The Message Forum is an ongoing dialogue among classmates. The goal is to encourage friendly interaction, including interaction among classmates who really didn't know each other. Experience on the site has revealed that certain topics tend to cause friction and hard feelings, especially politics and religion. 

Although politics and religion are not completely off-limits, classmates are asked to be positive in their posts and not to be too repetitive or allow a dialog to degenerate into an argument. 

Forums work when people participate - so don't be bashful! Click the "Post Response" button to add your entry to the forum.

Sandra Spieker (Ringo)

David,

The Covid vaccines are RNA delivery based ways to fight viruus.  The technology is ground breaking and could result in the development of vaccines to combat HIV and cancer.  Here is a great article from MIT which explains how these vaccines work.  MIT Article

As for the emergency use designation, I figure that if (over today's count -173 million) have received at least one dose, and those people who have recieved the vaccine have only experienced a scant few severe reactions,  that is it safe and effective.  These vaccines have been in development for many years, not just less than a year.  There are more numerous drugs that are approved by the FDA that have more side affects, and long term issues than this vaccine.  Yet those drugs are used frequently, advertised on television and pushed for anything from arthritis, to crohns disease and we make no stink about it at all.  This vaccine might just save us from ourselves if we would just cooperate with one another. The latest alzhiemer drug has the unfortunate side affect of brain bleeds, but it was approved none the less.  Even some of the board members on the FDA resigned because of the approval.  The vaccine, not so much.  

Our current panic driven mindset of 30% of the population to discredit science and acedemia is more worrisome to me than the approval of this vaccine. 

Wayne Gary

David

The FDA normally waits until the large study is completed after 2-3 years.  I am in a study that will last 27 months. This will give information on how long the protecton lasts.  We could not wait 2-3 years for standard apporvial but after 6 months of the large scale trial there was enough data  to show it is safe and effective. They are now working on final approvial. With final approvial they will know if and how often a booster is required.

David Cordell

Sandra,

With all due respect, you don't have all the answers and you seem unwilling to accept that anyone could possibly think differently than you do. You imply that 30% of the population are morons and you refuse to accept that they may have logical reasons for their hesitance.

There is a normal process for approving medicines. It was bypassed because of the emergency nature of the pandemic. It is fortunate for all of us that President Trump had the guts to push the envelope. 

But what are the long-term effects of the vaccine? We don't know. There have been cases recently of boys who have had heart issues after taking the vaccine. Why? 

A broader issue --

The word "science" comes from the Latin root meaning "to know". When I hear "follow the science", I always wonder what they really "know" versus what they don't know, and the latter includes what they haven't even  anticipated. What we "know" changes, as the contradictory pronouncements from Dr. Fauci evidence. 

Much of what they "knew" about the virus one year ago was wrong, including where it originated. In other words, they don't really know what they know.

Knowledge is good, but as Pope noted, a little knowledge is a dangerous thing. A little knowledge combined with hubris and arrogance makes for a poisonous mixture.

My wife and I took the vaccine we determined that the odds are in our favor. Is a healthy 25-year-old with O positive blood better off to take the vaccine than not to take it? I don't know.

David Cordell

Here's some fun for the ladies.

Jim Bedwell

David C,

Great post in response to Sandra. Reminds me of a GREAT Twain quote that is the best or most apt quote of his for our beloved ex Prez Barack Hussein Obama - I think there are other Twain quotes that are appropriate for that scoundrel, a proponent of CRT - duh, where did he go to "church" for 20+ years?

"All you need in this life is ignorance and confidence; then success is sure."

Jim Bedwell

Somebody privately reminded me that yesterday was NOT Father's Day. No wonder I didn't get any phone calls!!!! But see that's happened before..............................oh well, this life's journey was never promised to be bump free as we know.

Jim Bedwell

Lady Lanajuju,

KRAUTHAMMER!!! LOVED that guy!!! Remember the old EF Hutton TV commercials where the crowded, noisy room went totally silent when some guy mentioned to another that his broker was with EF Hutton and he said that ........... that's the same thing that happened to me when I saw the late savant Charles on FNC and he was about to speak.

Plus what a GREAT name for a Jew, given the fact of the Holocaust. And like I am, an ex-left-winger was he. He's YET ANOTHER Jew that almost certainly had to have had a genius IQ - he stood out even among the other elites in school, even medical school, I understand. With his disability, I couldn't believe seeing his being able to drive around BY HIMSELF in his specially rigged SUV - apparently he drove fast - maybe he got some tickets? And he was a trained psychiatrist. Sometimes he'd be asked about the thinking of some Dem or Marxist, and he'd say, "What are you asking me for? Am I a psychiatrist?". Plus he had a classic quip about Algore, "If he witnessed Godzilla's ambling down the National Mall in D.C., he'd blame it on global warming".

Chief Jimi Bob Bedpost

Steve Keene

Chief Bedpost,

At the Jiu Jitsui match I asked my son where they were holding the Anti Semite Jitsui contests.

