Facebook posts and discussions today:
My friend Sabina Nore posted this (among several posts I shared):
We are witnessing what Stanley Milgram has already shown in his experiment on obedience to authority.
Examining the justifications provided by the Nazis at the Nuremberg War Criminal trials, he didn't believe that they just executed orders, so he basically did a study to show that they were lying. He wanted to show that a conscientious person wouldn't commit atrocities just because they are told to do so by an authority. Unfortunately, he proved the opposite. (Oops.) He has scientifically proven that people are sheep who will do almost anything as long as someone seen as an authority tells them to do so. Justifications for atrocities are then easily found, as long as the authority wills it so. Exceptions are extremely rare.
It was a poignant observation that sort of fits with a post of mine where I quoted Thoreau:
Civil Disobedience
 Henry David Thoreau - Wikimedia Commons
The mass of men serve the state thus, not as men mainly, but as machines, with their bodies. They are the standing army, and the militia, jailors, constables, possee comitatus, etc. In most cases there is no free exercise whatever of the judgment or of the moral sense; but they put themselves on a level with wood and earth and stones; and wooden men can perhaps be manufactured that will serve the purpose as well. Such command no more respect than men of straw or a lump of dirt. They have the same sort of worth only as horses and dogs. Yet such as these even are commonly esteemed good citizens. Others--as most legislators, politicians, lawyers, ministers, and officeholders--serve the state chiefly with their heads; and, as they rarely make any moral distinctions, they are as likely to serve the Devil, without intending it, as God. A very few, as heroes, patriots, martyrs, reformers in the great sense, and men, serve the state with their consciences also, and so necessarily resist it for the most part; and they are commonly treated as enemies by it.*
*From "Civil Disobedience" by Henry David Thoreau.
Harlan Ellison, a brillant SF writer I valued very much, used Thoreau's quote from
"Civil Disobedience" to begin his story "Repent, Harlequin!" Said the Ticktockman
The story is a satirical look at a dystopian future in which time is strictly regulated and everyone must do everything according to an extremely precise time schedule. In this future, being late is not merely an inconvenience, but a crime. The crime carries a hefty penalty in that a proportionate amount of time is "revoked" from one's life. The ultimate consequence is to run out of time and be "turned off". This is done by the Master Timekeeper, or "Ticktockman", who utilizes a device called a "cardioplate" to stop a person's heart once his time has run out. .................Wikipedia
He had become a personality, something they had filtered out of the system many decades ago. But there it was, and there he was, a very definitely imposing personality. In certain circles--middle-class circles--it was thought disgusting. Vulgar ostentation. Anarchistic. Shameful.
In others, there was only sniggering, those strata where thought is subjugated to form and ritual, niceties, proprieties. But down below, ah, down below, where the people always needed their saints and sinners, their bread and circuses, their heroes and villains, he was considered a Bolivar; a Napoleon; a Robin Hood; a Dick Bong (Ace of Aces); a Jesus; a Jomo Kenyatta. And at the top--where, like socially attuned Shipwreck Kellys, every tremor and vibration threatens to dislodge the wealthy, powerful and titled from their flagpoles--he was considered a menace; a heretic; a rebel; a disgrace; a peril. He was known down the line, to the very heartmeat core, but the important reactions were high above and far below. At the very top, at the very bottom. So his file was turned over, along with his time-card and his cardioplate, to the office of the Ticktockman.
One of my posts on Facebook today:
YES, I AM IN A NASTY MOOD (so shoot me):
Since I don't get out much lately, having been in self-imposed quarantine since middle of March, I spend much more time on line, perusing social websites, blockchain sites, You Tube, newspaper readers comments etc. The conclusion I came to from all this exposure is, that it saddens and also frightens me that a large percentage of them (in my estimate over 90% - present company excluded) are certifiable idiots. But the worse of it is yet to come: they procreate! The other thing is: they are, at least in so called "democratic" systems, eligible voters! .... and also, save for a few restrictions, eligible to stand for office and being voted in by said majority! So is it any wonder what we experiencing now?
This here was shared on Facebook quite often, also by myself:
The Hong Kong flu (also known as 1968 flu pandemic) was a flu pandemic whose outbreak in 1968 and 1969 killed an estimated one million people all over the world. It was caused by an H3N2 strain of the influenza A virus, descended from H2N2 through antigenic shift, a genetic process in which genes from multiple subtypes reassorted to form a new virus.
WIKIPEDIA This meme was re-posted by my friend Sabina, with this text: True story! Check it. Love & freedom or fear & caution? What do you choose? Choose NOW! I then replied to her: you have been fact-checked by REUTERS - and your post is true!!!!!
