bb.king

I am a teacher and also immunocompromised. I got my first shot this week. It was neither being a teacher, nor having an autoimmune disease that qualified me to be vaccinated. My autoimmune condition puts me in the same risk group for death/hospitalization as those over 70. Haven't had any bad reactions other than some shoulder pain. With my second dose I'll have to be especially careful as adverse reactions are a lot more common for people with my condition. Even though I am at heightened risk of adverse reactions, I am 100% looking forward to a second shot.
 

Holy ****, how I miss football.

https://www.tsn.ca/cfl-announces-plans-for-shortened-season-starting-in-august-1.1627462
The Canadian Football League has announced a plan to cut its 2021 regular season from 18 to 14 games, while moving its start date back nearly two months from June 10 to Aug. 5.
The Grey Cup, originally scheduled for Nov. 21 in Hamilton, is now slated to be played on Dec. 12.
  While a target date to resume play is a welcome bit of clarity for the CFL’s various stakeholders, the league stopped short of committing to play without governments lifting restrictions on fans attending games.
It all points to a period in mid-June when the league will have to assess whether its new start date is attainable.
“Aug. 5 is based on a lot of conversations with public health authorities that we would have a lot more information and will see a real decline as this third wave passes through,” said commissioner Randy Ambrosie. “With more and more people getting vaccinated, there’s a lot of indication that early June will give us more information for a final decision to go.
“In early June we’ll be collecting all of our data and be in contact with public health officials.”
Ambrosie said he could not be specific about what percentage of stadiums would have to be open to fans for the league to play, given the different capacities.
“We will work with each team and their local health authorities to see what is possible in their market,” he said.
The CFL’s announcement follows a meeting of club presidents and governors on Tuesday, roughly three weeks before rookies were due to report for training camp.
While a delay to the start of the season has been obvious for at least the past couple of weeks due to the third wave of COVID-19 in Canada, the league has been under pressure to reveal as much of its plan as possible.
The CFL has received at least verbal approval of its return-to-play protocol from four of the six provinces in which it plays, with Ontario and Quebec as the exceptions. That isn’t expected to be an issue once the third wave subsides.
But the issue of fans in stands remains a potential hurdle. If restrictions on fans in stands are lifted in Western Canada sooner than in Eastern Canada, the league is prepared to relocate early-season games to the west.
“We may think about taking our teams on the road from the east to play in a place where they may have opened up fans in the stands,” Ambrosie said. “There is a commitment to play in 2021 and all the work that will happen to where we can make a comfortable final decision to go.”
Making a decision to go could mean such things as eliminating preseason games, rookie camps or shortening training camp.
“All of those issues are up for grabs,” said Ambrosie. “Everything is on the table.”
A new start to the season will also require an amended collective agreement with the Canadian Football League Players’ Association.
“I’m confident we can work together to put together a plan,” Ambrosie said.
As for what happens if the league cannot commit to its Aug. 5 start date by mid-June, Ambrosie said the league would continue to press on with alternate plans.
“We have backup plans and backup plans to our backup plans … we are committed to playing in 2021,” he said
 
 
Interesting stuff about moving East games out West, in order to get fans in the stands. I have absolutely no doubt that AB will be among the first to allow fans in attendance. Limited capacity, with masks, at outdoor venues sometime in June, I truly believe. Alberta will go Full Texas, and try to reopen fastest....for better or worse.

Not quite if this belongs here, but.....
 
                              

He is so far off on trying to compare America's issues with police brutality and racism with Canada it's annoying when people like him are trying to create something out of nothing.  
Yes don't come to Canada because we had residential schools and clearly the country hasn't changed in 50-100 years when that happened. Don't come to Canada because clearly this Country has not embraced a massive amount of different cultures and places like Winnipeg never celebrate these cultures with things like Folklorama.  
Police brutality in Canada is so bad that amazingly relations with the First Nations is at an all time high and the amount of Police related deaths is at an all time low,  but no this uneducated guy knows better because he's desperate for attention.  
I say we deport that guy to somewhere far away where he can experience what a truly bad country is like.  

