Not all of us stranded in Australia are whinging. I am a 64 year old kiwi who came to Australia last May to help my family out. I arrived on a ‘green’ flight knowing full well I was taking a risk that the NZ borders could close again. As they have, and MIQ is a lottery, I start a new job tomorrow to tide me over. I count myself so very lucky to be a New Zealand citizen and look forward to returning home when It is clear again.
Yes - the work s going on in the background. 12 days ago Dr Caroline McElnay said: "At the moment, what we are doing is trying to slow down the arrival of Omicron into the country, that is where our efforts are focused - at our border. We don't know how long that will last so we're working as fast as we can to make sure that we are prepared.
"The rapid antigen tests are only one part of the strategy… the testing is part of an overall strategy to minimise the impact on our community at large and on our health system as well."
The Australian experience with the much less accurate rapid antigen tests is that they get bought up like toilet paper on the eve of a lockdown, they run out of stock fast, and resources need to be assigned to policing compulsory reporting. Meanwhile case numbers and deaths escalate.
We all need to keep thumping this tub to get some meaningful action on the accommodation crisis - it’s bullshit to say that building more of the same is addressing the “housing problem”.
Deep-dive major surgery is indeed needed, and ‘transplant’ our idea of what ‘home’ and ‘house’ actually mean - and it’s not ‘investment’.
This from a while ago about Vienna housing and an ownership and development model we could adopt here.
Institutional investors could own the real estate, people could then rent long term and live in affordable dignity.
Australian scientists have for the first time identified immune molecules that remain active eight months after viral infection in Long Covid sufferers, paving the way for tailored treatments for the debilitating condition.
Are we ready for Omicron? No we are not and I hold the Government fully responsible for this neglect of care, despite all the good shit they've done so far. Regular fabric masks do not couper la moutarde. Don't trust me, look at the science. They've been banned in Germany (for exactly 1 year ) and elsewhere and the only masks you can wear on public transport or in businesses are either surgical or FFP2/KN95/N95. Nothing else works effectively and once Omicron comes barrelling down the high street. it'll be too late, because it's going to be just everywhere in a flash and anything vaguely resembling an effective mask will disappear with a great sucking noise.
The concern about long covid is warranted- I have 2 friends who caught the alpha variant in the UK or while returning to NZ in 2020. They are both still suffering its effects.
Gawd - the more you look the worse the gratuitous politicisation gets! Does Chris Bishop really believe Kiwis are dumb enough to buy his line? This from Newsroom:
In the media stand-up today, Hipkins rejected the suggestion that the government has been "on holiday", saying teams have been working hard to get plans in place to deal with Omicron in the community, including working with business representatives and community organisations.
On the other hand, Bishop said New Zealanders deserved a "proper plan" from the government in light of Omicron. "We were told in November last year that the border reopening to Australia was locked in for January. Then it was pushed back to the end of February. Now it has been pushed out indefinitely."
An article by a doctor in the Guardian a few days ago suggested an aim for covid - don't catch it. Inspired by this, I bought a box of P2 masks yesterday, to be used in the rare occasions I go to crowded public spaces.
Yes!!! to the housing article, can we just bloody do it? With Kiwisaver and Home start grants, a deposit is comfortably achievable for most if the price is reasonable (I've done the numbers for a project), house price is the issue.
On ME and other chronic complex conditions: lots more research please but don't hold out the "randomised controlled trial" (RCT) fantasy.
My expertise (reluctantly gained) is Alzheimer's recovery project management, having organised my wife's recovery from terminal end-stage Alzheimer's and published two books on the subject. Alzheimer's has similar characteristics to many other chronic conditions, it's amazingly complex with many possible contributing causes.
Dr Bredesen's teams (around 90% documented arrest and reversal of symptoms in early stage Alzheimer's over the past 10 years) have identified at least 40 possible contributing causes for a patient with an Alzheimer's diagnosis. Each patient they treat presents with a differing combination of between 10 and 25 of these contributing factors:- each person has a different set of problems. An Alzheimer's diagnosis is marginally more specific than being told you have a fever (in which case your doctor will immediately look for possible causes which are manyfold).
This obsession with randomised controlled trials is directly related to the comprehensive lack of success with treating Alzheimer's and the 99%+ failure rates of hundreds of Alzheimer's drug trials. Very few Alzheimer's drugs that have made it to FDA approval (5?) and none work:- meaningfully reduce symptoms or extend life expectancy.
