[One] podcast is available through iHeart Media... Spotify and Apple are other major companies that provide significant audio platforms for hosts who have shared similar views with their listeners about Covid-19 and vaccination efforts, or have had guests on their shows who promoted such notions.
“There’s really no curb on it,” said Jason Loviglio, an associate professor of media and communication studies at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. “There’s no real mechanism to push back, other than advertisers boycotting and corporate executives saying we need a culture change.”...
“People develop really close relationships with podcasts,” said Evelyn Douek, a senior research fellow at Columbia University’s Knight First Amendment Institute. “It’s a parasocial medium. There’s something about voice that humans really relate to.”
Buck Sexton, the host of a program syndicated by Premiere Networks, an iHeart subsidiary, recently floated the theory that mass Covid-19 vaccinations could speed the virus’s mutation into more dangerous strains. He made this suggestion while appearing on another Premiere Networks program, “The Jesse Kelly Show.”
The theory...
The theory that the NYT is now spreading!
... appears to have its roots in a 2015 paper about vaccines for a chicken ailment called Marek’s disease. Its author, Andrew Read, a professor of biology and entomology at Penn State University, has said his research has been “misinterpreted” by anti-vaccine activists. He added that Covid-19 vaccines have been found to reduce transmissions substantially, whereas chickens inoculated with the Marek’s disease vaccine were still able to transmit the disease. Mr. Sexton did not reply to a request for comment.
Ah. The NYT spread the theory, and it countered the theory with more speech. That's the classic remedy for bad speech in a system of freedom of speech.
I still have some questions. We're clearly being told that we can still spread the disease after we are vaccinated. That's why we're still wearing masks and taking other precautions. So how are we different from Read's chickens? They were "still able to transmit the disease," but so are we (we, the vaccinated).
I read what's at that link, and all I see is Read objecting to "the implication that it’s bound to make things worse and the implication that the only solution is to stop the vaccination." But isn't that a misreading by Mr. Read? Who said "it’s bound to make things worse"? Anyone? He's just seeing an "implication."
But his point is that the vaccine is the best policy: "The solution to [the disease] all came through vaccines and every chicken in the industry has been better off for being vaccinated than being not vaccinated." I question whether chickens in the industry are better off, but he means to say we, the people, are better off for what we did to the chickens.
ADDED: Proofreading and reaching that last line, the thought popped into my head: Maybe God is a chicken! And you know, it seems that any wild thing you can think is already on the internet. Speech is still that free!
I googled and lo and behold:
1. "Is God a Chicken?!" appears at the website of a Presbyterian Church in San Francisco. It's a discussion of Luke 13:31-35, in which Jesus identifies with a chicken: "how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing." If Jesus is a chicken, isn't his Father a chicken? (I know, Jesus used simile, not metaphor. He said he felt like a chicken (a female chicken, by the way).)
2. "What If God Is Actually A Chicken?" is a story by Stucky that begins: "When Yankel Morgenstern died and went to heaven, he was surprised to find that God was a large chicken. The chicken was about 30 feet tall and spoke perfect English. He stood before a glimmering, eternal coop made of chicken wire of shimmering gold. And behold, inside, a nest of diamonds. 'No freaking way,' said Morgenstern."
Posts
75 comments:
I don’t see much discussion about the power of natural immunity compared to the single spike vaccine. It certainly is valid to consider the likelihood of people with weak immunity perpetuating mutations that could be more dangerous than Delta…
NYT and old media will come around. It wasn’t long ago they were perpetuating the lie that vaccinated people couldn’t spread the virus…
Still gonna subscribe though, aren’t ya?
"But his point is that the vaccine is the best policy: "The solution to [the disease] all came through vaccines and every chicken in the industry has been better off for being vaccinated than being not vaccinated." I question whether chickens in the industry are better off, but he means to say we, the people, are better off for what we did to the chickens."
Ain't nobody here but us chickens... We didn't know we were IN the industry. We thought we were in a constitutional republic.
Silly us.
@Althouse, c’mon lady! The entire left has been saying this or years now, and the Times and the Washington Post have been pushing to set themselves up to be the Gatekeepers for what is real news and what is “fake news” and/or “disinformation” since at least early in the administration of Bush the Younger. The article you reference is only mildly more explicit than articles that have gone before.
I received Pfizer #1 and #2 last Spring and ended up in hospital a few days after each dose.
While my doctors do not believe it is anything other than a coincidence, how enthused do you think I am to get the booster shot?
It's trendy, especially with the Left, to point out how insufficient the Constitution is for meeting the challenges of the modern world. And the moral shortcomings of the founders, when compared to modern sensibilities, is used as an excuse to dismiss their radical yet foundational ideas embedded in the Constitution and Bill of Rights.
But their ideas were uniquely liberalizing. And it's not an accident that the first and second amendments were at the top of the Bill of Rights. These ideals serve a concrete purpose and we allow them to erode at our own peril.
"That would be a culture change in favor of censorship"
That would be an assumption. Why can't it be a culture change to more accurate information on our airwaves and online? They said the problem is "no pushback" - not elimination.
Come on, Ann.
I feel like Harry Markopolos, who told the government 5 times, of Bernie Madoff's ponzi scheme, and they STILL let Madoff run it until it collapsed under it's own weight.
It isn’t science: it is a narrative.
There is little to compare natural immunity with our current vaccines. The CDC has admitted, to a FOI request, that it has no knowledge of a single reinfection of someone with natural immunity (immunity built by having survived the virus). On the flip side, the infection rate for those with vaccinated immunity (“breakthrough cases”) appears to be a bit above half. What that means is that we cannot reach herd immunity solely from just vaccinations. It is impossible. That is because the Delta Variant pushed out other variants over the month of July with its greatly increased infectivity (R0), and the level required for herd immunity (HIT) is based on infectivity (R0). The result is that the the immune portion of the population required for herd immunity (HIT) has risen from roughly 60% of the population in June, to roughly 80% today, with the doubling of infectivity (R0) with the Delta variant. So, throwing together roughly 30% of the population having natural immunities, plus half of the remaining population (50% effectiveness), if the entire population were vaccinated, we would only be at 65% (30% + (1/2*70%)) with 80% required for herd immunity. The only way we get to herd immunity with the current vaccines is when 60% of the population has developed natural immunities (60%+(1/2*40%)). Instead of facing reality, they are doubling down, forcing the vaccination of younger and younger kids, who face negligible risk from the virus, but probably significant risk from the vaccines.
