Mon. Sept. 6, 2021 – Labor Day, or Punch a commie in the salami day

By on September 6th, 2021 in decline and fall, dogs, prepping, rats, WuFlu

Hot and humid. Still. And all day yesterday as well. So I hid inside and did office stuff.

I spent some time getting stuff moved around, pulling the old UPSs out, and putting the new UPS in place. Then had to move the computers and NAS drive to the UPS. Since I had the NVR off, I figured I’d upgrade the fans and clean it. Well, I got some dust blown out. See yesterday’s comments for the rest of the details if you want to know why you should buy from Dell’s small business division and not Costco.

Started copying stuff to the NAS until a poorly behaved uninstall routine shut down ALL instances of file mangler, including the copy window. It was taking ridiculously long anyway. I’ll try connecting the NAS directly as a USB drive for the copy next time. The newest firmware for the box is from 2008. I’m not recommending Buffalo as there is not long term support (and the company is probably gone anyway, right?) There isn’t any reason for a box o drives to go out of support.

Did some cleaning and organizing.

Put the dog and D1 to bed but the dog just wouldn’t settle. Lots of yipping. Then I heard it too. Noise from the attic. Yup. Caught a rat on a gel trap. No idea where he got stuck, because the trap wasn’t anywhere near where they were set. Have I mentioned I don’t really like the live traps? I got my gloves, and a bag, and the rat plus the trap took a trip to 2×4 land and then into the trash. Dog settled right down and everyone went to sleep. Vermin. Only gonna increase as the troubles affect services. Stack some traps and poisons now.

In fact assume that you’ll be providing at least a portion of every service you receive now. Think about any way to leverage that to your advantage too. There are surely services that people will want. Maybe old school laptops with linux and no tracking built in? Maybe Faraday cage lined purses? Hardwired networking instead of wifi? Cameras? There will be something. There are always opportunities.

Stay centered and ready to move in any direction, mentally and physically. Provide for yourself so you can help others (if that’s your thing, but if not, you miss out on some opportunities you only get if you are out there in it.)

Stack it high.

nick

55 Comments and discussion on "Mon. Sept. 6, 2021 – Labor Day, or Punch a commie in the salami day"

  1. Greg Norton says:

    The wife and I watched “The Courier” on Amazon Prime tonight. Totally awesome movie. Highly recommended.

    I think I’ve passed along the recommendation for Cumberbatch in “Sherlock” before.

    Sadly, his part of “Wandavision” was cut in the “woke” edit.

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  2. Greg Norton says:

    Ok, fan just went up a notch. It buzzes a bit, which I couldn’t hear before. Might have to do something about that. The only case fan is 40cfm. I should have something higher capacity in a box somewhere….

    Places sell dial pots with the right plastic connectors to install between the case fans and motherboard connections if you just need to tweak to the point that the fan doesn’t buzz. It might be a bit of an iterative process — open … tweak … reassemble … listen … open … tweak … reassemble … listen …

    Check if the BIOS has a “quiet” setting somewhere near the same set of config values as the power and fan.

    Cases are standardized and easy to replace most of the time, but Dell plays games with standards, especially the inexpensive stuff they throw into the warehouse clubs.

    You could try Powertop to see if something else is to blame for the power consumption and heat generation, but I doubt the culprit is anything outside of the video encode process chain.

    IBM guys were crazy about Powertop on their ThinkPads going back to 2007-8. I spent a couple of weeks dialing down the Linux NetClient VPN to make them happy. Ultimately, it came down to our implementation of the Win32 (@Lynn will know this one) WaitForMultipleEvents (I think that’s the right name) that allowed us to use the core DLL code on both platforms with minimal changes.

    An Intel chipset/CPU from the last 10 years will have good instrumentation for Powertop.

  3. Geoff Powell says:

    @greg:

    Dell plays games with standards

    They do, or at least did. I mind the time they played silly b*gg*rs with the ATX pinout on some of their desktop machines – swapped a couple of pins around. As a result, you had to buy Dell, unless you were willing to swap mobo and power supply together.

    Admittedly, this was best part of 20 years ago, but even so…

    G.

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  4. brad says:

    So, Israel has concluded a massive study of hundreds of thousands of people: Control group, people who had Covid, and people who had the vaccination (Biotech). Here’s a quick summary of the most important results, specified as increase in the number of events per million people. This does not include mortality, only side effects.

    Vaccination side-effects:

    – Myocarditis: 27
    – Lymphadenopathy: 784

    Covid side-effects:

    – Myocarditis: Covid 110
    – Lymphadenopathy: 30
    – Acute kidney injury: 1254
    – Pulmonary embolism: 617
    – Pericarditis: 109
    – Myocardial infarction: 251
    – Deep-vein thrombosis: Covid 430
    – Arrhythmia: Covid 1661

    tl;dr: The vaccination is not risk-free, but Covid is a lot worse. No surprise, news at 11:00.

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  5. Ray Thompson says:

    And in other news. Visiting the son today to see the two week old second grandson. Not much to see actually so I never understand the glee the females see in the process. “Oh he look just like his dad.” Uh no, unless dad spent time slobbering on himself and asleep most of the time. In my opinion babies all look about the same. Except KamalToe, she must have been butt ugly as a baby.

