Of course IQ tests are culturally biased. That has been understood for decades. The IQ tests administered in the US are culturally biased for US citizens with a + or -. Are they completely accurate ? no obviously . Do they indicate a general level of intelligence? Yes.
For example Bill Gates has a reported IQ of around 160. Steve Jobs 160 Einstein and Hawking estimated at 160. Psychologists use IQ tests to measure intelligence and cognitive ability. When one calls someone an idiot or a moron one is using a psychological term.
I posted a study which was in line with my conclusion of long standing that lower intelligence correlates with lack of social distancing. I think this site likes data so I provided data.
Are there other factors involved with social distancing and mask wearing? Of course only an idiot would not realize that. LOL
We have gone far afield from the OP so I will bow out on this topic. I have no more to add and don’t wish to waste bandwidth.
This AZT the same AZT?
https://www.britannica.com/science/AZT
https://time.com/4705809/first-aids-drug-azt/
https://fort-russ.com/amp/2020/04/shedding-light-on-the-dishonorable-record-of-dr-fauci-a-real-mengele/
The term "Recovered " keeps being thrown around. It appears that it means different things to different people. There is evidence that people who are "recovered " are experiencing long term damage which may be permanent.
Does “recovered” mean you didn’t die?
Does it mean simply you tested negative after testing positive ?
It seems much emphasis is placed on fatality rates when the issue is much broader than that.
As an example 31% of children tested in Fl. tested positive. This is out of 54 thousand tests. The rate for positive tests in Fl. is 11%.
https://www.wesh.com/article/florida-children-coronavirus/33324606
The definitions are critical when it comes to making policy. Are we willing to risk the long term health of kids by opening schools, because statistically very few people under 18 die from the virus? So a child tests positive then “recovers” and tests negative. Perhaps the child then has long term or permanent organ damage. Plus the children are putting teachers and other school workers at risk.
There is a lot we don’t know yet. Maybe if we err it should be on the side of caution.
This organization produces some very good scientific reviews. They present a plausible, evidence-based hypothesis for the origin of the SARS-CoV-2 virus.
Published on Wed. July 15th in Independent Science News
A proposed Origin for SARS-CoV-2 and the COVID-19 Pandemic
by Jonathan Latham, PhD and Allison Wilson, PhD
https://www.independentsciencenews.org/commentaries/a-proposed-origin-for-sars-cov-2-and-the-covid-19-pandemic/
Synopsis: SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for the current pandemic, is in many ways an enigma to virologists. First, the virus enters human cells using a viral spike protein that is a tremendous fit for its human receptor (a protein called ACE2). This close fit allows the virus to spread very efficiently between people but such precision cannot plausibly have arisen by chance. Thus the virus appears to have evolved in the presence of that human receptor. Furthermore, the virus has a region on its spike protein called a furin site. This furin site allows the virus to access multiple cell types, making it able to infect and spread through lungs and other tissue types. The furin site is thus key to making SARS-CoV-2 a powerful pathogen. Since none of the closest known virus relatives of SARS-CoV-2 have a furin site, where did it come from? Third, any virus that recently jumped to humans from bats (or any other species) should undergo a period of rapid adapation to its new host. This is what happened when the coronaviruses SARS and MERS jumped to humans. Yet since the pandemic began, SARS-CoV-2 mutations have arisen but the virus has hardly evolved (in an adaptive sense) at all. Current zoonotic origin theories for SARS-CoV-2 have no satisfactory explanation for any of these evolutionary puzzles. Indeed, recent studies have made natural zoonotic origin hypotheses even less viable. For example, the Chinese CDC has ruled out Wuhan’s live market as the epidemic’s origin.
