Haven’t sat down and actually read a paper for a long time, but was given a Sunday paper this morning.
A couple of unusual and/or stupid items from around the world:
Sierra Leone: the first ever positive test for the extremely lethal Ebola virus has been found in the capital, Freetown. Unfortunately, the womans family broke her out of hospital and she is now on the run! Given how contageous Ebola is, a population of 1.2 million living in third world conditions and a lethality rate from 50% to 93% depending on the particular strain, that ought to end well…
Iraq: the religious nutters in control of the northern city of Mosul have embarked on a program of destroying religious shrines and mosque. (Yes, Muslim jihadists destroying Muslim mosques, go figure). The latest demolition was of the claimed tomb of Jonah. Now, by and large, Islam accepts the precepts of the Old Testament and the significance of the persons within. So naturally you would want to blow up the tomb of one of the more famous stories and an acknowledged prophet of islam. …
That’s creepy.
As quite a few women have told me, all women still hold a candle for every bloke they’ve loved for their whole lives (even if they hate them). Guys on the other hand, can’t wait to forget.
Divorcees ‘have more heart attacks’
By James Gallagher
Health editor, BBC News website
15 April 2015
Divorcees are more likely to have a heart attack than their peers who stay married, US research suggests.
An analysis of 15,827 people showed women were worst affected, and barely reduced the risk if they remarried.
The study, published in the journal Circulation, argued that chronic stress, linked to divorce, had a long-term impact on the body.
The British Heart Foundation called for more research before divorce is classed as a major heart risk.
We already know that the death of a close loved one can greatly increase the risk of a heart attack.
Now a team at Duke University has shown a similar effect after divorce.
During the course of the study, between 1992 and 2010, roughly one in three people divorced at least once.
Women who divorced once were 24% more likely to have had a heart attack in the study than women who were continuously married. The figure was 77% for those having multiple divorces.
In men, there was a modest 10% extra risk for one divorce and 30% increase after multiple divorces.
One of the researchers Prof Linda George said: “This risk is comparable to that of high blood pressure or if you have diabetes, so it’s right up there, it is pretty big.”
When it came to remarriage, the risk was only marginally reduced for women while men bounced back.
“I think this is the most interesting bit in the paper,” Prof George added.
She told the BBC News website: "We joke around here and call it the ‘any-women-will-do orientation’ for men.
"They’re more comfortable being married than not married and cope with different women being their spouses.
“First marriages are protective for women and it’s a little dicey after that.”
But why?
The researchers found that changes in lifestyle, such as loss of income, could not explain the heightened risk.
Prof George told the BBC News website: "My educated speculation is that we know that psychological distress is a constant stress on the immune system, higher levels of inflammation and stress hormones increase.
“Immune function is altered for the worse and if that continues for many years it does take a physiological toll.”
She argues the sex-difference is also found in depression and that divorce is a greater “psychological burden” for women although “we don’t know exactly what’s going on”.
While tablets can reduce the risks caused by high blood pressure, there is no easy solution for the pain of divorce.
The researchers recommend close, supportive friends.
Prof Jeremy Pearson, from the British Heart Foundation, commented: "We have known for some time that our mental health can affect our heart health.
"This study suggests that divorce might increase a person’s risk of a heart attack.
“But the results are not definitive so further evidence would be needed before divorce could be considered a significant risk factor for causing a heart attack.”
There is Islam, and then there there is Islam.
Speaking of horrible viruses, I read that only a few weeks ago, cleaners in the US found some vials of Smallpox just lying around.
Yeah, I read that too. Oh look, here’s some smallpox from the 1960’s in the back of our beer fridge. Awesome.
There are two types of Islam, Shia & Sunni...they hate each other as much as they hate Israel...so whatever they are destroying is from the one they don't like.
Speaking of horrible viruses, I read that only a few weeks ago, cleaners in the US found some vials of Smallpox just lying around.
It's been linked to one J. Hird.
Whatever happened to swine flu?
There are two types of Islam, Shia & Sunni...they hate each other as much as they hate Israel...so whatever they are destroying is from the one they don't like.
Despite notionally being sunni, I'm not sure ISIS is doing this on schism lines, but rather that veneration of shrines etc is against Allah's will. Therefore they must be destroyed. The stupidity of humanity seems to have no end.
Whatever happened to swine flu?
To use a ham pun... it was cured?
It would have either rapidly mutated into something far less virile (which is most often what happens with hybrid influenza strains) and disappointingly boring for media outlets to report on or, it has been isolated and biding its time.
It's hard to believe but at one stage in it's history, Islam would have been seen as one of the more progressive major religions.
SARS had a moment in the spotlight there for a bit.
It's hard to believe but at one stage in it's history, Islam would have been seen as one of the more progressive major religions.
And innovative. Were once a long way ahead of Europe in terms of scientific nous. Also, were generally more hygienic.
SARS had a moment in the spotlight there for a bit.
Yep. Just faded away into the background like portello and creamy soda.
I had some creamy soda a few weeks back.
Portello was always putrid Imo.
I passed a little American stall the other day that didn't have any Jolly Ranchers, but did have Cranberry Sprite.
Crazy times we live in.
Good news for Freetown residents. The Ebola runaway handed herself in. And then promptly died. Bad news for Freetown residents: her parents (part of the crew who “stormed” the hospital to “rescue” her) now appear to have the virus and goodness knows how many others.
In related news, with over 600 killed since February across Sierra, Liberia and Guinea a man died from Ebola on Friday in the Nigerian capital, Lagos.
For those with an interest in such things, Africans have long been terrified of hospitals linked with Ebola. With good reason early on. The original outbreaks in Zaire and Sudan were amplified massively by the hospitals/health system itself due to the poverty of their systems. Re-use of syringes, lack of even rudimentary barrier medicine equipment, lack of hygienic linen etc etc meant that those reporting to hospital with minor issues stood a huge chance of never coming out alive. The staff also paid an horrendous price in fatality levels. The villages soon worked out that the hospitals and clinics were a death sentence. Burial and grieving customs unfortunately also contributed greatly to the epidemics, particularly in Zaire. Bodies would be retrieved , taken home and “cleaned” for communal grieving.
So, was Ebola a monkey desease until someone went and violated an infected monkey?