What's next?

JTG4eva! wrote

I know left leaning people who actually think that Trump is the lesser of two evils in the upcoming election.

Please give a slightly fuller picture of these people’s worldview. It just doesn’t compute. Don’t get me wrong, I am not thrilled with Biden, but even disregarding corona response......Trump’s judicial appointments, environmental rollbacks, and the possibility of one or two more supreme court justices being appointed by Trump should be reason enough for anyone who truly considers themselves “left leaning” to find this idea ludicrous.

Onscott
I remember meeting you now. I'd forgotten. There are too many Scotts around here to keep everybody straight. You gotta show up for Harvey's Bday celebration next year. Let's see if we can drive his bar tab high enough that he cuts it off.

Regarding testing, I see it as being helpful in order to give the pols the courage to ease up on the restrictions and to help the public calm down a little. Right now things are a little fraught down here. It would be personally helpful to me if I could confirm that my wife and I are immune and not carrying it so that she could actually enter my father in law's house rather then just leaving a box of groceries outside his garage for him to retrieve after she leaves.

nepa wrote

It makes me a bit paranoid at the weed store... 8 stoned people in the store, and 3 of them have Jihadists style masks.  It was pretty hot an sweaty in the valley on Monday as we nearly hit eighty.  I personally am looking forward to the forthcoming apocalypse, and I have a pretty cool looking mask.

So one unintended consequence of legalization is that, after 25+ years of maintaining decent contacts for black market reefer, I have spent the last 2-3 years primarily buying it legally in neighboring states. Those states now only consider medical sales to be “essential” and not recreational sales.  And supply at the homestead is dwindling. I had never considered this as a possibility as I transitioned to buying legal weed.....that the government could just shut it down after opening pandora’s box.

That's a good goal Brownski.

I agree about the testing and the possibility that many of us have had it. I've had a headache for a month. I also don't see how I could have it and not have given it to Zelda or our daughter.

If 50% of us have had it that makes the mortality rate really low.  IMO people who think we are overreacting and people who think the reverse should want more testing.  No matter what you think, knowledge is power. Or at least reduced vulnerability.

onscott wrote

Hypertension and diabetes (these two are mostly code words for obesity) and age are the major comorbidities for CV. As a "somewhat older guy" (age 57) I can't control the age thing but can control the other two. I hope that Americans wake up and start taking care of themselves but doubt that they will. FWIW, I base a lot of my views on hearing from my daughter who works in a NJ hospital and has a birds-eye view on who is dying and who is surviving. She's telling me that morbid obesity, young or old, is pretty much a death sentence. Amazing to see my 30 year old "kid" become as tough as nails when it comes to life and death. That said, I am married to a nurse so I know how they are - often joke that I'll someday have a massive MI and my wife will tell me "just go lay down for a few hours" LOL.

I think this is a great point. Part of the impact is the result of a generally unhealthy population. My wife works in Integrative Medicine. It's an approach to patient care that uses an active strategy to health, as opposed to the current reactive strategy. With the current system, doctors are currently paid to keep people sick. With IM, the patient bores more of the responsibility in the process. From a compensation perspective, it doesn't work with our current productivity based incentive systems. An integrative system rewards outcomes as opposed to productivity. This approach is used in many countries that have much better overall health than we do. It's a massive culture change. In my opinion, our food problem is as big, if not bigger than our drug problem. Telling someone that have to change their lifestyle is paramount to a prison sentence. The insurance companies hate it. Decreased volume in the system means lower revenues, and pissed off shareholders. In our current environment, pissed off shareholders means it doesn't stand a chance of happening. Lots of healthcare professionals are on board, but the message is currently driven by the insurance industry.

onscott wrote

On a positive note, I think we should all get together and ski this winter. I haven't had the pleasure to meet any of you other than Brownski (my wife and I met you at a Plattekill "tree trail trimming day" 2 years ago). Despite our differences, in reality we care most about skiing. It would be a great bash. Would also be great to meet the man who runs this website (thanks Harvey)!

I often offer my house up for a ski-haha every season. I live about 4 miles from Mission Ridge in the Eastern Cascades. No takers yet.

Closing day this year... my wife has accused me of jerking off to this.

Powder to the People!!

onscott wrote

Hypertension and diabetes (these two are mostly code words for obesity)

I've got high BP. It seems to come and go, but I have just caved and take a low dose of the med to keep it low.  I didn't know I was obese.  I do know I am old.

witch hobble wrote

JTG4eva! wrote

I know left leaning people who actually think that Trump is the lesser of two evils in the upcoming election.

Please give a slightly fuller picture of these people’s worldview. It just doesn’t compute.

