Gromnir

we have championed lloyd alexander more than once on these boards. when we mention how the best and most often overlooked fantasy authors is those who crafted books for a younger audience, lloyd alexander is getting frequent mention along with the likes o' madeleine l'engle, norton juster, and neil gaiman, to name only a few. that said, while we do much enjoy the prydain books, am gonna observe our favorite lloyd alexander series is actual westmark. is fantasy, but perhaps not in the way folks tend to think o' fantasy. no magic. regardless, if hurl has not read westmark, we highly recommend. HA! Good Fun!

*chuckle* didn't realize obsidian implemented parliamentary procedure. medicineD may respond or not as the spirit moves him. that said, we will once again echo others and observe how trump promotion o' hydroxychloroquine ain't 'bout drug efficacy anymore than were the kerfuffle over inauguration regarding crowd size were 'bout the number o' people who came out to view trump's inauguration. yet again, it is the double-down strategy shady mentioned which has the trump loyalists falling for 3rd-rate sleight o' hand. as for solution worse than the cure schtick, we may turn on fox news to get that bit o' curious punditry from any number o' opinion personalities. is a roiling quagmire o' bs we do not care to enter w/o a hazmat suit. only curious aspect is where folks need be on the bs receptivity scale to embrace this noisome bit o' pseudo-profound nonsense. however, for those who ain't seen yet, U.S. Could Have Saved 36,000 Lives If Social Distancing Started 1 Week Earlier: Study because testing were an early fail, containment efforts were effective taken off the table as possible solutions. mitigation became focus o' any solution and social distancing were recognized as kinda the only viable response 'cause alternative woulda' been to do nothing and rely on development o' herd immunity, which at the time had an estimated cost in US lives o' 'tween one and two million with vast majority o' those deaths being 'mongst elderly and/or poor. might be worthwhile to consider mistakes of past to inform solutions for future, yes? surge were the great nightmare during early stages. good news is the curve were, in most places, flattened. therefore, with recognition o' at least momentary flattening, it makes sense to reflect 'pon easing o' social distancing restrictions. that said, the concerns regarding easing o' social distancing restrictions has remained constant 'cause the obstacles to reasonable reopen has never actual been addressed. prerequisite to any informed reopening scheme is dependent 'pon implementation o' basic widespread safety measures to protect returning workers, adequate access to ppe for everybody who needs, as well as a robust scheme for testing and contact tracing supported by necessary manpower and resources. even the white house recognized such prereqs. reopen in spite o' absence o' such prereqs being met is what concerns the science folks. is not a matter o' people rejecting reopen but is rather concerns 'bout state and fed once again mishandling pandemic related efforts. current solutions adopted by many states appear to ignore history and are dependent on a gambler mentality more than science. don't meet most/any o' the science informed prereqs? well... uh... the alternative is worse than the whatever? fauci and other genuine experts has observed how every major viral pandemic has had a second wave occur approximate six months after start of the initial wave. doesn't matter what time o' year the first wave began neither. assume a return o' covid-19 by september is the safe money bet. is no surprise china is starting to see resurgence o' covid and we expect their infection numbers will increase throughout may, june and july in spite o' their willingness to take draconian measures to contain the disease. in other words, we got a very short time to get our $%&@ together and would be ill-advised to risk spikes 'tween now and fall. is all well and good to consider easing social distancing, but should be informed and guided by the science and the data. more important, just as the US had time from mid january to early march to prepare for covid-19, the US now has time to prepare for the inevitable second wave. a return to normalcy is not and should not be the goal given the certitude o' a viral resurgence. history will not be kind to the US and our initial efforts to confront the pandemic in spite of early warnings. to compound early foolishness with criminal obtuse indifference to certainty o' a second wave would be unforgivable. ease current restrictions contemporaneous with state and fed plans and resources to address spikes 'tween now and inevitable second wave? is anybody actual rejecting such? try and convince us with campaign worthy slogan that such prereqs is worse than the cure is less than convincing.... and again, we can get such silliness from tune into fox and drinking the kool aid... or perhaps bleach is your beverage de jour? repeat cause is important: containment of covid-19 were impossible in the US 'cause we failed to appropriate respond to multiple warnings which began surfacing in january o' 2020. such failures, while tragic and regrettable, at least have value if they serve to educate and prepare us to better handle the inevitable return o' covid-19 this fall. misguided efforts to return to normalcy w/o simultaneous preparing for a second wave is both dangerous and stoopid. HA! Good Fun!

