Month: August 2022

Steamrolled by flu-like symptoms again despite getting the Flu Jab

Fergus YoungLeave a comment

This post is purely my personal opinion as a layman regarding the Influenza Vaccine specifically and is no way a shot against Vaccines or vaccinations in general.

I’m wondering if my body’s immune system even responds effectively to the annual influenza vaccine at all? Been Steamrolled by influenza like symptoms again (Starting Friday Morning). Unlike the COVID-19 vaccine where I do get a noticeable reaction after each shot, I do not get any appreciable reaction at all after receiving the influenza vaccine.

Yeah, it could be something else other than influenza that has rolled me, but the hit rate on any given year where I come down with flu-like symptoms such as high fever, body aches, itchy lungs (dry cough) which come on rather suddenly and swiftly versus the years where I don’t get this affliction appears to be rather poor for me. 7 out of the last 12 years, I’ve come down with “influenza-like” symptoms above that have bed stricken me at least over a few days and sometimes in those years, ended up with flu-like symptoms twice.

My GP (at least in the past) will base diagnosis of “The flu” based on the IFI (“Influenza-Like Illnesses”) symptoms I’ve given above alone. I guess that question should be asked… Is there anywhere we can get an influenza test to definitively confirm or deny this? And how much does it cost?

Yes, I’ve taken a few COVID Rapid Antigen Tests (RAT), and they have come back negative. I still have my smell and taste, so further indicates that it’s less likely to be COVID. It’s possible I picked up this Influenza-like affliction at my work’s “All in day” last Wednesday as that was the only time that week I ventured out of the house.

With that out of the way, I hear that from the CDC over in America suggests that the Flu Vaccine wasn’t a good match for 2021 and 2022. I feel I’ve been hearing that assessment more often in recent years. I wonder if the Influenza vaccine on average is losing it’s effectiveness as years go by? Do we need to reconsider how we produce this vaccine and the messaging that the public is given in terms of it’s actual effficacy?

As mentioned previously, there appears to be suggestion that getting your annual flu vaccine each year may blunt effectiveness. Yeah, may be a I should try giving the flu shot a rest for a year or two. But who knows? We just don’t know enough and it may take a few years before we all learn more. All I know is that I’m quickly losing my faith in the Flu shot as providing me any real effective protection against Influenza-Like Illnesses (ILI) and feel the Industry may be overstating the Influenza Vaccine’s efficacy.

I believe at best, the Flu Vaccine may reduce the overall disease burden on society (as in, reduce hospital admissions, etc) and right now, that is perhaps the largest argument in favour of getting this vaccine. In terms of individual protection against Influenza-Like Illnesses (ILI), the Flu shot has at least for me personally (and quite a few others) been infuriatingly ineffective and I call upon the industry to at least look into and perhaps acknowledge the Influenza Vaccine could be falling short in it’s delivery of expected outcomes for the public.

Steamrolled by flu-like symptoms again despite getting the Flu Jab

Spotify Android App and api2.branch.io

Fergus Young3 Comments

Got a new Android tablet and noticed that Spotify has been continuously phoning home to places such as api2.branch.io and app.adjust.com (every few seconds). If I force close the App, the DNS calls immediately cease.

Have flicked Spotify support an Email about this asking how I can turn this off on the Android version of their App. However, If I get no joy, will most probably move forward with ending my Spotify Premium subscription.

Spotify Android App and api2.branch.io

Use of photos

Fergus YoungLeave a comment

While most of the pictures as found on this website and on NUI.NZ are essentially personal photos taken on my compact camera or phone (unless otherwise stated), people are welcomed to use / share any of these photos around for personal or commercial use (except for resale) provided these photos are appropriately attributed (e.g “Photos: Fergus Young / NUI.NZ” is acceptable).

Been seeing the odd photo of mine popping up in random places without being properly attributed / credited. (e.g articles such as on LinkedIn). Appears to be more the photos here on peak.nz as opposed to natural landscape / hiking photos on nui.nz.