Young twenty-something’s who had been planning on voting for Bernie.  Perhaps not the most sophisticated of voters with a focus on judicial appointments or an appreciation for the long term implications of Supreme Court justice choices.  These are young adults who will become more sophisticated in time, but right now, as relatively new voters, they are disillusioned with the current two party system and the choices it provides them.  They see Biden, with whom they can’t identify, as a puppet of the DNC and a symbol of politics as usual, rather than an agent for whatever change it is they are looking for.

They may be easy to dismiss as naive or stupid, but these young  adults are the future.  While they attach to certain liberal ideals, they don’t see the DNC/Biden as the party who get get them wherever it is they think they want to be.

Harvey wrote

onscott wrote

Hypertension and diabetes (these two are mostly code words for obesity)

I've got high BP. It seems to come and go, but I have just caved and take a low dose of the med to keep it low.  I didn't know I was obese.  I do know I am old.

Diabetes isn't always a code word for obesity.  My late uncle, healthy weight but a smoker and not particularly active, developed diabetes and didn't take care of himself.  He called it "an American disease." (He was Swiss.)  One of the guys in my gym was Type 2 diabetic, and reverted to pre-diabetic status, he no longer needs medication.  He's 79 and got guns we'd all kill for.

Yesterday I read a piece stating that those with COPD / pulmonary issues are by far at the most risk with COVID-19.

IMHO there's a difference between curing an illness and teaching / promoting wellness. The for-profit medical / health / health insurance business is not about wellness.  

Germany starting to open back up May 4th:

https://amp.ft.com/content/6751dafc-117a-47d2-ada3-44223254f2d2

(They have a system to identify & isolate infected people early and the capacity to do 650,000 test a week)

onscott wrote

Hypertension and diabetes (these two are mostly code words for obesity)

You're referring to Type 2 diabetes. I have Type 1 (insulin-dependent): hypertension and obesity are not necessarily correlated to it.

Jamesdeluxe wrote

onscott wrote

Hypertension and diabetes (these two are mostly code words for obesity)

You're referring to Type 2 diabetes. I have Type 1 (insulin-dependent): hypertension and obesity are not necessarily correlated to it.

Kris Freeman, 4 time Olympian in nordic skiing, there was a time he showed up at a national championships distance race and the question was, who's gonna come in second.  He's type 1 since age 19 and he's got like 2% body fat.  He's not on the World Cup circuit any more but he's still slaying it.

Interestingly, he has referred to Type 1 as an autoimmune disease.

Peter Minde wrote

Interestingly, he has referred to Type 1 as an autoimmune disease.

It is. The pancreas can't make insulin because the immune system attacks it and destroys the cells that produce insulin/happened to me when I was 25.

Young enough that they weren’t paying attention 3.5 years ago?

I’m very sympathetic. But this is how we have wound up with the politically inexperienced, belligerent man-child hell-bent on vengeance and unable to acknowledge his own shortcomings, surrounded by lackeys and hacks that we have now. (Was that too much name calling? If so, I’m sorry.)

Peter Minde wrote

Kris Freeman, 4 time Olympian in nordic skiing, there was a time he showed up at a national championships distance race and the question was, who's gonna come in second.  He's type 1 since age 19 and he's got like 2% body fat.  He's not on the World Cup circuit any more but he's still slaying it.

Interestingly, he has referred to Type 1 as an autoimmune disease.

He trains at Waterville Valley. I’m a so so nordy, but like to think I’m in decent shape. He flys past me like I’m standing still. He also wins the Cannon Mountain uphill run. He is a beast.

I found this on the only other ski forum worth browsing- Kind of long but a good read. It actually gives a bit of insight into the mind of a restaurant entrepreneur as well.
https://dnyuz.com/2020/04/23/my-restaurant-was-my-life-for-20-years-does-the-world-need-it-anymore/

At the Craftsbury Marathon last year, Freeman lapped me like I was standing still.  Cut right across me in the apex of a corner, neat as you please.  I do believe that if it wasn't for diabetes, he'd have World Cup hardware.  Utmost respect for that guy.

There's talk of CNY and the North country opening up prior to the city area. It makes complete sense as it would seem we haven't been hit, or will be hit as bad by this virus. What's concerning is what will keep those in the hotspot areas at home. Will they bring the virus with them resulting in a outbreak. This isn't going to be easy.

I'm jonesing to go to Windham High Peak in the Catskills this weekend.  Trying to figure out if there's snow up there or not.

I should be able to do the round trip without stopping for diesel.  Brown bag lunch, no need to stop anywhere.  Traveling solo.

What voltage is required to make one's hair stand up like that.