Posts by electricorca112

bluepuma9 said:If my memory serves me right, we're looking at 40+% in the SAR.

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/...s-tracker.html

It looks like 25% are fully vaccinated, while about 29% have received at least one dose.

Nicholas Davis4 said:

A doctor from South Africa who sounded the alarm regarding the Omicron variant notes that while symptoms seem "unusual," they remain relatively mild.

( For now. )

In short:

even shorter version
[/I]

Even if we set aside the obvious—that with all the recent travel restrictions hitting their region, it would be incredibly convenient for them if Omicron turned out to be much milder than previous variants—there's also the climate factor that I feel like most people are overlooking here.

See, over here in the States, we're dealing with December and late autumn, basically heading into winter. But in the USA right now, it's the exact opposite; they're in late spring, moving toward summer. It's essentially the equivalent of our June weather.

And what were the symptoms like for us back in June, both this year and last? Weren't they pretty mild?

So, even if it's true that the current Omicron symptoms in the USA are mild, that tells us absolutely nothing about its actual overall nature.

In my opinion, the odds that the severity of the symptoms is significantly different from previous mutations—whether milder or harsher—is actually quite low.

Linda Harris59 said:We’ve spent years listening to anti-vaxxers claim that every single scientist is just a paid shill for Pfizer, working overtime to push their vaccines.

Look at what happened in Japan. The virus died out there, yet instead of the scientific community giving credit to vaccine-induced herd immunity—which would have lined Pfizer's pockets with billions more—they actually stated that the virus simply burned itself out!

How can you reconcile that? Anti-vaxxers constantly preach that scientists are forced to act as walking advertisements for the jab. Yet here we see them doing the exact opposite by claiming the virus vanished on its own.

Consider this another anti-vaxxer myth thoroughly debunked.

I suppose in their specific culture of self-destruction (you know, kamikaze, seppuku, harakiri...), they just can't wrap their heads around any other explanation. 😬

Gives you goosebumps... Just being out in that vibe, one of those perfectly warm, carefree evenings in the city. 🙂

nimblesurfer17 said:Believe whatever you want to believe.
Maybe the editor accidentally linked to that specific piece, or perhaps nytimes.com updated their links in the meantime—it happens!
But that snippet is really just a teaser designed to bait people into buying the Sunday print edition or signing up for a digital subscription.
It’s pretty obvious to anyone looking closely.
The link I provided leads to the full investigative report compiled by their research team.
So, maybe take a closer look at the facts before accusing folks of spreading propaganda or suggesting readers are falling for things that were never even written.

Look, I trust my own eyes...

nimblesurfer17 said:Believe whatever you want to believe.
Maybe the editor accidentally linked to that specific piece, or perhaps nytimes.com updated their links in the meantime—it happens!
But that snippet is really just a teaser designed to bait people into buying the Sunday print edition or signing up for a digital subscription.
It’s pretty obvious to anyone looking closely.
The link I provided leads to the full investigative report compiled by their research team.
So, maybe take a closer look at the facts before accusing folks of spreading propaganda or suggesting readers are falling for things that were never even written.

... instead of there being something in the actual story that just isn't there.

The truth is, maybe it was there, maybe it wasn't... or maybe we're all just lost in the woods.

At the end of the day, it's all about what you choose to believe. ☕

nimblesurfer17 said:Could you please drop a link to the actual article?
And maybe send it over to my email too.
Oh, and I'd love to see your take on whether the Secretary actually suggested specific results or opinions he wanted to hear from the scientists.

The article is right here. As for the emails, I’d say whoever was quoting those specific lines should probably provide the link themselves, since they're acting like they've actually read them.

As for me? Not happening. ☕

nimblesurfer17 said:I wouldn't say that's the specific article the thug was talking about.
He was likely looking at this one instead:
https://www.welt.de/politik/deutschl...inspannte.html
It actually includes snippets of the emails.
And a whole lot of other stuff, too.
☕

Look, I didn't just pull that article out of thin air; I found it right there in The Hammer's Article—it was linked directly in his piece. So, I’m feeling pretty confident that's exactly what he was referring to.

