Graduation Day

The Crew Cuts were a Canadian boys group popular when I was a teen.  Today I was trying to get the cd player in my clock radio to work, and pulled their disc from a Lakeside appearance a few years back. It worked after some button experimenting. Graduation Day wasn't their hit (it was Four Freshmen), but it came on. It was a 50s do-wap collection. Made me sort of sad for all the graduates who didn't get their big day.

With Mom in the dining room at 4 S. Hannah.  She was 45 and I was 17.

Dr. John Ioannidis

https://youtu.be/T-saAuXaPok

Many more have been infected by the virus than originally thought which actually lowers drastically the death rate figures. We have data now (April 30) that shows we need rational steps, not panic. The frail and elderly still need to be careful--but that was always the case with flu and pneumonia. Suicides go up with unemployment; so does domestic violence. Heart attacks and other health problems have increased There are tradeoffs for the drastic measures we have taken.

It makes you wonder what is motivating the governors of Illinois, Michigan and California and a few others. Politics? Money? Power?

From the beginning, Dr. Ioannidis has been urging caution, saying we don’t have enough data on this virus.  Now there is much more, and still the governors are making bad decisions.  Now, it is no longer ignorance but something more serious.

Not 1984, but 2020

“To know and not to know, to be conscious of complete truthfulness while telling carefully constructed lies, to hold simultaneously two opinions which cancelled out, knowing them to be contradictory and believing in both of them, to use logic against logic, to repudiate morality while laying claim to it, to believe that democracy was impossible and that the Party was the guardian of democracy, to forget whatever it was necessary to forget, then to draw it back into memory again at the moment when it was needed, and then promptly to forget it again: and above all, to apply the same process to the process itself -- that was the ultimate subtlety: consciously to induce unconsciousness, and then, once again, to become unconscious of the act of hypnosis you had just performed. Even to understand the word 'doublethink' involved the use of doublethink.”

― George Orwell, 1984

The Flynn unmasking

The names of private U.S. citizens caught on tape by U.S. intelligence are supposed to be “masked” so their privacy is protected. So why did 39 Obama officials ask for Flynn's unmasking? Some of the unmasking requests began BEFORE the conversation with the Russian ambassador. What did he know about Obama that had to be stopped cold? Flynn had served as Obama’s Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) from July 2012 to August 2014 when he was “forced out.”

Debra Heine (PJ Media) back in 2018 explained:

"Obama already despised Flynn. But his hate likely turned to fear when his former DIA decided to throw his support behind Donald J. Trump, another boat-rocker who had a real chance of winning. Obama made a point after the 2016 election of advising Trump not to hire Flynn. But Trump didn’t listen.

Next thing Flynn knew, government spies were listening in on his innocuous phone conversations with Kislyak, his name was unmasked by someone in the Obama administration, and the contents of the call were leaked to the Washington Post (which remains the only serious crime to have emerged in the Russia investigation)."

What do you think of Obama’s character now?

Story from the Wall St. Journal--other major sources are mum and shaking in their boots as the growing illegal behavior of Obama's gang is revealed. And my question about Flynn has always been why shouldn't an incoming Trump official talk to a Russian ambassador or any ambassador? Obama had been ridiculing Russia's power--what had happened in the 4 years since he'd down graded them in public on TV?

"When news stories appeared in early 2017 about Michael Flynn’s conversation with Russia’s ambassador to the U.S., these columns wondered how Mr. Flynn’s call was so widely known. The names of private U.S. citizens caught on tape by U.S. intelligence are supposed to be “masked” so their privacy is protected. 

Well, now we know. GOP Senators Chuck Grassley and Ron Johnson on Wednesday released a declassified list of Obama Administration officials who in their waning days in power “unmasked” the conversations of Mr. Flynn, who was set to become President Trump’s National Security Adviser. It seems everyone but the night janitor wanted to know who Mr. Flynn was talking to. 

A stunning THIRTY NINE separate officials snooped on Mr. Flynn’s conversations with foreign actors, lodging nearly 50 unmasking demands between Nov. 30, 2016 and Jan. 12, 2017. Our sources say the nearly dozen redacted names on the list are likely intelligence types—who might have a legitimate interest in knowing who their foreign targets were speaking to in the U.S. But most of the rest are partisan officials who had no business SPYING on their successors. 

The list includes then White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough, then Vice President Joe Biden, and then Secretary of Treasury Jacob Lew. Ambassador to the U.N. and Obama confidante Samantha Power made no fewer than SEVEN requests, though she told Congress she had no recollection of unmasking Mr. Flynn. 