trump loyalty baffles us. the double-down on stoopid or wrong is shrugged off by trump loyalists, while responsible journalism is derided. whether is injecting disinfectant, cancer causing sound from windmills or sharpie altered hurricane forecasts, is the media which is at fault. what? the media didn't immediate vilify hydroxy championing by trump, 'cause honestly, how many folks in the media knew anything 'bout hydroxychloroquine? journalists did what they were s'posed to do-- they interviewed/asked actual experts to figure out what is hydroxy and why it would be a treatment getting Presidential approval. so when indisputed medical experts such as fauci suggested it were too early to advocate hydroxy and that it were arguable irresponsible to promote such a drug w/o more rigorous and controlled testing, journalists questioned trump 'bout his advocacy. blame on media? why? 'course predictable, trump doubled-down and suggested plots and conspiracies in addition to making claim the drug were perfect safe and people should take for covid-19. weren't a major issue until trump made it an issue. nevertheless, is somehow media's fault. btw, in case medicine dan missed it, we had the hydroxychloroquine discussion earlier in this thread and personal we can see some arguable optimism for use by young and healthy patients. for older patients with comorbidities unlikely to be facing cytokine storm scenario from covid-19... nevertheless, 'cause has been known for decades hydroxy has positive lab results on viruses in lab situations, every time a new virus appears, hydroxy gets tested, as it should. has never proven effective in the past outside o' a lab, but is no reason not to at least test. regardless, a reasonable person might question why trump were so dogged advocating hydroxy in spite o' expert cautions... just as a reasonable person might be concerned 'bout trump's windmill crusade and his willingness to alter weather maps. a reasonable person might... trump loyalists abandon reasonable. blame media. blame democrats. blame religious minorities such as muslims and jews. blame immigrants. this kinda endemic obtuseness wouldn't bother us save that on a national scale is dangerous. is dangerous when the leader is 'bove question and his followers is so quick to cast blame elsewheres. am gonna remind medicine dan and others how this double-down behaviour were a day 1 (and earlier) issue. inauguration crowd size were not a big deal, until the administration lied 'bout it. the press weren't dogged 'bout crowd size-- crowd size were meaningful to few save for trump. media kept asking 'cause the administration were gaslighting and were attempting to force parks service and other nonpartisan bureaucrats to lie on behalf o' the administration. shoulda' been a warning to the trump loyalists that their champion were willing to gaslight and come up with "alternative facts" bs to defend what shoulda' been an issue o' limited consequence. if trump would lie 'bout inconsequential, then why not the important stuff? oh, and medicine dan, seeing as how he is now a medical professional, should be particular concerned 'bout the President's irresponsible advocacy o' hydroxy. 'cause o' the President advocating w/o legit scientific basis, there is now a shortage o' hydroxy for people who suffer from lupus... unless you are rich and wealthy and have connections. understandably, and for what should be obvious reasons, lupus patients who use immunosuppressives has had to alter their medication regimen during the current pandemic. so for lupus patients hoping to manage their condition, hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine are the options. am suspecting some in media do take perverse pleasure at seeing every new study which supports notion hydroxy is as ineffective regarding covid-19 as every past virus. unfortunate. no doubt there is more than a few media folks who, understandable, want trump to fail. go figure. is no surprise some take personal being labeled as enemies o' the state for reporting. fact some in the media want trump to fail is unfortunate, but such bias don't make their reporting o' trump blunders wrong. however, it don't take any kinda mental gymnastics to recognize media bias while simultaneous admitting trump is a mendacious and skeevy huckster who will invariably double-down on every falsehood and mistake no matter how minor. HA! Good Fun!

