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politicalbetting.com » Blog Archive » On PB’s 16th birthday the UK is on the verge of a lockdown?

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  • FloaterFloater Posts: 14,207

    TGOHF666 said:

    DavidL said:

    Stunningly success supermarket raid by my better half today. Toilet rolls, kitchen rolls, paracetamol, bread, even some pasta. Some things low in stock but most not out. Have we seen the worst of the panic buying?

    Suppliers to restaurants will suddenly have a lot of extra stock - they will be diverting to supermarkets. Some unusual brands/packaging may appear over the next few weeks.
    And schools
    A local school here was robbed and food stocks taken
  • nichomarnichomar Posts: 7,483
    edited March 2020

    eristdoof said:

    eadric said:

    OT we finally got a glimmer of an admission from Abe that the Olympics might need to be postponed. This comes after a couple of teams and I think the Canadian olympic association or whatever made public requests to postpone.

    I don't *think* I believe the conspiracy theories about Japan deliberately holding back covid19 testing in the hope of keeping the Olympics going but it would be really nice not to have to worry about it.

    If anyone has any contacts with anyone in British olympic teams or the related organizations it would be really helpful if a few more people could stick their nails in the coffin...

    The aussies are also saying they won’t go. The olympics won’t happen. It’s so sad for Japan, but Coronavirus is worse.

    Better to accept it now. Athletes are isolating, not training.

    IMO if the Japanese hold the Olympics in July, all countries hit hard by Covid-19 should send exactly one person to the olympics, and that one person should attend the opening ceremony. It is frankly unacceptable that Italian or Spanish competitors should be expected to train for the Olympics at ths stage.
    I think canada have already said they're not going.
    And Australia, I think Coe has also said they should be postponed.
  • AlastairMeeksAlastairMeeks Posts: 30,340

    eadric said:

    rpjs said:

    First of all, Happy Birthday, Pb.com!

    Secondly, catching up on the overnight thread, I see that there is still a bit of confusion on how exactly we Germans are cheating and fiddling the numbers, so I'd like to take the opportunity and try to sort it out for you.

    Dedicated Lexiteers have explained for many decades how the Fourth Reich is a neo-liberal, hyper-capitalist paradise where the corporate vultures are allowed, and even encouraged, to exploit the 'workers'.

    Meanwhile, properly patriotic Brexiteers have explained for many decades how the Fourth Reich is a culturally marxist, hyper-trotskyite abomination where good, honest, buccaneering businesspeople suffer so immensely under the yoke of the socialist workers' paradise.

    While simpler minds may still argue which opinion is the correct one, those more capable of holistic thinking will long have recognised that both these sets of perfectly valid assessments are completely accurate at the exact same time.

    So, the one racing certainty we can safely take away from the above deliberations is that contemporary Germany is, in fact, a paradise. Of one sort or another. As close to heaven on earth as you can ever possibly get.

    Great country. Greatest country in the world.
    Amazing, fantastic, tremendous.
    And this undeniable fact may then go a long way in explaining why the Hun is somewhat reluctant to shed this mortal coil.

    So, once again, this time in German:
    "Herzlichen Glückwunsch, Pb.com!"

    This might be the single best thing I’ve ever read on PB.
    It’s very good. And if Matthias genuinely is German, his command of English is astonishing

    Keep posting, Matthias!
    There used to be a trope in novels where someone was described as having to be foreign because no British person had that good a command of the language...
    It's referenced in My Fair Lady:

    "Her English is too good, he said,
    Which clearly indicates that she is foreign.
    Whereas others are instructed in their native language
    English people aren't.
    And although she may have studied with an expert
    Di'lectician and grammarian, I can tell that she was born
    Hungarian! Not only Hungarian, but of royal blood,
    she is a princess!"
  • FloaterFloater Posts: 14,207
    kamski said:

    Hospitals in NRW are expecting to be past the peak by June, but without much certainty. Even if right I expect restrictions on travel and gatherings to continue for quite a bit longer.

    The big question is when schools will reopen. And of course the really big question is when we can book a summer holiday, expecting my wife's hospital to cancel all holidays for a while but she actually needs one already. A medal would be nice, but what about a nice cash bonus and extra paid holidays?

    I think medical staff will deserve a cash bonus at the very least
  • TheuniondivvieTheuniondivvie Posts: 41,943
    Sorry @isam, you couda been a contender (assuming no permanent damage was done).

    https://twitter.com/Oldfirmfacts1/status/1242077150452342789?s=20
  • Fysics_TeacherFysics_Teacher Posts: 6,285

    eadric said:

    rpjs said:

    First of all, Happy Birthday, Pb.com!

    Secondly, catching up on the overnight thread, I see that there is still a bit of confusion on how exactly we Germans are cheating and fiddling the numbers, so I'd like to take the opportunity and try to sort it out for you.

    Dedicated Lexiteers have explained for many decades how the Fourth Reich is a neo-liberal, hyper-capitalist paradise where the corporate vultures are allowed, and even encouraged, to exploit the 'workers'.

    Meanwhile, properly patriotic Brexiteers have explained for many decades how the Fourth Reich is a culturally marxist, hyper-trotskyite abomination where good, honest, buccaneering businesspeople suffer so immensely under the yoke of the socialist workers' paradise.

    While simpler minds may still argue which opinion is the correct one, those more capable of holistic thinking will long have recognised that both these sets of perfectly valid assessments are completely accurate at the exact same time.

    So, the one racing certainty we can safely take away from the above deliberations is that contemporary Germany is, in fact, a paradise. Of one sort or another. As close to heaven on earth as you can ever possibly get.

    Great country. Greatest country in the world.
    Amazing, fantastic, tremendous.
    And this undeniable fact may then go a long way in explaining why the Hun is somewhat reluctant to shed this mortal coil.

    So, once again, this time in German:
    "Herzlichen Glückwunsch, Pb.com!"

    This might be the single best thing I’ve ever read on PB.
    It’s very good. And if Matthias genuinely is German, his command of English is astonishing

    Keep posting, Matthias!
    There used to be a trope in novels where someone was described as having to be foreign because no British person had that good a command of the language...
    It's referenced in My Fair Lady:

    "Her English is too good, he said,
    Which clearly indicates that she is foreign.
    Whereas others are instructed in their native language
    English people aren't.
    And although she may have studied with an expert
    Di'lectician and grammarian, I can tell that she was born
    Hungarian! Not only Hungarian, but of royal blood,
    she is a princess!"
    Luckily that tune will not now be going round my head for a few hours as it was not sung in the film. Not what I would call sung anyway.

    But yes, that is exactly the thing I was thinking of. That and a character from one of the Modesty Blaise books...
  • Luckyguy1983Luckyguy1983 Posts: 28,401

    Nigelb said:

    First of all, Happy Birthday, Pb.com!

    Secondly, catching up on the overnight thread, I see that there is still a bit of confusion on how exactly we Germans are cheating and fiddling the numbers, so I'd like to take the opportunity and try to sort it out for you.

    Dedicated Lexiteers have explained for many decades how the Fourth Reich is a neo-liberal, hyper-capitalist paradise where the corporate vultures are allowed, and even encouraged, to exploit the 'workers'.

    Meanwhile, properly patriotic Brexiteers have explained for many decades how the Fourth Reich is a culturally marxist, hyper-trotskyite abomination where good, honest, buccaneering businesspeople suffer so immensely under the yoke of the socialist workers' paradise.

    While simpler minds may still argue which opinion is the correct one, those more capable of holistic thinking will long have recognised that both these sets of perfectly valid assessments are completely accurate at the exact same time.

    So, the one racing certainty we can safely take away from the above deliberations is that contemporary Germany is, in fact, a paradise. Of one sort or another. As close to heaven on earth as you can ever possibly get.

    Great country. Greatest country in the world.
    Amazing, fantastic, tremendous.
    And this undeniable fact may then go a long way in explaining why the Hun is somewhat reluctant to shed this mortal coil.

    So, once again, this time in German:
    "Herzlichen Glückwunsch, Pb.com!"

    I see you're rightly reminding us that Trump is of German descent... :smile:
    How prolific is immigration of Muslims from the Indian subcontinent in Germany? Sadly, it appears 25% of British fatalities are Muslims, and probability would suggest these are largely from the Pakistani and Bangladeshi community. Partly this is due to behaviour (gathering in Mosques), but there may be an element of racial susceptibility too.
    Where are you getting this data from?
    The only 'data' posted here is the 25% factoid, which is something posted here last night, originated with Maajid Nawaz on his LBC Radio Show.
  • nunu2nunu2 Posts: 1,453
    So guess Joe Biden has the virus.......hope he gets better.
  • FF43FF43 Posts: 17,208
  • HYUFDHYUFD Posts: 122,859
    edited March 2020
    nichomar said:

    eristdoof said:

    eadric said:

    OT we finally got a glimmer of an admission from Abe that the Olympics might need to be postponed. This comes after a couple of teams and I think the Canadian olympic association or whatever made public requests to postpone.

    I don't *think* I believe the conspiracy theories about Japan deliberately holding back covid19 testing in the hope of keeping the Olympics going but it would be really nice not to have to worry about it.

    If anyone has any contacts with anyone in British olympic teams or the related organizations it would be really helpful if a few more people could stick their nails in the coffin...

    The aussies are also saying they won’t go. The olympics won’t happen. It’s so sad for Japan, but Coronavirus is worse.

    Better to accept it now. Athletes are isolating, not training.

    IMO if the Japanese hold the Olympics in July, all countries hit hard by Covid-19 should send exactly one person to the olympics, and that one person should attend the opening ceremony. It is frankly unacceptable that Italian or Spanish competitors should be expected to train for the Olympics at ths stage.
    I think canada have already said they're not going.
    And Australia, I think Coe has also said they should be postponed.
    The same Coe who went to the Moscow Olympics the US boycotted?
    Unless we get to July and coronavirus has not yet peaked as expected by June then the Olympics should go ahead, even on a smaller scale
  • nunu2nunu2 Posts: 1,453

    HYUFD said:
    Not volunteering but a thread on this would be good - it's a classic case where there's a strong consensus on what we think is happening - Trump is bollocksing everything up and destroying what's left of his presidency - that's seriously at odds with the available data.
    I am baffled by this, honestly.
    I guess all you have to do is be visible during a crisis and the voters will think "yeah he's doing enough".
  • eadric said:

    rpjs said:

    First of all, Happy Birthday, Pb.com!

    Secondly, catching up on the overnight thread, I see that there is still a bit of confusion on how exactly we Germans are cheating and fiddling the numbers, so I'd like to take the opportunity and try to sort it out for you.

    Dedicated Lexiteers have explained for many decades how the Fourth Reich is a neo-liberal, hyper-capitalist paradise where the corporate vultures are allowed, and even encouraged, to exploit the 'workers'.

    Meanwhile, properly patriotic Brexiteers have explained for many decades how the Fourth Reich is a culturally marxist, hyper-trotskyite abomination where good, honest, buccaneering businesspeople suffer so immensely under the yoke of the socialist workers' paradise.

    While simpler minds may still argue which opinion is the correct one, those more capable of holistic thinking will long have recognised that both these sets of perfectly valid assessments are completely accurate at the exact same time.

    So, the one racing certainty we can safely take away from the above deliberations is that contemporary Germany is, in fact, a paradise. Of one sort or another. As close to heaven on earth as you can ever possibly get.

    Great country. Greatest country in the world.
    Amazing, fantastic, tremendous.
    And this undeniable fact may then go a long way in explaining why the Hun is somewhat reluctant to shed this mortal coil.

    So, once again, this time in German:
    "Herzlichen Glückwunsch, Pb.com!"

    This might be the single best thing I’ve ever read on PB.
    It’s very good. And if Matthias genuinely is German, his command of English is astonishing

    Keep posting, Matthias!
    Anglish, as I already reminded.

    And thanks both to you and rpjs for the kind words.
    I visited Hamburg a year or 2 ago and thought it was a very pleasant city. I'd be interested to go back in 5-10 years when Miniatur Wunderland has built their South American extension.
  • FloaterFloater Posts: 14,207
    nunu2 said:

    So guess Joe Biden has the virus.......hope he gets better.

    Really?
  • EndillionEndillion Posts: 4,976
    IanB2 said:

    Endillion said:

    eadric said:

    Endillion said:

    eadric said:

    Endillion said:

    eadric said:

    Endillion said:

    eadric said:

    kamski said:

    eadric said:

    kamski said:

    eadric said:

    What are the political ramifications of a global Depression? There are so many the mind blanks at the glare.

    Germany is handling Coronavirus better than most, but they are now anticipating a brutal contraction of 10-20% GDP in a year

    It could be worse, therefore, in America and China - and France, Britain, Italy.

