politicalbetting.com » Blog Archive » Does this Indy writer have a point – is Boris now really that
Comments
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I wrote on here last week that a few friends work in the university/private education sectors and a lot of them were bracing for job losses.FrancisUrquhart said:Had word today that a major & extremely well funded UK university is rolling out a big redunacy scheme, god only know what will happen to the mid / lower tier institutions.
That magic money forest is going to need some more harvesting.0 -
And 66.5m people have avoided death by Corona. So what's your point?algarkirk said:
Or of course you could speculate (for that is what it is) that as many as 65 million people in the UK will avoid the chronic health conditions which are the unavoidable outcome of a world pandemic.contrarian said:Sunak's comments today include the stunning forecast that the unemployment from this crisis will create a million people with chronic health conditions (quoted in the Times).
A Million.
In his interview he also explicitly said it was lockdown (and not the virus) that was creating this massive strain on the economy.
Is someone in the government finally, finally coming around to the idea if squaring with the public on the choices we face?0 -
Our outbreak was seeded in a completely different way.Nigelb said:
We had the same capacity as South Korea.TGOHF666 said:Some dumb ass questions from jouros today.
"Did you abandon testing thousands of people in March because you didn't have the capacity ?"
Yes.
"So it wasn't guided by science ?"....
We just let it get out of control to the point where the capacity was inadequate.
Once thousands came back from skiing in Italy, test and track was over as a strategy.0 -
Of course that's the case. So the only reason to have a particularly different spec is if people think there's a very good reason to want a different spec. But if people do want a different spec and are prepared to pay for it, then why shouldn't that be an option?noneoftheabove said:
Rules are imposed on all beings on this planet by all sorts of external forces. I dont try and fight that reality.IshmaelZ said:
Well, because you don't want rules imposed on you by external parties. That is not an argument I have any sympathy with, but the claim that manufacturing just can't produce things to a separate UK spec, "and I know this because I am an expert," is just demolished by the fact that we can have any vehicle we like in RHD without paying a premium over what LHD costs.noneoftheabove said:
Cope is an apt choice of word. No one would have designed it like this, it is a quirk of history that costs everyone that can no longer be cheaply solved.IshmaelZ said:
A bit. But Lhd vs rhd is rather a good point: it is an existing example of a UK spec which is about as awkward and expensive as one can easily imagine, but which manufacturing seems to cope with ok.noneoftheabove said:
Yes not all of us have unlimited money so prefer things cheaper when there is no particular benefit to lots of separate standards, it is the consumer who loses.Philip_Thompson said:
Does it matter?noneoftheabove said:
If you ask Vauxhall could they build their cars cheaper if they didnt have to do LHD and RHD models, what would their answer be?Philip_Thompson said:
Manufacturers can do scale by using common components in both where possible while using other components where it isn't possible. As they already do!eek said:
Ever heard of benefits of scale (you may remember it from such things as the pin manufacturing in Adam Smiths Wealth of Nations). Unless you think Britain should have poorer quality goods how do you think savings would be made?Philip_Thompson said:
If we want to vary our standards we will be able to do so. Companies already make a plethora of models of products, if they want to manufacture a GB model of a product to be sold in GB then there is no reason they can't do that while still also manufacturing EU models to be sold in the EU.RochdalePioneers said:
Yes, and the products made for sale in the EU have to adhere to the legal trading standards set by the EU. Brexiteers insist that won't apply to Britain after we leave. Its bollocks and they know it.Philip_Thompson said:No. Factories can manufacture to more than just one spec and do all the time. That's how Asian manufacturers can export across the whole globe, they understand the spec and manufacture to that. One factory can produce more than one spec of product.
Not that we plan on downgrading EU standards of course. So they insist. So adhering to said EU standards which we choose to have as UK standards would be a good plan. Which would mean easy access to the EEA, no border down the Irish Sea etc etc. But can't have that because wazzocks.
Its remarkable how car companies for instance can manufacture Vauxhall specification cars for the UK and manufacture Opel specification cars for the EU. And they did even when we were in the EU because the Vauxhall brand suited the UK.
They are capable of doing both models. Just as any variance in our standards will see manufacturers capable of producing multiple models.
Manufacturers already do produce multiple models. What matters is whether consumer demand is there.
Why look to create more of those scenarios?
I have never claimed people cant produce something to a UK spec. It obviously just depends on not making the spec impossible. I am pointing out that there is an economic cost to consumers from having various standards and on top of that we are losing a trade deal with the worlds largest single market in order to have the right to impose that cost on ourselves.
And it cuts both ways. It might not just be legalising something not legal in Europe, it could also be the reverse. If we wish to have higher environmental standards than Europe, thus potentially making some European products illegal, why should we not have the right to do that?0 -
Do you not think finding the best use for our capacity is part of the science?Pulpstar said:
Why did they say it was "guided by the science" at the time then (Apart from this was being used for everything) ?TGOHF666 said:Some dumb ass questions from jouros today.
"Did you abandon testing thousands of people in March because you didn't have the capacity ?"
Yes.
"So it wasn't guided by science ?"....0 -
The Lancet - ‘Trump is a liar‘:rottenborough said:Trump in action. Quite a thread.
Seems pretty clear his election campaign is going to be rally around the flag against evil China who not only take your jobs but kill your grandparents with a virus.
Hope Biden is wargaming like mad while he's holed up.
https://twitter.com/atrupar/status/1262769806639587329
https://twitter.com/TheLancet/status/12627210613612544010 -
A genuine rather than a having a go question, is tests carried out the same as capacity? I seemed to recall capacity and actual tests being given as separate numbers earlier on.Andrew said:
Doesn't look like it:Nigelb said:
We had the same capacity as South Korea.
We just let it get out of control to the point where the capacity was inadequate.
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Joe Biden is going to lose the religious vote if he carries on like this.
https://twitter.com/JoeBiden/status/12627976676772126720 -
In science, the availability of inputs is a constraint that is part of the design/decision making process.Pulpstar said:
Why did they say it was "guided by the science" at the time then (Apart from this was being used for everything) ?TGOHF666 said:Some dumb ass questions from jouros today.
"Did you abandon testing thousands of people in March because you didn't have the capacity ?"
Yes.
"So it wasn't guided by science ?"....
So, if I design an RTG (radio-active thermal electrical generator) the availability of isotopes is a constraint on the design.0 -
Remember korea not only had massive more capacity for testing if required, but, and this is massively important, speed of track/trace to test to result was often less than a day.
In the UK, it took days to track down people, then days before tests came back. And no spare capacity to be testing people multiple times in a day just to be certain.
So korea can get hold of those who have it and keep those in isolation before they have chance to meet too many people.0 -
An early portent of mass casualties in this sector. If the Government isn't even contemplating letting some restaurants and cafes open before July (and presumably only those with outside seating) then theatres and such like have largely had it. You would've thought that the only survivors will be national institutions that get state bailouts, those that have built up large cash reserves (or have generous owners with deep pockets,) and venues still owned by councils.Andy_JS said:An arts centre in Bromsgrove has gone out of business.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artrix,_Bromsgrove
https://www.worcesternews.co.uk/news/18456209.letter-day-arts-dying-painful-death/0 -
It's 'extremely well funded' but needs a big redundancy scheme ?FrancisUrquhart said:Had word today that a major & extremely well funded UK university is rolling out a big redunacy scheme, god only know what will happen to the mid / lower tier institutions.
That magic money forest is going to need some more harvesting.
Perhaps those funds have not been used wisely.0 -
Last university campus I visited was Warwick; the construction sector looked to be doing very well indeed out of all the student fees.another_richard said:
It's 'extremely well funded' but needs a big redundancy scheme ?FrancisUrquhart said:Had word today that a major & extremely well funded UK university is rolling out a big redunacy scheme, god only know what will happen to the mid / lower tier institutions.
That magic money forest is going to need some more harvesting.
Perhaps those funds have not been used wisely.0 -
Tests are actual tests carried out, from the data released by the relevant national health dept/CDC/whatever. For example, we have been doing 90k-130k lately, but supposedly capacity is quite a bit north of 150k now.Theuniondivvie said:
A genuine rather than a having a go question, is tests carried out the same as capacity? I seemed to recall capacity and actual tests being given as separate numbers earlier on.
That site also has the stats for people tested for some nations that release the data (UK, Italy), which tends to be a number about 35-40% higher cos of multiple tests per person. Korea uses "cases", not sure which that is comparable to, but it wouldn't make much difference in this example (and also UK daily test count only started early April)
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Those middling unis that rely on foreign student incomes & haven't diversified into generating significant income from other sources are going to be in massive trouble.TheScreamingEagles said:
I wrote on here last week that a few friends work in the university/private education sectors and a lot of them were bracing for job losses.FrancisUrquhart said:Had word today that a major & extremely well funded UK university is rolling out a big redunacy scheme, god only know what will happen to the mid / lower tier institutions.
That magic money forest is going to need some more harvesting.
The uni I have been told about is highly ranked, diversified & profitable, and they are still talking about massive savings being required, given expected reduction in both foreign student income and of course world economic downturn.0 -
"Virtually ignored by the taxpayer cash-bloated BBC"Andy_JS said:An arts centre in Bromsgrove has gone out of business.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artrix,_Bromsgrove
https://www.worcesternews.co.uk/news/18456209.letter-day-arts-dying-painful-death/
Ouch, it looks like the arty types are starting to fight amongst themselves.0 -
"insufficient capacity" would have been the more honest answer at the time.Malmesbury said:
In science, the availability of inputs is a constraint that is part of the design/decision making process.Pulpstar said:
Why did they say it was "guided by the science" at the time then (Apart from this was being used for everything) ?TGOHF666 said:Some dumb ass questions from jouros today.
"Did you abandon testing thousands of people in March because you didn't have the capacity ?"
Yes.
"So it wasn't guided by science ?"....
So, if I design an RTG (radio-active thermal electrical generator) the availability of isotopes is a constraint on the design.0 -
Unis hired on the basis of expected demand from overseas students willing to actually pay for an education. That is hosed for a few years as they will instead get to enjoy the quarantined joys of their domestic institutions.another_richard said:
It's 'extremely well funded' but needs a big redundancy scheme ?FrancisUrquhart said:Had word today that a major & extremely well funded UK university is rolling out a big redunacy scheme, god only know what will happen to the mid / lower tier institutions.
That magic money forest is going to need some more harvesting.
Perhaps those funds have not been used wisely.0 -
Where is the buffoonMango said:
That is really not how the UK works...BannedinnParis said:To be fair, he's made a specific prediction within a specific timeline. So if it does, or doesn't, happen, then we have evidence on whether, or not, to take the author seriously in the future.
