thecampster

GAH!!!!!!! https://www.yahoo.com/news/screw-covid-250-000-bikers-083423022.html

They lifted her suspension today. I'm thinking legal got to the principal and said, "make it so".

So I can't imagine a world where the kid who posted the picture and criticized the school doesn't win in court for a government entity restricting his freedom of speech. That was a really really bad choice by the school.

At some point the whoopin stick has to come out and they're going to have to shut it down completely or go back to normal and suck it up. This mixed messaging is doing more harm than good.

IMHO, the first shutdown held too many jobs as "essential". What we need to do to get a handle on this is shut the country down for 6 weeks. Tell everyone its coming to give people time to stock up on 6 weeks worth of good and then shut everything down except for fire, ambulance, police and hospital services. Freeze mortgages and rents for 2 months. My fear here is from a civil liberties point of view people will balk. From an economic point of view it will be devastating (short term), but this death by a thousand paper cuts approach is more damaging in my opinion. Don't reopen for 6 weeks. Cut off everything. I want an all or nothing approach. Little changes aren't stopping this and it was evident from the start. I posted 2 maps on a Facebook forum today and I'll share them here. The first link is where the protests happened. The second link is Covid cases in the US. I saw early reports that the protests didn't lead to this surge, but the numbers and maps suggest they went hand in hand (along with Memorial day barbecues and beaches reopening). Basically, exposure leads to exposure. The maps are near identical. https://www.dropbox.com/s/q10a56wo15zr3vz/protests.jpg?dl=0 https://www.dropbox.com/s/pwbogsl2ng4cgmo/covid cases.jpg?dl=0

Just be careful tossing around the term expert. There are thousands of people working in the field right now with hundreds of opinions on this. There are idiots in the doctors for Trump group who are infectious disease experts. Lets not be giving "anyone" that title on this until they have a handle on it. My comment wasn't comparing them to lay people, my comment was in regards to the term 'expert'. I'm listening to the people I'm supposed to but I'm also questioning what I hear with healthy doses of inquisition. You and I have been in 90% agreement on this thing other than my choosing risk avoidance techniques over blindly slapping cotton on my face and running into traffic. No reason to pick conflict where none exists. Everything posted doesn't need to be argued.

I used to live in classic Puma's when I was young. Only one pair of suedes.

G4's are nice if you roll ankles a lot, soft fit, no chaffing. Look is meh? But I'm a thick dude. I like east west support.

One thing I annoyingly repeat to anyone who will listen is there is no such thing right now as a Covid-19 expert. I think the best position to be in right now is humility and remembering there is still more we don't know than we do know. https://www.yahoo.com/news/got-coronavirus-while-pregnant-months-181557384.html

Movie, the Fisher King.

that's a really good point. These religious or group think communities are now just as virtual as real.

Very curious. This is not a gotcha or anything. Have you spent much time in fundamentalist or apocalyptic churches? If you spend much time in them, you hear a great deal about the final days. About how the government, media, entertainment are all wings of the devil. Preachers will hammer how "the elect" will be tortured and thrown in prison, even killed in the last days for their belief. They are told that great tragedies will befall mankind and the beast will use those tragedies to usher in his one world order. Parishioners are taught to distrust the media, the world, politicians. Its only one part of the puzzle but if you haven't, you should really get a glimpse into that world. Step into a 2 hour sermon that pushes the narrative that Satan (the adversary) is in everything. Imagine this is what you are fed every Wednesday evening service and twice a day on Sunday for 20 years. Then along comes a concerted government effort to strip away what you perceive to be your religious liberties (baking wedding cakes as you choose for example) and its followed by mandates to wear masks (comply or else). You've been taught to look for the signs until you start seeing them in every day life...even your kids cartoons or PokemonGo and then someone starts a brainwashing campaign to have you sing songs while you wash your hands. you've been told you'll have to receive a mark on your hand or forehead in order to survive and then someone starts telling you that you can't shop without a mask on and that sounds eerily similar to you. Imagine you are that parishioner who has staked their soul on that belief system. You've given 10% of your income for 20 years to that church. You've broken bread with them hundreds of times. Your best friends are part of the congregation. You all sit together on Sunday and the pastor starts ripping on masks. That's a hard red pill to swallow to break free from 20 years of being told to watch out for something just like this. and it isn't just religious folks. it's bikers, people yelling free bird. It's white nationalists, its anti-government types, civil libertarians. All with their own years of belonging to an order that is anti government, pro rebellion. It isn't as simple as climbing on board a plane without a licensed pilot. It is years of belief systems being challenged. If you want to understand the crazy mindset, you have to engage in some crazy person empathy. I try not to be too judgmental. Not with you or Mac on one side or people on the far other side. Its easier to change a thing when you understand a thing. FYI, multiple trips to the store and I still haven't gotten used to the mask. I'm seriously questioning if my breath has always been that hot.

*** THIS!!! ***

fit and comfort was Converse....though as previously mentioned, classic Puma's looked amazing.

But there is always a cause and effect for things. It is very rational, not only from the eye-test but from the numerous interviews on it that show that when people put on masks, they feel safer and therefore let their guard down. I mean it is quoting the head of the country's Actually there are studies about people driving differently who know they have airbags and antilock brakes.

Oh for Pete's sake man. I'm not getting baited by you on this. Its not worth arguing over. Was just an interesting article on the Dutch and I shared it. Why does everything have to be a gotcha game of who is smarter?

So person wears mask, its fairly self evident that if nothing changes its safer. But what the Dutch are pointing out is that the very act of putting on a mask changes peoples' behaviors from more important precautions...like hand washing, keeping your distance and not engaging in risky behaviors. Its the condom and pill argument. People put on a condom and say, sex is safe now and then engage in other risky behaviors they might not. Or girls taking the pill and having unprotected sex forgetting that there are other dangers from unprotected sex with strangers. I think the takeaway here is how these situations are never just cut and dry. Every behavior changes perceptions and other behaviors. I found it interesting in how it exposes the human condition. Mask wearing is only a very small part of the equation and should not change your other behaviors because of a false sense of confidence. The part about what's going on in the Netherlands is true though.

I wonder if their scientists have taken into account things like housing arrangements, healthcare types, tourist percentage, genetic factors, etc.

I suggest a full read of the following article. It makes many of the same claims I made about mask wearing affecting people's behaviors. Not saying pro or con, just saying it worth a read. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8583925/The-land-no-face-masks-Hollands-scientists-say-theres-no-solid-evidence-coverings-work.html

Here you are Mac....to get a feel for how much nonsense this is. Here is a link to Felicity Solar's 10kw (or 12.5) battery and what it looks like. https://www.felicitysolar.com/lifepo4-lithium-battery-lpbt48250-10kwh_p51.html Okay so this thing is about 1/6th the capacity of what is in my Chevy Bolt (which can go 240 miles between charges). The dimensions are 22" wide x 24" deep by 15" high. It weighs 126kg (or for you metricly challenged in the US, 277lbs. 2 of these will provide enough power to provide what I need after the sun goes down and till it comes back up (all things being good). Here is a very cartoony video that will help any novice understand the basic principle of solar panel, to inverter to battery to home. And here is a 6+ minute video that shows how to install their stuff (its basic and off-grid only but will help you get the idea of how it goes together) Lastly a video showing an 8kw roof install of a solar array.

The Lithium Titanate batteries never materialized. They were Lifepo and the factory was engaging in shady bait and switch. In the end, I found a really good deal on batteries from Felicity Solar, 2x12.5 kwh (25kwh) for about $4200 delivered which is an insane price. Everything is finally ordered, a few things have already arrived. Just waiting on permits and a project timeline now.

RIP - Herman Cain https://www.yahoo.com/huffpost/herman-cain-dead-covid-143229190.html

Solar panels come with a 10-12 year workmanship warranty (some have 25 years) and a 25 year production warranty (80% production even after 25 years). Batteries are a mixed bag. Lead acid 3-5 years, Gel 5-6, Lithium ION 7-10 (tesla/LG Chem and other varieties), Lithium Iron Phosphate 10+, Lithium Iron Titanate anywhere from 10-30 years depending on how much you deplete/refill them. First 3 all have US suppliers (at least in part). Last 2 pretty much are made overseas and are cheaper and better but not in the US much yet.

By the way, if you haven't streamed "The Good Place", you're borderline failing at life.