Mr. Flynn was unmasked by at least four U.S. ambassadors, six Treasury officials, and people connected to the Energy and Justice departments and NATO, among others. Then FBI Director James Comey, then CIA Director John Brennan and then Director of National Intelligence James Clapper also made the list. This means they had access to the transcripts of any phone conversations Mr. Flynn had with foreign sources as he prepared to take power. 

The media cordon sanitaire that protects Democrats will say this is no big deal because unmasking is routine and legal. But if the masking rule means nothing in practice, why pretend it exists?" . . .

Maybe because pretending to have character (something they say Trump doesn't have) is all the Democrats know about character?

. . . "The dates of the unmaskings raise further questions. The FBI’s interest in Mr. Flynn was supposedly triggered by conversations starting Dec. 29, 2016. Yet Mr. Flynn was first unmasked a month earlier—shortly after Mr. Trump named him security adviser."

This was definitely "get Flynn" and crush him. What was the Obama parade of lackeys and toadies so afraid of?

Doing church during the shutdown

After listening to 2 great sermons by Lutheran pastor Gemechis Buba, we went down to the river (Griggs Reservoir), enjoyed a brunch of McDonald's sausage biscuits and coffee, listened to the choir of birds, geese and passing cars, observed all the joggers, walkers, families and boaters, and came home. Everyone was parking with "social distancing," with 2 empty parking places between each car.

https://vimeo.com/113330866?fbclid=IwAR1Q9Uz3BUA9Id5zUR4hxuGNdJ9H6f3Oz4ee-EXYvbP87PZ7xAQ-RfI3C8g  5 years ago on end times

https://www.facebook.com/DrGemechis/videos/261108571918907/  Mother's day sermon

Enjoying coffee and a walk at Griggs

Lots of boats in the water

Why did the chicken cross the road—an internet story with no attribution

Why Did The Chicken Cross The Road?

DONALD TRUMP: I've been told by many sources, good sources - they're very good sources - that the chicken crossed the road. All the Fake News wants to do is write nasty things about the road, but it's a really good road. It's a beautiful road. Everyone knows how beautiful it is.

JOE BIDEN: Why did the chicken do the...thing in the...you know the rest.

SARAH PALIN: The chicken crossed the road because, gosh-darn it, he's a maverick!

BARACK OBAMA: Let me be perfectly clear, if the chickens like their eggs they can keep their eggs. No chicken will be required to cross the road to surrender her eggs. Period.

AOC: Chickens should not be forced to lay eggs! This is because of corporate greed! Eggs should be able to lay themselves.

HILLARY CLINTON: What difference at this point does it make why the chicken crossed the road.

GEORGE W. BUSH: We don't really care why the chicken crossed the road. We just want to know if the chicken is on our side of the road or not. The chicken is either with us or against us. There is no middle ground here.

DICK CHENEY: Where's my gun?

BILL CLINTON: I did not cross the road with that chicken.

AL GORE: I invented the chicken.

JOHN KERRY: Although I voted to let the chicken cross the road, I am now against it! It was the wrong road to cross, and I was misled about the chicken's intentions. I am not for it now, and will remain against it.

AL SHARPTON: Why are all the chickens white?

DR. PHIL: The problem we have here is that this chicken won't realize that he must first deal with the problem on this side of the road before it goes after the problem on the other side of the road. What we need to do is help him realize how stupid he is acting by not taking on his current problems before adding any new problems.

OPRAH: Well, I understand that the chicken is having problems, which is why he wants to cross the road so badly. So instead of having the chicken learn from his mistakes and take falls, which is a part of life, I'm going to give this chicken a NEW CAR so that he can just drive across the road and not live his life like the rest of the chickens.

ANDERSON COOPER: We have reason to believe there is a chicken, but we have not yet been allowed to have access to the other side of the road.

NANCY GRACE: That chicken crossed the road because he's guilty! You can see it in his eyes and the way he walks.

PAT BUCHANAN: To steal the job of a decent, hardworking American.

MARTHA STEWART: No one called me to warn me which way the chicken was going. I had a standing order at the Farmer's Market to sell my eggs when the price dropped to a certain level. No little bird gave me any insider information.

DR SEUSS: Did the chicken cross the road? Did he cross it with a toad? Yes, the chicken crossed the road, but why it crossed I've not been told.

ERNEST HEMINGWAY: To die in the rain, alone.

GRANDPA: In my day we didn't ask why the chicken crossed the road. Somebody told us the chicken crossed the road, and that was good enough for us.

BARBARA WALTERS: Isn't that interesting? In a few moments, we will be listening to the chicken tell, for the first time, the heart warming story of how it experienced a serious case of molting, and went on to accomplish it's lifelong dream of crossing the road.

