[phoenixvoice]

“Biden expressed disappointment in those states that had plans to fully reopen, saying the goal was for every American adult to receive vaccinations before starting big gatherings, with a target date of July 4 for families to get together and celebrate.”

Of course. Which target was set up in concert with Pfizer, Moderna, and J&J when the US government promised the corporations that if they sped through vaccine development, they would offer up the US population with a dollar sign on each of our heads.

~~~~~~~~~

Partner and I have been doing our part to stop the Covid madness by entering stores maskless. Some stores (Walmart, Arby’s) have no masking signs. Others (Fry’s grocery) have outdated signs stating that masking is required due to local ordinance. Not anymore…governor outlawed that. (Which I don’t think was appropriate — I value home rule, and I dislike the executive branch making and revoking laws — that is the legislature’s job. But it was high time to drop masking rules.). Some have new signs (Home Depot) explaining even the vaccinated should still be masked. NONE of them stopped us when we entered without masks, NONE of them said anything to us at all. And, I’d say that 95% of the customers are masked.

[phoenixvoice]

@ John Day
Regarding your post, #75419, am I correct in understanding that it suggests that people with type A blood are more susceptible to Covid infection?

My mother is type A-, my father O+, I am A+
My mother fell ill with Covid, my father cared for her, but never had symptoms, later testing positive for antibodies. I fell sick 9 days after my mother. (And the only reason I have siblings is because my mother received rhogam after her first 3 births. I have only 3 siblings because my youngest sister was mistyped at birth, and all subsequent pregnancies miscarried.)

[phoenixvoice]

Regarding AZ 2020 election…I’m wondering about the vote tally receipts from the machines? I was a poll worker here in 2003. At the end of the day, once the ballots are counted, they print a receipt with the vote tally. Unless the machines are different ones than 17 years ago, and have built in cell service, they are not linked to the internet while at the poll location. It does look like this is a hot mess.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hmm..I like permaculture and animals…I wonder how many of the “bunny huggers” have actually had to deal with animal pests. I would have no qualms about pouring boiling water on ants…although my favorite way of dealing with them in the house is a vacuum and caulking to plug up where they entered. How is boiling water significantly different than diatomaceous earth, which cuts ants? I often get bit by ants while gardening…it’s awful. And rats are cute, but the damage they inflict to my home is not, and they are not so easy to remove.

Permaculture, like most things, (like critical race theory, like Covid fear,) can be taken too far and turn into a nonsensical religion of sorts.

In Phoenix, I wouldn’t use plastic as a weed cloth — it would get destroyed too quickly by the intense sun here. In the summer, weed cloth isn’t necessary at all. All that needs to be done is to get the water only to the plants you want to have survive the summer. Everything else (that isn’t desert adapted, such as cactus, and even some of those don’t make it) dries out and dies before the monsoons hit in late June (about the time of the summer solstice.) Most things still need water help during the monsoons, due to the high heat. (Last year…the monsoon rain never came.) In every clime, agriculture runs at optimal efficiency when fine-tuned to the local climate.

The peaches have just ripened. I may have finally found a micro-climate in my garden amenable to strawberries — they are doing swimmingly, but will have to see if they can survive the summer in this location. The sunflowers are beginning to bloom; the calendula is drying out and the iris blooms have faded. Jasmine is a riot of scented flowers. Tomatoes are setting and growing — they have limited time for this before the heat becomes intense and they go into semi-dormancy over the summer. The roses and bougainvillea need major trimming. The almond tree is finally producing — looks like I’ll get a handful this year — and a few apples and apricots as well from bare root trees just on their second year here. The irrigation is just about ready for the hot summer ahead…still a drip at one of the sprinkler valves that needs to be resolved.

~~~~~~~~~~

When not at stores with my children (have to cya due to their father) domestic partner and I are not wearing masks. Oh, I have one with me, in case a store employee decides to confront me…it isn’t efficient to leave without what I came for. So far, no one has said anything. The gentleman ahead of us in line at the thrift store also wore no mask. We got talking…he’d already had it, he explained. So have we.

Just doing our part to stop the Covid insanity.

[phoenixvoice]

I hate to give into the Covid madness, however…a path out of the mess may be to change the 70% vaccinated to 70% immune, and those who don’t want the vaccine can take the immunity test — I forget the name of it, but I’m referring to the new one that recently got EUA, tests for T cell response to Covid, and costs $150. (Not require the immunity test, but subsidize it somehow so that anyone who wants to take it can do so. I would take it, out of curiosity about the results.) Sometimes what it takes to jog people out of fear mode is a bit of reality…I was uncomfortably flirting with fear until I, my partner, and my parents all survived a Covid infection. If enough of the “unvaccinated” take the immunity test, proving immunity, perhaps we can get to the “herd immunity” percentage the VIPs insist on, lower the fear in our deluded peers, and then be able to have rational conversations again with our peers. I, for one, am tired of having “circular logic” conversations with vaccinated friends…Why am I not vaccinated? Short answer: I’m already immune, it would be a superfluous risk. Why not get the “added protection” of the vaccine? Answer: because there have been no vaccine trials of Covid survivors and therefore there is no data on which to base the premise that the vaccine confers “added protection.” But why not add to herd immunity? Answer: [long sigh] Because I already *am* contributing to herd immunity… But how do you know that you are still immune? Answer: SARS, 17 years, etc., and how do you, the vaccine recipient, know that you’re immune? and round and round it goes.

