More Lunacy

One year wasted ... honestly, it was a complete waste and now with the advent of a vaccine people think it is a magic bullet that will solve the entire situation in the blink of an eye.  Yeah, how well has that worked in the past.  How many people STILL do not get the flu vaccine?  And when it rushing a vaccine a good idea?  When is rushing anything medical a good idea?  Thank you, but no thank you.  I have not been sick for any reason at all so I am not in any rush to take it.  Let everyone else be the human trial subjects.

The fact that there has been no meaningful evaluation of the measures being taken shows how worthless it all has been; how much of a waste of time.  Also, the lack of consistency in the policies calls into question their validity.  I say it again.  When has any of this idiocy been done in the history of humanity?  To quote Dr. Leonard McCoy, "We're dealing with medievalism ... "

The stupidity continues

Honestly, the people in charge in Hawaii don't have a clue. They can't even define a goal that's reasonable and achievable.  "Stop the spread"?  What the heck kind of goal is that?  It started out as "don't overwhelm the healthcare facilities" which is not an unreasonable goal, but they were never in any danger of being overwhelmed and are still not in any danger.  Sure, the number of cases (and what the heck is the definition of a case anyway?  Does anyone know?) is rising quickly, but the number of hospitalizations and deaths is not.  Those rates are relatively flat and manageable, so what in the name of all that is holy are we still doing to ourselves.

I feel like the last sane person in the State of Hawaii.  I'm not really sure why I find this whole mask debacle so patently offensive.  It galls me way more than the ridiculous airport policies that were put in to deal with stuff in the aftermath of 9/11 which is a faded memory for many people unfortunately, however, I still doubt the effectiveness or necessity of such measures.

Analysis of the policies is what is missing and what should done.  What worked, what didn't work, what can be done to change what didn't work into what does work.  Those are the things that need to be addressed after a certain amount of time, and 3-6 months of the latest policies I think is a sufficient amount of time to say whether or not any of it was worth doing.  But, no, the State government is incompetent and thinks that if they do more of something that doesn't work it'll eventually work, damn the consequences and who it screws over.

Life is not safe.  Life is unpredictable. Stuff happens that is beyond our control and you deal with it the best you can.  This obsessively unreasonable attitude people have about getting sick is beyond my comprehension.  What people are doing now is not living.  We are in the most beautiful place in the world and people are so damn scared of getting sick they can't enjoy it and live their lives.

What in the name of all that is holy are we doing to ourselves?

I found a really cool website that has all the covid data for Hawaii that you can download in a number of different ways.  I pulled the fatalities, active cases, cumulative total and hospitalizations, then graphed the in one chart.

https://www.hipam.org/forecast

The fatalities is pretty much a flat line.  Hawaii has 27 fatalities as of 8/4/2020, and at least 21 of those are over 65.  The hospitalized number is pretty much a flat line as well.  Hawaii broke 200 hospitalized, but I don't know if those are concurrent or not.

From what the graph shows, Hawaii is now experiencing its first wave.  All the people in charge did was postpone it until now.  Way to go.

Honestly, WHAT THE HECK ARE PEOPLE FREAKING OUT ABOUT?!?!  We had more traffic fatalities in 2019 than covid deaths.  Are we all supposed to stop driving now?  Instead of trying to alleviate the public fear and get things back towards normalcy, the powers that be are just keeping the fear porn hot and heavy.

Hawaii's Lt. Governor proposed locking the state down because the numbers are spiking.  All I have to say to him is, "You rat bastard."

3 Day Juice Cleanse

So I agreed to do a 3-day juice cleanse with my wife to support her.  She participated with me when I did the Ornish program a few years back so it seemed only fair.  Eating normal meals when she is only drinking juice seems mean on top of not being fair.  Granted the cleanse is entirely voluntary, but regardless of that, the "unfairness" perception and feeling is still real.

Anyway, this post will journal the 3-days since I'm pretty sure I'll forget how I felt.

7/13/2020 8:30 AM - Day 1, Juice bottle #1
This one was like drinking almond milk and that makes sense since the main ingredient was almond milk.  It wasn't overly sweet and nutty in flavor.

7/13/2020 10:50 AM - Day 1, Juice bottle #2
This one was perplexing.  It had a strong apple flavor, but other flavors mixed in that I can't place hence the "perplexing" word.  It wasn't bad, but it makes me ponder.  30 minutes later I'm burping cucumber.

