Coronavirus: Already In a Neighborhood Near You

[Motown Bombers]

Virginia is getting everything it deserves. There should be no recall and they should have to endure four years of Youngkin. 

[Archie]

They are protesting the vax mandates in Canada now.  

https://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/freedom-convoy-rally-hits-parliament-hill-demanding-end-to-vaccine-mandates-1.5759070

[oblong]

I spent the weekend in Chicago. They mandate masks indoors. And any place you consume food requires proof of vaccination.  Starbucks. Restaurants.  Donut shops.  It was a good system. Of course I was downtown

[buddha]

27 minutes ago, oblong said:

I spent the weekend in Chicago. They mandate masks indoors. And any place you consume food requires proof of vaccination.  Starbucks. Restaurants.  Donut shops.  It was a good system. Of course I was downtown

its like that everywhere, but its not always enforced.

 

[Motown Bombers]

It's a death cult.

 

[oblong]

1 hour ago, buddha said:

its like that everywhere, but its not always enforced.

 

I was wondering how it was outside of the city.  We got in Friday and walked around the mile and went into stores to warm up and shop. Didn’t really go outside of a mile radius from state and lake except for a ride up the red train to wrigley just to see it. I didn’t see a single mask less person inside. The only time we were not asked for our proof was Starbucks this morning but I saw them ask someone else. 
 

Saturday around 4 we walked down state street to the Harold Washington library. I didn’t know that’s what it was and wanted to see what the building was.  Things started to look a little shaky. Getting hit up for money…. that kind of thing. 
 

for some reason I thought stuff was further apart and probably didn’t need rhe 3 day passes.  I anticipated a few bus rides.  It was cold but not that bad. 

[buddha]

2 hours ago, oblong said:

I was wondering how it was outside of the city.  We got in Friday and walked around the mile and went into stores to warm up and shop. Didn’t really go outside of a mile radius from state and lake except for a ride up the red train to wrigley just to see it. I didn’t see a single mask less person inside. The only time we were not asked for our proof was Starbucks this morning but I saw them ask someone else. 
 

Saturday around 4 we walked down state street to the Harold Washington library. I didn’t know that’s what it was and wanted to see what the building was.  Things started to look a little shaky. Getting hit up for money…. that kind of thing. 
 

for some reason I thought stuff was further apart and probably didn’t need rhe 3 day passes.  I anticipated a few bus rides.  It was cold but not that bad. 

lots of homeless go to that library all the time.  stinks the place up.

i worked in that big red building you probably walked by.  its right by the library.  i would get off on the harold washington stop.  every day there was an open drug market in that little square by john marshall.  people patroling the area for the drug sellers.  junkies all over the place.  one day they got into a fight (surprise) and a bunch of people followed a guy into the red line stop underground, chased him onto a train, and executed him right in front of the passengers.

the next day cpd had a marked car parked in the square every day.  miraculously, the drug dealing and the violence stopped.  not sure if its still there cause my company moved to the other side of the loop.

Edited January 31, 2022 by buddha

[gehringer_2]

3 hours ago, Motown Bombers said:

It's a death cult.

 

He's  just a great selfless service - to the next person on the transplant list....

[casimir]

8 hours ago, gehringer_2 said:

He's  just a great selfless service - to the next person on the transplant list....

My mom was on kidney transplant lists for a couple of years.  Her blood type hampered the efforts as it was simply tough to find a match, but she did what she was instructed to do.  Took her meds, watched her diet & activity, kept up with dialysis, followed medical guidance, etc.  She eventually got matched with a donor, but it didn't work out, the kidneys failed, and so she endured 4 surgeries within 4 days (the kidney transplant, 2 lesser procedures, and then the eventual kidney removal) and then went back to the list.  She never had another opportunity.

If folks on transplant lists don't want to follow the protocols, that's fine.  Simply bypass them and move on to the next person that's willing and able.

[oblong]

13 hours ago, buddha said:

lots of homeless go to that library all the time.  stinks the place up.

i worked in that big red building you probably walked by.  its right by the library.  i would get off on the harold washington stop.  every day there was an open drug market in that little square by john marshall.  people patroling the area for the drug sellers.  junkies all over the place.  one day they got into a fight (surprise) and a bunch of people followed a guy into the red line stop underground, chased him onto a train, and executed him right in front of the passengers.

the next day cpd had a marked car parked in the square every day.  miraculously, the drug dealing and the violence stopped.  not sure if its still there cause my company moved to the other side of the loop.

Yes I did see the big red building.