[phoenixvoice]

Mr roboto: “My understanding is that public schools in the USA are much more dysfunctional and mind-warping now than they were when I was attending them in the seventies and the eighties.“

In some ways yes, in some ways no. My daughter tested as highly gifted and then was eligible and attended the school district’s “gifted learning center” for grades 2-6. Her education there was phenomenal. One of my sons has anxiety, adhd, dmdd. Regular public school didn’t work for him…but because of the IDEA act, the public school worked with him. For two years he was in a “behavior program” (which failed to reach him) then he was placed for 4 years in a public/private partnership school that joined patience, structure, and positive behavior support in a synergistic way that worked for him. Two more years of “behavior program” — this time functional — and he now attends regular (remote learning) classrooms as a high school freshman, with weekly sessions with the school psychologist and speech therapist. The public high school down the street is sought after by those who don’t live within its boundaries, and stresses accountability from the students (which the elementary school district did not do, instead treating middle schoolers similarly to kindergartners.) There have been both positive and negative aspects to the public school system here, which is what has educated my 3 kids. Some of it is really stupid — like the elementary school district issuing photo IDs to all students and demanding that they be worn and displayed at all times! (My daughter relates that a friend who had forgotten her ID was told by the school that the next time it is forgotten parents would be called. My daughter laughed, knowing that if the school ever called me over such an infraction that I wouldn’t much care, as I’ve made it clear since the universal school ID thing began what my views are on the matter.)

[phoenixvoice]

“White saviorism.”
But, wait, Weiskopf is white. Isn’t what she is doing, sparing black children from reading a book rife with “white saviorism” an example of white saviorism?

I read TKIMB in high school in California. It is a moving book. An attorney puts himself out on a limb to attempt to achieve justice for a black man on trial. Isn’t it important for oppressed people to know that there are other people who will stand by them, fight with them and for them? To know that there are people who will endeavor to see them for who they are based on their behavior and words and not based on the color of their skin?

We don’t need saviors, white or otherwise. We need thinking, feeling people who can understand the perspectives of others.

[phoenixvoice]

@ Germ
Thank you for
“Psychopathy and the Origins of Totalitarianism

Amazing. I realize after reading this that I have been intuitively grappling with how and when to reject and refute the pseudo-reality that Covid is especially dangerous, requiring masks, vaccines, and immunity passports. This article has helped me to clearly identify what is going on, and my response to it — when to reject, when to refute…and when to just “go along to get along” which, although distasteful, is sometimes necessary to facilitate making a living and to prevent my ex from creating a pseudo-reality to attempt to wrest custody from me again. I realize that in life I have been enmeshed in pseudo-realities in the past (was born into one, the Mormon Church,) and found the internal illogic and left them. I see how the fiasco behind my ex’s attempt to reduce his child support down to nearly zero (which largely succeeded) and to remove my custody of the children (which failed) unfolded along the lines described in this article, and how well-meaning, compassionate people were ensnared by his web of lies. I see how it is that the well-meaning, compassionate, “liberal” folks of my liberal church have been ensnared by the pseudo-reality of Covid fear-porn, and that it is not that they are inherently “bad” people, but merely deluded. (And I have been likewise deluded in the past, so I do not condemn them for their mass delusion.)

Went to a car junkyard yesterday to pull some parts. There were no signs about mask wearing in the entry/exit building. The employees did not wear masks — only the customers wore masks. I did not wear a mask. Rejection of the pseudo-reality.

I get it.

Now…I will mull over teaching my kids about what I have learned.

[phoenixvoice]

@ absolute galore

I obtained a new client once, a small law firm I was acquainted with who contacted me when one computer was infected with a ransomeware virus. The virus encrypts, essentially, all files in the system not necessary to the running of the operating system (I.e. Windows.). For the oil pipeline company, it could mean encryption of all files that are the software to run the pipeline. Theoretically, they should have air-gapped backups of everything important. Even if they do, ransomeware has the potential of infecting across networks…which means each infected computer must be identified and isolated from the network (I.e. unplugged from Ethernet/WiFi), cleaned (probably by reinstall of everything, or complete restoration from backup.). All of this must be done before the computers can be networked back together. So, even if they have good backups of everything, the man-hours to do all of this is immense. Especially because network administrators usually perform such tasks (including backup/restore) remotely, and in this sort of case the restoration either can’t be done remotely or must be done very carefully remotely be creating isolated networks of uninfected machines.

There are drawbacks to networks. (Which was, interestingly enough, used as an explanation of why the fictional Enterprise starship in Star Trek the original series appeared in some ways to be “lower tech” than the Enterprise NX-01 in the Star Trek Enterprise series. The Enterprise relaunch books explain that the Romulans devised a way to send a virus to give them remote control of a starship via its networks, and subsequent Federation ship designs had systems isolated from each other to prevent this from happening.). 😉

[phoenixvoice]

A couple questions for the medical folks here, or anyone familiar with the usual process for bringing a vaccine to market. How long do animal trials for vaccines usually last? How long do human trials usually last?