Which brings up a second point. There is accumulating evidence that the vaccines are not completely safe. Full safety testing was bypassed with Emergency Use Authorizations (EUAs). According to one of the inventors of the mRNA technology, one of the things that they didn’t appear to take into account was that these vaccines were developed to work with SARS-CoV-2 innocent immune systems. Which is why the first jab usually works just fine. But many immune systems appear to react drastically when hit by a large quantity of spike proteins from subsequent jabs. The overreaction appears to be because the number of spike proteins created by these jabs is much larger than seen in actual viral attacks. Ever subsequent jab appears to be worse. Moreover, this dynamic happens when those with natural immunities are vaccinated too. Yes, vaccinating those with natural immunities can kill them, and cannot increase their already perfect immunity. The other problem is that the spike proteins were supposed to stay in the muscle where they were injected. They don’t, but instead migrate to inconvenient places, like heart muscles, grain, and germ cells. The apparent result appear to be heart attacks, strokes, and infertility. Not a lot of deaths, but the deaths appear to be directly correlated to fitness, and inversely correlated to age. In other words, the kids that will soon face mandatory vaccinations, for a virus that presents almost no risk to them, will likely face some of the worst side effects. All to reach the statistically impossible task of reaching herd immunity.
This is why they are trying to enforce a narrative, which isn’t close to being science.
Parasocial Viewers or listeners come to consider media personalities as friends, despite having no or limited interactions with them.
That doesn't happen. Schizophrenics, maybe.
The NYT still hasn't come to grips with its inability to serve as an information gatekeeper.
rehajm: what you said about natural immunity > vaccine immunity. I am no scientist but any of us can read up quickly on how this here evolution stuff works, and what you have in the virus is turbocharged evolution of a borderline life form. Which we are trying to defend against using a simplistic tool, that mimics the S1/S2 spike of the virus. And no other feature (such as the rest of the viral coat). And which mimics the now-obsolete alpha version of the spike, while the virus has moved on, been pushed onward, to the delta version. And given the power of evolution, delta will give way to epsilon and kappa and whatever else. We —or our survivors— will learn about this after the fact.
Point being, the vaccine was a stopgap, not a permanent and perfect fix. It helped the bug evolve. We hope the evolutionary pathway is toward reduced lethality and maybe the trade off will be increased infectivity, so we face not Ebola but the common cold. But the best defense long term will be our own immune systems primed with a comprehensive “knowledge” of the entire pathogen. To denigrate naturally acquired immunity in favor of vaccination is IMHO insane, and proof that this is now in large measure a campaign to gain political control.
Still gonna subscribe though, aren’t ya?
At some point one has to decide if the value of being able to blog about the NYT's journalistic malfeasance is outweighed by the support given to them by having a subscription. It's a tough call since the NYT is a fertile field for Althouse. But I am sure the NYT will count any subscription as proof of their value and purpose. I favor starving the beasts until they either waste away or correct their wayward ways.
The chicken was about 30 feet tall and spoke perfect English. He stood before a glimmering, eternal coop made of chicken wire of shimmering gold. And behold, inside, a nest of diamonds.
Let us all rise and sing together:
When you find yourself in danger,
When you're threatened by a stranger,
When it looks like you will take a lickin', (puk, puk, puk)
There is someone waiting,
Who will hurry up and rescue you,
Just Call for Super Chicken! (puk ack!)
Fred, if you're afraid you'll have to overlook it,
Besides you knew the job was dangerous when you took it (puk ack!)
He will drink his super sauce
And throw the bad guys for a loss
And he will bring them in alive and kickin' (puk, puk, puk)
There is one thing you should learn
When there is no one else to turn to
Call for Super Chicken! (puk, puk, puk)
Call for Super Chicken! (puk ack!)
Call me Fred. It's a tough life for a cat.
“ While my doctors do not believe it is anything other than a coincidence, how enthused do you think I am to get the booster shot?”
Keep in mind what I said about the immune response to being hit with a large quantity of viral spikes, when your immune system remembers them. Don’t take my word for it. Do your own research. One place to look may be: Florida COVID Summit: Leading Physicians Announce Updated Declaration Focused on Children and Vaccines, and esp Dr Robert Malone - MRNA Vaccines Explained For Real. Note that Dr Malone has been attacked because he apparently hasn’t condemned the use of ivermectin, said criticism based on a flawed CDC study that tested its efficacy in treating COVID-19, instead of as a prophylactic, taken as a preventative measure (the claim being that you need a couple weeks of the drug in your system to be effective, which the test as a therapy didn’t test).
Personally, I had Moderna jabs in Feb and Mar. I did it so see a 99 (now 100) year old friend. I am reluctant to have a booster, and esp if the Moderna vaccine. First, if I got a different one, the viral spikes generated would be slightly different. Secondly, it looks like Moderna may have a worse safety record that the other vaccine makers. It turns out that it appears that all of the vaccine makers have had bad batches of vaccines, with some states (OK and KY, in particular) having been hit the worst. And, yes, people have died - in many (~40) states at a rate higher than the fatality rate for COVID-19 for kids under 18.
False statements about vaccines have spread on the 'Wild West' of media, even as some hosts die of virus complications."
Panic enthusiasts would have you believe that only people who push back against the restrictions die of COVID. And they are to be laughed at because they deserve it.
The NYT is little more than a hate-click bucket shop. It stopped being a journalistic enterprise years ago, even as it continues to milk the reputation they haven’t deserved in a generation.
That the NY Times, which has knowingly used false narratives illegally leaked to them from Government 'sources', to damage or destroy those who have opinions that run counter to the 'approved' Times narrative is for censorship is hardly surprising. This is the paper that refused to even mention the Hunter Biden laptop, even as their crosstown paper, The Post, was getting censored by telling the truth about it.