In our search for the origins of the pandemic we focussed on the nearest genetic relative of SARS-CoV-2, a bat coronavirus called RaTG13. This virus was obtained during 2012 and 2013 virus collecting trips to a mine where, shortly before, six miners had developed a mystery illness while shoveling bat feces. To learn more, we arranged the translation of a neglected Chinese Master’s thesis that documented the symptoms and hospital treatment of these miners. This thesis contains many surprises. Foremost, the miners were diagnosed as having coronavirus infections, and second, their symptoms are now recognisable as those of classic COVID-19. This and other information in the thesis caused us to rethink everything we thought we knew about the origins of the pandemic. In A Proposed Origin for SARS-CoV-2 and the COVID-19 Pandemic, we set out what we call the Mojiang Miners Passaging hypothesis. The theory proposes (1) that the miners acquired a coronavirus from the bats in the mine and (2) that this bat virus evolved extensively inside their bodies to become a highly human-adapted virus. This evolution occurred during a hospitalisation period that, for some of them, lasted many months. From the thesis we also know that blood and other samples were extracted from the miners and some of these were sent to the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV). We suggest that these samples contained highly human-adapted viruses and were used at the WIV for research. During this research the virus escaped, initiating the 2019 COVID-19 pandemic.
As we show, the theory solves the currently mysterious evolutionary and biological features of SARS-CoV-2 as well as explaining its eventual appearance in Wuhan. It also explains subsequent attempts to obscure the deaths of the miners and the Mojiang mine origin of RATG13.
Read the full article at:
https://www.independentsciencenews.org/commentaries/a-proposed-origin-for-sars-cov-2-and-the-covid-19-pandemic/
The authors are a virologist and a geneticist, respectively.
Please support our work by sharing this article if you find it of value.
Yours sincerely
Jonathan
I would like to point out the limitations of the IVERMECTIN study. It is an suggestion that ivermectin may be helpful, but is not conclusive. Trying to be realistic about the strength of evidence issue.
ICON (Ivermectin in COvid Nineteen) study: Use of Ivermectin is Associated with Lower Mortality in Hospitalized Patients with COVID19
Background
Ivermectin has been shown to inhibit the replication of SARS-CoV-2 in vitro. (Leon Caly, DOI: 10.1016/j.antiviral.2020.104787 However, pharmacologists at Mass General calculated that the tissue concentrations of the drug shown to inhibit SC2 were higher than the tissue levels likely to be obtained in humans taking the normal human dose (for parasites). (I am only reporting their conclusion, not their data or logic.) So the Mass Gen COVID protocol explicitly says "Don't use Ivermectin for COVID." (explanatory comments have been removed in the 7/1/2020 version)- Objective: lower mortality
- Retrospective
- cohort study of (matching a treated patient with an untreated one)
- consecutive patients (everyone was included during this time period) hospitalized AT Broward from March 15 - May 11.
- The decision to treat with ivermectin: Treatment decisions were at the discretion of the treating physicians*. [In this kind of study, this is a huge potential source of bias. In other words, there was NO RANDOMIZATION, and NO EXPLICIT PROTOCOL for who was given the drug and who did not. This undermines the strength of this evidence greatly.
- 173 were treated with ivermectin and 107 were not..
- lower mortality in the ivermectin group (25.2% versus 15.0%)
- Mortality was also lower among 75 patients with severe pulmonary disease treated with ivermectin (38.8% vs 80.7%). (defined as needing FIO2 > 50%, BiPAP or ventilator)
Good points SP. We are in the early stages of this thing. We don’t even know how early, so people are looking for whatever works. Double blind, randomized studies take time, they also take money and someone willing to conduct them. Studies are mostly funded by big pharma and governments which are funded by big pharma. lol
There is no incentive to do a study on something which will not make oodles of moolah. So we are left with anecdotal info from doctors on the front lines trying to save lives. Thus we have doctors like Raoult and Zelenko.
This article is about Ivermectin in Peru. It is anecdotal but worth a read.
