COVID-19 Stimulus Check

Posted on by Thor

Kyle Rittenhouse traveled from his home state to Kenosha Wisconsin where he shot 3 people and murdered two. He felt threatened by hands, a skateboard and someones feet. Had he not been walking around with a weapon he was to young to own, 36-year-old Joseph Rosenbaum, of Kenosha, and 26-year-old Anthony Huber, of Silver Lake, Wisconsin would not have died that night. Gaige Grosskreutz, 27, a protester from West Allis, had his arm vaporized. The jury accepted the defenses claims of self defense and he was acquitted on all charges.

The Washington Post reported that  the shooter used his COVID-19 stimulus check to purchase the AR-15 he used in the fatal Kenosha shooting. “The Post found that the shooter, who was too young to buy a rifle, had arranged for an adult friend to buy the weapon for him using money he had received from a government stimulus program.”

That friend, 19-year-old Dominick Black of Burlington, Wisconsin, purchased the weapon for him at an Ace Hardware store in Ladysmith, Wisconsin on May 1, 2020, according to a criminal complaint charging Black with two felony counts of intentionally giving a dangerous weapon to someone under 18, resulting in death. The gun was then stored at Black’s stepfather’s house in Kenosha, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported.

The shooter said, “I got my $1,200 from the coronavirus Illinois unemployment because I was on furlough from YMCA,” he said. “And I got my first unemployment check so I was like, ‘Oh, I’ll use this to buy it.’”He told the Post he lived with his mother, a circumstance that would typically mean she claims him as a dependent on her taxes. That would make him ineligible for the $1,200 stimulus payment.

He was referencing several weeks of unemployment compensation approved through the CARES Act, said Washington Post Investigations Editor Jeff Leen. He said the shooter’s mother later told the paper that money for the gun came from “special unemployment” related to the pandemic. It’s more likely the shooter was referring to unemployment than the stimulus program itself, based on his life circumstances and description from him and his mother. That is indeed a “COVID-19 stimulus,” but not the one people would think of based on this post’s description.

Regardless you have to wonder how many more guns were purchased with COVID related government funds. As of November 21, the year 2021 has already become one of the deadliest on record for mass shootings. According to the Gun Violence Archive (GVA), there have been 637 mass shootings in 2021, and more than 39,883 individuals have died via guns by their own hand or at the hand of another.

There has been a rush to buy guns since the pandemic began. According to the FBI, a record-setting 3.7 million firearm background checks were completed in March 2020, the month COVID-19 shutdowns began in the United States. This record was shattered only a few months later as protests for racial justice following the police murder of George Floyd rocked the nation, leading to 3.9 million firearm background checks.

Now that vigilante justice is the accepted norm in America, you can expect the number of senseless deaths to continue to rise.

Demo for Student

Posted on by Thor

I am teaching a virtual sketchbook class or Elite Animation Academy. This demo was used to show my student how to block in a sketch and start the painting. The idea was to use any items that just happened to be on the table.

I used an unfinished sculpture I started of a baby sea otter, some India ink, a magnifying loop, a pencil sharpener and an Apple iPad plug for a defective and broken chord.i the background is a Wacom tablet and several books. The tablet has overheated to the point where the screen is popping off and computer components are shoving out of a fissure in the bottom of the case. Maybe the battery is expanding and about to explode. The machine has outlived it’s usefulness though I am still limping by with it today. I vote two thumbs down for the Wacon Cintique.

I invested in a new iPad and laptop so that I am no longer panicking about he battery dying before I finish each painting. This past week I had to take brakes every time the computer shut off due to the battery dying. I am not a person who willingly takes breaks hen a painting is not yet finished. Hopefully the pace ill pick back up again next week when I the new machines up and running.

Much of my lesson plan included avoiding using horizontal lines and vertical lines. Background elements are all off kilter and at angles in my sketch. It seems impossible for most beginning students to resist the horizontal and vertical grid. I stress the point, demonstrate it and then hope that the principle is applied in action.

Anosmia

Posted on by Thor

Anosmia is a medical term for the loss of smell. Over a million Americans have lost their sense of smell due to COVID-19. Up to 1.6 million Americans have experienced a loss of smell for more than six months with little chance of recovery. Loss of smell may be even be more common among mild cases of COVID-19. Often, this loss of smell is accompanied by a loss of taste, the two senses being closely dependent on each other.

Studies have estimated that anywhere from 30% to 80% of COVID-19 sufferers can develop some level of anosmia. Upwards of 90% regain their sense of smell again in as little as two weeks. With so many people in the U.S. infected by the virus, even a relatively rare complication like long-term anosmia can still affect plenty of people.

The study, published Thursday in JAMA Otolaryngology – Head & Neck Surgery, seems to be one of the first to try gauging the toll of chronic COVID-related anosmia in the U.S. The authors were compelled to study the issue after seeing many of these patients in their clinics. Somewhere between 700,000 to 1.6 million Americans (as of August 2021) have experienced a loss or change in their sense of smell lasting more than six months as a result of COVID-19 so far, they found.

