I never did get the hang of the one way arrows, which annoyed some people no end while others just smirked and did the head nod thing. Around our neck of the woods the circles on the floor disappeared first. The Plexiglass finally came down at Costco, but we still see it here and there. Our corrupt Gov, Jay-dolph Inslee, ended the state of "emergency" 975 DAYS (ya know, 15 days to slow the spread?) after declaring it. Mask "mandate" ended April 11th? or 12th? this year.
It has been very eye-opening to live in Covidistan. I know there were other states that were even more draconian, but it was especially galling in the Pacific Northwest where "tolerance" is practically the state religion. 'Course they are only tolerant as long as you participate in their group-think.
I felt compelled to walk against the arrows and stand outside the circles. Sometimes I would even press my ears against the plexiglass for effect...no joke...:)
It almost became a tick, simply triggered by how moronic the symbolism was...I just couldn't help myself.
Oh and just the slightest of brush with the new_normal personal space, would send the fear addled brains into unrelenting primordial fear.
I love how my mind makes mental notes of how to recognize my favorite friends from substack. When I hear a certain cadence in Puerto Rico, or see a dude with his ear to the plexiglass, I'll know who you guys are! lol
Love it!! Mr. "the Knife" did similarly. We refused to wear the obedience muzzles. The worst encounters were at Costco. Mostly people just stayed away from us, but one millennial had a complete meltdown. We were at the checkout, standing back from the end of the conveyor belt. She was clear at the other end with, what, 10 - 12 feet between us, and she went on a huge rant about how we were endangering everyone around us. She even started filming us! Completely unhinged. I told Mr. "the Knife," "Poor thing, she is hypoxic from wearing that mask!"
My wife and I had a few similar run ins, but I only lost it once.
Some young man started yelling at my daughter (who was 10 at the time) in virtually incoherent blood curdling screams about how she would kill his mother (who btw was younger than me).
Let's just say I read him the riot act that ended in non-metaphorical "brow beating" for fucking with my baby girl.
Ryan, old pal, I believe I have discussed what a consummate "People Person" I am. Therefore, as such, I would like to welcome you to that club. We can get our own t-shirts made: Front- I'm a People Person. Back- I've already told you once!
I know you mean that in jest. I wish the following was in jest but it's not. On Thursday I saw one of my doctors and told him I no longer trusted the medical system. He asked for examples and I cited the Covid-19 vaccine. He went into a long spiel about how it had saved "billions" of lives. I didn't debate the point with him. I just wanted to get in and out by that point. While he may still be of some value, at least I should thank him for confirming my suspicions that he's on the brainwashed side. For tiem being I'll keep him. I wonder how prevalent such utter buying into Big Pharma etc. is in the industry? Depressing; this was my first "in your face" realization of the rot in the system.
Once I got home, I did some ballpark calculations. "Billions of lives saved"? Really? WHO estimates about 7 million worldwide deaths from Covid-19. Using what I think realistic death rates, I calculated the worst case (8 billion infected, no vaccine) would have been less than double that, and that's over the 3.5 years of the pandemic. Need I belabor the point that a physician who overestimates the benefits of a novel "vaccine" by a factor of nearly 1,000 probably holds erroneous beliefs about other important issues?
I was escorted out of one store and told I was endangering the lives of other customers by refusing to wear a mask. If I did not comply with the governor's rules, I would be banned permanently from this establishment.
Elaine, I am sorry you were treated in that manner. I was reading somewhere (Dr. Judy Mikovits? or Dr. Tenpenny? Wish I could remember!) that given the level of oxygen deprivation from wearing masks for 8 hours or more each day, this country was going to see a huge spike in dementia diagnoses within a few years.
In the coming years, we will be grateful we did what we could to protect our physical health from the worst of the scamdemic dictats. We may have even protected our mental health as well - I still see people masked up, driving alone, walking alone, biking alone, running alone, etc.
I too live under the dictator Inslee. Still, today my health "care" providers are still wearing masks. This makes it perfectly clear to me that I was right over 20 years ago that our medical institution is filled with sheep who are guided by the corrupt CDC/FDA and dare not deviate from their "recommendations" or their career is guaranteed to be short.
What really opened my eyes to this truth is an article in the Seattle Times entitled "change the numbers, create a disease" which pointed out how the normal ranges for establishing "high blood pressure", "high cholesterol", and "bone density" were recently changed which created millions more people "eligible" for prescribing a pharmecutical to be taken for the rest of their lives.
While I was surprised by the mainstream medical people going along with the masking, etc., I was SHOCKED by the naturopaths who also complied. Maybe it had something to do with Inslee's "snitch line" but I expected better of the alternative medicine folks. They are the ones who absolutely should know better!
