Seen in the News

[Stanley]

Good memory David, nice we have China to confirm you are right. Two Brownie points I reckon.
P, "Can't come to terms with all these death league tables then with leaders comparing numbers as though to justify their own abysmal results as some kind of success. They are just trying to deflect attention away from themselves and especially in the UK about the background history as to why we are in this appalling situation in the first place."
Dead right I reckon, and I think Tiz could be close to the truth about Trump. I can't make my mind up what stage of development he has reached. About 10 years old?

[Tizer]

Talking of death league tables this BBC article has information and comment from Professor Sir David Spiegelhalter (University of Cambridge) who is quoted frequently on the Inside Science programme. It shows the graph comparing normal death rate to coronavirus death rate that he calculated and mentioned on the programme and surprised him when the curves were so similar.
`Coronavirus: How to understand the death toll' LINK

[Stanley]

I see increasing worries about the effects of the lockdown. Many are suggesting that the cure is worse than the disease. I suppose there's only one way to find out!

[Stanley]

See THIS BBC report on an article Kier Starmer has written for the Sunday Times. He is starting well, asking some pointed questions about how testing has been managed so far and asking for an exit strategy from lockdown.

[Cathy]

A couple in the Indian state of Chhattisgarh have named their newborn twins (a boy and a girl) ‘Corona’ and ‘Covid’. They were born during the ongoing 21 day long nationwide lockdown, that began on March 24.
My first thought was ‘Really??’ But you know what, I now think that they are great names.
I wonder how many others will follow?

[Stanley]

See THIS disturbing BBC report of one of the consequences of Covid19, an increase in domestic violence in locked-down households. One can only imagine what this is like. Terrible and really upsetting but what can be done about it?
I see that Johnson is being a brave leader and retaining control from his hospital bed. Do we really want to be 'led' by someone who is ill enough to be hosptalised? Wouldn't it be more sensible for Raab to take over until Johnson is fully fit and on top of his game/

[PanBiker]

Boris's situation seems to be following the classic progression of the infection as has been described by the medics. The break point is around 5 - 7 days where, if infected and your immune system kicks in properly you should start to feel a bit better. Continued symptoms may indicate that the infection has established in the lungs which is where it can go rampant. I don't like the bloke but I hope that is not the case.

[Big Kev]

Boris has taken a turn for the worse

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-52192604

[Stanley]

I can hear his doctors telling him to rest and give his body a chance and him refusing to stop working. No point in heroics when you're dealing with the plague. I certainly wish him no harm but perhaps he will learn from this.
Later... see THIS BBC report on the aquittal and freeing of Cardinal George Pell in Australia.

[Tizer]

`US election 2020: Bernie Sanders suspends presidential campaign' LINK
`Senator Bernie Sanders has suspended his campaign to become US president. The development clears the way for former vice-president Joe Biden to become the Democrat party's nominee..'.

Another bridge collapse in Italy. Fortunately traffic was very light - one occasion when the covid virus has saved lives!
`Italy bridge collapse: Two drivers survive' LINK

[Stanley]

Tiz you illustrate why I am so angry about the wall to wall coverage by the BBC of Johnson in intensive care and other virus related matters. Yes, they are important and need mentioning but so do thousands of other matters!
Looking at that report of the Italian Bridge collapse one is struck by 'infrastructure' and 'lack of maintenance'. Now what does that remind you of? No use us being smug about the Italians (and we often are), we have plenty of examples of bad and delayed maintenance outside our front doors, never mind going further afield.

[Tizer]

Tiz you illustrate why I am so angry about the wall to wall coverage by the BBC of Johnson in intensive care and other virus related matters. Yes, they are important and need mentioning but so do thousands of other matters!

Stanley, don't get yourself so worked up about the Boris news stream. It's what the majority of UK folk will want, whether you like it or not. It's a celebrity political leader seriously ill in hospital and they'll follow it like they do the hospital soaps.

The WHO head ought to ask Trump why he didn't read their 2019 warning of a future virus pandemic...
`Coronavirus: WHO chief urges end to 'politicisation' of virus' LINK
`The head of the World Health Organization (WHO) has urged unity, as the agency comes under continued fire from US President Donald Trump. Speaking on Wednesday, Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus defended the WHO's work and called for an end to the politicisation of Covid-19. Mr Trump said he would consider ending US funding for the UN agency. He accused the WHO of being "very China-centric" and said they "really blew" their pandemic response. Dr Tedros has now dismissed the comments, insisting: "We are close to every nation, we are colour-blind."

[Stanley]

Understood Tiz and it demonstrates how badly we have educated the majority! I once did a course called 'study techniques' which I found very enlightening. I was asked to describe it afterwards and said that if you had done the course and absorbed the content you could never listen to a politician again without analysing every word. It should be taught in all secondary schools!

[Tizer]

The comprehensive school Mrs Tiz taught in established Thinking Skills as a subject. She enjoyed teaching that!

[Stanley]

That sounds like the same sort of thing. Good stuff.
Why do I disbelieve every word Matt Hancock says? (LINK)? Could it be because Sally is still sewing for the care homes and NHS?

[PanBiker]

Critical Thinking was on the curriculum when I was working in Sixth Form.

[Tizer]

`Cities struggling to boost urban tree cover' LINK
`Many cities around the globe are struggling to reconcile ambitious environmental targets with development pressures, a study has suggested. Scientists in Melbourne recorded a net gain in street tree cover but a net loss in parks and private land. The Australian team says measures to protect mature trees are "critical" if the urban forest's cover is to be enhanced in the future..'.

[Stanley]

And in Sheffield the Labour Council contracted with a private contractor to fell thousands on the grounds they were a danger or an obstruction to traffic. It's we human beings that are the danger!!

[Cathy]

An Adelaide supermarket boss has publicly shamed a local stockpiler as frustration over the supply of products continues to grow.
The customer wanted a refund on 150 x 32 pack of toilet paper and 150 units of one litre sanitiser.
His eBay site had been shut down and the hoarder had a team of 20 people buying the products.
The supermarket boss told the customer exactly what he thought of him.

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Not your average Aussie, what an idiot, I hope he gets what he deserves.

[Stanley]

The man appears to be the worst sort of hoarder Cathy. Buying stocks at supermarkets and selling on Ebay at a profit. Human beings can be evil.....

[Tizer]

But they can also be heroes...
`Coronavirus: Army veteran Tom Moore, 99, raises £4m for NHS' LINK
`A 99-year-old army veteran who has raised more than £4m to help the NHS in the fight against Covid-19 has vowed to keep going even though he has smashed his original £1,000 target. Tom Moore aimed to complete 100 laps of his Bedfordshire garden by Thursday, walking with the aid of a frame. However he has now said he will not stop and hopes to do another 100. NHS Charities Together, which will benefit from the funds, said it was "truly inspired and humbled". Nearly 170,000 people from around the world have donated money to his fundraising page since it was set up last week. Mr Moore began raising funds to thank the "magnificent" NHS staff who helped him with treatment for cancer and a broken hip...'.

[Cathy]

Well done everyone involved. Amazing.

[PanBiker]

Captain Tom has now passed £6 million for his quest for the NHS.

[PanBiker]

£8 million and counting.

[Big Kev]

£8 million and counting.

Incredible amount of money, good on him...

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