I forgot how much I liked Chicago.  It's a big city but not too big.  We had breakfast at Wildberry near the park, everybody suggested it.  It was really good.  Didn't need lunch.  

Went to the Art Museum to kill time and I've come to the conclusion that a lot of Art is basically the same thing as crypto currency and NFT's... something is great because they said it's great.  An artist reaches a certain level and people just assume it's good and will believe any explanation. There was literally just a giant painting that was gray.  That's it.  Just gray paint.

There was also a sink mounted to the wall... looked like a trough from Tiger Stadium or Joe Louis.  It was art supposedly.

 

[CMRivdogs]

When we lived there 20 plus years ago I found it very walkable. Except for the part of walking between Union Station and the State of Illinois Building. Of course once I hit the Loop, it was deserted after 5 PM.

We lived downtown for a couple of years (State and Superior). I had the reverse commute. My wife worked in Streeterville (the old CBS building is no longer, newer parking garage). She could walk to work. We tolerated the North Michigan Ave tourist crowd and busses. Good restaurants in any direction.  

[buddha]

4 hours ago, oblong said:

Yes I did see the big red building.

I forgot how much I liked Chicago.  It's a big city but not too big.  We had breakfast at Wildberry near the park, everybody suggested it.  It was really good.  Didn't need lunch.  

Went to the Art Museum to kill time and I've come to the conclusion that a lot of Art is basically the same thing as crypto currency and NFT's... something is great because they said it's great.  An artist reaches a certain level and people just assume it's good and will believe any explanation. There was literally just a giant painting that was gray.  That's it.  Just gray paint.

There was also a sink mounted to the wall... looked like a trough from Tiger Stadium or Joe Louis.  It was art supposedly.

 

marcel duchamp.  challenging you as to what is art and what is not.  i dont particularly like that kind of art (or much of any modern art), but that's what it is.  

but there is truth to that criticism of art.  i like art that is beautiful, and there is plenty of that in the art museum.  im not much of an impressionist guy, but the best way to see them is to look at what art was and how they changed it.  from pictures of monarchy and battles and jesus to pictures of trains, haystacks, and people on the street.  it was quite a revolution.

similar to going from haystacks and lillypads amd people on the street to urinals to picasso and leger to soup cans and mao to "ce n'est pas un pipe".

but i'm a sucker for the medieval.  so i always head to the suits of armor and the pictures of monks praying and jesus dying.  

[buddha]

4 hours ago, CMRivdogs said:

When we lived there 20 plus years ago I found it very walkable. Except for the part of walking between Union Station and the State of Illinois Building. Of course once I hit the Loop, it was deserted after 5 PM.

We lived downtown for a couple of years (State and Superior). I had the reverse commute. My wife worked in Streeterville (the old CBS building is no longer, newer parking garage). She could walk to work. We tolerated the North Michigan Ave tourist crowd and busses. Good restaurants in any direction.  

the loop is a ghost town now compared to what it was pre covid.  still lots of people on michigan avenue.  the whole area is transitioning from high end stores for tourists and office spaces to condos and places for locals to buy goods and hang out.  its the fastest growing part of the city.

[CMRivdogs]

But we can't afford the apartment we had in the late 90's. 48th floor catty corner from Holy Name, Lake view (now gone due to new construction). Shortly before we left I found that Paul Konerko lived there right after he was traded to the Sox. A doorman told me a couple other ball players lived there briefly during the season.

[gehringer_2]

Washtenaw CO reporting only 173 cases today. Down ~90% from the peak a couple weeks ago. Case rate under 50/100K.  We used to think that was an outrageously high number, now we just hope the report isn't  an outlier.

Edited January 31, 2022 by gehringer_2

[Tigerbomb13]

11 minutes ago, gehringer_2 said:

Washtenaw CO reporting only 173 cases today. Down ~90% from the peak a couple weeks ago. Case rate under 50/100K.  We used to think that was an outrageously high number, now we just hope the report isn't  an outlier.

Cases as a whole for the state are almost cut in half from a week ago. Hoping this is a good sign. 

[chasfh]

Cases are starting to drop and should continue to do so very quickly. I see by the CDC's estimation that 87% of all adults have had at least one shot, 72.5% are "fully vaccinated", and 56% have been boosted. Beyond that, there are several more percentage points we can add to these numbers that are people not vaccinated who have had COVID. I seem to remember learning way back when that COVID herd immunity would be achieved once 70% of adults obtain the COVID antibodies. Looks like we've passed that benchmark and then some.

So, I'm gonna say it: in my opinion, it's time to do away with the blunt force object that is restrictions for the mass population and declare the country open again. No more mask requirements in public, and no more proof of COVID tests in order to move about and do whatever your business is. At a certain point, I—someone who did it right by getting tripled vaxxed specifically so I could lead a normal life—should not be held responsible for protecting the health of those who refuse to protect themselves by having my liberty restricted in the same way theirs rightfully should be.

As for vaccinated populations who are still vulnerable to major problems from COVID, I think we've also just about gotten to the point where we are going to have to trust people who are routinely around such vulnerable populations to take greater care around them. I don't think society is well-served by severely restricting the 75% or so people who are both vaccinated and don't spend time around vulnerable populations, on the off chance that we can utilize such restrictions to protect the vulnerable people around those remaining 25% of vaccinated people. I think two years in, practically everyone who should hear the message about how to protect the vulnerable around them has already heard it, and many times over.

And, of course, if the militantly unvaxxed don't care enough to protect themselves, I don't believe I should care to have my liberty to breathe freely restricted to protect them. And they have been and will continue to gleefully ignore the rules anyway, so what's the point anymore?

I believe masking at this point should be strictly voluntary, and I do believe a substantial portion of the population will continue to do so anyway (e.g., my wife). I'd guess 10% to 20% will continue to wear the mask, at least at first. Some people like the mask—even if it's not helping what it's supposed to help, it's like a security blanket to some, and god bless their hearts. They're of course free to keep doing so. But requiring 100% of the population, including the 72.5% of vaccinated population, to carry on with the same restrictions we had 21 months ago is increasingly becoming bad policy.

I understand that tens of thousands more people will die of COVID before it's all over, but on the other hand, tens of thousands more will die regardless of whether we have the blunt force masking restrictions on 100% of the population in place, or a more surgical set of targeted restrictions in its place. We'll have basically the same outcome either way, and if that's the case, then what are we trying to accomplish here?

I'll continue to wear the mask as required, but I do think it's time to finally move beyond the blanket requirement for good.

[oblong]

2 hours ago, buddha said:

marcel duchamp.  challenging you as to what is art and what is not.  i dont particularly like that kind of art (or much of any modern art), but that's what it is.  

but there is truth to that criticism of art.  i like art that is beautiful, and there is plenty of that in the art museum.  im not much of an impressionist guy, but the best way to see them is to look at what art was and how they changed it.  from pictures of monarchy and battles and jesus to pictures of trains, haystacks, and people on the street.  it was quite a revolution.

similar to going from haystacks and lillypads amd people on the street to urinals to picasso and leger to soup cans and mao to "ce n'est pas un pipe".

but i'm a sucker for the medieval.  so i always head to the suits of armor and the pictures of monks praying and jesus dying.  

Damn I wish I had gotten to the medieval stuff. I was getting tired. It was around 3.30 and we wanted to walk around outside some more. I have sensory issues and after a while things become a blur.  Should have planned better. All the Asian stuff on the first floor probably overwhelmed me. I can’t shouldn’t read everything especially without my glasses and having to strain.  But there was good stuff there. 
 

I got yelled at for getting too close to one of the works by Pollack. I looked at it from the side to see how thick the paint was and I crossed the taped threshold on the floor. 

[Jim Cowan]

There used to be a sheet of plywood at the local art gallery that was painted in 3 vertical stripes of equal width.  I forget what they paid for it, something like $35,000.

[Sports_Freak]

1 hour ago, chasfh said:

 And, of course, if the militantly unvaxxed don't care enough to protect themselves, I don't believe I should care to have my liberty to breathe freely restricted to protect them. And they have been and will continue to gleefully ignore the rules anyway, so what's the point anymore?

That's why I question the need to send tests out. The unvaxxed and unmasked are the ones who need to be tested and they will not only refuse to, but if they somehow do get tested, they will not quarantine for 1 day, let alone 5 days. They....just don't care. About themselves or others. They're still telling people to take zinc and vitamin C to improve their immune system. Like a strong immune system will fight off a novel virus. Idiots.

[buddha]

32 minutes ago, oblong said:

Damn I wish I had gotten to the medieval stuff. I was getting tired. It was around 3.30 and we wanted to walk around outside some more. I have sensory issues and after a while things become a blur.  Should have planned better. All the Asian stuff on the first floor probably overwhelmed me. I can’t shouldn’t read everything especially without my glasses and having to strain.  But there was good stuff there. 
 