True claim: Woodstock took place in the middle of a pandemic
Social media users have been sharing an image online that claims the popular music festival Woodstock, which took place in August 1969, happened in the middle of a pandemic. This claim is correct.
I commented further: this was my first year in Canada - I would have wanted to go, but had just then started my job with Canadian Pacific so could not go without losing my job.
I never even thought of it being a pandemic - went right over my head - I do remember SARS 2003 though, we were handed a photocopied paper at work telling us to wash our hands. That was the extend of it! So come to think of it, Swine Flu later on in 2009 (that year I traveled extensively also), I should have died 3 times over already! ....... maybe I did die, and what is happening right now are just the flashes in my brain or a quantum shift into a alternate universe where the definitions of stupidity are turned upside down ...... I then attached a link to the story by Harlan Ellison I shared above.
MORE ABOUT WOODSTOCK 69:
Woodstock Occurred in the Middle of a Pandemic 
The popular image of Woodstock is of a rainy weekend. While there were storms, Saturday was a sunny warm day. Photo by James M Shelley - Creative Commons
MY THOUGHT ABOUT VACCINATIONS
It is not responsible to say that we cannot go back to "normality" until there is a vaccine! To develop a safe vaccine takes years of clinical trials!
Here is a video by
Austrian Biologist Clemens Arvay
One of the sources mentioned in the notes of this video is the following:
Jiang S. (2020), Don´t rush to deploy COVID-19 vaccines and drugs without sufficient safety guarantees in: Nature, 16.03.2020
Around the world, I am seeing efforts to support ‘quick-fix’ programmes aimed at developing vaccines and therapeutics against COVID-19. Groups in the United States and China are already planning to test vaccines in healthy human volunteers. Make no mistake, it’s essential that we work as hard and fast as possible to develop drugs and vaccines that are widely available across the world. But it is important not to cut corners.
Of interest to my Canadian, but also my American Friends - but be forewarned, this is a very detailed research paper that, if you followed the links and citations, would likely keep you occupied for weeks:
OCLA Report 2020-1: Criticism of Government Response to COVID-19 in Canada there is a link on that page where you can download the full report. 
About Face Masks and the dangers of wearing them because they could cause a condition called Hypoxia - first of, the clinical explanation what it is: Hypoxia and hypoxemia facts Hypoxia is a condition or state in which the supply of oxygen is insufficient for normal life functions. Symptoms of hypoxia and/or hypoxemia may be acute or chronic and vary in intensity from mild to severe. Common acute symptoms are: shortness of breath, rapid breathing, and a fast heart rate. Severe symptoms include: The inability to communicate, Confusion, Possible coma or death. ................................................... READ MORE
Next, this is what I had written about in comments before
(in German, I am now attempting to translate to English):
Please note because of masks - and ESPECIALLY the FFP-2 masks (or also N-95): first, there are different versions, basically either with or without a valve. The masks with valve protect you, but not others, precisely because you exhale through the valve.
The masks without a valve, but also to a certain extent the surgical masks, have one major disadvantage, namely rebreathing of CO² - and this can lead to shortness of breath. If the oxygen content of your breathing air is less than the minimum value of 19.5%, then you are in an endangered zone - a zone in which the canary in the coal mine drops off his perch and this indicates that you should quickly be getting out into the fresh air! If you get short of breath, get a headache and chest pressure, it does not mean that you are infected with COVID-19, but it means that you are suffering from a lack of oxygen, which in the case of only one percentage point below the lower limit can lead to dizziness, fainting and even death!
Here is the background, in a few words,
from a document that you find the link on the bottom of the quote:
In a doctoral thesis from the Technical University of Munich in 2005, examining the effects of wearing, among other things, simple protective masks. The conclusion is terrifying.
Immediately after putting on a normal thin surgical mask, you breathe in much more exhaled CO2. The effects are so strong that the doctoral student was only allowed to test the subjects over a period of 30 minutes so as not to damage them. This leads to tiredness, faster breathing, irregular heartbeat, poor concentration, poorer fine motor skills.
(Note: this Paper is in German)
https://mediatum.ub.tum.de/doc/602557/602557.pdf
Additional Resources
Preliminary report on surgical mask induced deoxygenation during major surgery
Surgeons in the operating room frequently experience physical discomfort, fatigue, and possibly even deterioration of surgical judgment and performance.
The Physiological Impact of N95 Masks on Medical Staff
Wearing N95 masks results in hypooxygenemia and hypercapnia which reduce working efficiency and the ability to make correct decision.
Headaches and the N95 face-mask amongst healthcare providers
Healthcare providers may develop headaches following the use of the N95 face-mask. Shorter duration of face-mask wear may reduce the frequency and severity of these headaches. 
