Fossil fuel pollution = global warming = pandemics = death!

Nelson,   Two weeks ago, on an extraordinarily cold winter day, a group of Greenpeace volunteers and I visited 12 bank branches of the Big Five in Toronto – precisely, RBC, TD, Scotiabank, BMO and CIBC.We postered, went live on Instagram, and reminded everyone of the Big Five’s ongoing role in funding fossil fuel projects that violate Indigenous rights and accelerate climate chaos even as they continue to try to greenwash themselves. [1]   Together, we need to demand that Canada’s Big 5 banks stop funding destructive fossil fuel projects. Will you join me in doing so?

Yes, I will!

The CGL pipeline severely violates Indigenous rights and increases fossil fuel production. While Canada’s big 5 banks have made public commitments to achieve net zero emissions by 2050 [2] and to respect Indigenous land rights, their actions speak louder. And they are funding CGL, even as the Royal Canadian Mounted Police repeatedly raided unceded Wet’suwet’en territory in acts of colonial violence. [3] [4] [5] [6]   If you’re a customer of Canada’s Big 5 banks, remember that these banks are using YOUR money, YOUR savings to fund such projects. Tell them you don’t approve.

Send a message to the banks

It’s not at all impossible to stop investing in destructive pipelines or fossil fuel projects. A recent Greenpeace report shows that although the big 5 banks are more exposed to climate risk than they admit, they could phase out their support for fossil fuels. [7] I hope you can join me in telling them to do so.   Thank you for your support!   Tara, Mobilizations Campaigner, Greenpeace Canada

Sources   [1] https://www.greenpeace.org/canada/en/act/fossil-banks/  [2] https://cba.ca/banks-in-canada-committed-to-a-net-zero-economy-by-2050   [3] https://twitter.com/Gidimten/status/1478603962773245953 [4] https://www.theenergymix.com/2021/10/19/gidimten-checkpoint-urges-investors-to-dump-coastal-gaslink-pipeline/  [5] https://thetyee.ca/News/2022/01/10/BC-NDP-Faces-Internal-Pressure-Change-Course-Wetsuweten-Crisis/  [6] https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/15-arrests-journalists-wetsuweten-cgl-1.6256696  [7] https://www.greenpeace.org/canada/en/press-release/49591/canadian-banks-defying-climate-science-by-increasing-fossil-fuel-finance/

Greenpeace doesn't accept any money from companies or governments so we can be independent and challenge anyone who threatens the planet or peace. To help us keep fighting climate change, defending our oceans and protecting ancient forests, please make a regular donation or start a fundraiser. Thank you!   You can grow the movement for a green and peaceful future. Forward this email and share the signup link for our regular email updates and ways to take action.   This email was sent to:human4usbillions@gmail.com Are we sending too many emails? Click here to receive fewer emails.

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900,000 DEATHS REPORTED IN THE U.S.

