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dummies indeedPicking up the other threads of my work online after the recent hiatus...

We are now into the fifth year of these open posts. When I first posted a tentative hypothesis on the course of the Covid phenomenon, I had no idea that discussion on the subject would still be necessary all these years later, much less that it would turn into so lively, complex, and troubling a conversation. Still, here we are. Crude death rates and other measures of collapsing public health remain anomalously high in many countries, but nobody in authority wants to talk about the inadequately tested experimental Covid injections that are the most likely cause; public health authorities government shills for the pharmaceutical industry are still trying to push through laws that will allow them to force vaccinations on anyone they want; public trust in science is collapsing; new revelations are leaking out about just how bad the Covid vaccines are for human health; and the story continues to unfold.

So it's time for another open post. The rules are the same as before:

1. If you plan on parroting the party line of the medical industry and its paid shills, please go away. This is a place for people to talk openly, honestly, and freely about their concerns that the party line in question is dangerously flawed and that actions being pushed by the medical industry and its government enablers are causing injury and death on a massive scale. It is not a place for you to dismiss those concerns. Anyone who wants to hear the official story and the arguments in favor of it can find those on hundreds of thousands of websites.

2. If you plan on insisting that the current situation is the result of a deliberate plot by some villainous group of people or other, please go away. There are tens of thousands of websites currently rehashing various conspiracy theories about the Covid-19 outbreak and the vaccines. This is not one of them. What we're exploring is the likelihood that what's going on is the product of the same arrogance, incompetence, and corruption that the medical industry and its wholly owned politicians have displayed so abundantly in recent decades. That possibility deserves a space of its own for discussion, and that's what we're doing here. 
 
3. If you plan on using rent-a-troll derailing or disruption tactics, please go away. I'm quite familiar with the standard tactics used by troll farms to disrupt online forums, and am ready, willing, and able -- and in fact quite eager -- to ban people permanently for engaging in them here. Oh, and I also lurk on other Covid-19 vaccine skeptic blogs, so I'm likely to notice when the same posts are showing up on more than one venue. 

4. If you plan on making off topic comments, please go away. This is an open post for discussion of the Covid epidemic, the vaccines, drugs, policies, and other measures that supposedly treat it, and other topics directly relevant to those things. It is not a place for general discussion of unrelated topics. Nor is it a place to ask for medical advice; giving such advice, unless you're a licensed health care provider, legally counts as practicing medicine without a license and is a crime in the US. Don't even go there.


5. If you don't believe in treating people with common courtesy, please go away. I have, and enforce, a strict courtesy policy on my blogs and online forums, and this is no exception. The sort of schoolyard bullying that takes place on so many other internet forums will get you deleted and banned here. Also, please don't drag in current quarrels about sex, race, religions, etc. No, I don't care if you disagree with that: my journal, my rules. 

6. Please don't just post bare links without explanation. A sentence or two telling readers what's on the other side of the link is a reasonable courtesy, and if you don't include it, your attempted post will be deleted.

7. Please don't post LLM ("AI") generated text. This is a place for human beings to talk to other human beings, not for the regurgitation of machine-generated text. Also, please don't discuss large language models (the technology popularly and inaccurately called "artificial intelligence" these days) except as they bear directly on the Covid phenomenon. Here again, my finger is hovering over the delete button. 

Please also note that nothing posted here should be construed as medical advice, which neither I nor the commentariat (excepting those who are licensed medical providers) are qualified to give. Please take your medical questions to the licensed professional provider of your choice.


With that said, the floor is open for discussion.  

tuesday

Feb. 3rd, 2026 06:54 am
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[personal profile] summersgate
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Sleeping.

We go to Meadville today so Dave can get his eye shots. We're supposed to get a high of 27F today! That's going to feel warm.

Tomorrow I see a heart doctor for a follow up to when I was in the hospital with aFib back in September. It took this long for them to schedule an appointment. I don't really think I need an appointment anyway. I have pretty much put that episode down to being so itchy with tick bites and taking benadryl plus drinking alcohol that night. My heart has been running much better since I gave up my evening shot of brandy before bed. My blood pressure is always high in doctor offices so I want to take my BP a bunch of times today so I can show them it's good at home.

Wildlife

Feb. 3rd, 2026 12:06 am
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[personal profile] ysabetwordsmith
Hundreds of new species found in a hidden world beneath the Pacific

As demand for critical metals grows, scientists have taken a rare, close look at life on the deep Pacific seabed where mining may soon begin. Over five years and 160 days at sea, researchers documented nearly 800 species, many previously unknown. Test mining reduced animal abundance and diversity significantly, though the overall impact was smaller than expected. The study offers vital clues for how future mining could reshape one of the planet’s most fragile ecosystems.


Bluntly put, mining would destroy that very delicate ecosystem, and it would not recover. Also the ocean as a whole is struggling to cope with the damage humanity has already caused, and hasn't got the fault tolerance left to cover more.

