Coronavirus (aka COVID-19) - just how serious?

[Syd]

A slightly different and horrendous story about Tesco's attitude to the vulnerable. From an independent Care Home caring for senile and those with dementia

We'd just like everyone to know that having been extremely loyal customers to Tesco's for many years, taking delivery of their goods twice a week and paying for the prime delivery slots, we have been totally and utterly abandoned by them in our hour of need. Having spent many hours on the telephone the last few days waiting for customer services to speak to us, we have this morning been informed that despite us being a care home with 25 vulnerable, elderly individuals that rely and depend upon on us and our hardworking staff for everything, we have been told we have to compete for delivery slots and supplies like all other domestic customers. Tesco's also said they will not increase certain supplies to look after 25 people, they will not help us by giving us priority access to delivery slots and basically have refused to help us in any way. Our managers and staff (who are classed as keyworkers) have been out to several stores at the crack of dawn most mornings to get essentials to be greeted with empty shelves and this is putting them and our residents at risk of picking up the virus as we're meant to be self isolating as much as possible to stop us taking the virus into the home. Thanks Tesco's for your (lack of) support! This will be remembered when this is all over and we'll return the support!!!! If anyone at Tesco's reads this and would like to speak to us, or at the very least offer some support, then please call us .....

Apparently, after the Facebook posts locals took round food supplies and the local Waitrose and Aldi made emergency deliveries to the care home (who had to feed their residents who were totally dependent on them.

Even is Tesco had no queues and full shelves I'd never purchase from them again with behaviour like that.

Ian

The ex Mrs Syd put out a similar plea on Twitter for her care home yesterday.

[nsew]

Contempt for testing (opposed to facts /evidence)
Distancing, “Ok, but” (what-about-ism in face of the number one critically important guideline)
Anti-vaccer (anti science)

All Russian troll farm talking points. (aim is to sow political and social discord in Western democracies)

Key Worker? <FFE>.

The Internet Research Agency (IRA; Russian: Агентство интернет-исследований translit: Agentstvo Internet-Isseledovaniy), also known as Glavset[1] and known in Russian Internet slang as the Trolls from Olgino, is a Russian company engaged in online influence operations on behalf of Russian business and political interests. It is linked to Russian oligarch Yevgeny Prigozhin and based in Saint Petersburg.

Between July 2014 and September 2017, the IRA used bots and trolls on Twitter to sow discord about the safety of vaccines.[56][57] The campaign used sophisticated Twitter bots to amplify highly polarizing pro-vaccine and anti-vaccine messages

[windmiller]

Good news that Brompton is providing free bike hire to NHS staff.

[al_yrpal]

Morning Al , With regards to the Parrot link I have o admit to having made an error .
I cited that the parrot was in the Secret of the Unicorn, a Herge's Tin Tin story . Nope it was in "The Broken Ear".
Well the parrot flies around causing mayhem, screaming "Grrreat Greedy Guts"! Quite apt with all of the hoarding and panic buying as f late!
So how many other parrots have caused interest in the literary world? Well RL Stevenson's Captain Flint leaps to mind, but how many more, other than the late, departed, gone to meet it's maker, from Monty Python can you come up with?
Leave out the percentages & decimal points, keep non-numerical. IGIMNCB MM

I remember Cap'n Flint quite vividly he squawked "Pieces of Eight! Pieces of Eight! " if I remember correctly. And, heres an idea for Mick to give him a bit more oomph up those Cornish hills... https://www.facebook.com/news.com.au/vi ... 516371349/

It might get a bit of attention from the plod though

Al

[pete75]

Contempt for testing (opposed to facts /evidence)
Distancing, “Ok, but” (what-about-ism in face of the number one critically important guideline)
Anti-vaccer (anti science)

All Russian troll farm talking points. (aim is to sow political and social discord in Western democracies)

Key Worker? <FFE>.

The Internet Research Agency (IRA; Russian: Агентство интернет-исследований translit: Agentstvo Internet-Isseledovaniy), also known as Glavset[1] and known in Russian Internet slang as the Trolls from Olgino, is a Russian company engaged in online influence operations on behalf of Russian business and political interests. It is linked to Russian oligarch Yevgeny Prigozhin and based in Saint Petersburg.

