There’s a major debate in New Zealand this week about a baby whose parents don’t want to receive blood from people vaccinated against COVID-19. This baby urgently needs a heart operation to survive which will involve a blood transfusion. The parents fear the effects that ‘vaccinated blood’ might have on the baby, at some unknownContinue reading “Reflections”
Tag Archives: coronavirus
Where’s COVID at?
Back in New Zealand from South Korea, the almost complete lack of masks is really evident. What’s funny is how one’s norm shifts. We went to South Korea and felt like wearing masks was something of an imposition because we didn’t have to any more in New Zealand. We return to New Zealand and IContinue reading “Where’s COVID at?”
Goodbye traffic lights
The traffic light system was ignominiously dismissed at the beginning of this week, ending on September 12the. It’s apparently done its time and is no longer needed. More correct might be, this was never a very good structure so it will not be greatly missed (here were my thoughts when it was instituted). We areContinue reading “Goodbye traffic lights”
Bloody Masks
When I was in Europe I was thrilled to find lots of people not wearing masks and have the relief of not needing to wear one if I didn’t want to. Now I’m back in much more COVIDy New Zealand, I find I am not so thrilled everyone is over mask wearing. I am evenContinue reading “Bloody Masks”
COVID-19 Origins & Motivations
When in Rome, do as the Romans do…modified for Gibbston. One must make the most of the snow and when the weather is sunny. This week two papers were published in Science (a highly regarded scientific journal) which suggest that the Huanan Wet Market (a market selling live animals to be eaten) in Wuhan wasContinue reading “COVID-19 Origins & Motivations”
Returning to the not-so-smug hermit kingdom
We have been out of New Zealand for two months, hard to believe it is that long, and it is time to go back. The fears we had when we came to Europe have not come to pass, so I am hoping the same of our return. When we left for Europe people asked concernedlyContinue reading “Returning to the not-so-smug hermit kingdom”
Fluid Narratives
We caught up with friends before starting hiking from Maribor in NE Slovenia on the Slovene Mountain Trail. If you want to check out where we have got to have a look at https://trackmytour.com/Kv13X We really appreciated our friends coming across Slovenia to meet us and spending the day with us in Maribor. In theContinue reading “Fluid Narratives”
Differences
We made it to the other side of the world in the face of COVID-19 and Putin’s threats. The best thing about escaping the hermit kingdom is exposure, once again, to the great variety of human life beyond that existing in New Zealand. It is so easy to assume that the way one does something,Continue reading “Differences”
When things break
I have been thinking about broken things of late because our Rav4, which I recently mentioned in light of wanting to replace it with an EV, broke terminally. The gear box failed and we discovered that it would cost about the sale value of the car to replace it. And it isn’t just that theContinue reading “When things break”
Manifest inflation
This week three things that I read and heard have been coalescing in my brain: Small pieces of gib board can be sold for the former price of whole sheets, or more. Inflation has hit a 30 year high in New Zealand, at just under 7%. ‘Manifesting’ is a very popular trend where people ferventlyContinue reading “Manifest inflation”