Tuesday, March 19, 2024

Government Provoked Global Suicide

Governments around the world have discussed solutions to climate change, but not enough are seriously acting to reduce this threat.

From environmentalist Stephen Barlow:

I'd far rather not have to spell out uncomfortable truths, and I have no agenda, other than to stop humanity committing global suicide by ignoring the seriousness of the climate and ecological emergency. If our governments had done what they'd promised to do, after these UN Environment Summits I've highlighted, there would be no need for me to spell any of this out. But the thing is, they didn't take any meaningful action to change direction. In essence, our governments have not merely carried on with Business as Usual BaU, as if the climate and ecological emergency did not exist, but they are planning to reinforce this globally suicidal policy for the foreseeable future. Hence, why we have a crisis. It's not that the things I'm saying are extreme, it's our governments, which are pursuing radical extremist policy, putting our civilization on course for global suicide and an unliveable future. It's not even just me saying that, but António Guterres [Secretary-General to the UN].  

The whole problem is this: because we are inculcated and brainwashed to believe that our governments are there to protect us, anyone who says they are not doing this is falsely perceived as extreme: [Guterres: 'Climate activists are sometimes depicted as dangerous radicals. But the truly dangerous radicals are the countries that are increasing the production of fossil fuels. Investing in new fossil fuels infrastructure is moral and economic madness.'] It's not climate activists or environmentalists who are extreme and radical, but our governments and politicians totally ignoring the scientific evidence, which says for there to be a habitable Earth in the future, we need to profoundly change direction. This is hardly new or original, because this was essentially the outcomes of the first UN Environment Conference and its conclusions, in 1972, 52 years ago. It would have been fine if our governments and politicians, had done what they promised. The whole problem is that our politicians and governments used the very dishonest tactic of promising major action to avert this future crisis, but then carried on with BaU as if this crisis didn't exist. You can't solve such a serious, existential crisis by making hollow promises our leadership apparently didn't mean and then to carry on acting as if this existential crisis did not exist. Yet, this is exactly what course our governments and politicians have placed us on. This is the central problem where governments and politicians self-declare themselves to be our protectors and the voice of moderation, and declare anyone who challenges this false narrative to be an extremist. When it's they who're the extremists. This is all clear-cut and objective. 

Despite our politicians repeatedly coming out with rhetoric, which falsely implies they are trying to keep warming below 1.5°C of warming and to reach Net Zero by 2050, we're actually on course for 3-4°C of warming [16 min video]. I'm using impeccable sources to back up my points, like the UN, the UN Secretary General António Guterres. Those like Professor Kevin Anderson, who is probably the pre-eminent expert in this particular field. Those claiming we can carry on with BaU, and we can fix all the problems inherent in this with technology, are utterly lacking in any cogent explanation of how this is possible. It's faith based optimism contradicted by the evidence.

The big question is how can we challenge this demonstrable false narrative when those trying to plough on with business as usual have all the power, control, and own the media, etc? Where there's a massive contradiction between what they say and what they do. By its very nature, anyone challenging the false narratives peddle by mainstream politicians and governments, falsely appear to be an extremist simply by dint of challenging what is, in reality, extremist policy. Remembering this is the view of António Guterres, not mine. I should not be in this position. We should not be in this position given that our governments made major pledges to address this crisis in 1972 and 1992 but then simply did nothing and carried on with BaU. As I say, there would be no need for this if our governments were acting rationally and making some effort to do what they have previously promised they were going to do.

Monday, March 18, 2024

You Can't Care about Refugees and Not Care about Covid

 Disability activist Imani Barbarin made an important connection between Covid precautions and genocide. 

In this Tiktok video she explains why "It's wild that people think they can support Palestinians as they're being disabled without disability justice":

@crutches_and_spice De@th does not follow disabled people, nondisabled people carry it with them to us. #greenscreenvideo @mawd ✯ ♬ original sound - Crutches&Spice ♿️ :

Here's the first half if you don't want to click on the 3 minute video. She starts with another vid admonishing people who support Palestine but don't mask indoors:

Sunday, March 17, 2024

Hiding in Plain Sight

Anecdotal information - what we see around us - is far, far less accurate when measuring risks than scientific studies; unfortunately, it's far more persuasive. We need to heed the science. 

I don't actually know anyone who died of lung cancer from smoking. In fact, my grandmother smoked like a chimney and lived a very long life. And, back in my extremely social days of yore, I was a smoker surrounded by tons of people who smoked and none got lung cancer - that I know of. Yet I believe the science when studies show a direct connection between the two, so I quit smoking.

