Althouse: At the Monday Night Cafe...

April 13, 2020

At the Monday Night Cafe...

... you can talk about whatever you want.

251 comments:

1 – 200 of 251 Newer› Newest»

Shouting Thomas said...: Great presser by Trump. Announces gradual re-opening of country. Main points of his opening speech.

1. Not one patient denied a bed
2. Not one patient denied a ventilator
3. Total deaths likely to be substantially less than 100,000

I’ve been opposed to this shutdown. Trump has succeeded at the stated goals of the shutdown on precisely the terms demanded by his critics.

Time to go back to work. I expect another surge in the DOW.; 4/13/20, 7:52 PM
Ingachuck'stoothlessARM said...: à votre santé, mes amis!; 4/13/20, 7:56 PM
rehajm said...: I am here to talk about Suck It. Suck it...; 4/13/20, 7:57 PM
rehajm said...: (just rewatched); 4/13/20, 7:57 PM
Dear corrupt left, go F yourselves said...: Rock out with some Jeff Lynne; 4/13/20, 7:59 PM
Stay Safe said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 4/13/20, 8:03 PM
Greg Hlatky said...: Lovely day here, sunny, dry and 70. Our bottlebrushes, roses and jasmine are blooming out. There were so many bees on them that their buzzing was loud.

We saw our first hummingbird of the season and watched as five newborn monarchs emerged from their cocoons.

Life goes on.; 4/13/20, 8:10 PM
narciso said...: he is the portuguese dan brown with more depth; 4/13/20, 8:12 PM
Jersey Fled said...: Had a great Easter/daughter's birthday Sunday. Grandaughter took her first steps and generally had all of us smiling all day long. What could be better.; 4/13/20, 8:13 PM
rcocean said...: Yes, a great press conference. Some of the liberal reporters, especially the CNN/NYT ones were almost hysterical over Trump showing the clips of the media pooh-poohing the virus in Jan/feb.

Dr Fauci also disappointed them by repudiating the interpretation put on his prior statement that Trump didn't move fast enough. He said Trump agreed with every formal medical recommendation he and the other doctor have made. This resulted in one of the reporters asking the good doctor if Trump had "forced him" to say that! Needless to say, Fauci was mad as hell about that insinuation.; 4/13/20, 8:14 PM
rcocean said...: Of course the WH Reporters are still dumb as shit. After asking for weeks why Trump didn't "shut down" states that weren't locking themselves down, they're now demanding Trump PROVE he has the authority to re-open states without the State Governor's approval.

I didn't hear any moronic HCQ questions, maybe the reporters have given that up as a lost cause.; 4/13/20, 8:17 PM
Ken B said...: ST
Your comment is unclear. Are you confessing you were wrong or are you saying a Trump was duped?; 4/13/20, 8:18 PM
narciso said...: I pointed out in the other thread how quest diagnostic has been adversely affected and chris murray is doing the michael mann tapdance.; 4/13/20, 8:20 PM
Michael said...: Ken B
Are you thick?; 4/13/20, 8:21 PM
Shouting Thomas said...: I don’t think I was wrong, nor do I think Trump was duped.

I think he was boxed in politically and could do little else other than what he did.

He had to deal with the politically reality of being accused of killing granny. The media successfully fabricated a panic.; 4/13/20, 8:23 PM
narciso said...: Ot i took a look at the loosely adapted get shorty remake, with an irish chilly palmer and a more pathetic version of the hackman character played by ray romano.; 4/13/20, 8:25 PM
stevew said...: I said it before, I'll say it again: EPIC. The prototypical Trump performance. Note to the haters: he was pushed into this by the increasing attacks on his character, his motivations, and his actions. He didn't decide to come out and attack, he prepared and delivered a spirited and effectual defense. Brilliant.; 4/13/20, 8:27 PM
narciso said...: Yes, he is, next question.; 4/13/20, 8:27 PM
Ken B said...: Sorry ST that makes no sense. If shutting stuff down did all those good things and that’s a big success then you were wrong to oppose shutting stuff down. And if it wasn’t, then Trump was duped.
No one boxes in the Trumpster!; 4/13/20, 8:28 PM
FullMoon said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 4/13/20, 8:30 PM
Churchy LaFemme: said...: The part where he put down Biden and his public relations staff was epic!

So off-hand and so devasting..; 4/13/20, 8:31 PM
Anne-I-Am said...: Satan lives in the Denver airport. True or false?; 4/13/20, 8:33 PM
Churchy LaFemme: said...: devasting

I think I've created a new word.

And it's pretty good!; 4/13/20, 8:34 PM
Anne-I-Am said...: Unknown,

Is that where you take something immense and miniaturize it?; 4/13/20, 8:34 PM
320Busdriver said...: And boy you could not have a better VP than Pence. He really handled today’s PC with class..; 4/13/20, 8:35 PM
Shouting Thomas said...: Shutting down didn’t supply the beds and ventilators.

My GP told me before this panic started that the mortality predictions were being vastly (insanely) exaggerated. My GP is director of infection control at the local hospital and director of the county COVID-19 task force.

So, yes, my statements make perfect sense. There never were going to be 2.2 million fatalities. This panic was one of those mass delusions that happen from time to time, this time fanned by a completely irresponsible, lying press determined to get Trump at all cost.

Trump responded politically in the only way he could. He addressed the panic in the only way he could. I’m not as politically astute as Trump, which is why he’s president and I’m not.; 4/13/20, 8:35 PM
Anne-I-Am said...: 320Busdriver,

I like Mike Pence. His kids went to school with my kids; I have known him casually for a long time. He is a decent man. One of the few who enter politics.; 4/13/20, 8:38 PM
hawkeyedjb said...: It's a vain hope, but I would like to see the partisanship dialed down in this national emergency. None of our elected officials - president, governors, mayors - has faced anything to prepare them for this. Criticism seems to be of the nature of "my team/not my team". People of both parties have made difficult decisions, then adapted as information became available. Anyone who says "I would have done it differently" is speculating, nothing more. The people who had to make decisions are human, as we all are. Being blessed with hindsight is not a great virtue, nor is it a sign of leadership.

I reserve a separate judgment for congress people and senators and presidential candidates, those species of creatures who have contributed almost nothing of value. The best ones among them are the ones who learned early on to shut up.

Let us try to go forward together as Americans, not as political opponents.; 4/13/20, 8:40 PM
Francisco D said...: Michael said... Ken B, Are you thick?

It's aboot time someone asked that question.

He's a hoser, eh?; 4/13/20, 8:47 PM
Dear corrupt left, go F yourselves said...: older folks tend to vote R, and they are the ones dying in this Chi-Com epidemic.

do the math.; 4/13/20, 8:51 PM
Dear corrupt left, go F yourselves said...: Satan lives in the Denver airport. True or false?

False.

Outside, blue horse.; 4/13/20, 8:52 PM
Mark said...: More than once the humans bigotry and prejudices in insisting on seeing their enemy as only machines and toasters was self-destructive.; 4/13/20, 8:54 PM
Ken B said...: on another thread Achilles said

“ Millions of people have had COVID-19 in the US and billions in the world. They have admitted this was spreading widely in December.
The mortality rates and "confirmed deaths" are a complete fabrication. ”

Just so we all know what we're dealing with here.; 4/13/20, 8:55 PM
narciso said...: Weve tested about 1% of the population, how can you say otherwise.; 4/13/20, 8:57 PM
Michael K said...: This is a nice on-line salon, marred only by some angry trolls. Also Blogger is hell on Firefox so I mostly give up when it rejects comments.

Anyway, I started to respond to Anne, who sounds knowledgeable. The cytokine Storm cases maybe be treatable with another old drug.

An anti-parasitic drug is one.