To your 2nd point, for me, the number they changed that made me say they are just changing it so they can sell more drugs, was the blood sugar number. It used to be considered plumb normal for a blood sugar reading to be 120. Now, if it is over 95, you are considered "pre-diabetic."
specifically a fasting blood sugar measurement - a single snap shot once ever few months or less. A completely meaningless, useless measurement technique. Studies that have used continuous monitoring of blood sugar (and other makeup) as this technology is now available have shown the fasting number to be meaningless and often misleading. Yet it remains the standard. In direct contradiction to the actual science.
This is a pattern in real science BTW: when we develop meter observational technology, much of what we thought we know falls away, shown to be wrong.
Another major scam is the statin drugs to set blood cholesterol to a target number. What actually is causing the stuff in your blood to stick in your arteries is not understood. The evidence that reducing this one number lowers risk in otherwise healthy bodies is weak to nonexistent. Ask an MD to cite their sources - you'll get a state board or AMA recommendation, not an actual study done using science.
The sad thing for docs is that going against the mandates is not really an option, as it puts their licensed at risk. Putting patients first can be a career ending decision.
Perhaps that "paper" is of a conservative bent, but given the city, it's still remarkable to me they'd dare draw the curtain aside and report such. I totally agree,. Every few years the guidelines are tightened. In fact, they are now at the point where half or more of the population "needs" drugs for "high" cholesterol or blood pressure.
I found out the same thing about "cholesterol" (lipids) and blood pressure after I got suspicious and started reading dissident views and later, actual studies. I can't opine on bone density, but can on statins and BP meds. Yes, they offer some benefit, but the hidden fact is, especially for those with no history of disease, the benefit is so slight that I asked myself "Is it worth the cost of the drug, tests, doctor visits, to say nothing of risks of the drug?" And the answer came back "Hell no." (Too long a comment; see my stack, and no doubt many others, for details.)
I love looking up the etymology of words, it's very educational since english is notmy native language. Your post made me look up "tolerate/toleration":
toleration (n.)
1510s, "permission granted by authority, licence," from French tol├йration (15c.)
Huh. How about that. Oh, and the page on Etymonline has a nifty graph from Google (eurhg) showing frequency of usage:
I liked the plexiglass. One of my banks still has it. It makes everyday interactions feel like a prison and that's a good reminder to folks. You gave up your freedom when you put up the plexi. Now shut up and do what the wardens tell you. ;-)
Alas, in many places in the USA, plexiglass predates the pandemic. We know it's of little use against viruses, but it offers some defense against bullets and other instruments of force. I don't wish anyone to have to live where these are common, but especially if one travels, it's difficult to entirely avoid.
That definition of "tolerance" has been the standard of the self proclaimed (but really not very) "liberals" and the party they claim for quite some time. It is the opposite of tolerance, just as what they pass for "liberal" is not.
I still live in California. You know, the state half your population fled so that they could turn Oregon and Washington down the same path to ruin. For the record, none of that is my fault ;-).
If only more folks like you would move here and help balance it out!
Back in the 1980's and '90's, we had a writer at the Seattle Times named Emmett Watson. He railed about Washington being 'Californicated', I think pretty much up until his passing. He saw what was coming; where things are now may well have exceeded his expectations!
I heard in the last week or so (I need to look up the reference), more counties in eastern WA and eastern OR have voted to join "Greater Idaho." It would be nice, but I don't think either state legislature would let those counties go.
If you are homesick for circles and plexiglass, they are still in full deployment just a short drive north, into the land of Queen Bonnie and King Adrian, where outdoor masking and solo driver masks are still a common sight.
Mr. "the Knife" said it was a good time to be in the "Plexiglass and circle stickers" business.
Mrs. "the Knife"
Lolol.
They'll all be relics of shame in 10 years
I never did get the hang of the one way arrows, which annoyed some people no end while others just smirked and did the head nod thing. Around our neck of the woods the circles on the floor disappeared first. The Plexiglass finally came down at Costco, but we still see it here and there. Our corrupt Gov, Jay-dolph Inslee, ended the state of "emergency" 975 DAYS (ya know, 15 days to slow the spread?) after declaring it. Mask "mandate" ended April 11th? or 12th? this year.
It has been very eye-opening to live in Covidistan. I know there were other states that were even more draconian, but it was especially galling in the Pacific Northwest where "tolerance" is practically the state religion. 'Course they are only tolerant as long as you participate in their group-think.
Mrs. "the Knife"
I felt compelled to walk against the arrows and stand outside the circles. Sometimes I would even press my ears against the plexiglass for effect...no joke...:)
It almost became a tick, simply triggered by how moronic the symbolism was...I just couldn't help myself.
