President Trump signed an order forcing meat plants that closed due to the coronavirus to reopen. Would it have been better if instead of forcing them to reopen, he made it possible? If he did do that, I didn't see it reflected in the news stories I read. I read of the unions and others being concerned that it was not safe for workers who had tested positive to go back to work.
We have an almost record number of unemployed laborers. Why not place those who are temporarily unemployed into the meat plants on a temporary basis? It would take some logistics, perhaps, but should work. Some cities where the meat plants are might be small, and not have enough of a populace to work with. Perhaps, in some cities, the meat plant is the largest employer in town.
Bring the temporaries in from out of town, if necessary. Bring them in from towns and cities 60 miles away, if necessary. But, make it work.
One hitch I see, is that those on unemployment might not want the meat plant job. If they are not having to work while receiving unemployment, why would they ever give that up to drive 60 miles to work?
So, correct the system -- if that becomes a problem. Usually (I believe) to keep receiving unemployment, you have to show you've been applying for jobs but not getting them. But, if that is not the case or if they are dodging the rule, then (even if it takes an act of Congress), change it so they cannot receive unemployment as long as the meat plant job is there for them.
Thursday, April 30, 2020
Couldn't We Cure All Autoimmune Diseases With These Medicines?
Autoimmune disease, if you will know it, is much a matter of the body's own attacking the body's own body. In this, is there a wonderful secret to fighting off death and aging?
Think of it: We know that if you take a heart out of one person, and place it in another, the body of the person getting the heart will reject it. The antibodies -- the body's natural defenses -- will attack the foreign heart.
Ahh, but we found a way around that didn't we. Way back in 1967 when we had the first successful heart transplant, we discovered that if we use the right drugs, they can convince the body to accept the heart instead of attacking it.
Should anything be any different with autoimmune diseases? They body's natural defenses attack parts of their own body. Science has probably thought this over, and it doesn't work, but not knowing how to look that up to verify it, I wonder if we could take those same medicines that persuade a person's body to accept a foreign heart, and use them to persuade the body's natural defenses to quit fighting the body.
Does it seem that no matter how much you sleep, you still become tired and sleepy? I'm told, that is the body's own antibodies attacking energy cells.
It does seem to me, that if there are medicines that get the body to accept a foreign heart, then we should be able to come up with a medicine to end autoimmune diseases. Think of all the long list of autoimmune diseases -- lupus, multiple sclerosis, Ankylosing spondylitis, etc. -- what if we could cure them as easy as this?
Think of it: We know that if you take a heart out of one person, and place it in another, the body of the person getting the heart will reject it. The antibodies -- the body's natural defenses -- will attack the foreign heart.
Ahh, but we found a way around that didn't we. Way back in 1967 when we had the first successful heart transplant, we discovered that if we use the right drugs, they can convince the body to accept the heart instead of attacking it.
Should anything be any different with autoimmune diseases? They body's natural defenses attack parts of their own body. Science has probably thought this over, and it doesn't work, but not knowing how to look that up to verify it, I wonder if we could take those same medicines that persuade a person's body to accept a foreign heart, and use them to persuade the body's natural defenses to quit fighting the body.
Does it seem that no matter how much you sleep, you still become tired and sleepy? I'm told, that is the body's own antibodies attacking energy cells.
It does seem to me, that if there are medicines that get the body to accept a foreign heart, then we should be able to come up with a medicine to end autoimmune diseases. Think of all the long list of autoimmune diseases -- lupus, multiple sclerosis, Ankylosing spondylitis, etc. -- what if we could cure them as easy as this?
Can Aging be Treated by Restarting the Muscle Motors?
The doctor has me feel the deltoid muscle on the arm that wasn't injured; It feels solid. Then, he has me feel it on the arm that was dislocated, and my fingers sink into the tissue. The doctor tells me the deltoid motor is out, and gives me an exercise to try to bring it back.
I think of my legs, and consider whether I can flex them in all spots, or whether the motor is out in places. I take the exercise he gave me for my arm, and decide to use it on my legs, as well.
Consider the old among us. Is not this common -- flabby muscles, shall we call them? If the motor in my left deltoid can be rejuvenated, is there a hope for all the elderly?
I think of my legs, and consider whether I can flex them in all spots, or whether the motor is out in places. I take the exercise he gave me for my arm, and decide to use it on my legs, as well.
Consider the old among us. Is not this common -- flabby muscles, shall we call them? If the motor in my left deltoid can be rejuvenated, is there a hope for all the elderly?
Wednesday, April 29, 2020
Add This to the Ranks of America's Most-Threatening Problems
America's distrust of the media threatens as one of the largest of large problems facing our nation. We read of studies and polls in which the better part of Americas don't trust the press. You, my reader at this moment, may well not trust the "mainstream" media.
Well, one of the bastions of our nation is a free press. Perhaps, as much as anything, our nation was founded on it. If you can get the people to turn from trusting the press, you will be freer to take away the freedoms of that nation. If you silence the voices of criticism, you are freed to maneuver in your corruption.
"Four hostile newspapers are more to be feared than a thousand bayonets," Napoleon Bonaparte once said.
Well, one of the bastions of our nation is a free press. Perhaps, as much as anything, our nation was founded on it. If you can get the people to turn from trusting the press, you will be freer to take away the freedoms of that nation. If you silence the voices of criticism, you are freed to maneuver in your corruption.
"Four hostile newspapers are more to be feared than a thousand bayonets," Napoleon Bonaparte once said.
Of Libel Lawsuits and the Fight Against the Mainstream Media
Look at the rise of lawsuits against the press, and wonder at how the right to speak freely is being challenged by those persuaded that the mainstream media is unfair.
And, since the media is unfair by their way of thinking, they must shut it down when it says things not to their liking, things that they consider libelous.
Take Sean Hannity and his threat to sue The New York Times. The Times ran an article about one Joe Joyce, who went on an ocean cruise against his children's wishes that he not go. He died of COVID-19, and one of the children reported that the father had watched Fox News and concluded the virus "was under control."
The writer did bring up a comment in which Hannity called the coronavirus coverage "a new hoax," a comment that took place after the cruise was already underway, but that had been acknowledged in the NYT piece.
The New York Times responded to Hannity's lawyers by saying, "In response to your request for an apology and retraction, our answer is 'no.' "
Bless The Times for taking such a firm stand for free speech. Still, the proliferation of such lawsuits makes one wonder. Hannity's is not the first. George Zimmerman came after Pete Buttieg and Elizabeth Warren. Tulsi Gabbard filed suit against Hillary Clinton. Devin Nunez tried to sue Twitter to shut down what he felt were defamatory statements. One America News filed against MSNBC's Rachel Maddow. All though only the suit against MSNBC was against a member of the mainstream media, at least some of the others were surely for things that were printed in the mainstream press.
And, though all those on that list are lawsuits against the left, there might also be lawsuits against the right that have not come to the attention of this writer.
If something is printed that truly is false, and not just damaging, then surely it is right to sue. But, of the list of actions above, none have yet been found traction in the courts, which indicates they were frivolous and unwarranted. But, if the pressure grows enough that we start censoring that which shouldn't be censored, that could crumble. And, if that happens, America's free speech will crumble to the same degree.
And, since the media is unfair by their way of thinking, they must shut it down when it says things not to their liking, things that they consider libelous.
Take Sean Hannity and his threat to sue The New York Times. The Times ran an article about one Joe Joyce, who went on an ocean cruise against his children's wishes that he not go. He died of COVID-19, and one of the children reported that the father had watched Fox News and concluded the virus "was under control."
The writer did bring up a comment in which Hannity called the coronavirus coverage "a new hoax," a comment that took place after the cruise was already underway, but that had been acknowledged in the NYT piece.
The New York Times responded to Hannity's lawyers by saying, "In response to your request for an apology and retraction, our answer is 'no.' "
Bless The Times for taking such a firm stand for free speech. Still, the proliferation of such lawsuits makes one wonder. Hannity's is not the first. George Zimmerman came after Pete Buttieg and Elizabeth Warren. Tulsi Gabbard filed suit against Hillary Clinton. Devin Nunez tried to sue Twitter to shut down what he felt were defamatory statements. One America News filed against MSNBC's Rachel Maddow. All though only the suit against MSNBC was against a member of the mainstream media, at least some of the others were surely for things that were printed in the mainstream press.
And, though all those on that list are lawsuits against the left, there might also be lawsuits against the right that have not come to the attention of this writer.
If something is printed that truly is false, and not just damaging, then surely it is right to sue. But, of the list of actions above, none have yet been found traction in the courts, which indicates they were frivolous and unwarranted. But, if the pressure grows enough that we start censoring that which shouldn't be censored, that could crumble. And, if that happens, America's free speech will crumble to the same degree.
Tuesday, April 28, 2020
For the 1st Time in History, Both Candidates have these Accusations
For the first time in American history, perhaps, both presidential candidates are publicly accused of either rape or something that falls not so far from rape.
Take it in the words of Tara Reade, one the the women making the accusations against the candidates. "It's sad statement about our own culture that we are having to choose between two men that have allegations of sexual assault and sexual harassment and a history of misogyny," Reade told The Associated Press.
Is it commentary on our times, on the fallen nature of our society? Or should we not let it bother us, as everyone has their faults, and we should judge them on this?
Reade accuses Joe Biden of an act of serious sexual assault. On the other side, though not receiving near as much attention in the media (at least currently), President Trump is accused of raping E. Jean Carroll and also a 13-year unnamed "Jane Doe."
Take it in the words of Tara Reade, one the the women making the accusations against the candidates. "It's sad statement about our own culture that we are having to choose between two men that have allegations of sexual assault and sexual harassment and a history of misogyny," Reade told The Associated Press.
Is it commentary on our times, on the fallen nature of our society? Or should we not let it bother us, as everyone has their faults, and we should judge them on this?
Reade accuses Joe Biden of an act of serious sexual assault. On the other side, though not receiving near as much attention in the media (at least currently), President Trump is accused of raping E. Jean Carroll and also a 13-year unnamed "Jane Doe."
If Our Food Supply Might be a Problem, Fix it
Just a day or two after Tyson Foods bought out full-page ads warning of a coming crisis in the food chain, do we have any sign that something is being done?
Well, Sens. Mike Lee, R-Utah, and Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., have written the White House asking for an investigation. And, President Trump has suggested he will sign an executive order not allowing the meat plant to close.
I will tell you what I think should be done: If we need more field laborers because the coronavirus has left us short, then bring in more such laborers. If that means more migrants from Mexico, it means more migrants from Mexico.
