I'm not sure this is entirely due to Mercedes. Verstappen had his first time wiped for exceeding track limits... which meant he had to be more cautious on his next run, to avoid starting from tenth.
I'm not sure Mercedes have any real pace advantage... but they do have a strategic advantage now starting P1 and P2.

That might be a good idea. I'd like to see more data, as what we have so far on the links between vitamin D and Covid aren't conclusive. Understandably the large scale trials etc have all been about the vaccines. If we didn't have vaccines, then perhaps there would have been some major vitamin D trials.


Yes. I certainly appreciate the discussion. I find that debating a topic with someone who takes the opposing viewpoint forces me to confront and attempt to justify my own assumptions and reasoning, which is always a good thing.

I'm 4/5 now.

Surely this isn't a serious thread? Are the vaccidents caused by drivers pressing down too hard on the vaccelerator to get back to their vaccommodation more quickly? And who should be held vaccountable, driver or supplier?
I'm not willing to vaccept your evidence. I just don't think it's particularly vaccurate.




Me too, but he keeps starting these threads. I don't know what the answer is.

That's an interesting article, thanks.

I think it's accepted that vitamin D deficiency is very common, particularly at higher latitudes. It has health benefits, yes. Moderate supplementation makes sense.

Sure, it improves overall health. But this doesn't mean that vitamin D is a viable alternative to vaccination. Evidence in general suggests that it helps with Covid outcomes, the paper linked to above notwithstanding. I might suspect (but have no data) that the link between vitamin D deficiency and skin pigmentation may be a factor in the higher Covid rates amongst the BAME population. Vitamin D may help to an extent, just like masks help to an extent. But if you want immunity, your options are either catch it, or take the vaccine.

I'm not denying that large pharmaceutical companies have engaged in some quite egregiously immoral behaviour over the years; Martin Shkreli is not an isolated anomaly. AZ I'm sure are also guilty of questionable practices, just perhaps not with Covid.
Here in the UK, the discussion of how vitamin D might relate to Covid is out in the open; it's not being suppressed. I'm not aware of whether potential links are suppressed in other countries.

I was just getting ready to respond, and then I read your post, where you pretty much said everything I was going to say


This is not new. Photo below of 45,000 year old mammoth bone with spear wound. The history of human civilisation is the history of tool use, is the history of using technological advancements to keep ourselves alive. Vaccines are a triumph of human ingenuity.

http://siberiantimes.com/science/casestudy/features/f233-the-smoking-gun-proving-ancient-man-killed-woolly-mammoth-45000-years-ago/


Yes, moderate supplementation seems like a good idea, especially at higher latitudes. I'm not sure how likely toxicity through overdosing is, but ultra-high dose vitamins aren't a great idea in general.
In the UK, the NHS has been offering free supplementation for Covid high-risk groups. There's also a recent report by the BMJ here.

It's worth noting that vitamin D is not a secret magical panacea that is being hidden from us by Big Pharma because it doesn't make them $$$. It's also worth noting in regard to this myth that AZ are providing their vaccine at cost, with no profit motive.
Vitamin D may help against Covid to an extent, and is unlikely to harm unless you're mega-dosing. But it's not the single answer, or even the best answer. Vaccination is the way out of this. And until vaccination is at sufficient levels to provide herd immunity, then masks, social distancing etc are crucial.

Eradication would be fantastic. I suppose a key issue here is how quickly the virus mutates. In order for eradication to work, the vaccines will have to keep on top of the new variants... this could be quite a task given how widespread the virus is around the world. But either way, whether it stays with us and is controlled by annual shots like flu, or whether it is eradicated entirely... we are in a much better position than we were this time last year. It is important now to ensure that the rich countries let poorer countries have access to the limited vaccine supplies.

It definitely was extraordinary, yes. I thought there was no way Barca would drop points here, especially after the first half... and yet they ended up losing. They were in really good form, there is no real explanation for why they would trip up now. But yes it hands the power back to Atletico now, who are still just about holding on at the top in what is now becoming a 4-team race... as unlikely as it sounds, Sevilla do have a decent chance of winning the title, and are in the best form of anyone in the top four.

Yesterday the English team drew 1-1 and scored an away goal.
Today, 70ish minutes in, the English team is at 1-1 and has scored an away goal...

The way it's shaping up, they can both sit back at home and play for a 0-0, to get an all English final... but that's a huge risk of course, against teams like Real and PSG.

Scratch that, Mahrez has got a second. PSG in trouble now!

