The two places that I'm happy to see reopening the most are movie theaters (for selfish reasons) and schools. The latter is because I got the feeling that if the teachers' unions would had their way, schools would have stayed closed until September.
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The two places that I'm happy to see reopening the most are movie theaters (for selfish reasons) and schools. The latter is because I got the feeling that if the teachers' unions would had their way, schools would have stayed closed until September.
Quote:
Originally Posted by blackchubby38
But would you not agree that schoolteachers should be vaccinated before the schools re-opened? I am not sure if all teachers in New York (state and city) have, or just some. Younger teachers might not be at risk, older ones who are say, in their 50s but not yet vaccinated, maybe.
Last nght on BBC-2's Newsnight, a Professor at the London Schoo of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine said it was too early for the UK to consider the kind of 'Green App' or Vaccine passport as has been trialled in Israel, for three reasons:
1) Studies have yet to be completed and peer reviewed to determine if vaccinated people are still liable to be infected and thus become carriers of the virus;
2) the majority of the population has not been vaccinated; and
3) we still do not know how long the effectiveness of the vaccine lasts.
The British Govt is phasing in the relaxation of rules to take account of no 2) on the basis that once the majority of people, notably those in the most vulnerable categories are vaccinated, the overall risk of infection and hospitalization is reduced. Thus, this week, beginning on March 8, schools re-opened (though I am not sure most teachers here have been vaccinated, though schools are staggering the return of classrooms perhaps to deal with this), some university students who need face-to-face learning are returning to their studies; one relative can visit another in a care home, and "people can leave home for recreation outdoors such as a coffee or picnic with their household or support bubble, or with one person outside their household".
The rest of the phases look like this:
From the 29th March
"Outdoor gatherings of either 6 people or 2 households will be allowed, providing greater flexibility for families to see each other. This includes in private gardens. Outdoor sports facilities, such as tennis and basketball courts, will be allowed to reopen, and people can take part in formally organised outdoor sports.
At this point, the Stay at Home order will end, although many lockdown restrictions will remain.
For example, you should continue to work from home where possible, and overseas travel remains banned, aside for a small number of reasons."
From the 12th of April
- Non-essential retail, personal care premises, such as hairdressers and nail salons, and public buildings, such as libraries and community centres, will reopen.
- Most outdoor attractions and settings, including zoos, and theme parks, will also reopen although wider social contact rules will apply in these settings to prevent indoor mixing between different households. Drive-in cinemas and drive-in performances will also be permitted.
- Indoor leisure facilities, such as gyms and swimming pools, will also reopen - but only for use by people on their own or with their household.
- Hospitality venues can serve people outdoors only. There will be no need for customers to order a substantial meal with alcohol, and no curfew - although customers must order, eat and drink while seated.
- Self-contained accommodation, such as holiday lets, where indoor facilities are not shared with other households, can also reopen.
- Funerals can continue with up to 30 people, and the numbers able to attend weddings, receptions and commemorative events such as wakes will rise to 15 (from 6).
From the 17th May
- Outdoors, most social contact rules will be lifted - although gatherings of over 30 people will remain illegal.
- Outdoor performances such as outdoor cinemas, outdoor theatres and outdoor cinemas can reopen.. Indoors, the rule of 6 or 2 households will apply - although we will keep under review whether it is safe to increase this.
- Indoor hospitality, entertainment venues such as cinemas and soft play areas, the rest of the accommodation sector, and indoor adult group sports and exercise classes will also reopen.
- Larger performances and sporting events in indoor venues with a capacity of 1,000 people or half-full (whichever is lower) will also be allowed, as will those in outdoor venues with a capacity of 4000 people or half-full (whichever is lower).
- In the largest outdoor seated venues where crowds can spread out, up to 10,000 people will be able to attend (or a quarter-full, whichever is lower).
- Up to 30 people will be able to attend weddings, receptions and wakes, as well as funerals. Other life events that will be permitted include bar mitzvahs and christenings.
From the 21st of June
- t is hoped all legal limits on social contact can be removed.
- We hope to reopen nightclubs, and lift restrictions on large events and performances that apply in Step 3.
- This will also guide decisions on whether all limits can be removed on weddings and other life events.
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/p...n-restrictions
The plan is based on the assumptions that there will not be a new surge of cases, hospitalizations and deaths, that people will behave with reason, but cruciallly, that the vaccination programme will be effective, though the point I referred to at the beginning of this post still applies, though one assumes research will not take that long to find out how effective the vaccine is.