Start at the 8:37 mark. Or cut to the chase at 10:13. 
Either way, I have found the best remedy is to starve him of oxygen if you don’t like him. Not literally, and not via the ban hammer. Just tune out his noise. Don’t worry about discrediting his sources or challenging his version of spin with contrary opinion or facts. Just act like he didn’t even post and carry on with the conversation. And when he whines about the “echo chamber” and “closed minds refusing to accept differing points of view” (Kellyanne Conway called them “alternative facts”, which by definition cannot exist) understand that he does it to get a rise out of people and to get them to follow him down the rabbit hole to get a sense of gratification out of it (he will deny this point I strongly suspect) because he is being heard. He may have some interesting tidbits to post, unfortunately for him so much of his past posting history (notably in the Climate Change thread) is so one-sided and debunked, that his reputation as an objective or credible poster here is shot. And that is of his own doing. So if you want to spend time debunking him further, have at it. It gets kind of fun to see how fast you can sow doubt into his sources. But there is little point in getting upset about it. That is his oxygen. And it seems to me that this approach of just ignoring him and pretending that he didn’t post anything worked before. Once his contrarian climate change posts were simply passed over, he got bored of being invalidated and “took a break from the echo chamber”. Now he’s back but his habits haven’t changed, so there is no reason to give him a new chance at legitimacy. Differing opinions are certainly allowed here, and we can agree to disagree, but if you can’t back up your position, use discredited sources, or just turn a debate into a personal insult like “you just don’t want to see the truth  because of a character flaw” (radical left, right wing racist, and Rider fan seem to be the go-to’s here at this point in time) when you get challenged, then your schtick will get tired quickly, whichever side you are on. In my opinion, the best way to remove these types is to pretend they did not post. 

Or write “TLDR”. (My personal calling card) 🤣

this pigeye is wrong about everything, but also smug and condescending.
What is the (allowable here), word for that?
need "permission to speak frankly sir"
the guy loves to ruin discussions with half right, mostly wrong piggy stuff.
he reminds me of the guys I used to go for am coffee with.
everyone got there early so when our  version of the  pigeye character showed up, no room for him. lol.
go sit in the corner pigeye.
 
 

The coronavirus is not influenza in any way, shape, or form. That's been covered in this sub-forum already a few times - in multiple threads. Coronavirus and influenza are two different types of viruses. The science was settled on that long ago.
For someone who claims to "follow the science," you get the science wrong all too often.

He did everything in his power to do it but he's just too incompetent. Some around here really revere this man-baby. 

Am I reading too much between the lines to suspect that he got banned from Facebook and Twitter, and had no where to go but back here once Amazon  cut off Parler and it went offline?

Trump first follower of his new party
 

Fun stuff, thought I would share.
 

There is almost no one left to act as trump's lawyer in his upcoming removal trial, so guess who is the synchophant that would take up this task?
 
 
 

Never forget. 

It's all they have. Make up nonsense and continue to repeat it. 

Such a waste of time trying to argue with these Trump supporters. They can’t be reasoned with, bargained with, ever convinced that they are completely wrong in their beliefs, and unwilling to accept logic and cold hard facts. Biden and the Democrats need to realize this and honestly stop trying to placate them with “unite the country” talk. I find it hard to see anything redeemable about the Republican Party, so burn it to the ground while you have the liberal numbers. Kill the electoral college, eliminate gerrymandering, stack the Supreme Court. Republicans manipulated the rules without apology to their benefit and never sweated the fallout because these are their followers and they know people’s attention spans are too short for there to be repercussions. Time to bury this hateful segment of America once and for all. 
 
Monday rant over. 

Heh, looks like someone got relegated to the kiddie table.
 
 

One year ago today! Champions!!!
https://www.cfl.ca/2019/11/24/gc107-recap-winnipeg-33-hamilton-12/

