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Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Shut up, hissy kitty!

Their boy Ron is an empty plastic cup that will never know pudding.

Jesus watching the most hateful people claiming to be his followers

Disagreements are healthy; personal attacks are not.

This must be what justice looks like, not vengeful, just peaceful exuberance.

The “burn-it-down” people are good with that until they become part of the kindling.

All hail the time of the bunny!

Oppose, oppose, oppose. do not congratulate. this is not business as usual.

JFC, are there no editors left at that goddamn rag?

How any woman could possibly vote for this smug smarmy piece of misogynistic crap is beyond understanding.

They traffic in fear. it is their only currency. if we are fearful, they are winning.

It’s easy to sit in safety and prescribe what other people should be doing.

Their freedom requires your slavery.

Hey hey, RFK, how many kids did you kill today?

I might just take the rest of the day off and do even more nothing than usual.

SCOTUS: It’s not “bribery” unless it comes from the Bribery region of France. Otherwise, it’s merely “sparkling malfeasance”.

Celebrate the fucking wins.

“The defense has a certain level of trust in defendant that the government does not.”

If you still can’t see these things even now, maybe politics isn’t your forte and you should stop writing about it.

75% of people clapping liked the show!

But frankly mr. cole, I’ll be happier when you get back to telling us to go fuck ourselves.

One of our two political parties is a cult whose leader admires Vladimir Putin.

Relentless negativity is not a sign that you are more realistic.

Accountability, motherfuckers.

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You are here: Home / Healthcare / COVID-19 / Monday Evening Open Thread: Status Symbols

Monday Evening Open Thread: Status Symbols

by Anne Laurie|  April 19, 20216:19 pm| 232 Comments

This post is in: COVID-19, Open Threads

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Personal note: Spousal Unit and I just got our first vaxx doses, at a Walgreens a mere 40 minutes from home, after I’d stalked FindAShot.org for the past couple of weeks. Can highly recommend Walgreen’s COVID-19 platform (once you get past the annoying website registration) — it automatically booked our second shots for exactly three weeks after the first (same site, same time), sent out confirmation emails to print & bring along, and emailed a reminder this morning. The process at the pharmacy was quite smooth, too; even though we’d deliberately staggered our appointments, we were in and out within half an hour.

Came home and found this on one of my usual twitter reads…

“One of my cousins got Moderna [instead of Pfizer], and I was like, ‘That’s OK. We need a strong middle class. We can’t all be CEOs.’” https://t.co/kB3YgtWv9t

— csz (@cszabla) April 18, 2021

People love to rag on religion for creating divisive societies and it’s pretty obvious humans love to create new tribes out of anything

— hk (@hassankhan) April 18, 2021

IIRC, there *was* a check-off box somewhere in the online registration where one could express a preference for Pfizer or Moderna — along with a warning that being picky might mean waiting longer for a slot. Needless to say, we were willing to take what was available.

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Reader Interactions

232Comments

  1. 1.

    rikyrah

    April 19, 2021 at 6:21 pm

    A friend sent that article to me yesterday.
    ???

  2. 2.

    Baud

    April 19, 2021 at 6:22 pm

    Shot #2 this week. The horn is coming in nicely.

  3. 3.

    rikyrah

    April 19, 2021 at 6:22 pm

    As for the shot ??

    Yeaaaahhh ?

  4. 4.

    Suzanne

    April 19, 2021 at 6:28 pm

    I got Moderna. I’m wondering if I should also get Pfizer. There’s no shortage of doses these days.

  5. 5.

    cain

    April 19, 2021 at 6:33 pm

    I’m scheduled for whatever vaccine on Wednesday -can’t wait to take it and then I’m going on vacation to the Virgin Islands.

  6. 6.

    Comrade Colette

    April 19, 2021 at 6:34 pm

    @Suzanne:  What?!? No! Moderna is officially 94% effective compared to Pfizer’s nominal 95%. They’re the same, for all practical purposes, and it’s not like one protects you from different diseases than the other or something.

    Unless you were kidding. My snark detector has gone the way of my knee cartilage and ability to make small talk.

  7. 7.

    Nicole

    April 19, 2021 at 6:35 pm

    It was a pretty droll article.  And yeah, humans will look for ANYTHING as an opportunity to wield status.  But, as the article also says, the best vaccine for you is the one that goes in your arm.

    Congrats on getting your first shot, Anne Laurie!  Thursday at 12 noon I join the ranks of the fully vaccinated (2 weeks after the 2nd shot).  A good friend’s mother and sister are both in the hospital with Covid, both still quite ill.  Her mom is on the way back up, but will have to spend some time in rehab.  Her sister is still in the thick of it.   It’s awful.  I’m glad vaccine eligibility has been opened up to everyone today.

  8. 8.

    MisterForkbeard

    April 19, 2021 at 6:35 pm

    We’ve got Moderna shots. I’m confused about the ‘status vax’ thing, because the vaccine are virtually identical in terms of results.

    But I guess the article goes into why the idea exists, so… interesting, I guess?

  9. 9.

    Ivan X

    April 19, 2021 at 6:39 pm

    I was pretty impressed by CVS’ platform and in store execution as well. #2 next Tue!

  10. 10.

    piratedan

    April 19, 2021 at 6:40 pm

    is fortunate to be fully vaccinated, 2 week post vaccination protocol ends tomorrow… which means that I can get a haircut with a certain element of safety.

    like most, I really wasn’t concerned about the manufacturer, more focused on the likelihood that post vaccination that the pandemic would not be directly responsible for my demise (although there’s plenty of indirect vectors tyvm).

  11. 11.

    Kropacetic

    April 19, 2021 at 6:41 pm

    Recently completed vaccine training and administered my first dozen-ish doses yesterday and today. Lots of new faces from miles around. I’m glad to see that enthusiasm and people willing to travel a bit to get their doses.

  12. 12.

    Baud

    April 19, 2021 at 6:42 pm

     I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all vaccines are created equal.

  13. 13.

    randy khan

    April 19, 2021 at 6:42 pm

    That was an extremely weird article.  It’s not like they’re allocating the vaccines by wealth or status – you get what you get.

  14. 14.

    Kristine

    April 19, 2021 at 6:44 pm

    I admit that I sometimes feel like my J&J shot status is along the lines of “the last puppy in the shop.”  But it works and supposedly efficacy improves over the weeks and hell’s bells, I got my shot.

  15. 15.

    NotMax

    April 19, 2021 at 6:47 pm

    Needless to say, we were willing to take what was available.

    Ah, the secret Santa gambit.

    :)

  16. 16.

    Central Planning

    April 19, 2021 at 6:48 pm

    CVS did the same thing for my kids and didn’t require signing up for an account.

  17. 17.

    Ohio Mom

    April 19, 2021 at 6:49 pm

    I get a flu shot every year, I’m due for a tetanus booster next year, eventually I will go get the “new” shingles — I had the first not-all-that-effective version, I dunno, about ten years ago?

    It has never occurred to me to care who made any of these vaccines, or anything else about them. I trust that my doctor is recording the lot number, just in case.

    I went in for my Covid jab willing to take whatever I got, which turned out to be the Pfizer. The main upshot has been that I have learned how to spell Pfizer.

  18. 18.

    debbie

    April 19, 2021 at 6:49 pm

    Now that everyone’s talking about needing boosters, I wonder if we will have to stick to the brand of vaccination we initially received.

  19. 19.

    JaneE

    April 19, 2021 at 6:50 pm

    I had Moderna, the difference in efficacy is small, and may well be because of the slightly different criteria used to determine if you had Covid-19 or not.  Both will reduce my risk of hospitalization or death to the point where it is acceptable, and probably less than just driving back and forth on the highway or freeway, if the number of near misses I have seen lately is anything to go by.

    I fully expect to need a booster sometime in the few years, with any luck longer.  The @#$)*)(& virus is too wide spread to keep from accumulating mutations enough to eventually need a tweaked vaccine.  Thanks GOP.

  20. 20.

    Nicole

    April 19, 2021 at 6:50 pm

    @Kristine: I wanted the J&J, because yay, one and done and it was the only one of the 3 that they had trial data on efficacy against the new variants, but, as the saying goes, you get what you get and you don’t get upset and I’m glad to be on the post-shot side.  Six hours of driving, total, for both of them.  Happiest road trips I’ve taken in a long time.