I understand that with the current mRNA vaccines the animal trials began after the human trials started — they over lap. I understand that the follow up with the human vaccine trial volunteers was 2.5-3 months after second dose. What is the usual length of these things? (If I’m telling folks why I don’t want my kids vaccinated, it helps to have my facts straight!)

@ zero sum
In this article: https://nicholaswade.medium.com/origin-of-covid-following-the-clues-6f03564c038 it goes over how Covid does not effectively infect bats.

[phoenixvoice]

@ mr Roboto

If you look for a refurbished computer that already has Win10 installed, it will likely cost you less than having you WinXP computer upgraded — there is no direct upgrade path from WinXP or WinVista to Win10. It would be a new installation and migrating in your old data. Alternatively, you could probably find a refurbished Win10 computer for about $300 on eBay with some patience and time looking.

If you go this route, be mindful of the connection to the monitor. XP usually used VGA (analog, 15 pin plug secured with screws) or DVI (digital, multiple pin combinations possibly with a bar or two, secured with screws). The current standards are HDMI and Display Port (both digital.). Many monitors and computers have a variety of these ports on them, and there are adapters to go between them, but it is helpful to check out the monitor ports before making a purchase so that you know what to expect.

If you want to consider upgrading what you have, let me know how much memory you have and the processor model — I can tell you whether or not it is likely to run Win10 well. I’d suggest swapping out your hard drive (which is hopefully SATA and not IDE) with an SSD — they are now inexpensive and much faster than any hard drive from an XP computer (costing around $100, depending on size). Then you could keep your current hard drive as a secondary drive, with access to your current data.

(Did I mention? My primary means of making a living is through my own computer service company.)

[phoenixvoice]

Re: silicon chips
@ Oxymoron — thx, enjoyed the article.

Since it is so complicated and resource intensive to make these chips you would think that humans would put them in things that are designed to last. You would think that humans would put them in things that really provide an added benefit by having these chips in them. You would think that humans would design their software to promote these chips being used over a long period of time.

Nope.

Our phones and tablets are fragile. When they crack the cell phone provider wants to get us to purchase a new one to prolong our contract. Small electronics are often of shoddy construction, and break in less than a year. (For one of my 14 year old sons, no pair of headphones has ever lasted even a year.)

We put silicone chips in battery testers, in doorbells, in washing machines, etc. — in devices that don’t require silicone chips to work and for which the addition of a silicone chip offers marginal utility. In most applications do I really need a thermometer that sends alerts to my cellphone about the current interior temperature of my home? If someone is home, they can adjust the thermostat or open/close the window. In most cases, if no one is home the temperature is not terribly important — it can vary by as much as 20 degrees with few adverse effects. (Okay…the houseplants might not fare well.)

And we create software that forces people to upgrade our devices, throwing away older devices that work perfectly well. Apple is worse at this than Microsoft — going so far as pushing out updates designed to slow down older devices and batteries that cannot be easily changed by the device owner. (One of the reasons for bloat in Microsoft operating systems are redundancies to ensure backwards compatibility with older hardware and software.) A few years back I ended up purchasing a newer Android device because my bank did a software upgrade that was incompatible with my then Android phone and I could no longer deposit checks using my smartphone. Websites today are triply optimized to display well for computers, tablets, and smartphones. They could be optimized for display on older computers/devices/web browsers as well, to avoid folks feeling compelled to upgrade — but that is not done.

Most of this waste is completely unnecessary. Yet, there we go, extracting and refining ever more silicone chips in billion dollar facilities run by mega-corporations…the rulers of the earth, creating the products that we all go out and buy and use, continuing their dominance.

[phoenixvoice]

@ Mr Roboto

You are using WinXP and having trouble playing video files. Have you tried using a “video downloader” website? There are websites where you can paste in the URL of a video and the downloader will convert it to a video file, which you can then download and play.

Of course, then there the issues of having a player to play the file, and the ability to play the provided file is probably not native to XP. VLC is a good open source player, although you would likely need a version that is a decade old. There are websites that archive old installation files, if you need an older video player. And in XP you may need codecs…although a good video player will attempt to find the codecs automatically.

Then I wonder at the reason for continuing to utilize a WinXP computer. Personally, I utilize one “virtual” XP system because I use QuickBooks 2004 to do the accounting for my business. I never did see the value in paying for “upgraded” software when the version I had did everything that I need. (And by running it on a virtual system, the hardware can’t break.).

If the reason is to avoid the big corporations, avoid snooping, and you are a little tech savvy — or have time and patience available — you may want to explore the open-source GUI versions of Linux (Ubuntu, Lindows, etc.) which will give you access to “modern” web browsers and a system with more memory and processing power.