There are treatments that are thought to improve a person’s chances of recovering from anosmia, such as smell training, and there are clinical trials ongoing now that are testing out experimental treatments. But for those unlucky enough to still have trouble smelling things months down the road, the odds of recovery are slim.

Team COVID-19

Posted on by Thor

Members of team COVID-19 do all in their power to deny, deflect and downplay the pandemic.They are doing everything in their power to kill anyone who listens to them.

Florida Governor Ron DeathSantis has been doing all he can to stop school boards from requiring mask mandates for children and he is also fighting against vaccine mandates for workers. He hired a new surgeon general, Joseph Ladapo who appeared in a Demon Sperm’ Doctor’s COVID Conspiracy Video. Ladapo has also promoted the anti-parasite medication ivermectin as a treatment for COVID-19 symptoms. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has advised against using ivermectin as a COVID-19 treatment.

An unvaccinated Aaron Rogers lied to the press saying he was “immunized.” Rather than accepting medical advice from doctors he gets his advice from Joe Rogen, a podcaser who was also infected by COVID and treated himself with ivermectin. Rodgers justified being unvaccinated by speaking out against the highly effective vaccines and spewing a stream of misinformation and junk science. His misinformation will result in the deaths of football fans who believe his every word.

Paul Gosar who claims he was once a dentist has no idea how to wear a mask. As insurrectionists stormed the capitol building Gosar was droning on at the podium in the chamber with his mask sagging below his ample nose. Gosar wrote off our national catastrophe as something bordering on fake news, suggesting our interest in the pandemic will disappear after the election. As over 100 people continue to die each day from this virus, he is making anime style animation in which he violently kills a member of congress. I haven’t seen it and I don’t need to see it.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott is fighting OSHA’s vaccine and testing mandates in his state. Like DeathSantis he wrote an executing order banning mask mandates in schools. A judge rules that the governor’s order impedes children with disabilities from the benefits of public schools’ programs, services and activities, in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Ted Cruz attacked Sesame Street’s Big Bird who expressed fears of getting vaccinated but bravely got vaccinated anyway. This is a fine example of the stupidity of political posturing in the COVID pandemic era.

Governor Kristi Noem of South Dakota is known as the COVID Queen. She claimed that Covid was a Democratic plot to take over the country, masks were optional, and her state would always be open for business. She urged everyone to ride to her state for the Stugis motorcycle really twice during the pandemic. The first rally was proven to be a super spreader event that seeded the virus all over the country so the next year she decided to do it again.

President Jair Bolsanaro of Brazil seemed to follow the same COVID playbook f our last president. He has been accused of crimes against humanity. A report was drafted that outlines hat happens when a leader shows an utter disregard for human rights during a pandemic. Covid-19 killed more than 600,000 Brazilians, but thousands of those deaths could have been avoided, evidence presented in the report indicates. President  Bolsonaro spread false information about Covid-19, opposed social distancing, refused to wear masks, and routinely shook hands with crowds of supporters. His ultimate goal, the report concluded, was rapid contagion.

New Year’s Eve 2022

Posted on by Thor

Thousands of people will gather in Times Square for the famed New Year’s Eve ball drop tradition, so long as they show proof of vaccination against COVID-19, officials said November 16,  2021.

Last year’s celebration featured wacky waving inflatables tube men instead of the usual crowds. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said “We want to welcome those hundreds of thousands of folks — but everyone needs to be vaccinated,” the mayor cautioned. “All you need to do is have proof of vaccination and a valid photo ID and you are in.”

December 31, 2021 is Bill Blasio’s last day in office so if there is any fall out for hosting this superspreader, if will fall on the next mayor, Eric Adams. New York is one of the 21 states that have seen  steady increase in cases over the last week.

New York State Governor Kathy Hochel tweeted, “COVID numbers are on the rise in regions across the state, including Western New York & the Finger Lakes. We know what needs to be done: more shots in arms, boosters for everyone at risk, and common-sense social distancing & masking measures. Let’s move forward, not back.”

Austria Anti-Vax Lockdown

Posted on by Thor

Europe has become the epicenter of the COVID-19 outbreak. Austria has ordered a lockdown for any residents who have not received the COVID-19 vaccine. The lockdown affects about 2 million people in the Alpine country of 8.9 million, the APA news agency reported. It doesn’t apply to children under 12 because they cannot yet officially get vaccinated.

The lockdown will initially last for 10 days and police will go on patrol to check people outside to make sure they are vaccinated, Chancellor Alexander Schallenberg said, adding that additional forces will be assigned to the patrols.

Unvaccinated people can be fined up to 1,450 euros ($1,660) if they violate the lockdown.

“It’s our job as the government of Austria to protect the people,” Schallenberg told reporters in Vienna on Sunday. “Therefore we decided that starting Monday (November 21, 2021) … there will be a lockdown for the unvaccinated.”

Austria has one of the lowest vaccination rates in Western Europe: shamefully, only around 65% of the total population is fully vaccinated. The United States only has 58% of the population vaccinated. In recent weeks, Austria has faced a worrying rise in infections. Authorities reported 11,552 new cases on Sunday; a week ago there were 8,554 new daily infections. The United States had over 23,000 new cases on the same day and the cases are rising here as well.

