It isn’t really a paradox. As with most things, it’s a bit more complicated than that - it’s both true and not-true at the same time. It depends what you measure and how you measure it.
People who are “able to” become obese suffer less damage as their metabolism collapses under the strain of a SAD eating pattern, compared to people who cannot. To a large extent their expanding fat mass continues to buffer that relentless onslaught of glucose, thus delaying the cascade of damage that ends in Metabolic Syndrome. But sooner or later that protective mechanism tops out. If you look at people who already have cardiovascular disease - in other words, people who are experiencing the generalized inflammation associated with glucose toxicity - you’ve effectively stepped past that initial protective phase. Obviously, then, you’re going to see people dying at roughly the same rate.
Sigh. It is customary to say so after a death, an untimely death in particular.
In fact, I’d like to send my condolences to the Taiwanese in general and the doctors in specific who tried everything to prevent his demise. A lot of effort, from an emergency flight to top treatment here for several weeks was put in, but, alas, not enough.
While many Taiwanese are safe here, a whole lot work abroad, may have a choice, maybe not. Maybe their presence is necessary, maybe not. Maybe like us, they live abroad for the long haul. And then they find themselves in the wrong place at the wrong time and hit the genetic jackpot the wrong way and eventually, lose the gamble.
Taiwanese are lucky in the sense they can still count the dead with the fingers of their hands. And they do not label blame on the victims so readily. In some of our countries of origin, thousands dead, and people looking for excuses so they will not count.
According to the experts in Changgeng hospital who have studied thousands of people in their nursing homes for decades now , that is the number one determinant of ‘healthy aging’ or ‘better aging’ (they track dozens of metrics). As soon as the muscle mass declines too much (or bone density problems especially in women ) they lose mobility and then it’s a downward spiral.
Isn’t it just that Chunghwa Post isn’t accepting mail to send in the opposite direction? I thought that stuff from (geographical) Europe to here is still making it through, eventually and with a light sprinkling of viral RNA, as long as Royal Mail or whatever is still sending it out.
I know that PostNord stopped delivering to Taiwan for a while at some point in the second half of last year (I used to order snus from a Swedish website, until Taiwan customs told me off ). That seems to have resumed now, though.
TBH all I have seen here is quite positive of AZN vaccines. And since this plague started, we have gone right when the West has gone left, and we literally have hot it right, so actually, if they have misgivings it gives me hope it’s A OK.
In other news, two new imported cases, more SEA workers, which worries me for the backlash in an already charged terrain.
Could be… I wanted to buy a stamp at the post office to send a letter to UK and received a crossed-arms warding-off-the-devil kind of gesture accompanied by a “mei you”
My girlfriend’s father is one of the cases in hospital. You may be right about the Myanmar case though. I’m sorry I don’t know any of the details of other cases. But having mentioned them, I offer my condolences to those who have lost someone.
So, the travel bubble seems on track. Problem is that it will be at least 80k to Palau, which was not cheap even before the pandemic. Anyhow, seems MOFA and MOTC are in agreement too. One week quarantine is on the table.
So they are now suggesting Vietnam for second travel bubble. 15k at least, so, more interest, of course.
The questions for minister Chen during the presser make me want to pull my hair. “Are you going to be on the first plane to Palau? Will the cost of the test be included as part of the travel agency package?”
Swear to God/Buda/Alah, if I was there, I’d hit the so called reporter at close range with my salt gun… Over the head!!!
). That 