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You value rights above the economy and practicality. On such a question for me the rights are completely trivial compared to the economic and practical benefits of common standards. There is a trade off and we will never agree.Philip_Thompson said:
Of course that's the case. So the only reason to have a particularly different spec is if people think there's a very good reason to want a different spec. But if people do want a different spec and are prepared to pay for it, then why shouldn't that be an option?noneoftheabove said:
Rules are imposed on all beings on this planet by all sorts of external forces. I dont try and fight that reality.IshmaelZ said:
Well, because you don't want rules imposed on you by external parties. That is not an argument I have any sympathy with, but the claim that manufacturing just can't produce things to a separate UK spec, "and I know this because I am an expert," is just demolished by the fact that we can have any vehicle we like in RHD without paying a premium over what LHD costs.noneoftheabove said:
Cope is an apt choice of word. No one would have designed it like this, it is a quirk of history that costs everyone that can no longer be cheaply solved.IshmaelZ said:
A bit. But Lhd vs rhd is rather a good point: it is an existing example of a UK spec which is about as awkward and expensive as one can easily imagine, but which manufacturing seems to cope with ok.noneoftheabove said:
Yes not all of us have unlimited money so prefer things cheaper when there is no particular benefit to lots of separate standards, it is the consumer who loses.Philip_Thompson said:
Does it matter?noneoftheabove said:
If you ask Vauxhall could they build their cars cheaper if they didnt have to do LHD and RHD models, what would their answer be?Philip_Thompson said:
Manufacturers can do scale by using common components in both where possible while using other components where it isn't possible. As they already do!eek said:
Ever heard of benefits of scale (you may remember it from such things as the pin manufacturing in Adam Smiths Wealth of Nations). Unless you think Britain should have poorer quality goods how do you think savings would be made?Philip_Thompson said:
If we want to vary our standards we will be able to do so. Companies already make a plethora of models of products, if they want to manufacture a GB model of a product to be sold in GB then there is no reason they can't do that while still also manufacturing EU models to be sold in the EU.RochdalePioneers said:
Yes, and the products made for sale in the EU have to adhere to the legal trading standards set by the EU. Brexiteers insist that won't apply to Britain after we leave. Its bollocks and they know it.Philip_Thompson said:No. Factories can manufacture to more than just one spec and do all the time. That's how Asian manufacturers can export across the whole globe, they understand the spec and manufacture to that. One factory can produce more than one spec of product.
Not that we plan on downgrading EU standards of course. So they insist. So adhering to said EU standards which we choose to have as UK standards would be a good plan. Which would mean easy access to the EEA, no border down the Irish Sea etc etc. But can't have that because wazzocks.
Its remarkable how car companies for instance can manufacture Vauxhall specification cars for the UK and manufacture Opel specification cars for the EU. And they did even when we were in the EU because the Vauxhall brand suited the UK.
They are capable of doing both models. Just as any variance in our standards will see manufacturers capable of producing multiple models.
Manufacturers already do produce multiple models. What matters is whether consumer demand is there.
Why look to create more of those scenarios?
I have never claimed people cant produce something to a UK spec. It obviously just depends on not making the spec impossible. I am pointing out that there is an economic cost to consumers from having various standards and on top of that we are losing a trade deal with the worlds largest single market in order to have the right to impose that cost on ourselves.
And it cuts both ways. It might not just be legalising something not legal in Europe, it could also be the reverse. If we wish to have higher environmental standards than Europe, thus potentially making some European products illegal, why should we not have the right to do that?
Those posters saying companies "cant" produce a UK product are clearly wrong. I think you are equally wrong in valuing abstract non useful rights ahead of the economy and businesses.0 -
Of the shares out of which I bailed in February, the one I am happiest to have bailed out of is GCP Student Living which rents London student accomodation to rich Chinese students. Or rather, it used to do that.EPG said:
Unis hired on the basis of expected demand from overseas students willing to actually pay for an education. That is hosed for a few years as they will instead get to enjoy the quarantined joys of their domestic institutions.another_richard said:
It's 'extremely well funded' but needs a big redundancy scheme ?FrancisUrquhart said:Had word today that a major & extremely well funded UK university is rolling out a big redunacy scheme, god only know what will happen to the mid / lower tier institutions.
That magic money forest is going to need some more harvesting.
Perhaps those funds have not been used wisely.0 -
There are, of course. China, and most of Asia, prefers phones with large screens because people there are much more likely to only own a phone, not a laptop or tablet, so a big screen is more desirable for video and games. And this is an important point of the volume manufacturing argument, serving a market's preferences is often more profitable than paring manufacturing costs to the bone with a single universal model.Nigelb said:There is, though, surely something of a difference between the US, Chinese and European markets... and a new, somehow unique UK one ?
And welcome.
UK vs EU markets is a tough question. Is there, or will there be, enough uniqueness to justify specific products for the UK only? The answer will vary by sector, but I couldn't say with any certainty even for products I'm decently familiar with.
And thanks for the welcome!
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Mores the pity, those donkeys in Westminster might learn what it is like to be a real politician rather than a lying cheating toerag.Big_G_NorthWales said:
Nicola was having a hard time on the Nike conference in Edinburgh and nursing homes today.contrarian said:The only people who can get rid of Boris are tory MPs and I haven;t seen much evidence they are unhappy about the care home crisis.
What they are unhappy about is the economy and the snail's pace emergence from lockdown.
She has as many questions as does Boris and Hancock but her conferences do not get UK wide coverage0 -
The one my friend works at says they have the money on paper but it has been invested and it isn't easy to cash in on quickly.FrancisUrquhart said:
Those middling unis that rely on foreign student incomes & haven't diversified into generating significant income from other sources are going to be in massive trouble.TheScreamingEagles said:
I wrote on here last week that a few friends work in the university/private education sectors and a lot of them were bracing for job losses.FrancisUrquhart said:Had word today that a major & extremely well funded UK university is rolling out a big redunacy scheme, god only know what will happen to the mid / lower tier institutions.
That magic money forest is going to need some more harvesting.
The uni I have been told about is highly ranked, diversified & profitable, and they are still talking about massive savings being required.
The other problem for all universities will be social distancing on campuses/lectures and at halls/etc.
When we have proper contact tracing your can be sure universities being a vector for new outbreaks as asymptomatic carriers go home on trains/public transport and visit older relatives0 -
The university sector has been heading for trouble ever since the internet went mainstream.EPG said:
Unis hired on the basis of expected demand from overseas students willing to actually pay for an education. That is hosed for a few years as they will instead get to enjoy the quarantined joys of their domestic institutions.another_richard said:
It's 'extremely well funded' but needs a big redundancy scheme ?FrancisUrquhart said:Had word today that a major & extremely well funded UK university is rolling out a big redunacy scheme, god only know what will happen to the mid / lower tier institutions.
That magic money forest is going to need some more harvesting.
Perhaps those funds have not been used wisely.
What has surprised me is how long and how high the debt funded university bubble has managed to become.0 -
"Jobs site for British fruit pickers 'unavailable' immediately after minister urged public to visit it"
https://www.itv.com/news/2020-05-19/george-eustice-leads-government-s-daily-coronavirus-press-conference/0 -
bit loose use of "negotiator " there.williamglenn said:
Frost is the negotiator who capitulated on the Irish sea border.Philip_Thompson said:
Very well written.CarlottaVance said:Frost's letter to Barnier:
Overall, at this moment in negotiations, what is on offer is not a fair free trade relationship between close economic partners, but a relatively low-quality trade agreement coming with unprecedented EU oversight of our laws and institutions.
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/886168/Letter_to_Michel_Barnier_19.05.20.pdf
https://twitter.com/nick_gutteridge/status/1262780301471895554?s=20
Barnier must be finding it difficult dealing with negotiators who stand up for the UK after the nonsense of May's years.0 -
Fair comment.Andrew said:
Doesn't look like it:Nigelb said:
We had the same capacity as South Korea.
We just let it get out of control to the point where the capacity was inadequate.
But note the crossover - and if we’d locked down a week and a half earlier, we’d have had maybe a quarter of the number of cases.
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Someday mismanaged the fiddling today thenDenspark said:
eh?MikeL said:Number in hospital with virus UP 600 from yesterday.
EDIT: Looks like reason is there were no numbers reported for Northern Ireland yesterday.
639 admitted ,but 685 less people in hospital than the day before.
edit. Hmm the dataset doesn't seem to match the slide due to NI.0 -
If and when the Government does get the bailing bucket out for higher education, it will be interesting to see what the terms are - specifically,FrancisUrquhart said:Had word today that a major & extremely well funded UK university is rolling out a big redunacy scheme, god only know what will happen to the mid / lower tier institutions.
That magic money forest is going to need some more harvesting.
1) Will blanket support be extended, or will they be interested only in propping STEM subjects and leave the Humanities to their fate; and
2) Will this be accompanied by the lifting of the cap on tuition fees, so the more prestigious institutions can try to claw back some more of their losses by obliging their students to cough up full whack for the privilege of attendance?0 -
BREAKING: Cambridge confirms ‘no face-to-face lectures during the next academic year’
Lectures and exams will be conducted virtually
In an email sent to Senior Tutors today (19th May), it was announced that the University of Cambridge plans to move all “face-to-face lectures” online in the next academic year, 2020/21.
Alice Benton, the Head of Education services, states in the email that the “General Board’s Education Committee” has “agreed that, since it is highly likely that rigid social distancing will be required throughout the next academic year, there will be no face-to-face lectures next year.”
“The decision has been taken to provide a degree of certainty to facilitate Faculties and Departments when planning for educational delivery next academic year”.
Lectures will be live-streamed, recorded and made available on Moodle, while there are plans for lecture theatres to be used for small group teaching in line with social distancing requirements: “Faculties and Departments should continue to plan for face-to-face delivery of seminars, workshops and small group teaching”.
In reference to Michaelmas exams, Benton also notes that it is ‘highly unlikely these examinations will be able to take place in examination halls’. She suggests faculties adapt to this scenario accordingly.
https://thetab.com/uk/cambridge/2020/05/19/cambridge-confirms-no-face-to-face-lectures-during-the-next-academic-year-1377120 -
I am honestly surprised we didn't get a big outbreak at one already. And i am not really sure how some can make it work going forward. Halls have to be a huge problem & then are you going to tell students not to socialize? And lectures run at 25% capacity? We know conferences have been problematics, unis are basically conferences, just day in, day out.TheScreamingEagles said:
The one my friend works at says they have the money on paper but it has been invested and it isn't easy to cash in on quickly.FrancisUrquhart said:
Those middling unis that rely on foreign student incomes & haven't diversified into generating significant income from other sources are going to be in massive trouble.TheScreamingEagles said:
I wrote on here last week that a few friends work in the university/private education sectors and a lot of them were bracing for job losses.FrancisUrquhart said:Had word today that a major & extremely well funded UK university is rolling out a big redunacy scheme, god only know what will happen to the mid / lower tier institutions.
That magic money forest is going to need some more harvesting.
The uni I have been told about is highly ranked, diversified & profitable, and they are still talking about massive savings being required.
The other problem for all universities will be social distancing on campuses/lectures and at halls/etc.
When we have proper contact tracing your can be sure universities being a vector for new outbreaks as asymptomatic carriers go home on trains/public transport and visit older relatives0 -
Sunak resembled an extremely naughty schoolboy cornered by evidence of his gross misdeeds today.
As the facts slipped out he had that rather glassy look. Severe recession....like nothing we have seen before...permanent scarring....no prospect of immediate recovery....
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Wimps.TheScreamingEagles said:BREAKING: Cambridge confirms ‘no face-to-face lectures during the next academic year’
Lectures and exams will be conducted virtually
In an email sent to Senior Tutors today (19th May), it was announced that the University of Cambridge plans to move all “face-to-face lectures” online in the next academic year, 2020/21.
Alice Benton, the Head of Education services, states in the email that the “General Board’s Education Committee” has “agreed that, since it is highly likely that rigid social distancing will be required throughout the next academic year, there will be no face-to-face lectures next year.”
“The decision has been taken to provide a degree of certainty to facilitate Faculties and Departments when planning for educational delivery next academic year”.
Lectures will be live-streamed, recorded and made available on Moodle, while there are plans for lecture theatres to be used for small group teaching in line with social distancing requirements: “Faculties and Departments should continue to plan for face-to-face delivery of seminars, workshops and small group teaching”.