There was a last-minute rush at vaccination centers in Upper Austria on the eve of the new restrictions.

But critics have questioned whether the move is constitutional. The far-right Freedom Party has said it will create a group of second-class citizens.

Pre-Pandemic Paint Out Party

Posted on by Thor

The 13th Annual Winter Park Paint Out and 60th Anniversary Celebration presented by Albin Polasek Museum & Sculpture Gardens, Winter Park FL ran from October 10 to 16, 2021. The museum, sculpture gardens, and gallery were free to the public during the week-long event. Twenty-five professionally-acclaimed plein air artists painted at the Polasek Museum and locations nearby with art lovers invited watch the artists at work, view their recently completed paintings in the gallery, and attend free painting demonstrations. Artwork created during the Winter Park Paint Out was available for purchase with half of the proceeds going to support the preservation, maintenance, and operation of the museum and gardens.

The week long event usually ends with an outdoor tent event. This years event had a flapper theme. This sketch done in 2019 shows City Commissioner Patty Sheehan just before she went home for the night. I deeply respect Patty who is  true patron of the arts and an artist herself who works diligently to make Orlando a better place o live every day.

I didn’t attend any of the Paint Out events this year because, well, there is a pandemic.

Anti-Vax Detox

Posted on by Thor

Forbes reported that anti-vaxers are recommending bathing in Borax after a vaccination to “detox the vax.” The suggested bath included baking soda and Epsom salts to remove the “radiation,” Bentonite clay to pull out the “poison,” and, yes, one cup of borax to “take nanotechnologies out of you.” Please note that this is pure insanity.

Bathing does NOT “undo” the effects of the Covid-19 vaccine. Getting vaccinated does not require a detox follow up. A bath is not going to clear away the fictional harms imagined by the misinformation guru.

The vaccine is injected into the Deltoid muscle. It is therefor inside the body not on the skin. The helps your cells to produce spike proteins. The presence of the spike proteins then shows your immune system what to build defenses against. No amount of bathing will remove the spike proteins from inside your body. These spike proteins naturally degrade and leave your body soon after they’ve done their thing.

With businesses, schools, and other locations requiring Covid-19 vaccinations some anti vaxers are getting the jab to keep their jobs. Just look at the newscasters at  FOX News as an example. Now there is no harm in bathing in baking soda, Epsom salts, or bentonite clay. Borax however is a different story. It consists of a combo of boron, sodium, and oxygen typically serves as a household cleaner or a laundry detergent booster. Borax can irritate your skin and be harmful if inhaled, leading to nose, throat, or lung damage, or, if swallowed, lead to nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. Too much exposure to borax can result in damage to your reproductive organs, shock, or liver failure. This is why the FDA doesn’t allow borax in any food products in the U.S. DO NOT bath in BORAX.

Other misinformation has  have suggested things like cupping, making small incisions in your skin, and injecting yourself with other poisons. Bleach like Borax is intended as a cleaning agent. Ignore these medieval witch doctors.

Vendetta

Posted on by Thor

Kyle Rittenhouse who killed three protestors in Kenosha, Wisconsin with a borrowed AK 47 assault rifle cried in court.The judge then coddled the crying NRA poster child, offering a break.

White supremacists are encouraged to take justice into their own hands in this county. The judge in Rittenhouse’s trial insisted that those who were gunned down could not be called victims by prosecutors.  They could however be called arsonists, and rioters by the defense.

The case will test the distinction between self-defense and vigilante killings.

The Western United states is seeing a spike in COVID-19 cases as the south’s numbers drop. States such as Colorado, Arizona and New Mexico have seen a massive jump in cases per 100,000 people. California, Utah and Nevada are seeing a slight increase in case numbers, too.

The West is in a battle with COVID-19 just ahead of the winter months. Colorado has been fighting its worst coronavirus wave in a year, leading to overwhelmed hospitals that are turning away patients, according to The New York Times.

Viking Breakthrough

Posted on by Thor

Vikings lineman Dakota Dozier was hospitalized November 9, 2021 due to a breakthrough infection of COVID-19. Five players have been isolated on the team’s COVID list. Coach Mike Zimmer said 29 people were identified as close contacts and are being retested daily.

Dozier is the second of at least three positive cases among players on the Vikings team since last week. Linebacker Ryan Connelly and tackle Timon Parris, were isolated on November 8, 2021, joining safety Harrison Smith, center Garrett Bradbury and Dozier on the COVID list.

When a reporter asked if Dozier’s hospitalization was due to receiving a vaccine or to the virus itself, coach Zimmer confirmed the player had a COVID-19 infection and was experiencing difficulty breathing at the time he was admitted to the ER. “I’m not a doctor, but it was, like, COVID pneumonia or something. He had a hard time breathing,” Zimmer said.

According to the NFL, vaccinated players are tested for the virus once every week but have the option of being tested more often, while unvaccinated players are expected to get a COVID-19 test every day. Individuals who are identified as close contacts with someone who tested positive for the virus are also expected to be tested every day “as appropriate,” according to the league’s guidelines.