NetFlix is fun

I've only recently begun a NetFlix subscription, so forgive my late excitement on the Crown, who knew Doctor who was the current Queen's father?

And now I've moved on, past many fun, fun shows (some of which I've seen before including Mad Men, and my husband is addicted to this one now) to The Roman Empire. As I am encased in my home, working from home, living from home, suffering from home, I watch Roman Empire at night as I complete grading for the day.

In 40 some BC, the loss of the Roman Republic occurs. It isn't until 1775 AD when a new republic is formed, the United States of America.

Here we are in 2020 AD and a power struggle (that has been looming for decades) is at a head.

Using "health" as a fear tactic, people are shuffled into isolation, cut off from family, friends. Schools are closed, businesses shuttered. In isolation, people are force-fed a diatribe of news feeds that are so far from unbiased it's rather sad as a demonstration of how journalism had died. Not a unique thought, idea or story.

Science, is far stronger than "health" and has proven time and time again the useless effect of face masks (findings, published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, suggest that neither surgical nor cloth masks are at all effective in stopping the spread of SARS-CoV-2.

That school closures are not only ineffective against disease, but also destructive to society. And the losers are the children as the selfish older generation ignore their pleas for a normal childhood. Again, science shows the school closures as an utter failure and useless measure. to reduce the transmission of COVID-19, many countries had instituted large-scale or national closure of schools by March, 2020. These actions appear largely based on assumptions that the benefits apparent in influenza outbreaks are also likely to be true for COVID-19. There are several theoretical reasons why school closures might be less effective in COVID-19 than in influenza outbreaks. Children contribute more to influenza transmission than do adults,25 with low levels of immunity and high levels of transmission due to symptomatic disease. However, in the COVID-19 pandemic thus far, children appear to form a much lower proportion of cases than expected from their population. In some previous coronavirus outbreaks, evidence suggested that transmission in schools was very low or absent.27 Although children appear to contract infection at the same rate as adults, they largely have mild or asymptomatic forms of the disease and appear to be less likely to spread the virus through coughing or sneezing; however, a precise understanding is as yet lacking. Notably, analyses using UK clinical data from the 1957 Asian influenza pandemic suggest that school closures would reduce the epidemic size by less than 10% when the R was similar to that of COVID-19 (ie, 2·5–3·5).48 Reviews also note that the benefits of school closure might be less than what have been assumed or modelled, as social contacts between children and between children and adults continue as part of informal childcare and non-school gatherings of children and young people.11 This conclusion is a particular concern for COVID-19, with its higher mortality among older people, as around 40% of the UK's grandparents provide regular childcare for their grandchildren.49

People in this disgusting age appear to me to be those who cherish the ideals of history in a very sad way. They want someone to tell them what to do every day, every moment, and to be lazy the rest of that time. They want the government to raise their children, because, they can't possibly make a breakfast, lunch or dinner for their child using WIC, SNAP, or EBT. They need more, more more more more more more. They need the boys and girls club to pick up their child at 6:30 in the morning, take them to breakfast, school, after-school activities, dinner and the deliver the child at 7:30pm at night. They need food packages delivered over the weekend, such a struggle, when the parent has the kids for two days.

These are the people who want to kill the US republic. Who want a dictator to rule their lives and raise the babies they are too lazy to be involved with.

You want Caesar? Well, Biden is not that man. He may be more akin to the months Caligula spent in a coma.

Blogs are funny in that you seem to blog out feelings, thoughts and it gets a little muddled. Therefore I feel the need to sum up here: I have a PhD in Molecular Microbiology. I am certain the reaction in the US to "Covid" is political rather than scientific. I am absolutely certain. I am so certain it is scary. I can provide all sorts of data and point out the epidemiological errors in the CDC reporting that (by the way) is changed almost daily to adjust for outliers. Every two weeks they change their reporting standards and, if you are not on top of it, you would miss the blatant excuses they are making for their previous reporting and that they are now counting in their numbers all: COVID 19 include; influenza-like-symptoms, probable COVID including a cough and temperature but not laboratory confirmed, and any pneumonia-like patients who may have a temperature and/or cough.

