Author: auntyuta

Auntie, Sister. Grandmother, Great-Grandmother, Mother and Wife of German Descent I've lived in Australia since 1959 together with my husband Peter. We have four children, eight grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. I started blogging because I wanted to publish some of my childhood memories. I am blogging now also some of my other memories. I like to publish some photos too as well as a little bit of a diary from the present time. Occasionally I publish a story with a bit of fiction in it. Peter, my husband, is publishing some of his stories under berlioz1935.wordpress.com

Why to get vaccinated?

I do not want to get vaccinated in the very near future. Now, you may disagree with me, but I want you to tell me why you disagree with me. Before you tell me that it is urgent that I do get any available vaccine as soon as possible, please take the time to read the following and then explain to me why in your opinion I am wrong!

So, my children think, it should be my wish to live many more years. And I have to ask, can they not imagine, how awful the thought is to become more and more dependent on others? And on top of it having nobody to be with most of the time? Sure, one can have friends, and to have friends is a good thing, but without a special friend to share your life with, living becomes very difficult at a very advanced age. So, why should I want to live much, much longer? Is it so difficult to understand that for me it would be far more desirable not to live very much longer? For instance, why shouldn’t I die, when I have a heart attack? Why should I wish to be kept alive?

Yes, living alone can be a very lonely thing. It can happen to men as well as women. I had a very long marriage; 64 years actually! If Peter had lived longer, we would probably still be together. Everybody would think, that it was the right thing, that I still lived with my husband. But, I am a widow now, and I am resigned to it, to have to live on my own. Another marriage relationship is out of the question, isn’t it?

How young does a woman have to be in order to still be able to think of a new relationship? I think in the past most women that were not married yet by age 50 or even already by age 40, were regarded as being too old to find a partner!! So, usually men around that age would have been looking for a much younger woman to marry. Maybe this has changed a bit in modern times. These days a woman at around 40 or 50 would probably still have quite a good chance of finding a partner, she would perhaps even accept a partner that would be maybe 30 or 40 years her senior! I think a man who was 70 or 80 would call himself lucky to have a partner who was only 40 or 50 years old!

Some older widows have the good fortune to find a partner who is younger than she is. I know of an example, namely Peter’s sister. Ilse did not like to live on her own. So about two years after her husband had died, she became friendly with a guy who was in his fifties when she was already well into her sixties. She is 87 now and they are still together, but they each kept their own flats! Usually her partner goes to his nearby flat for a few hours each day, but the rest of the time they are always together.

Now I come back to this issue that my children think, it should be my wish to live many more years. Can they not imagine, how awful the thought is to become more and more dependent on others? And to have actually nobody to be with most of the time?

So, why should it be of the utmost importance to me to get vaccinated? All I can say is, I am really careful, not to get too close to people and and I do wear a mask, even when I am outside in the fresh air, for there might perhaps be a slight chance that accidently somebody might get a bit too close to my breathing space! So I think, it is quite likely that I am not in such a great danger of catching this Delta variant of the virus!

But I would say, that I get adverse reactions to any of these much too new vaccines is a real possibility! Besides, I want to avoid to come into contact with people at any of these places where they do vaccinations. Right now, I do not go into any buildings but stay at all times at home or in the outside area near my home ! I stay at a social distance away from the people that look after me. And I want to avoid travelling in anyone’s car, for the virus loves to stay around in the air of the confined space of a car!

It is a fact that it would be months away to get some fairly good protection from a vaccine like AstraZeneca. And then another booster is required in another few months? No, thank you! I let them work out some better vaccines, and I want indemnity to be assured. The present vaccines have only emergency approval. I can wait for proper approval and some indemnity. If for some reason I die in the meantime, I think I would feel this to be quite natural. Didn’t I have a very long, good life? Would it be so desirable for me to live very much longer? Certainly not. Just think about it!

Yes, I would like my children to think about it. Of course it is only natural that they want me to live rather than die, because they love me. But I want them to understand, that at my age dying in the near future is something that should not be prevented. Well, I can’t help it, but this is how I feel.