Dr Matt Philips of Waikato DHB has recently released world-first research results showing the positive effects of a ketogenic diet on Alzheimer's patients' functionality. He tells us there is no statistically significant relationship between the presence of amyloid plaques in the brain and Alzheimer's symptoms, another shibboleth of the Alzheimer's medical fraternity is a myth.
RCT has a place, my wife Ann has high insulin resistance and is prescribed Metformin in addition to her ketogenic diet. RCT the hell out of metformin as we need to know it's safe and does the job but don't try to RCT two people with Alzheimer's as they have different things wrong with them, it can't be done.
Which leads to my final point, there will never be a drug to cure Alzheimer's, any more than there will be a drug to cure illness. It's an impossible fantasy which is killing millions of people a year as doctors and researchers pursue this stupidity.
You're likely thinking, whose this big-headed dickhead and what does he know? I know buggerall and so form my opinions based on what I'm told and read from the people who know what they're doing, in this case successfully treating Alzheimer's. I certainly don't pay attention to "I'm a member of the Royal College of Psychiatrists and know that Alzheimer's can't be cured!" from a North Shore Hospital senior staff member whose ministrations of horror story anti-psychotic and sedative medications damn near killed Ann twice. I've labelled him and his colleagues "homicidally incompetent" which is way politer than they deserve.
A good friend came over for coffee a couple of days ago. Eventualy the conversation got around to the covid vaccinations. She isn't, and neither are her adult children. She said she wasn't anti-vax but the more she researched the vaccine the more she decided she didn't want to get it. I have a hard time with that logic but she's a great friend and so I told her the reasons why I got the vaccination and the booster. I have asthma, so getting covid is a high risk. But more than that when I was in my forties I got Influenza A (H3N2). It was a nasty virus and I couldn't get out of bed for three days and was unable to go back to work for three weeks. The residual affect was not being able to drink alcohol at all for two years (it made me violently ill). You might say that's not a bad thing and you're probably right. But I enjoy the odd glass of wine with a meal. Now, several years later, I still can't have more than a couple of glasses or I get sick. So for me the thought of getting another virus infection like that had my mind made up before they even had the vaccine ready.
Not all of us stranded in Australia are whinging. I am a 64 year old kiwi who came to Australia last May to help my family out. I arrived on a ‘green’ flight knowing full well I was taking a risk that the NZ borders could close again. As they have, and MIQ is a lottery, I start a new job tomorrow to tide me over. I count myself so very lucky to be a New Zealand citizen and look forward to returning home when It is clear again.
Housing. Yes borrow $40b off ACC and build rent to buy. ACC will still have plenty and a long term land based asset.Cant go wrong. 😎
Yes - the work s going on in the background. 12 days ago Dr Caroline McElnay said: "At the moment, what we are doing is trying to slow down the arrival of Omicron into the country, that is where our efforts are focused - at our border. We don't know how long that will last so we're working as fast as we can to make sure that we are prepared.
"The rapid antigen tests are only one part of the strategy… the testing is part of an overall strategy to minimise the impact on our community at large and on our health system as well."
The Australian experience with the much less accurate rapid antigen tests is that they get bought up like toilet paper on the eve of a lockdown, they run out of stock fast, and resources need to be assigned to policing compulsory reporting. Meanwhile case numbers and deaths escalate.
David you've reminded me I love the word frippery as much as the fripperies themselves x
Good one David!
We all need to keep thumping this tub to get some meaningful action on the accommodation crisis - it’s bullshit to say that building more of the same is addressing the “housing problem”.
Deep-dive major surgery is indeed needed, and ‘transplant’ our idea of what ‘home’ and ‘house’ actually mean - and it’s not ‘investment’.
This from a while ago about Vienna housing and an ownership and development model we could adopt here.
Institutional investors could own the real estate, people could then rent long term and live in affordable dignity.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=41VJudBdYXY
Promising news announced five days ago:
Australian scientists have for the first time identified immune molecules that remain active eight months after viral infection in Long Covid sufferers, paving the way for tailored treatments for the debilitating condition.
https://www.theaustralian.com.au/science/australian-scientists-breakthrough-raises-hope-of-long-covid-treatment/news-story/9407e0e319c5dda8bf197b92b36a1e58
Are we ready for Omicron? No we are not and I hold the Government fully responsible for this neglect of care, despite all the good shit they've done so far. Regular fabric masks do not couper la moutarde. Don't trust me, look at the science. They've been banned in Germany (for exactly 1 year ) and elsewhere and the only masks you can wear on public transport or in businesses are either surgical or FFP2/KN95/N95. Nothing else works effectively and once Omicron comes barrelling down the high street. it'll be too late, because it's going to be just everywhere in a flash and anything vaguely resembling an effective mask will disappear with a great sucking noise.
