Hijack This Thread

[RVInit]

for Maybenaut!

[Patagoniagirl]

Haven't seen Stern here for a while. Is he okay?

*Odd, considering all the fun legal shenanigans going on.

[raison de arizona]

Haven't seen Stern here for a while. Is he okay?

*Odd, considering all the fun legal shenanigans going on.

I thought the same over the last couple weeks, then I thought I saw him on Twitter. But now I want to check for sure.

[MN-Skeptic]

Haven't seen Stern here for a while. Is he okay?

*Odd, considering all the fun legal shenanigans going on.

I thought the same over the last couple weeks, then I thought I saw him on Twitter. But now I want to check for sure.

Stern got all upset in early May (viewtopic.php?f=26&t=550&p=17658#p17658) and hasn't been back since.

[raison de arizona]

Now I remember.

[RTH10260]

cultural differences between the N.America and Europe

Wearing a Head Scarf Can Be Grounds for Job Suspension, E.U.’s Top Court Rules
The court upheld a decision that companies can ban head scarves or other religious symbols in the workplace in the interest of “a neutral image.”

By Liz Alderman and Melissa Eddy
July 15, 2021

The European Union’s highest court reaffirmed on Thursday that companies in Europe can bar women from wearing head scarves on the job, a ruling that holds consequences for the balance between the freedom of religion and the rights of employers to apply policies requiring religious neutrality.

The ruling was based on separate cases filed by two Muslim women in Germany who were suspended from work for wearing a hijab, an Islamic head covering. The court said company policies barring workers from wearing any “visible form of expression of political, philosophical or religious beliefs in the workplace” did not constitute direct discrimination, so long as they applied to religious garb and symbols of all faiths.

But in further defining its 2017 ruling, which had allowed companies to ban head scarves in the workplace, the European Court of Justice said employers must present evidence that such policies were necessary to meet a “genuine need” to conduct business, including presenting “a neutral image toward customers or to prevent social disputes.”

The wearing of the hijab has fueled controversy across Europe for years, and remains a focal point in the politically explosive issue of Muslim integration. Human rights organizations argued that Muslim women would face pressure and exclusion in the workplace in the wake of the court’s decision.



https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/15/busi ... arves.html

[Maybenaut]

for Maybenaut!

Thanks guys. My body is trying so hard to kill me. I still have a great deal of swelling. The steroids and benadryl are keeping it more or less in check, but I can feel it wanting to bust loose. I would have thought this antibiotic would be out of my system by now.

[RVInit]

People who don't have allergies or don't have friends who have allergies may not realize how dangerous they can be. I am allergic to almost every plant that grows. I have no idea what it's like to not be congested. I can't breathe through my nose at all. I am always scratching itches here and there. But when I moved to Louisiana and came into contact with Johnson and Timothy grass, which I had never been exposed to before, that was downright scary. When I crossed the border into Mississippi I had a sudden craving for a cup of coffee. I was driving the car in front of my ex-husband and I pulled into the Welcome station to get some coffee. It is amazing how sometimes your body knows exactly what you need. I needed the caffeine, which can help with some allergy symptoms. We rolled into Baton Rouge late in the day, checked into the hotel and went to bed. The next morning hubby went to check in and I got up and went into the shower. As I was showering all the sudden I could feel my lips starting to hurt. Not just a little bit, but really hurt. When I got out of the shower I looked at myself in the mirror and my lips had swollen to a size that made my face unrecognizable. I was swelling in other places, too. I started having a hard time breathing because my tongue and throat started swelling and got scared and drove myself to the nearest emergency room, which thank goodness was less than 1/4 mile away. I left the car running, stumbled out of it, and was dragged/carried into the emergency room by an orderly. They immediately recognized I was having a severe allergic reaction to something. That was super scary and I know how lucky I was to be able to somehow get myself to the emergency room fast enough. I was hardly getting any air at all by the time I fell out of the car. So yeah, that's when I started having to keep epipens around and always be aware of the location of the nearest hospital.

Hoping you are staying safe, Maybenaut!

