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And there's been plenty of time to make them.

Life goes on, with or without ya

let's attach a political valence to clean drinking water and not wallowing in your own poo.

Why do you libs have to make everything about Trump?

Because Trump currently owns the entire GOP. John McCain? Heâ(TM)s a piece of shit because Trump said so. All of the leading Republican candidates are using his tactics. You lose an election? Obviously fraud. Vote against the infrastructure bill? Claim credit when it benefits your people.

Lie, discredit democratic institutions, and spread conspiracy theories until people believe you and are willing to support an insurrection or Civil War based on your lies and deceit.

Get your supporters to distrust any

Because Trump currently owns the entire GOP.

Well, I guess if you only listen to the narrative put out by the liberal new media...

For most normal folks that are conservative, Trump is a bit of a distant memory and occasional blip on the attention radar.

I think the Democrats are trying their VERY best to make Trump important, or at least enhance his supposed importance and control of the GOP, because they cannot run on their record to date, they need the Trump boogy-man to try to entice voters to vote agai

let's attach a political valence to clean drinking water and not wallowing in your own poo. Why do you libs have to make everything about Trump?

let's attach a political valence to clean drinking water and not wallowing in your own poo.

Why do you libs have to make everything about Trump?

Why do you fascists make everything about communism?

let's attach a political valence to clean drinking water

let's attach a political valence to clean drinking water

And our precious bodily fluids.

I lean pretty hard left but I have to agree on this. I'm still seeing so much bitchery about masks, it's unbelievable.

One person I know wears an N100 respirator everywhere she goes and is constantly ranting on social media about how she doesn't care what people think and that people who don't wear masks are "selfish" and she wants nothing to do with them. Even though I don't care what she wears, we still had a huge falling out over this because I simply don't care about masks anymore and only wear one if re

I lean pretty hard left but I have to agree on this. I'm still seeing so much bitchery about masks, it's unbelievable.

Just curious, whereabouts do you live?

For over a year now, where I live in the New Orleans area, life has pretty much been back to normal, no masks, indoor concerts, outdoor fests (we had Mardi Gras this year)...etc.

And it is very rare to see a mask on anyone anywhere.

For the most part, if you are walking around down here for the past year or so, you'd not really know there ever was a pa

So because people are dying out of site, everything is fine for you. As long as it is hidden from you, you are good with it.

No, not so much out of sight, but the fact that the numbers are low.

They are in the same low category as deaths that happen every day from all sorts of things...car wrecks, murders, heart attacks...etc.

People die every day, this is just one more thing that happens in line with any other risk of a human processing oxygen on earth.

IDK about GP, but I live in NYC and do see people in masks regularly.

~25% of people on the subway/bus wear masks ~1 in 50 on the street (yes, outside) ~1 in 20 at busy places (stores, grocery, etc.) ~100% in medical facilities and doctors offices Occasionally you find a business requiring masks or vaccination

The number of chin diapers has dropped to near zero though. Almost everyone wearing a mask is wearing it properly.

With all that said, covid restrictions aren't really limiting anyon

With all that said, covid restrictions aren't really limiting anyone or anything these days but tourism has been slow to return. Lunch spots in busy parts of NYC are rarely full (when they used to have waits or reservations previously) and some restaurants have only very recently started opening for lunch at all.

Is that because of the number of people that have moved OUT of NYC for various reasons during the pandemic....or due to more folks working from home and not going downtown to work anymore, hence no

What statistic changed to indicate this pandemic is over? Hospitalizations? Nope. Deaths? Nope. Cases? Especially nope. People whining and want to give up? Bingo.

Well, there never will be "0" hospitalizations or deaths from covid I don't imagine.

At least not in our lifetime....but the numbers are so low, it isn't really a serious risk to the populace at large now.

The numbers they show on TV, when they still bother to show them, are in single or occasionally double digits at most.

In the big picture of li

It seems to me that this has become a pandemic that people are not able to beat. So instead of addressing it that way we are just giving up and calling an end to the pandemic despite having no statistics to point to to base that on.

