Asian Coronavirus Outbreak

[cantagril]

List of prime ministers of the United Kingdom by education - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Etonian or otherwise, you're un-levelling the playing field Att. If you'd said the "current crop of prime ministers" rather than the "current crop of Tories" then I might have concurred.

I was glad of the reminder that the Earl of Bute went to Groningen and Leiden (how could that have slipped my mind?!!) but yes, I have to agree, the current crop of prime ministers and in particular the current crop of Boris Johnsons would indeed seem to be mostly Eton chaps. One point to you.

 

[Atilla]

Etonian or otherwise, you're un-levelling the playing field Att. If you'd said the "current crop of prime ministers" rather than the "current crop of Tories" then I might have concurred.

I was glad of the reminder that the Earl of Bute went to Groningen and Leiden (how could that have slipped my mind?!!) but yes, I have to agree, the current crop of prime ministers and in particular the current crop of Boris Johnsons would indeed seem to be mostly Eton chaps. One point to you.

It's a fix innit guv.

I've met a few public boys at uni and some Oxford / Cambridge educated peeps over my working career and I always find them incredibly frustrating to work with.

I do not think they are industrial or have much of a work effort. Their learning is more cultural upbringing. Their views are basically that views only - for other people to do and make it all happen. When things go wrong they are exceptional at evading accountability.

Boris is a loafer. Someone said well he was the Mayor of London and managed the Olympics. Well when you throw so much money at any one thing and have best brains who've done it all before with consultants advising, these to55ers sit on comfy chairs and make simple judgement calls and earn big bucks.

It is more about the elite choosing to work with similar people who look, talk and behave like they do. Same with numpties or street kiddies. It's in the human DNA.


I would hazard a guess that the next batch of UK PMs are being bred by the two regular unis in the same way. No change.

 

[trendie]

Oops

Coronavirus: US oil price plunges below zero for first time in history as pandemic hits demand

The plunge into negative territory saw the bizarre situation where traders were being paid more than $40 to buy a barrel.

news.sky.com

I saw this headline last night, and thought it was a joke.
We are living in interesting times. (thanks, China).
Do you think this concept could be extended to mortgages, where we are paid by the banks to live in our houses? Or is that what the furlough thing is?

 

[timsk]

. . . I'm sure I've left a few out but I'm close to peak claret.... so things are a little hazier than usual.

In my experience, all the best teachers are at or above peak claret on a weekday lunchtime cant'. That said, the grape juice is supposed to aid clarity of thought and to enhance lucidity, not make things hazier. Still, if you will insist upon buying your wine from Lidl rather than Waitrose - what do you expect.
Tim.

 

[trendie]

Peter Hitchens at it again, calling the lockdown an over-reaction, irreparable damage to economy, etc.
However, he does make some good points about how if there isn't some kind of perceived improvement, people will slowly, on their own initiative, start opening for business, and restarting the economy.
He points out that the lower-paid workers, especially, as they are already at a social disadvantage, may be source of initial unrest.
This would mean an uncontrolled, organic shift in behaviours, rather than a planned, staged re-start of the economy.
The police will not be able to arrest everyone.

Scientists are saying there may be multiple mutations of the virus.
(have read so much from so many sources, so not keeping tabs, so no links! sorry)

 

[Signalcalc]

I saw this headline last night, and thought it was a joke.
We are living in interesting times. (thanks, China).
Do you think this concept could be extended to mortgages, where we are paid by the banks to live in our houses? Or is that what the furlough thing is?

If the banks started to pay us to take out loans to buy houses, then there would be a catch somewhere. They just scam us by artificially setting the interest rates anyway, either that or just print more fiat, which seems to be a never ending way they manage themselves out of any economic crisis nowadays.

 

[cantagril]

In my experience, all the best teachers are at or above peak claret on a weekday lunchtime cant'.
Well thanks, I think... I hope you're not implying that I'm some kind of teacher though, that would mean me having to know something, though perhaps from my personal experience, maybe not.
That said, the grape juice is supposed to aid clarity of thought and to enhance lucidity, not make things hazier.
That might be the theory and shortly before I lapse into unconsciousness I do have a fleeting impression that I at last understand what it all means. When I finally come round I usually find that I've forgotten the answer as well as the question.
Still, if you will insist upon buying your wine from Lidl rather than Waitrose - what do you expect.
Tim.

Now you're just being unkind - and wrong, as well. For reasons which I surmise to be to do with their Teutonic origins, Messrs Lidl have a restricted but surprisingly good range of very drinkable wines*. Some years ago, they upset the French by selling a rather good champagne for about half the price of the nearest competitor and coming first in a national blind tasting. Questions were asked in the Assemblée Nationale ...

....now all I need is for the prices to go negative

* They do also have some pretty dire concoctions, suitable only for window cleaning duties.

 

[Signalcalc]

I see UK is about to start vaccine trials.

 

[trendie]

Just been shopping. Asda. There is finally soap!
Bought myself a 250ml bottle of Carex, Aloe Vera. Only one mind, even I could do with 3, cos I ain't a hoarder.
Queue. But got in within 10 minutes.
Despite lovely arrows all over the floor, some people, mostly women I noticed, seemed oblivious to the correct direction of travel.
Noticed one whole family in there. Mother. Father. 2 kids under 6, and a pushchair with a baby.
I despair of some folk. Maybe this virus is destined to cull the idiots.
Nice, warm evening, cloudless blue skies.