    Son has been working from home the last 20 months. Prior to that he was working at home three days a week. His place of work is only two miles from where he lives by roads, one mile by drone. He has been informed that he needs to start returning to the office next month, two days a week.

    The entire staff has been informed that they will get vaccinated or terminated. Thus their choice to remain employed at the company or remain unvaccinated. In the company’s mind that is not forcing someone to do something the individual does not want.

    Will be on the I-State today, 154 miles, eastbound. Giving serious thought to taking highway 70 all the way. May take 5 hours instead of 3. Saw one accident yesterday,  just happened, someone struck a 5th wheel travel trailer (or the other way around) and had just blocked the left east bound lanes (I was heading west). Trailer, towing vehicle, and three cars, with people standing yelling at each other with lots of angry gesturing.  Journey requires changing time zones.

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  6. SteveF says:

    You made a fundamental error, Brad. If the above numbers are true (which I do not concede, given the flood of lies around every aspect of the dempanic) then the China Crud is worse for you as an individual … if you catch the China Crud and get sick enough require treatment. The odds of that vary with your lifestyle and surroundings but are low.

    If you get the clot shot, though, you have a 100% chance of having to play the numbers game with side effects or death.

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  7. SteveF says:

    Thus their choice to remain employed at the company or remain unvaccinated. In the company’s mind that is not forcing someone to do something the individual does not want.

    If the boss says, “Let me put this in your body or you’re fired,” that’s coercion no matter what they call it.

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  8. Ray Thompson says:

    The USAF coerced me many times.

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  9. drwilliams says:

    A pretty good dissection of Peggy Noonan by Scott Johnson:

    https://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2021/09/high-noonan-3.php

    and he gets a bonus point for using one of my favorite words.

  10. nick flandrey says:

    Big storm blew thru last night.  We got 1.5 inches by my weather station.  Local precip monitors for the bayous show similar.   One north of us (also upstream) reported 1″ in 15 minutes.   Lots of thunder and lightning.

    I guess the buckets I left out overnight are pretty well washed at this point.

    There is def another animal trying to get into or out of my attic.  Heard the gnawing last night in the very back corner of the house.   I’ve looked in the attic there and didn’t see anything, and I looked at the exterior and didn’t see anything.  Senor Raton must be in the soffit, or under the siding.  I’ll go looking today.

    73F and wet with light overcast at the moment.

    n

  11. dcp says:

    I’ll go looking today

    Got IR?

  12. nick flandrey says:

    I’ve got a boroscope camera so I don’t have to poke big holes…

    n

  13. Alan says:

    I hate dark and very light paint. Dark is obvious, but light eventually gets dingy stains on the lower parts. The easiest colors to maintain are light browns, tans, and golds, followed by light blues and greens.

    Having had cars/pickups in white, black, silver, blue, gray, red and dark green, I’ve always found silver the easiest to maintain. Also best color to hide dust and lite dirt. Dark colors are the worst, so easily start showing swirl marks.

  14. Alan says:

    I’ve honestly yet to decide what I will do if the “all hands” meeting at the new job on Thursday is about the jab being required to stay on the payroll.

    What about ‘religious exemptions’? Are companies allowing for that possibility? Anyone notice bigger crowds than usual at church yesterday? “I got religion…”

    And speaking of church, @Ray,any word how the broadcast came off, or didn’t, without you at the helm?

  15. Ray Thompson says:

    @Alan: I was there yesterday. Next Sunday is the day I will not be present.

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  16. nick flandrey says:

    I think it is very unwise, from at least two different perspectives, for cops to challenge criminals to shoot it out with them.

    It puts the cops in the role of judge and executioner.  <–very bad for rule of law.

    It challenges the criminal to go out in a blaze of glory.  “Take some cops with you, they’re gagging for it….”

    –on the third hand, now that they’ve declared where they stand on the law, machismo, and the system, ordinary folks contemplating anything extraordinary know what to expect and can plan accordingly.   When the cops have placed themselves ‘outlaw’ they become ordinary crooks and will likely be dealt with as such.     Kinda stupid really.

    n

  17. Jenny says:

    Our real estate agent feedback from the Open House was to expect some offers on the house Tuesday. She has a track record of making a successful sale after a single Open House so we trust her optimism.

    Garage has a mouse smell problem at the old house. I’ve been researching how to clean the urine from the concrete, it’s at virtually all the edges, 36’ deep and 12’-14’ wide, so a lot of area to clean. The solids have been dealt with. I’m going to start with a bleach solution to disinfect, might try baking soda and vinegar for odor. Will finish with an enzymatic cleaner. It would be much easier if the remaining Very Heavy Items were out, husband hasn’t felt well and I’m not quite strong enough on my own.

    I used Moss Out on the roof. Then rain arrived a day early and undid my work. Yay.

    Cardigan puppy is 7 months old, and has gone into heat, triggered by our 6 year old Cardigan entering her heat cycle. They are very cute with their silly flirty behavior. Both are keeping themselves tidy. I expect they’ll enter the not so cute meany stage soon.