Holiday Poetry Sale

Feb. 2nd, 2026 11:06 pm
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[personal profile] ysabetwordsmith
With today's posts, all sponsored poems from the 2025 Holiday Poetry Sale have been posted.  You can now check the sale page for title links to see if you missed any earlier.
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[personal profile] ysabetwordsmith
This poem came out of the January 7, 2025 Poetry Fishbowl. It was inspired by a prompt from [personal profile] helgatwb. It also fills the "Plunging Hoofs" square in my 1-1-25 card for the Public Domain Day Bingo fest. This poem has been sponsored by a pool with [personal profile] fuzzyred.


"To the Beat of Plunging Hooves"
-- an indriso


History is often late
To record what's done or said
By the needful, not the great.

Soleated, harnessed, led
Horses drive the wheels of fate
From behind or by the head.

History, like mountains, moves

To the beat of plunging hooves.

Poem: "Each Diverse Human Gift"

Feb. 2nd, 2026 05:11 pm
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[personal profile] ysabetwordsmith
This poem is spillover from the December 3, 2024 Poetry Fishbowl. It was inspired by a prompt from [personal profile] fuzzyred. It also fills the "Fresh-baked Bread / Rolls" square in my 11-1-24 card for the Sleepytime Bear Bingo fest, and the "Adaptive Equipment" square in my 9-1-24 card for the People with Disabilities Drabble Fest Bingo. This poem has been sponsored by a pool with [personal profile] fuzzyred. It belongs to the College Arc of the Shiv thread in the Polychrome Heroics series.

Read more... )

Watch

Feb. 2nd, 2026 05:35 pm
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[personal profile] ysabetwordsmith
There's a new Greenland Defense Front video, "Not For Sale." :D

Wildlife

Feb. 2nd, 2026 05:06 pm
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[personal profile] ysabetwordsmith
Some polar bears are getting fatter despite a warming Arctic

Polar bears tell you a lot about what’s going on in the Arctic. When food is hard to find, their bodies show it fast. When hunting gets easier, they put weight back on. Less sea ice has meant thinner polar bears and fewer of them.

That’s what makes the situation near Svalbard – midway between the northern coast of Norway and the North Pole – so unexpected. Despite ongoing sea ice loss, adult polar bears there are not in worse shape.

Many are actually heavier than they were years ago. Extra fat is not a small detail for a polar bear. It often decides whether the animal gets through the year
.


This is super exciting because for years I've been reading about Alaskan polar bears starving. If this other population is getting fatter, then maybe there is hope for the species. :D

Read more... )

monday later

Feb. 2nd, 2026 04:04 pm
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[personal profile] summersgate
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The Entity. I like the juxtaposition of colors inside with the gray and white outside. That's what life feels like now. All the comfort and color is inside while outside it is cold and difficult. Anyway. Dave just asked me if I want to go for a walk down to the creek. He made a path with his tractor so the snow's not so deep anymore. The last time we went I had a terrible time slogging though the snow and keeping my balance. But I forgot my walking stick. I'm thinking today it'll be better with a stick.

Buffalo Seed Company Order

Feb. 2nd, 2026 02:24 pm
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[personal profile] ysabetwordsmith
Today we ordered some landrace seeds from the Buffalo Seed Company. They have a lot of great options. This is also a step toward my goal of planting more landraces.

Read more... )

Birdfeeding

Feb. 2nd, 2026 02:20 pm
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[personal profile] ysabetwordsmith
Today is cloudy and cold.

I fed the birds.  I've seen a large flock of sparrows and a male cardinal.

I put out water for the birds.

EDIT 2/2/26 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.

I put out more birdseed and a new peanut suet cake.

EDIT 2/2/26 -- I did more work around the patio.

EDIT 2/2/26 -- I did more work around the patio.

EDIT 2/2/26 -- I did more work around the patio.

EDIT 2/2/26 -- I did more work around the patio.

I am done for the night.
 

Website Updates

Feb. 2nd, 2026 02:14 pm
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[personal profile] ysabetwordsmith
Thanks to [personal profile] nsfwords, the series Quixotic Ideas is now up to date. \o/  This is upbeat fantasy with magic integrated into everyday life.

Check-In Post - Feb 2nd 2026

Feb. 2nd, 2026 07:27 pm
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[personal profile] badly_knitted posting in [community profile] get_knitted

Hello to all members, passers-by, curious onlookers, and shy lurkers, and welcome to our regular daily check-in post. Just leave a comment below to let us know how your current projects are progressing, or even if they're not.

Checking in is NOT compulsory, check in as often or as seldom as you want, this community isn't about pressure it's about encouragement, motivation, and support. Crafting is meant to be fun, and what's more fun than sharing achievements and seeing the wonderful things everyone else is creating?

There may also occasionally be questions, but again you don't have to answer them, they're just a way of getting to know each other a bit better.