So long as any photos taken are properly credited / attributed, there’s no need to contact for me for permission..

Use of photos

Roast this post: High rise apartments in greenfield sites near train stations

Fergus Young, , , , Leave a comment

Update: 25-05-2023 – I never got a response from Greater Auckland regarding this.

I will declare that I’m only a mere (curious) member of joe public, with little in the way of any Urban planning experience, however, with so much controversy over bus lane enforcement, Retro-fitting light rail, and removal of on-street parking in Auckland. An idea that came to my mind is…

Would it or would it not be an easier idea to build high rise apartments at the likes of the empty / unbuilt greenfield sites of Albany and Drury where frequent and high capacity separated public transport links already exist (provided the ground at such sites are actually able to take high rise apartments)

Some of benefits (should this be able to be pulled off) I potentially see as a layman include…

  • Facilities such as shopping, medical, recreational, etc being within walking distance, allowing households to conduct most of the day to day household necessities within the local vicinity reducing the reliance on cars and allow households to reduce the number of cars they subsequently need to maintain.
  • If you need to go elsewhere in Auckland, you have a ready to go Train station or Bus-way station nearby where fast and frequent services exist.
  • As a starting point to ultimately curbing our current rate of sprawl across productive food producing farmland.

It’s just I see so much opposition to the current aims of Auckland Transport and Greater Auckland (Advocacy organization) and their plans extolled frankly on paper just seems so disruptive and unsettling to people’s existing living arrangements and livelihoods. To boot, the risks of retrofitting new initiatives to existing established neighbourhoods such as light rail just seem fraught with huge cost over-runs as we’ve seen with the Auckland City Rail Link (or Loop) depending on what they call it these days.

I’ve sent the Greater Auckland blog people the above idea via their contact form with them hopefully coming back to me for my own edification as a member of the public with their feedback along with their rebuttals of why they feel the general idea is not better than their current aspirations. Currently awaiting their response.

With this idea penned, I totally understand there will undoubtably be cons to my idea above and I invite people who may be more versed in urban planning than I, to actually come and “roast this post” as it were and present some arguments against the idea (road blocks and problems) which I’ve undoubtably missed.

Roast this post: High rise apartments in greenfield sites near train stations

Greater Auckland blog (Formerly “transport blog”)

Fergus Young, , , , Leave a comment

This is purely a personal opinion as a layman and ordinary rate paying member of the public

I will be direct, the General Feeling I get from reading the Greater Auckland (“GA”) blog is while I understand they want to do “good”, I’m not certain they are managing to quite “read the room” and question whether they are connecting with or otherwise effectively communicating their vision to the General Auckland public

I did know the main editor of Greater Auckland blog, Matt Lowrie personally, but only for a brief moment during the ‘The Campaign for Better Transport’ days. Great guy, but admittedly, may not agree with a lot of his and his cohorts’ more recent view points surrounding urban design and transport matters outside of our common desire to see improved access to alternative travel choices.

There are two distinct issues personally which have probably contributed towards my sentiment…

  • I do recall feelings of being left out when they began focussing almost entirely on Trains and the City Rail Link at the expense / neglect towards tackling the lower hanging fruit aspects of improving access to both public and alternative transport options for major employment areas that were and remain to this day, very car dependent, like East Tamaki Industrial and Highbrook (I remember they were at least on the initial onset, attacking the AMETI project saying it was very car and roads focussed).
  • That I feel great moral anger at some of their readers/supporters Militant support of Auckland Transport’s overbearing video enforcement of frankly poorly indicated bus lanes
  • The comments section under many of the artciles seems have increasingly turned into an Authoritarian-Left Anti-motorist echo chamber with little consideration that many members of the public have to drive due to lack of travel choice.

While I understand they appear to acting with good intent, I question whether they are going about things the right way and appear to be pushing more ideological aspects (what “They” themselves want to see) in an Authoritarian-Left like manner rather than the practical aspects (that would bring the most utility to the general public)

Greater Auckland blog (Formerly “transport blog”)