Tom

Levitating//Dua Lipa (My radio choices in my work truck is limited - and the station I listen to runs 80s to “now”) For something less “common” (YouTube can take you down some interesting rabbit holes) - Live Forever//Skerryvore

A mask is a temporary inconvenience. Death is permanent. (I imagine a ventilator is rather more uncomfortable than a mask as well)

The story has already been on CNN’s website.

Afghanistan conflict: Taliban push into Kabul as president flees https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-58223231 Well, this seems to be collapsing totally. The Taliban look to be in control before we even complete our withdrawal.

Tucker Carlson: What the Fox News host is doing in Hungary https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-58104200 INT:WTF

I saw this story the other day on the BBC. I’m a gun owner and I still cannot fathom the level of stupid behind this…

I’ve never flown the flag, but I’ve also never put up yard signs and I don’t plaster my car with bumper stickers either. I’m just not the sort of person who advertises much about myself. Having said that, I’m inclined to argue that as a symbol the US flag has become too diluted and used as a symbol of division too often to be considered a symbol of unity anymore. I haven’t read the linked article because I’m disinclined to create yet one more account to do so, but I’ve spent a lot of time on the road for the past years and the number of (what I can only consider to be) bastardized US flags being flown in conjunction with (or in lieu of) “real” US flags is disturbing. Flags with a blue (or red, or green, or some combination of the two or three) line dividing it in half and the black and white variant. Flags with the stars removed from the blue field and replaced with “2A” and the 2nd amendment printed on the white stripes. Flags with the standard 50 stars replaced by a circle of stars surrounding the Roman numeral “III”. Flags that are the US flag for one half but the Confederate Battle Flag on the other. Plus one variation I’ve seen which has a hand reaching across and lifting up the US flag to reveal the Confederate Battle Flag underneath. Flags which have a Trump campaign poster superimposed in the center. I thought I had hallucinated that the first time I saw one… The part which really irritates me the most is that (judging by the politics being expressed) these are mostly the same type of people who “back in the day” would be getting all lathered up about the need for an amendment to protect the flag from being burned and here the flag is being treated like another piece of poster board for politics and profit.

Not quite the same thing, but the Ohio lottery is open to all vaccinated residents, not just those vaccinated since the lottery was announced.

That might be because the actual “qualifications” are the ability to raise money and win a popularity contest.

Basically, people aren't desperate enough to take these jobs...

Two weeks since my second dose - I'm fully vaccinated. I'm also still wearing a mask. No known or observable super powers.

Interesting. When I came in for my 1st dose, the site scheduled me for my 2nd dose as part of the sign in process. Studying the variety of processes around the country is sure to be a fascinating project for somebody.

Uhm, we are talking the senator that stonewalled Merrick Garland's Supreme Court nomination during the 2016 election. He hasn't bothered to 'hide it' since long before Trump...

If you’ve been emailing pieces for proofreading, you may be able to reconstruct from your sent and deleted files.

While I wouldn’t be surprised to find a future $15/hr wage to be a consideration, I’m more inclined to suspect they’re anticipating a continuation of curbside and shopping services along with app and portable scanner based checkout methods.

I’ve got an appointment for my 1st shot on Wednesday morning.

I note the change would be considered once full FDA approval has been granted, and I seem to recall it is only voluntary at this point because the current vaccines are only being administered under an emergency authorization. I’m surprised there’s any discussion. I took it as a given it would become part of the standard requirements once full approval was made. Frankly, I’m more surprised vaccination is “optional” with only the emergency use authorization. It’s been quite a few years now, but I don’t ever recall being offered a choice when it came to adding entries to my shot record.

Pulling from memory (I haven't worked in food service in a.. lot.. of years), when I was a manager in a restaurant, if I had to pull a server from the floor for different duties I also had to change their status in the payroll and adjust their rate of pay. However, something like rolling silverware was a standard duty for servers - so it wasn't something I needed to change in payroll, but it was also something all servers were expected to do whenever they weren't dealing with their tables.

I'd suggest googling "Military Earmarks"... Though digging back in my aging memory (which means don't expect cites), a lawmaker wanting to earmark spending for Cobras would more likely be seen as propping up production demand in their district as opposed to believing in a pressing need for the Marines to have more attack helicopters. (Cynicism is a wonderful thing...) ----- OK - I lied about the cites (I followed my own advice...) [quote] Democratic Representative John Murtha, who heads the House Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, managed to get $3.1 billion for eight C-17 and 11 C-130 military transport planes included. However, that has been pared back by four C-130s. The Pentagon did not request the aircraft but lawmakers want them to preserve jobs in their home states and Murtha disputes the military's contention that they are not needed. [/quote] https://www.reuters.com/article/idUSN08333615

If one accepts the premise that delivering profits to investors is the only real concern of business, what does the breaking of a few eggs matter?

I've been to a couple of hotels for work since the pandemic, and no breakfast and closed restaurants seem to be common. Best wishes for you and your family (including cats).

I think he was upset that people thought the government should do something to keep them from dying instead of taking care of themselves. I guess he took the whole “rugged individualism” thing a little too seriously. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-56100743 I’m just confused by what he thought government was supposed to do during a crisis.

I hate dealing with people who are apparently unaware the rest of us are occupying the same reality. We’re looking at starting late at work due to a snow storm and this guy is telling me he’s going to have dig his car out of the snow - as I’m staring at the cars buried in my driveway. Does this guy think he’s the only one who got snowed on? Seriously?

Focus on the impeachment proceedings aside, I'd put it down to message discipline from the current administration (and the acknowledgement there's an actual problem). Previous administration kept insisting "nothing to see here, go about your business/life as normal" and the media kept pointing at the rising death toll. Current administration talks about vaccination plans and the media focuses on the possibility there may be a light at the end of the tunnel.