... am such a nerd 'cause we immediately thought o'... HA! Good Fun!

the thing is, involuntary servitude is legal a bit different than seat belts, drinking age and speed limits, which is why we mentioned abortion. the US already provides all kinda advantages to those who serve in the military with va loans and gi college benefits. is not taking too much effort to functional expand such programs for "national" service while simultaneous diminishing benefits for those who forego such service. make fed funding programs contingent 'pon fulfillment o' those programs which aid those who served is gonna presumptive pass Constitutional review. best way to make a national service program work is with private and social pressure as 'posed to government. convince all the private universities and most major businesses to voluntarily adopt a policy whereby those who complete national service is given preferential treatment and you wouldn't need worry 'bout the Constitution. however, broad cultural/social change takes leadership as well as a nation far less polarized than 2020 USA. HA! Good Fun!

as well as a minimum age for alcohol consumption. no fed highway construction funds for states unless they set minimum age for alcohol to at least 21. south dakota, previous, were 19 minimum. HA! Good Fun!

Gromnir has no defense from people in supermarkets ignoring social distancing. again, a bunch o' folks may be maintaining social distancing and all it takes is one idjit to infect all the people being reasonable. with asymptomatic people spreading, we may never know who were the person who infected us. handful o' obtuse libertarians is actual a common problem we face when shopping. am personal maintaining social distance when a jackarse comes up from behind, brushing past us to get at yogurts or a box o' facial tissue, coughing w/o wearing a mask. wtf? is a story that chris cuomo might o' been out o' his home during his self-imposed quarantine, and you know he ain't alone. quarantine means different things to different people, or so it seems. is stories, more than one, o' infected people going to grocery stores and gas stations 'cause, y'know, they have to get gas and food. infected person touches a gas pump handle and six hour later Gromnir might get the virus 'cause we used same gas pump? wtf? seen those images from how a single infected person in a restaurant in china infected nine people 'cause o' air conditioning? wtf? sorry, but this is just so wrong. the guidelines has been communicated and these folks is doing anyways. who doesn't know guidelines and reasons for guidelines at this point? heck, guidelines don't matter if the libertarians clowns genuine believe the current situation is a panic-driven hoax and that covid-19 is no worse than the flu. so wrong. HA! Good Fun!

fed prerequisites on funding which encourage or discourage behaviours is commonplace and established law. example: no fed tax payer dollars to fund abortions is okie dokie even though it disproportionate affects women who need medicaid. takes only a little creativity to prevent money from going to those who avoid service. HA! Good Fun!

history and recent photographic evidence suggest otherwise. "i wouldn't be doing..." is irrelevant. as we noted, takes one libertarian who knows covid is a hoax in a supermarket to infect many. takes one libertarian capitalist dumping toxic waste on his own private land to poison an entire community. takes one drunk driver to cause an accident resulting in death o' a woman and her kids. assume most people is responsible is nice and swell and maybe even accurate, but it don't matter. the costs o' having a minority o' folks acting like ignoramuses is too high in too many cases. yeah, the argument that no cost is too high when human lives are at stake is also bs. like it or not, liberty does have an attendant body count. sounds callous but is unavoidable. we wouldn't have a reasonable person standard in law if people were invariable reasonable. would be no point in identifying behaviour as reckless if such recklessness never happened. a large enough sampling o' people results in a functional gurantee o' stoopid and selfish. people is predictable stoopid and selfish in enough numbers that it is irresponsible to ignore the need to protect innocent citizens from the stoopid and selfish. the costs is too high. HA! Good Fun!

13th amendment prohibits slavery and, o' more immediate significance, involuntary servitude. is a whole lotta positives regarding national service, but 13th amendment makes this a non-starter 'cause while such service don't confer ownership rights o' your person to the government, it does most definite involve involuntary servitude. need a new amendment to implement practical national service. there is ways to implement national service, but wouldn't be national so much as state and would be voluntary but nevertheless prohibitive to avoid. examples: fed government only provides funding to universities which require students to have completed "national" service or fulfilled requirements for an appropriate waiver. banks benefit from fdic and other fed programs only if they comply with lending practices which overwhelming favor those who has completed "national" service or appropriate waiver. etc. hardly straightforward. am not denying there is positives to national service, but from a pure practical pov such service is legal problematic. HA! Good Fun!