ARISTOTLE: It is the nature of chickens to cross the road.

ALBERT EINSTEIN: Did the chicken really cross the road, or did the road move beneath the chicken?

COLONEL SANDERS: Did I miss one?

-------------------------------------------

I’ve seen several versions; many have left out Trump and Biden but John McCain is in it.

Covid19 vs Pneumonia

Between Feb. 1 and May 9, 2020

60,299 people have died of Covid19

and

81,318 have died of pneumonia

National Center for Health Statistics, CDC

Storage by Mary Oliver, a poem

A good friend knew I was sorting and pitching things (some back to retirement) while moving back into my office after Phil's death, and she gave me this poem. I know many of you need this, so I'm passing it along.

"When I moved from one house to another there were many things I had no room for. What does one do? I rented a storage space. And filled it. Years passed. Occasionally I went there and looked in, but nothing happened, not a single twinge of the heart. As I grew older the things I cared about grew fewer, but were more important. So one day I undid the lock and called the trash man. He took everything. I felt like the little donkey when his burden is finally lifted. Things! Burn them, burn them! Make a beautiful fire! More room in your heart for love, for the trees! For the birds who own nothing-the reason they can fly."

I know there are several layers of meaning--like holding on to other trash such as regrets, anger, irritations, failures, etc.--but for now I'll just keep it at boxes of paper and photographs and old letters.

Hydroxychloroquine and Remdesivir

Hydroxychloroquine has been politicized. Why? Trump recommended it as a possible effective treatment for Covid19. Those infected with TDS went crazy. Likewise, Remdesivir isn't having the same battle. Why? Hydroxychloroquine has been on the market for decades, for other diseases. Remdesivir hasn't been approved for anything but has had some good early data. Some people say "follow the money." Hydroxychloroquine is cheap and available. Remdesivir is expensive, not approved safe yet, no generics. Democrats, you know those guys who hate capitalism and mega-rich people, seem to be backing the one that will cost us a lot of money--Remdesivir.

Doctors who had been using Hydroxychloroquine are being told not to. Hmmm. Interview by Sharyl Attkisson with Dr. William O'Neill investigating both drugs. He has used Hydroxychloroquine on many and found it effective and believes the politicization has been harmful. He's looked at Remdesivir studies--it doesn't reduce mortality, but may decrease days in hospital. So a reduction in mortality vs. a reduction of days in the hospital? There are 6 studies on going for Hydroxychloroquine. There may be other drugs on the horizon. It may turn out it's a cocktail of drugs, not one drug. Hold your powder, folks. The media are not our friends in this search. It sometimes takes 10-15 years to fully understand a new disease.

https://sharylattkisson.com/2020/05/hydroxychloroquine-politicizing-medicine-podcast/

The censored voice of Aaron Ginn

Social media giants like YouTube, Google, Facebook and Twitter have attempted to silence or "correct fake news" about the virus and pandemic. Today's Wall St. Journal points out that some of those canaries in the coal mine were correct and the censors were just wrong. What if in 10 theories, 9 are half-baked, but 1 is just perfect. We know the media, both main stream and social, will attempt to destroy all 10. But isn't that what theories are for?

"Aaron Ginn’s story is a cautionary tale that even well-intended censorship can overreach, suppressing the search for truth. Mr. Ginn, 32, is the Silicon Valley technologist who posted an essay on March 20 titled “Evidence over hysteria—COVID-19” on the Medium website. Citing academic research and government data, Mr. Ginn argued that public-health experts were focusing too much on “flattening the curve . . . while ignoring the economic shock to our system” of shuttering businesses and schools and ordering Americans to stay home.

“When 13% of Americans believe they are currently infected with COVID-19 (mathematically impossible),” he wrote, “full-on panic is blocking our ability to think clearly and determine how to deploy our resources to stop this virus.” The message was well-timed—the day he posted it, Gov. Andrew Cuomo ordered “nonessential” New York businesses to close.

Mr. Ginn’s essay drew 2.6 million page views in 24 hours—and a barrage of liberal criticism. Carl T. Bergstrom, a University of Washington biologist, called it “Shakespeare run through google translate into Japanese, then translated back to English by someone who’d never heard of Shakespeare.” Then Medium took it down, saying it violated rules under a “risk analysis framework we use for ‘Controversial, Suspect and Extreme content.’ ”

But Ginn had been in Wuhan before most of us had ever heard of it. He also had some internal warnings about censorship--his grandparents had fled Communist China 50 years ago, he knew the Chinese language and (gasp) he had been a Christian missionary. Not only did he believe in the free expression of ideas (something Democrats have lost), but he knew the Chinese data was not to be trusted.