[phoenixvoice]

—The official Twitter account for the Auschwitz Memorial also weighed in, arguing that repurposing the badges to lobby against vaccines is a “sad symptom of moral and intellectual decline.”—

(From madamski’s link in #76408)

*sigh* As someone who identified with the Socrates quote “the unexamined life is not worth living” as a young teen…I struggle to understand why so much of humanity fails to think…
How many times have folks wondered how it is that the Germans under Hitler allowed the situation to get so bad? What we are seeing is the reason why. The folks who see the danger signs are trying to communicate to all that this is dangerous territory…and the masses are offended by the communication.

[phoenixvoice]

Biometrics monitored daily…reminds me of the monitoring of the clones on the film The Island.

Saw an ad on YouTube today, just before my exercise vid: some device you breathe into, analyzes breath content to determine if you’re burning fat or carbohydrates, info used to generate custom advice. I can see the usefulness as a dieting aid…sure, if the data were completely private, any aggregates completely anonymized…but I know that won’t be the case.

Just like I realized a few years back that home WiFi mesh devices are controlled from the web, by the manufacturer, and not directly by the person who installs them at home. (Which is why for myself and for residential clients I have installed business class WiFi mesh devices that are still user controlled from inside the network.)

[phoenixvoice]

The marine and the kitten, Korean War, 1952

When I saw that photo I thought of the boy who grew into the man. A gentle, conscientious boy. I thought if my own 14 year old son, as he sat petting a cat on his lap a few weeks back, carefully picking up a baby chick, gently reminding me of something that had slipped my mind.

And here is this other boy just grown, in Korea as a soldier, drafted and sent to kill “the enemy” when he should be attending college, getting a job, flirting with a woman. He wasn’t raised to kill — he was raised to be strong and be compassionate to the weak. He is a soldier — but interact with a kitten and we see who he is, deep down.

[phoenixvoice]

@ Michael Reid. (Yeah, I know I’m not germ, but I think I understand this one.)

From what I understand, mRNA vaccines do not perpetually turn the body into spike protein factories. The cells that have been turned into spike protein factories (should) get tagged by the immune system and destroyed relatively quickly. (I have no idea how long this would be in real-world terms.). In this process, antibodies are developed to the spike protein. When the vaccinated individual receives a booster, the immune system should recognize the spike proteins and the cells creating them faster than the first time around, and dispatch them more quickly than the first go-round.

Apparently, the mRNA is encapsulated in the vaccine injection because the body will also have an immune response to free-floating mRNA generally. (mRNA is supposed to be IN cells, not outside of them.) Some of the mRNA in the injections may not be properly encapsulated. This could contribute to anaphylaxis type reactions to vaccine injections.

[phoenixvoice]

@ Zerosum – “The social/economic systems have worked for all of us here.”

After a fashion…
They have not worked much at all in the way that I was led in my youth to believe that they would function. I have a somewhat adversarial relationship with these systems. To survive and provide for myself and my children I essentially hack these systems. I’ve become somewhat adept at this hacking. Totally “above board,” but I have abandoned many of the “social consensus” guiding principles of these systems and had to find alternate guiding principles that function effectively.

[phoenixvoice]

@ madamski

“The old me dealt, occasionally, with such things via intimate private conversations where I explained that if I were reported for threatening to shave off someone’s nipples with a jigsaw, I would most likely be released from prison and would then find that person and complete the job. Generally with a foretaste of the horrors awaiting them. It surprises people to suddenly find themselves under their desk with a foot on their mouth.”

Damn…the “old you” sounds like my 13 year old daughter. (And I mean no disrespect…this particular personality quirk of my daughter is a part of her innate strength. However, I sometimes wonder where it will lead her! If she eventually passes to someplace akin to where you are now, I will be pleased…except I suspect by then I will be no more than a thought on a butterfly’s wing.)

[phoenixvoice]

Evangelical Vaccine Fanatics (EVFs)

Love it!!

[phoenixvoice]

Because it is a *Covid vaccine religion* there is no need to point out that there is no scientific basis for excluding the unvaccinated from outdoor social gatherings…or that 80% have partial immunity pre vaccination/pre infection…or that asymptomatic folks (some probably false positives) are highly unlikely to spread Covid indoors with poor ventilation. No need to point out that the vaccinated can still contract the disease (especially variations) and spread it to others.

For equity, all we need to do is have gatherings out of doors or in well-ventilated spaces. (Mostly impossible in Phoenix, AZ in the summer…..). And most folks who feel ill and have symptoms of a transmissible disease are going to stay home from social gatherings anyhow. (Which is not always the case for work or school.)

But most religions are not interested in equity.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

@ Dr D
Regarding government transfer payments, NO, they do not automatically result in folks refusing to work. That is a gross oversimplification. Your beliefs rely on faulty data.

