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OK, the Corona Virus Isn't Going Away. Now What?


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I now have two gigs in early 2021. I just doubled my money!!!

 

There seems to be a light on the horizon. Next winter season might show some recovery for Florida musicians.

 

Insights and incites by Notes

Bob "Notes" Norton

Owner, Norton Music http://www.nortonmusic.com

Style and Fake disks for Band-in-a-Box

The Sophisticats http://www.s-cats.com >^. .^< >^. .^<

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Infections and deaths are trending down in Tennessee, and hospitals now have some free ICU beds.

 

To me this doesn't mean it's time to celebrate, but time to double down on masks/social distancing/etc. so we can accelerate the downward trend.

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The doctors/pas/nurses I know all agree we just saw the Christmas/New Year's surge. Nothing has changed, of course.

 

The people I know have been on 7 day extended shifts. 7 day wait for phase 1b vaccinations - where they have it. All of the vaccine manufacturers are saying they're going to come up short supply-wise. Biden needs to get FEMA and the national guard out to help get vaccinations on track, and this "you don't need the second dose" bs is going to help mutations. The South African variant in in the States, much more contagious, along with other new strains.

 

And the dumb anti-science anti-mask brigade appear to be permanently impaired and ever willing to be super spreaders.

 

It's really worse than ever.

Guitar Lessons in Augusta Georgia: www.chipmcdonald.com

Eccentric blog: https://chipmcdonaldblog.blogspot.com/

 

/ "big ass windbag" - Bruce Swedien

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  • 2 weeks later...

I got my second COVID-19 vaccination today!!!

 

I went to The Cleveland Clinic here in Florida, and it was like a production line. Much more organized than the first injection last month.

 

When I arrived there were guides who handed us minimal paperwork, directed us to the check in station, and then to get vaccinated.

 

I didn't count, but there must have been a dozen or more nurses in the hallway, each with a chair and syringes. Sat down, said "Hi" got shot and filled in my vaccine card all in about two minutes.

 

Then we were guided to a waiting room where we sat for 15 minutes 'just in case'. There were other guides and helpers who wiped down anything anyone touched and the chairs we sat on as soon as someone got up.

 

I must have been there between 20-25 minutes and I probably saw over 100 people get their shots.

 

It looks like things are finally starting to get organized, and it looks like there is light at the end of the tunnel.

 

So far no side effects to speak of except a slight discomfort in the arm. Not enough to call pain, just enough to let me know something happened if I move my arm in certain positions. I'm already feeling more comfortable knowing I have a 95% chance of not getting COVID-19, and since I have always had a good immune system (I haven't missed a gig since 1964) I figure I'm safe. I'll still mask, wash and keep distant, as I believe the scientists are giving the best advice they know now.

 

Please, if you know someone who is hesitant to get vaccinated, try to guide them. If you get vaccinated the worst case is a sore arm or fever for one day. If you don't get vaccinated the worst case is dying in an isolation ward and not even being able to say goodbye to your loved ones.

 

Insights and incites by Notes

Bob "Notes" Norton

Owner, Norton Music http://www.nortonmusic.com

Style and Fake disks for Band-in-a-Box

The Sophisticats http://www.s-cats.com >^. .^< >^. .^<

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Thanks for the progress report! fingers crossed that there's enough vaccine to go around, and enough people willing to take it.

 

My fiance has had her first shot...said it wasn't bad, just a little discomfort. Second shot happens Monday. Supposedly it's nastier, but we'll see.

 

However, some friends have been disappointed that after receiving the Bill Gates microchip, they couldn't hook into it from their smartphone's Bluetooth to pipe music directly into their brains. So we're still stuck with Bluetooth headphones and earbuds for now.

 

At the moment vaccines in Nashville are for those 75 and above, but as soon as the threshold goes down, I'm in.

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Today I have a mild case of the heebie jeebies. Skin feels a little creepy. Nothing severe, just a distraction when I'm not ignoring it.