    Went to grocery store and Costco yesterday. Definitely a weird vibe at both places. 60% masking, though not required. Bare shelves all over the grocery store, and few choices in the meat department at grocery. Costco had folks clearly stocking up. Couples pushing two carts full of longer term food stuff. Fresh vegetable and fresh fruit  at Costco was in poor condition – limited variety and much of it on the edge of bad or with rotten within the bag. Carrots, apples and bananas looked ok, all the rest had consistently moldy items within the packaging. The cucumbers were nasty and I’m a little dumbfounded they were out for sale at all. I didn’t look at the fresh berries as they’ve doubled in price.

    I confess to buying more than I intended. The vibe was infectious and state of food alarming.
    We are in deep kimchi.
    Disconcerting experience while shopping – I’ve been recognized from chastising the Assembly in my public testimony and thanked by strangers a few times. It happened again yesterday while shopping. I’d prefer anonymity.

    My in laws gave me cash for my birthday earlier this year. I don’t need anything indulgent so hadn’t spent it. Then I was looking at the crab apples covering our two trees. After confirming I can’t get one in town I ordered a cider press online. It will be here Wednesday. Assembly will be a hassle according to the reviews.

    Last day of state fair today. Kiddo has been ill  with a snotty nose and sore throat since Friday. I need to pick up a new red Satin buck rabbit from a town near the fair. I don’t think attending the fair us going to be included in that errand though.

    We broke down and bought a 10’x15’ fabric shelter to use for the rabbits this winter. It will mean more work thru the winter and a tougher winter for the animals. I just have not been able to get a proper rabbitry built with the other chaos. It takes uncommitted time to think and plan for the weather and land conditions at the new place, to work around the underground utilities, and dog proof it from harassing Cardigan corgis. I simply couldn’t pull it off and I’m out of time.

    Politics in Alaska got more interesting. Our Supreme Court struck down the $500 contribution limit individuals were subject to. I have a feeling leftists will benefit more than conservatives. I am pouring my fun money and a bit more into Assembly Member campaigns for next April’s election, as well as the recall against the assembly member for our former district (who is directly responsible for the neighborhood changes which triggered our move out of that district).

    Took a break to see blah blah blah 10 Rings over the weekend. Liked the interplay between the actors. Mindless entertainment with entertainingly unrealistic fight scenes. Not a good movie, not a bad movie, but entertained me while I was uselessly fretting over the Open House.

    And putting insomnia to use by studying ad strengthening my DBA skills. Phth. Sleep when you’re dead (grin).

  18. ~jim says:

    I ordered a cider press online. It will be here Wednesday. Assembly will be a hassle according to the reviews.

    Ohh, that sounds like fun. Are you going to set up a still and make brandy as well? My mother lived in France a few years after the war and said they collected any and all fruits to make what she called Eau de Vie. Said it was delicious.

    When I heard about your rabbitry I thought it would be great if there’s some teenage kid in the neighborhood smart enough to follow directions and build it for you. Probably wishful thinking?

    Come to think of it I’ve cooked rabbit with Calvados. Delicious!

  19. nick flandrey says:

    @jenny, thanks for the report.

    I stopped buying veg at costco several years ago.  When I’m jammed, and break my rule, I regret it.  Stuff goes rotten in the bag too soon.  Confirmed again with pickling cukes and asparagus.  Ended up throwing the cukes out.

    WRT being recognized, that and my legitimately checkered past have me pretty convinced NOT to become a party precinct chair, even if the inside intel might be worth it.

    Mouse urine should come up with bleach and soap.   Anything that makes a scummy yellow foam is lifting the stuff.  I just used clorox cleaner with bleach (costco) to remove the liquid in the concrete from dead Sr. Raton in the garage.  You may have to repeat the process more than once.  As long as scum is lifting, keep repeating.  Wipe with dry paper towel until very little comes up.  you may not need to wash with water at all.

    Muriatic Acid (pool conditioner, concrete etcher, rust remover- find the cheapest one in whichever section of the store has which product, they are all basically the same) will also work on most concrete stains.

    FWIW, you can make brandy from wine by freezing the wine an removing the water ice.   What’s left will be more concentrated.

    n

  20. nick flandrey says:

    https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9961895/The-Russian-ballerina-danced-survive-Stalins-Gulag.html

    Interesting story, but linked here for the sidebar at the end of the article.

     
    The bloody atrocities of Stalinism
     

    nice little poke to get that all spelled out on world commie day.

    n

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  21. SteveF says:

    make brandy from wine by freezing the wine

    That’s how you make applejack from hard cider.

    Presumably the marketers at Kellogg’s knew about that form of concentrated alcohol when they came up with the name for their cereal.

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  22. SteveF says:

    world commie day

    One of several reasons I don’t celebrate Labor Day.
    I could get behind December 25 as Sic Semper Tyrannis Day.

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  23. pecancorner says:

    I’ve been researching how to clean the urine from the concrete, it’s at virtually all the edges, 36’ deep and 12’-14’ wide, so a lot of area to clean. The solids have been dealt with. I’m going to start with a bleach solution to disinfect, might try baking soda and vinegar for odor. Will finish with an enzymatic cleaner.