Sign up for this newsletter Read online Important developments in the pandemic.       By Derek Hawkins  Email  The Post's coronavirus coverage linked in this newsletter is free to access from this email.   The latest With omicron variant cases trending downward, a growing number of Americans say they're ready to live with the coronavirus and move on. Polls indicate Americans are comfortable taking more risks as the virus continues to circulate, accepting the possibility that they may eventually get covid-19 and that, if they're vaccinated and boosted, it probably won't be too bad. They are reviving plans they canceled earlier in the pandemic, resuming the activities they put on hold.  We’ve been here before, of course. And we know that we're one variant away from going through the same cycle again. But prior experience tells us that the more people move on, the harder it will be to reverse course if cases resurge. As more Americans adapt to a new normal, some states are moving to lift their school mask mandates. The Democratic governors of New Jersey and Delaware say they intend to phase out school masking requirements next month. Others may follow, with the governors of New York and Connecticut saying they would address the issue soon. But infections are still running extremely high relative to previous waves, andnot everyone is on board. In Virginia, some students aren’t ready for such a change, worrying that a future without vaccine or mask requirements could upend hard-won pandemic protections.  The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is updating its booster guidance for people with weakened immune systems. The change would shorten the period between the initial vaccine series and the booster dose from five to three months for organ transplant patients and others whose medical conditions blunt their immune response. The move came as the United States marked 900,000 coronavirus deaths. “They were beloved mothers and fathers, grandparents, children, brothers and sisters, neighbors, and friends," President Biden said in a statement. He called on all Americans to get the vaccines and boosters.  Businesses laid off employees in droves in the pandemic’s early waves. This time, companies are struggling to hire and retain workers. Analysts predicted omicron would wreak havoc on the labor market, but January's strong job numbers showed how this part of the economy has become surprisingly variant-proof. “Employers did not yank job postings and run for the hills," one economist told The Washington Post. "Hiring remained robust and in the end, the economy barely sneezed.”    Other important news Do coronavirus tests work if shipped in freezing weather? Probably. Protests against public health mandates in Canada have intensified. Canadian police have made arrests, issued tickets, and seized fuel and vehicles. Australia plans to reopen to vaccinated tourists next month. The country had one of the world's strictest and longest-lasting border closures.  “Air rage” incidents surged on flights during the pandemic. Delta Air Lines has asked the Justice Department to help set up a “no-fly” list of unruly passengers.  Get breaking news alerts, offline reading lists and more. Download the app     Guide to the pandemic Track confirmed cases, hospitalizations and deaths in the U.S.and the spread around the world. U.S. vaccine distribution and delivery, tracked by state. Guides: Booster shots | Finding vaccine appointments | Vaccines | Variants | Masks Follow live updates about the pandemic from Post reporters across the globe. Submit a question and we may answer it in a future story or newsletter.    Your questions, answered "Can vaccines and boosters protect someone from developing long covid if they end up getting infected?" — Kim in Virginia Research suggests that vaccines and boosters do protect you from long covid in two important ways: first, by preventing you from getting sick in the first place; and second, by reducing the incidence in those who get breakthrough infections.  Long covid has flummoxed researchers and doctors since the early days of the pandemic. Millions of people around the world have reported fatigue, shortness of breath, difficulty concentrating, and other problems that last long after infection. There's no firm definition for this condition, and no definitive diagnosis, but it's generally described as symptoms persisting for several weeks or more. A recent non-peer-reviewed study out of Israel found that people who'd gotten two doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine were far less likely to report common long covid symptoms than unvaccinated people. Researchers spoke with more than 3,000 people who had tested positive. According to the results, vaccinated patients were 54 percent less likely to report headaches, 64 less likely to report fatigue, and 68 less likely to report muscle pain than those who weren't vaccinated. Another study released in September produced similar findings. Researchers looked at data from more than 1 million users of a covid-19 symptom tracker app in the United Kingdom and found the risk of long covid was slashed by half in those with two vaccine doses.  "The reasons for vaccination beyond the most pressing need to avert severe disease and deaths are manifold, but foremost it is to prevent long COVID,” Anthony De Soyza, an expert in respiratory medicine at the British National Institute of Health Research, said of the study in the Lancet medical journal. It's not clear why vaccines may ward off long covid in infected people — in large part because scientists don't know what causes this condition to begin with. One possibility, as described by the journal Nature in November, is that the immune protection generated by vaccines stops the virus before it can establish viral “reservoirs” in the body that may be linked to long covid. Whatever the case, the research isn't conclusive, and the data was collected before omicron peaked. Like so much related to long covid, vaccines and boosters, scientists need more time to observe the real-world effects of the disease and prevention efforts before we get a firmer answer. The unfortunate reality about long covid is that anyone can get it, regardless of their vaccination status or even the severity of their illness. Many cases resolve on their own after a few weeks or months, while some people experience debilitating symptoms that last much longer.  But the latest data is encouraging — as is the fact that two separate studies independently reached similar results.    Today’s top reads Find more stories, analysis and op-eds about the pandemic on our coronavirus page. I’m disgusted by Joe Rogan’s weak apology. My former colleague’s death at 47 makes it worse.  Perspective ●  By Margaret Sullivan ●  Read more »   Vincent Zhou out of men’s figure skating event after positive test clouds U.S. team’s silver By Les Carpenter ●  Read more »   England’s oldest pub, possibly 1,229 years old, shuts doors due to coronavirus hardships By Annabelle Timsit ●  Read more »   GOP rivals seize on Stacey Abrams’s maskless classroom photo as her campaign calls criticism ‘silly’ By Reis Thebault ●  Read more »        We think you’ll like this newsletter Check out A Better Week for a 7-day email course that will help you conquer your calendar, get more done and find time for the things you care about. Sign up »