In reference to Michaelmas exams, Benton also notes that it is ‘highly unlikely these examinations will be able to take place in examination halls’. She suggests faculties adapt to this scenario accordingly.
https://thetab.com/uk/cambridge/2020/05/19/cambridge-confirms-no-face-to-face-lectures-during-the-next-academic-year-137712
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Someone's confident in the success of the Oxford vaccine trials, then.TheScreamingEagles said:BREAKING: Cambridge confirms ‘no face-to-face lectures during the next academic year’
Lectures and exams will be conducted virtually
In an email sent to Senior Tutors today (19th May), it was announced that the University of Cambridge plans to move all “face-to-face lectures” online in the next academic year, 2020/21.
Alice Benton, the Head of Education services, states in the email that the “General Board’s Education Committee” has “agreed that, since it is highly likely that rigid social distancing will be required throughout the next academic year, there will be no face-to-face lectures next year.”
“The decision has been taken to provide a degree of certainty to facilitate Faculties and Departments when planning for educational delivery next academic year”.
Lectures will be live-streamed, recorded and made available on Moodle, while there are plans for lecture theatres to be used for small group teaching in line with social distancing requirements: “Faculties and Departments should continue to plan for face-to-face delivery of seminars, workshops and small group teaching”.
In reference to Michaelmas exams, Benton also notes that it is ‘highly unlikely these examinations will be able to take place in examination halls’. She suggests faculties adapt to this scenario accordingly.
https://thetab.com/uk/cambridge/2020/05/19/cambridge-confirms-no-face-to-face-lectures-during-the-next-academic-year-137712
Ah. Right.2 -
He has been lining up the perfect excuse, all the nearly dying , litres and litres of oxygen rubbish, he will parachute.Big_G_NorthWales said:
It will be sooner if it is his healthOllyT said:
My money is firmly on Johnson resigning before the end of 2022.BluestBlue said:Sean O'Grady is suffering from an extreme case of Boris Derangement Syndrome. Unless they are physically disabled, Prime Ministers with large majorities don't just decide to give up no matter how difficult the circumstances, especially this early in their terms.
He will do a runner before there is any chance of holding him accountable for his handling of the pandemic or the consequences of Brexit.
He dodges accountability during the best of times and we are very far from the best of times right now. He will claim it is for health reasons but really that will be just another in a long line of lies.
Otherwise I expect him to continue in office0 -
0
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That is a fair point.noneoftheabove said:I think you are equally wrong in valuing abstract non useful rights ahead of the economy and businesses.
However many remainers claim to be greatly concerned about the economy, but I don't recall them arguing against the minimum wage, or for less employment protection, or for any of a number of policies that would help business.
It feels like "I put the economy first" is often a debating tactic rather than the truth.
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Now remember when all the tech bros shut down early & saying work from home for at least the rest of the year (some forever). This again signals that smart people dont think there is a vaccine or this thing reducing to minimal levels anytime soon.TheScreamingEagles said:BREAKING: Cambridge confirms ‘no face-to-face lectures during the next academic year’
Lectures and exams will be conducted virtually
In an email sent to Senior Tutors today (19th May), it was announced that the University of Cambridge plans to move all “face-to-face lectures” online in the next academic year, 2020/21.
Alice Benton, the Head of Education services, states in the email that the “General Board’s Education Committee” has “agreed that, since it is highly likely that rigid social distancing will be required throughout the next academic year, there will be no face-to-face lectures next year.”
“The decision has been taken to provide a degree of certainty to facilitate Faculties and Departments when planning for educational delivery next academic year”.
Lectures will be live-streamed, recorded and made available on Moodle, while there are plans for lecture theatres to be used for small group teaching in line with social distancing requirements: “Faculties and Departments should continue to plan for face-to-face delivery of seminars, workshops and small group teaching”.
In reference to Michaelmas exams, Benton also notes that it is ‘highly unlikely these examinations will be able to take place in examination halls’. She suggests faculties adapt to this scenario accordingly.
https://thetab.com/uk/cambridge/2020/05/19/cambridge-confirms-no-face-to-face-lectures-during-the-next-academic-year-1377120 -
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All sounds eminently sensible. Exams would presumably be the main bugbear. I wonder how they plan to guarantee proper invigilation? It implies breaking up large groups of students into a lot of small ones, which will in turn require a great number of separate rooms and supervising staff.TheScreamingEagles said:BREAKING: Cambridge confirms ‘no face-to-face lectures during the next academic year’
Lectures and exams will be conducted virtually
In an email sent to Senior Tutors today (19th May), it was announced that the University of Cambridge plans to move all “face-to-face lectures” online in the next academic year, 2020/21.
Alice Benton, the Head of Education services, states in the email that the “General Board’s Education Committee” has “agreed that, since it is highly likely that rigid social distancing will be required throughout the next academic year, there will be no face-to-face lectures next year.”
“The decision has been taken to provide a degree of certainty to facilitate Faculties and Departments when planning for educational delivery next academic year”.
Lectures will be live-streamed, recorded and made available on Moodle, while there are plans for lecture theatres to be used for small group teaching in line with social distancing requirements: “Faculties and Departments should continue to plan for face-to-face delivery of seminars, workshops and small group teaching”.
In reference to Michaelmas exams, Benton also notes that it is ‘highly unlikely these examinations will be able to take place in examination halls’. She suggests faculties adapt to this scenario accordingly.
https://thetab.com/uk/cambridge/2020/05/19/cambridge-confirms-no-face-to-face-lectures-during-the-next-academic-year-1377120 -
LOL, how desperate can Tory unionists get.TheScreamingEagles said:
Your fellow Nats have a history on infesting voodoo polls.Theuniondivvie said:
One that no one apart from readers of the Press Gazette knew about.TheScreamingEagles said:
That's a voodoo poll, FOR SHAME.Theuniondivvie said:
No, Sturgeon has many more questions than Boris and Hancock because she hardly ever delegates the task of facing up to them onto the B, C and indeed Z team. Still, doesn't seem to be doing her too much harm.Big_G_NorthWales said:
Nicola was having a hard time on the Nike conference in Edinburgh and nursing homes today.contrarian said:The only people who can get rid of Boris are tory MPs and I haven;t seen much evidence they are unhappy about the care home crisis.
What they are unhappy about is the economy and the snail's pace emergence from lockdown.
She has as many questions as does Boris and Hancock but her conferences do not get UK wide coverage
https://twitter.com/GordonMackie5/status/1262783412793946113?s=20
'Nicola Sturgeon voted 'most impressive politician' in poll
The SNP leader took 29% of the vote, coming out on top just ahead of Chancellor Rishi Sunak on 24% and newly elected Labour leader Keir Starmer on 23%.
Meanwhile just 14% of those surveys selected Boris Johnson, just 3% picked Health Secretary Matt Hancock and Dominic Raab, who stepped in as the PM’s replacement while he was in hospital with Covid-19, took less than 3%.'
If anyone was going to infest a voodoo poll I'd put money on the glassy eyed acolytes of BJ currently.
I even did a PB thread on it.
https://www7.politicalbetting.com/index.php/archives/2018/09/05/your-regular-reminder-on-why-should-ignore-self-selecting-polls-aka-voodoo-polls/0 -
As well as our economy tanking spectacularly with massive job losses, we are obviously ploughing on regardless with Brexit. Couple of significant events today.
First up, the UK will carry over the EU MFN tariff schedule, at least on the big ticket items. This will mean big inflation in food prices and possibly food shortages next January if the UK doesn't agree an FTA with the EU before then.
Second the UK published its FTA asks. I was surprised by how ambitious they were (maximum access). Especially given how much the government has downplayed expectations.
Gove and Frost think they know better than the EU what is in the EU's interest and don't hold back from informing them of it in the most condescending way possible.0 -
Aka Priti's got a cause.Andy_JS said:New Priti Patel tweet.
https://twitter.com/pritipatel/status/1262793932259328001
I'm sure it won't be a distraction from all the other stuff, eg being a bit crap and unpopular.0 -
I find it hard to see how the Tory MPs could collectively contrive to sack Johnson. They're a mixture of libertarians who want lockdown rid of, and others who are aware that the public whom they have to keep on board will resist all easing of the lockdown for a bit.
+ who would they expect to take over? Sunak too valuable at the Treasury to have him leave there?0 -
You have to wonder if the top-tier universities might get a taste for this? You don;t have to spend so much on maintaining your physical base, and can expand your enrollment dramatically.TheScreamingEagles said:BREAKING: Cambridge confirms ‘no face-to-face lectures during the next academic year’
Lectures and exams will be conducted virtually
In an email sent to Senior Tutors today (19th May), it was announced that the University of Cambridge plans to move all “face-to-face lectures” online in the next academic year, 2020/21.
Alice Benton, the Head of Education services, states in the email that the “General Board’s Education Committee” has “agreed that, since it is highly likely that rigid social distancing will be required throughout the next academic year, there will be no face-to-face lectures next year.”
“The decision has been taken to provide a degree of certainty to facilitate Faculties and Departments when planning for educational delivery next academic year”.
Lectures will be live-streamed, recorded and made available on Moodle, while there are plans for lecture theatres to be used for small group teaching in line with social distancing requirements: “Faculties and Departments should continue to plan for face-to-face delivery of seminars, workshops and small group teaching”.
In reference to Michaelmas exams, Benton also notes that it is ‘highly unlikely these examinations will be able to take place in examination halls’. She suggests faculties adapt to this scenario accordingly.
https://thetab.com/uk/cambridge/2020/05/19/cambridge-confirms-no-face-to-face-lectures-during-the-next-academic-year-137712
I read an interview with an education expert last week in New York Magazine who said this could be the future. Students fly in for a month or two of face to face, do the rest of the year remotely. He said it would only work for the big-name schools but it would work for them quite well.0 -
The salaries they pay themselves at the top are obsceneanother_richard said:
It's 'extremely well funded' but needs a big redundancy scheme ?FrancisUrquhart said:Had word today that a major & extremely well funded UK university is rolling out a big redunacy scheme, god only know what will happen to the mid / lower tier institutions.
That magic money forest is going to need some more harvesting.
Perhaps those funds have not been used wisely.0 -
Probably, but it doesn't automatically follow. They're right to adopt the precautionary principle, assume that this thing doesn't somehow burn itself out quickly, and make detailed plans well in advance. Anyway, even if mass vaccination becomes possible by the Autumn (which you're right to point out that a great many experts are very sceptical of) then these arrangements would still be needed until Christmas.FrancisUrquhart said:
Now remember when all the tech bros shut down early & saying work from home for at least the rest of the year (some forever). This again signals that smart people dont think there is a vaccine or this thing reducing to minimal levels anytime soon.TheScreamingEagles said:BREAKING: Cambridge confirms ‘no face-to-face lectures during the next academic year’
Lectures and exams will be conducted virtually
In an email sent to Senior Tutors today (19th May), it was announced that the University of Cambridge plans to move all “face-to-face lectures” online in the next academic year, 2020/21.
Alice Benton, the Head of Education services, states in the email that the “General Board’s Education Committee” has “agreed that, since it is highly likely that rigid social distancing will be required throughout the next academic year, there will be no face-to-face lectures next year.”
“The decision has been taken to provide a degree of certainty to facilitate Faculties and Departments when planning for educational delivery next academic year”.
Lectures will be live-streamed, recorded and made available on Moodle, while there are plans for lecture theatres to be used for small group teaching in line with social distancing requirements: “Faculties and Departments should continue to plan for face-to-face delivery of seminars, workshops and small group teaching”.
