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It is a privilege denied to many.

Sounds like things are back to the Barrett-Shivers era, and we know how that ended.

After that shitshow last weekend, I gotta go with the Argos. Prior to that, I would have given the TiCats at least even money, but that staggering show of incompetence spoke volumes.

Whistling past the graveyard.

I was speaking to a former colleague at Boundary Trails Health Center in Winkler and things are getting dire there. Doctors are receiving threats and death threats almost daily, their cars are being vandalized and the fear among staff there is such that the doctors have been told to not mention or recommend vaccination to patients, Many staff there are looking to leave as soon as they can, fearing that a violent incident is inevitable.

Too bad the viewers couldn't see a real football game..

Some doctors in the US have lost their licences to practice for spreading this kind of nonsense. You may recall that this idiot was reported as both abusing alcohol and offering psychotropic drugs to anyone who wanted them while Trump's doctor.

And there are so many non-invasive therapies now that respond to mental health challenges when allopathic treatments fail. In the CBC archives, there is a program where a TRD (treatment-resistant depression) sufferer responded wonderfully well to a course of oral ketamine.

With new Omicron variant looming, Republicans are now bribing people to avoid vaccination-Republicans move beyond just spreading anti-vaccine conspiracy theories to paying people not to vaccinate Little is known at this point about the Omicron variant of COVID-19 that is causing worldwide panic and last week's stock market crash — except that it's a reminder of the importance of people getting vaccinated. Vaccination can help prevent such variants from evolving in the first place, and vaccinated people are probably still much safer than unvaccinated people in the face of the variant. As President Joe Biden's office told the press, his top infectious disease advisor, Dr. Anthony Fauci "continues to believe that existing vaccines are likely to provide a degree of protection against severe cases of Covid." Vaccines save lives and are the best path forward to ending the pandemic and returning to normal. Despite this — or really, because of this — Republicans not only continue to sabotage efforts by the Biden administration to get the public vaccinated, but are doubling down on the sabotage. As Axios reported Monday morning, the concerted efforts to keep shots from going in arms have escalated in red states, with Republican politicians now openly bribing constituents not to get vaccinated. "Republican officials around the country are testing a creative mechanism to build loyalty with unvaccinated Americans while undermining Biden administration mandates: unemployment benefits," the short piece explains. "Florida, Iowa, Kansas and Tennessee have changed their unemployment insurance rules to allow workers who are fired or quit over vaccine mandates to receive benefits." Since early spring, a number of commentators — including myself — have been pointing out that Republican politicians and media are deliberately undermining Biden's pandemic response by convincing their base to reject the vaccines. The reason isn't particularly mysterious. Republicans understand that if death rates remain high, the economic recovery remains stagnant, and unpleasant mitigation measures like mask mandates and school shutdowns continue into 2022, a pandemic-weary public is going to start blaming the guy in charge for not doing more to fix the situation. With new Omicron variant looming, Republicans are now bribing people to avoid vaccination | Salon.com

Those with the intellect of dryer lint.

Embarrassingly bad for the CFL- the worst semi-final performances I can recall- the Stamps-Riders game was so bad, I turned it off at half-time and tried to watch it this morning- still as bad. Cringingly bad.

This is what happens when you can be on the other side of the world in 10 hours.

Oh, its measurable, all right, only in deaths.

