Current Affairs

[Onelife]

Not being picky Gill but really I prefer the research conducted by the scientists behind the Covid App to your amateur analysis. And they seem pretty clear on it.

I quite enjoy Gills take on things as her posts generally give opposing views which on balance are good for a forums such as ours…
…a very astute lady is our Gill

I also love Theresa

Crawler

For as long as I can remember

[towny44]

I think our friend Jack was a worse predictor of form than Keefy?

You better believe it Foxy…to date I’m averaging a one in three success rates with my predictions which is far better than most of the other, so called experts on this forum

But we only have your word for that Keefie.

[Onelife]

Symptoms app…

...some might find the “Is Covid worse in winter” article interesting.


https://covid.joinzoe.com/blog

[Onelife]

I think our friend Jack was a worse predictor of form than Keefy?

You better believe it Foxy…to date I’m averaging a one in three success rates with my predictions which is far better than most of the other, so called experts on this forum

But we only have your word for that Keefie.

My word is my bond John…but good luck with the 5629 posts should you want to question my integrity

[Manoverboard]

... I cannot believe that India has had a million more infections than us but 15 thousand fewer deaths when our stats show that Asians have a higher mortality rate here. Many others had had huge infections but low mortality.

India according to this report had a very high infection rate because of ' Fake News '.

Causes of death in that region and others throughout Asia, according to one's reliable source, are being attributed to heart attacks, death by misadventure else unknown causes because although they may have died with CV symptoms the proof was not possible without a reliable test. Such deaths will not be recorded as CV related on the certificate.

The difference therefore is because the Asians in this Country are having a reliable test.
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[david63]

I thought Tony Blair was long gone (he should be!). Is he not somewhat stating the obvious? https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-53525470

[Gill W]

In other news that Bojo critics won't be shouting about, the Covid Symptom Study, the people behind the Zoe App, which currently has over 4,000,000 people, including us, submitting data daily, has done an analysis on the impact of temperature on the virus.

They have found that there is a 15% drop in mortality for every 1 degree C rise in temperature.

So, taking April, for example, London average temperature 13C. Paris 17C. Madrid 19C. Rome 19C.

Any clues there as to why we had more deaths than France, Spain or Italy?

I'm now standing by for that research to be dismissed as less relevant than Dominic Cummings being a p***ock.

I think that cold weather can generally increase the amounts of people dying, as when we have a cold snap in winter, more people die.

However, think April was warmer than average in the U.K. (I have looked this up to confirm my memory)

If it was a factor, then it would have to follow that colder countries, have a higher death rate per capita than the U.K. I haven’t checked this, but I don’t think this is the case.

Not being picky Gill but really I prefer the research conducted by the scientists behind the Covid App to your amateur analysis. And they seem pretty clear on it.

Oh Merv, come off it.

You performed your own amateur analysis by quoting the average temperatures for London, Paris, Madrid and Rome, so it's a bit rich to knock me for my amateur analysis !

We are ALL amateurs here. If being an amateur prevented us from giving our opinions, nobody would say anything!

[Onelife]

I thought Tony Blair was long gone (he should be!). Is he not somewhat stating the obvious? https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-53525470

I though these suggested recommendations make perfect sense….

In a report, the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change argued scoring people A-D on their vulnerability would allow them to "take ownership of their own risk".

It recommended people should be ordered to wear face masks in "all public environments".
Key workers such as teachers, healthcare workers, and those who work on public transport should be supplied with plastic face shields, it argued.

And it said those most risk from the virus should be offered government-issued N95 medical masks in a special colour, as a "visual sign" they are shielding.

[Gill W]

I quite enjoy Gills take on things as her posts generally give opposing views which on balance are good for a forums such as ours…
…a very astute lady is our Gill

I also love Theresa

I'm not sure how I feel about being regarded as astute by Theresa's biggest fan - but I thank you for the compliment ! Incidentally, it's starting to seem like the good old days when Theresa was in charge. I think she had a certain decency about her, which I didn't really appreciate at the time.

I do agree that it's good to have a range of opinions, as otherwise it turns into an echo chamber, which I believe isn't healthy.

However, I don't just oppose for the sake of it - if someone says something I agree with, I would say so - even if I had disagreed with them in the past.

It's fine not to agree - but I have noticed this week that the tendency to dismiss other peoples views as ill founded has crept back - little digs about social media users, insinuations about naivety etc, used by people to make themselves sound more authoritative.

But to go back your comment Keith - I don't think you are a crawler at all !

[towny44]

I thought Tony Blair was long gone (he should be!). Is he not somewhat stating the obvious? https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-53525470

I though these suggested recommendations make perfect sense….

In a report, the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change argued scoring people A-D on their vulnerability would allow them to "take ownership of their own risk".

It recommended people should be ordered to wear face masks in "all public environments".
Key workers such as teachers, healthcare workers, and those who work on public transport should be supplied with plastic face shields, it argued.

