In theory

  Heard on the news they may have developed a one-shot vaccine for Covid, in all its variations, along with monkeypox. Further testing is required but it is promising. Well, I hear that as a promise, along with lower gas prices and shrinking inflation prior to the mid-term elections. Call me a skeptic if you will, or a conspiracy theorist, but the common flu has been around for decades and there is no universal shot for that. No, I've read where every year the scientists, the experts, take their best guess on what formulation to use. In their best years they are right 50% of the time. In others the efficacy is much less. Yet, in just a little over two years they are now saying they got this covid stuff licked! 

 The story went on to say these same experts are expecting a more severe flu season this year. They cite the fact that for the past two years we have had social distancing, mask wearing, closed schools and increased awareness. Those things have prevented the flu from spreading. That isn't the case this year though as everything is opening up. I just question that whole premise. I wonder if it couldn't have been because almost every case of the flu was diagnosed as covid, or some mutation of covid. Now I've read and heard the experts explain how the flu is different from covid. Thing is both are caused by a virus. When I hear the experts telling me they are different viruses however, I hear that as a mutation. A Dodge Viper is quite a bit different than a Volkswagen beetle, but they are both cars, just different mutations. It sounds like a bit of double talk to me.

 I also listened to another story where they are studying those that have never gotten covid. They were even asking for volunteers to study in an attempt to discover why that is. They even had a name for those folks, super dodgers! I had to smile because I'm one of those super dodgers and so is my wife. Neither one of us have ever received a covid vaccine or booster shot. It has been over two years and we have dodged that. In my thinking I haven't dodged a thing, it just hasn't found me. Could it be because I wasn't trying to hide? There was some talk of a specific genetic mutation that may be the reason. Maybe it is simply natural immunity. 

 I don't have any idea about that. I don't doubt that covid exists and that it is very bad. I also have no doubt that I may be infected with that someday, it could happen. But I wasn't willing to have some experimental vaccine injected into my body. In my estimation it surely hasn't done much good, and each booster shot reenforces that feeling. Today they are trying to comfort me with the promise of one-shot immunity. Call me skeptical if you will, I'm not buying that either.

 I'm being told I need to help save the planet! Climate change is going to destroy all of humanity. Yeah, well that happened before, I suspect several times as the climate on this planet changed. Call it foolish religious belief or scientific fact it makes little difference. I recall when using paper bags was the big issue, we were encouraged to use plastic bags in their place. Then plastic bags were very bad, using cloth bags was the only way. Today I need to buy an electric car. It's the only way to save the planet. Renewable energy sources like wind and solar are the answer. All we need to do is build batteries to store that power up when the sun isn't shining, or the wind isn't blowing. Surely extracting 500 tons of earth to get 5 tons of lithium isn't harmful to the planet. And that's not to mention all the other minerals required in the production of those batteries. Of course, the batteries only last so long and require replacement every fifteen or twenty years. The continued mining to obtain that ore surely won't have a lasting effect on the climate in any way. But I'm told one day those batteries will simply last forever, a one-shot purchase and we will produce all the energy we need without having to use a single drop of fossil fuels! Then, after just a few centuries the planet is saved! If not, we're all moving to Mars. Well, just call me skeptical. One theory says we came from Mars in the first place having destroyed it. Seems odd that we would be planning on going back.