In reference to Michaelmas exams, Benton also notes that it is ‘highly unlikely these examinations will be able to take place in examination halls’. She suggests faculties adapt to this scenario accordingly.
https://thetab.com/uk/cambridge/2020/05/19/cambridge-confirms-no-face-to-face-lectures-during-the-next-academic-year-1377120 -
I would be for a minimum wage, but against the maximum working week, especially if you took it to French levels. I am not trying to speak for remainers, or a political party or tribe, my views are just my own.Socky said:
That is a fair point.noneoftheabove said:I think you are equally wrong in valuing abstract non useful rights ahead of the economy and businesses.
However many remainers claim to be greatly concerned about the economy, but I don't recall them arguing against the minimum wage, or for less employment protection, or for any of a number of policies that would help business.
It feels like "I put the economy first" is often a debating tactic rather than the truth.
I am not saying the economy or business is always first either, just that common standards > varying standards anyway so the "loss" of sovereignty in signing up is abstract and near meaningless.0 -
The worst news came for me this week, the train companies are getting rid of first class for the foreseeable future.FrancisUrquhart said:
Now remember when all the tech bros shut down early & saying work from home for at least the rest of the year (some forever). This again signals that smart people dont think there is a vaccine or this thing reducing to minimal levels anytime soon.TheScreamingEagles said:BREAKING: Cambridge confirms ‘no face-to-face lectures during the next academic year’
Lectures and exams will be conducted virtually
In an email sent to Senior Tutors today (19th May), it was announced that the University of Cambridge plans to move all “face-to-face lectures” online in the next academic year, 2020/21.
Alice Benton, the Head of Education services, states in the email that the “General Board’s Education Committee” has “agreed that, since it is highly likely that rigid social distancing will be required throughout the next academic year, there will be no face-to-face lectures next year.”
“The decision has been taken to provide a degree of certainty to facilitate Faculties and Departments when planning for educational delivery next academic year”.
Lectures will be live-streamed, recorded and made available on Moodle, while there are plans for lecture theatres to be used for small group teaching in line with social distancing requirements: “Faculties and Departments should continue to plan for face-to-face delivery of seminars, workshops and small group teaching”.
In reference to Michaelmas exams, Benton also notes that it is ‘highly unlikely these examinations will be able to take place in examination halls’. She suggests faculties adapt to this scenario accordingly.
https://thetab.com/uk/cambridge/2020/05/19/cambridge-confirms-no-face-to-face-lectures-during-the-next-academic-year-137712
How the feck am I supposed to get to work without a first class section?0 -
Given how few lectures Humanity subjects often have they should be blooming profitable for universities.Black_Rook said:
If and when the Government does get the bailing bucket out for higher education, it will be interesting to see what the terms are - specifically,FrancisUrquhart said:Had word today that a major & extremely well funded UK university is rolling out a big redunacy scheme, god only know what will happen to the mid / lower tier institutions.
That magic money forest is going to need some more harvesting.
1) Will blanket support be extended, or will they be interested only in propping STEM subjects and leave the Humanities to their fate; and
2) Will this be accompanied by the lifting of the cap on tuition fees, so the more prestigious institutions can try to claw back some more of their losses by obliging their students to cough up full whack for the privilege of attendance?1 -
Wouldn't surprise me. In a quiet moment on impulse a couple of days ago, I put up this petition:contrarian said:reports suggest Johnson is now bottling out of June 01 start for schools.
http://chng.it/mpmDqnwpKy
and mentioned it in a single post on a couple of local FB groups covering my ward, more as an expression of personal opinion that might interest ward residents than anything else. 100 people signed within hours and I was swamped with comments - a couple of people were keen to resume, but nearly everyone else said "Let's do it carerfully when there's a consensus even if it takes longer".0 -
Possibly, but that's surely contingent on the subject? If you can get all the library resources as well as the tuition online then this might work for a lot of arts subjects, but sciency types are still going to need the regular use of laboratory facilities.Kevin_McCandless said:
You have to wonder if the top-tier universities might get a taste for this? You don;t have to spend so much on maintaining your physical base, and can expand your enrollment dramatically.TheScreamingEagles said:BREAKING: Cambridge confirms ‘no face-to-face lectures during the next academic year’
Lectures and exams will be conducted virtually
In an email sent to Senior Tutors today (19th May), it was announced that the University of Cambridge plans to move all “face-to-face lectures” online in the next academic year, 2020/21.
Alice Benton, the Head of Education services, states in the email that the “General Board’s Education Committee” has “agreed that, since it is highly likely that rigid social distancing will be required throughout the next academic year, there will be no face-to-face lectures next year.”
“The decision has been taken to provide a degree of certainty to facilitate Faculties and Departments when planning for educational delivery next academic year”.
Lectures will be live-streamed, recorded and made available on Moodle, while there are plans for lecture theatres to be used for small group teaching in line with social distancing requirements: “Faculties and Departments should continue to plan for face-to-face delivery of seminars, workshops and small group teaching”.
In reference to Michaelmas exams, Benton also notes that it is ‘highly unlikely these examinations will be able to take place in examination halls’. She suggests faculties adapt to this scenario accordingly.
https://thetab.com/uk/cambridge/2020/05/19/cambridge-confirms-no-face-to-face-lectures-during-the-next-academic-year-137712
I read an interview with an education expert last week in New York Magazine who said this could be the future. Students fly in for a month or two of face to face, do the rest of the year remotely. He said it would only work for the big-name schools but it would work for them quite well.0 -
swamped with comments?? How many comments.??? as ever there are two different schools of thought on this, not sure which has more support.NickPalmer said:
Wouldn't surprise me. In a quiet moment on impulse a couple of days ago, I put up this petition:contrarian said:reports suggest Johnson is now bottling out of June 01 start for schools.
http://chng.it/mpmDqnwpKy
and mentioned it in a single post on a couple of local FB groups covering my ward, more as an expression of personal opinion that might interest ward residents than anything else. 100 people signed within hours and I was swamped with comments - a couple of people were keen to resume, but nearly everyone else said "Let's do it carerfully when there's a consensus even if it takes longer".0 -
Hire a special.TheScreamingEagles said:
The worst news came for me this week, the train companies are getting rid of first class for the foreseeable future.FrancisUrquhart said:
Now remember when all the tech bros shut down early & saying work from home for at least the rest of the year (some forever). This again signals that smart people dont think there is a vaccine or this thing reducing to minimal levels anytime soon.TheScreamingEagles said:BREAKING: Cambridge confirms ‘no face-to-face lectures during the next academic year’
Lectures and exams will be conducted virtually
In an email sent to Senior Tutors today (19th May), it was announced that the University of Cambridge plans to move all “face-to-face lectures” online in the next academic year, 2020/21.
Alice Benton, the Head of Education services, states in the email that the “General Board’s Education Committee” has “agreed that, since it is highly likely that rigid social distancing will be required throughout the next academic year, there will be no face-to-face lectures next year.”
“The decision has been taken to provide a degree of certainty to facilitate Faculties and Departments when planning for educational delivery next academic year”.
Lectures will be live-streamed, recorded and made available on Moodle, while there are plans for lecture theatres to be used for small group teaching in line with social distancing requirements: “Faculties and Departments should continue to plan for face-to-face delivery of seminars, workshops and small group teaching”.
In reference to Michaelmas exams, Benton also notes that it is ‘highly unlikely these examinations will be able to take place in examination halls’. She suggests faculties adapt to this scenario accordingly.
https://thetab.com/uk/cambridge/2020/05/19/cambridge-confirms-no-face-to-face-lectures-during-the-next-academic-year-137712
How the feck am I supposed to get to work without a first class section?
0 -
Evening all
It will be fascinating to see how transport usage changes in the coming days. We now have a 4-minute service on the District Line - the best it has been for several weeks. Clearly, some additional capacity has been created due to Sunak's largesse but it remains to be seen if it is being filled - ditto for the trains and buses.
The Central Line has a 3-minute service which is better than usual.
Talking to a client today, ideas around one way corridors in buildings are being considered but lifts remain the big obstacle to a large-scale return as well as toilets and other communal areas. The idea more than 20% could return to any building and maintain social distancing is absurd and most organisations already function with buildings open from 7am to 9pm or later so there's little scope for further extending the working day.
UK Services and Manufacturing flash PMIs for May out on Thursday morning and I suspect it will be ugly, Sunak is certainly sounding very cautious but must be hoping the pent up demand will surge back into the economy once restrictions are eased. He needs a "V" recovery, he can probably live with a "U" but has to avoid an "L".0 -
A comment from a music teacher who I bumped into at Aldi (I know but the more expensive wines are good value) was there is no way any primary school around here could but 15 children in a classroom with the required distancing. Even halfing it wouldn't help that much.NickPalmer said:
Wouldn't surprise me. In a quiet moment on impulse a couple of days ago, I put up this petition:contrarian said:reports suggest Johnson is now bottling out of June 01 start for schools.
http://chng.it/mpmDqnwpKy
and mentioned it in a single post on a couple of local FB groups covering my ward, more as an expression of personal opinion that might interest ward residents than anything else. 100 people signed within hours and I was swamped with comments - a couple of people were keen to resume, but nearly everyone else said "Let's do it carerfully when there's a consensus even if it takes longer".0 -
Yeah, no question. The model estimates of number of daily infections just before lockdown are just shocking. 200k/day? 400k? 600k? Nobody really knows, other than it was a very big number, and increasingly rapidly.Nigelb said:
Fair comment.
But note the crossover - and if we’d locked down a week and a half earlier, we’d have had maybe a quarter of the number of cases.
Hard to tell how much is hindsight though - we knew the tidal wave was coming, but not how quickly. On March 16th we had 65 deaths (total not daily!). The govt had made its appeals for distancing and largely been ignored, so a week later ..... lockdown. Of course, had we had wider and quicker testing back then, the govt would have a good picture sooner.
0 -
Looks like it will be spaced-out Morris Dancing at the May Ball. That or the Reel.Nigelb said:
Wimps.TheScreamingEagles said:BREAKING: Cambridge confirms ‘no face-to-face lectures during the next academic year’
Lectures and exams will be conducted virtually
In an email sent to Senior Tutors today (19th May), it was announced that the University of Cambridge plans to move all “face-to-face lectures” online in the next academic year, 2020/21.
Alice Benton, the Head of Education services, states in the email that the “General Board’s Education Committee” has “agreed that, since it is highly likely that rigid social distancing will be required throughout the next academic year, there will be no face-to-face lectures next year.”
“The decision has been taken to provide a degree of certainty to facilitate Faculties and Departments when planning for educational delivery next academic year”.
Lectures will be live-streamed, recorded and made available on Moodle, while there are plans for lecture theatres to be used for small group teaching in line with social distancing requirements: “Faculties and Departments should continue to plan for face-to-face delivery of seminars, workshops and small group teaching”.
In reference to Michaelmas exams, Benton also notes that it is ‘highly unlikely these examinations will be able to take place in examination halls’. She suggests faculties adapt to this scenario accordingly.
https://thetab.com/uk/cambridge/2020/05/19/cambridge-confirms-no-face-to-face-lectures-during-the-next-academic-year-137712
No Kizombas there.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kqSFANwgojo0 -
Parents of school age children or just general residents?NickPalmer said:
Wouldn't surprise me. In a quiet moment on impulse a couple of days ago, I put up this petition:contrarian said:reports suggest Johnson is now bottling out of June 01 start for schools.
http://chng.it/mpmDqnwpKy
and mentioned it in a single post on a couple of local FB groups covering my ward, more as an expression of personal opinion that might interest ward residents than anything else. 100 people signed within hours and I was swamped with comments - a couple of people were keen to resume, but nearly everyone else said "Let's do it carerfully when there's a consensus even if it takes longer".