 

I've read that means my immune system is ramping up the defenses. Perhaps I'll take a nap today. (Good excuse).

 

The Bill Gates microchip still hasn't fixed my problems with Windows, but it hasn't made it worse either.

 

Notes

Bob "Notes" Norton

Owner, Norton Music http://www.nortonmusic.com

Style and Fake disks for Band-in-a-Box

The Sophisticats http://www.s-cats.com >^. .^< >^. .^<

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Note: One suggestion: It is reported that the full protection takes 2 or 3 weeks AFTER the second shot. I'm supposed to get the second shot on the 17th (assuming that nothing messes up the supply chain). I'm 79 with COPD, and will take precautions all the way (and beyond, because my wife hasn't had the first yet).

I'm told that the Gates chip doesn't integrate with M1 Macs or iPhones

Howard Grand|Hamm SK1-73|Kurz PC2|PC2X|PC3|PC3X|PC361; QSC K10's

HP DAW|Epi Les Paul & LP 5-str bass|iPad mini2

"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."

Jim

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I know it's going to take a couple of weeks to get full immunity, and I have no intention of dropping my guard.

 

The heebie-jeebies lasted a couple of hours, so I napped through them. No biggie. I'd do it again if I need to. My wife didn't get them, just a little ache in the arm.

 

Due to the fact I need Windows for my work with Band-in-a-Box, I no longer use Macs. I quit during the IBM chip days. So I'm thankful I didn't get the Steve Jobs chip in the vaccine, it would have done me no good. :D

Bob "Notes" Norton

Owner, Norton Music http://www.nortonmusic.com

Style and Fake disks for Band-in-a-Box

The Sophisticats http://www.s-cats.com >^. .^< >^. .^<

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Now what? Most likely a Superbowl spreader event resembling "28 Days Later" because too many people value football over Science, or the lives of others. They're foolish to push it when we have yet to hit a decent, deflecting number of vaccines. The new variants are partially deflected if you are vaccinated, but nowhere near 100% and ZERO if you've had no vaccine at all. My fellow man is a dumbass. Talk about self-culling... :rolleyes::mad::pop:

 

Okay, I'm going to go have a therapeutic denial session playing my D-50 and watching "The Simpsons." Those kinda go together.

 "I want to be an intellectual, but I don't have the brainpower.
  The absent-mindedness, I've got that licked."
        ~ John Cleese

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In India the virus is going away.

 

In India there is a fine for not wearing a mask, even if you are jogging outdoors. If caught you get a 20 Rupee fine and a mask.

 

And COVID-19 is disappearing.

 

Coincidence? Perhaps.

Bob "Notes" Norton

Owner, Norton Music http://www.nortonmusic.com

Style and Fake disks for Band-in-a-Box

The Sophisticats http://www.s-cats.com >^. .^< >^. .^<

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I wonder if ultimately, this could lead to fewer illnesses overall. There have already been comments on how the flu season virtually disappeared this year because of the restrictions brought on by the coronavirus.

 

If the coronavirus is brought under control where less people die, more folks are protected, and hospitals aren't overwhelmed, but there's more awareness of health issues, that might not be a bad thing. Maybe we'll become more "Asian," and wear masks more often, to avoid spreading colds and regular flu. Maybe ventilation systems will be improved for fresher air, less mold, etc.

 

Also I think most people and companies would agree that working from home has offered quite a few benefits to all concerned, including not losing time through commuting (with an attendant decrease in pollution and noise). Even if the virus doesn't go away, the world will become more safe over time. I could easily picture a scenario where people come into an office on Monday and Friday, then work at home in the middle of the week (or vice-versa).,

 

It sounds like it might be a long slog before concerts and events go back to "normal," and restaurants will have to emphasize takeout for a while longer, but ultimately we'll learn to live with it. In some ways, it might increase the overall quality of life in some respects.

