@enhydra lutris
She, bro, she. ::)

to find myself sympathizing with eyo, and also off on a different track entirely.

Perhaps being a Californian taints one, also growing up down along the border. What is this thing, this border? Why do we even have nations? We don't respect them, not the modern ones we dislike, nor the old ones. Our "border" runs right through a reservation, bifurcating the turf of another nation entirely, embedded within our own, and far, far older. The Tohono O'odham Nation, "The Desert People", live in the Sonoran Desert, on both sides of the border. In Africa, the Maasai people wander freely, without passports or identity cards, between Tanzania and Kenya. Of course, Africa is much more civilized than we are, as well as far older and not saddled with that intense us-v-them, me, me, me, mine, mine culture we have here. Alta California full of missions and San this and Santa that really shouldn't have a border with Baja California or Mexico proper, or at least not a hard one.

I grew up loving the sound of coyotes, the "song dog of the southwest" and will soon be spending a little time where I can be certain I will be hearing their nightly serenade. Wily indeed, and survivors, and likely to be found anywhere and everywhere. "The Trickster", quite playful at times, and also part of nature's clean up crew. There used to be some in Yosemite that I would swear were the same visit after visit, year after year, following the same routes and routines at the same times of day depending upon the season.

For a while I was lucky enough to volunteer in several capacities at a wildlife rehab center that also kept some non-releaseable animals on display for educational purposes, including coyotes. One of the many jobs was to see that they were entertained, supplied with treats, puzzles and toys so they wouldn't go insane. Always a pleasure to be around.

They too evade borders and go where we, the master race, feel that they should not be and don't belong. Beware, coyotes have been spotted in (xxx) and will eat your pet. Uh, isn't that on you for having a captive something bred especially for your entertainment as much as it is upon brother coyote, Canis latrans? Perhpas keep your pet close at hand and not out and about.

We interrupt this rendition of "This land is my land, this land is your land..." to ask are you really at home here? As much as he is?

@The Voice In the Wilderness @The Voice In the Wilderness

for grins I went to the site you linked to and it is a bunch of links,grouped into 5 or six headings, mostly ads, many of which are fee based and at least one of which alleged that it will result in accredatiion. That may be a partial explanation of why VPN access boounces. I saw no sign of any Coronavirus self-test, fwiw, nor anything that looked likely to be public information.

EDIT: I don't think that this is actually the CDC The link goes to WWW1.CDC.com I can't swear to anything but I think the CDC should be on WWW and should be a .gov

be well and have a good one.

You cannot access the Coronavirus self-test using a VPN.

I find it HIGHLY suspicious that you cannot take this test anonymously.

Because there is no login, non-technical people may think they are anonymous, but your modem's address and your computer/phone/tablet's unique machine address is visible and capable of being stored. Why is public information not available anonymously?
Again, for the non-technical, a VPN service substitutes their computer's IP address and MAC address for yours. There are services in the USA but I advise using a European service. They are less likely to be CIA tools.

I like using one for ordinary purposes just to avoid google tracking and sale of your address to spammers. Some banks won't let you log in anonymously. Surprisingly my brokerage does. Or maybe not so surprisingly.

But if you browse www.cdc.com openly, Uncle Fauci is watching YOU and he wants to know who is asking about CV symptoms.

Why was I there? Runny nose and sneezing, aching joints. The bad joints have been there for a year. It's old age, just getting worse. The sneezing and clear discharge? Probably seasonal mold allergies. With the huge snowfall , outside is very soggy now.

Watch out for Big Brother because he is watching YOU!

@aliasalias

Lots of anti Covid articles here, but based in fact not just conspiracy, but I enjoy reading them.

https://www.thelastamericanvagabond.com/google-oracle-monitor-americans-...

Looking back at the start of the epidemic it was supposed to be years before a vaccine was ready, but they got it done by the end of the year. I read on HuffPost yesterday that vaccines covering mutations do not have to be tested before they can be given. And they are saying that one jab will do you.

what it entails.
First of all getting the shot, and the next one, I have no problem with that or being on a data base because some day I may lose my card and need evidence that I've had my shots in order to go into Canada.
I totally expect to that to be mandatory just like the requirement to have either an 'enhanced Driver's License' or passport.
If only it stopped there but registering required my Iphone number and I couldn't understand why, were they going to call me? What for? I just want the shots, not some relationship with the CDC and I can't see any reason I would need updates, nor do I want them to be inquiring about how I'm feeling daily.
Makes me feel they are in my pocket and daily life, which I don't like because that world is already overcrowded, so I typed in "stop" and I get an urgent sounding message warning I would be blocking any further contact from them, so I need to type "unstop". Not gonna happen.

Why this bothers me so much is because they are not the only ones with all the questions to be answered and the 'Health and Human Services' of this State is about the worst of them all.
It's not just a questionnaire with a few boxes to check that they file away, no they not only ask too many questions but you'll get a response letter itemizing their suggestions on basically what you need to do. What to eat, the daily exercise needed, a paragraph on the dangers of alcohol consumption, the list is long and this happens frequently.

So I started throwing their mail in the trash, and then I get an automated call asking for answers, so I'd hang up. The calls and mail didn't stop, so I decided to answer the questions the next time they called hoping that would be the end of it and because it was just recording my answers to each question.
So I answered the questions about my weight and occupation by telling them I weighed 275 pounds (I weigh 195) and I was a 'jockey' at the racetrack and the rest of my answers got no closer to the truth.

Sorry for the length of this rant, but those are just two of the many information gathering operations (Comcast is another) that seem to be coming from every direction and driving me nuts.
My friends now know that I don't say anything when I first answer my landline phone because if it's a person they'll say something but if it's not the phone stays silent unless I say anything and that starts the recorded call.
Information gathering overload.

@lotlizard

of the Chinese Exclusion Acts? How about millions of them in total? Why or why not?