I got yelled at for getting too close to one of the works by Pollack. I looked at it from the side to see how thick the paint was and I crossed the taped threshold on the floor. 

they just re-did the armor room and now its really cool.  a whole bunch of suits of armor, swords and old guns.  

[Sports_Freak]

2 hours ago, CMRivdogs said:

But we can't afford the apartment we had in the late 90's. 48th floor catty corner from Holy Name, Lake view (now gone due to new construction). Shortly before we left I found that Paul Konerko lived there right after he was traded to the Sox. A doorman told me a couple other ball players lived there briefly during the season.

My son lives in Chicago. On West Addison. Funny story...my son's g-friend has worked with charities for years. She landed a job with the Chicago Cubs, working with their charity programs. Her first day, she got on the elevator and heard someone ask her to hold it. She told the guy the floor she was going to and he said he was also in the meeting. She introduced herself, as did he. Said his name was Ryne. She asked him how long he worked for the Cubs for. He said 20+ years and she was impressed. He then told he his name was Ryne Sandberg and he had played for the Cubs. And...he was in the Hall of Fame. Her response? "Well, that's nice" she got home and told my son and he freaked out. He had to explain to her who Ryne was and what the HOF is. She didn't/doesn't know anything about baseball. She's a Chicago native, too. She said she told Ryne she was embarrassed and he is a really nice guy and he understood. Now...can you imagine your significant other working with AL Kaline and not even knowing who he is? Lmao

[oblong]

5 minutes ago, Sports_Freak said:

My son lives in Chicago. On West Addison. Funny story...my son's g-friend has worked with charities for years. She landed a job with the Chicago Cubs, working with their charity programs. Her first day, she got on the elevator and heard someone ask her to hold it. She told the guy the floor she was going to and he said he was also in the meeting. She introduced herself, as did he. Said his name was Ryne. She asked him how long he worked for the Cubs for. He said 20+ years and she was impressed. He then told he his name was Ryne Sandberg and he had played for the Cubs. And...he was in the Hall of Fame. Her response? "Well, that's nice" she got home and told my son and he freaked out. He had to explain to her who Ryne was and what the HOF is. She didn't/doesn't know anything about baseball. She's a Chicago native, too. She said she told Ryne she was embarrassed and he is a really nice guy and he understood. Now...can you imagine your significant other working with AL Kaline and not even knowing who he is? Lmao

Like in Apollo 13 when Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin go to sit with Jim Lovell’s mom in the nursing home during the flight. “Are you boys in the space program too?”  

[Edman85]

1 hour ago, Sports_Freak said:

That's why I question the need to send tests out. The unvaxxed and unmasked are the ones who need to be tested and they will not only refuse to, but if they somehow do get tested, they will not quarantine for 1 day, let alone 5 days. They....just don't care. About themselves or others. They're still telling people to take zinc and vitamin C to improve their immune system. Like a strong immune system will fight off a novel virus. Idiots.

My biggest issue with them sending the tests out is the false negative rate of antigen tests.

 

For example, I talked to a friend who was feeling a bit under the weather before Christmas, fully vaxxed and boosted. Took a rapid antigen before flying up to visit family, negative. After landing, felt awful, got a PCR and was positive, quarantined and didn't expose family. N=1 anectdote, but I've spoken to many others whose antigen didn't detect their eventual covid.

[CMRivdogs]

1 hour ago, Sports_Freak said:

My son lives in Chicago. On West Addison. Funny story...my son's g-friend has worked with charities for years. She landed a job with the Chicago Cubs, working with their charity programs. Her first day, she got on the elevator and heard someone ask her to hold it. She told the guy the floor she was going to and he said he was also in the meeting. She introduced herself, as did he. Said his name was Ryne. She asked him how long he worked for the Cubs for. He said 20+ years and she was impressed. He then told he his name was Ryne Sandberg and he had played for the Cubs. And...he was in the Hall of Fame. Her response? "Well, that's nice" she got home and told my son and he freaked out. He had to explain to her who Ryne was and what the HOF is. She didn't/doesn't know anything about baseball. She's a Chicago native, too. She said she told Ryne she was embarrassed and he is a really nice guy and he understood. Now...can you imagine your significant other working with AL Kaline and not even knowing who he is? Lmao

Part of my wife's job when we moved to Detroit was the Tiger's broadcast (also Red Wings and Lions). Essentially she was Ernie's last boss. When she had her first meeting with Phil Garner and his wife. She told him I grew up as a Pirate fan, our son was born the Summer after the 1979 World Series. He's our only child. The Pirates haven't been back since. Phil was a bit embarrassed, his wife was quite amused.