    Have been there: I would start with the enzyme cleaner. The secret to those is to keep it wet, and apply repeatedly over a course of a couple of days. Believe it or not, scrubbing is unnecessary.  If you are close enough to go back several times a day to reapply and keep it wet, that is best. Alternative is to use enough to wet the cement, then cover it with dripping wet (with water) burlap bags or old rags so that it will stay wet.  The little creatures will consume all the old urine as long as they are wet, but they will die/go dormant if they dry out.

    We had an old cat who lost control of her bladder.  Our floors were terracotta an inch thick, with wide grout, and some were carpet over cement. I thought I would never get them clean.  The enzyme made a believer out of me.  It also works very well on children’s mattresses, will even remove the water stains as well as the odor.

    And – congratulations on a good Open House.  🙂   And I hope your child gets well soon!

  24. pecancorner says:

    https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9961895/The-Russian-ballerina-danced-survive-Stalins-Gulag.html

    Interesting story, but linked here for the sidebar at the end of the article.

    A German ballerina who escaped after the war moved down the block from us in the 60s. She and my mother became lifelong friends, and her son was my age so we also hung out together all through our school years.   She had been a member of the Royal Ballet, and quite successful. After she moved here, she was unable to dance professionally any more due to an injury, but she installed a barre in her home and taught for many years.  Like many immigrants of that era, she took a long step down to make a living, and worked as an aid or in kitchens in nursing homes.

  25. nick flandrey says:

    she took a long step down to make a living

    –when you’ve looked into the abyss, a whole lot of other things don’t look so bad.

    n

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  26. Jenny says:

    Apples – I’ll make cyser (fruit based mead), and take a crack at hard cider. Brandy? I’ll build to that.

    Costco veg up here in the past has been reliable. Quality this year has been declining.

    Teenagers that work are far and few between up here.

    Enzymatic – thank you, that sounds like little effort fir better returns. I’ll try it.

  27. lynn says:

    “Captain Vorpatril’s Alliance (16) (Vorkosigan Saga)” by Lois McMaster Bujold
    https://www.amazon.com/Captain-Vorpatrils-Alliance-Vorkosigan-Saga/dp/1476736987/?tag=ttgnet-20

    Book number sixteen (in chronological order) of an eighteen book space opera series. However, some people call this a military science fiction series. There are several other books and short stories in the Vorkosigan Universe. This series won the Hugo and Nebula awards for best series in 2017. Also, several of the individual books in the series have either won awards or been nominated for awards. This book was nominated for the 2013 Hugo and Locus awards for best novel. This is my second reading of this book. I reread the well printed and well bound new MMPB published by Baen in 2014 that I just rebought on Amazon (the second printing !). I have rebought the rest of the books in the series in MMPB.

    Captain Ivan Xav Vorpatril, one of the heirs to the Barrayar Empire, has been at the middle of several conspiracies during his 35 year lifetime. So he tries to move himself away from the center of things yet keep himself moving up the chain in his military career. On temporary duty in Komarr, he runs into his cousin Byerly Vorrupter. Or rather, By runs into him and informs him that two ladies in trouble need his help. Being a little too trusting of By again, he ends up rescuing the two ladies. And, married to one of them.

    Vorkosigan Saga (Chronological) by Lois McMaster Bujold
    https://www.goodreads.com/series/98254-vorkosigan-saga-chronological
    1. Dreamweaver’s Dilemma
    2. Falling Free
    3. Shards of Honor
    4. Barrayar
    5. The Warrior’s Apprentice
    6. The Borders of Infinity (The Mountains of Mourning, etc)
    7. The Vor Game
    8. Cetaganda
    9. Ethan Of Athos
    10. Brothers in Arms
    11. Mirror Dance
    12. Memory
    13. Komarr
    14. A Civil Campaign
    15. Diplomatic Immunity
    16. Captain Vorpatril’s Alliance
    17. CryoBurn
    18. Gentleman Jole and the Red Queen

    My rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    Amazon rating: 4.7 out of 5 stars (988 reviews)

  28. ~jim says:

    Ohh, cyser!  My new word for the day.

    I’m a big fan of Biz, an enzymatic laundry detergent/additive. I have really oily skin. Really, really oily. Without pre-soaking overnight in that, my sheets, pillow cases, and t-shirts all get a grungy yellow tinge.

    Hard to find in stores but Amazon sells a big box.

  29. drwilliams says:

    @Nick

    “Kinda stupid really.”

    More than stupid.

    If the next one goes out in a blaze of glory and a stray round takes out another innocent, the lawsuit will sunset the local government. And you knw that “veil of immunity” thing? phhht. Macho cop just lost his retirement.

    The good thing about getting him alive is that his decision to lay down arms and surrender pretty much rules out a mental health defense.

  30. drwilliams says:

    @Jenny

    Mouse urine will fluoresce under UV light. A UV flashlight is less than $10 and will help you define the problem.

    I’d suggest pouring a 1/4″ layer of oilsorb (or unscented non-clumping cat litter) around the perimeter, soaking it with bleach, then covering it with painters plastic ripped to a 12″ width. Check it daily and add more if it dries out.