"cover" is vague. deductible for an office visit could nevertheless cost considerable coinage in some locales, and the presumed tests @Azdeus would need for kidney issues might not be covered... period. is not as if all insurance is created equal. in CA, for example, we got this covered california thing. ca, which is better than many states, will go pretty far to help folks meet costs o' health insurance, but there is tiers o' coverage which is representing vast gulfs in the level o' care which is actual covered. for example, if you got bronze tier, only the first three dr. visits in a year (not necessarily tests) is encheapened to $65 per visit, after which you pay full. we got nyc EMTs who cannot afford health insurance. after the recession, businesses changed to confront new realities. post 2011 employers found ways to fill labor needs and reduce full-time employees. so your part-time nyc emt, who is an essential worker, may need make choice 'tween rent and health insurance. 'course maybe you were lucky and were a full time employee with health insurance through your employer, so when you get fired from your now non-essential job, you may maintain health insurance through cobra, which is s'posed to allow recent unemployed to maintain health insurance coverage. unfortunate, cobra marketplace is not cheap. even with the threat o' covid-19, if you gotta make a choice 'tween feeding family and paying for health insurance, food is the likely winner, and such is the reality all too many is facing today. Hundreds struggling during COVID-19 pandemic line up to receive food at distributions across South Florida am thinking us health insurance is more terrible than many make it out to be, 'cause many don't realize just how bad it is for far too many people. however, am also recognizing is not a magic wand situation which is easily fixed. pretend as if medicare-for-all is a no-brainer is also a mistake. still, situation is pretty f'ing terrible. HA! Good Fun!

all too often the libertarian explanation is requiring a level o' selfish stoopid untenable by most people. is why we speak o' personal liberties when we mention our libertarian streak. smoke in a crowded restaurant and describe as the smoker's choice is false, 'cause is every other proximate customer who will also suffer, and smoking is hardly a unique example. drunk driving. worker safety. toxic waste removal. etc. say is a choice for private citizens and business owners ignores fact we do not live like jeremiah johnson alone and independent. a libertarian's stoopid choices has costs for other people and is no financial or liberty punishment which will make those others whole. dump toxic waste and a bunch o' kids get cancer? depend on market to balance is obtuse. even a fine or imprisonment is hardly balancing the scales. free speech? the cost to community is typical that individuals may need hear a message they don't wanna hear. covid-19 is hardly as ez as free speech. how much liberty is you willing to give up to save lives? how many lives? social distance as a choice is aspirational but ignores realities. got five people genuine maintaining social distancing in a supermarket and all it takes is one libertarian making a (bad) choice to result in six people becoming infected. and yeah, all laws which is written facial neutral is gonna have injustice at the margins, which is why we don't have hal 2000 dispensing justice. sure, some overzealous cop may levy a citation 'pon a citizen for an innocuous behaviour which nobody ever contemplated would be punishable. human judges is s'posed to be able to recognize the place where injustice and the law inevitably overlap and make a ruling which protects citizens from law. regardless, depend on libertarians making choices or market forces to save us from covid-19 or secondhand smoke is an auto fail. HA! Good Fun!

worse, people are gonna face financial hardships such that they lose their home. predictable. when a large number o 'people face financial hardship it means many pets will suffer, 'cause like it or not, the calculus o' tragedy needs have bob making a choice between mr. whiskers or his daughter. live in your car 'til you find a new place to live? lose home and move into a hotel or apartment with a no pet policy? mr. whiskers may not be supportable save extreme short term in such scenarios. during the recent recession, pets suffered. abandoned in droves. believe this financial crisis is gonna be different for pets is not ratinaol or reasonable. good for shady... though am noticing he said "most." with family, including the mother-in-law, forced to live in close proximity, perhaps there were also an investment in a pair o' top shelf noise cancelling headphones? many folks is making unanticipated adjustments o' some kind. good luck to you all. HA! Good Fun!

it is no surprise seeing folks believe they know. heck, had folks in this thread with zero medical background touting common sense to deny and refute the observations made by this guy regarding tbi suffered by soldiers in afghanistan. the common sense approach explains images such as rush limbaugh not understanding the limits o' anecdotal evidence regarding hydroxychloroquine? well, he knows more than fauci and bright. neil degrasse tyson's class might be worthy o' consideration, but sadly, is a given the folks who would benefit most from such educational opportunities don't know enough to realize they need. HA! Good Fun!

is worth noting how 'bout a half-dozen o' the alfred hitch**** presents episodes were roald dahl tales. neil gaiman also uses horror elements in most o' his children's books. might be a curiously english affectation to wanna scare children. converse, all too many american authors who wrote children stories, including steinbeck, e.b. white and lloyd alexander, were preoccupied with killing beloved pets and animal companions. am only half joking when we suggest if the hobbit were written by an american, smaug woulda' been bilbo's dearest companion and the hairy-footed hero woulda' been forced to put the dragon down as the tear-jerking climax o' the story. HA! Good Fun!