And it said those most risk from the virus should be offered government-issued N95 medical masks in a special colour, as a "visual sign" they are shielding.

Everyone except you Keith, have accepted that facemaks provide very little extra protection, but they have all fallen for the argument that they make people feel safer. But they will not improve the statistics.

[Manoverboard]

But to go back your comment Keith - I don't think you are a crawler at all !

I can respect many of your opinions but sadly your judgement is crap

[Manoverboard]

Everyone except you Keith, have accepted that facemaks provide very little extra protection, but they have all fallen for the argument that they make people feel safer. But they will not improve the statistics.

They will however improve the sales of ' Onelife Face Mask PLC '
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[Gill W]

As I ventured further out into the world yesterday, I thought I'd just give a little report on my experiences

We went on a coach trip to Hastings and Rye, booked way back in January.

The capacity for our coach was 48, but we had 22 people on board, all spaced out through out the coach. Under current guidelines the capacity for this coach is 24. The industry is looking to increase the coach capacity to 30. This would be achieved by using all of the seats on the left hand side of the coach (considered ok as everyone faces the same way), and have people seated singly on the right hand side next to the window.

We had to sanitise our hands before boarding the coach, and the courier wiped down the tops of seats on a regular basis (people always touch them as they walk down the aisle). The courier wore a face visor, but the driver had no face covering, and he wasn't behind a perspex screen either. Us passengers all wore masks, and, to be honest, it was a bit of a bind to wear them for three hours outward, and three hours coming back. We also had our temperature checked before boarding the coach. Of course, as usual, the weakest point is people - wearing their masks with their noses uncovered, or forgetting to wear them at all.

At our destination, we decided to stay outside for the whole visit, so didn't use a mask. Rye was fine - it was market day, but we avoided the market and just walked around the historic streets - it wasn't busy in this area, and we could maintain a social distance - although it's not as relaxing as normal, because you have to remain 'alert' and be aware of people in your vicinity.

Hastings was fairly busy, but not to the point that it was heaving with people. A few attractions were still shut, but apart from that. everything looked quite normal - and that was the problem, In spite of our best endeavours, it wasn't possible to always socially distance. People were just sauntering around with no regard for other people.

I enjoyed the day, as I had never been to Rye before and it was years since I had been to Hastings. I have 3 more coach trips booked for later in the year, and I will go on them if they run. But, I don't think I'll book anymore for the time being. Six hours of mask wearing wasn't much fun - I'm happy to wear a mask for necessities and for relatively short periods, but not sure I want to put myself in situations where I have to wear masks for long periods for leisure pursuits. Also people are too unpredictable.

[Gill W]

But to go back your comment Keith - I don't think you are a crawler at all !

I can respect many of your opinions but sadly your judgement is crap

[Onelife]

I thought Tony Blair was long gone (he should be!). Is he not somewhat stating the obvious? https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-53525470

I though these suggested recommendations make perfect sense….

In a report, the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change argued scoring people A-D on their vulnerability would allow them to "take ownership of their own risk".

It recommended people should be ordered to wear face masks in "all public environments".
Key workers such as teachers, healthcare workers, and those who work on public transport should be supplied with plastic face shields, it argued.

And it said those most risk from the virus should be offered government-issued N95 medical masks in a special colour, as a "visual sign" they are shielding.

Everyone except you Keith, have accepted that facemaks provide very little extra protection, but they have all fallen for the argument that they make people feel safer. But they will not improve the statistics.

Well I’m certainly not going to plough through 5635 post to prove you wrong John but I can’t recall anyone saying that face masks shouldn’t be wore…isn’t that what you are advocating John?

One way or the other face masks are offering protection and the more people who wear them the safer we all will be. If as you say they provide very little protection by that definition you must think they provide some protection

[Onelife]

But to go back your comment Keith - I don't think you are a crawler at all !

I can respect many of your opinions but sadly your judgement is crap

It’s nothing to be laughed at Gill…he’s just insulted me….and you! I’m going to tell David he’s good at deleting defamatory comments

[Manoverboard]

As I ventured further out into the world yesterday, I thought I'd just give a little report on my experiences ... We went on a coach trip to Hastings and Rye, booked way back in January.

Thanks for posting that, ' Gill '

As an avid coach traveller I enjoyed reading it but I wasn't 100% convinced that we would book something similar for ourselves at this moment in time even with the revised spacing. The distance between the rows of seats is short if somebody behind sneezes or has a coughing fit, even with single seating there is less than two metres between the two window seat passengers. Increasing the capacity is a good plan for the coach operator but less so for the passenger ... or so I thought.

[Onelife]

I quite enjoy Gills take on things as her posts generally give opposing views which on balance are good for a forums such as ours…
…a very astute lady is our Gill

I also love Theresa

I'm not sure how I feel about being regarded as astute by Theresa's biggest fan - but I thank you for the compliment ! Incidentally, it's starting to seem like the good old days when Theresa was in charge. I think she had a certain decency about her, which I didn't really appreciate at the time.

