Westminstenders: How many Dead Cats Do You Get In A Thunderstorm?

[RedToothBrush]

It never rains. It only pours.

What I wouldn't give for a bit of old fashioned drizzle right now.

4 years on and we are facing a torment of calamities. Brexit, serious political instability in the USA ahead of an election that Trump will refuse to lose even if he does, trade deals with the rest of the world put on 6 week deadlines, anger within the commonwealth, a sick weak dependent PM on the back foot and ill briefed, rampant growing corruption in the Tory party, woke nut jobs out of touch with reality, councils on the brink of bankruptcy and the whole covid-19 crisis.

If after a number of posts I can’t “see” the poster as a real person - if the apparent backstory is too rapidly outlined and is unconvincing - then I don’t think it’s a real person.

If after a number of posts I can’t “see” the poster as a real person - if the apparent backstory is too rapidly outlined and is unconvincing - then I don’t think it’s a real person.

So my incredibly tedious experience in Eng Lit. of trying to write an essay "from the point of view of X" was the complete waste of time I said it was at the time ? (I really wasn't the ideal pupil).

So much for my Great Unfinished Novel. And my real life name change to Ronald ....

I'm on a sailing forum where one prolific poster has an extremely similar style of writing.
When challenged he put it down to severe dyslexia 😗

Gosh I hated English Lit. I love to read, I have large collection of books. But for me, nothing ruins a good book more than talking about it's structural devices and what the author intended when they used alliteration in the third chapter.... IDGAF. Was it an interesting read? Marvelous, job done.

Ditto honeysuckle

Oh!
Wrong dailys gone!
Awesome :)

It was almost a given that the really enthusiastic readers (puts hand up) hated Eng. Lit much more than the book of the month brigade.

Sadly, the rise of the eBook has led to bookshelves being redundant. (Although the recent emergence of broadcasting from home has triggered a weird nostalgia about bookcase bragging). But back in the day, they were a good indicator of the people who lived in the house. With people who had no books anywhere in the house at the bottom of the "trust me" spectrum.

I've currently squirreled away more books that I will ever read (if my sight holds up). Plus the same again in e-format from the great (free) classics.

I confess I have never seen a red kite up close listening. just catching up on the news here, RLB sacked by Sir Kier! Crikey she didn’t last long did she?

I don't like ereaders. I like to feel the book in my hands. Which are unfortunately arthritic so who knows how long I'll be able to do that.

I loved audiobooks as a child, used to listen to help me fall asleep. I recently listened to another and it was lovely, I've forgotten what I like in the fog of motherhood.

Now, if only it were the done thing to blast nu metal at top volume whilst your preschoolers are in the room.

Buckets of birds of prey here in the SW. Kids school swarming with pheasants for shoots so loads of predators too, naturally.

I don't like ereaders. I like to feel the book in my hands. Which are unfortunately arthritic so who knows how long I'll be able to do that.

My prediction for the short term future of tech is that it will be increasingly centred around finding ways to keep those people that adopted back in the 90s using it well into their 70s, 80s and 90s. Because if it doesn't we'll see all the more wealthy older people having to revert (or continue to use) the low tech options. Which won't do good things to Apples share price. So better screens, decent voice control (not the Muckey Fouse versions Apple and chums think "adequate" for now) and better battery life.

It's a shame eReaders are the Cinderella of the tech world. If someone could invent one which is double A4 size and can display colour decently (so magazines are viewable) we'd be almost there.

Hopefully the foldup OLED tech LG were punting will bear fruit.

Alternatively, how close are we to a direct machinebrain connection ? Given there was work on a vision system in the 70s that used a sliver of 8x8 in a blind volunteer patients brain linked to a camera (he could see things approach and receding), you have to wonder what's happened in the intervening 40 years ?

how close are we to a direct machinebrain connection ?

www.sciencealert.com/a-paralysed-woman-has-flown-a-fighter-jet-using-only-her-mind-woah

I switched to Kindle several years ago, due to my worsening visual disability
For a bookwork, it is brilliant

I used to have 12 packed 2m x 1m bookcases, which I had to keep clearing out

• I had envisaged moving every few years to larger accommodation for my books

I also used to travel even for a weekend with a ruscksac of books dragging me down

Now, all is on iPad and iCloud
So much more space in my rooms and my life

book worm !

I'm hoping that this NHS info only refers to some people who were hospitalised;
I don't see why it could be ⅓ of confirmed cases, when most had comparatively mild symptoms

The Telegraph reports that 1 in 7 patients in ICU may suffer lasting brain damage - but that's more understandable, especially if older.

Telegaph: Scars of Covid-19 could last for life as doctors warn of long-term damage to health

(paywall) https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2020/06/22/revealed-scars-covid-19-could-last-life-doctors-warn-long-term/

Healthy people, who were in their 40s and 50s when the virus struck,
are now facing anxiety, chronic fatigue and disability for years

One in three patients who recover from coronavirus could be harmed for life,
with long-term damage to their lungs, as well as chronic fatigue and psychological disturbances,
research suggests.