If meat packing plants are being closed because the dominant part of their work forces are testing positive for COVID-19 and therefore can't work, bring in more workers. I would think these jobs pay well enough that we should be able to hire domestically, especially with so many people being unemployed. If you have to bring in short-term workers from out-of-state, do it. Some people in other states have had their jobs put on hold, and only need a fill-in job for a month or two. Pay them reduced wages so you can afford to also keep paying the workers sent home on leave. Bring the short-termers in for a month or so and then everybody goes back to their old jobs.
As for restaurant sales being down, and since that means farmers' crops are not being bought as much, and they, therefore, are being forced to dump their crops -- what do we do? Reopening the restaurants should be considered. If we don't do that, then have the government buy the farmers' excess crops and store them for the day later this year when the market opens up. We've had a couple massive stimulus bills; Did this somehow not get included?
Well, Sens. Mike Lee, R-Utah, and Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., have written the White House asking for an investigation. And, President Trump has suggested he will sign an executive order not allowing the meat plant to close.
I will tell you what I think should be done: If we need more field laborers because the coronavirus has left us short, then bring in more such laborers. If that means more migrants from Mexico, it means more migrants from Mexico.
If meat packing plants are being closed because the dominant part of their work forces are testing positive for COVID-19 and therefore can't work, bring in more workers. I would think these jobs pay well enough that we should be able to hire domestically, especially with so many people being unemployed. If you have to bring in short-term workers from out-of-state, do it. Some people in other states have had their jobs put on hold, and only need a fill-in job for a month or two. Pay them reduced wages so you can afford to also keep paying the workers sent home on leave. Bring the short-termers in for a month or so and then everybody goes back to their old jobs.
As for restaurant sales being down, and since that means farmers' crops are not being bought as much, and they, therefore, are being forced to dump their crops -- what do we do? Reopening the restaurants should be considered. If we don't do that, then have the government buy the farmers' excess crops and store them for the day later this year when the market opens up. We've had a couple massive stimulus bills; Did this somehow not get included?
Monday, April 27, 2020
Tyson Foods' Warning and that of the UN Should be Heeded
With the morning's news, comes the future's warning: "Tyson Foods warns that 'the food supply chain is breaking' as plants close."
Don't know that we should not wonder if there has ever been a more ominous headline.
I look across the screen of my computer, and see another headline, "UN warns of famines of biblical proportions due to lockdown caused by COVID-19 Pandemic." That's from about five days ago.
Remember the day -- March 11 -- when Rudy Gobert tested positive, and they called off the game moments before tip-off, and then within hours called off NBA games altogether. A shocked nation shut down much of everything and we scurried to our homes.
This morning's warning from Tyson Foods might not frighten us as much, but perhaps it should. We do not know what will happen. The food supply might survive just fine despite the warnings. Or, all the famine might be in foreign lands.
But, if the food supply in the U.S. does falter? If it does collapse, even partially? We read of farmers not being able to get workers for their fields. We read of crops being dumped because the markets have collapsed. Can we take this warning, and act on it? Can we take it, and say, Let's do something?
Or, do we say, "I will not have the UN as my prophet?" You know, of course, that there are calls for the World Health Organization (WHO) to have its head delivered on a platter, so to speak. Rather than listening to UN, we are outraged at it and calling for investigations.
The UN might not be a prophet, but there is a likeness to when prophets warned of calamities, only to be derided for doing so and tossed in jail.
All I will say, is that the UN has warned us the food supplies of the world are in jeopardy. Famines could take hold within months. We might not look at it as a 'prophecy,' but it is a prediction with all the severity of a prophecy.
We are living in the last days -- somewhere in the last days, although we don't know how far we are along that timeline. The Bible does warn of famines. More than that, for some of us, modern prophets have advised us to store up food against the hour.
I look at all this, and read the morning's headline, of the food supply collapsing, and wonder if this should be a Rudy Gobert moment, a moment that galvanizes us to do something. I, for one, do not intend to let the day pass me by without buying a little of that food storage that real prophets have warned that I should have. They have called for this and other preparations, and I consider that I should heed their warnings better. I should not only do something for food storage, but should make sure I have oil in my lamp in other ways, as well.
(Note: Blog was written in the morning. Before day's end, did buy a little food for storage.)
(Note: Blog was written in the morning. Before day's end, did buy a little food for storage.)
That Which Gets the Body to Accept a Heart, Might Counter Autoimmune Diseases
To the legions of those with an autoimmune disease, I extend a hand of hope. Oh, I'm not knowledgeable, far from a doctor, and may well not know what I'm talking about.
But listen, anyway.
Way back in the day, 1967 it was, the first successful heart transplant in history took place in Cape Town, South Africa. Now, it would never have been successful except that doctors had learned that when you place a heart from one person into another, the natural response of the body getting the heart is to reject it, attack it. The new heart is foreign to the new body, so it tries to rid itself of it.
You got to use a little medicine to change that. So, Dr. Christiaan Barnard made sure his patient got that medicine.
I read how with autoimmune diseases, the body does the same. The antibodies that should be protecting your body, turn on it, instead. You are always tired, regardless how much sleep you get, because your own antibodies attack your energy cells.
I just wonder if the same medications that persuade the body to accept a new heart, might benefit those with autoimmune diseases. Those same medications might also help against other debilitating diseases and conditions.
But listen, anyway.
Way back in the day, 1967 it was, the first successful heart transplant in history took place in Cape Town, South Africa. Now, it would never have been successful except that doctors had learned that when you place a heart from one person into another, the natural response of the body getting the heart is to reject it, attack it. The new heart is foreign to the new body, so it tries to rid itself of it.
You got to use a little medicine to change that. So, Dr. Christiaan Barnard made sure his patient got that medicine.
I read how with autoimmune diseases, the body does the same. The antibodies that should be protecting your body, turn on it, instead. You are always tired, regardless how much sleep you get, because your own antibodies attack your energy cells.
I just wonder if the same medications that persuade the body to accept a new heart, might benefit those with autoimmune diseases. Those same medications might also help against other debilitating diseases and conditions.
Sunday, April 26, 2020
Could the Pills that Work for Heart Transplants Allow Me to Walk Again?
I read how transplanted hearts are rejected by the person receiving the transplant. The body views them as foreign, and attacks them.
And, nary a single transplant would be successful if not for medicines that get the body to accept the foreign heart.
As I read this, and think of my inability to walk, I wonder. I wonder if my body is attempting to protect itself by giving subliminal commands to not let me walk. Oh, just a theory. And, of course this might be wrong. Probably is.
Still, I wonder if a medicine of some kind might overrule what is going on that might keep me from walking. Who knows, maybe even one of the medicines being used to get heart patients to accept heart transplants.
And, nary a single transplant would be successful if not for medicines that get the body to accept the foreign heart.
As I read this, and think of my inability to walk, I wonder. I wonder if my body is attempting to protect itself by giving subliminal commands to not let me walk. Oh, just a theory. And, of course this might be wrong. Probably is.
Still, I wonder if a medicine of some kind might overrule what is going on that might keep me from walking. Who knows, maybe even one of the medicines being used to get heart patients to accept heart transplants.
Give Us Good Masks and Goggles
We are months in. By now, it seems, we should have been able to produce enough N95 masks so that everyone in the country could have one.
If an N95 is better than a medical mask, and if it is better than a homemade cloth mask, we fail in that we didn't do this. If cloth masks, though, filter out the virus better, then we should have went that route.
Point is, we are two or three months in. We are at fault if we have failed to get the best type of masks available for everyone. How much does a good mask help? Do we know, for sure? We do know that some of the countries that are reporting the most success are countries where masks are worn.
And, we know the microscopic virus particles float in the air. If there is an opening in your mask, yes, they might flit right on it. The mask needs to fit tight around the nose and cheeks. Even then, virus particles might be coming in. If the mask is breathable, virus particles might be hard to totally avoid. You can screen some out, but perhaps you can't screen them all.
Goggles? I did not know the virus can enter through the eye, but I read something saying it can. So, give us goggles, if you will.
We are starting to come out from our homes. And, sooner or later, we have to resume life. One wonders, though, if everyone were to wear good masks and everyone were to wear goggles and if we were to clean our hands upon taking our masks off to eat, if we could not be well enough off with everyone back in circulation.
If an N95 is better than a medical mask, and if it is better than a homemade cloth mask, we fail in that we didn't do this. If cloth masks, though, filter out the virus better, then we should have went that route.
Point is, we are two or three months in. We are at fault if we have failed to get the best type of masks available for everyone. How much does a good mask help? Do we know, for sure? We do know that some of the countries that are reporting the most success are countries where masks are worn.
And, we know the microscopic virus particles float in the air. If there is an opening in your mask, yes, they might flit right on it. The mask needs to fit tight around the nose and cheeks. Even then, virus particles might be coming in. If the mask is breathable, virus particles might be hard to totally avoid. You can screen some out, but perhaps you can't screen them all.
Goggles? I did not know the virus can enter through the eye, but I read something saying it can. So, give us goggles, if you will.
We are starting to come out from our homes. And, sooner or later, we have to resume life. One wonders, though, if everyone were to wear good masks and everyone were to wear goggles and if we were to clean our hands upon taking our masks off to eat, if we could not be well enough off with everyone back in circulation.
Saturday, April 25, 2020
Should One Donald J. Trump have been Removed from Office?
Ah, should we have removed Donald J. Trump from office, that once we had a chance? Lest we forget why we should have, let's pause to remember.
The case is as clear as studying the Constitution. Well, for some of us, it is. Others will not see it this way.
But, let's consider: One Alexander Hamilton -- as good of an authority on the Constitution as any -- writing in the Federalist Papers, said that what is in our Constitution, when it speaks of impeachment, was modeled after English law.
When the English spoke of "high crimes and misdemeanors," what were they referring to? Well, in English law, this was an indefinite phrase covering conduct not constituting indictable offenses, but referring to abuse and misuse of office. It was not a reference to breaking specified and codified laws. It was not a reference to offenses against persons or property. No, it was referring to taking an office and using it in the wrong way.
The public trusts you to not to abuse or misuse your office.
Is using your office for personal gain, for political advantage an abuse of power? Surely, to me, it is. If you see a political rival rising who you might face in the next election, and you use the power of your office to go after him -- what is that? Is that to be said to be okay? If you've got some money going to the Ukraine, and you yank it away while at the same time suggesting they find something on your political opponent, is that all just part of fulfilling the normal duties of your office? Not to me, it is not.
There is clarity in what is right and wrong. We should be able to see that using the power of your office to get rid of a political opponent is wrong. And, if it is wrong, and the Constitution calls for such persons to be removed from the presidency, are we upholding the Constitution if we do anything but remove them?
