D&D and the rising pandemic

[Umbran]

While I agree the project is inadvisable for many reasons, I don't know if waiting until the water is at or almost at sea level before pumping it westward is the best choice, even as a hypothetical engineering project.

I mean, there isn't much choice. It isn't like there's a high-altitude large water source to work with, because water flows downhill! The Great Lakes are much farther away, and only at an altitude of 600' or so. Meanwhile, Lake Mead stops flowing through the dam at around 875'.

 

[Rabulias]

Yes, they are. Fancy that. Folks have set up large population centers with water needs for industry and agriculture and entertainment in the middle of a desert! Genius!

I guess I was not clear: What I meant with that was there are significant portions of the land marked under drought, that are now and have always been desert (since the 1800s at least). No one lived there or lives there. No one is trying to build a new Las Vegas all over (though granted, developments are expanding existing cities into desert areas).

I am just saying that even in the 1800s, a goodly portion of the west/southwest was desert and under drought conditions, which limits the region's baseline ability to support population and agriculture. It also makes the region less resilient with respect to water in times of climate change and wider drought.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

In a sense, we already import much of our farm labor via undocumented immigrants. They're widely used in the dairy industry throughout the midwest because, among other things, they are in too precarious a position to complain about the hours or the pay.

They were already taking that into account.

The farmers were pointing out that the costs of living even in California’s farmland are so high, there are sometimes as many as 5 families of workers living in “single family” dwellings. And they’re still having problems finding workers, in part because some of those families who routinely came to America to work can’t afford to do so anymore.

The reasons for all of this are manifold, some economic, some social, some political, some environmental.

 

[Thomas Shey]

Yes, they are. Fancy that. Folks have set up large population centers with water needs for industry and agriculture and entertainment in the middle of a desert! Genius!

Even parts of California (particularly the middle to southern end) that weren't desert as such, were at least arid, and any farming in that, no matter the virtues of soil, need to recognize that.
Of course than you have things like farming in Arizona, which I don't even know what to say about. Outside the Rim area, its pretty much arid to desert the whole way, including plenty of places now cultivated.

 

[Eltab]

I don't now who here is old enough to remember, but back in the 80s, there was drought and famine in Africa - leading up to this famous bit of music history:

I am old enough to remember that in real time.
The drought was natural. The famine was man-made.

 

[Ryujin]

I am old enough to remember that in real time.
The drought was natural. The famine was man-made.

As was the deforestation.

 

[JEB]

Reformulated COVID vaccine boosters may be available earlier than expected

The Biden administration may scrap plans to expand eligibility for second boosters to younger adults. Instead, it's trying to speed up the next generation of boosters targeting the omicron variant.

www.npr.org

It would certainly be nice to see the upgraded boosters in circulation sooner.

 

[Zardnaar]

Finished my steroids few days of antibiotics to go.

Think I'm feeling better coughing less managed to go shopping with to much coughing or exhaustion.

Wife's still coughing she wasn't as bad as me I might be better than her now. Keep saying ring the doctor it's free but she won't do it. Rang them a week ago just because the post Covid cough was kinda worse than Covid.

 

[Mirtek]

I am currently stuck at home with COVID as well. First symptoms started on the 23rd and then I got a positive test on the 26th. One week before first symptoms I know I was negative because I had to do a PCR test on the 16th to be allowed to board the ship.

So with the incubation period being app. 3 days on average I must have catched it Wednesday or Thursday. Giving my activities during those two days I am pretty sure it was on Wednesday.

I had my bag packed to go the gym to start working on the pounds I got over the holiday and was just going through the drive-in test center to be extra sure. I hoped I just catched a cold due to frequent switches from 36-40 degrees outside and 21 degrees air-conditioned inside. We Germans hardly have AC anywhere and are just not used to that. Wanted to do the quick test, wait on the parking lot for the result and then straight to the gym. And then it was actually positive. Bummer

I have a very light dry cough, only a couple of times per hour and that has been all so far. No headaches, no loss of taste, no being short winded (in fact I am trying to do HIT workouts at home now that I can't go to the gym), really nothing beyond mildly coughing every now and then.

Worst is being bored due to not being allowed to leave the house. Tried a second test yesterday to see whether I can leave isolation, but it was still positive. I actually didn't really expect it to be negative since I am still coughing from time to time. To be honest I just wanted to go to the test center to get out of the house. Visits to a test center is one of the very few occasions I am currently allowed to go outside.

I hope I finally become negative soon because my holiday ends on Monday and I freaking hate working from home. If I have to work in the first place, I want to do it at the office with my colleagues and a much more comfortable setup. I was going to office throughout the whole pandemic except for 2 month early in 2020 when everyone panicked we were ordered to not come to office. As soon as the choice was back to us I was back in office.

I am now even thinking of calling my doctor and asking to get a sick note, because I rather not work than work 8h on a small laptop. I'd probably get the note if I ask for it, but I am just ending 2 weeks of holiday and actually really need to catch up on stuff that needs to be finished before end of August.

But all in all I regret nothing. It was my first cruise ever and will definitely not be my last. In fact my next one might be this year again, because I meet some nice people there (who are all negative despite us hanging out close together) and they texted me whether I am game to do another one with them in early winter.

Guess at least I can soon add "recovered" to me already being vaccinated twice and boostered once.

 

[Hussar]

SIgh - Japan - huge sigh.