In hunt for Covid’s origin, new studies point away from lab leak theory | Coronavirus | The Guardian

In parts of rural China where bat guano is collected from caves and used as fertiliser, people had been found to be carrying antibodies to those viruses, indicating previous infection. In other words, a spillover event could have happened without the involvement of any lab.

Still, it remains possible that the virus escaped from a lab. Some lab leak theorists consider it suspicious that the initial outbreak of Covid-19 happened in Wuhan, home to several high-security labs that study coronaviruses.

But Robertson says the fact that Wuhan is a city is explanation enough. Unlike the rural areas where the virus might have infected people previously, Wuhan has the population density – 11 million people – to sustain an outbreak.

Of all the known bat coronaviruses, the most similar to Sars-CoV-2, sharing 96% of its genome, is RaTG13, a virus that researchers at the WIV were studying prior to the pandemic.

But since RaTG13 was identified, others have been isolated from bats in China and south-east Asia that are also highly similar to Sars-CoV-2. A cluster of them, from the Chinese province of Yunnan, was described last week in the journal Cell. “The connection between RaTG13, the Wuhan Institute of Virology and Sars-CoV-2 isn’t required any more,” says Robertson.

Source: In hunt for Covid’s origin, new studies point away from lab leak theory | Coronavirus | The Guardian

Russia battles new COVID surge | CIDRAP

Record Moscow rise prompts new measures

In Russia, Moscow officials today reported a daily record high of 9,056 cases, and the Kremlin has said the surge is related to vaccine reluctance, according to Reuters. Moscow’s mayor said on state TV that about 89% of the city’s cases are due to the Delta variant.

The country’s deputy prime minister said vaccine uptake is far less than other western countries. In a related development, city officials made vaccination mandatory for frontline workers, according to the New York Times.

Moscow officials have extended COVID restrictions until Jun 29, which includes limits on gatherings. Another measure includes the closure of soccer fan zones at EURO 2020 competition sites.

Source: Russia battles new COVID surge | CIDRAP

(1) You got the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine in B.C. What happens now? | Globalnews.ca

“The very real world evidence shows us we have good protection across the board with both vaccines in our community,” B.C. provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said

Henry says B.C. is informing people to make the choice right for them, adding that all vaccines in B.C. are “safe and highly effective, and so are all of the options.”

“We still know from the information that we are seeing here in B.C., but also primarily in the U.K., where a lot of AstraZeneca has been used, that vaccine effectiveness is very good for both AstraZeneca and the mRNA vaccines,” Henry said.

Source: (1) You got the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine in B.C. What happens now? | Globalnews.ca

Exodos

Vivaldi translation of introduction: Exodus
Greece, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019

The protective gods of foreigners, Athens Xenia and Zeus Xenios, sung by Homer, show me the signs for the most beautiful moments of summer, spent in pampering, laziness and numbness on a Greek beach, where I often stopped to watch, to cool off, to read, to fantasize. In Elada, the shore decor comforts me the most. From any beach, you see somewhere in the distance another enticing shore and not the endless vacuum of the ocean. Let’s go to them.

ore de drum

Grecia, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019

Zeii protectori ai străinilor, Atena Xenia și Zeus Xenios, cântați de Homer, îmi arată indicatoarele spre cele mai frumoase clipe ale verii, petrecute în răsfăț, lene și toropeală pe o plajă grecească, unde m-am oprit adeseori să privesc, să mă răcoresc, să citesc, să fantazez. În Elada, cel mai mult mă reconfortează decorul țărmurilor. De pe orice plajă, vezi undeva în zare un alt mal ademenitor și nu nesfârșitul vid al oceanului. Să pornim spre ele.

Chios

Prefer continentul, deși îl înșel adesea cu insule, spunea o prietenă scriitoare.

20170617_152050Cu insule din Egeea răsăriteană, în ce mă privește, unde dominanta nuanțelor de alb-azuriu a naturii maritime elene este cea mai intensă și unde prind la radio posturi turcești care-mi permit să mă scald în sincretismul orientului.

Corfu

Capitala, al cărui centru vechi este listat în patrimoniul UNESCO pentru conservarea istorică impecabilă, oferă din loc în…

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Day 35/67 of GED in Five Months, FDR’s New Deal , and Pro-Bono Legal Aide

The US Code – https://uscode.house.gov

Context, Thought, and Learning: ShiraDest Offers Project Do Better

 Adulting is also about understanding how to find up-to-date information and help in finding that information and how to use it, like legal information.

End of week 9/18
Day 35 Lesson Plan, Week 9
Grammar: plural nouns ending in ‘f’
Math: Area of a circle
Day 35 Exit Tix
(Day 34  … Day 36)

Action Items:

1.) What do you think is the level of importance of legal aide?

2.) Where can you get Pro-Bono Legal Aide, in your area?

3.) Write a book, story, blog post or tweet that uses those thoughts, and then, please tell us about it! If you write a book, once it is published please consider donating a copy to your local public library.

4.)  Feel free to answer the exit ticket questions in the comments, or pose any other questions you may have about the…

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Mumbaikars battle with water crisis, poor sanitisation along with COVID-19.

Water is a basic human right and need – so is public sanitation…

Beyond The Lines

Source – the guardian

Midst reinfections and vaccination Mumbai is also fighting a continuous battle for water. The slums are more affected than the non-slums.

NGO Praja Foundation released a report on the unsatisfactory work of the municipal corporation in Mumbai. While it appreciates the municipal corporation’s work in handling the pandemic it also addresses how Mumbaikars, specifically people in slums and sub-slums, are deprived of basic civic comforts.

‘Status of civic issues in Mumbai – 2021’ is a white paper compiled based on data obtained through the Right to Information Act, 2005 for all 24 wards.

The report, above all, states the unbalanced water supply in the city. While some areas struggle to fulfill even their basic needs due to lack of water, others are getting enough and even surplus amounts of it.

Source – Mumbai mirror

Look, Mumbai receives 188 lpcd (litres per capita per day) which is…

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Machu Picchu 1963

Vivaldi translation of introduction: For three days and three nights I drove an interurban bus from Lima via Arequipa, Lake Titicaca and through the high valleys of the Andes (see. previous report) to Cuzco, the old capital of the Inca Empire. I arrived early in the morning and tried unsuccessfully to get a room for a few nights. Cuzco was already overcrowded because of the next day celebrations for the Inti Raymi festival, and there were no free beds. The Inti Raymi Festival was a religious ceremony of the Inca in honor of the sun god (in the Quechua language “inti” means sun and “raymi” festival), which was held every year. The sun was very important to the Incas.

Senioren um die Welt

Drei Tage und drei Nächte fuhr ich mit einem Überlandbus von Lima über Arequipa, den Titicaca-See und durch die Hochtäler der Anden (s. vorigen Bericht) nach  Cuzco, der alten Hauptstadt des Inka-Reiches.  Ich kam frühmorgens an und bemühte mich vergeblich, ein Zimmer für einige Nächte zu bekommen. Cuzco war wegen der am nächsten Tag stattfindenden Feiern anlässlich des Inti Raymi-Festes bereits überfüllt, und es gab keine freien Betten mehr. Das Inti Raymi-Fest war eine religiöse Zeremonie der Inka zu Ehren des Sonnengottes (in der Quechua-Sprache bedeutet “inti” Sonne und “raymi” Fest), die jedes Jahr durchgeführt wurde. Die Sonne hatte eine große Bedeutung für die Inka.

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