Numbers were extremely high, enough to overrun hospitals in some areas...those numbers are now way down and not a threat to the whole system.

Whether we call it "the end" or we can't beat it...what's the difference other than semantics?

Life has to go back

What statistic changed to indicate this pandemic is over? Hospitalizations? Nope. Deaths? Nope. Cases? Especially nope. People whining and want to give up? Bingo.

What statistic changed to indicate this pandemic is over? Hospitalizations? Nope. Deaths? Nope. Cases? Especially nope. People whining and want to give up? Bingo.

Covid fatigue is absolutely part of the overall equation, but you're ignoring the larger picture. One needs to view statistical data in the context of overall effort being made to contain/reduce/treat covid patients.

When great effort was being made during peak-pandemic (whichever peak lol) there was still significant increases in hospitalizations and deaths.

During low points, such as now, the effort is greatly diminished yet there hasn't been any significant uptick in hospitalizations or deaths.

History shows there are 2 ways pandemics end, the disease burns out or the population decides it is over. We seem to be experiencing the 2nd one, people have decided it is over and ignore any evidence that says otherwise.

Covid has moved from being a pandemic to being endemic in our population.

here is an article from the AMA that should answer your questions. [ama-assn.org]

The short version is that it is no longer a novel virus. People have encountered it previously, and most have been vaccinated, so we now have significant resistances to severe infection. Most people will not require medical assistance when they are infected. Medical care is available for those that do require it.

The virus will never be eliminated. It is still a threa

Right, because it clearly did SO much to help stop the spread of Covid. /s

Exactly. I nearly got stranded in Central America with my family, cost me a lot of money to get home and what I said back then turned out to be absolutely true: these border closures did nothing to help with Covid.

What they certainly did is cause bankruptcies and damage economies. World leaders can congratulate themselves, they are as incompetent as ever.

Travel restrictions should NEVER prevent people from going home. In fact, they should encourage going home ASAP. I still can't believe how badly some countries fucked this up.

What benefit is there to stranding travelers in your country? They're going to be pissed off, they might run out of money and you'll have to support them, etc... Just let them go home. This isn't complicated.

The black death specifically spread by travelers returning home. If you're potentially infected with a contagion, of course you shouldn't be given the chance to spread it elsewhere.

The problem is that it has to be all or nothing: most countries allowed way too many exceptions to travel restrictions/never implemented a real lockdown. So yeah, the restrictions ended up doing basically nothing. That doesn't mean the concept is flawed, though. And if COVID had proven to be even deadlier, these restrictions

Travel restrictions could be implemented back when people were limited to traveling by ship or horseback, or even train travel to limited areas. But travel restrictions are entirely meaningless in modern times. By the time you figure out a virus has originated from a certain area, unless it's highly remote and isolated, it will have already spread far and wide. It only takes a few hours for someone to fly many thousands of miles.

Put up some data, doomer, or shut it. By what measure is Covid getting worse?

That's how it should be in a pandemic.

That's how it should be in a pandemic.

If the same disease is circulating in two countries, banning travel between them doesn't accomplish anything.

It does if one country has a policy of letting it rip through the population until all the weaker ones die off, and the other tries to protect human life.

Anyway, there are variants of COVID and the vaccines are less effective against some of them. Japan is now vaccinating against the new variants, and not opening the border gave them time to start doing that before those variants really took hold.

The central function of a deadly pandemic is to rip through populations and kill off the weak members. It's what they do! It's their role in nature! Follow the science!!

Getting wet does not generally weed out the week, improve the gene pool and contribute to evolution of the species in a positive way. So, non sequitur.

That's how it should be in a pandemic. If the same disease is circulating in two countries, banning travel between them doesn't accomplish anything.

That's how it should be in a pandemic.

That's how it should be in a pandemic.

If the same disease is circulating in two countries, banning travel between them doesn't accomplish anything.

I was wondering where all the infectious disease experts disappeared to in the last 6 months. Glad to see some are still around to mingle with the constitutional scholars, legal experts, and stock trading gurus.