Oh and just the slightest of brush with the new_normal personal space, would send the fear addled brains into unrelenting primordial fear.
.
I love how my mind makes mental notes of how to recognize my favorite friends from substack. When I hear a certain cadence in Puerto Rico, or see a dude with his ear to the plexiglass, I'll know who you guys are! lol
Lolol
Love it!! Mr. "the Knife" did similarly. We refused to wear the obedience muzzles. The worst encounters were at Costco. Mostly people just stayed away from us, but one millennial had a complete meltdown. We were at the checkout, standing back from the end of the conveyor belt. She was clear at the other end with, what, 10 - 12 feet between us, and she went on a huge rant about how we were endangering everyone around us. She even started filming us! Completely unhinged. I told Mr. "the Knife," "Poor thing, she is hypoxic from wearing that mask!"
Mrs. "the Knife"
God bless you guys!
Where was everyone else?!
My wife and I had a few similar run ins, but I only lost it once.
Some young man started yelling at my daughter (who was 10 at the time) in virtually incoherent blood curdling screams about how she would kill his mother (who btw was younger than me).
Let's just say I read him the riot act that ended in non-metaphorical "brow beating" for fucking with my baby girl.
Ryan, old pal, I believe I have discussed what a consummate "People Person" I am. Therefore, as such, I would like to welcome you to that club. We can get our own t-shirts made: Front- I'm a People Person. Back- I've already told you once!
Put 'em on line and I'll buy one!
Hounddog! Miss ya buddy.
I love the idea...lmao.
I'm printing up two shirts:
1. That says "I voted for Hitler" with Trumps face underneath.
2. That says "I voted for Stalin" with DeSantis face underneath.
And how do you react to people wearing the mask while driving alone in their car (EV or Subaru, of course)?
Asking for a friend....
Cars are really really bad because they kill more people than COVID.
So if you wear one when driving, you have super-duper double-full protection from both threats.
Dontcha know?!
I know you mean that in jest. I wish the following was in jest but it's not. On Thursday I saw one of my doctors and told him I no longer trusted the medical system. He asked for examples and I cited the Covid-19 vaccine. He went into a long spiel about how it had saved "billions" of lives. I didn't debate the point with him. I just wanted to get in and out by that point. While he may still be of some value, at least I should thank him for confirming my suspicions that he's on the brainwashed side. For tiem being I'll keep him. I wonder how prevalent such utter buying into Big Pharma etc. is in the industry? Depressing; this was my first "in your face" realization of the rot in the system.
Once I got home, I did some ballpark calculations. "Billions of lives saved"? Really? WHO estimates about 7 million worldwide deaths from Covid-19. Using what I think realistic death rates, I calculated the worst case (8 billion infected, no vaccine) would have been less than double that, and that's over the 3.5 years of the pandemic. Need I belabor the point that a physician who overestimates the benefits of a novel "vaccine" by a factor of nearly 1,000 probably holds erroneous beliefs about other important issues?
Doh!
I was escorted out of one store and told I was endangering the lives of other customers by refusing to wear a mask. If I did not comply with the governor's rules, I would be banned permanently from this establishment.
Elaine, I am sorry you were treated in that manner. I was reading somewhere (Dr. Judy Mikovits? or Dr. Tenpenny? Wish I could remember!) that given the level of oxygen deprivation from wearing masks for 8 hours or more each day, this country was going to see a huge spike in dementia diagnoses within a few years.
In the coming years, we will be grateful we did what we could to protect our physical health from the worst of the scamdemic dictats. We may have even protected our mental health as well - I still see people masked up, driving alone, walking alone, biking alone, running alone, etc.
Mrs. "the Knife"
I too live under the dictator Inslee. Still, today my health "care" providers are still wearing masks. This makes it perfectly clear to me that I was right over 20 years ago that our medical institution is filled with sheep who are guided by the corrupt CDC/FDA and dare not deviate from their "recommendations" or their career is guaranteed to be short.
What really opened my eyes to this truth is an article in the Seattle Times entitled "change the numbers, create a disease" which pointed out how the normal ranges for establishing "high blood pressure", "high cholesterol", and "bone density" were recently changed which created millions more people "eligible" for prescribing a pharmecutical to be taken for the rest of their lives.
Elaine,
While I was surprised by the mainstream medical people going along with the masking, etc., I was SHOCKED by the naturopaths who also complied. Maybe it had something to do with Inslee's "snitch line" but I expected better of the alternative medicine folks. They are the ones who absolutely should know better!
To your 2nd point, for me, the number they changed that made me say they are just changing it so they can sell more drugs, was the blood sugar number. It used to be considered plumb normal for a blood sugar reading to be 120. Now, if it is over 95, you are considered "pre-diabetic."
