Its all over now


jb

Hardly Strictly Everywhere 2021

After consultation with our team of COVID safety advisors, and in close communication with City Of San Francisco, Hardly Strictly Bluegrass has reached the difficult conclusion that we are not able to hold the festival in Golden Gate Park this year; we can’t waver from our mission of providing the safest and most magical musical environment, with all the care and consideration for our festivalgoers and artists, that has been at the heart of Hardly Strictly for over two decades.

We are delighted to bring you Come What May - Hardly Strictly Everywhere 2021.

27 sets. Three days of performances. All live-streamed on hardlystrictlybluegrass.com, facebook.com/hardlystrictlybluegrass, and youtube.com/user/hsbfest. Tune in October 1, 2, 3 starting each day at 1pm PT/4pm ET to see this year's fantastic line-up, brought to you *live* from the Bay Area, with additional sets filmed in New Orleans and SF earlier this year. Invite your friends and join us!

[www.hardlystrictlybluegrass.com]

Antivaxxer bullhorn Fox News now requires vaccinations.

Fox News mandates employees disclose vaccination status, contradicting rhetoric from top stars

New York (CNN Business)The right-wing channel Fox News, whose top personalities have for months assailed the concept of vaccine passports and argued that asking about vaccine status amounts to a major intrusion of privacy, told employees this week that they must disclose their vaccination status to the company.

In a Tuesday memo updating staff on Covid-19 procedures, Fox News Media chief executive Suzanne Scott said that the company has "asked all employees — whether on site as part of our essential workforce or working remotely — to upload their vaccination status" into an internal database.
"All employees must enter their status no later than today, August 17th, by close of business," Scott wrote, bolding that particular sentence in her email, which was obtained by CNN Business, but first reported on by AdWeek.
Scott added that while masks remain optional for vaccinated employees, the company is "requiring employees to wear a mask in small, confined spaces with limited opportunities for social distancing and where there are multiple employees, including control rooms."

Scott, however, notably stopped short of saying that vaccines will be mandated to enter the offices.
Still, the mandatory reporting of vaccine status flies in the face of the commentary from the network's top stars.
Tucker Carlson has repeatedly suggested to reporters who ask him about his vaccination status that the question is akin to asking about their sex life. And Sean Hannity has repeatedly talked up "doctor-patient confidentiality."
Fox News spokespeople did not respond when asked about the discrepancy between the rhetoric from the channel's top stars and its own internal policies.
Fox quietly implemented its own version of a vaccine passport in June. The system allowed for employees to voluntarily self-report to Fox the dates their shots were administered and which vaccines were used.
The company encouraged employees at the time to report their status, telling them that "providing this information to FOX will assist the company with space planning and contact tracing."
Employees who reported their status are allowed to bypass the otherwise required daily health screening.
Fox News has spent months portraying the notion that asking people to show vaccination status is anti-American and a threat to personal freedom.
Fox has also hyped the rejection of vaccine passports by Republican elected officials like Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.
It's not the first time that Fox has been so brazenly hypocritical about coronavirus precautions. While its television hosts railed against face masks, for instance, the company issued guidance recommending employees wear them.

This is my long term side effect. Haven't had a hair cut in a year an a half. Mine has stopped growing.

Drake says he experienced hair loss as a COVID side effect. Here's what experts say.

Earlier this week, the “Hotline Bling” rapper revealed the surprising symptom in a fan’s Instagram comments. The fan shared a before and after photo of Drake’s heart-shaped cut-out on his hairline, and in one photo, half the heart was missing. The fan captioned the post, “That heart is stressed.”

Drake replied, “I had Covid that shit grew in weird I had to start again,” alongside a laughing-crying emoji. He added, “It’s coming back, don't diss.”

It’s unclear when Drake had COVID-19. However, he shared in March 2020 that he tested negative for the virus after he was exposed while hanging out with NBA player Kevin Durant, who was positive.

Drake isn’t the only star to discuss hair loss as a symptom of COVID-19. In August of 2020, Alyssa Milano posted a video to Twitter of her hair coming out in chunks as she brushed it. She captioned the post, “Thought I’d show you what #Covid19 does to your hair. Please take this seriously. #WearADamnMask #LongHauler.”

