My writings, old and new...

I've been an avid reader since I was 10 and my parents subscribed me to ''Boy's Life''. We lived in a small town without TV for 3 years; my family read as many books as we could! (My wife still occasionally mentions TV shows I've never seen; I think the books I read did me more good!) I'm going to put my opinions of books I've read and especially those I could not finish.

Monday, January 31, 2022

plague 31 JAN 2022


Name of the book:
          Author:
    Type of book:

the Plague Years@@
There have been an amazing number of plagues in the past several centuries. There wss one in 1832 which no one spoke of or wrote about. My Grandparents or Parents never mentioned the Spanish Flu to my brothers, cousins or me. @

In 50 years people will have forgotten about covid-19:unless it and it's variants become  endemic.  There are creditable reports of deervharbouring thevPandemic without harm.  It probably will be unless the Boffins come up with vaccines to destroy the covid "virus with the spike"@@
Death is patient...@@

Official start   @@
 Plague 
There are a numbrr of sources which give the official stare dates to the Pandemic. I am going to talk about my perspecctived. God only knows how many school kids will write essays on the Pandemic and how many MS, MA and PhD thesis will be written!  This could easily become a cottage in ndustry!  We can hope.@@

In late january 2020 there were news reports of an epidemic in Wuhan China. This souned like a respiratory diseas3 thqt degene4rqtes into pheumonia.  i had 2 cases of the flu that went to pneumonia betweeen 1998 and about 2006.  i stqart4eed gettingt th eflu shots religiously and that stopeed my getting the flu. I also took pneumonia shots when they were availa le. Before the ccovid-19 I was given a pneuonia shot that proteted againsst the five most common pneuonia virus. @

I was calm and figured my flu and pneumonia  shots would protecct me from what Trump was already calling covid-19 "China Flu" or the "Kung Flu" or the "Wuhan Virus" @

I was wrong!@

In February 2020, there were news reports of an epidemic in New York City. there were reports of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) shortages. I remembered having bought two N-95 breathing masks years before. I found them in the garage; they were still in the origional packages. I decided to do a good deed and took them to the loccal hospital to donate them.@

The usual entrance was locked and the rooms beyond the doors were dark. there ws a sign instructing visitors togo to a seonddary entrance, whicg]h i did. At tghe end of a corridore was a desk with a young man in his early 20s. I walkd to him and said "I'd like to donate some N-95 masks to you" anh put them on his table.@

He replied "we dodn't need them" and pushed them into a garbage can . I had not epected this bllshit and retried the.@

'The news says you need these protectiv masks."@

"We don't", he replied.@

"Fine," I said, "I'll just tak them to the Cancer Centgr" across the streeet."@

He immdiately said "We'll take them" anf took them from me.@

I guess he realized thee masks were aactually valuable and he did not want to be accused b y his bcoss of turnign away soethg valuabl;. I thought about postiny this onn facbfook but didn't see any point. I would probbly post this transation today.@
In late February the news was talking about needing to wear masks, social distance and sanitize surfaces. The Dodge City Distillery was handing out little bottles of alcohol based disinfectants. Kathie told me to give them some money anyway. I got in line and when I was handed a bottle, I asked "are you taking donations?"@
The surprised woman blurred out "Yes!"@
I gave her what I had and I think it was a $20.@
Kathie went by latet, got a bottle and gave them a $20.@
Later, there were news reports of the ATF finding out distilleries were giving out booze for free. It seems the tradition is for distilleries to give booze to the state or federal control agencies and they sell it back to the distilleries who then sell it.  It took some good lawering to GRT the km to back off!@@

 Disinfectants@
Taking masks to hospital mid Feb 2020@@

Surgery@@
On 10 March 2020, I arrived at the DodgeCity Hospital to be prepped for Prostate Surgery. After the usual paperwork I was told. <look this up in my notrs\>@
After being discharged from the hospital, Kathie drove mevhome. I sat on my usual chair in the living room and wondered "what now?"  I watched some TV and sat drowsy for donevtime. Kathie made dinner and I didn't eat much. I went to bed early.@
Since I was under Doctor's orders not to drive, I wondered between living room and bedroom. My recreations included reading, watching TV, dishes and cleaning out the liter boxes. The next week, we wete put into lockdown as covid-19 was suddenly discovered to be widespread. @
My wife watched TV with me and did crossword puzzles She is an extrovert while I am an introvert and the being stuck in the house wore on her much more than it did on me.@
I was terrified of going around bother people because we kept hearing the death totals on TV. Sure they were only 1.6% fatal with upwards of 5% very sick but the numbers were staggering! I was lucky and recovered from the Pandemic in March 2020.  Kathie sick for about 8 days but has made a full recovery.@
During this time, I real II zed I had lost my sense of smell,sense of taste and had almost no appetite.  I was not hungry. I did find I would have some hunger at the start of A meal. Generally hunger would stop. I found that if I took teo or motecbites, my stomach would foil and sometimes I would be on the verge of vimiting.  So, when the appetites stopped, it was forks down!@
I was gradually becoming scared of going outside the house.@
I mowed the lawn because the damn thing kept gtowing!
In mid April 2020, my wife asked me if I wanted to go shopping with her. She planned on going to Mr. G's Liquor for wine and beer (LandShark or Stella Artois) and then to Dillions to pick up A prescription or two.@
I put on a nice shirt and combed my hair. I needed a haircut but I see Barber Shops as small and poorly ventilated places that just teem with viruses.  (I think of them ads a metaphor for <i>Tom gibars</i> {spelling} Looking shaggy is better than being sick!@@
Years ago - prep pandemic - I watched news shows about people paying Hugh amounts of money to buy membership in shelters in the middle of nowhere. These were wellappointed, well supplied and folks could stay upwards of five years. If they arranged for their property to cared for they could stay There easily.@@
So what brought a number if them out very early?  That is before vaccines were available?@@
They wanted to get haircuts!@@
They decided xxx the risk of death or xxx severe illness from bc covid-19 was trivial compared to needing haircuts!  (Or it could be they got severe  cabin fever?  They should try spending several years on a Navy ship...)@@


Loss of smell, taste and appetite.@

Out to Mr Gas and pharmacy; I dressed up.@

Out by myself, my driving sucked@@
In late April 2020 I drove to Dillions to get a preacription. After not driving and still feeling "puny" my driving wss distracted and somewhat dangerous.  It took a few more road trips before II "got my mojo back". Before I settled back into my normal driving I thought I was a bitvscarey.@
On the way hone, I took my usual shortcut and saw no one outside and no cars in motion. I got to my turnoff and saw two digs casuall lying in the strert. A large rabbit mossed across the street and starting eatting tall grass. There were squirrels casually taking in yhevday. It was like a screen out if the TV series " Earth After People".@
Note to the future:  Covid-19 was a real Pandemuc.  Covid-19 killed a lot of people. Covid-19 was no hoax!
Believe this as well: the next Pandemic will happen in the the early 22nd Century or so the virus experts fear.  Don't be surprised at the upcoming  poor and disorganized tesponse! (The Trump Administration did a poor job of dealing with civic Pandemic. They did try to make be speedy effort at creating and distributing the vaccines however.)@
There were a number of times when states ordered Personal Protective Equipment only to have FEMA steal, ah, confenscate it!@@

Times out to dinner@
We did and out from Appleby three times.  This was quitea tres!@
Going out to dinner:@
We went to "Prime On The Nine" for Katie's Birthday in July 2020.@
We went to Casey's Cowtown for my birthday in August and our 41st Wedding Anniversary in October 2020;  we sweet to"Prime On The Nine" for our 42nd Anniversary!@
We sent to Wichita several times for me to go to the VA Bob Dole Hospital.@
We also went out of town a couple of times for Lions events (Lions Clubs Internstional).@@