  21. 21.

    Darrin Ziliak (formerly glocksman)

    April 19, 2021 at 6:51 pm

    The nice thing about Walgreens is that the information/consent form is a fill-in PDF, so you can walk in ready to go instead of sitting in the pharmacy with a clipboard filling out the form.

    I liked it because my handwriting is nearly illegible due to hand tremors.

  22. 22.

    Cheryl Rofer

    April 19, 2021 at 6:51 pm

    I am extremely pleased with my Moderna vaccination because Kizzmekia Corbett is one of the developers, and she was in an American Chemical Society student program that I support.

  23. 23.

    Chief Oshkosh

    April 19, 2021 at 6:52 pm

    @Kristine:

    As time goes on and morons be morans, various variants might maybe defeat some of the current vaccines. Today’s CEO vaccine could be tomorrow’s Ken Lay ouchy. Today’s last puppy in the shop could be tomorrow’s Rottweiler on Roids.

    Happiness to all who are fully vaccinated. This thing of beauty is a joy for at least today.

  24. 24.

    NotMax

    April 19, 2021 at 6:52 pm

    @Ohio Mom

    The main upshot has been that I have learned how to spell Pfizer.

    Pfinally!

    :)

  25. 25.

    trollhattan

    April 19, 2021 at 6:55 pm

    Had a slight preference for Pfizer because of the shorter interval between shots and seemingly fewer anecdotes of reaction frequency and levels. But would have taken either, gladly. J&J hadn’t been approved by the time I got mine.

  26. 26.

    Kristine

    April 19, 2021 at 6:59 pm

    @Nicole:

    Happiest road trip I’ve taken in a long time.

    It’s been almost 3 weeks since I learned I got the shot and not the placebo, and I still feel such a sense of relief.

  27. 27.

    JoyceH

    April 19, 2021 at 6:59 pm

    I wonder if Pfizer got the status because it was the first vaccine approved so it got a lot of coverage? The news organizations were so desperate for a good COVID news story, they covered the loading and departure of that first truck like it was the moon landing!

  28. 28.

    trollhattan

    April 19, 2021 at 7:00 pm

    Apple decides the kids were apologizing sincerely, this time.

    “Apple will let Parler, a social media app popular with conservatives, back onto the App Store after Parler made attempts to improve its speech detection and moderation,” Axios reports.

    “Parler is getting access to Apple’s massive App Store again after being suspended for inadequate hate speech policies following the January 6 Capitol riot.”

    Yeah, not so sure guys.

  29. 29.

    Stuart Frasier

    April 19, 2021 at 7:00 pm

    Moderna and Pfizer encode for the same protein, so it’s not as if there could be much functional difference.  Had Pfizer #2 Saturday.  Will refrain from making any tired 5G reception jokes.

  30. 30.

    Baud

    April 19, 2021 at 7:01 pm

    @JoyceH:

    It also has the nominally highest effectiveness, although that’s a bit misleading.

  31. 31.

    mrmoshpotato

    April 19, 2021 at 7:01 pm

    IIRC, there *was* a check-off box somewhere in the online registration where one could express a preference for Pfizer or Moderna

    No choice for me. I finally was able to make an appointment at a Chicago Walgreens, and the nurse who stabbed my shoulder! administered the shot just said I was getting the Moderna vaccine.* Second dose in a little over a week away.

    *And I’m fine with it, you vaccine snobs assclowns!

  32. 32.

    JML

    April 19, 2021 at 7:02 pm

    I ended up with Pfizer, but that’s just because that was what was available that I could schedule. (9 days to shot #2!) I would have happily gone with Moderna. I wanted whatever vaccine was available to me the soonest. J&J? sure! sign me up. I’m driving 90 minutes to get it done and would happily go double that.

    Just vaxx me, baby.

    That said, every time I hear one of my friends also got Pfizer, I’m calling them my Pfizer buddy.

  33. 33.

    NotMax

    April 19, 2021 at 7:02 pm

    88 decibel Nelson Muntz laugh called for. In unison.

    Someone Just Tricked the MyPillow Guy Into Thinking President Trump Called His Cell Phone

  34. 34.

    Falling Diphthong

    April 19, 2021 at 7:02 pm

    Summer camps have long played off this human tendency with color days. Distribute four colors of T-shirts, and people will discover that the red T-shirt wearers (coincidentally themselves) are the good people, superior at all things unless they are not in which case they are the scrappy underdogs everyone will root for. The yellow, blue, and green T-shirt-clad are obviously the real losers.

  35. 35.

    Nicole

    April 19, 2021 at 7:03 pm

    @Kristine:

    It’s been almost 3 weeks since I learned I got the shot and not the placebo, and I still feel such a sense of relief.

    So true.  I’m still wearing a mask when I go outdoors (although I agree with the data indicating that it probably isn’t necessary, as outdoors seems to be very low risk of transmission), but it’s amazing how much less stressful it is when there isn’t fear tied up in it.

  36. 36.

    Martin

    April 19, 2021 at 7:06 pm

    I didn’t care which vaccine I got, but when they gave me Pfizer I took that as affirmation of my inherent superiority as a human being. I now understand how fortunate you all are by my being here.

  37. 37.

    Kropacetic

    April 19, 2021 at 7:06 pm

    @Nicole: I’m just praying peopme in general decide to continue wearing masks in public. I was thrilled w the low incidence of flu this year. H

  38. 38.

    phdesmond

    April 19, 2021 at 7:07 pm

    right on point — a french video by Les Goguettes, where the mournful male,  who only received Astro-Zeneca, bemoans that his beloved received the higher-status  Pfizer.  you don’t even need to know much French to get the humor!

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z6u64wRbZGk

  39. 39.

    Brachiator

    April 19, 2021 at 7:07 pm

    I got the Moderna vaccine. I think the tail I grew is sleeker than those who got the other vaccines.

  40. 40.

    Martin

    April 19, 2021 at 7:07 pm

    @Nicole: People can’t see if you are vaccinated or not. Wearing a mask is an important social signal.

  41. 41.

    Baud

    April 19, 2021 at 7:09 pm

    @Martin:

    What you feel is schadenpfizer.

  42. 42.

    Nicole

    April 19, 2021 at 7:12 pm

    @Kropacetic: And the lack of colds, too!  I’m planning on making masks part of my winter wardrobe going forward.

    I also discovered just how much the sun is a trigger for my rosacea; my nose and cheeks looked better this winter than they have in YEARS.

  43. 43.

    JaneE

    April 19, 2021 at 7:12 pm

    @Ohio Mom: Definitely get the new shingles vaccine.  I only had the first one when it came out, and just had shingles, too.   Taking the anti-viral for that meant a delay in getting my Covid-19 vaccine too.  Grrrr.

  44. 44.

    Anonymous At Work

    April 19, 2021 at 7:19 pm

    I’d rather get the Dolly Parton vaccine than Pfizer.

  45. 45.

    zhena gogolia

    April 19, 2021 at 7:20 pm

    @NotMax:

    That is priceless.

  46. 46.

    SiubhanDuinne

    April 19, 2021 at 7:21 pm

    @Suzanne:

    I got Moderna. I’m wondering if I should also get Pfizer.

    Wait, you want a tail AND a 5G chip?

  47. 47.

    dmsilev

    April 19, 2021 at 7:21 pm

    @Brachiator: Yes, but the Pfizer microchip gets better 5G reception. It’s a tradeoff.

  48. 48.

    mrmoshpotato

    April 19, 2021 at 7:21 pm

    @NotMax: LMAO!

  49. 49.

    Roger Moore

    April 19, 2021 at 7:23 pm

    @Kristine: ​
     
    My employer prefers the J&J shot in some cases. In particular, they think it’s better for patients waiting to be fully vaccinated before they have an important procedure. Not having to wait for a booster is a big advantage.

  50. 50.

    Martin

    April 19, 2021 at 7:23 pm

    @Baud: Is Backpfizergesicht the word for a an unvaccinated unmasked face in need of punching?