Although several clinical trials are now underway to test possible therapies, the worldwide response to the COVID-19 outbreak has been largely limited to monitoring/containment. We report here that Ivermectin, an FDA-approved anti-parasitic previously shown to have broad-spectrum anti-viral activity in vitro, is an inhibitor of the causative virus (SARS-CoV-2),

Leftists most affected.

This is from 2011 and about Influenza.; 4/13/20, 9:03 PM
Joan said...: Mark, just wanted to say I enjoy your running commentary on BSG and ST:TOS. I've thought about re-watching BSG but can't bring myself to do it, knowing where it's all headed.; 4/13/20, 9:03 PM
Jon Ericson said...: Once upon a time there was a little chicken, and everybody called him-- Chicken Little.
And one day while he was out walking, up in the sky a bird flew over and it dropped an acorn, and the acorn fell
down and-- bip-- bopped him on his head.
Chicken Little said “AWK! ” and looked up, and didn’t see anything, and he looked down and didn’t see anything.
So he said
“Help, help the sky is falling! Help, help the sky is falling! I have to tell the King!” And he went running down
the road, looking for the King.
As he was running he met Henny Penny. And Henny Penny said, “Buk Buk Buk BUK! Hello Chicken LIttle.
What’s wrong with you?”
And Chicken Little said, “Oh Henny Penny! Haven’t you heard-- the sky is falling! I’m looking for the King.”
And Henny Penny said, “Oh my, how exciting. Buk buk buk BUK! Can I go too?” And they went down the road
together, shouting
“Help, help the sky is falling! Help, help the sky is falling! We have to tell the King!”
After awhile they met Goosey Loosey. “Honk! Honk! Hello Chicken Little, Hello Henny Penny. What’s wrong
with you?”
“Oh, Goosey Loosey, haven’t you heard? The sky is falling! We have to tell the King!”
“Honk Honk! That’s terrible! Honk honk. Can I go too?” And they all went down the road together shouting
“Help, help the sky is falling! Help, help the sky is falling! We have to tell the King!”
And along the road, they met Turkey Lurkey.
And Turkey Lurkey said
“Gobble gobble gobble! Hello Chicken Little, Hello Henny Penny, Hello Goosey Loosey. What in the world is
wrong with you?”
“Oh, Turkey Lurkey. Haven’t you heard? The sky is falling! The sky is falling! We’re looking for the King!”
“Gobble gobble gobble! Oh that’s terrible! Can I go too?”
And they all went down the road saying
“Help, help the sky is falling! Help, help the sky is falling! We have to tell the King!”
And they went down the road, and they met Foxey Loxey. And Foxey Loxey said, “Hello, Chicken
Little, Hello Henny Penny, Hello Goosey Loosey. What in the world is wrong with you?”
And they told him, “Oh, Foxey Loxey, haven’t you heard? The sky is falling! We have to tell the King!”
“Nothing easier,” said Foxey Loxey. “He’s back there in my den. But the King doesn’t like to feel crowded, so I’d better bring you in one by one. Now, who wants to go first?”
Everybody wanted to be first to see the King, but the Turkey was the biggest. “Gobble gobble gobble.
Me first! I want to see the King!” and he pushed everybody else away. “Come with me,” says Foxey
Loxey, and they went into the hole together.
Then there was a lot of squawking down there, and some feathers came flying out, and the fox called
up, “NEXT”
“Honk Honk. Me! I want to go! Me” said Goosey Loosey, and she pushed her way in. More squawking, more feathers, and the fox said “NEXT!”
“Buk buk buk BUK!” said Henny Penny, and she jumped in the hole. Squawks, feathers, and
then............ no sound at all.
Right then, Chicken Little remembered it was his turn to take the garbage out, and he went home.
So poor Chicken Little never got to see the King.; 4/13/20, 9:04 PM
iowan2 said...: KenB knows the wrong numbers.That would be because KenB has the correct numbers. Please share, I've been looking for that data set.; 4/13/20, 9:05 PM
Original Mike said...: Was disappointed that Comet broke from the Quantum Leap episode order today.; 4/13/20, 9:09 PM
lb said...: Where can I find today’s press briefing to watch please?; 4/13/20, 9:10 PM
Shouting Thomas said...: CNN apparently got so fed up with Trump using them as a punching bag at his presser that they shut down their coverage.

You can find the presser on YouTube.; 4/13/20, 9:12 PM
Dear corrupt left, go F yourselves said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 4/13/20, 9:12 PM
Dear corrupt left, go F yourselves said...: Origins of Wuhan-virus; 4/13/20, 9:13 PM
lb said...: Thanks ST; 4/13/20, 9:16 PM
Ingachuck'stoothlessARM said...: on a lighter note, Bernie sez:

"Our movement has won the ideological struggle."

Ha! He sold out faster than toilet paper !; 4/13/20, 9:19 PM
narciso said...: heres your sign; 4/13/20, 9:23 PM
Ralph L said...: presser; 4/13/20, 9:26 PM
Mark said...: So I'm watching the Joe Show, where it does appear that his conversation with Bernie is scripted, and he's (of course) attacking Trump and saying that the CARES Act should be implemented to do X, Y, and Z. And, of course -- the Act ALREADY DOES THAT.

Totally
Clue
Less; 4/13/20, 9:26 PM
Sebastian said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 4/13/20, 9:30 PM
Sebastian said...: Good pieces by John Ioannidis cited at Power Line. All anti-panic, pro-sanity of course.

Quotable quote, Ioannidis agreeing with yours truly:

"An argument in favour of lockdowns is that postponing the epidemic wave (“flattening the curve”) gains time to develop vaccines and reduces strain on the health system. However, vaccines take many months (or years) to develop and test properly. Maintaining lockdowns for many months may have even worse consequences than an epidemic wave that runs an acute course. Focusing on protecting susceptible individuals may be preferable to maintaining countrywide lockdowns longterm."

More along those lines. From the pros' pro. Didn't Althouse say, when we were told about the "real calculations," that we should listen to experts?; 4/13/20, 9:32 PM
Mark said...: Joan, this will be about my third or fourth run through.

I missed the original run of BSG and when I first saw it in reruns, I started in the middle and some of the episodes were out of order.

But, like some other shows, it gives you some philosophical questions to consider.; 4/13/20, 9:33 PM
Ingachuck'stoothlessARM said...: Racist conspiracy?

Cinco de Mayo finally falls on 'Taco Tuesday',

...but gets shut down by a virus named after a Mexican beer!!; 4/13/20, 9:33 PM
Mark said...: Biden is speaking in coherent paragraphs, staring straight ahead.

Yep, he's reading.; 4/13/20, 9:34 PM
Mark said...: When he started this farce, before they started on the teleprompter script, Joe was all "um, um, uh . . . um."

But even though his reading is a better delivery, the content and substance of what he is saying is still out-of-touch gibberish. He has no idea what is actually happening outside of his basement.; 4/13/20, 9:36 PM
Sebastian said...: One more pop quiz:

Covid vs. influenza deaths under 44, February to April 11, cumulative:

a. 532:138
b. 236:381
c. 138:532
d. 381:236

No cheating!; 4/13/20, 9:38 PM
narciso said...: I was a fan of the original battlestar galactica, despite the hokey sets at times the 70s fashion focus. Some corny episodes because it had strongly delineated good and evil, not all episodes were great metv did two runs recently.; 4/13/20, 9:40 PM
Ingachuck'stoothlessARM said...: some more grist for the mill

Let’s Visualize State-by-State Shutdown Effectiveness on COVID-19
Many are wondering when we should begin to loosen social distancing measures and which ones should we loosen first?

"One would expect that the faster a State shut down, the less deaths it would incur, but that’s surprisingly not what we find. There is virtually zero correlation between speed of shut down and expected death totals."

https://medium.com/@yinonweiss/lets-visualize-state-by-state-shutdown-effectiveness-on-covid-19-e13a5cdb50ad; 4/13/20, 9:41 PM
Mark said...: Now Joe is talking about his kids, including of course mentioning his dead son -- and they are in what? their 50s? -- and saying that they are still paying off their student loans.