Thus, the news from parts of Europe sounds depressing, but:
"Several European countries have either suspended inoculations with the AstraZeneca Covid vaccine or banned the use of a specific batch as a precautionary measure after blood clots formed in some people who had received the jab.
Both the Anglo-Swedish drug maker and Europe’s medicines regulator said the vaccine was safe as Denmark, Norway and Iceland announced on Thursday they were temporarily halting all AstraZeneca vaccinations to investigate the cases.
...Stephen Evans, professor of pharmacoepidemiology at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, told Reuters that the decision to suspend the shots was “a super-cautious approach based on some isolated reports in Europe”.
The problem with “spontaneous reports of suspected adverse reactions to vaccines is the enormous difficulty of distinguishing a causal effect from a coincidence”, Evans said, adding that Covid-19 was strongly associated with blood clotting."
https://www.theguardian.com/society/...d-clot-reports
We still have a long way to go, and are not as risky as the Governor of Texas who has lifted the mask mandate in the State even though only 16% of the population has been vaccinated.
Not germane to the thread, but what are you hoping to see at the movies? The BAFTA list was released this week and I haven't seen any of the films with nominations, a) because the cinemas are closed, and b) because I don't susbscribe to streaming channels.Quote:
Originally Posted by blackchubby38
As this is Poltics & Religion though, I would like to see Judas and the Black Messiah, though I believe the film avoids delving into Fred Hampton's Marxism (or was it Marxism-Leninism -not the same thing- ??).
Though risky for a while, I too want to be back in the cinema, and the Concert Hall, given that I have boycotted Covent Garden and can't go to opera houses in Europe and probably not until next year at the earliest.
"Ireland is suspending use of the Oxford/AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine as a precautionary measure following further reports of blood clots in people who have received it, this time from Norway.
The deputy chief medical officer, Dr Ronan Glynn, said Ireland’s advisory body on vaccines had recommended that deployment of the AstraZeneca jab should be “temporarily deferred” with immediate effect. He stressed, though, that there was no proof that the vaccine had caused blood clots."
Like most of the people vaccinated in the UK I have had no problem with the AstraZeneca vaccine, but the key problem might be in this observation with regard to younger people, most of whom,not in front line servives, have yet to be vaccinated in the UK-
"Prof Karina Butler, the head of Ireland’s National Immunisation Advisory Committee (NIAC), said it was acting out of an abundance of caution but wanted to know more about the unexpected cluster of “very serious” clotting events in younger people; Norway said this happened in people under 50. In three cases, it had involved clotting in the brain. In one of them, it was fatal."
https://www.theguardian.com/world/20...-clot-concerns
As this quote says it remains to be seen whether it is the result of the vaccine and not something that occurs rarely but at approximately the same rate in the general population. The vaccine has been administered to a lot of people, but it could be a very rare side effect.Quote:
Originally Posted by Stavros
If it is the result of the vaccine I am curious whether it is something tied to a defect in production or is inherent to the design of the vaccine. Maybe it is tied to certain batches or conditions those batches were in. We'll see what the scientists find.
In a perfect world, I would say yes the teachers should be vaccinated before the schools are opened. But we don't live in a perfect world and considering the fact that there were many front line workers, retail and food service industry come to mind, that had to work during the pandemic and had even bigger risk of getting infected, than I think I teachers can do the same in a more controlled environment.Quote:
Originally Posted by Stavros
As for the teachers and other school officials who are over 50, hopefully they were in either the first or second wave of people who eligible to get vaccinated.
Another thing is this. When we talked about teachers prior to 2020, we often mentioned in them in the same breath as police officers, firefighters, EMS, doctors and other healthcare workers. You know the essential people who have been working over the past year to make sure our society doesn't completely fall apart. The risk they have faced/still face is probably higher than what teachers would be dealing with in classrooms.
I don't think the value of good teachers can be underestimated and I hope in the past year some parents realized that maybe it wasn't the teachers' fault that their precious little darling wasn't learning anything. But if they are an essential part of our society, then I think its time for them to return to the front lines.
Finally, I think the most important reason for children to return to full time in-person learning is because the impact the pandemic has had not only on their educational development, but their physical, social, and mental as well. Last year, the American Association of Pediatrics said that it was pertinent that children return to in person learning
Just to finish that post off.Quote:
Originally Posted by blackchubby38
If we are supposed to listen to the doctors and the scientists, then we should be listening to all of them. If the data says that its safe for children to return to full time in person learning, that its important that they do, and its what parents and children want, as well as many elected officials, then I say its time.
