BruceVC

I always thought Louis Pasteur created the first vaccine. But after reading these posts I did some research and you right, the concept of vaccines have been around for a lot longer than that. I learnt something new https://www.historyofvaccines.org/timeline/all

You make some valid points and I agree that 99 % of people dying in the USA due to Covid are unvaccinated. No one is disputing this and this gets raised and discussed extensively on CNN and their is no doubt that the hesitancy is caused by misinformation around the scientific and irrefutable nature of the virus and vaccines But lets say you shutdown FB permanently, their would be other platforms that misinformation can and would be disseminated. So you see the conundrum, its not FB but the spread of misinformation And even if you somehow shutdown all types of social media people would utilize other systems like cell phones or newspapers to create and propagate fake news ....so would we then be accursing the broader media and the cell phone companies of " killing people " ? Would you be fine with that ? Remember the concept of SM media fake news is akin to gossip, its been with us for all time and you are not going to stop people gossiping.

You right, their is enough food globally to feed the world and resources to give every person in the world a roof over the head. But their isnt one system of government that manages these resources and even in a wealthy country like the USA much of the resources only exist because of the private sector....not government. But the worlds constant and worse examples of inequality are in failed states and or dictatorships, if we can fix that by removing these types of governments it will go a long way to reducing global poverty and things like the immigration crisis that many countries grapple with. So unless the world can somehow move to a single government, which none of us want and its not practical, we are always going to have abuse of resources and mismanagement in certain places in the world? Excellent observation as usual and I am so glad you have raised this point. And its always white people who suffer in these examples. Its a terrible reality to live in as a white person and I am glad you have noticed this. We need to pass more laws so white people aren't discriminated against

Lets be positive ....lets say cautiously optimistic. That way we cant be disappointed if the trilogy is a disappointment, its a win win

Yes, I agree with much of what you say I dont think FB should be forced to decide on most content, outside of hate speech, and especially what is fake news about the virus and what is not fake news. It puts them in an invidious position and I feel uncomfortable with this type of mandate deciding what is acceptable content from a IT company But then Biden shouldnt be accursing them of killing people either. Because they not killing anyone, its just a way of communicating so the people saying these things need to called out by the White House....which they already are So why scapegoat FB when it comes to the misinformation that is going around the world around the virus ?

Okay so its not a free speech issue. What do you personally think should be done about people using SM platforms like FB to spread their own views on the virus and vaccines. Should FB ban them and or remove the content?

https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/biden-platforms-facebook-killing-people-203405433.html The Biden administration, and Biden specifically, is officially blaming FB for the spread of misinformation around the virus and vaccine hesitancy. I think this is misplaced as SM is merely a platform and their is a difference between hate speech on SM, which should be banned, and people not bothering to think for themselves or denying the reality of the pandemic in the USA So I see this as an infringement on freedom of speech and platforms like FB shouldnt be accused of " killing people " ....its ignorance that is killing people and the fact that people who deny the efficacy of vaccines have created their own understandings of things like science. You cant really help them see the truth and sadly they need to accept the consequences of their own decisions and actions. But the virus will continue to spread and claim lives in these communities and states with a low vaccine acceptance rate

You boys have really drawn a line in the sand now about this game and I can respect that ....but now you need to stick to it. If this game turns out to be greatest RPG of all time then you still not allowed to play it, remember this moment Chris sounds angry in this link....very unhappy and he seems to be venting ?

Now I am utterly confused....who is taking who too seriously Gromnir doesn't discern humor very well, its well known and generally he takes things as a real point and doesnt recognize when someone is just joking https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irresistible_(2020_film) But more importantly I watched this highly recommended movie last night. Its a parody on the current state of the US political landscape and its hilarious and accurate in some of its framing of how political parties sometimes conduct themselves Its got some of the actors from " The Office " in it so you know it will be good

