MacGyver

For what it's worth, the case that's really gotten the snowball rolling downhill on mandates is the Indiana University case that just went before the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals. Of the 15 judges on the court - only four were appointed by Democratic administrations. Damon Leichty (a Trump appointee) wrote the opinion in the case. They denied an injunction pending an appeal - meaning they may petition the Supreme Court but the decision is going forward anyway. And, most would doubt that a majority conservative court is going to be terribly anxious to overturn a majority conservative appeals court. Like it or not - mandates are likely here for the duration.

I’ve been doing a lot of pizza on mine. It’s worth your time.

ECMO technology is amazing - but it’s definitely last ditch in a case like this due to the extreme toll it takes on so many of a patient’s other systems when used for anything other than a very short period of time. There’s a time clock that starts the moment you go on it. I wouldn’t wish it on any family. Prayers for them.

Once a place puts in a range - they're almost certain to move away from supporting reloading. Like was mentioned above - components take up a lot of space that could be used for higher sales volume/margin stuff. Modern insurance also really doesn't like reloads. But, the real issue is a business decision. Routine maintenance on a range is both interval based and round count based. A lot of management teams see reloaders as high volume shooters who are going to increase their costs without offsetting that with spending in the store. Thus, reloaders are seen as more trouble than they're worth - and reloads are banned. Sure, you potentially lose a customer - but they really don't care when the Customer Lifetime Value is low.

I’m aware of someone who died this week in Arkansas who otherwise shouldn’t have just because they couldn’t get them a bed within that magic hour. They’re completely out of space.

Update on Phil Valentine - looks like he's in increasingly poor shape. I hate this for his family - and hope he pulls through. Hearing that someone needs to be put on ECMO is heartbreaking:

You can't make fun of a man's purse when he's carrying a rig like that either.

Yeah, I think that probably rounds to true.

Texas and Indiana lawsuits upholding mandates are going to start a lot of companies on the same path. Nobody wanted to be the guinea pig - but now they've got case law in their favor. Already this week VUMC and Ascension Health have mandated here in Nashville.

At least you'll be well rested.

Gives new meaning to “shedding the virus.”

I think I’ve put a bunch more rounds through that Hi-Lux and it’s still going strong.

South Georgia is worth having someone who knows what they’re doing the first time, too. Same feeders that attract pigs attract gators and big snakes too.

Oh, I’m supportive of this!

I hope we get the chance to find out.

Looks like Phil Valentine has been hospitalized with COVID: https://www.scoopnashville.com/2021/07/talk-radios-phil-valentine-hospitalized-with-covid-19/ I hope he’ll make a full recovery. I saw somewhere yesterday that state Representative David Byrd is still in the hospital after having to undergo a liver transplant due to complications from COVID. He missed the whole session last year due the same.

Cat Crap is probably the best of the anti fog products. There's a product for divers that works well, too - but I don't have my dive bag handy. Letting it "cure" is key - as is reapplying on a semi-regular basis. I've no idea what that interval might be for an optic on a pistol.

All these years later, this still brings me so much joy. Don’t go bitin’ @Chucktshoes and just expect to walk out of there…

It’s come as a surprise to a lot of folks, but when you hear conventional wisdom on people of color getting the vaccine, you need to see the actual data. There’s a lot that many of us assumed was going to happen that largely hasn’t. I am very close to a sister congregation that is predominantly black. I was having lunch with one of their leaders back in January and he asked me how many folks in our congregation would get vaccinated. I told him roughly 100%. I posed the same question to him, and he shook his head and said it was going to be a real uphill battle. He said that he might be the only person who wasn’t in an assisted living facility to get it. Family memories of stuff like Tuskegee makes it hard. We had lunch back at the end of May, and he me told with tears in his eyes that over 60% had gotten it so far. Here in Nashville, and largely nationwide, people of color have taken advantage of the opportunity to get the vaccine at a higher rate than was expected. It was expressed to me that, “as a group, our outcomes from the disease are generally worse than other groups.” I wonder if recognition of that is driving a lot?

While it's nothing more than luck and being a few inches this way instead of that way - I'm to be in the camp of "shot at and missed." The only way I can describe it is that it's a liberating feeling and an utterly terrifying one at exactly the same time.

That’s gorgeous.

I’ve only got one reason for continuing to post in this thread. I just don’t want to lose anymore friends to this thing.

Greg, I'm truly curious on this - I've heard similar from a few other folks in my social circle. Does the FDA approval actually change how you think about the vaccine?

At this point - if I could only make one argument for getting the vaccine here in the US - it's all economic. The longer we spend getting our own house in order - the longer it takes the rest of the world to get fully up and running with large scale programs. The tail risk of a country like Brazil, or Indonesia, or Thailand or a bunch of others affecting the global economy at scale because of supply chain issues is my biggest worry right now.

I’ll let you turn out the lights when this is done. I’m afraid we’ve got a ways to go before this thing is done though. Thankfully at least the sickness part of this pandemic is almost totally optional at this point. I’m still worried about the economic effects as variants hit largely unvaccinated countries that all affect our supply chains.