Now, if for some reason, I cannot stay at home anymore, and if for some reason I cannot stay away from people any more at all times, well then I guess I’d have to agree to get vaccinated because I’d probably be surrounded by people that need protection from the virus I might be carrying if I am not vaccinated.

So far so good. I want to put off this vaccination for as long as possible. I don’t mind if I die without having been vaccinated. Just don’t try to ‘save’ me when I am at death’s door! Right now, it is of no use trying to get me to see a doctor to talk to me about vaccinations. I don’t want to see a doctor, not at all.

I still have a good life, but of course a more and more lonely life. However a lot of people do lead rather lonely lives. I am so fortunate to own a beautiful home and to have no financial worries. My daughter Monika, who lives in a neighbouring suburb and has a car, supplies me with good, healthy food on a weekly basis. So, I do call myself very lucky. Not everyone is as lucky as I am, I know this.

I love staying in my own home, sitting on my newly established outside deck in the sun or to walk in the nearby park where it is always easy to stay completely by myself. If I had a choice, I would like to die at home rather than in an age care home or a hospital! Yes, I just hope it is possible for me to die at home.

My Grandfather was in the Sejm and later in the Senate

auntyutaArticle, Copy, Documentary, History  November 24, 2017 2 Minutes

I googled my grandfather’s name and found the following:

https://translate.google.com.au/translate?hl=en&sl=de&u=https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Josef_Spickermann&prev=search

Josef Alexander Spickermann (born March 6, 1870 in Bloto, Lodz [1] (probably Zgniłe Błoto ), died March 22, 1947 in Leipzig ) was a German politician and deputy of the German minority in Poland in the Sejm of the Second Polish Republic .

Table of Contents [Verbergen]
1 life
1.1 Family and work
1.2 Political career
2 literature
3 individual proofs
Life Edit ]
Family and occupation [ edit | Edit ]
Spickermann graduated from the school in Łódź and already passed the master craftsman carpentry exam at the age of 19. He was also a real estate dealer in Łódź. At the time of the German occupation from 1939 to 1945 he was senior master of the carpentry guild Litzmannstadt, Reichsgau Wartheland . [1]

Spickermann was married and had nine children, three of whom died in infancy. Three sons and three daughters reached adulthood and they started all families. In 1945, the Spickermanns, who joined other relatives, escaped to Pouch at Bitterfeld . [4]

Political career [ edit | Edit ]
From January 1919 Spickermann was a city councilor in Lodz. In the same year Spickermann and Ludwig Wolff were elected as representatives of the German People’s Party (DVP) for the district Lodz- Land Lask – Brzeziny in the Polish Constituent National Assembly (1919-1922) . Spickermann initially remained until 1920 deputies, but was re-elected for 1922-1928 in the Sejm, now for the constituency Konin – Koło – Lentschütz . From 1928 to 1930 he was senator for the Łódź Voivodeship . On 22 November 1930 Spickermann again ran successfully for the Senate, but had to resign his mandate due to an “internal agreement” in the German People’s Association to August Utta . He then retired from politics. [1]

Literature [ edit | Edit ]
Bertold Bergmann: Josef Spickermann, life picture of a German parliamentarian , in: Landsmannschaft Weichsel-Warthe: Jahrbuch Weichsel-Warthe 1960 , Munich 1960 [for this article so far not evaluated].
Ursula Brehmer: Responsibility as a task and life law, Josef Alexander Spickermann on the 50th anniversary of death in: Landsmannschaft Weichsel-Warthe: Jahrbuch Weichsel-Warthe 1997 , Berlin / Bonn 1997, pp. 68-72.
Karl-Heinz Reschke: Josef Alexander Spickermann, On the 60th anniversary of the death of the Sejmabgeordneter and Senator in Poland , in: Landsmannschaft Weichsel-Warthe: Jahrbuch Weichsel-Warthe 2007 ,
Wilfried Gerke: Contributions to the History of the Germans in Poland during the Second World War 1939-1945. Herne 2008, p. 67.
Hochspringen ↑ Eduard Kneifel: The Protestant-Augsburgischen communities in Poland 1555-1939. Vierkirchen 1971, p. 318.
Ursula Brehmer: Responsibility as a task and law of life. Josef Alexander Spickermann on the 50th anniversary of his death. In: Landsmannschaft Weichsel-Warthe: Jahrbuch Weichsel-Warthe 1997 , Berlin / Bonn 1997, p. 68.
Hochspringen ↑ Ursula Brehmer: Responsibility as a task and law of life. Josef Alexander Spickermann on the 50th anniversary of his death. In: Landsmannschaft Weichsel-Warthe: Jahrbuch Weichsel-Warthe 1997 , Berlin / Bonn 1997, p. 71.
Mads Ole Balling : From Reval to Bucharest – Statistical-Biographical Handbook of the Parliamentarians of German Minorities in Central and Southeastern Europe 1919-1945, Volume 1, 2nd Edition . .