https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2021-07-16-this-attempted-insurrection-has-failed-president-cyril-ramaphosa/ The looting and violent protests are slowing down in SA and now we are looking at the damage and the enormous task of rebuilding and what to start on Our president gave a speech last night in the link, I like our president and support and vote for ANC. Often he gets unfairly criticized or blamed for problems that the previous jailed president, Jacob Zuma, is responsible for. I dont always agree with the speeches his speech writers create but sometimes you have to be diplomatic and frame things in a certain way if you the president of any country so I understand this But here is an example, in the speech last night he said "It is clear now that the events of the last week were nothing but a deliberate, well planned and coordinated attack on our democracy,” President Cyril Ramaphosa told South Africans on Friday night, following a week of looting and violence that left the country reeling. The instigators of the unrest, Ramaphosa said, had intended to “cripple the economy”, “severely weaken or even dislodge the democratic state”, and “provoke a popular insurrection”. The instigators he mentions have always been around on Social Media and are members of some political parties and its well known that they push rhetoric and conspiracy theories as a reason for inequality and criminal behavior like associating companies, the legal system and the media as being controlled by " white, monopoly capital " But this violence was caused by the last 10-12 years of an increase of violent protests and the state not acting effectively to arrest the small number of people involved in acts of criminality. We support peaceful protests in SA as its Constitutionally mandated But because their use to be a culture inculcated in some of the protestors that " burning of shops and looting " is okay and the police dont act this emboldened the current criminal element in these latest protests So I disagree with government that this was well a organized attack or an attempt to destroy the Democratic system. It was mostly criminal behavior and opportunism and it spread through spontaneous violence because the looters believed they wouldn't be arrested and their would be no consequence by our security forces

Its a bit old but I only watched it this week. Dying Light 2 is looking incredible, this latest video reminds me of the Vampire themed series " The Strain " where you have these hives of infected creatures that sleep during the day in dark buildings Man I cant wait for this game ....day 1 purchase for sure !!!!

Still busy Sunless Sea and still having great fun. My latest conquests and developments are I sired a child from my important and appreciated romantic interludes at London Port and the little rug rat and his mother wanted a better life from me. Sadly at the time I had limited resources and lived in a room above the pub. So I gave up any responsibilities and lost my child. I felt bad because now I own a villa but without financial support I couldnt do much for my offspring I have finally upgraded my ship and the hull has 200 damage points and I can load a Torpedo weapon. That means I can now battle most high level monsters and enemy ships and sometimes win I have been trying to complete my officers quests which is very entertaining and exciting Great game overall

I am glad you have observed the interesting and mundane ways that human beings interact, I find it fascinating In SA we have a normal way of greeting people where everyone generally says " Morning\Hi.. how are you? " But they dont actually want to know " how are you " .....its just part of the greeting etiquette. Because often its complete strangers you greet, meaning its people who you recognize their faces but dont know anything about them. I generally work in large companies and their would be thousands of people you dont know personally but you walk past them or get in the same lift So what I use to do occasionally , outside the pandemic, is when someone who automatically responded with a " how are you " I would pretend it was a legitimate question and start telling them all my problems but exaggerate things in a negative way as if they were a real friend And it really is hilarious when you see how complete strangers responded because they asked me a question but they didnt want to know about my "problems " . And I use to always start the joke by saying " Im so glad you asking because things are terrible "

And I assume you the expert on the state of the Cuban healthcare system ?

Their are people who support BLM and they make sense in their approach and ideas, I see them on CNN all the time My concern is the people who come up with all these ideas and new policies to defund and undermine police and the direct impact that has on society and the rule of law and order

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Republic_of_Sarah I started watching this and its got real potential. Its got numerous SJ themes that have been done in a realistic and believable way that includes estranged families, LGBT relationships, Native American rights, inter-racial relationships and of course the ubiquitous " evil, Capitalist, large corporation " that could destroy the small town through mining projects So it should appeal to many people on this forum

Yeah, it will be interesting to see when I get my actual appointment because of how under resourced we are with vaccines generally and now with this unprecedent looting and burning of shops the supply chain has been severely impacted around the vaccines we have got

Absolutely and we have had success stories in township schools by a proven, working model. The sustainability and effectiveness of our township schools works when you have a good, working relationship between parents and teachers and basically the school board needs parents to support them and of course the resources, allocated yearly from government in a budget, mustn't be squandered but in this case that is not the main issue So your typical township school would love the idea of a point and click book as I mentioned

