Do you need to vent about things COVID-19?

[Cindy Evanier]

1 hour ago, Amina Sopwith said:

RULE, BRITANNIA!

I was just talking about that.  In any other business heads would roll....

[Amina Sopwith]

1 hour ago, Cindy Evanier said:

I was just talking about that.  In any other business heads would roll....

 

 

Edited October 5, 2020 by Amina Sopwith
Better censoring. There was an intensifier.

[Luna Bliss]

8 hours ago, Paul Hexem said:

You ever hear cautionary tales about people seeing their obsessions everywhere they look?

I'd have used the photo of an ancient cro-magnon person who lacked the frontal lobe capacity of the brain many modern people exhibit instead of the Trump photo, but I think even they had more compassion for their own kind. It's time you stopped generalizing and stereotyping those who are disabled and receiving support -- you're calling them cheats and liars for receiving funds needed to live at a bare subsistence level, and having zero sympathy for the conditions which befell them through no fault of their own.

I'd write off your statement as one given by someone frustrated about their job and expressing fears of contracting Covid, but we've had this debate before where you put forth your stupid perceptions regarding those receiving disability payments -- you believe they don't deserve support and are taking advantage of the rest of society. I don't question your assertion that you know someone who cheats society through receiving disability payments -- they do exist -- but like the typical conservative you are unable to see beyond your own nose, have empathy for others you haven't personally experienced, and discover the facts. The facts -- from my experience in Social Work I see that most people on disability NEED and deserve to be AND it's damn hard to even qualify for disability.

Quite a few people in SL and on this forum survive on disability payments, and you need to apologize.

Edited October 5, 2020 by Luna Bliss

[Luna Bliss]

8 hours ago, Sukubia Scarmon said:

There are disabilities you cannot see.

So true, in fact a large percentage of those with disabilities don't look like they're disabled at all.

And we're only going to encounter more of this as the Covid crisis evolves, causing ongoing disability we both can't see and no doubt many doctors won't believe even exists.

Such a blame-y society we live in, filled with those who are frustrated and all too ready to 'punch down'  at the most vulnerable instead of 'punch up' to the wealthiest in society running off with most of the money and perpetuating these crappy jobs at the bottom too many must endure.

Edited October 5, 2020 by Luna Bliss

[Seicher Rae]

13 hours ago, Paul Hexem said:

... Good job being the exception, I guess?

Don't take it so personally, I just call 'em like I see 'em.

I am hardly the exception. I guess you do not understand how incredibly difficult it is to be on SSDI. It can take *years*. I was "lucky" that I'm so disabled that I "sailed through" in about six months. I know people who are worse off than me who had incredible battles getting SSDI. This is not the thread for discussions of SSDI, but you are "seeing 'em" through blinders of FOX and 4Chan. Very thick, uneducated, thoroughly incorrect blinders. Also, as someone else said above, not all disabilities are able to be seen: one of mine very much is, the other very much is not. I have no doubt that there are a few people out there who *have* gamed the system. A few. That is true of just about any program. But if you actually knew anything you'd know how incredibly difficult that is.

I do tend to take blatant personal slurs personally. We need an FU emoticon.

[Seicher Rae]

Now, back to COVID...

My friend, who I mentioned earlier, had his relative die of COVID a few days ago. Her daughter is still in the hospital fighting for her life. The family has been unable to see or talk to her. Finally yesterday they were, through paneS of glass, across the hall and over the phone. As he said, while it was awful it was still better than nothing and that is what many people face when their loved ones are in the hospital: nothing. No contact.

Meanwhile, our Fearless Leader, decided he was "bored in the hospital" and decided to take an unscheduled joy ride outside to wave to his fans. He wore a mask.  This stunt caused his Secret Security officers to have to be cooped up in a car with him. That versus only able to see your loved ones across the hall, through glass, over the phone.

He hasn't cared about over 200K people dying, why care about those brave people who willingly put their lives at risk to take a freaking bullet for him? I don't think they signed up for getting COVID and possible death so he could do a publicity stunt.

Needless to say, there are Secret Service agents publicly in an uproar. As are doctors, including those at Walter Reed.