    The last Depression led to Nazism and a world war.

    I’m going to have a cup of tea.

    Glad to see you've moved on from "25% of you are going to die!" to there's going to be a global depression.

    Keep drinking the tea, it seems to be making you a lot more chipper.
    You’re the dribbling idiot who actually said this virus was useful, as it was a good warning for when the REALLY bad virus came.

    THE REALLY BAD ONE

    When are you expecting the REALLY bad virus? I’d like to prepare, tbh
    Hopefully we will learn the lessons from this pandemic and be better prepared for the next one. This will not be helped by idiots like you screaming that a quarter of people are going to die of this one.

    Of course IF you are right and 25% of the population dies, then a 20% contraction would be a rise in GDP per capita, so it's win-win I suppose.
    But when? When is the REALLY bad virus coming? You Know, the virus which will REALLY be nasty, unlike this one? Do you have a timescale? Because I’d like to get loo roll for the REALLY serious disease, as against this minor sniffle.

    You utter, utter twit.
    This was posted on this site by someone called "eadric" on February 3:

    Yep. Having been either housebound or bedridden for a week I have done a lot of thinking about this

    It is inevitable that one day a virus like this will cross the barrier, and be genuinely fucking terrible and lethal - 30, 40% mortality - rather than the relatively kindly SARS and corona that we have experienced to date.

    What will that do to us? How would we cope?

    I also now realize that health experts and microbiologists and epidemiologists must already be anticipating this, hence their reaction to my possible case, which is a mixture of concern, chaos, denial, and honest but anxious ignorance

    I could be just another man flu. Or Typhoid Mary


    https://politicalbetting.vanillacommunity.com/discussion/comment/2701841#Comment_2701841
    Hahaha!

    Thank you

    LOOK AT THE DATE ON THAT

    FEBRUARY 3

    Jesus. That was a genius call. I felt it coming.
    I thought my post spoke for itself, but apparently it didn't.

    To be clear:
    - you are "guilty" of the same thing you're now "accusing" others of (saying this virus is a wake up call for the much worse one that's surely coming)
    - you described Covid-19 as "kindly", months after the outbreak started and nearly two weeks after Wuhan was placed under quarantine
    You still don’t understand what I was saying. Impressive.

    I say ‘corona’ - common RNA viruses etc. I don’t say covid-19.

    But this is all over your head, so what’s the point.

    The main thing is, by February 3rd I was already sounding the alarm, here on PB. I was already overcoming my Normalcy Bias.

    Sadly, the rest of you thickies carried on droning away about care homes for another six weeks. Indeed some of you told me to shut up.

    Oh dear. Never mind. 3/10

    Wow. Truly impressive dissembling.

    A few things:
    - It wasn't even called Covid-19 till February 11, so your use of that term would have been astounding. I think it's clear you meant the current outbreak, not some arbitrary "other" virus.
    - Your exact words were "a virus like this". Ie - not this virus. Because this virus is "kindly", and not a serious threat.
    - By February 3 it was obvious to everyone (except you, apparently) that this was serious. The WHO declared a global public-health emergency on Jan 30. Trump's first travel ban was announced on Jan 31.

    In short, you were behind, not ahead of, the curve (not that curve). You are now, for reasons best known only to yourself, not only trying to pretend otherwise, but also criticising others for the same thing. Please stop it.

    February the 3rd. I expect a Nobel nomination at least, at the end of this.
    OK then, I'm going back to my previous hypothesis that you're in cahoots with the virus and actively working to enable its replacement of humanity as Earth's #1 apex predator.
    The better hypothesis is that he simply makes stuff up. He’s so good at it, he should see if he can make a living from it.
    I think we're using different meanings of the word "better".
  • CharlesCharles Posts: 35,758

    eadric said:

    rpjs said:

    First of all, Happy Birthday, Pb.com!

    Secondly, catching up on the overnight thread, I see that there is still a bit of confusion on how exactly we Germans are cheating and fiddling the numbers, so I'd like to take the opportunity and try to sort it out for you.

    Dedicated Lexiteers have explained for many decades how the Fourth Reich is a neo-liberal, hyper-capitalist paradise where the corporate vultures are allowed, and even encouraged, to exploit the 'workers'.

    Meanwhile, properly patriotic Brexiteers have explained for many decades how the Fourth Reich is a culturally marxist, hyper-trotskyite abomination where good, honest, buccaneering businesspeople suffer so immensely under the yoke of the socialist workers' paradise.

    While simpler minds may still argue which opinion is the correct one, those more capable of holistic thinking will long have recognised that both these sets of perfectly valid assessments are completely accurate at the exact same time.

    So, the one racing certainty we can safely take away from the above deliberations is that contemporary Germany is, in fact, a paradise. Of one sort or another. As close to heaven on earth as you can ever possibly get.

    Great country. Greatest country in the world.
    Amazing, fantastic, tremendous.
    And this undeniable fact may then go a long way in explaining why the Hun is somewhat reluctant to shed this mortal coil.

    So, once again, this time in German:
    "Herzlichen Glückwunsch, Pb.com!"

    This might be the single best thing I’ve ever read on PB.
    It’s very good. And if Matthias genuinely is German, his command of English is astonishing

    Keep posting, Matthias!
    There used to be a trope in novels where someone was described as having to be foreign because no British person had that good a command of the language...
    It's referenced in My Fair Lady:

    "Her English is too good, he said,
    Which clearly indicates that she is foreign.
    Whereas others are instructed in their native language
    English people aren't.
    And although she may have studied with an expert
    Di'lectician and grammarian, I can tell that she was born
    Hungarian! Not only Hungarian, but of royal blood,
    she is a princess!"
    Luckily that tune will not now be going round my head for a few hours as it was not sung in the film. Not what I would call sung anyway.

    But yes, that is exactly the thing I was thinking of. That and a character from one of the Modesty Blaise books...
    Although Rex Harrison's accent is quite memorable, especially in that piece
  • FrancisUrquhartFrancisUrquhart Posts: 81,947

    Nigelb said:

    First of all, Happy Birthday, Pb.com!

    Secondly, catching up on the overnight thread, I see that there is still a bit of confusion on how exactly we Germans are cheating and fiddling the numbers, so I'd like to take the opportunity and try to sort it out for you.

    Dedicated Lexiteers have explained for many decades how the Fourth Reich is a neo-liberal, hyper-capitalist paradise where the corporate vultures are allowed, and even encouraged, to exploit the 'workers'.

    Meanwhile, properly patriotic Brexiteers have explained for many decades how the Fourth Reich is a culturally marxist, hyper-trotskyite abomination where good, honest, buccaneering businesspeople suffer so immensely under the yoke of the socialist workers' paradise.

    While simpler minds may still argue which opinion is the correct one, those more capable of holistic thinking will long have recognised that both these sets of perfectly valid assessments are completely accurate at the exact same time.

    So, the one racing certainty we can safely take away from the above deliberations is that contemporary Germany is, in fact, a paradise. Of one sort or another. As close to heaven on earth as you can ever possibly get.

    Great country. Greatest country in the world.
    Amazing, fantastic, tremendous.
    And this undeniable fact may then go a long way in explaining why the Hun is somewhat reluctant to shed this mortal coil.

    So, once again, this time in German:
    "Herzlichen Glückwunsch, Pb.com!"

    I see you're rightly reminding us that Trump is of German descent... :smile:
    How prolific is immigration of Muslims from the Indian subcontinent in Germany? Sadly, it appears 25% of British fatalities are Muslims, and probability would suggest these are largely from the Pakistani and Bangladeshi community. Partly this is due to behaviour (gathering in Mosques), but there may be an element of racial susceptibility too.
    Where are you getting this data from?
    The only 'data' posted here is the 25% factoid, which is something posted here last night, originated with Maajid Nawaz on his LBC Radio Show.
    I wonder how he knows this?
  • FloaterFloater Posts: 14,207
    Re the 18 year od who passed away

    An 18-year-old who died of an unrelated illness after it was confirmed they had coronavirus is understood to have been treated in hospital in Coventry.

    In a written statement, Professor Kiran Patel, chief medical officer for University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust, said: "We can confirm that sadly a patient who was being treated for significant underlying health issues has passed away at University Hospital, Coventry.

    "They had also tested for Covid-19 on the day before they died but this was not linked to their reason for dying."
  • HYUFDHYUFD Posts: 122,859
    edited March 2020
    Most US cases are in New York, Washington and California etc ie Democratic states, Trump states like West Virginia and Montana have had fewer cases with a few exceptions like Florida. Perhaps that is driving Trump's thinking ie go for herd immunity beyind the elderly and vulnerable after 15 days federally and let Democratic governors and legislatures deal with the higher than average problems in their states.
  • NigelbNigelb Posts: 71,000
    eadric said:

    eadric said:

    DavidL said:

    Stunningly success supermarket raid by my better half today. Toilet rolls, kitchen rolls, paracetamol, bread, even some pasta. Some things low in stock but most not out. Have we seen the worst of the panic buying?

    She also taught the locals about social distancing and they fell into line!

    Us fancy Londoners fleeing the plague can be useful, as well as a burden.
    What else did you bring with you, and who do you expect to treat you if you fall ill?
    Er, the NHS, for which I pay an absolute shed load of taxes.

    I haven’t moved to a remote Island. I’ve moved to a very agreeable seaside suburb of Cardiff. I don’t think I’m going to crash the system, any more than I would in chaotic london.

    Moreover, the best thing most of us can do for the NHS and the country, is not get infected. That would have been much harder for me in my london home, because of a shared doorway and shared spaces. No control.

    Here I can properly isolate and - god willing - not get infected. A win for everyone.

    And on that positive note, I must go and work. And then have a nice, final walk by the cliffs...
    Blimey, eadric.
    You're not going all Final Problem on us, are you ?
  • Fysics_TeacherFysics_Teacher Posts: 6,285
    Charles said:

    eadric said:

    rpjs said:

    First of all, Happy Birthday, Pb.com!

    Secondly, catching up on the overnight thread, I see that there is still a bit of confusion on how exactly we Germans are cheating and fiddling the numbers, so I'd like to take the opportunity and try to sort it out for you.

    Dedicated Lexiteers have explained for many decades how the Fourth Reich is a neo-liberal, hyper-capitalist paradise where the corporate vultures are allowed, and even encouraged, to exploit the 'workers'.

    Meanwhile, properly patriotic Brexiteers have explained for many decades how the Fourth Reich is a culturally marxist, hyper-trotskyite abomination where good, honest, buccaneering businesspeople suffer so immensely under the yoke of the socialist workers' paradise.

    While simpler minds may still argue which opinion is the correct one, those more capable of holistic thinking will long have recognised that both these sets of perfectly valid assessments are completely accurate at the exact same time.

    So, the one racing certainty we can safely take away from the above deliberations is that contemporary Germany is, in fact, a paradise. Of one sort or another. As close to heaven on earth as you can ever possibly get.

    Great country. Greatest country in the world.
    Amazing, fantastic, tremendous.
    And this undeniable fact may then go a long way in explaining why the Hun is somewhat reluctant to shed this mortal coil.

    So, once again, this time in German:
    "Herzlichen Glückwunsch, Pb.com!"

    This might be the single best thing I’ve ever read on PB.
    It’s very good. And if Matthias genuinely is German, his command of English is astonishing

    Keep posting, Matthias!
    There used to be a trope in novels where someone was described as having to be foreign because no British person had that good a command of the language...
    It's referenced in My Fair Lady:

    "Her English is too good, he said,
    Which clearly indicates that she is foreign.
    Whereas others are instructed in their native language
    English people aren't.
    And although she may have studied with an expert
    Di'lectician and grammarian, I can tell that she was born
    Hungarian! Not only Hungarian, but of royal blood,
    she is a princess!"
    Luckily that tune will not now be going round my head for a few hours as it was not sung in the film. Not what I would call sung anyway.

    But yes, that is exactly the thing I was thinking of. That and a character from one of the Modesty Blaise books...
    Although Rex Harrison's accent is quite memorable, especially in that piece
    How did he ever get cast in a musical?
  • FloaterFloater Posts: 14,207
    How many cases does the USA have again?

    Holds head in hands

    The man is utterly deranged.
  • FrancisUrquhartFrancisUrquhart Posts: 81,947
    edited March 2020
    Floater said:

    Re the 18 year od who passed away

    An 18-year-old who died of an unrelated illness after it was confirmed they had coronavirus is understood to have been treated in hospital in Coventry.

    In a written statement, Professor Kiran Patel, chief medical officer for University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust, said: "We can confirm that sadly a patient who was being treated for significant underlying health issues has passed away at University Hospital, Coventry.

