1 minute ago, VanHammersly said:

They're awesome.  Obviously, everything else there is dog sheet, but their fries are the best.  Do they inject them with beef juice?  I don't know, the cow's not sacred to me, so I'm all for it.  Whatever they're doing, it's working.

They supposedly used to fry them in beef tallow. 

Just now, we_gotta_believe said:

My first time ever was at the Madison Square park location, which they claim was the OG shack. It was freakin awesome, I don't know how you can say it's overhyped. 

It's a good burger. But damn. The lines. The tourists constantly searching for it. I just never got it. 

1 minute ago, we_gotta_believe said:

Agree, Five Guys has the best fries of the 3, but they're a distant third when it comes to the burgers. And their shakes suck ass.

Yes. I agree.

What's the one burger joint based out of Texas that gets all the hype?  @mayanh8

That's the only one I've never tried. Mostly cause I wasn't going to waste a meal in Austin on not-BBQ.

17 minutes ago, binkybink77 said:

Ugh you guys... fries should never be topped. 

You never had poutine? It is amazing. It'll change your life.

My wife and I get our meat at a local butcher who happens to sell Conshohocken Bakery rolls and no matter what meat we get, the first night we almost always just make burgers on kaiser rolls.

A good burger is a magical creature.

1 minute ago, DEagle7 said:

What's the one burger joint based out of Texas that gets all the hype?  @mayanh8

That's the only one I've never tried. Mostly cause I wasn't going to waste a meal in Austin on not-BBQ.

Whattaburger. They’re in Florida too. 

2 minutes ago, Lloyd said:

It's a good burger. But damn. The lines. The tourists constantly searching for it. I just never got it. 

I feel you there. Took two steps inside on the one in the loop in chicago, turned around and immediately walked out. Was like a 45-60 min wait, haha. Thankfully the other times we've gone have been quick outside of that chicago one. Except for maybe one of the times we went in Orlando which was a 20 min wait. We've got one in Ann Arbor now and there hasn't been a line once during the times we've been there.

1 minute ago, Toastrel said:

My wife and I get our meat at a local butcher who happens to sell Conshohocken Bakery rolls and no matter what meat we get, the first night we almost always just make burgers on kaiser rolls.

A good burger is a magical creature.

I live a few blocks from the bakery. When the wind is right some days you can smell the bread baking, smells so good.

2 minutes ago, DEagle7 said:

What's the one burger joint based out of Texas that gets all the hype?  @mayanh8

That's the only one I've never tried. Mostly cause I wasn't going to waste a meal in Austin on not-BBQ.

Whataburger and it blows large veiny donkey phenus. I literally can't wrap my head around the love people have for that garbage.

31 minutes ago, vikas83 said:

In 'N Out is impossible to overrate. Those who claim it is overrated are butthurt New Yorkers trying to claim Shake Shack is better. 

Meh, Philadelphian here, and I also think In 'N Out is overrated.  I thought it was good, but not worth the wait, and didn't live up to the hype IMO.  

5 minutes ago, VanHammersly said:

Whattaburger. They’re in Florida too. 

That's the bish. 

Any good compared to the rest of these places?

1 minute ago, Phillyterp85 said:

Meh, Philadelphian here, and I also think In 'N Out is overrated.  I thought it was good, but not worth the wait, and didn't live up to the hype IMO.  

One other thing I'll say about In N Out is that if you have only been once and didn't like it, you should give it a second try in another location. For whatever reason, they aren't quite as consistent as places like Shake Shack, which give you the same burger no matter where you are, whereas with In N Out, I've had great burgers at the LV and Hollywood locations, but a slightly subpar one at the Culver City one.

A little history...

 

Quote

The Long Shadow of the 1976 Swine Flu Vaccine ‘Fiasco’

Some, but not all, of the hesitance to embrace vaccines can be traced back to this event more than 40 years ago

In the spring of 1976, it looked like that year’s flu was the real thing. Spoiler alert: it wasn’t, and rushed response led to a medical debacle that hasn’t gone away.

"Some of the American public’s hesitance to embrace vaccines — the flu vaccine in particular — can be attributed to the long-lasting effects of a failed 1976 campaign to mass-vaccinate the public against a strain of the swine flu virus,” writes Rebecca Kreston for Discover. "This government-led campaign was widely viewed as a debacle and put an irreparable dent in future public health initiative, as well as negatively influenced the public’s perception of both the flu and the flu shot in this country.”