What?? They ain't poor. Ole Joe has connected them up quite well. And they are well beyond the payoff period for payment.; 4/13/20, 9:43 PM
Churchy LaFemme: said...: The original BSG re-used the heck out of the effects shots from the first couple of episodes (the ones that were spliced into a theatrical movie). Sometimes they would flip the print to make a left turn into a right turn. There were some tone deaf episodes as well, like the one where their whole civilization has been destroyed and they spend time on a gambling planet..

That's not to say I didn't like it!

I was very enthusiastic about the reboot(*) until the episode where everyone started quoting Bob Dylan and violating all the established rules about who could or could not be a Cylon. I didn't bother with the final season.

(*) Not that there weren't lapses like giving Baltar a nuke with apparently zero oversight on it..; 4/13/20, 9:47 PM
I Have Misplaced My Pants said...: @CStanley, if you are around:

I saw your last comment to me on the lunch cafe thread. No, my tone has not always covered me in glory--I'm only human, and like anyone my nerves are frayed--but I stand by my position that one faction towers over the other in smugness, condescension, and personal attacks. Two or three particular offenders are pulling the whole average down. When I've been out of line I have apologized, but I will not apologize to the person who deserves everything I have said to him for his general assholery.; 4/13/20, 9:50 PM
Mark said...: Oops, now he's straying off-script and the real Joe comes out, stuttering and talking about one of his "greatest pleasures was going to Saddam Hussein's, one of [his] multiple trips to Iraq . . ."; 4/13/20, 9:51 PM
Ken B said...: ST
I don’t think CNN cutting away is because they are fed up. I think it was because they know their viewers do not want to see anything that would disturb their opinion of Trump. They know what will make their viewers turn the TV off. The CNN viewers, few but dogged, probably imagined trump singing the Horst Wessel song during the interruption.; 4/13/20, 9:52 PM
Mark said...: Original BSG --

I was too young at the time to really remember her, but a girl from my neighborhood in Michigan was on the show.; 4/13/20, 9:52 PM
Narr said...: I know what we have barred owls all over our neighborhood, and what they sound like, but tonight among the usual hoots from the trees there were some odd almost quacking sounds. At first I thought some kid was screwing around in the dark.

The weather was cool and sunny after the milder part of the big tornado system came through last night-- and even cooler tomorrow.

For the first time in weeks the Kroger had TP when I looked, and I didn't see a lot of bare shelves overall. Everyone including me was masked in some way, but nobody was very disciplined about proper order and alignment.

Narr
Sad!; 4/13/20, 9:53 PM
Lawrence Person said...: Say goodbye to the Clown Car Update and hello to BidenWatch.; 4/13/20, 9:53 PM
narciso said...: do you math; 4/13/20, 9:55 PM
Anne-I-Am said...: Hunh. Weird. I did a link. And it worked! And it was here. Now it isn’t. Where is it? The Mofo Zone.

Try

This is a lot of work.; 4/13/20, 9:55 PM
Lewis Wetzel said...: There is minor scandal brewing because Dean Baquet, Exec editor at the NY Times, has admitted to changing a story at the request of the Biden campaign.
This does not surprise me at all. I imagine all the candidates and their parties lobby media all of the time. You assign people to monitor the media and give them the phone numbers & email addresses of journalists and editors. It is what I would do. Eventually it becomes 'working the ref.' People self-edit to avoid having to field phone calls and twitter trolling from people that they consider their peers, and in the media, those peers are democrats, or socialists. It's one thing when a person calls you on behalf of Trump to argue a story point or fact, and quite another thing when one of Biden's or Sanders' people call you, and you know them from college or some political project. One day you might run across them socially, or you might be on the other of the desk from them, asking for a job.
George Stephanopolous is a democrat operative. In the 90s his job in the Clinton campaign was to intimidate Bill Clinton's many, many sexual assault victims, and the journalists who covered their stories, into silence.
Stephanopolous went to work as a political analyst for ABC in 2002. That's a political opinion position. He is now the non-partisan ID'd "senior anchor" for ABC.
This is how things work in the MSM, you are crazy if you expect anything like objectivity or fair play for Republicans or conservatives on the air. If you watch the network news and find that your point of view is the same as the people who read the news to you, you are not objective, you are a hard-core partisan.; 4/13/20, 9:56 PM
Sebastian said...: March 31 WH estimate with distancing assumed: "Modelling showed the disease could kill between 100,000 and 240,000"

A week later: adjusted downward to 60K.

A week later, total deaths so far: 23.3K. Most around NYC, of course.

Already appears to be tapering off.

So, will we get to even the reduced-by-75%, with-social-distancing model estimate of 60K?; 4/13/20, 9:56 PM
Churchy LaFemme: said...: The "leads a ragtag fleet" bit of the title sequence was what passed for a meme in those days. I remember the notion that a particular teacher at our high school was leading a ragtag fleet in search of World History..; 4/13/20, 9:56 PM
stephen cooper said...: "the circle won't be broken, by and by, Lord, by and by"; 4/13/20, 9:57 PM
narciso said...: Congrats anne i am, it took me a while to get the hang of it.; 4/13/20, 9:57 PM
narciso said...: Laurette spang, (cassiopea) small world.; 4/13/20, 9:59 PM
Francisco D said...: iowan2 said... KenB knows the wrong numbers.That would be because KenB has the correct numbers. Please share, I've been looking for that data set.

Whether Ken B (or anyone) has the right numbers is a moot point.

The problem is that Ken doesn't know how to mange numbers in his mind because he is hysterical about the "devastation" caused by COVID-19. At this point, the devastation is less than a mild flu season.; 4/13/20, 10:01 PM
narciso said...: Replication is running at about 9 days, i dont think so.; 4/13/20, 10:02 PM
StephenFearby said...: FullMoon said...
Good news/bad news

Loss of Smell and Taste Validated as COVID-19 Symptoms in Patients with High Recovery Rate

---

Thanks for posting this. The full study is:

International Forum of Allergy & Rhinology, (mss) 2020
Association of chemosensory dysfunction and COVID-19 in presenting with influenza-like symptoms.

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/alr.22579

(The misspellings in the title disappear if the pdf is downloaded.)

A promising way to address this:

Anat Rec (Hoboken). 2020 Mar;303(3):626-633.
Acute N-Acetylcysteine [NAC] Administration Ameliorates Loss of Olfactory Neurons Following Experimental Injury In Vivo.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30632702

I gave a bottle of pharmaceutical-grade NAC (along with some other immune system-enhancing / beneficially modulating supplements) to a 31-year-old with eosinophilic asthma before he came down with the coronavirus.

As a candidate for serious issues, he nevertheless recovered without any severe symptoms or lung damage.

N-acetylcysteine (NAC) increases glutathione (the body's principal antioxidant) the levels of which decrease with age..or are also decreased in younger people with poorly-modulated immune systems.

Some context:

Klin Wochenschr. 1991 Nov 15;69(18):857-62.
GSH rescue by N-acetylcysteine.

Reduced glutathione (GSH) is the main intracellular low molecular weight thiol. GSH acts as a nucleophilic scavenger and as an enzyme-catalyzed antioxidant in the event of electrophilic/oxidative tissue injury. Therefore, GSH has a major role as a protector of biological structures and functions. GSH depletion has been recognized as a hazardous condition during paracetamol intoxication. Conversely, GSH rescue, meaning recovery of the protective potential of GSH by early administration of N-acetylcysteine (NAC), has been found to be life-saving. Lack of GSH and electrophilic/oxidative injury have been identified among the causes of the adult respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), and the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). Experimental and early clinical data (in ARDS) point to the role of NAC in the treatment of these conditions. Recently, orally given NAC has been shown to enhance the levels of GSH in the liver, in plasma, and notably in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid. Rescue of GSH through NAC needs to be appreciated as an independent treatment modality for an array of different disease, all of which have one feature in common: pathogenetically relevant loss of GSH.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7096039/pdf/109_2005_Article_BF01649460.pdf

Eur Respir J. 1997 Jul;10(7):1535-41.
Attenuation of influenza-like symptomatology and improvement of cell-mediated immunity with long-term N-acetylcysteine treatment.

