The resistance is picking up

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Remember back when I said I wasn’t gonna do a bunch of aggregating? Sorry about that.

In Ohio wrestlers gonna rassle, but they can’t shake hands after! Because SCIENCE! I’m sure.

Painfully obvious to the most casual observer: New study: Lockdowns & masks are useless and might even increase COVID-19 spread.

Even a Military-Enforced Quarantine Can’t Stop the Virus, Study Reveals.

As Covid-19 Surges, the Big Unknown Is Where People Are Getting Infected: The U.S. and Europe struggle to identify where coronavirus infections are occurring, making it hard to impose targeted restrictions.

Lockdowns Now, Lockdowns Tomorrow, Lockdowns Forever!

Study: Children are so immune to COVID-19 that even after extensive exposure they test negative.

Listen to the Science, Listen to the Students: Schools Can and Must Reopen. “

FLASHBACK: Senior WHO official: “stop using lockdowns as your primary control method.”

Study: Asymptomatic and secondary infected individuals do not infect others.

I have more …. but I’ll wait.

Traditions

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For my first dozen or so years our Thanksgivings were very Norman Rockwell. Over the river and through the woods to the maternal grandparent’s farmhouse on the Glade in a small cluster of OTHER farmhouses referred to as the nonesuch thorp of Rupert. As the eldest grandchild I got the seat of honor next to my grandfather and look down the lengthy table at the four generations there assembled.

In my mid-teens dad built his dream house on HIS ancestral farmland. A big, beautiful brick Colonial just outside of town. And then we lost two generations. Great grandma “Corn” and Aunt Edna “egg.” Go ahead. Ask. I’d be GLAD to regale you with those stories. The ONLY gathering I ever missed came in this phase. I was honored to go to NYC with a hundred friends to perform in the Macy’s Parade. We recorded the pre-parade show on top of the now-destroyed WTC. Perhaps another post for another time. Then my generation started to traipse off to college. That meant homecomings and all those entailed. One third of the family moved to Wisconsin. And when the grandparents passed there were fights over the estate. Recriminations.

The next stage saw my sister get married and my parents move into a smaller ranch in town. Thanksgiving was the only holiday she spent with the other side, to take the Christmas card portrait, dontcha know. So we were down to three, with an occasional girlfriend or roommate. A turkey breast, mashed potatoes and broccoli casserole. Yes mom could MAKE the mid-western traditional green bean casserole but we kinda preferred the broccoli. My marriage didn’t change things. Wife and I never spent Thanksgiving together. She had HER family traditions (on the east coast) and I had mine.

The next transition brought “us” back together. Sister divorced and returned to the family table with her daughters and they occasionally brought friends. We doubled to six quite quickly. Then sister remarried. A loving caring man “with three kids of his own.” So we went back to double digits. My divorce and son growing up brought more additions. We had a few years of over a dozen!

Then dad died.

After a brief family meeting it was agreed that I’d return to the head of the table. Where I’d been, at my grandfather side, fifty years earlier. And now the younger generation is wandering off. Military duty. The other side of the family. We’ll be back under double digits this year and may never see it again. More changes are coming. But in THIS year of all years the fact that we ARE getting together is what is meaningful.

And I’m thankful for that.

a day or so after I wrote that James Lileks wrote the same damned thing, only better. Great minds and all.

Absence of proof is NOT proof of absence

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OK. My thought is that something squirrely went on. A LOT of what allegedly happened, didn’t. And a LOT of what happened isn’t of large enough magnitude to matter. So I’m gonna throw a few links out there. Some of them AREN’T proof. They simply demonstrate the existence of a statistically significant anomaly. Which IMHO needs to be investigated and, in many cases, is.

Before I get to the rich, link-filled goodness I gotta go off on MSNBC. Was visiting a location yesterday and spent about 20 minutes listening to their coverage. The abundant use of adjectives and adverbs was offensive. Report, dammit. (Old man in bathrobe, yelling at clouds.) But if they just reported people wouldn’t know what to think. Wait. Not think. Feel. Thinking people know better. On BOTH sides of the v. And then they got into a discussion of the Electoral College. The talking heads had NO IDEA that the EC was an actual THING with actual PEOPLE. They ACTUALLY thought it was some kind of Trump scheme to steal the election. (re-steal? steal back?) My head hurt. But I digress.