POTUS Donald J.* Trump held a number of campaign rallies which featured:@
ol
  • No masks
  • No social distancing
  • No vaccinated people present (theublic did not have access to vaccines or rapid tests)
  • Massive disrespect towards the news media covering these events</ol>
  • These events were reported to have been Pandemic"Super Spreader Events". Like many past disasters, folks in the future will have trouble believing this "Happy Horseshit" could be true. Guess what? It probably is true!
  • @@ Monday, January 31, 2022 This Pandemic is truly horrific! European Countries that thought they were through with covid-19 and opened up are seeing a rebirth of the Pandemic. Countries which were better at taking the precautions are suddenly faced with major outbreak of illness.@@Winter is fast upon us and the prospect of people having mass encounters indoors is fueling fears of an increase in covid and deaths!@@We are planning on taking a European Cruise we had planed on taking in March 2021. The Trump Pandemic ended those hopes. Still, taking a cruise in March 2022 has given us an additional year to save up for this...@@ @ *The "J" is John not Jesus@ Check appointment dates with VA@ Leaving house to !ow yard@ Pattern of life in lockdown@ Katie's need to be out of house@ Several times getting take out from Appleby a@ Wearing mask@ Losi MN g weight@@ We both noticed I had lost weight between 10 March 2020 and my km medical appointment in July 2920. Kathie and I were both afraid my Prostate Cancer had met a sized and hungry v cancer caused my weight to drop from 288 pounds to 235 without metryi job g. However both my Urologist and Oncologists assured me my prostate cancer wss benign. The concerns was I'd had covid-19 in March 2020.@@ Trump Trains@@ Some odd customs appeared, seemed destined to last and faded away. One of these was the "Trump Train". This was typically made up of pickup trucks with flags. These could be a US flag at the center of the truck tailgate with a Trump Flag or perhaps even the Stars And Bars (the origional or one with the sil-oh-wet of a military rifle superimposed on the Stars and Bars). There would have the Proud Boys (" pb") flag and the "Qanon",** flag on either sides of the pick up truck bed.@ They cruised in herds.@<This is a touch disrespectful but I don't care! This is " Primary Source Matetial" and is expected to be honest! There was a story of one such herd forming in the parking lot of the long defunct bar and grill called " Bad Habbits". The herd formed up there, cruised east on Wyatt Eurp, turned south and crossed the tracks before turning east on Trail Street. They were xxx said to have planned for an outside get together in Mike Casey's Back lot.@@I don't know it turned out ad there wss no mention of this on "Facebook" and I have nothing to do with "Twitter". There were no reports on the Wichita TV news or in the Dodge City or Hutchinson newspapers...@@If it happened it passed unnoted and that is basically the same as saying it did not happen!@@ **" Qanon" is a bizarre social movement that Ilach the words to adequate II describe; it is something that only be read about. Truly, a number of our fellow citizens have buckled under the pressure of the Pandemic and "our President". Truly I say unto thee a number of our fellow citizens <b><u>have lost their fucking minds</u><\b>!@@ Going back to work was svarey! We wore masks, did social distancing a job d stood behind spit shields around places workers could be found. We also checked body temperatures on the fotehead; mine just tested at 97.5 °F@@ First masks:@@ Kathie started cutting up old socks to make masks. I came out of the bedroom wearing a jock strap over myvface. She was surprised!@ We got several different makes of masks and wore them. @@ Getting tested.@@ Blood test for covid antibodies@@ World wide the Pandemic response has pretty much been A cluster fuck! Countries v that thought they had beaten the Pandemic have seen A recurrence in it. There is an excellent history of the " Spanish Flu" called "Flu" written by $$$ Look it up and study it! @@ The serious errors committed in the late 1918 - 1920 period have been repeated (i.e. no masking and opening up too soon) and will be when the Pandemic of the latec21st century anbels in. There are almost v certain to be ne perversions our global population WILK con Cup with! You'll be surprised and you'll bevsorry!@@ Back to my story:@@ We had been in the habit of going out to dinner too often. From fear of crowds we simply stopped. But, we also desired to say "screw the Pandemic" and we risked our health by going out on special occassions.@reddit <ol> <li>We went to Prime On The Nine for Kathie's birthday, <i>Mike Casey's "Casey's Cowtown" for my birthday <li>Caseys Cowtown for our Anniversary and several times sinc see <li>We went to the Airport Hilton I. Wichita several time the night before I had an appointment at Bob Dole VA Hospital <li>We went to a nice hotel in Hayes before Lions Conventions </ol> @@Weapons did take away from Applebys 3 times. Another major effect is I have been totally blocked and can <u>not</u> write anything long. There is an event in November called "write a Novel In A Month". I wrote novels in 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2025, 2016 and collected short stories in 2017, 2018 and 2019 (Hey! A novel is what an author says it is!l) @@ After about 2 weeks in " lockdown", I was becoming A bit depressed and there were news items on our fellow (military) Vets committing suicide at the rate of 22 A day. I started a novel about avWW2 Sailor driven to almost committing suicide. He is saved by the forces of "Evil". @@ I could not bear to finish it. The working title was:@@ <center>" Hell Ain't Half Bad"</center> As an aside, I think a large number of my fellow citizens have lost their fucking minds. Not getting the vaccinations and boosyets, not wearing masks and not socially distancing has not stopped thevcovid-19 Plague!@ If we tentatively assume the World Population to be 7.4 billionad nd skill rate of 1.6% world wide we are looking ata"population drop" of some 118,400,000. Of cource, this is a theoretical maximum and hopefully won't happen. @@ Back to my story:@@ When I returned to work, it was with mask on. The entrance to my job site had an entrance podium where an IR scanner was used to read people's forehead temperatures. If someone came in without A mask they were offered free masks. Without A mask properly on their faces they simply were not allowed to enter!@ Country losing it's fucking mind@ an Canon@@ Mask wearing Plastic spit shields@ Waiting for tests@ Kathie getting the Plague@ Watching 7 pm MSNBC and Rachel@ Trump and awful suggestions@ BLM and Anteva {sp}@ Going to ICT for VA appointments@ On <date> the US covid-19 death total exceeded the number of Service members who died in 'Jam (Vietnam War). I had the vague hope Trump would give A sad speech about this but he didn't. He did blather on in a "I love me" speech.@@ Military and medical resistance to getting vac@ My impression and that of a number of others was Trump simply did not cate!@ My weight loss and hA1C reduction@ Getting asked for first Modetna and second@ Katie's first and second Modern @ Gigantic Trump Rallies, we which became super spreader events@ Resistance to masks and vaccines@ People apparently thinking their immune systems and prayer would keep them safe@ People going into the open without masks 😷@ Masks In wore. Jock Strap. Others.Navy Vet. Lions masks b@ Fear from going into places like "Red Beards" coffeevwhile wearing a mask toget coffee and chocolate muffin@ Sitting in museum looking outside whilst thinking of the gigantic ball of life and death and how it' UV could be killing the covid-19.@ Delta variant and how it is leading to multiple deaths@ Going to Lions meeting and de-masking on faith alone 😉.@ Story I started and why BBC I guitar it@@ The kids not getting vaccinated@ Wearing masks at the USA-Canada Lions Leadership Forum in Des Moines Iowa 2021@@@ Plans in 2019 whilst on a European Cruise to save up for acruise in March 2021. We even tried planning excursion then the pandemic hit. The Cruise wad cancelked. We did take a "cruise" (in a manner of speaking) whenwe got vaccinated...@ 😊@ I need to put Aunt Noreme's {sp} Coffee Cake Recipe in someplae with a footnte abouthow I like to publish this. Also put the "Andrson Metbod" in.@ I wonder if theLions could host A session about writing A Pandemic Journal in remembrance at theLibrary? Who could come up with a suggested outline?@@ People upset at suggestions they get vaccinated.@ Unvaccinated people catching the Delta Cariant, going to hospitals and taking g ICU beds that should have gone to cancer, heart attack, car accident, shooting victims all v because they were convinced not to get cvaccinated!@ Tell me again how we have the world's best medical care? If you can not pay for your medicalcare with cash or insurance you are fucked. This does not happen in Canada or the UK or Europe. Why do we tolerate this? Ah, yes, this is the way the Republican d's and their rich supporters like it...@@ ===@ 1/31/2022: I thought I would never get this Bluetooth Keyboard connrcted! I don't know if I can replicate this feat!@@ ===@ 1/31/2022@ An all too frequent event is occurring in Texas: an active shooter situation in Arlington Texas.@ CNN broke in to their regular show to report this event. All that has been reported is this High School is in lockdown and Police from multiple agencies and the ATF "are pouring in'. No casualty reports ATT (at this time). @ @@ Texas is a gun loving state so their folks are often fire arms skilled. I fear there will be multiple casualties but we can hope the shooter(s) missed!@ The good news is we have had comparativey few such killings this year.@@ === @@@@The shooter was caught. He turned out to be anv18-year old who got into a fight with one and possibly as many as three boys. He pulled his piece and fired. I won't call his targets " innocent" because when teen aged boys fight in high school then one or more ate likely bullies or gang members. The shooter looks to be a "minority" and thus responding to aggression. No, I am not defending the shootet, I am simply offering a rationale for his "wild west" action.@@ ===@@ On a happier note, this is the 42nd annivwesary for Kathie and me.@@ I boughtt flowers for Kathie.@ She ordered a cake, whiick I picked up along with Vinallia Ice Creamme. I'm taking left over casserol for lunch.This was our dinner last night.@ We went to "Prime On The Nine" which is a fancy restaurant over looking the golf course. We had steaks (Prime Rib), loaded baked potatoes and I had a lager (Stella Artois).@ We had cake and vinallia ice creame when we got home.@@ ===@@ 1/31/2022 A Thursday...@@ On a different subject, Senator Dr. Roger Marshall told his followers that President Biden's recent Presidential Mandate requiring vaccines and mask wearing is unconstitutionsl Marshall finally noted these violate the Tenth Amendment - State's Rights. He was correct. However, if one we're to apply the Tenth widely then I fought if the "War On Drugs" would pass muster. There are other actions taken by the Government that are also suspect.@@ ===@@ I got the latest flu shot a week or so ago and my wife is getting her's this afternoon. @ My second Moderns shot was seven months ago as of 5 October 2021 and my wife's six month wait ended on the same day. We're going to drop by Ford County Medical or our "Moderna Boostet" (i.e. Moderna third) some time next week.) @@ There are news reports of a drug that can be taken at the first signs of the Pandemic. They supposedly cure the common variants. New variants are coming - this is just a continuination of the current trends - and I suspect that theanti-vaxers will ensure the Pandemic becomes endemic.@@ There was a time last year when foreign countries would not let US Citizens in because the Pandemc was out of controlin the US of A. That reportedly abated. The persistence of anti-vaxers may well bring a return to this!@ ===@@ I will be getting off work about 1:30 pm and will go to Dillions Grocery to buy groceries for dinner tonight (Lazanna).@@ ===@ CNN had a quick story this morning. A teaching hospital in Colorado is refusing g transplant surgery to those who test positive or are unvaccinated against covid-19. They said that immune surprise isn't drugs are given to those who receive transplants and this raises their chances of dying from covid-19 by 20 percent. In other words giving the unvaccinated a transplant is a waste of a very valuable organ...@@ A month or so ago an unvaccinated person went to board a cruise ship for a transatlantic cruise to Europe. She tested positive for covid-19 and was told her ticket was recinded and that she would be refunded the money she had paid.@@ She would lose the money spent on her plane fare as she could have, should have, been tested before leaving home. Had she "tested positive" back home, she would have been able to get full refunds on plane tickets, hotels and cruise. (This sounds nice and I wonder if the plane fare and hotel reservations would actually have been refunded? I am cynical..🤗 ) @@ She didn't grasp the notion that she would be spreading the virus in every Room she went into. There could be unvaccinated people there or people whose vaccines have not fully kicked in. @@ There would be no way to tell when she would sicken and have to go to medical. She would need frequent invasive medical exams (temperature and listen to breathing).