Miscellaneous And Off Topic Subjects

[Whitley]

There's nothing wrong with this logic which is why, the choice to venture out is a personal one. I support informed choice. To that end, as I mentioned, but I want to mention it again, in America, for a number of cultural reasons, not everyone is going to wear a mask like they might in Asia ..... a proven device to reduce transmission. OTH, 100% compliance with masks is not a requirement where folks who do this kind of thing look at it and hypothesize 70% compliance will probably do the trick.

What about those that have to go out and work? Using this logic that was an informed choice they made to go out and work. Well, getting sick is their problem.

TBC, I have a problem when people go into places of businesses without using a mask. Not only does that show a selfish attitude and lack of concern towards other people, but it is a public health issue given the fact that there is no vaccine or even something like a flu shot. I really wish all businesses would add a mask to the no shirt/shoes policies.

Fixed your quote mechanism.

[Dr. Strangelove]

[Jeff Buchanan]

What about those that have to go out and work? Using this logic that was an informed choice they made to go out and work. Well, getting sick is their problem.

TBC, I have a problem when people go into places of businesses without using a mask. Not only does that show a selfish attitude and lack of concern towards other people, but it is a public health issue given the fact that there is no vaccine or even something like a flu shot. I really wish all businesses would add a mask to the no shirt/shoes policies.

Well, you have a point ...... however, while we're talking about choices here. Employers from police, fire, hospitals and grocers to meat processing and packing facilities have choices to take steps to make their essential work places safe or to skip that and act as irresponsibly as the folks you mention who do that. I think we've seen most employers take steps to make thier work places as safe as possible. Employers across all employment sectors have taken this seriously and stepped up to the plate notwithstanding PPE and testing kits availability that they have no control over.

I think one could argue that meat packing facilities were going to take a hit no matter what they did at best or didn't do enough and employees got sick at worst. Admittedly under pressure, they closed down and from what I have read have done a decent job of mitigating COVID as a work-place hazard. Among maybe 50 articles that slam meat and poultry processing plant companies, I found two, one from the CDC and one from SHRM, Better Work Places, Better World, that noted the positive steps this category of employers had taken before and after COVID ....... but that's reflective of the doom and gloom narrative so, it continues unabated and you hear little good about them, mostly bad. I found one site that listed closings and openings of these facilities and by a large margin, closed plants have re-opened and remain open partly because of a Trump EO designating these as essential but also because infection rates have declined significantly due to steps employers took.

What big processing facility employers can't do much about is the cohort of low education, low-skill employees that are employed within. This is a problem everywhere 3 generations of families with questionable sanitation measures are packed into one small apartment on account of both cultural and financial circumstances. That played a large part in Infections running rampant in meat processing and packing plants but that only got sort shrift in the news - so, I'm reluctant to lay the entire responsibility on Tyson and Smithfield for the hot-spots that emerged involving "essential employees" in and around their meat-processing and packing facilities.

[Dr. Strangelove]

Hope everything is okay with froot. Been weeks since I can remember him posting anything.

[CGVT]

Hope everything is okay with froot. Been weeks since I can remember him posting anything.

I just checked. Last time he was logged on was May 15th.

You know, I've "known" him on this forum in one iteration or another for at least 25 years, but I have no idea who he really is. He has kept his real life pretty well hidden, so I have no idea of how to check on him. I hope his ok.
He is probably just fed up with Talent's bullshit. ;)

[AlabamAlum]

I miss Hack commenting on politics, too. He has relegated himself to the occasional M basketball post.

[iam416]

You're insane.

[AlabamAlum]

Possibly.

[Dr. Strangelove]

What in the world was Witmer's husband thinking?

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/michigan-whitmer-memorial-day-husband-boat-request-coronavirus

[Jeff Buchanan]

I'm generally a trustworthy person until shown not to be. Over the last month, I've pretty much come to ignore anything "we're from the government and we're here to help" officials are saying about any aspect of COVID responses or future plans.

Some states, and FL is an example, have made pandemic data available and have been transparent about what data is being used to inform COVID management strategies. That transparency, however, seems not to apply to county and city commissions and mayors. When these officials are quoted about data, decision making based on it and actions stemming from them, I might listen or read but my bull-shit screen automatically goes up. Most of the time I'm right to reject all of it.

I stopped listening to Desantis' pressers maybe 2-3w ago when the shit hit the fan over a firing of the "designer, manager and honest broker" of the FL DOH Dash Board told reporters she had been fired. She alleged her firing was because she refused to "manipulate data on the site to make the government look good."

Desantis went nuts at the presser where he got asked about this and alleged that not only was the fired state employee not who she alleged herself to be, instead she was a low level data entry clerk, but she had a record of insubordination and pending felony charges for internet stalking and internet sexual harassment. I have no idea if the Desantis averments were accurate or not. But, WTF? .....

..... and of course there is Whitmer's husband and the Boris Johnson's advisor embroiglio.

The point is government in general and on all levels has failed the citizens that voted them into office to carry out one of the main functions of government, manage a crisis when one arises. IMO, most of them I follow closely enough to grade get Fs.

Thankfully, there are reputable organizations collecting and analyzing data where, if you're paying attention, you can organize your own life and do the best accommodating the government's mitigation measures that, most of the time, are not based on the mountains of good data that's out there to light the way.

I just finished my 9th indoor cycling session in the last 3 weeks. This one was in Fort Lauderdale at a cycle studio I have used infrequently in the past but am going there now because LA Fitness, where I usually cycle, remains closed - fearful of re-opening probably due to issues arising from crazy local officials, the press and members who are just looking for a reason to point fingers, complain about stuff or sue corporate. I'm fine. Feel great.

Keep in mind I'm 72 and in that group of elderly who, according to officialdom is to "shelter in place." Certainly, I take precautions to protect myself from infection in all situations when I venture out and especially inside a place "experts" consider high risk for virus transmission ...... I'm not dismissing them but I'm also balancing their over-reactions with reading, understanding and taking into consideration what is known and validated by peer reviewed, controlled studies about SARS-COV-2.

Very early in my medical practice, I learned that Radiologist "over-read" most studies ordered by providers. What this means if there is anything remotely suspicious in the study, it gets mentioned. It produces a lot of what are called "incidentalomas" or a thing of no consequence that was found incidentally and unrealted to the reason the study was ordered. Mammograms are classic. There's a litany of bad things associated with incidentals - unnecessary additional studies, labs, and most of all, scaring the shit out of the patient. I was taught to think long and hard about ordering unnecessary diagnostic studies for this reason.

I carry this important lesson into my analysis of the COVID Pandemic. I read and study what's out there to be read about SARS-COV-2 and what works and doesn't work in managing our response to it. I use that knowledge gained to direct how I can best protect myself from infection while not cutting myself off from important social interaction and living mostly free of the fear that is driving error prone official management of the pandemic. That same fear is also driving socially and economically harmful human behavior. Thinking about this as I wrote it, the ideas expressed are reflective of how I view government ..... right now, it's too big, too unwieldy and intrudes too often into our lives with mostly undesirable outcomes. I don't fucking trust it.

[iam416]

If you're not reading Bucahnan you are both woefully underinformed on Covid and blessed with an extra 8 hours a day you wouldn't otherwise have.

#SpeedInSpace!!!!!!

[THE_WIZARD_]

I catch up on JB's posts during a good 2 hour shit...

[drok]

I catch up on JB's posts during a good 2 hour shit...

You must be skimming

[AlabamAlum]

You must be skimming

Correct. And he needs more fiber.

[THE_WIZARD_]

STFU