From the Washington Post (yeah yeah, the morons will screech "fake news"... whatevs):

Among critics was a doctor affiliated with Walter Reed.

“Every single person in the vehicle during that completely unnecessary Presidential ‘drive-by’ just now has to be quarantined for 14 days,” tweeted James P. Phillips, who is also a professor at George Washington University. “They might get sick. They may die. For political theater. Commanded by Trump to put their lives at risk for theater. This is insanity.”

Phillips said the risk of viral transmission inside the car is “as high as it gets outside of medical procedures.” Jonathan Reiner, a professor of medicine and surgery at George Washington University, noted people inside a hospital wear extensive protective gear — gowns, gloves, N95 masks and more — when they will be in close contact with a coronavirus patient such as Trump.

[Seicher Rae]

4 hours ago, Amina Sopwith said:

RULE, BRITANNIA!

Oh you guys. Sheez. Stop being so competitive in the governmental incompetency game.

[Pussycat Catnap]

On 10/4/2020 at 9:16 AM, FairreLilette said:

I hate meat.  I don't like it.  There is nothing like California fresh eating with avocados.  Although now California is heading towards a 10-year drought.

California has had cyclical droughts since we had to deal with mammoth's pulling up in the parking lot and taking our spot next to the cave...

It's the nature of this land. Away from the direct coast most of it is desert - and that was, until the lat 1800s, wetlands. The entire San Joaquin Valley of Central Cali - basically Sacramento to Bakersfield - was one massive huge swamp that the white folks drained in the name of Capitalism. That's only made the desert dry aspects worse.

We're called the Golden State for a reason - and not the mineral, but because every year all of the native ground cover changes to a golden color to survive the climate here.

That said... water wise... we actually export water. Both internally and externally. Anyone is Southern Cali is a water thief taking the water from MY delta... 😛

- We also send a back and forth to the nearby states. We are a desert, but we also have those mountains, and they produce a LOT of water.

The problems faced by people living here are more about water politics than actual supply. Too much is sent to the wrong places during the dry cycles, and often not enough to the same places during the wet cycles...

If you want to see a complex area of law and politics unique to California, study water law...

Also... those wetlands do now make up our agricultural 'bread basket'... Like the Hetch hetchy reservoir - reverting it back to it's native stance might actually cause more harm than it repairs... thus why environmentalists end up fighting each other in these debates. Do note though that restoring wetlands has been a BIG thing in California since the 1990s - everywhere it can be done. Mostly the coastal wetlands that were also drained because 19th and 20th century folk saw them as 'blight' or 'wasted land' and didn't know how vital they were to the local ecosystems.

 

 

Edited October 5, 2020 by Pussycat Catnap

[Luna Bliss]

Now the White House press secretary is testing positive for Covid as well as 2 of her deputies.  The Rose Garden Massacre where Barrett was nominated keeps on giving.  The White House is a petri dish.

I have hope that they'll all start wearing masks, but I won't hold my breath.

Edited October 5, 2020 by Luna Bliss

[Paul Hexem]

1 hour ago, Luna Bliss said:

It's time you stopped generalizing

 

1 hour ago, Luna Bliss said:

like the typical conservative you

 

22 minutes ago, Seicher Rae said:

you are "seeing 'em" through blinders of FOX and 4Chan

I do tend to take blatant personal slurs personally

Yeah, I guess if anyone's going to point out how much I generalize people, it should be hypocrites, right?

This disease really does bring out the worst in people.

[Luna Bliss]

Asshats need to apologize. Especially in times of Covid where many more will become disabled and fight for help.

Edited October 5, 2020 by Luna Bliss

[Luna Bliss]

43 minutes ago, Seicher Rae said:

We need an FU emoticon.

I just use a photo of Trump. In these times of Covid, where if elected again his plan is to throw millions off health insurance and remove pre-existing condition protections in his gunning for the dismantling of Obamacare, it suffices. 

Thousands will die as a result.

