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Post by kerouac2 on Aug 6, 2021 15:10:16 GMT
Nobody who ever read Nevil Shute's On the Beach is really surprised by what has happened in Australia.
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Post by questa on Aug 6, 2021 23:51:32 GMT
That thought had crossed my mind also, Kerouac, especially the opening lines from TS Eliot used as a preface
This is the way the world ends This is the way the world ends This is the way the world ends Not with a bang but a whimper
When they made the movie of the book they filmed it in Melbourne, where the story is set. At that time there wasn't a sparkling city and licencing rules were strict. Ava Gardner was quoted as saying "They wanted to make a movie about the end of the world...they sure picked the right place to film it".
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Post by tod2 on Aug 7, 2021 11:33:19 GMT
I feel sick to my stomach. I forced down a slice of Bovril toast and tea. The reason is, my sons partner is looking after her father in their house, and he had been in hospital recovering from a colon cancer operation where they fit a colostomy bag. He was rushed back yesterday as he needed a drip for dehydration. Their phone rang in the middle of the night to say he has tested positive for Covid. Here the man is on his last legs with cancer and Covid decides to raise its ugly head. But, they could have easily been infected too. They went to have tests done at the very same hospital this morning but the testing place was closed until tomorrow. I am trying to be positive and look on the bright side but yesterday mr.Tod was only a metre away with no mask when speaking to my sons partner. She was explaining to him what she has to do to attend to the strict ritual of cleaning etc. Then their maid came to borrow something from my kitchen and we were maskless too. Please everyone send me positive vibes.....I really need them.
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Post by patricklondon on Aug 7, 2021 11:54:17 GMT
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Post by kerouac2 on Aug 7, 2021 13:36:32 GMT
I think that your home is an incredible source of positive energy, tod, and I'm sure that it will help all those around you.
I'm still thinking about your gardener's mother at the same time.
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Post by lagatta on Aug 7, 2021 16:35:07 GMT
Yes, sadly a founding member of our housing co-op had been fighting cancer for quite some time and seemed to be on the mend when she was re-admitted to hospital with an opportunistic infection - in her case it was légionellose (Legionaire's disease), not Covid. It also has a high mortality rate, but the victims are usually elderly people and Sylvie was not yet 50. Her son, a tall strong young man, was utterly devastated. We were pretty much all her family; I think both her own parents had died, thus fairly young, and her sister screwed her out of her share of the inheritance. I contracted Covid when I was hospitalised for a stroke (caused by poor assimilation of vitamins, a rare condition) but fortunately it was asymptomatic. Many, many patients were not so lucky. I enjoyed reading this article in the Guardian on meet-ups between medical professionals and the critically ill Covid patients they played a part in saving: www.theguardian.com/world/2021/aug/07/covid-patients-reunited-with-the-medics-who-saved-themOf course such dramas continue throughout the world, including many countries without the NHS or the healthcare system we have here (despite their continuing gaps).
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Post by htmb on Aug 7, 2021 17:16:21 GMT
Wishing you continued strength, Tod.
I see thousands of French pass sanitaire protestors have taken to the streets once again this Saturday. I can understand their shouts of "liberté," but, other than a few words here and there, I cannot make out the chant they are singing (and I don’t mean La Marseillaise. Something like: On fera, on fera…..).
Florida is now number one in the USA for newly hospitalized covid patients. Here in my home town, people are getting sick, the hospitals are filled to the brim with covid patients, and elective procedures and appointments are being postponed as a result. Physicians are completely frustrated and nurses are exhausted.
Meanwhile, our charming Florida governor insists that local school boards may not require students and staff to mask-up, and has promised to withhold state funding for all who violate his directive. My district board passed a rule in defiance, and masks are being required for anyone entering our schools. Several other counties have done the same, causing the governor to then pass an emergency ruling allowing parents "whose rights were being violated" to enroll their children in charter schools so the children will not be "traumatized" by mask requirements.
The only good news is the vaccination rate is beginning to climb again.
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Post by mickthecactus on Aug 7, 2021 18:06:10 GMT
Fingers and everything else crossed for you and Mr Tod.
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Post by casimira on Aug 7, 2021 18:11:01 GMT
Louisiana is right behind you HTMB.
And, our governor is no where near being as whacked out as yours.
The demographic being the hardest hit is children, all ages.
The Delta variant is being cited as the culprit.