 

[cantagril]

Just been shopping. Asda. There is finally soap!
Ah, the joy of hygeine!
Bought myself a 250ml bottle of Carex, Aloe Vera. .....got in within 10 minutes.
Don't where you are but no queues in Lidl and Tesco in Streatham this a.m - we don't have an Asda within trudging distance
Despite lovely arrows all over the floor, some people, mostly women I noticed, seemed oblivious to the correct direction of travel.
It's that spatial thing innit.
Noticed one whole family in there. Mother. Father. 2 kids under 6, and a pushchair with a baby.
I despair of some folk. Maybe this virus is destined to cull the idiots.
Yup.
Nice, warm evening, cloudless blue skies.

A 250ml bottle of Carex, a loaf of bread and thou beside me singing in the wilderness - oh wilderness were paradise enow!

 

[postman]

Just been shopping. Asda. There is finally soap! ....... 🥳
...Maybe this virus is destined to cull the idiots. ....... hopefully
Nice, warm evening, cloudless blue skies. ........ A benefit of coronovirus. 👏

India coronavirus: Can the Covid-19 lockdown spark a clean air movement?

The lockdown has seen air pollution levels fall dramatically in Indian cities including Delhi.

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[Pat494]

Bad as the virus is it will hardly make even a dent in the world's over population, which is increasing by about 100 million per year and rising exponentially.
If mass populations of India, China etc. can't control their sexual urges then an alternative must be found soon.
That could be an*l sex instead of pussy sex, until the couple are ready for just 2 children.

 

[timsk]

. . .That could be an*l sex instead of pussy sex, until the couple are ready for just 2 children.

Pat, maybe you're not familiar with it - but there is another alternative called contraception; one of those modern new fangled things that prevents people - usually women - from getting pregnant.

 

[Signalcalc]

Pat, maybe you're not familiar with it - but there is another alternative called contraception; one of those modern new fangled things that prevents people - usually women - from getting pregnant.

I hope nobody from the LGBTQ+ is monitoring your response, men can be pregnant and give birth as well nowadays. You could invoke the wrath of the woken

 

[Signalcalc]

Did someone say there is a pandemic on? What kind of pandemic, I've seen news reports about something going on, but the numbers were all over the place it was hard to work out what they were trying to tell us, so I just switched off the MSM and have relied on T2W to supply updates on world affairs instead.

 

[cantagril]

I think I must have dropped off and missed a hoax inflection point: when I last looked we were all being conned because the government were exaggerating the number of deaths and infected.... and now suddenly I'm being conned because the government have been covering up the enormity of the situation.

By my reckoning, if one adds both sets of hoax figures together and divide by two then they've been more or less telling the truth...or maybe that's a bluff and they meant us all to take the bait so we'd be more compliant and therefor easier to con.....alternatively, it might just be a cunning plan to lull us into a false sense of insecurity.

 

[barjon]

Asked on Tuesday why the decision was taken not to join the EU scheme for bulk buying of ventilators and PPE Sir Simon McDonald - who is permanent secretary at the Foreign Office - told the Foreign Affairs Committee that it was a deliberate move by ministers.

"All I can say is that it is a matter of fact that we have not taken part. It was a political decision... and the decision is no."

It would be difficult to be more unequivocal than that. Yet some five hours later he said:

"Due to a misunderstanding, I inadvertently and wrongly told the committee that ministers were briefed on the joint EU procurement scheme and took a political decision not to take part in it," he wrote."That is incorrect. Ministers were not briefed by our mission in Brussels about the scheme and a political decision was not taken on whether or not to participate."

I can smell the stench from here

 

[counter_violent]

Asked on Tuesday why the decision was taken not to join the EU scheme for bulk buying of ventilators and PPE Sir Simon McDonald - who is permanent secretary at the Foreign Office - told the Foreign Affairs Committee that it was a deliberate move by ministers.

"All I can say is that it is a matter of fact that we have not taken part. It was a political decision... and the decision is no."

It would be difficult to be more unequivocal than that. Yet some five hours later he said:

"Due to a misunderstanding, I inadvertently and wrongly told the committee that ministers were briefed on the joint EU procurement scheme and took a political decision not to take part in it," he wrote."That is incorrect. Ministers were not briefed by our mission in Brussels about the scheme and a political decision was not taken on whether or not to participate."

I can smell the stench from here

I read somewhere that ventilator usage is well down on normal figures because NHS work has been canned.

 

[timsk]

I hope nobody from the LGBTQ+ is monitoring your response, men can be pregnant and give birth as well nowadays. You could invoke the wrath of the woken

. . . That's why I said "usually women", Sig'!

 

[tomorton]

Asked on Tuesday why the decision was taken not to join the EU scheme for bulk buying of ventilators and PPE Sir Simon McDonald - who is permanent secretary at the Foreign Office - told the Foreign Affairs Committee that it was a deliberate move by ministers.

"All I can say is that it is a matter of fact that we have not taken part. It was a political decision... and the decision is no."

It would be difficult to be more unequivocal than that. Yet some five hours later he said:

"Due to a misunderstanding, I inadvertently and wrongly told the committee that ministers were briefed on the joint EU procurement scheme and took a political decision not to take part in it," he wrote."That is incorrect. Ministers were not briefed by our mission in Brussels about the scheme and a political decision was not taken on whether or not to participate."

I can smell the stench from here

From his statements, it appears Sir Simon McDonald has messed up. He never said he was present at the briefing he described nor at the point the decision he described was made, whether that was at the briefing or later.

It seems he was just saying what he had heard or even worse what he had assumed. Such an experienced administrator should have been sufficiently aware and competent not to repeat hearsay or speculate on occurrences that were outside his direct knowledge.Even if he personally wanted to believe the most negative aspects to be true. I expect his resignation will follow shortly.