Even A Relic Of The True Cross Couldn’t Keep The 12,500-ton Moskva Afloat
The title of this post is the same as that of this article on The Times.
The relic and what happened to it, is described in this extract.
More unusually, it was also carrying a purported splinter from the cross on which Jesus Christ was said to have been crucified. The holy relic was purchased from a Catholic church in Europe by Russian Orthodox Christian businessmen and handed over to the cruiser in 2020. Just a few millimeters across, it was stored inside a 19th-century cross that was kept in the cruiser’s on-board chapel, the Tass news agency reported.
The article also claimed that an unnamed Russian businessman paid $40 million for the relic and that Putin’s admirals believed the thin sliver of wood deflected missiles and torpedoes.
This is comedy gold of the highest class.
It is time to unleash the dogs of comedy!
Afghanistan War: Taliban Back Brutal Rule As They Strike For Power
This article on the BBC describes the evil that are the Taliban.
They need to be rounded up and sent to the International Criminal Court in The Hague.
Violent thugs and despots like the Taliban give Islam a bad name.
Turkey Blames EU In ‘Sofagate’ Diplomatic Spat
The title of this post, is the same as that on this article on the BBC.
These are the first two paragraphs.
What began as an attempt to repair tense EU-Turkey relations has turned into a diplomatic spat that has been dubbed “sofagate”.
When European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen was left standing because of a lack of chairs in Ankara, she reacted with an audible “Ahem”.
I suspect Mrs. T and Mrs. M would have done more than say “Ahem”
You certainly see better courtesy on the buses on the multi-ethnic route between Dalston and Stamford Hill.
Three times now, I’ve seen the classic friendly argument between an elderly male Orthodox Jew and a very much younger lady, about who should get on the bus last.
If only all problems could be solved with a smile, as these usually are in the end!
Covid-19: Two £10,000 Fines For ‘150-Person’ Funeral
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on the BBC.
This is the introductory paragraph.
A funeral director has been fined £10,000 after police were called to a funeral with close to 150 people in attendance.
This time, it appears that the covidiots were Roman Catholics.
Police Shut Down Illegal Halloween Parties And A Christening
The title of this post is the same as that of this article on the Evening Standard.
This is the opening paragraph.
Police were called to break up 11 illegal lockdown parties in the capital over the Halloween weekend – including a 1,000 people rave in East London.
The police were also called to a Christening, where a £10,000 fixed-penalty notice was handed out.
When will people learn that Careless Meeting Costs Lives.
Perhaps we should avoid the two R-words; rave and religion to keep the all important R-number down.
Any Politician Who Advocates A Circuit Breaker Is Ignoring The Dynamics
As a Control Engineer, trying to control things with an on-off control like a circuit breaker is like trying to ride a bike only turning hard left or hard right.
We need to apply lots of small actions to nudge the pandemic to a safe equilibrium with the UK population.
- A small action, I would do is shut betting shops, as this can be done on-line and most are owned by big groups, so commercial damage wouldn’t be great. Some staff surely could be redeployed.
- I would also close down all religious services with more than six people. Obviously, God is working on a bigger project at the moment and is too busy to help with the pandemic.
- I would also encourage working from home where possible, as that has been shown to reduce spread.
But perhaps we need to take some serious dramatic action.
Why not release the latest James Bond film on a Saturday evening on free-to-air television? And do it worldwide, except to China!
It wouldn’t do the cinemas any good, but if they got on with the next one, if this one is any good, everybody will flock to see it.
Israel Becomes First Nation To Announce A Second Coronavirus Lockdown
This title of this post, is the same as that of this article on The Times.
Israil had done well to control the first lockdown, but now they have over 4,000 new infections per day.
This paragraph gives some details.
About two thirds of the infections are in the Arab-Israeli and ultra-Orthodox Jewish communities, which together account for almost a third of the 8.8 million-strong population. Experts attribute the levels of infection to both groups’ insistence, despite restrictions, on holding weddings with as many as 1,000 guests, and the resumption of study three weeks ago in the ultra-Orthodox seminaries.
With 4,000 new infections in a population of just under nine million, their rate is much higher than in the UK.
Scaled Back Hajj Pilgrimage Due To Start In Saudi Arabia
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on the BBC.