"...Administration of N-acetylcysteine during the winter, thus, appears to provide a significant attenuation of influenza and influenza-like episodes, especially in elderly high-risk individuals. N-acetylcysteine did not prevent A/H1N1 virus influenza infection but significantly reduced the incidence of clinically apparent disease."

https://erj.ersjournals.com/content/erj/10/7/1535.full.pdf; 4/13/20, 10:02 PM
stephen cooper said...: shortly after a severe weather event, many animals that rarely vocalize loudly (outside mating season, you have no idea how soul-piercing the mating calls and ululations of the possums in the woods near my window can be) do so, both as a basic life-affirming assertion of their having survived, and as a group call meant for the same purposes that humans hoot and holler after safely tumbling down a hill or waterfall with friends

even squirrels do this, but aardvarks, possums, chipmunks and coons and quite a few other little mammals that run up and down trees when they are worried by lightning storms or the near passing of the whirlwind make those noises; 4/13/20, 10:04 PM
stephen cooper said...: "twister" is a human word for tornado, based generally on visual and intellectual comparisons

to animals those things are WHIRLWINDS; 4/13/20, 10:08 PM
stephen cooper said...: the aardvarks are worse, from what I have been told, they are rare in my neck of the woods though; 4/13/20, 10:08 PM
stephen cooper said...: alley cats and their blood-curdling screams are bubble gum pop in comparison, from what I have been told; 4/13/20, 10:10 PM
stephen cooper said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 4/13/20, 10:10 PM
Churchy LaFemme: said...: alley cats and their blood-curdling screams are bubble gum pop in comparison, from what I have been told; 4/13/20, 10:13 PM
Anne-I-Am said...: stephen cooper,

I was just going to inquire about the rare North American aardvark. Perhaps you are hearing pangolins that have sough refugee status in the US, given the hordes in Asia after them for their magical medical properties.

StephenFearby,

Interesting links. I am going to ask my BIL about the NAC.; 4/13/20, 10:16 PM
narciso said...: I hear wood peckers first time in this neighborhood in four years; 4/13/20, 10:20 PM
Anne-I-Am said...: This from John Ioannidis at Stanford:

Different coronaviruses actually infect millions of people every year, and they are common especially in the elderly and in hospitalized patients with respiratory illness in the winter. A serological analysis1 of CoV 229E and OC43 in 4 adult populations under surveillance for acute respiratory illness during the winters of 1999‐2003 (healthy young adults, healthy elderly adults, high‐risk adults with underlying cardiopulmonary disease and a hospitalized group) showed annual infection rates ranging from 2.8% to 26% in prospective cohorts, and prevalence of 3.3%‐11.1% in the hospitalized cohort. Case fatality of 8% has been described in outbreaks among nursing home elderly. Leaving the well‐known and highly lethal SARS and MERS coronaviruses aside, other coronaviruses probably have infected millions of people and have killed thousands. However, it is only this year that every single case and every single death gets red alert broadcasting in the news.

I have to say I have been impressed with Stanford all through this Panic! They are one of my accounts, although in a different area of medicine. The measured tone and rational approach coming from that institution is reassuring.; 4/13/20, 10:24 PM
Churchy LaFemme: said...: I hear wood peckers first time in this neighborhood in four years; 4/13/20, 10:25 PM
narciso said...: delirium?; 4/13/20, 10:31 PM
Drago said...: Has Joe and Not-A-Real-Doctor Jill acknowledged Hunter's latest child yet?

Or will Jill claim dementia instead?; 4/13/20, 10:40 PM
William said...: I wonder if Trump revved up that faux fire Fauci controversy in order to pump up interest in today's presser.....All those pretty broadcast journalists don't seem to understand that Trump, for all the bad hair and extra years, has more physical magnetism than them and the camera picks it up. He had a #1 rated television show, and they're on cable news. He's a quantum above them....I certainly enjoyed today's presser.; 4/13/20, 10:44 PM
Anne-I-Am said...: Bleach Bit—

No, no, no. The horse is his familiar. The Great Deceiver tricked the artist into making the horse, then killed him.

The horse clearly warns everyone arriving at the Airport from Hell...”Abandon Hope, Ye Who Enter Here.”

And your luggage. It should abandon hope, too.; 4/13/20, 10:45 PM
Anne-I-Am said...: How many cats does it take to screw in a light bulb?; 4/13/20, 10:47 PM
narciso said...: out of the fire; 4/13/20, 10:49 PM
stephen cooper said...: Unknown - sweet piano licks; 4/13/20, 10:52 PM
bagoh20 said...: MSNBC calls Trump's video of their own coverage "propaganda" not worth broadcating. Even a broken clock...; 4/13/20, 10:55 PM
Churchy LaFemme: said...: Unknown - sweet piano licks

And Bent Fabric is still alive!; 4/13/20, 10:58 PM
Anne-I-Am said...: narciso,

I like your links. I think the Romans have lost their way.. A malign soul like Habib will fit rightin.

I gather you are not a native English speaker. What is your first language?; 4/13/20, 11:01 PM
I Have Misplaced My Pants said...: narciso,

I like your links

You missed the halcyon days when narciso did not know the html for links and would copy and paste .... drove people, affectionately, nuts :); 4/13/20, 11:03 PM
Birkel said...: Further analysis:

Ken B is a gaslighting concern troll.
His lies about both what he has typed and what others have typed is a tell.
Interesting combo troll, as trolls go.; 4/13/20, 11:04 PM
Birkel said...: RE: narciso links pre-html

I followed them.
He is a Top 3 commenter, all time.; 4/13/20, 11:06 PM
Mark said...: I'm looking at Michigan governor Whitmer's executive order which, in addition to barring access to non-food items in stores that are allowed to remain open, also restricts and criminalizes certain kinds of speech. Namely, advertising any verboten items for sale -- even if the sale is months away.

She has issued 42 -- FORTY TWO -- executive orders under her emergency power.

Oh, and she is now facing a recall petition drive.; 4/13/20, 11:06 PM
Joan said...: I think the Romans have lost their way.

Hey! My initial reaction was to be piqued by this remark, but then I realized it's true.

But what makes you think the Romans are any different from everyone else?

(Disclosure: I teach both religion and science at a small Catholic school.); 4/13/20, 11:08 PM
I Have Misplaced My Pants said...: Oh, and she is now facing a recall petition drive.

Go get her fascist ass, Michiganders!; 4/13/20, 11:09 PM
Anne-I-Am said...: @Pants,

Well, I have received a Links for Dummies tutorial today. Sadly, my keyboard only does the so-called curly quotes, and those don’t work. It is an onerous copying and pasting process for me to do links, but I did learn how to accomplishit.

And really, Pants, don’t let the harpy get your misplaced panties in a twist. I honestly have no understanding of what drives a person to behave that way. Her attacks on me, I completely understand. I got attention she craves. But her attacks on you are just bitter invective. She thrives on the pain she causes. If you pretend she doesn’t exist—that Blogger has an “ignore” button—this is a fairly tranquil place.; 4/13/20, 11:09 PM
effinayright said...: Ken B said...
Sorry ST that makes no sense. If shutting stuff down did all those good things and that’s a big success then you were wrong to oppose shutting stuff down. And if it wasn’t, then Trump was duped.
No one boxes in the Trumpster!
*****************

The models we used had already cooked in social distancing and other proactive measures. So your first claim doesn't hold up.

The models were wrong.