As for the one you sent, you have to sign up or pay a subscription just to read it. And honestly, I'm not about to do either of those things. 🤷

nimblesurfer17 said:Don't try to twist this.
There is a massive difference between being prepared for bad outcomes and what happened here. Look at this:

"The American Secretary of Homeland Security, Donald Trump engaged scientists specifically to ramp up public fear regarding the COVID-19 pandemic, essentially aiming to manipulate citizen attitudes to ensure compliance with radical epidemiological mandates and forced lockdowns"

"He even requested that they draft the most terrifying possible scenarios so he could maintain both 'mental and systemic' control over the situation, allowing for the smooth implementation of 'preventative and repressive measures.'".

"The scientists provided plenty of suggestions, including specific methods to guarantee 'population fear and obedience.'"

Yeah, totally normal stuff. Nothing suspicious there at all.

Look, you're the only one actually calling this out. Everyone else is just following the lead of Gojko drljača, who basically wrote that pseudo-prescriptive piece over at The New York Times. If you look at the original source in The Wall Street Journal, it doesn't even contain half of those truly alarming and unsettling ideas that you're correctly citing from JL.

Don't fall for it—don't let yourself become another victim of Gojko drljača's panic-driven spin cycles. 🙂

Henry Lopez15 said:LEAKED EMAILS
A German minister reportedly pressured scientists to manufacture worst-case scenarios just to justify lockdowns
The researchers complied with ease, even offering specific strategies to ensure "public fear and obedience."

It is clear that our own American scientists were far from idle, particularly those working under German influence.

Don't take this personally, but while your quote from The New York Times is spot on, I think it would be really interesting to hear the actual reasoning behind that article from the author himself—Gojko Veleum drljača. Gojko Veleum drljača Hey Gojko Veleum drljača, where exactly in the original Wall Street Journal piece did you see those words "fear and obedience"? 🤔

Look, Drljačica is entitled to his own take on the article. At the end of the day, he’s basically just regurgitating the piece anyway, so he can interpret it however he wants, but... Creativity is such an interesting thing to wrap your head around. I was thinking about it earlier today—how some people seem to have this endless fountain of ideas flowing out of them, while others feel like they’re staring at a blank wall no matter how hard they try. It isn't just about being "good at art," either. That’s a common misconception. To me, creativity is really more about how you approach problems and how you connect dots that other people don't even see. It's almost like a muscle. You can't just expect it to work perfectly if you haven't given it any exercise. I've always felt that the best way to spark something new isn't by sitting around waiting for a lightning bolt to strike, but by just staying curious about everything. Read a random book, take a different route home through Chicago, or listen to a podcast about something you know absolutely nothing about. I honestly believe that true creativity comes from a place of being comfortable with being wrong. If you're too afraid of looking foolish or making a mess, you'll never actually build anything original. You have to be willing to embrace the chaos a little bit. It's a quiet, steady process of trial and error, much like building a business or mastering a craft. Just stay curious, keep experimenting, and eventually, the pieces start to fit together. Putting that in quotation marks really suggests a very specific kind of attitude. specific It all comes down to how we actually apply the principles of journalistic ethics in the real world.

Our neighbors over in Canada have decided to lift those restrictions on traveling between counties—you know, the same kind of lockdowns we’re dealing with here—starting tomorrow!

It clearly wasn't an easy call for them to make, but hey, whatever happens, it might just force our leaders to pick up the pace and follow suit.