am thinking hurl's best option is to never seek insights from boardies regarding history teaching. let's be honest, am suspecting every history unit from gd would look same/similar with focus 'pon oppressive governments being overthrown only to be replaced by equal or more oppressive regimes. and am not singling out gd. amentep, for example, would likely use scientific revolution unit to show witchfinder general to the class. no better would Gromnir be as by end o' renaissance, reformation, scientific revolution, every saint would have their halo shattered and all heroes would be recast as villains... with the possible exception of sir thomas moore. as a gestalt kinda approach, the boardies might offer something useful, but individually we are a nightmare. that said, as a student we wouldn't mind the anticipated amentep all-horror movie approach to history. HA! Good Food!

@Skazz kinda a ps: one o' the people for whom we has been shopping has set our teeth on edge. bite into aluminum foil with a metal filling edge worthy. she wants what she wants. only wants motts brand applesauce, but she expects us to call her from the store if they do not have motts so we may tell her what brands they do have. angie's boomchikapop popcorn is a thing at costco- who knew? 'course there is multiple varieties. no specific variety on the list provided which means Gromnir needs call _______ to get clarification on what variety she wants. buy eggs from winco for ________. we only went to winco 'cause is __________ favorite store. ________ wants 2x 18 count large eggs. sure, limit is one per customer, and she knows this, but am buying groceries for five folks so am able to sneak this past the egg police. however, 'pon making our delivery it is discovered one egg carton has broken egg bits on the OUTSIDE o' the container and _________ insists she is gonna drive back to the store (a +20 minute drive for a woman with cancer) to get a replacement, so we literal drive to the more geographical proximate store for eggs to get an 18-count carton for her and we take the befouled eggs. not every old person, but more than one, channels a bit o' eddie murphy from the snl family in the attic skit. am not gonna condemn anybody who throws in the towel after shopping for old people... and Gromnir is +50. HA! Good Fun!

Can the coronavirus be spread through farts? "Tagg [Australian emergency physician Dr. Andy Tagg] pondered whether flatulence itself is an “aerosol-generating procedure.” (His determination: yes.) A recent study, in fact, suggested a post-flush toilet plume could even be cause for concern when it comes to spreading the coronavirus via “aerosolized feces.” Plus, scientists have confirmed that fecal-oral transmission itself is an issue due to the presence of the virus in poop, which is why health officials in Oregon and New York have even cautioned against oral contact with feces during sex. "Unfortunately, as Tagg observed, there is “not a great deal of research” available to come to a firm conclusion about the perils of passing COVID-19 while passing gas." ... got 'bout a dozen one-liners, including a half -dozen "keep your pants on," jokes which we were tempted to include. oh hell, why not. next time you use a public toilet or decide to go get your mail sans pants, keep in mind warden norton's demise were 'caused by a miraculous fart in the wind. stay safe. HA! Good Fun!

there is at least a kinda/sorta intuitive link 'tween use o' a drug meant for lupus patients and those covid-19 victims who suffer cytokine storm. however, cytokine storm as the cause o' death for covid-19, while having been observed, is representing a small % o' cases. as a prophylaxis kinda drug, as 'posed to a hail mary, it might be worth testing 'pon the young and healthy? am honest talking out our arse 'bout who might benefit from hydroxychloroquine, but am seeing how in some extreme small # o' covid-19 cases, a lupus drug don't sound utter ridiculous. HA! Good Fun!