Temporary hair loss, also called “telogen effluvium,” may not be a widely discussed symptom of COVID-19, but according to experts, it is a reality for many people. According to a survey conducted by Dr. Natalie Lambert, a professor at Indiana University School of Medicine and Survivor Corps, a grassroots movement of COVID-19 survivors, hair loss is actually a more common COVID-19 symptom than nausea or a runny nose.

Dr. Pedram Yazdan, an assistant professor of dermatology at Northwestern Feinberg School of Medicine, previously confirmed to Yahoo Life that it’s quite common for people to report hair loss as a symptom.

“I see patients in the clinic for hair disorder issues and recently we had a couple of patients who during — and even after — infection with COVID, started to have pretty noticeable shedding of their hair,” Yazdan explained. “And basically there was no real attributable reason other than the infection that could have caused them to shed their hair.”

Yazdan added that while COVID-19 is the underlying cause, there are many reasons why people could lose their hair as they battle the virus. That includes emotional stress, as well as changes in nutrition due to symptoms of the virus, such as loss of taste or smell, which can impact what foods one chooses to eat.

Fortunately, Yazdan stressed that telogen effluvium is a “temporary” condition, and that most people will have their hair grow back after they recover.

“I spend a lot of time reassuring patients that this is a temporary condition...so all the hairs that were shed from telogen effluvium should theoretically, over time, come back slowly,” he said. “I tell them, just be patient.”

Whether Drake's hairline heart will return, however, remains to be seen.

From Nikki Sixx of Mötley Crüe:



Not a hard decision to make when so many people’s lives are at risk. I MISS IT “REALLY” BAD AND CAN’T WAIT TO HIT THE ROAD IN 2022 #MotleyCrue @motleycrue #thestadiumtour

[www.instagram.com]

Meh.. easy to virtue signal when you don't want to require vax/test proofs.
Or, the venues/fan base won't have it.

Artists like Jason Isbell, Bruce Springsteen, and many more now because of them, including (hopefully) The Rolling Stones (select venues now) will be looked back on as the leaders on this. Of course the plug may need to be pulled again, due to the unvaxxed, but you can't say these artists didn't try.

Safe concerts for Covid free fans, in addition to affording many to earn their living again, are the way back. Adding more and more pressure on vax hesitant people to get the shot.

Concerts, restaurants, movies, travel, employers, schools, etc etc requiring vaccine or test, are driving people to the jabs.

More of this please.

An add to the evergrowing list: Nine Inch Nails has cancelled all 2021 concert dates.

[consequence.net]

Tonight’s Kings of Leon show at the Blossom Music Center in Cuyahoga Falls, OH is unfortunately postponed due to an individual on the band’s team testing positive for COVID. More information about show dates will be made available ASAP.

[twitter.com]

REO Speedwagon postponed their 8/17 show and have announced additional postponements:



[twitter.com]

Attention Helena, MT and Hampton Beach, NH fans!

written by REO Speedwagon August 19, 2021

Attention Helena, MT and Hampton Beach, NH fans!

The REO Speedwagon concert originally scheduled for August 21, 2021 in Helena, MT has been rescheduled to September 13, 2021 to allow additional time for some of the REO touring family to recover from COVID-19. Please hold on to your tickets as they will be honored for the new date. [helenamt.showare.com]

Additionally, the concert originally scheduled for August 24, 2021 in Hampton Beach, NH has also been postponed. We are working to get a rescheduled date. As soon as we have the new date, ticket holders will have the option to request a full refund or keep their seats for the newly scheduled show. [casinoballroom.com]

Stay safe & get vaccinated everyone!

[reospeedwagon.com]

One of my favorite bands, the Hives, has just announced a short October tour that's exclusively in the south, including Texas and Florida. I could conceivably drive to and would love to go to all the shows on this tour, but can't imagine feeling safe going to any of them. I can't imagine what their booking agent was thinking.