A friend who is a teacher ran a survey of their school parents and had a 70% approval for reopening in June.0 -
Given that it's one person / group per 4 seats at the moment I don't think you have much to worry about. My brother has switched from working at Chiltern to West Coast Mainline and he was the only person in 4 first class carriages last week.TheScreamingEagles said:
The worst news came for me this week, the train companies are getting rid of first class for the foreseeable future.FrancisUrquhart said:
Now remember when all the tech bros shut down early & saying work from home for at least the rest of the year (some forever). This again signals that smart people dont think there is a vaccine or this thing reducing to minimal levels anytime soon.TheScreamingEagles said:BREAKING: Cambridge confirms ‘no face-to-face lectures during the next academic year’
Lectures and exams will be conducted virtually
In an email sent to Senior Tutors today (19th May), it was announced that the University of Cambridge plans to move all “face-to-face lectures” online in the next academic year, 2020/21.
Alice Benton, the Head of Education services, states in the email that the “General Board’s Education Committee” has “agreed that, since it is highly likely that rigid social distancing will be required throughout the next academic year, there will be no face-to-face lectures next year.”
“The decision has been taken to provide a degree of certainty to facilitate Faculties and Departments when planning for educational delivery next academic year”.
Lectures will be live-streamed, recorded and made available on Moodle, while there are plans for lecture theatres to be used for small group teaching in line with social distancing requirements: “Faculties and Departments should continue to plan for face-to-face delivery of seminars, workshops and small group teaching”.
In reference to Michaelmas exams, Benton also notes that it is ‘highly unlikely these examinations will be able to take place in examination halls’. She suggests faculties adapt to this scenario accordingly.
https://thetab.com/uk/cambridge/2020/05/19/cambridge-confirms-no-face-to-face-lectures-during-the-next-academic-year-137712
How the feck am I supposed to get to work without a first class section?0 -
eek said:
A comment from a music teacher who I bumped into at Aldi (I know but the more expensive wines are good value) was there is no way any primary school around here could but 15 children in a classroom with the required distancing. Even halfing it wouldn't help that much.</blockquoteNickPalmer said:
Wouldn't surprise me. In a quiet moment on impulse a couple of days ago, I put up this petition:contrarian said:reports suggest Johnson is now bottling out of June 01 start for schools.
http://chng.it/mpmDqnwpKy
and mentioned it in a single post on a couple of local FB groups covering my ward, more as an expression of personal opinion that might interest ward residents than anything else. 100 people signed within hours and I was swamped with comments - a couple of people were keen to resume, but nearly everyone else said "Let's do it carerfully when there's a consensus even if it takes longer".
sounds like they are never reopening then.0 -
I would if I could.IshmaelZ said:
Hire a special.TheScreamingEagles said:
The worst news came for me this week, the train companies are getting rid of first class for the foreseeable future.FrancisUrquhart said:
Now remember when all the tech bros shut down early & saying work from home for at least the rest of the year (some forever). This again signals that smart people dont think there is a vaccine or this thing reducing to minimal levels anytime soon.TheScreamingEagles said:BREAKING: Cambridge confirms ‘no face-to-face lectures during the next academic year’
Lectures and exams will be conducted virtually
In an email sent to Senior Tutors today (19th May), it was announced that the University of Cambridge plans to move all “face-to-face lectures” online in the next academic year, 2020/21.
Alice Benton, the Head of Education services, states in the email that the “General Board’s Education Committee” has “agreed that, since it is highly likely that rigid social distancing will be required throughout the next academic year, there will be no face-to-face lectures next year.”
“The decision has been taken to provide a degree of certainty to facilitate Faculties and Departments when planning for educational delivery next academic year”.
Lectures will be live-streamed, recorded and made available on Moodle, while there are plans for lecture theatres to be used for small group teaching in line with social distancing requirements: “Faculties and Departments should continue to plan for face-to-face delivery of seminars, workshops and small group teaching”.
In reference to Michaelmas exams, Benton also notes that it is ‘highly unlikely these examinations will be able to take place in examination halls’. She suggests faculties adapt to this scenario accordingly.
https://thetab.com/uk/cambridge/2020/05/19/cambridge-confirms-no-face-to-face-lectures-during-the-next-academic-year-137712
How the feck am I supposed to get to work without a first class section?0 -
Government guidance for lifts are one person in each corner facing into the corner. Their documentation even has a pretty photo with floor markings illustrating how to do this.stodge said:Evening all
but lifts remain the big obstacle to a large-scale return as well as toilets and other communal areas.
Remember, it's 2m where possible, not 2m at all times.
0 -
What Johnson and Sunak shut down, they will have the devil's own job opening up.stodge said:Evening all
It will be fascinating to see how transport usage changes in the coming days. We now have a 4-minute service on the District Line - the best it has been for several weeks. Clearly, some additional capacity has been created due to Sunak's largesse but it remains to be seen if it is being filled - ditto for the trains and buses.
The Central Line has a 3-minute service which is better than usual.
Talking to a client today, ideas around one way corridors in buildings are being considered but lifts remain the big obstacle to a large-scale return as well as toilets and other communal areas. The idea more than 20% could return to any building and maintain social distancing is absurd and most organisations already function with buildings open from 7am to 9pm or later so there's little scope for further extending the working day.
UK Services and Manufacturing flash PMIs for May out on Thursday morning and I suspect it will be ugly, Sunak is certainly sounding very cautious but must be hoping the pent up demand will surge back into the economy once restrictions are eased. He needs a "V" recovery, he can probably live with a "U" but has to avoid an "L".
And what if there's a cases upsurge in the meantime???? but R!! R!!0 -
It was sent to union members, so it’s not a survey that could be infiltrated. The figures are likely to be not vastly different to what a polling company would get, given the near unanimity of the responses. I said some weeks ago that Johnson shouldn’t try to open up schools further because it would fall apart, so it’s hardly unexpected if he has to ‘adapt to circumstance’ now. Not that I am under their control but my local authority and surrounding ones have already poured cold water on the idea, independent schools are increasingly saying no and the idea that it would get those in need back in school has been shown to be incorrect. Johnson should have just expanded the key worker list, if he’d thought more about the art of the possible he wouldn’t have got into this mess.TheScreamingEagles said:Seems like today is voodoo poll day.
0 -
Time to reintroduce the sedan chair....TheScreamingEagles said:
I would if I could.IshmaelZ said:
Hire a special.TheScreamingEagles said:
The worst news came for me this week, the train companies are getting rid of first class for the foreseeable future.FrancisUrquhart said:
Now remember when all the tech bros shut down early & saying work from home for at least the rest of the year (some forever). This again signals that smart people dont think there is a vaccine or this thing reducing to minimal levels anytime soon.TheScreamingEagles said:BREAKING: Cambridge confirms ‘no face-to-face lectures during the next academic year’
Lectures and exams will be conducted virtually
In an email sent to Senior Tutors today (19th May), it was announced that the University of Cambridge plans to move all “face-to-face lectures” online in the next academic year, 2020/21.
Alice Benton, the Head of Education services, states in the email that the “General Board’s Education Committee” has “agreed that, since it is highly likely that rigid social distancing will be required throughout the next academic year, there will be no face-to-face lectures next year.”
“The decision has been taken to provide a degree of certainty to facilitate Faculties and Departments when planning for educational delivery next academic year”.
Lectures will be live-streamed, recorded and made available on Moodle, while there are plans for lecture theatres to be used for small group teaching in line with social distancing requirements: “Faculties and Departments should continue to plan for face-to-face delivery of seminars, workshops and small group teaching”.
In reference to Michaelmas exams, Benton also notes that it is ‘highly unlikely these examinations will be able to take place in examination halls’. She suggests faculties adapt to this scenario accordingly.
https://thetab.com/uk/cambridge/2020/05/19/cambridge-confirms-no-face-to-face-lectures-during-the-next-academic-year-137712
How the feck am I supposed to get to work without a first class section?0 -
Improvise.TheScreamingEagles said:
I would if I could.IshmaelZ said:
Hire a special.TheScreamingEagles said:
The worst news came for me this week, the train companies are getting rid of first class for the foreseeable future.FrancisUrquhart said:
Now remember when all the tech bros shut down early & saying work from home for at least the rest of the year (some forever). This again signals that smart people dont think there is a vaccine or this thing reducing to minimal levels anytime soon.TheScreamingEagles said:BREAKING: Cambridge confirms ‘no face-to-face lectures during the next academic year’
Lectures and exams will be conducted virtually
In an email sent to Senior Tutors today (19th May), it was announced that the University of Cambridge plans to move all “face-to-face lectures” online in the next academic year, 2020/21.
Alice Benton, the Head of Education services, states in the email that the “General Board’s Education Committee” has “agreed that, since it is highly likely that rigid social distancing will be required throughout the next academic year, there will be no face-to-face lectures next year.”
“The decision has been taken to provide a degree of certainty to facilitate Faculties and Departments when planning for educational delivery next academic year”.
Lectures will be live-streamed, recorded and made available on Moodle, while there are plans for lecture theatres to be used for small group teaching in line with social distancing requirements: “Faculties and Departments should continue to plan for face-to-face delivery of seminars, workshops and small group teaching”.
In reference to Michaelmas exams, Benton also notes that it is ‘highly unlikely these examinations will be able to take place in examination halls’. She suggests faculties adapt to this scenario accordingly.
https://thetab.com/uk/cambridge/2020/05/19/cambridge-confirms-no-face-to-face-lectures-during-the-next-academic-year-137712
How the feck am I supposed to get to work without a first class section?0 -
IF they want a recovery, they are going to have to junk many of these regulations, or it just ain;'t happening.JonathanD said:
Government guidance for lifts are one person in each corner facing into the corner. Their documentation even has a pretty photo with floor markings illustrating how to do this.stodge said:Evening all
but lifts remain the big obstacle to a large-scale return as well as toilets and other communal areas.
Remember, it's 2m where possible, not 2m at all times.
Social distanced pubs? what publican in his right mind is going re-open under those circumstances. Ditto for thousands of businesses.
Right now....this is a dead cat bounce, into which Sunak is soon going to inject millions of workers.
0 -
Why?Nigelb said:
There is, though, surely something of a difference between the US, Chinese and European markets... and a new, somehow unique UK one ?PoodleInASlipstream said:
Indeed. I can only speak for the industry I have experience in (electronics) but I presume it's not to different for any form of manufacturing; almost all efficiencies of scale come from bulk purchasing a limited number of components. When working on a new product one of the overriding design goals is always to use components that are already in use in another model, where and when that is possible without compromising functionality.Philip_Thompson said:Manufacturers can do scale by using common components in both where possible while using other components where it isn't possible. As they already do!
There is an additional manufacturing cost involved in building two models rather then one, but if they employ all the same major components that cost is fairly trivial.
An example people will be familiar with is Samsung mobile phones. A 'Galaxy so-and-so' that you buy in the UK may well have completely different internals from a US or Chinese phone of apparently the same model. Would it be cheaper for Samsung to have one universal design? Yes, but not enough to offset the benefits they see in having varying designs for each market.
The idea that any slight change to a design instantly kills volume efficiency is not remotely correct. When manufacturing at very large volumes the opposite often becomes true; it's sensible to have multiple, varying designs so that an interruption in supply of a critical part doesn't kill your entire output stone dead.