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Maybe we'll become more "Asian," and wear masks more often, to avoid spreading colds and regular flu. Maybe ventilation systems will be improved for fresher air, less mold, etc.
Does this have you thinking about events like NAMM and that maybe many of us will wear masks at events like that to try to reduce the risk of NAMMthrax? I know I have.

 

Also I think most people and companies would agree that working from home has offered quite a few benefits to all concerned
I agree generally, but don't forget it has hurt businesses that were dependent on those commuting workers, like places that served lunch near the offices, etc. Long term, it might be better overall but the change will be a painful shift for some.

"I'm so crazy, I don't know this is impossible! Hoo hoo!" - Daffy Duck

 

"The good news is that once you start piano you never have to worry about getting laid again. More time to practice!" - MOI

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...don't forget it has hurt businesses that were dependent on those commuting workers, like places that served lunch near the offices, etc. Long term, it might be better overall but the change will be a painful shift for some.

 

Good point, I hadn't thought of that because I don't work in an office, and when I worked at Gibson, I always brought in my own lunch. Although the point was brought home to me when I visited P Audio Labs in downtown Nashville for a motherboard update, and wanted to walk around for a quick bite or maybe a coffee.

 

Any change is going to be painful. I was lucky because while I lost gigs because of the pandemic, I could at least try to pursue other opportunities. I suppose a coffee shop could do curbside pickup or delivery, but I presume that it would be very difficult to offset the loss of foot traffic.

 

Some changes are permanent, though, and we have to get used to it. Look at what happened when the internet collided with the music industry...music distribution will never be the same again.

 

We're definitely staring uncarted territory in the face.

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Also I think most people and companies would agree that working from home has offered quite a few benefits to all concerned, including not losing time through commuting (with an attendant decrease in pollution and noise). Even if the virus doesn't go away, the world will become more safe over time. I could easily picture a scenario where people come into an office on Monday and Friday, then work at home in the middle of the week (or vice-versa).

 

My guitar lesson business, as it it turns out, was reliant a lot upon having a location that fell in line with people being in transition to going home: from work, from school, from the gym, etc..

 

For people that view "guitar lessons" like going to the gym, doing it online means I'm competing for their time *at home*. They're not on the way to the grocery store, or an errand outside in a car. They're at home sitting on the sofa, I have to get them off of it and bother. I know this by observing the "state" people are in when they start a lesson, and when they're late, or don't want to bother. Where they hid it before, people just say "I didn't pick up the guitar this week".

 

I think "working from home" is beneficial for people who are auto-didactic, self-starting; which I don't think is the majority of people. It's wrecking/wrecked my business, because the mindset of a lot of people that are working from home partially, or fully, is still passive; the vestiges of "learning a skill as a hobby to further yourself as a human being" is evaporating into the black and white mindset of "if I'm not working things should be entertaining. Is this work or entertainment?". That mindset might favor live music, if it ever becomes safe to do it again, but anything that requires *effort* gets placed in a category of "I'm in virtual because it's work". "I'm at home but I'm pinned down at this certain time every week, and I've got to log on and face reality that I didn't practice this week" = "guitar lessons" now. I get it, but I don't know a way around that and how I keep my business going.

Guitar Lessons in Augusta Georgia: www.chipmcdonald.com

Eccentric blog: https://chipmcdonaldblog.blogspot.com/

 

/ "big ass windbag" - Bruce Swedien

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Anecdotes:

 

A brother in law of a student of mine that lives in N.C. did his first gig in months last month. The usual happened: a number of people got sick, and the band, and the guy died a few days ago in the ICU, in his 40s I believe.

 

Another student traveled to visit his parents (70s) at New Year's. Both parents got COVID. His mother died. I remember he'd said "they've been in quarantine, they don't go anywhere, but it will be ok this one time for the kids to visit for a few days we think".