I didn't vote for Trump in the last election.

I will now.

The democrats have shown their hand. They want power, just power. They don't care about any of us. They never have and never will. They want a communist state. I don't want that. I want to live my life. I want my freedoms. Covid is a ploy, a power stroke. If you think I am wrong, look at the actual papers I've linked here. Those are peer-reviewed scientific papers.

It's time. Now. To grow up or get out.

If you want to be controlled, this is not your home.

If want your freedom, this is the time to fight for it. The state, the feds have No Right to close your business, to close your home, to lock you down. You do not have to Lie Down when they say you do. You are not their pet dog.

Quarantine only works under two circumstances: (1) You have a vaccine and subject the world to it (this is how we rid the world of small pox) (2)You have an effective treatment (we have effective HIV treatments to prevent the spread and the progression to AIDS). If you have neither, as in the case of the yearly cold virus epidemic, then quarantine is not only ineffective, it is detrimental to the progress of the virus leading to a longer progression time. SARS 01 effected the US in 2002. The virus "disappeared" in 2012.  Shall we quarantine for 10 years?? Ridiculous.

The current "hype" is political and nothing more than a bad cold and virus season. The deaths are not even close to the yearly deaths from Influenza alone.

Pathetic.

I'm in St. Louis. Not the greatest city I've visited. In fact the more I'm here the more I dislike the place. I try on every, lets call them "outings" to enjoy where I go without prejudice, but it is increasingly hard to dispel my negative feelings.

We came here because my father is supposed to have a heart surgery. However, they aren't sure at the moment if they can or will even do a surgery. So we are here stuck in the in the middle of tests.

I'm not complaining about the tests, I think that is cautious and reasonable seeing as my dad has been through 5 other open heart and 1 less invasive surgery.

No, I'm complaining about the city itself. I'm complaining about the general population here. No-one here seems to know or understand the bus or metrolink system. Of course neither will reliably take us from the place we are staying to the hospital or the airport. Taxis are a fortune and poorly run. By poorly run I mean people who don't know where they are going to the point where I am directing them from my iphone map, or others who drive like maniacs, keep you in the heat (no air) and blast horrible, horrible music. Worse still when we took my father to the hospital this morning the 'shuttle' and I use that term very, very lightly, pushed us into a small minivan without working air, in July, in the mid-south. The guy put us in and then closed all the doors and walked away. I no longer wonder why babies die in hot cars in the south, the people don't give a flying...... So I opened the doors and when the driver finally came back told him to start the car with air before closing the doors. He seemed offended. I didn't care. I don't treat my dog as poorly as he treated patients on their way to the hospital. Ass.

Then tonight, here's a kicker, I get stuck because of a thunderstorm a little ways from the place we are staying (a house for people and their families who are in the hospital), and I finally get back right next to the H-house and there is a Burger King. Score. I didn't get any food on my long walk after spending the entire day at the hospital with my mom and dad. I did go for a walk. I did get stuck by a lightning storm. I guess it's my fault that at 9:45 in the evening I might want a hot meal. So I try to go to the Burger King. The doors are locked, but I notice cars going to the drive-up window. I think, surely, they are right by a  place where sick people and their families are housed, they would surely sell me a burger, right? Wrong.

They were actually quite rude about it too. I had money in hand and could prove I was just from the H-house across the walk but no-go. You must have a car to get food in this city.

So I left and sat under a tree for a bit to compose myself. It wouldn't do any good for my parents to see tear stains.

I guess my message is: Don't go to Burger King or St. Louis, they are both kinda mean and there are a lot of better options out there. They don't deserve anyone's tears.

Tester the new

We officially opened our new building today. It's part of the new department I work in and is completely amazing. Our senator missed his plane and couldn't do a speech or grand tour. Not that it's that big of a deal. The students were awesome and everything went really well without our esteemed senator.

It's been a week of tests for me. I finally received corrections for my thesis, right in time for every faculty and staff meeting. Right in time for the big dedication ceremony. Right in time for the return of the students. Right in time for the start of my new project.

Not to be bitter mind you.