(and.. first post! Hello everyone!)
And welcome.
Japanese have their own market. And the Japanese are quite capable of selling to Europe. And the Japanese are quite capable of selling to the USA and China. And the Japanese are quite capable of setting their own laws that suit themselves or having their own models of products that aren't sold elsewhere (some of which can then go on to be exported later).
Why are we incapable of doing something similar? Why do you have such a low view of our country that we can't be like a European version of Japan?1 -
Who knows? I don't know more than a handful of the respondents (Change.org gives you a list of the names), so it's just people in my area who happened to see the FB post. I don't in the least claim it as represerntative (even a voodoo poll is advertised more widely), but I was struck by how quickly people signed up. There's quite a bit of concern, I think.JonathanD said:
Parents of school age children or just general residents?NickPalmer said:
Wouldn't surprise me. In a quiet moment on impulse a couple of days ago, I put up this petition:contrarian said:reports suggest Johnson is now bottling out of June 01 start for schools.
http://chng.it/mpmDqnwpKy
and mentioned it in a single post on a couple of local FB groups covering my ward, more as an expression of personal opinion that might interest ward residents than anything else. 100 people signed within hours and I was swamped with comments - a couple of people were keen to resume, but nearly everyone else said "Let's do it carerfully when there's a consensus even if it takes longer".
A friend who is a teacher ran a survey of their school parents and had a 70% approval for reopening in June.0 -
Years ago I found I could get an entire carriage to myself by reciting the Koran loudly on a train.MattW said:
Improvise.
#PartOfTobyYoung'sFreeSpeechUnion0 -
I feel your pain - I'm all for the classless society as someone once said but they haven't travelled from London to Penzance.TheScreamingEagles said:
The worst news came for me this week, the train companies are getting rid of first class for the foreseeable future.
How the feck am I supposed to get to work without a first class section?
That journey, in a comfortable first class seat, is very pleasant. Plenty of free food and drink on offer from the moment you set foot (with a good hour to spare hopefully) in the First Class Lounge at Paddington.
One thing I used to enjoy which wasn't free was the Dining car on the Cornish Riviera. If you were in First and travelling past Plymouth, you were invited to your seat for the second sitting and served your four-course lunch as the train was out of Exeter and heading along the coast through Dawlish so a great view as well,
As the dining and buffet was going on into Cornwall no rush to push you out at Plymouth so plenty of time to enjoy a final coffee before returning to your seat.
The only way to travel...2 -
Absolutely I do rights must always come first.noneoftheabove said:
You value rights above the economy and practicality. On such a question for me the rights are completely trivial compared to the economic and practical benefits of common standards. There is a trade off and we will never agree.Philip_Thompson said:
Of course that's the case. So the only reason to have a particularly different spec is if people think there's a very good reason to want a different spec. But if people do want a different spec and are prepared to pay for it, then why shouldn't that be an option?noneoftheabove said:
Rules are imposed on all beings on this planet by all sorts of external forces. I dont try and fight that reality.IshmaelZ said:
Well, because you don't want rules imposed on you by external parties. That is not an argument I have any sympathy with, but the claim that manufacturing just can't produce things to a separate UK spec, "and I know this because I am an expert," is just demolished by the fact that we can have any vehicle we like in RHD without paying a premium over what LHD costs.noneoftheabove said:
Cope is an apt choice of word. No one would have designed it like this, it is a quirk of history that costs everyone that can no longer be cheaply solved.IshmaelZ said:
A bit. But Lhd vs rhd is rather a good point: it is an existing example of a UK spec which is about as awkward and expensive as one can easily imagine, but which manufacturing seems to cope with ok.noneoftheabove said:
Yes not all of us have unlimited money so prefer things cheaper when there is no particular benefit to lots of separate standards, it is the consumer who loses.Philip_Thompson said:
Does it matter?noneoftheabove said:
If you ask Vauxhall could they build their cars cheaper if they didnt have to do LHD and RHD models, what would their answer be?Philip_Thompson said:
Manufacturers can do scale by using common components in both where possible while using other components where it isn't possible. As they already do!eek said:
Ever heard of benefits of scale (you may remember it from such things as the pin manufacturing in Adam Smiths Wealth of Nations). Unless you think Britain should have poorer quality goods how do you think savings would be made?Philip_Thompson said:
If we want to vary our standards we will be able to do so. Companies already make a plethora of models of products, if they want to manufacture a GB model of a product to be sold in GB then there is no reason they can't do that while still also manufacturing EU models to be sold in the EU.RochdalePioneers said:
Yes, and the products made for sale in the EU have to adhere to the legal trading standards set by the EU. Brexiteers insist that won't apply to Britain after we leave. Its bollocks and they know it.Philip_Thompson said:No. Factories can manufacture to more than just one spec and do all the time. That's how Asian manufacturers can export across the whole globe, they understand the spec and manufacture to that. One factory can produce more than one spec of product.
Not that we plan on downgrading EU standards of course. So they insist. So adhering to said EU standards which we choose to have as UK standards would be a good plan. Which would mean easy access to the EEA, no border down the Irish Sea etc etc. But can't have that because wazzocks.
Its remarkable how car companies for instance can manufacture Vauxhall specification cars for the UK and manufacture Opel specification cars for the EU. And they did even when we were in the EU because the Vauxhall brand suited the UK.
They are capable of doing both models. Just as any variance in our standards will see manufacturers capable of producing multiple models.
Manufacturers already do produce multiple models. What matters is whether consumer demand is there.
Why look to create more of those scenarios?
I have never claimed people cant produce something to a UK spec. It obviously just depends on not making the spec impossible. I am pointing out that there is an economic cost to consumers from having various standards and on top of that we are losing a trade deal with the worlds largest single market in order to have the right to impose that cost on ourselves.
And it cuts both ways. It might not just be legalising something not legal in Europe, it could also be the reverse. If we wish to have higher environmental standards than Europe, thus potentially making some European products illegal, why should we not have the right to do that?
Those posters saying companies "cant" produce a UK product are clearly wrong. I think you are equally wrong in valuing abstract non useful rights ahead of the economy and businesses.
Though I don't for one second think that the two are that contradictory either. I'm glad you agree that producing a UK product is clearly possible, but it would also only happen if there is demand for it - and if there is demand for it then why shouldn't it happen?0 -
Yes that's fine but that doesn't work in a large office block with thousands of workers on different floors. Even with a full complement of lifts (including Express lifts), the numbers of people needing to be moved in the morning and evening (and at lunch time) often mean queues forming.JonathanD said:
Government guidance for lifts are one person in each corner facing into the corner. Their documentation even has a pretty photo with floor markings illustrating how to do this.stodge said:Evening all
but lifts remain the big obstacle to a large-scale return as well as toilets and other communal areas.
Remember, it's 2m where possible, not 2m at all times.
It wouldn't work in the average Las Vegas Strip hotel either from recollection.0 -
There was individual demand for both betamax and VHS but society would have been better with one common standard.Philip_Thompson said:
Absolutely I do rights must always come first.noneoftheabove said:
You value rights above the economy and practicality. On such a question for me the rights are completely trivial compared to the economic and practical benefits of common standards. There is a trade off and we will never agree.Philip_Thompson said:
Of course that's the case. So the only reason to have a particularly different spec is if people think there's a very good reason to want a different spec. But if people do want a different spec and are prepared to pay for it, then why shouldn't that be an option?noneoftheabove said:
Rules are imposed on all beings on this planet by all sorts of external forces. I dont try and fight that reality.IshmaelZ said:
Well, because you don't want rules imposed on you by external parties. That is not an argument I have any sympathy with, but the claim that manufacturing just can't produce things to a separate UK spec, "and I know this because I am an expert," is just demolished by the fact that we can have any vehicle we like in RHD without paying a premium over what LHD costs.noneoftheabove said:
Cope is an apt choice of word. No one would have designed it like this, it is a quirk of history that costs everyone that can no longer be cheaply solved.IshmaelZ said:
A bit. But Lhd vs rhd is rather a good point: it is an existing example of a UK spec which is about as awkward and expensive as one can easily imagine, but which manufacturing seems to cope with ok.noneoftheabove said:
Yes not all of us have unlimited money so prefer things cheaper when there is no particular benefit to lots of separate standards, it is the consumer who loses.Philip_Thompson said:
Does it matter?noneoftheabove said:
If you ask Vauxhall could they build their cars cheaper if they didnt have to do LHD and RHD models, what would their answer be?Philip_Thompson said:
Manufacturers can do scale by using common components in both where possible while using other components where it isn't possible. As they already do!eek said:
Ever heard of benefits of scale (you may remember it from such things as the pin manufacturing in Adam Smiths Wealth of Nations). Unless you think Britain should have poorer quality goods how do you think savings would be made?Philip_Thompson said:
If we want to vary our standards we will be able to do so. Companies already make a plethora of models of products, if they want to manufacture a GB model of a product to be sold in GB then there is no reason they can't do that while still also manufacturing EU models to be sold in the EU.RochdalePioneers said:
Yes, and the products made for sale in the EU have to adhere to the legal trading standards set by the EU. Brexiteers insist that won't apply to Britain after we leave. Its bollocks and they know it.Philip_Thompson said:No. Factories can manufacture to more than just one spec and do all the time. That's how Asian manufacturers can export across the whole globe, they understand the spec and manufacture to that. One factory can produce more than one spec of product.
Not that we plan on downgrading EU standards of course. So they insist. So adhering to said EU standards which we choose to have as UK standards would be a good plan. Which would mean easy access to the EEA, no border down the Irish Sea etc etc. But can't have that because wazzocks.
Its remarkable how car companies for instance can manufacture Vauxhall specification cars for the UK and manufacture Opel specification cars for the EU. And they did even when we were in the EU because the Vauxhall brand suited the UK.
They are capable of doing both models. Just as any variance in our standards will see manufacturers capable of producing multiple models.
Manufacturers already do produce multiple models. What matters is whether consumer demand is there.
Why look to create more of those scenarios?
I have never claimed people cant produce something to a UK spec. It obviously just depends on not making the spec impossible. I am pointing out that there is an economic cost to consumers from having various standards and on top of that we are losing a trade deal with the worlds largest single market in order to have the right to impose that cost on ourselves.
And it cuts both ways. It might not just be legalising something not legal in Europe, it could also be the reverse. If we wish to have higher environmental standards than Europe, thus potentially making some European products illegal, why should we not have the right to do that?
Those posters saying companies "cant" produce a UK product are clearly wrong. I think you are equally wrong in valuing abstract non useful rights ahead of the economy and businesses.
Though I don't for one second think that the two are that contradictory either. I'm glad you agree that producing a UK product is clearly possible, but it would also only happen if there is demand for it - and if there is demand for it then why shouldn't it happen?0 -
The lack of international students is key here. The government bear considerable responsibility for this as their strategy for higher education was one of greater international reach. Will they try and walk away and blame the universities for doing exactly that? There will be fireworks if they try to and don’t admit to their culpability, at least in part.TheScreamingEagles said:
I wrote on here last week that a few friends work in the university/private education sectors and a lot of them were bracing for job losses.FrancisUrquhart said:Had word today that a major & extremely well funded UK university is rolling out a big redunacy scheme, god only know what will happen to the mid / lower tier institutions.