[Maybenaut]

Jeez that’s scary, RV.

I’ve been to the ER *at least* six times with anaphylaxis (twice in the last two days). This is the worst reaction I’ve ever had because it just won’t stop. It’s 5:15 am. I’ve been up all night because I’m afraid to go to sleep.

And on top of it all I still don’t have a definitive answer for this thing on my head, and nothing to treat it with. The dermatologists will all be closed tomorrow so I’m going to find an urgent care.

[Uninformed]

Hope you find someone there who recognises whatever it is causing your problems Maybenaut. It’s scary when you don’t know what’s going on. Definitely a case of erring on the side of caution.

[Shizzle Popped]

Jeez that’s scary, RV.

I’ve been to the ER *at least* six times with anaphylaxis (twice in the last two days). This is the worst reaction I’ve ever had because it just won’t stop. It’s 5:15 am. I’ve been up all night because I’m afraid to go to sleep.

And on top of it all I still don’t have a definitive answer for this thing on my head, and nothing to treat it with. The dermatologists will all be closed tomorrow so I’m going to find an urgent care.

I hope you get some relief very, very soon. That puts my relatively minor health issues in perspective, for sure.

[Shizzle Popped]

MAGA-Branded 'Freedom Phone' Is a Black Box That Should Be Avoided at All Costs

Be it Parler, Gab, or GETTR, recent times have seen no shortage of dollar-sign-eyed entrepreneurs looking to capitalize on conservative America’s disdain for “liberal” Silicon Valley. It was only a matter of time before someone tried to invent the MAGA phone.

Er, make that...the “Freedom Phone.” The device, which launched Thursday, is the product of Erik Finman, a 22-year-old crypto-millionaire who says that he wants America’s patriots to take “back control” of their lives from the tech oligarchy. Finman’s phone, which costs $499, claims to offer conservatives a way to be free of Big Tech’s “spying” and “censorship”—though it is radically vague on the details. Like a random handgun, the phone should be treated as if it were loaded and dangerous because we simply don’t know what’s in the chamber.

Freedom Phone claims that it can protect users from the data collection that comes with an iOS or Android operating system (it has something called a “FreedomOS”—which, ironically, just appears to be a modified version go Google’s Android OS). The phone is also meant to liberate users from Big Tech’s alleged ideological preferences: it has an “uncensorable app store” (called the “PatriApp,” lol), where it is apparently impossible for apps to get booted no matter how unsafe or horrendous they are.



“Based on photographs from the company website a number of Internet sleuths identified that the device has the same form-factor, shape, and appearance of a Umidigi A9 Pro,” said Hickey, via email. “This device is a drop-shipped customizable Android-based phone that can be ordered from ASIAPAC region and customized to a project’s requirements,” he said, clarifying that such devices can be “bought and shipped in bulk with custom logos and branding so as to give the appearance of a phone that has been designed for a unique purpose but is actually just a common cheap Android-based smartphone with core components produced in Taiwan and the surrounding areas.” It’s also very cheap: the A9 Pro is currently available for about $120, much less than the Freedom Phone’s $500.

https://gizmodo.com/maga-branded-freedo ... 1847299215

[RTH10260]

MAGA-Branded 'Freedom Phone' Is a Black Box That Should Be Avoided at All Costs


https://gizmodo.com/maga-branded-freedo ... 1847299215

Hmm - as if the writer had been following our discussion threads on this device Everything mentioned above was mentioned 1:1 in the last days on TFB

[Uninformed]

The thing that has amused me most is that the grifters I have seen hyping these overpriced phones on Twitter have been posting from their iPhones.

[Maybenaut]

The verdict is in. Shingles. So relieved just to have a diagnosis.

[Estiveo]

Shingles is no fun, but much better than MRSA.

[Volkonski]

The verdict is in. Shingles. So relieved just to have a diagnosis.

Shingles is no fun but at least you know. Best wishes for a quick recovery.