. . .

Related

A Cemetery in Leipzig
https://auntyuta.com/2012/11/23/a-cemetery-in-leipzig/

Childhood MemoriesNovember 20, 2011In “Childhood Memories”

My FatherMay 25, 2016In “Childhood Memories”

My Paternal Grandparents in Lodz, visiting Lodz on a joined Passport!October 12, 2017In “Childhood Memories”

Edit”My Grandfather was in the Sejm and later in the Senate”

Published by auntyuta

Auntie, Sister. Grandmother, Great-Grandmother, Mother and Wife of German Descent I’ve lived in Australia since 1959 together with my husband Peter. We have four children, eight grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. I started blogging because I wanted to publish some of my childhood memories. I am blogging now also some of my other memories. I like to publish some photos too as well as a little bit of a diary from the present time. Occasionally I publish a story with a bit of fiction in it. Peter, my husband, is publishing some of his stories under berlioz1935.wordpress.com View all posts by auntyutaPublishedNovember 24, 2017

6 thoughts on “My Grandfather was in the Sejm and later in the Senate”catterel EditWell done, Uta – you have made a good start on tracing your ancestors. Be prepared to discover unpleasant facts as well as interesting and sometimes amusing things. Your grandfather was an important man.Reply

auntyuta EditThanks, Cat. Yes, all his children and grandchildren who lived close to where he lived always thought that he was an important man. Grandfather loved to discuss things with the whole family being assembled around the dinner table. A few years after grandfather’s death I met the extended family a few times in Western Germany where they had settled as refugees from Poland. All the family still talked a lot about grandfather. It says in the above article:‘On 22 November 1930 Spickermann again ran successfully for the Senate, but had to resign his mandate due to an “internal agreement” in the German People’s Association to August Utta . He then retired from politics.”Elisabeth, Grandfather’s youngest daughter, talked for instance about this “internal agreement”. I remember her mentioning the name “Utta” in connection with grandfather’s resignation. She did not like it at all that he had to resign!My cousins always liked to research a lot about family history. Two of my cousins are mentioned in the above article. Thanks to them I could find the above article in google.Reply

catterel EditAnd have you googled August Utta? Interesting man, too.

auntyuta EditThanks, Cat. As you suggested, I googled August Utta,https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/August_UttaI found it interesting that he died already in 1940 aged only 54. Apparently he went to farming for the last couple of years of his life.
So what caused his death? I wonder.Grandfather lived to age 77 after having fled with the extended family from Lodz to Pouch (near Bitterfeld) in Germany at the last moment before the Russians occupied Lodz in January/February 1945.https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/PouchIt says that at the time of the German occupation from 1939 to 1945 Spickermann was senior master of the carpentry guild Litzmannstadt (Lodz) Reichsgau Wartheland.

doesitevenmatter3 EditExcellent research and interesting information.
HUGS!!! y

auntyuta EditThanks, HUGS 

The Great Depression & my parents, a Blog by Kate Kresse

https://believeanyway.wordpress.com/2021/08/05/the-great-depression-my-parents/

This is a blog by Kate Kresse that I reblogged here with this comment:

I am sure, some of my followers have experienced war shortages. I am thinking about older people that remember World War Two and the years after the end of the war. I was ten years old when the war in Germany ended. My grandmother was especially good at using every little bit of food, nothing would be thrown out. It stuck with me. I tend to be very careful in not wasting any food if at all possible. 🙂 Both my husband and I had learned to be very careful with money and to avoid of going into debt. Don’t most people in our effluent Western society, that never experienced shortages, behave in a very different way?