How one discredited 1998 study paved the way for today's anti-vaxxers Long before the COVID-19 pandemic and the concomitant vaccine, the anti-vaccination movement was mainly identified with one very specific myth: the idea that vaccines cause autism. Aside from being patently offensive to neurodiverse and autistic people (including this writer), version 1.0 of the anti-vax movement was also dangerous because its adherents made it easier for infectious diseases to spread. This wasn't just a theoretical fear: local measles outbreaks in places like Disneyland that occurred with greater frequency throughout the 2010s were tied to the increasing number of anti-vaxxers, who had collectively lowered the herd immunity numbers for diseases like measles which were once nearly eradicated in the United States. Now that COVID-19 has changed the world, it is worth reexamining the legacy of that autism-related controversy, which may have proven to be the "original sin" that led us to this dismal moment in which anti-COVID-vaccination misinformation is rife. That means turning our eye to the inglorious career of a man named Andrew Wakefield. Once a British doctor, Wakefield is infamous for being the lead author of a 1998 case series that studied links between autism and digestive conditions — and, he claimed, documented changes in behavior in children who were given the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine (MMR vaccine). Over time, this mutated into a claim that MMR vaccines could cause autism, prompting an international panic. Because Wakefield's study had been published in a distinguished medical journal (The Lancet), his claims quickly circulated and influenced millions of parents to not let their children get vaccinated at an age when, they believed erroneously, they could be at risk of developing autism. This trend persisted despite the fine print within the study: notably, it included no data about the MMR vaccine, its conclusions were speculative, it had been poorly designed, and the researchers had only studied a small sample of patients. Other critics observed that, because autism is usually diagnosed at the same young age when MMR vaccines are supposed to be administered, the study could dupe impressionable parents into thinking the timing of their child's autism diagnosis was linked to the inoculation. These fears proved founded; measles outbreaks surged as more and more people followed Wakefield's uninformed advice. By 2019, the United States was experiencing its worst measles outbreak since 1994. Soon, the people who merely suspected something fishy in Wakefield's study were given more than mere clues. Other scientists were unable to reproduce Wakefield's findings, which is crucial for scientific studies to be considered valid. Then, in 2004, Wakefield was hit with a double whammy: An investigation by Sunday Times reporter Brian Deer demonstrated that Wakefield had financial conflicts of interest he had not disclosed when publishing his report. It was revealed that Wakefield had established several autism-related medical businesses, but their success was predicated on establishing links between MMR vaccines and a likely-fabricated disease called "autistic entercolitis." On top of that, 10 of the 12 scientists who co-authored the paper retracted it on the grounds that "no causal link was established between MMR vaccine and autism as the data were insufficient." By 2010 The Lancet fully retracted the paper, admitting that it was riddled with scientific errors and that the authors had behaved unethically, in no small part by studying children without the required clearances. Wakefield was ultimately stripped of his ability to practice medicine, although he continues to stand by his findings and insists he was mistreated. A direct line can be drawn between Wakefield's assertions about MMR vaccines and the rhetoric about COVID-19 vaccines (an issue where Wakefield is also anti-science, but has not emerged as a prominent voice). Studies have repeatedly found that general vaccine skepticism increased as a direct result of Wakefield's study; just last August, researchers writing for the scientific journal PLOS One again confirmed that vaccine hesitancy went up after Wakefield's paper came out. "The Wakefield et al paper arrived at an interesting time in history," epidemiologist Dr. René Najera told Salon in June. "The internet was growing. The 24-hour news cycle was growing. People like Jenny McCarthy and others were becoming 'influencers.' His paper only brought to the forefront fears that many parents had: that vaccines caused developmental delays. Before 1998, you didn't have the internet as a bullhorn, or time to interview or showcase celebrities." While hesitation about vaccines existed before Wakefield, the British doctor made it possible for misinformation to do something that had previously only occurred in the world of epidemics: achieving virality. Even after Wakefield himself sank into obscurity, other anti-vaccine activists emerged to take his place. By normalizing the practice of questioning vaccines without regard to reliable medical knowledge, they laid the foundations for the denial of the COVID-19 vaccines that is so prevalent today. Wakefield may not be one of the so-called "disinformation dozen" — social media voices today who create two-thirds of all anti-vaxxer content online — but he is their forefather. Without Wakefield, it is hard to imagine that the anti-vaccination movement would have been so loud before the pandemic that it would metastasize during it, to the extent that millions of Americans now view opposing vaccines as a crucial part of their identity. Despite the claims made by Wakefield and others, there is no evidence that vaccines are in any way linked to autism. There is also no evidence that the COVID-19 vaccines are either unsafe or ineffective — or, as some kooks claim, have microchips in them. Autism refers to a broad range of neurological conditions that many doctors argue should not even be considered "unhealthy," and which certainly are not induced by vaccinations. Vaccines work by training your immune system to protect the body against pathogens (microorganisms that cause disease) by either introducing a weakened or dead part or whole of that pathogen into the body, or by teaching the cells to make proteins associated with a specific pathogen so that the invader can be identified and eliminated.