@@ The Governor of Florida issued an order forbidding Cruise Companies from banning covid-19 testing positive people. The Cruise Lines said they would stop coming to Florida. The cities standing to lose a lot of money cinvinced the governor to back off!@@@@ "Money talks, bullshit walks!" If she got sick then th medical staff would be devoted to her and not to many other passengers.@ Bottom line: she was an avoidable catastrophe that was avoided!@ 1/31/2022 Once again I wonder why so many people believed bullshit aboutvtesting, vaccines, social distancing and staying home. Mass gathering could have been fun but being in hospital lying in bed sick is not fun and dying in an induced coma whilst having the tube of a ventilatio machine in your throat can hardly be called fun.@@ ===@ 1/31/2022@ A numbrr of members of the Armed Forces are refusing to get vaccinated. Real news reports are speaking of members refusing to get vaccinated and commannds apparently are not doing a very good job of finding out why they are refusing. these senior officers and NCOs truly need to find why so they can counter these beliefs. Thet need to do this "sooner rather than later!"@ When I went to Navy Boot Camp at Orlando Navy Boot Camp and was in Company 170-70 (company number 170 of year 1970, Company Commander MMC P.G. Smith. "Company Commander" or CC was the Senior Drill Instucctor), we were orderd to take off our shirts, roll up our t-shirt sleves and we were marched in single file between pairs of Medical Corpsman. Each Corpsman had a Gas jet Injector and gave the recruits between them a shot int the closest arm. It was not too bad..@ No one was allowed to skip any of these "shots" simply vecause they did not wannt it!@ Now, a number of military people are refusing to take the shots. They should simly be ordered to "take the damn shots" or be subject to frequant Quick Response Tests (Q-tip up the nose) and being told tht liberty in foreign lands is curtailed due to that foreign ccuntry not allowing unvaccinated Sailors and Marines ashore or to leave bases oon thir land. (Actually this will probably not be much of a threat since these foreign countries want the money US Military (Cash cows) have too much of,,,. @ ===@@ 1/31/2022 Kathie and I both went to Fored County Health to get our Moderna B ooster. There was one man ahead of ujs and he said he eas there ort a flu shot. There was a woman and small girl behind us whi apparently was there for a covid-19 shot. It was ridiceoud just how empty the County Health Clinic was...@ Later today that gadfly Marjorien Taylor Greene was preaching the US should have a "divorce" beteweern Republian and Democrat states. Yhis is preaching a Civil War, This means she is vilating her Oath of Office4 in which all members of Congrss swear to "protedt and defend the Constitution of the United States of America from all enemies foreign and domestic". Preaching and encouraging such a "divorxe: is treason!@ I hope the silly bitch is eventually forgotten!@@ 1/31/2022@@ Yesterday, the leader of an international organization (I don't recall which and don't care which) said it was "immoral" for people in the US of A to be getting booster shots when so many in poor countries have not gotten initial shots. Somehow, the boosters my wife and I got the day before yesterday could have gone into foreigners instead???@ The news talks of vast amounts of vaccations being sent to these foreign nations (e.g. in Africa and both Central and South America). Failures of giving these shots sounds like a supply chain problem at the distant end. There have also been stories of corrupt local officials charging large sums of money for the shots. (I admit these were "older" reports...@ So, I finally did some online data searches regarding the "Religious Argument" for not getting vaccibations. It seems that in the early 1950s, two fetuses were voluntarily aborted. Some of this fetal tissue went into creating cell lines which have been essential to vaccine production since.@ I was taken aback and realized that in theory, every vaccination shot I have taken was made with the aid of these cells. It is far too late for me to quibble. Life comes from death.@ Perhaps MDs, DOs and RNs should save fetuses which died during or after a miscarriage or which were delivered dead. These deceased fetuses could provide new cell lines. Perhaps cells from living persons could be changed into the appropriate cells to rep!ace these "tainted" fetus derived cells? (This would be interesting if true...)@ In the mean while, we have a new category in the argument regarding using medical data obtained from "tainted science" or "tainted medicine". I will continue getting vaccinations as needful since I am 70 years old and don't intend to die based on " principles". Still, "they" should replace these cell lines. <hr> Things people could write about:@@ <ul>Plague Years@@ There have been an amazing number of plagues in the past several centuries. There wss one in 1832 which no one spoke of or wrote about. My Grandparents or Parents never mentioned the Spanish Flu to my brothers, cousins or me. @ In 50 years people will have forgotten about covid-19:unless it and it's variants become endemic.@@ ±+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ @@ Official start @@ There are a numbrr of places which give the official starts to the Pandemic. I am going to talk about my perspecctived.@ In late january 2020 there were news reports of an epidemic in Wuhan China. This souned like a respiratory diseas3 thqt degene4rqtes into pheumonia. i had 2 cases of the flu that went to pneumonia betweeen 1998 and about 2006. i stqart4eed gettingt th eflu shots religiously and that stopeed my getting the flu. I also took pneumonia shots when they were availa le. Before the ccovid-19 I was given a pneuonia shot that proteted againsst the five most common pneuonia virus. @ I was calm and figured my flu and pneumonia shots would protecct me from what Trump was already calling covid-19 "China Flu" or the "Kung Flu" or the "Wigan Virus" @ I was wrong!@ In February 2020, there were news reports of an epidemic in New York City. there were reports of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) shortages. I remembered having bought two N-95 breathing masks years before. I found them in the garage; they were still in the origional packages. I decided to do a good deed and took them to the loccal hospital to donate them.@ The usual entrance was locked and the rooms beyond the doors were dark. there ws a sign instructing visitors togo to a seonddary entrance, whicg]h i did. At tghe end of a corridore was a desk with a young man in his early 20s. I walkd to him and said "I'd like to donate some N-95 masks to you" anh put them on his table.@ He replied "we dodn't need them" and pushed them into a garbage can . I had not epected this bllshit and retried the.@ 'The news says you need these protectiv masks."@ "we don't", he replied.@ "Fine," I said, "I'll just tak them to the Cancer Centgr" across the streeet."@ He immdiately said "We'll take them" anf took them from me.@ I guess he realized thee masks were aactually valuable and he did not want to be accused b y his bcoss of turnign away soethg valuabl;. I thought about postiny this onn facbfook but didn't see any point. I would probbly post this transation today.@ In late February the news was talking about needing to wear masks, social distance and sanitize surfaces. The Dodge City Distillery was handing out little bottles of alcohol based disinfectants. Kathie told me to give them some money anyway. I got in line and when I was handed a bottle, I asked "are you taking donations?"@ The surprised woman blurred out "Yes!"@ I gave her what I had and I think it was a $20.@ Kathie went by latet, got a bottle and gave them a $20.@ Later, there were news reports of the ATF finding out distilleries were giving out booze for free. It seems the tradition is for distilleries to give booze to the state or federal control agencies and they sell it back to the distilleries who then sell it. It took some good lawering to GRT the km to back off!@@ Disinfectants@ Taking masks to hospital mid Feb 2020@@ Surgery@@ On 10 March 2020, I arrived at the DodgeCity Hospital to be prepped for Prostate Surgery. After the usual paperwork I was told. <look this up in my notrs\>@ After being discharged from the hospital, Kathie drove mevhome. I sat on my usual chair in the living room and wondered "what now?" I watched some TV and sat drowsy for donevtime. Kathie made dinner and I didn't eat much. I went to bed early.@ Since I was under Doctor's orders not to drive, I wondered between living room and bedroom. My recreations included reading, watching TV, dishes and cleaning out the liter boxes. The next week, we wete UT into lockdown as covid-19 was suddenly discovered to be widespread. @ My wife watched TV with me and did crossword puzzles She is an extrovert while U am an introvert and the being stuck in the house wore on her much more than it did on me.@ I was terrified of going around bother people because we kept hearing the death totals on TV. Sure they were only 1.6% fatal with upwards of 5% very sick but te numbers were staggering! I was lucky and recovered from the Pandemic in Mar h 2020. Kathie sick for about 8 days but has made a full recovery.@ During this time, I real II zed I had lost my sense of smell,sense of taste and had almost no appetite. I was not hungry. I did find I would have some hunger at the start of A meal. Generally hunger would stop. I found that if I took teo or motecbites, my stomach would foil and sometimes I would be on the verge of vimiting. So, when the appetites stopped, it was forks down!@ I was gradually becoming scared of going outside the house.@ I mowed the lawn because thedamn thing kept gtowing! In mid April 2020, m wife asked me if I wanted to go shopping wit het. She planned on going to Mr. G's Liquor for wine and beer (LandShark or Stella Artois) and then to Dillions to pick up A prescription or two.@ I put on a nice shirt and combed my hair. I needed a haircut but I see Barber Shops as small and poorly ventilated places that just teem with viruses. Looking shaggy is better than being sick!@@ Loss of smell, taste and appetite.@ Out to Mr Gas and pharmacy; I dressed up.@ Out by myself, my driving sucked@@ In late April 2020 I drove to Dillions to get a preacription. After not driving and still feeling "puny" my driving wss distracted and somewhat dangerous. It took a few more road trips before II "got my mojo back". Before I settled back into my normal driving I thought I was a bitvscarey.@ On the way hone, I took my usual shortcut and saw no one outside and no cars in motion. I got to my turnoff and saw two digs casuall lying in the strert. A large rabbit mossed across the street and starting eatting tall grass. There were squirrels casually taking in yhevday. It was like a screen out if the TV series " Earth After People".@ Note to the future: Covid-19 was a real Pandemuc. Covid-19 killed a lot of people. Covid-19 was no hoax! Believe this as well: the next Pandemic will happen in the the early 22nd Century or so the virus experts fear. Don't be surprised at the upcoming poor and disorganized tesponse! (The Trump Administration did a poor job of dealing with civic Pandemic. They did try to make be speedy effort at creating and distributing the vaccines however.)@ There were a number of times when states ordered Personal Protective Equipment only to have FEMA steal, ah, confenscate it!@@ Times out to dinner@ We did and out from Appleby three times. This was quitea tres!@ Going out to dinner:@ We went to "Prime On The Nine" for Katie's Birthday in July 2020.@ We went to Casey's Downtown for m birthday in August and our 41st Wedding Anniversary in October.@ We sent to Wichita several times for me to go to the VA Bob Dole Hospital.@ We also went out of town a couple of times for lions events.@@ POTUS Donald J.* Trump held a number of campaign rallies which featured:@ <ol> <li>No masks <li>No social distancing <li>No vaccinated people present (theublic did not have access to vaccines or rapid tests) <li>Massive disrespect towards the news media covering these events</ol> @ *The "J" is John not Jesus@ Check appointment dates with VA@ Leaving house to !ow yard@ Pattern of life in lockdown@ Katie's need to be out of house@ Several times getting take out from Appleby a@ Wearing mask@ Losi MN g weight@@ We both noticed I had lost weight between 10 March 2020 and my km medical appointment in July 2920. Kathie and I were both afraid my Prostate Cancer had met a sized and hungry v cancer caused my weight to drop from 288 pounds to 235 without metryi job g. However both my Urologist and Oncologists assured me my prostate cancer wss benign. The concerns was I'd had covid-19 in March 2020.@@ Trump Trains@@ Some odd customs appeared, seemed destined to last and faded away. One of these was the "Trump Train". This was typically made up of pickup trucks with flags. These could be a US flag at the center of the truck tailgate with a Trump Flag or perhaps even the Stars And Bars (s ppl with and without a drawing of a military rifle on that flag). T uh eh would have the Proud Boys (" pb")flag and the "Qanon",** flag.@ **" Qanon" is a bizarre social movement that I kackv ppl the words to adequate II describe; it ca job only be read about. Truly, a number of our fellow citizens have buckled under the pressure of the Pandemic and "our President". Truly a number of our fellow citizens <b><u>have lost their fucking minds</u><\b>!@ Going back to work was svarey! We wore masks, did social distancing a job d stood behind spit shields around places workers could be found. We also checked body temperatures on the fotehead; mine just tested at 97.5 °F@@ First masks:@@ Kathie started cutting up old socks to make masks. I came out of the bedroom wearing a jock strap over myvface. She was surprised!