The Times is the official news organ of the Corporate/Government/Media/Big Tech Network. In our current America, there are the productive- who work hard, pay taxes, raise their families, and live by rules that used to hold our society together. Then there are the parasites- who don't work at all, or not much. Don't even try to find work. But expect full payment, a living wage, a house, free schooling, toys, and food. All provided for by the government. In return the parasites will follow whatever the Network requests. They don't much care for societal rules and tend to destroy them whenever and wherever possible. The Network needs them for now to continue to create chaos. But at some point, the Network will no longer need them.
Then there is the Network itself. We all know them. We call them The Elite, though there is nothing elite about them. They own all media. All academia. Most of Government. And most all of Big Tech. They control the horizontal. They control the vertical. The own The Narrative. And they have a sub-Elite class that thinks they're elite, but really they're just professional sycophants, trying their best to stay in line, protect The Narrative, hoping for rewards in the end.
When we don't follow The Narrative, or come up with facts that show The Narrative to be, well... a narrative and nothing more, they react by either employing the parasites to shout us down and demand our jobs be removed, or they request that we be silenced- censored. There can be no opposing view to The Narrative. We all know that.
Except that, the most vaccinated State in the Union is Vermont, which now has the highest surges of covid in the nation. California, another highly vaccinated, masked, shut down state, is rolling up covid cases again. Florida, which has spent it's time making decisions based, not on The Narrative, but by actual data, has been open and has the lowest (per 100,000) covid count in the nation. So what gives?
Shut us up and ignore the actual science, or go with the flow? Enjoy The Narrative and get that jab, again and again. I've had 3 jabs so far in 2021, and I'm told I'm not safe yet. That I can still get covid, can still spread covid. So??? What's the actual science here?
Personally, at this point I think Pfizer and Moderna have made so much money, and continue to make billions that there is too much at stake here. Everyone is getting a 'taste' from the Pharmaceuticals. And the sub-Elite class does the dirty work of carrying the water for the Faucis and Albert Bourlas and Stephane Bancels of the world.
The Times is filled with sub-Elitists.
Finally, you said, "as long as the private company known as Google allows me to continue — continue my parasocial life — and doesn't virtual-murder me." Don't worry. They'll get around to you, too. And you know you have had to censor some of our comments from time to time- not because of what you think, but because of how you think they'll take it. So that self-centoring activity is already active all around us. Call it "pre-censoring". Like the precrimes from a Philip K. Dick story.
Slightly OT:
I’m an atheist. But if anything on god’s earth could convince me there is a god out there, an Intelligent Designer, it’s the chicken.
Consider:
They produce eggs. Perfectly-sized, pre-packed bundles of nutritious yum that give us whites for our soufflés and yolks for our custards, and whose whole can be boiled, poached, fried or scrambled.
The chicken body can be consumed in toto, right down to the feet. Baked, broiled, brined or fried. With leftovers tossed in a frittata. All in a low-fat, high-protein, low-guilt (!?) package.
If there is an Intelligent Designer, could they do better than create what we Aussies call “a chook”?
(But, god *as* a chook??)
“The written word is better than a podcast.” Abraham Lincoln.
I saw a bit of a show my wife watches: Family Law. The aging white guy, I guess the patriarch of the firm, tries to keep up with wokeness, but everyone can see his heart isn't in it. The firm hires some kind of damage control person to get him out of the results of some of his comments, and then he creates more trouble when it turns out he is dating someone who I guess is on the right or something. Like this makes the whole firm discreditable. He delivers a hostage video script, which he has memorized, to a reporter, but it's not enough. This all gives me the absolute creeps. One can imagine that the deep-carpet law firms always wanted to be known for discretion, but this is ridiculous.
“rehajm: what you said about natural immunity > vaccine immunity. I am no scientist but any of us can read up quickly on how this here evolution stuff works, and what you have in the virus is turbocharged evolution of a borderline life form. Which we are trying to defend against using a simplistic tool, that mimics the S1/S2 spike of the virus. And no other feature (such as the rest of the viral coat). And which mimics the now-obsolete alpha version of the spike, while the virus has moved on, been pushed onward, to the delta version. And given the power of evolution, delta will give way to epsilon and kappa and whatever else. We —or our survivors— will learn about this after the fact”
The good news is that Delta is going to be hard to compete with and push out. It went from maybe 10% to 90% of the US population over the month of July (and has been over 99% for a couple months now) by its greatly increased infectivity (R0). Infectivity (R0) for Delta essentially doubled over the ancestral variant, and was up by a third over several of the others we were facing in June. That was a big jump. It pushed out the other variants by spreading much more rapidly than they could. The problem is that it is unlikely to mutate sufficiently to give a successor variant that much of an evolutionary edge. And without a significant edge, Delta will continue to dominate, due to its much larger base (currently >99%).
That said, the Delta spike does appear to differ a little, and the differences may explain why, at least initially, Delta appeared to be possibly less deadly than the ancestral strain. The key (likely manmade) improvement in SARS type coronaviruses found in SARS-CoV-2 was its perfect fit with Human ACE2 receptors (which, in itself, is highly unlikely in nature, at least without evidence of genetic experimentation, which is completely lacking). This is where at least some, likely all, of the vaccines are targeted. But because of that, the evolutionary pressure of the vaccines (esp since they aren’t anywhere near sterilizing) will likely be away from those precise spike proteins. But they are closely tied to their affinity to human ACE2 receptors, which was a good part of why the virus was so potent in humans (and, incidentally why if it jumps to/ another species, then back, it is unlikely to be as virulent). Which is to suggest that mutations away from the vaccine generated spike proteins will likely be towards a less infectious variant, that would be at a somewhat of a disadvantage in the unvaccinated against the Delta variant.
Just a theory, but part of why I don’t stay up at night worrying about the evolutionary pressure of these unsanitizing vaccines.
Bruce Hayden said...
"It isn’t science: it is a narrative.