Ivermectin is cheap and has a very good safety profile. It is worth a try since all the medical establishment has to offer is supportive care. Also it acts as an anti viral so it needs to be administered early to stop cell replication.
https://www.trialsitenews.com/how-a-grass-roots-health-movement-led-to-acceptance-of-ivermectin-as-a-covid-19-therapy-in-peru/
Also there is this from Medcram.
https://www.medcram.com/courses/take/coronavirus-outbreak-symptoms-treatment/lessons/11746529-update-52-ivermectin-treatment-does-covid-19-attack-hemoglobin
EDIT; This is a new Medcram video on Ivermectin worth the watch. The problem seems to be getting a high enough dosage within the safety profile in vivo. Also it prevents viral replication by binding to the ACE 2 AND the CD147 receptor.
https://www.medcram.com/courses/take/coronavirus-outbreak-symptoms-treatment/lessons/14578388-update-96-rna-vaccine-ivermectin-von-willebrand-factor-covid-19
…In Denmark we come across the old belief that he who stood under an Elder tree on Midsummer Eve would see the King of Fairyland ride by, attended by all his retinue; Folkard, in Plant-Lore, Legends and Lyrics relates:
‘The pith of the branches when cut in round, flat shapes, is dipped in oil, lighted, and then put to float in a glass of water; its light on Christmas Eve is thought to reveal to the owner all the witches and sorcerers in the neighborhoo’
and again,
‘On Bertha Night (6th January), the devil goes about with special virulence. As a safeguard, persons are recommended to make a magic circle, in the centre of which they should stand, with Elderberries gathered on St. John’s night. By doing this, the mystic Fern-seed may be obtained, which possesses the strength of thirty or forty men.’
The more things change, the more they stay the same. Stand in a magic medical office be injected with fairy vaccine and the Devil will be revealed as a stock manipulator and options trader. Oh Lord, protect us from those who would trespass against us.
So how many had heart disease before supposedly developing it from having CV-19?From the Methods and Results section of the Abstract:
In those without pre-existing cardiac disease (n = 901), the echocardiogram was abnormal in 46%, and 13% had severe disease.This study looked at 1216 patient results. Therefore, just over 74% had no prior cardiac disease. Perhaps one of the Physicians could speak to whether an echocardiogram also indicates whether the heart damage is recent, or if it could have already been in existence and not detected / tested prior to the onset of the Coronavirus. On the other hand, there seems to be growing evidence of the virus resulting in widespread damage to the body, including the heart.
Brand new study just reported and examined on Medcram on Vit D. This is a huge study though not double blind / randomized. People most at risk of bad outcomes or worst outcome(mortality) have been those with low levels of Vit D.
It should be noted that dark skinned ethnic groups do not produce large amounts of Vit D from sun exposure. It is estimated that worldwide 40% of people are Vit D deficient. This is true for the US. What is also true is that fructose reduces the bioavailability of Vit D. You can stay in the sun all day and pop Vit D supplements but if you intake large amounts of fructose it won’t do you any good.
It is interesting to note that at the founding of this country the per capita intake of sugar was less than 5# per person per year. It is currently around 200# per year . It is also of interest that the rate of cardiovascular disease, obesity, diabetes etc has been increasing. The US consumes more High Fructose Corn Syrup than any other country. There is good reason to believe there is a high correlation with the worst outcomes from SC2 being in the US and the dietary intake of Fructose. That shit is in everything. Best advice read labels or better eat stuff that doesn’t need a label to tell you what is in it. BTW Sucrose (cane sugar is 50% glucose and 50% fructose.
Personal anecdote; Recent blood work revealed my Vit D level is 95 ng/ml. I avoid the sun due to skin cancer and supplement everyday.
https://www.medcram.com/courses/take/coronavirus-outbreak-symptoms-treatment/lessons/14601448-update-97-vitamin-d-covid-19-immunity-the-endothelium-deficiencies
Air Filter Designed to Trap, Heat and Kill the Coronavirus
https://uh.edu/news-events/stories/july-2020/07142020ren-covid-filter
Edit - From the article:
Research team included Texas Center for Superconductivity at University of Houston. The paper was published in Materials Today Physics. The researchers reported that virus tests at the Galveston National Laboratory found 99.8% of the novel SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, was killed in a single pass through a filter made from commercially available nickel foam heated to 200 degrees Centigrade, or about 392 degrees Fahrenheit. It also killed 99.9% of the anthrax spores in testing The researchers knew the virus can remain in the air for about three hours, meaning a filter that could remove it quickly was a viable plan. With businesses reopening, controlling the spread in air conditioned spaces was urgent. And Medistar knew the virus can’t survive temperatures above 70 degrees Centigrade, about 158 degrees Fahrenheit, so the researchers decided to use a heated filter. By making the filter temperature far hotter – about 200 C – they were able to kill the virus almost instantly. “This filter could be useful in airports and in airplanes, in office buildings, schools and cruise ships to stop the spread of COVID-19” said Ren, MD Anderson Chair Professor of Physics at UH and co-corresponding author for the paper. Medistar executives are also proposing a desk-top model, capable of purifying the air in an office worker’s immediate surroundings, he said.
