UnkNuk

Interesting article called "The Wuhan Lab and the Gain-of-Functiion Disagreement" published by FactCheck.org gives an overview of the controversy that some of us are talking about here. https://www.factcheck.org/2021/05/the-wuhan-lab-and-the-gain-of-function-disagreement/ It seemed, to me, to be pretty fair-minded.

After watching the Europa League championship game I was reminded why I wished that they would do away with the extra 30 minutes of play after a draw in regulation time and, instead, simply go straight to the shoot-out. In any event, congrats to Villareal.

Hopefully, a definite answer will be found rather than "Guess we'll never know.". ******************************************************************************************************************************** https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/26/science/covid-19-origins-who.html?campaign_id=60&emc=edit_na_20210526&instance_id=0&nl=breaking-news&ref=cta&regi_id=56405277&segment_id=59088&user_id=dc88543b79693b0f05322365a827e237 Biden calls for U.S. intelligence agencies to ‘redouble’ investigative efforts into the origins of the virus. President Biden on Wednesday asked U.S. intelligence agencies to “redouble their efforts” to determine the origins of the coronavirus, saying in a statement that he was calling for a broad government report that incorporated findings from American labs and other federal agencies on whether the virus was accidentally leaked from a lab or transmitted by an animal to humans. He asked intelligence officials to report back to him in 90 days on the results of their work and to keep Congress “fully apprised.” Mr. Biden’s statement came as top health officials renewed their appeals this week for a more rigorous investigation into the origins of the virus, as the World Health Organization faced mounting criticism for an earlier report dismissing the possibility that it had accidentally escaped from a Chinese laboratory.

I watched the Arsenal/BHA game. And then I watched the last few minutes of the Leicester/Tottenham game. I've read mixed opinions about participating in this new Europe competition - the Europa Conference League - next season. Some Arsenal supporters are quite happy that Arsenal will not be involved in the competition. The team can concentrate on the league games and hopefully finish in the top four and go to the Champions League in 22/23.

Houston 2 Whitecaps 1 On the bright side, the Caps weren't shut out. And they scored a goal from the run of play. On the down side, they lost. Again. Third time in a row. It's probably a good thing that MLS is taking a four week break. Gives the Caps a chance to correct a few (many?) things.

From the Mirror: Premier League's Big Six 'could be fined millions' for European Super League plot The so-called ‘Big Six’ are set for talks with the Premier League next week which could lead to fines totalling tens of millions of pounds as punishment for their part in the failed European Super League breakaway. Arsenal, Tottenham, Chelsea, Liverpool and both Manchester clubs announced their intention to join the Super League last month. In collaboration with Juventus, AC Milan, Inter Milan, Atletico Madrid, Real Madrid and Barcelona, their owners planned to rival – and ultimately replace – the Champions League with what was effectively a closed shop guaranteeing its “founder clubs” a greater share of the profits. The plans collapsed after barely 48 hours when, one-by-one, the English clubs withdrew from the competition. Faced with a massive backlash from fans, players, managers, pundits, politicians and stakeholders, their departure saw the two Milan clubs and Atletico follow suit soon after. https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/man-utd-arsenal-chelsea-liverpool-24163199?utm_source=mirror_newsletter&utm_campaign=arsenal_fc_newsletter2&utm_medium=email

I wonder if one branch of the US military is busy doing and building things that the other branches are simply unaware of?

"60 Minutes" did a segment on UFOs on their recent show. Apparently unidentified somethings have been buzzing around the US Atlantic coast very frequently for a few years. Is it the Russians? The Chinese? Or.........<cue spooky music>. Interesting stuff, though. https://www.cbsnews.com/video/ufo-military-intelligence-video-60-minutes-2021-05-16/

Two excellent British mini-series from quite awhile ago based on books and better: "Brideshead Revisited" and "I, Claudius".

I went outside and watched it, too. Through the cloud cover, whole areas of the sky would suddenly light up. Pretty cool!

I don't know who's right or wrong in this conflict. But I think it's worthwhile to hear different points of view. Here's one Palestinian point of view from a show on RT America. ******************************************************************************************************************************************************** On the show this week, Chris Hedges discusses the disputes between the Palestinians and Israelis with Palestinian political activist, Dr. Sami Al-Arian.