Mrs. "the Knife"
specifically a fasting blood sugar measurement - a single snap shot once ever few months or less. A completely meaningless, useless measurement technique. Studies that have used continuous monitoring of blood sugar (and other makeup) as this technology is now available have shown the fasting number to be meaningless and often misleading. Yet it remains the standard. In direct contradiction to the actual science.
This is a pattern in real science BTW: when we develop meter observational technology, much of what we thought we know falls away, shown to be wrong.
Another major scam is the statin drugs to set blood cholesterol to a target number. What actually is causing the stuff in your blood to stick in your arteries is not understood. The evidence that reducing this one number lowers risk in otherwise healthy bodies is weak to nonexistent. Ask an MD to cite their sources - you'll get a state board or AMA recommendation, not an actual study done using science.
The sad thing for docs is that going against the mandates is not really an option, as it puts their licensed at risk. Putting patients first can be a career ending decision.
Thank you, very well said!
Mrs. "the Knife"
Perhaps that "paper" is of a conservative bent, but given the city, it's still remarkable to me they'd dare draw the curtain aside and report such. I totally agree,. Every few years the guidelines are tightened. In fact, they are now at the point where half or more of the population "needs" drugs for "high" cholesterol or blood pressure.
I found out the same thing about "cholesterol" (lipids) and blood pressure after I got suspicious and started reading dissident views and later, actual studies. I can't opine on bone density, but can on statins and BP meds. Yes, they offer some benefit, but the hidden fact is, especially for those with no history of disease, the benefit is so slight that I asked myself "Is it worth the cost of the drug, tests, doctor visits, to say nothing of risks of the drug?" And the answer came back "Hell no." (Too long a comment; see my stack, and no doubt many others, for details.)
I love looking up the etymology of words, it's very educational since english is notmy native language. Your post made me look up "tolerate/toleration":
toleration (n.)
1510s, "permission granted by authority, licence," from French tol├йration (15c.)
Huh. How about that. Oh, and the page on Etymonline has a nifty graph from Google (eurhg) showing frequency of usage:
https://www.etymonline.com/word/tolerate
Notice the wee dip right at 2019!
Related. Only recently did I learn that freedom and liberty have slightly different meanings. In common use they are synonyms, but the details are:
Freedom -- no constraint on your action; I imagine a man alone on a deserted island.
Liberty -- there is no constraint on your actions at present, but there was in the past or could be in the future.
Ooh that's a good one.
Makes sense. Never thought of it that way.
Thx for sharing.
Plexiglass still up at some of our local markets. So ridiculous at this point.
plexi is going to stay for good in small town GA
I guess it depends on the small town in Georgia. I am now in Covington, was in Lawrenceville. Not seeing much in the way of Plexi here.
maybe here in middle GA they don''t want to spend the money to take it away !
I think there will be things that won't go away because they become the new reality. It's a habit.
I haven't been back to the small ethnic supermarket that had lucite barriers at the cash registers. They may very well still be there.
I liked the plexiglass. One of my banks still has it. It makes everyday interactions feel like a prison and that's a good reminder to folks. You gave up your freedom when you put up the plexi. Now shut up and do what the wardens tell you. ;-)
Alas, in many places in the USA, plexiglass predates the pandemic. We know it's of little use against viruses, but it offers some defense against bullets and other instruments of force. I don't wish anyone to have to live where these are common, but especially if one travels, it's difficult to entirely avoid.
That definition of "tolerance" has been the standard of the self proclaimed (but really not very) "liberals" and the party they claim for quite some time. It is the opposite of tolerance, just as what they pass for "liberal" is not.
I still live in California. You know, the state half your population fled so that they could turn Oregon and Washington down the same path to ruin. For the record, none of that is my fault ;-).
If only more folks like you would move here and help balance it out!
Back in the 1980's and '90's, we had a writer at the Seattle Times named Emmett Watson. He railed about Washington being 'Californicated', I think pretty much up until his passing. He saw what was coming; where things are now may well have exceeded his expectations!
I heard in the last week or so (I need to look up the reference), more counties in eastern WA and eastern OR have voted to join "Greater Idaho." It would be nice, but I don't think either state legislature would let those counties go.
Mrs. "the Knife"
"Covidistan" !!!
If you are homesick for circles and plexiglass, they are still in full deployment just a short drive north, into the land of Queen Bonnie and King Adrian, where outdoor masking and solo driver masks are still a common sight.
Or head west. stop when you see the ocean or your feet get wet.
I don't think we have to wait 10 years. I think the shame has already arrived.
I don't think they're capable of shame.
You're right, but the whole thing is a crying shame....:-)
Too late!