Man, when people pile on, they really do pile on:
De Blasio blames Gov. Cuomo for not closing NYC sooner as COVID-19 spread
nypost.com/2021/03/14/de-blasio-blames-cuomo-for-not-closing-nyc-sooner-as-covid-spread/
Since it was leaving HBO Max tonight, I decided to watch Judas and the Black Messiah. Its one of those movies that I would have seen at home anyway. I thought the movie was good, but the acting of both Daniel Kaluuya and Lakeith Stanfield was fantastic.Quote:
Originally Posted by Stavros
The film does not avoid delving into Hampton's Marxism. Although he seemed to be more into Maoism than Marxism.
My plan is to go see Godzilla vs Kong in the theaters at the end of the month.
Public school teachers have irrevocably allowed their unions to destroy their “brand”. They will never again be uttered in the same vein as those other jobs and the blame lies squarely on their own shoulders. From now on , they will be considered as just “another civil service job”... (which, in major cities like NY, is mostly what they were to begin with). It’s also become quite obvious to folks that believe their own eyes and ears, that the teacher’s unions own the Democratic Party at this point.Quote:
Originally Posted by blackchubby38
Quote:
Originally Posted by broncofan
A robust defence of the AstraZeneca vaccine by David Spiegehalter in today's Guardian (he appears from time to time on Channel 4 News in the UK).
https://www.theguardian.com/commenti...a-causal-links
If one were to be picky, one could suggest a distinction between 'front line workers' and 'emergency workers' or 'First Responders'. It might be easy for Fire Stations, but General Hospitals by their nature are not only risky environments for all who work in them, but just as hard to segregate staff within them, though I suppose you could expand the cordon around ICU's and isolate entire floors-?Quote:
Originally Posted by blackchubby38
Indeed, another, probably impractical solution is the Isolation Hospital, on Ellis Island or whichever island you have in New York that can be converted. Ultimately, everyone must be vaccinated, it is that basic. Priorities in the first phase has meant the most obvious have been vaccinated, but as with the UK, I think that education has become, like care homes, a major casualty of this pandemic.
I am not sure the teachers and their unions are entirely to blame but I don't know enough about the US situation to say more. Here, there seems to me a staggering indifference to the impact of Covid on education, made worse by the Secretary of State for Education, Gavin Williamson, who never fails to fail when promoting or defending Govt policy. I don't watch SNL, but the man is so devoid of character, SNL would probably have to rely on a plastic carrot to represent him, preferably one that doesn't talk. What damage has in fact been caused we don't yet know, and chidren are both flexible and resilient, but losing a good part of a year can have terrible consequences, something I have known personally for reasons I won't go into here.
As an aside from Covid, I am astonished that boh Lakeith Stanfield and Daniel Kaluuya are nominated for the Best Supporting Actor Oscar in Judas and the Black Messiah -was neither of them in a lead role? Kaluuya has the BAFTA nomination for Supporting Actor, but they could easily have dropped Anthony Hopkins to give Stanfield a nod for Best Actor if it really is that important.
And you are right to correct me on Maosim beig more relevant to Hampton than Marxism, though I am not sure what outside the Little Red Book he knew about it. There is a Trotskyist critique by Don Alexaner from 1993 of the welfare programmes the Panthers organized -the Breakfasts for example- which I think became the basis of their popularity, as they dd not just talk about revolution, but demonstrated practical things that benefited their communities. One wonders, had he lived, where Hampton might have taken the Panthers as they turned in on themselves, given his savage remarks about Stokely Carmichael. Ironically, if the -targeted- assassiations had not stripped them of their leaders, the Panthers like Hampton might have ended up running for Mayor and promoting climate change policies, as Bobby Seale has done.
A world away from Godzilla! And do you worry that an English actor plays an American? Are there no Americans who could play Hampton (not to take away Kaluuya's abilities) -?
It is a very good defense. I just read it. The article really explains the major issues well.Quote:
Originally Posted by Stavros
I'm glad to see an analysis of it. Astrazeneca's vaccine is pretty important to world supply. Pfizer and Moderna are harder to deliver in places without a lot of cold chain technology and it is cheaper to produce.
