Miscellaneous And Off Topic Subjects

[AlabamAlum]

If you're shocked by this then you really haven't been paying attention. Or maybe you have and you just couldn't bring yourself to believe it.

But this is where we are. I'll reiterate an analogous point -- those on the left and their STEM is racist bullshit. We're at a point in time where the conclusion or finding the "truth" only if it fits the requisite narrative. Everything is turning into critical studies.

Perhaps we should applaud Vermund’s integrity and adherence to research and academics as opposed to just joining the mob and ousting him (which he could have done). You know Cornell would have caved. The TRUE Ivy’s are respected for a reason.

[CGVT]

I take that as a low severity and high probability of detection.. The risk is certainly not what we are being lead to believe.

It's one thing to err on the side of caution to maximize safety. But if it comes at the expense of increasing other risks, then you had better weigh your options carefully.

If you are purposely misleading the public, and present a false narrative, then all of your credibility is shot. You can't even pass off the existence of gravity without being called into question.

I take it as mitigation measures are working now that people are finally taking the "hoax" seriously.

Of course, YMMV

[Dr. Strangelove]

Perhaps we should applaud Vermund’s integrity and adherence to research and academics as opposed to just joining the mob and ousting him (which he could have done). You know Cornell would have caved. The TRUE Ivy’s are respected for a reason.

You, sir, have all the boorish mannerisms of a Yalie.

[AlabamAlum]

You, sir, have all the boorish mannerisms of a Yalie.

I applaud that a man of your upbringing and pedigree have seemingly managed to find honest work with only a land grant vocational certificate. It’s the dirty-nailed chimney sweeps like yourself who manage, for the most part, to stay off the public dole that makes your academic and moral superiors (such as myself) proud of you and the other troglodytes who make the effort.

[Tom W]

I take it as mitigation measures are working now that people are finally taking the "hoax" seriously.

Of course, YMMV

It does, and that mileage says that Severity is the real driving factor.

And just put that "hoax" argument away. It's so "February".

[Dr. Strangelove]

I applaud that a man of your upbringing and pedigree have seemingly managed to find honest work with only a land grant vocational certificate. It’s the dirty-nailed chimney sweeps like yourself who manage, for the most part, to stay off the public dole that makes your academic and moral superiors (such as myself) proud of you and the other troglodytes who make the effort.

Sir,

I am in receipt of your latest missive which no doubt sent peals of manic laughter through the cavernous hallways of the lunatic asylum you call home. I hope the orderlies were not too aggressive in their administration of the sedative. Should a few blessed rays of sanity poke through the veiled mists of madness, please feel free to issue an apology for your coarse talk, ill-bearing, non-genteel spirit, and malpractice of the medical profession.

Your servant,

DSL

[CGVT]

It does, and that mileage says that Severity is the real driving factor.

And just put that "hoax" argument away. It's so "February".

The "hoax" argument is legit. Sorry if it strikes a nerve. People are actually following the recommendations of scientists. Masks are commonplace here now. A month ago as numbers were rising? Not so much.

[AlabamAlum]

Sir,

I am in receipt of your latest missive which no doubt sent peals of manic laughter through the cavernous hallways of the lunatic asylum you call home. I hope the orderlies were not too aggressive in their administration of the sedative. Should a few blessed rays of sanity poke through the veiled mists of madness, please feel free to issue an apology for your coarse talk, ill-bearing, non-genteel spirit, and malpractice of the medical profession.

Your servant,

DSL

Kind Sir,

I have done my best to translate the grunts and primitive gesticulations contained in your latest communique. I shall endeavor to answer the bulk of your queries:

To Wit:

i) No, you may not come to visit.

ii) Yes, Gramps is a boy dog.

iii) No, I do not know if DeVry will accept your previous credits.

iv) While one should not look at the Sun directly, looking at a picture of it is fine.

v) No, I do not believe that NASA invented thunderstorms to cover up the sound of space battles.

vi) It’s the ‘Pacific Ocean, not the specific ocean.

The rest of your questions were deemed to ridiculous to offer a reply.

Regards,
AA

[Dr. Strangelove]

If the Trump campaign was smart they will drop the "Biden is a feeble, senile old coot with swiss cheese for a brain" stuff at this point,. He keeps easily exceeding expectations. Good speech today.

[Jeff Buchanan]

I brought this post over here from the Big Ten discussion that drifted into COVID territory. In that discussion where the opinion was expressed that if we had had an intelligent discussion about how to approach the spread of SARS-CoV-2 early on in this cluster fuck, we may not have been in the terrible economic place where we are right now.