Because apart from the Bombers, the rest of the teams in the CFL were disasters of one degree or another. If the Calgary front 7 have any game in them at all, Fajardo will be on his back or running all afternoon.

Fauci Says Omicron Variant Is Likely Already Here, NY Declares State of Emergency Parts of the U.S. have begun an all-out assault against the new, highly transmissible Omicron variant of COVID-19 as Dr. Anthony Fauci warned that the variant is likely already circulating in the country. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul declared a state of emergency Friday, limiting hospital capacity to emergency needs as of Dec. 3 and arranging for the purchase of medical supplies. The emergency state, which temporarily bans elective surgeries, will remain in effect until at least Jan. 15. “We continue to see warning signs of spikes this upcoming winter, and while the new Omicron variant has yet to be detected in New York State, it’s coming,” Hochul said. The Omicron variant, formally known as B.1.1.529, was classified as a “variant of concern” and given its Greek name by the World Health Organization on Friday. The designation, prompted by a cluster of cases originating out of southern Africa, led to the U.S. imposing travel restrictions on South Africa and seven other African countries. The CDC said late Friday that it hasn’t detected any cases of it so far, though Fauci told Weekend TODAY that it wouldn’t surprise him if the variant was already here. “We have not detected it yet,” he said, “but when you have a virus that is showing this degree of transmissibility and you’re already having travel-related cases that they’ve noted in Israel and Belgium and other places, when you have a virus like this, it almost invariably is ultimately going to go essentially all over.” The CDC said in its statement that it would be able to detect the variant quickly once it emerges. The agency also thanked the South African government for expeditiously reporting the new and highly transmissible variant. “We are grateful to the South African government and its scientists who have openly communicated with the global scientific community and continue to share information about this variant with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and CDC,” it said. The Omicron variant is of particular concern because it has more than 30 mutations to the spike protein that allows the virus to bind to human cells. It had quickly spread from African nations to Europe. Dutch authorities revealed Saturday that 61 people arriving on two KLM flights from South Africa have tested positive but it’s not known whether they were infected with Omicron. The United Kingdom said Saturday that two Omicron cases had been detected in the country, both linked and with a connection to travel to southern Africa. Dr. Fauci Says Omicron COVID Variant Likely Already in U.S., NY Declares State of Emergency (thedailybeast.com)

150-odd new cases per day is no longer a trivial matter. It was a major step backwards when they stopped doing the contact tracing a few weeks ago and critics said that they were flirting with disaster. Now we are teetering at the edge of another lockdown. And the Omicron variant in en route. U.K. Counts 2 Cases Of Omicron Variant, Health Secretary Says. The health secretary said the two cases are “linked” and “there is a connection with travel to southern Africa.” Two cases of the new omicron coronavirus variant have been detected in the United Kingdom, the country’s health secretary, Sajid Javid, announced Saturday. Not much is known about omicron, except that it was first detected in South Africa and has triggered a wave of travel bans restricting flights from the southern part of Africa. Javid noted that the two cases are “linked” and “there is a connection with travel to southern Africa.” The two individuals are self-isolating in their homes ― in the Nottingham and Chelmsford areas of England, respectively ― while officials conduct additional testing and contact tracing. Their two hometowns are undergoing extra testing as a precaution, Javid said. “This is a fast-moving situation and we are taking decisive steps to protect public health,” he added. U.K. Counts 2 Cases Of Omicron Variant, Health Secretary Says | HuffPost Latest News

Pfizer Vaccine Already Being Tested Against Mega-Mutated Omicron Variant Testing has already begun to determine whether the Pfizer vaccine protects against a mutant strain of COVID-19 that first appeared in Africa and has already made its way to East Asia and Europe, the Financial Times reported Friday. German firm BioNTech, which developed the jab in concert with the American pharma giant, told the paper that it would know in two weeks whether the inoculation shields against the latest variant, which has prompted multiple nations to shut their borders to travelers from southern Africa. Authorities have already detected the super-mutated virus—now called Omicron—in South Africa, Botswana, Hong Kong, and Belgium. A spokesman for BioNTech noted that this line of the pandemic pathogen “differs significantly” from its predecessors due to the changes in its spike protein, which the virus uses to hack into human cells—and which the vaccines help neutralize. The company added that it could take six weeks to modify the vaccine if necessary, and 100 days to ship the updated shots. Read it at Financial Times