I've included two stories about the Oxford/Astrazeneca vaccine that have broken within the last 24 hours. First, Astrazeneca released data from U.S. trials showing very good efficacy and no increased risk of blood clots. Second, U.S. regulators noticed that they may have included outdated information in the data they released.
Since this is still unfolding we don't know if "may have" means they did but I think it's likely because Astrazeneca made a puzzling mistake in one of the earlier trials where they included data from people accidentally given a half dose of the first shot.
I suspect it is a very good vaccine mainly because of the work of Oxford researchers and that Astrazeneca has done a bumbling job managing clinical trial data.
Most of the scientists I pay attention to believe the az/oxford vaccine may be the most important when it comes to supply for most of the world. It's not quite as effective as Pfizer and Moderna's, but it's still very effective, cheaper to produce, and much easier to distribute in places without cold chain systems, which is probably most of the world.
https://www.reuters.com/article/health-coronavirus-vaccines-astrazeneca/astrazenecas-us-trial-data-a-confidence-booster-for-covid-19-shot-idUSKBN2BE0IZ
https://apnews.com/article/astrazene...568891d06b7da8
To repeat something I wrote a week ago, quoting a Professor at the LSHTM
1) Studies have yet to be completed and peer reviewed to determine if vaccinated people are still liable to be infected and thus become carriers of the virus;
2) the majority of the population has not been vaccinated; and
3) we still do not know how long the effectiveness of the vaccine lasts.
The first AstraZeneca vaccine was administered in January, so it is still too early to tell how points one and three above follow on from the vaccine we have -but are points that relate to all the other vaccines too. A lot of what is going on is politics, not medicine, and is an argument between the EU and AstraZeneca over the honouring of contracts with, it appears, the UK having got its orders in first. It is not really an EU-Uk spat, though some -Telegraph journalists, for example- using this as an example of EU incompetence, when the reality is that had the UK remained in the EU I doubt this woud have happened. For the record, AstraZeneca is an Anglo-Swedish company, and its CEO is French.
Either way, from the start, we needed a globally co-ordinated response that should have maximised the medical expertise and political will of governments everywhere to do the best for their citizens. Sadly, led by cretins in the US and Brazil the trajectory of the response was delayed and skewed with the result that millions have been infectd, variants of varyng strength have grown, and anyone wanting a foreign holiday or a 'return to normal' can say Ciao to that for at least another year. Sir Patrick Vallance, the UK Govermen's Chief Science Advisor, thinks we will be living with the consquences of Covid for the next 10 years.
I agree with you with respect to point 1. While it may take a while to get the kind of robust proof that is required in clinical trials, there is some evidence emerging in places where lots of people have been vaccinated that vaccinated people are less likely to transmit as well. That doesn't mean that some vaccinated people don't get asymptomatic infections and transmit them but that the overall risk of spreading the disease appears lower in vaccinated people. First, symptomatic infections are less likely and it was noted before the vaccines were developed that true asymptomatics seemed to shed less virus. They can infect others but are believed to have a lower propensity to do so.Quote:
Originally Posted by Stavros
I am not saying there is sufficient data to form firm conclusions just that I've read that there are early indications that the vaccines provide some protection against disease spread. Obviously until point one is demonstrated to a satisfactory degree vaccinated people should behave as though they (personally) have some protection against disease but can still infect others.
Regarding point 2, it will be interesting to see what happens when demand for vaccines becomes the limiting factor in various countries. I think we are expecting that by early Summer in the U.S.
Regarding point 3, I agree and wonder what the standard protocol is for figuring that out. It's a dangerous virus and obviously we don't want lots of vaccinated people starting to get infected at higher rates to form firm conclusions but that may be the only way to determine when a booster is needed.
Broncofan, with your rationa approach to this, some thoughts for you to comment on. In one scenario, I see Covid-19 becoming a chronic illness, that, along with Influenza, will kill thousands of people a year, probably the elderly with complicating conditions. There will be annual Covid jabs as we have with 'flu, modified and improved as more knowledge is acquired about the virus. This is an accommadation to reality, but begs the more cultural question allied to public health-
If Covid-19 becomes a permanent presence, do we not need as people to maintain some of the barriers to transmission that we have been using this past year? Returning to 'normal' for a lot of if not most people, will mean not wearing a mask in enclosed spaces. It would probably not be a major problem in concert halls, cinemas, or sports stadia, but I can't see many people wearing a mask in a club/bar/pub or a cafe and restaurant and indeed, lifting masks was allowed when cafes were open last year in the UK.