The concern about long covid is warranted- I have 2 friends who caught the alpha variant in the UK or while returning to NZ in 2020. They are both still suffering its effects.
Gawd - the more you look the worse the gratuitous politicisation gets! Does Chris Bishop really believe Kiwis are dumb enough to buy his line? This from Newsroom:
In the media stand-up today, Hipkins rejected the suggestion that the government has been "on holiday", saying teams have been working hard to get plans in place to deal with Omicron in the community, including working with business representatives and community organisations.
On the other hand, Bishop said New Zealanders deserved a "proper plan" from the government in light of Omicron. "We were told in November last year that the border reopening to Australia was locked in for January. Then it was pushed back to the end of February. Now it has been pushed out indefinitely."
Like the Singaporean housing system and the Oz HouseMate idea. Would 100% support it here.
An article by a doctor in the Guardian a few days ago suggested an aim for covid - don't catch it. Inspired by this, I bought a box of P2 masks yesterday, to be used in the rare occasions I go to crowded public spaces.
Yes!!! to the housing article, can we just bloody do it? With Kiwisaver and Home start grants, a deposit is comfortably achievable for most if the price is reasonable (I've done the numbers for a project), house price is the issue.
On ME and other chronic complex conditions: lots more research please but don't hold out the "randomised controlled trial" (RCT) fantasy.
My expertise (reluctantly gained) is Alzheimer's recovery project management, having organised my wife's recovery from terminal end-stage Alzheimer's and published two books on the subject. Alzheimer's has similar characteristics to many other chronic conditions, it's amazingly complex with many possible contributing causes.
Dr Bredesen's teams (around 90% documented arrest and reversal of symptoms in early stage Alzheimer's over the past 10 years) have identified at least 40 possible contributing causes for a patient with an Alzheimer's diagnosis. Each patient they treat presents with a differing combination of between 10 and 25 of these contributing factors:- each person has a different set of problems. An Alzheimer's diagnosis is marginally more specific than being told you have a fever (in which case your doctor will immediately look for possible causes which are manyfold).
This obsession with randomised controlled trials is directly related to the comprehensive lack of success with treating Alzheimer's and the 99%+ failure rates of hundreds of Alzheimer's drug trials. Very few Alzheimer's drugs that have made it to FDA approval (5?) and none work:- meaningfully reduce symptoms or extend life expectancy.
Dr Matt Philips of Waikato DHB has recently released world-first research results showing the positive effects of a ketogenic diet on Alzheimer's patients' functionality. He tells us there is no statistically significant relationship between the presence of amyloid plaques in the brain and Alzheimer's symptoms, another shibboleth of the Alzheimer's medical fraternity is a myth.
RCT has a place, my wife Ann has high insulin resistance and is prescribed Metformin in addition to her ketogenic diet. RCT the hell out of metformin as we need to know it's safe and does the job but don't try to RCT two people with Alzheimer's as they have different things wrong with them, it can't be done.
Which leads to my final point, there will never be a drug to cure Alzheimer's, any more than there will be a drug to cure illness. It's an impossible fantasy which is killing millions of people a year as doctors and researchers pursue this stupidity.
You're likely thinking, whose this big-headed dickhead and what does he know? I know buggerall and so form my opinions based on what I'm told and read from the people who know what they're doing, in this case successfully treating Alzheimer's. I certainly don't pay attention to "I'm a member of the Royal College of Psychiatrists and know that Alzheimer's can't be cured!" from a North Shore Hospital senior staff member whose ministrations of horror story anti-psychotic and sedative medications damn near killed Ann twice. I've labelled him and his colleagues "homicidally incompetent" which is way politer than they deserve.
Got that off my chest:- keep up the good work!
Peter
A good friend came over for coffee a couple of days ago. Eventualy the conversation got around to the covid vaccinations. She isn't, and neither are her adult children. She said she wasn't anti-vax but the more she researched the vaccine the more she decided she didn't want to get it. I have a hard time with that logic but she's a great friend and so I told her the reasons why I got the vaccination and the booster. I have asthma, so getting covid is a high risk. But more than that when I was in my forties I got Influenza A (H3N2). It was a nasty virus and I couldn't get out of bed for three days and was unable to go back to work for three weeks. The residual affect was not being able to drink alcohol at all for two years (it made me violently ill). You might say that's not a bad thing and you're probably right. But I enjoy the odd glass of wine with a meal. Now, several years later, I still can't have more than a couple of glasses or I get sick. So for me the thought of getting another virus infection like that had my mind made up before they even had the vaccine ready.