Pollster: It’s Curious How Biden Underperformed Hillary Clinton In Every City…Except These Four. National Review of all places had a pretty good take-down of this one. (edited 11/23)

weak: 5 Historical Trends That Show It’s Utterly Shocking If Trump Lost In 2020.

anybody got a status update on this one? Nevada – Trump Campaign Team Lawsuit: More Than “15,000 People Voted In Nevada and Another State”…

Results around the country: State Election Results 2020

Update? Explanation? Doug Ross charts the Smartmatic vote flips that he claims moved Pennsylvania and Georgia from Trump leads to Biden wins, all accomplished in increments of 6,000 and 4,800 votes, respectively.

Not enough to matter, but bad nonetheless: In Nevada, A Corrupt Cash-For-Votes Scheme Is Hiding In Plain Sight

In the “shoe’s on the other foot” department: Experts Claiming ‘No Evidence’ Of 2020 Fraud Sounded The Alarm About Election Security In 2017

It’s not always about the POTUS: [Eugene Volokh] Two Men Charged With Submitting >8000 Fraudulent Voter Registrations in Attempt to Get One Elected Mayor

readable but dated (after just five days) Republicans Have Good Reason Not To Trust The Election Results

‘Experts’ Listed 27 House Races As Toss-Ups. Republicans Won All 27.

1960

perhaps followable: Election Fraud Update for November 16, 2020.

I promise to give you at LEAST a week off of this unless something actually, you know, happens.

Absence of proof

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is not proof of absence. My head’s exploding as I watch news reports that just don’t match up with … well … reality. And by reality I mean the news as it’s being reported in Europe and the REST of the Anglosphere. I’m so old I remember when the news media believed “get it first, but first get it right. Let’s start with some easy stuff. A Matter of Probabilities. This isn’t proof either, but it should raise eyebrows … and questions. I’ve chased a lot of these allegations down and many end up dead ends. Is There Evidence of Election Fraud? But it’s been interesting to see the media coverage change from “there’s no voter fraud” to “there’s not ENOUGH voter fraud to make a difference.” I’m currently leaning toward “there hasn’t been enough fraud DISCOVERED to make a difference.” And there might not be. But I’m in favor of looking.

Want a little more science? How about Benford’s law. It doesn’t say there WAS fraud and it doesn’t tell us how much or which votes are fraudulent. But it DOES indicate that something’s afoot. And again, IMHO it should be looked into: Status of High Stakes Election Continues to be Unclear.

We should probably focus one one state: 10 Reasons Pennsylvania’s Election Results May Be ‘Irredeemably Compromised.’ and that should lead to a few more. And they’re suggesting there SHOULD be more! The media’s even advocating it: New York Times Columnist Urges Democrats to Commit Voter Fraud in Georgia. And he’s not alone.

Aside from persistent investigations, what should we do? LET THE JOKER GO WILD.

On a lighter note: Zac Scalf. The Man Who Finished Last.

And on a brighter one: The biggest surprises of the 2020 Democratic House debacle.

Been an interesting week/month/season so far

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I’ve avoided most of the political foofarah for the most part. Might as well jump in now that it’s all over but the countin’.

First I do NOT partake of the so called social media stuff. No facebook. No twitter. I had a myspace page back in the day but that hardly counts. The extent of my social media interaction is in the “side rooms” of my hobbies. There are a plethora of sites that cater to my hobbies – fantasy football, poker, a few other things, a few more prurient interests. And for the most part I avoid the side rooms. If I’m looking for a better source for NFL IR information I really don’t CARE about the providers opinion on Biden’s plan to increase the capital gains tax rate or Pelosi’s thoughts on immigration. But at SOME sites it’s almost unavoidable. You have “friends.” You link to them so you can see what’s up with them. And when you log in you’re greeted with their most recent maunderings on the events of the day. You disagree with some but you understand their viewpoint and they’ve put it forward in a cogent, inoffensive way. But there are others. You know them. You might even BE one of them. Name calling. Lack of basic understanding of underlying principles. They just make your head hurt.