@ We got several different makes of masks and wore them. @@ Getting tested.@@ Blood test for covid antibodies@@ World wide the Pandemic response has pretty much been A cluster fuck! Countries v that thought they had beaten the Pandemic have seen A recurrence in it. There is an excellent history of the " Spanish Flu" called "Flu" written by $$$ Look it up and study it! @@ The serious errors committed in the late 1918 - 1920 period have been repeated (i.e. no masking and opening up too soon) and will be when the Pandemic of the latec21st century ambells in. @@ You'll be surprised and you'll be sorry!@@ Back to my story:@@ We had been in the habit of going out to dinner too often. From fear of crowds we simply stopped. But, we also desired to say "screw the Pandemic" and we risked our health by going out on special occassions.@reddit <ol> <li>We went to Prime On The Nine for Kathie's birthday, <i>Mike Casey's "Casey's Cowtown" for my birthday <li>Caseys Cowtown for our Anniversary and several times sinc see <li>We went to the Airport Hilton I. Wichita several time the night before I had an appointment at Bob Dole VA Hospital <li>We went to a nice hotel in Hayes before Lions Conventions </ol> @@Weapons did take away from Applebys 3 times. Another major effect is I have been totally blocked and can <u>not</u> write anything long. There is an event in November called "write a Novel In A Month". I wrote novels in 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2025, 2016 and collected short stories in 2017, 2018 and 2019 (Hey! A novel is what an author says it is!l) @@ After about 2 weeks in " lockdown", I was becoming A bit depressed and there were news items on our fellow (military) Vets committing suicide at the rate of 22 A day. I started a novel about avWW2 Sailor driven to almost committing suicide. He is saved by the forces of "Evil". @@ I could not bear to finish it. The working title was:@@ <center>" Hell Ain't Half Bad"</center> As an aside, I think a large number of my fellow citizens have lost their fucking minds. Not getting the vaccinations and boosyets, not wearing masks and not socially distancing has not stopped thevcovid-19 Plague!@ If we tentatively assume the World Population to be 7.4 billionad nd skill rate of 1.6% world wide we are looking ata"population drop" of some 118,400,000. Of cource, this is a theoretical maximum and hopefully won't happen. @@ Back to my story:@@ When I returned to work, it was with mask on. The entrance to my job site had an entrance podium where an IR scanner was used to read people's forehead temperatures. If someone came in without A mask they were offered free masks. Without A mask properly on their faces they simply were not allowed to enter!@ Country losing it's fucking mind@ an Canon@@ Mask wearing Plastic spit shields@ Waiting for tests@ Kathie getting the Plague@ Watching 7 pm MSNBC and Rachel@ Trump and awful suggestions@ BLM and Anteva {sp}@ Going to ICT for VA appointments@ On <date> the US covid-19 death total exceeded the number of Service members who died in 'Jam (Vietnam War). I had the vague hope Trump would give A sad speech about this but he didn't. He did blather on in a "I love me" speech.@@ Military and medical resistance to getting vac@ My impression and that of a number of others was Trump simply did not cate!@ My weight loss and hA1C reduction@ Getting asked for first Modetna and second@ Katie's first and second Modern @ Gigantic Trump Rallies, we which became super spreader events@ Resistance to masks and vaccines@ People apparently thinking their immune systems and prayer would keep them safe@ People going into the open without masks 😷@ Masks In wore. Jock Strap. Others.Navy Vet. Lions masks b@ Fear from going into places like "Red Beards" coffeevwhile wearing a mask toget coffee and chocolate muffin@ Sitting in museum looking outside whilst thinking of the gigantic ball of life and death and how it' UV could be killing the covid-19.@ Delta variant and how it is leading to multiple deaths@ Going to Lions meeting and de-masking on faith alone 😉.@ Story I started and why BBC I guitar it@@ The kids not getting vaccinated@ Wearing masks at the USA-Canada Lions Leadership Forum in Des Moines Iowa 2021@@@ Plans in 2019 whilst on a European Cruise to save up for acruise in March 2021. We even tried planning excursion then the pandemic hit. The Cruise wad cancelked. We did take a "cruise" (in a manner of speaking) whenwe got vaccinated...@ 😊@ I need to put Aunt Noreme's {sp} Coffee Cake Recipe in someplae with a footnte abouthow I like to publish this. Also put the "Andrson Metbod" in.@ I wonder if theLions could host A session about writing A Pandemic Journal in remembrance at theLibrary? Who could come up with a suggested outline?@@ People upset at suggestions they get vaccinated.@ Unvaccinated people catching the Delta Cariant, going to hospitals and taking g ICU beds that should have gone to cancer, heart attack, car accident, shooting victims all v because they were convinced not to get cvaccinated!@ Tell me again how we have the world's best medical care? If you can not pay for your medicalcare with cash or insurance you are fucked. This does not happen in Canada or the UK or Europe. Why do we tolerate this? Ah, yes, this is the way the Republican d's and their rich supporters like it...@@ ===@ 11/20/2021: I thought I would never get this Bluetooth Keyboard connrcted! I don't know if I can replicate this feat!@@ ===@ 11/20/2021@ An all too frequent event is occurring in Texas: an active shooter situation in Arlington Texas.@ CNN broke in to their regular show to report this event. All that has been reported is this High School is in lockdown and Police from multiple agencies and the ATF "are pouring in'. No casualty reports ATT (at this time). @ @@ Texas is a gun loving state so their folks are often fire arms skilled. I fear there will be multiple casualties but we can hope the shooter(s) missed!@ The good news is we have had comparativey few such killings this year.@@ === @@@@The shooter was caught. He turned out to be anv18-year old who got into a fight with one and possibly as many as three boys. He pulled his piece and fired. I won't call his targets " innocent" because when teen aged boys fight in high school then one or more ate likely bullies or gang members. The shooter looks to be a "minority" and thus responding to aggression. No, I am not defending the shootet, I am simply offering a rationale for his "wild west" action.@@ ===@@ On a happier note, this is the 42nd annivwesary for Kathie and me.@@ I boughtt flowers for Kathie.@ She ordered a cake, whiick I picked up along with Vinallia Ice Creamme. I'm taking left over casserol for lunch.This was our dinner last night.@ We went to "Prime On The Nine" which is a fancy restaurant over looking the golf course. We had steaks (Prime Rib), loaded baked potatoes and I had a lager (Stella Artois).@ We had cake and vinallia ice creame when we got home.@@ ===@@ 11/20/2021 A Thursday...@@ On a different subject, Senator Dr. Roger Marshall told his followers that President Biden's recent Presidential Mandate requiring vaccines and mask wearing is unconstitutionsl Marshall finally noted these violate the Tenth Amendment - State's Rights. He was correct. However, if one we're to apply the Tenth widely then I fought if the "War On Drugs" would pass muster. There are other actions taken by the Government that are also suspect.@@ ===@@ I got the latest flu shot a week or so ago and my wife is getting her's this afternoon. @ My second Moderns shot was seven months ago as of 5 October 2021 and my wife's six month wait ended on the same day. We're going to drop by Ford County Medical or our "Moderna Boostet" (i.e. Moderna third) some time next week.) @@ There are news reports of a drug that can be taken at the first signs of the Pandemic. They supposedly cure the common variants. New variants are coming - this is just a continuination of the current trends - and I suspect that theanti-vaxers will ensure the Pandemic becomes endemic.@@ There was a time last year when foreign countries would not let US Citizens in because the Pandemc was out of controlin the US of A. That reportedly abated. The persistence of anti-vaxers may well bring a return to this!@ ===@@ I will be getting off work about 1:30 pm and will go to Dillions Grocery to buy groceries for dinner tonight (Lazanna).@@ ===@ CNN had a quick story this morning. A teaching hospital in Colorado is refusing g transplant surgery to those who test positive or are unvaccinated against covid-19. They said that immune surprise isn't drugs are given to those who receive transplants and this raises their chances of dying from covid-19 by 20 percent. In other words giving the unvaccinated a transplant is a waste of a very valuable organ...@@ A month or so ago an unvaccinated person went to board a cruise ship for a transatlantic cruise to Europe. She tested positive for covid-19 and was told her ticket was recinded and that she would be refunded the money she had paid.@@ She would lose the money spent on her plane fare as she could have, should have, been tested before leaving home. Had she "tested positive" back home, she would have been able to get full refunds on plane tickets, hotels and cruise. (This sounds nice and I wonder if the plane fare and hotel reservations would actually have been refunded? I am cynical..🤗 ) @@ She didn't grasp the notion that she would be spreading the virus in every Room she went into. There could be unvaccinated people there or people whose vaccines have not fully kicked in. @@ There would be no way to tell when she would sicken and have to go to medical. She would need frequent invasive medical exams (temperature and listen to breathing).@@ The Governor of Florida issued an order forbidding Cruise Companies from banning covid-19 testing positive people. The Cruise Lines said they would stop coming to Florida. The cities standing to lose a lot of money cinvinced the governor to back off!@@@@ "Money talks, bullshit walks!" If she got sick then th medical staff would be devoted to her and not to many other passengers.@ Bottom line: she was an avoidable catastrophe that was avoided!@ 11/20/2021 Once again I wonder why so many people believed bullshit aboutvtesting, vaccines, social distancing and staying home. Mass gathering could have been fun but being in hospital lying in bed sick is not fun and dying in an induced coma whilst having the tube of a ventilatio machine in your throat can hardly be called fun.@@ ===@ 11/20/2021@ A numbrr of members of the Armed Forces are refusing to get vaccinated. Real news reports are speaking of members refusing to get vaccinated and commannds apparently are not doing a very good job of finding out why they are refusing. these senior officers and NCOs truly need to find why so they can counter these beliefs. Thet need to do this "sooner rather than later!"@ When I went to Navy Boot Camp at Orlando Navy Boot Camp and was in Company 170-70 (company number 170 of year 1970, Company Commander MMC P.G. Smith. "Company Commander" or CC was the Senior Drill Instucctor), we were orderd to take off our shirts, roll up our t-shirt sleves and we were marched in single file between pairs of Medical Corpsman. Each Corpsman had a Gas jet Injector and gave the recruits between them a shot int the closest arm. It was not too bad..@ No one was allowed to skip any of these "shots" simply vecause they did not wannt it!@ Now, a number of military people are refusing to take the shots. They should simly be ordered to "take the damn shots" or be subject to frequant Quick Response Tests (Q-tip up the nose) and being told tht liberty in foreign lands is curtailed due to that foreign ccuntry not allowing unvaccinated Sailors and Marines ashore or to leave bases oon thir land. (Actually this will probably not be much of a threat since these foreign countries want the money US Military (Cash cows) have too much of,,,. @ ===@@ 11/20/2021 Kathie and I both went to Fored County Health to get our Moderna B ooster. There was one man ahead of ujs and he said he eas there ort a flu shot. There was a woman and small girl behind us whi apparently was there for a covid-19 shot. It was ridiceoud just how empty the County Health Clinic was...@ Later today that gadfly Marjorien Taylor Greene was preaching the US should have a "divorce" beteweern Republian and Democrat states. Yhis is preaching a Civil War, This means she is vilating her Oath of Office4 in which all members of Congrss swear to "protedt and defend the Constitution of the United States of America from all enemies foreign and domestic". Preaching and encouraging such a "divorxe: is treason!@ I hope the silly bitch is eventually forgotten!@@ 11/20/2021@@ Yesterday, the leader of an international organization (I don't recall which and don't care which) said it was "immoral" for people in the US of A to be getting booster shots when so many in poor countries have not gotten initial shots. Somehow, the boosters my wife and I got the day before yesterday could have gone into foreigners instead???@ The news talks of vast amounts of vaccations being sent to these foreign nations (e.g. in Africa and both Central and South America). Failures of giving these shots sounds like a supply chain problem at the distant end. There have also been stories of corrupt local officials charging large sums of money for the shots. (I admit these were "older" reports...