Kate Kresse's avatarBelieve Anyway

Did your parents grow up during the Great Depression? My parents grew up during that time. It affected how they lived their lives. It made them very careful with their money. It made them wise. They knew the importance of saving for the future, gardening for some of their food, and canning or freezing what they could. They stocked up on things when they were marked way down. They did all of this because of wisdom that only comes from experiencing hardship, poverty, and simple necessities being unavailable. As mom told me many times, “your generation takes sufficiency of products or even affluence for granted. My generation never can.” Of course, she was right. Dad spent his career in logistics. I spent part of mine in logistics, inventory control, and production scheduling. Dad and I often discussed trends and the impact of shipping and factory problems on supplies at the…

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Uta thinking about the Future -with no Lockdowns?

I wrote some of this already on Friday, the 6th of August 2021.

While I was cooking my brunch today, I was mainly thinking about the future, when maybe I could do some travelling again. First of all, I would very much like to pay my son another visit. It would be so nice, if I could do this already some time next month!

To be honest, it does not look like travelling like this will be possible for me some time soon. Well, when then? Maybe towards the end of December? This is just a maybe. However, there is a little bit of hope. When I am in a hopeful mood, I imagine I could catch a train to Benalla, Victoria. Now, wouldn’t that be nice? I could catch the train in the Highlands at Moss Vale. Before catching the train, I might be able to spend a couple of nights in the Highlands. Maybe book a hotel somewhere and meet Gerard! Maybe I could join Gerard for his coffee mornings in Bowral. I would also like to go for a walk in the Lake Alexandra Reserve in Mittagong!

 https://auntyuta.com/2021/07/31/lake-alexandra-reser

A few slow moving, contemplative walks with my rollator would really be something to be looking forward to! Besides, if I do travel to Benalla and stay there with Martin for one or two weeks, I definitely need to have my rollator with me again. Last time I did stay with Martin for two weeks, was in March this year. I was fortunate then, to have my rollator with me. And I was able to make good use of it, even though I did have an infection in my lower legs at the time.

Gerard mentioned this Lake Reserve in a few of his blogs, for instance here:

 https://oosterman.wordpress.com/2021/07/30/love-loss-lockdowns-and-a-possible-buddy/

Yes, if at all possible, I would like to spend some time in the Highlands! Maybe I could choose a time for my trip when daughter Caroline and son-in-law Matthew have a little holiday again. Recently both of them had some leave. But because of the lockdowns they could not travel anywhere. However, Caroline told me, they both felt they needed some time off. And being able to spend this time together in their beautiful home was the next best thing to doing some travelling.

So, I was thinking, whenever they can travel again and also have some time off, they might perhaps want to spend some time at my place in Dapto. I think they would very much like to see all the alterations to my place, especially the beautiful deck at the back of my house! I think the last time they were able to come to my place was on the 16th of May this year celebrating Peter’s birthday in memory of him.

Therapeutic Goods Administration

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Therapeutic_Goods_Administration

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopediaJump to navigationJump to search

Agency overview
Formed1989
JurisdictionAustralian Government
Employees750 (2016)[1]
Annual budgetA$170 million (2020–21)[2]
Agency executiveJohn Skerritt, Deputy Secretary, Health Products Regulation Group[3]
Parent departmentDepartment of Health
Websitetga.gov.au

The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) is the medicine and therapeutic regulatory agency of the Australian Government.[4] As part of the Department of Health, the TGA regulates the quality, supply and advertising of medicines, pathology devices, medical devices, blood products and most other therapeutics. Any items that claim to have a therapeutic effect, are involved in the administration of medication, or are otherwise covered by the Therapeutic Goods Act 1989, the Therapeutic Goods Regulations 1990, or a ministerial order, must be approved by the TGA and registered in the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods.[5]

Contents

Structure of the TGA and medical regulation in Australia[edit]

