Can TV Prevent Global Warming?

August 28, 2021

 

Some friends told us that their satellite TV reception had been interrupted by “atmospheric disturbances”, according to the message from the company. They said there wasn’t a cloud in the sky.

 

We started discussing atmospheric disturbances, and wondered if they were seasonal, or if they had to do with global warming.

 

We figured that that would be one way to get the older generation passionate about stopping global warming:

 

“Don’t mess with my TV viewing!”

 

  

It's OK if It's for Sports

August 26, 2021



In a recent heat wave, with heat indexes of 104-105, I’ve seen:


Kids playing soccer

Kids practicing for football, kitted out in all the gear



Tell me again why making kids wear a cloth mask to prevent them from getting a deadly disease is cruel.

Critical (Non)Thinking

August 29, 2021

 

How do people choose what internet trash they’re going to believe?

If I said that DNA testing had revealed descendants of Jesus of Nazareth, people would be in an uproar, scouring the web for ways to debunk the research;

 

But if I say that a de-worming medicine for livestock will prevent COVID, they’ll say, “OK.”

 

 

 

 

  

Another Take on the Virus Story

August 24, 2021

 

Tony Messenger’s August 23 column in the Post-Dispatch offers another angle on the virus theory. (See “Law and Order: COVID”,  and "Maybe it IS Political",  August 10, 2021)

In his version, a cabal of Democrats got together to plot the best way to infect all Republicans. Their grand scheme was to push common-sense measures about preventing the transmission of the virus, knowing that Republicans would fight them tooth and nail, and succumb en masse.

 

Nice to know I’m not the only one with an off-beat view of things.

Communing with Nature

August 20, 2021

Try as I might, and no matter how many of them there are, I have never seen a cicada in a tree.

I wonder if, hearing all that sound and seeing nothing, ancient people thought that the trees were talking.

 

Global Warming?

August 22, 2021

I was shocked to see that stores are still carrying swimsuits, even though it’s almost Labor Day. Normally, you have trouble finding a good suit after June; and by late August, stores usually have the parkas out.

Maybe it’s a side effect of global warming.

Follow the Numbers

August 1, 2021

 

“Follow the science” has become a catchphrase to try to change the minds of people who doubt that the coronavirus is real, or that vaccines are safe and effective.

Well, I’m a numbers gal. Even if I couldn’t follow the science, I’d say, “Hmmm. 97% of new COVID cases affect unvaccinated people. There is most likely a correlation.”

 

If you can’t bring yourself to follow the science, follow the numbers.

There Oughta Be a Rule…

August 9, 2021

 

A snippet I heard recently on a radio station said that 6% (I think) of all Americans think that “this” should be forbidden in the workplace. Listeners had to guess what it was.

I guessed, “Stinky lunches.”

The correct answer was “dating”.

 

I stand by my answer.

 

Proofreading "Law & Order: COVID"

 August 12, 2001        

As I looked at the last entry, I realized that I had used the word "vaccine" instead of "virus" in a couple of places, so it may have been a bit puzzling to read.

I think I've corrected everything, now.

Law & Order: COVID

August 10, 2021

(This one is for my sister, a fellow L&O junkie.)



Mike Cutter, putting the Republican Party on trial for disseminating a virus that targets Democrats.

“If Republicans are dying, why aren’t we hearing about it? All we hear from the GOP “base” is that the virus is a hoax, the vaccine is a hoax. So, Republicans are immune?”

“Well…”

“Tell me, Congressman Jones, why aren’t we hearing from the families of dead Republicans? It’s because there aren’t any, are there? NO Republicans have died from COVID.”

“Of course they...Wait…”

“I submit to you, Congressman Jones, that Republicans aren’t dying because it was a virus engineered to target Democrats. And the reason that you don’t want people to get vaccinated is that the vaccine will save the lives of those who get vaccinated; and who is most likely to get vaccinated right now? Democrats.”