But will people want to maintain these barrier measures, and can they be made mandatory, for example on public transport and in stores/malls - and more to the point, will people wear them? As long as Covid-19 is an airborne virus, the danger of being infected remains high, until we have establshed the boundaries as per the three points in my previous post. For how much longer, as the vaccine takes effect, will people be willing to limit their activities, and will the politicians already divided over the issue, follow the science or what they hope is 'popular opinion'? Not least when some are campaigning on the basis that restrictions derived from the science of public health, are being used in law to restrict personal liberty.
I think you're right that we will see covid for a long time but I think it's POSSIBLE things normalize more quickly. Once a greater number of people have some immunity and it's circulating less broadly, both the risk of hospitalization and death will be much lower. While I think at this moment it makes sense for vaccinated people to still wear masks in public places (for themselves and others), the calculus will change over time.
What if we get good data on mortality rate and find that once people are vaccinated their risk of death is lower than for influenza and everyone has an opportunity to be vaccinated? People don't wear masks to prevent seasonal flu. It is a risk of death for some people and I've gotten very sick from the flu but I don't take special precautions except to get a flu shot, which is not super effective.
Even people with a much greater risk of death from influenza than I have are generally willing to deal with that risk. Both the rates of hospitalization and death for flu are manageable enough that it doesn't alter people's behavior very much. My parents are in their seventies and I don't recall them thinking about the flu or worrying about it even though we know it kills people in their age group every year.
If we're not seeing a thousand deaths a day in the U.S for instance, but rather fewer than a hundred I can't imagine we won't see lots of social gatherings return.
None of this is to say that I disagree with the current guidelines for vaccinated people to wear masks. But some of those guidelines are based on the fact that not enough people have been vaccinated to sharply cut its prevalence, we lack data on certain things (your previous post highlighted that well), and we don't want to do anything prematurely that will prolong the pandemic.
If Covid 19 becomes a permanent presence, then I think you allow individuals the right to decide for themselves if they want to continue to wear masks in enclosed spaces and continue maintaining the other barriers to transmission that we have been employing for the past year. Especially if we get to point where there is an acceptable and reasonable amount of people dying from it on a daily basis. Because I think the idea some people have of there being a 0 infection rate for us to get back to normal is unattainable.Quote:
Originally Posted by Stavros
We also have to take into consideration that we are in a much better place when it comes to treating cases of Covid 19 then we were a year ago.
I agree with your post completely The issue we have now, is one of timing. Just as the UK Govt is gambling on the phased lockdown coinciding with a decline of cases due to vaccination, so the fact that other countries are not in our position means that the relaxation of restrictions does not mean a return to 'normal' -UK citizens are not advised to go abroad for a holiday and even travelling within the UK should still be limited to essential trips -but with a heat-wave promised this is going to be a hard one to control. While it means I won't be going to Paris, Amsterdam or Rome for a weekend, I would assume this applies to US citizens being wary of visiting other parts of the country, not least those where there are few restrictions, and this is due to the fact that we still don't know the long term impact of vaccination, as discussed above. But yes, as long as we trust in the science we are on stronger ground, just as the ignorance and indeed, the repudiation of science has been one of the most depressing aspects of this pandemic.Quote:
Originally Posted by blackchubby38
But I for one will probably wear a mask on public transport, in retrospect I think a mask in the past might have spared me some bouts of 'flu or something similar. It might even help, should I ever fly again, to sleep on a plane, something I struggle to do.
God, that's depressing.Quote:
should I ever fly again
I seriously doubt I'm as well travelled as you, Stavros but, I was thinking the same thing, recently.
"Will I ever get off of this Godforsaken little Island again"?
In other news, I had my first dose of the AZ jab Saturday.
Holy shit, it knocked the crap out of me, Sunday!!!
I'm fine now, but I'm not looking forward to the follow up!