3/3  

Also bold and red doesn't make it true, you need caps for that.

Seriously though, we know that the data show that the vaccine reduces the likelihood of both infection and transmission. I've posted so many links to professional, expert sources, that are independent of one another, from many different countries around the world, from governments, universities, scientific bodies, etc.
Why would you think that being vaccinated increases the risk of spreading the virus? The thing that increases it is refusing the vaccine, refusing to wears masks and refusing to respect social distancing.


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Edit: Disappointingly, I'm now 3/4... I thought this was one of yours.

The thing is though, the cap on expenditure this season could have big repercussions for the sprint race. Teams only have a small amount of money to spend. We saw Toto talking about it after the Bottas crash last race... how Russell as a Mercedes driver was irresponsible, given that the money it takes to repair a car is money that is taken out of the development budget.

I can't see drivers going all out in the sprint races. Yes they'll want to get a good position, but equally they will try hard not to trash the car.

Yes, exactly. The opposition is both dispiriting and utterly predictable. And it really doesn't help that the nations worst affected by climate change are the poorest and least influential. We may need climate effects to worsen before the powerful start to take notice... maybe once Miami is underwater?

I'm actually surprised by how radical Biden is being. Everyone thought he was a centrist bridge-builder, but now that he's in charge he seems to have unleashed his inner Bernie Sanders. I do think that some of this is due to age... likely the presidency will be his last job, he doesn't need to appease big business so he can move into some lucrative corporate consultancy and directorship roles afterwards... he's free to pursue what he wants, relatively unencumbered. Maybe we should insist that all future POTUS candidates are above retirement age

Agree with you on 'puny attempts'. Most nations are doing very little. Vague commitments, minor emissions cuts, nothing serious, nothing like what is needed to actually combat climate change. Empty words, mostly just greenwashing, from companies as well as governments.

Let's see if Biden is going to be as radical as he is saying. Where the US leads, others follow. He has a big chance to make a difference.

Citation needed on 'many'. One single data point, one individual, doesn't constitute an argument.
India in general is in a bad way with Covid. Poorer nations always suffer, and in this instance the rich nations have taken all the vaccines. Plus it doesn't help having that crazed supremacist Modi in charge.

Yes. I watched week by week as Barcelona and Real Madrid closed in... I always thought Atletico had a big enough lead so that a couple of bad result wouldn't matter. Unfortunately they dropped a lot of points, and continue to drop points... just at the same time that Barca and Real finally hit some good form.

So much at the end of the season is about current form... and Atletico could end up finishing third. Or even fourth, as Sevilla are in red-hot form and closing in fast.

Chelsea have only scored 2 goals in their last 4 games. Real Madrid have scored 3 goals in their last 4 games... but that was a 3-0 win, the other 3 matches were all 0-0.

Perhaps we might see a 0-0 result in this match? Teams will be reluctant to concede an away goal in the first leg, and may play defensively.

I really want Atletico to win... but as each match goes by, it starts to seem less likely. The Barca game could really prove crucial now, Atletico will need to win that one... but it's a huge challenge the way BArca are playing at the moment... they just don't seem to be dropping points, whereas Atletico are dropping them all over the place, even in the easier matches.

It would be quite amusing if Man City, Chelsea and Real Madrid were expelled from this season's competition. Wonder if PSG are pushing for that to happen?
Seriously though, there is widespread ill-feeling towards these clubs, and the feeling that some serious punishment is in order. Fines are irrelevant. Lesser clubs have suffered bans and points deductions, even outright relegations... will UEFA have the stomach to punish the big teams, too?

And I've since linked to more up-to-date data which show quite clearly that the vaccines are effective at reducing both infection and transmission.


Citation needed. Particularly of the pharma companies who are apparently claiming "0%" effectiveness. Unless it was a shift+5 typo and that should be "50%"? In which case, the majority of vaccines are well over 50%. The Sinovac one I think is the least effective, at somewhere like 50% after two doses. But that's not representative of Pfizer, AZ, Moderna, J&J, etc.


Unless you die. Or you are happy to gamble with long-term health effects. Or are happy to infect others.
You're against all vaccination, but I still haven't seen a decent rebuttal for the times when I've mentioned Polio, or Smallpox, etc.

Are you trying to resurrect the 'morgellons' thing? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delusional_parasitosis

The most mysterious thing about masks is that despite them obviously presenting a physical barrier, there are still people out there who refuse to believe that they present a physical barrier. Or who claim that because a mask is not 100% preventative, then it's utterly pointless.