    "They had also tested for Covid-19 on the day before they died but this was not linked to their reason for dying."

    Without trying to be insensitive, this is a case where the UK are "gold plating" their death figures. This clearly isn't somebody who had a diabetes under control, where ok until the virus got them and it overran them.
  • StockyStocky Posts: 10,211
    edited March 2020

    Floater said:

    Re the 18 year od who passed away

    An 18-year-old who died of an unrelated illness after it was confirmed they had coronavirus is understood to have been treated in hospital in Coventry.

    In a written statement, Professor Kiran Patel, chief medical officer for University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust, said: "We can confirm that sadly a patient who was being treated for significant underlying health issues has passed away at University Hospital, Coventry.

    "They had also tested for Covid-19 on the day before they died but this was not linked to their reason for dying."

    Without trying to be insensitive, this is a case where the UK are "gold plating" their death figures. This clearly isn't somebody who had a diabetes under control, where ok until the virus got them and it overran them.
    What do you mean? If the 18 year old did WITH Covid-19 rather than OF it then it shouldn`t be in the figures. Maybe you agree, I`m not sure?
  • Gabs3Gabs3 Posts: 836
    Floater said:

    How many cases does the USA have again?

    Holds head in hands

    The man is utterly deranged.
    And 53% of Americans approve of his handling of the crisis! The world's most powerful populace has had their brains rotted by cable news. Thank God we have the BBC.
  • TOPPINGTOPPING Posts: 42,914
    edited March 2020
    Charles said:

    eadric said:

    rpjs said:

    First of all, Happy Birthday, Pb.com!

    Secondly, catching up on the overnight thread, I see that there is still a bit of confusion on how exactly we Germans are cheating and fiddling the numbers, so I'd like to take the opportunity and try to sort it out for you.

    Dedicated Lexiteers have explained for many decades how the Fourth Reich is a neo-liberal, hyper-capitalist paradise where the corporate vultures are allowed, and even encouraged, to exploit the 'workers'.

    Meanwhile, properly patriotic Brexiteers have explained for many decades how the Fourth Reich is a culturally marxist, hyper-trotskyite abomination where good, honest, buccaneering businesspeople suffer so immensely under the yoke of the socialist workers' paradise.

    While simpler minds may still argue which opinion is the correct one, those more capable of holistic thinking will long have recognised that both these sets of perfectly valid assessments are completely accurate at the exact same time.

    So, the one racing certainty we can safely take away from the above deliberations is that contemporary Germany is, in fact, a paradise. Of one sort or another. As close to heaven on earth as you can ever possibly get.

    Great country. Greatest country in the world.
    Amazing, fantastic, tremendous.
    And this undeniable fact may then go a long way in explaining why the Hun is somewhat reluctant to shed this mortal coil.

    So, once again, this time in German:
    "Herzlichen Glückwunsch, Pb.com!"

    This might be the single best thing I’ve ever read on PB.
    It’s very good. And if Matthias genuinely is German, his command of English is astonishing

    Keep posting, Matthias!
    There used to be a trope in novels where someone was described as having to be foreign because no British person had that good a command of the language...
    It's referenced in My Fair Lady:

    "Her English is too good, he said,
    Which clearly indicates that she is foreign.
    Whereas others are instructed in their native language
    English people aren't.
    And although she may have studied with an expert
    Di'lectician and grammarian, I can tell that she was born
    Hungarian! Not only Hungarian, but of royal blood,
    she is a princess!"
    Luckily that tune will not now be going round my head for a few hours as it was not sung in the film. Not what I would call sung anyway.

    But yes, that is exactly the thing I was thinking of. That and a character from one of the Modesty Blaise books...
    Although Rex Harrison's accent is quite memorable, especially in that piece
    AAAAOOOOOOOOWWWWWWW.

    Edit: saw yday that your pa is on Day 17 - hope things improve for him.
  • NigelbNigelb Posts: 71,000
    Rand Paul might be almost as irresponsible as his father...

    https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/488943-rand-pauls-coronavirus-diagnosis-sends-shockwaves-through-senate
    After McConnell’s announcement, Sen. Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) made an observation to his colleagues during the lunch: that he had seen Paul in the Senate gym just that morning.

    The disclosure sparked two questions: Why was the Senate gym still operating while gyms across the country have shuttered, and why had Paul decided to come to the Capitol even though he was awaiting test results?

    "I’ve never commented about a fellow Senator’s choices/actions. Never once. This, America, is absolutely irresponsible. You cannot be near other people while waiting for coronavirus test results. It endangers others & likely increases the spread of the virus," Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) tweeted on Sunday.

    Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.) added that Paul’s decision to come to the Senate gym was “peculiar.”

    “He’s a physician. He’s able to do his own risk assessment, and he evidently miscalculated,” Cramer said. “People have self-quarantined for less...
  • Gabs3Gabs3 Posts: 836
    HYUFD said:

    Most US cases are in New York, Washington and California etc ie Democratic states, Trump states like West Virginia and Montana have had fewer cases with a few exceptions like Florida. Perhaps that is driving Trump's thinking ie go for herd immunity beyind the elderly and vulnerable after 15 days federally and let Democratic governors and legislatures deal with the higher than average problems in their states.
    Trump's electoral college majority is far more dependent on states like Florida and Texas which will be affected very shortly.
  • StockyStocky Posts: 10,211
    eadric said:

    eadric said:

    DavidL said:

    Stunningly success supermarket raid by my better half today. Toilet rolls, kitchen rolls, paracetamol, bread, even some pasta. Some things low in stock but most not out. Have we seen the worst of the panic buying?

    She also taught the locals about social distancing and they fell into line!

    Us fancy Londoners fleeing the plague can be useful, as well as a burden.
    What else did you bring with you, and who do you expect to treat you if you fall ill?
    Er, the NHS, for which I pay an absolute shed load of taxes.

    I haven’t moved to a remote Island. I’ve moved to a very agreeable seaside suburb of Cardiff. I don’t think I’m going to crash the system, any more than I would in chaotic london.

    Moreover, the best thing most of us can do for the NHS and the country, is not get infected. That would have been much harder for me in my london home, because of a shared doorway and shared spaces. No control.

    Here I can properly isolate and - god willing - not get infected. A win for everyone.

    And on that positive note, I must go and work. And then have a nice, final walk by the cliffs. Good luck everyone.
    Why are you worried about getting infected? I thought you had already had it - so should be immune.
  • Fysics_TeacherFysics_Teacher Posts: 6,285

    Floater said:

    Re the 18 year od who passed away

    An 18-year-old who died of an unrelated illness after it was confirmed they had coronavirus is understood to have been treated in hospital in Coventry.

    In a written statement, Professor Kiran Patel, chief medical officer for University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust, said: "We can confirm that sadly a patient who was being treated for significant underlying health issues has passed away at University Hospital, Coventry.

    "They had also tested for Covid-19 on the day before they died but this was not linked to their reason for dying."

    Without trying to be insensitive, this is a case where the UK are "gold plating" their death figures. This clearly isn't somebody who had a diabetes under control, where ok until the virus got them and it overran them.
    I don’t know the details of this case, but it occurs to me, based on the week I spent in hospital last year, that it must be almost impossible to stop the virus spreading on an open ward. I assume that one of the reasons that the NHS is so worried is that all those people that would be in hospital anyway for something unrelated are in danger.
  • Luckyguy1983Luckyguy1983 Posts: 28,401

    Nigelb said:

    First of all, Happy Birthday, Pb.com!

    Secondly, catching up on the overnight thread, I see that there is still a bit of confusion on how exactly we Germans are cheating and fiddling the numbers, so I'd like to take the opportunity and try to sort it out for you.

    Dedicated Lexiteers have explained for many decades how the Fourth Reich is a neo-liberal, hyper-capitalist paradise where the corporate vultures are allowed, and even encouraged, to exploit the 'workers'.

    Meanwhile, properly patriotic Brexiteers have explained for many decades how the Fourth Reich is a culturally marxist, hyper-trotskyite abomination where good, honest, buccaneering businesspeople suffer so immensely under the yoke of the socialist workers' paradise.

    While simpler minds may still argue which opinion is the correct one, those more capable of holistic thinking will long have recognised that both these sets of perfectly valid assessments are completely accurate at the exact same time.

    So, the one racing certainty we can safely take away from the above deliberations is that contemporary Germany is, in fact, a paradise. Of one sort or another. As close to heaven on earth as you can ever possibly get.

    Great country. Greatest country in the world.
    Amazing, fantastic, tremendous.
    And this undeniable fact may then go a long way in explaining why the Hun is somewhat reluctant to shed this mortal coil.

    So, once again, this time in German:
    "Herzlichen Glückwunsch, Pb.com!"

    I see you're rightly reminding us that Trump is of German descent... :smile:
    How prolific is immigration of Muslims from the Indian subcontinent in Germany? Sadly, it appears 25% of British fatalities are Muslims, and probability would suggest these are largely from the Pakistani and Bangladeshi community. Partly this is due to behaviour (gathering in Mosques), but there may be an element of racial susceptibility too.
    Where are you getting this data from?
    The only 'data' posted here is the 25% factoid, which is something posted here last night, originated with Maajid Nawaz on his LBC Radio Show.
    I wonder how he knows this?
    I believe the NHS has made it clear to community groups that Muslims are at risk, but if true, it probably doesn't want to release or stand behind the stat explicitly. It would tally with what is said about viral load - Mosques have large gatherings, at close quarters, and they are frequent.
  • Gabs3Gabs3 Posts: 836

    Nigelb said:

    First of all, Happy Birthday, Pb.com!

    Secondly, catching up on the overnight thread, I see that there is still a bit of confusion on how exactly we Germans are cheating and fiddling the numbers, so I'd like to take the opportunity and try to sort it out for you.

    Dedicated Lexiteers have explained for many decades how the Fourth Reich is a neo-liberal, hyper-capitalist paradise where the corporate vultures are allowed, and even encouraged, to exploit the 'workers'.

    Meanwhile, properly patriotic Brexiteers have explained for many decades how the Fourth Reich is a culturally marxist, hyper-trotskyite abomination where good, honest, buccaneering businesspeople suffer so immensely under the yoke of the socialist workers' paradise.

    While simpler minds may still argue which opinion is the correct one, those more capable of holistic thinking will long have recognised that both these sets of perfectly valid assessments are completely accurate at the exact same time.

    So, the one racing certainty we can safely take away from the above deliberations is that contemporary Germany is, in fact, a paradise. Of one sort or another. As close to heaven on earth as you can ever possibly get.

    Great country. Greatest country in the world.
    Amazing, fantastic, tremendous.
    And this undeniable fact may then go a long way in explaining why the Hun is somewhat reluctant to shed this mortal coil.

    So, once again, this time in German:
    "Herzlichen Glückwunsch, Pb.com!"

    I see you're rightly reminding us that Trump is of German descent... :smile:
    How prolific is immigration of Muslims from the Indian subcontinent in Germany? Sadly, it appears 25% of British fatalities are Muslims, and probability would suggest these are largely from the Pakistani and Bangladeshi community. Partly this is due to behaviour (gathering in Mosques), but there may be an element of racial susceptibility too.
    Where are you getting this data from?
    The only 'data' posted here is the 25% factoid, which is something posted here last night, originated with Maajid Nawaz on his LBC Radio Show.
    I wonder how he knows this?
    I believe the NHS has made it clear to community groups that Muslims are at risk, but if true, it probably doesn't want to release or stand behind the stat explicitly. It would tally with what is said about viral load - Mosques have large gatherings, at close quarters, and they are frequent.
    Also big extended families who must be conduits for exposure.
  • HYUFDHYUFD Posts: 122,859
    Gabs3 said:

    HYUFD said:

    Most US cases are in New York, Washington and California etc ie Democratic states, Trump states like West Virginia and Montana have had fewer cases with a few exceptions like Florida. Perhaps that is driving Trump's thinking ie go for herd immunity beyind the elderly and vulnerable after 15 days federally and let Democratic governors and legislatures deal with the higher than average problems in their states.
    Trump's electoral college majority is far more dependent on states like Florida and Texas which will be affected very shortly.
    His popular vote loss was determined by California though.

    However regardless it is state Governors as in California who impose lockdown on their states not the Federal government and POTUS and Texas and Florida governors have the same power.
    Trump meanwhile could decide to focus on protecting the economy of smaller Trump voting states
  • FrancisUrquhartFrancisUrquhart Posts: 81,947
    Stocky said:

    Floater said:

    Re the 18 year od who passed away

    An 18-year-old who died of an unrelated illness after it was confirmed they had coronavirus is understood to have been treated in hospital in Coventry.