@ So, I finally did some online data searches regarding the "Religious Argument" for not getting vaccibations. It seems that in the early 1950s, two fetuses were voluntarily aborted. Some of this fetal tissue went into creating cell lines which have been essential to vaccine production since.@ I was taken aback and realized that in theory, every vaccination shot I have taken was made with the aid of these cells. It is far too late for me to quibble. Life comes from death.@ Perhaps MDs, DOs and RNs should save fetuses which died during or after a miscarriage or which were delivered dead. These deceased fetuses could provide new cell lines. Perhaps cells from living persons could be changed into the appropriate cells to rep!ace these "tainted" fetus derived cells? (This would be interesting if true...)@ In the mean while, we have a new category in the argument regarding using medical data obtained from "tainted science" or "tainted medicine". I will continue getting vaccinations as needful since I am 70 years old and don't intend to die based on " principles". Still, "they" should replace these cell lines. <hr> How am I writing this? I'm seated on a comfortable chair writing on a tablet computer (A Kindle Fire) as the Spirit moves me... <hr> How am I writing this? I'm seated on a comfortable chair writing on a tablet computer (A Kindle Fire) as the Spirit moves me... <hr> On {insert date} my wife and I were in Hays {verify} Kansas attending a Lions District Cabinet Meeting. We were sitting with four other Lions and none of us were wearing g msdks. I decided it was time to clear the air. "How many of us have had the virus?" All six of us, all over the age of 60 raised our hands. So we were in the 98.4% who got the Trump Pandemic but survived... Someone else asked "how many are vaccinated?" Again we all raised our hands. The news that nearly all our age are vaccinated is likely true. I wonder how many were denied hospital beds because the unvaccinated are on them? We will probably never know.. 🤔@@ @ 🤔@ @ I would have liked to write a si.please program in QBASIC that would count up to that days number of covid-19 dead but Windows 7' & Windows 10 don't support such "old" Programs!@ My program would be simple:@ INPUT NUMBER OF COVID DEAD:@ INPUT N@ FOR I=1 TO N:? I:NEXT Is @ So simple and yet so impossible thanks be to Microsoft and their decision to only b produce software that lots of customers will buy. They have a lot of "aps" I will never buy!@@ <hr> I have been asked "what did people eat <i>back then</i>? The answer is simple: we don't know. It would be nice if pr people kept honest food diaries to a month in the winter and a month in the early summer. I say this as these records would be stapled, put in individual folders and storedin a time capsule in June 2022 (the 150th Anniversary of the Founding of Dodge City). These are not likely to surprise many.@@ Keep a second copy for the 200th Anniversary which will be in July {?} 2172!@@ The 250th Anniversary is coming up in 2122 (of course none of us will be around so let us give them something to ponder. (I wonder if the US of A will still be a Democracy or if it will have been shoved onto a fascist state?)@@ By that time what we - as a people - eat will likely come as a shock to peopl then . Perhaps school or college teachers could create appropriate forms, collect them and bundle them up? They would be saved in waterproof sealed bags and placed in water proof boxes.@@ We could store this information on 3 1/2 inch floppies disks, CD or DVD disks, @@ 1/31/2022 Tasseography (also known as tasseomancy, tassology, or tasseology) is a divination or fortune-telling method that interprets patterns in tea leaves, coffee grounds, or wine sediments.@@ Spring Pouchong tea (Chinese: 包種茶; pinyin: Bāozhòngchá) leaves that may be used for tasseography divination The terms derive. @@@@ For those who wish to challenge the Pandemic with just their "human immune systems" we have the Alfa (first variant) and the Delta Varient. News report s state the Omicron Variant is already in the US of A. I would not be surprised if this Omicron Variant is already here.@@ I wonder if (when?) a Variant my vaccinations can not protect against will appesr?@@ I wonder why this Pandemic is proving so canned intractable?@# <hr> 1/31/2022 Per an interview in the local newspaper the brewer at tb as bc" Dodge City Brewery" she they are facing increased prices in ingredients but don't need to raise prices immediately. They are also having problems getting workers. @@ During the Pandemic shutdown many people stopped going out and thus saved money! My wife and I bought what we wanted to cook and both of us ate less. Larry Cook (Brew Master at Dodge City Brewery and co-owner) said a lot if people did not want second jobs so they are having trouble getting the part-time workers they need. This is too bad as they need good, dedicated workers to keep the quality up!@@ What they really need is "corporate sponership" AKA "a sugar daddy"!@@@@ 4. Weight loss@@ Do you want to lose some extra pounds? That can easily be done with the next drink. Mix 1/4 teaspoon black pepper with a spoonful of honey and two spoons of lemon juice in a glass of water. After that, add a pinch of salt and drink the mixture every morning on an empty stomach. You will find yourself losing weight fast!@@WHY?@@ <hr> 1/31/2022 The recent news is the Omicron Variant may be less dangerous than Alfa or Delta. We'll see!@@I will have to researchtis...@@<hr>The latest bullshit on " Social Media" (i.e. Facebook) is that vaccinated people ate the ones spreading covid. If this Happy Horsh Shit is true then how could civic have spread before there were vaccines?@@ 1/31/2022@ The news on CNN yesterday evening was that the Omicron Variant is spreading very rapidly since it is highly infectuous. There is hope - wishful? - that Omicron is far mire mild than other varoants. I hope so as it would be a horrific by hammer blow if it were as lethal or deadlier than the earlier forms of covid-19.@ There may be hope since I've read the current flu is a milder form of the Spanish Fly. (This may be true.) Like many otbers, I routinely roll up my sleeve to get my annual flu shot.@Still there are people who refuse to get the covid-19 shots.@Some make the silly argument:@ "You're not putting that junk in me!" Really? Ask them the following questions.@ <ul> <li>Do they know what goes in their cigarettes? <li>Do they know what goes in the illegal drugs many like? <li>Do they know this virus has been researched for more than 20 years? </ul> The answer to all three is no!@ Omicron is washing over Europe.@ 1/31/2022@ The daily totals those coming down with Omicron are going up. We don't know what the death rate will be and the percentag of those who survived since they were in intensive cardio wonder how many died fro cancer, heart attacks, car weeds etc since the hospital beds they needed were unavailable due to civic patients occupying them?@ @@1/31/2022@ I've been thinking about the rise of the anti-covid movementrs. Some of these are likely the traditional anti-vaxers. (You would think they'd have killed themselves off but there are always new ones popping up.) So, why are the anti-covid people popping up.@My conjector is they are politiclly motivated. My reasoning is:@ If we lived in a rational universe, immdiate past president, Donald John Trump would have been joing the new President, Joe Biden in encouring folks to <ol> <li>Wear masks<li>social distancing<li>get the shots </ol> If this were done and the covid-19 went down then the praise would go to President Joe Biden. This could lead to folks voting Democrat because the Democrats weree getting results. This in turn harms the Republicans.@Thus, a media shit storm putting down all three measures was started.@Different govrnments - federal and state - tried to impose <i>mask</i> and <i>vaccinatgion</i> mandates. @Many people bought the bullshit and bought into the ideas that <ol><li>both mandates were unconstitutional (i.e. violated the Tenth Amendent) and<li>the Vacinees were created in too much of a hurry and had "junk" in them.</ol> The research had been going on for 20 some years.@ My conjecture: If these measures had worked and we (the US of A) had led the world out of the covid-19 Pandemic, then the Trump administration would look good because the Biden administrtion woud look so good. The Republicans can not risk that so the Biden adminisgtration actions must be worst than the Trump administration actions (an they were fairly bad!).@it is all about the Republiccans gaining the Prsidency in 202 an both housre of the Congress in 2022. The Republicans already control the "impartial" Supreme Court.@ These actions would have cost lives but I'm not sure this mattered to the planners of the Trump-"Republucan"-Fascist takeover of our country. (I'd like to think I'm wrong but I suspect I am not. To certain theoreticians lives are secondary and must be sacrifice to th "greater" good.@To paraphrase Stalin "one death is a tragedy and 800,000+ a statistic". @ 1/31/2022@ I found out yesterday that a coworker I haven't seen in several weeks had died of covid-19. Her funeral is today. Unfortunately, I have to work and can not attend. (Not that I especially like going to funerals.)@The news has reports of some asshole holding rallies where he says covid-19 is fake.@He has been reported saying that the vaccinated are catching covid-19 and are the ones spreading it. Thereis a problem with this idea: If it is the vaccinated spreading covid-19 then how did covid-19 spread before there were any vaccinations?@The obvious answer is this man is preaching bullshit notions and desperate people are eager to listen! Can people be so afraid of three (3)'injections that they would rather risk dying of the Psndemic?@I wrote "<i>my</i\> senator, Dr Roger Marshall and asked what the mathematical models of the spread of covid-19 show. Have not gotten any replies!@Regarding Dr Roger Marshall: He is an OB/GYN with the delusion of thinking he is an expert on viruses and Pandemics. He is not. A couple of weeks ago, Dr Anthony Fauci - <b>the</b> Expert - was being interrogated in the Senate. He was being questioned why he is very highly paid? Let's see. Could it be he has 52 years Civil Service time and Congress gave him meritorious pay?@Dr Marshall said Dr Saudi's financial disclosure forms could not be found. I went online and found them in under two minutes!@Dr Fauci called Dr Marshall a " moron"!@ Before this, I knew Kansas had two Senators: Jerry Moran and Dr Roger Marshall. After this revelation, I realized Kansas actually has Senators named "Senator Mor<b><u>a</u></b>n and Senator Mor<b><u>o</u></b>n!@Both are Conservative Trumpian Apparchicks. (аппаратчик). I am using the "civil servant" definition here.😁 <hr> 1/31/2022 I think I have become blaise.@ In mi 2020, we came to Wichita on a Sunday because I had a medical appointment t the VA thhe next day. I was scared of everyone near us, maintained social distancing and was fearful of everyone near us.@Today,we went to the same hotel and was unafraid. I realized the people in the hotel lobby were acting as if the Plague was not only over but forgotten! It isn't!@People just act like it is!@ <ul> <li>A friend - Judy Harris - died of covid-19 recently (her obituary has not been publishdd. <li>Friends in Eastern Kansas told us they had come down with the Plague Of Trump. Fortunately, they are both fully vaccinated and they likely have the "<i>milder</i> Corona varient... <li> Daily covid-19 deaths in US of A January 28, 2022 3288.00@ January 27, 2022 2359.00@ January 26, 2022 4040.00@ January 25, 2022 2999.00@ January 24, 2022 1984.00@ January 23, 2022 573.00@ January 22, 2022 822.00@ January 21, 2022 3120.00@ January 20, 2022 2611.00@ January 19, 2022 3849.00@ January 18, 2022 2501.0@ @This bloody fucking Plague Of Trump is so not over!@ Data source: ychafts.com/indicators/us_coronavirus_deaths_per_day </ol> 1/31/2022@ We watched CNN first thing after waking this morning and they were commenting on parents demanding they be allowed to keep their children from having to wear masks in school. Welk, they stated these demands were coming from parents but I suspect many were not parents or citizens of the USA at all! They spoke of millions of unvaccinated adults spreading the covid-19 varients. This suggests their children would be unvaccinated and spreading the plague as well...@ My reaction was unsympathic:@ " Fuck 'em! Let them all die" I immediately repented of this uncharitable attitude. I'd rather they all be alive. The combination of the Trump Fiasco and this awful Pandemic have worn us down. I had the plague in March 2020 - before tests were available - and Kathie had it in January 2021. She tested positive and I tested negative. I was told this just meant I'd had covid. "No shit, Sherlock?" I got the "Fauchi Ouchi Uno" (Moderna) on 5 Feb 2021, the second on 5 Mar on 2021 and the Booster on 12 Oct 2021. Kathie got her shots (Moderna) on 5 Mar 2021, her second on 2 Apr 2021 and Booster on 12 Oct 2021. There is a lot of fear and anger involved. There is also a fair amount of religion or pseudo-religion (i.e. Q<sub>anon</sub>. (I wonder how long before Q<sub>anon</sub> is forgotten?)@ If anyone ever reads this it could well be for a lack of anyone else writing about covid-19!@ As a people I fear we don't much give a shit about documenting events in our lives. This is a real shame as the politically motivated myths already generated wlll warp into pure bullshit before long. They will become the "received wisdom" and history. Let us remember what Napalm on Bonaparte wrote: "History is a series of lies agreed upon."