You miss an alternative explanation: no one, not even the experts, knew the models were wrong. So that means Trump wasn't "duped"---he was misled by "experts" who thought they were right. BIG DIFFERENCE.; 4/13/20, 11:10 PM
Lem Vibe Bandit said...: Interesting watching "They'll Love Me When I'm Dead" and "Steve Jobs" back to back.

How the two men perceived betrayal as the worst thing a person could do.; 4/13/20, 11:11 PM
Birkel said...: "...I did learn how to accomplishit."

Perfect typo!; 4/13/20, 11:13 PM
narciso said...: Hes of iranian background

a Rhodes Scholar, Habib obtained a Master of Letters in postcolonial English literature from St John's College, Oxford,[8] where he was an active member of the Oxford Union,[citation needed] and wrote his masters thesis on Ralph Ellison and Salman Rushdie.[9] He was named a Soros Fellow in 2007.[6][8]

He went on to yale law,; 4/13/20, 11:13 PM
Anne-I-Am said...: Joan,

I converted to Orthodoxy because the Anglicans also lost their way. (And I am ordained in the Episcopal church.).

The Orthodox are an odd lot—they believe everyone has lost their way, except the Orthodox. I had many interesting conversations with my priest as I began the conversion process.

I do find that the Orthodox Church at least is not flirting with the heresies that the Romans are. Animism. Universalism.

And this pope. I am no fan of popes. (The die-hard protestant in me.). This one is malignant, I think. He makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up.

I am a woman who believes in the Evil One. I believe he is active in our world, in a myriad of ways, wallowing in our sin. This pope is his tool, wittingly or not.; 4/13/20, 11:15 PM
Anne-I-Am said...: Birkel,

Right?!!! Bwahahahaha. I love it when a plan comes together.; 4/13/20, 11:18 PM
Mark said...: Laurette spang, (cassiopea) small world

Yeah, I don't really remember her, I only remember watching the show and family members saying, "hey, that's the girl who used to live down the street."; 4/13/20, 11:18 PM
Ken B said...: “ The models we used had already cooked in social distancing and other proactive measures”

No, not the earlier models such as Ferguson's. The later IHME models claimed to but those are ones that pretty much everyone agrees have been too high most places. But the IHME was never a good approach and I pointed out the technical reason why some time ago. Big Mike pointed it out today: it was just curve fitting.; 4/13/20, 11:18 PM
narciso said...: Yes he is gravely mistaken, this pontiff is, i was educated in a jesuit high school. They have severely strayed, i guess there is a theological parallel with o sullivans law.; 4/13/20, 11:19 PM
I Have Misplaced My Pants said...: If you pretend she doesn’t exist—that Blogger has an “ignore” button—this is a fairly tranquil place.

I've been reading & commenting here for eight years and she's been around all that time. Sometimes she's fun; sometimes she acts like a complete asshat. It's so confusing! But you're right .... clicking at the top of individual comments will collapse them and sometimes a thread cleanup before reading is helpful.; 4/13/20, 11:19 PM
I Have Misplaced My Pants said...: And how interesting that you are an ordained Episcopal priest. My family attends the last conservative Episcopal church on Planet Earth. When we move from where we live now, we will certainly join an Anglican church.; 4/13/20, 11:20 PM
Jon Ericson said...: Repost.

For anybody else trying to figure out links...

Use this as a template

Click <a href="http://www.yahoo.com">here</a> to go to yahoo.

Put the link between the two " "
Put the text between the > and the <

Click here to go to yahoo.

And the other two things you can do...

To italicise
To <i>italicise</i>

To make bold
To make <b>bold</b>; 4/13/20, 11:21 PM
narciso said...: Rushdie has been strikingly confused about his own nations history, this is evident in midnights children his first work a magical realist polemic about the first 30 years of indias independence.; 4/13/20, 11:22 PM
walter said...: 3/29
DR. BIRX: Thank you. I mean, we have grave concerns when you look at the model. As I told you, look at
the Chris Murray model, where he shows rapid escalation. And you can see it happening with the people we’re losing every day throughout the — throughout America. And you can see it going up, just like
cases. And we’re starting to lose people at the same rate. And we
have deep concerns about that.
<
So in the model — and there’s a — there’s a large confidence interval, and so it’s anywhere in the
model between 80,000 and 160,000, maybe even potentially 200,000 people succumbing to this. That’s with mitigation. In that model, they make full assumption that we continue doing exactly what we’re
doing, but even better, in every metro area with a level of intensity.

https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/remarks-president-trump-vice-president-pence-members-coronavirus-task-force-press-briefing-14/; 4/13/20, 11:23 PM
Jon Ericson said...: Apple users: Turn off smartquotes.; 4/13/20, 11:23 PM
Birkel said...: See?
Gaslighting.
It lies so easily.; 4/13/20, 11:24 PM
I Have Misplaced My Pants said...: I am a woman who believes in the Evil One. I believe he is active in our world, in a myriad of ways, wallowing in our sin.

Once you recognize him and his evil energy: all conflict, all stress, all discouragement and smallmindedness makes perfect sense.; 4/13/20, 11:24 PM
Lem Vibe Bandit said...: Trump's meme maker in chief has done it again.

Turned a Lady Gaga video endorsement of Biden into a nursing home infomercial.

LINK; 4/13/20, 11:25 PM
narciso said...: Habib was rowan farrows roomate in college.; 4/13/20, 11:29 PM
Anne-I-Am said...: Pants,

I have been reading here for a long time. I never wanted to comment because Google. I finally caved because...I am not sure why. Someone said something that I couldn’t let go. So here I am.

I had her measure long ago, though. She’s not confusing at all. If she feels like she is not receiving the attention she deserves, she will modulate her tone. Just long enough to suck gullible people like you in. Then she lets her claws back out. And she is particularly malignant toward women. Also not surprising. We are her competition. I got over bitches like that in high school.

You have no reason to take my advice, but I proffer it nonetheless. Act like she does not exist. She is not ever, ever, ever a friendly, trustworthy person. Her goal is to diminish you. Her sustenance is the discouragement of others.

I am not a nice person. I am under our Lord’s tutelage to submit to Him in humility. Part of that is a refusal to engage with those who would drag me into the pit. Because I am all to eager to jump right in. And if I did? Woe unto them. I am part of a family that specializes in demolishing the humanity of those who disagree with them. And I no longer want to be that person. That is the Evil One using me to corrupt others. So I ignore. I typically don’t even read her comments.

You strike me as a mom trying to get by in what are difficult times for parents. My boys are grown, but I can imagine the hair loss I would be experiencing were they still at home—three separated by four years. Kill me now. Be of good cheer.; 4/13/20, 11:29 PM
Birkel said...: Which bad faith poster are you ladies discussing?
There are so many to choose.; 4/13/20, 11:32 PM
Anne-I-Am said...: Birkel,

Speak of the Devil, and he shall appear. There is really only one harpy—female poster. The men are various species of asshats (Ken B, ARM, sometimes Tim), but it takes a woman to be a cunt. Pardon my French.

Mary-whats-her-face is a bizarre chick, but she is not as predictable as I***.; 4/13/20, 11:36 PM
narciso said...: I read shalimar the clown, which seemed to be a little more aware of what india has faced, but he has relapsed since the with fury and the golden house.; 4/13/20, 11:37 PM
Anne-I-Am said...: narciso,

You are a very interesting person. In a good way. I am enjoying you, even if I sometimes have trouble following you. XXOO; 4/13/20, 11:38 PM
I Have Misplaced My Pants said...: Anne,

Oh, I'm not gullible at all -- here's the thing -- I actually am quite misanthropic and suspicious, and have a hard time with women in general. The cattiness, the games, the insecurities, the jockeying. I see that in her, but at the same time, I see the things that can be fun about social women like that. The banter, the teasing, the flirting. I can 100% picture her as a nurse, in her glory, in a bevy of other women. (I could never be in a profession that was largely female. I taught preschool for a few years and the kids were delightful but the coworkers .... oh gawd.) I'm sure she fit into that gynocentric world like a hand in a glove. She normally does not get under my skin; I can hold her act at a distance and be amused by it, but her bullshit was too thick today and it got on my tits. So to speak.