There is little to compare natural immunity with our current vaccines. The CDC has admitted, to a FOI request, that it has no knowledge of a single reinfection of someone with natural immunity (immunity built by having survived the virus)."
Where has this info been published after receiving it from the CDC? Google throws all kinds of disclaimers from the usual news sources at me about how the jab is SO much better. I saw a Cleveland Clinic report of a study that hinted at few or no reinfections among healthcare staff that had previously recovered from COVID, but not the actual study and no links that I could find to the CDC info released due to the FOIA request.
I had hoped the COVID vaccines would end the panic, but I always had doubts about their actual efficacy in both the short and long term. We have had vaccines for influenzas for decades, and multiple versions of those vaccines for every family of the virus, and people catch and recover from the flu multiple times in their lives- and yet the flu is still with us and always will be, it appears. There was never a good reason to expect COVID would turn out to be different in that regard.
Marek vaccines' problem is that the vaccines themselves were very leaky- they weren't sterilizing vaccines- the vaccinated chickens could still catch and transmit the virus, which gave the virus a host in which it could easily replicate and mutate, and the natural pressure on the virus to become less lethal was lifted in such an environment, leading to a more deadly form of the virus for unvaccinated chickens. The industry's solution was to vaccinate all the chickens. Now, this works for fowl farming because the chickens don't live for more than a year or two before going to slaughter- in other words, one vaccination does it for the life of the bird. However, if we humans end up in this same situation, it will require vaccination boosters from now on. Right now, it appears the vaccines' efficacy wanes within a year's time.
Even worse, the concept of Original Antigenic Sin (Hoskin's Effect) suggests (doesn't prove, but does suggest) that for a family of viruses, you probably get one chance to develop a specific antibody based immunity and that all subsequent infections with that family of viruses is mostly dealt with by the original memory B-cells from that first infection along with the innate T-cell mediated immune response. In other words, you don't develop new more specific antibodies for a new mutation. This old antibody response usually works fine for other respiratory viruses, even those that mutate rapidly because your body has developed a broader array against all the virus' proteins. However, our RNA-vaccines are specific only for the spike protein, and it still remains to be seen if this highly narrow antibody response interferes with the development of a broader immunity on infection with COVID itself- this is an important unanswered question.
We certainly know what they'd be doing in 1937 Germany.
"And if they're normal if they can see
They just reach out and change the channel on the TV". Lookin Back - Bob Seger 1971
Below is a Twitter exchange between me and a 2019 Creighton Law grad.
Kaitlin
@OklaKaitlin
·
19h
We did win, and yet here you are, free and sharing your offensive and unhinged opinions free and without repercussions.
Dave Begley
@DavidDBegley1
·
18h
Will the Thought Police arrest me for Wrong Think? You should read Orwell’s “1984” and the US Constitution.
Local papers, such as the Seattle Times, are pushing for government support so they won't struggle as much. They think they can remain independent once the government starts paying them produce local news and life will be happy and carefree. But they forget that the one who pays the piper gets to call the tune. The government will soon be telling them what to report and how to report it.
The Seattle Times is a full-on, liberal paper that believes in six impossible things before breakfast. They'd do better by transforming themselves into a neutral paper that doesn't push a left-wing agenda. They have no conservative columnists but plenty of liberal to community activist columnists. Once they get their payoffs from the government, they'll be insufferable. Then they can kiss my subscription goodbye. A subscription of 44-years.
The NYT's won Pulitzers for their Russian Collusion lies..and they haven't returned them. They can sit down and shut up about disinformation. They are the pros.
Will ANYBODY in the MSM print this story??? I think not. THAT is disinformation, because we should know the consequences of taking a vaccine that is brand new....https://stevekirsch.substack.com/p/a-message-from-michael
The messaging on COVID-19 from government sources has been terrible, and the failure to focus on effective therapies as well as the imperfect vaccines has been worse. These folks cannot embrace the healing power of "and". Given that the vaccines are not perfect, we should have both effective therapies and vaccines. Natural immunity among those who have recovered should be considered. The minimal risk to children should be embraced rather than ignored.
This is a virus that kills old people. As an old person, I have been somewhat careful but not unduly so. Triple vaccinated with Pfizer, I'll get a booster every year for a while if that is the recommendation. I get a flu shot every year. I am not very worried, but everyone under 50 should not be worried at all. Sheesh.
By the way, LeBron James is an idiot.
Newspaper editors are no more free speech advocates than corporate CEOs are capitalists.
The traditional culprits responsible for the spread of plagues were witches and Jews. We have made some progress in the development of vaccines, but that doesn't obviate the need to blame witches and Jews. Shape shifting witches in our era have taken on the form of podcasters and NFL quarterbacks. That's how crafty those damned witches are. They are, however, unable to assume the form of Democratic politicians so no one is suggesting that Gov. Cuomo might have more culpability than Joe Rogan in the spread of the disease.....Early in the plague, there was some effort to blame Hassidic religious gatherings on the spread, but that seems to have petered out. Maybe one of these Israeli studies will turn out to be flawed, and we can move on from there to blame the Jews...We will make no progress against this disease until we identify the witches and Jews and burn them at the stake. I'm hoping that Sarah Palin says something against children wearing masks. Then we can burn the witch and thereby achieve the catharsis that scientists have shown gives us natural immunity to the spread of the disease.
Bruce said... On the flip side, the infection rate for those with vaccinated immunity (“breakthrough cases”) appears to be a bit above half. What that means is that we cannot reach herd immunity solely from just vaccinations.
Actually, the vaccination CAN help us reach herd immunity
these "vaccines" don't seem to prevent the virus, but they DO seem to limit its danger
What We Should Do... Is What Florida did; vax the old people and other risk folks,
Then, let the virus Run WILD! No masks, no distancing, Party! Party!! PARTY!!!
Then, EVERYONE gets infected; but at risk people don't die on account of because of the "vax"
Then, once everyone has been infected.... It's OVER!!!! Problem SOLVED!!!
There is little to compare natural immunity with our current vaccines. The CDC has admitted, to a FOI request, that it has no knowledge of a single reinfection of someone with natural immunity (immunity built by having survived the virus)."