    Tuesday, January 11, 2022

    Dedications

    
    Name of the book: several
              Author: M.W. Bell
        Type of book: dedications
    

    DEDICATION

    First dedication (with love): To my wife Kathie.


    Second Dedication (with affection)

    My Writing teacher, Professor Jeffers told me two things:

    First was I had a big Navy story in me and

    Second, I had to be angry or at least upset to write.

    Thus is true and leads to my last dedication.


    Third Dedication (in memory of the rage I felt from 1995 to early 2015)

    Larry Ruthi, my boss, Meteorologist in Charge of National Weather Office Dodge City Kansas. His entire working career was spent in the NWS. He did know how to lead or how to motivate workers. He was great at finding the most trivial faults but rather blind to obvious virtues. He made me happy to retire early in spite of the pay cut.

    His apparatchiks were:

    a) William Nichols, A retired USAF Major. Somehow, he thought being pressured to retire early (at 17 years) was a good thing. He also was a fault finder who did not think he could do any wrong. He did...

    b) Edward Berry. Made in the same mold as Ruthi and Nichols. He was Ruthi's room mate at Oklahoma State University. Both Ruthi and Berry are smart but with anger issues.

    Berry is the only person I know who got fired by three (3) PhD major professors by being so arrogant as to insist these PhDs were wrong. Apparently they were not. He was pressured to resign  from the National Weather Service after pissing off the head of the National Weather Service!

    I have been retired since noon, Saturday 31 December 2015. Written on 1/11/2022.😊

    Give the Devil 'is due: These three inspired me to create the stories Professor Jeffers said I had in me. But it was a very high price to pay... 