I wonder why it affected you so much? I assume you are fit and healthy, indeed, virile...I am still waiting for my No 2, as it were. I have to be realistic about the prospects of foreign travel, given the current situation in France and Germany, as a German friend is going home later this year having decided Brexit Britain is beyond hope. I have already conceded never seeing Syria again, and any trips across the Atlantic will depend on how they think of us, while them coming here -we were going to do a family trip to Spain before the lockdown- is delayed, possibly for years; but because of age and potential illness, it all does look rather bleak. But a friend of mine who is almost 90 was a keen traveller in his 80s so I should probably lighten up a bit. As for UK holidays, looks like Wales or Scotland, as I have cycled through Devon and Cornwall, and once was enough. I did aso visit friends in Plymouth, which is a dump and a rough naval town to be avoided on Saturday nights unless you like drunks, working class girls in micro-dresses- and fist fights, though the scenic Dawlish rail line out of the city to Bristol is worth seeing. One of those regions of the country that do nothing for me.Quote:
Originally Posted by Jericho
Virile? Oh hell yes...I'm a god-damned sexual tyrannosaurus! :dead:
I don't know. Nothing I needed to notify them about, but it did knock me on my arse.
Just speshul I guess, one of the 1 in 10.
Parts of North Wales are nice (the south, not so much), though I would leave the bicycle at home! I've always wanted to visit the Orkney's but never got round to it, so this year could be the one, restrictions permitting of course.
Otherwise, It'll be a weekend in Rhyl...As if I wasn't depressed before! :hide-1:
[QUOTE=Stavros;1963122But I for one will probably wear a mask on public transport, in retrospect I think a mask in the past might have spared me some bouts of 'flu or something similar. It might even help, should I ever fly again, to sleep on a plane, something I struggle to do.[/QUOTE]
Mask-wearing has long been common in Asian countries, even before Covid. I used to think of it as an odd cultural quirk, but now it makes more sense.
I assume that you Brits are still free to ignore government warnings and travel if you want. Us Australians haven't been able to travel anywhere for the past year, though it looks like the long-awaited travel bubble with New Zealand will finally be announced soon. Fortunately Australia is a much bigger country than the UK.
Ah, Rhyl...look on the bright side...there must be a bright one.Quote:
Originally Posted by Jericho
It is complicated by our restrictions, and those on the Continent and elsewhere, with the different phases of the vaccination campaign and surges in France and Germany limiting the options as the UK drags itself out of quarantine. Ignoring the rules is common, but I am not sure how far, but patience is wearing thin. We are in the midst of a mini-heat-wave with all that implies for beaches and parks.Quote:
Originally Posted by filghy2
Two links below offer the confusing array of conditions, but by May-June Greece and the Islands, or some of them might be a reasonable destination. I have friends who spend a month in Crete every May but I haven't spoken to them recently to find out of they are going this year. I have only been once but it is a splendid place to visit, should you ever make it to this part of the world.
These links are to articles/guides published in late March-
https://www.cntraveller.com/gallery/...safe-to-travel
https://www.wanderlust.co.uk/content...ravel-updates/
The latest Republican cause in relation to this virus is banning of vaccination passports, and their use as a condition of access to services.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/...d-ron-desantis
It appears that vaccination sceptics (who are mostly Republican) not only want the right to avoid vaccination, but they want to ensure they can face no disadvantage as a result of their choice.
This could potentially affect the ability of Americans to travel, as some countries may require proof of vaccination as a condition of entry - as already applies to diseases like yellow fever if people have visited affected countries.
This example shows once again that the right these days is not so much about limited government as it is about using the power of government to enforce the preferences of the tribe. As this article notes, there are other instances where Republican states have limited the ability of private entities to restrict what their users can do, eg on guns.
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/ar...sports/618476/
Vaccine passports are also the focus here in the UK of a rebellion against the Govt on the basis of personal data protection, but hasn't this ship sailed from port? How far can a US Citizen go without a Social Security number? US ciitizens on the whole don't need passports because they never leave the country, but if it is a case of data protection, who has the information on them derived from their Social Security number, their driving licence, their birth and marriage certificate, their email, Facebook et al accounts where one assumes at least one is in their real name?Quote:
Originally Posted by filghy2
I have ID cards in a country that has resisted attempts to create them -a British Library card with my photo and signature; a Senior Citizen Bus Pass also with my photo and signature; ID/Admission cards for two specialist libraries; a Debit Card from my bank; a membership card for a chain of shops called the Entertainment Centre should I want to sell them CDs and DVDs, which sometimes I do; loyalty cards for various shops and supermarkets -and a passport. I am not even sure there is anything wrong with Georgia wanting to smarten up its ID rules on voting, except that the State should automatically issue ID cards and if that means photographing every citizen who wants to vote, they should organize it and pay for it.
