Covid Journal, May 25, 2020
Religion
Last week, Trump declared that churches will be open this week and defied state governors to obey his edict.
While many small businesses suffer from indecision and inconsistency with application of ‘rules’, churches will be exempt.
So, here’s a quote worth considering: If churches are considered essential businesses, they therefore acknowledge that they are businesses and should be taxed accordingly. No more free ride with property taxes and income taxes for religious institutions, especially if they’re going to encourage a massive petri-dish approach to Covid.
The Cure Is Here
That’s right! Dr. Sachdev Sidhu, a University of Toronto researcher (Donnelly Centre for Cellular and Biomolecular Research) has found the “cure” for Covid.
[Sidhu] invented a synthetic antibody to eliminate the symptoms — from mild to severe — that has sickened five million people worldwide.
At the very least, he says he’s kept pace with such multi-billion-dollar pharmaceutical giants as Regeneron, which is fast-tracking clinical trials of its own therapeutic antibody as a potential remedy for COVID-19.
“We both would eliminate the symptoms,’’ Sidhu explains in his office on College Street. “Our antibody keeps the virus from getting into a cell.’’
The paradox of frantic research amidst a pandemic is that urgency still demands patience, trial and error. Most potential breakthroughs fail. Yet Sidhu insists that his antibody — taken from E. coli bacteria and then grown in a Chinese hamster’s ovary cells and formally called 15033 because it’s literally the 15,033rd antibody his lab has concocted over many years — could be mass-produced within a month, maybe two, if federal health and research gatekeepers sign off.
n a nutshell, 15033, says Sidhu, neutralized the virus in their analysis. “We have definitive proof of that. And we did that in 33 days. Other groups out there are doing the same thing. But I think we’re one of the most advanced.’’
Working in collaboration with the Washington University in St. Louis — which provided the live virus in human cells — the next step would be introducing the synthetic antibody to those with COVID-19. Will it eliminate the symptoms and prevent death? Again, Sidhu has no doubt.
“We have to do the final test in humans. But in a way, the science part is done. I don’t have any questions anymore.’’
I’m glad to see that many in the medical community aren’t obsessed with mandatory vaccinations as part of the treatment, including Toronto’s MaRS institution.
“Vaccines will take too long,” says Naheed Kurji, president and CEO of drug discovery startup Cyclica. “A vaccine like this may take 12 to 18 months to develop; we need to find solutions now to avoid greater tragedy.” And Kurji believes he and his team can solve the problem by repurposing existing drugs.
Last week, Cyclica announced its partnership with renowned Beijing medical institution Materia Medica to discover antiviral drug candidates for the coronavirus. The impetus behind the initiative is practical: by using Cyclica’s AI technology, which is faster and more accurate than any human when analyzing data, the team hopes to identify multiple therapies to treat the coronavirus, while saving billions in costs for research and clinical trials.
I really don’t give a shit what the solution is … I’m just glad to see that there are many people around the globe turning over every stone looking for a way to get the planet back to a semi-normal functional state. And in the process, let’s hope there are a LOT more people like Kurji who don’t want to relinquish complete control of the planet to a couple of pharmaceutical companies who inevitably WILL turn this global crisis into an opportunity to line their pockets.
Austerity
Stephen Harper is beating the drums of austerity.
It’s really not surprising. John Manley has joined his chorus.
I’m sure many people will want to see our collective governments reign things in over the next few years as part of a recovery plan from Covid-19.
Realistically, the recovery plan should be called Covid-91 because at the rate we’re going it’s unlikely that we’ll be able to pay for our ‘largesse’ and response until 2091.
Here’s the thing: let’s look at how the US is splashing money around.
In 2020, the spend will likely be in the range of $6 TRILLION dollars.
Where’s it going? Banks, airlines, buyouts, bonuses, stock repurchase plans and other wealth-generating, government-teat-sucking, corporate indulgence unlike anything we’ve ever seen before.
TRILLIONS of dollars are being wasted on people that don’t need it.
So sure … you can talk about austerity.
Paul Krugman reminds us how disastrous austerity programs are and what a waste it ultimately is to sell of long-term revenue-generating public assets for short-term cash. It JUST DOESN’T WORK and folks calling for austerity can go fuck themselves.
And in the process, I can talk about communism. I’m not a communist, but I can equally talk about the concept of removing all private property from the hands of the few in favour of the many just so that we can emerge from this mess in one piece.
So, let’s negotiate.
Right? Or Left?
Think I’m being absurd? Let’s ask the general population to pay for your gold bathtubs. Or wine cellars.
Stop talking out of your ass until you clearly identify the sacrifices that the primary beneficiaries – starting with the world’s richest man, Jeff Bezos – are making.
How have you eliminated tax havens?
What loopholes have you closed to ENSURE that the richest of the rich pay their fair share. Arguably, MORE than their fair share?
Should we even ALLOW billionaires to exist anymore? If you get to, say, $100 million dollars, you’re done. You’re not allowed to make anymore.
I remind you that I’m just trying to be as equally naive and hyperbolic as Stephen Harper is when calling for austerity.
BALANCE is what will bring solutions in all of this.
I don’t want to scare away billionaires or the ‘right’ to rake in billions at the cost of society when it’s falling apart.
But I’ll draw that card when the minions of austerity call for millions of people to join bread lines and suffer for the overwhelming incompetence and lack of preparation of our apparently ‘smartest’ leaders on the planet.
Covid exposed that millions of companies across the globe can’t go a month without cashflow before going bankrupt.
The same leaders have been telling people at all levels to suck it up and sell their homes and others assets when faced with similar financial concerns.
There’s no BALANCE and it will lead to a pendulum swing towards the masses.