Old Blue

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I understand, and appreciate, an intellectual curiosity of how Sweden is dealing with this pandemic, but on a practical level, what difference does it make to Americans what Sweden is doing to address COVID? In relationship with the USA is it relevant? (This isn't direct 'at' @stevenkesslar, you just happened to bring it up again.)
 
Whatever the Swedish numbers are, good, bad or indifferent, it's a completely different social context that bares little resemblance to the USA, and the health outcomes would not be transferable in any useful, practical or realistic way.
 
Does the USA have universally available 'free' quality health care?
Does the USA have long standing sick leave provisions that sick people could use to stay home from work (and still eat and pay rent) and not spread the virus?
Does the USA have a coordinated national public health system, that specifically targeted national resources to the most vulnerable population groups?
Does the USA have a work force made up of high quality jobs where a large number of people can stay home and work?
Does the USA have a population with an almost universal sense of the common good rather than individual - and will wear their masks without being resentful?
 
I venture to say that its five no's to those questions. So whether the Swedish model is working or not, is irrelevant. It's not possible to pick out one piece of the Swedish COVID response, without embracing all of the public health COVID realities listed above.
 
It's an apple and orange comparison.

[MEDIA=imgur]ev9SWK9[/MEDIA]

Well Worth the 20 Minutes...
 

I often wonder what the results of this pandemic would have been like if we had competent leadership. Where our leaders worked together for one common goal. Where aide was not doled out based on a states ass kissing skills. Where a horrible situation wasn't manipulated for election results. Where all the people in our country mattered equally. where the economics and human life were an equal concern. Animals in national parks are thriving the air and water are at cleaner levels than they have been in years Mother Nature has been working hard to regain her composure. While our president plans to remove FDA restrictions to corporations to stimulate the economy, at what cost. There are no easy answers obviously, but it is nice to dream of a country where we were less divided. Perhaps a country where armed thugs and swastikas were not becoming normalized. Sigh... may we all get through all of this and reevaluate what is truly important in our lives.

Again spin this as you will, 100000 people are dead. More are dying every day. That people die of other things is a specious argument. Fear, well directed is protective. There is no way ignorance is well directed. So if you want to say, people will die but the economy is more important then you can have that thought. But do not say washing hands and a mask is enough. Or even, I don't bother with a mask because the president doent. Ultimately all any of us can do is to try and protect ourselves as best we can because there are lots of people out there who are not interested in protecting us, and that includes the president.
Keep spinning and hope you do not wind up spinning in your grave That is the example being sent by a man looking to get reelected.

In terms of "songs that inspire existential tears" (as called for in the original post to this thread), here's one that may qualify:
 

If this can happen to a healthy 43 year old nurse:
 

 

In terms of "songs that inspire existential tears" (as called for in the original post to this thread), here's one that may qualify:
 

In terms of "songs that inspire existential tears" (as called for in the original post to this thread), here's one that may qualify:
 

In terms of "songs that inspire existential tears" (as called for in the original post to this thread), here's one that may qualify:
 

Gman

My canary has circles under his eyes 1931
 

Received this message from a friend today...
 
Of all the things I learned in grade school, how to avoid cooties was the last one I expected to use.

Back in the 90's, while visiting L.A., I contacted an escort advertising in Frontiers. He had an interesting proposition: for an extra hundred bucks, he said, he would bring along a porn star but couldn't say who he was. After reflecting, I agreed. And that's how I met Jon Vincent.
 
Surprisingly short, he was a real sweetheart in an almost innocent way--at least he was for the hour I knew him. We discovered a shared geographic origin, exchanged phone numbers, and I called him a few months later but couldn't work out a convenient meeting.
 
A few years later, he died of an overdose in NYC. I remember reading somewhere that he had a longstanding problem with drugs and that some client had spent a small fortune trying to get him clean...to no avail. I never saw any indication of this.

Back in the 90's, while visiting L.A., I contacted an escort advertising in Frontiers. He had an interesting proposition: for an extra hundred bucks, he said, he would bring along a porn star but couldn't say who he was. After reflecting, I agreed. And that's how I met Jon Vincent.
 
Surprisingly short, he was a real sweetheart in an almost innocent way--at least he was for the hour I knew him. We discovered a shared geographic origin, exchanged phone numbers, and I called him a few months later but couldn't work out a convenient meeting.
 
A few years later, he died of an overdose in NYC. I remember reading somewhere that he had a longstanding problem with drugs and that some client had spent a small fortune trying to get him clean...to no avail. I never saw any indication of this.

Really quite simple...at least it's better than a scarf:
 

Really quite simple...at least it's better than a scarf:
 

Really quite simple...at least it's better than a scarf:
 

Really quite simple...at least it's better than a scarf:
 

Really quite simple...at least it's better than a scarf:
 

Really quite simple...at least it's better than a scarf:
 

Really quite simple...at least it's better than a scarf:
 

Really quite simple...at least it's better than a scarf:
 

One possibility is a guy who did some wrestling videos under the name Tommy Gunnz: