D&D and the rising pandemic

[Ryujin]

It can reach any of those, though serious symptoms among the vaccinated are very rare--but the Law of Large Numbers applies.

As does the law of random chance. Get a large enough sample group and "bad things" (tm) will happen by utter coincidence. I've lost track of the number of times I have been reported by clients for taking down the network, just because I happened to walk by a network riser.

 

[Imaculata]

I'm not sure if any of you watch the Late Show with Stephen Colbert. But Jon Stewart made an appearance a few weeks ago, where he started spreading conspiracy theories about covid being created in a lab. As much as I enjoy him as a comedian, it was painful to watch, and full of fallacies. But I fear his comedic rant is easily accepted by a gullible audience. We don't need more of this right now. It is especially surprising coming from him. I thought he was smarter than that.

For those of you who missed it. He basically said that it can't be a coincidence that covid arose in the same region as a Chinese covid lab. Thus supporting the conspiracy theory that covid was created in a Chinese lab. He compared it to a chocolate spill happening near a chocolate factory.

Of course the fallacies here are obvious. Just because there are a lot of whale-watching tourists near a bunch of whales, does not mean tourists caused the whales to appear. Obviously you would put a lab to study covid variants, in a location where covid is often found. Plus there are many kinds of covid. Just because someone is studying tigers, does not mean they are responsible when there is a sudden series of panther attacks in the same region.

As of yet Jon Stewart has not apologised for his ill informed and dangerous rant. At least, as far as I know.

 

[AnotherGuy]

I'm not sure if any of you watch the Late Show with Stephen Colbert. But Jon Steward made an appearance a few weeks ago, where he started spreading conspiracy theories about covid being created in a lab. As much as I enjoy him as a comedian, it was painful to watch, and full of fallacies. But I fear his comedic rant is easily accepted by a gullible audience. We don't need more of this right now. It is especially surprising coming from him. I thought he was smarter than that.

For those of you who missed it. He basically said that it can't be a coincidence that covid arose in the same region as a Chinese covid lab. Thus supporting the conspiracy theory that covid was created in a Chinese lab. He compared it to a chocolate spill happening near a chocolate factory.

Of course the fallacies here are obvious. Just because there are a lot of whale-watching tourists near a bunch of whales, does not mean tourists caused the whales to appear. Obviously you would put a lab to study covid variants, in a location where covid is often found. Plus there are many kinds of covid. Just because someone is studying tigers, does not mean they are responsible when there is a sudden series of panther attacks in the same region.

As of yet Jon Steward has not apologised for his ill informed and dangerous rant. At least, as far as I know.

I find your post hyperbolic. As far as I know they haven't proven any theory yet.
Could you please provide a link where the wild theory has been proven to be irrefutable such as finding an animal possessing the virus?

We do not have an animal and it is close to two years - whereas in previous outbreaks animals were indeed found. But we do have a lab in the area that was doing gain of function research on corona viruses and there has been video footage of bats in such lab.

Also it is Stewart not Steward.

 

[Not a Hobbit]

As much as I enjoy him as a comedian, it was painful to watch, and full of fallacies. But I fear his comedic rant is easily accepted by a gullible audience. We don't need more of this right now. It is especially surprising coming from him. I thought he was smarter than that.

This is John Stewart's entire career.
It actually is Stephen Colbert's as well.

 

[Zardnaar]

This is John Stewart's entire career.
It actually is Stephen Colbert's as well.

Not a fan of either one. I have liked some of Stephen Colbert's work though so I like him better.

I can't imagine watching either one on a regular basis. Problem is if you watch a lot diminishing returns sets in.

 

[Horwath]

I'm not sure if any of you watch the Late Show with Stephen Colbert. But Jon Steward made an appearance a few weeks ago, where he started spreading conspiracy theories about covid being created in a lab. As much as I enjoy him as a comedian, it was painful to watch, and full of fallacies. But I fear his comedic rant is easily accepted by a gullible audience. We don't need more of this right now. It is especially surprising coming from him. I thought he was smarter than that.

For those of you who missed it. He basically said that it can't be a coincidence that covid arose in the same region as a Chinese covid lab. Thus supporting the conspiracy theory that covid was created in a Chinese lab. He compared it to a chocolate spill happening near a chocolate factory.

