Browse by Category

(All Posts)

Friday, 22 May 2020 11:54

The Lyme vaccine: a cautionary tale

On December 14, 1999, a lawsuit was filed in the Chester County Court of Common Pleas, alleging that SKB manufacturer of Lymerix, the Lyme vaccine, failed to warn doctors and the public at large that about 30% of the general public could possibly be predisposed to a degenerative autoimmune arthritis that can be triggered by the vaccine. According to the complaint, the autoimmune reaction, once triggered, is unstoppable, and the victim can only be treated for symptoms thereafter.

Should the DOJ Watch Out for State & Local Orders That Infringe on Citizens’ Rights?

Quotable:

“Many policies that would be unthinkable in regular times have become commonplace in recent weeks, and we do not want to unduly interfere with the important efforts of state and local officials to protect the public. But the Constitution is not suspended in times of crisis. We must therefore be vigilant to ensure its protections are preserved, at the same time that the public is protected.”

Full Article:

https://www.countable.us/articles/44238-barr-constitution-suspended-times-crisis-doj-watch-state-local-orders-infringe-citizens-rights

It's not the first time llamas have been called to action against viruses.

When you think about how scientists are researching potential coronavirus treatments, llamas—yes, those large, furry animals who are likely to spit when agitated—probably don't come to mind at all. But one group of researchers believe the camelids may have at least some answers to help stop the COVID-19 pandemic.

In a new study published Tuesday in the journal Cell, researchers—experts from the US, Belgium, and Germany—shared the news that llama antibodies may be better suited to fight COVID-19 than our own antibodies.

When your body says, “Enough!”

Throughout life, your body is bombarded with traumas, big and small. The big traumas are easy to remember. But the small ones are often things you don’t even think of as traumas: a fall that you recover from within a week, a twinge in your back when you reach into the back seat of the car, a stiff neck after you sleep in an odd position.

Each time, your body compensates: to avoid pain, absorb the force of an impact, support poor posture, or work around a new movement limitation. It finds the path of least resistance.

Over time, you incorporate the compensations into your overall pattern of movement. Maybe you move differently to avoid pain, or avoid certain positions altogether. You may not even notice your “new normal”.

Thursday, 14 May 2020 08:47

"A Time for Choosing" by Ronald Reagan

Transcript of "A Time for Choosing," delivered on national television on October 27, 1964

I recently ordered some materials to build a new chicken coop and wanted to share the basic list of items for those who might be doing the same.  I found that the biggest difference was the cost of the sheet metal roofing: Lowes wanted $38 and Home Depot $24 per sheet.  So that was the major deciding factor in terms of where to order the bulk of the lumber from.  Lowes had a few items in stock that HomeDepot was missing so I ordered a few things from Lowes with free shipping.  The main HomeDepot / lumber order cost $79 for the special truck delivery option.  

Homemade Chicken Coop:

  • Dirt floor construction
  • Ramps, doors, flaps, egg boxes to be made from scrap material

 

Below is the breakdown of my orders.

Vials of a polio vaccine made by Cutter Laboratories in 1955. (AP) By Michael E. Ruane April 14, 2020 at 7:00 a.m. EDT On Aug. 30, 1954, Bernice E. Eddy, a veteran scientist at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Md., was checking a batch of a new polio vaccine for safety.

Created by Jonas Salk, the vaccine was hailed as the miracle drug that would conquer the dreaded illness that killed and paralyzed children. Eddy’s job was to examine samples submitted by the companies planning to make it.

As she checked a sample from Cutter Laboratories in Berkeley, Calif., she noticed that the vaccine designed to protect against the disease had instead given polio to a test monkey. Rather than containing killed virus to create immunity, the sample from Cutter contained live, infectious virus.

Something was wrong. “There’s going to be a disaster,” she told a friend.

In mid-2018, there were a series of resignations and appointments for the Auditor position in my township. First in May (link), then again in October (link).

Watching this transpire, I decided to throw my hat in the ring:  

---

October 16, 2018
To the Supervisors:
By way of this letter, I am hereby expressing my interest in the open auditor position.  
Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
Nathan Covington

---

I was first appointed October 24, 2018 by the Township Board of Supervisors

Yikes:

Teetering on a razor, smartphone giants try to balance infection tracking and privacy.

In a bold and ambitious collaboration, Apple and Google are developing a smartphone platform that tries to track the spread of the novel coronavirus at scale and at the same time preserve the privacy of iOS and Android users who opt in to it.

The cross-platform system will use the proximity capabilities built into Bluetooth Low Energy transmissions to track the physical contacts of participating phone users. If a user later tests positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, she can choose to enter the result into a health department-approved app. The app will then contact all other participating phone users who have recently come within six or so feet of her.

  • "Publicity is justly commended as a remedy for social and industrial diseases. Sunlight is said to be the best of disinfectants; electric light the most efficient policeman."

    "The most important political office is that of the private citizen."

    - Justice Louis D. Brandeis

More Inspirational Quotes

precision beats power