Covid 19, novel corona virus. Split from off-grid thread

[JohnD]

I was going to say, surely every home has a daily delivery of paper that they throw out the next day.    If it's the Daily Telegraph, the same day.   Tear it up and hang it on a nail in the loo!

Then I recalled:  No.1 grandson was told to bring newspapers into  school - we're going to make papier-mache models!!!     But Daughter's home gets no newspapers - they get all their news online.     And, as it turned out, so did a majority of the class!    Those who did bring papers had to share - good teaching, but what will they do in future, buy up loads of loo paper?

[Nick Jones]

Pretty much no newspapers here.  I've never bought a daily.  If Senior Management goes to Waitrose (not very common since youngest stopped working for them and she lost her partner discount) then she'll take advantage of their free newspaper deal.  No local free papers anymore and the local weekly paper (not free, or even reasonable) is no longer worth buying.  We have nearly come to the end of the stack left by the PO of the house, so may have to change our stove lighting methods soon.

[TR5tar]

If it comes to it, I'm sure I can find some old magazines to make use of! 

[PaulAA]

2 hours ago, TR5tar said:

If it comes to it, I'm sure I can find some old magazines to make use of! 

Think absorbency, Darren - magazines are generally coated paper

[TR5tar]

 

4 minutes ago, PaulAA said:

Think absorbency, Darren - magazines are generally coated paper

 Worth it with the magazine I have in mind  

[Nick Jones]

This true..... though at boarding school in the late 70s/early 80s the bog roll was old fashioned, semi-transparent shiny stuff rather like baking parchment or grease proof paper. It was actually much more useful as tracing paper than its primary purpose. Absorbent it was not. It was described as “medicated”. Presumably to prevent the abrasions it caused turning nasty.  One suspects magazine pages would be rather similar.....  

[PaulAA]

30 minutes ago, Nick Jones said:

... at boarding school in the late 70s/early 80s

I seem to recall a methodology for using a single sheet of paper at my school.  Best not expanded upon here...

[AB|W]

Nooooooooooooo

[PeterC]

The Romans used a sponge that was washed out.....before the next user.

 

[PeterC]

D3 for COVID, submitted to editor of a local rag. So far no reply.  Might be useful for oldie family and friends.

COVID-19 and D3
Professor Emeritus Peter Cobbold
As a 75 year old, and a retired cell biologist, I know that I have an unacceptable existential risk
from COVID-19. However, in what has turned out to be a stroke of good fortune, I was diagnosed
with Parkinson's disease three years ago. It took little work on Google Scholar to uncover the huge
range of broadly defensive actions of the hormone D3 ( the vitamin tag is historical). So for three
years I have been taking lots of D3 supplement as it should defend my brain from several injurious
processes. There is an added bonus: there are hints in the literature that I am raising my blood D3
level high enough to protect from the corona virus that causes COVID-19.
There are many clinical trials of supplementing with D3 that have failed to influence 'flu, which is
why your doctor cannot recommend it. So why am I reasonably confident of success? The reason is
I place especial emphasis on two studies in which the blood level of D3, which is measured as
25(OH)D3 by your clinic, was raised to physiological levels. D3 is a hormone and researchers in
USA have found the natural, physiological level of 25(OH)D3 to be 100 to 125 nmol/l (“ nano
moles per litre”, a unit of concentration). This talk by the late Professor Robert Heaney MD
describes how he and a committee of experts defined the physiological level:
https://ucsd.tv/search-details.aspx?showID=29077
The two 'flu studies that meet my physiological criterion are here:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4463890/
“A colleague of mine and I have introduced vitamin D at doses that have achieved greater than 100
nmol/L in most of our patients for the past number of years, and we now see very few patients in
our clinics with the flu or influenza like illness.”
https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0011088
“Maintenance of a 25-hydroxyvitamin D serum concentration of 38 ng/ml or higher should
significantly reduce the incidence of acute viral respiratory tract infections significantly....”
(38 ng/ml is 100 nmol/L and physiological )
We have a pretty good idea of how D3 combats microbes. D3 is a hormone that controls around
2000 genes, 10% of our genome. Amongst the 5000 research papers on D3 published per year is
evidence that it promotes production of anti-microbial peptides, including cathelicidin and
defensins, that attack the membranes of bacteria, fungi and enveloped viruses, and kill them.
Influenza and corona viruses are enveloped. Good, the clinical findings have sound support from
cell biology.
My remaining question was: am I taking enough D3 supplements to reach that physiological blood
level? I take lots for the Parkinson's so am well above 100-125 nmol/L, but I tell family and friends
that around 2000 IU per day of D3 should be enough, or maybe 4000 IU pd for oldies who take it
up less well from the gut. In USA 4000 IU per day is regarded as safe. Sunbathing before May wont
make significant D3, and unless they eat a lot of oily fish, diet wont get them to 2000 IU. A tin of
sardines including the oil contains about 2000 IU. Of course there is a snag: it takes 2 to 3 months
for the blood level to stabilise after boosting uptake. So blood D3 rises too slowly to help anyone
infected in the next month or so. D3 is not a substitute for the hygiene and social measures advised
by the governments.
There's more background to D3 here, in a talk I gave to the Berwyn U3A:
https://u3asites.org.uk/files/b/berwyn/docs/vitamind3deficiency.pdf

 

[JohnD]

You have to find a laugh in all this impending doom.