  31. drwilliams says:

    reposting this from AoS as the organization there makes it difficult to link:
    The COVID Vaccine: A Physician’s Perspective
    [Cat Ass Trophy]
    —Open Blogger

    My name is Dr. CAT, I am a 27 year military veteran of both the Air Force and Army, a board certified emergency physician and employee of a Big Hospital system. I am a graduate of a Big 10 University School of Medicine and completed my residency at a prestigious institution

    I am not anti vaccine. I am anti vaccine mandate, particularly in the case of the novel mRNA vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna. As with all of you, I watched in horror from my position at a big hospital in February 2020 as COVID-19 ravaged Italy. The virus was spreading globally, nothing seemed to stop it, and thousands were dying with no effective treatment to be found. It was truly a nightmare scenario.

    Physicians and scientists were collaborating globally using Facebook and Twitter to speed the spread of new information and ideas around the world within minutes. Major scientific journals expedited the release and publication of COVID related articles and made them free to access. It was amazing. This was going to be a global triumph. But then politics joined the fray. And when politics and science mix, science loses. What the government scientists spoke was the truth, everything else was labelled misinformation and banned.

    For centuries the scientific method invited questions, invited curiosity. Stupid questions and fringe ideas overturned scientific dogma throughout history. It is how we advance science. We question results, question truth, keep experimenting. But when politics and science mix, science loses. Fringe ideas such as a heliocentric solar system get Copernicus and Galileo thrown out of the church. Offering an alternative treatment to COVID, or questioning the effectiveness of masks gets you banned from Facebook and YouTube.

    The family of coronaviruses is fairly common. It along with rhinovirus, adenovirus and enterovirus typically cause symptoms of the common cold. A vaccine which can tackle some or all of these viruses would be a windfall for any pharmaceutical company. Cure for the common cold. But the cure does not exist. Prior to 2020, we have never successfully made a vaccine against the coronavirus. Prior to 2020, we have also never made a vaccine using the mRNA technology. But, within months of isolating SARS COV-2, we not only have a vaccine against a coronavirus, but one using mRNA technology, AND near simultaneous release by several companies globally.

    This should warrant cautious optimism from the medical and scientific community. Yes it works, but is it safe? Is it necessary? By the time of release of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines in late 2020, we were gaining control of the pandemic. We were finding effective treatment strategies, deaths were down. We identified vulnerable populations. The vaccine was promising, but the urgency was waning. It left time for careful consideration. Be scientists. Ask questions. What are the side effects? How long does immunity last? Is it effective against variants? What are the longer term, unseen effects? We don’t know. Let’s find out.

    The majority of COVID-19 deaths are in people over 60 with other significant medical problems. It is reasonable to focus vaccine efforts on this population. There may be some unseen risk to the vaccine, but they stand a significant chance of dying from COVID. The benefit outweighs the risk. That is a decision we make all the time in medicine. The treatment has drawbacks, but the disease is worse. But in the less vulnerable population? Let’s wait a little bit. There are two novel aspects to this vaccine. The mRNA mechanism, and the Coronavirus target. We need careful consideration to find out what the risks of the vaccine really are.

    That did not happen. When politics and science mix, science loses. Hurry up! Vaccinate everyone. We will restrict you until you are vaccinated. No 4th of July if we don’t reach vaccination goals! Hurry up!

    AstraZeneca was the first to be pulled in Europe because of unanticipated blood clotting issues. The Johnson and Johnson adenovirus vector vaccine faced some early questions here at home. Healthy people were getting ill, suffering long term appetite suppression and cardiomyopathy after the vaccine. Wait. Stop. Slow down. Let’s take time to look at this closer before we forge ahead. No. When politics and science mix, science loses. Just shut up and take the jab. You are banned from Facebook for spreading misinformation about your vaccine side effects.

    The vaccine was designed for the original COVID. We are now Delta dominant. Cases are surging. Companies are mandating the vaccine with threat of firing for noncompliance, mandating the vaccine to fly, mandating the vaccine to attend a game. The FDA made a hasty approval of the Pfizer vaccine, and the floodgates have opened. Now, under the thin veneer of FDA approval, more companies, my hospital included, are mandating the vaccine in order to remain employed.

    The hospital’s rationale is that the Delta surge is driven by the unvaccinated. Is this true? The data out of Israel, who is months ahead of our curve with Delta says the opposite. Those who have never had COVID, but did receive the full 2 dose Pfizer regimen are 13 times more likely to get Delta than those with natural immunity, those who contracted the original COVID and recovered. 13 times more likely to contract Delta if you are vaccinated.

    And of those who were vaccinated and contracted Delta, how long was it between vaccination and infection with Delta? Four months. Israelis were vaccinated in Jan/Feb and contracted Delta by June.

    So we have a twice novel vaccine with known immediate side effects, no long term study , and which only seems to be effective against the current variant for 4-6 months. Will “take the jab or be fired” be a recurring threat from Big Hospital going forward? Every 6 months, get your booster or you are fired?

    They reply “But those who are vaccinated and contract Delta don’t get as sick!” Right, but they are still contagious, and now not sick enough to stay home. And if there is a risk of harm from taking a new vaccine, and the only benefit is that I get less sick, that choice should be mine, not forced under threat of unemployment.

