MsKreed

13 minutes ago, Hal said:

So basically a Big Lots store only bigger ! At any rate it will bring business to an empty building and a failing plaza .  

I hate to knock it because it does at least make one less empty business... But yes.  When we browsed through the one in Ithaca, the quality of merchandise didn't impress us. Seemed like there was probably good reason why the stuff hadn't sold at regular retailers.

Of course, Kmart had become a dilapidated building that offered mostly junk.....so not like this is really a step down.

24 minutes ago, Chris said:

Monday, the Governor argued that removing masks indoors would be “difficult” due to possible reconfigurations of areas such as classrooms, something that was reportedly brought up in discussions with the CDC.

Aren't classrooms (as well as cafeterias, buses and offices) still "reconfigured" to the social distancing capacities?

The rise on that graph does not seem to correlate with legalization. The jump started in 2016 (2 years after medical was legalized) and ends before recreational became legal.

Weird....it's almost like it might correspond with NYS criminal reform laws that released a huge numbers of inmates in 2016 and again in early 2020. I'm sure that's just a coincidence though.

It is indeed human nature for people to respond to that reward stimulus.  And I agree it's totally BS to exploit that human nature for something like this.

I'm also not sure that the trend toward participation trophies hasn't warped a lot of people's concept of requiring some sort of tangible reward for activities that have inherent (although not immediately tangible) benefits for just engaging in them. 

12 minutes ago, Kevin said:

Ohio is holding a lottery for people that get the vaccine.  

Ohio's was announced a week ago. Their "Vax-a-million" offers the weekly $ million prize only to vaccinated participants. Thus guarantees that five people will win the 'prize' for actually being vaccinated.

This is what I first assumed Cuomo was doing when I saw this.

Instead he's just handing out scratch-off ticket for an existing game (in which anyone with $20 can participate as often as they like). 

My cynical side (that sees too many people looking for drama and stuff to whine about)......suspects that a number of people (those who eagerly ran out to brag about getting vaccinated first, and were enjoying their sense of superiority) will be bitter about "slackers" being rewarded.

I predict they will now demand a bigger "reward" than those who waited for this incentive. 

It feels like some politicians have a desperate need to distribute them to justify the billions (trillions?) they paid out to pharma giants (along with all the other ongoing "pandemic" expenses).

It could be an embarrassment to have the sensationalized spread levels subside with a vaccine rate lower than their dire predictions....and could make them seem less credible when they push for the next gazillion dollar spending bill. 

3 minutes ago, Chris said:

That’s a team I’d vote for

It's one that a lot of us did vote for!

I must say that when we attended an event in 2016 where both spoke ....I wondered if the 2014 ballot may have been backwards.  

I know Astorino has a bit more experience, and particularly in a "blue" area, but seeing them in person, I think Moss has a much more effective "presence"...

For $600/acre, I really can't say they overpaid.....although I've never quite understood the concept of "land trusts" like this Open Space Institute the DEC bought it from. 

I'm often a bit skeptical of "middleman" foundations that have NON-profit  status and executives with six figure salaries. 

The same intangible perception of supply/demand that gives Federal Reserve notes "value" since they ditched the gold standard and started printing by fiat?

14 hours ago, Chris said:

I have to admit, I don't get it. So what makes this "currency" valuable? Is it backed by gold or is it just speculative, and the bubble could burst any time?

Crypto? Or are you just reflecting on the US dollar for the last 40 years?

Agreed...they're working a system that politicians and unions created. 

Until recently, the contracts allowed state employees to accept OT and then "call in sick" for their regular shift. Essentially changing from one shift to another and taking home 2.5 times their regular rate for the same number of hours on the clock. As noted, they can still do that for scheduled vacation days only (collect regular pay as vacation time, plus time and a half).

11 hours ago, Kevin said:

I can't say I blame them, but how productive can someone be working that many hours every week?

Nursing and security posts at 24 hr facilities like prisons and psyche centers are sort of like fire fighters and night watchmen.....that need to be staffed, even when that staff has little or no work to do unless/until a SHTF scenario occurs. Lots of sudoku time.

As for the pandemic responses...they are only touching the tip of the iceberg.  In addition to employees from all kinds of backgrounds were recruited for call center and clerical tasks for DOL to handle the avalanche (20-30x regular case load) of unemployment claims, the test (and now vaccine sites) all over the state each have hundred of people earning OT....plus mileage, lodging and food for the majority on top of OT pay. (as a "reimbursed expense", these do not show up as payroll and are not taxable wages). 

In the US????

We have reported 32 million positive cases and 570k deaths....about double the cases and nearly three times the deaths as India (which is the next highest nation at 4 times our population) 

But we're supposed to be worried that we're under-reporting? That can't be a serious concern. 

Very surprised they haven't decided (yet?) to require proof of vaccine or negative PCR test as venues like Madison Square garden, et al are required. 