To begin with: You should get a flu shot. You should certainly get all of your other vaccines and make sure your children get them. They will protect you and others from getting deadly and debilitating things like mumps, whooping cough, polio and measles. But this is a story about one time over 40 years ago when poor decision-making on the part of the government led to the unnecessary vaccination of about 45 million citizens. We can't blame it for the modern anti-vaccine movement, which has more recent roots in a retracted paper that linked one vaccine to autism, but it certainly had an effect on the public's view of vaccines.

On February 4, 1976, a young soldier named David Lewis died of a new form of flu. In the middle of the month, F. David Matthews, the U.S. secretary of health, education and welfare, announced that an epidemic of the flu that killed Pvt. Lewis was due in the fall. "The indication is that we will see a return of the 1918 flu virus that is the most virulent form of flu,” he said, reports Patrick di Justo for Salon. He went on: The 1918 outbreak of "Spanish flu” killed half a million Americans, and the upcoming apocalypse was expected to kill a million.

That earlier pandemic was another form of swine flu, di Justo writes, and researchers at the Centers for Disease Control thought that what was happening could well be a new, even deadlier strain that was genetically close to the 1918 strain.

To avoid an epidemic, the CDC believed, at least 80 percent of the United States population would need to be vaccinated. When they asked Congress for the money to do it, politicians jumped on the potential good press of saving their constituents from the plague, di Justo writes.

The World Health Organization adopted more of a wait-and-see attitude to the virus, writes Kreston. They eventually found that the strain of flu that year was not a repeat or escalation of the 1918 flu, but "the U.S. government was unstoppable,” di Justo writes. They had promised a vaccine, so there needed to be a vaccine.

This all happened in the spring, with emergency legislation for the "National Swine Flu Immunization Program,” being signed into effect in mid-April. By the time immunizations began on October 1, though, the proposed epidemic had failed to emerge (although Legionnaires' Disease had, confusing matters further.)

"With President Ford’s reelection campaign looming on the horizon, the campaign increasingly appeared politically motivated,” Kreston writes. In the end, one journalist at The New York Times went so far as to call the whole thing a "fiasco.” Epidemiology takes time, politics is often about looking like you’re doing something and logistics between branches of government are extremely complicated. These factors all contributed to the pandemic that never was.

The real victims of this pandemic were likely the 450-odd people who came down with Guillain-Barre syndrome, a rare neurological disorder, after getting the 1976 flu shot. On its website, the CDC notes that people who got the vaccination did have an increased risk of "approximately one additional case of GBS for every 100,000 people who got the swine flu vaccine.”

Several theories as to why this happened exist, they say, "but the exact reason for this link remains unknown.” As for the flu shot today, the CDC writes, if there is any increased risk it is "very small, about one in a million. Studies suggest that it is more likely that a person will get GBS after getting the flu than after vaccination.”
 

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/long-shadow-1976-swine-flu-vaccine-fiasco-180961994/?fbclid=IwAR1O8ffMjN1O8ITbwwvNxuYs7FUahqXgIrBFfmaT1E3qx-OfoXabv3fMWVY

 

7 minutes ago, BirdsFanBill said:

I live a few blocks from the bakery. When the wind is right some days you can smell the bread baking, smells so good.

If you can't be in South Philly, Conshy Bakery is the best.

1 minute ago, DEagle7 said:

That's the bish. 

Any good compared to the rest of these places?

Is Fancy Feast any good compared to a dry-aged ribeye? That's basically what you're asking.

Just now, DEagle7 said:

That's the bish. 

Any good compared to the rest of these places?

I like it.  WGB seems to have really strong feelings against it, but I thought it was a good burger.  I've tried Shake Shack but I don't remember it, and I love In and Out.  Out of the places we're talking about, I'd say it's In and Out, then Whattaburger, then Five Guys.  There's always Fat Burger in LA too, but despite the shout out from Ice Cube, I didn't think it was that good.

3 minutes ago, EaglesRocker97 said:

A little history...

Sorry, this is the burgers and fries thread now.

26 minutes ago, VanHammersly said:

Honestly, McDonald's has the best fries in the world.  Fight me.

 

1 minute ago, VanHammersly said:

I like it.  WGB seems to have really strong feelings against it, but I thought it was a good burger.  I've tried Shake Shack but I don't remember it, and I love In and Out.  Out of the places we're talking about, I'd say it's In and Out, then Whattaburger, then Five Guys.  There's always Fat Burger in LA too, but despite the shout out from Ice Cube, I didn't think it was that good.

1 minute ago, DEagle7 said:

Sorry, this is the burgers and fries thread now.

We're all coping in our own ways, lol.