David,

Makenzie was in Plano today at the Courthouse.  She completely destroyed a young prosecutor and tore down the testimony of a Plano police officer in a DUI case.  In a meeting after her cross examination of the cop, her client hugged her and said that he had never felt so well represented.  The poor officer fell into every trap she laid for him, finally admitting that he did not go by the manual in the sobriety test and also did not correctly inform her client of his rights.  Before it was over he told the jury that 8 seconds for test one and 8 seconds for test two, which is the required time to perform the tests, could be performed in 10 seconds which is what his body cam showed.  The attorney who is her second, is cross examing the blood test expert tomorrow and then she gives the summation.  I will let you know how it turns out.  She has been first chair on cases in Ellis County at her previous firm, but this is her first trial at her new firm. I hear that Plano juries are tough on DUI's so you never know.

Jerry May

Thanks Janalu,

And to those who messaged me privately. It was a memorable one celebrated on Saturday evening at a 
at Tupinambas Mexican Restaurant ( known the owner; Eddie Dominguez for years) About 20 family and close friends attended. Though it wasn't a surprise birthday party, I received one big one Ellen had all set-up!

A "Marilyn" personality/impersonator showed up! She sang "Happy Birthday" in that sultry voice and did a good job! The only thing missing was the white dress, instead wearing all black. She sang a couple more and then interacted with me and members of the group. All in all, a memorable 70th experience!

Lowell Tuttle

i enjoy the Far Side facebook group and Sandra sharing her Farside cartoons by Gary Larson.   Sometimes they are perceived as being a little too sacreligious by facebookers and comments ring out initiating a bit of a social media circus on line.

That just occurred and it brought me to this question. 

Were there any jokes or funny stories in The Bible?    It seems to me they were absent in The Old Testament and that seems out of character.

Maybe it is because jokes are always making fun of someone.   Sort of humor is not politically correct, at least in a Biblical sense.

So, taking that further, perhaps the intent was for The Bible to be "woke?"  What da ya' think?

Wayne Gary

Lowell,

There are some funny things in the old testament.

Imagine sitting around the campfire and hearing the story of Adam and Eve. When you hear about them making clothes out of grape leaves which feel like rough sandpaper.  You would be laughing at how silly that would be and how long do you thing they wore the grape leaves. 

A lot of the stories do not seem funny to us because we do not live in that time and do not know the references.

Steve Keene

Happy belated birthday Jerry.

Lowell,

Don't you see any humor in Eve teaming up with the snake?  How about Ruben's daughter in law pretending to be a whore to preserve the tribe lineage of the Rubenites?  It was pretty funny that Samson kept trusting women to keep their mouth shut and they always turned on him.  Maybe you have not had the same experience with women doing that as I have.  I thought it was pretty funny that God visited every evil that Pharoah sought to do to the Isaelites out of his own mouth back on the Egyptian people.  If you cannot see the humor of Balaam's dumb ass telling him not to go the way to curse Israel, you are nuts.  Jonah taking solace in a plant that grew up and gave him a little shade, and God made that plant wither and die, too?  Maybe my sense of humor is a little macabre.  You did not think it was funny that Jonah got swallowed by a whale when he wasn't following God's instructions?  He changed his tune real fast.  I found humor in God's telling Amos the Prophet to marry a couble of whores, to illustrate to the Israelites how God perceived they had gotten off track.  Don't tell me that you did not think it was funny that God took a kid with a slingshot and struck down the mightest giant warrior of the enemy?

You are probably not going to think it is funny when God punishes the Woke generation and exalts those that believe His Word without question, either.

Kurt Fischer

Lowell:

I can think of two Old Testament stories that seem funny to me and perhaps show a sense of humor on God's part.

The first deals with Moses and his wife Zipporah.  Zipporah is described as a Cushite woman and many/most agree she came from Africa and had black skin.  The 12th chapter of Numbers describes what happens when Moses and Zipporah return to camp.  Moses' brother Aaron and his wife Miriam react to this by challenging whether God only speaks through Moses and insinuate that God could also be speaking through them. The actual language in Numbers 12:2 uses a feminine verb tense, so we get the feeling that Miriam is speaking about this.   Apparently Aaron and Miriam thought that Moses made a bad decision in marrying Zipporah and one gets the feeling it is because she is a Cushite and Black. 

God has a particularly interesting judgment here.  Moses is his prophet and He does not appreciate Aaron's and Miriam's telling Him what to do.  He strikes Miriam with leprosy and she turns all white.  It's like "So, you don't like Black?  How about if I turn you completely white?"  This is a temporary situation and after she stayed outside the camp for seven days, she returned to her normal skin color.

This seemed to me like a bit of humor.   Maybe just my interpretation....

The second deals with Balaam.  Balaam was a non-Israelite "prophet".  He was well known for being a form of a prophet, with events which he prophesized generally coming true.  When Israel began to move through Moab during the Exodus, the King of Moab decided to hire out Balaam to curse Israel.  (Numbers 22-24).  The King offered a large reward for Balaam to conduct the cursing.  On three separate occasions Balaam got ready to conduct the cursing, sacrificed animals,etc and each time the Lord "put a word in his mouth" and each time Balaam instead blessed Israel.  The King of Moab became more irritated and finally sent Balaam home.  

