Wideleft

Have done a little more reading on the Qatar study referred to by the Calgary Sun/PostMedia. It includes infections occuring within 2 weeks of vaccination which is before immunization is boosted, which will naturally drive down effectiveness numbers. Will do more digging to provide a proper source for this.

If it bleeds, it leads.

It is amazing how differently this story is reported by PostMedia as opposed to the Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2021/05/05/pfizer-vaccine-virus-variants/?utm_campaign=wp_main&utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social

In case you missed it: COVID-19 Reaches Mount Everest As Nepal Struggles With Record Infections May 5, 202110:27 AM ET The coronavirus pandemic has reached the top of the world, where it has reportedly disrupted the annual climb up Mount Everest and other Himalayan peaks just as the window for summiting the mountains opens up. In recent days, reports have emerged of an outbreak at Everest Base Camp in Nepal, at 17,597 feet (5,364 meters), where hundreds of climbers assemble each year to adjust to the oxygen-starved altitude as they prepare to ascend the 29,032-foot (8,849-meter) peak. The BBC and The Guardian have reported recently what climbers have anecdotally been seeing, and posting to social media — rising numbers of positive coronavirus tests and climbers with COVID-19 symptoms. According to the BBC, base camp officials say there have been 17 confirmed cases after tests at hospitals in the capital, Kathmandu, where climbers with symptoms were sent for treatment. It said that staff at a private hospital in Kathmandu had confirmed that climbers tested positive after arriving from Mount Everest. https://www.npr.org/sections/coronavirus-live-updates/2021/05/05/993837355/covid-19-reaches-mount-everest-as-nepal-struggles-with-record-infections

I'm getting worried about how essential I feel it is.

Either way, I stocked up at the Liquor Mart during lunch.

Exactly. No use in trying to do the bare minimum at this point - or even figure out what exactly the bare minimum should be.

We are seeing right now what happens when people elect "politicians" who are anti-government and it ain't good.

Al Franken wrote extensively about him.

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"U.K. scientists now say the variant is probably 30 to 70 percent more deadly, based on a follow-up study by the government released Friday that assessed a larger sample size of covid-19 patients and also found a higher rate of hospitalization." (Article from late February, so things may have changed.) (Also post above about its spread through England.) https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2021/02/13/virus-variant-first-detected-uk-has-been-deadlier-study-confirms/

"The new variant quickly spread from Kent across London and southern England, going from an estimated 3% of cases in England at the end of October to 96% at the start of February. The surge pushed Britain’s Covid death toll into six figures; it now stands at 126,000. Two-thirds of those deaths have occurred since Sept. 20, when the variant was first detected. " https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/health-coronavirus-uk-variant/

And it also displays ignorance of Federal/Provincial jurisdiction and responsibilities. But hey, if Pallister can plagiarize ALEC to introduce anti-protest legislation, I guess O'Toole can copy Trump.

Oklahoma truly has one of the most disgusting histories in all of the U.S. I shouldn't be surprised that they picked up the ball that North Dakota dropped. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tulsa_race_massacre https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osage_Indian_murders

Yeah, I guess I asked that rhetorically.

So the Texas Republicans experimented with deregulating energy, saying that competition would drive down costs and make things more efficient - 'cause capitalism rules! Kansas Republicans implemented the wet dream of low low taxes - 'cause capitalism rules! Both "experiments" turned out to be abject failures. What else does the right wing even have beyond promises of low taxes and deregulation?

Ted Lasso is fantastic. Probably the most optimistic and pleasant show I've watched in awhile.

All reports so far say he was alone in the car.

Katie Porter is the kind of person who would be awesome in any government role, but this is a fine appointment.

It seems to me that moving Brandon Alexander to safety made a huge difference to the team's success, even though I know I shouldn't be pointing to just one player as a difference maker.

I'm old enough to remember watching Notley beat the Conservatives instead of watching a Blue Jays playoff game.

The fall of Jason Kenney By Bruce Livesey | Opinion, Politics | February 8th 2021 Jason Kenney was pissed. On Jan. 20, the Alberta premier walked into a press conference at the legislature in Edmonton, making a beeline to a podium that bore a sign reading “Standing up for Alberta.” Wearing a dusky navy blue suit and matching tie, Kenney was responding to breaking news that U.S. President Joe Biden had just canceled the Keystone XL pipeline, which was to carry oil from Alberta to Nebraska. “This is a gut punch for the Canadian and Alberta economies,” said Kenney. “Sadly, it’s an insult directed at the United States’ most important ally and trading partner.” The premier said up to 2,000 unionized workers had just lost their jobs and if the Biden administration was unwilling to discuss the matter, “it’s clear the government of Canada must impose trade and economic sanctions” against the U.S. For Kenney, news of the cancellation was one of a series of body blows his United Conservative Party (UCP) government has suffered over the past year and could not have come at a worse time. Already swimming in debt, the province had invested $1.5 billion in Keystone. More importantly, Kenney has gambled most of his political capital on rescuing Alberta’s ailing economy by resuscitating the oil and gas sector. Now that strategy lies in tatters. As one former UCP staffer told me: “Reality is catching up with the province. It sounded good, in theory, but now we're getting our results.” (much, much, more...) https://www.nationalobserver.com/2021/02/08/opinion/fall-of-jason-kenney

Scientists develop transparent wood that is stronger and lighter than glass Bob McDonald · CBC Radio · Posted: Feb 05, 2021 3:22 PM ET Researchers at the University of Maryland have turned ordinary sheets of wood into transparent material that is nearly as clear as glass, but stronger and with better insulating properties. It could become an energy efficient building material in the future. Wood is made of two basic ingredients: cellulose, which are tiny fibres, and lignin, which bonds those fibres together to give it strength. Tear a paper towel in half and look closely along the edge. You will see the little cellulose fibres sticking up. Lignin is a glue-like material that bonds the fibres together, a little like the plastic resin in fibreglass or carbon fibre. The lignin also contains molecules called chromophores, which give the wood its brown colour and prevent light from passing through. Early attempts to make transparent wood involved removing the lignin, but this involved hazardous chemicals, high temperatures and a lot of time, making the product expensive and somewhat brittle. The new technique is so cheap and easy it could literally be done in a backyard. https://www.cbc.ca/radio/quirks/scientists-develop-transparent-wood-that-is-stronger-and-lighter-than-glass-1.5902739?fbclid=IwAR3SQUyUZE_t55aE8_4rd6vIK9wHl26WHwRCRFQBsDju9qhVDcVhmN5CrVg

Did a certain poster just get his computer privileges back from his mommy or is it just me who thinks that?