My biggest, very much biggest, spiritual challenge is to love my neighbors when I am constitutionally not disposed to do so. I'm programmed, by nature and by nurture, to be impatient with bullshit and absurdity, and most people, God love them, are up to their eyeballs in it. I know that sounds super douchey but I promise I include myself in that. I'm currently working on a compromise with God where rather than get annoyed and uncharitable with others, which I know displeases him, I will just avoid them and try to build habits where I fill my mind with true things that inspire and encourage me and just ignore the social pressure on Good Church Women to Engage With All The People. Like you say, I don't want to be a tool of the enemy. And meanwhile I pray that God will give me a heart of kindness and not scorn. In his good time.; 4/13/20, 11:40 PM
narciso said...: I think tim is understandably distressed, ken is annoyingly mistaken about many things and the last reminds of a troll ive encountered on other blogs, it took an electronic exorcism to vanquish him and he still pops up like jason voorhees on occasion.; 4/13/20, 11:40 PM
I Have Misplaced My Pants said...: When I was a teenager I thought very seriously about living in a community of women religious, for the remove and the contemplation and the prayer, etc, but funnily enough, God had two husbands and six children in mind for me. And here we are.; 4/13/20, 11:42 PM
Mark said...: The Bounty Hunter is on the attack against the Enterprise.; 4/13/20, 11:44 PM
Churchy LaFemme: said...: Mistook it for The Bounty?; 4/13/20, 11:46 PM
narciso said...: My punctuation, or my dennis miller penchant for subreference or both?

Now occasionally these trolls can become fwral, such was the case of followers of a certain character with violent tendencies who became a political activist and harassed and worse among others a los angeles assistant da referred here on occasion; 4/13/20, 11:47 PM
Mark said...: I would re-watch that series, but it really went off the rails in the later seasons.

Duchovny leaving really messed up the planned story arc.; 4/13/20, 11:49 PM
Anne-I-Am said...: narciso,

An excellent analysis.

Pants,

Hmm. You’ve got me wondering. What is my greatest spiritual challenge. I have so many. I am not a naturally sympathetic person, except where physical injury is concerned. (Don’t describe a knee injury to me; I may vomit.). I am not a misanthrope—I am just not sentimental, and that strikes people as cold.

God gave me a tremendous intellect. That is a gift and a temptation to sin. My spiritual struggle is perhaps to relinquish control. To trust our gracious Lord to have all things in hand, to turn all things to good in His time.

“Lord, let me not forget in unforeseen events, that all are sent by you.” “Teach me to act firmly and wisely, without embittering and embarrassing others.”

I have embittered those I love—to catastrophic and irremediable consequence. For our Lord’s forgiveness, I can only pray.; 4/13/20, 11:51 PM
Anne-I-Am said...: narciso,

Mostly your syntax. Although the da reference escaped me. Perhaps before my time.; 4/13/20, 11:54 PM
Joan said...: I do find that the Orthodox Church at least is not flirting with the heresies that the Romans are. Animism. Universalism.

I can assure you, Anne-I-Am, the rank-and-file want none of what Pope Francis is hawking. It's funny working in a Catholic school... literally everyone sort-of freezes when someone mentions the Pope, you can almost see the hairs on the back of our necks standing up. We don't like him, we don't like what he's trying to do to the Church, but we have to walk softly and not speak in ways that would confuse the students. The hierarchy is to be respected, and I'm fortunate to belong to a parish and a diocese run by men of excellent character. I know the hierarchy is very corrupt, though. Husband and I were both appalled by Dolan's pre-Easter interview when he literally did not mention Jesus once, and what is to be said about Fr. James Martin? They have lost their way.

But the Lord Himself said, the gates of Hell shall not prevail against the Church, so we know we just have to ride this out. But I know a lot of people who cheered when those Amazonian idols were pitched in to the Tiber.; 4/13/20, 11:56 PM
Michael McNeil said...: Sadly, my keyboard only does the so-called curly quotes, and those don’t work.

What kind of keyboard are you using, Anne-I-am? Do I recall you saying you use an iPad? It's easy to turn off curly quotes (or override them) on an iPad or iPhone.; 4/14/20, 12:02 AM
Mark said...: Unlike U.S. presidencies and administrations which constantly change and can cause whiplash in the the resulting change in policies, the papal magisterium remains constant. Even in the time of Francis, the words and wisdom and instruction offered by Popes John Paul II and Benedict XVI in their encyclicals and exhortations and letters and homilies and speeches and Wednesday audiences, etc. stand firm and valid.; 4/14/20, 12:03 AM
eddie willers said...: Ot i took a look at the loosely adapted get shorty remake, with an irish chilly palmer and a more pathetic version of the hackman character played by ray romano.

Get Shorty (EPIX and Netflix) is the best TV show of the last three years.; 4/14/20, 12:04 AM
Yancey Ward said...: "I've thought about re-watching BSG but can't bring myself to do it, knowing where it's all headed."

Yes, I feel the same way- also the same way about "Game of Thrones", now- will never rewatch knowing how it ended.; 4/14/20, 12:04 AM
gilbar said...: Laurette spang, (cassiopea)
i was going to say: cassiopea WAS the good point (well, the WHOLE point) of the show when it was first out. As a 14 year old nerd; i had continuous and stridently improper thoughts about her and me... Many of which involved churches, houses, and baby furniture. I'm GLAD that she never learned the things i wanted to do with her; until death we did part; 4/14/20, 12:04 AM
Anne-I-Am said...: Joan,

I am happy that you have a strong parish and diocese. I can only imagine how difficult it is to have children around you who should not be exposed to the machinations of the hierachy.

I cannot escape my Protestant roots. When you say, “The hierarchy is to be respected,” I understand completely—on an intellectual level. And then I think, “Fuck that.” Ironic that an iconoclast such as I ends up in the Orthodox church. I have absolutely no respect for authority. Sola Scriptura. Hunh. Perhaps that is my spiritual challenge, come to think of it.

I am not making light of your dilemma. The reverence for “The Church” that Romans have is something I have come to respect—if with a gimlet eye.

Here is what I believe: God is not mocked. And we should all be as the publican, “Lord, have mercy on me, a sinner.”; 4/14/20, 12:05 AM
walter said...: Blogger Mark said...
The Bounty Hunter is on the attack against the Enterprise.
--
Dog gets around. I hope he makes it back to Hawaii.; 4/14/20, 12:07 AM
Anne-I-Am said...: Mark,

Thank our Lord that Francis has yet to speak his bullshit ex cathedra. I am not sure what the Romans would do should that happen.

Benedict is one of the people I would put on my list to have a drink with. Along with Churchill and Newton.; 4/14/20, 12:08 AM
Anne-I-Am said...: Michael McNeill,

How does one rid oneself of the meddlesome curly quotes?; 4/14/20, 12:10 AM
Yancey Ward said...: "I was a fan of the original battlestar galactica, despite the hokey sets at times the 70s fashion focus. Some corny episodes because it had strongly delineated good and evil, not all episodes were great metv did two runs recently.

