55 thoughts on “Wednesday’s Papers

        1. bisted

          …I once flew from Dublin-London-Helsinki-London-Dublin all in one day…so, even though I’ve been to Finland, I don’t know what it’s like…

        2. GiggidyGoo

          They have a good sense of humour though. I used to work with two finnish colleagues and their jokes were almost in the same vein as what we irish would make.

    1. Papi

      Any country that has a word for getting pissed in your jockers at home must be good. Kalsarikännit.

  1. f_lawless

    I thought this recent interview with leading Oxford University epidemiologist, Sunetra Gupta, was worth sharing. Some really important points made. A level-headed, informed opinion in a time where it’s getting harder for us to make sense of current events and have a clear idea of what direction we’re taking. I think it’s important now more than ever to stay open to different points of view not to get trapped in tunnel vision thinking where any diverging opinion is attacked as “wrongthink”.

    https://reaction.life/we-may-already-have-herd-immunity-an-interview-with-professor-sunetra-gupta/

    1. dav

      https://www.theaustralian.com.au/commentary/letters/no-natural-immunity-to-corona/news-story/1e8496b91b1723a16c935309c7902856
      “The Australian’s article “Oxford epidemiologist pushes herd immunity” states without any references, “The most recent scientific research shows that between 30 and 81 per cent of the population has natural immunity to coronavirus”. There are no other views represented in the article other than Sunetra Gupta’s.
      This is a dangerous misrepresentation of the scientific data on COVID. There is no evidence of any pre-existing protective immunity to COVID in those not previously exposed to it.
      Michael Ryan, executive director of the WHO Health Emergencies Program, stated on May 27, “There is certainly some evidence with regard to T-cells that if you have a previous coronavirus infection you may be able to mount a more rapid response to COVID-19. But there is no empirical evidence that previous coronavirus infections protect you from infection with COVID-19.”

      1. f_lawless

        Dav this is the research Gupta is referring to. Published mid-June after Michael Ryan’s statement that you quote

        https://www.immunology.ox.ac.uk/covid-19/covid-19-immunology-literature-reviews/sars-cov-2-t-cell-epitopes-define-heterologous-and-covid-19-induced-t-cell-recognition

        ‘Lay summary’ published here:
        https://www.researchsquare.com/article/rs-35331/v1

        “Cross-reactive SARS-CoV-2 T-cell epitopes revealed preexisting T-cell responses in 81% of unexposed individuals, and validation of similarity to common cold human coronaviruses provided a functional basis for postulated heterologous immunity[9] in SARS-CoV-2 infection”

        I can’t read the article you linked to because its behind a firewall but the part you quote smacks of ‘hit piece’. The obvious reason would be due to her criticism of current government policy there. The journalist could easily have contact her to clarify what research she was talking about yet didn’t. Go figure.

        1. SOQ

          Yes if there is one thing to be learned about all of this is that in both academic and medical circles there is as much internal politics going on as in the bloody Vatican- a lot of it funding related of course.

          So far we know that demographics and commodities are factors and now it is likely that exposure to SAR-CoV-1 provides a certain immunity to CoVid-19.

          This most recent discovery is important because it directly challenges the efficacy of mask wearing from those who point to countries where wearing such is the norm.

    2. Do I need a username?

      @f_lawless If you are going to hawk something you are calling “diverging opinion”, do us a favour and leave out the fluffy marketing “A level-headed, informed opinion…” That has the very opposite effect of what you think. In a world choc-full of quackery, finger-in-the-wind soothsaying and conspiracy theorists, people are finally becoming a little sceptical and wising-up.

      1. f_lawless

        She’s a leading UK epidemiologist. Throwing around put downs like “quackery, finger-in-the-wind soothsaying and conspiracy theorists” just makes you look foolish

        1. bisted

          …talking about quackery, how are those tests going on the assorted remedies you slapped me down for questioning their efficacy…

        2. Do I need a username?

          @f_lawless If she is so respected, then surely you are doing her even more of a disservice by your marketeering – her claims should be able to withstand scrutiny if so compelling. My “put-down” was not a specific reference to her but a general statement on the very obvious, namely that in the current climate, a high dose of scepticism should be applied to anyone claiming to have an agenda-free “inside track” and the “real answers”. They rarely do and these individuals are two-a-penny alas.

