Europe is once again the epicenter of the pandemic, with more Covid cases being reported each day on the continent than at any previous point.
NYT
It Ain’t Over
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User-Supported News Commentary Hosted by Craig Crawford
’til it’s over over there
here’s something to remember from march last year and perhaps take to heart again
by “stay at home,” it’s wiser for you and kinder to your fellow citizens to not hop on a crowded plane, bus or car just to see uncle bubba you don’t like anyway. that also goes for frenzied midnight sales, bar hopping or football and basketball games.
the song “i’ll be home for christmas” should be the anthem of the day.
vaxed or unvaxed, stay away from crowds. if you can’t, wear a damn mask!
🙂 please 🙂
meanwhile from the guardian: Joe Biden is set to announce new actions to combat the coronavirus, including a nationwide campaign encouraging vaccine boosters, an expansion of at-home tests and tighter restrictions on international travel. Buffeted by the emergence of the Omicron variant and a political backlash from Republicans, the US president will visit the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland, on Thursday and lay out a pandemic battle plan for the winter months. Biden will announce steps to ensure that the nearly 100 million eligible Americans who have not yet received their booster shot do so as soon as possible, the White House said. There is new urgency to the effort after the first US case of the Omicron variant of Covid-19 was identified in California on Wednesday. The president will pledge to expand pharmacy availability during December while pharmacy partners send millions of texts, calls, and emails to eligible customers with information on how to schedule an appointment or walk in for a booster shot. There will also be a public education campaign to encourage adults to get boosters, with a particular focus on the elderly. It will feature paid advertising across multiple channels, engagement with community organisations and media campaigns. […] The emergence of Omicron has demonstrated the tenacity of the virus, which continues to drag down Biden’s political fortunes. Voters are divided on his handling of the pandemic, with 47% approving and 49% disapproving, according to a recent Washington Post/ABC News poll. But the White House defended his record, for example by… Read more »
Here’s to 2023! 🥂
Last night, I had a dream that the guy I asked about making an appointment for my booster started writing on my card. I said it was too soon and I just wanted an appointment, so he whited out what he had written down as well as my second shot. I was so upset, but it turned out to be a copy and I still had my original card. Pandemic dreams.
https://www.texastribune.org/2021/12/01/texas-election-winter-storm/
“Gov. Greg Abbott says he can “guarantee” there won’t be blackouts this winter in Texas after one that knocked out power for some people for four days last February. “
“In spite of the confident assurances from Texas officeholders, there’s still a risk that your power will go off in the face of a big winter storm in the next few months.“
https://www.texastribune.org/2021/11/30/coronavirus-texas-legislature-vaccine-mandate-ban/
“A growing number of Texas Republicans are pushing for lawmakers to return to the state Capitol for a fourth overtime round of legislating to pass laws banning COVID-19 vaccine mandates.“
Because Texas Republicans are just that stupid…and definitely NOT pro life.
“… there’s still a risk that your power will go off in the face of a big winter storm in the next few months.“
[gregg, the unluv guv]
BiD, that sounds like he knows it’s certain to happen. motto for texans: better buy better blankets.
probably no need for tx legislature to fight the mandates, their beloved unvaxed will likely be frozen to death before dying of covid anyway.
pro-l
ife-death GOPer rally cry: “let’s do it for thegippergrim reaper!”The only guarantee Abbott can make is that he’ll do everything he can to pander to the most stupid 50%+ 1 of Texas voters.
BTW District Court Judge Terry A. Doughty and U.S. District Judge Matthew T. Schelp , each of whom issued a nationwide injunctions against the Biden administration healthcare vaccination mandate for healthcare providers receiving Medicare and Medicaid funds and Doughty said the injunction — which is subject to appeal — was needed to protect the “liberty interests of the unvaccinated.” should be immediately appealed and impeachment proceedings against them should be initiated immediately. Stupid fucks.
Warm December. Just like last year.
I just read Schlep’s opinion and IMHO it is an embarrassing results oriented display of legal sophistry posing as legal analysis. If this is the future of opinions from the federal bench we are truly screwed.
George Seurat’s 162 birthday. So soon after Sondheim’s death you can understand why all the stars gathered to sing about all the colors
david horsey column in seattle times
I put my mask back on last summer after my exBIL’s sister was in the hospital for 3 weeks. This was a woman who as a nurse, had caught covid, pre vaccine, then was vaccinated. She should have been totally immune.
Since then I know of a covid death from a vaccinated person in the neighborhood.
So I’m fully vaccinated and doing all precautions.
Jack
angela’s one tough lady BBCnews: New Covid rules are act of national solidarity – Merkel The Covid measures just announced by Germany are an “act of national solidarity” in order to “get the infection rate down and take the pressure off our health system”, Chancellor Angela Merkel says. “The number of infections has stabilised, but on a far too high a level,” she adds. On Thursday, Germany recorded 73,000 new Covid cases and 388 deaths. Just under 70% of Germany’s population is vaccinated against Covid – lower than several European countries, including France and the UK. Germany is also restricting the number of people who can meet inside and the country is closing nightclubs in regions with high numbers of cases. Merkel announced the new measures alongside her successor Olaf Scholz, who is set to formally take over as chancellor next week. Scholz says Germany is in a “very, very difficult situation” and getting unvaccinated people to get the jab is crucial to halt a new wave of infections. […] Germany bans unvaccinated people from shops and bars Germany has announced sweeping new restrictions for people who have not been vaccinated against Covid. Chancellor Angela Merkel says unvaccinated people will be barred from many public places, including non-essential shops and events, unless they have recently recovered from Covid. “Culture and leisure nationwide will be open only to those who have been vaccinated or recovered,” Merkel says. “We have understood that the situation is very serious and that we want to… Read more »
hyper-contagious plus mild symptoms might equal end of pandemic
…will always be endemic
All this knee-jerk terror about omicron is unjustified, it might not be so bad
You can live a life in society safely, you don’t need to lock yourself in a closet unless you’re immunocompromised
Still moving. No real kitchen now and with my covid fears I’m eating a lot of baloney sandwiches and drive through food. Interesting thing about baloney as opposed to almost everything else I buy. The price on good baloney has gone down. And no “good baloney” is not an oxymoron. If you think so then you really haven’t had to live on cheap baloney.
btw, if you talk about eating cat food as living in poverty, you are showing how out of touch you are, It costs more to feed my cat or dog than it does me.