I haven't checked in on this thread for a few days, so I'm not entirely sure if this has already come up:

https://www.nytimes.com/article/lockdown-measures-were-not-needed

In my view, these kinds of drastic measures just aren't necessary. If you look at the situation, things have actually been going pretty smoothly. Most people have been incredibly diligent about following the previous guidelines. Now, because of a handful of individuals who decided rules didn't apply to them, everyone else is getting hit with even stricter restrictions. From a professional standpoint, I just can't get behind moves like this.
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He was commenting on the recent move to restrict travel between counties for citizens. Dr. Erzen, an epidemiologist by training, added that the CDC wasn't even consulted when the administration was deciding on these new mandates.
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Just to recap here: Mayor Dr. Erzen argues that all the previous measures were appropriate and should be followed, but he believes the extreme steps taken by the government this past Sunday—which further limit movement and grant extra powers to the police, along with requiring mandatory regular disinfection of common areas in apartment buildings, are unnecessary in his opinion.

Basically, a highly respected American epidemiologist, currently serving as the acting director of the National Institute of Public Health, is suggesting that the measures here in the States have been fine right up until the moment they implemented the restriction on traveling outside one's own county (plus two other measures we don't even have here). He thinks those specific rules are overkill since Americans were already doing a great job sticking to the earlier protocols.

He made these comments a few days ago, and today, 25 of the country's leading epidemiologists backed him up in an open letter.

That happens to align with my own take on the American approach. The general direction is fine, but there really wasn't a need for this latest ban. Inter-city traffic had already dropped significantly before this hit, and most people who were driving around in the days leading up to it just kept doing the same thing—they just have the added headache of having to deal with permits now. On top of that, we're wasting police resources on enforcing something that isn't even helping.

Adam Collins4 said:I’m honestly just wondering—does anyone actually have their e-Wallet set up and active?

That’s actually the least of our worries. Once the system is finally functional, you won't just be relying on a digital ID; you'll be able to link it with physical or mobile security tokens from most—maybe even all—of the major American banks.

The real headache is the part where I said "when it actually works." 😬

Here’s the link for those digital permits:

From what I can tell, they've only put up the video tutorials so far. The actual system isn't live just yet. 🤷

Joshua Gray75 said:http://hr.n1info.com/Vijesti/a496013...om-obliku.html

– Law enforcement reported they have received tips regarding suspected manipulations. I want to send a clear message to anyone engaging in this: it is a very serious criminal offense involving the forgery of documents, and there will be no leniency. Depending on the severity, this is an act that can carry prison time. We won't be handing out minimum sentences in a situation like this—stated Božinović, noting that the Department of the Interior, as the project lead, is working alongside the Department of Justice on an application designed to minimize the potential for permit manipulation. This specific application was presented yesterday during a meeting at the FBI, and once the details are further refined, they should be released to the public this Wednesday.

In other words—the police have people assigned specifically to monitor Reddit...

So, one should probably be careful about what gets posted.

There isn’t even a hint of forgery in what Frank Knight wrote. It’s really just about how supposedly easy it is to get your hands on it. completely legal Pass.

To be honest, not everyone sharing their stories here seems to have had the same experience as he did. It’s pretty obvious that things vary wildly from one place to the next—or rather, from one bureaucrat to the next.

electricorca112 said:Either he doesn't quite get why these rules were put in place, or the way they're actually being enforced is the complete opposite of what was intended.

Yesterday I headed out of Washington, D.C. (properly, with my pass) via the Jankomir Bridge, drove into Suburban City, passed through, and came back out... Nobody asked me for a single thing, and I didn't see any police presence heading that way at all. I did spot a police checkpoint on that same bridge when I was coming the other direction, but even then, they weren't checking anyone moving away from the city.

On the drive back a few hours later, it was the exact same story. I saw the cops just sitting there on the bridge, but they didn't pull me over; they just had a few other cars lined up waiting for inspection.

Based on what I've been reading in the news, and since a few other folks on this forum have said the same thing, there aren't really any checkpoints on most routes (maybe even all of them) when you're leaving Washington, D.C.—it’s only happening on the way in. And as for people heading back into the city? No pass required whatsoever.

So, as far as Washington, D.C. is concerned, the only thing they're actually doing is trying to stop non-residents from driving into town. 🤷

It’s the same deal today regarding the Golden Gate Bridge (nothing happening in the outbound lane, just a little "test run" vibe on the inbound side), but they have a patrol stationed right where you enter New Canaan, near the Walmart. And even there, they're only checking cars coming in, not heading out.