Due to this Covid crisis many more are losing their jobs, and the health insurance connected to it. Fortunately, the Biden plan will cover everyone, even the jobless, when the public option is chosen within his plan:

https://joebiden.com/healthcare/#

Edited October 5, 2020 by Luna Bliss

[Seicher Rae]

15 minutes ago, Paul Hexem said:

 

 

Yeah, I guess if anyone's going to point out how much I generalize people, it should be hypocrites, right?

This disease really does bring out the worst in people.

And just, what, exactly, am I being a hypocrite about, Paul? You called "me" out by inferring that anyone on SSDI is a blight on society. I took that personally and said you don't know what you are talking about, because, wait for it: You don't.

You absolutely generalized everyone on SSDI.

Stating fact is not the definition of hypocrite.

PS: You quoted me along with Luna. I have no idea what you two are talking about as I do not see her posts, so stop lumping me in with other people... another generalization on your part.

Edited October 5, 2020 by Seicher Rae

[Amina Sopwith]

29 minutes ago, Seicher Rae said:

Oh you guys. Sheez. Stop being so competitive in the governmental incompetency game.

We are WORLD BEATING. 

[Lyssa Greymoon]

1 minute ago, Amina Sopwith said:

We are WORLD BEATING. 

"Hold my beer." -The United States of America.

[Amina Sopwith]

3 minutes ago, Lyssa Greymoon said:

"Hold my beer." -The United States of America.

I'm sure the President will make a full recovfefe 

[Luna Bliss]

Many people are going to die from indirect damage caused by coronavirus infections, possibly many years past the time they battled and overcame their initial assault, as it can damage many organs.

There are few experiences more horrible than not being able to be with or support a loved one in the process of dying, or to be a person dying alone without the support of loved ones. Of course this is a scenario playing out today when a hospital deems it necessary to keep non-ill family members safe when a contagious family member is initially battling a Covid infection.

Before LGBTQ citizens enjoyed marriage rights this was their plight -- loved ones dying without the support of their partner -- as hospitals frequently only allowed legal 'family' into a dying person's room and a gay person's partner was viewed as no more important than a casual friend. In other cases family members did not want the gay partner in the room due to their prejudice -- despite the dying person's wishes.

And now, because of a conservative court becoming even more conservative as we speak, we are moving toward this horrific scenario again. Here is the attitude we're seeing now with the opinion of two conservative judges who are placing religious liberty rights above all others:

~~

"The opinion lays down a marker that at least some of the justices already view the court's recognition of a constitutional right to same-sex marriage as an affront to religious liberty, and so may well use the latter to scale back the former in future cases," Vladeck said.

"Especially at this moment in time, with major religious liberty cases already in the pipeline and in the middle of a contentious confirmation fight the result of which could move the court sharply to the right on these issues, it's a telling -- and ominous -- message for the court's two longest-serving conservatives to send," he added.

~~

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/supreme-court-justices-thomas-and-alito-lash-out-at-same-sex-marriage-decision/ar-BB19ISw5?ocid=uxbndlbing
 

Edited October 5, 2020 by Luna Bliss

[Paul Hexem]

3 hours ago, Seicher Rae said:

You called "me" out by inferring that anyone on SSDI is a blight on society.

That's not what I wrote.

I wrote "I know people". Specific people. Specific people aren't "anyone on SSDI". Those are two completely different statements.

Go back and read it again if you need to.

3 hours ago, Seicher Rae said:

Stating fact is not the definition of hypocrite.

Nothing about your rants at me have anything to do with facts. You made up a statement in your own head to be offended by, attributed it to me, then proceeded to bring up other websites to try to prove I was somehow as bad as them.

I don't know if it's the state of the world right now or what, but we as a civilization need to stop being so desperate to find things about each other to be offended by. 

[Sukubia Scarmon]

@Paul Hexem Well, how *do* you know those people are basically gaming the system?
I certainly read that you wrote that you know some people - I have no trouble with that statement in and on itself. It's natural that there are people who game such systems, like Seicher said. My issue is purely with the statement that you call them like you see them - which does sound like you just take a look at them, don't see a disability, and judge them unfairly for it. 