So over the course of the last eight months I’ve thinned the herd. It’s not that I don’t wanna hear/be exposed to opposing viewpoints. Hell, my daily reading list swings from The Federalist through Issues & Insights, over to Cato and Reason before tripping lightly through Real Clear Politics and The New Republic. But if you’re just mind numbingly (in my opinion) stupid, you’re cut. And there are a LOT fewer “friends” cluttering up my visited pages these days. And my blood pressure is the better for it.

Oh, I’ve kept ONE. He’s special. Not “short bus with nose-prints on the windows” special. But he’s young. And malleable. I might yet bring him around. But I was wondering whether I should feel bad about it. Then I read this. Thought it might be satire. I’ve since read it three times and think they mean it. So I’m feeling a wee tad better.

Completely unrelated: Ray Bradbury rocks. STILL rocks. Because he is a gloriously efficient nostalgiac.

Dealing with the Safety pods

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I’m back in schools pretty much every day. I’ve been in half a dozen districts and a dozen buildings. And they all have different rules. SOME are the same, like masks all the time. But desk cleaning protocols and door procedures vary district to district and sometimes building to building!

And then there’s this: Fairfax Teachers Union Wants Schools Closed Until August 2021 Zero tolerance. No more in person schooling until there is ZERO DISEASE!

And while I find myself disagreeing with The Federalist more often, when they’re right, they’re right: It’s Time To Free Schools From Wasteful, Oppressive COVID Security Theater

edited to add: COVID-19 Didn’t Break the Public School System. It Was Already Broken. Families are leaving traditional schools in record numbers for pods, homeschooling, charters, and more.

To that end, I don’t like the headline, but the data is interesting: These 12 Graphs Show Mask Mandates Do Nothing To Stop COVID Should be “do damned little.”

Good info here (Responsible Individuals, Not Lockdowns, Will Beat the Coronavirus) but where will we FIND them?

Safetyism and Scientism

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I encourage everyone to read Professor John McGinnis’s essay, Blinded by Scientism.

Will America succumb to safetyism?

Modern science: Celebrating a “high priestess” instead of data. I knew we were in trouble deep when I started seeing the signs on front yards “In this house we believe in science” followed by a list of dubious statements most of which are semantically deranged, let alone not scientifically proven.

also: A Plague of Pandemic Restrictions Builds Herd Immunity to Arbitrary Rules

as always JAMES LILEKS’ WEDNESDAY REVIEW OF MODERN THOUGHT. read the whole thing

Only Science-Deniers Believe In A National Mask Mandate

CDC Data Suggest Lockdowns Could Kill As Many People As COVID

20% of NYC residents had COVID-19 by early March, study says.

and finally United Kingdom goes under total lockdown and then bans protests against lockdowns.

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October wrap-up

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The last few days of the month are always challenging. Movie wrap up. Trick or treating. Driving. And occasionally a party. This year was no exception.

The last few viewing entries include X-Files. Season 4. Episode 2. “Home.” Still creepy after all these years. For giggles I rewatched Night of the Living Dead from 1968. Not a fan. Better than I remembered. 38/100. The Great Pumpkin (thanks, Apple.) And “The Scene” from “From Dusk til Dawn.” You know. THE scene. Missed that one this season for some reason but I don’t feel too bad about it. Getting older <sigh.> As a nod to convention watched 1978’s Halloween. Dropped it a few spaces again this year. Out of my top 500. Still 94/100.

Very few trick or treaters this year. Two. Covid and wet cold windy weather. So I’ll blame Trump. Global warming n all. Added another dozen good tunes to the playlist which now comprises 340 selections running over 18 1/2 hours! Didn’t get through the whole thing this year, but I will NEXT! And actually went to my first costume party in well over a dozen years. Quite different from those we used to host back on College Ave. which were AWESOME. Much fun was had.

But now it’s November. Cold and blustery with only Thanksgiving ahead to break up the grey days. No movie list. No special music.

Damn I love October.

October movies, the last full week.