3 minutes ago, VanHammersly said:

I like it.  WGB seems to have really strong feelings against it, but I thought it was a good burger.  I've tried Shake Shack but I don't remember it, and I love In and Out.  Out of the places we're talking about, I'd say it's In and Out, then Whattaburger, then Five Guys.  There's always Fat Burger in LA too, but despite the shout out from Ice Cube, I didn't think it was that good.

Five Guys, I'll tell ya...if they end up getting out of the burger biz, they can jump right into the laxative biz. 

Weekly update from the Doc (oh and side update, my dad got restless in retirement and has gone back to work at a hospital).  

https://www.nothingbutthetruthmd.com/2020/11/111520-covid-19-update.html

The election is finally over and we have a new administration. 

A short time ago, I raised the question of whether much would have been made or done about the virus if this had not been an election year.  At the time we were experiencing about 45,000 new cases of virus a day.  Now we are experiencing 140,000 + new cases of virus a day.  The talking heads are eager to distress the public with the numbers and moan about the tragedy of it all.  The Governors have done very little, but threaten to do much, BUT NOTHING has been done.  The numbers are much higher now than they were when any Governor put a protocol in place for reopening, not that I think we should ever have closed, and yet NOTHING has been done.  I visited a gym in Wilkes Barre this week where over 50% of the people in the gym were not wearing masks and there was no sign that they even had masks.   A Cracker Barrel Restaurant was packed and obviously people were not wearing masks at the tables.  This, while Pennsylvania is experiencing more new cases than ever during this Pandemic.  Governor Wolf is now going to leave it up to the local municipalities to deal with the virus as they see fit.  A fine example of leadership.  We are blinded, perhaps, by the mirage of immortality.

There is talk again about "shutting down".  You can't shut down forever.  You can't shut down until there is a vaccine.  You can't shut down until the numbers decline to a level where testing, tracking and tracing could work.  Dr. Michael Osterholm , who has now been appointed to the Biden Coronavirus advisory committee, thinks we should shut down for six weeks and pay everybody to stay home.  The printing press in the basement of the White House will be very busy printing debt for this ridiculous idea.  I don't even want to talk about tests.

Now comes the great debate:  The Barrington Declaration versus The John Snow Rebuttal. (so named for the father of Epidemiology, he pinpointed the source of epidemic cholera in London a few years ago)  You can google these referendums  for a detailed understanding of the debate which has become quite dicey for academic circles.  Let me say that there are very reputable scientists in each camp.  This is not a debate between republicans and democrats or liberals versus conservatives.  These are two camps with very ideologically different viewpoints.

The Barrington Deceleration: (briefly)

1.  It is not possible to eradicate Covid and we should give up trying. 

2.  We must accept that there are going to be deaths, but well over 99% of the non-vulnerable population will survive.

3.  Lockdowns have a very deleterious effect on mental and economic state of the individual and society.

4.  We should protect the vulnerable population with every tool at our disposal and let the rest of society do whatever they want until we reach herd immunity.  Not concerned with mitigation protocols.

The John Snow Rebuttal: (briefly)

1.  No scientific evidence exists, that is, no country has been able to protect its vulnerable, and Sweden is specifically referred to

2.  Our healthcare system will not be able to weather the storm

3.  Wide spread viral transmission has a very deleterious effect on consumer confidence and destroys the economy

4.  We should be reducing gatherings, wearing masks and distancing (but without detail on how to accomplish this)

What is conspicuously missing from the rhetoric and impassioned arguments of either side, is any reference to the success gained in Southeast Asia and New Zealand over the virus.  The SCIENTIFIC PROOF of what does work is in plain sight, as opposed to the theories espoused by the Academic camps in this debate.  China, with a population almost five times greater than ours has contained the virus and resumed "normal" life.  You don't like how they did it?  Do you like what is going on in our country now?

Certainly there is no painless, effortless path to reducing the virus to a level that we can live with.  Certain freedoms are going to be lost during this struggle, the loss of freedom that accompanies death, the loss of freedom that occurs during convalescence or the loss of "privacy" or freedoms during enforced quarantine and isolation.  None of the options are particularly appetizing but we WILL pick one or all of them in due time.  In the meantime our country is being ruined.

The tangible, we now have a therapeutic, monoclonal antibodies, that can greatly reduce hospitalizations and probably reduce deaths to a number less than that caused by the Flu.  I think these great Academicians should focus on how to make this treatment known and  available to every hospital in the country, so that any individual with a positive test over the age of 55 could be offered this treatment.  

That we are in this current state is reprehensible.  This is directly attributable to individuals who do not care (for whatever the reason or excuse) to do what we know is necessary and works.

WE HOPED A COVID VACCINE WOULD BE EFFECTIVE. BUT 90% EFFICACY IS A TRUE GAME CHANGER.

