Oh, and one more vaccine thing worth mentioning. This is Pfizer. Pharma companies do not develop new medicine out of the goodness of their heart. They will expect to profit HEAVILY on this. That is the nature of the beast. (1)
In clinical trials, companies like Pfizer focus on the most profitable drugs, not the most needed. That's how we got viagra, which was initially created to lower blood pressure. Pfizer hit the jackpot with that one, entirely by mistake. (2)
In the past, when vaccines were developed by individuals, or universities, they could be altruistic. Jonas Salk famously refused to profit on the polio vaccine. Same with Edward Jenner and smallpox. But Pfizer is a pharma company. They want ROI. (3)
Pfizer's stock is JUMPING today. Not because investors think they will be nice. But because they see that Pfizer stands to make a LOT OF MONEY on developing this vaccine. Cha-fucking-ching. Some execs are going to get NICE bonuses. (4)
If you think the Covid vaccine should be free, well... congratulations. You are one of us in thinking that all healthcare should free. (By "free" meaning part of the Standard Citizen Package, like the police and fire departments.) But don't imagine Pfizer will agree. (5)
So yes, while the vaccine is great news and something we should all be thankful for, asking for altruism from a pharma company is asking two much. (Fini)
Reminder because this was asked. Pfizer is operating independently and refused any government subsidies for their research. They did this in order to hold the entirety of the patent. They OWN the vaccine. All of it. That should frighten you. (Addendum)
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I got contacted by a website looking to do a manga database and they asked me who should be credited in the entry and my answer was Just. Fucking. Credit. Everyone! Why is this so hard to understand?
If I had a minimum standard for manga crediting, it would be: 1) Original artist 2) Translator (+Adaptor if used) 3) Letterer 4) Editor. Those four have the most impact on the book and should be credited in every review, every posting, everything.
If you have space, add more. Nicky Lim is the Cover Designer for the Leiji Matsumoto series from Seven Seas and deserves all the praise the world can muster. Definitely a line in a database entry.
The "too old for anime fandom" thing really gets under my craw. It is such as attempt to cage things in Western prejudice that are not there in the source material. One of the reasons why Japan has such a robust comic market is they consider it suitable for all ages. (1)
Asking "How old is too old for anime fandom?" sounds as stupid as saying "How old is too old for television?" or "How old is too old for movies?" Why do some people INSIST on putting things into boxes? On gatekeeping? Animation is a medium. There's no age limit. (2)
And yes, within the medium there are things for a broad age range. Somethings are targeted at children, some at adults... that's all fine. But the medium itself is ageless. So maybe quit asking that question? (3)
One of my stranger careers was working in pharma with clinical testing for new medicines. Trust me when I say all of this is good news. bbc.com/news/health-54…
Also a reminder that vaccines are not a magic wand. Even at the conclusion of this Phase Three trial and a successful vaccine, I could imagine it being a year or more to actually get those vaccines distributed.
And the initial vaccine will be a pain in the ass, most likely a sequence of shots you need to take with a few weeks spread apart. More like the hepatitis vaccine than getting a flu shot.