Stretchy string что это
Soft Flex Company
Making jewelry with Stretch Magic is a blast! Stretchy bracelets are easy and fun. Using elastic for bracelets takes away the learning curve that advanced beading wire, cord and fiber require. Elastic is the perfect bead stringing cord for a beginner and it is wonderful for a quick jewelry design. You may have dismissed stretchy cord if you are a seasoned artisan, but today, we are going to look at all things s-t-r-e-t-c-h-y and show you why you should invest in this wonderful jewelry medium. Whether you design men’s jewelry, children’s jewelry, or just want a quick design for yourself, we will show you everything you need to know to master DIY stretchy jewelry!
Are you a beginner? You are going to love how easy it is to learn how to make beaded jewelry with stretchy cord. Do you have children? Show them how to make an easy beginner friendship bracelet. Give your kiddos a fun new craft to explore and enjoy. Are you a jewelry designer? You are going to be amazed at how quick you can put together a stunning elastic bracelet with very little supplies on hand. Stretch cord is simple to use and incredibly cost effective. Stretch Magic is perfect for beaded bracelets for men, children’s crafts, aromatherapy bracelets using essential oils, and so much more. You are going to be amazed by how easy it is to use this cord for beading bracelets and funky jewelry.
Shop our Stretch Magic cord. This elastic like cord makes jewelry making easy. You do not need tools to finish a design (except scissors or bead nippers to cut the cord). Knot and glue to finish. Just add beads and a dash of creativity!
Everything You Need To Know About Stretch Bracelets And Stretchy Cord
What Is Stretch Magic
We think Stretch Magic is one of the best stretchy cords out there for jewelry making.
Stretch Magic is a strong elastic-like beading and jewelry making cord. It is made of a unique proprietary polyurethane. It is constructed of a mixture of polyester and polyurethane. Stretch Magic is solid and will not fray over time. It does not contain any latex, rayon, or elastic. It is recommended that you pre-stretch Stretch Magic before beginning a project. This will ensure the cord does not stretch and lengthen after beads are placed on it.
Stretch Magic is manufactured by the Pepperell Braiding Company. The company was founded in 1917 as a shoelace manufacturer. They went on to make cigarette lighter wicks and candle wicks. In the late 70’s, the company moved into the craft market with macramé products. Today, Pepperell Braiding Company is still involved with the craft industry. They manufacture a number of creative products and have three factories in operation.
Stretchy cord is fantastic option for bead stringing beginners. It is forgiving and easy to string. This stretchy beading cord is durable and can take the abuse that a bracelet gets as it rocks back and forth on the wrist. It will last a long time. All a beginner needs to start out with stretchy cord is some beads, scissors or a bead nipper, and some glue and they have everything necessary for a jewelry design.
An accomplished beader will have fun creating a quick design with stretchy string. Want to punch up a quick jewelry design? This stretch cord makes it so easy. Simply string your beads, knot your cord and add a drop of glue to seal the knot. Here are some knots that work great: Surgeon’s Knot, Figure-Eight knot and a Carrick Bend Knot.
Stretch cord is fantastic for designing feminine and masculine jewelry pieces. You can assemble jewelry quickly and easily using this elastic like cord. A bracelet takes minutes. You can design a single strand or even a complex multi-strand design with ease. Stretch cord is unseful for some amazing rings as well. It is not ideal for a necklace, but you can make some stunning tattoo chokers or a daring chunky necklace with larger beads.
We do suggest using Soft Flex Beading Wire for a design that requires strength and durability, but Pepperell Stretch Magic is a blast to string with! Read on and learn all about how to use this wonderful bead stringing cord.
How to Make A Beaded Stretch Cord Bracelet
Designer: Sara Oehler
Sara shows us how to make a quick bracelet. This video is easy to follow and a great watch if you would like to learn more about how to make jewelry with stretch cord. Sara also makes a matching pair of earrings for her new bracelet. This bracelet design uses two hole beads and two strands of stretch cord. It looks so sophisticated. Elastic cord is not just for hobbyists, you can make some stunning jewelry too!