 

I hadn't gone on Facebook since December when I went on last week. A very different tone. Not as much boasting about "covid is just a bad cold", "look at the pussies wearing masks" - but at least a dozen people I know either had a parent that had died from it, or are in the hospital with it. I knew there would come a saturation point when even the most ignorant right wing jerk would realize they ARE being a jerk, and it looks like we're almost there. It's sad and scary.

 

Yet, there are still holdouts. Including a nuclear engineer I know that was very proud of his knowledge of filtration systems, and took pride in telling everyone on Facebook that "masks don't work! The virus can go right through them!". An opinion biased more by his questionable political affiliation than his training. He still apparently spends much of his time informing his friends how dumb and useless wearing a mask is, "why not wear 20 masks? Hahaha!" etc.. Having gone in circles with him back in March, he made a return to reply to one of my posts on Facebook to tell me "one of my friends died of covid, and he was an avid mask wearer! It didn't help him!". So here's a guy that's a nuclear engineer, and he literally doesn't get the premise that wearing a mask is to prevent others from being infected; and he incessantly insists masks can't stop *any* viral particle, despite surely understanding the statistical nature of the term "n95".

 

So I've learned so much about humans due to the pandemic. I had "inverse Dunning-Kruger". I really, naively expected society to handle this differently, and presumed people in general had more common sense. That non-sequiter behavior follows syntactical "logic" above reality has to be *expected* is something I was totally blind to prior to the year 2020.

 

 

/ apologies Craig. I write this for no true effect beyond "here" being a place marker. I was on Fark.com the morning of 9/11; the comments on there that day I think captured a sociological sentiment that one day might be useful. Hopefully one day we'll get past this and the arc of what happened from 2020 forward, attitudes and changing norms, might be captured here.

Guitar Lessons in Augusta Georgia: www.chipmcdonald.com

Eccentric blog: https://chipmcdonaldblog.blogspot.com/

 

/ "big ass windbag" - Bruce Swedien

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No apologies necessary. It's never a problem to remind people we can't let our guard down yet, and we don't know when it will be possible.

 

There is no doubt at this point that wearing a mask slows down the Covid growth rate. So saying "well, it doesn't protect ME" is stupid. I wear a mask not as a political statement or because I think it will keep me from getting Covid, although there is evidence that it does help. I wear it because I don't want people to think it's okay not to wear a mask.

 

Don't get me wrong. I don't like wearing a mask. It's uncomfortable. But, although I love a glass or two or wine with dinner, I don't drink a drop if I'm going to be driving. Not because I'm afraid of hurting myself - I don't drink much, and I'm a very good driver - but if I ever ran into someone, I'd never forgive myself.

 

The virus is too damn sneaky, since it can be spread by people who don't realize they have it. I don't think I do, but I'm not going to potentially jeopardize other people.

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I wear the mask because it's the right thing to do. It gives me some protection, and some protection is better than none.

 

If I do catch the disease, a mask drastically lowers the probability that I might infect and possibly kill someone else. IMO If we were really a civilized society, we would be watching out for each other and everybody would be wearing masks.

 

Besides for wearing masks I wash my hands often (I sing "Soap and the Water" to the tune of that famous Deep Purple song), bring a small spray bottle of rubbing alcohol to use if needed, keep socially distant whenever possible, and do a number of other things, each of which gives me a little protection. While nothing can give you 100% protection adding multiple layers of protection further minimizes my risk.

 

I made it to the second vaccination without getting the disease so whatever I was doing plus a little luck worked. I'll continue to follow the advice of the scientists who are experts in communicable diseases because they know more about that subject than politicians, preachers, pundits, propagandists, and my peers.

 

Working from home:

 

I've always run my Band-in-a-Box aftermarket business at http://www.nortonmusic.com from home and have no problem getting motivated. Sometimes I might get 'writer's block' when trying to come up with an idea for a new style that doesn't duplicate anything I've done before, doesn't duplicate any PG Music style and will sound like something a number of people will want to use. When that happens I start listening to all kinds of music, but I guess in a way, that's work too. Since I'm not gigging until the business picks up, I'm spending more time on the Band-in-a-Box business than I used to.