But it is a time of testing. Testing my patience (how many more meetings?!). Testing my knowledge (can I design a upper level class?). Testing my training (new experiments, new project). Testing my relationships (working with students, working with other faculty). Testing my organizational skills!!

So our building didn't get Testered, but I certainly got tested.

dinner on a boat

This weekend was an interesting one. I attended a fund-raiser dinner for a local basketball team, the Polson Pirates. Since I don't know anyone here yet, I bought a single ticket and went alone. You know, it's kind of scary to put yourself in a situation where everyone knows everyone and you're the odd man (or woman) out. It's a small town so almost everyone there have known each other since birth.

I almost didn't get on the boat. But as I sat there watching the dock load up with chatty people, all as couples or groups, I swallowed that loneliness bubble in my throat and got on the damn boat. I found a table up top and, with a deep breath and smile, I introduced myself to a couple sitting at one of the tables and asked if it would be OK if I could share their table. They were cool. Another couple, much older, sat at our table too. Three of the four were teachers and the older gentleman was a coach. We all chatted, entered into the raffle, (we all won something, lucky table), and had a couple drinks and laughs together. Later, after dinner and the lake tour, we all assembled for more raffle stuff and karaoke. I stayed for awhile and met a good chunk of the town.

You know, I almost didn't get on that boat. I'm really glad I did.

Running 4.5 mi tonight, but have to wait for it to cool down a bit.....

Clubs

I finally got my golf clubs up here (thanks mom and dad) and for good reason. There's a golf course practically on campus. Well, it may even be on campus, I'm not sure if they consider themselves part of our college or not. Doesn't really matter though, does it? The point of the matter is that I can step out the door, pick up my clubs and walk over to the driving range. For $2 I get a small bucket of balls and consequently spend my lunch alternately frustrated and elated.

On a constantly frustrated note, I'm trying to find a place to rent. There are advertisements for places, but no-one answers their phones. Out of five companies only one answered today and gave me some vague directions to a house for rent so I could drive by and check it out. Needless to say I didn't get to golf today. Rather I spent my time driving in circles on the west lake shore. But I did meet some locals in a bar this past weekend and one girl had a place going up for rent soon. I guess that means I'll have to go back to the bar to pick up the information she was going to leave for me. Darn, a beer after work. Well, we all do what we have to do in dire situations.

2-a-day

So yesterday I ran twice, once in the morning and once in the evening. I mostly did this because I was trying to make up for my lack of runs earlier. Still, it felt pretty good. I only did about 2 in the morning and about 4 in the evening. Today I'm thinking one about 5 mile run in the evening. But it's hot today so I'll definitely have to wait till later.

Finally got itunes up and running, note to everyone, their system is linked to UPS to verify your address. UPS does EVERYTHING IN CAPS, which is stupid and annoying. Whoever wrote the itunes script made it case sensitive so you HAVE TO WRITE YOUR ADDRESS IN CAPS ALL THE TIME. Which of course means you're literally screaming your address to everyone. Either that or you're trying to text or e-mail and you're over the age of 50. OK, that was mean, not everyone over the age of 50 has yet to figure out how to type on a computer, but it's a fair generalization. I like reading the comment section on our local newspaper (online) and you can always tell the older folks by their constant use of capital letters. Maybe they just get the button stuck? On the other hand at least they're online. One has to applaud that.

Another fun fact for the day, if you happen to be running an agarose gel and your mA are off the scale but your volts are low, your student probably made the running buffer too concentrated.

itunes is pissing me off

To run, I like great music.

It's a hell of a motivator to think you've got some tunes hot off the press to trot down the road to.

But itunes is being a bitch.

In my payment information, the system can't seem to come to grips with my address. It can't verify the address. I had this problem when setting it up for my Dad on his computer.

Apparently, the state of Montana may or may not actually be in the USA. There's a glitch that, after two weeks, they finally fixed. It's been a week for me and I'm starting to fume. This is stupid. I told them exactly what the problem is, but they can't seem to wrap their heads around it.

I'm going to keep sending e-mails until someone responds. At this point I've received only one e-mail back from them. It's now been two days. Their help center sucks. This is making me not want to run.

What a cruel, cruel virtual world it is.