Here is a list of Opinionated Blogs ordered by Last Liked, posted by members. A Blog is a journal you may enter about your life, thoughts, interesting experiences, or lessons you've learned. Post an opinion, impart words of wisdom, or talk about something interesting in your day. Update your blog on a regular basis, or just whenever you have something to say. Creating a blog is a good way to share something of yourself with others. Reading blogs is a good way to learn more about others. Click here to post a blog.
The origin of COVID: Did people or nature open Pandora’s box at Wuhan?
A look back.
By Nicholas Wade | May 5, 2021
The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted lives the world over for more than a year. Its death toll will soon reach three million people. Yet the origin of pandemic remains uncertain: The political agendas of governments and scientists have generated thick clouds of obfuscation, which the mainstream press seems helpless to dispel.
In what follows I will sort through the available scientific facts, which hold many clues as to what happened, and provide readers with the evidence to make their own judgments. I will then try to assess the complex issue of blame, which starts with, but extends far beyond, the government of China.
By the end of this article, you may have learned a lot about the molecular biology of viruses. I will try to keep this process as painless as possible. But the science cannot be avoided because for now, and probably for a long time hence, it offers the only sure thread through the maze.
The virus that caused the pandemic is known officially as SARS-CoV-2, but can be called SARS2 for short. As many people know, there are two main theories about its origin. One is that it jumped naturally from wildlife to people. The other is that the virus was under study in a lab, from which it escaped. It matters a great deal which is the case if we hope to prevent a second such occurrence.
I’ll describe the two theories, explain why each is plausible, and then ask which provides the better explanation of the available facts. It’s important to note that so far there is no direct evidence for either theory. Each depends on a set of reasonable conjectures but so far lacks proof. So I have only clues, not conclusions, to offer. But those clues point in a specific direction. And having inferred that direction, I’m going to delineate some of the strands in this tangled skein of disaster.
A tale of two theories. After the pandemic first broke out in December 2019, Chinese authorities reported that many cases had occurred in the wet market?—?a place selling wild animals for meat?—?in Wuhan. This reminded experts of the SARS1 epidemic of 2002, in which a bat virus had spread first to civets, an animal sold in wet markets, and from civets to people. A similar bat virus caused a second epidemic, known as MERS, in 2012. This time the intermediary host animal was camels.
The decoding of the virus’s genome showed it belonged a viral family known as beta-coronaviruses, to which the SARS1 and MERS viruses also belong. The relationship supported the idea that, like them, it was a natural virus that had managed to jump from bats, via another animal host, to people. The wet market connection, the major point of similarity with the SARS1 and MERS epidemics, was soon broken: Chinese researchers found earlier cases in Wuhan with no link to the wet market. But that seemed not to matter when so much further evidence in support of natural emergence was expected shortly.
Wuhan, however, is home of the Wuhan Institute of Virology, a leading world center for research on coronaviruses. So the possibility that the SARS2 virus had escaped from the lab could not be ruled out. Two reasonable scenarios of origin were on the table.
From early on, public and media perceptions were shaped in favor of the natural emergence scenario by strong statements from two scientific groups. These statements were not at first examined as critically as they should have been.
“We stand together to strongly condemn conspiracy theories suggesting that COVID-19 does not have a natural origin,” a group of virologists and others wrote in the Lancet on February 19, 2020, when it was really far too soon for anyone to be sure what had happened.
Read more:
By Nicholas Wade | May 5, 2021
The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted lives the world over for more than a year. Its death toll will soon reach three million people. Yet the origin of pandemic remains uncertain: The political agendas of governments and scientists have generated thick clouds of obfuscation, which the mainstream press seems helpless to dispel.
In what follows I will sort through the available scientific facts, which hold many clues as to what happened, and provide readers with the evidence to make their own judgments. I will then try to assess the complex issue of blame, which starts with, but extends far beyond, the government of China.
