andrewducker | Interesting Links for 29-11-2021

Crossposts: https://andrewducker.livejournal.com/4118930.html

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3. ARGH.

4. Horrific. And there are people who'd happily sentence other people - including myself - to such a fate by way of their continued refusal to vaccinate. (Yes, I've gotten my first two doses, and so what?)

5. Why am I unsurprised? (And annoyed at having been suckered into believing the accusation/distortion, while we're at it!)

6. Britain is not alone in this, I fear.

8. Whatever I think of Bester and Asimov, I am somewhat amused by this.

9. As of 28 November, Canada found its first two Omicron-variant cases in my city of Ottawa. I expect there to be more to be reported.

As for the travel bans affecting certain African nations, I am displeased. It seems they're being punished as a side effect of South African research labs being properly competent in both detecting and reporting this new variant. We owe those researchers a debt of gratitude.

3. Yes, school is awful for the non-conforming. (I am not autistic. But this pretty much describes my experience too.)

5. I dunno ... not sure how Brian May claims he was misrepresented in the original quote, but what he was quoted as saying sounds a lot like the infamous case of Reagan cabinet member James G. Watt describing an advisory panel as "We have every kind of mix you can have. I have a black, I have a woman, two Jews and a cripple." After a couple weeks of being roundly mocked for this and flailing to apologize, Watt resigned.

6. True enough that I've never heard of Alfie Bester pinching other men's asses except Asimov's, but it's worth noting that what I heard back in the day is that Bester had as bad a social reputation in fandom as Asimov's. He would - I was told - get drunk, carouse uncontrollably, and wreck things. This is why he was not often invited as a guest to conventions.

Learning how to at least give the appearance of conforming or even of making a decent effort, is a useful social skill for anyone who will have to work in changing milieux, or with or for others i.e. most people. It trains adaptability, discretion, observation skills and self-control, all generally useful qualities to have as an adult, whether you're autistic or not.

I am astonished and concerned.

Me too. I'd love to know if his case is a one-off, or if there's a ticking timebomb inside a ton of people...

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Interesting Links for 29-11-2021

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Doctor with long Covid found to have multiple blood clots in his brain

Re: Doctor with long Covid found to have multiple blood clots in his brain