In Australia, medical products are regulated by the TGA and, for controlled drugs such as cannabis, the Office of Drug Control (ODC). Together the TGA and ODC form the Health Products Regulation Group within the Department of Health. The Health Products Regulation Group comprises 11 regulatory branches and one legal branch, organised into three divisions. The Regulatory Services and Drug Control branch is the only one to not be part of the TGA.[3]

Division nameBranch nameHead
Not in a divisionRegulatory Legal ServicesJenny Francis
Medicines RegulationPrescription Medicines AuthorisationGrant Pegg
Complementary and Over-the-counter MedicinesCheryl McRae
Scientific EvaluationMichael Wiseman
Pharmacovigilance and Special AccessElspeth Kay
Medical Devices and Product QualityMedical Devices AuthorisationMeryl Clarke
Medical Devices SurveillanceKate McCauley
LaboratoriesLisa Ker
Manufacturing QualityBen Noyen
Regulatory Practice and SupportRegulatory Services and Drug Control[a]George Masri
Regulatory ComplianceNicole McLay
Regulatory Engagement, Education and PlanningAvi Rebera

The TGA also includes seven specialised statutory committees, which the agency can call upon for assistance on technical or scientific issues.[6] Four other committees also exist to give guidance on annual influenza vaccines, industry consultation matters, and the Therapeutic Goods Advertising Code.[7]

Proposed regulation agency with New Zealand[edit]

In September 2003, the Australian and New Zealand Government signed a treaty to establish a common therapeutic regulatory agency for the two countries. Australia New Zealand Therapeutic Products Agency, as it was to be called, would replace the TGA and Medsafe, the national regulator in New Zealand. In June 2011, eight years after the original treaty, Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard and New Zealand Prime Minister John Key signed a letter of intent, reaffirming plans to create such an agency.[8]

In November 2014, both Australia and New Zealand agreed to cease plans to create a shared regulator, citing “a comprehensive review of progress and assessment of the costs and benefits to each country”. The joint statement announcing the cessation outlines that both the TGA and Medsafe would continue to cooperate on medicine regulation and that the New Zealand Government would still participate in the, now defunct, Council of Australian Governments Health Council.[9]

COVID-19 vaccine approval and distribution[edit]

See also: COVID-19 vaccination in Australia

Pfizer–BioNTech vaccine[edit]

Wordmark of the Australian Government’s COVID-19 vaccination program.Pfizer–BioNTech vaccine (2021)

On 25 January 2021, the TGA provisionally approved the two-dose Pfizer–BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, named COMIRNATY, for use within Australia. The provisional approval only recommends the vaccine for patients over the age of 16, pending ongoing submission of clinical data from the vaccine sponsors (the manufacturers, Pfizer and BioNTech).[10] Additionally, every batch of vaccines have their composition and documentation verified by TGA laboratories before being distributed to medical providers.[11]

The Department of Health planned the administration of COVID-19 vaccinations in five phases, organised by the risk of exposure. Border, quarantine, and front-line health and aged care workers were vaccinated first, followed by over 70 year-olds, other health care workers, and essential emergency service members. Following the provisional approval of COMIRNATY, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said that it was planned for the first group to begin vaccinations by February 2021, six weeks earlier than originally planned.[12]

The first public COVID-19 vaccination in Australia actually took place on 21 February 2021 with the Pfizer–BioNTech vaccine at Castle Hill in Sydney. An 84 year-old aged care resident was the first Australian to receive the vaccine. To show confidence in the national immunisation vaccine rollout, Prime Minister Morrison and Chief Medical Officer Professor Paul Kelly also received vaccinations.[13]

On 23 February 2021, Australia’s second shipment of the Pfizer vaccine arrived at Sydney airport. Health Minister Hunt confirmed the arrival of 166,000 doses, and 120,000 more doses expected to arrive in the following week.[14]

On 9 April 2021, Prime Minister Morrison announced that Australia had secured another 20 million doses of Pfizer vaccine on top of 20 million already on order, meaning 40 million doses should be available to Australians in 2021. This was amid concerns about the AstraZeneca vaccine, in rare cases, causing blood clots; see section Oxford–AstraZeneca vaccine below. The additional doses of Pfizer were expected to arrive in Australia in the last quarter of 2021.[15][16]