    3. Tom Wong

      everything you push here is apparently ‘level headed’, as if soothsaying while repeating absolute bunk was a good thing, here’s a snake for your son to play with, look I can make him dance when I play my flute!

      I’ll be charitable and say ‘wrong headed’..

    1. f_lawless

      I don’t understand. The source is a leading Oxford University epidemiologist. It’s her words. We shouldn’t consider what she has to say, is that what you mean?

      1. bisted

        …ah f_lawless…don’t be so hard on yourself…you understand perfectly what you are doing…why you relentlessly pursue your agenda is what I don’t understand…

        1. SOQ

          And why are you determined to beat down on anyone who doesn’t swallow the half baked nonsense they are been told?

          Now you may want to believe every utterance out of the likes of Holohan and O’Neil’s mouths but personally, I would trust them as far as I could throw them.

          1. Tom Wong

            fair enough but that’s hardly an excuse to then publish links to OTHER ill considered bunk…

          2. SOQ

            The problem is the ‘experts’ do not agree- one group are influencing policy and others are excluded- silenced even. I suspect we have just seen that with a particular doctor who was highly critical of our own government policy- time will tell.

            Here is another one of two Oxford academics- Prof Heneghan and Tom Jefferson- are they right or are they wrong?

            https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z3plSbCbkSA

  2. Johnny

    New York Jets is owned by Woody Johnson currently in the news-he owns the Jets NFL Team that plays across the river in The Meadowlands,NJ-it shares the stadium with NFL’s Giants.
    You can’t give these season tickets away.Last winning season was in ’15 they just suck,NY is a pro sports team city,with no real college ball competing,the Jets win loss ratio is a reflection on him.

    Year Wins Losses
    2019 7 9
    2018 4 12
    2017 5 11
    2016 5 11
    2015 10 6

    “Mr. Johnson’s throwback style has been criticized as offensive. There have been complaints that he complimented the appearances of female employees during staff meetings, and after interviewing a candidate to replace Mr. Lukens as deputy chief of mission, he asked a colleague whether she was Jewish.”

    -only the best,drain the swamp!

    NYT story on Trump asking the US Ambassador to grind and call in a few favors.

    https://nyti.ms/2CCSJDz

  3. GiggidyGoo

    It’ll eventually dawn on the education industry that remote studying and remote ‘attendance’ are the way to go for students for a lot of courses. It’s already going to be part of the new set up.
    There’s no need for students to travel long distances daily, or to take rip-off accommodation for 8 months of the year.
    The lectures can be online. Physical attendance may be really required a day a week, so travel on that day, or taking a B&B the night before is still going to work out cheaper than currently for the bulk of students.
    It would open up 3rd level education to many more students too, as universities wouldn’t have to have low limits on online attendees.

    1. Tom Wong

      100% Giggidy it will reform in a stroke the elitist D4 class system in this country that limits ‘the professions’ to the usual bottom-sniffing mouth breathers and swamp dwellers

    2. Vanessanelle

      What are ye talking about lads

      Distance learning has been going on for decades

      The only thing that’s changed is the stigma attached to not actually having boots on the Trinity / UCD campus, or going straight from the leaving cert into 3rd level as a fresher

      Like I’ve a UCD thing on the wall back in the office, and I’ve never set foot in the place, and I didn’t apply for it either – and no money changed hands

  4. GiggidyGoo

    Are the countries on the travel list doing reciprocal arrangements? Plus, are there direct flights to them or do you have to make connecting flights in a non-15 country.
    Can we call these 15 countries Govid-15?

  5. Gabby

    Russia didn’t rig a Green landslide in our February election. And in Russia People against Profit and their fellow travellers would be rounded up as disturbers of the people’s peace.