    In a written statement, Professor Kiran Patel, chief medical officer for University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust, said: "We can confirm that sadly a patient who was being treated for significant underlying health issues has passed away at University Hospital, Coventry.

    "They had also tested for Covid-19 on the day before they died but this was not linked to their reason for dying."

    Without trying to be insensitive, this is a case where the UK are "gold plating" their death figures. This clearly isn't somebody who had a diabetes under control, where ok until the virus got them and it overran them.
    What do you mean? If the 18 year old did WITH Covid-19 rather than OF it then it shouldn`t be in the figures. Maybe you agree, I`m not sure?
    What I am saying is the UK approach is everybody who is dying regardless of why, they are being tested if they have some of the symptoms and added to the total of coronavirus deaths regardless of if that was the primary reason.

    Thus we are conflating basically every death as a coronavirus death, not an "excess" death due to it.
  • isamisam Posts: 41,118

    Sorry @isam, you couda been a contender (assuming no permanent damage was done).

    https://twitter.com/Oldfirmfacts1/status/1242077150452342789?s=20

    Sorry @isam, you couda been a contender (assuming no permanent damage was done).

    https://twitter.com/Oldfirmfacts1/status/1242077150452342789?s=20

    I coulda been someone instead of a bum? Don’t you start, I’ve already had that invective this morning for watching The Office!


  • numbertwelvenumbertwelve Posts: 6,807
    Gabs3 said:

    Floater said:

    How many cases does the USA have again?

    Holds head in hands

    The man is utterly deranged.
    And 53% of Americans approve of his handling of the crisis! The world's most powerful populace has had their brains rotted by cable news. Thank God we have the BBC.
    The US government response to the coronavirus reminds me a little of the Reagan administrations initial response to the AIDS crisis. In the early days it was brushed under the carpet, even (and the articles are all there on this) as a little bit of a joke, believe it or not.

    Our government was slow to face it, but when confronted with the full enormity of the situation, to its credit and certainly to the credit of Norman Fowler, it came down much more strongly. Let us see if history repeats itself.
  • Fysics_TeacherFysics_Teacher Posts: 6,285

    Stocky said:

    Floater said:

    Re the 18 year od who passed away

    An 18-year-old who died of an unrelated illness after it was confirmed they had coronavirus is understood to have been treated in hospital in Coventry.

    In a written statement, Professor Kiran Patel, chief medical officer for University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust, said: "We can confirm that sadly a patient who was being treated for significant underlying health issues has passed away at University Hospital, Coventry.

    "They had also tested for Covid-19 on the day before they died but this was not linked to their reason for dying."

    Without trying to be insensitive, this is a case where the UK are "gold plating" their death figures. This clearly isn't somebody who had a diabetes under control, where ok until the virus got them and it overran them.
    What do you mean? If the 18 year old did WITH Covid-19 rather than OF it then it shouldn`t be in the figures. Maybe you agree, I`m not sure?
    What I am saying is the UK approach is everybody who is dying regardless of why, they are being tested if they have some of the symptoms and added to the total of coronavirus deaths regardless of if that was the primary reason.

    Thus we are conflating basically every death as a coronavirus death, not an "excess" death due to it.
    As long as it is consistent then I don’t see that it matters.
  • Fysics_TeacherFysics_Teacher Posts: 6,285

    Gabs3 said:

    Floater said:

    How many cases does the USA have again?

    Holds head in hands

    The man is utterly deranged.
    And 53% of Americans approve of his handling of the crisis! The world's most powerful populace has had their brains rotted by cable news. Thank God we have the BBC.
    The US government response to the coronavirus reminds me a little of the Reagan administrations initial response to the AIDS crisis. In the early days it was brushed under the carpet, even (and the articles are all there on this) as a little bit of a joke, believe it or not.

    Our government was slow to face it, but when confronted with the full enormity of the situation, to its credit and certainly to the credit of Norman Fowler, it came down much more strongly. Let us see if history repeats itself.
    I still remember the “Don’t Die of Ignorance” tombstone ads.
  • Gabs3Gabs3 Posts: 836
    HYUFD said:

    Gabs3 said:

    HYUFD said:

    Most US cases are in New York, Washington and California etc ie Democratic states, Trump states like West Virginia and Montana have had fewer cases with a few exceptions like Florida. Perhaps that is driving Trump's thinking ie go for herd immunity beyind the elderly and vulnerable after 15 days federally and let Democratic governors and legislatures deal with the higher than average problems in their states.
    Trump's electoral college majority is far more dependent on states like Florida and Texas which will be affected very shortly.
    His popular vote loss was determined by California though.

    However regardless it is state Governors as in California who impose lockdown on their states not the Federal government and POTUS and Texas and Florida governors have the same power.
    Trump meanwhile could decide to focus on protecting the economy of smaller Trump voting states
    I really am not following your point. If he let's off the controls this will be devastating to an elderly state like Florida. It is completely counter productive for him even if he doesn't give a damn about human life. The man is just a mentally unstable moron.
  • FrancisUrquhartFrancisUrquhart Posts: 81,947
    Unlucky the French...

    Disney+ is set to launch on March 24 in many countries in Europe including the UK, Ireland, Germany, Italy, Spain, Austria, and Switzerland. At the request of the French government, Disney+ will be delayed until Tuesday, April 7, 2020.

    https://www.disneyplusinformer.com/disney-launch-delayed-in-france/
  • FrancisUrquhartFrancisUrquhart Posts: 81,947
    eadric said:

    Nigelb said:

    First of all, Happy Birthday, Pb.com!

    Secondly, catching up on the overnight thread, I see that there is still a bit of confusion on how exactly we Germans are cheating and fiddling the numbers, so I'd like to take the opportunity and try to sort it out for you.

    Dedicated Lexiteers have explained for many decades how the Fourth Reich is a neo-liberal, hyper-capitalist paradise where the corporate vultures are allowed, and even encouraged, to exploit the 'workers'.

    Meanwhile, properly patriotic Brexiteers have explained for many decades how the Fourth Reich is a culturally marxist, hyper-trotskyite abomination where good, honest, buccaneering businesspeople suffer so immensely under the yoke of the socialist workers' paradise.

    While simpler minds may still argue which opinion is the correct one, those more capable of holistic thinking will long have recognised that both these sets of perfectly valid assessments are completely accurate at the exact same time.

    So, the one racing certainty we can safely take away from the above deliberations is that contemporary Germany is, in fact, a paradise. Of one sort or another. As close to heaven on earth as you can ever possibly get.

    Great country. Greatest country in the world.
    Amazing, fantastic, tremendous.
    And this undeniable fact may then go a long way in explaining why the Hun is somewhat reluctant to shed this mortal coil.

    So, once again, this time in German:
    "Herzlichen Glückwunsch, Pb.com!"

    I see you're rightly reminding us that Trump is of German descent... :smile:
    How prolific is immigration of Muslims from the Indian subcontinent in Germany? Sadly, it appears 25% of British fatalities are Muslims, and probability would suggest these are largely from the Pakistani and Bangladeshi community. Partly this is due to behaviour (gathering in Mosques), but there may be an element of racial susceptibility too.
    Where are you getting this data from?
    The only 'data' posted here is the 25% factoid, which is something posted here last night, originated with Maajid Nawaz on his LBC Radio Show.
    I wonder how he knows this?
    I believe the NHS has made it clear to community groups that Muslims are at risk, but if true, it probably doesn't want to release or stand behind the stat explicitly. It would tally with what is said about viral load - Mosques have large gatherings, at close quarters, and they are frequent.
    More evidence that you're right

    "A number of theories have begun to emerge to try to understand the high transmission rates in the region. [West Mids]

    The Birmingham MP, Khalid Mahmood, said elderly Muslim and Sikh people in the area were struggling to adhere to government guidelines surrounding social distancing as they are driven by their religious convictions.

    Despite most religious services being cancelled, some older people are continuing to attend mosques and gurdwaras to pray, said Mahmood.

    He added: “Mosques and gurdwaras have told people to stay away but some of the older ones are really struggling. Part of it is because they feel religious observance is more important now than ever – they feel they may die and lose loved ones – so they need to pray. These are people who have incredibly strong religious convictions and it’s hard for them to stay away.”"

    https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/mar/20/sharp-rise-in-number-of-coronavirus-cases-in-west-midlands
    I wonder if that is also for the hotspot Luton way?
  • Philip_ThompsonPhilip_Thompson Posts: 65,826
    With talk of "unlimited" Quantatitive Easing what's to stop the government from effectively purchasing all its past bonds and thus effectively eliminating the national debt?
  • Philip_ThompsonPhilip_Thompson Posts: 65,826

    Unlucky the French...

    Disney+ is set to launch on March 24 in many countries in Europe including the UK, Ireland, Germany, Italy, Spain, Austria, and Switzerland. At the request of the French government, Disney+ will be delayed until Tuesday, April 7, 2020.

    https://www.disneyplusinformer.com/disney-launch-delayed-in-france/

    I wonder how many parents after one day of homeschooling are planning on getting this now? 😂

    We've bought it already but were planning on keeping it a secret until next week (keeping it a surprise for my daughter's birthday). Might not leave it a week now.
  • Fysics_TeacherFysics_Teacher Posts: 6,285

    With talk of "unlimited" Quantatitive Easing what's to stop the government from effectively purchasing all its past bonds and thus effectively eliminating the national debt?

    Fear of massive inflation?
  • kyf_100kyf_100 Posts: 4,929
    Nigelb said:

    eadric said:

    eadric said:

    DavidL said:

    Stunningly success supermarket raid by my better half today. Toilet rolls, kitchen rolls, paracetamol, bread, even some pasta. Some things low in stock but most not out. Have we seen the worst of the panic buying?

    She also taught the locals about social distancing and they fell into line!

    Us fancy Londoners fleeing the plague can be useful, as well as a burden.
    What else did you bring with you, and who do you expect to treat you if you fall ill?
    Er, the NHS, for which I pay an absolute shed load of taxes.

    I haven’t moved to a remote Island. I’ve moved to a very agreeable seaside suburb of Cardiff. I don’t think I’m going to crash the system, any more than I would in chaotic london.

    Moreover, the best thing most of us can do for the NHS and the country, is not get infected. That would have been much harder for me in my london home, because of a shared doorway and shared spaces. No control.

    Here I can properly isolate and - god willing - not get infected. A win for everyone.

    And on that positive note, I must go and work. And then have a nice, final walk by the cliffs...
    Blimey, eadric.
    You're not going all Final Problem on us, are you ?
    Doubt it. He only has to wait another two years until PB turns 18, at which point he will probably leave his wife for us ;)
  • FrancisUrquhartFrancisUrquhart Posts: 81,947
    edited March 2020

    Unlucky the French...

    Disney+ is set to launch on March 24 in many countries in Europe including the UK, Ireland, Germany, Italy, Spain, Austria, and Switzerland. At the request of the French government, Disney+ will be delayed until Tuesday, April 7, 2020.

    https://www.disneyplusinformer.com/disney-launch-delayed-in-france/

    I wonder how many parents after one day of homeschooling are planning on getting this now? 😂

    We've bought it already but were planning on keeping it a secret until next week (keeping it a surprise for my daughter's birthday). Might not leave it a week now.
    https://twitter.com/CLEMsanity/status/1241518100371169281?s=20

    https://twitter.com/BabyYodaNow/status/1241487904821727235?s=20
  • HYUFDHYUFD Posts: 122,859
    edited March 2020
    Gabs3 said:

    HYUFD said:

    Gabs3 said:

    HYUFD said:

    Most US cases are in New York, Washington and California etc ie Democratic states, Trump states like West Virginia and Montana have had fewer cases with a few exceptions like Florida. Perhaps that is driving Trump's thinking ie go for herd immunity beyind the elderly and vulnerable after 15 days federally and let Democratic governors and legislatures deal with the higher than average problems in their states.
    Trump's electoral college majority is far more dependent on states like Florida and Texas which will be affected very shortly.
    His popular vote loss was determined by California though.

    However regardless it is state Governors as in California who impose lockdown on their states not the Federal government and POTUS and Texas and Florida governors have the same power.
    Trump meanwhile could decide to focus on protecting the economy of smaller Trump voting states
    I really am not following your point. If he let's off the controls this will be devastating to an elderly state like Florida. It is completely counter productive for him even if he doesn't give a damn about human life. The man is just a mentally unstable moron.
    As I said it is state Governors who decide when to impose lockdown in their states, including in Florida, not POTUS
  • FrancisUrquhartFrancisUrquhart Posts: 81,947
    HYUFD said:

    twitter.com/PaulBrandITV/status/1242065416983326720?s=20

    Lock em up, lock em up, ....build a wall and make London pay for it.
  • Philip_ThompsonPhilip_Thompson Posts: 65,826
    Foxy said:

    eadric said:

    kamski said:

    eadric said:

    Endillion said:

    eadric said:

    Endillion said:

    eadric said:

    kamski said:

    eadric said:

    kamski said:

    eadric said:

    What are the political ramifications of a global Depression? There are so many the mind blanks at the glare.