 

I'm also learning new songs for my duo, and recording backing tracks. I've been playing the adult (over 55) market in Florida since 1985, and each year a younger generation of music lovers enter that market, so we're learning 1980s music now (when we started it was the Big Band/Sinatra era).

 

I think when you are self-employed it's easier to be a self-starter than if you are taking orders from someone else. You can see the direct benefit from your efforts and instead of feeling like work, it's more like foraging.

 

When more people work from home, it will disrupt a lot of others. Downtown office renters, cafés, gasoline retailers, business clothing retailers, etc. but the Internet has put a lot of other people out of work already, and conversely, put others to work.

 

We have to do our best to adapt to the changes ahead. That's survival of the fittest.

 

Insights and incites by Notes

Bob "Notes" Norton

Owner, Norton Music http://www.nortonmusic.com

Style and Fake disks for Band-in-a-Box

The Sophisticats http://www.s-cats.com >^. .^< >^. .^<

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  • 2 weeks later...

I've just doubled my early 2022 number of gigs. One who cancelled 3 in 2021 just booked them again for 2022. Now I have 6. Things are looking up.

 

Perhaps next winter season in Florida will be closer to normal. It's already 6 gigs better than the last 11 months ;)

 

Notes

Bob "Notes" Norton

Owner, Norton Music http://www.nortonmusic.com

Style and Fake disks for Band-in-a-Box

The Sophisticats http://www.s-cats.com >^. .^< >^. .^<

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This coming Weds March 3rd, I get my second Covid vaccine - Moderna so it's also the last one - for now.

 

Whatcom County is in Phase 2 now, music venues are allowed to book solo acts. If things go well we may be able to book the duo this summer. My duo partner got his second shot last Weds, he's done a couple of solo gigs.

 

I intend to continue to be careful in public. Summer means outdoor gigs up here, I would be fairly comfortable with those, just keep my distance.

It took a chunk of my life to get here and I am still not sure where "here" is.
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with the nasty covid variants we all have to be careful.

 

I am not 100% clear that the current Moderna/Pfiser vac's are 99% effective vs the variants . Med scientists/researchers sometimes say 'it looks good' then there is back tracking. They are simply unsure.

 

I do believe the Pharmas are working hard to protect us. But don't be surprised if we all need a 3rd dose.

 

I am getting Moderna 2 on 3/18. Wife is getting here Pfizer 2 on 3/12.

 

I was so relieved to get them.

 

This inspired a new original song titled " Mighty Moderna ". My Kaiser GP likes it.

Why fit in, when you were born to stand out ?

My Soundcloud with many originals:

[70's Songwriter]

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with the nasty covid variants we all have to be careful.

 

I am not 100% clear that the current Moderna/Pfiser vac's are 99% effective vs the variants . Med scientists/researchers sometimes say 'it looks good' then there is back tracking. They are simply unsure.

 

I do believe the Pharmas are working hard to protect us. But don't be surprised if we all need a 3rd dose.

 

I am getting Moderna 2 on 3/18. Wife is getting here Pfizer 2 on 3/12.

 

I was so relieved to get them.

 

This inspired a new original song titled " Mighty Moderna ". My Kaiser GP likes it.

 

All viruses mutate, that's why the flu vaccine is different every year. The good new is that unless the mutation is very different, scientists have lots of experience from flu vaccines to generate current vaccines fairly quickly.

I've fully expected from the start that there will be at least an annual vaccine and possible more frequent until we develop some semblance of herd immunity.

 

Yes, it is a relief to get the shots. And no, that doesn't mean this is over. Still, I'm seeing light at the end of the tunnel, the future is not the past.

It took a chunk of my life to get here and I am still not sure where "here" is.
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The vaccinations are going too slow.

 

 

Variants seem to be showing up in 3 month cycles. We'll never stay on top of it now.