we know a woman who helps at local food bank. describe her as religious is understatement. goes to church multiple times a week as well as bible study. in addition to food bank and homeless school volunteering, she also mentors recent immigrants as part o' an esl program run through local public libraries. some couple years ago we heard her reference "those people" when describing homeless people who were not taking advantage o' assistance programs. probable shoulda' ignored the comment but we were curious, so we kinda questioned her 'bout her pov on homeless. turns out the woman is a bit o' a bigot who has strong opinions 'bout various minority groups and is dismissive o' mental health problems. ... we had a knee-jerk reaction where we were internal thinking o' her as a hypocrite. then we reflected a bit and realized this were one o' those fu Gromnir moments. (have these moments frequent as we age) didn't matter if the woman were being charitable 'cause she thought it would get her into heaven or 'cause she wanted the praise o' her fellow bible study members. this woman were spending much time and effort helping people to whom she owed nothing. family members is often the folks is hardest to help, but even so there is practical reasons for doing so. helping strangers is different. hypocrite religious lady were/is helping people she, on some level, disliked. every week and month after month and year after year, this woman who kinda despised the homeless and were prejudiced towards numerous minority groups, did her honest best to make better the lives o' less fortunate people. Gromnir criticism were misplaced and embarrassing in retrospect. not donating time to charitable causes such as soup kitchens and shelters for battered women is hardly some kinda indicator that you are a bad person. can be generous in smaller and more immediate ways. ordinary acts o' kindness add up, or so we believe. go and volunteer at a food bank but be an evil bastard to everybody you meet is seeming like a net loss to Gromnir as well, but such questions is beyond us. motivations is not insignificant, but such is 'tween you and your conscience. what you do is what matters and for us is most fundamental 'bout choice. we choose. doesn't matter what others think 'cause is our choice. *descends from soap box* HA! Good Fun! ps keep in mind we ain't suggesting it is ok to be a bigot as long as you donate time for good causes. bigotry is like a virus and it spreads insidious. however, just 'cause religious lady is a bigot does not change fact she is doing something good, doing more than far too many sjw using social media to be proselytizing the evils 'bout which religious lady is actual doing something to make a real difference.

having read the new guidelines/phases, couldn't help but be reminded o' the old joke: A ‪‎physicist, an ‪‎engineer and an ‪‎economist are stranded in the desert. They are hungry. Suddenly, they find a can of corn. They want to open it, but how? The physicist says: “Let’s start a fire and place the can inside the flames. It will explode and then we will all be able to eat”. “Are you crazy?” says the engineer. “All the corn will burn and scatter, and we’ll have nothing. We should use a metal wire, attach it to a base, push it and crack the can open.” “Both of you are wrong!” states the economist. “Where the hell do we find a metal wire in the desert?! The solution is simple: ASSUME we have a can opener” so, assume we have enough testing and ppe... HA! Good Fun!

am thinking peaks and curves is simple concepts which is great for communicating with a large group o' people, but such might be oversimplifications for the US, particularly as the fed has been visible during daily briefings but has otherwise abandoned a leadership role. couldn't help but chuckle, darkly, at the thought the US is beginning to, from a practical perspective, look more like our old crimson skies board game map. michigan's peak is still a bit temporal remote even if new york is final seeing a decrease in new hospital admits. south dakota has just begun to see the 3-4 day doubling rate which is becoming typical o' disease hotspots, which means cases is gonna be increasing for a considerable period o' time. thank goodness the roosevelt were able to get to guam and see sailors distanced and quarantined 'cause the naval vessel represents the #2 case hotspot in the entire nation with 585 all by its lonesome. general trends for the US might be a bit misleading. cdc, muzzled and humbled a bit by trump pressers, nevertheless has been more vocal recent with their warnings regarding anticipated seasonal recurrence o' covid. as we got no proven therapeutics and a vaccine is at least a year away, social distancing is the only real tool we got to combat covid-19 and as such there is gonna be new hotspots from time-to-time as this is a novel virus with only native human resistance to protect those exposed. w/o adequate testing and given this virus spreads asymptomatic, US is gonna be playing whack-a-mole with virus hotspots for some time to come, particular as a few governors is clear not grasping the gravity o' the situation and singlehanded validating the florida man memes. HA! Good Fun! ps we very much wanted to use our shadowrun map, but the united canadian and american states were just too vast to make it analogous. can hip pocket shadowrun for 2021?

a clever quick solution if you don't have masks and don't have skills/supplies to craft one. HA! Good Fun!

didn't know that iran had their own version o' the onion. HA! Good Fun!

again, "knowing" doesn't mean you ain't actual bought chinese. buy made in usa products does not mean such purchases is absent china contributions 'bout which you is unaware. made in rochester or san jose does not preclude possibility (likely) more than one component or part required a chinese contribution. gd hasn't used a nail in last five years? even if the nail were made in usa, is a good chance were chines steel involved. HA! Good Fun! ps sunpower