Miscellaneous And Off Topic Subjects

[Hannibal]

There was something more going on with Epstein than “financial advisor/investor”. His ostentatious wealth and political connections never added up.

I had dinner recently with a former black ops type guy and he’s of the opinion that Epstein was financed by a foreign government to gain leverage on prominent politicians/power brokers around the world. Seems plausible.

Definitely possible. Either that, or maybe he was just a lone blackmailer. It certainly goes a long way to explaining why nobody seems interested in finding out how the most important prisoner of the past century was allowed to be the first man to successfully commit suicide in his prison, thanks to a camera malfunction and some guards falling asleep.

Both Russia and China come to mind.

No sir.

[Da Geezer]

Jeff:

Do you have any information about the CDC revising their estimate of omicron cases as a percentage of all covid cases from 73% to 23%? This seems to me to be a rather large revision How reliable are the CDC numbers if they can go from 73 to 23?

On the other hand, if one were a conspiracy theorist, such a high number as 73% certainly validates the proposition that we should be very scared of omicron.

[Hannibal]

New York has possibly the strictest Covid-19 mandates in the country. My wife took our daughter to New York this month and when they went to a Broadway show, they asked my daughter for her ID to prove that she is not old enough to be subject to the local vaccine mandates. She is 10.

Here are New York's Covid cases...

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[Jeff Buchanan]

Jeff:

Do you have any information about the CDC revising their estimate of omicron cases as a percentage of all covid cases from 73% to 23%? This seems to me to be a rather large revision How reliable are the CDC numbers if they can go from 73 to 23?

On the other hand, if one were a conspiracy theorist, such a high number as 73% certainly validates the proposition that we should be very scared of omicron.

Geezer, TBH, I have no idea. Usually I can ferret out COVID data but, in general, counties don't report the causal variant, only that the patient who tested positive has "COVID." Why is that?

The US sucks at genomic testing at scale, health authorities have known about this for probably 18 months and we are still where we are - we don't know a massively important aspect of the current wave, to wit, whether its Omicron, Delta or something else. That matters because experts are pretty sure that Omicron doesn't do shit to about 90%, maybe more, of the the global population. Still, authorities are shutting stuff down in Europe and the US among other places. This is ostensibly to stop the spread of Omicron ..... GTFO, nobody is going to stop the spread of Omicron or Delta for that matter and most of us were expressing that here 6 or more months ago and pointing out the rational approach to COVID is to figure out how to manage it. And FFS, closing boarders, shutting down businesses and key means of transportation and yes, even telling people to mask up, isn't going to stop what amounts, at this point in time, to a more or less a futile effort to eradicate something looking more and more like the flu and the common cold. Fuck that ..... I've mostly given up on posting much about COVID and especially the current wave recognizing I can't do anything about the stupidity of the decision makers like the CDC who continue to shit on themselves with unreliable data and guidance based on it.

If this PH circumstance wasn't tearing America apart I'd just say this too shall pass. But there is a looming divide brought about the confluence of a number of factors that has the potential of significant damage to the stability of American democracy and all the shit we take for granted in this country because it's worked pretty well. What's boling over here Is a huge advantage to China and Russia that works their assess off to optimize strategic advantage as politicians and the American government either don't see this, as in never happen here, 0r argue endlessly and unproductively about how to calm the American waters.

Frankly, I used to poo-poo everything the right (extreme or otherwise) was writing or speaking about the threat to American democracy that the illiberal left (e.g. what amounts to elites dictating policy) poses. I talked with my daughter this morning. She's 48 or something like that, a NP and we have mostly shared moderate conservative political views. Our viewpoints as medical people also are similar when it comes to the pandemic. She is trending toward the hard right and voices some level of support for taking vocal and public positions about ALL government mandates during the pandemic as a stepping stone to ushering in a leftist administrative state run by elite Ds who think they know better than we do ....... I'm drifting toward Hanni's position on this.

Sorry, this turned into a rant, Geeze. Bottom line: We do not need to be "very scared" of Omicron. In short, The appearance of Omicron represents a trend toward and impending COVID epidemic - a medical endpoint. Such positive and encouraging news of that outcome should have become front page news, with the President leading the way, given the advancement in technologies that come to bear on SARS2. Instead we have a continuous death dirge of "bad" , fear producing COVID news from multiple sources both public and private. Encouragement to turn the tide into a more optimistic COVID viewpoint was missed a while back. Instead we are marching the nation toward a 1933 situation much like the Weimer Republic collapse in the face of the socialist propaganda of the Nazi party..... don't get me started. China is laughing. Putin is rubbing his hands together in glee.

