Are those protesters aware that obesity (link) is a risk factor for complications with COVID-19? Where obesity is defined as a BMI over 30 and applies to 42% of the population of the USA. Whatever age you are? Jus' sayin' having seen pictures of the protests.
Are you aware of how flawed the studies are that show that?
What really appalls me is the instant mental connection between obesity and idiocy, with presumptive death as a result. I'm seeing this in other places on social media too. It starts to look disturbingly like triumphalism--another reason to shame people who frankly have enough problems with their almost entire lack of functioning brain cells. Can we call them idiots and leave it at that? The idiocy in itself will kill them--no need to drag in the rest of the more sensible obese population for an extra dose of shaming.
I am reasonably certain that there is a line regarding discussions of end-of-life treatment, and also reasonably certain that it has been crossed.
Can we not, please?
DT
HH
Indeed. For the avoidance of doubt, and again, please note the following from the Ship's FAQ: The Ship not an appropriate or adequate venue for suicidal ideations. Do not waste precious time by posting here. If you (...) think about suicide, then you need professional help, immediately, and you can’t get that here.
We mean this, and, again, we have no intention of relaxing this policy, crisis or no crisis.
“Those who are overweight really need to be careful,” France’s chief epidemiologist declared last week. “That is why we're worried about our friends in America.”
I truly laughed out loud at this. It sounds like the back handed "concern" of a middle school mean girl.
A few days ago I read in some random article that some hospitals have noticed that Covid 19 patients do better sleeping on their sides. I thought well duh, don't most of us breath more easily when we don't have extra weight on our chests? Maybe that's the only difference between the overweight and slender patients. We needed to lie on our sides.
I'm not sure, but I think proning might be SOP for patients on ventilators. IME premature babies who need respiratory assistance are always put to sleep on their fronts because it's easier for them to breathe.
(This is obviously completely contrary to the usual "back to sleep" advice for babies, but it's safe in the hospital setting because they're hooked up to a whole battery of machines that will start going bing bing bing in the event of anything going wrong.)
I've wondered a bit about the kind of clapping-with-cupped-hands techniques parents are taught to use on the chests/backs of cystic fibrosis patients. Apparently it loosens mucus.
I've wondered a bit about the kind of clapping-with-cupped-hands techniques parents are taught to use on the chests/backs of cystic fibrosis patients. Apparently it loosens mucus.
I saw a nurse telling people who are caring for patients with virus at home to do just that as well as laying on their side.
I've not read a single word of fiction since this kicked off. I've a pile of books by the bed - good books, ones I've been looking forward to, and ... nothing.
I've not written any new fiction either (briefly editing a scene for the next book doesn't count). Fortunately, I'm working on a non-fiction title at the moment, and that seems to suffice.
I haven't painted very much. I was supposed to have my very own art show in May and had been painting like mad until the second week of March...I just don't feel like doing anything. I am in a rather deep funk...
Changes in circumstances can do odd things. My father used to spend a lot of time listening to music and reading. Since my mother died in 2016 he's read not so much as a magazine and has no interest in his large music collection.
...also, I may have had the Coronavirus in the form of a terrible thirty-six hours of gastrointestinal hell, followed by two weeks of extreme tiredness and utter physical exhaustion That was last month. Yesterday, I was in gastrointestinal hell AGAIN...from food poisoning. I'm just overwhelmed.
So if info is confidential, you cannot use Zoom, Facetime, Google Hangouts
If you actually want people to be able to login to the meeting, you cannot use WebX, GoTo meeting, Pexip.
If you want to just meet, and not have stupid thing try to create a calender for you and emails and God knows what and it may decide itself what your timezone is, you cannot use Microsoft teams.
If you don't want anarchistic meetings you can't use Jitsi.
Yes, there are other programs....
Conclusion: all video calling programs are bad. Few have proper end-to-end encryption. Many of them lie and say they do.
Changes in circumstances can do odd things. My father used to spend a lot of time listening to music and reading. Since my mother died in 2016 he's read not so much as a magazine and has no interest in his large music collection.
Awww, your poor father. I find that when I'm feeling a little bit sad music can intensify it till I feel like sobbing. Wine, the same. I don't understand why he can't read, though, I would think periodicals and mysteries would be okay.
Strangely, this has been a fecund period for writing and editing my poetry, which for me takes years (literal years). It's not as though I have more time on my hands. And, of course, baking bread. My soda bread with brandied raisins, saffron, and fennel seed was quite delicious.
KarlB, I'm sorry to hear about your father. I have no suggestion that wouldn't sound glib.
Changes in circumstances can do odd things. My father used to spend a lot of time listening to music and reading. Since my mother died in 2016 he's read not so much as a magazine and has no interest in his large music collection.