This also seemed like a bit of humor.  Balaam was ready to make some money, but each time God substituted words which blessed Israel and defeated the intent of the King of Moab.

Maybe these are not quite Punography grade humorous incidents, but they fit in my categorization of humor.

Bob Davidson

Lowell -- a God without humor?  No way.  Humor is one of the most wonderful divine gifts we were given and a way we connect with the devine.  I cannot imagine understanding God without humor.  (If you look, you will see that anti-Judeo-Christian political movements always hate humor -- communists, nazis, Jihadis, and our leftwing garbage elite all hate humor and try to destroy it and the people who propagate it.)

Jim -- I really admired Krauthammer.  Even when I disagreed with him, I always took his opinion seriously.  He was a man who made the most of a life marred by a terrible accident.

David -- Leftists seem to confuse science based opinions with science.  Science seems to me to be a process for understanding our world, always up for questioning -- scientific opinion is a statement of what someone thinks is an explanation.  Epistemology is a bit more complicated than dogmatists can imagine.  

Yesterday, I had "the Punography board" in my list of places where communism still exists but took it out because it seemed mean.  Now I'm sorry I did.

Lowell Tuttle

Those Bible jokes are funny, i guess, to a certain type of person.   I'll give you that.   Reminds me of this joke.

'

Steve Keene

Lowell,

That plumber's joke made me bend over, crack up!

Jim Bedwell

Bob D,

Yes, I didn't always agree with Krauthammer, not that often, but usually how could a reasonable person not see his logical brilliance? Along with Antonin Scalia, Rush Limbaugh, Walter Williams, and Vincent Bugliosi, real losses for our country when they died.

All,

Speaking of humor, the difference between comedy & tragedy is shown by the following example.

Comedy is that truck just ran over and broke both of your legs. Tragedy is this #$@$# hangnail I have!!

It all depends upon your perspective!!

Jim Bedwell

Placing

Really

Onerous

Government

Regulations

Everywhere

So

Success

Is

Very

Elusive

Let

It

Be

Evident;

Replace

American

Law

Bubba

Is

Lingeringly

Lascivious or Lecherous

Awfully

Non-likable

Democrats

Her

Immoral, illogical, illicit

Liberal

Lies

Are

Really

Yucky

Crooked

Lawyers

Into

Non-Constitutionalism

Toward

Our

Nation

Jabbering

Obtuse

Self-serving

Egregiously

Political

Hack

Bungling

Inconsequential

Demented

Enervated

Numbskull

Please notice how the first 2 are about placing & replacing - so POWER!!!! DUH!!!

Janalu Jeanes (Parchman)

Did you ever stop to realize that Fred Flintstone never wore pants?

He wore a kind-of-a short-ish sleepshirt with a tie.  Why did he wear a tie while maneuvering a backhoe?

Jim Bedwell

David C,

Exegetical - what the cancel culture does to a "getical". I was just in a seance and Carnac the Magnificent told me!!

Steve Keene

Janalu,

Maybe he had that tie to tie something he had out of the way so he could use the lift stick.  I wondered how tough the calluses on his feet were to drive that rock tired ,saber-toothed skinned,  jalopy without independent suspension.

Kurt Fischer

Here are a couple of questions about delayed reactions to the Covid vaccine.  I had the Pfizer version back in late March.

I've had two separate instances of severe swelling of my lips.  The first was about a week after the second shot.  The second was yesterday and today.  It's obviously an allergic reaction, but I never encountered this until I had the vaccine.  The one yesterday was (and is still) very odd.  First my lower lip began to swell on the left hand side.  About six hours later, my lower lip was okay, but my upper lip began to swell.  Hard to describe, but maybe the size of one of your fingers.  Last night the upper lip's swelling was reduced, but now my lower lip on the right hand side is swollen.  Kind of like it would be if someone hit me.  As one of my old workers mentioned, he knows someone I can contact if it's my wife doing it to me.

In addition, for the first time in decades, I've had severe cases of indigestion.  These used to be caused by eating late.  Not so the last time.  And I only ate a modest amount of spaghetti at dinner time.  It's not like spaghetti has ever caused this problem for me in the past.

I'm suspicious that the vaccine has side effects which are delayed in nature.  But I can't show direct causality. 

Has anyone else had similar delayed reactions?

Thanks.

Janalu Jeanes (Parchman)

Steve,

You're a nut, but nuts are good!

David Cordell

Kurt,

Were you reading the Old Testament when any of that stuff happened?

Kurt Fischer

David:

I was thinking of the book of Job with his "boils".   

This was a bit of an inconvenience, but I've not heard of anyone else having the problem.  I believe I read in one place that 1 in 10,000 had similar problems, but the only articles I can find now are tied to "dermal fillers".  Definitely not my issue.

I finally filed a report with the CDC to note the adverse effects, but don't think anything will come of it.

On the other hand, I was able to creep out my grandchildren yesterday....

Lance:

Good advice.  I'll try to address the wine issue tonight.