  51. 51.

    mrmoshpotato

    April 19, 2021 at 7:24 pm

    @Martin:

    Is Backpfizergesicht the word for a an unvaccinated unmasked face in need of punching? 

    It can be that too!  The slapdicks!

  52. 52.

    WereBear

    April 19, 2021 at 7:24 pm

    Oh, get out. And who can tell? It’s not like a Gucci Ouchie.

  53. 53.

    MagdaInBlack

    April 19, 2021 at 7:25 pm

    I’ve always been oblivious to status symbols. I’m getting my 1st shot Thursday, and I believe it is Moderna.

  54. 54.

    Miss Bianca

    April 19, 2021 at 7:25 pm

    @Falling Diphthong: And the newly-martyred Dr Seuss pointed out the same phenomenon in a slightly different form, in that masterful study of commodity fetishism, aimed at the juvenile market:  The Sneetches.

  55. 55.

    NotMax

    April 19, 2021 at 7:27 pm

    FYI.

    Puerto Rico will receive more than $8 billion in Hurricane Maria recovery money withheld during former President Donald Trump’s tenure and have “onerous” restrictions removed over how it can access and spend a larger pool of disaster relief money, the White House said on Monday.

    The combined moves are the latest actions from President Joe Biden’s administration to broadly reset the federal government’s relationship with the territory, releasing billions of dollars of financial aid years after it had been approved by Congress.
    [snip]
    Of the roughly $67 billion in aid Congress assigned in response to the 2017 storm, about $17.8 billion, or less than a third of the amount, has been disbursed. Source

  56. 56.

    Martin

    April 19, 2021 at 7:28 pm

    @WereBear: It’s not about signaling our inherent superiority – it’s the quiet confidence as you mingle among the rabble that you are indeed the better person. You wouldn’t understand.

  57. 57.

    prostratedragon

    April 19, 2021 at 7:28 pm

    Give me that Moderna vax shot,
    Give me that Moderna vax shot,
    Give me that Moderna vax shot,
    It’s good enough for me.

    It was good for Dr. Fauci …

    (Actually I and my immediate family are team Pfizer, as befits descendents of Ashanti.)

  58. 58.

    Roger Moore

    April 19, 2021 at 7:29 pm

    @Nicole: ​

    @Chief Oshkosh: ​
     
    As I understand it, the spike protein expressed by the three approved vaccines is identical at the amino acid level, so there shouldn’t be any difference in their ability to confer immunity to variants. Of course that’s the theory, and the reality might be different, but there’s no reason to expect a difference.

  59. 59.

    Roger Moore

    April 19, 2021 at 7:33 pm

    @Stuart Frasier:

    Moderna and Pfizer encode for the same protein, so it’s not as if there could be much functional difference.

    The encode for the same protein, but there might be some minor differences in how your body expresses it that might result in one being more effective than the other.  Similarly, the J&J encodes for the same protein, too, but the immunogenicity of the adenovirus vector might result in a difference in efficacy, either by priming the immune system better or by distracting the immune system with another invader to worry about.

  60. 60.

    sab

    April 19, 2021 at 7:34 pm

    @Brachiator: I agree. Mine is very sleek. My cat is jealous. If only it were prehensile. I could be a tiny elephant, except it can’t spit water or blow bubbles.

  61. 61.

    Roger Moore

    April 19, 2021 at 7:37 pm

    @sab:

    It’s not the elephant’s tail that’s prehensile.

  62. 62.

    RSA

    April 19, 2021 at 7:38 pm

    My sense of superiority is only slightly dimmed by knowing that a hundred million other people have gotten the identical Pfizer shots to mine. Not to mention that Pfizer is a fall-back choice for vaccinating homeless people. Superiority is in the eye of the self-beholder, after all.

  63. 63.

    zhena gogolia

    April 19, 2021 at 7:38 pm

    God, this Chauvin judge is so bad.

  64. 64.

    MisterForkbeard

    April 19, 2021 at 7:38 pm

    @Martin:  I made myself some buttons that say “Who’s got two thumbs and been vaccinated against Covid”, and I wear this along with a double mask.

    This should be a reliable indicator of vaccination.

  65. 65.

    bbleh

    April 19, 2021 at 7:40 pm

    @cain: Good for you!  Please spend lots of money.

  66. 66.

    sab

    April 19, 2021 at 7:42 pm

    @Roger Moore: Of course. it’s nose. Nobody blows bubbles out their tail. But the vaccine tail allegedly grows out of the forehead. Pretend it’ s a tail

    Damn. Now you have me confusing vaccine tails with elephant noses.

    What is wrong with you!

  67. 67.

    Kropacetic

    April 19, 2021 at 7:45 pm

    @sab: A tail!? I was promised antlers. Perhaps it’s brand dependent…

  68. 68.

    different-church-lady

    April 19, 2021 at 7:45 pm

    “Sure, the Moderna, but was it the batch 378 from the Louisville facility Moderna, or one of the 600 series from Charlottesville that has the musky aftertaste? I hear the good prep shools are dinging the kids for some of the batches…”

    jesus I hate everyone.

  69. 69.

    Baud

    April 19, 2021 at 7:46 pm

    @different-church-lady:

    “Die, heretic!” #Emo

  70. 70.

    sab

    April 19, 2021 at 7:47 pm

    @Kropacetic: Probably yes. Also regional. We all have different Rna depending on where we live [not a scientist. COMPLETELY made that up.]

  71. 71.

    Steeplejack (phone)

    April 19, 2021 at 7:48 pm

    @Martin:

    You’re likable enough, Martin.

  72. 72.

    different-church-lady

    April 19, 2021 at 7:48 pm

    @Roger Moore:

    As I understand it…

    We should have a rule that unless you are an actual epidemiologist every comment about vaccines must begin with this phrase. Nice work.

  73. 73.

    Ksmiami

    April 19, 2021 at 7:49 pm

    I’m all done- got the second Moderna in Dallas on Saturday- drive thru line was huge but worth it. Just get vaccinated everybody!

  74. 74.

    Kropacetic

    April 19, 2021 at 7:51 pm

    @sab: [not a scientist. COMPLETELY made that up.]

    Oh, thanks, I was totally at risk of taking you seriously.

  75. 75.

    different-church-lady

    April 19, 2021 at 7:52 pm

    Don’t spread this around, but The Smart Set is getting all three vaccines.

  76. 76.

    Rand Careaga

    April 19, 2021 at 7:53 pm

    The spousette and I received the Pfizer pflavor in February/March, because that was what was on offer at the racetrack in Berkeley. We would cheerfully have accepted another product, but it’s pleasant to know that our “coastal elite” status has been, so to say, validated as well as vaccinated.

  77. 77.

    L85NJGT

    April 19, 2021 at 7:53 pm

    Emergent BioSolutions Inc. was told by U.S. regulators to stop making Johnson & Johnson’s Covid-19 vaccine at a facility where 15 million doses worth of a key ingredient had to be discarded, adding to roadblocks preventing wider use of the single-dose shot.

    J&J had to take over the plant last week, and now the FDA is there doing an inspection.

  78. 78.

    sab

    April 19, 2021 at 7:55 pm

    @Kropacetic: Just a heads up to people. We do have strays from Fox twitter.

  79. 79.

    sab

    April 19, 2021 at 7:57 pm

    @Kropacetic: You want antlers? Will they fit i  your car, in your dootways?

  80. 80.

    Kropacetic

    April 19, 2021 at 7:57 pm

    @sab: We do have strays from Fox twitter.

    Then I welcome all our new patrons. I’m sorry Fox doesn’t take your insurance anymore. The re-education center is to the left.

  81. 81.

    Roger Moore

    April 19, 2021 at 7:58 pm

    @different-church-lady: ​
     
    I am at least a scientist, and I’ve spent my entire career working around immunologists, so I actually have a fair understanding of a lot of this stuff. But I will readily admit that working with immunologists doesn’t make me one, and I haven’t been following all the details as carefully as I might. If anything, knowing a lot of the science means you know all the caveats, which makes you less prone to making grand pronouncements and more prone to hedging your bets.

  82. 82.

    different-church-lady

    April 19, 2021 at 7:59 pm

    And, of couse, xkcd.