Awww, your poor father. I find that when I'm feeling a little bit sad music can intensify it till I feel like sobbing. Wine, the same. I don't understand why he can't read, though, I would think periodicals and mysteries would be okay.
Neither of them particularly make him sad or anything. He's just completely lost interest in them. It might be the Parkinson's and mum dying is a coincidence; who knows.
I'm in a literature and mental health group on FB, and a lot of people have said they lost interest in reading after a bereavement. It's a huge change to your world - both your inner and outer world - and that can disorient, create an inner chaos. Inner chaos can make it very hard to motivate yourself to do things you might usually like to do. It's something I often struggle with as part of autism - they call it 'executive dysfunction' with autism, but I've always observed that a lot of so-called autistic behaviours are simply human behaviours that result from inner chaos, which with autism can be from the brain processing things differently, sensory processing difficulties, and hence not being able to make sense of the world, and feeling not in control. And now, a lot of people are feeling this way, not because of autism, but because they have lost their normal signposts and norms for understanding the world and their place in it, and the future is uncertain. Of course, it is different for each person, as the way different people are affected by this lockdown is very different, depending on all sorts of elements of their circumstance and experience, but a lot of people are now experiencing this 'executive dysfunction.'
Also, a typical sign of depression is losing interest in things that previously interested you. I think that is a bit different, as usually I am not depressed with my chaos, and currently I think I am getting a bit of depression too, and that is a whole different thing. But a lot of people are also experiencing depression with this lockdown.
There's obviously a mental toll taken by the current circumstances - but even at a prosaic level a change in circumstances and a disruption on routine is going to cause more time/thought to go to the basic tasks of social reproduction. This is most pronounced in the case of those of us with children -- but it's going to be a factor for everyone.
So it isn't surprising that all of us do some things differently and some of us feel that we have less time or energy available for the things we do normally.
My main social contact is through social media, and in lockdown people are on social media a lot more, so there is plenty of opportunity for interaction. But in these times a lot of people are understandably more irritable/reactive and self-absorbed, and I'm sure I am too, so I find it's not always so helpful to talk to people. They can be more irritating and I more irritated, and vice versa!
Also, because this situation affects us all, and most people are struggling, I kind of don't want to burden people with my own issues, especially people I'm closer to, because everyone has issues. I want to be supportive and encourage people, but equally, because everyone is more irritable, I worry about saying something that is received as more annoying than supportive (which I'm sometimes finding with people saying things to me which I'm sure they intend as supportive, but come across kind of bossy or patronising or know-it-all, and I find myself muttering 'Oh fuck off!' when I read it!).
I'm also not really feeling the camaraderie of 'We're all in this together,' because everyone's circumstances are very different, and so different people are being affected very differently, and it's impossible to compare situations. So it's quite a strange feeling, where I am sometimes finding myself wanting to isolate myself more in order to feel less isolated.
Is anyone else experiencing anything like this, or is it just an oddity of mine?
The aspect which strikes me at the moment is how this is all a rehearsal for being very old. My world has shrunk to a few rooms, a little square of garden, and the very occasional outing.
OK, I was headed that way in any case, but it's too soon. I just hope not to be institutionalised by the time it's over.
Oh, agreed @fineline. I think a lot of us on the Ship are getting annoyed with all sorts of stuff that normally would simply glide by.
Also by being told (not by Shipmates, for the most part) that we must all be terribly grateful for this experience. It's tearing up life and rewriting it, and has to be taken seriously as such, but that doesn't mean that we can't protest against this process.
I’m certainly not grateful for the experience; I’ve now been unwell for 6 weeks. Mind you, it has distracted me from my bipolar disorder as I’ve instead had anxiety for perfectly good reasons such as chest pain and breathlessness.
Oh, agreed @fineline. I think a lot of us on the Ship are getting annoyed with all sorts of stuff that normally would simply glide by.
Also by being told (not by Shipmates, for the most part) that we must all be terribly grateful for this experience. It's tearing up life and rewriting it, and has to be taken seriously as such, but that doesn't mean that we can't protest against this process.
Heh, yep, the 'We all should be terribly grateful' is happening on FB quite a bit. Also people posting smugly about how they simply don't get why others are struggling, because life is just lovely for them, and they're having so much pleasure sitting cosily on their sofa with their cat, reading novels, and growing veg in their big garden, and snuggling with their spouse (with complete oblivion to the fact that not everyone shares their privilege of being well off, living in a big home with a big garden, with a loving spouse, and with good health, no disability, etc.). People are just being people, really, as there are always people like this, but I do find myself more easily irritated with them!
