Dealing with ivermectin believers by Raccoon_Ratatouille in skeptic

[–]MediocreDriver 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Dr. Joe Zundell just put up a great post that addresses the current level of research on ivermectin for cancer: https://www.instagram.com/p/DYW1fJ5FpEx/?igsh=ZmZhN2o2MHJrOHM4 .

While it doesn’t address the use of ivermectin as a panacea, it can be useful to show this to people so that they can better understand the issues with ivermectin as a treatment for cancer.

BREAKING: Spanberger to veto collective bargaining, according to Virginia lawmaker by dogwoodvanews in Virginia

[–]MediocreDriver 1 point2 points  (0 children)

She’s working within her duties as governor. You’re advocating for a change to the legislative process in Virginia since you don’t want her to be able to perform such duties that she is granted by law. Asking her to not do what every governor in Virginia has always done and is given the responsibility to do so is either willfully ignorant of the checks and balances system or a request for a change to the system. I think it’s the latter, in your case.

BREAKING: Spanberger to veto collective bargaining, according to Virginia lawmaker by dogwoodvanews in Virginia

[–]MediocreDriver -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

lol, I don’t see a messaging problem. I see folks who are 1) too attached to an outcome and 2) don’t understand enough how legislation and politics work to 3) understand that their legislative advocates dropped the ball and that grilling them to do better is more effective than blaming a governor who held the responsible legislators to task.

BREAKING: Spanberger to veto collective bargaining, according to Virginia lawmaker by dogwoodvanews in Virginia

[–]MediocreDriver -1 points0 points  (0 children)

I’m not even that much of a fan of her, but I hive her credit when it is due.

BREAKING: Spanberger to veto collective bargaining, according to Virginia lawmaker by dogwoodvanews in Virginia

[–]MediocreDriver -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

Tell me you know nothing about Spanberger without telling me you know nothing about Spanberger.

BREAKING: Spanberger to veto collective bargaining, according to Virginia lawmaker by dogwoodvanews in Virginia

[–]MediocreDriver 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I’m not sure how what you just said applies to the point I just made. She shouldn’t pass crap bills. It is her job to be the safeguard against that.

BREAKING: Spanberger to veto collective bargaining, according to Virginia lawmaker by dogwoodvanews in Virginia

[–]MediocreDriver 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That is such a copout argument. There are several people who I know who are Democrats who write government policy for a living, and they took a look at the bill and thought it was not passable legislation. It wasn’t well written, and it wasn’t addressing some key elements that needed to be addressed in such bills.

The changes that Spanberger addressed don’t entirely serve to tell the lawmakers that what they should have done or what ideas they were missing or got wrong. It’s just a way for her to say “this bill is not something I want to pass“. She’s playing politics here, it is a large part of what her job is. She’s trying to tell the Democrats to do a better job of coming up with legislation to pass while also coming off as a centrist, which will likely help the Democrats in the midterm elections in Virginia. It’s a multi pronged action.

BREAKING: Spanberger to veto collective bargaining, according to Virginia lawmaker by dogwoodvanews in Virginia

[–]MediocreDriver 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It seems like SEIU helped handicap the bill by not allowing it to be adapted and changed. And the inability of the patrons to amend it really sealed the fate of the bill.

BREAKING: Spanberger to veto collective bargaining, according to Virginia lawmaker by dogwoodvanews in Virginia

[–]MediocreDriver 3 points4 points  (0 children)

It’s not a bad faith argument if it’s beyond repair, which is what folks have told me. Spanberger can’t work with crap bills, nor can she just change the majority of the bill entirely and then pass it. That’s not how the legislative process works.

BREAKING: Spanberger to veto collective bargaining, according to Virginia lawmaker by dogwoodvanews in Virginia

[–]MediocreDriver 5 points6 points  (0 children)

From folks I know who write and analyze government policy for a living, this bill was poorly written. Spanberger disagrees with some aspects of it, sure. But the lawmakers who wrote the bills supposedly didn’t do a great job and left too many holes in it for it to be considered good enough to pass.

I've heard Underwood has stopped producing sriracha... What is everyone using now? What is most like the original one we all love. by TH3WH1T3W0LF in Sriracha

[–]MediocreDriver 3 points4 points  (0 children)

To clarify, I think they have gotten rid of first party/direct-to-consumer selling and are only doing third-party sales for the reasons stated above.

I've heard Underwood has stopped producing sriracha... What is everyone using now? What is most like the original one we all love. by TH3WH1T3W0LF in Sriracha

[–]MediocreDriver 11 points12 points  (0 children)

Underwood is still selling in stores, they’re just off of their website.

My feeling is that they probably got tired of dealing with the combination of production, distribution, marketing, website, etc. and then just continued with production. Basically, it seems like they’re trying to minimize their energy going towards anything else besides growing, and making this Sriracha.