Experts said there was growing evidence that the virus could cause persistent or even permanent trauma, including impairment to the brain and an increased risk of Alzheimer’s disease.

NHS guidance seen by The Telegraph suggests that around 30 per cent of patients who recover from Covid-19 may be left with damaged and scarred lung tissue, if it follows patterns of similar diseases.

This could amount to around 100,000 of the 300,000 people who have so far tested positive in the UK.

......

In an interview with The Telegraph, the head of the new NHS centre for Covid recovery said she was worried about how little was known about just how long the consequences may last.

Dr Hilary Floyd, clinical director at the NHS Seacole Centre, said she had been shocked by how young many of its patients were, with healthy people who were in their 40s and 50s when the virus struck now facing long-term fatigue and disability.

‘They may always have some level of debilitation’ Dr Floyd told The Telegraph:

“These are people who were independent, they might be running their own business, going to the gym, swimming, active

• now they are at the point they can’t get out of bed. ..... The NHS guidance, seen by The Telegraph, was sent to primary care and community services, which includes GPs and district nurses:

'Approximately 30 per cent of survivors of the global SARS outbreak caused by SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV experienced persistent physiological impairment and abnormal radiology consistent with fibrotic lung disease.

'It is envisaged that pulmonary fibrosis [lung damage and scarring] is likely to be an important sequela/condition which is the consequence of Covid-19.'

BigChoc
Considering people like squid have managed to acquire antibodies without being aware of ever having had the disease

I suspect that the Telegraph patients are people who actually went into hospitals - a very small minority of the infected

I hope you are satisfied Boris Johnson because the last 3 months giving our lives up to try and beat this virus has just been for nothing. Bournemouth in a major incident, thousands of people, thousands of cars, hundreds of tonnes of rubbish, only one lot of toilets open for both sexes ( one each) ( so beach and sea one big toilet) lots of social disorder, fights and absolutely no social distancing and people camping on beach overnight. Disgraceful behaviour by the public, 65,000 people dead and still no lessons learned. Makes me sick and I bet most of the trippers are londoners!

In Germany nearly 30,000 people, about 18% of confirmed cases, were hospitalised;
I don't know the UK figures

10,000 people acquiring significant longterm conditions within a 3 month period would be significant
They would need longterm therapy and possibly financial support too

And in Brixham last night. BLM people better go there and tell the numbtees if they want people to sympathise with their cause behave in a civil and orderly way! Not acceptable to attack the police whatever colour you are!

Well, if the runup to 4 July doesn't cause a cases spike in the next 1-2 weeks, then it suggests the 1st wave is well & truly over

The Fail has a comprehensive set of photos of Bournemouth, wow looks like tens of thousands:

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8458527/Sunworshippers-face-burning-maximum-UV-strength-rays.html

The fields around us are red kite territory, occasionally one will be sitting on the fence - tbh first time i was shocked at how big they are.

Which reminds me of the time I saw a women on our local common with two of the smallest yappiest white dogs on extendable leads , frantically try to reel them both in...... above was a huge red kite (I presume didn't catch its tail) circling....... it always made me wonder if they would "take" a little dog..... tbh i can't see them being too picky...

Last year we had a buzzard around as well, but haven't see him recently, I presume he's been pushed out by the kites.

pmk. Good friend of mine (late 40s, white, good health) had Covid for months. She's still suffering with immense fatigue and has no sense of smell or taste. Apparently there are online groups forming for others similarly affected, and there are Many of them. I think this risk worries me most about Covid.

oh and Loads of Red Kites here!

Red kites are generally scavengers, but they will take small rodents if they can catch them by surprise.

Friend's daughter has just tested positive for covid antibodies, although she must have been asymptomatic as she wasn't unwell. Her dad was rough for a few weeks, rest of the family all fine.

So with RLB gone, who do we think Starmer will put up against Williamson ?
Its got to be somebody who will be able to shred the Government's approach to re opening the schools
while keeping the unions on board

• ideally a state school parent
• ideally non London

thoughts?

Yes colouring - long term health affects are thing that worries me.
Two interest Covid annecdotes yesterday.
1 friend has been comprehensively tested as sister has tragically been diagnosed with advanced cancer(😱😭😢) she wanted to visit her in hospital. Covid rest negative , but she has antibodies. She doesn't know when she was exposed. She was really really sick with a chest infection end of nov/December. My sister was talking about some Harvard research , which looked at satellite images of hospital carparks in Wuhan and speculation that this is actually the second wave? Anyone else read this? Thoughts?
Another friend - sisters a dr in NHS - has antibodies, but has no recollection of symptoms. 2 colleagues have had it (positive tests ) but have no antibodies.