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Before going to the oncologistās office, Iād asked if he could wear an N95, and the staff said heās not really a masker. He walks in the room and he starts putting the mask on. And he says, āWeāll do this quickly before I suffocate.ā
I think people donāt understand that. Youāre asking, āHey, would you mind protecting my life?ā When someoneās like, āOh God, what a pain in the ass,ā experiences like that make you reticent to ask in the future.
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I confess, I did gritch about that at first, back in 2020. But you get used to it. I have been masking continuously for nearly 5 years now, and it doesnāt bother me anymore. Now, Iām not running laps in it, but for what I do, itās not an issue, and to make out that it is, especially in an oncology office, for Godās sake, is unforgivable.
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I sing weekly in a KN95, and perform on stage with one. And I have asthma, so how strong are my lungs, really?
An oncologist like that would make me wonder how much he actually knew about his profession.
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I would immediately request a new doc. Iād also have to fight myself to not ask him what on Earth is wrong with him, and Iām not sure whoād win.
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Not COVID, But the new stuff.
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/06/health/usda-bird-flu-milk-testing.html
Agriculture Department to Require Testing of U.S. Milk Supply for Bird Flu Virus
The new rules call for testing unpasteurized milk from dairies across the country and for farm owners to provide details that would help officials identify and track cases more easily.
JFKjr will put a stop to this kind if thing.
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JFKjr is long dead. This is RFKjr, who is much dumber and worser.
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But heāll stop this. With dead bears. And whales.
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Donāt forget brainworms! Thatās the secret sauce.
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Via Jessica Wildfire, who is on her game today. I note that she has sensible caveats about not shredding your liver with the wrong dose of certain herbal supplements. Vaccines are best, of course, but the article was written in anticipation of viruses for which vaccines are not yet available.
There are a few plants listed that are just plain not going to grow north of the border, but many which do. Time to set up my winter grow-op with some of these (and maybe get the lab kit I need for putting together homebrew vaccines per RadVaCās usual recipies). 
Elderberry extract is something weāve discussed briefly elsewhere. We made our first concoction, which is an unadulterated extract of the plain berries. Itās not awful, but is best combined with something. (Vodka works, but the result is a bit tannic: like liquid leather with a hint of black currant.) Iām currently pouring a bit of extract (sans vodka) over my morning porridge in the hopes of continuing to avoid the most recent viral plague my son brought home.
It was interesting that his high schoolās info sign currently has a big warning āFeeling Sick? STAY HOMEā.
Finally, speaking of coming plagues, I bought a pack of combined COVID, Flu A/B rapid tests from these guys, PPE Supply Canada. COVID is still ripping around up here, but having the ability to test for flu at the same time was nice. The pest-ridden sprog got sick only days after his flu shot, so it was nice to be able to get a non-positive.
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I do swear by elderberry, to the point of growing it myself and making my own. Itās pretty simple, and side-effect risk is minimal. You can turn your pee blue if you take too much, which is not harmful, but can be kinda startling. Donāt ask me how i know this! But it is also not at all perfect. It has been associated with fewer and less severe viral infections when used as a preventative. As treatment, it is pretty nearly useless. Echinacea can be used for treatment, and does have some supporting science, but also not a substitute for vaccines.
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The conclusions themselves arenāt especially interesting; theyāre expected from a report with partisan aims. But the method used to reach those conclusions is often striking: The Republican majority engages in a process of systematically changing the standard of evidence needed for it to reach a conclusion. For a conclusion the reportās authors favor, theyāll happily accept evidence from computer models or arguments from an editorial in the popular press; for conclusions they disfavor, they demand double-blind controlled clinical trials.
tl;dr: Republicans suck. That is all.
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Bears repeating.
Republicans suck. That is all.
Republicans suck. That is all.
Republicans suck. That is all.
Republicans suck. That is all.
Republicans suck. That is all.
Republicans suck. That is all.
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Itās 2024. This just passed:
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I wants my bleach!!
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Ohio is determined to become the Florida of the northā¦
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Yeah. Off the threadās topic, but thatās also where a court just dumped public nuisance lawsuits against corporations. Resurgence of the opioid crisis coming up soon?
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