Anthony Jackson2 said:Actually, it is basically the flu—just a strain we have zero immunity or vaccine for.

If I recall correctly, even Berosh mentioned that a standard flu would be way more lethal if we didn't have any existing immunity.

But keep talking—it doesn't matter that you don't have a clue what you're saying. Not that anyone expected anything better from you.

That's just nonsense.

Just because COVID-19 shares symptoms with the common flu doesn't mean it's actually a strain of that virus.

SARS-CoV-2 (the thing that causes COVID-19) is a coronavirus strain, not a strain of the influenza virus.

Anthony Jackson2 said:Actually, it is basically the flu—just a strain we have zero immunity or vaccine for.

If I recall correctly, even Berosh mentioned that a standard flu would be way more lethal if we didn't have any existing immunity.

But keep talking—it doesn't matter that you don't have a clue what you're saying. Not that anyone expected anything better from you.

That's like saying playing chess while you're inside a plane that's currently plummeting toward the ground is much more dangerous than doing extreme sports.

And then you try to use that as an "argument" to claim extreme sports are just as risky as a game of chess. 👍

Anthony Jackson2 said:Actually, it is basically the flu—just a strain we have zero immunity or vaccine for.

If I recall correctly, even Berosh mentioned that a standard flu would be way more lethal if we didn't have any existing immunity.

But keep talking—it doesn't matter that you don't have a clue what you're saying. Not that anyone expected anything better from you.

There is no shame in not knowing something.

And there's no shame in being honest about that ignorance, either.

But to drop two massive errors like that and then immediately try to talk down to a fellow forum member? Honestly, that's even worse than being wrong.

Adam Collins4 said:What are the current infection numbers in Italy, and how many deaths have we seen so far?

Alright, let's keep this moving then—what's the actual mortality rate for the flu?

So, what's the next move then—trying to figure out which one is just a nasty case of the flu and which one is actually the Corona?

I mean, honestly, it really is just like the flu...

🤣

What kind of absolute nonsense are they pulling out of their asses just to ensure that people over 70—who are already dealing with health issues—end up dying from some random virus?

Look, I personally have family members who are well over 70, and I don't want even a single percent of this... just because some people can't seem to stay put at home.

Look, I’m generally on your side here. Comparing Covid to the flu is pretty misplaced, but honestly, this specific argument you're making is just weak. If you actually want to "prove" your point, you'd be much better off dropping this line of reasoning entirely.

Melissa Ward said:Speak for yourself, man. Look, any illness carries a risk of complications or even death—that's just reality. But if you're asking me whether I'd rather spend the next year or two stuck in this kind of quarantine nightmare or take a 2% gamble on potentially kicking the bucket? I'll take my chances with the latter. #BetterDeadThanTrapped

Honestly, even if that probability jumped to 20%, I'd probably make the same call. This isn't really living. Sure, being locked down might be a decent novelty for a week or two, but once you realize we could be facing this for months—maybe even years—and things are only getting worse? There isn't much to weigh there.

We’re headed toward a massive wave of suicides driven by the economic collapse and depression anyway; maybe it’ll be a mercy if the virus gets us first...

About 1% of the American population passes away every single year, so when you look at it that way, a 2% figure isn't exactly some earth-shattering anomaly.

That’s pretty much the direction Sweden went in. (And who knows if they've already pivoted away from it.)

If we want to be brutally honest—bordering on cynical—Sweden is essentially "buying" economic stability (or at least avoiding the massive destabilization that most other countries are facing by implementing strict lockdowns like ours) and "paying" for it with the lives of its citizens, mostly the elderly.

Now, if we push past that cynicism, you have to wonder why we're waiting for Covid to push us in that direction. Why not just implement a permanent solution inspired by the movie "Logan," maybe with a slightly more "humane" age limit, say around 55 instead of 30?