Good one. We stay in regular contact with the Fairies.
We have a stone plaque next to our front door that says
" DON’T PISS OFF THE FAIRIES"
BTW Just planted 3 elderberries this year. Have been wanting to do it for years. Had to clear some land to have enough room.
This is a great idea…should be put in all schools asap. And then in all public spaces and businesses. This could be a game changer.
Strictly anectodal, N of me, I’ve been taking 10K units D3 a day for several years, sometimes more, not been sick much. However I suspect that when I have taken more, say 30K/day on and off for a week or so I get some sort of a blood sugar problem wherein eating sweets gives me a headache. When I cut way down on the D that goes away. It is a hormone, after all.
"...My team at the Goldenson Center for Actuarial Research has developed a free, user-friendly computer model with a different goal. It demonstrates how infections and deaths progress daily over a three-month period depending on how people behave in the outbreak. This model allows the public to input data that demonstrate how changes in safety measures in their communities, including wearing face covering and social distancing, can significantly impact the spread of this virus and mortality rates. Our Goldenson Center COVID-19 model uses a hypothetical 1,000-person population and calculates outcomes using three types of information: the initial number of infections, social distancing, and personal protection measures that include wearing masks, frequent hand-washing, and staying quarantined if one is exhibiting COVID-19 symptoms. Our model then uses this initial information to project daily the cumulative infections and deaths over a three-month period. It’s not based on actual disease data and is designed to demonstrate the effects of safety measures, rather than make specific predictions. ..."Perhaps something that might help shift thinking in those who are resistant to taking proactive measures to reduce virus spread. *edited to insert link to original article
Jonathan, this is a very well researched study / report. I will go even further and insert the leading hypothesis they came up with:
The leading hypothesis is a lab outbreak
For all these reasons, a lab escape is by far the leading hypothesis to explain the origins of Sars-CoV-2 and the COVID-19 pandemic. The sheer proximity of the WIV and WCDCP labs to the outbreak and the nature of their work represents evidence that can hardly be ignored. The long international history of lab escapes and the biosafety concerns from all directions about the labs in Wuhan greatly strengthen the case. Especially since evidence for the alternative hypothesis, in the form of a link to wild animal exposure or the wildlife trade, remains extremely weak, being based primarily on analogy with SARS one (Bell et al,. 2004; Andersen et al., 2020).
Nevertheless, on April 16th Peter Daszak, who is the President of the EcoHealth Alliance, told Democracy Now! in a lengthy interview that the lab escape thesis was “Pure baloney”. He told listeners:
“There was no viral isolate in the lab. There was no cultured virus that’s anything related to SARS coronavirus 2. So it’s just not possible.”
Daszak made very similar claims on CNN’s Sixty Minutes: “There is zero evidence that this virus came out of a lab in China.” Instead, Daszak encouraged viewers to blame “hunting and eating wildlife”.
Daszak’s certainty is highly problematic on several counts. The closest related known coronaviruses to Sars-CoV-2 are to be found at the WIV so a lot depends on what he means by “related to”. But it is also dishonest in the sense that Daszak must know that culturing in the lab is not the only way that WIV researchers could have caused an outbreak. Third, and this is not Daszak’s fault, the media are asking the right question to the wrong person.