I can verify that there was discussion, not sure how serious it was or whether it was entertained among officials that needed to here it, but it was on calculating the cost of a life in comarison to the potential, at that time, of the economic costs of massive shutdown. At the time, as talent pointed out, all we were hearing where reports of bodies piling up in Italy outside hospitals. There are ways to calculate the value of a life - insurance actuaries do it all the time. The bottom line is that it costs X depending on the calculations you used, it was definable and therefor the cost of shuttering the economy compared to a accepting a certain number of deaths could be calculated.

I am almost certain that such discussion occurred on a serious level in SK, most of Asia, Scandinavian countries as well as Belgium, Switzerland and Holland. In the case of Sweden and to a lesser extent in SK and other EU nations did not take the draconian steps that the US and other liberal countries did. Would expect that the German government went through the math as well. Here? No way that sort of thinking was going to reach the light of day. Still, it was knowable and I'm certain that cratering the US economy as a response to the pandemic and the attendant unemployment is multiples of times higher than the cost of 160K lives. I don't think it is even close. Yet here we are.

One other point. The steps to take to confront the next pandemic are clear. The correct response, though, is more nuanced. First, the US, along with most other countries were unprepared from a structural and resource standpoint. Second, identifying who is infected and getting them off the streets is job number one. No way the US was prepared to do JOB # 1 and that is mostly why we are where we are right now, 9 fucking months down the road still hand wringing over the simplest most obvious of choices .... like playing GD college football. That is because, thirdly, there was no leadership at any level where there needed to be some. No one wanted to own the consequences of a decision, one way or the other, if it turned out badly. Based on how our response was fashioned and executed, I'm not confident we have chance in hell of learning from the mistakes and doing it right next time.

[lineygoblue]

If the Trump campaign was smart they will drop the "Biden is a feeble, senile old coot with swiss cheese for a brain" stuff at this point,. He keeps easily exceeding expectations. Good speech today.

They need to stop running against Joe completely. He's not the real candidate. They need to campaign against Kamala. She will be the one serving the bulk of the next term.

Its going to be at least a bit of fun to watch the Dem leadership jostling for position to run the country when Joe is elected. Kamala will be giving Joe the hockey elbow as often as possible, while Nancy and Chuck put on their best "American Heritage" looks. Meanwhile, Joe would be well served to keep Hillary away from any WH visits ... she has connections ....

Jill Biden may need some WWE training to keep Hillary from getting to Joe ...

[Da Geezer]

If you're shocked by this then you really haven't been paying attention. Or maybe you have and you just couldn't bring yourself to believe it.

But this is where we are. I'll reiterate an analogous point -- those on the left and their STEM is racist bullshit. We're at a point in time where the conclusion or finding the "truth" only if it fits the requisite narrative. Everything is turning into critical studies.

Have you read White Fragility? Critical theory explains a lot of what is going on in this country.

[Tom W]

The "hoax" argument is legit. Sorry if it strikes a nerve. People are actually following the recommendations of scientists. Masks are commonplace here now. A month ago as numbers were rising? Not so much.

I guess it all depends on what your definitions are of "hoax" and "legit".

Nobody here ever said that this was a complete fabrication. We have, however questioned the trends, numbers, strategies and all of so called "facts"- and for good reason. Some things just don't add up. And, to be fair, neither party, at any level, nor the league of so-called esteemed journalists are clean.

Calling "bullshit" when it is tossed at you is not the same as calling it a "hoax"

[Hannibal]

article-6916-1.jpg

Large Turnout At Memorial For Hans Gruber Who Was Thrown From A Building By A Police Officer

LOS ANGELES, CA—A huge crowd turned out Sunday for the Hans Gruber memorial service. Gruber was the victim of police violence, having been thrown from Nakatomi Plaza by police officer John McClane, which many consider one of the most excessive uses of force ever witnessed. After the incident, there were protests all week, and now thousands from all over the country came to pay respects to Gruber, widely described as an “intelligent and witty soul.”

“That man was a hero,” said Doyle Graham, who traveled from Nevada to pay respects. “I mean, I don’t really know much about him other than that some police officer killed him, but he seems like someone we should all honor and emulate.”

Gruber was part of a mainly peaceful protest against the Nakatomi Corporation, which was goaded into violence by the actions of McClane. Ultimately, McClane threw Gruber from the 30th floor, even though Gruber was completely unarmed (or at least he was when he hit the ground). Even LAPD Deputy Chief Dwayne T. Robinson denounced the actions, calling McClane a “nutcase” who should have “just stayed put.”

Many at the memorial are now wearing shirts with “Gruber” written on them to remember the man who was taken too soon thanks to unaccountable police actions. There are calls for the arrest of John McClane,

https://babylonbee.com/news/large-turnout-for-memorial-for-hans-gruber-who-was-thrown-from-a-building-by-a-police-officer

[Cody_Russell]

Me reading that (but yeah... Hans Gruber is a great/ classic villain):