 

Social media is spreading the anti-science anti-mask idiocy from the U.S. to the rest of the planet,[/i] they will in turn be hindered. We threw away the only chance we had to get on top of it, thanks to idiots.

 

Everyone reading this probably had a good chance of living to 100 before. With continual wild variants it will be a trick to make it past 80 without becoming completely isolated. My 86 year old father gets his second shot in a couple of weeks; I probably won't get vaccinated until May? With a vaccine that probably won't be effective against the South African variant, which is already in South Carolina. Which means, my father won't be adequately protected, nor will I, and it will be a gamble to go around him.

 

The only thing that will now change our course is instant covid detection technology. Otherwise you can't really go around a high risk person, and they can't lead a "normal" life.

 

Had the anti-science jerks not been in the picture, had the rest of the world followed Jacinda Adern's lead in New Zealand, the milquetoast vaccination efforts now would probably have been enough. And now, the same narcissistic jerks are busy trying to wreck what Australia has accomplished, and apparently there are idiots in New Zealand presently trying to do the same. Which is a shame, it would be nice to know somewhere on the planet people are living as we once did.

 

But that's it. Without a real global lock down with everyone vaccinated, we're stuck with having to play roulette the rest of our "lives". By July the numbers will come down dramatically in the States if Biden comes through with his pledge, *but it won't go back down to pre-February 2020 numbers. Because it will *look* like "things are going back to normal!!" people will get more lax, and the mutation threshold will stay high. If the vaccines don't work at all against the variants, we're right back "here" by the end of the year. For good. A few more years I think we'll start to see the secondary consequences of covid recovery, as heart/lung/kidney/brain damage creates lasting problems. It will become regarded as something that's always there in the background. Masks will finally be de rigueur, and we'll regard covid as we do cancer: something just about everybody will succumb to eventually. Can't really do anything about it.

 

Except, we could have. The anti-maskers, the covid deniers are to blame.

 

What seems to be a mild breech of social etiquette - which is how it at least should have been starting back in April last year - will be viewed different years from now. We shouldn't have coddled them, we should have taken a stand. The idiot Texas governor, the bozo governor of Michigan that thinks "the numbers are going down so it's safe now", your stupid uncle that didn't want his "freedumbs" impacted by wearing a mask - they're literally to blame.

 

Hopefully there will be repercussions. Hopefully Zuckerberg, @Jack will be called to the table for their role in spreading the anti-science rhetoric on their platforms. The median i.q. dumb people can be blamed for their selfishness, denial of science. Facebook, Twitter, TikTok et al, are *profiting* from the pandemic and politicization of it. U.S. government allows it, U.S. corporations look the other way as they advertise on them. Criminal in my opinion.

 

But a cheap device made from a graphene filter with a fast-reaction nano-scale engineered surface junctions shaped to fit coronavirus proteins, and somehow change their charge state, or even a quantum state, could at least give us an idea of daily risks. A veritable automated "dog nose". I think that's possible, and China - or some forward thinking company could engineer that I'm sure. A government willing to invest fully in such a thing would transform their economy and lives of their people. Until then, "this" is it, as the thread title says: corona virus isn't going away.

Guitar Lessons in Augusta Georgia: www.chipmcdonald.com

Eccentric blog: https://chipmcdonaldblog.blogspot.com/

 

/ "big ass windbag" - Bruce Swedien

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It's not going away, it never will. Coronaviruses mutate on a regular basis and an effective vaccine may no longer be effective in a few months. So, the options are to lock everyone down forever or to let people live their lives. If you're under 60 and healthy the survival rate is extremely high, greater than 99.99%. That's fact and that's science. Quarantine the at risk people. Let everyone else decide how they want to live their life.

 

Those who are at risk or elderly need to be cautious. But healthy people shouldn't be punished. Let's not forget that "two weeks to flatten the curve" became "we need a vaccine" then became "even if there is a vaccine we need to completely eliminate the virus before anyone can do anything". The goalposts keep moving and they'll keep moving with no end in sight. It's not about science anymore.