I dont know much about the global appetite for books but I know what I enjoy and what people like me, we do have spending power and buy books regularly, would enjoy. A graphic novel is always a good idea but the market is dominated by many players but a point and click adventure sounds like an excellent idea Would you intended audience for this point and click idea be children under 14 or so ? I think their is market for that group that is relatively untouched but to honest I dont know much about children's point and click ? It can be educational as well and positioned truly as a " clever way to get children to read more " Its something, once you develop the most effective implementation model, that can be used throughout Africa and particularly SA. It would be positioned as a tool " to encourage children to read more " and something that would gain good support because we have about 10-15 % of children who get to grade 12 and are still unemployable And the reasons for this are almost the same, these unfortunate kids went to certain township and public sector schools that failed to deliver a decent education to these kids but the kids are pushed through the grades without having to pass so the pass rate looks good....its a small number of kids but its real And the lack of reading skills is due to a lack of effective reading resources at some of the public sector schools. So you can see how the entire idea of kids wanting to read is always an important objective in SA and we invest in products and ideas, like point and click products, that we believe will improve the standard of our education

And we all know how draconian and sensitive the Obsidian moderators are on this forum....I actually am expecting criminal charges to be laid against you by Gothfuscious

Melk I meant to say this about 8 months ago when I realized you have published\ebooked a book, " well done for writing and finishing a book " I admire anyone in any part of their life who can get this done, how long did it take you to complete ?

Gromnir I mentioned that the actual knowledge what Cuba is teaching people around medicine is outdated This is not my opinion because I dont like socialist countries and believe they represent mostly failed states. They do but that is not the point We have SA doctors who come back from Cuban with so called " training on medicine " but they dont get deployed because they need retraining and dont understand aspects of modern medicine And I would argue that represents most of their education system in Cuba because we have same issue with Cuban engineers who we import. The Cuban engineers and doctors quite simply lack the updated and relevant qualification. So I am not sure how anyone can say " Cuba has a good and modern healthcare system " https://mybroadband.co.za/news/government/394813-cuban-engineers-not-registered-to-work-in-south-africa.html

https://mybroadband.co.za/news/trending/406212-food-and-fuel-shortages-hit-parts-of-south-africa.html https://businesstech.co.za/news/government/506136/economic-impact-of-riots-and-looting-in-south-africa-and-wider-emerging-problems/ The outcome of the looting and criminality that has gripped 2 provinces in SA over the last 5 days can be summarized in different ways but the main points are over 150 people killed over 2000 people arrested massive food and fuel shortages as transport of goods is severely impacted or trucks carrying goods have been destroyed or burnt on our national roads anything from 20-40 billion Rands damage to the provinces economy hospitals and clinics in rural areas have been destroyed tens of thousands of people people will have lost their jobs as businesses have been destroyed the poor get poorer and inequality will increase And we have to deal with the rampant spread of the virus And I hear comments from small groups of so called socialists globally that these types of violent " revolutions " are an effective way to implement economic change in any Constitutional Democracy ....yeah right, tell me another one

I agree, BLM is a nebulous organization that has no clear leadership structure and no one who takes responsibility for words and comments said in the public arena So when are we going to see someone taking responsibly because we see actions and protests on the ground but no accountability ?

I agree about the reality and strength of the Cuban health system, people believe they have this strong health system? Maybe in the 1960's-1980's but not anymore. South Africa has this misplaced view we " owe " Cuba for their ideological support of Socialism and the ANC during the Cold War but the Soviets and Cubans only supported liberation movements like the ANC because it was a the Cold War. The Cold War ended 30 years and countries like Cuba and Russia pulled out of Africa decades ago Anyway we have been sending small amounts of students to Cuba to get " medical training" as doctors and we have to pay for it. But when they come back to SA its been found they have to be recertified on several things. So sending people to Cuba when we have our own effective universities that educates students around medicine has been a huge waste of time because the Cuban education system is outdated and under resourced https://www.sowetanlive.co.za/opinion/columnists/2020-04-29-where-are-all-the-south-africans-trained-as-doctors-in-cuba/ Also the virus is running rampant in Cuba, one of the reasons for the current protests, so to look at Cuba as a success of dealing with the virus is a false narrative and inaccurate