Well, it admitted it doesn't collect that data. The FOIA request response making the rounds says:
Documents reflecting any documented case of an individual who (1) never received a COVID-19 vaccine; (2) was infected with COVID-19 once, recovered, and then later became infected again; and (3) transmitted SARS-CoV-2 to another person when infected
A search of our records failed to reveal any documents pertaining to your request. The CDC Emergency Operations Center (EOC) conveyed that this information is not collected.
It would seem like a good idea to look into it though, wouldn't it?
“We have had vaccines for influenzas for decades, and multiple versions of those vaccines for every family of the virus, and people catch and recover from the flu multiple times in their lives- and yet the flu is still with us and always will be, it appears. There was never a good reason to expect COVID would turn out to be different in that regard.”
Except that these different strains of influenza are very different viruses. It isn’t one virus, but rather a huge family of many, often, disparate, viruses. Some come from pigs, others from chickens. Some come from China, and others from South America.
“ Even worse, the concept of Original Antigenic Sin (Hoskin's Effect) suggests (doesn't prove, but does suggest) that for a family of viruses, you probably get one chance to develop a specific antibody based immunity and that all subsequent infections with that family of viruses is mostly dealt with by the original memory B-cells from that first infection along with the innate T-cell mediated immune response. In other words, you don't develop new more specific antibodies for a new mutation. This old antibody response usually works fine for other respiratory viruses, even those that mutate rapidly because your body has developed a broader array against all the virus' proteins. However, our RNA-vaccines are specific only for the spike protein, and it still remains to be seen if this highly narrow antibody response interferes with the development of a broader immunity on infection with COVID itself- this is an important unanswered question.”
This is worrisome. But part of this, with influenza, may be that a specific flu virus may be coming back when a sufficient number of generations have died out that have immunity to that specific (or very closely related) virus. Everyone in generations too young to have previously encountered the virus before are vulnerable to it. I think that to really see if this works, you would maybe have to look at strains that a slightly younger generation is immune to, and see if the older generation were as resistant.
What I think Yancey is getting at, is that under this theory, if you get vaccinated, then later have COVID-19, that your immune memory of the virus is not as good, as it would have been if you hadn’t gotten vaccinated first.
Mike of Snoqualmie said...
But they forget that the one who pays the piper gets to call the tune. The government will soon be telling them what to report and how to report it.
This is wrong. There is no forgetting.
They know exactly what they are trying to do.
They would like nothing better than to be Pravda.
They'd do better by transforming themselves into a neutral paper that doesn't push a left-wing agenda.
I believe you are correct but I also believe most news has moved out of the news business and in to the agitprop business. They are no longer interested in news...
I cringe every time I hear a Joe Rogan or someone talk how they are doing this or that so they can attract eyeballs for the money. Not true. There are plenty of Bezos or Henrys or a government with endless largesse to keep their little projects going. They are looking for eyeballs to keep and/or expand their influence.
"This NYT headline displays an unabashed belief that censorship is desirable and expected"
All the non-news that's fit to print: this has been lefty gospel since 1789--except when they calculated that they could use free speech to advance leftism and protect commies.
"as if the tradition of freedom of speech has evaporated"
What "tradition"? Progressivism believe in no "tradition." The only tradition they like is the tradition of doing whatever it takes.
"With dismay, I am reading"
Appreciate your dismay, but it is again a little late: this is progressive MO, and has been for decades. The Althouse recognition matters, but it will only really matter if the Althouses of America act on their dismay and put an end to the progressive assault on this and other traditions. So far, they won't. Therefore, the assault continues.
The one good example of a spokesperson dying of the disease is the cardiologist in New Brunswick, Canada who wished that all the unvaccinated would die of the virus. He did not. He died of the booster shot.
And yet here you are, still blogging on and being censored by Google.
Not censored in the sense that Google says what you can and can't post or has any list of rules. But censored in the sense that you may see a story that you would like to blog. Then you think, "Ehhh..., better not. Google might not like it."
And if Google decides they don't like something they have ways of making you suffer up to and including maing your blog go "Poof!"
We see that in your prohibition of the spelling out of the N word. I applaud that. I think you are right to do do. I used to do it on my NIOT protoblog (A maillist but basically a blog)
But do you do it because it is a bad word that you believe should never see the light of day (as I did) or because you believe that Google would not like it? Having read you for a dozen or more years now, I think probably mostly the former. But you will have to work pretty hard to convince me that the latter, fear of reprisal, doesn't enter into it a little bit.
Watch CNN for another example. Ever see a negative story about vaccines in particular or pharmaceuticals in general? Ever notice what percentage of their ads are for pharmaceutical companies? At least 50%. Probably more.
But it is just a coincidence, I am sure.
You really need to get off Google, Ann. You should start a mirror of the blog on a website that you own. That you can't be kicked off of. I fear that one day I am going to wake up and find you gone. That will be a very, very, sad day.
John LGBTQBNY Henry
Which came first, the collapse of Authority or its desire to silence dissent? Dead chicken with crushed eggs.
The collective corrupt left do not want you to hear anything other the THEIR Soviet message.
If you have some spare time, please listen. eye opening.
*annoying ads that loop in the front. push the little button over towards the right.
even if you miss part of the beginning - that's OK.
Gee, a real shame about all those folks podcasting on Spotify, I-Heart and so on. Their problem is that they don't realize who their customers are.
Not the people who listen. Their customers are spotify, I-Heart etc. Those are the folks that the podcaster must keep happy. The way to keep them happy is to not say anything that might, in any way, offend the advertisers. Or offend a few people who can bring pressure to bear on the advertisers. See Joe Rogan, for example, though he is big enough that he could, and did, say "Fuck those people".
Few podcasters are.
No Agenda podcast is now in its 14th year. www.noagendashow.com John C Dvorak and Adam Curry can talk about ANYTHING because their customers ("producers" as they call them) are their listeners, not advertisers. They call it the value for value model. Completely supported by donations. There is no choke point (advertisers, network)for anyone to go after. Someone could go after PayPal I suppose, but they don't seem to get much money through them anyway. Most is by checks or bank to bank transfer.