You may disagree. And, I might look at you and say, You have ears to hear but refuse to hear. Bless you, the same. Bless us both for taking the time to consider the things of our nation.
(Note: Some rewriting done April 27.)
The case is as clear as studying the Constitution. Well, for some of us, it is. Others will not see it this way.
But, let's consider: One Alexander Hamilton -- as good of an authority on the Constitution as any -- writing in the Federalist Papers, said that what is in our Constitution, when it speaks of impeachment, was modeled after English law.
When the English spoke of "high crimes and misdemeanors," what were they referring to? Well, in English law, this was an indefinite phrase covering conduct not constituting indictable offenses, but referring to abuse and misuse of office. It was not a reference to breaking specified and codified laws. It was not a reference to offenses against persons or property. No, it was referring to taking an office and using it in the wrong way.
The public trusts you to not to abuse or misuse your office.
Is using your office for personal gain, for political advantage an abuse of power? Surely, to me, it is. If you see a political rival rising who you might face in the next election, and you use the power of your office to go after him -- what is that? Is that to be said to be okay? If you've got some money going to the Ukraine, and you yank it away while at the same time suggesting they find something on your political opponent, is that all just part of fulfilling the normal duties of your office? Not to me, it is not.
There is clarity in what is right and wrong. We should be able to see that using the power of your office to get rid of a political opponent is wrong. And, if it is wrong, and the Constitution calls for such persons to be removed from the presidency, are we upholding the Constitution if we do anything but remove them?
You may disagree. And, I might look at you and say, You have ears to hear but refuse to hear. Bless you, the same. Bless us both for taking the time to consider the things of our nation.
(Note: Some rewriting done April 27.)
Friday, April 24, 2020
The Pied Pipers Lead You Away by Your Ears
The delusion of a nation begins in its acceptance of hearsay. Pied pipers can come. They will teach you the false, and swear it's the truth. They will lead you away as if they had rings in your ears.
And, they do.
Obama was born in Kenya. China concocted the virus in a lab. Hillary and Bill killed dozens of people. The collapse of the towers in 9-11 was a controlled demolition. Pick your poison. Some of them you may not believe, but sooner or later, some of those fables might sound true to you. Sooner or later, the poison may get you.
And, they do.
Obama was born in Kenya. China concocted the virus in a lab. Hillary and Bill killed dozens of people. The collapse of the towers in 9-11 was a controlled demolition. Pick your poison. Some of them you may not believe, but sooner or later, some of those fables might sound true to you. Sooner or later, the poison may get you.
The Cycles of the Body are Like the Cycle of Peddling a Bicycle
Tonight, I take you on a bicycle ride. Many a bike rider has injured an ankle, and found themselves peddling with just one good foot. They push down on the peddle, then use that same foot to lift the peddle back up to peddle it again. The job gets done, but not as efficiently.
If I put a cake in the oven for 15 minutes, and it needs 30, I might have something to eat, but it won't be as good of a cake.
So, if a body needs eight hours of sleep, and I give it but four, what have we got?
Think of the body, and of its functions, and how they come in timing cycles. We breath in, we breath out. The heart beats as blood squeezes in series of pumps, in-and-out, in-and-out. Going to the bathroom is often done in regular cycles, each morning, and at set times during the day.
Sometimes, when you wake, you stretch. I say "you," because in my life, it doesn't happen as often as in yours. It might be that a body on four hours of sleep isn't ready to stretch. Like a person peddling a bike using just one foot, the job isn't complete with just the one push down. Half a night's rest; Half a peddle of the bicycle.
So, if you have day-after-day, and month-after-month lacking full sleep, what happens? If months stretch into years, and years into decades, you might think you are surviving -- like peddling a bicycle on one foot -- but at some point, it seems it will catch up with you.
Of late, I have been getting my eight hours sleep, but it is in parts. Still no eight hours all at once. I wonder if I would do better if I could keep all my sleep in the full cycles the body was intended to have.
Thursday, April 23, 2020
Our Best Hope for Treatment is in the Antibody
Best hope for a treatment of COVID-19 lies in the antibody. In it, you have what might be a vaccine, in and of itself. You take the blood plasma from someone who has developed it, and transfer it to another person. I believe one person's plasma can go to four other people.
This is not getting much attention. But, to me, it has the potential of being as big as the discovery of vaccines, themselves.
This is not getting much attention. But, to me, it has the potential of being as big as the discovery of vaccines, themselves.
I'm a Latecomer in this Discussion, and I Come Up with no Answer
I watch a video of a lady being handcuffed for visiting a public park during the coronavirus. I read stories of arrests at church. We hear of protests and outrage and indignation that our rights are being assaulted.
Do we, then -- so to speak -- free the people?
Yesterday, Fox commentator Tucker Carlson unleashed on what is happening. The lock-down isn't working, he said. He pointed to Los Angeles County, where they thought they had had but 8,000 cases. But, antibody testing to determine who had had the virus showed 320,000 cases. The virus had spread despite the most restrictive quarantine in history, he said.
You will know that America's figures are higher than any place on earth. Of the 191,000 deaths worldwide, 50,000 have come in the United States. That's a quarter of all the deaths counted. Oh, the discerning person will see that at least part of the reason the U.S. has so many deaths is because we are keeping better track of them. If a nation doesn't count them, there won't be a high count.
Still, we must ask if Carlson is right.
I think of the pastor who vowed to hold church services despite everything, and ended up dying of the coronavirus. And, I believe there have been other such examples. for one, holding Mardi Gras purportedly led to a breakout in Louisiana.
And, we must ask if even if the lock-down is doing some good, is it constitutional? Does it violate our rights?
These questions are being asked more by others than by me. I'm a late-comer in wading into this discussion. And, at this point, I come up with no answer.
I will only say, I have always been against our forcefully shutting businesses down, because I do not believe in dissembling our economy. I do not believe it wise to put people out of their jobs.
Do we, then -- so to speak -- free the people?
Yesterday, Fox commentator Tucker Carlson unleashed on what is happening. The lock-down isn't working, he said. He pointed to Los Angeles County, where they thought they had had but 8,000 cases. But, antibody testing to determine who had had the virus showed 320,000 cases. The virus had spread despite the most restrictive quarantine in history, he said.
You will know that America's figures are higher than any place on earth. Of the 191,000 deaths worldwide, 50,000 have come in the United States. That's a quarter of all the deaths counted. Oh, the discerning person will see that at least part of the reason the U.S. has so many deaths is because we are keeping better track of them. If a nation doesn't count them, there won't be a high count.
Still, we must ask if Carlson is right.
I think of the pastor who vowed to hold church services despite everything, and ended up dying of the coronavirus. And, I believe there have been other such examples. for one, holding Mardi Gras purportedly led to a breakout in Louisiana.
And, we must ask if even if the lock-down is doing some good, is it constitutional? Does it violate our rights?
These questions are being asked more by others than by me. I'm a late-comer in wading into this discussion. And, at this point, I come up with no answer.
I will only say, I have always been against our forcefully shutting businesses down, because I do not believe in dissembling our economy. I do not believe it wise to put people out of their jobs.
Wednesday, April 22, 2020
The Future Never Comes 'Round Here No More
The future never comes 'round here no more
It stays stuck away in the past
It doesn't dipsy and divy
For its dancing is all in the past.
Once there were dreams, and once there was hope
Once there was a future to come
But the dancing days are yesterdays
And tomorrow is only yesterday's fun.
(Note: Poem inspired by Yogi Berra, who said in better and more succinctly: "The future ain't what it used to be.")
(Second note: Alternate second verse:
Once there were dreams and once there was hope
Once there was a future to come
But the dancing days are yesterdays
And tomorrow is only yesterday's fun.)
It stays stuck away in the past
It doesn't dipsy and divy
For its dancing is all in the past.
Once there were dreams, and once there was hope
Once there was a future to come
But the dancing days are yesterdays
And tomorrow is only yesterday's fun.
(Note: Poem inspired by Yogi Berra, who said in better and more succinctly: "The future ain't what it used to be.")
(Second note: Alternate second verse:
Once there were dreams and once there was hope
Once there was a future to come
But the dancing days are yesterdays
And tomorrow is only yesterday's fun.)
Tuesday, April 21, 2020
Too Much Rah-Rah often Accompanies the Rise of a Dictator
There is a quieter type of patriotism that is patriotism. When government calls you to rally behind it, and praise it, beware. That is not patriotism, it is the beginning of monarchy. The Soviet Union had its military parades, and Germany with Hitler had its, as well. With such rah-rah parades come, indeed, a form of patriotism. But, it is often misplaced patriotism. It is often the mark of a democracy on the verge of kneeling to a dictator.
Often, that is. I do not know that that is where we are headed. I only say, Look at history and you will see our footfalls are much the same.
True patriotism is of a quieter touch. It is proud of its values, yes, but when the suggestion comes that that nation should be grateful to the leader for giving it those values, beware. When the suggestion comes that those virtues of the nation are due to the leader who is leading the cheers, beware. That nation may fall. Freedom is won not so much with guns as by our choice of whom we follow.
Look at our nation. Consider on how when our president visits the military, he turns those visits into a political rallies. Consider on how this is how it is with almost everything he does, and every event he is in. He cries out his virtues and desires that you respond with the clapping of hands. He dismisses those in his administration perceived as not being loyal. He rallies hatred against those who oppose him, and seeks out those who will blindly serve him.
Government by rah-rah can be a sign the good times are about to end. Patriotism comes not in being loyal to the leader, but in being loyal to the land. When the leader of the nation requires that the loyalty be shifted to him, beware. And, has not President Trump done as much by firing those who do not fall in line?
We may not be on the verge of being toppled by a dictator. But, yes, what is happening has much the same markings as what has happened elsewhere.
(Note: Column added and to and edited 4/22/19)
Often, that is. I do not know that that is where we are headed. I only say, Look at history and you will see our footfalls are much the same.
True patriotism is of a quieter touch. It is proud of its values, yes, but when the suggestion comes that that nation should be grateful to the leader for giving it those values, beware. When the suggestion comes that those virtues of the nation are due to the leader who is leading the cheers, beware. That nation may fall. Freedom is won not so much with guns as by our choice of whom we follow.
Look at our nation. Consider on how when our president visits the military, he turns those visits into a political rallies. Consider on how this is how it is with almost everything he does, and every event he is in. He cries out his virtues and desires that you respond with the clapping of hands. He dismisses those in his administration perceived as not being loyal. He rallies hatred against those who oppose him, and seeks out those who will blindly serve him.
