IT’S THE morning after Sunday, the start of the workweek and as usual we have accumulated a number of random thoughts, stray semantic memories if you will. They’re meant to make you think, never to convince. If you agree, that’s lovely. If you disagree, I really don’t care.
Here we go for starters a bit of foreplay:
* 75% of emerging infectious diseases are zoonotic meaning animal in origin (WHO)
* 99.6% of animals on earth are livestock, only .04% are wild animals (ourworldindata.org)
* 90% of livestock are from factory farms
* 75% x 99.6% x 90% = 67% chance the next pandemic is a direct result of our animal food system
Simply put, eating animals causes pandemics.
According to Pope Francis, “Getting vaccinated is a simple yet profound way to care for one another, especially the most vulnerable.” I agree.
It is your right not to get vaccinated but you have no right to get infected and infect others.
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Moving on to a bit of politics, particularly that meltdown on mainstream and social media of a pathetic clown in dire need of attention and approval whose name is not even worth mentioning.
When she realized she won’t have her way, she went into childish tantrums (which is ridiculous because she’s 64 years old) then threatened and challenged someone to a fistfight in Iloilo City shamelessly involving the city mayor, and then resorted to the classic “yellow” playbook: going to mass and hobnobbing with nuns. Now the coup de grace: chismiss ala beauty parlor. Says so much of her character or lack of it. Absolutely rude no breeding at all.
Her tantrums remind you of little girls in malls screaming and rolling on the floor just because their parents will not buy them that toy; the pathetic thing is that the “little girl” with the tantrums outbursts is already 64 years old.
And she claims to be the scion of hacienderos in Negros. Really, who cares?
Incidentally, the myth of the super rich haciendero awash in money in Negros is just that – a myth. Maybe in the 1960s. But now most of these so-called hacienderos are bankrupt. All they have is land that’s not even profitable anymore. The sugar export is almost nil; the only market for sugar are the soft drink companies but are now into corn syrup.
And she’s now irrelevant – just another noisy minority, your usual devotee to the cult of the yellow ribbon dyed pink.
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It looks like an exciting presidential election that promises an interesting fight till the end. My fearless forecast: Manny Pacquiao will beat Leni Robredo for third place. Isko Moreno a distant second while Bongbong Marcos is light years away beyond reach in first place.
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Speaking of winners, we’re in the FIFA World Cup! After 1-1 draw, the Philippine women’s football team beat Chinese Taipei 4-3 in penalty shot-out.
For the first time in history, the Philippines tri-colors (red, white and blue) will be on the pitch in the 2022 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia/New Zealand … jugo bonito Malditas!
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Meanwhile we segue to cannabis and its effect on the virus COVID-19. Excerpts from a Jan. 11, 2022 article on www.forbes.com;
Study Finds Cannabis Compounds Prevent Infection by Covid-19 Virus
Compounds in cannabis can prevent infection from the virus that causes Covid-19 by blocking its entry into cells, according to a study published this week by researchers affiliated with Oregon State University. A report on the research, “Cannabinoids Block Cellular Entry of SARS-CoV-2 and the Emerging Variants,” was published online on Monday by the Journal of Natural Products.
The researchers found that two cannabinoid acids commonly found in hemp varietals of cannabis, cannabigerolic acid, or CBGA, and cannabidiolic acid, also known as CBDA, can bind to the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19. By binding to the spike protein, the compounds can prevent the virus from entering cells and causing infection, potentially offering new avenues to prevent and treat the disease.
“Orally bioavailable and with a long history of safe human use, these cannabinoids, isolated or in hemp extracts, have the potential to prevent as well as treat infection by SARS-CoV-2,” the researchers wrote in an abstract of the study.
The study was led by Richard van Breemen, a researcher with Oregon State’s Global Hemp Innovation Center in the College of Pharmacy and Linus Pauling Institute, in collaboration with scientists at the Oregon Health & Science University. Van Breemen said that the cannabinoids studied are common and readily available.
“These cannabinoid acids are abundant in hemp and in many hemp extracts,” van Breemen said, as quoted by local media. “They are not controlled substances like THC, the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana, and have a good safety profile in humans.”
So while we’re at it, let’s just decriminalize and legalize Marijuana both for medical and recreational reasons./PN