On 23 July 2021, the TGA approved the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for teenagers between 12 to 15 years old.[17]

Oxford–AstraZeneca vaccine[edit]

Oxford AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine (2021)Main article: Oxford–AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine

On 16 February 2021, the Oxford–AstraZeneca vaccine was approved by the TGA for use in Australia. The administration of this vaccine is scheduled to start in March.[18] Two weeks later, on 28 February, the first shipment of the vaccine, around 300,000 doses, arrived at Sydney for rollout from 8 March.[19] On 5 March 2021, Italy stopped the export of AstraZeneca vaccine to Australia due to their slower rollout of that vaccine in the EU.[20] On 23 March, TGA approved the first batch of locally manufactured AstraZeneca vaccine by CSL-Seqirus in Melbourne, and 832,200 doses were ready for rollout in the following weeks.[21]

On 17 June 2021, Federal Health minister Greg Hunt announced a rise in the age limit for administration of the AstraZeneca vaccine. After new advice from the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI), the vaccine was no longer recommended for people aged under 60 years. This advice came after new cases of blood clotting, thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome (TTS), in those under 60 after AstraZeneca vaccinations.[16]

On 23 June 2021, the Federal government released vaccine allocation projections and forecast that the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine would be in “little need” past October 2021 when all Australians over 60 years were expected to be fully vaccinated.[22]

Janssen COVID-19 vaccine[edit]

On 25 June 2021, provisional approval was given by the TGA to the Janssen COVID-19 vaccine, the third vaccine for potential use in Australia. Strict conditions were imposed on Janssen which includes further investigation documents related to the efficacy, long term effects and safety concerns that must be provided regularly to TGA. It is still[when?] not included in the vaccination programme.[23]Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine developed by Janssen

See also[edit]

TGA basics

https://www.tga.gov.au/tga-basics

TGA basics

Quick links

The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) is part of the Australian Government Department of Health(link is external), and is responsible for regulating therapeutic goods including prescription medicines, vaccines, sunscreens, vitamins and minerals, medical devices, blood and blood products.

Almost any product for which therapeutic claims are made must be entered in the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods (ARTG) before it can be supplied in Australia.

On this page: About the TGA | TGA corporate information | TGA website

About the TGA

TGA corporate information

  • Structure
    The TGA is part of the Australian Government Department of Health
  • TGA plans & reports
    TGA plans and reports, including business plans, market research reports, key performance indicators, records listings
  • TGA reforms
    Reforms to the TGA help us remain adaptable to community and industry expectations
  • Freedom of information
    The Freedom of Information Act 1982 is designed to give the Australian community access to information held by the Australian Government

TGA website

  • TGA Internet site
    How to navigate this website
  • Publications
    TGA publications
  • Forms
    TGA forms
  • Acronyms & glossary
    A list of acronyms and glossary terms likely to be found within TGA information
  • Copyright
    Information about copyright in relation to the TGA website
  • Privacy
    Privacy and security information for users of the TGA website
  • Disclaimer
    Disclaimer information for users of the TGA website
  • Security
    The Department of Health applies a range of security controls to protect its website from unauthorised access

Four Corners: Aug 2

https://tvtonight.com.au/2021/07/four-corners-aug-2.html

On Monday ABC examines how Australia was left dangerously exposed.

  • Published by David Knox
  • on July 30, 2021

0Leave a comment

Monday’s Four Corners is “Lockdown: How Australia became trapped by COVID-19”, reported by Adam Harvey.

“It’s been disappointing. We’ve been let down. There’s no point in sugar coating it. It’s just been a massive disappointment.” Resident

For weeks, millions of Australians have been trapped by outbreaks of COVID-19 around the country with five states and the Northern Territory plunging into lockdown.

“The risk is real and we need to act quickly. We need to go hard, we need to go fast… I don’t want to see people end up in our hospitals on ventilators.” Qld Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk

At a grim press conference in Sydney, NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian bluntly told the nation that with case numbers on the rise, the threat of COVID-19 had reached an unprecedented level.