[Paul Hexem]

2 hours ago, Sukubia Scarmon said:

@Paul Hexem Well, how *do* you know those people are basically gaming the system?
I certainly read that you wrote that you know some people - I have no trouble with that statement in and on itself. It's natural that there are people who game such systems, like Seicher said. My issue is purely with the statement that you call them like you see them - which does sound like you just take a look at them, don't see a disability, and judge them unfairly for it. 

The line itself is an idiom. It doesn't actually mean judging people or things on looks alone.

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/call it%2Fthem like one sees it%2Fthem

[Eggy UwU]

I cannot believe this pandemic is still going on cause people are dumb. That's all.

[Pomeline Pancake]

On 10/4/2020 at 1:11 PM, Paul Hexem said:

I have to fill out two forms every day and pay for my own PPE for work- If I don't, I'll be fired.

If I try to claim quarantine and not go to work, I'll be fired.

If I catch covid and can't work, I'll be fired. The only place I'm going to catch covid, because it's the only place I go, is at work.

Up until recently, people not working were getting their unemployment benefits, plus a big bonus check. I know people collecting all forms of disability so they don't have to work or pay taxes.

I clearly picked the wrong career, this whole "honest work" thing is overrated.

Truly sorry for what you're going through. I hope you make it out of your situation okay. 2020 has been a dumpster fire. The loss of stability and loved ones... Well there are no words fit to comfort.

It's a shame that some people you know are abusing the system. Unfortunately there's no other way for others to make it in this world if they're severely impacted by a disability.

Not an exhaustive list: quadriplegia, paraplegia, loss of limbs, spina bifida, multiple sclerosis, muscular dystrophy, blindness, deafness, traumatic brain injury, stroke, cerebral palsy, epilepsy, narcolepsy, severe ptsd, schizophrenia, fetal alcohol syndrome, intellectual disability, down syndrome, tourettes, and autism spectrum disorder.

Everyone could benefit from kindness and help in these times. Abled and disabled alike.

[Cindy Evanier]

@Amina Sopwith I saw this and thought of you 

[Paul Hexem]

10 hours ago, Pomeline Pancake said:

It's a shame that some people you know are abusing the system. Unfortunately there's no other way for others to make it in this world if they're severely impacted by a disability.

I think it's more likely that there are, but the people in power just aren't creative or motivated enough to put them into working order.

[Qie Niangao]

On 10/4/2020 at 11:12 AM, Ceka Cianci said:

In the U.S. we're doing close to a million tests a day and been staying right around the 4.7% positivity rate..

Which 5% or below shows a slowing of the spread..

Not here. Ontario's test positivity rate is about 1.8%, yet our Rₜ is about 1.05 -- meaning the spread of infection is still increasing. Looking at the slope of the case count, it's spreading pretty fast. (That Rₜ must determine the exponent on the growth curve, but I'm neither mathematician nor epidemiologist enough to know quite how.)

Presumably, the more testing one does, the lower the positivity rate should be to represent the same rate of spread. I guess there's much more testing here than in most of the US, but there's still nowhere near enough to satisfy public health objectives. In fact, the rising wave of cases now forced them to reserve testing capacity for only symptomatic and certain contact-traced cases, except for a weird parallel path of asymptomatic-only testing at select pharmacies. All testing is now by appointment only.

The problem is that by late summer we had the count down far enough to plausibly start re-opening things, but nobody in politics had the guts to clamp back down when the case counts started rising, just before school opened. Now it's a mess, by no means totally attributable to schools, but the virus has now left contact tracing far behind, so nobody knows anymore where all these cases are coming from -- including many in schools -- so I really don't put a lot of stock in the claim that kids don't spread the virus. 

Just in passing: Quebec's statistics are much, much worse than elsewhere in Canada, including Ontario. Only the Atlantic provinces really have it under control -- and they're wisely maintaining a "bubble" not letting anybody else in without strict and extended quarantine.

On 10/4/2020 at 12:16 PM, FairreLilette said:

I hate meat.  I don't like it.  There is nothing like California fresh eating with avocados. 

Possibly California still grows some avocados, but up here all I ever see are from Mexico, and that's not a happy story. In our house, we feel much less guilty about eating some meat than about an occasional avocado indulgence.