Government by rah-rah can be a sign the good times are about to end. Patriotism comes not in being loyal to the leader, but in being loyal to the land. When the leader of the nation requires that the loyalty be shifted to him, beware. And, has not President Trump done as much by firing those who do not fall in line?
We may not be on the verge of being toppled by a dictator. But, yes, what is happening has much the same markings as what has happened elsewhere.
(Note: Column added and to and edited 4/22/19)
Monday, April 20, 2020
Earthquake, Earthquake and the Change of the Weight of the Seas
Scientists may think they've figured out what causes earthquakes, but I wonder. I wonder if they are overlooking one of the biggest reasons. And, this perhaps-overlooked cause of earthquakes might be the reason we are having more of them than in the past.
Sea levels. The rising and falling of the sea and the changes of weight that that creates.
If you raise the level of our oceans by so much as an eighth of an inch -- and I might I have heard that is how much it rises each year -- that is a lot of new weight. So, I wonder if that can cause earthquakes, perhaps as quick as anything. If the weight changes at sea, but not at land, then where the sea meets the land, there will be a bending of the techtonic plates.
Try this experiment: Take a wooden ruler and place in on two fulcrums, one fulcrum at each end. Then, take something heavy and place it in the center of the ruler. Sure enough, the ruler snaps as it bends under the weight. Bend the ruler, and it breaks. Bend the techtonic plate, then, and will it not also break?
I did google to find if seismologists are considering this. I didn't find that they are. I studied the reasons for earthquakes without finding it. Are they overlooking it?
Could the changing of sea's weight be the reason we are seeing more earthquakes in our time? Look and study, if you will. Consider how so many of our earthquakes occur just ashore from the sea. If I am not wrong, at least as many and probably the greater number of earthquakes occur just ashore, as opposed to well inland.
I'm a human. I could be missing something. But, if I am wrong in my theory, it is not because there is not good reason to be had for such a theory.
(Note:Blog revised 4/21/19)
Sea levels. The rising and falling of the sea and the changes of weight that that creates.
If you raise the level of our oceans by so much as an eighth of an inch -- and I might I have heard that is how much it rises each year -- that is a lot of new weight. So, I wonder if that can cause earthquakes, perhaps as quick as anything. If the weight changes at sea, but not at land, then where the sea meets the land, there will be a bending of the techtonic plates.
Try this experiment: Take a wooden ruler and place in on two fulcrums, one fulcrum at each end. Then, take something heavy and place it in the center of the ruler. Sure enough, the ruler snaps as it bends under the weight. Bend the ruler, and it breaks. Bend the techtonic plate, then, and will it not also break?
I did google to find if seismologists are considering this. I didn't find that they are. I studied the reasons for earthquakes without finding it. Are they overlooking it?
Could the changing of sea's weight be the reason we are seeing more earthquakes in our time? Look and study, if you will. Consider how so many of our earthquakes occur just ashore from the sea. If I am not wrong, at least as many and probably the greater number of earthquakes occur just ashore, as opposed to well inland.
I'm a human. I could be missing something. But, if I am wrong in my theory, it is not because there is not good reason to be had for such a theory.
(Note:Blog revised 4/21/19)
Sunday, April 19, 2020
The Coronavirus has Our Attention, but Other Things are also Going On
As the world turns. As all the world is caught up in the drama of the coronavirus, are we experiencing other ominous events that might portend to the last days? Maybe. Maybe not. These things might not be big enough. Or, they might.
Announced this week: The West is in the throes of the worst long-term drought in 500 years, and maybe the worst in 1,200 years. Scientists call it a megadrought. To earn that term, the drought must extend across at least two decades. The current one began in the year 2000.
And, ongoing since at least the beginning of the year: The worst locust infestation in Africa in 25 years, threatening food supplies.
One hundred tornadoes ravaged the South Easter Sunday and the day after. And, the tornadoes are expected to continue for many weeks.
Smaller tremors continue in Magna, Utah -- aftershocks to the worst quake for the Wasatch Front in all of modern history -- a 5.7 rattling that hit a month ago yesterday, March 18
Announced this week: The West is in the throes of the worst long-term drought in 500 years, and maybe the worst in 1,200 years. Scientists call it a megadrought. To earn that term, the drought must extend across at least two decades. The current one began in the year 2000.
And, ongoing since at least the beginning of the year: The worst locust infestation in Africa in 25 years, threatening food supplies.
One hundred tornadoes ravaged the South Easter Sunday and the day after. And, the tornadoes are expected to continue for many weeks.
Smaller tremors continue in Magna, Utah -- aftershocks to the worst quake for the Wasatch Front in all of modern history -- a 5.7 rattling that hit a month ago yesterday, March 18
Saturday, April 18, 2020
Friday, April 17, 2020
In the Trade of Our Nations can Come the Peace of Our Times
There is in the trade of nations, wisdom. We can shut China out, saying we should have known all along that trade with them would harm us. Or, we can continue the path of peace, which is trade.
These might not rise to war, but nation is turning against nation in our day. I might wonder with many of you if there are times we should punish the North Koreans and the Iranians, by cutting them off from trade. But, for the most part, I suggest you forge friendships with other nations by being their friends. Friendship begets friendship and trade is an act of friendship. If a country trades with you, you build a mutual dependence on each other, and that serves to build friendship.
Hatred begets hatred, it is said. Even so, retaliation from one country begets counter retaliation from the other.
Nation will rise up against nation? I do wonder if this is more than just in wars. We rise up in hatred against Muslim nations, and they rise up against us. I do wonder if we could foster friendship with them, and if trade can be part of that. Consider it in terms of Christmas giving, and the sharing of presents, and of how if you buy a present for one, they are grateful to you and consider it an act of friendship. So, they reciprocate, by buying a present for you. That is trade, trading Christmas presents. That is mutual love.
I think of the United Arab Emirates, and of how that nation invited The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to build a temple in Dubai. Friendships between nations are strengthened by such acts. Of note, that church announced at the same time that it will also be building a temple in China.
Peace comes not with acts of hate, such as cutting off trade, but with acts of love, such as sharing. Friendship comes not with saying, "I'm not going to play with you," and packing your bags and storming away. No, friendship comes with sitting down with another and sharing your toys together.
These might not rise to war, but nation is turning against nation in our day. I might wonder with many of you if there are times we should punish the North Koreans and the Iranians, by cutting them off from trade. But, for the most part, I suggest you forge friendships with other nations by being their friends. Friendship begets friendship and trade is an act of friendship. If a country trades with you, you build a mutual dependence on each other, and that serves to build friendship.
Hatred begets hatred, it is said. Even so, retaliation from one country begets counter retaliation from the other.
Nation will rise up against nation? I do wonder if this is more than just in wars. We rise up in hatred against Muslim nations, and they rise up against us. I do wonder if we could foster friendship with them, and if trade can be part of that. Consider it in terms of Christmas giving, and the sharing of presents, and of how if you buy a present for one, they are grateful to you and consider it an act of friendship. So, they reciprocate, by buying a present for you. That is trade, trading Christmas presents. That is mutual love.
I think of the United Arab Emirates, and of how that nation invited The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to build a temple in Dubai. Friendships between nations are strengthened by such acts. Of note, that church announced at the same time that it will also be building a temple in China.
Peace comes not with acts of hate, such as cutting off trade, but with acts of love, such as sharing. Friendship comes not with saying, "I'm not going to play with you," and packing your bags and storming away. No, friendship comes with sitting down with another and sharing your toys together.
Thursday, April 16, 2020
What Would Christ's Leaders See in the Scriptures of the Last Days?
If you would know of the signs of the times -- if you would look at our day and wonder if we are in those last days -- look to what is being said by a church that claims it was restored to the earth for this very reason -- because it is the last days.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, a church unlike any other on earth.
Turn to one of their prophets, if you will. Their president is usually the one referred to as a prophet, but all of their apostles might be considered prophets, in a way.
Dallin H. Oaks. And, if I said he is an apostle, that is one of the ways this church is different than any church on earth. How many churches on earth have a quorum of 12 apostles, same as the church Christ established when He walked upon this earth?
Turn to Dallin H. Oaks, and a speech he gave in 2015. Preparation for the Second Coming, it is titled. As we reflect on whether we are in the last days, and what the signs are, and as we look about to seeing how they are being fulfilled, what better source to look to than one who might be (I say, he is) an apostle of the Savior's church in these last days?
We may have our own thoughts on what is going on in these last days, but our wonderings will not be as sure to be counted on as those of prophets of the Lord.
What signs are to be seen, as seen by this apostle-prophet, President Oaks? What signs have been prophesied that we should we watching for? President (he is now in the first presidency) looks at the scriptures and finds these prophecies:
1. The fullness of the gospel restored and preached in all the world for a witness to all nations.
2. False Christs and false prophets, deceiving many.
3. Wars and rumors of wars, with nation rising up against nation.
4. Earthquakes in divers places.
5. Famine and pestilence.
6. An overflowing scourge, a desolating sickness covering the land.
7. Iniquity abounding.
8. The whole earth in commotion.
9. Men's hearts failing them.
President Oaks turns to The World Almanac and Book of Facts, 2004, noting it shows twice as many earthquakes in the '80s and '90s as in the two decades before. And yet more sizable increases as we enter this century. Floods and tidal waves, hurricanes, typhoons, and blizzards all show similar increases.
And, President Oaks looks to the gathering of the faithful. He speaks of the Saints being gathered to places the church has been headquartered, and, these days, gathering in stakes throughout the world.
"We are living in the prophesied time 'when peace shall be taken from the earth' (D&C 1:35), when 'all things shall be in commotion' and 'men's hearts shall fail them' " he says.
Nations disavow their religious heritage, President Oaks notes -- and that is perhaps reference to America drifting from its moorings of Christianity. Marriage is discarded, family responsibilities are discarded. Movies and magazines and television shape our attitudes. Values disappear from public teachings. Youth and adults participate in pornography, body piercing, vile language, revealing dress, dishonest conduct, self-serving pleasures, and sexual indulgence. Opinion leaders deny the existence of God. Many deny individual responsibility, teaching instead dependence on others.
President Oaks calls on the Saints to prepare, to have their lamps trimmed and burning, in such ways as by attending the temples.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, a church unlike any other on earth.
Turn to one of their prophets, if you will. Their president is usually the one referred to as a prophet, but all of their apostles might be considered prophets, in a way.
Dallin H. Oaks. And, if I said he is an apostle, that is one of the ways this church is different than any church on earth. How many churches on earth have a quorum of 12 apostles, same as the church Christ established when He walked upon this earth?