This Week's Question: What is your favourite thing to make?


If anyone has any questions of their own about the community, or suggestions for tags, questions to be asked on the check-in posts, or if anyone is interested in playing check-in host for a week here on the community, which would entail putting up the daily check-in posts and responding to comments, go to the Questions & Suggestions post and leave a comment.

I now declare this Check-In OPEN!



monday

Feb. 2nd, 2026 05:06 am
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[personal profile] summersgate
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In the Belly.

DSC_0665.jpg
More Imbolc stuff. White for purity, green for new life, blue for protection and gold for fire. I'm planning to weave these together later today. Maybe it's just thinking about it being mid winter, groundhog day, halfway to spring, but I'm feeling a bit hopeful today. I've gained weight this winter with practically no hiking. I hate slogging through deep snow. And I don't like being cold. But I'm feeling like spring WILL come and warmth will return. My body can recuperate. Being able to hike in the woods will come again.

It's only 4F right now. Blaa. But it's supposed to get up to 15F later and Candy and I are planning to walk in town on the sidewalks.

February Top 10, challenge #1

Feb. 2nd, 2026 10:51 am
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[personal profile] catness

A challenge by Dreamersdare

Challenge 1:
Make a Top Ten list for your favourite standalone media and tell people exactly why you love it. This can be in any format - movies, one shot dramas, novels, short stories, plays, something else not mentioned here. Whatever you like!


Here is a link with more details, and to post the link to your answers

I don’t watch a lot of movies, so this list is pretty random. In no particular order, 10 movies that stayed in my memory, chosen specifically because I’ve rewatched each of them more than once, and I can remember the details without consulting the Internet ;)

* The Prestige – a mystery/drama about the feud between two stage magicians, each of them inventing brilliant tricks using really unconventional methods. The ending horrified me, and I spent many hours pondering how that trick worked and felt for everyone involved.

* eXistenZ – a pre-Matrix movie featuring virtual reality. A game developer and her sidekick get trapped in a fully immersive VR game. The technology is biologically based and looks very creepy. A kind of motivational movie for me because hey, it’s about game development ;)

* Mulholland Drive – a mystery/drama with a dreamlike atmosphere, where the same events and details repeat and recombine in different ways. The story has a puzzle-like feel to it, with the pieces slowly matching together by the end. But even after you know what it’s all about, there are still new details to notice on a rewatch.

* Cabin in the Woods – a comedy/parody of horror movies, incorporating many genre clichés and combining them in dark, weird and hilarious ways. I like how we get a bigger view of the story several times (i.e., this is not what is really happening…).

* The Truman Show – a comedy/psychological drama about a man who is the star of a reality show but is completely unaware that every detail of his daily life is broadcast to the world. His environment is artificial, and all his friends and family are actually actors. When he starts noticing weird things that don’t quite add up, it’s eerie and relatable. (Warning: may exacerbate paranoia... ;) Amazing soundtrack by Philip Glass.

* Memento – a detective story in which the main character, who investigates the murder of his wife, suffers from short-term memory loss. He has to leave himself notes to retain the clues. The story is told in reverse. Even though we start at the end and move toward the beginning, the mystery works just like in a regular story, and it ends with a twist that changes everything... so you immediately need to rewatch.

* Alice in Wonderland (by Tim Burton) – an adult version of the famous children’s tale, so everything is darker and edgier, with more angst and sadness and gorgeous scenery. I was especially taken by the menacing, long-suffering Knave of Hearts.

* Galaxy Quest – a comedy/parody of Star Trek, very smart and meta. It’s about a group of actors from a sci-fi TV show who are suddenly forced to relive their screen adventures IRL. It's funny and witty but also has some genuinely touching moments. Plus, a brilliant performance by Alan Rickman.

* The Usual Suspects – a crime thriller focused on the mysterious and terrifying criminal mastermind Keyser Söze. The action alternates between a police interrogation and flashbacks. TBF, the crime stuff was a bit boring, but the ending was so shockingly unexpected that I immediately went to rewatch the whole thing (and not just once!) to check all the details I had missed.

* Idiocracy – a comedy/satire that provides a bleak but hilarious view of a dystopian future, where humankind becomes so drastically dumb that an average Joe from our time appears to be a genius. There are so many funny moments. I really liked the character of President Camacho, a former wrestler - an attractive, reasonably smart and an overall cool guy.

Fossils

Feb. 2nd, 2026 01:32 am
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[personal profile] ysabetwordsmith
Over 500 Million Years Ago, Early Vertebrates Had Four Eyes That Could See 360 Degrees

Every mammal, every fish, every vertebrate (creatures that have a spine) has two eyes. It’s been that way for millions and millions of years. But maybe it wasn’t like that forever.

During the Cambrian, when evolution was experimenting all sorts of strategies, early vertebrates may have had four eyes, and they were high-res eyes, too.