7/13/2020 12:50 PM - Day 1, Juice bottle #3
This is another one that makes me go "huh ... that was interesting".  I could taste the apple and maybe the ginger, but couldn't taste the carrot and kale which is probably good considering the second (I'm not a kale fan).  Not feeling any caffeine withdrawal symptoms which I'm thankful for.  Still so far, so good.

7/13/2020 3:40 PM - Day 1, Juice bottle #4
This one is a repeat of juice #2, but this time the "spice" was more noticeable.  I'm still "perplexed" by the taste, but still in the middle of the road with regards to judgement.  I don't dislike it, but don't exactly like it either.

7/13/2020 5:45 PM - Day 1, Juice bottle #5
This one I liked.  It was what I would expect when I hear the word "juice".  Apple, pineapple, and lemon with some mint.  It wasn't overly sweet either, though, I wouldn't have minded it being sweeter.

7/13/2020 8:00 PM - Day 1, Juice bottle #6
This one I liked, too, but not as much as the more fruity bottle #5.  It was a good chocolate shake type drink; not too sweet and not too thick.  I would put this one in the 2nd place slot if I had to rank these juices.

7/14/2020 9:30 AM - Day 2, Juice bottle #1
Today this one seemed a little thicker, but that could be because I shook the bottle a little longer before drinking.  This one is my third favorite one so far and a good way to start the day.

7/14/2020 11:30 AM - Day 2, Juice bottle #2
I could taste the cucumber more this time, but it wasn't very strong, mostly noticeable.  I burped cucumber again and the word "perplexing" is still appropriate.

7/14/2020 2:00 PM - Day 2, Juice bottle #3
I liked this bottle better today than yesterday.  I don't know if it's because I liked the taste more or was hungry.  This one is #4 in my list of juices in this cleanse.

7/14/2020 4:00 PM - Day 2, Juice bottle #4
I didn't particularly like this one today.  I definitely tasted the cucumber and the ginger was very strong.  I gulped it down as fast as I could so I wouldn't taste it as much and get it over with.  Definitely my least favorite of the juices.

7/14/2020 6:00 PM - Day 2, Juice bottle #5
My favorite one hands down.  This one definitely good to end the day on and what I think about when talking about juicing.  Drank this one quickly, too, like the previous juice, but quickly because I really like the taste.

7/14/2020 8:00 PM  - Day 2, Juice bottle #6
Nice way to end the day.  I do enjoy a chocolate milkshake at the end.  It makes the entire day of other juices turnout good.  Yes, it's not really a chocolate shake, but it's close enough to it for me.

7/15/2020 8:00 AM - Day 3, Juice bottle #1
Last day of juices.  I have to say I haven't been dreading the juices like I thought I would.  I'm not looking forward to it per se, but there's not feeling of dread or anxiety with the juices.

7/15/2020 10:00 AM - Day 3, Juice bottle #2
I have to admit I felt some anticipation with this one, in a good way, probably because I know it's the last day and this is the second to the last green juice I have to drink.  It actually isn't too bad, but I still wouldn't say I like it.

7/15/2020 12:00 PM - Day 3, Juice bottle #3
I have to say I decided I like this one rather than just be neutral.  It's drinking carrot juice for the most part and I went past the "got used to it" stage into the "I guess I kinda like it" stage.  Not looking forward to the next one, though.

7/15/2020 2:00 PM - Day 3, Juice bottle #4
It's official, I don't like this particular one.  I think it's the ginger that's included in this juice that I don't like.  Actually, it's the burping cucumber that I really don't like.  *laugh*

7/15/2020 4:15 PM - Day 3, Juice bottle #5
I'm taking my time drinking this one, my favorite one.  I noticed a little bit of tang this time, but that's probably because I'm savoring it.  The other days I drank it quickly because it tasted really good.  Funny how that means I'm always gulping down the juice ... if I don't like the taste it's because I want to get it over with, but if I like the taste it's because I'm wolfing it down.  Well, at least this time I'm taking my time a little bit to enjoy the juice.