By the end of this article, you may have learned a lot about the molecular biology of viruses. I will try to keep this process as painless as possible. But the science cannot be avoided because for now, and probably for a long time hence, it offers the only sure thread through the maze.
The virus that caused the pandemic is known officially as SARS-CoV-2, but can be called SARS2 for short. As many people know, there are two main theories about its origin. One is that it jumped naturally from wildlife to people. The other is that the virus was under study in a lab, from which it escaped. It matters a great deal which is the case if we hope to prevent a second such occurrence.
I’ll describe the two theories, explain why each is plausible, and then ask which provides the better explanation of the available facts. It’s important to note that so far there is no direct evidence for either theory. Each depends on a set of reasonable conjectures but so far lacks proof. So I have only clues, not conclusions, to offer. But those clues point in a specific direction. And having inferred that direction, I’m going to delineate some of the strands in this tangled skein of disaster.
A tale of two theories. After the pandemic first broke out in December 2019, Chinese authorities reported that many cases had occurred in the wet market?—?a place selling wild animals for meat?—?in Wuhan. This reminded experts of the SARS1 epidemic of 2002, in which a bat virus had spread first to civets, an animal sold in wet markets, and from civets to people. A similar bat virus caused a second epidemic, known as MERS, in 2012. This time the intermediary host animal was camels.
The decoding of the virus’s genome showed it belonged a viral family known as beta-coronaviruses, to which the SARS1 and MERS viruses also belong. The relationship supported the idea that, like them, it was a natural virus that had managed to jump from bats, via another animal host, to people. The wet market connection, the major point of similarity with the SARS1 and MERS epidemics, was soon broken: Chinese researchers found earlier cases in Wuhan with no link to the wet market. But that seemed not to matter when so much further evidence in support of natural emergence was expected shortly.
Wuhan, however, is home of the Wuhan Institute of Virology, a leading world center for research on coronaviruses. So the possibility that the SARS2 virus had escaped from the lab could not be ruled out. Two reasonable scenarios of origin were on the table.
From early on, public and media perceptions were shaped in favor of the natural emergence scenario by strong statements from two scientific groups. These statements were not at first examined as critically as they should have been.
“We stand together to strongly condemn conspiracy theories suggesting that COVID-19 does not have a natural origin,” a group of virologists and others wrote in the Lancet on February 19, 2020, when it was really far too soon for anyone to be sure what had happened.
Read more:
online now!
Thinkers & Fighters
There are two types of people in the world, thinkers and fighters. Each think they don't need the other and often society tries to separate them.
The truth is, thinkers and fighters need each other. In order for society to be what it is, you need both. The thinker is the reason why we don't still live by candle light and the fighter is the reason why we don't live under some kind of occupation. Also, a thinker who is influenced by the fighter will still be a thinker but will have a backbone and the fighter who is influenced by the thinker will still be a fighter but a smarter one and that is the most dangerous fighter on the battlefield.
The truth is, thinkers and fighters need each other. In order for society to be what it is, you need both. The thinker is the reason why we don't still live by candle light and the fighter is the reason why we don't live under some kind of occupation. Also, a thinker who is influenced by the fighter will still be a thinker but will have a backbone and the fighter who is influenced by the thinker will still be a fighter but a smarter one and that is the most dangerous fighter on the battlefield.
online today!
Gearing Up.
The conflict in Ukraine is far from over or resolved but it seems the next planned proxy war is already in the making.
The Pentagon said on Wednesday that the United States has approved the potential sale of $619 million in new weapons to Taiwan, including missiles for its F-16 fleet.
Why can't there be peace internationally?
The Pentagon said on Wednesday that the United States has approved the potential sale of $619 million in new weapons to Taiwan, including missiles for its F-16 fleet.
Why can't there be peace internationally?
online today!
Was the regime change in 2014 a coup?
