Signal Wave
Hey, y'all.
Many thanks to JtC for keeping the home fires burning while I was out of internet for a solid week (!).
Unfortunately, as soon as we got internet back, my life partner, Nick, came down with what we think is noravirus. He's been sick for the last eight days. He spent many hours in the ER, and came out with the following information:
He doesn't have a bacterial infection.
He doesn't have COVID-19.
He should rest a lot, bundle up to keep from getting chilled, and drink lots of liquids.
We have our very own canary in the coal mine here, Kate, my other life partner, who, as many of you know, is an organ transplant patient who is, obviously, on immunosuppressant drugs. Neither Kate nor I have gotten sick. Not in the least. Neither has my 73-yr-old mother, who also interacts with Nick. Therefore, this has got to be something that does not spread in the ordinary ways. Also, there are no symptoms of anything respiratory (lots of symptoms of things gastrointestinal. Poor Nick.)
So, our best guess is that he got something from restaurant food, likely because of poor sanitation practices. All that seems to point to noravirus.
He's not out of the woods yet, but there has been improvement over the last two days.
So, for once, this is an absolutely open Open Thread. Have at it with the news of the day--or anything you like. 
Because I'm gonna be running in low energy mode for some indefinable period of time.
But at least I've got an internet connection, so I can talk to y'all.
Hope you're navigating the Empire well today.
Comments
Navigating the empire shoals
with a Cracker Jack compass
Glad the dreaded C-virus has not come for a visit.
Stay well!
Me too!
Good to hear from you, QMS.
"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha
"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver
Good morning CSTMS. Welcome back!
Glad your internet is up, sorry your partner is down.
Pretty sure that is is Norovirus, with two "o"s and no "a"s
If they exist in FL, Otter Pops, frozen flavored pedialyte, help with dehydration and electrolyte depletion. They are often easier to consume than straight pedialyte.
The classic BRAT diet (Bananas, Rice, Applesauce, Toast) is piss poor in nutrients and should not be adhered to for very long, also shrooms, especially the good ones (anything other than those vapid little button shrooms) are a good addition to it and any recovery diet.
Unpasteurized Greek yogurt and Yakult or similar probiotic yogurtish bevereage can help with recovery. Avoid NSAIDs and when recovery gets going ok, try adding in some psyllium husk fiber caps, but not til you're moderately well into the recovery stage.
There is mystery crap floating around out there, one or two decades ago I had something that knocked me down for weeks, I was tested for every known pathogen and parasite and all were negative. Lost about 50 pounds before I started recovering. They even tried ciproflaxin as a crapshoot "might work, won't hurt" type treatment. Since I have chronic UC I was already under a specialists care, but whatever this stuff was, it wasn't related to the UC.
Meanwhile, take care of yourself as well. Good music will help you both. Definition varies, but I found myself revisiting Miles Davis' Kind of Blue album the other day.
be well and have a good one, all things considered.
That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --
@enhydra lutris
Good morning CSTMS. Welcome back!
Glad to be back!
Pretty sure that is is Norovirus, with two "o"s and no "a"s
Whoops.
If they exist in FL, Otter Pops, frozen flavored pedialyte, help with dehydration and electrolyte depletion. They are often easier to consume than straight pedialyte.
We sort of made our own. At first, water with sugar and salt, then Jello water with sugar and salt. Worked pretty well. We did also get him popsicles, because man! his throat was inflamed.
The classic BRAT diet (Bananas, Rice, Applesauce, Toast) is piss poor in nutrients and should not be adhered to for very long, also shrooms, especially the good ones (anything other than those vapid little button shrooms) are a good addition to it and any recovery diet.
He couldn't keep that down while the disease was raging (we tried), and after he recovered, one of the first things he went for was FRIED CHICKEN! We were dubious, but he kept it down fine. Probably wasn't the least risky thing ever, but the key was he stopped eating as soon as his body told him to.
also shrooms, especially the good ones (anything other than those vapid little button shrooms)
We drink this thing called mud wtr which has a bunch of powdered mushrooms in it, fairly regularly. That should help. As for yogurt, that was one of the few things he could eat while it was going on, and I'll make sure to get him to eat more of it. Unpasteurized Greek, huh? I'll look into that. I'd never heard of psyllium husk fiber, but I'll look it up.
There is mystery crap floating around out there, one or two decades ago I had something that knocked me down for weeks, I was tested for every known pathogen and parasite and all were negative. Lost about 50 pounds before I started recovering.
Holy shit. That must have been scary.
Back in the oughts, Nick and I and a whole group of our friends got a terrible virus we called the "ghoul virus" because it made our skin turn green. At one point, I looked in the mirror and I saw a green face with two bright red spots on my cheeks. I looked like a ghoul wearing garish makeup. It was horrible. We are pretty sure we caught it at an overcrowded poorly-ventilated Rob Zombie concert. (I guess I got turned into Living Dead Girl--LOL). That was pretty much the worst virus I've ever had. I remember leaning against the fireplace and saying, "I don't want to die of this."