So many studies show a direct connection between Covid and profound brain damage, cardiovascular damage, lung damage, immune system damage, and so much more. Long Covid is a brutal condition. Jeff Gilchrist wrote out a very long list of possible damage to a person with even just a mild or asymptomatic initial case. I get that many people don't know anyone who has it, which makes it feel like it can't possibly be that serious or common. That's why its important to look at stats from random samples of the population (and from wastewater measures and from air measures to see how Covid-y it is out there) and to recognize how serious this disease really is. 

Saturday, March 16, 2024

Why Resist Clean Air?

Barry Hunt spent a lot of time in hospitals with a knee injury, but managed to never catch Covid because he knows how to avoid it. 

It's possible for all of us to avoid it!! He wrote this thread in December 2021, but it's still very applicable. This is all from his thread:

I keep saying, "Someday I'll write a book" about the struggle to bring an engineering perspective to infection prevention and control in healthcare. For now I'll just write a thread.

Is there anything worse than knowing there are oceans full of icebergs ahead, how easy it is to engineer systems to detect and steer around them, but not being able to get the owners of the lines or anyone in command to listen as you blindly head straight for them? I've been advocating for engineering and standards for air, water and surfaces in healthcare facilities to ⬇️ disease transmission for over 30 years. The irony of being accused by out-of-touch ID/PH/IPAC/Epi of epistemic trespassing before and during the pandemic is gobsmacking. 

Friday, March 15, 2024

A Long Post for Long Covid Awareness Day!

March 15th is LongCovid Awareness Day, recognized in the U.S. and the U.K., and in Canada, and Sweden, but not yet by the United Nations.

A bit about my biggest concern - the brain - from James Throt, MD:

Covid: A Brain Damaging Story
I believe that in the absence of large scale studies and conducting brain imaging on a mass scale, we have to rely upon ourselves to turn to real world examples we may already be witnessing. Some questions about what you may be seeing. Now before we delve deeper into this, I think it would be felicitous to provide a little background first. MRI brain imaging has previously revealed that Covid reduces the thickness of grey matter within the frontal and temporal lobes. This would mimic symptoms of FTD [Frontotemporal Dementia].

Shame-Free Guide to Masks

Chuck created a slideshow guide of coping with mask wearing:

Thursday, March 14, 2024

Our Curious Relationship with Covid Studies

Some questionable ethics in recent studies are making the rounds.

The process and ethics of Didier Raoult's work, which led to the use of hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) as a Covid treatment, was scrutinized in the latest Science Magazine. 

Raoult was saying, ‘I understand everything, I have a solution,’ and people want that kind of information in troubled times, . . . If someone has such a presence in the media landscape, politicians have to listen to him—otherwise they will be really distrusted by the population. On 26 March—amid strong resistance from some other members of the scientific council—Véran issued a decree allowing HCQ to be prescribed to Covid-19 inpatients. . . . Elisabeth Bik decided to take a close look at the HCQ paper. A microbiologist by training, Bik already knew of Raoult and his reputation for prolific publication. On her blog she pointed to several problems she saw with the paper: Patients had not been randomly assigned to the treatment and control groups, which could have biased the results. . . . Besançon, too, was curious. He looked into the paper, which had been submitted to the journal on 16 March and accepted the next day, and noticed that one of the authors was also editor-in-chief at the journal. “So you have a very short reviewing time and editorial conflict of interest,” he says. “I just find this potentially a big red flag. But I thought, it’s just one paper.” . . . 

Wednesday, March 13, 2024

Lewy, Lewy, Me Gotta Go

A study from May 2021 is still thought by some to be the most disturbing Covid paper out there.

The study, (published in April 2022) looked at how SARS-CoV-2 causes brain inflammation and induces Lewy body formation in macaques. Their conclusion:

"We observed Lewy bodies in brains of all rhesus macaques."

That's right up there with, "The call is coming from inside the house."

Lewy bodies are deposits of abnormal protein particles that accumulate in the brains causing Lewy Body Dementia (LBD), which is what Robin Williams had. Read his wife's description of the trauma he suffered from this disease, which ultimately led to his suicide in 2014. Symptoms include (from John Hopkins Medicine):

Tuesday, March 12, 2024

For the Next Doctor's Visit

Olivia Belknap made some great fact sheets that can be shared with health care providers who question your mask or try to claim you have an anxiety disorder. More at her linktree site here



She made one for Long Covid, too:


Monday, March 11, 2024

At the Movies (nope - not about the Oscars)

Cineplex is getting heat for mask and CO2 issues.

