@tybin I used to read Dr. Mercola's articles occasionally, but after a while I concluded that too many of his ideas were quackery.
Would that I had your abilities for that level of compassion, @coyote. I don't, I'm afraid. I went beyond anger several months ago, passed through actual antipathy, and finally reached the nirvana of apathy about them. The same information I have had and have used to protect myself as best I can is also readily available to them. If they choose to remain intentionally uninformed, that's their problem. In my view, the ones who maintain such attitudes and remain willfully ignorant in the face of the facts deserve what they get. I'll bid them good riddance, and I'll do everything in my power to ensure that they don't take me with them.
"Nirvana of Apathy". That is an interesting description and sounds largely, but not fully, Zen.
@ana I used to read his articles too - then he progressed in to making all of his recommendations to be handled by buying his products. He became quite commercial and out there with it. His partner , Erin,got whacky with it too.
Came across this today, re influencers being approached to spread misinformation on social media. I'll bet you dollars to donuts this is also happening here in the US.
https://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-trending-57928647
It so happens that we will be flying on Delta
and while you are up there, you could have a nice, cold glass of Corona beer.
The CPO's of Delta and Corona must be really...PO'd
An article about people getting third shots of COVID vaccine (some covertly, some not):
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/29/science/covid-vaccine-booster-third-shot.html
THe article also notes that Israel is going to be giving 3rd Pfizer shots to people over 60 as long as it has been at least 5 months since they got their second shot. I would not be surprised if this practice spreads to other countries.
My dad told me that my aunt who is a Trumpist finally got vaccinated due to peer pressure where her friends avoided her. Eventually, my cousins and grandma will get vaccinated. I will still distance myself from them as I do not want to live with toxicity in my life.
At a meeting with my new boss that included my Superintendent and a few others, my Sup asked my new boss what the district we poached her from was doing for school next year about masks, distancing, etc. Her words are exactly what the rest of them up here are going to do. "Unless it's required by the health department, which isn't going to happen, we're going back to pre-pandemic operations next year. No masks. No distancing. Etc."
I am incredibly happy I don't have any "in person" sessions planned until January, because this feels like a recipe for disaster. On the one hand, yes, I'm aware that right now COVID doesn't affect most (note word MOST) children the way it affects some adults. But it's transmissible and those children live with someone (and looking at the numbers for my county, it's probably an unvaccinated person)
I mean, I get it, we all need school to be normal again, especially the kids - but for the love of Zeus at least require and enforce mask wearing and keep up on the extra cleaning.
@dannyboy Unfortunately, Delta IS affecting kids. Tremendously. Pediatric ICUs in several states are full. Under 12s can't get the vaccine, and all the people in their life who won't get the vaccine are putting their life at risk for ideology. The situation is just horrific. I'm grateful my daughter's school is small, highly progressive, and the kids all look at masking as a way to express themselves (charter art school kids are the best, I swear). I'm much more concerned about my son, returning to college classes in a state that is as red as can be. He's already lost one year and one athletic season, and this is his senior year. My heart hurts at what he's lost in the past 18 months. Elementary schools especially need to keep those mask requirements tight and protect those kids, knowing the kids' families may not be protecting anyone.
@saibh The number of times I've almost driven my 10 year olds to the Walgreens in town we never use (and therefore have no records at) to say "Why yes, they ARE in fact, 12!" ...
@enkasongwriter How do you know she actually got vaccinated? I notice that some bars and restaurants in Boston and New York City are now requiring vaccine proof in order to enter them.
@dannyboy Texas and Oklahoma pediatric ICUs are filling up because of two things: Delta covid and RSV. Double whammy. Worried about flu season this year, double whammy flu and covid.
Yikes. Very scary.
CDC study shows three-fourths of people infected in Massachusetts covid-19 outbreak were vaccinated
https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2021/07/30/provincetown-covid-outbreak-vaccinated/
Glad the vaccines are holding but - wow.
I can totally relate to what you have written.
My daughter is a music major in college. She has already missed 1.25 years of performing which is very important to her major and was a senior last year. We allowed her to extend her education time so she could actually perform this year, but now...I don't know if she will be able to do that. She will now add a certificate program so at least she is getting something for her extra time and our money. Our Governor will not allow colleges to mandate vaccines and I am not sure masks will be able to be mandated as they were last year. Masks can not be mandated in k-12 schools nor can vaccinations.
It is stupid and reckless.
I have a music educator daughter for elementary school age kids in Texas. Her Governor is no better.
My opinion is that these Rep Governors and red state legislators are going to be responsible for the deaths and life altering health conditions of thousands of children and young adults by not allowing for the requirement of masks and vaccines for students. Blood is on their hands, not so figuratively.
They are knowingly sending these kids to the lions, (especially these young babies who can't get vaccinated yet) without protection and they KNOW what the lion looks like, where it dwells and how it feeds.
Here Kitty Kitty Kitty there are saying to the lion.
I am stopping now. We know it is true and so do they.
@lovendures the no-masks mandates are especially infuriating, given that scientists are saying that we may be only a couple of virus variants away from making all CV vaccines null and void. Republicans have always wanted to destroy public education- i guess this is how they will do it. Next they will probably ban hand washing, because basic sanitation is only for dirty hippies and Socialists.
@dannyboy I posted better information on the cape cod vaccine outbreak in a different covid thread.
The gist is that the breakthrough cases on the cape are not out of line with original data that the vaccine is about 95 percent effective. It is just that with 75% of Massachusetts adults vaccinated, those five or so percent who get covid even when vaccinated are going to make up the majority of new covid cases in this state. Right? It’s math.
People should be masked indoors and should stay out of indoor bars and crowded places because if they increase their chances of encountering covid, then they they are more likely to be one of the five percent who get infected.
@jeanne-mayell I’ve posted this twice in reply to this but they’re not appearing. (Don’t worry I think this is a iPad issue not a site issue). - Thank you for the clarification - that’s what I’ve been seeing as I’ve read further into it.
I have my daughters for three days next week by myself as my wife goes to visit her sister (maybe this part should go in the prayers thread :P) - I was hoping to take them to the movies but it seems like that is asking for trouble. Maybe we’ll rethink it and go to the drive in 30 minutes away instead. I’m definitely not going back to indoors unmasked anytime soon.
@lovendures This coming fall is my last semester at Stony Brook, where in-person classes will not happen immediately. The campus was offering students and faculty members vaccines. The school will respect anyone's choice of having a mask on.