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newsA 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
Proof of Covid-19 immunity required in France
We have been expecting this. France has now mandated that proof
of vaccination, a negative test, or having recovered from Covid-19, is
now required to enter certain venues:
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-07-22/france-covid-passport-vaccine-health-pass/100314072
This is also apparently going to happen in the UK, and looking likely also for Australia.
The Prime Minister of France has stated that 96% of those now getting
infected are not vaccinated. I think that this is a very important
statistic, because it is the crux of the problem ongoing.
Let's say that Australia reaches 80% vaccinated early next year. Problem
remains, we cannot just "open up", remove all restrictions, because we
have to "protect" those who are not vaccinated. We will still require
restrictions, such as social distancing.
So, the un-vaccinated will be imposing a burden on the vast majority of the population who are vaccinated. Maybe...
It seems, from what I gather from news reports, that Boris Johnson in
the UK has decided "enough is enough", and those who have chosen not to
be vaccinated will have to face the consequences.
Perhaps, if 80% are vaccinated, the virus will not spread and the risk
will decline. One possibility, but indications so far, unlikely.
Another possibility, you choose to not be vaccinated, and you catch the
virus. You may die, or you may recover. For most people, it is the
latter, however, there is something very worrying -- two things: the
other "opportunistic diseases" that wait for your immune system to
become weak, and something known as "long Covid".
These are the side-effects of having caught Covid-19. In India, one of
the "opportunistic diseases" is "Black Fungus", with a 50% death rate:
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-07-22/black-fungus-india-endemic-covid/100313274
There are a plethora of long-Covid side-effects, that can stretch months after, and even cause permanent damage.
While researching for this post, there were some links to Sky News Australia,
however, I will not put those links here. My experience with Sky News Australia is
that they are rabidly extreme right-wing, specializing in sensationalism and distortion of the truth.
This is my personal opinion of course.
One news source that sticks to the facts and mostly avoids
sensationalism is the ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) -- I
think that there is an ABC in the US, but that is different. My limited
experience with the BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation) has been
pretty much the same, a sane news reporter.
The news so far about "long Covid" are preliminary, but very worrying, such as this:
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-07-25/researcher-warns-of-long-term-impacts-of-covid-19/100318372
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-07-22/long-covid-uk-warnings-of-effects/100311514
Another worry, to add to the heap of worries that we already have, is
that getting vaccinated won't necessarily protect us from dying after
catching Covid-19. But, that depends on which vaccine...
All of the reports I have read about Astra Zeneca and
Pfizer vaccines, the two being currently administered in Australia, are
still effective at preventing adverse symptoms, even if you do catch
the virus.
However, not so, apparently, for the Chinese Sinovac vaccine. It was
designed to protect against the original strain of Covid-19, and it
looks like it is losing its efficacy, especially against the Delta
strain, based on reports from Indonesia and Brazil. ABC report on
Indonesia:
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-07-05/indonesia-reassesses-vaccine-strategy-over-sinovac/13431964
To complicate everything, the vaccines themselves have side-effects.
Here in Australia, we have manufactured the Astra Zeneca vaccine, on
license from the UK, however, it is filling up warehouses, an increasing
number of people are choosing not to take it, instead waiting for
availability of Pfizer. The reason is, deaths from blood clots.
The Australian government, in an attempt to force people to take Astra
Zeneca, has ruled that anyone 60 and over must take Astra Zeneca, they
are not allowed to take Pfizer. Result, those 60 and over are choosing
to not getting vaccinated. I know people in this category, who are
waiting until the end of the year, or early 2022, when it is anticipated
there will be enough Pfizer available for everyone.
So, with a stockpile of Astra Zeneca, what does the AU government do?
They donate it to poorer countries. This is Papua New Guinea and our
Pacific neighbours.
Of course, it can be argued that the risk of blood clots and dying, is
miniscule compared to the dire consequences of catching Covid-19. We are
fortunate here in Western Australia, being entirely Covid-free, so not feeling any pressure to get vaccinated, but
that is a very unusual situation compared with the rest of the world.
My daughter, for example, is not in WA, she is elsewhere, where Covid-19
is circulating in the community, and she got the Astra Zeneca jab. She
only felt crook for a couple of days after the first jab, then was OK.
For most people around the world, it would seem the best advice is, get
vaccinated!
EDIT 2021-07-30:
Thanks for the feedback, guys! Feedback expressed a range of opinions, I
won't name names, you know who you are. Some further points...
One email warned me that the 96% figure given
by Jean Castex, the Prime Minister of France, is incorrect, that he has
"cherry picked" from the statistics. Here is one link where that 96% is
given:
I don't know about the validity or otherwise of
that statistic, but I am quite familiar with politicians putting "spin"
on statistics or facts, to suit their agenda. It may be deliberate, or it may be ignorance, or the
politician may just be thick.
https://grattan.edu.au/report/race-to-80/
They reckon we can "open up" when reach 80% vaccinated and 95% of over-70s and most-vulnerable.
...they refer to "entrenched anti-vaxxers"
being 10% of the population, and those people are going to hate the
recommendation for "vaccination passports". Ah, but the Grattan report
also states that vaccine passports to be removed when 85% vaccination is
achieved.
Regarding whether the Grattan Institute is left-wing or right-wing biased, it is informative to see who has funded it:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grattan_Institute
I think that it's premises are located within
the University of Melbourne campus. Government backing looks to be from
the Liberal party, also funded by BHP, a big mining company, and the
University of Melbourne. So, if anything, it would be leaning right-wing
-- unless it is truly independent as they claim.
EDIT 2021-07-31:
I also received feedback that the Pfizer and Moderna mRNA vaccines will cause a permanent change in the body.
https://www.aap.com.au/vaccine-being-developed-for-covid-19-wont-alter-a-persons-dna/
https://www.reuters.com/article/factcheck-mrna-megamix-idUSL1N2M61HW
Unfortunately, there is an incredible amount of misinformation on the Internet, and con-artists are having a field day.
EDIT 2021-08-30:
Recently there was a pamphlet in my letterbox, titled "They're Coming
For Our Children", regarding Australia's Therapeutic Goods Adminstration
(TGA) approving Pfizer vaccine for children aged 12 to 15.. It had two
URLs, that I looked up. One was to a video by Sky News, the other to a
far-right-wing pro-trump website. I read some of the articles on the
latter site ...oh dear, sad that people are buying into websites like
this.
I also watched a video that included Dr Robert
Maloney, who claims to be the inventor of mRNA. The second Reuters URL
below, has a link to that video.
Reuters has posted two fact-check pages:
https://www.reuters.com/article/factcheck-vaccine-cytotoxic-idUSL2N2O01XP
I am becoming very reluctant to continue commentary on this, or any other similar issues. Political, religious, whatever.
Tags: ethos