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Idle Hands. 1999. So much promise, so little delivery. The cast includes Jessica Alba, Vivica A. Fox, Fred Willard, Seth Green and Joey Slotnick. But it sucked. I’m not a big fan of current (read “last 30 years”) comedy horror films. This is why. 16/100. What a waste of a top slot. Next year I’m limiting my “previously unseen” list to ten.

Frankenstein. 1931. Colin Clive. Mae Clark. Dwight Frye. And of course Boris Karloff, who at the time was still playing minor and even uncredited rolls. This is what Halloween movies are all about. 98/100.

Young Frankenstein. 1974. Talk about standing the test of time! But not classified as a horror movie. And I plan on watching the musical version on youtube soon. 100/100. Immanently quotable. And should stay in my “final week” section for quite some time.

Ghost & Mr. Chicken. 1966. Saw this in the little theater in London Ohio with my Aunt Rose when I was 8 and it’s held a special place in my heart ever since. It depicts/lampoons a middle America that I truly miss and that never really existed. Music by Vic Mizzy based on the Five Jones Boys original tune. And a former Playboy model as the staid, conservative girl-next-door. A sweet bit of silliness amid all the blood, screams, gore and … horror. Another that stays on my “final week” list. Truly a guilty pleasure.

The Exorcist. 1973. Because …. of COURSE. The depth, character development and textures of this move make it SO much better than its successors. My first viewing came via a small portable TV, alone, in a mobile home, during a thunder storm, in Ada Ohio in 1979. It’s the most likely to lose it’s final week slot but don’t see anything pushing it out soon. 98/100.

Bride of Frankenstein. 1935. OMFG. I STILL love this and it just keeps getting better even if Karloff DID have to keep his teeth in! Lighting. Writing. Soundtrack. Pretorious. Moved up to #77 on my all time list, right between Saving Private Ryan and The Big Easy (which is probably overrated.) Just awesome.

Psycho. 1960. Been watching this annually for quite some time and JUST realized that the sherrif’s wife is played by the same actress that runs the boarding house in Mr. Chicken! Three cheers for Lurene Tuttle who joins Karloff and Jenny Agutter as our multi-appearance cast members. Dropped a few places this year but still scores 99/100, right between Duck Soup and Temple of Doom.

More mask madness

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Which seems eerily appropriate here on All Hallows Eve Eve.

Mask Fanatics Have Officially Abandoned Science To Control Your Life

NO WONDER BIDEN POO-POOED SWINE FLU

SCIENCE! More Than 3,500 Health Experts Sound The Alarm On COVID Lockdown Policies, Urge ‘Focused Protection’

Do Masks Really Work? Here’s What the Charts Tell Us.

The Cult of Covidism Has Invaded the Church.

JAMES LILEKS’ WEDNESDAY REVIEW OF MODERN THOUGHT FISKS A CNN ARTICLE ON “THE NEW NORMAL,” whose author believes “permanently severing ties with January is not necessarily a bad thing, psychologists say. The danger comes from hankering for normalcy again, rather than getting on with working out how to deal with whatever is ahead.”

With Lockdowns, Progressives Peddle a Sham ‘Right to Safety’.

The Coronavirus Experts Were Wrong, Now They Need Scapegoats: It’s not about fighting the virus, but punishing political and cultural enemies.

CDC Study Finds Overwhelming Majority Of People Getting Coronavirus Wore Masks

The America Lasters Face Europe’s Second Wave.

March 30, 2020: Dr. Birx predicts up to 200,000 U.S. coronavirus deaths ‘if we do things almost perfectly’.

Studies Point To Big Drop In COVID-19 Death Rates.

NO, BUT THEY STOP RATIONAL THINKING: Can Lockdowns Really Stop Death?

FIVE COVID CHARTS THEY DON’T WANT YOU TO SEE: Issues & Insights assembled these data illustrations that ought to remove any doubt that 99 percent of the “reporting” on the coronavirus Pandemic gets all the important stuff wrong. Note especially the near-vertical climbs in new cases for France and Switzerland.

Since you’re locked down you have PLENTY of time for reading, yes?