From LandBack

It says, "All guests are asked to lower medical masks and hoods while having their tickets scanned."

Why would Cineplex need people to remove masks and hoods when scanning their tickets?? Tickets can be given to other people so it's not a fraud issue. People aren't being asked for ID for proof of age. These aren't restricted movies. Hmmm....

Kathryn pointed out,

"Does Cineplex understand that requiring disabled patrons to unmask would likely constitute a human right violation in Ontario, specifically, that of adverse effect discrimination? Adverse effect discrimination occurs, 'where a requirement, policy, standard, qualification, rule or factor that 'appears neutral excludes or disadvantages a group protected under the Code' (OHRC, 2016). Friends, keep this in your back pocket. It is powerful." 

A Most Dangerous Place

More evidence that schools drive transmission of a virus that has long term effects on multiple organ systems, including the brain.  


This is entirely from Dr. Malgorzata Gasperowicz:

"If someone looking at this graph dares to claim that in-person schools don't substantially contribute to SARS2 spread and 'simply just reflect transmission in community,' she/he they are an intellectual equivalent of flat earthers.


Sunday, March 10, 2024

Canadian Covid Society

It's officially a thing!

Dr. Kashif Pirzada explains how it started:

Wanted to share with you something near and dear to my heart. Today my colleagues and I are proud to launch the Canadian Covid Society. Covid-19 is thankfully not the threat it once was, but there are still significant issues with having a new disease roughly four times as bad as Flu (and much more contagious) floating around, which also disables a lot of people as well. In Canada it was the 3rd leading cause of death 2020, 2021 and 2022. We have the Canadian Cancer Society, and Heart and Stroke foundation for the 1st and 2nd causes; it's time we have one for the 3rd leading cause of death. 

Saturday, March 9, 2024

Capitalism is Slavery

 Listen to Nathan explain the problem with a capitalist structure that forces the elderly to continue working. 

@nathanreo #revolution #deconstruction #deconstructingcapitalism #capitalism #socialism #decentralization #socialprogress #awakening #humanevolution #shiftinconsciousness #consciousness #spirituality ♬ original sound - Reo

"Capitalism is a gross system of slavery and human rights abuse. . . .  It's economic authoritarianism. If you're on a fixed income and now can't afford to live, economic forces have effectively forced the elderly to go back to work. . . .These people shouldn't be driving or part of the labour force. . . . We act like capitalism is a truth of nature, but no. We've only had this kind of capitalism for the last couple hundred years. We should be waking up to that this is real economic slavery. It removes from people the product of their own labour as it's centralized in the hands in a few billionaires. Our system is psychotic, and both political parties are not interested in deconstructing the whole thing. We need a new civil rights movement. MLK recognized he couldn't push this through a couple progressive politicians. . . . The real part of the movement happened outside of politics." 


Friday, March 8, 2024

Nothing Changed but the Rules

I might never get used to being the only masked person in a store, but I might never stop, either. 

Original art: 'Cassandra' by Evelyn De Moran' (1898, London); Cassandra in front of the burning city of Troy, depicted with disheveled hair denoting the insanity ascribed to her by the trojans. Words, mask, and viruses added by KayElle.

From #9 Dream:

Trying to warn or inform others now of the dangers of C19 feels like screaming "Fire!" in a burning theater and people saying, "Can you keep it down? I want to see the rest of this movie."

Covid didn't go away; it's still a bio-safety level 3 virus, and it's still brain invasive, causing severe brain damage in almost 20% of people with a mild or asymptomatic case and in almost 60% of people with Long Covid. I flippin' love my brain!! I exercise, eat well, and do tons of reading and puzzles and play music, all - at least in part - to stave off Alzheimer's. So of course I'm also going to wear an N95 when I'm inside public buildings, a bike helmet when I'm on my bike, and a seatbelt when I'm in a car. 

Thursday, March 7, 2024

How We Look After the Least Fortunate

Back in the day, the left was all about protesting for rights for marginalized people, and the right fought for a more individualistic, pull-yourself-up-by-the-bootstraps ideology.  

Another thread from Kelly, this time on something I've also noticed in my life: this individualistic right-wing ideology in left-leaning friends:

Had a discussion with a friend on CDC isolation guidelines and how we’re fostering a culture of eugenics and forced infection. Their response? “More like we’re just finally going to stop paying people to sit at home.” 