7/15/2020 6:30 PM - Day 3, Juice bottle #6
It's chocolate milk time.   It's not really, but it sure tastes like it and I'm enjoying it.  Well, it actually is when I think about it.  Chocolate flavored almond milk is chocolate milk even though it's not regular milk.  This is the last of the juices in this 3-day cleanse and quite a nice way to finish.

Take away
It wasn't a bad experience and I dropped a few pounds, though I didn't really do this for any kind of weight loss.  That loss could very well be water loss which is just fine, too.  It does give me a place to start to get on a portion control habit; not eating until I'm full or sick, but just enough to be comfortable.  Basically, stop eating before I get full and don't go back for seconds or thirds.  No more Hobbit style eating for me.

Thoughts on July 4th

I have to admit that I haven't read up on important figures from American history beyond the most well known ones.  I don't remember when I started reading the Declaration of Independence and Constitution (this one takes a while to get through) along with the Bill of Rights, but this year I started looking at speeches that people made on or about the 4th of July.

I listened to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s July 4th, 1965 speech

I listened to Frederick Douglas' July 5, 1852 speech

I listened to Calvin Coolidge's July 4, 1926 speech


Dr. King called for having the right attitude as we move into the future and denounced any race to be raised above any other.  He said he was convinced that black supremacy was as dangerous as white supremacy.  He did not want one tyranny to be replaced with another.

These speeches talked about the greatness of the American Dream and how much good this country has done.  Of course Frederick Douglas denounced slavery because it was an evil injustice, but one that was taken are of.  He also praised the Founding Fathers for the ideals they had and the direction he wanted things to go.

I admit that I never paid much attention to Calvin Coolidge, but after hearing and reading his speech on the 150th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence I have a new understanding and appreciation for our 30th President and the wisdom he had.

Every year brings new knowledge and every year brings new appreciation for this great country.  Yes, there were problems in the beginning, but I challenge anyone to show me a country that had a perfect start.  A country that starts out perfect only has downhill to go.  The United States of America is not great in and of itself and it is not perfect.  The United States of America is great because of the ideals that were instilled in its creation and the mechanism it has to improve and grow.  And it does grow and mature and improve as long as it remembers its history and those ideals

How to Reduce Fear & Anxiety About Disease & Death

Found these steps on the Psychology Today website and I thought they were pretty good (from a non-theist point of view)

10 Tips for Reducing Health Fears.

1. Understand that fear sells and you're being manipulated.
2. Assess the real risk.
3. Shield yourself from the media.
4. Meditate.
5. Tap into your inner knowing.
6. Dissociate from your fear.
7. Push the limits of your comfort zone.
8. Affirm your courage
9. Surround yourself with courageous people
10. Trust the Universe (God from a Christian perspective)

Source: How to Reduce Fear & Anxiety About Disease & Death

The sad truth is that too many people are operating on fear and blindly taking in all the fear-mongering from social media, print media and the like.  We really need to stop, take a step back, look at all the things we still have and be grateful.  Think about the real issues and analyze facts to make decisions, not feelings.

I am not a germaphobic, hypochondriacal child

Wearing a mask when you are out and about and not sick does not make any sense. Granted, if you are going into a healthcare facility situation where there is a high prevalence of the virus then by all means wear something if you want (I don't plan to), but as a general rule walking around in public please knock it off with the masks. In those countries cited for wearing masks in public, the people that are sick are the ones wearing them. The healthy people are not wearing a mask. Wearing a mask does not prevent you from getting sick, it is meant to prevent the larger droplets from a sick person from being spread around. If you are not sick the mask does not prevent anything. Why would you put up a chain-linked fence to keep out mosquitoes? That is the scale we are talking about when it comes to the size of a virus and the size in the pores in the cloth of the typical mask people are using. If someone is immunocompromised, they should already be taking precautions since even a common cold would be trouble. Those people don't ordinarily go out into the public and mingle, and the people that do visit them stay away if there is any chance of getting them sick. There are also many studies that show that wearing a mask when you are healthy is actually detrimental to your health. Also, wearing a mask in a healthcare facility is an entirely different scenario and would be comparing apples to oranges. The masks the workers use are fitted to their face and designed to filter out virus-sized particles. They are very different from the handmade ones that are cropping up all over the place. Never in the course of human history has a disease outbreak been treated like this. History will look back and say "What a bunch of lily-livered, frightened children."