    Germany is handling Coronavirus better than most, but they are now anticipating a brutal contraction of 10-20% GDP in a year

    It could be worse, therefore, in America and China - and France, Britain, Italy.

    The last Depression led to Nazism and a world war.

    I’m going to have a cup of tea.

    Glad to see you've moved on from "25% of you are going to die!" to there's going to be a global depression.

    Keep drinking the tea, it seems to be making you a lot more chipper.
    You’re the dribbling idiot who actually said this virus was useful, as it was a good warning for when the REALLY bad virus came.

    THE REALLY BAD ONE

    When are you expecting the REALLY bad virus? I’d like to prepare, tbh
    Hopefully we will learn the lessons from this pandemic and be better prepared for the next one. This will not be helped by idiots like you screaming that a quarter of people are going to die of this one.

    Of course IF you are right and 25% of the population dies, then a 20% contraction would be a rise in GDP per capita, so it's win-win I suppose.
    But when? When is the REALLY bad virus coming? You Know, the virus which will REALLY be nasty, unlike this one? Do you have a timescale? Because I’d like to get loo roll for the REALLY serious disease, as against this minor sniffle.

    You utter, utter twit.
    This was posted on this site by someone called "eadric" on February 3:

    Yep. Having been either housebound or bedridden for a week I have done a lot of thinking about this

    It is inevitable that one day a virus like this will cross the barrier, and be genuinely fucking terrible and lethal - 30, 40% mortality - rather than the relatively kindly SARS and corona that we have experienced to date.

    What will that do to us? How would we cope?

    I also now realize that health experts and microbiologists and epidemiologists must already be anticipating this, hence their reaction to my possible case, which is a mixture of concern, chaos, denial, and honest but anxious ignorance

    I could be just another man flu. Or Typhoid Mary


    https://politicalbetting.vanillacommunity.com/discussion/comment/2701841#Comment_2701841
    Hahaha!

    Thank you

    LOOK AT THE DATE ON THAT

    FEBRUARY 3

    Jesus. That was a genius call. I felt it coming.
    I thought my post spoke for itself, but apparently it didn't.

    To be clear:
    - you are "guilty" of the same thing you're now "accusing" others of (saying this virus is a wake up call for the much worse one that's surely coming)
    - you described Covid-19 as "kindly", months after the outbreak started and nearly two weeks after Wuhan was placed under quarantine
    You still don’t understand what I was saying. Impressive.

    I say ‘corona’ - common RNA viruses etc. I don’t say covid-19.

    But this is all over your head, so what’s the point.

    The main thing is, by February 3rd I was already sounding the alarm, here on PB. I was already overcoming my Normalcy Bias.

    Sadly, the rest of you thickies carried on droning away about care homes for another six weeks. Indeed some of you told me to shut up.

    Oh dear. Never mind. 3/10

    The main thing for you about this pandemic seems to be to try and prove that you were right, even when you have been caught being dead wrong. You didn't mean COVID-19 by "corona", right pull the other one. In every other post of yours you use "corona" to mean Covid-19.

    eg "I’m inclined to believe it was corona because of that weird symptom of excessive dry coughing fits which can keep you up all night"

    or did you just mean that you thought you had the common cold?
    FEBRUARY THE THIRD

    I should get a special PB medal
    Ahem!

    https://twitter.com/foxinsoxuk/status/1221808614878433280?s=19
    Sadly its worse than what that model forecast for 23/3.

    Though I still hope and expect that the idea of every person on the planet getting this won't be true so will be better than that by the end.
  • Fysics_TeacherFysics_Teacher Posts: 6,285

    Unlucky the French...

    Disney+ is set to launch on March 24 in many countries in Europe including the UK, Ireland, Germany, Italy, Spain, Austria, and Switzerland. At the request of the French government, Disney+ will be delayed until Tuesday, April 7, 2020.

    https://www.disneyplusinformer.com/disney-launch-delayed-in-france/

    I wonder how many parents after one day of homeschooling are planning on getting this now? 😂

    We've bought it already but were planning on keeping it a secret until next week (keeping it a surprise for my daughter's birthday). Might not leave it a week now.
    It will crash the servers when it goes live, won’t it?
  • Philip_ThompsonPhilip_Thompson Posts: 65,826

    With talk of "unlimited" Quantatitive Easing what's to stop the government from effectively purchasing all its past bonds and thus effectively eliminating the national debt?

    Fear of massive inflation?
    Indeed! So its not really unlimited is it?

    I find it bizarre when organisations like Central Banks use the word "unlimited" in this context.
  • AndrewAndrew Posts: 2,900
    Gabs3 said:


    And 53% of Americans approve of his handling of the crisis! The world's most powerful populace has had their brains rotted by cable news. Thank God we have the BBC.

    Not sure it's too meaningful, that's just patriotic attachment to power - see Boris's figures atm.

    For something to compare against, Bush Jr went to an approval rating near 90% after 9/11, and it took two years before he was back at 50%.
  • EndillionEndillion Posts: 4,976

    Unlucky the French...

    Disney+ is set to launch on March 24 in many countries in Europe including the UK, Ireland, Germany, Italy, Spain, Austria, and Switzerland. At the request of the French government, Disney+ will be delayed until Tuesday, April 7, 2020.

    https://www.disneyplusinformer.com/disney-launch-delayed-in-france/

    I wonder how many parents after one day of homeschooling are planning on getting this now? 😂

    We've bought it already but were planning on keeping it a secret until next week (keeping it a surprise for my daughter's birthday). Might not leave it a week now.
    You seem very confident that your daughter doesn't post (or lurk) here.
  • FrancisUrquhartFrancisUrquhart Posts: 81,947

    Unlucky the French...

    Disney+ is set to launch on March 24 in many countries in Europe including the UK, Ireland, Germany, Italy, Spain, Austria, and Switzerland. At the request of the French government, Disney+ will be delayed until Tuesday, April 7, 2020.

    https://www.disneyplusinformer.com/disney-launch-delayed-in-france/

    I wonder how many parents after one day of homeschooling are planning on getting this now? 😂

    We've bought it already but were planning on keeping it a secret until next week (keeping it a surprise for my daughter's birthday). Might not leave it a week now.
    It will crash the servers when it goes live, won’t it?
    I am fairly confident they will manage. Disney bought a company who were behind the tech streaming all the MLB games exactly for this reason, so they have a lot of experience in scale.
  • Stocky said:

    Floater said:

    Re the 18 year od who passed away

    An 18-year-old who died of an unrelated illness after it was confirmed they had coronavirus is understood to have been treated in hospital in Coventry.

    In a written statement, Professor Kiran Patel, chief medical officer for University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust, said: "We can confirm that sadly a patient who was being treated for significant underlying health issues has passed away at University Hospital, Coventry.

    "They had also tested for Covid-19 on the day before they died but this was not linked to their reason for dying."

    Without trying to be insensitive, this is a case where the UK are "gold plating" their death figures. This clearly isn't somebody who had a diabetes under control, where ok until the virus got them and it overran them.
    What do you mean? If the 18 year old did WITH Covid-19 rather than OF it then it shouldn`t be in the figures. Maybe you agree, I`m not sure?
    What I am saying is the UK approach is everybody who is dying regardless of why, they are being tested if they have some of the symptoms and added to the total of coronavirus deaths regardless of if that was the primary reason.

    Thus we are conflating basically every death as a coronavirus death, not an "excess" death due to it.
    Two points:

    - I think excess death means 'earlier than otherwise would have been the case', so this would have been 'in excess'.
    - Counting anyone who has tested positive is what basically all other countries do, so that is useful to do comparisons.
  • StockyStocky Posts: 10,211

    Stocky said:

    Floater said:

    Re the 18 year od who passed away

    An 18-year-old who died of an unrelated illness after it was confirmed they had coronavirus is understood to have been treated in hospital in Coventry.

    In a written statement, Professor Kiran Patel, chief medical officer for University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust, said: "We can confirm that sadly a patient who was being treated for significant underlying health issues has passed away at University Hospital, Coventry.

    "They had also tested for Covid-19 on the day before they died but this was not linked to their reason for dying."

    Without trying to be insensitive, this is a case where the UK are "gold plating" their death figures. This clearly isn't somebody who had a diabetes under control, where ok until the virus got them and it overran them.
    What do you mean? If the 18 year old did WITH Covid-19 rather than OF it then it shouldn`t be in the figures. Maybe you agree, I`m not sure?
    What I am saying is the UK approach is everybody who is dying regardless of why, they are being tested if they have some of the symptoms and added to the total of coronavirus deaths regardless of if that was the primary reason.

    Thus we are conflating basically every death as a coronavirus death, not an "excess" death due to it.
    That`s what I thought you meant and echoes a point I made about the stats many days ago.
  • Philip_ThompsonPhilip_Thompson Posts: 65,826
    edited March 2020
    Endillion said:

    Unlucky the French...

    Disney+ is set to launch on March 24 in many countries in Europe including the UK, Ireland, Germany, Italy, Spain, Austria, and Switzerland. At the request of the French government, Disney+ will be delayed until Tuesday, April 7, 2020.

    https://www.disneyplusinformer.com/disney-launch-delayed-in-france/

    I wonder how many parents after one day of homeschooling are planning on getting this now? 😂

    We've bought it already but were planning on keeping it a secret until next week (keeping it a surprise for my daughter's birthday). Might not leave it a week now.
    You seem very confident that your daughter doesn't post (or lurk) here.
    She's five turning six and the P in PB does not stand for Princess.

    I think its a safe assumption.
  • FloaterFloater Posts: 14,207
    kyf_100 said:

    Nigelb said:

    eadric said:

    eadric said:

    DavidL said:

    Stunningly success supermarket raid by my better half today. Toilet rolls, kitchen rolls, paracetamol, bread, even some pasta. Some things low in stock but most not out. Have we seen the worst of the panic buying?

    She also taught the locals about social distancing and they fell into line!

    Us fancy Londoners fleeing the plague can be useful, as well as a burden.
    What else did you bring with you, and who do you expect to treat you if you fall ill?
    Er, the NHS, for which I pay an absolute shed load of taxes.

    I haven’t moved to a remote Island. I’ve moved to a very agreeable seaside suburb of Cardiff. I don’t think I’m going to crash the system, any more than I would in chaotic london.

    Moreover, the best thing most of us can do for the NHS and the country, is not get infected. That would have been much harder for me in my london home, because of a shared doorway and shared spaces. No control.

    Here I can properly isolate and - god willing - not get infected. A win for everyone.

    And on that positive note, I must go and work. And then have a nice, final walk by the cliffs...
    Blimey, eadric.
    You're not going all Final Problem on us, are you ?
    Doubt it. He only has to wait another two years until PB turns 18, at which point he will probably leave his wife for us ;)
    Miaoooow

    But very funny :-)
  • IanB2IanB2 Posts: 49,859

    Nigelb said:

    First of all, Happy Birthday, Pb.com!

    Secondly, catching up on the overnight thread, I see that there is still a bit of confusion on how exactly we Germans are cheating and fiddling the numbers, so I'd like to take the opportunity and try to sort it out for you.

    Dedicated Lexiteers have explained for many decades how the Fourth Reich is a neo-liberal, hyper-capitalist paradise where the corporate vultures are allowed, and even encouraged, to exploit the 'workers'.

    Meanwhile, properly patriotic Brexiteers have explained for many decades how the Fourth Reich is a culturally marxist, hyper-trotskyite abomination where good, honest, buccaneering businesspeople suffer so immensely under the yoke of the socialist workers' paradise.

    While simpler minds may still argue which opinion is the correct one, those more capable of holistic thinking will long have recognised that both these sets of perfectly valid assessments are completely accurate at the exact same time.

    So, the one racing certainty we can safely take away from the above deliberations is that contemporary Germany is, in fact, a paradise. Of one sort or another. As close to heaven on earth as you can ever possibly get.

    Great country. Greatest country in the world.
    Amazing, fantastic, tremendous.
    And this undeniable fact may then go a long way in explaining why the Hun is somewhat reluctant to shed this mortal coil.

    So, once again, this time in German:
    "Herzlichen Glückwunsch, Pb.com!"

    I see you're rightly reminding us that Trump is of German descent... :smile:
    How prolific is immigration of Muslims from the Indian subcontinent in Germany? Sadly, it appears 25% of British fatalities are Muslims, and probability would suggest these are largely from the Pakistani and Bangladeshi community. Partly this is due to behaviour (gathering in Mosques), but there may be an element of racial susceptibility too.
    Where are you getting this data from?
    The only 'data' posted here is the 25% factoid, which is something posted here last night, originated with Maajid Nawaz on his LBC Radio Show.
    That, and the associated story in the Independent, refer solely to lifestyle matters - extended families, and collective worship - which in different ways have made the Italians particularly susceptible to transmission also.

    The reference to “racial susceptibility” dropped gratuitously into the end of your OP appears to be an unpleasant speculation all of your own?
  • LostPasswordLostPassword Posts: 18,327
    edited March 2020

    With talk of "unlimited" Quantatitive Easing what's to stop the government from effectively purchasing all its past bonds and thus effectively eliminating the national debt?

    If you give everyone who currently holds gilts cash Sterling what are they going to do with it? Most likely buy dollars, so you end up crashing the value of the currency.

    For that reason it's probably a good idea for the government to continue to issue a large number of new bonds so that people who've liquidated their UK shares have somewhere safe to park their cash which is still in Sterling.
  • Fysics_TeacherFysics_Teacher Posts: 6,285

    Unlucky the French...

    Disney+ is set to launch on March 24 in many countries in Europe including the UK, Ireland, Germany, Italy, Spain, Austria, and Switzerland. At the request of the French government, Disney+ will be delayed until Tuesday, April 7, 2020.

    https://www.disneyplusinformer.com/disney-launch-delayed-in-france/

    I wonder how many parents after one day of homeschooling are planning on getting this now? 😂

    We've bought it already but were planning on keeping it a secret until next week (keeping it a surprise for my daughter's birthday). Might not leave it a week now.
    It will crash the servers when it goes live, won’t it?
    I am fairly confident they will manage. Disney bought a company who were behind the tech streaming all the MLB games exactly for this reason, so they have a lot of experience in scale.
    I bet when they did that though they did not expect to have almost all the children in Europe at home and getting bored.
  • MattWMattW Posts: 23,084
    There are a few older political blogs around, I think.

    Samizdata for one.

    But not many ... Happy Birthday.
  • StockyStocky Posts: 10,211
    Re: Who is JM1? Has anyone suggested Vic Reeves, real name James Moir.
  • MalmesburyMalmesbury Posts: 50,158

    eadric said:

    rpjs said:

    First of all, Happy Birthday, Pb.com!

    Secondly, catching up on the overnight thread, I see that there is still a bit of confusion on how exactly we Germans are cheating and fiddling the numbers, so I'd like to take the opportunity and try to sort it out for you.

    Dedicated Lexiteers have explained for many decades how the Fourth Reich is a neo-liberal, hyper-capitalist paradise where the corporate vultures are allowed, and even encouraged, to exploit the 'workers'.

    Meanwhile, properly patriotic Brexiteers have explained for many decades how the Fourth Reich is a culturally marxist, hyper-trotskyite abomination where good, honest, buccaneering businesspeople suffer so immensely under the yoke of the socialist workers' paradise.

    While simpler minds may still argue which opinion is the correct one, those more capable of holistic thinking will long have recognised that both these sets of perfectly valid assessments are completely accurate at the exact same time.

    So, the one racing certainty we can safely take away from the above deliberations is that contemporary Germany is, in fact, a paradise. Of one sort or another. As close to heaven on earth as you can ever possibly get.

    Great country. Greatest country in the world.
    Amazing, fantastic, tremendous.
    And this undeniable fact may then go a long way in explaining why the Hun is somewhat reluctant to shed this mortal coil.

    So, once again, this time in German:
    "Herzlichen Glückwunsch, Pb.com!"

    This might be the single best thing I’ve ever read on PB.
    It’s very good. And if Matthias genuinely is German, his command of English is astonishing

    Keep posting, Matthias!
    There used to be a trope in novels where someone was described as having to be foreign because no British person had that good a command of the language...
    This is because it used to be the case that grammar was not taught in English classes in the UK, to the level that grammar would be taught in other language classes.

    So you would have people e
    Floater said:

    TGOHF666 said:

    DavidL said:

    Stunningly success supermarket raid by my better half today. Toilet rolls, kitchen rolls, paracetamol, bread, even some pasta. Some things low in stock but most not out. Have we seen the worst of the panic buying?

    Suppliers to restaurants will suddenly have a lot of extra stock - they will be diverting to supermarkets. Some unusual brands/packaging may appear over the next few weeks.
    And schools
    A local school here was robbed and food stocks taken
    There are appalling people everywhere.

    During WWII my grandfather was working in the Glasgow shipyards. Before the attack on the Soviet Union, the communist line was that it was a Capitalist War, to be impeded where possible. The union actually tried to forbid it - but a couple of communist activists pulled wildcat strikes whenever they could.

    My grandfather was a classic democratic union man - he went with the result of the ballots. So he opposed these wildcat strikes - as did most of the workforce.

    So the commie types turned up at his local pub. And got sent to hospital - my grandfather had quite a few friends in his local, due some actions in WWI.

    After the Nazi's attacked the Soviet Union, the wild cat strike attempts stopped.

    The main ring leader was also a black marketer, who disappeared in strange circumstances later in the war. The rumour was that he had been caught stealing the *survival rations* from a lifeboat on a Norwegian destroyer that had come in for repairs. There are variations on the story, but they all involve deep sixing him, wrapped in anchor chain.
  • IanB2 said:

    Nigelb said:

    First of all, Happy Birthday, Pb.com!

    Secondly, catching up on the overnight thread, I see that there is still a bit of confusion on how exactly we Germans are cheating and fiddling the numbers, so I'd like to take the opportunity and try to sort it out for you.

    Dedicated Lexiteers have explained for many decades how the Fourth Reich is a neo-liberal, hyper-capitalist paradise where the corporate vultures are allowed, and even encouraged, to exploit the 'workers'.

    Meanwhile, properly patriotic Brexiteers have explained for many decades how the Fourth Reich is a culturally marxist, hyper-trotskyite abomination where good, honest, buccaneering businesspeople suffer so immensely under the yoke of the socialist workers' paradise.

    While simpler minds may still argue which opinion is the correct one, those more capable of holistic thinking will long have recognised that both these sets of perfectly valid assessments are completely accurate at the exact same time.

    So, the one racing certainty we can safely take away from the above deliberations is that contemporary Germany is, in fact, a paradise. Of one sort or another. As close to heaven on earth as you can ever possibly get.

    Great country. Greatest country in the world.
    Amazing, fantastic, tremendous.
    And this undeniable fact may then go a long way in explaining why the Hun is somewhat reluctant to shed this mortal coil.

    So, once again, this time in German:
    "Herzlichen Glückwunsch, Pb.com!"

    I see you're rightly reminding us that Trump is of German descent... :smile:
    How prolific is immigration of Muslims from the Indian subcontinent in Germany? Sadly, it appears 25% of British fatalities are Muslims, and probability would suggest these are largely from the Pakistani and Bangladeshi community. Partly this is due to behaviour (gathering in Mosques), but there may be an element of racial susceptibility too.
    Where are you getting this data from?
    The only 'data' posted here is the 25% factoid, which is something posted here last night, originated with Maajid Nawaz on his LBC Radio Show.
    That, and the associated story in the Independent, refer solely to lifestyle matters - extended families, and collective worship - which in different ways have made the Italians particularly susceptible to transmission also.

    The reference to “racial susceptibility” dropped gratuitously into the end of your OP appears to be an unpleasant speculation all of your own?
    And a somewhat questionable speculation at that, given the considerable ethinc diversity of subcontinental heritage in the UK.
  • God he's like one of those halfwits on twitter who blames mass immigration for Covid-19 without realising the likes of the Black Death happened without mass immigration.

    https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1242092738973249536
  • Gabs3Gabs3 Posts: 836
    I didn't know where Steve Hilton ended up:
    https://twitter.com/aljwhite/status/1241991593806217216
  • FrancisUrquhartFrancisUrquhart Posts: 81,947
    Rebecca Long-Bailey, the Labour leadership candidate, is calling for the establishment of national food service to help families in need who are self-isolating.

    Did she not listen to the press conference yesterday?
  • RobDRobD Posts: 59,925
    She could have been a lot less polite about them and it still would have been okay.
  • HYUFDHYUFD Posts: 122,859
    edited March 2020

    God he's like one of those halfwits on twitter who blames mass immigration for Covid-19 without realising the likes of the Black Death happened without mass immigration.

    https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1242092738973249536

    Black Death did come to Europe via rats on merchant ships from Asia though
  • EndillionEndillion Posts: 4,976

    HYUFD said:

    twitter.com/PaulBrandITV/status/1242065416983326720?s=20

    Lock em up, lock em up, ....build a wall and make London pay for it.
    Y'all'd make London pay for it, regardless. Y'always do.
  • FrancisUrquhartFrancisUrquhart Posts: 81,947
    And dickhead company of the day...

    WHSmith has insisted it is an “essential retailer” akin to supermarkets and pharmacies as it vowed to keep open its 1,200 stores in the wake of the coronavirus shutdown.

    "In our High Street stores, we have a retail offer that extends to every generation. We can provide essential products to our younger pre-school customers; an unrivalled education officer with accompanying stationery range to children, teenagers and students; a fantastic books offer for everyone; and a news and magazines offer that can’t be beaten, enabling communities to access information and keep up to date with what is happening at the current time."
  • FoxyFoxy Posts: 48,607

    Foxy said:

    eadric said:

    kamski said:

    eadric said:

    Endillion said:

    eadric said:

    Endillion said:

    eadric said:

    kamski said:

    eadric said:

    kamski said:

    eadric said:

    What are the political ramifications of a global Depression? There are so many the mind blanks at the glare.

    Germany is handling Coronavirus better than most, but they are now anticipating a brutal contraction of 10-20% GDP in a year

    It could be worse, therefore, in America and China - and France, Britain, Italy.

    The last Depression led to Nazism and a world war.

    I’m going to have a cup of tea.

    Glad to see you've moved on from "25% of you are going to die!" to there's going to be a global depression.

    Keep drinking the tea, it seems to be making you a lot more chipper.
    You’re the dribbling idiot who actually said this virus was useful, as it was a good warning for when the REALLY bad virus came.

    THE REALLY BAD ONE

    When are you expecting the REALLY bad virus? I’d like to prepare, tbh
    Hopefully we will learn the lessons from this pandemic and be better prepared for the next one. This will not be helped by idiots like you screaming that a quarter of people are going to die of this one.

    Of course IF you are right and 25% of the population dies, then a 20% contraction would be a rise in GDP per capita, so it's win-win I suppose.
    But when? When is the REALLY bad virus coming? You Know, the virus which will REALLY be nasty, unlike this one? Do you have a timescale? Because I’d like to get loo roll for the REALLY serious disease, as against this minor sniffle.

    You utter, utter twit.
    This was posted on this site by someone called "eadric" on February 3:

    Yep. Having been either housebound or bedridden for a week I have done a lot of thinking about this

    It is inevitable that one day a virus like this will cross the barrier, and be genuinely fucking terrible and lethal - 30, 40% mortality - rather than the relatively kindly SARS and corona that we have experienced to date.

    What will that do to us? How would we cope?

    I also now realize that health experts and microbiologists and epidemiologists must already be anticipating this, hence their reaction to my possible case, which is a mixture of concern, chaos, denial, and honest but anxious ignorance

    I could be just another man flu. Or Typhoid Mary


    https://politicalbetting.vanillacommunity.com/discussion/comment/2701841#Comment_2701841
    Hahaha!

    Thank you

    LOOK AT THE DATE ON THAT

    FEBRUARY 3

    Jesus. That was a genius call. I felt it coming.
    I thought my post spoke for itself, but apparently it didn't.

    To be clear:
    - you are "guilty" of the same thing you're now "accusing" others of (saying this virus is a wake up call for the much worse one that's surely coming)
    - you described Covid-19 as "kindly", months after the outbreak started and nearly two weeks after Wuhan was placed under quarantine
    You still don’t understand what I was saying. Impressive.

    I say ‘corona’ - common RNA viruses etc. I don’t say covid-19.

    But this is all over your head, so what’s the point.

    The main thing is, by February 3rd I was already sounding the alarm, here on PB. I was already overcoming my Normalcy Bias.

    Sadly, the rest of you thickies carried on droning away about care homes for another six weeks. Indeed some of you told me to shut up.