Quote
Aquamarine
One of my favorite bands, the Hives, has just announced a short October tour that's exclusively in the south, including Texas and Florida. I could conceivably drive to and would love to go to all the shows on this tour, but can't imagine feeling safe going to any of them. I can't imagine what their booking agent was thinking.

I saw the Hives open for the Stones at the Stockholm stadium and arena shows '03 up front ceneter for both, and they were explosively fantastic - a non-stop ball of energy.
Wish they would have opened at the Cirkus (theater) show as well, but instead the average Hellacopters opened.

Not sure why they're touring in those "corona-zones" in the south, but hoping they come out to California again some day....

_____________________________________________________________
Rip this joint, gonna save your soul, round and round and round we go......

BTS confirm the cancellation of all dates for their postponed 'Map of the Soul' world tour

[www.allkpop.com]

Just like yesterday, I see some posts of cancellations/postponements in the morning, and by early evening there's a whole slew of others added to the list.
Neil Young this morning, and now Kings of Leon, REO, and BTS this evening...wonder who will be next?

- edit: spellcheck

_____________________________________________________________
Rip this joint, gonna save your soul, round and round and round we go......



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2021-08-20 06:09 by Hairball.

3 US senators announce positive Covid tests Thursday

Coronavirus

Three US senators -- Angus King of Maine, Roger Wicker of Mississippi and John Hickenlooper of Colorado -- announced separately Thursday they have tested positive for Covid-19. All three have been vaccinated. King, an independent who caucuses with the Democrats, said in a statement that he was tested Thursday morning after he "began feeling mildly feverish" on Wednesday. "While I am not feeling great, I'm definitely feeling much better than I would have without the vaccine," King said. "I am taking this diagnosis very seriously, quarantining myself at home and telling the few people I've been in contact with to get tested in order to limit any further spread. His announcement came just hours after Wicker, a Republican, also tested positive for Covid-19 on Thursday morning, according to a statement from his office. "Senator Wicker tested positive this morning for the COVID-19 virus after immediately seeking a test due to mild symptoms," Wicker spokesman Phillip Waller said in the statement. "Senator Wicker is fully vaccinated against COVID-19, is in good health, and is being treated by his Tupelo-based physician. He is isolating, and everyone with whom Senator Wicker has come in close contact recently has been notified." Hickenlooper, a Democrat, announced his diagnosis later in the afternoon on Thursday. "After experiencing mild symptoms, I tested positive for a breakthrough case of COVID-19," he said in a statement. "I'm feeling much better and will continue to isolate at the direction of the Congressional Attending Physician. I'm grateful for the vaccine (and the scientists behind it) for limiting my symptoms and allowing us to continue our work for Colorado. If you haven't been vaccinated, don't wait for the virus — get the shot today, and a booster when it's available too!," he said.

The Senate is not in session this week due to August recess. The chamber is scheduled to return next month. The trio of senators are the latest lawmakers to test positive this summer. Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina announced he'd tested positive earlier this month, and a handful of US House members also announced they had the coronavirus since July. Breakthrough cases remain very rare. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has reported just 8,000 breakthrough cases resulting in severe disease or death out of 166 million Americans fully vaccinated.

_____________________________________________________________
Rip this joint, gonna save your soul, round and round and round we go......

Quote
Hairball

I saw the Hives open for the Stones at the Stockholm stadium and arena shows '03 up front ceneter for both, and they were explosively fantastic - a non-stop ball of energy.
Wish they would have opened at the Cirkus (theater) show as well, but instead the average Hellacopters opened.

Not sure why they're touring in those "corona-zones" in the south, but hoping they come out to California again some day....

I was trying to remember when I saw the Hives, and yes, I was at the three Stockholm shows too. Roll with the Stones in Stockholm. Those were great shows, especially the Cirkus. Post this pandemic, I wouldn’t mind seeing the Hives again.

More incentive to get vaccinated.

In Los Angeles, Breakthrough Infections Are Now 30% Of All New Covid Cases Amid Delta Surge

Overall, however, the percentages of vaccinated people who test positive, are hospitalized or die from Covid remain low — all less than 1%.