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Post by Biddy on Aug 7, 2021 18:45:42 GMT
Tod - So sad to read your latest news you have had so much heartache recently. I am keeping all fingers crossed for you and yours.
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Post by lagatta on Aug 7, 2021 20:30:25 GMT
I wonder if the French protest song is a play on "Ça ira, ça ira" another famous (and bloody) song of the French Revolution.
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Post by Kimby on Aug 7, 2021 20:41:29 GMT
Meanwhile, our charming Florida governor insists that local school boards may not require students and staff to mask-up, and has promised to withhold state funding for all who violate his directive. Funny that Republicans are all about “States’ Rights” but don’t give local governments the freedom-from-being-dictated-to that they demand from the Feds.
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Post by bixaorellana on Aug 7, 2021 21:50:09 GMT
Meanwhile, our charming Florida governor insists that local school boards may not require students and staff to mask-up, and has promised to withhold state funding for all who violate his directive. He is such a piece of shit. Some good news, though: " Under Florida's constitution, [attorney & State Senator Gary] Farmer said DeSantis has no legal authority to decide whether or not face masks are required or to withhold funds." www.npr.org/2021/08/06/1025372165/florida-school-districts-that-require-masks-may-have-their-funding-cut
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Post by htmb on Aug 7, 2021 22:05:47 GMT
Thanks for the link, Bixa. Our teachers and staff went back last week, but the students don’t start until this Tuesday. We’ve already had an outbreak among the adults, with several now quarantined and two staff members dead. I don’t know the details regarding the staff member deaths, their contact with covid might have happened elsewhere, but one was a dear, sweet custodian who worked with me before I retired. A hardworking, but simple man. It’s very sad.
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Post by kerouac2 on Aug 7, 2021 22:13:07 GMT
As the French government has pointed out, there are more people being vaccinated every day than the number of demonstrators one day a week, so it is not hard to decide which group is more important.
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Post by bixaorellana on Aug 7, 2021 22:51:50 GMT
That is indeed sad, Htmb. And sadder still because so many deaths all over the world could have been prevented and we'd be so much closer to being out of the woods now if the whole covid/vaccinations/mask thing had never been politicized. It's good that in France there are more people getting vaccinated than those fighting against it, but it's still mind-boggling to me that doing the single, easy, free life-saving thing is being resisted by so many people. Italy is facing the same challenge seen by governments around the world, as policymakers become creative in encouraging citizens to get vaccinated while the Delta variant surges. In this case, Italy has followed France’s lead, nudging the unsure by threatening their lifestyle rather than dangling U.S.-style incentives or cash payments. Under the new rules, adults and teenagers will be required to prove immunity from COVID-19 by showing one of the following: A digital or paper document that indicates they have at least one dose of a recognized vaccine; documentation they had COVID-19 within the past six months; or a negative test result in the past 48 hours. Customers breaking the rules risk a fine, while businesses can be closed for up to 10 days. full article
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Post by htmb on Aug 8, 2021 2:07:49 GMT
I wonder if the French protest song is a play on "Ça ira, ça ira" another famous (and bloody) song of the French Revolution. Thanks for the suggestion, Lagatta. I have a terrible ear for languages. The chant I heard over and over again today is near the beginning of this video.
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Post by patricklondon on Aug 8, 2021 11:17:46 GMT
I wonder if the French protest song is a play on "Ça ira, ça ira" another famous (and bloody) song of the French Revolution. Thanks for the suggestion, Lagatta. I have a terrible ear for languages. The chant I heard over and over again today is near the beginning of this video. It sounded to me like "On est là" - and guess what that turned up (can't get the link to work properly, follow the link in this to the "homonyme" page): fr.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/On_est_l%C3%A0_!_(chant_populaire)
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Post by kerouac2 on Aug 8, 2021 11:36:42 GMT
On est là is indeed what they sing but it has nothing to do with the M. Pokora song. It is the yellow vest movement and can be understand to mean "we're here no matter what and we're not going away."
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Post by htmb on Aug 8, 2021 12:31:53 GMT
Thanks, Patrick and Kerouac. That explains a lot because the protest march I saw appeared to be filled with more yellow vest people.
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Post by tod2 on Aug 8, 2021 13:02:30 GMT
I am so over the moon to report both tests for my son and his partner who was attending to her father at home, have come back negative. Not satisfied with the quickie test, my son will submit them to a more indepth test this week. Thanks to all who sent the "negative" vibes! Much appreciated.