Between July 2014 and September 2017, the IRA used bots and trolls on Twitter to sow discord about the safety of vaccines.[56][57] The campaign used sophisticated Twitter bots to amplify highly polarizing pro-vaccine and anti-vaccine messages

Would that be the same organisation responsible for Brexit, the election of Trump and Boris Johnson becoming Prime Minister?

[kwackers]

Good news that Brompton is providing free bike hire to NHS staff.

Why do they need folding bikes? Are they going to work on the train?

Nah, every bit helps I suppose.

I also believe MG (now Chinese) are handing out 100 EV's to the NHS.
In France Renault are doing the same with Zoe's.

[Syd]

Good news that Brompton is providing free bike hire to NHS staff.

Folding bikes make sense for those who may not have room for a non-folding bike at home.

[661-Pete]

I cited that the parrot was in the Secret of the Unicorn, a Herge's Tin Tin story . Nope it was in "The Broken Ear".

[Off topic]: Aha! L'Oreille Cassée. I remember that one! I read it in French, when we stopped the night at a French B&B: there was a stack of Tintin books by our bedside. I recall the bit where the parrot shouts "GROS PLEIN DE SOUPE!" at a passing Monsieur of more than ample proportions, leading to fisticuffs. Apparently it's French for "Hey, fattie!" or similar. Can I get away with that on this forum?[/off topic]

[nsew]

Contempt for testing (opposed to facts /evidence)
Distancing, “Ok, but” (what-about-ism in face of the number one critically important guideline)
Anti-vaccer (anti science)

All Russian troll farm talking points. (aim is to sow political and social discord in Western democracies)

Key Worker? <FFE>.

The Internet Research Agency (IRA; Russian: Агентство интернет-исследований translit: Agentstvo Internet-Isseledovaniy), also known as Glavset[1] and known in Russian Internet slang as the Trolls from Olgino, is a Russian company engaged in online influence operations on behalf of Russian business and political interests. It is linked to Russian oligarch Yevgeny Prigozhin and based in Saint Petersburg.

Between July 2014 and September 2017, the IRA used bots and trolls on Twitter to sow discord about the safety of vaccines.[56][57] The campaign used sophisticated Twitter bots to amplify highly polarizing pro-vaccine and anti-vaccine messages

Would that be the same organisation responsible for Brexit, the election of Trump and Boris Johnson becoming Prime Minister?

Performed a role in those outcomes. Russian Active Measures - derived from Nazi practice. “A striking particularity of the doctrine of active measures is that those who are involved in it, unwillingly and unwittingly, or willingly and wittingly alike, must take the lies they spread as truths and believe them themselves, until they thus become a reality accepted as such by everyone and that the intent to deceive be finally forgotten.”

Imagine being that messed up.

[Cugel]

Contempt for testing (opposed to facts /evidence)
Distancing, “Ok, but” (what-about-ism in face of the number one critically important guideline)
Anti-vaccer (anti science)

All Russian troll farm talking points. (aim is to sow political and social discord in Western democracies)

Key Worker? <FFE>.

The Internet Research Agency (IRA; Russian: Агентство интернет-исследований translit: Agentstvo Internet-Isseledovaniy), also known as Glavset[1] and known in Russian Internet slang as the Trolls from Olgino, is a Russian company engaged in online influence operations on behalf of Russian business and political interests. It is linked to Russian oligarch Yevgeny Prigozhin and based in Saint Petersburg.

Between July 2014 and September 2017, the IRA used bots and trolls on Twitter to sow discord about the safety of vaccines.[56][57] The campaign used sophisticated Twitter bots to amplify highly polarizing pro-vaccine and anti-vaccine messages

Would that be the same organisation responsible for Brexit, the election of Trump and Boris Johnson becoming Prime Minister?

Performed a role in those outcomes. Russian Active Measures - derived from Nazi practice. “A striking particularity of the doctrine of active measures is that those who are involved in it, unwillingly and unwittingly, or willingly and wittingly alike, must take the lies they spread as truths and believe them themselves, until they thus become a reality accepted as such by everyone and that the intent to deceive be finally forgotten.”