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	Gandalf lived, suffered, and was killed in a laboratory—we must spare other monkeys a similar fate. We need 1,000 donors by April 30 to help stop animal testing—will you be the next one?   Dear Joseph, Gandalf—a monkey confined to a laboratory at the University of Pittsburgh (Pitt)—was so desperate for affection that he presented his back to passersby and gestured desperately to try to get them to groom it. But he received no affection or warmth—only torment. After a severely stressed monkey caged nearby bit Gandalf's hand down to the tendons, the veterinarian on call refused to examine his injury. Instead, she just prescribed ibuprofen—a woefully inadequate treatment for such a serious wound. He was then forced to undergo an experimental surgery. Three weeks later, he was euthanized and sealed in a biohazard bag after experimenters took tissue samples from his corpse. Today, there are hundreds more monkeys trapped in cages at Pitt, while tens of thousands more languish in other laboratories, experiencing pain and fear as Gandalf did. If you and I don't help them, who will? Please, be one of the 1,000 donors we need to pitch in just $5 or more by April 30 to help support PETA's vital work to end cruel, deadly experiments on animals. PETA's eyewitness observed other monkeys in the laboratory slowly losing their minds: pacing, rocking, and displaying other repetitive behavior often seen in stressed animals held in captivity. Since our investigation, news reports broke that a monkey who may have been infected with a dangerous pathogen escaped from a cage at the same university and that staff allegedly attempted to cover it up—potentially putting animals and humans alike at risk. Powered by committed PETA supporters like you, our work to end experimentation on animals has helped reduce the number of monkeys, rabbits, and other animals suffering each year: We recently persuaded food giant General Mills to ban experiments on animals for the purpose of making health claims about its products. It now joins Coca-Cola, Lipton, and many of the world's largest food companies that have stopped cruel tests after hearing from PETA. Not long afterward, the U.S. Coast Guard confirmed that it had ended the use of animals in cruel trauma training drills. It took years of aggressive campaigning by PETA to stop the service branch from shooting, stabbing, and dismembering goats, pigs, and other animals. But as long as even a single animal is suffering in a laboratory, we must push forward to end the neglect and abuse—and we can't do it without your support. Our goal is for 1,000 generous supporters to make a donation by midnight on April 30. We're making good progress, but we need you with us, too. Give your gift of $5 or more now and help prevent more animals from suffering in laboratories and cruel experiments! As always, thank you so much for all that you do for animals—every step we take toward a kinder world is only possible with your dedication and compassion. Kind regards, Ingrid E. Newkirk President
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They deliberately infected volunteers with Covid.

The Download Your daily dose of what's up in emerging technology Infectiousness insights 02.03.22

Hello! Today: insights have started trickling in from the first study to deliberately infect people with covid—we break down the most significant findings. Get your friends to sign up here to get The Download every day. What researchers learned from deliberately giving people covid   The news: People who’ve caught covid become infectious far more quickly than previously believed, according to the world’s first “human challenge trial” study in which healthy young volunteers were deliberately infected with the virus. The study, carried out by a team led by researchers at Imperial College London, is the first to watch what happens from the moment someone is infected with SARS-CoV-2. The findings: The 36 volunteers, all aged 18-30, were exposed to a low dose of the original SARS-CoV-2 virus in the nose. Half of the participants developed covid symptoms, and became infectious within just two days, with levels of infectious virus peaking at five days. It has previously been estimated that it took about five days from exposure to first symptoms. Participants in the study remained infectious for an average of nine days. What it all means: The findings come with the caveat that they’ve been derived from a small pool of volunteers. However, they provide useful insights nonetheless. The fact that people become infectious so quickly and stay infectious for so long suggests that recommended isolation periods should be kept at around ten days. Although the virus was detected in the throat first, it was eventually present at much greater levels in the nose, highlighting the need to wear face masks properly. The research also supports the regular, widespread use of lateral flow testing. And the fact that the challenge trial was carried out safely also suggests that this approach could help test future vaccines, variants or treatments.

Nelson,

Last week, we asked you to call on Canada and other global governments to finalize a strong Global Ocean Treaty at the UN this March.    We’re going to be releasing lots of crucial updates about this campaign in the lead-up to the UN meeting set to begin on March 8th—the best way to make sure you’re receiving them is by following Greenpeace on social media. (Also, following us on socials is the best way to guarantee a regular dose of quality penguin content to your timeline.)

What if TIPS can be converted to work against SARS-CoV-2 and the Omicron variant?

TIPs: Therapeutic Interfering Particles

A New Paradigm for HIV Treatment and Prevention

Therapeutic Interfering Particles, or TIPs, could represent a fundamentally new approach to stopping HIV and other infectious diseases. The theory behind TIPs is this: Since viruses are dynamic—that is, they mutate and spread—our approach to controlling them must also be dynamic. But until now our approach has been static—we develop drugs that do not mutate or spread. As a result, HIV continues to evolve and outwit us, rendering our treatment strategies limited at best—and, at worst, ineffective.

TIPS, however, are designed to both spread and evolve alongside the viruses they attack, including HIV. As a result, TIPs have the potential to dramatically reduce the lethality of HIV and slow its spread, or stop it completely, on a global scale. There is more research to be done, but the promise of TIPs is being diligently pursed as a part of Gladstone’s broader goals to better prevent and treat—and ultimately cure—HIV/AIDS.

