in the stomach.
She was taken to a hospital, and operated on. Russian soldiers
came to the hospital, looking for anyone who had been admitted
with gunshot wounds. They walked around the wards, and the Doctor
told them she had just been operated on for appendicitis --
fortunately, the wound was just in that same place.
However, the soldiers looked at admittance documentation, and saw her name and admitted with a gunshot wound. The hospital authorities were able to warn her that the soldiers had looked at the records and had her name and home address.
She and her sister packed their few belongings and left. They walked for many days, in extreme cold, mostly hiding during the day. They crossed the border, I think it was Austria, but didn't realise they were over the border, and when they saw a soldier in the fog, who shouted at them, they thought that was the end -- but it was a US soldier.
They had a relative in Australia and were sponsored to come here, She arrived with nothing, just a suitcase with a pullover and toothbrush in it, and not understanding a word of English.
She is now 88. One of my sisters has recorded her adventure on a audio cassette tape.
Just an observation...
I know it is a very different situation, but I cannot help but
notice the similarity of two authoritarian regimes in Europe and
Asia when WW II started. Germany in Europe, Japan in Asia. Now we
have Russia and China.
Tags: ethos
Swollen lymph nodes after Covid booster
This is an interesting read:
...the doctor quoted in the article alternates his arms for each shot. Very interesting.
There is a lot that happens in life that puzzles me. For example, the Australian authorities do not recognize "natural immunity" of someone who has already caught Covid-19. Instead, they are insisting everyone has to be vaccinated.
There was recently a very high-profile case, a tennis star was
issued with a visa to enter Australia, but it was revoked when he
arrived at an Australian airport, and he was deported. He had,
apparently, cought Covid-19 twice before, but they did not
recognise that and made a big fuss about him being unvaccinated.
There is a lot that happens, that the authorities are insisting on, that I don't think is justified, or is not entirely rational. Our State Government for example, insisting that everyone has to have the new SecureWA app on their phone.
Ha ha, better stop now.
Tags: ethos
The ACT hits 100% vaccinated
The ACT (Australian Capital Territory) is technically not a
State. It has a fairly small population and includes Canberra, the
capital city of Australia. I posted recently about the very high rate of
Covid-19 vaccination in the ACT, about 95% first dose, aged 16+:
https://bkhome.org/news/202110/95-percent-vaccinated-in-act.html
Now it has climbed to 97% double-dosed, ages 12+, and just on 100% single-dosed:
https://www.covid19.act.gov.au/updates/act-covid-19-statistics
Why so far ahead of other States? In fact, way ahead of other
"wealthy" Western countries such as the UK and USA. The Canberra Times
has offered a reason:
Quoting:
Firstly, the population is highly educated, and education and
vaccination rates rise together. Educated people are more likely to
accept the science and to accept vaccination.
Canberrans are also better paid and more likely to be in full-time
employment than the average Australian, and that, too, is a good
indicator of the likelihood of getting vaccinated.
Here in Western Australia, the vaccination rate is considerably
lower, blamed mostly on our complacency, due to being covid-free. The
entire State is covid-free, so we have complete freedom, just like
pre-pandemic times.
The price we are paying for this is very tightly locked down borders,
but this will ease in the future, and we are bound to lose our
covid-free status.
In WA we do have a small number of very vocal anti-vaxxers. I have
received a couple of anti-vax pamphlets in my letterbox. One of them was
titled "They are coming for your children", with a couple of Internet
URLs -- one link is to a Sky News video, the other to a right-wing
pro-Trump site in the USA.
Yes, I understand the point of view that personal choice should be respected, and that we should not be forced to be vaccinated, nor have our travel and attendance at public venue rights curtailed.
However, those who choose not to be vaccinated should take on
responsibility for their decision. That includes paying for their
medical treatment, such as in ICU at a hospital. Unfortunately, this is
not going to happen, not in Australia.
In Singapore, most of the covid patients in ICU are un-vaccinated. So
far, the Singapore Government has been footing the bill; however, that
is about to change:
There was a panel discussion on TV here in Australia discussing that
decision by the Singapore Government, and a couple of politicians on the
panel explained that this will never happen in Australia. They
explained that the AU public health service has never discriminated on
the basis of "poor life choices", and that will not change.
Yes, and what about "long covid" -- we have to foot the bill for that too.
Tags: ethos
95 percent vaccinated in ACT
In the ACT (Australian Capital Territory), over 95% of those age 16 and over have had their first dose of Covid-19 vaccine, 92% have had the second dose.
In NSW (New South Wales), the most populous State in Australia, 93.5%
have had the first dose and 87.5% have had two doses. Statistics from
here:
https://www.health.gov.au/resources/publications/covid-19-vaccine-rollout-update-30-october-2021
I find these statistics to be very interesting, as the Grattan
Institute predicted that 10% of the population are "entrenched
ant-vaxxers":
https://bkhome.org/news/202107/proof-of-covid-19-immunity-required-in-france.html
The ACT I can understand, as that has the capital city, Canberra, and
a lot of public servants. But NSW has a very diverse population, blue
collar workers, many ethnic communities.