I been to Japan in January of 2020, so just before the covid thing started, and I loved it. Went to hokkaido / Sapporo for 7 days. It was awesome, and I want to go again. We went as a family and spent quite a bit of money.

However, I will not be doing that this year, or any other year unless they stop with the bullshit. Enough is enough, jumping through "additional" hoops other than the usual airport security / immigration stuff is out of the question, especially with 2 kids and a wife. There are countries t

tbh you sound like a very unpleasant guest and I hope you stay out of Japan. All you can talk about is how much money you spend.

tbh you sound like a shitty host and I hope you aren't in any position to rep Japan with that sort of attitude. Tourism is important, not just monetarily, but also to encourage cultural diversity within the world. It's far easier to back waging war on a people you are wholly unfamiliar with. Actually spending time in foreign countries, interacting with real people (not the shit politicians on tv), and first-hand witnessing the similarities we all share, it breaks down mental walls and promotes peace and coo

Not everyone cares about your money.

If that makes you upset, and it seems to have made you upset, don't visit Japan please. You are welcome to visit Las Vegas.

Be kind to your hosts.

Cool as a cucumber here my dude. Just call it like I see it.

Also, you clearly didn't actually read my post, as I spent a lot of time talking about the non-money aspects. Good to know. I'll be sure to take you less seriously in the future.

Wtf? You have to be kidding. Or maybe you do not speak English very well? I was very much the opposite of what you claim, every time in this thread. I hope you find help soon, fellow human.

Maybe you always sound emotional and upset. In that case, I hope you feel better.

tbh you sound like a shitty host and I hope you aren't in any position to rep Japan with that sort of attitude. Tourism is important, not just monetarily, but also to encourage cultural diversity within the world. It's far easier to back waging war on a people you are wholly unfamiliar with. Actually spending time in foreign countries, interacting with real people (not the shit politicians on tv), and first-hand witnessing the similarities we all share, it breaks down mental walls and promotes peace and cooperation. If you cannot see that, I pity you as a fellow human, and I hope you one day learn.

tbh you sound like a shitty host and I hope you aren't in any position to rep Japan with that sort of attitude. Tourism is important, not just monetarily, but also to encourage cultural diversity within the world. It's far easier to back waging war on a people you are wholly unfamiliar with. Actually spending time in foreign countries, interacting with real people (not the shit politicians on tv), and first-hand witnessing the similarities we all share, it breaks down mental walls and promotes peace and cooperation. If you cannot see that, I pity you as a fellow human, and I hope you one day learn.

You may not be aware of this, but you sound like the rude, arrogant guy on a plane who keeps shouting at the flight attendant like they are their own personal servant because they _PAID_ for their seat (like every other MFer on the plane). The one everyone else just wants to shut up so they can have a flight in relative peace You think that money talks... It's clear you don't have much of it otherwise you'd understand that whilst money talks, wealth whispers. I guarantee you there are people out there spe

Sure, I launched rude right back at the guy that imho was being rude first - I'll happily own that - but I really don't understand how you're picking up a money-centric angle to my post. Did you actually read it?

Tourism is important, not just monetarily, but also to encourage cultural diversity within the world

Tourism is important, not just monetarily, but also to encourage cultural diversity within the world

It literally goes on from there pointing out how tourism bridges cultural gaps and makes the world an overall better place. People need to spend time outside of their echo chambers, or we just end up with tribalism.

All you can talk about is how much money you spend.

All you can talk about is how much money you spend.

You literally described the tourism industry as a whole just then. People spend money going on holidays, and the industry thrives on precisely that source of money.

It has nothing to do with being a shitty guest and is a fundamental corner stone to the hobby itself.

Also funny you mention that he only talks about money. Ironically for your argument his decision of whether to go to Japan or not had zero to do with money.

Your post literally makes no sense however it is interpreted. You sound like a really shitt

However, I will not be doing that this year, or any other year unless they stop with the bullshit. Enough is enough, jumping through "additional" hoops other than the usual airport security / immigration stuff is out of the question, especially with 2 kids and a wife.> Sorry Japan. Maybe in few years.