  83. 83.

    Roger Moore

    April 19, 2021 at 8:00 pm

    @L85NJGT: ​
     

    J&J had to take over the plant last week, and now the FDA is there doing an inspection.

    Good. After a screw up like they had, they need an inspection to make sure they aren’t making more mistakes. Having been through an FDA inspection or two* I do not envy them, but it’s necessary to make sure they’ve fixed their shit.
    *Actually three, now.

  84. 84.

    Kropacetic

    April 19, 2021 at 8:00 pm

    @sab: I got the tall roof package on the old Prius  ::pats door panel::

  85. 85.

    Ken

    April 19, 2021 at 8:02 pm

    @Miss Bianca: And of course the version in Brave New World: “Oh, I don’t want to play with Pfizer children. And J&Js are still worse. I’m so glad I’m a Moderna.”

    (In fairness, in that book’s society your class prejudices really were the truth. They went to a great deal of trouble with chemicals in the artificial wombs and post-birth conditioning to make them so.)

  86. 86.

    Lyrebird

    April 19, 2021 at 8:04 pm

    @Kristine: Got the shot, yay!  & as a bonus, you don’t have to wait 3-4 weeks to get another one!

     

    Seriously I am so frustrated, why would Slate even publish that stuff?  Only over-65s have choice in my state just now.  You get what they have at the facility where you’re eligible for an appointment, and thank heaven!  They are ALL like 100% against intubation & worse.

  87. 87.

    Ivan X

    April 19, 2021 at 8:05 pm

    When people ask me which one I got I say I got the Qualcomm and they don’t get my 5G joke. Except for one pal who said that he got the Gates.

  88. 88.

    LurkerNoLonger

    April 19, 2021 at 8:08 pm

    Roger Moore: Similarly, the J&J encodes for the same protein, too, but the immunogenicity of the adenovirus vector might result in a difference in efficacy…

    Took the words right out of my mouth.

  89. 89.

    Ken

    April 19, 2021 at 8:08 pm

    @L85NJGT: J&J had to take over the plant last week, and now the FDA is there doing an inspection.

    “I don’t smell bleach. I should be smelling bleach in every room in this facility. You had bacterial contamination of your cell cultures, and recurring problems with mold.  Every room here should have been autoclaved to 450C for ten hours then filled with bleach for three days.”

  90. 90.

    WaterGirl

    April 19, 2021 at 8:08 pm

    @trollhattan: Good news all around!  The Parler guys have learned their lesson.  Just like the supreme court knowing we didn’t need those pesky rules about states needing to have pre-clearance because they were bad in the past.  Everybody has learned their lessons!  Yay!

    *Not intended as serious statements.

  91. 91.

    Baud

    April 19, 2021 at 8:09 pm

    We need to stop this tribal warfare and focus on what unites us: our superiority to AstraZeneca.

  92. 92.

    different-church-lady

    April 19, 2021 at 8:10 pm

    @Ken: I’ve heard we could just inject the bleach…

  93. 93.

    sab

    April 19, 2021 at 8:11 pm

    @Kropacetic: :)

  94. 94.

    WaterGirl

    April 19, 2021 at 8:13 pm

    @Steeplejack (phone): Well done!

  95. 95.

    Jay

    April 19, 2021 at 8:13 pm

    @debbie:

    they are doing “mix and match” clinical trials, to see if First Shot A, works with Second Shot B.

    From those trials it should be pretty clear if there is any significant difference. If there is none, or minimal, it would suggest that any booster will do.

  96. 96.

    jnfr

    April 19, 2021 at 8:13 pm

    @Suzanne:

    We’re all gonna need boosters anyway, sometime within the next year. Count on it.

  97. 97.

    Kent

    April 19, 2021 at 8:15 pm

    My 18 year old daughter has her appointment on Wednesday morning.  She was looking forward to getting J&J and is EXTREMELY disappointed to find out it will now be Pfizer due to the J&J pause.

    She is extremely needle-phobic and was very much looking forward to the 1-shot regimen.  Now she has to buckle up and get two.

  98. 98.

    Ken

    April 19, 2021 at 8:17 pm

    @Kent: I think jnfr is right, and the needle-phobic among us are going to have to find a way past it.

  99. 99.

    sab

    April 19, 2021 at 8:17 pm

    @sab: While I am typing away here my husband wants meatloaf. Balloon Juice held me up at least an hour. Seriously impacts meatloaf quality. Plus I forgot the ketchup (catsup) !!!!!

  100. 100.

    mrmoshpotato

    April 19, 2021 at 8:18 pm

    @different-church-lady: LOL!  Super duper vaccinated!

  101. 101.

    Bodacious

    April 19, 2021 at 8:19 pm

    Thnks AnneL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    I want my morning updates to continue uninterrupted as long as we both shall live! You have just completed the most essential step in securing that.

  102. 102.

    mrmoshpotato

    April 19, 2021 at 8:20 pm

    @sab: Obligatory!

  103. 103.

    NotMax

    April 19, 2021 at 8:21 pm

    Substitute the elderflower with VOV* and it becomes a Moderna?

    (I’ll leave it to others to dream up what would comprise the unusual suspect variation to be christened “Pfizer Söze.”)

    *Working with V for vaccine as the premise, was originally going to go with V-8, but ewww. Plus something egg-based seems to better fit the bill.

    ;)

  104. 104.

    aliasofwestgate

    April 19, 2021 at 8:22 pm

    Roomie and i made our appt today to get our 2nd Pfizer dose on Thursday afternoon.  I am very glad of that. We pretty much took anything we could get, and that’s what we ended up with.  We don’t have to drive far, since it’s one of many clinics going on all over the city and the state here in WI. Much less the local pharmacies doing their thing too.  Hell, the day or so after we got our 1st doses, we got notification from our Dr’s offices to make an appt to get a vaccine if we needed one.  I have happily declined to let others get access via that way.

  105. 105.

    Chacal Charles Caltrop

    April 19, 2021 at 8:23 pm

    You know what’s annoying? Vaccines in NY were so hard to get for so long, and people were road tripping everywhere to get them, and then boom all of a sudden they were widely available. All we had to do was just wait a few weeks – and since the whole two-step vaccination process is six weeks to full immunity, what’s a couple of weeks?

    oh well. I still appreciate the tentacles.

  106. 106.

    Baud

    April 19, 2021 at 8:23 pm

    I miss the old days when it was our phone OS that divided us.

  107. 107.

    Ken

    April 19, 2021 at 8:23 pm

    @mrmoshpotato: Good lord, there are people with too much free time.  I just hope YouTube’s algorithms figured out that thing is highly compressible.

  108. 108.

    Martin

    April 19, 2021 at 8:24 pm

    @Steeplejack (phone): Ah, see, I’ve been vaccinated against your pfetic attempt to drag me down. Glory to my pfellow Pfizer-Americans!

  109. 109.

    Martin

    April 19, 2021 at 8:27 pm

    @Baud: Pfizer and iPfone here. Planning on going pfegan soon.

  110. 110.

    Just Some Fuckhead

    April 19, 2021 at 8:27 pm

    We got our twin grandbabies yesterday. Boy and a girl. Over the moon.

  111. 111.

    mrmoshpotato

    April 19, 2021 at 8:28 pm

    @Ken: That can’t have been done by hand.  Someone had to have used to duplicating program.

  112. 112.

    RandomMonster

    April 19, 2021 at 8:28 pm

    Anne Laurie: I’m impressed you got the shot so easily and close by. I registered with a mass vaccine site in Baltimore snd had to join a cattle call line. But I won’t really complain, I was in an out in an hour.

    Aaaand…I’m done with both now.

  113. 113.

    NotMax

    April 19, 2021 at 8:28 pm

    @different-church-lady

    The Smart Set

    “Guys don’t make passes at gals without jabses.”

    //

  114. 114.

    Jay

    April 19, 2021 at 8:30 pm

    @Just Some Fuckhead:

    congrats!!!!!

  115. 115.

    Jay

    April 19, 2021 at 8:32 pm

    @NotMax:

    and if you can’t remember their name in the morning, just take them to Starbucks,…..

  116. 116.