Thinking on, I registered with Sainsbury's Online shopping, in case I'm self-quarantined, or infected.   Of course, if it gets really bad the deliveries may fail too, but anyway.

The registration process requires  a 'title' to your name.  You can choose from a drop-down list of, Mrs., Miss, Mr., Ms., and Mx. (!?).  So far, so woke.

There are more to choose from, Dr., Revd., Sir and Sis.     OK, Sainsbury's aims at a professional clientele but no Judge?

And why is the only rank represented, Capt.?   Could be Naval, Military or Merchant, of course.

But then the list also includes Countess, Dame, Earl, Lady or Lord!     

What, no Rt Revd? No Rabbi, Bishop, Guru, Imam or Pastafarian?     No Marquess, Viscount, Duke, Count or Baron?   

Sainsbury's, you should aim higher! You'll never get that Royal Warrant unless your title list includes, at least, HRH!   HM could come later.

 

[thebrookster]

1 hour ago, JohnD said:

And why is the only rank represented, Capt.?   Could be Naval, Military or Merchant, of course

Not Merchant, in this country.

The highest qualification for a deck officer is actually "Master" (I presume as in Master Mariner, but don't quote me on that).

When a Master is serving onboard, he is called Captain by convention, however once he steps ashore he loses that title, and should only be referred to as a Master.

The actual title is military only (as in they carry the right to the title even as a civilian). And again, for the RN that is dependent on the ship, a Commander of a small ship (he holds the rank commander) is also called Captain whilst serving onboard, but not ashore.

Anyway, thread drift and pedantry over lol,

Phil

[John I]

1 hour ago, thebrookster said:

Not Merchant, in this country.

The highest qualification for a deck officer is actually "Master" (I presume as in Master Mariner, but don't quote me on that).

When a Master is serving onboard, he is called Captain by convention, however once he steps ashore he loses that title, and should only be referred to as a Master.

The actual title is military only (as in they carry the right to the title even as a civilian). And again, for the RN that is dependent on the ship, a Commander of a small ship (he holds the rank commander) is also called Captain whilst serving onboard, but not ashore.

Anyway, thread drift and pedantry over lol,

Phil

The highest qualification for deck officers is actually "Extra Master Mariner" or  was when I did my Masters ticket and you can be a Captain ashore, many harbour masters are termed Capt. As well as surveyors and those few who go on to become marine lawyers having  qualified as a Master Mariner and served at sea. 

 There are of course airline pilots who are referred to as Captain as well and use/are addressed as such.

Extra Masters and Extra First Class Enginers tickets were issued up to August 1998, so you were right Phil Master Mariner is now the highest deck officer qualification.

Edited March 7, 2020 by John I
Researched own statement!

[JohnD]

The site onl allowed one 'title' else I would have registerd myself Lord Revd. Dr. JohnD, just for a laugh!

Lord Revd.Dr.JohnD

[John I]

10 minutes ago, JohnD said:

The site onl allowed one 'title' else I would have registerd myself Lord Revd. Dr. JohnD, just for a laugh!

Lord Revd.Dr.JohnD

Just plain Mr. for me.

So the one title JohnD did you chose HRH!

[PeterC]

In Germany it is not unusual to be a Prof.Dr.Dr.

 

[JohnD]

Two doctorates and a chair!  If you've got it, flaunt it!

[PeterC]

Indeed, as well as a degree deficit I was at a nominative disadvantage.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kobold

 

[mattius]

I like to think after 12 years of living with the Mrs (NHS) i am immune to most diseases! certainly i was ill most of the years she worked on a ward!

It amuses me to see both sides of the picture, NHS staff attitude compared to Power Station workers! i know who i want around me at times of crisis, and it ain't the ones in charge of the big kettle in the ground!

Edited March 10, 2020 by mattius

[Nick Jones]

Yeah..... though in my experience, if it’s sympathy you are after, you need to be pretty thoroughly broken to get any from an NHS professional in their home environment 

[andymcp]

On 3/6/2020 at 2:47 PM, PaulAA said:

I seem to recall a methodology for using a single sheet of paper at my school.  Best not expanded upon here...

Daily ration packs for the military used to contain 3 sheets of 'Izal' toilet paper.  I think the same methodology was supposed to be employed.  Something about fingernails...?!

[JohnD]

The modern Army has a more enlightened view on field rations, for officers:

 

[John I]

36 minutes ago, JohnD said:

The modern Army has a more enlightened view on field rations, for officers:

 

That brought tears to my eyes, wiping his hands off after each item is revealed Can just imagine the "dads army scene"

[PeterC]

2 hours ago, JohnD said:

The modern Army has a more enlightened view on field rations, for officers:

 

Not quite Tommy Cooper. but close.

[JohnD]

Classic, real 'British' humour!   No one else can do it, and the Forces do it best.

Another: They're digging trenches outside my house (they are, really!) to replace our century old gas pipes.     They filled one in last week, and were back yesterday, digging another parrelel to the first.   What's this for, I asked.

Deadpan - I lost ten pence here yesterday - we're going to find it.

John