 

I can live without gigging, but I won't let myself be isolated from friends and family for another year. Or 2 years. Or however long they decide it will take.

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Well, the "good" news in the mitigation efforts we have adhered to (masks, social distancing, sanitizing, etc.) is that the flu is at its lowest point in 15 years.

 

The latest news here in the US is the vaccine willl be available to every adult by the end of May.

 

*If* they aggressively vaccinate, that could possibly save a few thousand from going over the Yungas road cliff by way of Texas, Florida and Michigan. :cool:

PD

 

"The greatest thing you'll ever learn, is just to love and be loved in return."--E. Ahbez "Nature Boy"

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AZ has another vaccine in the works, planned for late April or May I believe. Eventually we"re probably just going to have to deal with this like the flu - yearly shots (maybe with a booster), maybe an occasional mask. It"s getting to that point that"s hard.

Yamaha: Motif XF8, MODX7, YS200, CVP-305, CLP-130, YPG-235, PSR-295, PSS-470 | Roland: Fantom 7, JV-1000

Kurzweil: PC3-76, PC4 (88) | Hammond: SK Pro 73 | Korg: Triton LE 76, N1R, X5DR | Emu: Proteus/1 | Casio: CT-370 | Novation: Launchkey 37 MK3 | Technics: WSA1R

Former: Emu Proformance Plus & Mo'Phatt, Korg Krome 61, Roland Fantom XR & JV-1010, Yamaha MX61, Behringer CAT

Assorted electric & acoustic guitars and electric basses | Roland TD-17 KVX | Alesis SamplePad Pro | Assorted organs, accordions, other instruments

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when traveling outside the house, lets say shopping, day trips, etc, I expect to wear a mask for the rest of the year and 2022.

 

If I was 25, I might think differently, but at 68, I am into health preservation.

I don't care about vanity.

 

Its similar to defensive driving, IMO. You have to be aware of the 'other guy '.

 

In Asia, mask wearing is standard practice.

Why fit in, when you were born to stand out ?

My Soundcloud with many originals:

[70's Songwriter]

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I'm more optimistic. Moderna is already in phase 1 testing of a booster for the new variants. COVID-19 will probably end up like the flu - get your annual shots.

 

Many of the anti-science, anti-maskers will die from the disease, others will have permanent organ failure that will compromise and/or shorten their lives, and IMO it's their choice.

 

What's ironic is that the anti-science people are using science-based computers and the science-based Internet to spread their anti-science propaganda.

 

Unfortunately IMO our last administration had the wrong response when COVID first arrived, it wasn't a hoax, it didn't disappear by itself, the scientist advisors weren't lying, and we missed the chance to nip this one in the bud.

 

So we'll have to play catch up with booster shots, and science is finding better ways to treat the illness.

 

I read where a group of scientists is making progress developing a vaccine for all coronaviruses. It'll even work for the common cold if they can get the kinks out. The gov't isn't funding them because they are tied to Big Pharma who wants to sell us yearly vaccines and 'cures', but they just got an additional $14m in funding from a donor who wants to remain anonymous.

 

I, too, can live without gigging, if you call not doing our second favorite thing living. Fortunately we have 6 gigs for the next season already, and I do believe when all who want to be vaccinated are vaccinated, we'll get plenty more.

 

Insights and incites by Notes

Bob "Notes" Norton

Owner, Norton Music http://www.nortonmusic.com

Style and Fake disks for Band-in-a-Box

The Sophisticats http://www.s-cats.com >^. .^< >^. .^<

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So, the options are to lock everyone down forever or to let people live their lives.

 

Thankfully, the rate of infection is way down, but I believe that's due to a third option - a lot of people did simple things, like wear a mask, get a vaccine, and avoid super-spreader events. Furthermore, the holiday season surge is over.