    1. bisted

      …there was no green landslide or green surge…what did emerge was a desire for change from the right wing clique who have shared power from the formation of the state…unfortunately, the greens have betrayed those voters…a vote for green is a vote for FFG…

      1. ReproBertie

        Those who voted Green did so in the hopes of getting the Greens into power. The Greens are in power. I’m surprised at you not respecting their democratic wishes and painting them getting what they wanted as a betrayal.

        1. bisted

          …at least 25% of those who voted Green did not expect them to put the FFG government back in power…most of those who got so many green TDs over the line by including them in their preferences were misled and betrayed…but, as you say, that’s the way the vote has been interpreted by the elected representatives…

          1. Cian

            That is true of any coalition government.

            Regardless of the outcome of the 2020 election (FF+SF+Green; FF+SF+Ind; FF+FG+Ind; SF+FG+others; ….) there would have been voters for each party that would feel “misled and betrayed”.

            That is what happens when you live in a country with a representative democracy.

          2. bisted

            …agree…Ireland is a representative democracy so you have to live with whatever the majority agree…but you also have to live with betraying your electors as the labour party will testify…

          3. ReproBertie

            “at least 25% of those who voted Green did not expect them to put the FFG government back in power”
            Did you ask them? I don’t remember filling out that survey.

          4. bisted

            …as you reminded me…we live in a representative democracy…if 25% of those green party members voted not to go into coalition with FFG, l think it is reasonable to extrapolate that at least that number of voters who gave greens their no.1 hadn’t expected them shore up another FFG government – especially when they had been promised otherwise on the doorstep…

          5. bisted

            …both of us will just have to wait until the next election to see who is right…I’d also guess that in that election neither you nor I will affect the green vote…

          1. ReproBertie

            That was aimed at Bisted. You didn’t mention the Greens being in power as a betrayal of those who voted for the Greens.

          2. Gabby

            Thanks for clarifying R_B. For me the one positive outcome of the February election is that the two mainstream parties FG and FF are now in coalition. Symbolically voters can see that there are no economic differences between the two of them. How long this coalition with the Greens as junior partner can actually last is another question. Cattle farmers are wary of Green attitudes to Irish agriculture. Eat stewed beef while it lasts. We could always import frozen borscht from Russia if beef gets banned.

      1. george

        Well Q-anon say Donald Trump’s whole secret gameplan is to expose the massive globalist child sex ring conspiracy involving Epstein and many elite figures. Q-anon has been promoted by broadsheet.

  6. Johnny

    some good news on the medical cannabis research front,with promising results here:

    “Cannabis appears to be a safe and potentially effective treatment for the chronic pain that afflicts people with sickle cell disease, according to a new clinical trial co-led by University of California, Irvine researcher Kalpna Gupta and Dr. Donald Abrams of UC San Francisco. The findings appear in JAMA Network Open.”

    https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/07/200717133236.htm

    early but appears this small study findings are very promising.

    “These trial results show that vaporized cannabis appears to be generally safe,” said Gupta, a professor of medicine on the faculty of UCI’s Center for the Study of Cannabis. “They also suggest that sickle cell patients may be able to mitigate their pain with cannabis – and that cannabis might help society address the public health crisis related to opioids. Of course, we still need larger studies with more participants to give us a better picture of how cannabis could benefit people with chronic pain.”

    https://news.uci.edu/2020/07/17/cannabis-shows-potential-for-mitigating-sickle-cell-disease-pain/

    now how do i get this medicine approved in Ireland !

      1. Johnny Green

        Regulate..
        ..oversubscribed by 100,000,000 in 48 hours !

        “THE Central Bank of Ireland has given the green light for an Irish domiciled investment fund that is seeking to raise up to €150m to back companies in the legal medicinal cannabis industry.”

        https://www.independent.ie/business/irish/central-bank-signs-off-on-150m-legal-cannabis-fund-39280054.html

        Say hello to my little friend Bruce who just raised 150 million via a Irish SPV.

        ..Why would anyone give a guy that just got fired from two companies $150,000,000?

        https://cannabis.net/blog/videos/homeless-looking-guy-just-raised-150000000-bruce-linton-prepares-for-his-2nd-act

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