Coronavirus

dysjunct wrote: We got the preachers, Australia got the criminals, and Australia got the better end of the bargain.

That was the old saying I heard from a Tasmanian friend of mine: "Thank God you got the Christians and we got the convicts."

southernman wrote: Well our right of centre govt is quite white, as is the top of the health service, and they seem to be able to take advice about issues with different economic and ethnic parts of the country so I think the 'race' card is just an easy target.

I was just reading an article on name discrimination in England. Children that can't get in to full schools that have slots available when someone with an English surname calls in and gets several options.

In some instances it isn't about not being well-advised, it's about intentionally ignoring the advice for prejudicial reasons, and not always based on race, religion or gender. Decisions are intentionally made by the higher castes to maintain their position, often justified with denigrating language about how the poor are the way they are because they deserve it.

That all said, I agree. Here in the U.S. if you're poor it's your fault, because I got mine. You should have too. Everyone for themselves. Working together means you're a taker.

Msample wrote: My guess is that inside the trailer are multiple Yeti type coolers that house the vaccine; to be opened one at at time depending on demand. Once you open them, the clock is ticking on how long you have to use the vaccine before its compromised.

Great idea for a push your luck game - Who wants to jump in on my kickstarter?

So, I saw Russ Diamond mentioned upthread. That guy is a super asshole. I work in the same building as him, and a bunch of other assholes. I am less than thrilled that I will have to be in the same area as him at the end of September.

If you go way back upthread I commented about him before. He caught COVID and then tried to hide the fact after he was in committee meetings with other members. Then got caught and called out. It went about as expected.

So yeah. Big Russ Diamond fan here.
Fuck that guy.

Sagrilarus wrote:

southernman wrote: Well our right of centre govt is quite white, as is the top of the health service, and they seem to be able to take advice about issues with different economic and ethnic parts of the country so I think the 'race' card is just an easy target.

I was just reading an article on name discrimination in England. Children that can't get in to full schools that have slots available when someone with an English surname calls in and gets several options.
...

Oh, is that the best you can do, what a pathetic **** (and by the way, I'm not a Brit). And the best thing about that story is that the school in question was run by Asian owners ... so a bullshit story. Then if you wanted to dig a bit deeper you will find that Asian (well Indian but ethnic groups are commonly referred to as black, white, asian in the UK) pupils fill up many of the independent and top schools, and that the most under-represented groups in tertiary education are while working class (i.e. from poor families) males.
And even though the right of centre govt is predominantly white they still have asian and black MPs in key ministerial positions (i.e. Chancellor, Health Secretary, Business Secretary) and one of the top 3 govt medicos heading all the pandemic TV briefings is asian.
No, this country is not perfect and have things to work on but they do a lot much better than many countries (and the financial support of ALL workers during the pandemic and rolling the vaccine out no matter how poor or what colour you are are good examples) - including the US - aound the world.
But you carry on and read the odd media article about the UK and bedazzle everyone with your international knowledge (and I'll just laugh my arse off).

This is apparently what happens when a major political party decides to treat a pandemic as a political topic:

www.nbcnews.com/video/oklahoma-stores-se...EdNdLDcNEXN89xv-jizw

Yeah, it really takes a detachment from logic to say, “highly effective vaccine? Fuck that, gimme the horse meds”

hotseatgames wrote: Yeah, it really takes a detachment from logic to say, “highly effective vaccine? Fuck that, gimme the horse meds”

Venture into the pit of cable news and look at some of the quotes coming from trusted broadcasters on the right. They are billing Ivermectin as a proven effective treatment, and that the CDC's incompetence is responsible for it not being provided to the public. For those that leave Fox News on for the entire evening when they're home this is proven science.

It's only insane if you're not being told it's best practice by people you trust.

The question becomes whether Pfizer or Moderna or J&J choose to slap Fox with a lawsuit like Dominion Voting Systems. Short of that, this is their chosen subject of Entertainment News for the future.

dysjunct wrote: I am on jury duty. I am still in the selection pool and might not have to actually serve; will probably find out tomorrow.

Everything is socially distanced. The public is not allowed in the courtroom (but may watch on YouTube). Instead of sitting in the jury box, the public gallery has been converted into a makeshift box, with all seats taped off except every fifth one.

Mask compliance is surprisingly good. There is a sign on the courthouse entrance. Security is wearing masks. Jurors are wearing masks. The clerk, transcriptionist, attorneys, and defendant are wearing masks. You know who’s not wearing a mask?

THE FUCKING JUDGE

I might bring it up tomorrow as affecting my impartiality. How can I trust a judge to fairly administer justice, when he can’t follow the same rules as everyone else? JFC.

Went back the next day. The judge was doing a little better; I'd like to think because he saw me glaring at him over my own properly-worn mask.

At any rate, I was excused. Turns out that when you have:

- two siblings who work in law enforcement who have regaled you with tales of the horrors of meth abuse, and
- a spouse who works in special ed who has opined that half the kids on her caseload wouldn't even be in special ed if their parents could have put down the crack pipe occasionally,

... the defense attorney might not want you sitting on a jury in a meth trafficking case.

dysjunct wrote:

dysjunct wrote: I am on jury duty. I am still in the selection pool and might not have to actually serve; will probably find out tomorrow.

Everything is socially distanced. The public is not allowed in the courtroom (but may watch on YouTube). Instead of sitting in the jury box, the public gallery has been converted into a makeshift box, with all seats taped off except every fifth one.

Mask compliance is surprisingly good. There is a sign on the courthouse entrance. Security is wearing masks. Jurors are wearing masks. The clerk, transcriptionist, attorneys, and defendant are wearing masks. You know who’s not wearing a mask?

THE FUCKING JUDGE

I might bring it up tomorrow as affecting my impartiality. How can I trust a judge to fairly administer justice, when he can’t follow the same rules as everyone else? JFC.

Went back the next day. The judge was doing a little better; I'd like to think because he saw me glaring at him over my own properly-worn mask.

At any rate, I was excused. Turns out that when you have:

- two siblings who work in law enforcement who have regaled you with tales of the horrors of meth abuse, and
- a spouse who works in special ed who has opined that half the kids on her caseload wouldn't even be in special ed if their parents could have put down the crack pipe occasionally,

... the defense attorney might not want you sitting on a jury in a meth trafficking case.

Is any of that true for you?

Yes, both my brothers are cops, and my wife is a SpEd teacher.

I'm very happy to sit on a jury if they want me to -- I've sat on one before and it was an interesting and educational experience. And I support the jury system, and consider serving to be part of one's civic responsibility.

I answered the questions of the judge and the two attorneys honestly, and they decided they didn't want me to serve.

Walked by a mobile vaccination today in a food/shopping center parking lot. It was a rented motorcoach so definitely making due with what we've got. Oddly I didn't see any signs even though there was a table set up and people lined up. Someone saw me looking and told me what it was. Also police escort because that's the Massachusetts way.

Yesterday, the second-largest state fair in America started its annual 12-day run, just a mile from my house. There was no fair last year due to the pandemic, but 2019 attendance was a record-breaking 2,126,551 people. (The population of Minnesota is about 5,640,000 people.) Due to the ongoing local labor shortage, they decided that they couldn't enforce a mask mandate, so this will potentially be a super-spreader event. A few hundred vendors and one band have decided to skip the fair this year. Heavy rain kept attendance low yesterday and today, but that may just mean more concentrated crowds for the remaining ten days.