Dr. Robert Wachter

Chair of the Department of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco

AN ETHICAL FRAMEWORK FOR GLOBAL VACCINE ALLOCATION

Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel 

Architect of the Affordable Care Act

Oncologist/Ethicist

Science 

September 2020

Pfizer's recent announcement of greater than 90% efficacy of its mRNA vaccine has stimulated much hope  The phase III efficacy trial is now complete, and we are two to three weeks away from the end of the clinical observation period for side effects, at which point the FDA, in all likelihood, will issue an EUA.

Even if there is a rare side effect (which remains a possibility) the overarching risk-benefit ratio will still be very positive.

Pfizer has stated that they will have 50 million doses by the end of the year and 1.3 billion doses by the end of 2021.

Pfizer will produce enough vaccine to vaccinate 25 million people this year (2 shots per patient) but much of that will be going outside the country.

How much of the 1.3 billion supply to be produced in 2021 will be earmarked for US citizens is up for debate.  Dr. Emanuel, who has been appointed to the Biden Covid Advisory Committee,  in his paper, is pushing for global distribution utilizing somewhat complicated analysis to accomplish this end.  His FAIR DISTRIBUTION MODEL calls for distribution according to need.  Need is defined by several metrics.  The WHO is calling for distribution at 3% increments based on population, until each country has received enough vaccine to vaccinate 20% of its populace.  Drs. Morita and Osterholm, who have also been appointed to the advisory committee, are also in favor of some distribution scheme based on needs, ethics and morals.

The National Academy of Medicine has developed recommendations for distribution in this country.  Phase I will include front line workers, people over age 65, and those with two or more Covid risk factors.  This group represents over 80 million people. 

It is becoming clear that immunization for citizens not included in Phase I is many months away, as vaccines are provided to poorer countries.  By that time, we will be one of those poorer countries. 

Two months ago Dr. Fauci estimated that the vaccine might be 70 to 75% effective.  On Wednesday, he stated, without qualification, that we would never get rid of the virus even with a vaccine. (we have never gotten rid of measles with a vaccine that is 95% effective, but measles isn't wrecking the country) and earlier this week, when asked when the vaccine would be available to all Americans he answered "we're probably talking about April".  When I think about his stance on masks early on, his opinion about Remdesivir, and his opinion that a vaccine would not be available until mid 2021, his performance has been less than stellar. I do hope he has some influence with Drs. Emanuel, Morita and Osterholm though.

VIRAL LOAD

It has been suspected that viral load (the amount of virus taken in during a period) was pivotal in both becoming infected and the severity of that infection.  Now that prevalence is increasing in almost every community in the United States, the amount of time that you spend  indoors with others, especially without a mask,  and more particularly with others who do not have masks on, increases your likelihood  of taking in a sufficient viral load to cause infection. 

 My anxiety over the virus has never been higher. I STRONGLY RECOMMEND THAT YOU LIMIT YOUR  DAILY TIME IN SUCH VENUES.  For instance, consider doing your food shopping incrementally over days to spread out the potential viral load if there is noncompliance with mask wearing where you shop.   I would not have anyone in my house without a mask, and I would not dine with anyone in our home other than my wife, until the prevalence of this virus is markedly reduced.  Living safer is getting tougher.

Finally, are we witnessing internal rot that will end in our societies subordination to other more economically dynamic and functional societies?

If this email has caused you some angst, it should.  This message needs to reach as many as possible.

NUMBERS

Deaths - 245,600

Hospital bed utilization - every state that I track has experienced a significant increase in bed utilization.  There has been a 25% increase since last week.  At this rate we will be out of beds in many locations in a few weeks.

Increase in weekly new cases - every state but Florida has experienced an increase in new case numbers.  Most states have now exceeded their pandemic daily new case rates and the 5 or 6 states that have not, are rapidly approaching pandemic highs.  Illinois again had the highest weekly new case number at 74,998.

Case fatality rate since 10/11/20 is .99%

Live safer

Be well

Be careful

4 minutes ago, we_gotta_believe said:

 

I'm very forgiving when it comes to food...and movies.  I also drink really cheap beer, so maybe I just have low standards.  

Shake Shack, Five Guys, In-N-Out - Had 'em all multiple times.  They are all pretty much the same.  All good and they each have an item that is better than the others.

Just now, VanHammersly said:

I'm very forgiving when it comes to food...and movies.  I also drink really cheap beer, so maybe I'm just have low standards.  

I'll back you up on McDonalds fries.  I kinda put them in their own category compared to "real" fries but every once and awhile I still get the craving. Gotta give it up to those crispy salt n' MSG bites.