Bead Stringing Tips: Pre-Stretching and Double Strands
Make sure you pre-stretch your elastic and stretchy cords. They can elongate over time and stretch and it may make your designs look odd. Simply pull and tug and give your cord some weathering so it flexes and stretches before you add beads. If you do not pre-stretch your cord, the beads you string may look loose and the bracelet can elongate, sag, and not drape the way you anticipated when you designed it. After pre-stretching, your cord will look the same and retain its elasticity, but it won’t lengthen over time. Once knotted, make sure your beads have a slight bit of tension so your knot remains secure.
How To Tie Stretch Magic Cord
How do you finish stretchy bracelets?
If you need to learn how to tie Stretch Magic, Pepperell has a great video. In this quick tutorial, they teach us how to tie a surgeon’s knot. It is an easy knot to learn and master. It is secure enough to lock your bracelets in place. But we do suggest adding glue to the knot for even more security.
Pepperell recommends using a surgeon’s knot or a Carrick bend.
How do you hide a knot in a stretch bracelet?
Stretch Magic Sizes
What size stretchy cord should I use?
These sizes of elastic cord are going to be perfect for almost every design imaginable. They are going to accommodate some of your tiniest beads and some of your largest. You can find 25 meter (82 foot) or 100 meter (328 foot) length spools on our website.
Stretch Magic 1mm
Learn How To Make a Beaded Men’s Bracelet
Designer: Kristen Fagan
My dad likes to wear jewelry yet, I seldom make it for him. Shame on me! I give my mom and sisters handmade jewelry all the time but, I don’t spend much time thinking about jewelry ideas for the guys in my life. Last year, I made sure to include my dad when thinking about gift-giving. I made him a necklace for Fathers Day and a stretch bracelet similar to this one for Christmas. He loved them both. I hope this bracelet idea inspires you to think about making some jewelry for men too.
Step 1: Cut 13″ of Stretch Magic. Attach a bead stopper to one end.
Step 2: String 1 wood bead, 2 spacer beads, 1 wood bead, 3 spacer beads, 1 wood bead, 2 spacer beads, 1 wood bead, 1 spacer bead, 1 saucer bead, 1 spacer bead, 1 wood bead, 2 spacer beads, 1 wood bead, 3 spacer beads, 1 wood bead, 2 spacer beads, 1 wood bead, 3 spacer beads.
Step 3: Remove the bead stopper and tie a simple overhand knot. Take both ends of stretch magic and cross them over. Take one end under and through the loop. Pull tight. Repeat the knot two more times.
Step 4: Add glue to the knot to make sure to stays secure. Cut excess stretch cord. Tip: Instead of using the glue bottle tip, unscrew the top, dip a headpin into the glue and use the headpin to apply glue to the knot.
Best Stretch Jewelry Ideas
What kind of jewelry designs are you looking to do? Stretchy jewelry cord is capable of so many unique designs. Be daring. It is so affordable that mistakes are not going to hurt your wallet.
Kids’ Bracelets:
Stretchy bracelet string is perfect for your crafty kiddo. They can assemble jewelry quickly and easily using stretchy cord. They do not need tools to start (you can cut the ends and glue the knot for them). They just need to string their jewelry how they see fit. Elastic cord allows them to be creative. Let their imagination reach new heights. Share the moment with them. Make a beautiful piece of jewelry together. Making beaded jewelry is a great foundation for learning. If they enjoy this fun craft, they can continue with different cords, fibers, and beading wire as they further their talent. They will have memories of making their lovely jewelry with family and friends that they will carry into adulthood.