    Oh dear. Never mind. 3/10

    The main thing for you about this pandemic seems to be to try and prove that you were right, even when you have been caught being dead wrong. You didn't mean COVID-19 by "corona", right pull the other one. In every other post of yours you use "corona" to mean Covid-19.

    eg "I’m inclined to believe it was corona because of that weird symptom of excessive dry coughing fits which can keep you up all night"

    or did you just mean that you thought you had the common cold?
    FEBRUARY THE THIRD

    I should get a special PB medal
    Ahem!

    https://twitter.com/foxinsoxuk/status/1221808614878433280?s=19
    Sadly its worse than what that model forecast for 23/3.

    Though I still hope and expect that the idea of every person on the planet getting this won't be true so will be better than that by the end.
    The world figures have been 2 weeks ahead for a while, but that simple model cannot stick to the very end.

  • numbertwelvenumbertwelve Posts: 6,807

    And dickhead company of the day...

    WHSmith has insisted it is an “essential retailer” akin to supermarkets and pharmacies as it vowed to keep open its 1,200 stores in the wake of the coronavirus shutdown.

    "In our High Street stores, we have a retail offer that extends to every generation. We can provide essential products to our younger pre-school customers; an unrivalled education officer with accompanying stationery range to children, teenagers and students; a fantastic books offer for everyone; and a news and magazines offer that can’t be beaten, enabling communities to access information and keep up to date with what is happening at the current time."

    Unbelievable.

    Not sure in what world anyone would consider WHSmith an essential retailer. I can probably count on one hand the number of times I’ve been into a store in the last decade.
  • Luckyguy1983Luckyguy1983 Posts: 28,401
    IanB2 said:

    Nigelb said:

    First of all, Happy Birthday, Pb.com!

    Secondly, catching up on the overnight thread, I see that there is still a bit of confusion on how exactly we Germans are cheating and fiddling the numbers, so I'd like to take the opportunity and try to sort it out for you.

    Dedicated Lexiteers have explained for many decades how the Fourth Reich is a neo-liberal, hyper-capitalist paradise where the corporate vultures are allowed, and even encouraged, to exploit the 'workers'.

    Meanwhile, properly patriotic Brexiteers have explained for many decades how the Fourth Reich is a culturally marxist, hyper-trotskyite abomination where good, honest, buccaneering businesspeople suffer so immensely under the yoke of the socialist workers' paradise.

    While simpler minds may still argue which opinion is the correct one, those more capable of holistic thinking will long have recognised that both these sets of perfectly valid assessments are completely accurate at the exact same time.

    So, the one racing certainty we can safely take away from the above deliberations is that contemporary Germany is, in fact, a paradise. Of one sort or another. As close to heaven on earth as you can ever possibly get.

    Great country. Greatest country in the world.
    Amazing, fantastic, tremendous.
    And this undeniable fact may then go a long way in explaining why the Hun is somewhat reluctant to shed this mortal coil.

    So, once again, this time in German:
    "Herzlichen Glückwunsch, Pb.com!"

    I see you're rightly reminding us that Trump is of German descent... :smile:
    How prolific is immigration of Muslims from the Indian subcontinent in Germany? Sadly, it appears 25% of British fatalities are Muslims, and probability would suggest these are largely from the Pakistani and Bangladeshi community. Partly this is due to behaviour (gathering in Mosques), but there may be an element of racial susceptibility too.
    Where are you getting this data from?
    The only 'data' posted here is the 25% factoid, which is something posted here last night, originated with Maajid Nawaz on his LBC Radio Show.
    That, and the associated story in the Independent, refer solely to lifestyle matters - extended families, and collective worship - which in different ways have made the Italians particularly susceptible to transmission also.

    The reference to “racial susceptibility” dropped gratuitously into the end of your OP appears to be an unpleasant speculation all of your own?
    Yes, it is certainly a speculation of my own, as I make very clear in my post. I am not sure what is unpleasant about it? Diseases often affect different races to somewhat different degrees.
  • FrancisUrquhartFrancisUrquhart Posts: 81,947

    And dickhead company of the day...

    WHSmith has insisted it is an “essential retailer” akin to supermarkets and pharmacies as it vowed to keep open its 1,200 stores in the wake of the coronavirus shutdown.

    "In our High Street stores, we have a retail offer that extends to every generation. We can provide essential products to our younger pre-school customers; an unrivalled education officer with accompanying stationery range to children, teenagers and students; a fantastic books offer for everyone; and a news and magazines offer that can’t be beaten, enabling communities to access information and keep up to date with what is happening at the current time."

    Unbelievable.

    Not sure in what world anyone would consider WHSmith an essential retailer. I can probably count on one hand the number of times I’ve been into a store in the last decade.
    TBH, I am surprised they are still in business. I am not really sure what they are for these days.
  • FoxyFoxy Posts: 48,607
    HYUFD said:

    Most US cases are in New York, Washington and California etc ie Democratic states, Trump states like West Virginia and Montana have had fewer cases with a few exceptions like Florida. Perhaps that is driving Trump's thinking ie go for herd immunity beyind the elderly and vulnerable after 15 days federally and let Democratic governors and legislatures deal with the higher than average problems in their states.
    That would be an idiotic approach, even for Trump.

    Herd immunity in California or NYC does not protect Indiana, that requires herd immunity locally in Indiana.
  • rcs1000rcs1000 Posts: 57,079
    eadric said:

    Nigelb said:

    First of all, Happy Birthday, Pb.com!

    Secondly, catching up on the overnight thread, I see that there is still a bit of confusion on how exactly we Germans are cheating and fiddling the numbers, so I'd like to take the opportunity and try to sort it out for you.

    Dedicated Lexiteers have explained for many decades how the Fourth Reich is a neo-liberal, hyper-capitalist paradise where the corporate vultures are allowed, and even encouraged, to exploit the 'workers'.

    Meanwhile, properly patriotic Brexiteers have explained for many decades how the Fourth Reich is a culturally marxist, hyper-trotskyite abomination where good, honest, buccaneering businesspeople suffer so immensely under the yoke of the socialist workers' paradise.

    While simpler minds may still argue which opinion is the correct one, those more capable of holistic thinking will long have recognised that both these sets of perfectly valid assessments are completely accurate at the exact same time.

    So, the one racing certainty we can safely take away from the above deliberations is that contemporary Germany is, in fact, a paradise. Of one sort or another. As close to heaven on earth as you can ever possibly get.

    Great country. Greatest country in the world.
    Amazing, fantastic, tremendous.
    And this undeniable fact may then go a long way in explaining why the Hun is somewhat reluctant to shed this mortal coil.

    So, once again, this time in German:
    "Herzlichen Glückwunsch, Pb.com!"

    I see you're rightly reminding us that Trump is of German descent... :smile:
    How prolific is immigration of Muslims from the Indian subcontinent in Germany? Sadly, it appears 25% of British fatalities are Muslims, and probability would suggest these are largely from the Pakistani and Bangladeshi community. Partly this is due to behaviour (gathering in Mosques), but there may be an element of racial susceptibility too.
    Where are you getting this data from?
    The only 'data' posted here is the 25% factoid, which is something posted here last night, originated with Maajid Nawaz on his LBC Radio Show.
    I wonder how he knows this?
    I believe the NHS has made it clear to community groups that Muslims are at risk, but if true, it probably doesn't want to release or stand behind the stat explicitly. It would tally with what is said about viral load - Mosques have large gatherings, at close quarters, and they are frequent.
    More evidence that you're right

    "A number of theories have begun to emerge to try to understand the high transmission rates in the region. [West Mids]

    The Birmingham MP, Khalid Mahmood, said elderly Muslim and Sikh people in the area were struggling to adhere to government guidelines surrounding social distancing as they are driven by their religious convictions.

    Despite most religious services being cancelled, some older people are continuing to attend mosques and gurdwaras to pray, said Mahmood.

    He added: “Mosques and gurdwaras have told people to stay away but some of the older ones are really struggling. Part of it is because they feel religious observance is more important now than ever – they feel they may die and lose loved ones – so they need to pray. These are people who have incredibly strong religious convictions and it’s hard for them to stay away.”"

    https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/mar/20/sharp-rise-in-number-of-coronavirus-cases-in-west-midlands
    In Italy, mass going oldies seem to be most affected. It's almost like CV-19 is Dawkins' disease, designed to prey on believers.
  • Richard_TyndallRichard_Tyndall Posts: 32,490

    felix said:

    felix said:

    Happy Birthday PB!

    I'm sure no PBer would be so selfish or shortsighted:

    https://twitter.com/DCMS/status/1241844873482960898?s=20

    A lot of people will surely have gone to their second homes in order to self-isolate. Most of us will be too skint even to have second homes, and there are reasons owning second homes is selfish, but surely in this case, intentions were good.
    Trouble with that approach is everyone thinks they are exceptions. Down that road lies madness.
    I think one problem is that official (or quasi-official) guidance is shifting constantly as the egg-heads get more evidence from day to day. Don't go out but don't stockpile so you need to go shopping more often. Visit and help elderly neighbours but without actually visiting them or going out. Visit national parks to escape crowded cities, but don't. We saw last week even the Prime Minister got it wrong and right in the same sentence. I am not sure we should be quick to condemn.
    way too many self-appointed experts in the media - always seeking to exploit and disrupt. We see it every day on Twitter and among the hacks at the pressers.
    They're not 'seeking to exploit and disrupt' at all (with the possible exception of Peter Hitchens as that's his trope). They are seeking rigorous answers to tough questions. They're doing their job and thank god for them. As we now know, if Imperial College scientists hadn't dropped a stone in the Government's alleged complacency, which was then picked up by Sky News and The Guardian (erroneously called 'disgraceful' by someone on here) we would be in an even more parlous state than we currently find ourselves.

    Bravo to our free press.

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/global-health/science-and-disease/terrifying-data-behind-government-coronavirus-lockdown/


    Absolute rubbish.

    Imperial under Neil Ferguson were the ones providing the expertise on which the Government policy was based from the start. The fact that they then changed their advise and the Government followed what they said is nothing to do with the Media. You are doing exactly the same scandalous and frankly dangerous thing that the media doing which is making out every change of policy to be a Government U-turn rather than a result of changes in advise.

    So yes the journalists - and you - are indeed being disgraceful.
    Genuine question, was it ever Imperial College's advice to go for 'herd immunity'?
    From what I have seen reading through their released documents they hadn't phrased it in that way and definitely not made it explicit. I certainly saw the Chief Scientific Advisor in interview referring to Herd Immunity explicitly so am more inclined to think that was his interpretation rather than a recommendation from Imperial.
    So that early important policy at least was not on advice from Imperial.
    I have no idea. But it was on the advise of the CMO and CSA.
  • HYUFDHYUFD Posts: 122,859
    edited March 2020
    Foxy said:

    HYUFD said:

    Most US cases are in New York, Washington and California etc ie Democratic states, Trump states like West Virginia and Montana have had fewer cases with a few exceptions like Florida. Perhaps that is driving Trump's thinking ie go for herd immunity beyind the elderly and vulnerable after 15 days federally and let Democratic governors and legislatures deal with the higher than average problems in their states.
    That would be an idiotic approach, even for Trump.

    Herd immunity in California or NYC does not protect Indiana, that requires herd immunity locally in Indiana.
    If barely any Californians and New Yorkers regularly travel to Indiana, I would say barely any travel to some Trump states like West Virginia and Idaho and North Dakota and those states have very few cases they do not need much herd immunity anyway
  • Philip_ThompsonPhilip_Thompson Posts: 65,826

    God he's like one of those halfwits on twitter who blames mass immigration for Covid-19 without realising the likes of the Black Death happened without mass immigration.

    https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1242092738973249536

    I'm going off memory but wasn't it the mass migration of the Mongol Hordes invading Eastern Europe that triggered the Black Death in Europe?
  • DavidLDavidL Posts: 53,785

    With talk of "unlimited" Quantatitive Easing what's to stop the government from effectively purchasing all its past bonds and thus effectively eliminating the national debt?

    In theory nothing. QE is the Pandora's box that was first prized open in 2008. Another generation of politicians are learning the almost certainly false lesson that it is a relatively painless way of resolving an extremely difficult issue. Good luck ever getting it closed again now.
  • AlistairAlistair Posts: 23,670

    On gambling, although no sport to bet on apparently online poker is seeing a massive uptick in traffic (and I presume the casino games are as well).

    If there's soft money back at the poker table I may have to reopen my pokerstars account (are they still a thing?)
  • CharlesCharles Posts: 35,758
    TOPPING said:

    Charles said:

    eadric said:

    rpjs said:

    First of all, Happy Birthday, Pb.com!