[lineygoblue]

Seems like every time I turn around there's another 'recommendation' about the J&J vaccine. I've read that "if you got the J&J vaccine, you're as good as NOT vaccinated at all" ... and then today I read an article that said the J&J is over 85% effective against the new dreaded Omicron variant.

Fortunately, I went to a sane person (my doctor) and asked what I should do, and he said, "Get the J&J booster".

So, that's what I'm rolling with.

[Obi-Jon]

Nothing wrong with the J&J.

[THE_WIZARD_]

dumbasses

[Jeff Buchanan]

So, there were over 1/2 million new COVID cases in the US reported yesterday and that is probably an undercount ........

Los Olas is Fort Lauderdale's restaurant and party district. Businesses go all out to decorate for the holidays. Last night with friends in town, we took a drive through there and then on to A1A which fronts Fort Lauderdale Beach. Just wanted to give our friends a taste of Fort Lauderdale. Restaurants and bars packed. Sidewalks filled with people window shopping. If there was anyone with a mask on indoors or out, I didn't see one.

Two thoughts come to mind:

(1) Apparently no one in Fort Lauderdale is listening to or more importantly believing anything official PH agencies and the MSM are telling the folks about COVID risks. It seems they are correctly assessing their risks of catching COVID (Delta or Omicron variants) and getting really sick to correctly be in the 1-3% range, less than becoming involved in a serious MVA . Moreover, if they catch COVID from Omicron, they will have cold or flu symptoms.

(2) Aside from getting pilloried by the local news papers over his 2y long governance in the face of COVID, Governor Desantis has been largely responsible for setting the tone here in S. FL. The Mayor of Miami Dade, at a press conference early this week, echoing the Governor's long standing view of COVID, gave a positive and uplifting message about the sharp rise in COVID cases. "We'll see a large increase in new COVID cases in Miami Dade Co. in the coming weeks", she said. "Don't be alarmed..... We are completely prepared to deal with it. Enjoy the Holidays."

It's that kind of talk S. Floridians are listening to.

[iam416]

It's probably an undercount of about 3-5X. Well, heh, if we had home tests readily available. My brother had it and I'm certain he didn't report or call the CDC. He had symtpmons, took a home test, it was positive, and isolated. There have to be at least as many people like that as people who go through a testing site or otherwise report the case.

I would assume that every public place you go there's a meaningful likelihood you'll be exposed. Now, as I'm vaccinated, boostered, under 50 (barely, heh) and have no comorbidities, I don't really give a fuck. But, I really don't think there's any hiding from this outbreak unless you shutter yourself up.

And The Chairman promised he'd lock down the virus...but, as he and his VP have reiterated, who could have possibly predicted variants? Or a Christmas surge? I mean, they're not soothsayers for fuck's sake!

[THE_WIZARD_]

BIDEN: 220,000 Americans dead. If you hear nothing else I say tonight, hear this. Anyone who is responsible for that many deaths should not remain as the President of the United States.

[THE_WIZARD_]

But what would you expect from a man who tells himself to fuck off in front of his wife and millions of tv viewers...

[iam416]

Yep. Throw that fucking bullshit political rhethoric in his fucking face at every turn.

[Dr. Strangelove]

But what would you expect from a man who tells himself to fuck off in front of his wife and millions of tv viewers...

Midwest low-IQ Rube: "Hey go fuck yourself, Joe! Did you her me? I said go FUCK yourself! Get mad, goddammit!"

Sleepy Joe, thinking of ice cream: "That's nice, son"

Rube: Haw haw, I got em good. I owned that Lib! He melted down! Did you see me? Wasn't I cool? I OWNED HIM. Anyways, time for my shift at Arby's. I fucking hate my life

[Dr. Strangelove]

Anyways, Happy New Year, everybody!!! 2022 is gonna be a good one, I can just feel it. Woo!!

[THE_WIZARD_]

Hard to accept you voted for the dolt eh?