Fainting couches needed

Yesterday the university I attended put out a notice about some suspicious books placed in the Little Lending Library that is on campus. You know, those little boxes where people can grab a book to read, or leave one for someone else. You typically see them in people’s front yards near the sidewalk, but there’s apparently one on campus as well.

According to people I spoke to the most concerning book was considered ‘White Supremacist’. Which makes me think these people don’t actually read anymore. Because if you actually read the book, I did back in the early 90’s when it was a huge bestseller, you’d realize that the main character is absolutely horrified to find out the truth behind what happened in Germany during the war.

Yeah, the book in question is Fatherland by Robert Harris. It’s one of the best alternate history stories to come out within the last 50 years, and one of my favorite novels. I’m not sure which version of the book was placed in the library, but the one I have looks like this.

It’s magically different

Not much time today, but wanted to get something off my chest before it keeps me up again at night. I’m trying to get packed to go to my grandmother’s funeral tomorrow. So, sorry, won’t be links to what I’m referring to this post. Most of the links can be found over at Principia Scientifica International if you’re curious.

Covid-19, it’s not just a novel virus. It’s magically different then every other virus. It does things that no one ever thought it could do.

We have 40 years of scientific research, starting with Dr. Orr, showing us that medical masks don’t reduce infection rates. Several studies have come out in the decades since his study showing that infection rates aren’t reduced in the operating room, the hospital floor or even in the dentist’s office, by the wearing of a mask.

But this virus is different. Masks work! They keep us all safe and our infection numbers down we’re told. Which would indicate that the infection is being caught in the mask. Only, we’re told that no, the mask after having been worn is not actually a biohazard. We can simply drop it in the trash when done. I have yet to see a biohazard disposal box anywhere in public.

The Answer Is “D”

We received a letter from the city about a new road improvement project in West Fargo that they will hold a meeting on. Of course the meeting was on a night when I’m working. But let’s just say that I’m not happy about this particular project.

Sheyenne Street between 13th AVE and Beaton Road was just widened to 4 lanes a couple of years ago. This happened about the same time they rebuilt the I-94 interchange. Even during “rush hour” this road isn’t packed. Here is a photo looking down Sheyenne ST as I crossed by on 13th AVE yesterday evening a little after 5 PM.

Sheyenne ST @ 13th AVE W?

It’s not a great shot, but you can clearly see that there isn’t a lot of traffic on it.  I took another shot today. Wow! What a traffic jam.

So my question for the city, if I could attend the meeting, would be:

Are you now;
A)  A jobs program for local contractors

B)  Getting kickbacks, ie. corrupt

C)  Utterly stupid

D)  All of the above

Recent Covid-19 Observations

As we continue through the year with the Covid-19 irrational panic exacerbating problems I’ve observed some things regarding the “new normal.”

 

1.  Much of the country, the world really, has lost the ability to reason. We’ve seen this before with things like the kabuki theater performed as “airport security”, like not letting nail clippers or Medal of Honor through.

• Many places are currently requiring people to wear facemasks while out in public. Yet, no training has been given to the general public on how to effectively wear the masks. Plus, fabric facemasks are almost useless against a virus, and still fairly ineffective against bacteria. Medical masks aren’t much better.
• We’re told that we’re to wear the masks not for our protection, but to protect others. Yet, if they were effective they would protect us as well. Unless you’re wearing an N-95 or some other specialized mask there is no one way valve.
• If the masks are actually stopping the virus they need to be sterilized and/or disposed of as a biohazard. How many biohazard waste containers have you seen around town? Other than the ones I see at work, I’ve not seen a single one.

The New Normal

The complications of Covid-19 started hitting home last week in a couple of encounters.

My wife had a doctor visit in person at one of the local clinics. We were required to wear masks and they took our temps and oxygen saturation. That was reasonable. The nurse made me re-adjust my mask because it wasn’t fully covering my nose. It was covering my nostrils, but not the bridge of my nose. Considering that it left the bottom of my chin exposed to the point where I could open my mouth wide enough to get my bottom lip uncovered, and created large gaps on the sides that seemed pretty pointless.

But, it became ridiculous theater once we got inside the exam room. We were required to sit on opposite sides of the room for “social distancing”, even though we road in the same car together and sleep in the same bed inches apart. The nurse even moved my wife’s chair a few more inches away from the desk so that she’d be 6′ from her. That move created issues a couple of minutes later when she couldn’t get the blood pressure cuff (attached to the wall) over to where my wife was now sitting without moving the chair back.