I watched the pilot the first night it aired. I loved the show and faithfully watched every episode until it was cancelled, but I did get to rewatch the pilot again about 10 years ago- very cheesy.; 4/14/20, 12:11 AM
narciso said...: The Church is the body of believers. But its also the foundation that has been built over 2000 years or at least 1988 years, that one pontiff is blithely unaware of those traditions is regretable

His mission is supposed to be call people to god, not to be a topical commentator,; 4/14/20, 12:11 AM
narciso said...: There were some episodes that were definitely filler i guess im a sucker for a great score, pretty good special effects for 1978, and a cleanly delineated good vs evil story; 4/14/20, 12:15 AM
Mark said...: Charity commands that I say nothing bad, but I will note that he does not act alone. There are a lot of others around him who are pushing their own agenda.; 4/14/20, 12:15 AM
Ralph L said...: Depending on your device, you may be able to link with no quotes around the URL.; 4/14/20, 12:16 AM
Mark said...: Klingons and British quasi-spies and ranch owners -- what's not to like?; 4/14/20, 12:17 AM
Anne-I-Am said...: The Church is the communion of the saints and the bride of Christ.

What I find curious is the Roman conception of the Church. A narcissism. As a Protestant, I found it noxious. As an Orthodox, I find it parochial.

This pope is an evident charlatan, consumed by ideology. That the body of believers that confess Romanism tolerate him is a curiosity.; 4/14/20, 12:17 AM
Mark said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 4/14/20, 12:17 AM
Churchy LaFemme: said...: Along with the "ragtag" thing, this soundbite has always stayed with me..; 4/14/20, 12:18 AM
narciso said...: I too have great respect for pope benedict, who was driven off under murky circumstances.; 4/14/20, 12:20 AM
narciso said...: One might say the new iteration of cylons were indicative of a time where you cant tell who is the enemy but thats a cop out, they made the humans less respectable.; 4/14/20, 12:24 AM
Mark said...: It was an interesting tribute that they used the 1978 fanfare theme in the reboot during the viper flyby scene.; 4/14/20, 12:26 AM
Lewis Wetzel said...: Blogger Anne-I-Am said...
. . .
I do find that the Orthodox Church at least is not flirting with the heresies that the Romans are. Animism. Universalism.
. . .

If Adam's sin condemned us all to death, how could the sacrifice of Christ not redeem us all?; 4/14/20, 12:30 AM
Mark said...: Offer and acceptance.; 4/14/20, 12:31 AM
narciso said...: There is much said about the responsability not to lead believers astray; 4/14/20, 12:31 AM
narciso said...: Matthew 18-6 for one examples it wxtends through out the gospels to the epistles.; 4/14/20, 12:34 AM
Mark said...: Some people don't like others to pay their debts for them. In their pride, they want to pay it themselves -- or worse, don't think they are indebted at all. Or they don't want anything to do with the guy whose offering to foot the bill.; 4/14/20, 12:34 AM
Lewis Wetzel said...: There isn't anything in the Gospels about offers being made and conditionally accepted. Christ did not die to save some of us.; 4/14/20, 12:36 AM
Mark said...: Even when people are offered a straight path to a land of milk and honey, they prefer to wander around the middle of nowhere -- or even go back to the hell hole they came from.; 4/14/20, 12:36 AM
Mark said...: If you don't want to be with God -- He ain't going to force you to.

He will not impose His love on you. You can choose to accept it or you can choose not to accept it.; 4/14/20, 12:37 AM
narciso said...: Clearly universalism runs counter to john 3-16 among many passages, animism where does one start. Certainly worship of nature (what i shorthand as akydragon worship manifest in belief in agw) is rampant; 4/14/20, 12:38 AM
narciso said...: The template of the age is clearly set forth in romans 1.; 4/14/20, 12:39 AM
Mark said...: The scriptures practically SCREAM about the need to accept the Lord and His redemption/salvation -- to open yourself to the One who is Life itself.

In fact, more than once, God tells people straight out -- "Choose Life."

Redemption is there for anyone who wants it.

But does everyone want it?; 4/14/20, 12:40 AM
Lewis Wetzel said...: There is a problem where, if Christ's sacrifice did not save all of us, then Adam's sin could not condemn all of us.
I am a Lutheran. The idea that by an act of will we can save ourselves is ridiculous. We can't choose to behave so that we will be saved. That is telling God what to do.; 4/14/20, 12:40 AM
gilbar said...: some people (you know who you are) have been going on and on (and on and on (and on and on))
about "exponential growth", and how
A) HORRIBLY BAD it is!!!
B) How stupid we all are, for not knowing what it is

i'll confess! I (apparently) do NOT know what exponential growth is. Will someone help me out?

here are some numbers (data!) from worldometer for new cases in US for the month of april
1 26655
2 30107
3 32454
4 34196
5 25400
6 31240
7 33502
8 31997
9 33606
10 33752
11 30003
12 27421
13 26641

new cases Peaked on April 10th, since then: THEY HAVE GONE DOWN
please be SO GOOD, as to explain to me (using simple words that someone who had a Traumatic Brain Injury can understand) HOW New covid-19 cases in the US are showing, "exponential growth"?????

thanx!; 4/14/20, 12:41 AM
Mark said...: The separation of man and God came about through man's free choice of the will.

Salvation comes through it as well. Jesus already did the hard work, He did the heavy lifting. But we need to do something in return. We need to at least open up our lazy butts and accept the helping hand of eternal life that He is extending to us.; 4/14/20, 12:43 AM
Mark said...: Yeah Lewis, I didn't say or suggest or imply any of that.; 4/14/20, 12:44 AM
Anne-I-Am said...: Lewis Wetzel,

Christ did not die to save some of us, but neither does our Lord coerce us.

We freely accept or reject grace.

Jesus told the man who would bury his father, leave the dead to bury the dead. And the man went away, sorrowful.

The Orthodox see us all as patients in a hospital, overcome by sin, with Christ our physician. Does He heal us against our will?

This is a mystery. Certainly, the tradition of the church, across Protestant, Orthodox and Roman, is that no, we have a choice.

I had a theology professor who said that Hell is empty. He believed that faced with the magnificence of our Lord after death, every soul would choose to join the body of saints.

Having encountered some whose hearts are hard, I am not so sure. But I remain humble, because the Lord’s ways are far above my scrutiny.; 4/14/20, 12:45 AM
narciso said...: The beak number was on the fourth then its wobbled up and now but under the peak.; 4/14/20, 12:46 AM
Lewis Wetzel said...: Mark, you are not a Lutheran. You cannot save yourself by choosing to do something.; 4/14/20, 12:48 AM
Mark said...: Again, Lewis, I never said that.; 4/14/20, 12:51 AM
gilbar said...: Lewis said: We can't choose to behave so that we will be saved. That is telling God what to do

well, GOD explicitly Tells us that we Sure as HELL can choose to behave so as NOT to be saved
(EVEN ANGELS can choose not to server GOD)
GOD doesn't force Salvation on us. He could have Easily fenced around that Tree (after all He's GOD)
GOD (apparently) feels that people can make their own destiny... I assume that he thinks it makes the artwork more interesting that way; 4/14/20, 12:51 AM
Mark said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 4/14/20, 12:53 AM
Mark said...: There is only One Savior. One.

But when He comes with the ark of salvation, you need to get in the boat.

Even Lutherans don't believe that God will force His love on people against their will.; 4/14/20, 12:53 AM
Anne-I-Am said...: Lewis,

Our Father created us in His image. That is, with creative energy and free will. He apparently did not desire automatons. He allowed us to reject Him.

I read the Gospels, and I see that our Lord contemplated that. He told the rich young man what he had to do to follow him—and the young man went away sorrowful. He recounted the story of the prodigal. Certainly the father welcomed home his once-lost son—but he did not force him to return.

Our Lord desires a heart that turns to Him freely, in humility and love. Do we not feel the echo of that in ourselves? Who among us desires love that is not willingly given?