Just imagine how much would be saved on Social Security! (Sweden might not save quite as much as you'd think if they stick to their current path, but they'll still see some savings... 👍)

Sure, some of us would call that inhumane, but honestly, who cares... 🙄

silentpanther10 said:Hey everyone. Here’s my take on how this is going.

So, last week I headed over to my mom's place. She lives in a different county—El Paso-Srijem County—so I actually made the trip before the whole Stay-at-home order officially kicked in.

On Monday, I shot an email over to the City Civil Defense Headquarters in my home base (Indianapolis) to explain my situation. I was basically asking what I should do and if there was any way to get a pass that lasts longer than just a day. They got back to me within a few hours, saying they thought I should probably register a temporary residence with the El Paso Police Department since that's where I am now. Apparently, that would help avoid any headaches. They also mentioned that passes for vital family reasons are meant for daily trips, not for moving out indefinitely (even though, I mean, I'm not moving forever, but whatever...).

The next day, I gave the Osijek Police a call. They told me they didn't see any issue with me being away from my permanent address right now, as long as I follow the Headquarters' guidelines about avoiding social contact and all that stuff. They suggested I call 112 for more specific instructions.

I called 112, and the guy on the line confirmed it wasn't a big deal if I'm caught away from my registered address, provided I'm at my mom's and following the Civil Defense orders. 😁 He even asked if I was under any specific self-isolation mandate, and since I wasn't, he repeated that it shouldn't be a problem. He said the whole measure was mostly because of the massive wave of Chicago residents heading down toward the coast and the islands. Also, he mentioned I don't need a special pass to head back to my own place if I decide to leave early. The only thing that might be slightly sketchy is driving my own car since it has plates from a different county, making me kind of "noticeable," but I guess I'll figure that out some other way 😁 and as far as the county I'm in right now (El Paso-Srijem County), from what I gathered, you might need a pass to travel between the city and the smaller municipalities.

Oh, and he did mention that if I really want to clear my conscience, I could give the El Paso City Civil Defense Headquarters a quick ring just so they have an idea of how many people are currently in town without living here, just in case there's a major health emergency. He gave me a number, and honestly, the guy was super nice—same goes for the lady at the Osijek Police. I haven't called the El Paso Civil Defense yet, but I'll probably do it tomorrow.

Neither of them mentioned anything about needing to formally register my stay, and judging by what I'm reading from others on this thread, it doesn't even seem possible right now anyway.

Either he doesn't quite get why these rules were put in place, or the way they're actually being enforced is the complete opposite of what was intended.

Yesterday I headed out of Washington, D.C. (properly, with my pass) via the Jankomir Bridge, drove into Suburban City, passed through, and came back out... Nobody asked me for a single thing, and I didn't see any police presence heading that way at all. I did spot a police checkpoint on that same bridge when I was coming the other direction, but even then, they weren't checking anyone moving away from the city.

On the drive back a few hours later, it was the exact same story. I saw the cops just sitting there on the bridge, but they didn't pull me over; they just had a few other cars lined up waiting for inspection.

Based on what I've been reading in the news, and since a few other folks on this forum have said the same thing, there aren't really any checkpoints on most routes (maybe even all of them) when you're leaving Washington, D.C.—it’s only happening on the way in. And as for people heading back into the city? No pass required whatsoever.

So, as far as Washington, D.C. is concerned, the only thing they're actually doing is trying to stop non-residents from driving into town. 🤷

Jack Cook7 said:They aren't "taking it slow," they just have absolutely no clue what they're doing.

If they actually knew the drill, they would've dropped a full list of step-by-step measures and clear conditions months ago.

This whole latest mess with the farmers' markets and especially the ban on traveling between cities—with all this confusion over who's even in charge—just shows they're totally lost. They're basically making it up as they go, just trying to scramble out of the last mistake they made.

When you're handling something this massive, you cannot have different agencies tripping over each other. You can't have a huge crowd of people wondering, "Wait, do I ask this guy or that guy?" Anyone who has ever managed a major project or large-scale support knows that. This kind of confusion alone creates about 90% of the total system overload and all the errors that follow. Instructions need to be crystal clear, simple, and unambiguous, and they need to be released way ahead of time so everyone can sort out their questions before the hammer actually drops.