Men’s Bracelets:
Essential Oil Diffuser Bracelets:
Aromatherapy is the belief that aromatic plant extracts can promote a healthy body and mind. Essential oil diffusers are used to put this energy into the air around us. For those of us that love essential oils and are always on the go, we have found ways of taking our favorite extracts with us. Stretchy cord bracelets are one great way of taking your essential oils where ever you travel. You can find porous lava beads that soak up your oils. You can string your lava beads on stretch cord and give them a little sprinkle so the lava retains the scent. You can also find a locket that hold a scent pad that can be doused with your favorites oils. Make a stretch bracelet for the aromatherapy lover in your life.
Beaded Anklets:
Elegant Chokers:
If you want to make a necklace, you can always opt for an elegant choker. Black color Stretch Magic is great if you do not want to add beads. Choker tattoo necklaces are easy to make and look wonderful. They are especially great if you enjoy a darker wardrobe and gothic look.
Stretch Cord Ring:
If bracelets are not your thing, try a ring. You can do a single strand with smaller beads as the band and add a larger bead as the focal on the design. You can try a ladder with multiple strands and beads. You can mimic the tattoo choker style on a smaller scale and add a bead. You can braid or macramé if you want to get really creative. Beaded rings are amazing on stretchy cord. Add a focal beads and silver seed beads and mimic your favorite metal jewelry. Rings are fun and as intricate or simple as you want to make.
Easy Friendship Bracelets:
Healing Gemstone Bracelets:
Like aromatherapy, gemstone healing is a popular way to achieve mind and body health without traditional medicine. People have long used crystals and other gemstones as a talisman and items of healthy healing power. Make a stretch bracelet with some smooth healing gemstones and carry the power of healing stones with you. Popular choices are crystal, Rose Quartz, Hematite, Citrine, Amethyst, and more.
Beaded Necklaces:
Beaded necklaces may be overlooked by those that design with elastic beading cord, in favor of a more durable bead string wire or mono-filament line. But stretch cord works great if you have a collection of smooth round beads and gemstones. Add a little weight and you will have an interesting drape. Making a necklace with an elastic cord means you do not have to worry about crimps, clasps, or other findings.
Best Glue For Stretchy Elastic Cord
Usage: To apply a fine line of cement, gently move the applicator along the surface. To avoid waste, press tube gently until cement starts flowing, then ease up. Flatten the tube as it is used; do not roll, twist or bend as this may cause the tube to crack. Do not press down on the applicator when applying cement, as pressure can cause the precision applicator to become dislodged.
Usage Suggestion: The cement tends to keep flowing out of the applicator once it starts, so if you do not have time to place the cap wire into the precision applicator between uses, keep an empty, small bottle (like a spice bottle) in your work area, along with a small piece of sponge soaked in rubbing alcohol. After using the cement, set the tube “neck up” in the spice bottle and place the wet sponge over the precision applicator point. This will stop the flow of cement and keep the applicator clean and ready for its next use. Replace cap wire when finished.
Stretch Cord Colors
At Soft Flex Company, we offer a clear Stretch Magic or a black color. Clear is perfect for concealing the cord. It is nearly invisible inside your beads and on your design. We offer a black color that is striking for tattoo chokers or designs where you want to expose the color.
If you would like a more expansive rainbow of colors, make sure you visit Pepperell’s store for more options.
Make a Colorful Bracelet Using Stretchy Cord
This video offers a more complex pattern. But it is still really easy to design and finish. Sara created a lovely bracelet with stretchy cord, gold super duo beads and size 8 Czech glass beads. Sara uses her Mini Macramé Board to hold her wire in place while she works. The board is great for macramé work, but can be used for braiding and other designs.
Sara does not conceal her knots on this bracelet, but even though they are exposed, they really do not detract from the design. They are almost invisible on the bracelet.
Follow Sara’s simple instructions and you will surely elevate your beading technique with elastic beading string. This video is clear and accessible to beginners and pros alike.
This is one amazing piece of jewelry. You would not imagine that an elastic cord would be able to make such a sophisticated pattern. Well, now you know that you can create stunning pieces of jewelry with this wonderful beading cord.
