On our start of day walk we discover the first slipper orchid tentatively coming into bloom. Soon there will be thousands of them. Nature as showman.
Angus talks to Manhattanites in dark suits. A range of topics this morning. Biden's plans for another $3 trillion in spending. Shootings in Atlanta and now Boulder. As always the impact of the pandemic. At last the FDA has approved the Astra Zeneca vaccine and the doses stored at the facility in Baltimore can now be shopped to Mexico and Canada. Alreadt the Allergy Institute is questioning the findings. A cynical Manhattanite points out that the AZ vaccine is produced and sold at cost. The other vaccines are made with healthy, sometimes muscular, profit margins. He for one thinks it's not commercially surprising that there's been a whispering campaign against it. I wait for someone to contradict him but no one does.
After what seems like an eternity Angus tracks down and receives a copy of this book which, if the first chapter is anything to go by, is an intellectual delight. The author still lives in Beijing .
This is good news :https://www.science20.com/hank_campbell/latest_data_show_bees_are_still_thriving_at_an_alarming_rate-253544
Take a deep breath explained:https://slate.com/technology/2021/03/how-to-stop-snoring-and-other-tips-for-better-breathing.html
Angus doesn't understand Bitcoin ( what happens if there's a power cut ? ) and this article doesn't make understanding it any easier :https://leung-btc.medium.com/len-sassaman-and-satoshi-e483c85c2b10
12 comments:
Interesting comment about the AZ vaccine and the possibility of a whispering campaign. Just before I read your post today, my husband and I took Charlie for a walk and I was trying to explain why I wouldn't hesitate to take the AZ shot. He was not persuaded, but I think this new theory will do the trick. Meanwhile, my ridiculously fit and healthy 20-year old son will be getting his first shot on Thursday in Ohio. I'm quite jealous. Happy to hear about the bees, however.
Being a scientist not inclined by temperament to see conspiracy at every turn, the notion of a profit driven campaign against AstrcZeneca had not I admit, occurred to me. Being also a sceptic, I can't help suspect that the author of the breathing article is overstating his case.
Unarguably, the orchid is beautiful!
Why would Fauci's organization, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, come out today and complain about AZ having used "outdated information" in its trials? I can't imagine Fauci tolerating a profit-driven ulterior motive. Plus, he knows that not just the U.S. but the entire world needs to be vaccinated before we are all safe, lest some new variant sweep through. AZ is very important to the world. However, it sounds, not for the first time, as if AZ has been sloppy. The vaccine might be perfectly fine, but the sloppiness erodes confidence. I for one would take the shot in a flash.
Re flowers, the NYT's "Sunday Read" was "Beauty of the Beasts," which posits that some of nature's beauty isn't just for wooing mates or attracting pollinators but beauty for its own sake, like art. Art might be intrinsic to other forms of life. It was a fascinating piece, which I enjoyed in the audible format.
So glad Sophie is better!
So pleased to hear that Sophie is fine and her tummy is back to normal.
Late yesterday afternoon I received a phone call from our local Health Centre, and after confirming who I was, asked to go for my first Covid jab! Could I be there in 10 minutes? Well, no, I couldn't, because the centre is a good 10-15 minutes away, and at 5:30 p.m. I'd hit the evening traffic. We agreed 20 minutes and I just made it! Surprised that I was the only one there - the building was empty apart from the nurse and a security guard! Not sure why I was singled out for such an honour, and younger than the age group currently vaccinated, but I'm not complaining. Nor do I know which vaccine I was given, and don't really care. Afterwards I had to sit down for 15 minutes (spooky in an empty building normally going like the proverbial fair) before I came home. Now its up to me to phone the centre to make an appointment for my second jab in 28 days.
The orchid is beautiful, and I hope you'll be able to show us some photos of the whole area carpeted with them?
Congratulations !
It's almost akin to winning the Lottery!
So happy Sophie is fine again and thank you for the interesting links today. I too am baffled by Bitcoin but delighted about the bee situation. Also, I too am not one for conspiracy theories, but "big pharma" has such a powerful presence here in the states and Johnson and Johnson is the biggest by revenue. Food for thought and frustrating to ponder as we watch the situation with AstraZeneca unfold. I will receive the 2nd Pfizer shot on Thursday, but would have willingly accepted the AZ vaccine had it been offered.
Not sure its a conspiracy. More likely a chance to do a little marketing of your own brand at the expense of a competitors mistakes in presentation. Human nature, or at least commercial nature, and just one of many issues being played out.
I've been able to get both jabs here in Florida, amazingly -- the vaccines are absolutely everywhere, all of a sudden; every pharmacy has some now, it seems, although when I got mine there was only one place where it was available and it took a bit of waiting -- but when I told my husband earlier today about your vaccine theory about the AZ vs. Pfizer etc. vaccines, he pointed out that that makes good sense because in the US there was no incentive to approve the AZ vaccine quickly for three reasons (a) we already had three approved vaccine, (b) they all have strong lobbies in Congress (and what's important but paying off -- er, supporting -- Congress?), and (c) AZ is the only vaccine-creating on that list that's not manufactured by a U.S. company. So profit margin is clearly the major reason, with U.S. companies having their share of Congress bought and paid for. (Yes, I'm cynical.) Perfectly understandable with the current Congressional climate.
Emily, I do believe you and your husband have firmly and correctly summed up and put your thumb precisely on the situation.
You're right. AZ's latest stumble is beyond embarrassing although , thankfully, nothing to do with side effects.
If you're selling at cost then you're going to make some of the other drug companies unhappy. AZ might have been better to sell at a profit then some of the others might have been less alarmed. Human and commercial reality.
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