October 2, 2022

Khosta-2: Russian Bat Virus Could Spark the Next Pandemic

Lab tests suggest the Khosta-2 virus thrives in human cells and is resistant to current coronavirus vaccines. We need better jabs to fight new animal viruses.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/terrifying-khosta-2-russian-bat-virus-could-spark-the-next-pandemic



The COVID-19 pandemic isn’t over. In fact, it shows signs of lingering for, well, a long time. But even as politicians and health authorities struggle with how, if at all, to keep addressing the current pandemic, scientists are already anticipating the next one. They’re scouring the planet for animal viruses that, like SARS-CoV-2, could leap to the human population and cause serious disease on a global scale. They just found one. And it’s nasty.

In 2020, a team of Russian scientists collected a few horseshoe bats in Sochi National Park in southern Russia. The Russians identified, in those bats, a new virus they called Khosta-2. Behaviorally, the virus seemed to have a lot in common with SARS-CoV-2. Two years later, a separate team—including scientists from Washington State University and Tulane University—tested Khosta-2 along with another newly-discovered Russian bat virus, hoping to determine whether they’re capable of infecting people. And, if so, whether our antibodies stand any chance of stopping them.

The initial results, which the team described in a new peer-reviewed study that appeared last week in the science journal PLOS Pathogens, are worrying. The second bat virus didn’t seem all that infectious. But Khosta-2, on the other hand, took a liking to human cells. “We tested how well the spike proteins from these bat viruses infect human cells under different conditions,” the scientists wrote. “We found that the spike from the virus Khosta-2 could infect [the] cells, similar to human pathogens using the same entry mechanisms.”

Equally troubling, Khosta-2 proved “resistant to neutralization by serum from individuals who had been vaccinated for SARS-CoV-2.” In other words, our bodies’ defenses against COVID-19 might not protect us from a hypothetical disease caused by Khosta-2. The implications are clear. We’d need better antibodies to beat Khosta-2. “Our findings highlight the urgent need to continue development of new, and broader-protecting … vaccines,” the scientists behind the new study wrote.

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October 2, 2022

Liz Truss orders King Charles not to attend COP27 climate summit

King Charles has long been known for his support on the issue of climate change and was thought to be delivering a speech at the annual conference of the world's nations

https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/royals/liz-truss-orders-king-charles-28132773



Prime Minister Liz Truss has reportedly blocked King Charles from making an appearance at the upcoming COP27 climate talks. The annual gathering of nations to discuss the global environment is due to take place in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt in November. During his time as the Prince of Wales, Charles often spoke about the issue of climate change and his desire for creating a sustainable world.

In September 2021, he wrote exclusively for the Daily Mirror on his personal lifelong quest to help future generations and said: “I have spent some forty years of my life trying to indicate what needs to be done to ensure we do not bequeath a destroyed world to our children and grandchildren.” He went on to warn that the world was "on the brink".

It was thought the King would be delivering a speech at this year's conference but the prime minister is believed to have rejected the idea - Ms Truss herself is unlikely to attend. A senior royal insider told The Times : "It is no mystery that the King was invited to go there. He had to think very carefully about what steps to take for his first overseas tour, and he is not going to be attending Cop."

It is said the choice to stop the King attending the meeting was due to Government advice, although Charles will find other means to support the event. The COP events are also know as the United Nations Climate Change Conference this year runs between November 6 and 18. At last year's COP26 in Glasgow the then-Prince of Wales gave a speech before urging world leaders to unite together and tackle climate change.

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October 1, 2022

Failed GOP Candidates Say 'Deep State' Used 'Weather Manipulation Technology' to Punish DeSantis

https://www.thedailybeast.com/lauren-witzke-and-deanna-lorraine-say-deep-state-using-weather-manipulation-technology-to-punish-desantis



Two conspiracy-peddling former MAGA congressional candidates pushed an absolutely bonkers claim this week that the “Deep State” used “weather manipulation technology” to power up Hurricane Ian in order to hurt Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.

DeAnna Lorraine, who unsuccessfully challenged Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi in 2020, said on her far-right online show that the federal government knows “how to manipulate and create big storms, hurricanes, tornadoes, climate change,” adding that “huge hurricanes seem to target red states” near elections. “In this case, possibly Ron DeSantis has been stepping out of line a lot and challenging, fighting the Deep State,” she added, noting that DeSantis is a likely GOP presidential candidate.

Lauren Witzke, the Republican Party’s 2020 Senate nominee for Delaware, agreed that Ian “could be a weather-manipulated hurricane” before noting that the storm became a Cat-5 hurricane “overnight” and “does seem to be hitting the conservative areas of” Florida. “I’m not putting it past the elites to target something like this toward Florida as punishment for getting rid of vaccine mandates or getting rid of child grooming,” Witzke exclaimed.

Besides repeatedly pushing the unhinged QAnon conspiracy theory in the past, Witzke and Lorraine have peddled other outlandish and bogus claims in recent years, such as Flat Earthism, 9/11 conspiracies, and the baseless assertion that a Miami condo tower collapse was a “Deep State operation” targeting associates of John McAfee, the late software entrepreneur .

https://twitter.com/RightWingWatch/status/1575874385948598272

October 1, 2022

This Company Will Pay You $50,000 to Move to Iceland for a 'Simpler Life'

How about that four-day work week?!

https://www.thrillist.com/news/nation/siggis-move-to-iceland-contest



While the grass isn't always greener on the other side, sometimes it actually is. Now, you can test that theory. Yogurt maker siggi's is hiring for a freelance gig—officially dubbed Chief Simplicity Offiskyr—which would task you with just that. The company will pay one person $50,000 to move to Iceland, one of the world's happiest countries, and document their experience with its newly implemented four-day work week.

The job requires you to capture content for siggi's social channels and document the mission of simplicity while also experiencing all that Iceland has to offer, including the Northern Lights and Icelandic food. It shouldn't be too hard, huh? Along with that $50k paycheck, you'll also get a camera for said content creation and insider connections to hiking guides, restaurant owners and chefs, and more.

According to siggi's, there's been a culture shift over the last few years that's redefined our values around career, travel, health, and relationships. The idea of a "simpler life" has become more popular. "While many companies have been pushing for a healthy work/life balance, siggi's is the first to offer a gig that truly maximizes living a simple life and enjoying the benefits that the environment and nature have to offer," the brand wrote on its site.

To apply for the role, you'll need a valid passport, strong writing skills, a passion for photography, an adaptable nature, and a desire to live a simpler life.

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