Coronavirus (Covid-19)

[Ben]

Happy Birthday, Geffrey and Ben..!

Cheers Droo! Glad you’ve been putting downtime to some good use.

[GeffreyDrogon]

My sister Marah took me out to get a couple books at Barnes and Noble yesterday, and we had dinner at Cracker Barrel afterwards.

[Randall]

My son came home with a cold this week, so he and my wife got tested today. We are all vaxxed, though, and he is doing fine. Still, we are taking precautions until the test results come in.

[Daniel]

Hopefully it's nothing.

[Randall]

Thanks. Yeah, they tested negative, and my son's symptoms have already cleared up.

[ShyViolet]

Really happy to hear that Rand!

[droosan]

At the risk of revealing too much personal information .. over the past couple months I've lost one uncle, two cousins, and one former high-school classmate to Covid-19.

All lived in the American south: Texas, Florida and Georgia. Their ages ranged from late-40s to early-60s. None were vaccinated.

Each of them was eligible for the vaccine -- and, in the end, each wished they had gotten it.

So, please: If you can get the vaccine, please do so. Please also take all other possible actions (wear a mask, maintain social distance, etc) to keep yourself, and others, safe.

[Ben]

Amen to that, brother. And sorry for your losses.

[GeffreyDrogon]

My father thinks that the vaccines are both only "experimental" and "the Mark of the Beast". I get scared of Biblical prophecies, and I also have fears that a massive tsunami is going to be caused by the La Palma volcano, just to make me more worried about the future along with Conservatives saying that Biden is trying to be like Hitler.

[Ben]

Oh…kay………….


I… I'll just be over here, in the corner…

[Dacey]

Hey Geffrey, if you can, it might be helpful to talk to a professional about some of your upbringing. It seems you’re suffering needlessly with some of the values you’ve been taught, so getting some real help on this might do you a world of good.

I mean that with all respect, of course.

[Ben]

…And not the first time professional help has been suggested. Please just go get some.

[EricJ]

My father thinks that the vaccines are both only "experimental" and "the Mark of the Beast". I get scared of Biblical prophecies

Would it help if the local hippie-Lutheran points out that:
A) Most of Revelations isn't technically "prophecy", it's an allegorical motivation pamphlet to seven missionary churches in Asia Minor and Babylon--pointing out the no-no's of getting too comfortable about blending in with a big pagan city--and which had to be couched in baffling symbolism to get past the various theocratic watchdogs,

and
B ) Knowing that, the number 666 is even said flat out in the text to be code, specifically a code used to juxtapose Hebrew letters and numbers. The theory usually points to "Nero Caesar", although Emperor Justinian is also considered to be the intended target?

...There. Hope you feel a little more comfortable about the universe, and a little less suckered by fear-dogma.
In the meantime, I'm with Ben: Get help. Head-bugs and fire-and-brimstone traditionally don't mix.

[Randall]

My 103-year old aunt just passed away in her nursing home, reportedly after an anti-vaxxer nurse brought COVID in and infected over a dozen residents. Firing would be too good for her.

[Ben]

Oh my goodness, Rand, I'm so sorry. I hope she *is* fired: over here it just became compulsory for healthcare workers, especially those in homes, to be double vaxxed or lose their jobs. Simply as a matter of being sensible, you would expect any health professional to have been jabbed: when I went to the docs recently I made a point of asking if whoever was in the room was, and they all were, but I would have walked out as a matter of principle if they hadn’t been.

103 is obviously great mileage, but it’s also clearly a life cut that much shorter by a frickin' stupid person. Condolences to your family, and I hope that person is dealt with in some significant way.