The podcast pulls in enough that they both make a very nice living from it. Some estimates are $300-400m per year.
I think that, or subscriptions, are the only way to have any independence.
Joe Rogan may be the exception. He seems to have a contract that guarantees that he gets paid regardless. If Spotify cancels him, he gets paid and can go back to being independent again.
John LGBTWBNY Henry
The concept of not vaccinating into an outbreak has been around in scientific circles for 50 years at least.
It is the same reason you don't take a little bit of antibiotics. Vaccinating into a pandemic, as we are doing, allows the disease to build up a resistance. "Vaccinating" with a weak vaccine, as we are doing now, doesn't stop the virus, it just slows and weakens it. This kills off the weaker viri but the stronger survive, figuring out ways around the virus. The virus builds an immunity to the vaccine.
It builds back better, to coin a phrase.
I don't think there has been much research done with Kung Flu in this regard. They might not like the findings. There has certainly been a lot done over the years with other viri.
Lest anyone think I am an anti-vaxxer, I have probably had more vaccines in my life than anyone else here (former military excepted). My kids, growing up, got every vaccine going.
I don't think the KungFlu vaccine does much good but I do have a vax card.
For those who think it does, explain why there have been more KungFlu deaths under Brandon (with the vaccine) than under President Trump (without the vaccine)
John LGBTQBNY Henry
Why is our Public Health establishment still pushing the mRNA therapies for LAST YEARS VIRUS, which is not effective against Delta, in order to allegedly “slow the spread” of Delta? Like I’ve been saying for 19 months now the COVID fight will eventually merge into the annual flu shot, a yearly cocktail of the most likely flu strains for each season. Any Althouse readers who thought they were “fully vaccinated” are about to learn how fast definitions change in the era of Woke Medicine.
Our President Emeritus just declared war on the media.
TRUMP: We’re going to start something now very big program. We’re going to start boycotting businesses and recommending boycotts of businesses. There are more of us than there are of them.
[snip]
https://www.toddstarnes.com/politics/were-going-to-boycott-businesses-that-are-anti-conservative-trump-tells-starnes
I like it!
He is also starting a new social network called "Truth.social". I have read it will go live with a massive ad in Superbowl 22. Branding expert that he is, I suspect that we will find out that he winds up owning the word truth as he did with "fake news".
I have also heard that he is going to buy CNN. As far in the dumper as it is, it should be pretty cheap.
I can hear the tagline now "CNN: The Truth Network"
All those progressive exploding heads are going to create a real mess.
John LGBTQBNY Henry
gilbar said, "Actually, the vaccination CAN help us reach herd immunity
these "vaccines" don't seem to prevent the virus, but they DO seem to limit its danger"
gilbar makes an important point, discussed in more detail here:
http://high-fat-nutrition.blogspot.com/2021/11/are-covid-19-vaccines-useful-3.html
The downside is that the vaccines have questionable safety profiles. Governments are loathe to acknowledge this. Leads to the idea that focused protection (vaccinating the most vulnerable) is a better strategy than universal vaccination, especially with a "leaky vaccine".
Better vaccines would also help.
The censorship debate seems to be a mirror image of what happens during wartime.
Antiwar protesters are said to "give aid and comfort" to the enemy. Anti-SARS-Cov-2-vaxxers are said to be endangering everyone with "misinformation".
In the 1960's there were people who were absolutely convinced the United States would be at greater risk should South Vietnam fall to the communists. The ultimate outcome of the war proved that fear wrong.
Today there are people absolutely convinced COVID will kill us all. I believe current facts and the ultimate outcome of the pandemic will likewise prove this fear wrong.
Jimmy Carter was pilloried for suggesting Americans had an "inordinate fear of communism". Today, some of us are pilloried for suggesting the same about the 'rona.
Our weapons in Vietnam did not alter the ultimate outcome. Our "weapons" against the virus seem headed the same way.
The US government lied repeatedly about the Vietnam war. They lie repeatedly today about COVID.
Same stuff, different era.
I suspect the concern about the vaccine promoting more virulent strains is based not on a single paper but rather on analogy from the well known phenomenon of overuse of antibiotics resulting in the spread of antibiotic resistant strains.
Coronavirus isn't a bacterium, so it's not the same, but you can see what the outlines of the policy would look like if you took this risk seriously: vaccinate the elderly and people at heightened risk (obesity, diabetes, etc.) and no one else.
I've read somewhere that the nature of the coronavirus is such that this isn't much of a risk (that a mutation in the spike protein that could render a variant impervious to the vaccine would also make it no longer spiky enough to get past the cell wall to infect people in the first place or something). But it's not an irrational concern.
Myocarditis deaths take about 3-10 years to really kick in.
We are already seeing people dying of myocarditis from the vaccine. Kids and teenagers are more susceptible to it than adults. They are deleting studies and censoring results now.
The only way the drug companies and their political allies will survive the coming wave of child mortality from their stalinist push to force vaccination is if they can censor "misinformation."
It looks like if the injection is too close to the bloodstream the vaccine gets into the bloodstream too fast and provokes an immediate immune response.
But you gotta break a few eggs to get your social credit system started.
Taiwan and Europe are halting vaccine use on kids.
Gavin Newsome just had an adverse reaction to his COVID shot and he is still mandating it be used on kids who have a higher risk rate than he does.
Anyone who votes for Gavin Newsome or supports Democrats in general is signing on to the deaths of thousands of children.
These people need to censor this or they will be consumed by the blow back.
People who support censorship and stonewalling are always on the wrong side of history.
Any victories you shitheads enjoy now are going to be short lived.
Balfegor,
Sure, most mutations fail in doing both tasks- evading the antibodies and infecting cells- but the very fact that RNA viruses have been infecting humans for thousands of years suggests that the hurdle isn't hard for them to overcome.