However, I will not be doing that this year, or any other year unless they stop with the bullshit. Enough is enough, jumping through "additional" hoops other than the usual airport security / immigration stuff is out of the question, especially with 2 kids and a wife.>

Sorry Japan. Maybe in few years.

What did Japan make you do? Spread your cheeks and lift your sack?

So either you prove you were vaccinated three times, or you prove you don't have Covid by taking a Covid test.

If this what you're whining about? Really? Those are pretty tame requirements if you ask me, even with "2 kids and a wife".

So either you prove you were vaccinated three times, or you prove you don't have Covid by taking a Covid test. If this what you're whining about? Really? Those are pretty tame requirements if you ask me, even with "2 kids and a wife".

So either you prove you were vaccinated three times, or you prove you don't have Covid by taking a Covid test.

If this what you're whining about? Really? Those are pretty tame requirements if you ask me, even with "2 kids and a wife".

You make it sound so simple. Have you actually travelled recently? Sure, taking a test is no big deal... unless you're away from home and surrounded by people and otherwise symptomless/asymptomatic yet the positive result adds 10 days to your trip because your home country doesn't permit it for inane reasoning. Been there, done that, got the t-shirt.

But I've not used it in so long, I have NO idea where it is anymore.

I've not had a passport in well over a decade....and at this point, I have SO many places left in the US I've not seen yet, I don't know that I"ll bother going overseas any time soon.

Hmm...this turns out to be a long way of saying, none of this will be affecting me any time soon.

LOL..sorry, going back to coffee now.

So either you prove you were vaccinated three times, or you prove you don't have Covid by taking a Covid test. If this what you're whining about? Really? Those are pretty tame requirements if you ask me, even with "2 kids and a wife". You make it sound so simple. Have you actually travelled recently? If you're traveling without being at least triple-vaxxed, and if you didn't put your proof of vaccination in the same container as your passport (or you know, just tuck it in there) then you are the fuckhead in this story. In fact, you shouldn't even be allowed out in public on your OR. You might chase a butterfly onto a highway.

So either you prove you were vaccinated three times, or you prove you don't have Covid by taking a Covid test. If this what you're whining about? Really? Those are pretty tame requirements if you ask me, even with "2 kids and a wife". You make it sound so simple. Have you actually travelled recently?

So either you prove you were vaccinated three times, or you prove you don't have Covid by taking a Covid test. If this what you're whining about? Really? Those are pretty tame requirements if you ask me, even with "2 kids and a wife".

So either you prove you were vaccinated three times, or you prove you don't have Covid by taking a Covid test.

So either you prove you were vaccinated three times, or you prove you don't have Covid by taking a Covid test.

If this what you're whining about? Really? Those are pretty tame requirements if you ask me, even with "2 kids and a wife".

You make it sound so simple. Have you actually travelled recently?

If you're traveling without being at least triple-vaxxed, and if you didn't put your proof of vaccination in the same container as your passport (or you know, just tuck it in there) then you are the fuckhead in this story. In fact, you shouldn't even be allowed out in public on your OR. You might chase a butterfly onto a highway.

Sounds like he hasn't travelled at all recently. Fair, but that's their choice. However every country I've travelled to or through had an online portal for uploading your vaccination certificate ahead of time. A bit like travelling to the US where you've had to fill out an ESTA before hand for years (the EU is doing something similar next year). Just get your ducks in a row and it's painless. The only time I had show my vaccination certificate was when Spain changed the rules on my last day there. All I

So either you prove you were vaccinated three times, or you prove you don't have Covid by taking a Covid test. If this what you're whining about? Really? Those are pretty tame requirements if you ask me, even with "2 kids and a wife". You make it sound so simple. Have you actually travelled recently?

So either you prove you were vaccinated three times, or you prove you don't have Covid by taking a Covid test. If this what you're whining about? Really? Those are pretty tame requirements if you ask me, even with "2 kids and a wife".

So either you prove you were vaccinated three times, or you prove you don't have Covid by taking a Covid test.