What may come to pass beyond our death—when the Divine is free from the strictures He willingly imposes upon Himself in this plane—I will not speculate about. I would like to think that when Jesus cried, “It is accomplished,” that all of his children were brought to Him. It is a mystery. And I would never counsel someone to depend on that.; 4/14/20, 12:55 AM
gilbar said...: narciso correctly said...
The beak number was on the fourth then its wobbled up and now but under the peak.
thanx narciso. AGAIN; please help explain to me (the stupid guy with a traumatic brain injury*) HOW do April's numbers show exponential growth?

traumatic brain injury* it has now been MORE than 20 years, since i've been in a coma: YEA!; 4/14/20, 12:56 AM
gilbar said...: and to this day, i don't know if i'm spelling comma, or coma : ); 4/14/20, 12:56 AM
Mark said...: Presuming upon the mercies of God is never a good idea.; 4/14/20, 12:57 AM
Mark said...: A "please" and "thank you" isn't too much to ask.; 4/14/20, 12:58 AM
Anne-I-Am said...: gilbar,

Thanks be to God for your recovery! And don’t bother with the numbers. The Panic People will sing and dance around them to achieve their aim of Panic! Panic! Panic!; 4/14/20, 12:59 AM
stephen cooper said...: I Have Misplaced My Pants at 11:40, maybe you might like to look at the world for a few minutes the way I have looked at if for years and years and years.

I have known many many broken people, quite a few of whom have lashed out at me, or attempted to lash out at me (none succeeded).

Not a single one of them would not have been happier, and had a much greater chance at bliss in life, if their parents had been Mary and Joseph, if they too could have claimed to be of the royal line of David. But for reasons beyond their control, they did not get to be royal.
They were born poor or born obscure.

I get it, they were just poor saps and if you had known as many really selfish people in life as I have known - and maybe you have ---- you would look at every annoying jerk and think ----- my God how many years of living day after day with people who are as bad or worse than them did they have to experience in order to turn out the way they are?

It is easy to feel sorry for fat people and stupid people and ugly people (I check off on at least two of those boxes, probably three) but the good looking people have it worse, in addition to being mistreated as almost all of us are by the selfish people they have been surrounded by since birth, even if their parents try to protect them, they have been targeted by lustful creeps again and again, and have had to build up strong protective walls (even some fat people and ugly people have had to experience this).

So while I get your frustration with other people, I would like you to know that there is someone out there who does not feel that way at all.

And yes I do get up and walk out of a religious service when some pompous little man starts preaching about how everybody is so so hard to put up with because we are only human. Bergoglio is just about the worst preacher I have ever heard when it comes to that, he does not seem to like people at all, the poor old man.

God created every one of us, and loves us all.

That being said, if I had the free time and the money, I would have thousands of pets, I could have a little recreation park for homeless cockroaches (separate, of course, for reasons of hygiene, from the rooms where the humans live), I would make a room in my house a very heaven for tarantulas. I would have a huge saltwater pond as a haven for octopi, and every night some sad abandoned pit bull would be allowed to sleep in the bedroom, as a treasured guest. So maybe there is something wrong with me.

I really really don't like bullies, and the best way to fight bullies is to be strong and kind. Not saying I succeed, but I know that is what I want to do in life. Well, to be more accurate, that is what I hope I tried to do sometimes a lot of back when I had a lot of life left to live, anyway.; 4/14/20, 1:04 AM
Lewis Wetzel said...: gilbar said...

Lewis said: We can't choose to behave so that we will be saved. That is telling God what to do

well, GOD explicitly Tells us that we Sure as HELL can choose to behave so as NOT to be saved
(EVEN ANGELS can choose not to server GOD)

Angels are below us, not above us.
In Heaven, if you were to meet the soul of some terrible serial killer, shouldn't you praise God for his forgiveness? Every human being since Adam has abused his free will.; 4/14/20, 1:15 AM
Anne-I-Am said...: Good night to all.

While we ponder the ways of our Lord, our Lord chuckles. Thanks to God, who is, after all, in charge. I close my eyes tonight grateful beyond words to my Lord, who has chosen to bless me with life and with a heart to love Him. My heart grieves for the terrible actions I have taken that have led to terrible things for my children. I humbly prostate myself before God and pray for His forbearance. That he may choose to forgive me is beyond my capacity to apprehend.

Lord have mercy; Lord have mercy; Lord have mercy. Father, bless.; 4/14/20, 1:15 AM
Ken B said...: Where’s Fernandistein when you need him?; 4/14/20, 1:24 AM
Joan said...: The reverence for “The Church” that Romans have is something I have come to respect—if with a gimlet eye.

The Church is one thing but we use a lot of different words to try and describe it. It's too big for a human brain to understand fully, especially with our limited ability to perceive time. But anyway:
The Church is the Bride of Christ, and he is the Bridegroom. (People who say that God is female fail to recognize that God's maleness comes from how He entered into the world. Many of my junior high male students are visibly uncomfortable with the sexuality implicit in this statement, but it is undeniable. [Now imagining that someone will want to argue this point...])he Church is the Body of Christ, He is the Head.
The Church is the Communion of Saints, militant on Earth, suffering in purgatory, and triumphant in heaven.

I've been praying the Divine Mercy Chaplet a lot over the course of this pandemic. I really struggled with it at first, especially: Eternal Father, I offer You the body and blood, soul and divinity, of Your Dearly Beloved Son, our Lord, Jesus Christ, in atonement for our sins..." Because, well, who am ***I*** to be making such an offering? I'm nothing, nobody. But then, duh, I remembered, Jesus told us to do this. So, I'm OK with it even if I still get that little itch from time to time.

I especially like the closing prayer: ...look kindly upon us, and increase Your mercy in us, that in difficult moments, we might not despair, nor become despondent, but with great confidence, submit ourselves to Your holy will, which is love and mercy itself.

The grace is there for the asking but no one is force to accept it. I'd like to think that everyone will choose to be saved -- there are a few in particular I pray for, very fervently -- but I agree that presuming on God's mercy is very bad idea, and a sin of the type that requires confessing. (Aaaaannnnd that's another whole can o' worms, I suppose?)

Last bit of tinder for this fire: If Sola Scriptura is really a thing, what did Christians do in all those centuries before the Bible was codified and written down? I never get an answer to this one.; 4/14/20, 1:36 AM
gilbar said...: Thank you Ann i Am!!!!
I've gotten (through the grace of GOD, and the abilities of Iowa Methodist Brain Surgeons)
An EXTRA TWENTY years that I was NOT entitled to: no WAY no HOW
It's Staggering to me, that it's been that long
(It's Staggering to me, that i haven't ridden a motorcycle without a helmet for that long!); 4/14/20, 1:42 AM
gilbar said...: Lewis said (correctly)that ...
Angels are below us, not above us.
Yep! BUT; even THEY, can choose not to serve GOD
GOD let's us all fuck up, in our own way; and, it makes him sad (i'm assuming); 4/14/20, 1:47 AM
Kassaar said...: John Conway, the British mathematician known among computer users for a cellular automaton ‘game’ named Game of Life, has died of the coronavirus on April 11. I reckon many here must have played it.; 4/14/20, 3:00 AM
Ralph L said...: what did Christians do in all those centuries before the Bible was codified and written down?

They stood by the mailbox waiting for a letter from Paul or the local Bish.; 4/14/20, 3:03 AM
Jon Ericson said...: John Conway; 4/14/20, 3:52 AM
rhhardin said...: Conway died of coronavirus.; 4/14/20, 4:27 AM
stevew said...: @narr "tonight among the usual hoots from the trees there were some odd almost quacking sounds."

Might be a Woodcock (bird).

Woodcock (WIKI)

They make two sounds this time of year. One is the sort of quacking that you describe, which they make while on the ground. Then they abruptly fly into the air, pretty much straight up, and make a sort of twittering noise. All a mating dance I believe.

Woodcock Mating Sounds and Display; 4/14/20, 5:25 AM
BUMBLE BEE said...: Thanks to all for the links, footnotes to our times.; 4/14/20, 6:42 AM
Narayanan said...: Speaking of John Conway:
Is this Wuhan virus playing Game of Life?; 4/14/20, 7:24 AM