No coronavirus outside

[Bart]

2 hours ago, AustinBike said:

OK, before everyone starts getting all worked up about the latest guidance from City of Austin regarding a face covering, here is some clarification relative to outside activities.

In the written order, they specifically say that face coverings should be worn if you are in public and you CANNOT maintain a 6 foot separation with others. It does not say that you need to wear one when biking, running or exercising outside.

Mayor Adler also posted a video address last night on Facebook. At roughly the 10 minute mark he clarifies it further stating that you do NOT need to wear a face covering when you are exercising IF you are able to maintain your distance.

I know in my neighborhood there are a lot of people going off the deep end demanding masks everywhere at all times. Clearly, it is not a bad thing to go above and beyond and wear a mask if it makes you feel more comfortable, but in terms of mandating masks on people who are running or biking, the city is taking a stance that this is not required at this point. 

Be safe.

I'm glad that's clarified as I had a lady yell at me as I was climbing Far West yesterday on my bike to, "you need to wear a mask"... 

[AustinBike]

8 minutes ago, Bart said:

I'm glad that's clarified as I had a lady yell at me as I was climbing Far West yesterday on my bike to, "you need to wear a mask"... 

They are going to continue to do that. At least now you can say "the city is not requiring it" and move on.

 

[crazyt]

19 hours ago, RedRider3141 said:

On a scale of 1-10 how thick does my tin foil hat need to be to watch this?

 

On a side note: My favorite conspiracy theory is that there are several made up conspiracy theories to make the real ones look loony. 

there is one that requires no tinfoil which is that the wuhan lab was researching bat coronavirus because of the possibility of crossover to humans. They had job ads for researchers etc. One reasonably well known researcher probably caught the virus and died, but spread it to others. That person has been scrubbed from the site.  This is vs. accidental spread via the wet market.

[mack_turtle]

19 hours ago, RedRider3141 said:

On a scale of 1-10 how thick does my tin foil hat need to be to watch this?

 

On a side note: My favorite conspiracy theory is that there are several made up conspiracy theories to make the real ones look loony. 

Epoch Times is a conspiracy theory clearing house. They probably get things right sometimes, but I don't want to give any of my time and advertising clicks when there are much better sources. might as well start reading Infowars. there are more reliable sources that have a better track record for not spreading pseudoscience and conspiracy theories.

[AustinBike]

Here's the long and short of the situation. HOW it happened is really not as import as THAT it happened. And it will happen again and again. We need to spend more time focused on how we respond and less time focused on the actual start. My simple analogy is if your house is burns down, when the firemen get there you don't want them asking a lot of questions about how this started. That is why Bernie dropped so quick in the polls - his answer to what do we do now was "universal healthcare" and that was basically a non-answer for people because it did not solve the problem at hand.

The real how question is "how were we so woefully unprepared?" 

Remember a few weeks ago when Trump wanted to call it "the China virus"? That was all about pinning blame on someone else instead of acknowledging the real situation. I think that was about 300,000 or so US infections ago, I seem to lose count.

 

[RidingAgain]

1 hour ago, mack_turtle said:

Epoch Times is a conspiracy theory clearing house. They probably get things right sometimes, but I don't want to give any of my time and advertising clicks when there are much better sources. might as well start reading Infowars. there are more reliable sources that have a better track record for not spreading pseudoscience and conspiracy theories.

Please name these "...much better sources..."?

It's easy to just throw out thoughts like "...there are more reliable sources that have a better track record for not spreading pseudoscience and conspiracy theories...", but doing so without providing the actual names of these "...more reliable sources..." is just useless talk.

I'm not someone who relies on any one source... I try to read as much as I can in order to gain a balance on what's being said out there. And I'm not a reader/subscriber of Epoch Times... But this particular video came to my attention and I chose to take a look, and glad I did. And on discussing it's contents with an airline security expert I know very well, what they said about what was presented in this particular Epoch Times video was pretty supportive.

As scripture tells us... Sometimes the prophet needs to humble himself and listen to the speaking donkey.

Or not.

Eat the hay and leave the sticks is not a hard thing to do... Especially given all the time we have on our hands these days.

Edited April 14, 2020 by RidingAgain

[RidingAgain]

9 minutes ago, AustinBike said:

My simple analogy is if your house is burns down, when the firemen get there you don't want them asking a lot of questions about how this started.

 

Actually... That's one of the foundational actions of  firemen in dealing with a fire... Both during and after a fire incident.

And it's the same when dealing with something like a virus... Which is why it was crucial to find out the genome sequence of this virus.

Solving "...the problem at hand..." includes both present and future needs being effectively dealt with.