And then there are the local people posting with horror that when out for their daily walk, they saw quite a few other people out walking, and don't these people realise they should be staying home, not out walking and risking killing people! With complete oblivion to the fact that they too are one of the people out walking, and the fact that people in general (not just them!) are actually allowed out for a walk!
And then there are the Trump defenders. Who leave me completely baffled.
So I find myself less and less inclined to engage with people on social media.
My main social contact is through social media, and in lockdown people are on social media a lot more, so there is plenty of opportunity for interaction. But in these times a lot of people are understandably more irritable/reactive and self-absorbed, and I'm sure I am too, so I find it's not always so helpful to talk to people. They can be more irritating and I more irritated, and vice versa!
Also, because this situation affects us all, and most people are struggling, I kind of don't want to burden people with my own issues, especially people I'm closer to, because everyone has issues. I want to be supportive and encourage people, but equally, because everyone is more irritable, I worry about saying something that is received as more annoying than supportive (which I'm sometimes finding with people saying things to me which I'm sure they intend as supportive, but come across kind of bossy or patronising or know-it-all, and I find myself muttering 'Oh fuck off!' when I read it!).
I'm also not really feeling the camaraderie of 'We're all in this together,' because everyone's circumstances are very different, and so different people are being affected very differently, and it's impossible to compare situations. So it's quite a strange feeling, where I am sometimes finding myself wanting to isolate myself more in order to feel less isolated.
Is anyone else experiencing anything like this, or is it just an oddity of mine?
I think social media exacerbates and baldly exposes the 'posting like a dickhead' thing that would normally go under the radar. What would usually be a vaguely annoying poster's little foible soon becomes his/her leading campaigning trait, complete with conspiracy theory diagram, and the exhortation not to be a 'sheeple'. Or a cheery encouragement that now is the time to take up crocheting or learning Russian. And of course any public forum is an invitation to receive advice from anyone and everyone. I guess most of us are reacting the only way we know how. I would've deactivated my facebook by now, if I hadn't needed it for work.
I've never been on Facebook and it irritates me how many church groups use it to communicate. I'll stay right here where we're free to be grumpy, thank you very much.
Eutychus if you haven't read Tree and Leaf by Tolkein I think it's well worth getting a copy. It contains a short story, Leaf by Niggle and Tolkein's Essay on Fairy stories. It's really short. The hardbacked copy I have is about the size of an Agatha Christie paperback, but much more rewarding. It's one book I've read and re-read many times over the years.
Yes, I had an argument about ten days ago with my mother when she told me flat out I didn't know what I was feeling and she did! (There's a reason I don't call so often...)
It used to be that he would always wait for me to contact him, but now he's taken the rôle of lecturing me and making sure I know to abide by current regulations. I suspect a subconscious fear that I will die on him, which he would find to be a great nuisance.
Eutychus if you haven't read Tree and Leaf by Tolkein I think it's well worth getting a copy. It contains a short story, Leaf by Niggle and Tolkein's Essay on Fairy stories. It's really short. The hardbacked copy I have is about the size of an Agatha Christie paperback, but much more rewarding. It's one book I've read and re-read many times over the years.
There's a link to an online copy in my profile. It's kind of an article of faith for me.
Comments
What really appalls me is the instant mental connection between obesity and idiocy, with presumptive death as a result. I'm seeing this in other places on social media too. It starts to look disturbingly like triumphalism--another reason to shame people who frankly have enough problems with their almost entire lack of functioning brain cells. Can we call them idiots and leave it at that? The idiocy in itself will kill them--no need to drag in the rest of the more sensible obese population for an extra dose of shaming.
Indeed. For the avoidance of doubt, and again, please note the following from the Ship's FAQ: The Ship not an appropriate or adequate venue for suicidal ideations. Do not waste precious time by posting here. If you (...) think about suicide, then you need professional help, immediately, and you can’t get that here.
We mean this, and, again, we have no intention of relaxing this policy, crisis or no crisis.
/admin mode
I truly laughed out loud at this. It sounds like the back handed "concern" of a middle school mean girl.
A few days ago I read in some random article that some hospitals have noticed that Covid 19 patients do better sleeping on their sides. I thought well duh, don't most of us breath more easily when we don't have extra weight on our chests? Maybe that's the only difference between the overweight and slender patients. We needed to lie on our sides.
Apparently putting patients on their front enables the lungs to expand more and also helps with the thick mucus patients produce. But IANAD so ...
A steep learning curve, indeed.
(This is obviously completely contrary to the usual "back to sleep" advice for babies, but it's safe in the hospital setting because they're hooked up to a whole battery of machines that will start going bing bing bing in the event of anything going wrong.)
I've not written any new fiction either (briefly editing a scene for the next book doesn't count). Fortunately, I'm working on a non-fiction title at the moment, and that seems to suffice.