My children and I have had SNAP and Medicaid for nearly 9 years. I have worked gainfully during this entire time and actually have tripled my income (I work more hours) in 9 years. How did this happen? When we were still married, the kids’ father became an alcoholic, lost his job due to alcoholism, and came down with a mysterious illness — this basically occurred over the course of 1 year. I “stood by” him nearly two years, while the illness was cured, he left off booze for a while, and didn’t bother working much for pay. When the boozing returned, and he attempted suicide in front of me, I kicked him out. Due to all that happened I have PTSD. The kids father finally became employed after I kicked him out, but because he knew that child support would be expected, he found work as a mis-classified independent contractor with a small business willing to compensate him in cash, rather than via check or direct deposit. This has enabled him to lie about his income (he eventually became completely “unbanked.”). The commissioner in charge of child support hearings was lazy and didn’t bother looking at all the evidence (banking records, recordings of hearings that proved perjury, etc.) and set his income at 1/3 of what I had hard evidence of — so I get $40/month in child support even tho my income is no more than 1/4 of what he makes.).

Because of Medicaid I was able to get treatment via psychotherapy for the PTSD. Because of Medicaid the children have had consistent dental care, eye exams, medical and behavioral health treatment when they need it. I have a child on a prescribed diet, mandated by a pediatric endocrinologist…because of SNAP I am able to comply with this diet. My daughter has been skirting the edges of anorexia for years…because of SNAP I am able to feed her whatever she will eat. (Having a father like theirs leads to all sorts of funky behaviors…but since the courts in AZ love joint legal decision making, love giving parents “second chances,” I can’t get them into behavioral health services without his full agreement.)

BECAUSE of “government transfers” I have had the mental and emotional space to stabilize my life, maintain the basics and stability for my children, and as a result my income is rising. I could not have done this without help. Seven years ago when I kicked out my ex I had been through the wringer for years and I was on the verge of falling apart.

So THINK before you assert that recipients of government transfers are all sitting back, enjoying the good life, not bothering to work.

(Now, if you want to propose that the *federal government* should not be the source of these helps because it gives the federal government way too much power and control — I will agree. The actions of my ex should not consign myself and my children to perpetual poverty. We need to have our societies structured in a way that we lend support to those who need it. I have needed “scaffolding” to be able to get back to full functioning. I continue to need some, although as I continue to heal I will gradually leave that scaffolding behind. Personally, I believe such scaffolding should primarily fall upon the local community, rather than the federal government…but that is not how the current structure works. And the level of human suffering that would exist without scaffolding for the vulnerable is immense.)

[phoenixvoice]

@ mr house

“Grieving the end of progress”

Thank you for this.

It helps me to understand why I feel so distanced from my “progressive” friends, why their causes don’t fit as my causes…after the craziness in my own life the past 10 years, and efforts to heal from the trauma, I have found that acceptance, looking at what is, and a willingness to “pick up the pieces” and make lemonade from lemons is my strategy. The “wokester” strategies seem pointless and, quite frankly, a waste of my time and energy. Actually getting the dreaded Covid only contributed to this outlook — I didn’t want to be invaded by that damned, human-created virus, but I was, by family I love and trust, and…time to make lemonade.

So…I can understand and empathize with those who are in a different grief phase than the one I inhabit…but my energies I will put into acceptance strategies, as that is what builds meaning for me.

[phoenixvoice]

My 13 year is attending school right now. All must wear masks. She saw an unmasked student yesterday. She told me later that when she saw this student’s nose and mouth she felt “grossed out” by seeing this part of the student’s face.

We don’t understand what this masking is doing psychologically.

[phoenixvoice]

Ran across this today:
https://www.theepochtimes.com/mkt_morningbrief/steve-deace-on-faucian-bargain-second-opinions-about-covid-19-denied-to-americans_3791690.html?utm_source=morningbriefnoe&utm_medium=email2&utm_campaign=mb-2021-04-27&mktids=15fc1028a397f53538a69ab8a80856d9&est=INKP0YQKbs%2BP1yXkICOg7vLKOOxehmOMIz2yyoYugzuy65s0lBizOEvfNdDP8A%3D%3D

Best points IMO:

“For example, if the average American knew that almost half of the deaths in America with COVID occurred in nursing homes where less than one percent of Americans live, we would have never ever gone along with this level of subjugation,” Deace told host Jan Jekielek. “These are the sorts of data points that have been kept from the American people, so they have not been given the right to informed consent.”

Deace moved on to cite a variety of “counter experts” from prestigious institutions such as Stanford and Oxford Universities, who “got kicked to the curb” because of their skepticism of one particular COVID-19 model used to justify lockdowns that severely affected people’s lives.

“We were told to trust the experts,” he said. “Why weren’t we permitted to get second opinions from counter experts, before we decided to risk a huge drop in cancer screenings, 40 million unemployed, 20 percent of American small businesses that are never going to return, on average, across the country?”

Deace then highlighted an apparent lack of controlled scientific studies proving the effectiveness of masks. He noted that while no domestic studies used a random controlled sample of unmasked people, a Danish study did and found that wearing a mask doesn’t significantly reduce one’s chances of contracting the virus.

[phoenixvoice]

Enjoyed the eggplant life cycle…but they missed a step. Eggplant seeds won’t germinate when simply excised from the fruit that way. They have to be fermented for a few days in order to germinate.

