Vaccinated? Wear a Mask to Help Others.

I saw this today on the Minnesota Public Radio website.  Maybe the mask-resisters will be persuaded more by a cute cartoon than by lectures -- but I sincerely doubt it. 

Still, this cartoon has great appeal, so kudos to the artist!

Better a Mask than a Ventilator

This kind of COVID denial makes me so angry. This is from Stephen Kruiser: "The Morning Briefing: Masked Panic Wusses Have the Delta Variant Vapors Now."  As if the headline isn't bad enough, here's an excerpt:  "It’s baffling that so many are still willing to cede their freedoms for science that really isn’t scientific. Again, I’m fine with them being terrified forever, as long as their nonsensical panic doesn’t lead to the return of the useless mandates. Given what I’ve seen in the last several days, I’d say that the mask freaks are a minority whose numbers are rapidly dwindling."

From Scientific American:  "Studies to date suggest the Delta variant is between 40 and 60 percent more transmissible than the Alpha variant first identified in the U.K.—which was already 50 percent more transmissible than the original viral strain first detected in Wuhan, China."

So in other words, for COVID-deniers like Stephen Kruiser and too many other like-minded people. if you want to do everything you can to protect yourself from a virus that's now even worse than the 2020 version, you're a coward and a "mask freak"?  Well, I'd rather wear a mask than wear a ventilator tube down my throat!

I really hope that unmasked and unvaccinated people like these actually contract the delta variant, so they can finally see that the light.

Hoping for a Miracle in Surfside

When I first saw  the pictures of the destroyed condo in Surfside, at first I thought they were showing old footage of the Murrah Building after the Oklahoma City bombing; or else it was something from one of those TV shows about engineering disasters.  If any of those poor residents are somehow still alive in that wreckage, it will be a miracle.

This is from today's Times of  Israel:

3. Find the Jews: The press is also keeping a close eye on the building collapse in Miami, with the story leading several news sites late Thursday and early Friday.

• As noted by JTA: “As the United States woke up to news of the building collapse in Surfside, Florida, it quickly became clear that the disaster is an American Jewish tragedy.”
• The number of Jews thought to be missing varies wildly between news sites. On the low end is Haaretz, which reports that nearly a dozen Jews are missing. On the other end, the Sun-Sentinel quotes a local rabbi saying there are at least 34 Jews among the 99 missing under the rubble.
• Several Hebrew news sites put the number at “around 20,” without attribution, and the Associated Press notes that “Israeli media said the country’s consul-general in Miami, Maor Elbaz, believes that 20 citizens of that country are missing.”
• Channel 12 also asserts that the town of Surfside has 2,500 Orthodox Jews out of a population of 6,000, a number that is not attributed (and would be strange for a city to keep) but appears to come from local Chabad Rabbi Sholom Lipskar, who is cited giving the figure in a 2018 article in Vice’s Munchies minisite about an unkosher deli there.
• Walla quotes an unnamed “local source” who says the building was constructed by a Jewish Canadian developer, and that according to the source, some 90% of the condos were owned by Jews. The site reports that 18 Chabad members are among the missing and “the number of Jews in general is probably higher.”
• The true number, it seems, is too many. Jews and non-Jews alike. Yossi Dahan of United Hatzalah, which is helping rescue efforts, tells Kan that he knows some of the names on the list of missing, and that “the building had lots of Jews.”
• Speaking to Army Radio several hours later, Dahan says that “several groups are working in crews to find the missing among the rubble, but we haven’t found anyone alive.”
• Speaking to Ynet, Elbaz is equally morose: “The atmosphere here is very pessimistic,” she says. “This is a very tragic event … we are talking with relatives of the missing about the possibility of bringing an Israeli search and rescue team.”
• A consulate spokesperson tells ToI that while it has already offered search and rescue help to local authorities, it has yet to get an answer.
• Israelis could have been helping for a while already, it seems. Professor Shimon Wdowniski, a Kiryat Malachi native, gets wide press after word gets out that he authored a study last year that showed the land under the tower as the only place in the area to be sinking 1 to 3 millimeters per year.
• He tells USA Today: “I looked at it this morning and said, ‘Oh my god.’ We did detect that.”

Hey, Anti-Vaxxers! It's Time To Do The Right Thing and Act Like a Man!

From the Washington Post Coronavirus Update: "Health experts and federal officials are worried the rise in cases caused by the delta variant could further divide those who are vaccinated from those who are not, placing the unprotected at greater risk because this variant is more contagious. Delta 'has come out of nowhere,' University of Nevada at Reno geneticist Mark Pandori told The Post. 'It seems to be a very successful variant and is closing in on the number one spot.'"

Sorry, but if there's any division, it's self-inflicted. Don't blame those of us who are vaccinated. The responsibility should be solely on those who won't get vaccinated.  If you're at greater risk, it's because you made that bad choice. If you contract this virus and you spread it, it's your fault. This is a public health crisis, we've been vaccinating people for months now, and there are no excuses left.  If the 600,000+ deaths here and the horrific wave in India haven't scared you into finally getting the shot, I doubt the delta variant will change your mind. You'd think everyone would rush to get the vaccine for the good of the country, but that sort of selflessness no longer exists. Why don't you act like a man, before that COVID map turns red?

Vaccine Humor!

The words "humor" and "vaccine" usually don't go together, but they definitely do in this funny Dana Milbank opinion column titled "The covid vaccine did change my DNA. It turned me into a Trump Republican."

Here's an excerpt. Make sure to read the entire piece, and also read some of the equally funny reader comments.