Question: How do I finish a design on stretch product? Should I crimp it?
Answer: We don’t suggest crimping any stretch cord product. It is usually pretty soft. When you compress the metal crimp, it can easily slice through the stretch product. A better way to finish off a design on elastic cord is to tie a square knot and use a dab of Special T glue for security. Special T glue is non-acidic and dries fairly clear and pliable. I’ve also used Special T glue for gluing glass to metal, wood to wood, and on other threads and cords. I don’t use the actual applicator on the bottle of glue, but instead, I unscrew the cap and us a toothpick or eye pin to pick up a drop of glue and apply it to my surface. A little goes a long way with this glue. It dries in less than a minute.
Make a Designer Stretch Bracelet
Soft Flex Company employee Kristen Fagan is free spirited beader. She films an new episode of Free Spirit Beading every Monday at 12pm PST. In her series, she explores different jewelry mediums. She uses an eclectic collection of tools, cords and beading wire. She loves to design unique pieces of jewelry and think outside the box. You are going to love her show if you love making jewelry. This episode featured Stretch Magic. She wanted to design a easy bracelet. Want some great tips and tricks on how to design and finish a stretchy bracelet? This is a great video to get your feet wet.
Stretch Magic is an elastic like cord that can be finished without tools, other than simple scissors. Glue can be used for extra security. A stretch cord design is not nearly the commitment a beading wire design is, it can be strung and finished in minutes. Great for a quick piece of new jewelry for an event or night on the town. There is no learning curve and you will not need findings. String and go!
This bracelet just seems to glow. It is gorgeous and quick to put together. Need a little something for your dinner dress? Why not string a quick bracelet. Stretch Magic bracelets will last for years, but the cost of the materials also means that you can cut the design and repurpose the beads without hurting the wallet.
Kristen wanted to use some fun Teeny Tiny Beads in her design. Teeny Tiny Beads come in fun shapes and themes. We have animals, holidays, food, and more. There is a bead for every occasion. Going to a baby shower? We have pacifiers that would look so fun on a bracelet. Love the ocean and want to show it? We have sea life, mermaids, and more. Teeny Tiny Beads are so much fun!
Speeder Beaders Work With Elastic Cord Too!
The Soft Flex Speeder Beader makes threading Soft Flex or Stretch Magic fast and simple. Push your beading cord into the pan of the Speeder Beader at a 30-45 degree angle. The pan will guide the wire into the hollow part of the Speeder Beader. Beads slip over the Speeder Beader and onto your wire or cord quickly and easily.
Make a Unique Floral Stretchy Bracelet
On this episode of Free Spirit Beading, Kristen explored one of our bead mixes, the Flower Power Bead Mix. She made a bracelet with Stretch Magic and then some earrings to match.
Supplies (includes earrings):
Jewelry making fun with the new Flower Power Bead Mix! Learn how to make a stretchy bracelet with Stretch Magic and sunflower hoop earrings with Soft Flex Beading wire for two sweet springtime designs!
This bracelet design uses the flower power bead mix with the “Tricky Ricky” stretch bracelet knot technique shared with me by Ricky of Dakota Stones! The earrings also use the flower power bead mix combined with Soft Flex beading wire and crimps for a sweet and simple pair of hoop earrings.
Did you learn a lot about beaded stretch bracelets and jewelry? We think this bead stringing cord is a lot of fun. If you would like to share your work with us, please post your pictures on our Facebook group – VIB. We would love to see your handiwork!
Join our Facebook group – VIB. Stay in the know. Stay up to date. From our bead shows to our video shows and sales, you can stay in touch with us. The community is full of artistic and helpful beaders and crafty people. Inspire and be inspired. Share your pictures and get the beading bug from others!
Pre Stretching Tennis Strings
What is pre-stretching? Which strings should you pre stretch? What are the benefits?
If you take a look at the stringing instruction label in the picture above, you’ll see that for that particular day, Roger Federer has requested that both his main and cross strings undergo a process called pre-stretching.
