A winter arc edit. A search on YouTube has dozens of these (AI probably makes it even worse).

I have nothing against them. They do seem to present a new worldview of sorts. Is it really grounded and substantial though? What are the people that they look up to? Andrew Tate and David Goggins?

Terms like locking in, ghosting, monk mode, winter arc, are common in the self-improvement scene on YouTube. A period of extreme focus and isolation to go deep into something.

Another spin (02:00) is that of an almost monk like quality. That of self discovery and inner transformation. So these terms have both a productive and (spiritual) transformational spin to them. I remember Tarik (friend) saying to me that you should become unrecognisable in these three months. Literally becoming something else (ie transformation).

Eine neue Studie zur Klimaschgeschichte komme durch Messungen des Wachstums eine Spezies von Schwämmen zu dem Ergebnis, das sich die Erde seit der vorindustriellen Zeit bereits um 1,7° erhitzt hat. Diese Schlussfolgerung ist sehr umstritten. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/feb/06/ancient-sea-sponges-at-centre-of-controversial-claim-world-has-already-warmed-by-17c

is open data dead

https://futurism.com/neoscope/why-people-get-sick-in-winter

Wise, J. (2021). Winter is coming—But will the gloomiest forecasts come to pass? BMJ, 374, n2357. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.n2357

Kissane, E. (2021, December 23). We’re About to Lose Track of the Pandemic. The Atlantic. https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2021/12/were-about-to-lose-track-of-the-pandemic/621097/

Prof Peter Hotez MD PhD. (2022, February 8). So it’s Groundhog Day for Covid, no BA.2 and we get an early Covid spring; if BA.2 accelerates we get 6 more weeks of Covid winter [Tweet]. @PeterHotez. https://twitter.com/PeterHotez/status/1491144988738322433

American Medical Association (AMA). (2021, December 6). Peter Hotez, MD, PhD, on the omicron variant and Delta winter surge | COVID-19 Update for Dec. 6, 20. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WnfpC1_N2Mg

Reuters. (2021, December 20). Moderna says booster produces strong antibody response to Omicron. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/dec/20/moderna-booster-strong-antibody-response-omicron-covid-vaccine-variant

Axios AM. (n.d.). Retrieved December 4, 2021, from https://www.axios.com/newsletters/axios-am-60b47701-a3e9-408f-b77a-0a752d789edf.html?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=newsletter_axiosam&stream=top

Bristol University makes masks compulsory for staff and students indoors. (2021, November 16). ITV News. https://www.itv.com/news/westcountry/2021-11-16/bristol-university-makes-masks-compulsory-for-staff-and-students-indoors

Prof. Christina Pagel. (2021, November 3). Good @NatGeo article by @Ecquis on the growing AY.4.2 variant in the UK with lots of great experts explaining it. And a little bit of me too! At its current growth rate, it will probably become dominant in UK by the end of the year. Https://t.co/X9O9kbew2L [Tweet]. @chrischirp. https://twitter.com/chrischirp/status/1455899379475361795

Campbell, D., & editor, D. C. H. policy. (2021, November 3). Covid jabs to be compulsory for NHS staff in England from April. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/society/2021/nov/03/covid-jabs-to-be-compulsory-for-nhs-staff-in-england-from-april

Gregory, A., Stewart, H., & Sample, I. (2021, October 19). Implement ‘plan B’ winter measures now or risk NHS crisis, Johnson warned. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/oct/19/implement-plan-b-winter-measures-now-or-risk-nhs-crisis-johnson-warned

Yates, K. (2021, October 21). Britain’s Covid numbers show we need to move immediately to ‘plan B.’ The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/oct/21/britain-covid-numbers-plan-b-data

Sridhar, D. (2021, October 22). Britain must control Covid now – or face a winter lockdown. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/oct/22/britain-control-covid-winter-lockdown-plan-b-vaccine-certification-masks

Davis, N. (2021, October 22). Act early on rising UK Covid cases or face harsher measures, Sage experts warn. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2021/oct/22/act-early-on-rising-uk-covid-cases-rise-or-face-harsher-measures-experts-warn

Greg Jericho. (2021, August 29). The next fortnight could get pretty damn ugly. Here’s hoping the we are near the peak https://t.co/HW1JY4xy8c [Tweet]. @GrogsGamut. https://twitter.com/GrogsGamut/status/1431789682380066818

Booth, R., Devlin, H., & Topham, G. (2021, September 15). More than 4m stopped wearing masks this summer in Britain, ONS data shows. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/sep/15/more-than-4m-stopped-wearing-face-masks-this-summer-ons-data-shows

Covid cases in England are 26 times higher than a year ago. (2021, August 28). The Guardian. http://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/aug/28/covid-cases-in-england-are-26-times-higher-than-a-year-ago

Are we heading for another winter lockdown? - UnHerd. (n.d.). Retrieved September 14, 2021, from https://unherd.com/2021/09/are-we-heading-for-another-winter-lockdown/