The only thing I have learned - for tourists who have spent mega bucks and have to endure protest marches in Paris, is do not stay in the vicinity of Rebublique. I know that is not the only place to be a useless visit as I have been way up in La Defense and had marches protesting up there. Not very enthusiastically I must say. But Republique remains a hot spot. Maybe Kerouac can advise.
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Post by lagatta on Aug 8, 2021 13:30:54 GMT
Yes, République has been a traditional focal point for Paris demonstrations for a very long time, none when I was there were ever particularly disruptive, unlike the Gilets jaunes. I've always stayed in eastern Paris simply because most of my Parisian friends live in that area.
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Post by fumobici on Aug 8, 2021 15:08:52 GMT
It's been so long since I've been to Paris now that République was still a construction zone my last visit.
Glad to hear of the negative presumably lateral flow tests Tod, hold the champers until the PCR results come in, but it's definitely a good omen.
Italy joining Green Pass indeed took a fair bit of political courage, every nation has a lot of idiot anti-vaxxers and many will vote. The Italian government announced Friday that USAsians may present a CDC white vaccination card in lieu of the smartphone app that people vaccinated outside the EU cannot get so in theory I could go to Italy today and go to museums, dine inside etc. Of course I won't be until this Delta wave has receded at soonest. In any case I've got relatives of the neighbors staying in the house this month. I'm nervous enough just taking a puddle jumper flight down to San Francisco and back to visit relatives Tuesday for a week's visit. I'll try to take some photos of Babylon By the Bay to share. I still love SF like few other places.
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Post by bjd on Aug 8, 2021 15:25:01 GMT
It does look as thought the Italians are being more accepting of the health pass. Then again, in France they tell us of the thousands of demonstrators, but often finish the report by saying that twice as many people were vaccinated the same day. Squeaky wheels getting the oil, obviously.
Good news, Tod.
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Post by bjd on Aug 8, 2021 15:29:07 GMT
"A right-wing radio host who called vaccines “bogus bull shid” had a change of heart after being hospitalised with Covid-19, friends say.
Dick Farrel, 65, a former Newsmax host and pioneer of the shock jock genre, died on Wednesday in West Palm Beach, Florida, from complications relating to Covid-19."
Why do I not feel sorry for assholes like this? They get what they deserve. It's just unfortunate that health workers have to deal with them.
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Post by htmb on Aug 8, 2021 15:34:45 GMT
I'm nervous enough just taking a puddle jumper flight down to San Francisco and back to visit relatives Tuesday for a week's visit. I'll try to take some photos of Babylon By the Bay to share. I still love SF like few other places. I’ll be taking puddle jumpers this week, too, and have already received four messages from the airline reminding me of the mask mandate. No problem. I plan to keep my mask glued to my face.
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Post by lagatta on Aug 8, 2021 18:58:09 GMT
And yes, SF is unusually beautiful for a US city. But I was only there once, an eon ago.
The most ridiculous puddle-jumper I ever took was between Brussels and Amsterdam. Not only are those cities very close, each one has a railway station adjacent to the airport.
Second was Ottawa-Montréal. These were both connecting flights.
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Post by kerouac2 on Aug 8, 2021 20:45:38 GMT
I took a flight on a Piper Twin Otter twice (18 seats). Vancouver > Seattle and Djibouti > Aden. And once some tiny Chinese thing between Luang Prabang and Vientiane. Any of them would have been an excellent Covid delivery device.
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Post by kerouac2 on Aug 9, 2021 6:16:27 GMT
Most of us pay attention mostly to our own country and perhaps a few nearby neighbours, but it is useful to check the general statistics from time to time. Here are the countries with more than 100,000 deaths from Covid (keep in mind that for many of these countries the figures are certainly grossly underestimated) --
633,116 United States 563,470 Brazil 428,339 India 244,420 Mexico 196,950 Peru (home of the scary new lambda variant) 164,881 Russia 130,320 United Kingdom 128,220 Italy 122,468 Colombia 112,220 France 107,469 Argentina 107,096 Indonesia
Meanwhile, the next member of the "100,000 club" will probably be Iran.
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Post by bjd on Aug 9, 2021 7:26:11 GMT
I used to look at the Worldometers site -- they show numbers in decreasing order of cases. What is interesting there is that you see numbers with respect to population. For example, the population of Peru is less than 34 million.
And, as you say, many of the statistics are not trustworthy -- India, Russia, China, Iran and Turkey come to mind.
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