[phoenixvoice]

Mister Roboto
Participant
“Confederate flag-wavers can be right about things every once in a while just like purple-haired hyper-wokesters can be right about things every once in a while.“

Liked

[phoenixvoice]

@ Dr D

Enjoyed your expansion on my brief comments yesterday. Much truth there. I didn’t have time to elaborate. Thought about Iroquois influence.

.” The freest states are safest, the lockdown states are worst.“

I’ve been observing this. Other than folks wearing masks in public and places such as retirement communities/care homes having draconian rules, life in Arizona hasn’t changed all that much. I have friends/family in states with stringent lockdowns…there seems to be a pervasive paranoia in lockdown states.

I’m hoping the schools will relax masking rules soon — at the very least, when people are outside. The state has dropped its rules regarding masking for the schools, it is now up to the schools/school districts to form their own policies.

[phoenixvoice]

Re: Rick Santorum vid

Might be time to go review high school European and US history before making assertions that US founding documents were based on Judeochristian principles.

Those documents where based rather on principles of the enlightenment. Much of the enlightenment came about because of the influx of Ancient Greek and Roman philosophers and writers…most of those were decidedly neither Jewish nor Christian.

The founding fathers of US were mostly Deists, which is a hop, skip, and a jump away from being atheists….

And thus the lies are spread and believed…bleh.

[phoenixvoice]

Glass is easy to reuse. And, it is dishwasher safe. When properly closed, it protects food from rodents, insects, and moisture. With some care it can be used in the freezer. Mason jars can be used to store perishable food for years. But then, I reuse most of the glass bottles that food I purchase comes in. I recognize that my habit of doing this is unusual. But it seems so pointless to go out and purchase new containers to put things in when so much of the food I buy comes in serviceable glass containers. The only downside to glass is that it breaks easily when falling from a height onto my tile floor. (But…there are more jars where that broken one came from, so no need to get upset about it.)

[phoenixvoice]

“…unproven treatments like Hydroxychloroquine.”

Well, technically neither the Covid vaccines nor HCQ have received FDA “approval” to prevent and/or lessen Covid symptoms. At least HCQ has received FDA approval for other purposes and we know what the long term side effects are.

[phoenixvoice]

Interesting perspective:
— So on a mind control level, a new concept would have to be introduced. It was, “morality above freedom”

However, the idea of “morality above freedom” is hardly new. The Puritans at Plymouth Rock were quite familiar with the concept. I was raised in mainstream Mormonism…a religion which got its footing in the 1830s. It is sometimes seen as a very “American” religion. As a child I was taught that God had granted us all free will, but if we violated God’s moral code (as outlined by the religions leaders of the Mormon church) and did not sufficiently repent (repentance for major sins intermediated by those same religious leaders) that we would not be able to live with our families in the afterlife. (Ouch! Have been watching The 100 recently. The nefarious AI would get people to submit by causing pain/threat of death to loved ones.)

I propose that if we are going to pit freedom vs. morality-defined-by-authority that both sides of the coin have been in this country since it was colonized by religious zealots in the 1600s. It ain’t new. Perhaps it is “newer” that the politico-economic Titans are the ones pulling the strings, rather than dominant religious leaders?

And, technically, there is a benign side to this. Humans have empathy. Our minds are wired so that when we see suffering in others who are deemed similar to ourselves that we feel some measure of their suffering. This can be seen as the biological underpinning of morality. There is nothing wrong with choosing to curb one’s own desire if the expression of that desire causes distress to another. The freedom is in the choice one has to act or refrain from acting.

Of course, when an authority dictates to us what our actions should be, creating a “meta-morality” this subverts our freedom — we lose the ability to choose.

(However…it is not necessarily malign for an authority to dictate morality…parents need to do this for their young children, as their minds are not developed sufficiently to do it on their own. The difference is in the relationship — emotionally healthy parents are strongly invested in the well-being of their children, and in close communication with them. This helps parents to navigate minding their children. I do not propose that this is foolproof — it is not — but it does work much of the time. However, in the case of adults…an authority dictating to them a moral code is anathema to freedom, it is treating adults like children.)

[phoenixvoice]

I am confused about how anyone could consider the state of Arizona “in lockdown over the winter.” Over the winter the state allowed localities to have rules about masking. The state mandated schools use masks, and recommended remote learning for much of the winter. In the summer there were strict rules about number of people in stores and such, but the rules had been relaxed during the winter, as compared to the summer — and the government imposed rules regarding masking and number of people in stores are gone now. (I believe there are still rules for care homes for the elderly and vulnerable.) There have been a few minor rules…the local libraries are still curbside and online service only…that was a local, city decision. What lockdown during the winter?

And if the graph is wrong about Arizona, how many other states is it wrong about?

[phoenixvoice]

A friend recently suggested that I should get vaccinated to “help herd immunity” and for “increased protection” against Covid.
I patiently replied that as a Covid survivor I already AM contributing to herd immunity, and there is no data nor studies performed to suggest that vaccination can improve upon my current immunity. He also explained that if I just get vaccinated, then I will avoid the social displeasure that I am currently experiencing. *sigh*. He is my friend, and I value his insight in other areas, but he…just…doesn’t…get…it.

