What can I say? 2020 has been a difficult year. What do you remember or what will stick out in your mind for 2020? I'm working on a year-end post and have been thinking about this in-depth.
I will never forget this photo by Julio Cortez. A protester carries a U.S. flag upside down, a sign of distress, next to a burning building Thursday, May 28, 2020, in Minneapolis. Protests over the death of George Floyd, a black man who died in police custody Monday, broke out in Minneapolis for a third straight night. See more at https://twitter.com/JulioCortez_AP/status/1266420693954105346
Post a memory about 2020, leave a message, or whatever.
"Author, activist and dissident Chris Hedges spoke at The Sanctuary for Independent Media in Troy NY on October 16, 2020. In this talk he examines the cultural and social forces that have given rise to extremism in the United States. He explores the myriad of factors that led to the proliferation of neo-fascist militias, extremist organizations, demagogic leaders, vast social divides defined by hate, a hyper nationalism and virulent racism as well as a mass media that has descended into burlesque and fans the flames of social disintegration. Meghan Marohn moderates a Q&A following the talk."
From Media Sanctuary, "Chris Hedges "The Politics of Cultural Despair"
I’ve never been into boy bands and had no idea who Harry Styles was until I saw the Watermelon Sugar video. I was impressed with his charisma that oozed out from the screen and his fashion style. He went from being in the Boy Band One Direction, a successful solo career, and now the first-ever man to be on the cover of Vogue by himself. https://www.cnn.com/style/article/harry-styles-vogue-cover-trnd/index.html
Photo from Vogue Magazine https://www.vogue.com/article/harry-styles-cover-december-2020
Can anyone explain to me why people don't wear masks to prevent the spread of SARS-CoV-2? I know what you're going to say, "The CDC told us not to wear masks." Yes, that was at the beginning of the pandemic, and since then science has changed. Scientists have studied and researched SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19 and in July 2020, the CDC began encouraging mask-wearing to prevent the spread of SARS-CoV-2.
I'm not a fan of Howard Stern but I thought this was funny as fuck.
While looking for information on how to deal with anti-maskers, I found this. This guy is hilarious.
Please, everyone, WEAR A MASK AND PROTECT OTHERS AND YOURSELF.
Source Control to Block Exhaled Virus
Multi-layer cloth masks block release of exhaled respiratory particles into the environment,3-6 along with the microorganisms these particles carry.7,8 Cloth masks not only effectively block most large droplets (i.e., 20-30 microns and larger)9 but they can also block the exhalation of fine droplets and particles (also often referred to as aerosols) smaller than 10 microns ;3,5 which increase in number with the volume of speech10-12 and specific types of phonation.13 Multi-layer cloth masks can both block up to 50-70% of these fine droplets and particles3,14 and limit the forward spread of those that are not captured.5,6,15,16 Upwards of 80% blockage has been achieved in human experiments that have measured blocking of all respiratory droplets,4 with cloth masks in some studies performing on par with surgical masks as barriers for source control.3,9,14
Filtration for Personal Protection
Studies demonstrate that cloth mask materials can also reduce wearers’ exposure to infectious droplets through filtration, including filtration of fine droplets and particles less than 10 microns. The relative filtration effectiveness of various masks has varied widely across studies, in large part due to variation in experimental design and particle sizes analyzed. Multiple layers of cloth with higher thread counts have demonstrated superior performance compared to single layers of cloth with lower thread counts, in some cases filtering nearly 50% of fine particles less than 1 micron .14,17-29 Some materials (e.g., polypropylene) may enhance filtering effectiveness by generating triboelectric charge (a form of static electricity) that enhances capture of charged particles18,30 while others (e.g., silk) may help repel moist droplets31 and reduce
Transmission electron microscope image shows SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, isolated from a patient in the U.S. Virus particles are emerging from the surface of cells cultured in the lab. The spikes on the outer edge of the virus particles give coronaviruses their name, crown-like.NIAID-RML
It doesn't get wackier than this. Disqus commenter Shep accused me of voter fraud, which is a felony, for posting a photo of my "I voted" sticker. Shep has been stalking and harassing me for more than five years. He will use any excuse to falsely accuse me of something I didn't do and harass me.
The article is a clear sign that Shep is stalking me. Shep posted, "Yesterday, November 2nd, dERp posted this, which indcates to me that she might have voted in person on Monday." (Yes, he spelled indicates incorrectly as "indcates.") Funny how he claims my education was sub-par.
1. Shep posted, “Yesterday, November 2nd, dERp posted this, which indcates to me that she might have voted in person on Monday.”
Shep thinks because I posted a photo of an “I voted” sticker on my jacket on 11/2/2020 it means I voted in person that day.” Shep is wrong. I got the sticker in my absentee ballot packet and they offer you an “I voted” sticker when you drop off your ballot in person.
2. There is no “red flag.” Shep thinks because they pass out “I voted” stickers to voters who only vote in person in his state of Oklahoma, every state does the same thing. Talk about myopic thinking. Shep said, “Am I the only one who sees a red flag here? Those stickers are passed out for in person voting in OK. I know how to check for this sort of fraud in OK. I wonder if it works the same way in MN.”
"Each absentee ballot packet contains an “I Voted” sticker, just like the one you get when voting in person. Paul Middlestaedt for MPR News" When I opened my absentee ballot packet I was pleasantly surprised that there was an "I voted sticker." I thought it was kind of cute that they did that. I put the sticker on my jacket after I dropped off my ballot in person to a designated drop off location in Minneapolis. There was an election official there to oversee the drop off location. After I put my ballot in the secure box they asked if I wanted an "I voted sticker." So yes, you can get an "I voted sticker" in Minneapolis when you vote by absentee ballot. Again, Shep is wrong.