 

It remains to be seen whether opening up a state 100% and telling people no one has to wear masks, while variants are multiplying, is a good idea or not. I'm sure hospital workers in Texas and Mississippi are nervous about whether they're going to have to deal with another surge before the vaccine gets to take hold. I sure as hell hope they don't. I suspect American Airlines isn't thrilled either, what with Dallas being their primary hub. Flying isn't as much the problem as the airports you have to be in to fly.

 

If you're under 60 and healthy the survival rate is extremely high, greater than 99.99%. That's fact and that's science.

 

That's cherry-picking, though. People who are over 60, or people who have some underlying condition, are still people. The overall death rate is 1.8% (523,000 dead divided by 29,000,000 infections). However, it's not a digital situation where either you're fine or you die. I know several people who still haven't come back from being sick months ago, and they're under 60. It has been a real hit on their productivity, to say the least. Also the question of lung damage and such remains unresolved. There's so much that's unknown. I don't think that means everyone has to be cautious to the point of absurdity, but it also means now is not to the time to give up the simple measures that have been effective, like wearing a mask, or getting a vaccine.

 

The goalposts keep moving and they'll keep moving with no end in sight. It's not about science anymore.

 

If you correlate the graphs that show rises in infections, the surges correlate with premature openings of states, or holidays that encouraged travel and social interaction. Each surge has been higher than the last. It's people who moved the goalposts further away. Hopefully vaccination, which is the attempt of science working with government to move the goalposts closer, will make a big dent in the problem.

 

Obviously I don't think government should run our lives. There's a simple way to prevent that. If people regulate themselves, then there won't be any need for regulation to come from somewhere else. There's no doubt that vaccines can be effective. If not, we'd be encountering people all the time with smallpox, whooping cough, and polio. However, in those cases, vaccination reached critical mass to really tamp down those diseases. Smallpox was pretty much eliminated. Whooping cough is making a comeback with anti-vaxxers, but by and large, it's not the danger it was.

 

I'm old enough to remember the polio vaccine rollout. Everybody got it. I can't remember the last time I saw someone walking around on crutches from having caught polio.

 

So now we have people saying "I'm not going to get vaccinated, I don't want that Bill Gates microchip in me" and "I'm not going to wear a mask just because Asian cultures, that are used to wearing masks, have had much fewer problems with Covid." They're the ones moving the goalposts...and you're right, with them it's not about science any more.

 

I won't let myself be isolated from friends and family for another year. Or 2 years. Or however long they decide it will take.

 

It's however long we, the people, decide it will take. If people had just exercised restraint after the first surge petered out, we'd be in much better shape. If they had just exercised restraint after the second, higher surge petered out, we'd be in much better shape. Surge #3, the worst of them yet, is on the run and now vaccines are available, so we should have the thing pretty much under control by the end of May - with lower numbers of infections and deaths, and an epidemiological climate that doesn't encourage variants. But it looks like we're on track to make the same mistakes that were made after the first three surges. If we're lucky, the vaccine will compensate this time around.

 

People are tired of the restrictions. I get it. I haven't visited my daughter in over a year. I don't like wearing a mask when I go to a store. I miss going to movies. On the other hand, I'm not dead. I'm getting my shot today, and I'm willing to exercise caution - not lock myself down, just do simple, smart things - for another 90 days until everyone has it.

 

Finally, yes, Covid is just another disease. 523,000 dead people is indeed 0.0015% of the population. 29 million infections is 8% of the population. But compared to how many people die of flu, auto accidents, etc. it's significant. in 2020, Covid was the leading cause of death in the US. Sure, we can keep on manufacturing dead people because, hey, it's not that many. BUT if people just got vaccinated and wore masks, it would be a lot less, the country would be a lot more open, and the money spent cleaning up after people who aren't willing to make even the smallest sacrifice for the sake of others wouldn't have to be spent.

 

The bottom line is that the future is up to us.

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