[www.yahoo.com]

I'm sure most of you are aware of the 'coronavirus leaderboard' but if not, this is a useful tool to track trends and give you an idea of the direction 'your jurisdiction' is headed.

Sort of bad news for the last little while in most places, as you can see:

[www.worldometers.info]

Alan Parson punts on his tour.

[alanparsons.com]

Third cancellation in the last week.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2021-08-20 08:07 by daspyknows.

Quote
daspyknows
Alan Parson punts on his tour.

[alanparsons.com]

Third cancellation in the last week.

I'm sure there's some other project he can work on in the meantime.

Quote
Hairball

Quote
Aquamarine
One of my favorite bands, the Hives, has just announced a short October tour that's exclusively in the south, including Texas and Florida. I could conceivably drive to and would love to go to all the shows on this tour, but can't imagine feeling safe going to any of them. I can't imagine what their booking agent was thinking.

I saw the Hives open for the Stones at the Stockholm stadium and arena shows '03 up front ceneter for both, and they were explosively fantastic - a non-stop ball of energy.
Wish they would have opened at the Cirkus (theater) show as well, but instead the average Hellacopters opened.

Not sure why they're touring in those "corona-zones" in the south, but hoping they come out to California again some day....

Yeah, it really hurts having to miss these shows, especially as they don't come this way often. One of the best live bands around.

Quote
Aquamarine

Quote
Hairball

Quote
Aquamarine
One of my favorite bands, the Hives, has just announced a short October tour that's exclusively in the south, including Texas and Florida. I could conceivably drive to and would love to go to all the shows on this tour, but can't imagine feeling safe going to any of them. I can't imagine what their booking agent was thinking.

I saw the Hives open for the Stones at the Stockholm stadium and arena shows '03 up front ceneter for both, and they were explosively fantastic - a non-stop ball of energy.
Wish they would have opened at the Cirkus (theater) show as well, but instead the average Hellacopters opened.

Not sure why they're touring in those "corona-zones" in the south, but hoping they come out to California again some day....

Yeah, it really hurts having to miss these shows, especially as they don't come this way often. One of the best live bands around.

Love the Hives!

Here in Saigon, troop carriers and troops in the streets and at the airport as well. I'd post pics but don't know how.

There's been talk of martial law beginning Sunday (of course they are not calling it that) so the feces is about to hit the fan.

I hope I can make it back to the US to see the boys.

Quote
treaclefingers
I'm sure most of you are aware of the 'coronavirus leaderboard' but if not, this is a useful tool to track trends and give you an idea of the direction 'your jurisdiction' is headed.

Sort of bad news for the last little while in most places, as you can see:

[www.worldometers.info]

Vaccination rate as of Aug.18
USA: 51.45%
England: 60.90%
Canada: 64.47%
Japan: 37.87%

New infections per 100000 people in the last week
USA: 290
England: 306
Canada: 38
Japan: 92

Ratio of new deaths to new infections in the last week
USA: 0.49%
England: 0.32%
Canada: 0.25%
Japan: 0.12%
Russia: 3.77%
India: 1.35%
Korea: 0.35%
Indonesia: 5.41%


It is strange that ratio of deaths is so low in Japan despite vaccination rates are low.
My son got a 1st dose of vaccine today in Tokyo Dome.
He received a lot of souvenirs of Tokyo Dome.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2021-08-20 11:21 by Toru A.

Quote
StonedAsiaExile
Here in Saigon, troop carriers and troops in the streets and at the airport as well. I'd post pics but don't know how.

There's been talk of martial law beginning Sunday (of course they are not calling it that) so the feces is about to hit the fan.

I hope I can make it back to the US to see the boys.

Wanna show pics on iorr? Check this
Take care & stay safe

I wonder if a comparison of overweight/diabetic in U.S. compared to Japan would explain the anomaly of number of deaths. Maybe also the level of medical care between countries once admitted into hospital for COVid?

Quote
slewan
the shitty town were I live (Bielefeld) is now amongst Germany's top five Corona hotspots…

now top three…

Quote
Toru A

Quote
treaclefingers
I'm sure most of you are aware of the 'coronavirus leaderboard' but if not, this is a useful tool to track trends and give you an idea of the direction 'your jurisdiction' is headed.