    Secondly, catching up on the overnight thread, I see that there is still a bit of confusion on how exactly we Germans are cheating and fiddling the numbers, so I'd like to take the opportunity and try to sort it out for you.

    Dedicated Lexiteers have explained for many decades how the Fourth Reich is a neo-liberal, hyper-capitalist paradise where the corporate vultures are allowed, and even encouraged, to exploit the 'workers'.

    Meanwhile, properly patriotic Brexiteers have explained for many decades how the Fourth Reich is a culturally marxist, hyper-trotskyite abomination where good, honest, buccaneering businesspeople suffer so immensely under the yoke of the socialist workers' paradise.

    While simpler minds may still argue which opinion is the correct one, those more capable of holistic thinking will long have recognised that both these sets of perfectly valid assessments are completely accurate at the exact same time.

    So, the one racing certainty we can safely take away from the above deliberations is that contemporary Germany is, in fact, a paradise. Of one sort or another. As close to heaven on earth as you can ever possibly get.

    Great country. Greatest country in the world.
    Amazing, fantastic, tremendous.
    And this undeniable fact may then go a long way in explaining why the Hun is somewhat reluctant to shed this mortal coil.

    So, once again, this time in German:
    "Herzlichen Glückwunsch, Pb.com!"

    This might be the single best thing I’ve ever read on PB.
    It’s very good. And if Matthias genuinely is German, his command of English is astonishing

    Keep posting, Matthias!
    There used to be a trope in novels where someone was described as having to be foreign because no British person had that good a command of the language...
    It's referenced in My Fair Lady:

    "Her English is too good, he said,
    Which clearly indicates that she is foreign.
    Whereas others are instructed in their native language
    English people aren't.
    And although she may have studied with an expert
    Di'lectician and grammarian, I can tell that she was born
    Hungarian! Not only Hungarian, but of royal blood,
    she is a princess!"
    Luckily that tune will not now be going round my head for a few hours as it was not sung in the film. Not what I would call sung anyway.

    But yes, that is exactly the thing I was thinking of. That and a character from one of the Modesty Blaise books...
    Although Rex Harrison's accent is quite memorable, especially in that piece
    AAAAOOOOOOOOWWWWWWW.

    Edit: saw yday that your pa is on Day 17 - hope things improve for him.
    Day 17 in hospital - mistyped yesterday. "Only" Day 10 in HDU.

    Thanks.
  • Fysics_TeacherFysics_Teacher Posts: 6,285
    rcs1000 said:

    eadric said:

    Nigelb said:

    First of all, Happy Birthday, Pb.com!

    Secondly, catching up on the overnight thread, I see that there is still a bit of confusion on how exactly we Germans are cheating and fiddling the numbers, so I'd like to take the opportunity and try to sort it out for you.

    Dedicated Lexiteers have explained for many decades how the Fourth Reich is a neo-liberal, hyper-capitalist paradise where the corporate vultures are allowed, and even encouraged, to exploit the 'workers'.

    Meanwhile, properly patriotic Brexiteers have explained for many decades how the Fourth Reich is a culturally marxist, hyper-trotskyite abomination where good, honest, buccaneering businesspeople suffer so immensely under the yoke of the socialist workers' paradise.

    While simpler minds may still argue which opinion is the correct one, those more capable of holistic thinking will long have recognised that both these sets of perfectly valid assessments are completely accurate at the exact same time.

    So, the one racing certainty we can safely take away from the above deliberations is that contemporary Germany is, in fact, a paradise. Of one sort or another. As close to heaven on earth as you can ever possibly get.

    Great country. Greatest country in the world.
    Amazing, fantastic, tremendous.
    And this undeniable fact may then go a long way in explaining why the Hun is somewhat reluctant to shed this mortal coil.

    So, once again, this time in German:
    "Herzlichen Glückwunsch, Pb.com!"

    I see you're rightly reminding us that Trump is of German descent... :smile:
    How prolific is immigration of Muslims from the Indian subcontinent in Germany? Sadly, it appears 25% of British fatalities are Muslims, and probability would suggest these are largely from the Pakistani and Bangladeshi community. Partly this is due to behaviour (gathering in Mosques), but there may be an element of racial susceptibility too.
    Where are you getting this data from?
    The only 'data' posted here is the 25% factoid, which is something posted here last night, originated with Maajid Nawaz on his LBC Radio Show.
    I wonder how he knows this?
    I believe the NHS has made it clear to community groups that Muslims are at risk, but if true, it probably doesn't want to release or stand behind the stat explicitly. It would tally with what is said about viral load - Mosques have large gatherings, at close quarters, and they are frequent.
    More evidence that you're right

    "A number of theories have begun to emerge to try to understand the high transmission rates in the region. [West Mids]

    The Birmingham MP, Khalid Mahmood, said elderly Muslim and Sikh people in the area were struggling to adhere to government guidelines surrounding social distancing as they are driven by their religious convictions.

    Despite most religious services being cancelled, some older people are continuing to attend mosques and gurdwaras to pray, said Mahmood.

    He added: “Mosques and gurdwaras have told people to stay away but some of the older ones are really struggling. Part of it is because they feel religious observance is more important now than ever – they feel they may die and lose loved ones – so they need to pray. These are people who have incredibly strong religious convictions and it’s hard for them to stay away.”"

    https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/mar/20/sharp-rise-in-number-of-coronavirus-cases-in-west-midlands
    In Italy, mass going oldies seem to be most affected. It's almost like CV-19 is Dawkins' disease, designed to prey on believers.
    Prey or pray?
  • rottenboroughrottenborough Posts: 62,664
    eadric said:

    Foxy said:

    eadric said:

    kamski said:

    eadric said:

    Endillion said:

    eadric said:

    Endillion said:

    eadric said:

    kamski said:

    eadric said:

    kamski said:

    eadric said:

    What are the political ramifications of a global Depression? There are so many the mind blanks at the glare.

    Germany is handling Coronavirus better than most, but they are now anticipating a brutal contraction of 10-20% GDP in a year

    It could be worse, therefore, in America and China - and France, Britain, Italy.

    The last Depression led to Nazism and a world war.

    I’m going to have a cup of tea.

    Glad to see you've moved on from "25% of you are going to die!" to there's going to be a global depression.

    Keep drinking the tea, it seems to be making you a lot more chipper.
    You’re the dribbling idiot who actually said this virus was useful, as it was a good warning for when the REALLY bad virus came.

    THE REALLY BAD ONE

    When are you expecting the REALLY bad virus? I’d like to prepare, tbh
    Hopefully 's win-win I suppose.
    But when? When is the REALLY bad virus coming? You Know, the virus which will REALLY be nasty, unlike this one? Do you have a timescale? Because I’d like to get loo roll for the REALLY serious disease, as against this minor sniffle.

    You utter, utter twit.
    This was posted on this site by someone called "eadric" on February 3:

    Yep. Having b Or Typhoid Mary

    https://politicalbetting.vanillacommunity.com/discussion/comment/2701841#Comment_2701841
    Hahaha!

    Thank you

    LOOK AT THE DATE ON THAT

    FEBRUARY 3

    Jesus. That was a genius call. I felt it coming.
    I thought my post spoke for itself, but apparently it didn't.

    To be clear:
    - you are "guilty" of the same thing you're now "accusing" others of (saying this virus is a wake up call for the much worse one that's surely coming)
    - you described Covid-19 as "kindly", months after the outbreak started and nearly two weeks after Wuhan was placed under quarantine
    You s. 3/10

    The main thing for you about this pandemic seems to be to try and prove that you were right, even when you have been caught being dead wrong. You didn't mean COVID-19 by "corona", right pull the other one. In every other post of yours you use "corona" to mean Covid-19.

    eg "I’m inclined to believe it was corona because of that weird symptom of excessive dry coughing fits which can keep you up all night"

    or did you just mean that you thought you had the common cold?
    FEBRUARY THE THIRD

    I should get a special PB medal
    Ahem!

    https://twitter.com/foxinsoxuk/status/1221808614878433280?s=19
    Sadly its worse than what that model forecast for 23/3.

    Though I still hope and expect that the idea of every person on the planet getting this won't be true so will be better than that by the end.
    Actually, it's not unreasonable to assume the majority of the world will get this, in the end (but not 100%).

    But hopefully that will be over a long time, we will develop treatments, maybe even vaccines, we will become resistant, the bug might mutate into something less menacing.

    Grim but not the endtimes.
    Herd immunity isn't 100%, if I have understood this correctly, so the virus will never reach 100%?
  • God he's like one of those halfwits on twitter who blames mass immigration for Covid-19 without realising the likes of the Black Death happened without mass immigration.

    https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1242092738973249536

    I'm going off memory but wasn't it the mass migration of the Mongol Hordes invading Eastern Europe that triggered the Black Death in Europe?
    More trading routes.
  • Morris_DancerMorris_Dancer Posts: 61,769
    'Unlimited' always makes me think of Davros and rice pudding.

    +11 sci-fi points to anyone who gets the reference.
  • RobDRobD Posts: 59,925
    edited March 2020

    God he's like one of those halfwits on twitter who blames mass immigration for Covid-19 without realising the likes of the Black Death happened without mass immigration.

    https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1242092738973249536

    I'm going off memory but wasn't it the mass migration of the Mongol Hordes invading Eastern Europe that triggered the Black Death in Europe?
    I thought it came from rats on various trade routes.
  • HYUFDHYUFD Posts: 122,859
    edited March 2020
    rcs1000 said:

    eadric said:

    Nigelb said:

    First of all, Happy Birthday, Pb.com!

    Secondly, catching up on the overnight thread, I see that there is still a bit of confusion on how exactly we Germans are cheating and fiddling the numbers, so I'd like to take the opportunity and try to sort it out for you.

    Dedicated Lexiteers have explained for many decades how the Fourth Reich is a neo-liberal, hyper-capitalist paradise where the corporate vultures are allowed, and even encouraged, to exploit the 'workers'.

    Meanwhile, properly patriotic Brexiteers have explained for many decades how the Fourth Reich is a culturally marxist, hyper-trotskyite abomination where good, honest, buccaneering businesspeople suffer so immensely under the yoke of the socialist workers' paradise.

    While simpler minds may still argue which opinion is the correct one, those more capable of holistic thinking will long have recognised that both these sets of perfectly valid assessments are completely accurate at the exact same time.

    So, the one racing certainty we can safely take away from the above deliberations is that contemporary Germany is, in fact, a paradise. Of one sort or another. As close to heaven on earth as you can ever possibly get.

    Great country. Greatest country in the world.
    Amazing, fantastic, tremendous.
    And this undeniable fact may then go a long way in explaining why the Hun is somewhat reluctant to shed this mortal coil.

    So, once again, this time in German:
    "Herzlichen Glückwunsch, Pb.com!"

    I see you're rightly reminding us that Trump is of German descent... :smile:
    How prolific is immigration of Muslims from the Indian subcontinent in Germany? Sadly, it appears 25% of British fatalities are Muslims, and probability would suggest these are largely from the Pakistani and Bangladeshi community. Partly this is due to behaviour (gathering in Mosques), but there may be an element of racial susceptibility too.
    Where are you getting this data from?
    The only 'data' posted here is the 25% factoid, which is something posted here last night, originated with Maajid Nawaz on his LBC Radio Show.
    I wonder how he knows this?
    I believe the NHS has made it clear to community groups that Muslims are at risk, but if true, it probably doesn't want to release or stand behind the stat explicitly. It would tally with what is said about viral load - Mosques have large gatherings, at close quarters, and they are frequent.
    More evidence that you're right

    "A number of theories have begun to emerge to try to understand the high transmission rates in the region. [West Mids]

    The Birmingham MP, Khalid Mahmood, said elderly Muslim and Sikh people in the area were struggling to adhere to government guidelines surrounding social distancing as they are driven by their religious convictions.

    Despite most religious services being cancelled, some older people are continuing to attend mosques and gurdwaras to pray, said Mahmood.

    He added: “Mosques and gurdwaras have told people to stay away but some of the older ones are really struggling. Part of it is because they feel religious observance is more important now than ever – they feel they may die and lose loved ones – so they need to pray. These are people who have incredibly strong religious convictions and it’s hard for them to stay away.”"

    https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/mar/20/sharp-rise-in-number-of-coronavirus-cases-in-west-midlands
    In Italy, mass going oldies seem to be most affected. It's almost like CV-19 is Dawkins' disease, designed to prey on believers.
    I disagree, it is far more the case in Italy it is spread by youngsters going to the cities and home to their grandparents who they live with in small towns than going to mass, especially as public worship has stopped now anyway beyond live streaming of the priest on occasion
This discussion has been closed.