As alluded to above, Daszak is the named principal investigator on multiple US grants that went to the Shi lab at WIV. He is also a co-author on numerous papers with Zheng-Li Shi, including the 2013 Nature paper announcing the isolation of coronavirus WIV-1 through passaging (Ge et al., 2013). One of his co-authorships is on the collecting paper in which his WIV colleagues placed the four fully functional bat coronaviruses into human cells containing the ACE2 receptor (Hu et al. 2017). That is, Daszak and Shi together are collaborators and co-responsible for most of the published high-risk collecting and experimentation at the WIV.
An investigation is needed, but who will do it?
If the Shi lab has anything to hide, it is not only the Chinese Government that will be reluctant to see an impartial investigation proceed. Much of the work was funded by the US taxpayer, channeled there by Peter Daszak and the EcoHealth Alliance. Virtually every credible international organisation that might in principle carry out such an investigation, the WHO, the US CDC, the FAO, the US NIH, including the Gates Foundation, is either an advisor to, or a partner of, the EcoHealth Alliance. If the Sars-CoV-2 outbreak originated from the bat coronavirus work at the WIV then just about every major institution in the global public health community is implicated.
But to solve many of these questions does not necessarily require an expensive investigation. It would probably be enough to inspect the lab notebooks of WIV researchers. All research scientists keep detailed notes, for intellectual property and other reasons, but especially in BSL-4 labs. As Yuan Zhiming told Nature magazine in an article marking the opening of the facility in Wuhan: “We tell them [staff] the most important thing is that they report what they have or haven’t done.”
Meticulous lab records plus staff health records and incident reports of accidents and near-accidents are all essential components (or should be) of BSL work. Their main purpose is to enable the tracking of actual incidents. Much speculation could be ended with the public release of that information. But the WIV has not provided it.
This is puzzling since the Chinese government has a very strong incentive to produce those records. Complete transparency would potentially dispel the gales of blame coming its way; especially on the question of whether Sars-CoV-2 has an engineered or passaged origin. If Zheng-Li Shi and Peter Daszak are correct that nothing similar to Sars-CoV-2 was being studied there, then those notebooks should definitively exonerate the lab from having knowingly made an Actual Pandemic Pathogen.
Given the simplicity and utility of this step this lack of transparency suggests that there is something to hide. If so, it must be important. But then the question is: What?
A thorough investigation of the WIV and its bat coronavirus research is an important first step. But the true questions are not the specific mishaps and dissemblings of Drs Shi or Daszak, nor of the WIV, nor even of the Chinese government.
There will be no investigation. And if there was by some incredible miracle those notebooks would not show anything remotely related to SC2.
This is the Kennedy assassination of this generation.
As of yesterday, hospitals have been directed to no longer report data to the CDC, but instead to the HHS. The fear is that this was a political move by the Trump administration to make data less available, or at least less transparent. This seems like the most reasonable interpretation to me. But time will tell. President Trump has already suggested that if we tested less, there would be fewer known cases, and that he urged officials to slow down the testing. I very much hope that I am wrong and the Trump administration (which controls the HHS more directly through political appointees, rather than the career people at the CDC) doesn’t start “massaging the data.” Additionally, I really hope there is some kind of national outcry in the US if data is not released fully, transparently and in a timely manner. It is worth noting that so far ignoring reality has not been a winning strategy for us with regards to COVID.
Karl Denninger makes the case that Masks may not help as much as you might think. No Study in decades has ever proved that masks reduce risk of transmission due to interference of microparticles which normally fall when condensed. Physics seem to make some sense. How about Face Sheilds? Karl makes the point that masks are illegal since they have not been clealed by the Beurorats at the FDA for such purpose.
Any data to clear the Air? https://market-ticker.org/akcs-www?post=239710
Peter Daszak also funded Dr. Shi’s research on Chimeric viruses via the EcoHealth Alliance.
https://www.ecohealthalliance.org/programs#/pandemic-prevention
Look at the financial disclosures in the 2015 paper
All - Be aware that there is a fairly technical forum discussing origins of the virus on this site at “Scientific history of RATG13”. Those readers may benefit from cross posting of these kinds of data. The new theory alluded to here has been posted.