    And speaking about long term effects, are we seeing any now? Long term effects are just that. They happen months or years later. This is why a new drug takes years to come to market. The FDA graveyard is littered with medications which made it through the approval process, only to be recalled due to an unforeseen long term consequence. Try to buy Zantac, a once popular OTC antacid, at CVS. It was just recalled because an impurity causes cancer. Didn’t see that coming. Vioxx, thalidomide, fen-phen… oops.

    What are the long term effects of the mRNA vaccine? Who knows. There is early evidence of decreased numbers of an immune cell called CD-8 T cells immediately following vaccination. These cells are part of the early surveillance team which seeks out and destroys cells infected with viruses or are abnormally growing cancerous cells. Dr. Ryan Cole, a pathologist and immunologist in Idaho has noticed an increase in invasive melanomas, endometrial cancer, and cervical dysplasia as well as common viral infections such as molluscum, HPV and HSV. These are typically conditions a healthy immune system with functioning CD-8 cells would knock out before you even knew about it. But in post vaccinated people, these infections and cancer are quickly becoming more common. Suppressed T cells are not there to stop it. This is anecdote, not a published study, but this is the kind of thing that spurs questions in a healthy scientific community. We consider the issue, study it find the data, prove the hypothesis. But in today’s world, Dr. Cole is labelled a kook, ostracized, videos deleted from YouTube for spreading misinformation. Questioning the dogma.

    There is also a study published in the UK which identifies antibody dependent enhancement facilitating infection with Delta. Antibody dependent enhancement is a case where the antibodies the vaccine stimulates you to make actually facilitate the entry of the Delta strain into your cells. Instead of making it less likely you will get sick, it makes you more likely. This may explain the Israeli data. This is actual data, published by the British Infection Association. There are long term consequences out there, we just haven’t taken the time necessary to find them.

    The Big Hospital policy cites acceptance of the vaccine by the American College of Gynecologists and Obstetricians (ACOG). Give the vaccine to pregnant women. Really? Where is the caution here? Most medications, common medications prescribed frequently to pregnant women, reglan, zofran, phenergran, tylenol, carry the warning on the package insert that they are not well studied in pregnancy, and use is cautioned. We use them because there are decades of use that show them to be probably safe, but still counsel patients before prescribing. The vaccine? Just give it! It is safe! Despite the fact that it is not possible to have a cohort of newborns large enough to show detrimental effect. Disgraceful. What possible reason is there for the rush? When politics and science mix, science loses

    It may turn out that the Pfizer vaccine was key in our victory over COVID. This may also be a dark time for science and medicine where we allowed our process to be subverted by politics, and patients lost.

    In medicine we talk about informed decision making. The old, paternalistic, directive medicine is in the past. We involve patients in their care, inform them, allow them to make the decisions, right or wrong. Politics mixed with science, science has lost and we have now returned to the paternalistic directive medicine of “vaccinate or else”.

    **Note the reference to Dr. Ryan Cole. Several months ago I posted the link to a video of a talk he gave. The twenty-something zombie brigades of the pale sweaty billionaires got that one taken down in short order.

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  32. lynn says:

    “From Cradle to Grave, Democrats Move to Expand Social Safety Net”
    https://dnyuz.com/2021/09/06/from-cradle-to-grave-democrats-move-to-expand-social-safety-net/

    “Democrats say they will finance their spending with proposed tax increases on corporations — which has already incited a multifaceted, big-budget effort by business groups working to kill the idea — and by possibly taxing wealth in ways that the United States has never tried before.
    “We’re talking about free or affordable child care where no one pays more than 7 percent of their income; we’re talking about universal pre-K programs with two years of formal instruction; we’re talking about two years of postsecondary education,” said Representative Jamaal Bowman of New York, a former teacher and principal who is vice chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee. “This is how you build a strong nation.””

    Silly Biden, billionaires don’t pay taxes. They borrow money to live on using their assets as pledges that they never paid taxes on. And when they pass, their assets get jumped to the current tax level so their heirs can sell their assets to pay their debts on a tax free basis.

    And nobody wants a federal property tax. Everybody wants to be a billionaire and will not ok the new taxes.

    Hat tip to:
    http://drudgereport.com/

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  33. Greg Norton says:

    Garage has a mouse smell problem at the old house. I’ve been researching how to clean the urine from the concrete, it’s at virtually all the edges, 36’ deep and 12’-14’ wide, so a lot of area to clean. The solids have been dealt with. I’m going to start with a bleach solution to disinfect, might try baking soda and vinegar for odor. Will finish with an enzymatic cleaner. It would be much easier if the remaining Very Heavy Items were out, husband hasn’t felt well and I’m not quite strong enough on my own.

    Try a bottle of Angry Orange for the smell. Amazon carries it. Order a small bottle to start since the stuff isn’t cheap.

     

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  34. Greg Norton says:

    And nobody wants a federal property tax. Everybody wants to be a billionaire and will not ok the new taxes.

    Everybody will be a millionaire with the next round of first time home buyer credits/loans and 3% down mortgages.

    The last round of credits/loans turned all of the $110k 3/2 stucco shacks in Sinkhole Acres, Florida into $250k McMansions.

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  35. lynn says:

    And nobody wants a federal property tax. Everybody wants to be a billionaire and will not ok the new taxes.