A rose amongst thorns

I do agree that it's good to have a range of opinions, as otherwise it turns into an echo chamber, which I believe isn't healthy.

I'm hearing you loud and clear

However, I don't just oppose for the sake of it - if someone says something I agree with, I would say so - even if I had disagreed with them in the past.

I know, you sent me to Russia on one occasion

It's fine not to agree - but I have noticed this week that the tendency to dismiss other peoples views as ill founded has crept back - little digs about social media users, insinuations about naivety etc, used by people to make themselves sound more authoritative.

They know not what they do

But to go back your comment Keith - I don't think you are a crawler at all ! :lol:

Thank gawd...I was starting to think I was.... Btw... Glad to hear you all had an enjoyable day out… and it goes without saying the day out will have been made more pleasurable by having you onboard

[Stephen]

As I ventured further out into the world yesterday, I thought I'd just give a little report on my experiences ... We went on a coach trip to Hastings and Rye, booked way back in January.

Thanks for posting that, ' Gill '

As an avid coach traveller I enjoyed reading it but I wasn't 100% convinced that we would book something similar for ourselves at this moment in time even with the revised spacing. The distance between the rows of seats is short if somebody behind sneezes or has a coughing fit, even with single seating there is less than two metres between the two window seat passengers. Increasing the capacity is a good plan for the coach operator but less so for the passenger ... or so I thought.

You could always go in with the luggage

[Mervyn and Trish]

Oh Merv, come off it.

You performed your own amateur analysis by quoting the average temperatures for London, Paris, Madrid and Rome, so it's a bit rich to knock me for my amateur analysis !

We are ALL amateurs here. If being an amateur prevented us from giving our opinions, nobody would say anything!

The difference is my amateur analysis didn't attempt to discredit the scientists. But if you prefer to believe it's all Bojo's fault you're welcome.

BTW did I mention another piece of research I saw today which suggested obesity was a bigger factor than speed of lockdown? Ditto being at the centre of a travel network.

[Manoverboard]

Thank gawd...I was starting to think I was.... Btw... Glad to hear you all had an enjoyable day out… and it goes without saying the day out will have been made more pleasurable by having you onboard

To even suggest that our day has been made more pleasurable because ' Gill ' is someplace else on a coach is a bit below the belt don'tcha think. I may ask David to delete your post.

ps ... but of course ' Gill ' may not know about you and belts
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[Manoverboard]

You could always go in with the luggage

Agreed but I would probably go by car instead

[Gill W]

As I ventured further out into the world yesterday, I thought I'd just give a little report on my experiences ... We went on a coach trip to Hastings and Rye, booked way back in January.

Thanks for posting that, ' Gill '

As an avid coach traveller I enjoyed reading it but I wasn't 100% convinced that we would book something similar for ourselves at this moment in time even with the revised spacing. The distance between the rows of seats is short if somebody behind sneezes or has a coughing fit, even with single seating there is less than two metres between the two window seat passengers. Increasing the capacity is a good plan for the coach operator but less so for the passenger ... or so I thought.

Agreed. Even with just 22 passengers and masks being worn, there was still a fair amount of coughing and throat clearing going on, and it was freaking me out a bit. I would be very uncomfortable with a cougher directly behind me.

[Gill W]

Oh Merv, come off it.

You performed your own amateur analysis by quoting the average temperatures for London, Paris, Madrid and Rome, so it's a bit rich to knock me for my amateur analysis !

We are ALL amateurs here. If being an amateur prevented us from giving our opinions, nobody would say anything!

The difference is my amateur analysis didn't attempt to discredit the scientists. But if you prefer to believe it's all Bojo's fault you're welcome.

BTW did I mention another piece of research I saw today which suggested obesity was a bigger factor than speed of lockdown? Ditto being at the centre of a travel network.

That's an exaggeration. I commented that if a cold climate was a factor, then it might be expected that countries with a colder climate than us, might be expected to be in a worse situation than us. That's hardly 'attempting to discredit the scientists'.

Also, that's a massive leap to come to the conclusion that I 'think it's all Johnson's fault'.

There are no doubt many reasons why we are where we are, and the government, lead by Johnson, is accountable for their actions regarding Covid19. But that's not saying that he's personally at fault for everything.

[towny44]

One way or the other face masks are offering protection and the more people who wear them the safer we all will be. If as you say they provide very little protection by that definition you must think they provide some protection

Yes maybe, but not sufficient to create the sort of should I , shouldn't ! debate that is going on everywhere, and certainly not enough protection to make up for the significant inconvenience to so many; and it will put many off returning to the shops. Possibly more than will be encouraged to visit the shops because they feel safer. But of course thats just my opinion, but I will wear one, and probably before being asked, that's if I remember.