    Roger Moore

    April 19, 2021 at 8:32 pm

    @Ken:

    That’s really bad.  As he says, the root problem is that management is making promises production can’t meet, and then they’re demanding they cut corners in quality and safety to try to reach them.  Dealing with QA/QC is a pain in the ass, but you have to deal with that pain if you want to succeed.  Cutting corners sounds like a great way to save time and effort, but it costs a lot more when you get caught.  Instead of being a bit slow to deliver, they’ve had to scrap entire batches, and now they have to shut down for a while while they deal with their problems.  That will put them further behind than they would have been if they had been doing things the right way all along.

  117. 117.

    zhena gogolia

    April 19, 2021 at 8:33 pm

    @Just Some Fuckhead:

    Congratulations!

  118. 118.

    sab

    April 19, 2021 at 8:36 pm

    @mrmoshpotato: I was wasting my time here and I suddenly realized  meatloaf “forgot ketchup.”. Thought to mention  it to jackals, who were quite concerned. Mentionned it to husband ( who has to eat my cooking) and he was beyond concernerd,  more like outraged. So ketchup/catsup applied okay. Thanks to you all I got it on in time. Cannot believe I forgot.

  119. 119.

    debbie

    April 19, 2021 at 8:36 pm

    @L85NJGT:

    They screwed up two separate batches, so they should be banished.

  120. 120.

    ?BillinGlendaleCA

    April 19, 2021 at 8:36 pm

    @Just Some Fuckhead: They’re astronauts?  NASA is taken them young now.  Congrats.

  121. 121.

    JMG

    April 19, 2021 at 8:36 pm

    Moderna the company is running help wanted (you know the type, come join our team, etc.) ads on sports talk radio here in Boston! That’s got to mean they need more people ASAP, because I doubt those are stations that play in biotechnical labs that much.

  122. 122.

    NotMax

    April 19, 2021 at 8:38 pm

    Now, therein is a sentence one doesn’t see every day: “You’re Facebook’s mistress.”

  123. 123.

    debbie

    April 19, 2021 at 8:38 pm

    @Jay:

    Thanks.

  124. 124.

    mrmoshpotato

    April 19, 2021 at 8:41 pm

    @Just Some Fuckhead: Congrats!

    @?BillinGlendaleCA: The cow accompanied them down.

  125. 125.

    Jackie

    April 19, 2021 at 8:42 pm

    @Just Some Fuckhead: CONGRATULATIONS X 2!!! Hopefully you’re within quick visiting distance!!!

  126. 126.

    NotMax

    April 19, 2021 at 8:42 pm

    @sab

    Reprieved! Curfew shall not ring tonight!

    Came across this ‘I guess technically it is a loaf of meat’ recipe the other day.

    ;)

  127. 127.

    sab

    April 19, 2021 at 8:44 pm

    @debbie: Cut them some slack. They could have screwed up and not told anyone. Aztrateca tried that for quite a while. Vaccines people gotta trust you. J and J good at that.

  128. 128.

    NotMax

    April 19, 2021 at 8:46 pm

    @different-church-lady

    As endorsed by well-known actress Clorox Bleachman.

    :)

  129. 129.

    debbie

    April 19, 2021 at 8:46 pm

    @Just Some Fuckhead:

    Congratulations!  ?

  130. 130.

    debbie

    April 19, 2021 at 8:49 pm

    @sab:

    No slack. Too many possible consequences. J&J never wanted production farmed out to other places to begin with.

  131. 131.

    ?BillinGlendaleCA

    April 19, 2021 at 8:49 pm

    @NotMax: (Looks over at NotMax, shakes head.)

  132. 132.

    Kay

    April 19, 2021 at 8:52 pm

    @Just Some Fuckhead:

    That’s great. It’s so much fun- you’ll love it.

  133. 133.

    Ken

    April 19, 2021 at 8:55 pm

    @mrmoshpotato: Someone had to have used to duplicating program.

    Maybe I should have said “too much free processor time on their hands,” since it does work out to about six mouse clicks (plus god knows how much local storage and upload time).  When I think of how many cycles were wasted, that could have been used for computing checksums of NFTs…

  134. 134.

    Kay

    April 19, 2021 at 8:56 pm

    This is a mostly Moderna county but I got the Pfizer because it was at Rite Aid and I couldn’t get to the health department.

    People tell me “it’s fine! It’s probably fine” in a way that makes me think Moderna is superior.

  135. 135.

    Ms. Deranged in AZ

    April 19, 2021 at 8:56 pm

    I got my second Pfizer shot last night. Am feeling achy and tired today but still totally worth it.

  136. 136.

    WaterGirl

    April 19, 2021 at 8:56 pm

    @Just Some Fuckhead: Wow wow wow!

  137. 137.

    Kropacetic

    April 19, 2021 at 8:56 pm

    @?BillinGlendaleCA: I laughed. Cloris Leachman’s comedic coattails are long.

  138. 138.

    Elizabelle

    April 19, 2021 at 8:57 pm

    @Just Some Fuckhead:   Wonderful news!  Enjoy those grandbabies!!

  139. 139.

    Roger Moore

    April 19, 2021 at 8:59 pm

    @sab:

    They could have screwed up and not told anyone.

    That is not a long-term solution. Unless you’re willing to go completely over to the dark side and falsify records, you will be caught the next time the FDA shows up. Even then, there’s a good chance you won’t do a good enough job of it and you’ll get caught anyway. If you admit your mistakes, the FDA will usually take mercy on you and let you try to work through them. Cover things up, and they’ll nail you to the wall. Like many federal agencies, FDA has a very narrow bailiwick, but they can cause really nasty problems to anyone who falls afoul of them within it.​
     
    ETA: And this would be particularly short-term thinking in this case. They knew the FDA would come soon, since there would have to be an inspection before they were allowed to start full-scale production.

  140. 140.

    Suzanne

    April 19, 2021 at 9:02 pm

    @SiubhanDuinne:

    Wait, you want a tail AND a 5G chip? 

    My kink is vaccinations. No shame.

  141. 141.

    laura

    April 19, 2021 at 9:03 pm

    @Just Some Fuckhead: just in time for the lovely Pink Moon. Congratulations on family treasure

    https://youtu.be/irq959oNVww

  142. 142.

    Ken

    April 19, 2021 at 9:06 pm

    @Suzanne: My kink is vaccinations.

    By Rule 34, there’s a website entirely devoted to it.

  143. 143.

    citizen dave

    April 19, 2021 at 9:07 pm

    Moderna man here, which I like because I like to think it was made down the road by fellow Hoosiers in Bloomington.  But of course tonight I found this article saying the contractor plant had some past violations, etc.  Ruh Roh!  https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2020/12/17/947628608/how-will-moderna-meet-the-demand-for-its-covid-19-vaccine

     

    The thing that entertains me about MyPillowGuy is that every new time I see him his hair just a shade darker.

  144. 144.

    mrmoshpotato

    April 19, 2021 at 9:07 pm

    @Ken:

    When I think of how many cycles were wasted, that could have been used for computing checksums of NFTs… 

    Yes. ?

  145. 145.

    sdhays

    April 19, 2021 at 9:10 pm

    @Comrade Colette: I think my brain is wired differently than these people because I sort of think of Moderna as the “better” vaccine. To me, 94% and 95% in similar studies is essentially the same and I recall Moderna is substantially cheaper (although still not cheap) and has less extreme storage requirements. Which may not mean much to me as a consumer of a “free” vaccine, but I find that more impressive (if I’m looking for something to differentiate the mRNA vaccines, and mostly I’m not).

    J&J’s efficacy study, as I understand it, really can’t be compared to Pfizer and Moderna because it was conducted with a much larger range of people and actually included variants in the study which Moderna and Pfizer did not (because their studies were conducted before those variants became widespread). Obviously, the mRNA vaccines seem to be impressively safe, which gives them a slight edge. But J&J needs only one shot and can be stored in the refrigerator, which is important too.

    I would have taken any of them without a thought, but Moderna was what was offered and that’s what I’m getting on Thursday.

  146. 146.

    Spanky

    April 19, 2021 at 9:10 pm

    Well, I’ve had both Moderna shots, but now I’m thinking I should get me some of that SinoVax or RooskieVax just to be sure.