    ________________________________________










    DEDICATION@@ First dedication (with love): To my wife Ksthie.@@
    Second Dedication (with affection)@@ My Writing teacher, Professor Jeffers told me two things:@ First was I had a big Navy story in me and@ Second, I had to be angry or at least upset to write.@ Thus is true and leads to my last dedication.@@
    Third Dedication (in memory of the rage I felt from 1995 to early 2015)@@ Larry Ruthi, my boss, Meteorologist in Charge of National Weather Office Dodge City Kansas. His entire working career was spent in the NWS. He did know how to lead or how to motivate workers. He was great at finding the most trival faults but rather blind to obvious virtues. He made me happy to retire early in spite of the pay cut.@@ His apparatchiks were:@ a) William Nichols, A retired USAF Major. Somehow, he thought being prezsured to retire early (at 17 years) was a good thing. He also was a fault finder who did not think he could do any wrong. He did...@ b) Edward Berry. Made in the same mold as Ruthi and Nichols. He was Ruthi's room mate at Oklahoma State University. Both Ruthi and Berry are smart but with anger issues.@ Berry is the only person I know who got fired by three (3) PhD major professors by being so arrogant as to insist these PhDs were wrong. Apparently they were not. He was pressured to resign after pissing off the head of the National Weather Service!@@ I have been retired since noon, Saturday 31 December 2015. Written on 1/11/2022.😊 @@Give the Devil 'is due: These three inspired me to create the stories ProfessorvJeffers said I had in me. This was a very high price to pay...
















































    Saturday, January 08, 2022

    
    
    Dear Mr. Marshall,
    
    I am curious what people ate and drank in 1872. I am also convinced that folks in 2072 and 2122 will wonder what we ate and drank. Some folks in 2072 will think they know but they really will not. Fifty years ago, I was serving on the USS FORRESTAL. I have no real idea what we were actually ate then. I didn’t keep any list of the various menus because I just knew I would remember…

    The people in 2122 will be surprised when they read about what we actually ate in 2022!

    If people were to make honest food diaries regarding what they actually ate and drank then they will have contributed primary source material. These food diaries simply need to be honest and candid. People could send in anonymous reports if they “are cheating. (That is eating or drinking what the family does not know they are consuming. We know this will happen.)

    You could find safe places to stash these food diaries. File cabinets in the County Court House or various banks come to mind.

    You could have various food outlets give you menus and brag about their sales.

    This would be a nice addition to the celebration this year. Digital submissions might be saved on 3½” floppies, CDs or DVDs and thumb drives. I don‘t know if any of this technology will survive till either 2072 or 2122. Maybe putting digital entries into “the cloud” would suffice.

    Printed diaries could be stored in safes or in a strongly build time capsule.

    People could submit their favourite recipes.

    People could submit (anonymously) their list of medications. These lists could raise eyebrows in 50 years and could horrify folks a century! I like that idea! Such submissions need be anonymous and be kept in continentality or they probably will not be sent in. (In 50 years I will be dead and certainly will not care who reads my submission!)

    Sincerely,

    Saturday, January 01, 2022

    important talk for inclusion in my 2015 novel

    
    Name of the book:  Dent (2015 novel) portion of
              Author:  M.W. Bell
        Type of book:  Science Fiction
    

    . I am editing the 2015 novel and remembered wanting a small section in which Emma, the Master's Wife and Temple Master are talking. They remind him They are of higher rank. He knows and is not amused. 


     He glared at both women who returned his attention with sphinx like stares. Finally, he snorted a laugh and said "I know both of you are of higher rank than me." He looked at his wife. "I arranged your promotion parties.". She nodded. He looked at Emma. "One of the sacred books Temple Masters maintain is the 'Book Of Masters'. You, my dear Emma, have been listed as a 'Visiting Master' for more than 300 years! Thus, you are clearly a Great Master.

    Neither spoke.

    " What is your purpose in telling me this? Are you planning on relieving me of duty? "

    " No, " Emma replied.

    "Are you planning to change my teaching methods? "

    " No! " Emma shuddered as she spoke.

    "Good! Perhaps I had better visit my children. " He stood, bowed to both women and made a sweeping hand gesture with both arms and then strolled to where his students were undergoing instruction. He spoke to some about moves they had not realized he had seen, ducked to avoid a clumsy blow one young student has intended for his teacher but had lost control of, paused several drills to correct technique and flowed slowly through one Kata pausing when needful to emphasize pausing points.

    The previous Temple Master laughed with delight and thought "now he truly knows what he thought he knew years ago.”

    Emma said softly to D--- "Do you think you could teach as he does?

    "No, I do not. How does he know when to duck and when to block blows when he can not see the blows?

    I don't know", D--- replied.

    " The Old Ones, such as Grandfather and my Great Aunt could. "

    " Who were they? "

    " They lived a long time ago and helped raise me. Someday, I will share a glass of 'Triple Medicine' with you and explain. "

    That night, D--- asked her husband "have you heard of something called 'Triple Medicine'?

    " Yes, " he replied, "Some of the sailors visiting from the remote west told me they had rea an article about 'Triple Medicine' in a magazine published nearly almost 370 years ago. It was written by an Old Orc for quote his stinky ones unquote. The magazine was published for about 80 years in what was called 'City Four'. The Publisher was a slender Half Orc named Crystal. You may have heard the name?

    Yes, but when?

    There is a Half Orc, a lawyer, Who is an Archivist in the House of Assassins" sees storage vaults. I know Emma has said one of her Older brothers was a slender Half Orc named 'Crystal'. I have seen Emma hug this 'Crystal' and call him 'Big Brother'. He moves like a very old Orc. "

    " How did they sign themselves? " She spoke with sudden intensity.

    "The House Mouse said both the 'Old Orc' and 'Crystal' were written in the Assassin Kant of the time. Did you know the nickname of our ancestors was 'the Stinky Ones'? "

    " It still is.

    "Just how far west did Dent and his people get? ""

    That question kept both awake into the late evening...

    Notes after the death of my youngest brother.../

    
    Name of the book: notes after the death of my youngest brother
              Author: Michael W. Bell
        Type of book: memories
    


    One

    This is the text of an irate note I sent to one of "my" senators:

    My youngest brother, Charles Andrew Bell, was a juvenile onset diabetic (around age 14) type one. He fought the disease for years but complications took him and he died young. He lost a good job with good benefits and after that, either did not have medical insurance or grossly inadequate medical insurance. Due to inadequate health insurance, he would go to the emergency room when he got ill. Emergency room care is "See the problem, solve the problem" and is no substitute for a dedicated family doctor.

    Can you tell me how a "Free Market Solution" to medical insurance could have prevented his death given that it was a "Free Market Medical System" that killed my brother at 44 years, 1 month and 8 days? 

     This should be an easy question for a Seminary Student to answer. 

    On a different subject, if you continue to be so desperate to kill off "Obamacare", why don't you produce a replacement law that does a better job and meets all the goals of The Affordable Care Act (AKA "Obamacare").

    Two

    On 10 December 2009, about 1:10 am, my youngest brother Charles Andrew Bell died of heart failure. He was 44 years, one month old and had been a juvenile onset type 1 since he was about 14. (This should have spurred me to learn everything I could about Diabetes then and not after my MD called me on the phone and said "Mr. Bell, you're a diabetic" on 7 May 2004.)

    My brother Jim, who lived fairly close to Charlie, called me at 3:12 am to pass the news. Ironically, this was just before my alarm was to go off (at 3:15 am) and I thought the phone was my alarm clock...

    Charlie died without a will and had refused to give Jim a Power of Attorney several days earlier. This meant that Charlie's corpse was in the Hospital Morgue.

    Jim had a lawyer friend create paperwork declaring Jim to be Charlie's "Successor" (not "Executor"). Then, he had our other brother (JJ) and I sign the paperwork agreeing to this, get the paperwork notorised  and fax it back.

    Jim had Charlie's corpse moved to the Funeral Home that had "served" our parent's and several family friends (his choice sounded fine to me). We discussed cremation versus embalming and subsequent burial in emails and we all agreed to cremation. 

    This required Jim to send us forms to be filled out, notarized and faxed back. (It was an easy choice: have you compared the costs of both?)

    Jim then negotiated the Memorial Service date with the Minister, JJ and I. This was more than just a "the brothers will decide"; our wives and Jim's kids all had their opinions.

    We submitted ideas for songs to be played at the Memorial Service and appropriate Bible Verses (reading my verses was one of the hardest things I've ever had to do. Charlie was 14 years younger than me and I wasn't supposed to be burying him; he was supposed to be burying me decades from now!)

    Then, it got to be much more of a pain in the ass for Jim. He had to go through all of Charlie's bills to find out who he owed money to. One creditor refused to tell Jim the total size of the debt without Charlie's written permission; I guess that didn't understand what "he's dead" meant? When Jim stated the amount given on this creditor's bill (around $400), they blurted out "oh, he actually owes us $8,000!"

    Charlie had used his car title on for a loan and we had to pay off that loan to get title back in order for Jim to sell Charlie's car. He had borrowed from his life insurance so that was rather enemic.

    Charlie shared an apartment with a friend. We agree the roommate could have any of Charlie's worldly goods that he wanted (save for the car). Jim put what was left in his garage and Jim, JJ, my wife and I went through these items deciding who would take what and what would go to Good Will or the garbage. I still have a big box of his stuff in my Father-in-Law's garage and will have to arrange to retrive it later...

    Years ago, at a family get together, I was told that I'd become a "Cautionary Tale". My nephew and niece was told "Uncle Mike" stories and admonished not to "be like Uncle Mike". There were some stories I didn't remember and some I didn't want to remember. There were some lessons to be learned from my brother.

    1. Have a will listing who is your executor! Don't make the relative tasked with looking after your affairs have to spent time with the lawyer.
    2. Write down what you want done with your body and who you want to cremate or embalm you.
    3. In your will, list who gets which of your items. Your relatives might not think you're valuables are so valuable.
    4. Have a list of all your debts (a simple ledger sheet would work).
    5. List your email accounts and your passwords, any blogs you are on, your social network accounts, etc.

    Having written this list, I realize that I haven't done 1, 3 and 4 because I think my wife will outlive me. I haven't done 5 because it is a hassle and because I'm not sure I care if these accounts become orphans.