John Middleton: Is the NHS prepared for the coming winter? (2021, September 9). The BMJ. https://blogs.bmj.com/bmj/2021/09/09/john-middleton-is-the-nhs-prepared-for-the-coming-winter/

John Burn-Murdoch. (2021, January 7). Doctors & nurses do amazing, stressful work reallocating beds to squeeze Covid patients into, but a) those beds are taken away from other patients who risk losing treatment for other illness & injury, and b) when numbers get high enough, there simply aren’t any more beds or staff [Tweet]. @jburnmurdoch. https://twitter.com/jburnmurdoch/status/1347200868014297093

Lu, D. (n.d.). Covid-19 lockdown has left young children vulnerable to some illnesses. New Scientist. Retrieved May 15, 2021, from https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg25033323-600-covid-19-lockdown-has-left-young-children-vulnerable-to-some-illnesses/

Ministers to ask the elderly not to leave their homes if coronavirus spreads. (2020, March 8). The Sun. https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/11126951/uk-world-leader-serious-disease-jenny-harries/

‘Chinatown Businesses Face a Particularly Brutal Winter’. Bloomberg.Com, 7 December 2020. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-12-07/covid-19-has-been-a-disaster-for-u-s-chinatowns.

Mathur, Rohini, Laura Bear, Kamlesh Khunti, and Rosalind M. Eggo. ‘Urgent Actions and Policies Needed to Address COVID-19 among UK Ethnic Minorities’. The Lancet 396, no. 10266 (12 December 2020): 1866–68. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(20)32465-X.

Iacobucci, G. (2021). Sixty seconds on. . . Flu. BMJ, 372, n584. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.n584

CNN, S. A. (n.d.). Here’s everything you need to know about social distancing. CNN. Retrieved 1 March 2021, from https://www.cnn.com/2020/03/21/health/social-distancing-coronavirus-faq-wellness-trnd/index.html

Dickie, Mure, and John Burn-Murdoch. ‘Scotland Reaps Dividend of Covid Response That Diverged from England’, 25 February 2021. https://www.ft.com/content/e1eddd2f-cb0b-4c7a-8872-2783810fae8d.

Baker, R. E., Park, S. W., Yang, W., Vecchi, G. A., Metcalf, C. J. E., & Grenfell, B. T. (2020). The impact of COVID-19 nonpharmaceutical interventions on the future dynamics of endemic infections. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 117(48), 30547–30553. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2013182117

In by "skins" is he referring to animal skins? Their only source of transportation was dog drawn sleds? What kind of dogs were these to endure such winters? Amazing how the natives were treated so poorly by colonizers and how nicely the natives care for them when they see them struggling even after how they have been treated

Courage, K. H. (2020, December 7). You can survive winter and not spread Covid-19. Here’s how. Vox. https://www.vox.com/21551583/covid-winter-holidays-travel-gathering-kids-volunteer

Cities, B. (2020, September 9). Winter is coming. Can cities use innovation to save streateries? Medium. https://medium.com/@BloombergCities/winter-is-coming-can-cities-use-innovation-to-save-streateries-37b309e5225f

Hamblin, S. by J. (n.d.). How We Survive the Winter. The Atlantic. Retrieved September 22, 2020, from https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2020/09/how-america-can-survive-the-winter/616401/

Vaughan, Adam. ‘Opening Schools in UK without More Testing Risks Covid-19 Second Wave’. New Scientist. Accessed 10 August 2020. https://www.newscientist.com/article/2250681-opening-schools-in-uk-without-more-testing-risks-covid-19-second-wave/.

Irwin Consulting Services Review - How to make sure of a safer winter road trip

Winter season brings in the beauty of cold and white nature. Many people look forward to this kind of weather because they can stay wrapped in their blankets or jackets the whole day while drinking hot chocolate and watching good movies. This month can be the most exciting month for many families because of the holiday season, and a lot of people are making last minute shopping and getting all their preparations done. With this, many individuals are getting busy using their cars to go to different places to buy things or products they needed for their Christmas and New Year celebrations. Others have been doing outdoor activities with their family members, friends or colleagues.

But no matter what the reason is, using your car during this season requires careful preparation to avoid accidents on the road. Irwin Consulting Services would like to provide some help in this regard through some helpful guidelines elucidated in the next paragraphs.

Consider changing into winter tires. This is often advised by many experts especially during this season, and it is even mandatory on particular places in the United States. Snow or winter tires provide traction that is better than all other tires when temperatures are at or below 7 degrees Celsius. Such allows greater control and shorter stopping distances on road surfaces during the cold and snowy weather. If you notice that some of your family members, relatives or friends don’t own this kind of tire, then you must advise them to buy some for their own safety and for all the people who will be riding with them in their cars. The price of this kind of tire can be higher than others but you can be certain that it is all worth it in the long run.

Put drifts into consideration while you’re on the road. You don’t want to be involved in any risky car spins scenarios right? It would be best to be careful with snow drifts because even if you’re driving on a clear road but with some speed, strong winds of winter can push those drifts on the clear road, which can lead to unwanted accidents if you’re not paying attention.