Turn to Dallin H. Oaks, and a speech he gave in 2015. Preparation for the Second Coming, it is titled. As we reflect on whether we are in the last days, and what the signs are, and as we look about to seeing how they are being fulfilled, what better source to look to than one who might be (I say, he is) an apostle of the Savior's church in these last days?
We may have our own thoughts on what is going on in these last days, but our wonderings will not be as sure to be counted on as those of prophets of the Lord.
What signs are to be seen, as seen by this apostle-prophet, President Oaks? What signs have been prophesied that we should we watching for? President (he is now in the first presidency) looks at the scriptures and finds these prophecies:
1. The fullness of the gospel restored and preached in all the world for a witness to all nations.
2. False Christs and false prophets, deceiving many.
3. Wars and rumors of wars, with nation rising up against nation.
4. Earthquakes in divers places.
5. Famine and pestilence.
6. An overflowing scourge, a desolating sickness covering the land.
7. Iniquity abounding.
8. The whole earth in commotion.
9. Men's hearts failing them.
President Oaks turns to The World Almanac and Book of Facts, 2004, noting it shows twice as many earthquakes in the '80s and '90s as in the two decades before. And yet more sizable increases as we enter this century. Floods and tidal waves, hurricanes, typhoons, and blizzards all show similar increases.
And, President Oaks looks to the gathering of the faithful. He speaks of the Saints being gathered to places the church has been headquartered, and, these days, gathering in stakes throughout the world.
"We are living in the prophesied time 'when peace shall be taken from the earth' (D&C 1:35), when 'all things shall be in commotion' and 'men's hearts shall fail them' " he says.
Nations disavow their religious heritage, President Oaks notes -- and that is perhaps reference to America drifting from its moorings of Christianity. Marriage is discarded, family responsibilities are discarded. Movies and magazines and television shape our attitudes. Values disappear from public teachings. Youth and adults participate in pornography, body piercing, vile language, revealing dress, dishonest conduct, self-serving pleasures, and sexual indulgence. Opinion leaders deny the existence of God. Many deny individual responsibility, teaching instead dependence on others.
President Oaks calls on the Saints to prepare, to have their lamps trimmed and burning, in such ways as by attending the temples.
Wednesday, April 15, 2020
This Could be the Cause of Many an Earthquake
Weight displacement. I would seem to me this would be perhaps the biggest factor in whether you have an earthquake. If the Great Salt Lake has less water than it did a century ago, that's less weight weighing down on the area beneath the lake. So, that portion of the techtonic plate(s) beneath the lake might rise. And, since the weight along the shoreline remains the same, there will be a bending of the plate(s).
It makes since to me, but what do I know.
I will say this: Look at how many earthquakes occur just inland from the seas. If the temperature of a portion of an ocean is changing -- as a result of the greenhouse effect or whatever -- the volume of water will remain basically the same, but its weight will be less.
To me, it just makes sense. But, what do I know.
It makes since to me, but what do I know.
I will say this: Look at how many earthquakes occur just inland from the seas. If the temperature of a portion of an ocean is changing -- as a result of the greenhouse effect or whatever -- the volume of water will remain basically the same, but its weight will be less.
To me, it just makes sense. But, what do I know.
Tuesday, April 14, 2020
Is the Scoff of the Atheist the Scoff that was Prophesied?
"Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days, scoffers." -- 2 Peter 3:3
Suppose this was written of the day in which we live. If so, and if we want to know what it was talking about, would we not want to just look about, and see what are the greatest ways we see scoffing going on?
I considered global warming and the rising of the seas yesterday. I would say the scoffing of atheists is another. I don't know that the earth has ever known such an amount of scoffing from the atheists.
Suppose this was written of the day in which we live. If so, and if we want to know what it was talking about, would we not want to just look about, and see what are the greatest ways we see scoffing going on?
I considered global warming and the rising of the seas yesterday. I would say the scoffing of atheists is another. I don't know that the earth has ever known such an amount of scoffing from the atheists.
(Index -- Climate change info)
Monday, April 13, 2020
Scripture Speaks of Scoffers; Today's Scoffers Scoff at Global Warming
I look for likenesses to what is happening today, to what the words of the prophecies say. I do not know if these are the fulfillments. I only say there are likenesses.
And, I read in 2 Peter 3:3-6, "Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days, scoffers."
Are there scoffers in this day? Loud ones. Among the most vocal are those who scoff at global warming and climate change. I think of how they say that if you trace back in time, you will find the earth has warmed before. Nothing new.
And, I read the words of this prophecy, the scoffers saying, "For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation."
The scoffers are not worried about the rise of global waters.
I read further from the passage: "For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water: Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished."
I do not know what the prophet had in mind when 2 Peter 3 was penned. I only know I live somewhere in the end of times. I don't even know if we are far enough along that the prophecy is to be fulfilled. I only know that from the moment in time where I sit, perhaps the most notable scoffers of the day are those who scoff at global warming and the rising of the seas that it could bring.
Some will look at the scripture above, and note I left out where it says the scoffers will say, "Where is the promise of his coming?" They will point out to me that the deniers of global warming are believers in the Second Coming; not people who are saying Christ is putting off his coming, so the scripture cannot be referring to them.
Perhaps that line does not have a likeness to them, then. Or does it? For they look at the projections of warming, and suggest they haven't come on schedule, as promised. For example, they look at the promised melting in Glacier National Park, and note it didn't come by 2020, as the forecasters suggested it would. That is not denying the coming of Christ, but we can only wonder if it is scoffing at a timetable that might bring the coming of Christ.
And, I read in 2 Peter 3:3-6, "Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days, scoffers."
Are there scoffers in this day? Loud ones. Among the most vocal are those who scoff at global warming and climate change. I think of how they say that if you trace back in time, you will find the earth has warmed before. Nothing new.
And, I read the words of this prophecy, the scoffers saying, "For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation."
The scoffers are not worried about the rise of global waters.
I read further from the passage: "For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water: Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished."
I do not know what the prophet had in mind when 2 Peter 3 was penned. I only know I live somewhere in the end of times. I don't even know if we are far enough along that the prophecy is to be fulfilled. I only know that from the moment in time where I sit, perhaps the most notable scoffers of the day are those who scoff at global warming and the rising of the seas that it could bring.
Some will look at the scripture above, and note I left out where it says the scoffers will say, "Where is the promise of his coming?" They will point out to me that the deniers of global warming are believers in the Second Coming; not people who are saying Christ is putting off his coming, so the scripture cannot be referring to them.
Perhaps that line does not have a likeness to them, then. Or does it? For they look at the projections of warming, and suggest they haven't come on schedule, as promised. For example, they look at the promised melting in Glacier National Park, and note it didn't come by 2020, as the forecasters suggested it would. That is not denying the coming of Christ, but we can only wonder if it is scoffing at a timetable that might bring the coming of Christ.
(Index -- Climate change info)
Biggest Thing Since Invention of Vaccines Themselves?
If a person can build up a natural immunity against a disease, can that be transferred to another person? If so, rather than come up with a vaccine, we would just need to transfer from one person to another the proteins or whatever it is that provides the immunity.
Not exactly a heart transplant, but you get the idea.
And, would we need the testing-and-approval process? If you can test people, and verify they have the proteins, then do you not know those proteins will work -- without testing them?
ARUP Laboratories, a Utah company, has developed testing that shows whether a person has the immunity to COVID-19. No word in the news story that I read saying whether they are looking into transferring the immunity from one person to another, but I wonder.
I do not know of myself, but wonder if this could be the biggest thing since the invention of vaccines, themselves. I do not even know if you can extract the proteins from one person, that you should even be able to transfer them to another.
But, I hope so.
If it requires blood transfusions, or whatever, I hope it works.
NOTE ADDED 4/17/20:
ARUP Laboratories is not the only company working to develop antibody testing. CNN reported testing has been done in at least Santa Clara, Calif.; Telluride, Colo.; and Miami, Fla.
CNN also reports that it is, indeed, being studied to determine in antibodies can be transferred from one person to another, by blood plasma transfers. While I suggested this could be the biggest thing since vaccines themselves, the CNN story I heard offered no such fanfare.
NOTE ADDED 4/17/20:
ARUP Laboratories is not the only company working to develop antibody testing. CNN reported testing has been done in at least Santa Clara, Calif.; Telluride, Colo.; and Miami, Fla.
CNN also reports that it is, indeed, being studied to determine in antibodies can be transferred from one person to another, by blood plasma transfers. While I suggested this could be the biggest thing since vaccines themselves, the CNN story I heard offered no such fanfare.
Sunday, April 12, 2020
Of Global Warming and of the Rising of the Sea, and of Prophecy
Speak of global warming and the rising sea level. Remind us that a UN projection suggests waters will rise but one foot by the end of this century.
But, pause to wonder that if instead of being too outlandish, that estimate might be way too conservative. Consider two large glaciers in the Antarctica, Pine Island and Thwaites. If that glacial area were to collapse and melt -- as it is in danger of doing? The world's sea level would rise by 4 feet.
That is in the Antarctica. But, consider that it is in the Arctic where temperatures are rising faster than any place on earth.
Consider that the Antarctic is roughly the size of the U.S. and Mexico combined. With all the ice piled up in the Antarctic -- it contains 90 percent of the world's ice -- if it were to melt, sea levels would rise . . .
Two hundred feet.
Okay, pretty thin chance that that will happen. But, consider that one study of ice cores pulled out of the glaciers suggests that ages ago, when the earth's temperatures were just a couple degrees higher than they are today, the sea level was 20 feet higher.
One wonders at 20 feet, if it could happen.
We do not know what will bring the conditions that might fulfill the prophecies of the New Testament. But, we can swing our head around at what is going on in our world today and wonder.
"Then let them which be in Judea flee into the mountains," it says in Matthew 24:16. Judea proper is a hilly area. But, Judea can also refer to the much larger, whole area, which I understand would take in the coastline. "Let them which be in Judea flee into the mountains"? If waters swept over the coastal areas, the people would be forced to flee to the mountains of Judea.
"Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house," says the next verse, Matthew 24:17. When the waters rise, yes, people flee to their housetops.
In Luke 21:25, which is a separate account of the same prophecy, we read of "the sea and the waves roaring." As a modern-day prophet, Joseph Smith, translated that verse, he added to it: "The earth also shall be troubled, and the waters of the great deep."
We do not know how those scriptures will be fulfilled. But, living in the 21st Century, and looking around at what is happening while wondering if there is anything that looks like it could bring fulfillment of the scriptures, one wonders.
But, pause to wonder that if instead of being too outlandish, that estimate might be way too conservative. Consider two large glaciers in the Antarctica, Pine Island and Thwaites. If that glacial area were to collapse and melt -- as it is in danger of doing? The world's sea level would rise by 4 feet.