  147. 147.

    mrmoshpotato

    April 19, 2021 at 9:10 pm

    @Kay:

    People tell me “it’s fine! It’s probably fine” in a way that makes me think Moderna is superior. 

    Do you ask them if they have read any reports on the two vaccines efficacy, and then call them slapdicks when the answer is “Uuuuuhhhhh no.”?

  148. 148.

    Sure Lurkalot

    April 19, 2021 at 9:11 pm

    My experience with signing up at Kroger was much the same as AL’s at Walgreens. It was hit or miss getting slots, but I was able to schedule both mine and spouse’s over the same weekend, one day apart, at 2 different pharmacies less than 5 miles from home and both 1st and 2nd appointments. Email reminders for both.  Very efficient check in and short wait.  Moderna, thanks Dolly.

  149. 149.

    Jeffro

    April 19, 2021 at 9:11 pm

    Looks like Fritz Mondale has passed away at 93

  150. 150.

    mrmoshpotato

    April 19, 2021 at 9:15 pm

    @Suzanne:

    My kink is vaccinations. No shame. 

    “Can I get the smallpox vaccine as well?”

    “Smallpox has been eradicated.”

    “Oh Doc.  You tease.”

  151. 151.

    NotMax

    April 19, 2021 at 9:15 pm

    @Jeffro

    A true gentleman and a real mensch.

  152. 152.

    citizen dave

    April 19, 2021 at 9:16 pm

    @sdhays: You remind of the same thoughts I had a couple months ago (when moderna went in my arm).  moderna doesn’t need the fancy cooling stuff, so it’s better.  of course!

  153. 153.

    citizen dave

    April 19, 2021 at 9:17 pm

    @Jeffro: And yet Bob Dole…

    (mondale wikipedia already updated)

  154. 154.

    Ken

    April 19, 2021 at 9:18 pm

    @Spanky: I should get me some of that SinoVax or RooskieVax just to be sure.

    Sure of what, I vaguely wonder…

    It’s sounding a bit like collecting all seven Horcruxes, or Infinity Stones, or whatever multipart MacGuffin your DM is using in the current campaign.

  155. 155.

    Ruckus

    April 19, 2021 at 9:18 pm

    Pfizer-Moderna. Moderna-Pfizer.

    What the hell difference does it make? They work on the same premise, they are very, very similar in effectiveness, close enough to say there really isn’t any effective difference.

    This concept of who’s better because you have this instead of that, that you got cancer from Pall Malls instead of Camels, or that your shit doesn’t stink because you wiped with Charmin is just ridiculous.

    Cops are killing people over an air freshener hanging from their mirror, and because they have more melanin. If you can tan, you have melanin. And people are worried about getting the “right” vaccine for status?

    I can’t. I just can’t.

  156. 156.

    Keith P.

    April 19, 2021 at 9:21 pm

    @Jeffro: I kid you not that my mother had a Mondale-Ferraro pin from 1984 (and I suspect my brother has it by now) for “Fritz and Tits”.

  157. 157.

    Jay

    April 19, 2021 at 9:21 pm

    So, Day 11 after my first Moderna shot.

    I climbed three flights of stairs carrying topsoil, with out getting winded, fuzzy brain is less, I have more energy.

  158. 158.

    JML

    April 19, 2021 at 9:21 pm

    Mondale was a good dude, a great public servant, and a heck of a nice guy. Minnesota legend. I’m gonna miss him.

  159. 159.

    ?BillinGlendaleCA

    April 19, 2021 at 9:22 pm

    @Jeffro: Still have my Carter-Mondale button from 1980.

  160. 160.

    raven

    April 19, 2021 at 9:24 pm

    @Jay: Topsoil indoors?

  161. 161.

    Jeffro

    April 19, 2021 at 9:24 pm

    @NotMax: Looks like it, from the pieces I’m reading.

    @citizen dave: I know, right?  Dole is 97 and he didn’t look all that good 25 years ago.

    @Keith P.: No. Way.

  162. 162.

    Spanky

    April 19, 2021 at 9:25 pm

    @raven: Rooftop?

  163. 163.

    Unique uid

    April 19, 2021 at 9:26 pm

    @Kristine: “ It’s been almost 3 weeks since I learned I got the shot and not the placebo, and I still feel such a sense of relief”

    Oh, you were in Ensemble2, right? Me too, but I ended up with placebo. I’ve been worried Watergirl would find out and I would have to stand in front of the jackals and get my sticker torn off

    I was scheduled to get J&J today, but after the pause was announced I got cold feet. Was able to get Moderna last Wednesday at Kroger.

    Except they told me it would be Pfizer when I signed up. I didn’t care which one. At least they were playing good old people music in Kroger- Moody Blues, Al Stewart, The Who….

  164. 164.

    NotMax

    April 19, 2021 at 9:27 pm

    @Ruckus

    Keep an eye on the toy shelves for Rock’em Sock’em Robots Proshots.

    ;)

  165. 165.

    Villago Delenda Est

    April 19, 2021 at 9:27 pm

    Theory: Pfizer is like Psaki. Silent Ps for the win!

  166. 166.

    NotMax

    April 19, 2021 at 9:29 pm

    @NotMax

    Need. More. Coffee. Fixified:

    Rock’em Sock’em Robots Proshots.

  167. 167.

    Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)

    April 19, 2021 at 9:29 pm

    So, what do you all think of the judge in the Chauvin trial saying that Maxine Waters’ recent “We’ve got to be more confrontational” comments could be grounds for an appeal if Chauvin is convicted? That the conviction could be overturned? Is there any truth to this

    Congressional Republicans are also calling for her expulsion from Congress, apparently

  168. 168.

    Villago Delenda Est

    April 19, 2021 at 9:31 pm

    @Just Some Fuckhead: Congratulations!  Let the spoiling and then leaving the little monsters with the parents begin!

  169. 169.

    Villago Delenda Est

    April 19, 2021 at 9:32 pm

    @Goku (aka Amerikan Baka): ​
     “No Justice, No Peace.” Go ahead and tempt them, Judge.

  170. 170.

    Jay

    April 19, 2021 at 9:32 pm

    @raven:

    got a metal rack on the patio. Have 4 large storage containers with lids. Lids become the drip tray, holes drilled in the bottom.

    carrots, tomatoes, peas, lettuce, spinach, pak choy, bunching onions, along with nasturtiums for the humming birds, on the 22nd floor,

    In addition to the herbs, lilies, perennials, we planted up last year.

    Keeps me from looking down.

  171. 171.

    Steeplejack

    April 19, 2021 at 9:34 pm

    @Just Some Fuckhead:

    Congratulations, Gramps! ???

  172. 172.

    geg6

    April 19, 2021 at 9:34 pm

    @Just Some Fuckhead:

    Ohhhh!  Congratulations to all!  Wow, twins.  I’m sending good thoughts to mom and dad.  It’s a lot with one, but two!  At once!  My hat is off to them.  And to you.

  173. 173.

    NotMax

    April 19, 2021 at 9:34 pm

    @Villago Delenda Est

    “Give me Pfannkuchen or give me eggs!”

    :)

  174. 174.

    Dorothy A. Winsor

    April 19, 2021 at 9:36 pm

    I see Walter Mondale died.

  175. 175.

    raven

    April 19, 2021 at 9:36 pm

    @Just Some Fuckhead: Hell yes!

  176. 176.

    Geminid

    April 19, 2021 at 9:38 pm

    During a Covid briefing a few weeks ago, Virginia Governor (and medical doctor) Ralph Northam addressed questions about the relative merits of different Covid-19 vaccines. “The best vaccine,” Northam said, “is the one you get.”

  177. 177.

    Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)

    April 19, 2021 at 9:39 pm

    @Just Some Fuckhead:

    Congrats!

  178. 178.

    NotMax

    April 19, 2021 at 9:39 pm

    @Jeffro

    “There are worse things than losing an election; the worst thing is to lose one’s convictions and not tell the people the truth.”
      – Adlai Stevenson
    .

  179. 179.