Edited April 14, 2020 by RidingAgain

[mack_turtle]

21 minutes ago, RidingAgain said:

Please name these "...much better sources..."?

The Onion is more likely to get to truth than Epoch. Go to any other source with a history of some journalistic standards and you'll get less nuanced stories. Go look up some media analysis of Epoch—it's a slightly watered down version of Infowars. Paranoid conspiracy theory nonsense. The source matters. Giving clicks and money to conspiracy theorists increases their power. It's never a good time to give credence to such hucksters, but now is an especially bad time.

The first thing I learned in college while pursuing a degree in journalism is that there is no such thing as an objective journalist. But some journalists try while others gladly spread propaganda because you can make more money while doing less work by validating your audience' confirmation bias rather than the hard work of telling them the truth.

Edited April 14, 2020 by mack_turtle

[RidingAgain]

4 minutes ago, mack_turtle said:

The Onion is more likely to get to truth than Epoch. Go to any other source with a history of some journalistic standards and you'll get less nuanced stories. Go look up some media analysis of Epoch—it's a slightly watered down version of Infowars. Paranoid conspiracy theory nonsense.

So... Basically you can't actually provide any useful "...much better sources..." at this time.

Okay then.

And FYI... After looking at the video presentation, I then went and took a look at various things they presented... On other source sites. Can't say I found anything that pointed to what I saw presented as be "...conspiracy theory nonsense...".

But maybe you can be specific as to what you saw in the video as being "...conspiracy theory nonsense...".

Edited April 14, 2020 by RidingAgain

[mack_turtle]

• The Washington Post
• Fox News
• CNN
• Al Jazera
• BBC
• NPR
• PBS
• The Wall Street Journal
• The Austin American-Statesmen
• Reuters
• The Associated Press

How's that for a start? None of those are perfect, but those are obvious media outlets that don't regularly deal in conspiracy theories.

Edited April 14, 2020 by mack_turtle

[ATXZJ]

2 minutes ago, mack_turtle said:

The Onion is more likely to get to truth than Epoch. Go to any other source with a history of some journalistic standards and you'll get less nuanced stories. Go look up some media analysis of Epoch—it's a slightly watered down version of Infowars. Paranoid conspiracy theory nonsense.

Epoch's YouTube commercial claiming their office in China was broken into was hilarious. 

They are 12mos away from selling silver boner pills.

[RidingAgain]

"...

The Washington Post

Fox News

CNN

The Wall Street Journal

The Austin American-Statesmen

Reuters

The Associated Press

CNN

how's that for a start?"

LOL...

Sure man.

So all the above news sources say that the virus didn't start in China?

Edited April 14, 2020 by RidingAgain

[mack_turtle]

Just now, RidingAgain said:

LOL...

Sure man.

So all the above news sources say that the virus didn't start in China?

You know that is not what I am saying. The point is, the source you shared is not trustworthy because it regularly peddles pseudoscience and conspiracy theories. I am encouraging you to seek out trustworthy sources. Now you have turned my critique of a media source into a personal attack. True to form, the thread is going to go on for days while you nail yourself to a cross over protecting something nonsensical because you lack the humility to admit your might be wrong.
Self-martyring response in 3... 2... 1...

[RidingAgain]

The thought being presented in the video is that the Chinese government was developing biological weapons... And that something went wrong security-wise... And in dealing with the problem, the Chinese government tried to cover it up... And that this has caused dire circumstances for the rest of the world. 

At least, that's how I understood the presentation.

 

Edited April 14, 2020 by RidingAgain

[RidingAgain]

1 minute ago, mack_turtle said:

You know that is not what I am saying. The point is, the source you shared is not trustworthy because it regularly peddles pseudoscience and conspiracy theories. I am encouraging you to seek out trustworthy sources. Now you have turned my critique of a media source into a personal attack. True to form, the thread is going to go on for days while you nail yourself to a cross over protecting something nonsensical because you lack the humility to admit your might be wrong.
Self-martyring response in 3... 2... 1...

Yeh... No.

I don't do your shrieking like a teen girl bully crap, mack_turtle.

That's all.

[rockshins]

16 hours ago, AntonioGG said:

You only need to get one bad case of the flu before you stop putting off doing a flu vaccine.  I used to be very casual about getting the vaccine until I got the flu bad one time.

Sister-in-law is a nurse, I am forced to get one every year, but I get it now.

Edited April 14, 2020 by rockshins

[JMR]

40 minutes ago, RidingAgain said:

So... Basically you can't actually provide any useful "...much better sources..." at this time.

Okay then.

And FYI... After looking at the video presentation, I then went and took a look at various things they presented... On other source sites. Can't say I found anything that pointed to what I saw presented as be "...conspiracy theory nonsense...".