Sort of bad news for the last little while in most places, as you can see:

[www.worldometers.info]

Vaccination rate as of Aug.18
USA: 51.45%
England: 60.90%
Canada: 64.47%
Japan: 37.87%

New infections per 100000 people in the last week
USA: 290
England: 306
Canada: 38
Japan: 92

Ratio of new deaths to new infections in the last week
USA: 0.49%
England: 0.32%
Canada: 0.25%
Japan: 0.12%
Russia: 3.77%
India: 1.35%
Korea: 0.35%
Indonesia: 5.41%


It is strange that ratio of deaths is so low in Japan despite vaccination rates are low.
My son got a 1st dose of vaccine today in Tokyo Dome.
He received a lot of souvenirs of Tokyo Dome.

Thanks for this breakdown Toru and good health to you and your family.

Indeed interesting rate of death, half of Canada and a third of England and Korea, the next closest. Any guesses are just that...I'm sure these anomalies will be investigated for years to come.

Coronavirus spread among kids 'is categorically different with Delta,' doctor explains

Coronavirus

The number of COVID cases in the U.S. has now surpassed 37 million, with the Delta variant currently accounting for more than 98% of newly confirmed cases in the country. Unlike during the first waves of the coronavirus pandemic, there are significantly more children being hospitalized for COVID-19 infections amid the latest surge. “That really scares me,” Dr. James Simmons, an L.A.-based hospitalist nurse practitioner, said on Yahoo Finance Live (video above). “Kiddos who aren’t eligible for being vaccinated make up about 50 million people in the United States. While the narrative the first time around was kids are a little bit protected from this, we don’t exactly know why they’re not really big spreaders — that’s categorically different with Delta.” Over 4.4 million children have tested positive for COVID-19 since the pandemic began, with more than 121,000 cases in the week ending Aug. 12, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). Cases in children have risen substantially since the beginning of July and now account for 18% of newly confirmed weekly cases, leading to more hospitalizations. “There’s no doubt there are more children getting infected,” Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), said during a recent press briefing. “The Delta variant is much more highly transmissible than was Alpha. Given that you will see more children likely to get infected — and even though the percentage is small, a certain percentage of children will require hospitalization. So quantitatively, you will see more children in the hospital regarding the severity of illness.”

Delta variant is 'much more transmissible'

The contagiousness of the Delta variant is the key reason why children are getting affected on a higher basis, along with the fact that children under the age of 12 aren’t yet eligible to receive any of the available COVID-19 vaccines. Pfizer (PFE) is the only vaccine available for children over the age of 12, while both Moderna (MRNA)’s and Johnson & Johnson (JNJ)’s are only for those 18 and up. All three companies are working on getting FDA approval to provide vaccines for the younger populations. Encouraging vaccinations is a crucial part of mitigating the spread: Health officials reported that unvaccinated individuals account for more than 97% of hospitalization and over 99% of COVID-related deaths. Their decision to remain unvaccinated leaves children and immunocompromised people even more vulnerable to contracting the virus. According to one study, the viral load for those infected with the Delta variant is 1,000 times more potent than the original strain of the virus. That leads to more transmission. "I’m really, really scared of kids going back to an environment where they’re not being masked, where the adults are not vaccinated around them," Simmons said. "I think it could cause a continuing of this surge of Delta that we have to last well into the fall if we don’t put some sort of mask mandates.” Dr. Paul Offit, director of the Vaccine Education Center and an attending physician in the Division of Infectious Diseases at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, is especially concerned for students going back to schools in areas of high transmission. "I think that's going to be a problem," Offit told Yahoo Finance. "We're going to see outbreaks in schools, we're going to see school superintendents struggling with quarantine, ultimately with possibly shutting down schools and going back to virtual learning. Hopefully no one dies, but that sort of seems like where we're heading."