    Gin & Tonic

    April 19, 2021 at 9:39 pm

    @Dorothy A. Winsor: And yet Henry Kissinger is still alive.

  180. 180.

    West of the Rockies

    April 19, 2021 at 9:40 pm

    @sab:

    I prefer BBQ sauce to ketchup, but one or the other are required.

  181. 181.

    geg6

    April 19, 2021 at 9:41 pm

    @JML:

    This.  A very good man who would have been a vastly better president than the fucker who beat him.

  182. 182.

    Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)

    April 19, 2021 at 9:42 pm

    @Gin & Tonic:

    And yet Henry Kissinger is still alive.

    In the immortal words of Jello Biafra:

    “God must be dead if you’re alive”

  183. 183.

    Jay

    April 19, 2021 at 9:43 pm

    @Gin & Tonic:

    even the Devil doesn’t want him,……

  184. 184.

    Steeplejack

    April 19, 2021 at 9:43 pm

    @Kay:

    People tell me “it’s fine! It’s probably fine” in a way that makes me think Moderna is superior.

    LOL. More like a way that makes you think they got Moderna.

  185. 185.

    Barbara

    April 19, 2021 at 9:43 pm

    @sab: They only came forward after committing such an outrageous mistake that it would have been caught by either manufacturer.  That error was precipitated by many smaller errors that were neither corrected nor reported.

  186. 186.

    MomSense

    April 19, 2021 at 9:44 pm

    I just wanted to say how impressed I was with the Northern Lights vaccination clinic in Bangor. It was well organized and everyone was so nice. Maine’s vaccination rate is now #1 in the country and I am so proud of how our public health and medical professionals are meeting this challenge.

  187. 187.

    SiubhanDuinne

    April 19, 2021 at 9:47 pm

    @Just Some Fuckhead:

    The best news, doubled!! Congratulations!

  188. 188.

    Ken

    April 19, 2021 at 9:50 pm

    @Gin & Tonic: I again remind everyone, always, always save the third wish to undo the effects of the other two.

  189. 189.

    KrackenJack

    April 19, 2021 at 9:50 pm

    I’m a post-Monderna man myself, but I now find myself in a mixed marriage. Can it last?

  190. 190.

    Ken

    April 19, 2021 at 9:51 pm

    @KrackenJack: Yes, but I urge you to sit down and discuss in which vaccine tradition you will raise the children.

  191. 191.

    Barbara

    April 19, 2021 at 9:52 pm

    @Geminid: I just wish Virginia made getting it easier.  They are sticking to the original priorities for vaccines administered by the state or county health authorities, which means the darwinian struggle for vaccines continues apace at local pharmacies. Thanks to the link posted earlier by Betty I was able to sign up at a Walmart near where my husband grew up. It’s a 2 hour drive. Nothing was closer.​

    ETA: My friends are driving to mass vaccination events in rural Maryland.

  192. 192.

    Jay

    April 19, 2021 at 9:53 pm

    @MomSense:

    sadly, they were “hero’s” for about 3 weeks when Covid hit.:,

    my DS and AssMen are still pissed, that I still give a 50% discount to all Health Care Workers.

    Fuckem.

  193. 193.

    geg6

    April 19, 2021 at 9:53 pm

    @Goku (aka Amerikan Baka):
    He’s a fucking hack.  She’s not wrong and it’s only a problematic statement if you equate “confrontational” with threatening the jury.  Who should not have been following the news per their oaths.  People are free to say whatever they wish, per the First Amendment according to the GQP, regardless of what the results of those words may bring.  And any party that still tolerates Margery Taylor Greene, Paul Gosar and Matt Gaetz as members of their caucus in good standing can just STFU.

  194. 194.

    Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)

    April 19, 2021 at 9:53 pm

    @Ken:

    Never use that monkey’s paw ; )

  195. 195.

    Kristine

    April 19, 2021 at 9:54 pm

    @Unique uid:

    Oh, you were in Ensemble2, right?

    Yup. I was slated to get shot #2 last Thursday, but they called and scheduled for early May. If the pause goes much longer than that, I’ll be outside the timing window. Not sure what comes next if that happens. The study has been running since November, so I assume a bunch of folks have already received shot #2.

    I didn’t have much of a reaction to the first shot–tenderness at the injection site, a slight fever spike the next day. Some aches across my upper back.

  196. 196.

    NotMax

    April 19, 2021 at 9:58 pm

    @Barbara

    Prompted to again mention how easy and painless (in every sense) it was to arrange the shot via Costco. No membership required.

  197. 197.

    Barbara

    April 19, 2021 at 9:58 pm

    @geg6: I’m guessing this was an incredibly clumsy effort to turn down the temperature.  Not smart.

  198. 198.

    dmsilev

    April 19, 2021 at 9:59 pm

    @MomSense: I don’t think I’ve heard any stories of a bad vaccination experience. Lots of trouble getting appointments of course, but everyone seems to be very happy with the process from that point forward. Pretty amazing, given the scale.

  199. 199.

    Miss Bianca

    April 19, 2021 at 10:00 pm

    @Goku (aka Amerikan Baka): For what? I’m a bit behind on my outrage du jour.

  200. 200.

    Jay

    April 19, 2021 at 10:01 pm

    @Goku (aka Amerikan Baka):

    never hang it off your rear view mirror if you are BIPOC,…..

  201. 201.

    Barbara

    April 19, 2021 at 10:02 pm

    @NotMax:  Walmart’s site was easy to navigate, but it’s hard to get an appointment because they appear randomly and then disappear immediately, and I wouldn’t lie about residency in DC to get one there, 20 minutes away and with much readier availability.

  202. 202.

    J R in WV

    April 19, 2021 at 10:02 pm

    @Jeffro: ​
     

    Looks like Fritz Mondale has passed away at 93

    Too bad, he was a good egg… getting old means seeing all the old warriors age out and die. Sad! And movie stars, and athletes, and muscians, and, and…..

  203. 203.

    Mike in NC

    April 19, 2021 at 10:06 pm

    Been looking with Google Earth at a lot of National Park Service historic sites recently, so I like to think there will never be a plaque on a goddamn building stating that it was Donald Trump’s birthplace and museum.

  204. 204.

    Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)

    April 19, 2021 at 10:07 pm

    @geg6:

    I agree. It seems like this judge is prejudiced to me.

  205. 205.

    James E Powell

    April 19, 2021 at 10:08 pm

    @Goku (aka Amerikan Baka):

    Not sure how somebody saying something outside the proceedings could be grounds for a reversal. Convictions get reversed because of something the trial court did or did not do.

  206. 206.

    Mary G

    April 19, 2021 at 10:10 pm

    @Just Some Fuckhead: Congratulations, Gramps! Two to spoil rotten, will be so much fun.

  207. 207.

    PsiFighter37

    April 19, 2021 at 10:12 pm

    My wife had signed me up for Javits (which is Pfizer); I ended up moving to a week earlier at a location near West Village that was providing the Pfizer shot because I would have still had an extra week between doses for Moderna anyways, so it did not make sense (to me) to bother seeking out the Moderna shot earlier, since the second shot would have been at the same time. That made it more challenging to try and find an earlier dose, though, because geographically speaking, Manhattan seemed to get a lot more of the Moderna vaccines, with only some locations on the western half of Manhattan seemingly getting the Pfizer shot. I have no idea how vaccine distribution was organized, but it would be interesting to learn about down the road.

    Shot #2 is in 10 days. Coincidentally, my moving up my shot also means I am now getting the shot on the same day as my wife, who is getting Moderna #2 then. Hopefully at least one of us doesn’t have meaningful side effects…otherwise it is going to be a miserable weekend taking care of a toddler while feeling terrible.

  208. 208.

    NotMax

    April 19, 2021 at 10:13 pm

    @Barbara

    The Walmart here is so filthy inside I’d certainly think thrice before going there. Not all that old a store, either. Instructions apparently were given to build it dilapidated.

  209. 209.

    Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)

    April 19, 2021 at 10:15 pm

    @Miss Bianca:

    Waters said that protestors should “get more confrontational” if Chauvin is not convicted

    The judge, Cahill, said her comments were “abhorrent” in his own words and claimed that her words could be grounds to have a conviction overturned on appeal. MTG has herself introduced a resolution to have Maxine Waters expelled from Congress. She’s got some fucking gall, I’ll give her that. McCarthy has accused her of “inciting violence” and has vowed to bring action “this week” if House Dems don’t censure her. Pelosi has already said Waters should not be punished for what she said, rightfully so

    Her words are of course being taken out of context

    The fact that Judge Cahill called her words “abhorrent” explains a lot and says a lot about him

  210. 210.

    Redshift

    April 19, 2021 at 10:16 pm

    @Goku (aka Amerikan Baka):

    So, what do you all think of the judge in the Chauvin trial saying that Maxine Waters’ recent “We’ve got to be more confrontational” comments could be grounds for an appeal if Chauvin is convicted? That the conviction could be overturned? Is there any truth to this 

    From what I read from the legal types on Twitter, judges say stuff like that all the time in response to mistrial motions. It basically means “no, I’m not declaring a mistrial, you can try to use that in an appeal of you want.” I don’t think the judge’s statement has any effect on how likely such an appeal is to succeed.

  211. 211.

    Jay

    April 19, 2021 at 10:18 pm

    “Our patient could die at any moment," writes Navalny's doctor. "A patient with this level of potassium should be in intensive care as at any moment a fatal arrhythmia could develop.” ⁦@AndrewKramerNYT⁩ https://t.co/SRLpg996A6— Peter Baker (@peterbakernyt) April 18, 2021

  212. 212.

    Amir Khalid

    April 19, 2021 at 10:20 pm

    @Villago Delenda Est:

    Theory: Pfizer is like Psaki. Silent Ps for the win!

    But it sounds so much better when you pronounce the P.

  213. 213.

    Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)

    April 19, 2021 at 10:21 pm

    @Jay:

    Those fascist fucks are going to kill him. I thought his comments about Trump’s being banned from Twitter were foolish, but he’s very brave for returning to Russia

  214. 214.

    Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)

    April 19, 2021 at 10:25 pm

    @Redshift:

    @James E Powell:

    So it shouldn’t have any bearing? Good

  215. 215.

    citizen dave

    April 19, 2021 at 10:33 pm

    @Goku (aka Amerikan Baka): The Navalny situation is so sad, but I just can’t see it as Putin killing him.  Instead it seems like a martyrdom.  It doesn’t seem like enough of the Russian population supports revolution or democracy.

  216. 216.

    stinger

    April 19, 2021 at 10:35 pm

    Unintended hilarity often ensues when reading comments without strict attention to who’s replying to whom. This evening it’s #110 and #111.

     

    Congrats, JustSome!

  217. 217.

    Yutsano

    April 19, 2021 at 10:37 pm

    @Just Some Fuckhead: MAZEL TOV YA CRAZY KID!!!

  218. 218.

    Mary G

    April 19, 2021 at 10:38 pm

    The State Department just announced it will issue "Level 4: Do Not Travel" advisories for roughly 80% of countries due to Covid-19 risk and urges U.S. citizens to "reconsider all travel abroad." pic.twitter.com/5BpCDKOgLc— Andrew Solender (@AndrewSolender) April 19, 2021

  219. 219.

    NotMax

    April 19, 2021 at 10:40 pm

    @Amir Khalid

    when you pronounce the P

    Didn’t make Desmond one teensy bit less insulting, an abject embarrassment and a full-blown turkey.

    Kilbourne, Lincoln’s chief of staff in the program, walks into the kitchen to find Pfeiffer sitting with his legs stretched out among the breakfast dishes. “The slaves haven’t been emancipated yet,” Kilbourne barks. “Get your feet off the table, Pfeiffer.” Pfeiffer stands and, with all the dignity he can muster in his British colonial accent, replies, “Sir, you may be chief of staff and my immediate superior, but I must remind you that we are both men, both human beings, both equals.” At which Kilbourne breaks out in a great horse laugh and bellows, “Both equals? Hello! You’re in Americaaaaa!” There is more, including a minstrel blackface sequence and jokes about cotton-picking and black dialect. Source

    ;)

  220. 220.

    Gin & Tonic

    April 19, 2021 at 10:56 pm

    @citizen dave: Bingo!

  221. 221.

    Roger Moore

    April 19, 2021 at 11:09 pm

    @Ken: ​
     

    It’s sounding a bit like collecting all seven Horcruxes, or Infinity Stones, or whatever multipart MacGuffin your DM is using in the current campaign.

    The technical term you’re looking for is plot coupon, not McGuffin. A McGuffin is a thing that drives the plot but whose details are so unimportant that you can write a script just saying “McGuffin” and use find and replace later to change it to whatever object you’ve chosen. A plot coupon is the target of a subquest; the characters need it to advance the overall plot even if it isn’t the major goal.
    So, as an example, the Maltese Falcon is a McGuffin. It’s something the characters are all interested in and which drives the plot forward, but which could be substituted with any other similarly desirable object- top secret documents, a suitcase full of bearer bonds, or whatnot- without materially changing the plot. The Infinity Stones are plot coupons- they’re the target of subquests- but they aren’t McGuffins because Thanos increases his power as he collects them and can do new and plot-relevant things using them.

  222. 222.

    Omnes Omnibus

    April 19, 2021 at 11:23 pm

    @Goku (aka Amerikan Baka): If the comment was not made in front of the jury, it doesn’t make a bit of difference.

  223. 223.

    cain

    April 19, 2021 at 11:30 pm

    Congrats to Grandpa Fuckhead! :) I hope your life is further enlivened by the arrival of two these precious new lives. :)

  224. 224.

    Jay

    April 19, 2021 at 11:38 pm

    So, we have an alley that wraps around the building. It’s so that delivery trucks don’t have to back up and reverse direction.

    Assholes use it as a cheat to avoid two traffic lights.

    Yesterday, some asshole in a Porsche used it to run over one of our young Lot Associates, despite all the safety orange, and then fucked off.

    My DS texted me half an hour ago, to let me know he was moved into the ICU.

    Fuck, fuck, fuck.

  225. 225.

    Thor Heyerdahl

    April 20, 2021 at 12:29 am

    Confirmed I get my first Astra Zeneca shot next Monday in Toronto. All the antibodies from A to Z!

  226. 226.

    Dan B

    April 20, 2021 at 12:47 am

    @Jay: Great to hear your long symptoms are diminishing.  It’s a great relief for you and fellow jackals.

  227. 227.

    Citizen Alan

    April 20, 2021 at 12:50 am

    @NotMax: Man, that’s a blast from the past. My impression at the time was that Desmond was meant to be an Americanized take on Blackadder III, in which a sleazy and sarcastic butler is the only intelligent man surrounded by historical figures who turn out to be morons and lunatics, and said butler is the only reason anything got done. And since it was on Fox, they decided to dumb down the humor for Americans AND make it a commentary on race relations.

  228. 228.

    NotMax

    April 20, 2021 at 1:02 am

    @Citizen Alan

    UPN, not Fox.

  229. 229.

    Jay

    April 20, 2021 at 1:10 am

    @Dan B:

    I really hope that it works for all long haulers,

    and it is effective life long.

    We will see.

    Just glad to be mostly back, not just crawling around and surviving.

    thanks.

  230. 230.

    Jay

    April 20, 2021 at 1:14 am

    @Dan B:

    BTW, when I get my second shot, in 3-4 months, I can go back out as a medic for the unhoused.

    looking forward to that.

  231. 231.

    fancycwabs

    April 20, 2021 at 9:48 am

    But, because they had stars, all the Star-Belly Sneetches
    Would brag, “We’re the best kind of Sneetch on the Beaches.”
    With their snoots in the air, they would sniff and they’d snort
    “We’ll have nothing to do with the Plain-Belly sort!”
    And whenever they met some, when they were out walking,
    They’d hike right on past them without even talking.

  232. 232.

    wkiernan

    April 20, 2021 at 12:06 pm

    @Kent: Tell her this: when I got the first shot of the Pfizer vaccine, I looked away for a couple of seconds and when I looked back the nurse was putting on a band-aid.  I asked “Did you already give me the shot?”  She said “Yes.”  I said “I didn’t feel a thing!” She said “I’m a pro!”

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