18 minutes ago, KarenK said:

I am an organ donor on my license and have been since forever however when a good friend had Leukemia and needed a transplant I went to the donor page and apparently they don't want organs from someone with chronic autoimmune issues.  

I did not know this. I'd be interested if there is a list of which organs/tissues are precluded by which conditions, or unilaterally ineligible.

Id think bone marrow or liver might carry different transmission/complication risks than cornea possibly.

I had thought it was on my license....but it's not there.  It's often occurred to me that donating for study might potentially have a broader impact on more people anyway. Transplanting everything could save half a dozen people directly, while the same organs helping discover a cure for XYZ could affect many generations to come. 

We found a bunch of good ones from this same guy awhile back..... Garren Lazar

He has an entire series of Peanuts music video parodies. Everything from Journey to Heart to AC/DC Back in Black. He's a genius. 

21 minutes ago, Nick said:

The J&J vaccine has been tentatively linked to six reported U.S. cases of a rare and severe type of blood clot. 

Now, that is the kind of information Zucker should have clearly cited in his statement.

The way he broadly noted "adverse events" while rolling into a list of symptoms that seem to be commonly occurring with all the vaccines was unnecessarily vague.

 I'm a little confused that they're singling out the J&J product.  If there's more to it than the "extremely rare" symptoms mentioned in that statement, I think the public deserves details.

Health officials acknowledged when the first (2-dose)vaccines were granted emergency authorization that they expected adverse effects like fatigue, headache and muscle to be quite common (anywhere from 30 to 60% of recipients). And from the number of healthcare workers we've seen leaving work and calling in due to COVID vaccine reactions (particularly after second dose), that prediction has proven quite accurate.

From December:

Quote

 

Fatigue has been reported by roughly 63 percent of research subjects who received the vaccine, while headache and muscle pain have affected about 55 and 38 percent of participants, respectively. In most cases, those symptoms have been mild and resolved within a day or so.

Smaller numbers of participants reported chills, joint pain, or fever following vaccination.

Participants were more likely to report such symptoms following the second dose of the vaccine.

 

https://www.healthline.com/health-news/what-we-know-about-the-side-effects-of-pfizers-covid-19-vaccine

13 hours ago, Chris said:

Well I guess now we’ll see all the people going mad from the devils weed, cars piled into utility poles every other block and whatever other chaos opponents of this warned us of.

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On 3/28/2021 at 10:40 AM, Zapp Brannigan said:

-The legislation sets a goal of having 50 percent of marijuana business licenses issued to social equity applicants, defined as people from “communities disproportionately impacted by the enforcement of cannabis prohibition” as well as minority- and women-owned businesses, disabled veterans and financially distressed farmers.

This part here made me laugh....considering the medical dispensary licenses were some outrageously high shake down of like $50k up front, don't we think the fees might be prohibitive for many of those applicants???

1 hour ago, Chris said:

Except if you get calls in for a random rug screen, you’re far better off if they know in advance that your prescribed and taking a benzo like Xanax. Its when you dont have a prescription that the fun begins.

I was addressing Zapp’s question of being turned down for a job for having an Rx for medical cannabis.

If your example is for a pre-employment drug test, then having an Rx for Xanax shouldn’t be an exclusion for hiring….nor “should” a marijuana prescription. Nor should having any particular Rx exclude someone from driving or having a firearm.

The being called in for drug tests after employment … We need better technology all around.

In the above case of legally prescribed Xanax, the purpose of a drug test (either random or a non-random test for cause after some incident) should be to determine if someone is under the influence, fit for duty, etc…

If you are involved in a workplace accident while under the influence of [insert drug of choice; cannabis, alcohol, heroine, oxycodone], that’s its own legal exclusion….grounds for termination and not covered by workers comp, etc.

So if a test may show Xanax (or any drug; legal or not) “in your system” for days after the effects are gone, then testing is pointless for anything other than purely punitive reasons.

I know there are policies abound that are based on just that, but they really don’t follow “science”. That’s why there needs to be a standardized testing measure that will objectively distinguish between presence in the body and impairment/effects…of any drug.

10 hours ago, Zapp Brannigan said:

Being on the job under the influence is one thing.  

Should I be turned down for a job because I have a medical marijuana rx? 

I don't think so....and would fight any employer asking protected medical questions.  They have no more right to as if an applicant or employee has a cannabis Rx than Xanax or Benadryl. 

I'm also of the belief that neither the DMV nor Pistol Permit Clerk should be allowed access to your medical records either. Whether its marijuana or any other drug that can affect performance, acuity, etc.... being prescribed does not mean someone is rendered incapable of performing any such tasks ever.

It seems like there is precedent that medicinal use of legally prescribed medication can still be prohibited while on the job (or behind the wheel).  

Just because your doctor prescribed codeine, benadryl or Xanax (or any number of legal drugs) doesn't meant it's OK to drive a school bus (or any vehicle), operate a jack hammer or run a cash register with your brain in a fuddle from it.