That is in the Antarctica. But, consider that it is in the Arctic where temperatures are rising faster than any place on earth.
Consider that the Antarctic is roughly the size of the U.S. and Mexico combined. With all the ice piled up in the Antarctic -- it contains 90 percent of the world's ice -- if it were to melt, sea levels would rise . . .
Two hundred feet.
Okay, pretty thin chance that that will happen. But, consider that one study of ice cores pulled out of the glaciers suggests that ages ago, when the earth's temperatures were just a couple degrees higher than they are today, the sea level was 20 feet higher.
One wonders at 20 feet, if it could happen.
We do not know what will bring the conditions that might fulfill the prophecies of the New Testament. But, we can swing our head around at what is going on in our world today and wonder.
"Then let them which be in Judea flee into the mountains," it says in Matthew 24:16. Judea proper is a hilly area. But, Judea can also refer to the much larger, whole area, which I understand would take in the coastline. "Let them which be in Judea flee into the mountains"? If waters swept over the coastal areas, the people would be forced to flee to the mountains of Judea.
"Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house," says the next verse, Matthew 24:17. When the waters rise, yes, people flee to their housetops.
In Luke 21:25, which is a separate account of the same prophecy, we read of "the sea and the waves roaring." As a modern-day prophet, Joseph Smith, translated that verse, he added to it: "The earth also shall be troubled, and the waters of the great deep."
We do not know how those scriptures will be fulfilled. But, living in the 21st Century, and looking around at what is happening while wondering if there is anything that looks like it could bring fulfillment of the scriptures, one wonders.
(Index -- Climate change info)
Saturday, April 11, 2020
We've all gone to our homes,
but as a nation, love isn't spoken here
We are already a fractured nation, already divided, already separated into our camps. Now, along comes COVID-19, and it has only increased our fighting over the truth. With all the rumors and falsehoods there are as we discuss the coronavirus, we are only scurrying further into division, further into our hate of each other. "You are the liar!" "No! It is you who are lying!" Hydroxychloroquine is good!" "No! Hydroxycloroquine is bad!" We are like children fighting, over our toys. Rather than this crisis bringing us together as a nation, this crisis is but further dividing us. It is spawning further division and deeper hate.
For social distancing, we've all gone to our homes, but as a nation, love isn't spoken here.
Friday, April 10, 2020
Is The Epoch Times a Soothsayer Spoken of in Isaiah 2:6?
Take the scripture, and see a likeness to how some in America may be being influenced by Russian misinformation fed into America's social media and into alternative news sources by Russia.
If you are not Christian, or do not believe in scripture, consider it anyway, as you live in a world where many are Christians, and do look the Bible, and you want to be aware of what might be going on in their world.
Not to say most of them -- or even a touch of them -- see this in this scripture. But, they could, if they looked. Take this scripture, found in the Book of Mormon, 2 Nephi 12:6. The Book of Mormon is quoting from Isaiah, so it is also found in Isaiah 2:6. Quoting from the Book of Mormon version of the passage, we read:
"Therefore, O Lord, thou hast forsaken thy people, the house of Jacob, because they be replenished from the east, and hearken unto soothsayers like the Philistines."
Russia is to the east. Those in America who believe the falsehoods are replenished and their numbers are multiplied by the influence from the east, from Russia. We have been warned by the Mueller Report of the influence coming from such places as Russia, and of how this misinformation and propaganda rides the winds of our social media. It also influences alternate media, and you can see the arguments found in the memes also in the alternate media. These false tellers of information -- alternate media such as the The Epoch Times -- are like soothsayers. Soothsayers? That is someone who would tell us things unknown, isn't it? Even so, The Epoch Times pronounces itself as a source providing truths the main news are not privy to. You can only get it here, at The Epoch Times. Thus, the Epoch Times is a soothsayer of our times.The Book of Mormon says these soothsayers "are like the Philistines." What other word would prophets of old used? They did not have "Russians" back then for the writers of the scriptures to have used the word "Russians." However, just as the Philistines were the opponents of the Lord's house in those days, so are the Russians the opponents today. The word "Philistines" would be the right word to use.
I do not say this interpretation of Isaiah 2:6 is what Isaiah was writing about. I am not in position to know what he was thinking of to know what he was referring to. It also occurs to me, that sometimes the words of a revelation can be given without their meaning at the time being given.
Well, the passage might not be any revelation at all concerning the alternate media or Russia's influence. Still, there is a likeness that can be found. I only know you can look at what is happening today and see a likeness to what is written in Isaiah 2:6.
(Note added 4/11/20: Just saw an ad by The Epoch Times, of the Chinese breaking into their office and burning it. Made me wonder. Almost thought to erase mention of the Epoch Times from this blog, and just leave it referring to alternative media, in general. But, I have noticed The Epoch Times advertising stories which I judge to be false news, among them, the suggestion COVID-19 was purposefully brewed in Chinese laboratories.)
If you are not Christian, or do not believe in scripture, consider it anyway, as you live in a world where many are Christians, and do look the Bible, and you want to be aware of what might be going on in their world.
Not to say most of them -- or even a touch of them -- see this in this scripture. But, they could, if they looked. Take this scripture, found in the Book of Mormon, 2 Nephi 12:6. The Book of Mormon is quoting from Isaiah, so it is also found in Isaiah 2:6. Quoting from the Book of Mormon version of the passage, we read:
"Therefore, O Lord, thou hast forsaken thy people, the house of Jacob, because they be replenished from the east, and hearken unto soothsayers like the Philistines."
Russia is to the east. Those in America who believe the falsehoods are replenished and their numbers are multiplied by the influence from the east, from Russia. We have been warned by the Mueller Report of the influence coming from such places as Russia, and of how this misinformation and propaganda rides the winds of our social media. It also influences alternate media, and you can see the arguments found in the memes also in the alternate media. These false tellers of information -- alternate media such as the The Epoch Times -- are like soothsayers. Soothsayers? That is someone who would tell us things unknown, isn't it? Even so, The Epoch Times pronounces itself as a source providing truths the main news are not privy to. You can only get it here, at The Epoch Times. Thus, the Epoch Times is a soothsayer of our times.The Book of Mormon says these soothsayers "are like the Philistines." What other word would prophets of old used? They did not have "Russians" back then for the writers of the scriptures to have used the word "Russians." However, just as the Philistines were the opponents of the Lord's house in those days, so are the Russians the opponents today. The word "Philistines" would be the right word to use.
I do not say this interpretation of Isaiah 2:6 is what Isaiah was writing about. I am not in position to know what he was thinking of to know what he was referring to. It also occurs to me, that sometimes the words of a revelation can be given without their meaning at the time being given.
Well, the passage might not be any revelation at all concerning the alternate media or Russia's influence. Still, there is a likeness that can be found. I only know you can look at what is happening today and see a likeness to what is written in Isaiah 2:6.
(Note added 4/11/20: Just saw an ad by The Epoch Times, of the Chinese breaking into their office and burning it. Made me wonder. Almost thought to erase mention of the Epoch Times from this blog, and just leave it referring to alternative media, in general. But, I have noticed The Epoch Times advertising stories which I judge to be false news, among them, the suggestion COVID-19 was purposefully brewed in Chinese laboratories.)
Thursday, April 9, 2020
The Melting of the Ice Caps will Surely bring More Earthquakes
It would seem to me global warming surely could bring more earthquakes, maybe many more. If you shift the weight bearing down on the earth's plates -- shift it from the two polar caps to other parts of the earth -- that surely has to affect the odds of an earthquake.
If there's a billion pounds of ice piled up in one part of the earth, and it melts, and that billion pounds of weight is released to go elsewhere, you tell me the earth's plates are not going to be disturbed, not going to move.
Of course they are.
And, if you take that weight, and shift it across all the seas, those plates will then be pressured downward. With no new weight underneath the land areas (the continents), then where the seas meet the shores, the plates must bend.
No earthquakes? Of course there will be.
I think of the scripture, of the last days having earthquakes in divers places. We already have a lot of earthquakes. But, if the ice melts at our solar caps, and that weight is shifted to other parts of the world, it does so seem we will have earthquakes well in excess of what we are now having.
No, we might not know if the ice caps will melt enough to have this effect. Maybe global warming is not as severe as some suggest. But, if it is significant at all, more earthquakes will come.
And, if this does happen, and it does bring earthquakes to such remote and undersea spots as along the Arctic and Antarctic, that would be as exact to the wording of "divers places" as you could get.
No, we might not know if the ice caps will melt enough to have this effect. Maybe global warming is not as severe as some suggest. But, if it is significant at all, more earthquakes will come.
And, if this does happen, and it does bring earthquakes to such remote and undersea spots as along the Arctic and Antarctic, that would be as exact to the wording of "divers places" as you could get.
(Index -- Climate change info)
The wicked, in their pride,
see wickedness in others
"These six things the Lord hates, yes, seven are an abomination to Him: A proud look, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that are swift in running to evil, a false witness who speaks lies, and one who sows discord among brethren." (Proverbs 6:16-19)
The wicked are often prideful, thinking themselves better than others, and finding faults in others, and demanding that those others correct their ways. They lie about them, and seek to harm them. They devise ways to defeat them, and bear false witness against them. The wicked stir up hatred against others, sowing seeds of discontent among mutual friends.
Wednesday, April 8, 2020
Be Prepared to Manufacture Your Own
Perhaps there is wisdom in being prepared for when your trade with foreign countries might be cut off. As we struggle through the coronavirus pandemic, it has become obvious there may be times when you need to do your manufacturing at home.
If your face masks are made in South Korea or China or Taiwan or wherever, and that nation decides it needs to put a hold on exporting them because it needs all of them for its own people, you are left holding the short stick.
So, designate companies and prepare them to be ready to step in to manufacture ventilators or whatever. Have them have the molds and manufacturing equipment ready at hand. When the time comes, the car lines are pulled back and the face mask lines are rolled out.
It might even be wise for each state to take this approach. With COVID-19, states have pointed to the federal government, complaining they are not being sent enough PPE (personal protective equipment) in the form of ventilators or whatever. If they took responsibility for making their own, they wouldn't need to worry about whether the federal government was going to shortchange them.
If your face masks are made in South Korea or China or Taiwan or wherever, and that nation decides it needs to put a hold on exporting them because it needs all of them for its own people, you are left holding the short stick.
So, designate companies and prepare them to be ready to step in to manufacture ventilators or whatever. Have them have the molds and manufacturing equipment ready at hand. When the time comes, the car lines are pulled back and the face mask lines are rolled out.