Elon Musk calls 2014 Ukraine regime change a ‘coup’
© AFP / Justin Sullivan
Twitter CEO Elon Musk polarized his followers with a tweet declaring there was “no question” that the 2014 change of government in Ukraine was a “coup.” On Saturday, the billionaire tweeted that while “the election” – presumably referring to the 2010 vote that elected Viktor Yanukovych president – was “arguably dodgy,” what followed “was indeed a coup.”
No doubt in my mind either.
© AFP / Justin Sullivan
Twitter CEO Elon Musk polarized his followers with a tweet declaring there was “no question” that the 2014 change of government in Ukraine was a “coup.” On Saturday, the billionaire tweeted that while “the election” – presumably referring to the 2010 vote that elected Viktor Yanukovych president – was “arguably dodgy,” what followed “was indeed a coup.”
No doubt in my mind either.
Ladies, feel free to vent about a lot of us guys
Okay, Ladies, feel free to vent about a lot of us guys if you wish. What really ticks you off about us? Here's your chance to let it all out. Maybe you'll do some of us a favor to where we can start getting our act together. 
Women tearing other women down
Now why is it that a lot of women tear other women down?
Watching Nikki Haley making it official today with her run for office in 2024, and then seeing where women from the TV show 'The View" going after Nikki Haley. Whoopi Goldberg was very vocal in going after her. You could just see their heads explode over her run.
I feel that when a lot of these type of women do this, they feel threatened over other women no matter the reason.
Now I know that these women on The View go after guys with political differences, but these women REALLY seem to go out of their way and want to go after the women they don't like.
A lot of women can be catty towards each other as well. Not an attractive trait to have for a woman.
Later, what the hell is wrong with some of us guys. Stay tuned!
Watching Nikki Haley making it official today with her run for office in 2024, and then seeing where women from the TV show 'The View" going after Nikki Haley. Whoopi Goldberg was very vocal in going after her. You could just see their heads explode over her run.
I feel that when a lot of these type of women do this, they feel threatened over other women no matter the reason.
Now I know that these women on The View go after guys with political differences, but these women REALLY seem to go out of their way and want to go after the women they don't like.
A lot of women can be catty towards each other as well. Not an attractive trait to have for a woman.
Later, what the hell is wrong with some of us guys. Stay tuned!
LOVE & RESPECT
Love - an intense feeling of deep affection.
Love is an emotion of strong affection, tenderness, or devotion toward a subject or object. (psychcentral.com)
Respect - a feeling of deep admiration for someone or something elicited by their abilities, qualities, or achievements.
An attitude of, or behaviour demonstrating, esteem, honour, regard, concern, and other such positive qualities toward an individual or entity.(dictionary.apa.org)
Would it make sense to reaffirm your love for him after he accuses you of disrespecting him? In your mind you say, “How could I disrespect him, when I love him?” Doesn’t he know that I only want what’s best for him? The thing is, unless he’s your child, or you’re his court-appointed foster parent or guardian, or GOD, it’s disrespectful to decide that YOU know “what’s best” for him (a grown man).
For many people, they’d prefer to have Respect, rather than Love, from their date/significant other. Love could grow as time passed, but respect is needed from the get-go. It took me a while to agree with this perspective, because I had always believed that Love conquers all (and I still do, from a biblical point of view), so it would be enough. And that’s perhaps why I was saddened when I was accused of disrespecting him. But much later, when I had a similar experience, the ‘light of truth’ came on in my head.
Assuming that someone respects you just because they profess love for you is myopic, and this can happen due to one’s naivety or clouded judgement. Perhaps it was due to reading too many romance novels, watching too many rom-coms or listening to too many love stories told by the girls at high school. Perhaps all of the above.
Whichever… Love is an emotion, but must be demonstrated or else it carries no worth. Respect is an attitude that ascribes worth without any direct action, even though it too, requires some level of demonstration. With them both, any relationship would thrive and could be more easily repaired when things go wrong, than with only one of them.
Sadly, it IS possible to love someone but lack (or lose) respect for him/her.
Love is an emotion of strong affection, tenderness, or devotion toward a subject or object. (psychcentral.com)
Respect - a feeling of deep admiration for someone or something elicited by their abilities, qualities, or achievements.
