Joshua

Sorry to hear that, but I am happy that you've beaten your doctor's expectations. I've only been diabetic for 3 years. My struggles have been much smaller than yours, but it's been a rollercoaster, that's for sure. Respectfully, I didn't "victim blame." I offered an opposing viewpoint. I also only mentioned fire simply because you mentioned it in this post: I do care about those other issues that kill many many people. As I've pointed out in the past, this pandemic is competing with those yearly numbers in a fraction of the time. I've gotten snark for saying that before, but I don't think it's something that should be ignored. Regardless, the numbers are significant and that's why many of us are focused on the current pandemic. No one is saying that cancer, fires, diabetes, and heart disease no longer matter. At least, I'm not trying to say that. But I also believe we shouldn't ignore one potential death because another potential death already exists. (Additionally, many of us at risk from diabetes, heart problems, and other illnesses are also at risk to COVID-19 because of lower immune systems.) Maybe more so on social media than here, I keep seeing it suggested that death is a part of life -- which is true, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't try to slow it down to the best of our ability. (Having said all that, I'm more focused on COVID-19 than "Murder Hornets." But at the same time, I really don't want to come across one.)

I'm a T1 diabetic. The cause of my death would be from consistently eating sugar and my body not being able to process it, not taking my insulin (i.e. not taking the recommended precautions to keep myself safe...), or one of the associated illness related to it, such as heart disease. Now granted, you could argue that you shouldn't take sugar away from everyone to keep a few of us safe, but this is different. In my case, I can't just contract sugar from someone in public. (Although, I am more susceptible to COVID-19, and so are those with heart disease.) With many of the things listed, there is something you do to save yourself. With diabetes, it's managing your blood sugar. For fires, it's following code to prevent it and getting out of the building when there is one. You don't run back into a burning building because that's your freedom and people die every day...

I'm wondering if it's supposed to say, "even if some states..." The sentence makes a little more sense that way. Sometimes editors get this notion that "too many words are bad," but removing too many words can also be bad. Also, nitpick here, but I would've flipped the wording too: "even with social distancing rules in place and if some states don't reopen at all."

Approach it the same way. Look at the information they're presenting, how they're presenting it, and compare it to other sources. What that professor taught us was to use critical thought in selecting our information and recognize that we ourselves aren't sources unless we had significant experience that firmly makes us a source on the subject we're discussing (ex. a physicist discussing string theory, a dentist on tooth decay, etc.). In other words, a virologist has more clout in discussing alleged facts about COVID-19 than a layman on Reddit or YouTube whose expertise and experience is significantly less. But for what it is worth, most of the articles I've read, the sources have expressed that more data is needed.

Regarding the media. This is how I try to approach it: The sources cited. Where does this information come from? Who is being quoted? What is their expertise? Does it give me enough information to make up my own mind? Look out for those who deem themselves the source of the information. The language being used. Are they using phrases like "might," "may," could," "seems like," etc. A lot of times the speculative nature isn't addressed directly, but instead implied through language. It's not just the media, you can see this a lot in this thread. I'm guilty of it myself sometimes. Something "seems to be true" or "is probably true," that means it is true, right? Wrong. The website or channel itself. Is it a major newspaper/news site/network, a website akin to Buzzfeed-ish/We Got This Covered, some sort of "(insert political affiliation) Daily" Facebook page, or is it just some dude on YouTube shouting in his truck? I'm not saying the media is perfect, but the other three are far more untrustworthy as they rarely cite sources nor approach the information presented with critical thought, and prey upon your angers, fears, and doubts regarding the media (or other entities). If someone is ranting and raving like some angry lunatic, I immediately click away. I had a speech teacher in film school who hammered this all this into us. I'll never forget what he told us on the first day: "You are not a source for information." He then would ding us for us for making bold claims, implied statistics ("most people this, most people that"), stating something as a fact without either citing a source or at least explaining what it is that makes us an expert on the subject (ex. "I worked in this field for 5 years").

Here's an article discussing warm weather's impact on COVID-19. https://news.yahoo.com/latest-research-says-summers-impact-200500617.html According to the CDC, the death toll in the US is 64,283 and over a million confirmed cases.

The Cyclone is almost a century old. As long as Kings Island maintains it, I see no reason why The Beast couldn't live at least a couple more decades. The same for The Racer.

Isn't that a good thing?

This is news to me as well. It looks like it happened at least two years ago. This image is from a Dayton Daily News article from 2018: https://www.daytondailynews.com/news/watch-10m-plan-set-for-the-former-americana-amusement-park-take-aerial-tour/3CsO1x1EZyXtg8L639dZ0H/

Magazines are a dying breed and B&N is one of the few places around here that sells a decent selection (i.e. more than just gossip, guns, and car mags). Personally, I love perusing their film and horror magazines and they are the only place that carries my favorite, Cinefex.

The best was the short period it interacted with the Safari train.

May I ask what sources you use for your information and why you think the precautions we've taken haven't contributed to keeping the death toll below expectations?

I'd be okay with a broader spooky theme that allows for a variety of different styles. One ride could have the old gothic, "castle thunder" style that Universal Monsters and Hammer are known for while another could be themed to 80s horror. The Bat could lend itself to the giant monster craze from the 50s and maybe they could do some Atomic Age stuff with Drop Tower and Delirium. They could even theme a coaster to the Maestro himself if his Theater never opens back up.

The purpose of my posts isn't to discredit your concerns, but to point out that those 37,000+ were people. Like standbyme expressed in his post, it makes my heart sink every single time I see someone even remotely suggest that people's lives are expendable and their deaths an "acceptable" sacrifice to protect our economy. I'm not saying I don't want a normal life again nor am I saying I'm unconcerned about our economy. I'm one of those who was affected economically by this. I lost my job. Not furloughed, laid off permanently, and I worked hard for that job. Also, for what it's worth, I fall into another statistic you mentioned on the last page. I've gone through many tough battles in the last decade, and I'll have another one ahead of me in the months to come. Respectfully, I'm saying those people are most than just percentages, those lives mattered.

37,055 Americans and counting in.. Just.. One.. Month..

As of today, there are 37, 055 Americans who would probably disagree.

I couldn't have said it better myself!

i haven't been counting Planet Snoopy rides since the first post said not to, but I would have to add everything that wasn't there in the early to mid 90s. Unfortunately, my memory can't vouch for riding all the Hanna-Barbara from that era either.

The Enchanted Voyage has been covered by Yesterworld.

There seems to be a lot of disdain towards the lower class in this wording.

The Wal-Mart I speak of is in Ohio, by an outdoor shopping center called Bridgewater Falls.

The Wal-Mart near Bridgewater doesn't appear to have converted to "one way aisles" and there were very few signs of social distancing when I visited today. Clusters of families and teenagers were shopping, very few customers and employees were wearing masks, and large masses were clogging the beverage aisle and the grocery side U-Scan. No preventable measures seem to have been taken to protect their employees or their customers.

I've noticed an uptick in crazy drivers lately and last week, on my way into Wal-Mart, some lady who was parked on the curb, was sticking her head out and screaming at me. Why? I have no idea. My guess is because I was wearing a mask?

Ohio vs. Michigan games will have a different feel, that's for sure!

Michigan's protestors are carrying assault rifles. I'm sure they see themselves as "protecting our freedoms," or something like that, but frankly, their getup makes them look like the radical terrorists you fight against in Call of Duty. It's... not a good look.