That magic money forest is going to need some more harvesting.0 -
About 80, including people commenting on comments. All notably civil, recognising the different schools of thought. There was one grumpy person who said that as I was Labour it should be ignored, but everyone else was up for a discussion. There wasn't all that much disagreement - the range was from "let's wait till there's a consensus" toi "let's leave it to parents to weigh up".Half a dozen were especially worried about pre-schoolers as they felt that it was unrealistic to expect their 3-year-old not to run around boisterously and cannon into other kids.squareroot2 said:
swamped with comments?? How many comments.??? as ever there are two different schools of thought on this, not sure which has more support.NickPalmer said:
Wouldn't surprise me. In a quiet moment on impulse a couple of days ago, I put up this petition:contrarian said:reports suggest Johnson is now bottling out of June 01 start for schools.
http://chng.it/mpmDqnwpKy
and mentioned it in a single post on a couple of local FB groups covering my ward, more as an expression of personal opinion that might interest ward residents than anything else. 100 people signed within hours and I was swamped with comments - a couple of people were keen to resume, but nearly everyone else said "Let's do it carerfully when there's a consensus even if it takes longer".
On the council, we were discussing the similar problem that hospitals are designed for speed and efficiency, which means long narrow corridors, packed waiting areas, etc. Resdesign for social distancing would drastically reduce throughput.
It's genuinely difficult, and the best I can come up is a shift system.0 -
Its a bubble overdue a burst.ukpaul said:
The lack of international students is key here. The government bear considerable responsibility for this as their strategy for higher education was one of greater international reach. Will they try and walk away and blame the universities for doing exactly that? There will be fireworks if they try to and don’t admit to their culpability, at least in part.TheScreamingEagles said:
I wrote on here last week that a few friends work in the university/private education sectors and a lot of them were bracing for job losses.FrancisUrquhart said:Had word today that a major & extremely well funded UK university is rolling out a big redunacy scheme, god only know what will happen to the mid / lower tier institutions.
That magic money forest is going to need some more harvesting.0 -
It's the scared witless parents and teachers that shout the loudest and get the most attention in all of this. In reality, I would imagine that the parents split in the following fashion:JonathanD said:
Parents of school age children or just general residents?NickPalmer said:
Wouldn't surprise me. In a quiet moment on impulse a couple of days ago, I put up this petition:contrarian said:reports suggest Johnson is now bottling out of June 01 start for schools.
http://chng.it/mpmDqnwpKy
and mentioned it in a single post on a couple of local FB groups covering my ward, more as an expression of personal opinion that might interest ward residents than anything else. 100 people signed within hours and I was swamped with comments - a couple of people were keen to resume, but nearly everyone else said "Let's do it carerfully when there's a consensus even if it takes longer".
A friend who is a teacher ran a survey of their school parents and had a 70% approval for reopening in June.
FOR OPENING:
*Parents of children without underlying health conditions, who have some awareness of the stats and know that healthy children are at incredibly low risk of falling seriously ill with this disease
*Parents who are also reasonably young and fit themselves, and therefore at little more risk of succumbing to the disease than their children
*Families with no medically vulnerable people at home
*Those who cannot work from home and are desperate to get back to work
*Parents concerned that their children are really suffering from a reduction in quality and quantity of education, lack of their normal routine and separation from their friends
AGAINST OPENING:
*Parents with healthy children who have not comprehended the very low level of risk that Covid poses to them (either because they are unaware of the statistics, or don't believe them, or are so very frightened of the virus that they can't accept any specific risk from it at all)
*Parents of medically vulnerable children, or who are vulnerable themselves, or have other vulnerable people to consider at home
*Those who think that remote education is working well for their children
*Those who aren't bothered whether it does or not, and/or find life easier when they don't have to get the kids ready for school everyday
*Those who don't work or can do so long-term from home, and are content to babysit their children indefinitely
Perhaps if the Government can get the year groups back that it wants, then the parents who really want to send their children back to school will, the others won't, and thus the numbers actually presenting for lessons will be sufficiently reduced to make implementation of social distancing measures that much easier? Thus, in the short-term, everyone wins.
The real crunch will come when we get to September.
1 -
There was individual demand for both VHS and DVDs but should society have stuck with the VHS standard because it was already the common standard so no need to go for DVDs?noneoftheabove said:
There was individual demand for both betamax and VHS but society would have been better with one common standard.Philip_Thompson said:
Absolutely I do rights must always come first.noneoftheabove said:
You value rights above the economy and practicality. On such a question for me the rights are completely trivial compared to the economic and practical benefits of common standards. There is a trade off and we will never agree.Philip_Thompson said:
Of course that's the case. So the only reason to have a particularly different spec is if people think there's a very good reason to want a different spec. But if people do want a different spec and are prepared to pay for it, then why shouldn't that be an option?noneoftheabove said:
Rules are imposed on all beings on this planet by all sorts of external forces. I dont try and fight that reality.IshmaelZ said:
Well, because you don't want rules imposed on you by external parties. That is not an argument I have any sympathy with, but the claim that manufacturing just can't produce things to a separate UK spec, "and I know this because I am an expert," is just demolished by the fact that we can have any vehicle we like in RHD without paying a premium over what LHD costs.noneoftheabove said:
Cope is an apt choice of word. No one would have designed it like this, it is a quirk of history that costs everyone that can no longer be cheaply solved.IshmaelZ said:
A bit. But Lhd vs rhd is rather a good point: it is an existing example of a UK spec which is about as awkward and expensive as one can easily imagine, but which manufacturing seems to cope with ok.noneoftheabove said:
Yes not all of us have unlimited money so prefer things cheaper when there is no particular benefit to lots of separate standards, it is the consumer who loses.Philip_Thompson said:
Does it matter?noneoftheabove said:
If you ask Vauxhall could they build their cars cheaper if they didnt have to do LHD and RHD models, what would their answer be?Philip_Thompson said:
Manufacturers can do scale by using common components in both where possible while using other components where it isn't possible. As they already do!eek said:
Ever heard of benefits of scale (you may remember it from such things as the pin manufacturing in Adam Smiths Wealth of Nations). Unless you think Britain should have poorer quality goods how do you think savings would be made?Philip_Thompson said:
If we want to vary our standards we will be able to do so. Companies already make a plethora of models of products, if they want to manufacture a GB model of a product to be sold in GB then there is no reason they can't do that while still also manufacturing EU models to be sold in the EU.RochdalePioneers said:
Yes, and the products made for sale in the EU have to adhere to the legal trading standards set by the EU. Brexiteers insist that won't apply to Britain after we leave. Its bollocks and they know it.Philip_Thompson said:No. Factories can manufacture to more than just one spec and do all the time. That's how Asian manufacturers can export across the whole globe, they understand the spec and manufacture to that. One factory can produce more than one spec of product.
Not that we plan on downgrading EU standards of course. So they insist. So adhering to said EU standards which we choose to have as UK standards would be a good plan. Which would mean easy access to the EEA, no border down the Irish Sea etc etc. But can't have that because wazzocks.
Its remarkable how car companies for instance can manufacture Vauxhall specification cars for the UK and manufacture Opel specification cars for the EU. And they did even when we were in the EU because the Vauxhall brand suited the UK.
They are capable of doing both models. Just as any variance in our standards will see manufacturers capable of producing multiple models.
Manufacturers already do produce multiple models. What matters is whether consumer demand is there.
Why look to create more of those scenarios?
I have never claimed people cant produce something to a UK spec. It obviously just depends on not making the spec impossible. I am pointing out that there is an economic cost to consumers from having various standards and on top of that we are losing a trade deal with the worlds largest single market in order to have the right to impose that cost on ourselves.
And it cuts both ways. It might not just be legalising something not legal in Europe, it could also be the reverse. If we wish to have higher environmental standards than Europe, thus potentially making some European products illegal, why should we not have the right to do that?
Those posters saying companies "cant" produce a UK product are clearly wrong. I think you are equally wrong in valuing abstract non useful rights ahead of the economy and businesses.
Though I don't for one second think that the two are that contradictory either. I'm glad you agree that producing a UK product is clearly possible, but it would also only happen if there is demand for it - and if there is demand for it then why shouldn't it happen?0 -
Helicopter?TheScreamingEagles said:
The worst news came for me this week, the train companies are getting rid of first class for the foreseeable future.FrancisUrquhart said:
Now remember when all the tech bros shut down early & saying work from home for at least the rest of the year (some forever). This again signals that smart people dont think there is a vaccine or this thing reducing to minimal levels anytime soon.TheScreamingEagles said:BREAKING: Cambridge confirms ‘no face-to-face lectures during the next academic year’
Lectures and exams will be conducted virtually
In an email sent to Senior Tutors today (19th May), it was announced that the University of Cambridge plans to move all “face-to-face lectures” online in the next academic year, 2020/21.
Alice Benton, the Head of Education services, states in the email that the “General Board’s Education Committee” has “agreed that, since it is highly likely that rigid social distancing will be required throughout the next academic year, there will be no face-to-face lectures next year.”
“The decision has been taken to provide a degree of certainty to facilitate Faculties and Departments when planning for educational delivery next academic year”.
Lectures will be live-streamed, recorded and made available on Moodle, while there are plans for lecture theatres to be used for small group teaching in line with social distancing requirements: “Faculties and Departments should continue to plan for face-to-face delivery of seminars, workshops and small group teaching”.
In reference to Michaelmas exams, Benton also notes that it is ‘highly unlikely these examinations will be able to take place in examination halls’. She suggests faculties adapt to this scenario accordingly.
https://thetab.com/uk/cambridge/2020/05/19/cambridge-confirms-no-face-to-face-lectures-during-the-next-academic-year-137712
How the feck am I supposed to get to work without a first class section?0 -
This is ‘a big thing’, it’s going to impact in all sorts of ways on education. Given the small age gap between the undergrads and the A Level students how on earth are exam boards going to respond?Kevin_McCandless said:
You have to wonder if the top-tier universities might get a taste for this? You don;t have to spend so much on maintaining your physical base, and can expand your enrollment dramatically.TheScreamingEagles said:BREAKING: Cambridge confirms ‘no face-to-face lectures during the next academic year’
Lectures and exams will be conducted virtually
In an email sent to Senior Tutors today (19th May), it was announced that the University of Cambridge plans to move all “face-to-face lectures” online in the next academic year, 2020/21.
Alice Benton, the Head of Education services, states in the email that the “General Board’s Education Committee” has “agreed that, since it is highly likely that rigid social distancing will be required throughout the next academic year, there will be no face-to-face lectures next year.”
“The decision has been taken to provide a degree of certainty to facilitate Faculties and Departments when planning for educational delivery next academic year”.
Lectures will be live-streamed, recorded and made available on Moodle, while there are plans for lecture theatres to be used for small group teaching in line with social distancing requirements: “Faculties and Departments should continue to plan for face-to-face delivery of seminars, workshops and small group teaching”.
In reference to Michaelmas exams, Benton also notes that it is ‘highly unlikely these examinations will be able to take place in examination halls’. She suggests faculties adapt to this scenario accordingly.
https://thetab.com/uk/cambridge/2020/05/19/cambridge-confirms-no-face-to-face-lectures-during-the-next-academic-year-137712
I read an interview with an education expert last week in New York Magazine who said this could be the future. Students fly in for a month or two of face to face, do the rest of the year remotely. He said it would only work for the big-name schools but it would work for them quite well.0 -
No, a helicopter pilot told me years ago that flying by helicopter really is dangerous, and when things even go slightly wrong they fall like a stone from the sky and there's bugger all you can do to stop it.Black_Rook said:
Helicopter?TheScreamingEagles said:
The worst news came for me this week, the train companies are getting rid of first class for the foreseeable future.FrancisUrquhart said:
Now remember when all the tech bros shut down early & saying work from home for at least the rest of the year (some forever). This again signals that smart people dont think there is a vaccine or this thing reducing to minimal levels anytime soon.TheScreamingEagles said:BREAKING: Cambridge confirms ‘no face-to-face lectures during the next academic year’
Lectures and exams will be conducted virtually
In an email sent to Senior Tutors today (19th May), it was announced that the University of Cambridge plans to move all “face-to-face lectures” online in the next academic year, 2020/21.