If this what you're whining about? Really? Those are pretty tame requirements if you ask me, even with "2 kids and a wife".

You make it sound so simple. Have you actually travelled recently?

Yeah, Dec 2020, Nov/Dec 2021, Apr 2022, July 2022, will be again next month and Nov. You fill out your form, fully vaxxed so no need for a test, job jobbed and had fun. The biggest problem are the people who cant follow basic instructions that the airline emailed them multiple times that you should really fill out this simple online form before getting to the airport (I.E. not when you're at the check-in desk, holding everyone up like a dumbass). The biggest issue was that my home country (UK) kept cha

Well, it isnâ(TM)t bullshit to people in Japan. I think most would probably like the ban to extend even. Everyone wears masks in Japan still except foreign visitors. Young people are not vaccinated. There is a bigger elderly population some of whom just got their third shot. Also there was not a giant die-off due to covid like in the U.S. where there still is a large number of covid deaths daily in comparison to Japan I believe. So there are a lot of still living people who would be susceptible to pne

I am strongly considering a trip to Japan next year now that they have opened up, the main reason would be that the Yen has dropped A LOT in relation to the US dollar.

Japan in the past was a somewhat expensive place to visit, but you could do so now and spend way less than you used to.

Japan has a lot of cool stuff for tech loving people, and also a lot of cool stuff for nature lovers if you get outside the main cities. Well worth a visit, and it was fairly easy to get around using mass transit (though I wi

https://screenrant.com/gundam-... [screenrant.com] Honestly, I want to see it...

If it actually walked, so would I, but it doesn't. It's on a gantry, and even the parts that move don't move very fast. Weak sauce.

I am strongly considering a trip to Japan next year now that they have opened up, the main reason would be that the Yen has dropped A LOT in relation to the US dollar.

Japan in the past was a somewhat expensive place to visit, but you could do so now and spend way less than you used to.

Japan has a lot of cool stuff for tech loving people, and also a lot of cool stuff for nature lovers if you get outside the main cities. Well worth a visit, and it was fairly easy to get around using mass transit (though I

I could really get lost over there in Camera stores over there...

Yeah, you and me both!

Also if you do go check out the Digital Art Museum [teamlab.art], the height of projected light art.

Just a bit outside Tokyo, easy to reach via metro as it's right around a stop.

Do tech loving people love camera stores? You'll take better pictures with a cell phone. DSLRs are an affectation like vinyl or mechanical watches.

Do tech loving people love camera stores? You'll take better pictures with a cell phone. DSLRs are an affectation like vinyl or mechanical watches.

Err...most everything I'm buying new is mirrorless, no more DSLR mirror slappers. Although I do still have a great canon 5D3 that I shoot fast action with, like concerts.

But right now, I'm mostly shooting with mirrorless, like the Fuji GF100 digital medium format and the Leica M10 Monochrome cameras....for higher fidelity.

I would posit a cell phone isn't gonna

Tourists will need to be vaccinated three times

Tourists will need to be vaccinated three times

FYI, according to the CDC data, COVID ended at the end of last year, when the IFR dropped to nearly zero. Omicron did what no vaccine could.

In Post-omicron, 3 vaccines or 2 or 1 made very little difference.

Sometimes you just need to put a stake in the ground. By far, most people have at least 1, and a very significant number have 3. It's their country, so they get to set the rules; that's how that works. I'm sure they have thought about it at least a little.

COVID ended at the end of last year, when the IFR dropped to nearly zero

COVID ended at the end of last year, when the IFR dropped to nearly zero

Your risk of dying is risk of infection x IFR, though. Risk of infection is fairly high.

To be honest, this is the much greater PITA vs. covid.

This past sunday at DEN the security line stretched through all the barricades, through the extra ones they put up, and wrapped around to nearly to the far end of baggage claim. Luckily I was arriving and just headed to the train, but that had to be a 3-4+ hour wait.

Oh, and despite all that I (accidentally) wound up flying with a knife in my backpack that security missed. Twice.

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Good day to avoid cops. Crawl to work.