So if I were to have a problem with a Vaccine Passport that is my only guaranteed method of visiting relatives in a foreign country, at this stage of our lives, I must have a problem with all the other ID cards I have, but I don't. The only other problem that I could foresee would be some discriinatory ruling that means the EU or another country will not recognize the AstraZeneca vaccine so in that case a Vaccine Passport would not be doing its job.
The wider issue of Data and how it is used is an interesting one, it seems mostly to shape commerce allowing companies to ascertain who and where their customers are; and by governments who want to spy on me, for who knows what reason? But when it comes to existing data, I think we are on that ship that sailed, so what happens next?
I just got my first Pfizer dose. I can't imagine thinking the decision (for an American) of whether to get a vaccine is even close. Incidentally, I had bad headaches for three days and a sore arm for about four days. Nothing severe but fairly obvious in the case of the headaches.Quote:
Originally Posted by filghy2
I've seen a couple of posts about traveling and I am thinking about it in the next couple of months or in the summer but there aren't a ton of places to go. What I mean is that many of the countries that allow Americans to enter have severe outbreaks. If, for instance, I went to Brazil, a lot of the enjoyment of going to Brazil is offset by whatever public health measures there are. Even if I could go to clubs in Rio or something, I'm not sure I want to do that where the virus is pretty rampant.
I'll post the recent New York Times link. South Korea might be a decent option, as they have a good system in place for controlling the virus and letting life proceed cautiously. But most countries that have their outbreaks under control are not allowing much discretionary travel. Sorry to be U.S.-centric but this was the search I did.
https://www.nytimes.com/article/coro...trictions.html
I had seen the other travel posts before my last post but missed this one. Good post. By summer travel might be a bit easier, even judging by some of the out of date links I found from last summer. So we'll see.Quote:
Originally Posted by Stavros
I'm thinking of telling women I'm a sexual tyrannosaurus. Then after sex when she says, "I thought you said you're a sexual tyrannosaurus!" I can say "yeah, I have short arms and am surprisingly quick. What did you think I meant?"Quote:
Originally Posted by Jericho
Probably not a good idea to advertise yourself as a Dinosaur. Meanwhile, foreign travel is not advised, so you might want to save your money for another time, say 2022, given that the US is still mired in the virus. But if it is no longer the case 'no one is safe until everyone is safe' -how can you know if trip abroad is safe? The risk factor may determine our behavour over the next 1-5 years.Quote:
Originally Posted by broncofan
Quote:
Originally Posted by broncofan
Work when it's time to get a round in, too! :whistle:
Gods know I've looked, but the only brightside I've ever found, is the A55 exit that'll take you somewhere decent!Quote:
Originally Posted by Stavros
Global rollout of vaccines is no longer a guarantee of victory over Covid-19:
https://www.theguardian.com/world/20...-over-covid-19
Elvis appears to have left the building, but the data for 2020 are now in and they show that there was no increase at all in suicides (in fact, a small decrease compared to previous years). There was an increase in drug overdose deaths, but this was only a small fraction of Covid deaths.Quote:
Originally Posted by Nick Danger
https://www.vox.com/2021/4/6/2236821...-lockdown-2020
Three articles from the press in India which expain how the country has gone from being in a situation where-
"...on January 29th, during his speech at the Davos forum, PM Modi said that the country had won the war on COVID-19, something he repeated in Parliament a week later, and India won acclaim from around the world. At the time, India was seeing about 11,000 new cases a day nationwide and 1.5 lakh active cases. Today that number has grown to 3 lakh new cases and 24 lakh active cases on an upward trend."
https://www.thehindu.com/news/nation...le34394622.ece
(A lakh is 100,000)
"There are three key factors behind what went wrong: government response, public behaviour and variants"
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-04-...fold/100089732
Modi, out of touch, but not out of office-
"Despite the situation, Mr Modi urged states to avoid lockdowns if possible.
“In the current situation, we have to save the country from another lockdown,” he said on Tuesday. “I urge states only to use lockdowns as the last resort.” "
https://www.thenationalnews.com/worl...wave-1.1208697
A friend in India is in despair at the behaviour of the Govt, if not surprised. It is time for India to ban all international travel, and for the UK at least, to ban all travel between the UK and India. Will people ever learn what makes it so easy for the virus to spread? The complacency in India has been sickening -literally.
Mayor De Blasio: "NYC will be fully opened on July 1st".
Governor Cuomo: "Unzips pants, takes out dick, "All of NYS will be fully opened on May 19th".
Thank you for clarifying the situation in city and state...Quote:
Originally Posted by blackchubby38