Bernie Sanders opines on the Israel/Palestinian conflict: Bernie Sanders: The U.S. Must Stop Being an Apologist for the Netanyahu Government https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/14/opinion/bernie-sanders-israel-palestine-gaza.html?campaign_id=39&emc=edit_ty_20210517&instance_id=30982&nl=opinion-today&regi_id=56405277&segment_id=58270&te=1&user_id=dc88543b79693b0f05322365a827e237

Good idea. **************************************************************************************************************************************************************** Leading coronavirus researchers call for 'proper investigation' into COVID-19 origins Since the coronavirus emerged in the central Chinese city of Wuhan 17 months ago, scientists have been perplexed by its origin. As many nations accelerate vaccine rollouts and begin to bring outbreaks under control, looking toward the end of the pandemic, some are beginning to look backward to try to understand how it began. Knowing where the virus came from is central to preventing the next pandemic, but untangling the origins of the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, which causes COVID-19, has become a complex, messy issue, needlessly complicated by politicking and conspiracy. Two hypotheses have been floated by scientists. One, the virus emerged naturally, likely in bats, and spilled over into humans. Or, two, it accidentally leaked from a laboratory in Wuhan where coronavirus research was being conducted. There is insufficient data to rule out either theory — but a cadre of scientists is hoping to change that. In a new letter published Thursday in Science, one of the world's top academic journals, 18 international experts in virology, molecular biology, evolutionary biology and epidemiology call for a "proper investigation" into the origins of the pandemic, highlighting the need for a transparent, objective and data-driven analysis of SARS-CoV-2's emergence. The signatories include Ralph Baric, an eminent coronavirus researcher from the University of North Carolina, Akiko Iwasaki, an immunologist at Yale, and was spearheaded by Jesse Bloom, an evolutionary virologist at the University of Washington, and David Relman, a microbiologist at Stanford University. The letter argues that the recent China-WHO joint study conducted in Wuhan, in January and February of this year, did not give "balanced consideration" to the laboratory leak theory, instead focusing its attention on the spillover hypothesis. Full article at: https://www.cnet.com/news/leading-coronavirus-researchers-call-for-proper-investigation-into-covid-19-origins/?ftag=CAD-03-10abj4f&bhid=27387568584822941599927611586826&mid=13370367&cid=1494321690

For those who may have missed it:

Sir John Bell of Oxford University was on CTV's Question Period today talking about the health risks of AztraZeneca. Based on some initial test results, he's not keen on mixing the AZ vaccine with other vaccines.

Let's just say every team will throw in a clunker now and then and move on.

You're right. If I was in Green's shoes I'd be trying to win, too. But I'm not the coach. I'm a fan. And from a Canucks' fan point of view, there's an argument to be made that it would be best if the team lost their remaining games and secured a higher draft pick.

An entertaining 0-1 loss.They had their chances but just couldn't put them away. So after 5 games the Caps are .500 - 2 wins, 2 losses and a draw. On the plus side, they've only given up four goals in those five games. On the minus side, they've only scored five goals in those five games. And none of those goals have come from the run of play. Scoring goals from set pieces is a valuable tool for a team to have but they have to start putting away the chances that arise during the run of play. When/if they do, the Caps could be a formidable team. One cautionary note: all five games the Whitecaps have played have been against mid-level or low-level teams this season. They have yet to face any of the early front runners.

Yes. I've seen a further quote from Saunders. It's surprising how saying some things can come back to bite you. Wonder if Dubois had anything to tweet in response? ****************************************************************************************** https://www.si.com/boxing/2021/05/09/canelo-alvarez-billy-joe-saunders-three-questions Saunders's injury is legitimate: He spent the night in the hospital and is scheduled to undergo surgery to repair multiple fractures to his orbital bone, according to his promoter, Eddie Hearn. The brash Saunders, however, invites criticism. He has ripped fighters for what he has perceived as quitting. Last year, he criticized heavyweight contender Daniel Dubois, who allowed himself to be counted out after Joe Joyce broke Dubois’s orbital bone—the exact injury Saunders is believed to have. “If my two eye sockets were broken, my jaw was broken, my teeth were out, my nose was smashed, my brain was beaten, I was not stopping until I was knocked out or worse,” Saunders said last year. “I don’t agree with a man taking the knee and letting the ref count him out.”

I can't figure out what he's trying to say in this clip. At one moment he seems to be saying the only way to leave a fight is on a stretcher - implying that this other boxer should have continued fighting with an eye injury. But then he seems to say it'll take a long, long time to come back from this injury, acknowledging that it's a very serious injury. In any event, loud mouth or not, I hope this injury does no permanent damage to the man.

Not to mention the hits to the head. A reported fractured orbital bone? That sounds very painful.

If you like soccer, DAZN is a pretty good deal. They carry, as you note, all the EPL games as well as the Italian league games, the UEFA Champions League games, the Europa League games and many out of market MLS games. They charge a reasonable $20 a month or $150 a year (in Canada). The broadcast quality can be a bit iffy at times but overall is not bad.

Granted, the first half was like watching paint dry. But the second half was not bad. And when the Whitecaps win by a multi-goal score, who's going to complain? Not me. On to Minnesota on Wednesday.

Congrats to Bayern and Alphonso. But, really, there's something wrong with a league in which one team wins nine years in a row. Give me a more balanced, salary capped league any time.

From what I've read the Kroenkes have no intention of selling.