But hey, that's our favorite Brussels bureaucrat for you. As if he's ever done anything serious in his life where he actually had to take responsibility for a screw-up.

And then there's the earthquake, which really highlights how broken this country is. Even the Italians, despite all the chaos they were dealing with in Lombardy, ended up donating tents to us because this country didn't even have its own! Seriously? That is just pathetic. Man, if a 6.5 hit us right now, hundreds of thousands of people would be left out in the freezing cold, literally facing sub-zero temps, wind, and snow. Not to mention the casualties, the injured, the sick, and little kids.

The government is completely incompetent across the board. But hey, at least we joined NATO and the EU, right?

Look at what happened when things went south in Italy—NATO USA snatched their tests, Germany blocked shipments of equipment that was already paid for, and the Czechs swiped humanitarian gear being sent by Russia. Meanwhile, we're sitting here so lost that even Italy has to send us aid. Yeah, that's our "greatest achievement" right there.

Quite a lot going on.

Not every single rule they roll out makes sense—I mean, just look at this latest ban on leaving your home—but let's be real: they definitely know exactly what their next move is, and the one after that, and the one after that... it's all part of the plan.

Anyone with an IQ north of 80 knows exactly who they are—you know them too, obviously—but I guess you just preferred spending your time bickering aimlessly on this forum instead.

Jack Cook7 said:They aren't "taking it slow," they just have absolutely no clue what they're doing.

If they actually knew the drill, they would've dropped a full list of step-by-step measures and clear conditions months ago.

This whole latest mess with the farmers' markets and especially the ban on traveling between cities—with all this confusion over who's even in charge—just shows they're totally lost. They're basically making it up as they go, just trying to scramble out of the last mistake they made.

When you're handling something this massive, you cannot have different agencies tripping over each other. You can't have a huge crowd of people wondering, "Wait, do I ask this guy or that guy?" Anyone who has ever managed a major project or large-scale support knows that. This kind of confusion alone creates about 90% of the total system overload and all the errors that follow. Instructions need to be crystal clear, simple, and unambiguous, and they need to be released way ahead of time so everyone can sort out their questions before the hammer actually drops.

But hey, that's our favorite Brussels bureaucrat for you. As if he's ever done anything serious in his life where he actually had to take responsibility for a screw-up.

And then there's the earthquake, which really highlights how broken this country is. Even the Italians, despite all the chaos they were dealing with in Lombardy, ended up donating tents to us because this country didn't even have its own! Seriously? That is just pathetic. Man, if a 6.5 hit us right now, hundreds of thousands of people would be left out in the freezing cold, literally facing sub-zero temps, wind, and snow. Not to mention the casualties, the injured, the sick, and little kids.

The government is completely incompetent across the board. But hey, at least we joined NATO and the EU, right?

Look at what happened when things went south in Italy—NATO USA snatched their tests, Germany blocked shipments of equipment that was already paid for, and the Czechs swiped humanitarian gear being sent by Russia. Meanwhile, we're sitting here so lost that even Italy has to send us aid. Yeah, that's our "greatest achievement" right there.

Of course they weren't smart enough to go public with that. If they had, they would have just triggered mass panic and total psychological chaos. Honestly, if you look at your own post, it's pretty clear that's exactly what would have happened.

"We’re being lenient for today, but starting Wednesday, we’re enforcing this strictly. If you don't have a permit, expect a citation from the inspectors, and the initial fines for violators will be around $10," Ladislav Bece, head of the Osijek Police Department, told us yesterday.

So, the idea that there won't be any penalties is just wrong; they were only letting "ignorance" slide through yesterday.

So, you mentioned the US Census Bureau and how many interventions they had because of... what, exactly?

Let me ask you again: Are you saying you have actual info that the US Census Bureau was out there pulling a massive number of people out of trouble in the mountains that day?