Nick thinks, in retrospect, it might have been one of the SARS family of viruses.
The second worst virus I ever got was at a gaming convention. We all dubbed it "The Australian Death Flu," because the Australians brought it with them. Apparently those of us in this hemisphere had no easy way of dealing with it.
Meanwhile, take care of yourself as well. Good music will help you both. Definition varies, but I found myself revisiting Miles Davis' Kind of Blue album the other day.
How funny! So did I! although "revisiting" is not the right word for me, as I think I'd never really listened to it before, certainly not the whole album. It helped me a lot while he was sick, for some reason. I think that album is going to knock my socks off slowly, if that's possible.
Good to "see" you.
"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha
"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver
Glad he's doing better.
It is is often suggested or recommended for various issues and ailments, and most brands say to take something like 4 or 5 tabs a day. What I have found is that one a day seems to keep the old gut biome happy, not as a treatment for anything, but just to feed/treat the good bacteria, which appear to be seriously into fiber, sort of a minimum daily requirement
That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --
How kids used to play
I'm curious where exactly this conversation went off the rails.
LOL
Needs a mash-up of "Talkin' Bout a Revolution" and "Where Do the Children Play?"
"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha
"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver
Well. That was tiring and scary,
and thankfully, it's over. He's fine. Just tired and a little weak after ten days of fighting the thing and eating no solid food.
"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha
"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver
Good News! Here's hoping he'll feel much better very soon.
Sorry I couldn't talk last night==
I was just wiped out!
At one point, my sleep schedule entirely reversed (bed at 6 a.m., wake-up at 1 p.m.).
Thanks for understanding.
As for Nick, he's sleeping a lot but has no symptoms. The virus apparently has been defeated, but his body's very tired.
"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha
"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver
(No subject)
Oregon no longer requires
proficiency in the three R's to graduate high school.
[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OWQEG5kP5uM]
There's a far-left governor in this country?
I didn't think they allowed far-left people to hold any statewide or federal office.
Aside from that, nothing the government does to the public school system surprises me anymore.
And yes, it's outrageous.
The following, however, is not outrageous, but rather good, if I may speak as the educator I once was. And not just for racial or cultural diversity reasons, but just in general!
Oregon, unlike other states, did not require standardized tests — which are often regarded as being unfair to minority communities — to show proficiency. Students had a number of options to show subject proficiency: They could choose from a number of different tests or complete classroom projects judged by their own teachers, the Oregonian added.
Shouldn't everybody want that for their kids? What's so freakin' great about standardized tests?
"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha
"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver
Do you not think that proficiency
in reading, writing and arithmetic is a basic necessity in today's world? How will students demonstrate they have achieved these essential skills w/o tests? How will they go on to a higher or vocational education? Even securing low-wage employment would be problematic. Truth be told, I think this initiative, especially done for the stated purpose, is exceedingly racist.
I agree with CSTMS, standardized tests, unless alternatives
are provided, are a crock. They can easily be written to include ethnic or class biases, and can do so accidentally due to the author's own culture. Math and science are arguably not as prone to that issue, but there are problems there too. There was a famous test question in, iirc, NY, requiring a student to write a paragraph or two about a yacht. WTF? How about a paragraph or two about stickball? Allowing students alternative tests or methods makes a lot of sense. In most of the rest of the country, these questions would be unacceptable:
Use the word "feller" in a sentence.
Describe the difference between a "Humboldt" and a "Dutchman"
What is a "skidder"?
Explain how to "set choker"
A Standardized test including those questions would be unfair to vast swaths of the populace, as was the infamous NY question about Yachts.
That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --
I could write a doozy of an answer to one of those!
Alexander von Humboldt (I and II) were (II still is, I is retired) members of the international Tall Ship fleet. Both Humboldts were/are known for their bottle-green sails (originally sponsored by Beck's Beer).
The Flying Dutchman is a ghost ship and/or the captain of that ship, doomed to sail the seven seas forever after a rash vow to round Cape Horn (some versions say the Cape of Good Hope) though it take till the day of Judgment.
Of course, you need to be a Tall Ship fan to know about the Humboldt(s)! [evil grin]
There is no justice. There can be no peace.
Wonderful answer, thanks.
That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --
As a former educator
teaching to only pass tests does not bring out the learning potential
especially in young minds
Standardized testing generally punishes imagination and rewards
rote memorization (conditioning).
The entire curriculum needs to be rebuilt.
Teaching awareness, critical thinking, problem solving and
developing creative skills would give more opportunities for
the next generation. imo
Any writer who uses the term "far-left" dogwhistle
Any writer who uses the term "far-left" dogwhistle,let alone the first sentence is immediately suspect in my book. Blaze Media, a Glen Beck mouthpiece, accompanied by a host of "CONservative" assholes.