What are TIPs?

TIPs are genetically engineered HIV particles that have been stripped of all their harmful material. What’s left is an empty “outer envelope” that has no infectious qualities but is able to piggyback onto HIV, allowing it evolve to and spread with HIV. This empty envelope (or therapeutic particle) interferes with HIV by disrupting the way the virus replicates, thereby eliminating its power to destroy cells.

How do TIPs work?

To understand TIPs, we must understand what makes HIV so effective and so lethal. And that is, HIV inserts itself into the very DNA of our cells—specifically, the white blood cells in our immune system. In doing so, it turns these cells into mini “HIV factories” that busily produce more and more HIV particles. Eventually, the cells die, releasing HIV into the bloodstream where the virus infects and kills yet more cells. This process repeats millions of times, eventually destroying our immune system.

TIPs beat HIV at its own strategy by hijacking the virus. In other words, once inside a cell, TIPs piggyback onto HIV and transform the cell from an “HIV factory” into a “TIPs factory.” Instead of producing HIV, the cell produces more and more interfering particles. Like HIV, these TIPs then spread into other HIV-infected cells, hijacking those factories.

And because TIPs are essentially empty envelopes, they reproduce and spread more quickly than HIV, which is laden with genetic material. Think of a race car zipping alongside an overloaded 18-wheeler truck. Eventually, the roadster (TIPs) overtakes the more sizable HIV and speeds ahead, producing more and more TIPs—and causing HIV production to plummet.

How do TIPs help someone who already has HIV?

Because TIPs interrupt the way HIV reproduces, the amount of HIV virus in an individual person—that is, their viral load—drops considerably. This allows the immune system to remain robust, helping the person stay strong and healthy. This also makes it much more difficult for the virus to spread from person to person, because lower viral loads mean lower transmission rates.

So TIPs serve two absolutely essential functions: they reduce the amount of HIV in an infected individual and make it harder transmit the virus to others.

 

How could TIPs stop HIV on a global scale?

Remember, TIPs piggyback onto HIV and spread with it. So if an HIV-infected person with TIPs spreads the virus, he or she is also spreading a treatment. In this way, TIPs can spread throughout a population and gradually reduce both the prevalence and virulence of HIV.

Gladstone researchers expect that this approach can reduce the global spread of HIV—including the world’s hardest hit areas, such as sub-Saharan Africa, where HIV infection rates range from 15–30% of the population. For any strategy to work on this scale, it must overcome what epidemiologists call the “universal barriers” to stopping infectious diseases:

• Access—getting the drugs and vaccines to the target populations;

• Adherence—getting people to stick to the regimen and take their meds;

• Resistance—treating viruses that mutate and can become treatment-resistant; and

• “Superspreaders”—reaching small groups of individuals who engage in behaviors that are likely to transmit the virus and have a disproportionate impact on the spread of the disease.

  Unlike current treatment-and-prevention strategies—including lifesaving antiretroviral medications—TIPs leap over each of these barriers:

• Access—TIPs are a single-dose treatment that spread the same way HIV spreads.

• Adherence—TIPs’ one-time exposure eliminates the need to adhere to lifelong

  drug-treatment regimens.

• Resistance—TIPs piggyback onto HIV and evolve with it, undermining HIV’s ability to become treatment-resistant.

• “Superspreaders”—Because TIPs spread alongside HIV (i.e., by those sharing needles and/or having unprotected sex with someone who has HIV), they will reach this otherwise difficult-to-identify and treat population, thereby dramatically reducing HIV prevalence.

  What is the potential impact of TIPs?

  Gladstone scientists project that if just 1% of the population in sub-Saharan Africa were to receive TIPs, the prevalence of HIV in 10 years would drop to less than 10% of the population. In 50 years, the prevalence rate would drop to less than 2% of the population. In short, these game-changing results are vast improvements over even the most optimistic projections for reducing HIV prevalence through antiretroviral medications or an effective vaccine.

  What is next for TIPs at Gladstone?

  Our researchers are poised to take TIPs from the petri dish, where it so successfully interrupts HIV, into lab animals, the essential next-step in researching both its safety and efficacy. Gladstone investigators are actively seeking funding to advance this research as quickly as possible.

  We invite you to get in touch with Gladstone to discuss how you can help support our TIPs research, as part of our goal to improve HIV/AIDS treatment and prevention—and to ultimately cure this disease.

  Contact Leor Weinberger, PhD, Director and Bowes Distinguished Professor, at leor.weinberger@gladstone.ucsf.edu.