I am invited to teach a music class at the retirement community in the fall…but if I am unvaccinated it must be online, not in person. Found this out from a different friend. She assured me of her affection, even if I don’t get vaccinated. This will make the class inaccessible to easily half or more of the residents who are not familiar enough with technology to join a Zoom meeting.

The groupthink among folks that I otherwise generally enjoy and respect is mind boggling. (They are intelligent in many other areas.). I went to a rehearsal at the retirement community yesterday. There were two passersby who sat in the audience area and watched. It was outside. I wore the damn face-diaper (as the only unvaccinated person present). At a brief pause in the singing (I was the lead singer) my friend suggested I remove my mask. “I don’t want any more nasty emails,” I explained. (It is more nuanced than that…I derive a sizable chunk of (non-musical performance) income from this place and a few residents there…I cannot afford jeopardizing that.). He responded that they are allowed to have up to 5 people in their apartments that are unmasked, I was his guest and this was rehearsal. Nice to have the clarification. Off goes the mask.

On the electronic marquee outside of the retirement community it states : “We stand with all who want equality and justice.” I know that they truly believe that they do this….but…no…they…do…not.

I generally like standing up against injustice…but I cannot jeopardize my income and I choose not to jeopardize the only performance venue currently available. Oh, how it galls me.

[phoenixvoice]

So. Officer Sicknick died of strokes and blood clots. I wonder…had he received a Covid vaccination?

[phoenixvoice]

@Dr D

“ stall and claim to be completely cooperative. It’s irresponsible to do it before all elderly have one.”

Thanks for that bit…I will need to brainstorm along those lines.

[phoenixvoice]

I am very concerned that I will be forced to vaccinate my three teens with an mRNA vaccine before there is more than 6 months data available on the long term effects. If their father insists and it is FDA approved for their ages…I have no legal grounds to fight it. If I fight it, I will lose, and I risk losing custody…and I don’t have the money for another legal battle.

[phoenixvoice]

From Craig Murray

“ The idea of people without Covid-19 antibodies being treated as second class citizens should be anathema to anybody with concern for human liberty. ”

It’s worse than that. The bar IS NOT whether a person HAS antibodies/immunity against Covid, it is whether or not the person has been vaccinated. It seems so many people have completely *forgotten* that vaccines are not the only way to develop antibodies/immunity.

I got sick, cleared the damn virus, have PCR proof of both states, AND get treated like a second class citizen.

[phoenixvoice]

Thanks to Doc Robinson for responding to my question yesterday regarding long Covid.

The most interesting observation thus far from looking through the materials provided is how easy it is to transmute a cough still lingering after 3 weeks into scary-sounding long Covid. I can’t count the number of times over the years (especially during periods of high stress) that I had a bad cold/flu and then found myself with a lingering cough for weeks and weeks, often exacerbated by seasonal allergies. Enough people have long Covid that I do not doubt that it is real. And I have no doubt that studies are being presented in the MSM such a way to make it seem that the problem is much more prevalent than it is in actuality. And ivermectin will be hidden as a treatment for as long as possible.

Which makes me think about the culture that Covid wave in the UK, with so many folks AZ vaccine recipients sick….at what point will doctors turn to ivermectin, etc.? At what point will the knowledge that we have viable treatments spread? How many will be allowed to die so that pharma gets profits, political power continues to consolidate, and medical vaccine experiments occur on the fearful and naive?

[phoenixvoice]

A question for this group of critical thinkers:

What are the *legitimate* rates of “long Covid” in various age cohorts?

I met via Zoom with a social group from my church yesterday. I asked the question, “Why vaccinate children against Covid, when we know that the case fatality rate for children is very low?”

The answer came from the only other person in the group with kids under age 18: because about 30% of those infected with Covid have long-term symptoms.

This response defied my personal experience. 10 individuals from my household, my parents, and my siblings’ households have had Covid. None of us had any symptoms beyond 10 days. Granted, that sample size is pretty small — but 30% is very large. It is odd that with “30%” zero out of 10 would have no long-term symptoms.

So I looked it up.
https://www.livescience.com/long-covid-19-most-common-symptoms.html

And this article (https://theconversation.com/long-covid-in-children-what-parents-and-teachers-need-to-know-156185) is geared to educate parents about long Covid, and urge them not to push their long-Covid suffering children to do too much. The article states that this recent Italian paper, not yet peer reviewed (https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.01.23.21250375v1): “ suggests that more than half of children with COVID-19 have at least one persisting symptom over 17 weeks after being diagnosed. Among them, 43% reported being impaired by their symptoms during daily activities.”

It is being suggested that HALF of all children who contract Covid — including those with no or minimal symptoms — may end up with long term problems, possibly neurological problems.

I suspect this is scare-mongering designed to push parents into injecting their children with an experimental vaccine. I would *really appreciate* any information the TAE hive mind has regarding prevalence of “long Covid,” especially in children, and treatments for long Covid. I do remember one American doctor experiencing success treating long Covid with ivermectin.