But what is this process, and what are the benefits of doing so? Are there any negatives? Do all pros have their string pre-stretched? Should you tell your stringer to pre-stretch your strings next time? Let’s take a look.
What Does Pre Stretching Tennis Strings Mean?
Pre stretching refers to the practice of stretching a tennis string before you start to string a racquet with it.
Rather than just cutting the string off the reel, threading it through the first grommet hole and starting to pull tension with the stringing machine, pre-stretching means you apply some tension to the string to change its properties.
The reason strings are sometimes pre-stretched is to slow down the initial tension loss that occurs as soon as a racquet is strung.
All tennis strings have a certain level of elasticity, so by stretching them beforehand, you are essentially removing elasticity from the string, which will result in less tension loss across the string bed over time
This is used so your string bed will maintain a consistent feel through the life of the strings. A significant drop in tension (through tension loss) can affect the accuracy of your shots, which in the pro game where the margins are small can be the difference between winning and losing.
How To Pre Stretch Tennis Strings
There are two ways you can pre-stretch a tennis string:
The first is the old school method which involves looping the string around a fixed object like a door handle, walking to the other side of the room with both ends of the string until it’s under tension and using your body weight to stretch it. Just make sure it’s a fairly round object that won’t kink or cut into the string.
The second is to use the pre-stretching feature found on several modern stringing machines. This built-in feature lets you pull strings at a higher tension before dropping down to your preferred tension. You can then clamp off, weave the next string and pre-stretch again.
The pre-stretch function on these machines can usually be set to pull at a fixed percentage above the desired tension.
For example, if you set 10% pre-stretch on the machine and want to string your racket at 50 lbs, the machine will initially pull the string to 55 lbs (10% above 50 lbs) before reducing it to the desired 50 lbs.
This makes the string less elastic, and along with a good tie-off knot (I prefer the Parnell knot), it should help reduce tension loss.
You can also achieve a similar effect on crank or drop-weight stringing machines. However, the process for pre-stretching is slightly different.
Many stringers using a crank machine will opt to pre-stretch by double-pulling tension. This means they pull the set tension, release the string, then pull it again. You could manually adjust the tension before each pull but considering this is done by adjusting a spring; it’s both tiresome and easy to forget between each string pull.
Stringers using a drop-weight machine usually pull tension once but leave the weight applied to the pull for a specified amount of time.
Which is Better: Machine Pull or Manual Pre Stretch?
In terms of which is better, I don’t think there is a right or wrong answer.
For removing elasticity, the machine pre-stretch is more effective as it pulls an increased tension on a shorter area of the string, immediately before the string is pulled again to the correct tension.
However, for making the string more comfortable to work with (reducing coil memory) and applying some pre-stretch, the manual method does a better job.
I prefer the manual method as it makes natural gut easier to string with, and your bodyweight does a good enough job at pre-stretching. This is also the method used by Roger Federer’s stringers, Priority 1.
As for which you should choose, I would say if you are looking to significantly reduce tension loss or want a deader feeling stringbed, using pre-stretch from the machine is a good option.
If you just want to reduce the liveliness of a natural gut string and give it a little pre-stretch, the looping round an object is fine. The more bodyweight and muscle you put into the string, the more it’s stretched.
Why Do Some Players Request Pre Stretching?
Tension loss typically isn’t a massive concern for pro players as they get their racquets strung so frequently and play with them just a few hours after they were freshly strung.
However, a racquet starts to lose some tension as soon as it’s off the stringing machine, and for players who want that feeling of ultra-consistent tension, then pre-stretching is a way to minimise tension loss.
The other reason some players will opt for a pre-stretch (usually 10%) is that they prefer the slightly deadened feeling that strings at higher tension offer.
Take, for example, Venus Williams, who has been know to string as high as 80lbs, along with a 10% pre-stretch. She enjoys that board like string bed because the strings have had some of their elasticity removed.