At least give Mr. Auslander, the author of the Chicken story, a link he can profit from. The story is in Beware of God. Amazon link below.
https://www.amazon.com/Beware-God-Stories-Shalom-Auslander-ebook/dp/B000SF9SQY/ref=sr_1_6?crid=2JJQ7B4S2JVMS&keywords=shalom+auslander&qid=1636915218&qsid=139-2384337-7311823&s=digital-text&sprefix=shalom+auslander%2Caps%2C186&sr=1-6&sres=B084FVYCG1%2CB005GSZZ88%2CB000W94DIO%2CB000SF9SQY%2CB00D370BV0%2CB00BGGZ8EA%2CB00AX69P8O%2CB0064BV06C%2CB0076LOSEA%2CB00HY5GLSE%2CB004C43G42%2CB07DL979VQ&srpt=ABIS_BOOK
CrackEmcee sez:
"That would be an assumption. Why can't it be a culture change to more accurate information on our airwaves and online"
Hooboy!
Every fascist ever promises "more accurate information" as a means to crush dissent.
Seeking "more accurate information" is a fantasy. The best remedy for "inaccurate information" is more information, not some sort of wishcasting that envisions a "cultural change to more accurate information."
Who decides which speech is "more accurate?" (Answer: In most scenarios, the oppressor, the one who seeks to silence speech.)
The dinosaur media is reduced to gibbering, dishonest idiots because the "marketplace of ideas" mushroomed in size over the past two decades and theirs is now but a tiny proportion of that mushroom.
Bruce Hayden said...
l. Note that Dr Malone has been attacked because he apparently hasn’t condemned the use of ivermectin, said criticism based on a flawed CDC study that tested its efficacy in treating COVID-19, instead of as a prophylactic, taken as a preventative measure (the claim being that you need a couple weeks of the drug in your system to be effective, which the test as a therapy didn’t test).
Bruce Hayden brings up a point. Every government approved test for anything that is useful, not might be, but is useful, against the dreaded covid has been specifically designed to fail. I've posted the link before- an analysis of the numbers (and if nothing else, the dreaded covid really can be explained completely by numbers) shows that if your Vitamin D blood level is >50 ng/ml you're not going to die of the dreaded covid. May not even get it, or you'll be one of those who gets and antibody test later that finds out you had it and didn't know it. Yet, there are at least 3 studies I know of, all approved by the government and the medical establishment, that unequivocally prove that Vitamin D is useless against the dreaded covid. All 3 involved giving a one time massive Vitamin D does, either orally or by injection, to people already in ICU for the dreaded covid. It had- zero effect on death rates! Conclusive proof! Absolutely! They say so! Except it's not, because and every single proponent of Vitamin D would tell you that would fail. You have to take a supplement every day, particularly if you live above 40° N, to get your blood level to 50-60 ng/ml. And- you have to be tested for it. Takes more D for the obese to get there- the fat cells suck it up. There's no one universal dosage that does it. I can get there with 2000 IU additional to what's in my multi and my milk consumption.
The VA study of HCQ and azithromycin did the same thing- given to patients pretty much already on their death beds. "Hey, look, it's useless!" (As a BTW- I suspect that most of the people in the VA study were also not just obese, but using the medical term, grossly obese.)
The one variable you can monitor- if you live in a free state- is your Vitamin D blood level. Go to a lab or pharmacy, get a blood draw, get it tested. <50 ng/ml? Pick a dosage, start taking it, 6 weeks later, test again. Adjust dosage as needed. Also- if you're takin D, take a K supplement. Unless you're on blood thinners of any kind- then do all of this under a doctor's supervision.
And I'm going to say it again- use a nasal spray with xylitol, daily. Xlear is the one commercial brand I know is available. Or you can search nasal sprays and covid and use any of them currently in phase 3 studies. And one in which no definitive study has been done, my real suggestion, daily nasal irrigation with a saline mixture that includes xylitol and erythritol, both of which have anti-viral properties. If you have seasonal allergies- I do- you'll also find your need for antihistamines goes way down. Mine went to zero when I started it over a decade ago. I added xylitol about 3 years ago- no colds or flu since then.
Remember Microsoft's white male with a beard -- the "security evangelist"?
Most of today's media seems to be composed of "evangelists" for one cause or another.
They aren't experts, but they have their gospel truth and keep thumping that book.
In the 2020 campaign "science" was a god term and "following the science" was the way to salvation, even -- or especially -- when nobody actually knew what "the science" was.
One of the most significant things college students have drilled into their heads is the importance of censoring speech that counters the majority’s narratives.straight out of the Marxist playbook as articulated expressly by Herbert Marcuse.
Althouse, you should add a “truth bullshit” or “disinformation bullshit” category. The NY Times mines that category all day long by publishing disinformation on a long list of topics ranging from Russia collusion to the need for vac shots of children. Many are discovering this ploy in the censoring of debate about COVID, including censorship of legitimate scientific and medical studies.
Crack Emcee: "I feel like Harry Markopolos, who told the government 5 times, of Bernie Madoff's ponzi scheme, and they STILL let Madoff run it until it collapsed under it's own weight."
Unfortunately for Markopolos, Madoff had already bought off all the "right" people. So, while Markopolos was running around spouting the truth, Madoff was busy behind closed doors pressing flesh, kissing babies and paying off others.
Similar to the reaction that investment analyst who was the very first to call out Jeff Skilling from Enron on the very sketchy financial dealings of their organization on a conference call made famous:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FSK0v0vTgXA
Enron (Ken Lay, Jeff Skilling) had also paid off all the right politicians in Texas (something I know a bit about personally) until the house of cards collapsed while the canaries in the coal mine went ignored.
"He added that Covid-19 vaccines have been found to reduce transmissions substantially, whereas chickens inoculated with the Marek’s disease vaccine were still able to transmit the disease."
This sentence - propaganda or stupidity?
On day, Althouse, you will recognize the moral repugnance of supporting the New York Times. It's not just morally repugnant to give the money each month, propaganda should be free. Getting people to pay for it is one of the genius moves of our owning class.
The average IQ of the people pontificating on the vaccines, and COVID generally, is 100. As a great man once said: "You can't fix stupid." There is no "replay official" give rulings on matters of logic and evidence. It's a waste of time. It's every man for himself.
"Maybe God is a chicken!"