It might even be wise for each state to take this approach. With COVID-19, states have pointed to the federal government, complaining they are not being sent enough PPE (personal protective equipment) in the form of ventilators or whatever. If they took responsibility for making their own, they wouldn't need to worry about whether the federal government was going to shortchange them.
Tuesday, April 7, 2020
Modly's Resignation Helps Keep this Darkest of Moments Under Wraps
Though I search a dozen stories, I cannot find what I did the day before -- this mention of Thomas Modly suggesting one reasoning for his firing of the USS Theodore Roosevelt commander was concern for President Trump, and not wanting to not want to put the president in an unfavorable position.
Modly fired the commander, Brett Cozier, when Cozier voiced concern for the crew of the ship amidst a COVID-19 outbreak.
Thomas Modly was then the acting Secretary of the Navy. He didn't want the president to face the scrutiny he had faced under his predecessor, Richard Spencer -- who the Trump administration fired for clinging to action against Eddie Gallagher for alleged war crimes.
Yes, it is getting a little complicated, but read on. You will be glad that you did.
Remember when the President used his power to exonerate three who were accused of these war crimes? If you study the Gallagher case, you might conclude, with me, that justice went far astray. Our president was wrong to exonerate a military officer who might well have been a serial killer. Then, the president had Spencer removed from office as Spencer was not budging on taking some kind of action against Gallagher.
And, Modly did not want to put Trump through anything like that again? Modly was placed in his office because the guy before him was standing up to the president? And, now it was his turn, he was going to have the president's back? He appreciated the president's giving him the appointment, and he was going to be true to the president?
If you want justice in your land, you don't get rid of people who will stand in its way and replace them with those who will not.
We need leaders who will stand for right. Leaders who who will not sell out to the president.
A quick overview of the Eddie Gallagher affair: There is the charge that he once bragged of killing about three people a day for 80 days running. "We need to cleanse Muslims like the Old Testament," Gallagher allegedly said. Now, if you see the Muslims as unworthy to live, that might be acceptable to you. But, indiscriminately killing civilians is a war crime.
And, an affront to all that America stands for.
Gallagher allegedly said he was, "okay with shooting women."
Came the day, allegedly, that the SEALs captured an ISIS fighter. He was unarmed, badly wounded, in the throes of dying. Gallagher allegedly walked up and sunk a knife deep into him.
The talk of killing hundreds? Was it dismissed as bravado and dark humor? No bodies were found. There were no autopsies to substantiate any murders. Gallagher is said to have intimidated potential witnesses, threatening them. How many of them plead the Fifth and decline to testify against him, I do not know. Gallagher beat the charges and was acquitted. But, the Spencer and the Navy were demoting him, anyway -- until President Trump stepped in and restored him to his rank.
We need Americans who will stand up to such injustice. We need leaders who will stand for what is right. We have a president who fires those who criticize him and sweeps his house of those who stand in his way.
By resigning today, Modly helps to keep the Gallagher affair from boiling back before the public's conscience. This will serve to help keep it under wraps.
Which is sad. It is a story that needs to be told.
(Note: Spots reworded April 8.)
Modly fired the commander, Brett Cozier, when Cozier voiced concern for the crew of the ship amidst a COVID-19 outbreak.
Thomas Modly was then the acting Secretary of the Navy. He didn't want the president to face the scrutiny he had faced under his predecessor, Richard Spencer -- who the Trump administration fired for clinging to action against Eddie Gallagher for alleged war crimes.
Yes, it is getting a little complicated, but read on. You will be glad that you did.
Remember when the President used his power to exonerate three who were accused of these war crimes? If you study the Gallagher case, you might conclude, with me, that justice went far astray. Our president was wrong to exonerate a military officer who might well have been a serial killer. Then, the president had Spencer removed from office as Spencer was not budging on taking some kind of action against Gallagher.
And, Modly did not want to put Trump through anything like that again? Modly was placed in his office because the guy before him was standing up to the president? And, now it was his turn, he was going to have the president's back? He appreciated the president's giving him the appointment, and he was going to be true to the president?
If you want justice in your land, you don't get rid of people who will stand in its way and replace them with those who will not.
We need leaders who will stand for right. Leaders who who will not sell out to the president.
A quick overview of the Eddie Gallagher affair: There is the charge that he once bragged of killing about three people a day for 80 days running. "We need to cleanse Muslims like the Old Testament," Gallagher allegedly said. Now, if you see the Muslims as unworthy to live, that might be acceptable to you. But, indiscriminately killing civilians is a war crime.
And, an affront to all that America stands for.
Gallagher allegedly said he was, "okay with shooting women."
Came the day, allegedly, that the SEALs captured an ISIS fighter. He was unarmed, badly wounded, in the throes of dying. Gallagher allegedly walked up and sunk a knife deep into him.
The talk of killing hundreds? Was it dismissed as bravado and dark humor? No bodies were found. There were no autopsies to substantiate any murders. Gallagher is said to have intimidated potential witnesses, threatening them. How many of them plead the Fifth and decline to testify against him, I do not know. Gallagher beat the charges and was acquitted. But, the Spencer and the Navy were demoting him, anyway -- until President Trump stepped in and restored him to his rank.
We need Americans who will stand up to such injustice. We need leaders who will stand for what is right. We have a president who fires those who criticize him and sweeps his house of those who stand in his way.
By resigning today, Modly helps to keep the Gallagher affair from boiling back before the public's conscience. This will serve to help keep it under wraps.
Which is sad. It is a story that needs to be told.
(Note: Spots reworded April 8.)
Monday, April 6, 2020
We aren't Wise to Shut Down so Much of Our Medical System
Is there wisdom in closing the doors at doctor's offices? Perhaps, the thought is that elective surgeries can wait. But, it is more than elective surgeries being put on hold. Many procedures and standard doctor's visits are being placed on wait.
And, this is not wise.
Two reasons: One, medical care remains important. Seeing a doctor to determine if you have gout or hives remains important. Being able to just go see a doctor for a check-up remains important. When we start denying medical care, we endanger the health of our people.
And, we are postponing such care. We are telling patients they must wait.
The second reason keeping our doctor's offices rolling is important? I do not know if jobs are being lost, but I wonder. And, even if nurses and aides are not being sent home without pay, what of the doctors? It would seem surely that if many procedures are not taking place, the doctors' incomes are suffering. Some of them might have savings to see them through. Others might not.
The pandemic is real. Protecting ourselves is right. Wearing face masks for doctor's visits, and taking all measures to prevent spread is important. One thing we yet should do is to work on getting better air systems in our medical rooms.
Do all we can to make things safe. But, do not shut down medical care as is being done.
And, this is not wise.
Two reasons: One, medical care remains important. Seeing a doctor to determine if you have gout or hives remains important. Being able to just go see a doctor for a check-up remains important. When we start denying medical care, we endanger the health of our people.
And, we are postponing such care. We are telling patients they must wait.
The second reason keeping our doctor's offices rolling is important? I do not know if jobs are being lost, but I wonder. And, even if nurses and aides are not being sent home without pay, what of the doctors? It would seem surely that if many procedures are not taking place, the doctors' incomes are suffering. Some of them might have savings to see them through. Others might not.
The pandemic is real. Protecting ourselves is right. Wearing face masks for doctor's visits, and taking all measures to prevent spread is important. One thing we yet should do is to work on getting better air systems in our medical rooms.
Do all we can to make things safe. But, do not shut down medical care as is being done.
Sunday, April 5, 2020
In Our Day, the Love Between Americans has Waxed Cold
The meme put rouge on Mitch McConnell's cheeks, gave him long eye-brows, and, off course, lipstick.
"B---- McConnell," it pronounced.
"Pretty mean-spirited post. Is this necessary?" I found myself writing.
Then, "There is no good reason for a post such as this. If you were to say he did something wrong, and suggest he shouldn't have, that is one thing. But a post that only shows hate? Why?"
Then, "We live in a day when people are vile, when they have no natural affections. As that phrase comes to mind, and I write it, I reflect on how there might be a New Testament prophecy of the last days that suggests people would have no natural affections. I might try to find it."
I find it, and note it is 2 Timothy 3:1-3. I don't quote it, but it says, "This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, despisers of those that are good."
And, I find in Matthew 24: "And then shall many be offended (and I think of how those on each side of the political arena are easily and greatly offended by each other), and shall hate one another. . . . And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold."
I do not know that those scriptures were referring to the monumental struggle between conservatives and liberals in our day. But, I can see how there is a definite likeness.
"B---- McConnell," it pronounced.
"Pretty mean-spirited post. Is this necessary?" I found myself writing.
Then, "There is no good reason for a post such as this. If you were to say he did something wrong, and suggest he shouldn't have, that is one thing. But a post that only shows hate? Why?"
Then, "We live in a day when people are vile, when they have no natural affections. As that phrase comes to mind, and I write it, I reflect on how there might be a New Testament prophecy of the last days that suggests people would have no natural affections. I might try to find it."
I find it, and note it is 2 Timothy 3:1-3. I don't quote it, but it says, "This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, despisers of those that are good."
And, I find in Matthew 24: "And then shall many be offended (and I think of how those on each side of the political arena are easily and greatly offended by each other), and shall hate one another. . . . And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold."
I do not know that those scriptures were referring to the monumental struggle between conservatives and liberals in our day. But, I can see how there is a definite likeness.
Could We Spare Patients of Coronavirus Spread While in the Hospitals?
Word reaches me of a health official in Italy, and of how he said one of their mistakes was to house the COVID-19 patients with other patients, of of how they should have had hospitals dedicated just to those with the coronavirus.
I hear of nursing homes, where the virus spreads.
I wonder at our air conditioning/heating systems, and wonder if they might take the germs from one room to another. Yes, hospitals and such have HEPA (high-efficiency particulate air) filters that remove the virus particulate from the air. But, do those air systems first carry the air from one room to the next? To work, the air would have to be filtered before it goes to the next room. I would guess this probably is what is being done. When the air leaves each room, it is not shot into the next room, but is piped directly to the HEPA filter.
So, what is going wrong? Is air circulating through the open doors from one room to another? Is the air in the room being carried from the patients right passed the mouths and noses and faces of the care-center workers before being carried to the exit vent?
I think of my own visit to a hospital room of late, and of how I was a little observant of the air system. I did not detect any air currents at all. Now, currents, to work, would have to take the air away as one person emitted it and before it passed to the others in the room workers in the room. But, if I felt no current, at all? Surely, it would seem, virus particles were being left to hang in the air.