[Azastan]

People who don't have allergies or don't have friends who have allergies may not realize how dangerous they can be. I am allergic to almost every plant that grows. I have no idea what it's like to not be congested. I can't breathe through my nose at all. I am always scratching itches here and there. But when I moved to Louisiana and came into contact with Johnson and Timothy grass, which I had never been exposed to before, that was downright scary. When I crossed the border into Mississippi I had a sudden craving for a cup of coffee. I was driving the car in front of my ex-husband and I pulled into the Welcome station to get some coffee. It is amazing how sometimes your body knows exactly what you need. I needed the caffeine, which can help with some allergy symptoms. We rolled into Baton Rouge late in the day, checked into the hotel and went to bed. The next morning hubby went to check in and I got up and went into the shower. As I was showering all the sudden I could feel my lips starting to hurt. Not just a little bit, but really hurt. When I got out of the shower I looked at myself in the mirror and my lips had swollen to a size that made my face unrecognizable. I was swelling in other places, too. I started having a hard time breathing because my tongue and throat started swelling and got scared and drove myself to the nearest emergency room, which thank goodness was less than 1/4 mile away. I left the car running, stumbled out of it, and was dragged/carried into the emergency room by an orderly. They immediately recognized I was having a severe allergic reaction to something. That was super scary and I know how lucky I was to be able to somehow get myself to the emergency room fast enough. I was hardly getting any air at all by the time I fell out of the car. So yeah, that's when I started having to keep epipens around and always be aware of the location of the nearest hospital.

Hoping you are staying safe, Maybenaut!

Wow, that's more than scary, that's just incredible.

My closest encounter to something like that (and it was nowhere near life-threatening at that point) was the day I went to celebrate my birthday at my parents, where I was served shrimp. I'd never had any problems with shrimp, so I enjoyed my party and went home. I started feeling 'dirty' and itchy, so I decided to have a bath. I watched huge welts rise up all over my body, so called my parents to let them know that something was wrong and that I might need to go to the hospital. My mother informed me that they were watching Masterpiece Theatre and they'd bring me some calamine lotion when the program was over. My mother showed up 45 minutes later with bottle of calamine, took one look at me, and hauled me off to the ER By that time my face was about a third larger than normal and I was having a hard time breathing.

So...I'm empathizing here, that's just overwhelming .

[neonzx]

The verdict is in. Shingles. So relieved just to have a diagnosis.

I agree, at least you have a diagnosis. I know there is a vaccine for older adults who had the measles as children (waves hand).

From what I recall (without googling) it's our autoimmune system over-reacting trying to fight a virus still in the body (but it's a dead virus) from childhood.

I get a scaly skin condition on one side of my neck every few years -- people say it's shingles but I'm not sure. It's not painful and goes away on it's own in a few weeks.

[zekeb]

The verdict is in. Shingles. So relieved just to have a diagnosis.

Did you get the expensive vaccination previous to this? I had shingles nearly 30 years ago. I was just over age 40. They suck.

[Estiveo]

Chicken pox, not measles. Herpes zoster.

I had a lovely bout of it 15 years ago or so. I was doing acupuncture as a migraine preventive & called my acupuncturist to cancel. When I told him I had shingles, he had me come in anyway, saying he couldn't cure it, but he could ease the symptoms while my doctor treated the illness.

A combination of acupuncture & cupping, I'll be darned if it didn't help a lot.

[neonzx]

Chicken pox, not measles.

Thank you... as I said, I didn't google. But I had chicken pox, too, also, too.

[zekeb]

For the anti-vaxxers who don't believe in vaccinating their children: This is the scourge you festoon upon them after you are dead and gone.

[Maybenaut]

For the anti-vaxxers who don't believe in vaccinating their children: This is the scourge you festoon upon them after you are dead and gone.

Indeed. I got the first round of the shingles vaccine about 3 months ago, but not the second. You need both to be protected.

[jcolvin2]

Indeed. I got the first round of the shingles vaccine about 3 months ago, but not the second. You need both to be protected.

Thanks for mentioning that. I received one dose of Shingrix in November and the medical staff did not tell me that it was a two dose vaccine. Now I will have to make my way back to the doctor for dose number two in the near future.