As for Federer, in the main image of this post, he has requested both his main strings (natural gut) and his cross strings (polyester) to be pre-strung.
Typically Federer will only have his mains pre-stretched, so I’m not sure why this changed for the Laver Cup. Indoor conditions, the time accrued before he would use the racquet and just personal preference on the given day could all play a part.
Federer’s usual preference for just having his mains pre-stretched will be for tension maintenance and perhaps ever so slightly reducing the liveliness natural gut offers.
In terms of a rough estimate, I’d say around 40-50% of players will ask for pre-stretching.
None of the tournament stringing rooms offers pre-stretching as a default option, so it’s up to the players to request it alongside any other non-standard tweaks required like using around the world stringing method, 2 knots instead of 4, power pads or string savers that aren’t part of the stringing room’s default set up.
Are There Any Types of String You Shouldn’t Pre Stretch?
The general line of thinking is that pre-stretching polyester strings is not advisable. You are taking a string that already has little elasticity to it and making it even less so.
While this will have a benefit to tension maintenance (poly strings lose tension quicker), you are taking away some of the playability of the string and also reducing its overall shelf life in the racquet.
From my experience, polyester strings at high tensions (or pre-stretched) will go dead quicker. Considering they don’t last long anyway, I can’t see the benefit.
For recreational players, I don’t see that making too much sense either. It’s quite rare for your average club player to hit the ball big enough to see many benefits from polyester in its normal state, so to make it even deader by pre-stretching isn’t a logical move.
Still, many players do request for their polyester strings to be pre-stretched. As for the reasoning, it’s a combination of wanting increased tension maintenance and enjoying that ultra dead feeling that allows them to take massive cuts at the ball and still find the court.
Why Do Stringers Sometimes Pre Stretch Strings?
Even if a player hasn’t requested a pre-stretch, or you are stringing your own racquets but don’t want to do a full pre-stretch, it can be beneficial to give the string a slight stretch to make the job easier.
When strings come off a reel, they have a coil memory which makes them rather annoying to handle and more likely to kink which is bad for the string.
Whenever I’m stringing my racquet, I tend to give all strings a very light pre-stretch by looping them around a door handle and pulling them tight to reduce those coils and make them easier to string with.
This has little to no effect on the playability of the string as I’m not applying a ton of weight, but it makes the job easier and reduces the chance of kinks which can lead to premature breakage of a string.
Should You Pre Stretch Your Strings?
Like most things with racquets, pre-stretching is purely a preference thing. Many pros do it through force of habit as it is likely what their coaches suggested when they first started playing the game at a more serious level.
So while it might be worth testing if you feel like tension loss affects your game, I recommend that, instead of pre-stretching, simply string your racquet a few pounds higher than your desired tension.
Do you pre-stretch your tennis strings? If so, why do you do it? Let me know in the comments.
Jonathan
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69 Comments
Interesting technical element. Also as a metafore for other preparing…
great reading as always… Thanks Jon!
Tried pre-stretching poly way back when I was still looking for the racquet-string combination. Messed up my hand so badly I still have the scar. Will not touch that stuff ever again.
Scar? What happened?
I just got very bad blisters. I guess one got infected. I’m bit sensitive how I make contact and when that feeling changed I just messed up everything trying to find it. I played a much stiffer frame back then. Perhaps the combination made it worse.
Is that your racket that most of the pictures are of, Jon?
Jon doesn’t seem to be a Pure Drive fan…
I have actually played with a Pure Drive quite a bit. I quite liked it. Was never a huge fan of that cortex thing they put just above the handle though. I would like to play test one of the newer ones.
Assuming tennis can ever be played again lol. Seen as though coronaphobia has taken the world by storm.
@Jonathan
Can’t you play recreation tennis in UK right now? We have started in Poland just today. With some of those stupid things like social distancing. Fortunately this is almost guaranteed for singles.
We don’t need to wear gas masks 😉
Remember the subject for new post, I suggested to you long time ago?