“The situation that exists now…is regarded as a national emergency.” NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian

Now, despite millions of people being told to stay at home, the number of infections is climbing with the virulent Delta strain.

“We should be very worried about Delta. Delta is many times more infectious than the original wild type of virus. It is really easy to transmit, and it is slightly more problematic when it comes to people who’ve only had one dose of vaccine.” Former Health Dept Secretary

This type of outbreak is exactly what the nation’s leading experts warned of when Four Corners reported on the failings in Australia’s vaccine rollout in May.

“It’s clear the virus hasn’t gone away. It will come back in this country and if we have really low levels of vaccination at that point in time, then the impact of that will be far greater than it would have been otherwise.” Dr Paul Griffin, May 2021

Their warnings have become a grim reality. On Monday Four Corners examines how Australia was left dangerously exposed.

“A leak from quarantine was probably inevitable. But the problems we’re having now all go back to the decisions that were made last year.” Former Health Dept Secretary

As the program shows, the slow and sometimes faltering vaccine rollout has made the task of beating COVID-19 that much harder.

“We’re going to have to increase our supply and increase our injecting rate by a third, every day, seven days a week, until December 31.” Epidemiologist

For those struggling to get back on their feet after a horror 2020, there is frustration that they are facing even more pain.

“There is a high level of anxiety bordering on depression for many people, but the real frustration from the business community is around the lack of vaccination rollout right now. And we know that vaccinations are our only way of getting out of these lockdowns.” Retail spokesperson

Experts warn that there will be more to come if the issues of supply and hesitancy aren’t overcome.

“The longer a variant spreads, the greater the risk of it learning mutations and changing, and becoming a super variant.” Epidemiologist

Monday 2nd August at 8.30pm on ABC.https://www.facebook.com/v2.3/plugins/video.php?allowfullscreen=true&app_id=249643311490&channel=https%3A%2F%2Fstaticxx.facebook.com%2Fx%2Fconnect%2Fxd_arbiter%2F%3Fversion%3D46%23cb%3Dfc197a4414580c%26domain%3Dtvtonight.com.au%26origin%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Ftvtonight.com.au%252Ffd4c356bb8b3c%26relation%3Dparent.parent&container_width=507&href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fabc4corners%2Fvideos%2F259985355572896%2F&locale=en_US&sdk=joey

Wednesday Diary – 4th of August 2021

There is something that I do not like, namely how I neglect again and again writing down things that are of importance to me. There are now so many long very lonely hours when I have time to reflect a lot. And I really do reflect a lot, yes very much indeed. Every so often I do contemplate about what I want to write down in my diary. So, why then don’t I write it down straight away? It’s simple, I always find an excuse, why I have to delay it for a while. When I finally open up the computer I check on this and on that. I tell myself, actually I cannot write anything personally right away. There are other things I want to do first on the computer. So, I get distracted, very distracted. Never mind, I tell myself. I can write my own stuff later. Right now, I just don’t feel up to it! Then when I actually think, now I can take time out to write something, I find it too difficult to remember anything I had been wanting to write about. So, I leave it for some other time . . . .

It is strange, how easy it feels at times to write something. I am sure, it’ll come to me soon.

1177 BC: The Year Civilization Collapsed (Eric Cline, PhD)

auntyuta's avatarAuntyUta

From about 1500 BC to 1200 BC, the Mediterranean region played host to a complex cosmopolitan and globalized world-system. It may have been this very internationalism that contributed to the apocalyptic disaster that ended the Bronze Age. When the end came, the civilized and international world of the Mediterranean regions came to a dramatic halt in a vast area stretching from Greece and Italy in the west to Egypt, Canaan, and Mesopotamia in the east. Large empires and small kingdoms collapsed rapidly. With their end came the world’s first recorded Dark Ages. It was not until centuries later that a new cultural renaissance emerged in Greece and the other affected areas, setting the stage for the evolution of Western society as we know it today. Professor Eric H. Cline of The George Washington University will explore why the Bronze Age came to an end and whether the collapse of those…

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