Here's an article w/o the "dog whistle"
But, it was a partisan vote. I find the dems remarks actually quite racist. It's a fucking insult to people of color!
Demonstrated how and wtf does that even mean?
My 10th grade math was plane and solid geometry; reading and writing weren't subjects in and of themselves, they were subsumed within English. I don't recall much detail, beyond "explain the use of symbolism in Conrad's Heart of Darkness and Hawthorne's
, or maybe that was grade 11 and 10 was Hayakawa's book on semantics and a shit load of poetry and maybe Chaucer.
be well and have a good one
That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --
From Oregon's website
Proficiency Grading
My 10th grade in early 60's
had algebra, geometry, physics, chemistry/biology, history, Social Studies, English and typing. I pigged out on the sciences..... but was forced to take Social Studies and English.
By the time my son went to school, these subjects were barely touched by grade 12.
We were supposed to have algebra already down pat.
Math started with plane & solid (10th) and ended with calc and analyt (12th)
Bio,Physics, and chem were each a full year deep dive with labs and such,
English and/or lit each year, US hist (10), world hist (11), poli sci (12), language of choice, phys ed, and assorted electives like shop and such.
The thing is, I could write stuff anybody could pass, or stuff aimed at a specific social class, cultural group, or ethnic group. That was being done, intentionally and unintentionally, all across the country, for decades, and probably still is. Vocab, especially, is often very regional.
be well and have a good one
That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --
BTW, headline is misleading.
Standardized tests as they are used today were given to us by GW "is our children learning?" Bush. My nephews never took any such tests but were amply proficient in those subjects upon graduation. I also never took such tests for that purpose, though I did take the SAT. The headline should say "purported proof is not required", not that competency is not required.
be well and have a good one
That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --
Sadly, that tells me nothing.
That could be the rerum ipsum in a variety of fonts, the Bible, the Bhagavad Gita, Moby Dick, The average newspaper, the ARRL Radio Amateur's Handbook, The Sate of Oregon Hunting & Fishing Regulations, etc. It could also be Tales From the Crypt, Ivanhoe,The Sailor's Handbook, or the Husquevarna 480CD owners manual and maintenance guide (obs)
Math, not arithmetic, very interesting, but still says nothing. Compute the area between the curve y=3x+4 and the x axis for x=0 to x=14? Whuffo, who ever does that irl?
the point is the specifics. The reading and writing work, for recent arrivals from foriegn nations should also allow dictionaries and translation gadgets, because if they are fluent in their own tongue, they will learn ours soon enough, they will have to; but we don't require US kids to be multilingual, so why others?
be well and have a good one
That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --
The way they are teaching
math these days leaves me very, very cold. I don't hold out a lot of hope for it. But then, I'm biased: when I was in my early college years at my very-old-school school, slide rules were still required in some of the basic engineering classes (despite the then-recent introduction of affordable programmable calculators). Calculators didn't finally become ubiquitous until my junior year, and even then, some of the professors would lie in wait for the unsuspecting student.
Woe be unto those who reported results to too many significant figures. That was a great way to fail a test. That got your attention very quickly: the difference between "resolution" and "accuracy", and the ability to do proper confidence band analysis, is completely omitted from whatever the hell they are doing these days. "Spurious precision" can get people killed, if your job is to keep airplanes from falling out of the sky...
Precision limits and tolerances: they are finite, real, and everywhere. Live them, breathe them, love them. It's like the old Yogi Berra quote: "In theory, there's no difference between theory and practice. But in practice there is."
Twice bitten, permanently shy.
yeah, my engineering days still had slide rules
at least we progressed from the abacus
'puters and such evolved after
cobalt, watfour and watfive were so strange
punching cards to prove some ignoramus equation
never got it, probably never will
seems education changes with tech
kids nowadays are taught programing in
kindergarten thanks to micro soft money
not sure this is progress
but it is where they are heading the herd
heh, spurious precision is one thing, but the famous slide rule
precision limit didn't limit the data itself. I was pretty good at mental arithmetic, but I knew some astounding wizards, one of whom was pretty much as quick with log tables as the average kid was with a slipstick. If the data was reported to 5 significant digits, he he answered to 5 sig digits and would tell you why slide rules were shit if you challenged him.
be well and have a good one
That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --
Oh, yeah. I knew
a bunch of folks in school who were absolute aces when it came to that. Ply the tables or wield the slipstick, it was all the same. You can use either with equal precision once you are in on the joke.
Nature (and reality in general) really is logarithmic. Everything makes so much more sense once you embrace a logarithmic worldview, mathematically speaking. This effort to constrain everything to simple linear approximations also constrains understanding of technical issues to very limited local solutions, whereas the real problems themselves are almost always logarithmic in nature. Just think of Jeff Bezos's fortune, or Kim Kardashian's butt, or the corruption of the Uniparty...
Twice bitten, permanently shy.
I am so sorry your guy is so damn sick
and that there is so little to make him well.
It's always something.
"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981