    Everybody will be a millionaire with the next round of first time home buyer credits/loans and 3% down mortgages.

    The last round of credits/loans turned all of the $110k 3/2 stucco shacks in Sinkhole Acres, Florida into $250k McMansions.

    Just wait, the new federal property tax will be for billionaires at first. Then when they figure out how to get out of it, the tax will be changed to be for all millionaires. And then for thousandaires when the millionaires figure out how to get out of it.

    And the paperwork, the annual federal property tax paperwork will be horrible. You will have to list all property, line by line, and the worth of that property. Including cash in your bank accounts, both in the USA and in fun places like Switzerland. Don’t worry, if you don’t list all your bank accounts in Barbados, the IRS has a list of them already and will be ready to double penalize you for stealing money from the USA government.

    I already have to file a fifty page federal income tax return for my main business. We have to calculate the tax due on both an accrual and a cash basis even we file on a cash basis. Then I have to file a 30 page federal income tax return for me personally and my two other businesses. Lots and lots of paperwork !

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  36. Marcelo says:

    And the paperwork, the annual federal property tax paperwork will be horrible. You will have to list all property, line by line, and the worth of that property. Including cash in your bank accounts, both in the USA and in fun places like Switzerland. Don’t worry, if you don’t list all your bank accounts in Barbados, the IRS has a list of them already and will be ready to double penalize you for stealing money from the USA government.

    There are much easier ways… They estimate the value and index it to the price of something and send you the bill. All properties in Oz have an estimated value by real estate agents, they have the value of last sale as well. You would get the option of objecting to the received estimates.

  37. lpdbw says:

    @drwilliams:

    Wasn’t me!  I was still in high school in 1971, and didn’t work at Digital Equipment Corporation until 1987.

    Although I did work on PDP-11’s from 1977 through 1984.  Then VAXen.

    At DEC, we had a description of our sales force:  If Digital sold sex, the human race would die out…

  38. lynn says:

    And the paperwork, the annual federal property tax paperwork will be horrible. You will have to list all property, line by line, and the worth of that property. Including cash in your bank accounts, both in the USA and in fun places like Switzerland. Don’t worry, if you don’t list all your bank accounts in Barbados, the IRS has a list of them already and will be ready to double penalize you for stealing money from the USA government.

    There are much easier ways… They estimate the value and index it to the price of something and send you the bill. All properties in Oz have an estimated value by real estate agents, they have the value of last sale as well. You would get the option of objecting to the received estimates.

    Don’t forget to list Momma’s antique pearl necklace that she inherited from her grandmother that is worth $28,000. And that 1876 Colt single action army in mint condition worth $15,000. And that 1969 Chevelle 396 in your garage that has been fully rebuilt inside and out worth $35,000.

    And do not forget those 8,000 shares of AT&T stock that your childless uncle left you five years ago.

    You know all of these things are probably listed line by line on your homeowners insurance. I sure that everyone wants the IRS to get a copy of that property listing from their insurance company, right ? And to get a copy of your stocks in your Fidelity account, right ?

  39. JimB says:

    Having had cars/pickups in white, black, silver, blue, gray, red and dark green, I’ve always found silver the easiest to maintain. Also best color to hide dust and lite dirt. Dark colors are the worst, so easily start showing swirl marks.

    Never had a silver car, but do have a “silver blue metallic” car. It is light blue paint with a lot of fine silver metallic powder under clear coat. It seems to resist surface crud. Reminds me, I had a red metallic car with clear coat. That paint would hold a static charge and attract dust. I tried different waxes hoping to tame the charge, but no luck. No other car I have had had that problem.

    That PU I mentioned that needed painting: I wanted to paint the lower parts a semi gloss gradient. That would be light gray starting at the belt line, and getting darker toward the bottom foot to resist showing road splash. Over that base coat, I would have used a textured roller to apply one or two slightly different colors to break up the even color. No clear coat. The top of the cab was already white, and I would have just left it as is. Would have been a nice experiment. I’ll bet I would not have had to wash it unless I drove it in mud, which is rare here. I take my laziness seriously.

  40. drwilliams says:

    Can I bring my pickup over?

  41. Greg Norton says:

    There are much easier ways… They estimate the value and index it to the price of something and send you the bill. All properties in Oz have an estimated value by real estate agents, they have the value of last sale as well. You would get the option of objecting to the received estimates. 

    Most states in the US have some form of property tax so the procedure is familiar.

    The constitutionality of a Federal property tax is an unknown at this point, but the Dems have long toyed with the concept of an “imputed” income tax on homeowners, where the tax is levied on the difference between the monthly mortgage and what the owner pay in rent for a similar property.

    The concept goes back at least as far as the 2000 election.

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  42. drwilliams says:

    @lpdbw

    “If Digital sold sex, the human race would die out… ”

    If the sales team shopped for clothes at the same place as the engineers, it would not be surprising.

    Fortunately, there are no photos of me wearing dress pants during that same time frame. (Farah rest in peace).

    My Coke low-rider beach pants from that era are getting kind of spendy on eBay. Maybe I should list them for Christmas.