I think, the old-fashioned professional tennis with that huge travelling is over (at least for current generations).
The pandemic (in everyone’s heads) will last for ever.
Maybe we need to start again with local club tennis, local challengers or team tennis (like DavisCup), involving so many players of a pair of countries, among which the travelling is realistic. With only local crowds. What do you think?
Experts are pessimistic about vaccine, so maybe we all need to get “herd immunity” – just tested in Sweden. Not so much success in UK.
IMO we need to learn to live with the virus. Like with every other viruses we live with since ever.
Remember the swine flu 2009-2010?
I remember that I don’t remember such thing. Internet was too young here but probably in the West this was the first media pandemic.
Now you start and end the day with studying stats for every country of the globe and that’s quite everything you can do 😉
To everyone – don’t stay at home, go play tennis. It’s even better than watching. Stay healthy by playing tennis. Viruses are everywhere. Only you can defeat your own 🙂
Best
PRF
But it’s soooo good for the Earth – Greta, following Trump’s hint, went with a friend to watch old-fashioned movie and when she was back in life, the Earth was almost healthy. Hahaha … good job from Mr. CV. Can have something to do with Swedes living somehow normally, while having the same good portion of the virus as other parts of the globe.
No, all tennis clubs are closed, unfortunately. You could play against a wall if you can find one.
The world has gone corona crazy, there is no science behind half the crap people are suggesting. There are 2 measures that have some scientific efficacy – washing hands and 1-metre distance.
But do you really need a lockdown to practice those? Most people wash their hands regularly, and most people practise social distancing naturally if they have symptoms, or see someone else coughing their guts up close by.
I am so surprised such a huge chunk of people just listen blindly to the government. This virus has caused people to instantly forget that the human race has managed to survive for 200,000 years, the vast majority of that without any vaccines. But now people are scared to leave the house, wear masks, disinfect their house every 5 minutes. We are going to see people coming out from lockdown with weakened immune systems.
Ultimately, you cannot run from a virus, it will sweep the globe as it has done and the vast majority of people who catch it will not get sick, as we are seeing increasingly from numerous serology studies.
Look, there seems to be some confusion about “survival”:
-Survival of a species is one thing and is too abstract a concept for individuals to think about or act accordingly.
-Survival of an individual is different and that’s what guides you actions every day.
The first is taken care of by natural selection, always at the expense of a lot of individual losses.
The second is taken care of by medical science (among others). In this process, life expectancy increases and some diseases are eradicated.
What happened 200000 years ago (or even 100) is not a valid argument as no one would risk his individual survival by living under those conditions. We no longer accept passively Black Deaths. We have the tools to fight it and when we don’t, we try to make them. If you tooth aches, you go to the dentist. You don’t let the infection spread and kill you of septicaemia.
Ironically, the more we act on individual health, the more “fragile” as a species we become because ethically we no longer accept the death of the less fit for the sake of “species survival”.
This is the key point that no one seems to pay attention to.
Medicine ended natural selection in Homo Sapiens: even more ironically, it’s our intelligence that will be our doom, and I’m not talking only about H-bombs.
The usual social behaviour towards someone with a flu doesn’t seem to be enough in this case because this one spreads faster and affects older people much more severely (the body count is there, unless the coffins are filled with stones as many brazilians think). You may go relatively unscathed but you can be a vehicle to more fragile people (who you may or may not care about). For the same reason, “most” people practising social distancing is not enough.
Last word: people usually accept what the government indicates because that’s the nature of power delegation in democracy. It doesn’t mean you cannot criticize them, of course. The important question remains: have the political decisions been the best so far? We cannot know since it’s impossible (and would be unacceptable) to run a control experiment but we should accept that most of them were done in good faith and most of them seem to work well.
Would you or me do better? Can you even imagine what it must be like having people’s lives (not just one or two, thousands) depend on your decisions? Heavens, no, I, for one, cannot.