An attitude of, or behaviour demonstrating, esteem, honour, regard, concern, and other such positive qualities toward an individual or entity.(dictionary.apa.org)
Would it make sense to reaffirm your love for him after he accuses you of disrespecting him? In your mind you say, “How could I disrespect him, when I love him?” Doesn’t he know that I only want what’s best for him? The thing is, unless he’s your child, or you’re his court-appointed foster parent or guardian, or GOD, it’s disrespectful to decide that YOU know “what’s best” for him (a grown man).
For many people, they’d prefer to have Respect, rather than Love, from their date/significant other. Love could grow as time passed, but respect is needed from the get-go. It took me a while to agree with this perspective, because I had always believed that Love conquers all (and I still do, from a biblical point of view), so it would be enough. And that’s perhaps why I was saddened when I was accused of disrespecting him. But much later, when I had a similar experience, the ‘light of truth’ came on in my head.
Assuming that someone respects you just because they profess love for you is myopic, and this can happen due to one’s naivety or clouded judgement. Perhaps it was due to reading too many romance novels, watching too many rom-coms or listening to too many love stories told by the girls at high school. Perhaps all of the above.
Whichever… Love is an emotion, but must be demonstrated or else it carries no worth. Respect is an attitude that ascribes worth without any direct action, even though it too, requires some level of demonstration. With them both, any relationship would thrive and could be more easily repaired when things go wrong, than with only one of them.
Sadly, it IS possible to love someone but lack (or lose) respect for him/her.
worth readings.....
Just today after waking up, I realized I had nothing scheduled and was thrilled! Alone is not lonely; it’s free!
gravity affects all of us... Everyone ends up alone eventually, nobody is going to lay down and die with you.
Learn to trust and listen to your intuition.
Mastery takes discipline, and discipline is a must
that can be developed.
Optimize for learning, not money – money will follow.
Find a mentor,
but you must be someone that a mentor would want to take under their wing.
Challenge everything you learn (even from your mentors) and come up with your own path.
Learn to embrace criticism and failure, and be grateful for the opportunity to learn and improve as a result of your mistakes.
Develop your social intelligence and the ability to see/understand things from other perspectives.
Don’t judge others – simply observe rather than projecting your own thoughts, emotions, or insecurities.
Learn to speak through your work
Try to see yourself as other see you
Always be open and receptive to new ideas that challenge conventions.
Always maintain a sense of duty and purpose.
gravity affects all of us... Everyone ends up alone eventually, nobody is going to lay down and die with you.
Learn to trust and listen to your intuition.
Mastery takes discipline, and discipline is a must
that can be developed.
Optimize for learning, not money – money will follow.
Find a mentor,
but you must be someone that a mentor would want to take under their wing.
Challenge everything you learn (even from your mentors) and come up with your own path.
Learn to embrace criticism and failure, and be grateful for the opportunity to learn and improve as a result of your mistakes.
Develop your social intelligence and the ability to see/understand things from other perspectives.
Don’t judge others – simply observe rather than projecting your own thoughts, emotions, or insecurities.
Learn to speak through your work
Try to see yourself as other see you
Always be open and receptive to new ideas that challenge conventions.
Always maintain a sense of duty and purpose.
A Blog is a journal you may enter about your life, your thoughts, interesting experiences, or lessons you have learned. It's your own page on Connecting Singles that you can update on a regular basis, or just whenever you have something to say. You can write about an opinion, impart words of wisdom, or talk about something interesting in your day. Creating a blog is a good way to share something of yourself with Connecting Singles members. Reading blogs is a good way to learn more about members you have met here. Please be sure to read the blog rules before posting.
Would YOU like to post a blog on Connecting Singles? Have you written blogs that you'd like to share with other members? Posting your blogs shows your skill and creativity and helps members get to know you better. Your blog will appear on the Connecting Singles Blogs page and also in a link on your profile page. Click here to post a blog »