I've heard about a number of "Super Battery" technologies, but this one seems to top them all:
How Could Nano-Diamond Batteries Revolutionize Power Generation?
Researchers have claimed that nano-diamond batteries could last for 28,000 years. Such batteries would not only be beneficial to the world of electric cars and mobile phones, but their application would also be useful in aerospace and medical technology. This article discusses the development, commercialization, and application of novel nano-diamond batteries.
In 2016, at the annual lecture of the Cabot Institute, University of Bristol, researchers, for the first time, demonstrated a novel technology that could use nuclear waste to generate energy. They named their product “diamond batteries”. In 2020, a California-based startup company, NDB, has developed a highly efficient nano-diamond battery that could last up to 28,000 years without charging. This battery is also based on the utilization of nuclear waste. 
Diamond Batteries
Commonly available electricity-generation technologies utilize energy for moving a magnet via a coil of wire to produce a current. However, the diamond battery can generate current when placed close to a radioactive source. A team of researchers from the University of Bristol has developed a human-made diamond. This material can generate a low electrical power when put under the influence of a radioactive field. 
The researchers at the Cabot Institute have used Nickel-63 as a radioactive source for demonstrating a prototype 'diamond battery'. The radioactive source is encapsulated inside a diamond to produce a nuclear-powered battery. However, the team envisioned using radioactive carbon-14 to obtain a battery with greater efficiency. Tom Scott, Professor in Materials at the University of Bristol, explained the advantages of the technology. He said that this technology would involve the long-term production of clean energy from nuclear waste and not require any maintenance as there are no moving parts or emissions.
Development of Nano-Diamond Batteries by NDB
In 2020, NDB announced two proof-of-concept tests conducted at the Cavendish Laboratory at Cambridge University and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California. As stated above, the nano-diamond battery from the NDB used nuclear waste to generate power. The radioactive core is protected with multiple layers of synthetic diamonds or polycrystalline diamond.
The polycrystalline diamond is an exceptionally thermally conductive material. This material also can contain the radiation within the device. The use of a polycrystalline diamond makes the nano-diamond battery immensely tough and tamperproof.
Technologies behind the development of nano-diamond batteries that ensure radiation, thermal, and mechanical safety are discussed below:
Diamond Nuclear Voltaic (DNV) is a device that consists of a semiconductor. Individual units are connected to form a stack arrangement and fabricated to create a positive and negative contact surface analogous to a standard battery system. This design improves the system's overall efficiency, which includes the generation of a substantial amount of electricity and a multi-layer safety shield for the product.  All radioactive isotopes can produce high amounts of heat energy. A single crystalline diamond (SCD) in the DNV unit and the strategic placement of radioactive source between the DNV units prevents self-absorption of heat by the radioisotope.  NDB technology has utilized alpha, beta, and neutron radiations using boron-10 doping, helping to convert the extra neutron into the alpha ray. This design also enables the rapid conversion of radiation to usable electricity. The advanced flexible structural design enables it to take any shape based on its application. This feature makes NDB extremely market-friendly. The utilization of radioactive waste is a subject that many have not researched. NDB uses radioactive waste and reuses them by reprocessing and recycling. This technology ensures sustainability and gives rise to a clean energy source, and Achieving this has the added advantage of ensuring environmental safety. Researchers believe that this technology would reduce the costs and challenges of storing nuclear waste in the most useful form. NDB envisioned the coexistence of innovation and restoration of a healthy environment. Implementing their innovative technology would improve the standards of living and pave the way towards the development of eco-friendly, green, and sustainable energy.
Applications of Nano-Diamond Batteries
Automotive: This battery could bring about a revolution in the world of electric cars. Researchers believe that this technology will benefit the electric car industry due to its immense longevity and efficiency, unlike any other existing batteries. 
Medical Technology: These batteries could immensely contribute to medical devices, especially implantable devices, for example, pacemakers and hearing aids. The long battery life of nano-diamond batteries would be extremely beneficial for patients using such medical implants.
Aerospace: Recent advancements in space technology include electric aircraft development that has created the demand for batteries with longevity and safety. Space vehicles and satellites are currently supported by solar power, which is subjected to an unsettling space environment. NDB powers electric aircraft, drones, and space stations for a more extended period.
Electronics: The use of NDB for powering standard electronic devices such as laptops and smartphones negates the need to charge such devices continually. NDB claims the use of their product would benefit the consumers by providing them with power outlet independent devices and increasing personal quantum computing and the device’s computational power.
Defense: NDB can be used in surveillance systems and electronics.
The Future of Nano-Diamond Batteries
As our day to day life is heavily dependent on mobile battery-powered devices, there is a rapid increase in the demand for efficient and cost-effective batteries. Conventional batteries have several concerns that include global warming and waste accumulation. The nano-diamond batteries overcome these limitations of conventional batteries in terms of longevity and widespread applications. Dr. John Shawe-Taylor, University College of London, stated that this technology could be the solution to the world's energy crisis with 'close to zero environmental impact and energy transportation costs.'
The team at NDB announced that the first commercial prototype battery would be available later this year. They further expressed the high demand for their product by stating that many organizations, including aerospace companies and a leader in nuclear fuel cycle products, are lined up as customers.
https://www.azonano.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=5591

Yup- the "It's easier to be a parent this morning... it's easier to be a dad..." that got me right from the start.

Sorry if this is a repost...  I may have had some dust in my eyes while watching this.

Giuliani, is the gift that keeps on giving... I am going to miss his antics.
 
 

The memes are just incredible.