  43. Greg Norton says:

    Having had cars/pickups in white, black, silver, blue, gray, red and dark green, I’ve always found silver the easiest to maintain. Also best color to hide dust and lite dirt. Dark colors are the worst, so easily start showing swirl marks.

    Metallic silver is really tough to blend if bodywork is necessary. It will never look right if hit/repaired. I speak from experience.

  44. lynn says:

    There are much easier ways… They estimate the value and index it to the price of something and send you the bill. All properties in Oz have an estimated value by real estate agents, they have the value of last sale as well. You would get the option of objecting to the received estimates.

    Most states in the US have some form of property tax so the procedure is familiar.

    Texas does not charge individuals property tax on non real estate property. Things such as cars, guns, furniture, clothing, jewelry, stocks, and cash. The feddies will tax all of that.

    Businesses in Texas do have to pay property tax on everything they own. But we just sum it all up every year and send the total to the FBCAD. They do not have the right to come in my building and audit us so they just take the number. I would love to see them come in and try to value my 50 year old Steelcase furniture.

    Now my commercial real estate business has been a wild ride. I have fought them three times in the last six years and won every time. They are reputedly under instructions to stay out of district court for anything minor and give up easily. About six or seven years ago, they went to the County Judge and asked for three million dollars to hire lawyers to fight the court cases filed on them. The County Judge asked how cases were filed on them and they said 3,000 if I remember correctly. After he picked himself up from the floor, he sent them away without a penny and said settle each one of those cases which they did.

  45. JimB says:

    Can I bring my pickup over?

    Haven’t painted a car since I got to the desert in 1972. Paint has changed a lot. I would guarantee a lousy job! That’s why I wanted to do something funky.

    Reminds me of an old saying. Always make three of anything important. Sell the first one to an enemy. Give the second to a friend. Keep the third.

    OK, no one here qualifies as an enemy. Jus’ sayin’ before some wiseacre beats me to it.

  46. lynn says:

    We went for a walk tonight about 715pm, right before the sun went down at 740pm. It was 91 F when we went out and we walked 2.5 miles. We had seen 101 F today in our southwest section Fort Bend County, even after the inch of rain this morning. I had to carry my dog for about a of half mile as she was really panting hard as I forgot to bring a water bottle for her. She was 30 pounds of squirming dog the second time I picked her up. Of course, our asphalt roads are cooler than concrete roads so that was better. Freaking hot !

  47. nick flandrey says:

    Yep, the sun became intense, and the heat climbed too. Still had surface water on everything when I took the dog out at 930 tonight. Nothing dried. Misery outside.

    n

    Watched Enola Holmes, a netflix movie about the younger sister of Sherlock Holmes. Not bad, just silly. Blacks in major and minor roles, star walks around with hair unbound and sort of a summer dress. Takes a male up to her lodgings. Dresses as a boy. Offered L50 pounds to someone for their clothes. Does it again, offering a gardener boy L5 for his clothes. IIRC L12/year was considered a good living at the time. At least the fighting didn’t involve wire work.

    n

  48. Nick Flandrey says:

    Shortwave is coming in good tonight from Nashville anyway. Sounds like a local am station… it’s the strongest and clearest I’ve heard in a long time.

    I think I’ll spin the dial, see what else is on.

    n

    added- still coming in strong on 5.085, cuba is there too, and there are stations south of me up and down the dial to 10.0

  49. JimB says:

    Metallic silver is really tough to blend if bodywork is necessary. It will never look right if hit/repaired. I speak from experience.

    I used to blend, but nobody does that with the modern clear coat paint systems. They panel paint. Sometimes the good ones blend on the adjacent panels. I agree with you that it will never look right if repaired. The modern painting systems are only capable of decent repair to the uncritical eye. Blame this partly on the OEMs. My 1997 has an opaque white base coat with pearl added, then another transparent white base coat with small amounts of two colors of metallic powder, then clear. Each layer has to be precise, and has to match factory layers, which were not precise to begin with. The differences are subtle, but to the discerning eye noticeable. Never forget that paint was invented to protect against corrosion. Beauty was secondary.

    I once took a car to a painter. It was less than a year old, and had a creased fender. I asked if he could fix it so it would not be noticeable. He did a slow walk around the car, and said, “Which part do you want me to match?” He then pointed out all the differences. I had only noticed about half of the flaws. It was a “simple” metallic surf green acrylic enamel, made in 1969. The most noticeable flaw was banding of the metallic on the hood. I thanked him and repaired it myself. No, it was not good, but I saved money that I needed back then.

    I have known good painters and really good painters. The best of them admit that they never know the exact outcome, even with simple paint schemes. The new systems take much of the guesswork out of the job, but they have their limits. If you are picky and painting is needed, do the whole car. Prepare to spend. Keep it out of the sun. With luck, it will last five years.

  50. lynn says:

    “Larry Elder argues slave owners are ‘owed reparations’ during appearance on Candace Owens’ show”
    https://www.yahoo.com/now/larry-elder-argues-slave-owners-000601872.html

    Wow. Live large dude, live large.

  51. Nick Flandrey says:

    Huh, didn’t watch the clip but saw a bit before and it looked like he was making an argument that you could argue for anything, even xxxxxxxxxxxxx not that xxxxxxxxxxxx was a good idea.

    n

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