What's on your mind today?

[Dark Lightning]

It was just a small jolt! 

Not if you were at the epicenter like I was.

OK, that's our earthquake for the year! We can check that one off the list. 

[Magdalena]

It was just a small jolt! 

Not if you were at the epicenter like I was.

OK, that's our earthquake for the year! We can check that one off the list. 

[Tank]

The way 2020 is going Trump is bound to get a second term.

[Dark Lightning]

The way 2020 is going Trump is bound to get a second term.

Too true! What's one more catastrophe, at this point?

[Icarus]

DL, one more?  There are lots more. 

For example; Trump pulled out of WHO.  The WHO is doing a deal labeled Covax.  It involves 50 or more countries who have signed an agreement. . When a vaccine is developed for general use it will best be first used in places where the virus is most virulent.  If that happens to be Uganda or some such place then they will get the first vaccines that become available.  The least infected or less dangerous locations or countries will be at the back side of the list.  But this is a global pandemic.  We must defeat it in the most logical fashion.  The "Stable Genius" has put us in last place if the vaccine is developed in some other nation, which is certainly a possibility. 

[Dark Lightning]

DL, one more?  There are lots more. 

For example; Trump pulled out of WHO.  The WHO is doing a deal labeled Covax.  It involves 50 or more countries who have signed an agreement. . When a vaccine is developed for general use it will best be first used in places where the virus is most virulent.  If that happens to be Uganda or some such place then they will get the first vaccines that become available.  The least infected or less dangerous locations or countries will be at the back side of the list.  But this is a global pandemic.  We must defeat it in the most logical fashion.  The "Stable Genius" has put us in last place if the vaccine is developed in some other nation, which is certainly a possibility.

When I see what one mendacious person can wreak on a country, I am appalled that people in the rest of the government let it slide. Of course, we see it all over the world, but I had hopes it wouldn't happen here. I never thought I'd see the day when I lived in a banana republic. 

[billy rubin]

in my neighborhood of appalachia some of my more outspoken co-workers are talking about the need for armed insurrection if trump is denied the second term he deserves.

i've called them on it on occasion and they are surprised to meet someone who doesn't share their opinion. this is rural america, where i will drive by fifty "vote trump" yard signs in a single work day, but have seen a total of three "vote biden" yard signs since the democratic convention.

[Icarus]

It seems that there more than a few Biden yard signs have disappeared in my area of town. Mine vanished a few days ago but the other one remained.  The other one was a sign that said that we supported our law enforcement people.  The sign listed the LPD, PCSO, FWC, FHP. ( Lakeland police department, Polk County sheriffs department, Florida wildlife commission, Florida Highway patrol.)  To be sure there are some jackasses who work for those agencies.  For the most part the cops are decent people who have a dangerous and often frustrating job. I respect them and appreciate that they do have my back when the chips are down.

Someone stole my"Support The Blue"  sign.  I must not jump to conclusions but I might have some suspicions; as follows.  My house is across the street from a large church.  A Hillsong church. They are a sort of far right, Pentacostal trending, outfit. Each time one of my signs disappeared, it was after one of the night church services. Coincidence maybe.

 

[billy rubin]

put up a sign that says

fuck the pigs

and see 2hether they take that one

you have the opportunity for interesting sociological research

[billy rubin]

It was just a small jolt! 

Not if you were at the epicenter like I was.

earyhquakes can mess up your whole week. i remember.

out here in ohio the closest thing we have are the coal mines underneath. when they pull out the jacks and move on, the ground subsidez az much as a foot. foundations and roads crack, ponds drain, springs and wells go dry, and your doors and windows no longer open or shut.

oops, they say

[Ecurb Noselrub]

I'm starting to experience hearing loss.  A conversation is OK, but if there is a lot of other noise things get muffled. The ENT tells me it's probably noise exposure - in other words, I'm starting to pay the price for my loud rock music. Better start listening to Herman's Hermits on low volume instead of AC/DC.

[Randy]

Bruce, around six years ago I had good hearing. Then I went through chemo with an agent called Cisplatin. Within a year I lost a good part of my hearing. I can no longer hear things like bells or a ding from an elevator. Everyone's voice is muffled and if they speak too fast it becomes gibberish.

I have hearing aids and some batteries but I don't use them now because Medicare does not cover audiology and those batteries are expensive. I think they are like $300 USD per box. The hearing aids did get rid of the muffled sound though.

[Icarus]

Randy: what the hell kind of batteries cost $300 per box?    The batteries for my hearing aids cost $10 for a package of 16   batteries.  The batteries last for about 5 days if I use the hearing aids all the time.

Bruce:  I feel your pain.  Hearing loss goes with ageing I think.  Having been exposed to loud noises probably hastens the loss.  The hearing aid business is a racket for scoundrels.  When I set out to buy hearing aids, I got prices that were pretty steep.  An Audibel dealer quoted me $7200 per pair.   Sams club priced theirs at $3750.  I finally bought some pretty good ones for $2400. There a ot of ads that say that hearing aids cost $295 each.  The add does not tell you that the cheapie ones do not fix your 20 decibel loss.    I suspect that the circuitry and hardware cost to manufacture high end hearing instruments is not more than $100 per pair.  Nice profit margin, I would say.

Hearing aids bring their own problems.  The problems are fixable by the user but annoying.  Almost everyone's ears produce Gunk commonly called earwax.  Stuffing the earpieces inside the ear canal cause the gunk to clog the tiny little speakers that hide inside the silicone  "bloomers" that surround them.  Worse, the bloomers cause the gunk to be pushed toward the inner ear and cause clogs that render the hearing aid useless.  Now we have to unclog the ear canal. PITA.  That is not usually a complicated process but it too is a chore that has to be done.  The bloomers need to be sterilized periodically. Ho hum another little routine that we did not have to follow when we were young and foolish.

I have a tee shirt that says: "speak louder,  I have spent too much time at the race track."

[No one]

I once listened to Justin Bieber, now I have hearing aids.

[Randy]

Randy: what the hell kind of batteries cost $300 per box?    The batteries for my hearing aids cost $10 for a package of 16   batteries.  The batteries last for about 5 days if I use the hearing aids all the time.

I'm going by memory. I have to get these from my audiologist. They last about three weeks each.

Each box contains several eight count battery packages. I usually get a bunch of free packets though when I visit. Come to think of it, I don't know how big the box is. Maybe it's the audiologist's cost.