South Africa Finds New Variant Of COVID-19 With 'Constellation Of Mutations' A new variant of the coronavirus has been found in South Africa, troubling scientists who say the strain has a high number of mutations and is likely already sparking a jump in new cases around Johannesburg. The variant, which is being referred to as the B1.1.529 variant until the World Health Organization decides to assign it a letter of the Greek alphabet, is linked to 22 positive cases in South Africa so far, as well as cases in Hong Kong and Botswana among travelers from the country. Despite only very early information about the variant, several countries moved to restrict air travel, and stocks plunged in Asia and Europe on Friday in reaction to the news. The WHO’s technical working group will meet about the new variant on Friday to assess it. It will determine whether it should be a variant of interest, meaning it has genetic changes to the original, or one of concern, which means it can spread more easily or is more resistant to therapeutics and public health measures. “Early analysis shows that this variant has a large number of mutations that require and will undergo further study. It will take a few weeks for us to understand what impact this variant has,” the organization said in a statement emailed to HuffPost. “You can be rest assured that as people move in the next coming weeks, this [variant] will be all over,” Dr. Joe Phaahla, South Africa’s health minister, said at a media briefing on Thursday. “Over the last four or five days, there has been more of an exponential rise [in cases].” Several variants of COVID-19 have been cause for concern as the virus mutates, including the highly transmissible delta strain. Mutations are a prime fear among health officials, who worry new strains of the coronavirus could bypass the effectiveness of vaccines that have aided the reopening of society and limited severe illness and death among inoculated people. Tulio de Oliveira, a professor at South Africa’s Network for Genomic Surveillance, said the new variant announced Thursday has a “very unusual constellation of mutations,” including more than 30 mutations in its spike proteins, which is responsible for the virus’s transmissibility. “We can see that the variant is potentially spreading very fast” de Oliveira said at the briefing, per the AP. “We do expect to start seeing pressure in the healthcare system in the next few days and weeks.” Cases in South Africa had remained low in recent months, but the country is dealing with a new wave of infections that increased quickly this week. More than 1,200 cases were found on Wednesday, a figure that jumped to nearly 2,500 on Thursday. But the British government took immediate steps amid concern over its spread, banning flights from South Africa and five other African nations from noon on Friday. Those who have recently arrived from the nations will be required to take a test. South Africa Finds New Variant Of COVID-19 With 'Constellation Of Mutations' | HuffPost Latest News Here it comes: Europe Records First Case of COVID Super-Mutant in Belgium The new heavily mutated COVID strain that experts have warned could be the most dangerous variant yet has already made its way to Europe. According to The Guardian, Belgium has identified a B.1.1.529 case in an unvaccinated young adult woman who had recently been traveling in Egypt and Turkey. The unnamed woman said she hadn’t been to South Africa or other countries in southern Africa, where the variant is believed to have originated. The new variant has 32 mutations and will likely be called Nu, the 13th letter in the Greek alphabet, if officially designated a variant of concern, but it’s currently known to virologists as B.1.1.529. Earlier Friday, the European Union followed Britain in moving to ban flights from Southern Africa in a bid to slow down the spread of the variant. Britain’s Transport Secretary Grant Shapps described B.1.1.529 as “the most significant variant” to develop since the start of the pandemic. Europe Records First Case of COVID Super-Mutant in Belgium (thedailybeast.com)

FOR THE ANTIVAXXERS:

COVID Strain With ‘Horrific’ Mutations Spreads in South Africa Health authorities are rushing to investigate a new variant of COVID-19 that originated in Botswana, has been spreading in South African, and appears to have a “horrific” number of mutations. It’s not yet clear how much of a threat the strain—which likely emerged from someone infected with both HIV and COVID—poses, but scientists are concerned it could trigger a fourth wave in South Africa, where only a third of adults are vaccinated. “Here is a mutation variant of serious concern,” Health Minister Joe Phaahla said at a briefing on Thursday, according to Bloomberg News. “We were hopeful that we might have a longer break in between waves—possibly that it would hold off to late December or even next year January.” COVID Strain With ‘Horrific’ Mutations Spreads in South Africa (thedailybeast.com)

So long as there is money to be made....