By debating extremists about basic, obvious facts (that Covid is dangerous, that US elections aren’t rigged by Venezuelan hackers, etc) you’re giving credence to the notion that these things are debatable. That’s exactly what they want.
A disease that’s killing hundreds of thousands of Americans is dangerous. Vaccines work. US elections aren’t rigged. The Earth isn’t flat. We went to the moon, and back.
If you don’t already believe these things, I can’t convince you. You need help and pity, not fake “debate”.
My election security colleagues and I spent months meticulously refuting, point-by-point, utterly lunatic claims of how the 2020 election was supposedly stolen. Now they’re gearing to make the same claims, presumably with slight adjustments, about the California recall election.
The people pushing this stuff KNOW it’s nonsense. They don’t care. That’s not the point. They want to create the impression that they’re on equal footing with the sane world.
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Individual, private loss and horror, but also universal memories. The xeroxed missing posters up everywhere. The lingering smell. Involuntarily ducking at the roar of fighter jets patrolling the NYC airspace. Desperately wanting to do something, but not knowing what.
Each time you saw the smoke rising through the altered skyline from a new place was a punch in the gut.
I’m not surprised that I remember - that we all remember - these things 20 years later, but it’s still so fresh.
The horse-paste COVID grift is a morbidly fascinating example of how the snake oil sales grift has evolved in the Internet era. The grifters profit less from directly selling the snake oil than they do from monetizing the attention they get from advocating the snake oil.
As far as I can tell, the Ivermectin manufacturers are as horrified by all this as anyone.
The horse paste apologists standard talking point seems to be “ha ha stupid blue check doesn’t know Ivermectin is also a WHO-approved human drug”.
They do know that drugs aren’t just randomly interchangeable to treat different diseases, right?
In-person classes start next week, for the first time in a year and a half. Although my school is taking just about every precaution (vax & indoor mask mandates, random asymptomatic testing, etc), I'm nervous. Delta feels like a potential game changer of unknown magnitude.
I honestly believe my university is being as responsible as possible here, and is committed to doing the right thing even if that's expensive or inconvenient. And that makes me willing to go in next week. But it still feels like another shoe could drop at any moment.
I can't imagine what it must be like for faculty (and students and staff) at less responsible (or politically/legally constrained) institutions. At this stage of my career, I'd probably retire early rather than be part of something likely to result in needless sickness and death.
Photo nerditry: For urban architectural-type photography (which is what I mostly do), I recently switched from what I had thought was a really good photo backpack to a Pelican 1510 "Mobility" rolling case for my 30+ lbs of gear. Much more workable (and easier on my back).
The (not widely advertised) “Mobility” cases are standard Pelican cases but with extra large ruggedized wheels, designed for rougher terrain. Mine is a 1510 (the smallest in the line)
I've been using this for a few months now and really like it (though obviously not for hiking in the woods, of course). Aside from being easier on my back, it's quicker to set up and work out of than a backpack, and I can stand on it to be a foot taller if I need to be.