If He is, then we finally know that The Chicken came before The Egg. Unless, like the Holy Trinity, they are coeternal. We need a theology of Chicken and Egg.
Freedom of speech is an artifact of the "Wild West," not the foundation of our republic!
--------
i vaguely recall Mao the communist say something like : free speech words flow out the barrelofgun
Tim In Vermont, mine is >140 on any IQ test or equivalent. 750M/760V on the SAT in 1973. I suspect most of the commenters here are at least one standard deviation above 100. For one thing- they’re here and find the subjects Ann finds interesting to be interesting themselves. There are a few I suspect may be on the other side of the bell curve. And we all probably agree on who they would be.
If you want to see comments from the middle and left side of the bell curve you can go to the Washington Post or NY Slimes comment sections.
Maybe God is a chicken!
If so it's gonna be pretty awkward when the Chick-fil-A people arrive at the pearly gates...
Gospace said... And I'm going to say it again- use a nasal spray with xylitol, daily. Xlear is the one commercial brand I know is available. Or you can search nasal sprays and covid...
--
Betadine/Povidone Iodine nasal and throat irrigation seems to be favored by docs.
Until Nikole Hannah-Jones, primary author of the 1619 Project, is censored, no one should be censored. Pretty much every pronouncement of hers is a self-serving, narrative-serving lie that comes with the prestige of the NYT.
“Well, the New York Times is free to print such things, misleading though they are.”
They are so sure they will be the censors, and not the censored. Because they know The Truth?
Is it necessary to point out how mathematically and scientifically ignorant journalists are (including even the more successful ones, such as those who work for the NY Times?
These are people who, if they took any math in college at all, took something like “math for liberal arts majors (and others who hate math). Who routinely confuse “studies” produced by advocacy organizations with actual science? Who couldn’t even begin to explain the meaning of something as simple as “p-hacking,” let alone any sort of advanced statistics or other math?
These are to be the arbiters of Truth, the ones who decide what is permitted in public discourse, and what is not only in error but so dangerous it must be banned?
May I suggest the proper American response to this is ridicule, and an upraised finger? Who do they think they are?
Comment to: What If God Is Actually A Chicken?
https://www.theburningplatform.com/2017/01/06/what-if-god-is-actually-a-chicken/
By "kokoda the deplorable" (evidently raised as a Catholic):
I see why God is a chicken – in the early parts of the vid Foreskin’s Lament, you see these people at the Wailing Wall (correct name?) and others behind them, all bobbing their heads like CHICKENS.
WTF is that with bobbing their heads? How does stupidity creep into acceptance by humans? If you don’t bob your head (like a chicken), you will not be saved – you will go to hell and someone else will receive the 72 Virgins originally destined for YOU.
I remember we couldn’t eat meat on Friday – WTF!!! I hated those nasty Fishsticks; had to use a lot of condiments to get that shit down. It was a SIN to eat meat on Friday (Mortal Sin??? – I forget). Later on, they changed the rule. So, did God (the Chicken) return those from HELL for eating meat on FRIday???
Meanwhile, (from Gateway)
"Pro Football COVID Update: Green Bay QB Rodgers Back Today After Taking Ivermectin, Pittsburgh QB Roethlisberger Vaccinated But Out with COVID"
I like Gateway. Many headlines or stories are is taken out of context or edited. The same tricks used by MSM. Gets the libs very upset.
"Why do the protected need to be protected from the unprotected by forcing the unprotected to use the protection that didn’t protect the protected in the first place?"
“There’s really no curb on it,” said Jason Loviglio, an associate professor of media and communication studies at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. “There’s no real mechanism to push back, other than advertisers boycotting and corporate executives saying we need a culture change.”...
Apparently Jason Loviglio doesn't believe his side actually has good arguments. Since if they did, the way to "push back" would be to point out all the truths on their side.
It must suck to have such worthless views that it never even occurs to you to try to "push back" by telling the truth
Bruce Hayden said...
There is little to compare natural immunity with our current vaccines.
Actually, there is:
1: The Israeli study that found the people who had Covid were significantly more resistant to re-infection than those who had the jabs
2: The CDC's KY study. You know, the one where the press release headline said "Study finds vaccine provides more protection than natural immunity", but the press release and paper admit they compared people with natural immunity to those with natural immunity plus two jabs.
The data they collected (1: All the people in KY with positive Covid tests, 2: All the people who've gotten "vaccinated in KY) made it trivially easy to compare infection rates among the vaccinated who never had a positive test, vs the ones with positive tests and no jabs.
So we must believe that they did that comparison, and it came back "natural immunity much better".
So yes, to a strong degree of certainty we know that natural immunity is greatly superior to the jobs
“Actually, the vaccination CAN help us reach herd immunity
these "vaccines" don't seem to prevent the virus, but they DO seem to limit its danger”
Agreed. I should have said that vaccinations don’t directly benefit getting to herd immunity. It’s not a replacement for getting the virus and surviving it, but rather they make getting it safer for many.
Rehajm said...
"Well, it admitted it doesn't collect that data. The FOIA request response making the rounds says:
Documents reflecting any documented case of an individual who (1) never received a COVID-19 vaccine; (2) was infected with COVID-19 once, recovered, and then later became infected again; and (3) transmitted SARS-CoV-2 to another person when infected
A search of our records failed to reveal any documents pertaining to your request. The CDC Emergency Operations Center (EOC) conveyed that this information is not collected."
Ok, that is what the CDC's response was. I must conclude that either:
1. They did not capture the data in their statistics, and were intentionally incurious; or
2. They do have the information and are withholding it, despite the FOIA request.
Either way, not good.
>>Call for Super Chicken!
Oh, geez, it's been about fifty years that I thought about Super Chicken!
Now do Underdog.
--gpm
The CDC was forced to admit that those who recovered from COVID-19 not only don't get the disease again, but they also don't spread it to others.
As opposed to the vaccinated, who can definitely get the disease, and can spread it to others.
Maybe the NYT doesn't like that fact either.
"Shut Up", They Explained.
"Free Speech For Me, But Not For Thee"
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