Not dissimilar techniques are, of course, used by all kinds of mass media, not least the British Press and it's many lying and manipulative journos such as .... step forward Boris the Piffler of The Daily Frightener.

Of course, once one is used to the lying and misdirections, they do indeed become "a reality constructed" for naughty purposes, who's central naughty purpose to deceive has been forgotten by the avid readers, who now believe they "know something" and have "their" opinions.

And many prefer to be deceived, despite it working vigorously against their own interest and the interest of most others. Many would rather be an obedient subject than a citizen with responsibilities and duties as well as the "right" to repeat the various mass media lies and buy loadsa stuff they think they need but which is like that "hole in the head" that no one does.

*****
Some have expressed the hope that a hard reality such as COVID and it's socio-economic effects will bring the population to its senses, resulting in "a better world". If only! The virus might almost have been made to increase the power and control of the 0.1% over their subjects, many of whom are eager for a more draconian State control, justified or otherwise.

Still, I too find myself having the odd wishful thunk for a neo-utopia. No I don't.

Cugel, slid from sceptic to cynic.

[PH]

The Case Fatality Rate for most types of flu is well established at 0.1% . For Covid 19 it's an unknown, some estimate up to 5%, most around 1 - 1.5%, the Lancet had a look at what data is available and the best they could do, based on a small sample on a cruise ship, was 0.99%
All other things being equal, which they're not, just do the sums

https://www.thelancet.com/journals/laninf/article/PIIS1473-3099(20)30244-9/fulltext?rss=yes

testing more for x as you've been told multiple times brings about more positive tests, the bias/methodology is dreadful.
Coming to that figure so early on is also poor judgement for a start off, and when you already have a specific group of at risk passengers on board that are more susceptible to dying from RD, are contained within close proximity to each other in prime conditions for viruses to spread/infect, coming up with that figure is not just dumb but damning of the lacking in logical approach/thinking.

It's a tough choice - Believe the information in The Lancet or on a cycling forum.
I hope no one is making their decisions on the banter heard here, your life could depend on it as could the lives of those around you and those you have never met.

[windmiller]

Contempt for testing (opposed to facts /evidence)
Distancing, “Ok, but” (what-about-ism in face of the number one critically important guideline)
Anti-vaccer (anti science)

All Russian troll farm talking points. (aim is to sow political and social discord in Western democracies)

Key Worker? <FFE>.

The Internet Research Agency (IRA; Russian: Агентство интернет-исследований translit: Agentstvo Internet-Isseledovaniy), also known as Glavset[1] and known in Russian Internet slang as the Trolls from Olgino, is a Russian company engaged in online influence operations on behalf of Russian business and political interests. It is linked to Russian oligarch Yevgeny Prigozhin and based in Saint Petersburg.

Between July 2014 and September 2017, the IRA used bots and trolls on Twitter to sow discord about the safety of vaccines.[56][57] The campaign used sophisticated Twitter bots to amplify highly polarizing pro-vaccine and anti-vaccine messages

Would that be the same organisation responsible for Brexit, the election of Trump and Boris Johnson becoming Prime Minister?

Performed a role in those outcomes. Russian Active Measures - derived from Nazi practice. “A striking particularity of the doctrine of active measures is that those who are involved in it, unwillingly and unwittingly, or willingly and wittingly alike, must take the lies they spread as truths and believe them themselves, until they thus become a reality accepted as such by everyone and that the intent to deceive be finally forgotten.”

Yes but did you know that it all started when the dearly departed actor Jack Palance who moonlighted as a KGB hitman was handed chicken feed by a young and real hair up and coming Donald Trump.

The word is that Donald accidently mentioned to Jack that he knew an excellent plastic surgeon who could fix pointy ears and sneaky eyes. It all went DEFCON from there, Brexit, Trump, Boris..end of the world etc.

[windmiller]

Imagine being that messed up.

Indeed RIP the Donald's hair

[nsew]

“Anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that 'my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge.'”
― Isaac Asimov

[windmiller]

The only anti intellectualism comes from within the so called movement. Once they decided to go bed with post modernism,
which is the cult of controlled navel-gazing, free speech and common sense went down the toilet