With apologies to my English Readers, here is a important source from the German Ärzteblatt. You might be able to read it if you have Google Translate installed.
Nicht für jeden ist das Tragen einer Maske unbedenklich
Dr. Edwin Böhlke, Geschäftsführender Oberarzt an der Klinik für Strahlentherapie und Radioonkologie des Universitätsklinikum Düsseldorf erklärt um was es hier geht.
Nicht für jeden Menschen ist das Tragen einer Maske unbedenklich. Das gilt für alle Patienten mit einer symptomatischen und instabilen Angina pectoris und einer symptomatischen chronisch-obstruktiven Lungenerkrankung (COPD) beziehungsweise eingeschränkter Lungenfunktion.
Bei starker körperlicher Anstrengung besteht bei ihnen die Gefahr der Hyperkapnie. Kann das Kohlendioxid (CO2) aufgrund des erhöhten Luftwiderstands in der Maske nicht richtig abgeatmet werden, könnte es sich im Blut anreichern und den pH-Wert im Blut senken. Der erhöhte CO2-Partialdruck würde dann zu einer respiratorischer Azidose führen.
Following my writing, I happened to find a video from a scuba instructor on YouTube that speaks about Hypoxia and the dangers of drowning because of it caused by wearing cheap and inadequate masks. In conversation with a friend who was also a experienced diver, he confirmed that this danger is common knowledge among scuba divers:
The Death Mask
Full Face Snorkel Masks like this one are causing snorkeler deaths. Time to try one out...
Snorkel Bob's, Hawaii's leading snorkel retailer refuses to sell them. Tour operator Hawaii Ocean Project won't allow their guests to use them, even if you bring your own.
Just to be clear: first they passed out because of Oxygen deprivation caused by Hypoxia, then drowned face down floating in the water.
Getting back to PPE Face Masks:
If you see someone on the street, wearing a face mask and staggering around, don't assume they are drunk! They need help to properly breathe again!
IMPORTANT UPDATE (May 9th 2020)
Event though it was already available at the time I posted this blog, I neglected to include the new law for easing restrictions in Austria, put in force on April 30, 2020. What follows is the link to the actual official text, and a relevant excerpt about Face Masks (in German . last sentence I translate to English):
Öffentliche Orte
§ 1 (3) Im Massenbeförderungsmittel ist gegenüber Personen, die nicht im gemeinsamen Haushalt leben, ein Abstand von mindestens einem Meter einzuhalten und eine den Mund- und Nasenbereich abdeckende mechanische Schutzvorrichtung zu tragen. Ist auf Grund der Anzahl der Fahrgäste sowie beim Ein- und Aussteigen die Einhaltung des Abstands von mindestens einem Meter nicht möglich, kann davon ausnahmsweise abgewichen werden. Ausnahmen § 11. (1) Diese Verordnung gilt nicht für (3) Das Tragen von einer den Mund- und Nasenbereich abdeckenden mechanischen Schutzvorrichtung gilt nicht für Kinder bis zum vollendeten 6. Lebensjahr und für Personen, denen aus gesundheitlichen Gründen das Tragen der Vorrichtung nicht zugemutet werden kann.
This is the important part about Face Masks - in English:
The wearing of a mechanical protective device covering the mouth and nose area does not apply to children up to the age of 6 and to persons who cannot be expected to wear the device for health reasons. 
Selfie in Deep Dream
Once you get started on Deep Dream, you can't quit!
I posted the results on Facebook - since you would have to be logged into Deep Dream to be able to see the images I generated - but if you are, this is my account: Deep Dream Art of the Mystic
EMBEDDED FACEBOOK POSTS:
A Exchange of birthday greetings between Paulo Cunha and Otto Rapp
We are both fellow artists and members of the Visionary Art Network. It came to pass that I decided on the spur of the moment to visit Portugal July/August this year. When Paulo heard about it he said that he would be there at about the same time, and invited me to stay with him at the condo he owns in Lourinhã. He then showed me all the sites in the area - it was a unforgettable holiday!
When Paulo's Birthday was announced on Facebook December 10th, I put together a clone-job in Photoshop and posted it on his wall. So now he did likewise on my birthday, December 15th!
Paulo Cunha at Batalha, Portugal. His birthday: December 10th
Otto Rapp at Obidos, Portugal. My birthday: December 15th
Which gets to show that aside from being accomplished artists, we are also quite good working in Photoshop.
My friend Caroline Schell has recently opened a website to showcase her art.
▲
click the image to visit her site ..... and she is also active on social media ▼
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OTTO RAPPThis blog is primarily art related - for my photography please go to 
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