Congressman Jones: “That’s ridiculous! Of course we don’t want people to die!”

Mike Cutter: “Oh, really? Then why do you try to make laws against mask mandates? Why are you discouraging people from getting the vaccine? Is that so that the Republicans, who are immune to the virus, can take over the country? Is that why you developed and spread the virus?”

Congressman Jones, goaded: “President Trump got the vaccine!”

Mike Cutter: “So, former President Trump did get the vaccine? And yet, why is that not enough to convince people—his own supporters—that it is safe? Is that because the reports of former President Trump getting the vaccine were hoaxes as well? They must be, because, according to your own propaganda, the vaccine can do terrible things to people. And you wouldn’t endanger your leader, would you?”

Congressman Jones: “He did… It’s perfectly safe. We…”

“Admit it, Congressman Jones, this virus was developed specifically to target Democrats. And that, sir, is why you and the Republican Party are on trial.”

Congressman Jones: “No, we didn’t! It IS killing Republicans! It’s taking us at an even higher rate than it is taking Democrats! It…”

Mike Cutter: “Which is it? Is the virus dangerous to everybody? Or is it a hoax? Is the vaccine dangerous, or did your own leader get it?



Tell me, Congressman.”

Maybe It IS Political

August 9, 2021

We keep hearing that GOP lawmakers are trying to stop mask mandates and aren’t pushing vaccinations because they’re pandering to their base. That raises the question:

Have no Republicans died of COVID?

If they have, are their families writing angry letters to their representatives, demanding that they stop spreading misinformation and blocking health measures that would slow the spread of the disease?

If Republicans are writing letters and being ignored by their representatives, I’d like to know that. If they’re not writing letters, I’d like to know why not.

Maybe the virus IS political, and only targets Democrats and Independents.

Why I'm Not in Charge of the Universe (Part 2)

 August 8, 2021

I read an article today that said that even some organ transplant surgeries were being postponed in order to treat COVID patients. People who aren’t in imminent danger of dying may be bumped.

I’m assuming that an organ transplant isn’t elective surgery; so, no flipping way would I boot a patient on behalf of any adult who was sick because they refused to get a vaccination. They made their choice; now they can deal with it.

Another example of why it’s a good thing I’m not in charge of the universe.

New Word: Positionism

August 5, 2021

I coined a word today: Positionism. It’s like ageism or sexism; except that instead of being overlooked because of your age or your gender, you’re overlooked because your ideas for improvement are considered to be beyond your position in the company.

Personally, if somebody—even a temp—walked into my office and said, “By doing a little reorganization, we could save the company thousands of dollars a month,” I’d be all ears. But I see, time and again, good ideas ignored because the person proposing them wasn’t the right sort of person for that idea. The accounting person has an idea to make warehouse operations more efficient, or somebody in the warehouse has a dynamite marketing idea—but the best they get is an indulgent, “It’s something to think about,” and then the idea is lost forever.


What a waste.


So make sure your company isn’t practicing Positionism. Pretend that whoever is giving you the idea is exactly the right person for the job, and listen with an open mind. You may hit the jackpot.

Brave New World

August 4, 2021

A machine has just been granted a patent by the South African government.

Chew on that for a while.

The machine’s inventor says that DABUS (“Device for the autonomous bootstrapping of unified sentience”) came up with the ideas for an emergency beacon with a pulsating light, and a snowflake-shaped beverage container that’s optimized for heat transfer and robotic handling. He didn’t want to take credit for the inventions.

According to David Nicklaus’s column in the Post-Dispatch, this was not a unique situation. Other people have tried to secure patents on behalf of the artificial intelligence that came up with certain inventions, rather than list themselves as the inventors; but patent offices, including that in the United States, have insisted on a human being the patent holder. Looks like that is changing.

(Side note: Who knew there were so many self-effacing inventors out there?)

 

Inventions creating inventions.

 

Brave new world.