Now millions of us have taken our heads out of the sand (or other dark places) and are seeing the wisdom in his warnings--although it may be too late for the businesses that have been destroyed all in the race to ruin the Trump economy.

"Some belittle him [Ginn] as an “armchair epidemiologist.” He retorts that “facts and data are independent of your credentials..” Knowledge of the virus is evolving, and “we should always take in new evidence and judge it, and figure out what’s the sort of best policy prescription. A lot of things that we originally thought we were right on were wrong.” Take the “6-foot rule” for maintaining personal social distancing, which Mr. Ginn says isn’t supported by scientific evidence. The World Health Organization recommends 1 meter (3 feet, 3 inches), while Germany and Australia suggest 1.5 meters (just under 5 feet). Sweden recommends that people use “good judgment.” "

“I want this to be an open dialogue,” Mr. Ginn says. “But we shouldn’t have public-health people making economic policy. We need to have the policy makers who people vote for make those determinations.” After all, “we’re a democracy—we’re not China.”

Who knew?

So when you see those red circles on the floor of the grocery store, just remember there is no scientific evidence for that. Not even by the so called "scientists" we're suppose to revere. Could be 3', or 5' or any distance you choose.

Lakeside will be different this year

We own a summer home in a Chautauqua community linked to the Methodists, Lakeside, Ohio, which depends on the owners and visitors to keep it afloat for 3 months of its business season. Owners, of course, pay year around. There are constant appeals for money in any year, usually to rebuild, restore, restart something in the arts, religion, education and recreation areas. Now, it will be just to stay alive. $2.1 million deficit.

"Lakeside is taking this expected loss of revenue very seriously. We reacted swiftly to implement immediate cost reductions. Reductions in staffing and cuts in operating expenses and programming costs for this summer total $1.6 million. We were able to cut another $200,000 from project spending to bring the cost reductions to $1.8 million, but we are still left with a $2.1 million projected deficit ($3.9 million reduction in revenue partially offset by $1.8 million in cost cutting).

"How do we intend to cover the $2.1 million deficit? Lakeside received a $650,000 forgivable loan from the Paycheck Protection Program, part of the Federal government’s stimulus package. Lakeside already had bank lines of credit of $1.1 million that are typically used to manage variations in cash flow. We will use those. Lakeside is supplementing that by acquiring an additional $500,000 bank line of credit. We have enough debt capacity to cover the remaining deficit, although it comes at a future cost of paying back that debt. " (Lakeside newsletter)

We'll be there, and it will be different. Our family has been Lakesiders since 1974, owners since 1988. Many of our family and friends have visited or stayed with us over the years. We will have Phil's service there this summer.

 

Give me liberty

Stop the insanity

At the beginning (the end of January when the President was called a racist for sounding the alarm about a mysterious virus originating in China), most of us went along with the need to be prudent, which soon moved to the need to avoid our usual places we congregated, then closing the schools, then seeing our businesses close for a few weeks (they originally said until Easter), then the churches, then the orders to wear masks/don't wear masks; then we began to see the light. This wasn't going to stop unless we objected. The cure was becoming worse than the disease.

Then we noticed the push back about opening up was coming from the same people who gave us 3 years 24/7 of investigating and impeaching our president. Yet the statistics and models were all over the place, and many of the experts disagreed. Some never considered removing from the numbers mix the same people who were also at risk for influenza and pneumonia or the people who already had serious health challenges. And if they did, they were ridiculed or blocked. The president's enemies howled even louder if he speculated or commented or disagreed. We have a health system already endangered and weakened by the previous administration's demands to buy a bad product or go to jail. Now we're being told we have to save it by collapsing every other segment of the economy?

Stop the insanity.

Trusting the experts

I think Dr. Fauci and Dr. Birx are highly respected experts in their fields, but they are not experts in all fields. The are not mental health professionals, they are not agronomists, they are not bankers, they are not sociologists, educators or restaurant owners. They are not librarians, theologians, mathematicians, economists or plumbers. They are not airplane pilots, auto salesmen, butchers, bakers or candlestick makers. They have a tiny piece of safety and health information, but there are many others to be consulted. Their knowledge may have saved a few thousand lives and a few big hospitals in a selected group of metropolitan areas, but they have also ruined others and are producing and directing a horror movie of deaths and illnesses to be released soon.

How to stay well and build resilience during a pandemic

After the first 2-3 weeks and doing common sense protections, don't listen to the experts on TV reverse everything they told you when you did watch. It's the same media who brought you the impeachment of President Trump 24/7.