Quite frankly, I was very surprised, when I heard this news on the BBC.
I thought, the Hajj would have been cancelled and not just scaled back.
In the past, I have had vicars as friends and I have talked to devout Orthodox Jews, and we have discussed serious moral dilemmas.
I can remember some from both groups saying, that your health always comes first.
In the current pandemic, the Church of England and prominent Jews like the Chief Rabbi have behaved with ultra-caution.
So where is this caution from the Muslim religious leaders?
I hope the Government and other political leaders, are giving them the truth, as they are endangering us all!
Atheists Less Likely To Die From Covid-19 Than Believers, Research Finds
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article in The Times.
This is the introductory paragraph.
People without religious faith are less likely to die from Covid-19 than believers, according to the first analysis of its kind from the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
This paragraph gives some actual statistics.
For Muslims the figures were 198.9 deaths per 100,000 males and 98.2 deaths per 100,000 females. Among Christians, the death rates were 92.6 for men and 54.6 for women, and among Jewish people 187.9 for men and 94.3 for women.
These are my observations.
The Average Death Rate
The average death rate of these religious groups is 121 per 100,000 people or 1 in 826 people.
The Number Of Coeliacs In The UK Population
This page on the NHS web site says this about the number of coeliacs in the UK population.
Coeliac disease is a condition that affects at least 1 in every 100 people in the UK.
But some experts think this may be underestimated because milder cases may go undiagnosed or be misdiagnosed as other digestive conditions, such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).
Reported cases of coeliac disease are around 3 times higher in women than men.
I hadn’t known the last point, but all my coeliac friends and acquaintances, with two exceptions are female! The two male exceptions are both chefs!
Thinking about the last point, I do wonder if women are more likely to have coeliac disease as the disease can affect their natural functions, so they are likely to go to the doctor with a problem, that could be a coeliac symptom, like the inability to conceive.
Diagnosed Coeliacs On A Gluten-Free Diet And Cancer
It has been shown by Joe West at Nottingham University, that diagnosed coeliacs on a gluten-free diet are less likely to get cancer, than the general population.
Does this mean, that this group of people have a strong immune system?
Diagnosed Coeliacs On A Gluten-Free Diet And COVID-19
Various doctors have said, that COVID-19 attacks people with compromised immune systems.
So do diagnosed coeliacs ona gluten-free diet get a measure of protection from COVID-19 from their strong immune systems?
Ashkenazi Jews And COVID-19
My coeliac disease comes from my great-great-great-grandfather, who was from Konigsberg in East Prussia.
In those far-off days at the start of the Nineteenth Century, if you were a Jewish male in East Prussia, you had to leave at eighteen, unless you were from one of the privileged Jewish families.
As my ancestor wasn’t a nenver of a privileged family, he hopped on a boat and ended up in Bexley.
Luckily, I was diagnosed as a coeliac at Addenbrooke’s hospital at the age of 50. My health, which had been poor off-and-on improved immediately and considerably, once I was no longer eating gluten.
But in the Jewish population, there are a lot of undiagnosed coeliacs, who probably have poor immune systems due to their diet.
Are they like targets in a shooting gallery for the evil COVID-19 virus?
Christians And COVID-19
I do wonder about communion rituals.
Especially, as some churches insist that wheat must be used. Even if you’re coeliac.
Surely, your health is more important.
Why Are Women Less Likely To Die Of Covid-19?
If undiagnosed coeliac disease is an explanation, as the disease is three times more common in women could explain it, if all coeliacs are on protective gluten-free diets.
Muslims And COVID-19
Most Muslims come from areas, where coeliac disease is rare and are probably on a gluten-free anyway.
But they do appear to suffer high levels of other diseases like diabetes, that compromise your immune system.
London Church Investigated Over ‘Protection’ Oil
The title of this post, is the same as that as this story on the BBC.
This is the first two paragraphs.
A faith healer who sold £91 “plague protection kits” claiming they could shield people from Covid-19 is being investigated by the charity watchdog.
Bishop Climate Wiseman of the Kingdom Church in Camberwell, London, claimed a bottle of oil and some red yarn would protect his followers from the virus.
Surely, he should be being investigated by the Metropolitan Police!
As far as I can see, the purpose of some religion is to let a few men, live a good life, at the expense of others.
The Anonymous Widower 