There has been an outbreak of Covid-19 in NSW and the ACT, which has
scared many, but perhaps what has chipped away at the resolve of many
anti-vaxxers have been reports of what it is like in the ICU (Intensive
Care Unit) of hospitals, and personal reports of the effect of
long-covid. For example:
And then there are the ACT and NSW governments mandating proof of
vaccination to attend some venues. And also mandating that workers in
certain areas must be vaccinated. All of these will be contributing to
that high vaccination percentage.
I am wary of statistics, as that old saying goes, "There are lies, damn lies and then there are statistics". I thought that quote originated from Mark Twain, but not so:
https://www.york.ac.uk/depts/maths/histstat/lies.htm
Oh, I like this one, from the above link, a lawyer advising a client:
"There are three sorts of liars, the common or garden liar, the damnable
liar, and lastly the
expert"
Note, I have had both doses of Pfizer vaccine. The first dose, had no side-effects, not even a sore arm. Second dose was 5 weeks after the first, 4 days ago, still no symptoms, except a very slight soreness at the site of injection. Very slight, hardly noticeable.
EDIT:
More articles about, and personal experiences of, long-covid:
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-10-10/long-covid-19-victim-urges-regional-qld-to-get-jab/100524252
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-09-30/covid-smell-taste-loss-epworth-rehab/100501236
Tags: ethos
Grey saltbush Atriplex cinerea
There is a little bare patch in my garden, where thought would
buy a ground cover plant, something drought tolerant. Bought "Atriplex
cinerea" seedling from Bunnings, and Australian native coastal plant.
When I got it home, I looked closely, and it has little bumps all
over the leaves and stems. I wondered whether that was an infestation,
however, a bit of online research showed that's how it is. See this
photo:
Photo is from the wikipedia:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atriplex_cinerea
My garden is sandy soil, not coastal, so it will be interesting to see how this plant fares.
It was very interesting to learn that Atriplex cinerea is edible. The
wikipedia mentions it being used as feed for cattle, and I found this
link:
https://www.bushecho.com/wild-edibles-grey-saltbush/
...edible for humans also. As the article states, it is easy to
identify, with those little globules all over it, so probably easy not
to confuse it with some other poisonous plant -- don't quote me on
that, just guessing.
Always interested in growing edible plants, so looking forward to this one thriving.
Ah, the ocean! I regularly drive to the ocean, where there are rugged limestone cliffs, and walk the pathways:
...see that hunk of limestone standing alone, undercut by the waves. It is home to various sea birds.
Tags: ethos
The Spectator on Tony Blair
I posted a political commentary in January this year, and thought
that perhaps would restrain myself to doing so only about once per
year. Two topics that it is best to stay away from, as the saying goes,
"stay away from religion and politics". But, today I can't resist this post...
Blame my idle mind. Currently doing compiles of Chromium, or rather
attempting to. Each build runs for over 12 hours, and in the meantime
have to find something else to do. So, amongst other diversions, visit
the city and read "The Spectator"...
A couple of days ago, I visited the State Library in Perth, Western
Australia. I sometimes pop in there when visiting the city, to read the
latest magazines. One of those is "The Spectator", a British periodical.
Later on, I learnt that there is an Australian edition, however, the
library subscribes to the British edition.
I only browse through the magazine, and I don't recall it having
any particularly radical agenda, no strong leanings to left or right of
politics, nor idealogical policy. However, the commentary on Tony Blair
was remarkably blunt, pulled no punches, which got me wondering.
I photographed part of the article, attached below. Very curious, read about The Spectator in the wikipedia:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Spectator
First published in 1828! Changed hands many times. Wow, Boris
Johnson, current Prime Minister of Britain, was editor from 1999 to
2005. Yes, it is on the conservative side of politics.
In future, I will browse that particular journal knowing that it does
have an idealogical leaning. And, I really must try harder not to post
political commentaries to my blog!
Tags: ethos
Recalling TV comedy series The Late Show
Daryl Sommers, host of a long-running light-entertainment TV
show, now defunct, commented recently that their style of humour is no
longer politically correct. That goes also for a lot of TV shows that
screened in the 70s, 80s and 90s. Making fun of gays, treating women as
sex objects, stereotyping ethnic characteristics, sending-up religions
...and a whole lot more.
Some of those shows might be considered puerile (childish, silly and
immature), but that was the appeal, just relaxing in front of the TV,
having a laugh.
"The Late Show" was one of these, screened in the early 90s. From
what I can recall, it was fairly tame, just light entertainment,
suitable for kids to watch.
Introducing Detective Sargeant Bargearse. This is a dubbed sendup of a
70s TV cop show named "Bluey". Introduction video, you would have to be
Australian, and of a certain vintage to know the names being referred
to (like Christopher Skase):
"Bargearse - Intro"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=74UCPA-4ThE
"Bargearse - Episode 1"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fahf77qzEnE
...in total, there were 10 episodes.
The Late Show is remembered for many other skits and mini-series, like this:
"Charlie the wonderdog -- Run Charlie Run!"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ukqt7-2AGaE
"Charlie the wonderdog -- Double Trouble!"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rpxE-yOtH_w
...only 7 episodes of Charlie the Wonderdog.
Links about "The Pissweak Kids", and more:
http://www.champagnecomedy.com/remembering-the-pissweak-kids-with-bonus-interview/
Ah, the old days...
Tags: ethos