Trials beginning for the Covid19 vaccine

“Ordinarily, “Safety of a vaccine must be confirmed by extensive animal work, followed by the inoculation of dozens of humans, then escalating to thousands,” write vaccine consultant Stanley Plotkin and New York University bioethicist Arthur Caplan in an upcoming article in the journal Vaccine. “That process normally takes months to years, during which SARS-2 will infect and possibly kill millions. Acceleration of that standard process is necessary.” They go on to propose human challenge trials as a way of achieving that acceleration.”

https://www.the-scientist.com/news-opinion/support-for-vaccine-challenge-trials-gains-momentum-67525?

I wonder how many will volunteer just so researchers won't have to use animals in the safer trials? Usually, new drugs are developed very slowly and painfully costing millions of dollars for each trial, then released slowly, declared safe, and then sometimes pulled when millions begin using them and they are discovered not to be safe after all. Be a guinea pig if you wish, but I'll wait for some real evidence.

But then I didn't actually approve of how some older drugs were developed either (when I found out)--like birth control. First the products were tested on Africans who didn't realize the danger, and then when not too many died, or became ill or were made sterile, they were further tested on poor and welfare mothers in western countries who appreciated the perks that went with the testing and didn't know the dangers. And then when it was decided prudent and profitable, ordinary middle class women got "the pill." Nutritional supplements for children were done the same way--tested on African babies and when declared safe, were available in Europe. Antiretroviral medications (which failed) were also tested on African women first to lower incidents of HIV/AIDs. And of course, the ever popular "bed nets" to use in Africa after the backlash withdrawal of DDT killed or crippled millions of Africans after malaria had virtually been eliminated before Rachel Carson and the environmentalist movement.

My sister was a guinea pig in NIH experiments in the 1950s with her BVS service.  I remember going there to visit her. My aunt Muriel even late in her life thought perhaps Carol’s shortened life (57) and poor health was due to something she’d received during those trials. I’m guessing she heard that from my parents, since they knew more of the details.

Wash your hands with soap to kill both bacteria and viruses

Toilet paper seems to have returned to Marc's, and now chicken is disappearing. Bleach seems to be in short supply. Still don't see a lot of antiseptic hand cleaner. I wonder how many people who buy that know that soap and water is still the best for both viruses and bacteria.  Maybe some of those Happy Talk commercials on what fun it is to stay locked down could be replaced by videos of proper hand washing?

https://www.fda.gov/consumers/consumer-updates/antibacterial-soap-you-can-skip-it-use-plain-soap-and-water

http://sitn.hms.harvard.edu/flash/2017/say-goodbye-antibacterial-soaps-fda-banning-household-item/

The value of a job

“There is no job that’s better than another job,” he continued. “It might pay better, it might have better benefits, it might look better on a resume and on paper, but actually it’s not better. Every job is worthwhile and valuable, and if we have a kind of a rethinking about that because of what’s happened to me, that would be great, but no one should feel sorry for me, either from a positive or a negative perspective. I’ve had a great life, I’ve had a great career, and I’ve had a career that most actors would die for.”

Spoken by Geoffrey Owens who played Bill Cosby's son-in-law in an interview with ABC's Robin Roberts, after he was "job-shamed" on social media for working at Trader Joe's between acting jobs. It was just a little blip in 2018 which I ran across today. Let people go back to work and stop shaming them, stop bullying them if they see dignity in work

The Arbery shooting in Georgia

The Arbery shooting in Georgia reflects the need for Democrats to make everything about race. Nothing is ever a love affair gone sour, an innocent inquiry mistaken as a robbery or bad blood between co-workers. At least if the victim is black and the perp is white. Out of 100 black men who are murdered, 94 are victims of a black man (or occasionally a black woman). Four will be brought down by white, Hispanic or Asian men (or occasionally a woman). And statistics are similar for whites and Hispanics. For every 100 white or Hispanic men who are murdered, 83 will be victims of a same race assault. In most cases both the victim and assailant will be young.

The female mayor of Atlanta with no evidence whatsoever, called it a lynching, and blamed President Trump! I pity the family of the black man who never get justice because he was killed by another black man, and no one paid any attention. Certainly not the mayor and the major news media.

After 1994, violent crime dropped drastically--maybe 50%. Thousands of black lives have been saved. Experts don't agree on the reason. Because of the bias in research based on political and religious views, it’s difficult to tease out the details, but one thing is for certain, the media distorts reports of violent crime. It can sell more papers, or get more TV revenue or encourage more clicks on line for profit if it involves a black man being killed by a white man, and particularly if police are involved.

https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2020/05/this-was-a-lynching-atlanta-mayor-ahmaud-arbery-shooting/