There's a lot I don't know, perhaps. Obviously, I being unlearned in such matters might be missing something. But, from all that I can see, we have much room for improvement in our air circulation systems. So much so that it seems lives are surely being lost because our systems are faulty, and if we were to correct them, we would save thousands and perhaps tens of thousands of lives.
I hear of nursing homes, where the virus spreads.
I wonder at our air conditioning/heating systems, and wonder if they might take the germs from one room to another. Yes, hospitals and such have HEPA (high-efficiency particulate air) filters that remove the virus particulate from the air. But, do those air systems first carry the air from one room to the next? To work, the air would have to be filtered before it goes to the next room. I would guess this probably is what is being done. When the air leaves each room, it is not shot into the next room, but is piped directly to the HEPA filter.
So, what is going wrong? Is air circulating through the open doors from one room to another? Is the air in the room being carried from the patients right passed the mouths and noses and faces of the care-center workers before being carried to the exit vent?
I think of my own visit to a hospital room of late, and of how I was a little observant of the air system. I did not detect any air currents at all. Now, currents, to work, would have to take the air away as one person emitted it and before it passed to the others in the room workers in the room. But, if I felt no current, at all? Surely, it would seem, virus particles were being left to hang in the air.
There's a lot I don't know, perhaps. Obviously, I being unlearned in such matters might be missing something. But, from all that I can see, we have much room for improvement in our air circulation systems. So much so that it seems lives are surely being lost because our systems are faulty, and if we were to correct them, we would save thousands and perhaps tens of thousands of lives.
Saturday, April 4, 2020
For Awhile, to Save Lives, Avoid Antibiotics When They aren't Necessary
Good reason there is to believe COVID-19 is killing those whose have been treated with antibiotics faster than those who haven't.
And, yet we aren't even tracking, counting, or noticing how many COVID-19 victims recently were treated with antibiotics.
It was just a test on mice. Eighty percent of the mice who had not been treated with antibiotics survived when infected with the flu. But of those who were treated with antibiotics? Only a third survived.
That is pretty compelling evidence -- to me. You might say it is only one study. You might say it is mice and not humans. You might suggest we wait for further study.
To me, it speaks for itself. Yes, we should study more. For that, why are we not tracking, counting and following this in our COVID-19 victims, to determine if it is true?
In the meantime, we should be acting on the evidence we have. Thousands upon thousands are dying. How many lives could be saved if we isolated those whose immunities have been compromised by antibiotics? And, how many lives could be saved if we cut back on the use of antibiotics at this time?
And, yet we aren't even tracking, counting, or noticing how many COVID-19 victims recently were treated with antibiotics.
It was just a test on mice. Eighty percent of the mice who had not been treated with antibiotics survived when infected with the flu. But of those who were treated with antibiotics? Only a third survived.
That is pretty compelling evidence -- to me. You might say it is only one study. You might say it is mice and not humans. You might suggest we wait for further study.
To me, it speaks for itself. Yes, we should study more. For that, why are we not tracking, counting and following this in our COVID-19 victims, to determine if it is true?
In the meantime, we should be acting on the evidence we have. Thousands upon thousands are dying. How many lives could be saved if we isolated those whose immunities have been compromised by antibiotics? And, how many lives could be saved if we cut back on the use of antibiotics at this time?
Friday, April 3, 2020
Never in History has a Nation so Purposefully Shut Down Its Economy
I wonder if ever in all of history, if ever so many businesses have been shut down as are being shut down now in the U.S.
And, these are not closures coming naturally. Government is shuttering them. Government is telling them to shut down. Has ever anything anywhere on this scale taken place before?
In all mankind's history?
Anything even near?
I respect COVID-19. Yes, we must make every reasonable effort to curb it, to fight it.
But, closing down our economy? I suggest we shouldn't do this. I look at the coronavirus. I cannot but agree we should do what we can to stop it. Social distancing. Working at home when we can. Maybe the very best of face masks for everyone.
Do what we can, but do not shutter the economy. Do not bring the livelihoods of the masses to an end. Close all but the essential businesses? Every job is essential to someone. No one's job can be tossed aside without damaging our economy. Just as everyone is important, so is everyone's job important.
I consider we might be in the last days. While I do not know if this is a big or small part, I can see that something is happening economically that has probably never happened in the history of all the world. Whether it will help usher in other conditions may not be mine to say. But, that this is so unprecedented, and that it is happening in at least some stage of the last days, does leave me to wonder.
The day they purposefully dissembled their economy, and left their government to pay for it.
And, these are not closures coming naturally. Government is shuttering them. Government is telling them to shut down. Has ever anything anywhere on this scale taken place before?
In all mankind's history?
Anything even near?
I respect COVID-19. Yes, we must make every reasonable effort to curb it, to fight it.
But, closing down our economy? I suggest we shouldn't do this. I look at the coronavirus. I cannot but agree we should do what we can to stop it. Social distancing. Working at home when we can. Maybe the very best of face masks for everyone.
Do what we can, but do not shutter the economy. Do not bring the livelihoods of the masses to an end. Close all but the essential businesses? Every job is essential to someone. No one's job can be tossed aside without damaging our economy. Just as everyone is important, so is everyone's job important.
I consider we might be in the last days. While I do not know if this is a big or small part, I can see that something is happening economically that has probably never happened in the history of all the world. Whether it will help usher in other conditions may not be mine to say. But, that this is so unprecedented, and that it is happening in at least some stage of the last days, does leave me to wonder.
The day they purposefully dissembled their economy, and left their government to pay for it.
Thursday, April 2, 2020
Are Those Exposed to Antibiotics More Susceptible to the Coronavirus?
Why no consideration of this in the discussion of COVID-19? Straight up, are those whose immunities have been compromised by antibiotics more likely to die from COVID-19?
To study the matter, it would seem the answer can only be yes.
Antibiotics make bacteria resistant to treatment. They destroy good bacteria. They damage the ability of white blood cells to do their job. They hurt the immune system and make it difficult to fight off harmful germs. They give bad bacteria opportunity to grow resistant to treatment.
Now, viruses are not bacteria, is my understanding. Still, I believe the effect on viruses is the same as it is on bacteria. If this is true, then, antibiotics take away the ability to fight off the virus.
We speak of the old and the elderly, and how they are more susceptible. We speak of those with underlying conditions. Yes, a person with a heart condition is weakened by that, and surely more susceptible, regardless if he or she has been on antibiotics.
But, just as surely -- it would seem (and seem most obvious) -- those whose immunities have been stripped by the use of antiobiotics are going to be more susceptible.
As each person goes down to COVID-19, we note whether they had underlying conditions. Why do we not also note whether their immune systems had been compromised by antibiotics?
If this were a war -- and it has been likened to that -- and we sent some out onto the battlefield without shields, it seems we would at least be mindful they that they were dying a little more readily.
Now, there might be something wrong with all my logic. But, it would seem we should surely be looking to see. We are not even glancing at, not even noticing, not even paying attention to whether there is a disproportional share of those who have taken antibiotics who are dying.
Why not? Maybe those being put in isolation should; not only be those with symptoms, but those with recent-enough exposure to antibiotics.
To study the matter, it would seem the answer can only be yes.
Antibiotics make bacteria resistant to treatment. They destroy good bacteria. They damage the ability of white blood cells to do their job. They hurt the immune system and make it difficult to fight off harmful germs. They give bad bacteria opportunity to grow resistant to treatment.
Now, viruses are not bacteria, is my understanding. Still, I believe the effect on viruses is the same as it is on bacteria. If this is true, then, antibiotics take away the ability to fight off the virus.
We speak of the old and the elderly, and how they are more susceptible. We speak of those with underlying conditions. Yes, a person with a heart condition is weakened by that, and surely more susceptible, regardless if he or she has been on antibiotics.
But, just as surely -- it would seem (and seem most obvious) -- those whose immunities have been stripped by the use of antiobiotics are going to be more susceptible.
As each person goes down to COVID-19, we note whether they had underlying conditions. Why do we not also note whether their immune systems had been compromised by antibiotics?
If this were a war -- and it has been likened to that -- and we sent some out onto the battlefield without shields, it seems we would at least be mindful they that they were dying a little more readily.
Now, there might be something wrong with all my logic. But, it would seem we should surely be looking to see. We are not even glancing at, not even noticing, not even paying attention to whether there is a disproportional share of those who have taken antibiotics who are dying.
Why not? Maybe those being put in isolation should; not only be those with symptoms, but those with recent-enough exposure to antibiotics.
Wednesday, April 1, 2020
Voice Therapy for Whatever it is that Ails You
Wishful thinking follows. Or, perhaps it is no more than that.
Let us call it Singing-voice therapy. Singing-voice therapy for colds and viruses, and for old age.
And, for whatever it is that ails you.
If you would recover from that flu, try singing-voice therapy. Here's how it works: Remember that old maxim -- Whatever the mind can conceive it can achieve? Well, that's where singing-voice therapy comes in. Remember that old situational that all the positive-thinking gurus taught -- Close your eyes and in your mind go to a tropical beach and all you anxieties will vanish away? Well, that's where singing-voice therapy comes in.
Voice therapy. Singing-voice therapy.
Just sit down with YouTube, pick a song -- preferably one requiring a mellow voice -- and try over and over and over to sing it well. Try to sing it without the congestion of your cold. Put your mind in the mood of the song, and let that mood take over.
Seems to me, this doesn't work. I tried it just for a little bit, though not enough. Still, I hold out some hope in it and might try it some more. It might work for learning how to sing well. But, no, I don't think it can overcome the effects of a cold or whatever might ail you.
Wishful thinking might live on in me. I might try it some more. But, in all likelihood, it won't work.
Let us call it Singing-voice therapy. Singing-voice therapy for colds and viruses, and for old age.
And, for whatever it is that ails you.
If you would recover from that flu, try singing-voice therapy. Here's how it works: Remember that old maxim -- Whatever the mind can conceive it can achieve? Well, that's where singing-voice therapy comes in. Remember that old situational that all the positive-thinking gurus taught -- Close your eyes and in your mind go to a tropical beach and all you anxieties will vanish away? Well, that's where singing-voice therapy comes in.
Voice therapy. Singing-voice therapy.
Just sit down with YouTube, pick a song -- preferably one requiring a mellow voice -- and try over and over and over to sing it well. Try to sing it without the congestion of your cold. Put your mind in the mood of the song, and let that mood take over.
Seems to me, this doesn't work. I tried it just for a little bit, though not enough. Still, I hold out some hope in it and might try it some more. It might work for learning how to sing well. But, no, I don't think it can overcome the effects of a cold or whatever might ail you.
Wishful thinking might live on in me. I might try it some more. But, in all likelihood, it won't work.
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