The back-to-school season has sparked concern among both parents and public health professionals about how to best keep children safe in the classrooms. A poll from the Kaiser Family Foundation found that a majority of parents don't want their children's schools to require students to be vaccinated against COVID-19 — but 63% did indicate that masks should be required for any unvaccinated students or staff. "We have school vaccine mandates and have since the 1970s," Offit said. "It's not like it's a novel concept. It's just so weird to me that this has become political, that it's tied up in this bizarre notion of civil liberties as if it's your liberty to catch and transmit a potentially fatal infection — and it's not." Some states have implemented mask mandates in all schools, while other governors have outright banned them. Vaccination rates also vary by state. "There's no good reason not to get a vaccine, sorry," Offit added. "It works. It's safe. There's no good reason not to get a vaccine other than you don't want to get one." Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Florida, South Carolina, Iowa, Utah, and Arizona have all prohibited schools from enforcing mask mandates. Yet, several of these states not only have low vaccination rates but are also responsible for an overwhelming number of COVID-related hospitalizations. “The best way to keep our schools safe — and we know how to do it — is to vaccinate everyone who can be vaccinated, vaccinate family members of children who cannot be vaccinated, and then to follow the mitigation strategies in our schools,” CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said during a recent press briefing.

Mitigation strategies include masking, testing, social distancing, encouraging hand hygiene, and improving air filtration throughout the schools, along with making sure people stay home from school when they’re feeling sick. Dr. Angela Myers, division director of infectious diseases for Children’s Mercy Hospital of Kansas City and board member of the American Academy of Pediatrics, emphasized the importance of masking in schools until the virus is better contained for several reasons. “One — because children under the age of 12 aren’t eligible for the vaccine at this time, so none of those children are vaccinated,” Myers told Yahoo Finance. “Also, because this variant of the virus is so much more contagious than previous versions, each infected person is more likely to infect more people than they would have in the past.” Myers added that "even though the vaccine has been authorized for kids 12 and olders, we just haven’t seen the uptake that we’d like to see in terms of the number of kids who are getting vaccinated. We still have a large portion of even older kids and teenagers that aren’t vaccinated yet. We’ve still got a contagious virus and a large portion of kids in both age groups who are not vaccinated and will be together in close proximity at school.” So far, 59.6% of those over the age of 12 have been fully vaccinated, and 70.2% have received at least one dose. “I do think that for people who’ve been sitting on the fence about getting their child vaccinated, this is a really good time to talk to your trusted care provider, your pediatrician, or your family medicine doctor to really discuss what your concerns are, what your questions are,” Myers said. She added that “now is the time” to get those questions answered as the new school year begins. “Hopefully, you’ll be comforted in the fact that the vaccine is safe and it is effective and you’ll feel good about moving forward with getting your child immunized,” Myers said.

_____________________________________________________________
Rip this joint, gonna save your soul, round and round and round we go......

Quote
Aquamarine

Quote
Hairball

Quote
Aquamarine
One of my favorite bands, the Hives, has just announced a short October tour that's exclusively in the south, including Texas and Florida. I could conceivably drive to and would love to go to all the shows on this tour, but can't imagine feeling safe going to any of them. I can't imagine what their booking agent was thinking.

I saw the Hives open for the Stones at the Stockholm stadium and arena shows '03 up front ceneter for both, and they were explosively fantastic - a non-stop ball of energy.
Wish they would have opened at the Cirkus (theater) show as well, but instead the average Hellacopters opened.

Not sure why they're touring in those "corona-zones" in the south, but hoping they come out to California again some day....

Yeah, it really hurts having to miss these shows, especially as they don't come this way often. One of the best live bands around.

Howlin' Pelle! Loved their set in Stockholm in 2003. Loved the white Hiwatts, too

Booster Review Delayed by CDC as Debate Swirls Over 3rd Shot

"The plan is surrounded by controversy as the medical community remains divided about whether the data support a need for boosters and the World Health Organization has called for richer countries to hold off on distributing third doses until less-vaccinated countries catch up."

"The review comes as U.S. health officials are investigating emerging data suggesting that the Moderna vaccine may be associated with a higher risk of heart complications in younger adults than previously believed, according to a Washington Post report published Thursday. The article cited two unidentified people familiar with the review who emphasized that the side effect still probably remains uncommon."

[www.bloomberg.com]