But maybe you can be specific as to what you saw in the video as being "...conspiracy theory nonsense...".

Out of curiosity, what sources do you consider "much better"? Which ones might tell a different story?

[RidingAgain]

14 minutes ago, JMR said:

Out of curiosity, what sources do you consider "much better"? Which ones might tell a different story?

As I said in an above comment...

I'm not someone who relies on any one source... I try to read as much as I can in order to gain a balance on what's being said out there. And I'm not a reader/subscriber of Epoch Times... But this particular video came to my attention and I chose to take a look, and am glad I did. And discussing its contents with an airline security expert I know very well, what they said about what was presented in this particular Epoch Times video was pretty supportive of what was being said in it.

Hey... Like Ross Perot... I'm all ears regarding someone actually looking at the video and speaking to what it presented... Negatively or positively.

It's just the superficial girly shrieking that I'm not into.

Edited April 14, 2020 by RidingAgain

[ATXZJ]

28 minutes ago, RidingAgain said:

As I said in an above comment...

I'm not someone who relies on any one source... I try to read as much as I can in order to gain a balance on what's being said out there. And I'm not a reader/subscriber of Epoch Times... But this particular video came to my attention and I chose to take a look, and am glad I did. And discussing its contents with an airline security expert I know very well, what they said about what was presented in this particular Epoch Times video was pretty supportive of what was being said in it.

Hey... Like Ross Perot... I'm all ears regarding someone actually looking at the video and speaking to what it presented... Negatively or positively.

It's just the superficial girly shrieking that I'm not into.

so you won't commit to anything. no surprise there

[mack_turtle]

sorry to jump down your throat about this, but it hit a nerve with me. as someone who used to work in newspapers and knows how hard it is make money AND tell the truth, it chaps my ass to no end to see shysters like Infowars and Epoch gain a foothold in the media landscape by selling gullible people their own fears and biases back to them in the form of "news." Liars tell the truth sometimes, but if the primary MO of their platform is to lie, they have forfeited any credibility in my mind. they don't deserve the clicks, even if it is to laugh at how absurd they are. they should be lumped in with Weekly World News and History Channel specials about UFOs, not promoted in serious discussions about world events that have fatal consequences to all of us.

Edited April 14, 2020 by mack_turtle

[RidingAgain]

41 minutes ago, ATXZJ said:

so you won't commit to anything. no surprise there

Where news media is concerned... Nope.

[ATXZJ]

2 minutes ago, RidingAgain said:

Where news media is concerned... Nope.

or anything you could be held accountable for

you showed your hand when you posted that link. What other sources you do look at for coronavirus information? entertain us

[RidingAgain]

29 minutes ago, mack_turtle said:

sorry to jump down your throat about this, but it hit a nerve with me. as someone who used to work in newspapers and knows how hard it is make money AND tell the truth, it chaps my ass to no end to see shysters like Infowars and Epoch gain a foothold in the media landscape by selling gullible people their own fears and biases back to them in the form of "news." Liars tell the truth sometimes, but if the primary MO of their platform is to lie, they have forfeited any credibility in my mind. they don't deserve the clicks, even if it is to laugh at how absurd they are. they should be lumped in with Weekly World News and History Channel specials about UFOs, not promoted in serious discussions about world events that have fatal consequences to all of us.

No problem, mack_turtle... I'm all for supporting proper news reporting/outlets.

I remember years ago seeing a quote from Joseph Pulitzer on the wall of a lawyer's office... It read...

"Put it before them briefly so they will read it, clearly so they will appreciate it, picturesquely so they will remember it, and above all, accurately so they will be guided by its light."

It was the first time I'd seen it, and I've never forgotten it.

Unfortunately... It seems most reporters and the news agencies they work for have. And as a result, what you accuse Epoch Times of doing is pretty much what most other news agencies are doing... Including, to one degree or another, most of those you listed.

The difference I think may be in that the more local the news source... The more accurate it has to be... As it is far easier to expose error.

And regarding money... Pulitzer said...

"Money is the great power today. Men sell their souls for it. Women sell their bodies for it. Others worship it. The money power has grown so great that the issue of all issues is whether the corporation shall rule this country or the country shall again rule the corporations."

Pulitzer was a wise man.

[RidingAgain]

2 minutes ago, ATXZJ said:

or anything you could be held accountable for

you showed your hand when you posted that link. What other sources you do look at for coronavirus information? entertain us

LOL...

Sure man... Whatever you say.

[ATXZJ]

Just now, RidingAgain said:

LOL...

Sure man... Whatever you say.

deflection time. right on schedule