 

This weekend I worked on fixing some leaks in my daughter’s pool. She has two of them actually. A 10′ one that she’s been using the last few years that I fixed one leak in the side earlier this summer but was still leaking slowly out of the bottom someplace which I had to take down in order to find and fix. And a smaller 8′ one that I put up while the 10′ one is being fixed. But I had to fix a hole in the air ring around the top of the 8′ one before she could use it. Anyway, we started looking on line to see about replacing these. We paid about $50-$60 a few years ago when we bought them, but now they want $300-$400 for them. And the 12 pack of filters I bought for the pump for $25 they now want over $140 for. My best guess is that most of this stuff was coming from China and is now hard to get because of trade relations going downhill. I guess I’ll just keep patching these for awhile.

Jaws

 

Tomorrow, June 20th, will be the 45th anniversary of the release of the movie Jaws. I did not see it in the theater. I may be old, but I was only 3 at the time. My first memories of this iconic movie are watching it on the TV at my grandparents, likely as one of the Sunday Night Movies one of the channels had when I was about 8 or 9. It was scary (Dreyfuss peering in the sunken boat kinda got me), but the shark seemed so unlifelike that it wasn’t overly scary. No, the scary part was several years later.

A More Perfect Union

We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

That’s the preamble to the US Constitution, one of our founding documents. And the document that gives us the form, structure and limitations of our republican form of government.

Unfortunately, it looks like our modern protesters and their enablers haven’t given much thought to that phrase. In their insistence that all inconvenient history be wiped from public view by the removing of statues and renaming of lakes, buildings and institutions they appear to think that our forefathers thought they had created an utopia for themselves. My view is that they understood utopia was unachievable, but that they were working for something better than they had before. And they gave us a framework to change our laws and the structure of our government to make future improvements. It doesn’t say A perfect union, but rather “a more perfect union.” There were things they argued over incessantly, trying to hammer out a compromise. We can see that in the documents of The Federalist Papers and The Anti-Federalist Papers. They were striving for better, not perfect.

A disconnect

June 8, 2020

We went to church yesterday for the first time in quite awhile. It was held outside in the parking lot so everyone could “social distance” as they liked, or sit in the vehicles and listen on the radio. Weather wise the biggest problem was the heat and humidity. It was about 96 degrees out yet and humid from the previous night’s thunderstorm that rolled through. Unfortunately I felt a profound disconnect between what was being said and what the reality is.

The minister spoke about the recent unrest around the country, and specifically here in Fargo. He spoke about his “white privilege” and “systemic racism” as well as a couple of other things like “listening to the other side”, trying to tie it into his chosen verse, James 3:13-18.

Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom. But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth. This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice. But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.

holy bible – English Standard version

So, that is actually a pretty decent passage relatable to current events. (I took this from the little pocket bible I carry around in my backpack, even though it’s not the bible I typically use for church now or what I grew up with. It’s a handy size, so that’s why I picked it up.) It talks about making peace and some of what it takes to make that peace and for it to last.

Waiting Amongst Rumours

The author, nearly 20 years ago at a different department

Fargo had another “protest” today. After “negotiations” between the city and the protest organizers (who had “demands”? WTF?) it became a “Family Fun Day” at Island Park. Things went well and were peaceful. I don’t know if the deputy chief (now resigned) who put himself undercover last weekend without telling anyone beforehand actually ended up showing up. You know you’re either doing something really right, or really wrong when <b>everyone</b> is pissed off at you. In his case, it was quite obviously really, really wrong.

Social media rumours were flying fast and furious. One which made the news was of pallets of bricks being left around town. This one had me concerned, as there was potential to do great harm to people and property. Luckily it appears to be false. I spoke to one of the Fargo PD officers this evening and he said of the three sites he had been dispatched to today, all three were active construction sites. In other words, people freaked out about pallets of bricks that were being used.

Another rumour I heard about construction sites was that people were going to be showing up to burn things down. One of the companies has apparently rented a bunch of generators and lights so that his guys can keep an eye on things tonight. No idea if that one is true, but the site is outside of our jurisdiction anyway so I don’t understand why some of the leaders around here were worried (other than the guy who owns the construction company is a huge donor).

I’ve been keeping an eye on things via the cameras, and all of my officers are out patrolling in marked squads. So far, everything is normal. I’m hoping it stays that way.

MaddMedic, I’m off this weekend if you happen to be around.