And, if “Covid-19” infection is essentially a disease whereby a virus exploits nutritional deficiencies of the body to cause severe disease (https://www.primarydoctor.org/covid-19-is-a-lack-of-nutrients ), it is dystopic to suppose that information about adequate nutrition for children is being withheld from parents while they are being herded through scare-mongering tactics to beg vaccines for their children.

[phoenixvoice]

Um…so on the nudist beaches clothes are not required, but masks are? What a bizarre world we live in.

At least they aren’t saying that the unvaccinated are required to be masked and the vaccinated can be maskless.

[phoenixvoice]

Discrimination for the unvaccinated has begun.

A couple of months ago, SB 1648 was introduced to the AZ Senate in order to make it illegal in most situations to discriminate against those who have not been vaccinated against Covid-19. I hope it passes: it is needed.

This past Saturday I received a text message around 11 am from a friend who lives at a local retirement community, letting me know that the rules had just relaxed, off-campus musicians were invited to perform at the retirement community, “masks required,” and would I come to perform at 1 pm? My plans had fallen through that day, so I thought, sure, I’ll come. I decided that one of my “Covid Survivor” T’s was great attire for the performance — the first one with outside musicians in a year. I arrived expecting to wear my mask for the performance, filled out a form, had my temperature taken, and proceded to the entertainment location. It was *outdoors*, performers were spaced *at least 6 feet from one another*, and the *audience was spaced even more than 6 feet from the performers*. None of the other performers were masked — only me. Another of the invited performers, noting my mask, let me know quietly that “performers don’t need to wear masks.” So I removed my mask. (It’s a pain to sing in a mask…when one takes in a deep breath the mask tends to enter the mouth, and doesn’t immediately leave when one starts to sing. Bleh.) After the end of the performance, the friend who had invited me explained that I was supposed to be masked, because vaccinated folks were not required to be masked, but unvaccinated folks are required to be masked.

Whatever — I didn’t know. A peccadillo, I thought, since we were all *outdoors* and *properly spaced.*

The event was filmed, and the video put on YouTube. The next day I, and the other performers, along with a couple staffmembers of the retirement community received an email with a link to the video, along with the caption stating that “one of the performers” had flagrantly violated the rules, performed unmasked and unvaccinated, withheld information about vaccination status from the community, and was an “anti-vaxer.” I had an uneasy suspicion that this was referencing me — but I didn’t know for certain. The next day I met with my friend from the community to jam together — and found out that I was the source of the comment. My “peccadillo” had inadvertently caused me to step on an ant-hill — and now I was being publicly slandered in a closed community where I have several computer business clients, where I have a history of performing musically, and where I am currently teaching several classes (online.)

I have responded to the group email with the video to set the record straight — I was not fully informed before the performance of the particulars of the rule, and I’m certainly not an “anti-vaxer.” I was the youngest person there, and even the vaccine had only been available to my age cohort for 10 days as of the date of the performance! I’ve communicated with the appropriate staff of the retirement community, and they are now going to make sure that off-campus performers are informed — at the very least when they enter the campus — of the specifics of the current rules.

But my (provable with PCR test) immunity to Covid will be ignored by this retirement community. Oh, the irony! It is highly likely that I have lifetime immunity to Covid-19. My immunity is more braodbased than the vaccine-conferred immunity that the majority of the folks at the retirement community have. (Thanks to Germ for the articles today, quite appreciated.) But I get socially slandered as being “willfully dangerous” to the people who attended the OUTDOOR performance.

With the current guidelines in place, off-campus musicians must visually broadcast their vaccination status (via mask/no mask) to all who are at a performance. (What happened to PHI? — “protected health information” — mind, the retirement community has a medical facility, nursing facility, memory care, and therefore is governed by HIPAA regulations.)

And what about the fact that vaccinated individuals are still able to become infected with Covid-19 and able to infect others? They want to mask the person with broadbased immunity — who probably can’t contract Covid-19 anymore, and probably can’t infect others — and unmask the peopole who *can* contract Covid-19 and *can* infect others? This is lunacy.

And, although the concept is not (yet!) mainstream, it looks like asymptomatic Covid-infected folks are highly unlikely to infect others, even when in close quarters. So, as long as an off-campus musician is “feeling well” and doesn’t have Covid symptoms, the possibility of infeacting anyone present is very low.

Argh. If I weren’t already immune to Covid, I think that I would have a T-shirt printed up that states “my maks protects me from the unmasked vaccinated folks.” I’d wear my mask and emphasize that it was to protect me from *them.* But that would be a little ridiculous, considering that I’m post Covid. And considering that all Covid did was make me rather ill for 2 days, temporarily lose taste and smell, and feel like I was slowly “getting better” for about 4 days.

If I had other venues to perform in, I’d probably take the high road and simply avoid the place. But, at the moment, I don’t have other venues. My desire to hone my performance skills is high — and they are a very forgiving audience (when it comes to music…not always so forgiving when it comes to vaccination status.) I had not performed for over a year.

Come on, AZ Senate, get SB 1648 passed, send it to the other legislature, send it to the govenor…this is ridiculous and we need this. I can’t be the only person dealing with this sort of discrimination.

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