This is someone who had been a kind and logical person. This type of personality shift is one of the aspects of the pandemic that bothers me the most. This person was kind and considerate and never opposed paid time off. Now they’ve become angry, intolerant and spew right wing rhetoric despite claiming to not belong to any “side.” 

Wednesday, March 6, 2024

Erosion of Public Health

You would think that after dealing with Covid for over FOUR years that Public Health would be amazing at stopping Measles in its tracks, unless maybe they've been directed otherwise.

From Henry Madison:

Why persist with Covid questions? Because our greatest achievement in history was the invention of public health. Nothing else comes close. We went to war on infections, and suddenly people lived twice as long. Living with infections is a betrayal of our own history.

Tuesday, March 5, 2024

Maybe Concern with Measles will Save us from Covid!!

A thread on how to stay safe from measles and two on why you should keep testing for Covid.

The first, on measles, from Jeff Gilchrist (I didn't block quote it all because it's so long - but it stops at the three asterisks and the vaccination poll.)

Increased Measles in Canada - Are you Protected? 

As Public Health crumbles and too few people are getting vaccinated for measles, our herd immunity levels have dropped too much, and now many people are at risk for a disease we almost eradicated in Canada. There has been a huge surge in measles cases around the world including cases in the UK and USA. The government is strongly advising everyone in Canada to be vaccinated with two doses of measles vaccine, especially before travelling. Popular March break destinations like Florida are having measles outbreaks, and the Florida Surgeon General is no longer requiring children who are unvaccinated to remain home from schools where measles cases are circulating, which means cases will continue to surge there. 

Monday, March 4, 2024

On Feudalism

Have we ever lived outside of a system of pseudo-feudalism with peasantry, slavery, or the working poor labouring for the benefit of Kings, land barons, or factory owners? 

One perspective of the past thousand years or so might go something like this: Peasants lived on the King's land, first for free, then later in exchange for a portion of the food they grew or products they crafted. A tax on land started when the Lords realized they could profit more from keeping sheep than people, and peasants had to commodify their labour for the privilege of continuing to live where they had been born. Then we had some revolutions to usher in a whole new way of living, to be able to have individual property rights and to choose our leaders. The wealthy expanded their land into plantations and dragged over people from the colonies to work them in exchange for some food and shelter. It was different in tone the King/peasant dynamic but not result: lords allowing food and shelter on their land to people who already lived there in exchange for their labour compared to landowners providing food and shelter to people they kidnapped in exchange for their labour. That type of labour was never abolished; it was merely outsourced to poorer countries and American prisons. More acknowledged today, we have the working poor who make just enough to barely pay for rent and food. Leaving a horrible job at Amazon isn't a realistic choice without any possibility of saving money. They're free in title but not in practice. They might very well still live on land belonging to their overlord

So, when did we have a democracy in which each person's unmanipulated and unfettered vote counts as much as any other, or human rights in which we are all have the right to food and shelter and certain freedoms. Did I blink and miss it? I wrote about this five years ago as well. 

Sunday, March 3, 2024

Avoiding Pathogens Benefits Babies

My mom was right after all: We really should do everything we can to keep babies from getting sick.  

When I was close to the due date of my first child, my mom warned me not to pass around the baby to people or let lots of people into the house no matter how much they beg to see the baby. Everyone's going to want to see the baby, but the baby shouldn't be in contact with anyone who could be sick. And you can't always tell if someone's sick.  

Then suddenly, for just the past four years or so, the general populace seemed (seems?) to think that children should get as many infections as possible when they're young - and many think they also shouldn't get the inert version of infections offered by vaccines. Funny that. 

But now the old ways - the pre-2020 ways - have even further evidence. 

Saturday, March 2, 2024

No Going Back

Conflict, climate, and covid are showing us the worst of ourselves, but it might be what we need to find our collective humanity.

Tiberius wrote:

"The old world is no longer dying, it is dead. There is no going back to how things were after this genocide has been live-streamed in high definition and Technicolour for the world to see and our leaders to endorse. The bloodthirsty status quo has been revealed to too many people, and some cats will simply not go back into their bags. 

I know what the inside of skulls look like now. I know how bodies burn and how limbs come off. I know that children never look more devastatingly innocent than when they’ve been killed by a vicious army using the world’s most advanced weaponry. I know this because I’ve seen so many of them now—so many more than the sum of all the living children I will likely ever know. I know how much pain a person can bear and still exist in this world—just ask any Palestinian still alive. There are so many images I will never forget that everything outside of Gaza seems as meaningless as what colour socks I wear.