 "I’m sure you’ve seen the pictures all over the Internet of people who have had these shots and now they’re magnetized. They can put a key on their forehead, it sticks. They can put spoons and forks all over and they can stick because now we think there is a metal piece to that.”   — Sherri Tenpenny

"I remember clearly the moment it began: right after my first covid shot.

I was going through security at the airport, and I set off the metal detector. Annoyed, I removed my gun from its holster and put it on the conveyor belt. I still beeped. I removed my machete, nunchucks and grenade launcher and put them through the X-ray machine. But I still beeped!

I had become magnetic.

The next morning, as I was eating my oatmeal, my spoon stuck to the roof of my mouth. I might have choked, but fortunately the spoon was jarred loose when the magnetic force slammed me against the refrigerator, where I remained suspended until family members were able to pull me down."

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

The Gary Larson cartoon above was referenced by a commenter - and it's from 1988.

Woke Folk: The Real "Malignant Parasites"

"In May, the Journal of the American Psychoanalytic Association published research that asserts that being white is 'a malignant, parasitic-like condition,' as well as a deranged and dangerous mental condition."

I think the author must have made a mistake. He was actually describing both himself and the concept of "wokeness" in general.

But I wonder how long it will be before someone calls Jewishness a parasitic-like condition?  Maybe they've been reading too much Mein Kampf, in which Hitler wrote, "The Jew was only and always a parasite in the body of other peoples….The Jews are a people under whose parasitism the whole of honest humanity is suffering”.

"Vaccinate or Terminate"!

That's a good line: vaccinate or terminate.  How's this for an example of people cutting off their nose to spite their face? 

"Vaccinate or terminate: Houston Methodist hospital workers leave jobs behind over COVID vaccine requirement."

Good!  Of all the people I'd expect to be so selfish and inconsiderate about getting vaccinated, it's doctors, nurses, and hospital workers.  They should go find jobs where they don't have to interact with people -- like in a warehouse.  The same goes for employees at nursing homes. Wouldn't you think these would be the very people to rush to get the vaccine, to keep not only patients but their own families safe?

And please, when you do contract COVID and get very sick, please don't dare to blame anyone but yourself!

"Jovey McJupiterFace"

Take a look  at the Astronomy Picture of the Day, which shows a 2017 face in the clouds of Jupiter that's been dubbed Jovey McJupiterFace.

I actually saw two faces, one at the top, and the one with the red mouth below.  This colorful web page clarified it for me: "By flipping a JunoCam image upside down, one citizen scientist turned two of Jupiter’s pearly white storms into eyes suspended above a red, oval-shaped mouth."

Brought To Ones Knees by COVID

I was watching on live TV when there was a dramatic scene at The Memorial golf tournament tonight. As 6-stroke leader Jon Rahm was leaving the course after finishing his round, he was given news that literally brought him to his knees in tears. The news was that he had tested positive for COVID.

So in the space of a few minutes, Rahm went from being on his way to a win tomorrow, to being forced to withdraw from the tournament.  Dottie Pepper went white; Jim Nance and Nick Faldo were stunned into silence. I felt so bad for him.

It was a terrible shock, but maybe it will also shock all these maskless fans and celebrating people into re-thinking their behavior before it happens to them, too.

Freebies With Every Vaccination!

This is ridiculous. These people should be getting their vaccine because it's the right thing to do, not because you get freebies in return.

Are we going to see the same thing when flu shots are administered in the Fall?

From Time magazine's Coronavirus Brief: 

BY MANDY OAKLANDER

Take a Shot, Get Free Stuff

You'd think that getting vaccinated for COVID-19 would be enough of a reward all by itself. Doing so can protect you, with stunning efficacy, from getting severely sick—not to mention avoiding hospitalization and death. But that's not enough for many Americans, who may need to be enticed by a little something extra to get the life-saving shot. Politicians, companies and lawmakers have been more than happy to provide a nudge: Vaccine incentives so far have ranged from free Krispy Kreme donuts to $100 savings bonds to statewide lottery tickets.

Today, U.S. President Joe Biden, who's pushing to get 70% of Americans vaccinated by July 4, announced a new suite of national-level incentives—including free beer—to goose the country's lagging vaccination rate. (About 54,000 people are now getting their first shot every day, compared to about 3 million in mid-March.)

Deal-sweeteners from the White House's partners include a free beer from Anheuser-Busch for Americans 21 and older once the U.S. reaches Biden's 70% goal; a CVS-sponsored sweepstakes in which vaccinated people can win free cruises, Super Bowl tickets and cash; free tickets from Major League Baseball; a giveaway for a year of free United Airlines flights; and the chance to win a year of free groceries from Kroger. (Here's a complete list of freebies.)

The White House is also launching other outside-the-box programs intended to improve vaccine access and uptake. Four major child care providers are offering free services for parents and caregivers who get vaccinated between now and July 4, for instance. And a new initiative to reach Black Americans will launch in June: barbershops and beauty salons across the country will host vaccination events and provide vaccine information. Though Black Americans have been disproportionately affected by the pandemic, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) data show that only about 9% have at least one dose, compared to 61% of white Americans.

Vaccination is the strongest tool we have to defeat the pandemic. The government knows it and will try plenty to convince you, too—starting with a cold beer.

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Revolting Antisemitism

"Van Saying “Hitler was Right” Drives Around Boca Raton, FL to Harass Pro-Israel Supporters." Just think of this happening in this day and age, in a state that's a Jewish haven, like Israel,  home to senior citizens and Holocaust survivors. 

The filth that did this back in May obviously weren't taught right from wrong and weren't taught to respect their elders.  They must be very miserable people who have nothing in their lives, and as always, the Jews are the scapegoat of the world.