If you actually want people to be able to login to the meeting, you cannot use WebX, GoTo meeting, Pexip.
If you want to just meet, and not have stupid thing try to create a calender for you and emails and God knows what and it may decide itself what your timezone is, you cannot use Microsoft teams.
If you don't want anarchistic meetings you can't use Jitsi.
Yes, there are other programs....
Conclusion: all video calling programs are bad. Few have proper end-to-end encryption. Many of them lie and say they do.
Awww, your poor father. I find that when I'm feeling a little bit sad music can intensify it till I feel like sobbing. Wine, the same. I don't understand why he can't read, though, I would think periodicals and mysteries would be okay.
KarlB, I'm sorry to hear about your father. I have no suggestion that wouldn't sound glib.
Our church uses Jitsi
Despite trying to reread it slowly, I have finished Lord of the Rings before our lockdown has ended.
Neither of them particularly make him sad or anything. He's just completely lost interest in them. It might be the Parkinson's and mum dying is a coincidence; who knows.
Also, a typical sign of depression is losing interest in things that previously interested you. I think that is a bit different, as usually I am not depressed with my chaos, and currently I think I am getting a bit of depression too, and that is a whole different thing. But a lot of people are also experiencing depression with this lockdown.
So it isn't surprising that all of us do some things differently and some of us feel that we have less time or energy available for the things we do normally.
and
is it just me or is there a limit in lockdown as to how often one can swear loudly without annoying even Ourselves?
I miss my rants being effective
My main social contact is through social media, and in lockdown people are on social media a lot more, so there is plenty of opportunity for interaction. But in these times a lot of people are understandably more irritable/reactive and self-absorbed, and I'm sure I am too, so I find it's not always so helpful to talk to people. They can be more irritating and I more irritated, and vice versa!
Also, because this situation affects us all, and most people are struggling, I kind of don't want to burden people with my own issues, especially people I'm closer to, because everyone has issues. I want to be supportive and encourage people, but equally, because everyone is more irritable, I worry about saying something that is received as more annoying than supportive (which I'm sometimes finding with people saying things to me which I'm sure they intend as supportive, but come across kind of bossy or patronising or know-it-all, and I find myself muttering 'Oh fuck off!' when I read it!).
I'm also not really feeling the camaraderie of 'We're all in this together,' because everyone's circumstances are very different, and so different people are being affected very differently, and it's impossible to compare situations. So it's quite a strange feeling, where I am sometimes finding myself wanting to isolate myself more in order to feel less isolated.
Is anyone else experiencing anything like this, or is it just an oddity of mine?
OK, I was headed that way in any case, but it's too soon. I just hope not to be institutionalised by the time it's over.
Silmarillion time!
Also by being told (not by Shipmates, for the most part) that we must all be terribly grateful for this experience. It's tearing up life and rewriting it, and has to be taken seriously as such, but that doesn't mean that we can't protest against this process.
I'd had this thought too.
I'd have to get a lot more desperate before I tried that again.
Heh, yep, the 'We all should be terribly grateful' is happening on FB quite a bit. Also people posting smugly about how they simply don't get why others are struggling, because life is just lovely for them, and they're having so much pleasure sitting cosily on their sofa with their cat, reading novels, and growing veg in their big garden, and snuggling with their spouse (with complete oblivion to the fact that not everyone shares their privilege of being well off, living in a big home with a big garden, with a loving spouse, and with good health, no disability, etc.). People are just being people, really, as there are always people like this, but I do find myself more easily irritated with them!
And then there are the local people posting with horror that when out for their daily walk, they saw quite a few other people out walking, and don't these people realise they should be staying home, not out walking and risking killing people! With complete oblivion to the fact that they too are one of the people out walking, and the fact that people in general (not just them!) are actually allowed out for a walk!
And then there are the Trump defenders. Who leave me completely baffled.
So I find myself less and less inclined to engage with people on social media.
Funnily enough I found it much better than LoTR.
But I am odd.
I think social media exacerbates and baldly exposes the 'posting like a dickhead' thing that would normally go under the radar. What would usually be a vaguely annoying poster's little foible soon becomes his/her leading campaigning trait, complete with conspiracy theory diagram, and the exhortation not to be a 'sheeple'. Or a cheery encouragement that now is the time to take up crocheting or learning Russian. And of course any public forum is an invitation to receive advice from anyone and everyone. I guess most of us are reacting the only way we know how. I would've deactivated my facebook by now, if I hadn't needed it for work.
I'm waiting for the Peter Jackson films.
(in case anyone missed it)
I'm agreeing with Karl again. This seems to happen disturbingly often. (I can't hack most of the other stuff Chris Tolkien put together, though. )
There's a link to an online copy in my profile. It's kind of an article of faith for me.