Of course the fallacies here are obvious. Just because there are a lot of whale-watching tourists near a bunch of whales, does not mean tourists caused the whales to appear. Obviously you would put a lab to study covid variants, in a location where covid is often found. Plus there are many kinds of covid. Just because someone is studying tigers, does not mean they are responsible when there is a sudden series of panther attacks in the same region.

As of yet Jon Steward has not apologised for his ill informed and dangerous rant. At least, as far as I know.

I did not watch Late Show, but how is suggesting that a virus is created in a lab is dangerous?

What else did he stated?

Did he also suggest to people that they should not get vaccinated? Because, that WOULD be stupid and dangerous.

"Lab" theory is the same as "bat" theory. One may be more plausible than other, but there is no concrete 100% evidence to prove or disprove either.

 

[Umbran]

I'm not sure if any of you watch the Late Show with Stephen Colbert. But Jon Steward made an appearance a few weeks ago, where he started spreading conspiracy theories about covid being created in a lab.

I felt a bit bad for Colbert on that one. He's there trying to quietly note reasonable possibilities, while tryong to not cheese off the guest who is viewed highly positive by his audience, and really got Colbert his start.

I find your post hyperbolic. As far as I know they haven't proven any theory yet.
Could you please provide a link where the wild theory has been proven to be irrefutable such as finding an animal possessing the virus?

If they came up with an animal, all you'd have to say is, "well, the virus got released from the lab, and it made its way into an animal!"

One issue with Stewart's piece was his repeated "It is in the NAME! The Wuhan Coronavirus Lab!" In fact, the lab is the Wuhan Institute of Virology. They do study coronaviruses at the lab, but they also study a lot of other things, and "coronavirus" does not appear in the name. If Stewart can't even get that fact straight, when it is the emotional core of his argument, the rest of his assertion ought to be thought of skeptically.

The key to understanding the issue requires understanding of genetics - viruses constructed in labs wind up pretty distinctive from wild viruses in their genetic structure. SARS-COV-2 looks like a wild virus, not a man-made one.

We do not have an animal and it is close to two years - whereas in previous outbreaks animals were indeed found.

That last is not correct. They did not find the same strain of SARS that infects humans in the animal population. What they found was that coronaviruses exist in the bat population, and that the reservoir of viruses found in one cave had all the genetic pieces that existed in SARS, such that the virus likely came from there, possibly with a civet as a go-between bats and humans.

The other thing to note is that the cave the SARS virus likely came from is in Yunnan province. The SARS outbreak started in Hunan province 900 miles to the to the east! It was like having the cave in Ohio, but the epidemic starting in Connecticut! Where we humans first notice the disease in humans, and where the virus actually comes from, can be widely separated.

Ergo, there's no particular reason to think this came from the lab just because the first cases were reported nearby.

But we do have a lab in the area that was doing gain of function research on corona viruses and there has been video footage of bats in such lab.

Well, duh. The SARS epidemic came up in 2002. Researchers from the WVI, along with others, started searching for the source of the virus in 2005. If you are going to study a virus that comes from bats, you will want bats around! They sampled thousands of bats, and came up with over 300 strains of coronaviruses in bats from all around China.

 

[Zardnaar]

" But the economy".

Most if us know it's a lie. Earlier in the week it came out the economy has recovered to pre Covid levels, unemployment is trending down to under 4%.

Covid-19: New Zealand ranks second in 'return to normal' ranking

A survey by The Economist magazine shows Hong Kong, New Zealand leading the way in returning to normal during the pandemic.

www.rnz.co.nz

Number two beaten by Hong Kong.

 

[Umbran]

I did not watch Late Show, but how is suggesting that a virus is created in a lab is dangerous?

Dude, at even the suggestion, violence against Asians of all sorts in the US has risen markedly since the pandemic began.

 

[Horwath]

Dude, at even the suggestion, violence against Asians of all sorts in the US has risen markedly since the pandemic began.

Violence is caused by stupidity, not what one comedian said.

Virus is chinese in origin.
And I highly doubt that some racist will care if the outbreak was caused by some guy cooking a bat or being bit by bat or some researcher not closing the test vial properly.

They see a person from any part of east Asia and they think that it's THE person from Wuhan directly responsible for pandemic.