Jack
Remember in the beginning when people would say “i wear my mask, i must have gotten it through my eyes!”
Nah. They got sloppy and probably had snot-nosed kids.
You can live on eggs, rice, and beans for $20 a week
“i wrapped myself in cellophane i musta gotten it through my toenails, guys, never go anywhere!”
😒
Bink
I don’t have time to find it again but there was a study of how this virus changed overtime in in one individual. It was interesting in that the virus seems to be diverse enough genetically to rapidly evolve as different treatments were used on the patient.
Jack
i read the same article, jack
ok wear your mask, keep a bottle of purell (sp?) in your pocket, stay away from kids and republicans, and have a great day! 🌞✌️😎
In comparing insurance plans, I happened to go to Social Security and was stunned. The payment to SS is now over $170 a month. Even with the super low Medicare insurance plans that means a “take home” of $1400 or less for majority of recipients.
Highest cost for most seniors even if they can care for themselves is rent which varies greatly by location.
Bink that menu didn’t include any fruits or vegetables, the cat food might be more nutricious.
GOP is a death cult determined to see Covid kill as many as possible to win House and Senate. Wish Biden would just go ahead and say that.
Republicans hoot and holler about “sanctity of life” for fetuses, but want the unvaccinated to die
our governor had the state health department do a study on the effectiveness of mask mandates. Didn’t like the results so it was never release.
It is what happens when you politicize a pandemic.
Biden doesn’t have to politicize it by calling it a death cult, Just get the truth out there.
Jack
You’re right, i forgot “ketchup”
*runs, ducks, grins in that order*
Trump’s latest daily scam to fleece the cult. I can’t imagine anyone want this crud hanging on their walls.
this has the makings of one of those old-fashioned murder mysteries worthy of detective lt. colombo and ofc friday. could it be someone (a rabid magaT perhaps who was offended by his SNL portrayal of former guy) was out to get alec by planting a gun set to misfire? a new conspiracy ready to go viral.
‘Rust’ assistant director maintains Alec Baldwin’s claim he didn’t pull trigger in fatal shooting: attorney | Fox News
Baloney with yellow mustard.
I have been working on being calm. The group formerly known as the Supremes are hell Benton forcing women and children to be breeding stock again. Chattel. Next will be gay marriage. Loss of any protections for non-white people. Only cerwhite males will have ant standing, just like 1740.
If I know my ma man Biden he ain’t gonna take this court acting out….playin the fool……
If you wake up around 1 or 2 am and can’t sleep……baloney sandwich…..like a sleeping pill. —zzzzzzzzz—
Now that Trump Court has abolished voting rights and ready to ban abortion rights, same sex marriage next.
Sometimes I wonder what can be done to calm our nerves. Although not original, get out of the house. Go do something. A walk or run. A stroll though somewhere. Visit an art exhibit. Buy a fishing lure. The worst thing I have seen is people (like me) hiding in the house. For some of us this is extremely difficult. But, as I have found, it is worth doing.
Of course protesting bad things is good and a way of getting out of doors.
Poobah, is it ever?
Gotta say I’m getting fatigued. And disgusted. And disillusioned. I went to law school and developed a healthy respect for SCOTUS and a deeper respect for the institutions of this country. I have lost that respect in the course of 2 years – after 33 years in the profession and a couple weeks shy of 70 years knocking around this place. And to think I thought the Reagan years were bad. They were a fucking oasis in comparison to the DUMBASS YEARS. The problem – we’re stuck with the DUMBASS SCOTUS lineup for decades. Italy or Argentina are beginning to look really attractive to me. Mrs. P is thinking Italy (she is eligible for Italian citizenship if she can sustain through the application process). I, on the other hand, love Malbec. It’s an intriguing prospect, and until now, other than just being in love with France, I never rally considered moving to a country whose language i don’t speak. I’m past that. Babel and I may just become acquainted.
“Republican bill that limits how race, slavery and history are taught in Texas schools becomes law”
https://www.texastribune.org/2021/12/02/texas-critical-race-theory-law/
“The new civics training mandated by the new law that requires attendance by at least one teacher and one campus administrator from each district will be created by the Texas Education Agency and it must be implemented no later than the 2025-2026 school year.“
“There are more than 1,200 school districts in Texas. The cost to develop and implement the training program alone would be about $14.6 million annually…”
“Abbott said more needed to be done to “abolish” critical race theory in Texas classrooms…”
~Greg Abbott, abolishionist~
Jamie – I’m betting at least one of my relatives will have that calendar proudly displayed somewhere.
https://www.cnet.com/health/moderna-booster-shot-update-new-guidance-programs-stats-to-know-as-omicron-arrives/
“Moderna is currently working on an omicron-specific booster vaccine, along with testing a COVID-19 vaccine that could protect against several mutated strains of the coronavirus.“
“The Moderna booster authorized by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is a 50-microgram dose, while the first two shots were each 100 micrograms.”
“If Moderna needs to make a new vaccine modified for the variant, it could be available early in 2022.“
NEW THREAD