See you on court!
I don’t really understand the first half but
“The usual social behaviour towards someone with a flu doesn’t seem to be enough in this case because this one spreads faster and affects older people much more severely (the body count is there, unless the coffins are filled with stones as many Brazilians think).”
This is false, if you look at the reproduction rate across Europe, in many countries it had fallen below 1 before lockdown had even started. That highlights that good hygiene and some social distancing is effective. Hence why Sweden is not suffering as badly as the pro corona panic side suggested they would. Belarus seems to be doing ok too.
The severe effects on older people more are also not entirely proven. Even with some very liberal attributions of COVID 19 as the cause of death, we’re not seeing numbers that are hugely out of normal range. We are certainly seeing excess mortality in over 65’s across Europe, but we do not know what the entire cause of those is. Considering that more people died in Austria in April from cardiac problems due to being scared to go to the hospital from fear of corona, compared to the virus itself. I’d say a large chunk of excess death is caused by the widespread panic caused in part by the media.
Unfortunately, the data on deaths is so murky to really know who died from or with. There is a conflict of interest with many hospitals and EU money. Along with those that make serious bank from COVID patients, other doctors are reporting they feel pressured to add covid 19 to a death certificate. Which is not the case with flu, you wouldn’t even test for it half the time.
What we do know is that if you are sadly close to the end or have certain comorbidities, sars cov 2 can finish people off quickly. There is such a high % of deaths in nursing homes (50% of all deaths in Sweden for example). Europe has collectively failed miserably at protecting the old and vulnerable.
And do care homes benefit from a general lockdown? No, they do not. They need to be locked down fully, with live in staff.
One country that has done ok with nursing homes? Norway, low population and their structure see smaller nursing homes with fewer residents. Hence their death total being very low. Belgium etc has much bigger homes with more residents. Sweden and the UK too. So you see very clearly that this thing can sweep these places quickly. As can influenza, but with a vaccine and some levels of herd immunity, it’s harder for it to do so.
“The important question remains: have the political decisions been the best so far? We cannot know since it’s impossible (and would be unacceptable) to run a control experiment but we should accept that most of them were done in good faith and most of them seem to work well.”
True, we cannot know which is best. But the decision to lockdown was based on a computer model that had garbage data. It was not based on science. Lockdown was highly reactionary and no thought was given on how to get out of it. The economic impacts are going to be so severe. Here is a stat, for every 1% increase in unemployment, there is a 1% rise in suicides. I don’t like those numbers.
My big problem is that we now have far more data which is suggesting that the risk of COVID 19 is not commensurate with the measures that are in place.
There were so many epidemiologists saying that lockdown was the wrong policy from day 1. Tegnell, Giesecke, Bhakdi, Ioannidis, Wittkowski, Bhattacharya and more). Yet Europe suffered the domino effect through panic and politicians being fearful. I am just glad Sweden took a different path so we can see a comparison. The UK was on the same path as Sweden, but the famous ICL paper from a man with historical alarmism changed the course of history. It is my belief this could be hugely costly.
Re control experiment. You have one with Sweden and Belarus. You also have a pretty good controlled experiment with the Diamond Princess. Along with that, the serology studies are coming thick and fast. The USA, Switzerland, Germany and others are getting good data through antibody testing. The mortality rate is going to be slightly higher than seasonal influenza from what they show so far.
So it appears Ioannidis is going to be correct when he wrote in early March “Covid-19, has been called a once-in-a-century pandemic. But it may also be a once-in-a-century evidence fiasco.”
I’m just ok glad I live in DK and not Sweden (for not to say some other countries). OK, we locked down too late, and therefore this period became rather long and will probably have more serious economic effects. But we also have an ok economic support system with a less extreme gap between rich and poor, opposite USA for instance. So after some worrying rise of the curve of sick and dead, this curve is quite solidly declining now, so our health system can manage and get time to be better prepared for the probably next wave of the virus attack.