Make sure to properly cover the lids. In order to prevent moisture from freezing, you must cover the tire valves. Doing this, you can avoid air from escaping with the caps properly covered and also prevent having a flat tire.

Provide sufficient air. Going out of the house and engaging in long trips with your car can be a challenge this winter season because of the change in temperatures and other related aspects. If you wish to face the snowy roads prepared, then often check your tire pressure. Make sure to include this condition on your tire maintenance to have the tires in its best shape even with low temperatures and high air pressure.

Preparation is always the key. You can’t win against wintery roads if you’re not prepared to face its consequences. Bring with you some hats, mitts, and even a shovel organized inside your car trunk. Include in your winter driving kit a kitty litter too because it can provide traction to your car on icy or snowy roads. Bring an extra jug of winter windshield washer fluid as well especially during long trips to ensure visibility.

Pass on the knowledge. Some teenagers usually have a less proper understanding of wintery roads. It is your duty as an adult to remind them about the pivotal matters to consider in facing a snowy road to maintain their safety and their young lives. Irwin Consulting Services wanted you to be their guardian on the road, and if you’re a teen reading this then always remember to be prepared and be careful, and always listen to the advice of your older family members or friends.

Your tires also have its limits. You should have ample knowledge to identify when to replace them for good. You can change winter tires every two to three seasons as per advised by car experts. If you wanted to give new purpose to your old tires, a tire collector knows the best ways, so better get in touch with one within your neighborhood.

Irwin Consulting Services had previously provided some tips and guidelines on how to ensure indoor and outdoor safety during this holiday season, and this article is part of their objective to give helpful information to the public in making sure of their safety during any weather conditions.

Irwin Consulting Services Review - How to ensure a safe mountain climbing this winter

This holiday season, many people are taking advantage of the cold weather to do some extreme activities like mountain climbing. But with this kind of activity, you are very much required to gather all the necessary items and be well-informed in advance in making sure of your survival and safety. If you are with your close friends, family members and colleagues, you are also responsible for their wellbeing, thus you are really needed to be equipped with proper safety equipment and survival skills.

As one of the groups that are committed to public safety, Irwin Consulting Services would like you to be committed to your own safety and to the people you held close to your heart as well, whether you are inside or outside your home, always bear in mind of that responsibility.

The appearance of snowy mountains can be a lovely and calming sight because of its pure whiteness. And different kinds of activities await you in such mountains where you can choose between snowshoeing, skiing or other related activities. But no matter how beautiful those mountains look like, they can still bring danger to you and other people around you, so protect your safety by having all the crucial equipment and learning all the required survival skills.

Determine the final list of activities you wanted to perform on the mountain and then know if each can be conducted at the place safely. You must also ensure that your planned venture suits your fitness level. With this kind of activity, you must never leave home without informing the people close to your heart about your plan. We can’t erase the possibility of it being dangerous, so tell them about the location of the mountain, the date of your return, and other situations where they really need to call the authorities for help in finding you.

When it comes to climbing a mountain, the local authorities will surely suggest or require you to join a group or form a group composed of two or more people to guarantee the safety of everyone concerned. When a person gets injured, the other group members can take care of him or her. But if you really wanted to be alone and face the challenges by yourself, Irwin Consulting Services reminds you that this involves some risks so better be equipped with every item or product necessary for your survival. Before going to the place, spend an hour or two in front of your laptop or computer learning about the important information about the mountain.

If you’re only planning to stay when there’s still sunlight, you might not bother to carry some light sources with you. But we don’t know the exact things that could happen to you throughout the day where a situation might surface that requires you to camp for the night, thus include this on the scenarios that may occur on your trip and bring light sources with you.

In case of an unfortunate event and you were lost in the woods, never panic and don’t put your mind in disarray. It would be best to collect your thoughts and stay calm and warm. Ensure that you were visible from the sky once you called for help so that rescuers on a helicopter could see you quickly. If ever you needed an urgent help, never hesitate to call the authorities right away so that they could find you before it gets dark.

Majority of countries around the world has their own emergency hotline number that is similar to 9-1-1 of the United States where you can contact for help even without any signal on your phone because such can activate any cell tower. Before you leave your home to begin your adventure, make sure that your phone is fully charged and bring some spare batteries with you or good power banks as well. If you can avail a satellite phone, then have one to get help even in no-cell-service places.

Be prepared with avalanche safety equipment too. Avalanche can be the biggest threat of a serene snowy mountain, so it would be best to be equipped with the proper equipment such as a transceiver, probe, and shovel. You must also have good knowledge about those items to survive this kind of emergency situation. Learn how to navigate through the terrain to help you mitigate an avalanche exposure.

Irwin Consulting Services has been a part of different efforts in the United States in improving public safety, and because of its many years of endeavor in this field, the group had seen many cases proving that accidents were inevitable and sometimes unprecedented, so always be prepared in case of unwanted events and situations to protect yourself and other people.

Interesting, because a snowy mountain is also a fairly desolate place (dead trees/plants, deadly stillness or harsh wind, untouched landscape, etc), but it is seen as beautiful instead of distasteful like the wasteland that Eliot describes.