     
    Three

    This is the first anniversary of the death of my youngest brother: Charles Andrew Bell (2 November 1965 to 10 December 2009). He was diagnosed as a type 1 when he was about 13 years old. He worked hard for years and then apparently just gave up and did what he damned well pleased. (Coke, pizza and candy are not things a poorly controlled diabetic should have in his house.) He had very crappy medical insurance and simply didn't have a family doctor. By the time he got accepted by Social Security disability and onto Medicare, it was too late.

    I have been quite aware of my future mortality since I nearly drown in late 1987 (and haven't scuba dived since); thought I was having a heart attack when I was 35 years old and when my Father died of congestive heart failure at age 68.

    My youngest brother, Charlie, died of congestive heart failure at age 44 years, 1 month, 8 days. You don't have to be "old" to worry about death and it's aftermath. I am not a lawyer so contact one with your legal questions; I'm just someone whose youngest brother died intestate or "without a will"". Here are some suggestions based on what my brothers (especially Jim) and I experienced: Before you die, before you even get sick, make a will telling what you want:

    • done with your body:
      • cremation or
      • embalming and burial,
      • who does the work,
      • your plans for payment,
      • burial site
      • or ash disposal instructions (i.e.: placement at a Veteran's Cemetery, a nice spot in a friend or relatives curio cabinet, burial with relatives, scattering at sea or the back yard),
    • You might plan your funeral service (I had a friend - Karla Jean Miller - who planned her funeral in complete detail. My youngest brother made no such plans; my brothers and I ended up going to our ministers to get advice...)
    • how to notify your boss(es),
    • who gets your stuff (it can take a long time to list everything),
    • who you owe money to,
    • what liens are out on your property (i.e. My brother used his car title to get a loan from a pay day loan place! We had to buy the title back before we could sell his car.),
    • bank accounts,
    • 401Ks,
    • life insurance policies (and did you "borrow" money from it/them?)
    • what storage lockers you are renting and where is their key,
    • what bank lock boxes or safe deposit boxes do you rent, what name do you rent under and where is the key? You should make sure your executor is listed on the safe deposit access forms.
    • your email data,
    • social network accounts,
    • blogs,
    • newspapers and magazines you subscribe to,
    • what you want done with your dogs, cats, birds, fish (feed to cats?),"pet snakes" (now there is an oxymoron!),
    • a list of where you keep your medications and "sharps",
    • do you automatically get meds from a pharmacy (I do...) with billing afterwards,
    • and a list of folks to be notified with their phone numbers, email and mail addresses,
    • a list of files/directories on your computer(s) you want to give away. (i.e. I had my father's home movies from when I was in 1st grade translated to DVD and stored it on my computer.),
    • Decide who is going to get your stuff and ask someone to sort through your stuff and dispose of it. There are Estate Sales companies which will buy stuff from your estate. You'll have to research the various companies to see how much they will pay out; you should expect them to take advantage of your grief and to try taking advantage of you. (It could be you might not care and are just happy to be rid of your relatives stuff.)
    • My Mother and her sister went through their Mother's stuff when Grandma Maxson died in 1983. She had stuff in attic storage dating back to the late 1800s! My Grandparents were sharp dressers in 1915 but that clothing was a bit out of style in 1983 (as are my tailored suits from 1986 that I bought when in the Navy stationed in the Orient).
    • My grandparents didn't trust banks and had about $5,000 stashed in books on the second floor of their house; under the basement stairs, my Grandmother had a big can of some kind of vegetable with rust spots on it and a bulging lid. She must have bought in the 1950s. (Can you say botulism? I bet the City of Bay City Michigan was thrilled to come dispose of that!) So, be prepared for surprises!)
    • a list of files/directories you want purged before anyone gets your "old" computer(s) or it is sent to the breakers. You can make a simple batch file that would delete any files you want killed off.
    • You may have written the "Great American Novel" (and haven't we all?). I strongly suggest you edit your novel(s), have them printed and bound and put them on your bookshelf. I knew Charlie had been working on a novel but it only just occurred to me that I could have looked for this novel on his computer. Well, too late for that now! So, do your relatives a favor and don't make them have to go hunting for that novel; they probably won't anyway...

    All of this could be done on a couple of sheets of paper. There are programs which allow you to create a will; you should have it done by a lawyer.

    You could sort bills and put them in a cheap, plastic, filing cabinet.

    Contact the various companies your will's executor will have to deal with. Let them know who will be contacting them when you die.

    If you die without a will, a judge may appoint a successor. If a successor is appointed, better hope it is a friend or relative who will work with your relatives or friends to determine who gets what. A court appointed successor might not be a friend to your kith and kin.

    I explained this to a friend, the head of the local hospice. She said "get a living will and keep it up to date!"

    You might consider writing your obituary; think of it as a permanent, non editable, "wikipedia" entry on newspaper.

    It just occurred to me that you could set aside money to buy booze and munchies for your wake. ("Won't be any 'lite' beer or Mad Dog or 'Ultra' at my wake!") Just a thought, albeit a bit morbid...

    If you find an overdue VCR or DVD, expect to pay the overdue fine (unless you drop it in the slot and trundle off); I don't think they'll buy the "but it's overdue cause the renter died...

    Finally, you might as well write down the library you borrow from and keep library books, etc. in a convenient place for their return. It never occurred to me to look for any library books or CDs my youngest brother might have checked out; his room mate would have dealt with this...

    This was was my second try at creating and sending this documents years ago. My computer ate the first attempt (or I fumble fingered it...)

     

    KG three

    Three of Dent's sisters were visiting Dent and Regina. Oiada, who was 7, and her parents were present. @ "KG, how did out get such an unusual name?" @ "I took it as a reaction to an obnoxious nickname that HE gave me! She glared at Dent. " @ What does it mean?" @ "When I was a small child, he started calling me 'Kickin' Girl'. It was uncalled for." She sniffed in indignation. @ "You were running around kicking people", Dent replied in a mild tone. " @ Aunt Kay Gee was hickikng people? Oiada was both outraged and amused. @ "She became quite good, actually, and measured how high up each target she could. Eventually, she decided her nickname was beneath her and changed her name to 'Kicker Girl"". @ " It was a good name." @ "In her late teens, she changed her name to " KG". @ "I wish I was like you. I hate my life." Oiada's mood had shifted abruptly. @ "Young one, you are loved by all and a friend to all. Someday, when you are older and have grown wiser you will know this. You are very worthy!" @ "Who taught her this, I wonder", Oiada's Father whispered to Dent. @ " I confess I was", Dent replied. @ "Was your KG good at kicking"? Oiada's Mother was curious. @ " Extremely good, KG is a Senior Teacher in the five styles we teach and specializes in kicks, sweeps, forms of throws whch appear to resemble kicks and defenses. She is working on a style intended for useage on wildly rolling ships."




    Three of Dent's sisters were visiting Dent and Regina. Oiada, who was 7, and her parents were present.

    "KG, how did out get such an unusual name?"

    "I took it as a reaction to an obnoxious nickname that HE gave me! She glared at Dent. "

    What does it mean?"

    "When I was a small child, he started calling me 'Kickin' Girl'. It was uncalled for." She sniffed in indignation.

    "You were running around kicking people", Dent replied in a mild tone. "

    Aunt Kay Gee was hickikng people? Oiada was both outraged and amused.

    "She became quite good, actually, and measured how high up each target she could. Eventually, she decided her nickname was beneath her and changed her name to 'Kicker Girl"".

    " It was a good name."

    "In her late teens, she changed her name to " KG".

    "I wish I was like you. I hate my life." Oiada's mood had shifted abruptly.

    "Young one, you are loved by all and a friend to all. Someday, when you are older and have grown wiser you will know this. You are very worthy!"

    "Who taught her this, I wonder", Oiada's Father whispered to Dent.

    " I confess I was", Dent replied.

    "Was your KG good at kicking"? Oiada's Mother was curious.

    " Extremely good, KG is a Senior Teacher in the five styles we teach and specializes in kicks, sweeps, forms of throws whch appear to resemble kicks and defenses. She is working on a style intended for useage on wildly rolling ships."

    "gateway" drugs

    Something I wrote in 2015:


    Read "The Iron Law of Prohibition" in Wikipedia and check the definition of "spurious relationship".


    Your excellent article ("Legal or not, marijuana use remains a 'rocky' road") got  my full attention. One sentence really got my attention:


    "It's a gateway drug, they say, and one former drug abuser testified to that at the forum."


    This is an opinion expressed as a truth.


    I was a US Navy Drug and Alcohol Program Advisor (DAPA) from 1986 to 1988. At the one week class, I asked the "is it a gateway drug". The lead instructor said "no". This hypotheses  was based on interviews of heroin and cocaine addicts admitted to rehab centers. Their "analysis" was:

    1.  Addicts "used" marijuana before using "hard drugs". Therefore marijuana was a gateway drug to "hard drugs".
    2.  The "hard drug" users also said they smoked cigarettes and drank beer before smoking pot. They were not considered gateway drugs to marijuana and this was called a spurious correlation. However, using the assumptions in statement #1, then cigarettes and beer should be listed as gateway drugs to marijuana.


    Apply the logic of if A leads to B and B leads to C, then A lead to C. You get this amusing result:

              Cigarettes and beer lead to marijuana  usage (A leads to B)

              And marijuana leads to "hard drugs" (B leads to C),  therefore

              Cigarettes and beer are gateway drugs to "hard drugs".  (A leads to C)


    I find this highly amusing…


    I recommend this matter be studied in a scientific manner.


    Study the pot smokers in Holland and see how the hard drug usage rate changed after folks started smoking in pot lounges. The deafening silence on this suggests that pot smoking does not lead to hard drug usage. Check the pot smokers in Colorado to see how many "graduate" to hard drugs.


    We need hard facts and not just wishful thinking…


    To change the subject, I don't think teenagers should be drinking booze or smoking pot and no one should be using harder drugs. There has to be a good reason for drug usage and that usage appears to come from economic reasons.  These reasons need to be addressed…