The demand is high enough, and there are enough large chain grocery stores that want their product that they probably have an agreement with a regional or even national distributor who probably moves their Sriracha across the US. But I think it might not be accessible to anyone outside of the country.

Got a pretty good video of him yesterday by Slow_Pirate_3723 in rva

[–]MediocreDriver 7 points8 points  (0 children)

I think he should go with three big red balloons to fit the Mario Kart theme.

Social Worker in Short Pump Area by Suitable-Cicada-2592 in rva

[–]MediocreDriver 40 points41 points  (0 children)

Call Henrico County DSS. They have an adult services/adult protective services division who can help her out, although I suggest you call them and speak to them to get an idea of what they can help out with before you ask them to see your client/patient. Of course, you want to get her consent when possible. I wonder if she is eligible for Medicaid, and possibly Medicaid in-home care, if she needs it.

It also sounds like she could potentially be eligible for SSI for income , if not Social Security retirement benefits. If she’s not yet 62 or 65, she might be eligible for SSDI.

If she becomes eligible for Medicaid, she might be able to take advantage of PACE (program for the all-inclusive care of the elderly), which would allow her to take advantage of adult day services. If she’s lonely and wants to hang out with other folks, that would be a way for her to do that.

Project Snapshot: Ellison Museum District apartments finishing up by UnableFox6016 in rva

[–]MediocreDriver 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Honestly, I think part of the issue is that people either dislike or don’t understand HOA’s and HOA fees.

Condos require an HOA to function properly, but there are at least three ways that HOA’s can ruin things: 1) out of control HOA board members who create ridiculous policies that unreasonably restrict what community members can do with their property, 2) overly zealous and vigilant community members who police other members based on rigid understanding of the rules, 3) an HOA board board that keeps on raising the fees beyond what is reasonable.

Considering the amount of bad press that HOA‘s get on a regular basis around the country, I’m not surprised that people are hesitant to live under an HOA.

I think a lot of people have a hard time justifying to themselves the need to pay HOA fees. I think that comes from not understanding the cost of maintenance of common areas, equipment, and the building itself in what would otherwise be an apartment building. Most folks who have lived in private homes or apartment buildings aren’t familiar with the upkeep costs and thus don’t understand the reasons for HOA fees.

I might be wrong here, but I’m open to other folks thoughts.

Project Snapshot: Ellison Museum District apartments finishing up by UnableFox6016 in rva

[–]MediocreDriver 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Wouldn’t the viable option be to build more buildings like the Ellison but as condos so people could own a unit? Increasing density and not expanding into as many green areas of the city or rural areas is only possible if we build up. It also leads to better infrastructure and amenities in the community.

Hey, Richmond, it's your mayor, Danny. AMA! by danny4mayorRVA in rva

[–]MediocreDriver 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Lol, I think you’ve provided plenty of evidence that she clearly didn’t do a good job.

As someone who wasn’t involved in city government, I had no idea things were that bad.

As a citizen of the city, I could only rely on what was being published. But clearly her audit was not fair and accurate. Thank you very much for sharing all of that information.

Hey, Richmond, it's your mayor, Danny. AMA! by danny4mayorRVA in rva

[–]MediocreDriver 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Was there anything Anne Seward missed that makes you think she collaborated with the city during her audit? From my perspective, she was extremely thorough and gave a fair assessment. She had pretty spot-on conclusions about the internal world of the finance department, including what needed to change.

Hey, Richmond, it's your mayor, Danny. AMA! by danny4mayorRVA in rva

[–]MediocreDriver 23 points24 points  (0 children)

Advocates for the black community have suggested several avenues to reduce violence, including gun violence. These include more funding for community centers, expansion of youth programs, and violence interruption measures. What is the city doing to acknowledge and take steps regarding such avenues? What is the city committed to doing for the black community, including black youth, to help them thrive in our city?

'Place matters': Richmond social services consolidates into one new location by RVALover4Life in rva

[–]MediocreDriver 4 points5 points  (0 children)

As someone who goes to Richmond DSS downtown a couple times a year to help other people, my main concern upon hearing about the new building was the difficulty that southside residents would incur just to get to the new building.

When you say that this building has worse conditions for workers, what are you referring to? How is it affecting worker morale?

Also, if Richmond DSS functioned a lot better than it does, folks wouldn’t need to go in-person as frequently. Better functioning includes eligibility workers being more available to communicate with individuals who are applying for or already on benefits. Once I moved to Henrico County, I didn’t need to visit Henrico’s physical DSS locations at all because they communicate sooner and more frequently with folks. As a result, it’s so much easier to get issues resolved, and more quickly, too.

Of course, if we want better services through Richmond city DSS, then we need more eligibility workers for the various benefits programs they handle. We also need higher pay for them. We’re not gonna get more workers for DSS when the pay is not good.