Alice Benton, the Head of Education services, states in the email that the “General Board’s Education Committee” has “agreed that, since it is highly likely that rigid social distancing will be required throughout the next academic year, there will be no face-to-face lectures next year.”
“The decision has been taken to provide a degree of certainty to facilitate Faculties and Departments when planning for educational delivery next academic year”.
Lectures will be live-streamed, recorded and made available on Moodle, while there are plans for lecture theatres to be used for small group teaching in line with social distancing requirements: “Faculties and Departments should continue to plan for face-to-face delivery of seminars, workshops and small group teaching”.
In reference to Michaelmas exams, Benton also notes that it is ‘highly unlikely these examinations will be able to take place in examination halls’. She suggests faculties adapt to this scenario accordingly.
https://thetab.com/uk/cambridge/2020/05/19/cambridge-confirms-no-face-to-face-lectures-during-the-next-academic-year-137712
How the feck am I supposed to get to work without a first class section?0 -
Does anyone know which countries have restarted schools ?Black_Rook said:
It's the scared witless parents and teachers that shout the loudest and get the most attention in all of this. In reality, I would imagine that the parents split in the following fashion:JonathanD said:
Parents of school age children or just general residents?NickPalmer said:
Wouldn't surprise me. In a quiet moment on impulse a couple of days ago, I put up this petition:contrarian said:reports suggest Johnson is now bottling out of June 01 start for schools.
http://chng.it/mpmDqnwpKy
and mentioned it in a single post on a couple of local FB groups covering my ward, more as an expression of personal opinion that might interest ward residents than anything else. 100 people signed within hours and I was swamped with comments - a couple of people were keen to resume, but nearly everyone else said "Let's do it carerfully when there's a consensus even if it takes longer".
A friend who is a teacher ran a survey of their school parents and had a 70% approval for reopening in June.
FOR OPENING:
*Parents of children without underlying health conditions, who have some awareness of the stats and know that healthy children are at incredibly low risk of falling seriously ill with this disease
*Parents who are also reasonably young and fit themselves, and therefore at little more risk of succumbing to the disease than their children
*Families with no medically vulnerable people at home
*Those who cannot work from home and are desperate to get back to work
*Parents concerned that their children are really suffering from a reduction in quality and quantity of education, lack of their normal routine and separation from their friends
AGAINST OPENING:
*Parents with healthy children who have not comprehended the very low level of risk that Covid poses to them (either because they are unaware of the statistics, or don't believe them, or are so very frightened of the virus that they can't accept any specific risk from it at all)
*Parents of medically vulnerable children, or who are vulnerable themselves, or have other vulnerable people to consider at home
*Those who think that remote education is working well for their children
*Those who aren't bothered whether it does or not, and/or find life easier when they don't have to get the kids ready for school everyday
*Those who don't work or can do so long-term from home, and are content to babysit their children indefinitely
Perhaps if the Government can get the year groups back that it wants, then the parents who really want to send their children back to school will, the others won't, and thus the numbers actually presenting for lessons will be sufficiently reduced to make implementation of social distancing measures that much easier? Thus, in the short-term, everyone wins.
The real crunch will come when we get to September.0 -
It's all about that magic word - "confidence"- and that's both health confidence and economic confidence. People will spend if they think their job is safe and secure and they will continue earning at or slightly above what they are currently earning.contrarian said:
What Johnson and Sunak shut down, they will have the devil's own job opening up.
And what if there's a cases upsurge in the meantime???? but R!! R!!
What do you think Services and Manufacturing PMI will be on Thursday morning?
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Would surprise me completely and I'm not being disrespectful but 100 people is nothing special for an online petition.NickPalmer said:
Wouldn't surprise me. In a quiet moment on impulse a couple of days ago, I put up this petition:contrarian said:reports suggest Johnson is now bottling out of June 01 start for schools.
http://chng.it/mpmDqnwpKy
and mentioned it in a single post on a couple of local FB groups covering my ward, more as an expression of personal opinion that might interest ward residents than anything else. 100 people signed within hours and I was swamped with comments - a couple of people were keen to resume, but nearly everyone else said "Let's do it carerfully when there's a consensus even if it takes longer".
I'd say barring some very bad news there's next to no chance now of the June start for schools being scrapped. Anecdotally but far from unique our daughter was trying to be brave but was really struggling in not seeing her friends. Her school have now been in touch to confirm the date they'll be re-opening (later in the week not 1 June). She is counting down the days til she can go back as if she was counting down the days to her birthday/Christmas, to tell her now that she's not going back after all would be absolutely devastating to her.
Its not going to happen.1 -
Carl Heneghan, professor of evidence-based medicine at the University of Oxford, said that there would be a sporadic rise and fall in deaths over the next four to six weeks but he would not expect to find coronavirus listed in the ONS death data by the end of June.
Telegraph0 -
Oh, OK. Chauffeur-driven Rolls Royce then. The roads are atypically quiet nowadays, after all.TheScreamingEagles said:
No, a helicopter pilot told me years ago that flying by helicopter really is dangerous, and when things even go slightly wrong they fall like a stone from the sky and there's bugger all you can do to stop it.Black_Rook said:
Helicopter?TheScreamingEagles said:
The worst news came for me this week, the train companies are getting rid of first class for the foreseeable future.FrancisUrquhart said:
Now remember when all the tech bros shut down early & saying work from home for at least the rest of the year (some forever). This again signals that smart people dont think there is a vaccine or this thing reducing to minimal levels anytime soon.TheScreamingEagles said:BREAKING: Cambridge confirms ‘no face-to-face lectures during the next academic year’
Lectures and exams will be conducted virtually
In an email sent to Senior Tutors today (19th May), it was announced that the University of Cambridge plans to move all “face-to-face lectures” online in the next academic year, 2020/21.
Alice Benton, the Head of Education services, states in the email that the “General Board’s Education Committee” has “agreed that, since it is highly likely that rigid social distancing will be required throughout the next academic year, there will be no face-to-face lectures next year.”
“The decision has been taken to provide a degree of certainty to facilitate Faculties and Departments when planning for educational delivery next academic year”.
Lectures will be live-streamed, recorded and made available on Moodle, while there are plans for lecture theatres to be used for small group teaching in line with social distancing requirements: “Faculties and Departments should continue to plan for face-to-face delivery of seminars, workshops and small group teaching”.
In reference to Michaelmas exams, Benton also notes that it is ‘highly unlikely these examinations will be able to take place in examination halls’. She suggests faculties adapt to this scenario accordingly.
https://thetab.com/uk/cambridge/2020/05/19/cambridge-confirms-no-face-to-face-lectures-during-the-next-academic-year-137712
How the feck am I supposed to get to work without a first class section?1 -
Exam done. I think it went well. Next one on Thursday: EU law...
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welcome to my world - we need 300 hours of labs and the guidance is that its the skills not the assessment that's most use. Throw in social distancing in labs and it gets *fun*.Black_Rook said:
Possibly, but that's surely contingent on the subject? If you can get all the library resources as well as the tuition online then this might work for a lot of arts subjects, but sciency types are still going to need the regular use of laboratory facilities.Kevin_McCandless said:
You have to wonder if the top-tier universities might get a taste for this? You don;t have to spend so much on maintaining your physical base, and can expand your enrollment dramatically.TheScreamingEagles said:BREAKING: Cambridge confirms ‘no face-to-face lectures during the next academic year’
Lectures and exams will be conducted virtually
In an email sent to Senior Tutors today (19th May), it was announced that the University of Cambridge plans to move all “face-to-face lectures” online in the next academic year, 2020/21.
Alice Benton, the Head of Education services, states in the email that the “General Board’s Education Committee” has “agreed that, since it is highly likely that rigid social distancing will be required throughout the next academic year, there will be no face-to-face lectures next year.”
“The decision has been taken to provide a degree of certainty to facilitate Faculties and Departments when planning for educational delivery next academic year”.
Lectures will be live-streamed, recorded and made available on Moodle, while there are plans for lecture theatres to be used for small group teaching in line with social distancing requirements: “Faculties and Departments should continue to plan for face-to-face delivery of seminars, workshops and small group teaching”.
In reference to Michaelmas exams, Benton also notes that it is ‘highly unlikely these examinations will be able to take place in examination halls’. She suggests faculties adapt to this scenario accordingly.
https://thetab.com/uk/cambridge/2020/05/19/cambridge-confirms-no-face-to-face-lectures-during-the-next-academic-year-137712
I read an interview with an education expert last week in New York Magazine who said this could be the future. Students fly in for a month or two of face to face, do the rest of the year remotely. He said it would only work for the big-name schools but it would work for them quite well.
FWIW, we've already had exactly the same comms/decision as Cambridge. 'Blended' learning, with big lectures delivered online then face to face delivery of seminars, workshops, labs etc.
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The Woodhead Pass and Snake Pass are a nightmare for cars for my commute.Black_Rook said:
Oh, OK. Chauffeur-driven Rolls Royce then. The roads are atypically quiet nowadays, after all.TheScreamingEagles said:
No, a helicopter pilot told me years ago that flying by helicopter really is dangerous, and when things even go slightly wrong they fall like a stone from the sky and there's bugger all you can do to stop it.Black_Rook said:
Helicopter?TheScreamingEagles said:
The worst news came for me this week, the train companies are getting rid of first class for the foreseeable future.FrancisUrquhart said:
Now remember when all the tech bros shut down early & saying work from home for at least the rest of the year (some forever). This again signals that smart people dont think there is a vaccine or this thing reducing to minimal levels anytime soon.TheScreamingEagles said:BREAKING: Cambridge confirms ‘no face-to-face lectures during the next academic year’
Lectures and exams will be conducted virtually
In an email sent to Senior Tutors today (19th May), it was announced that the University of Cambridge plans to move all “face-to-face lectures” online in the next academic year, 2020/21.
Alice Benton, the Head of Education services, states in the email that the “General Board’s Education Committee” has “agreed that, since it is highly likely that rigid social distancing will be required throughout the next academic year, there will be no face-to-face lectures next year.”
“The decision has been taken to provide a degree of certainty to facilitate Faculties and Departments when planning for educational delivery next academic year”.
Lectures will be live-streamed, recorded and made available on Moodle, while there are plans for lecture theatres to be used for small group teaching in line with social distancing requirements: “Faculties and Departments should continue to plan for face-to-face delivery of seminars, workshops and small group teaching”.
In reference to Michaelmas exams, Benton also notes that it is ‘highly unlikely these examinations will be able to take place in examination halls’. She suggests faculties adapt to this scenario accordingly.
https://thetab.com/uk/cambridge/2020/05/19/cambridge-confirms-no-face-to-face-lectures-during-the-next-academic-year-137712
How the feck am I supposed to get to work without a first class section?0 -
Good luck 👍Gallowgate said:Exam done. I think it went well. Next one on Thursday: EU law...
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Well done. Good luck next time too.Gallowgate said:Exam done. I think it went well. Next one on Thursday: EU law...
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Curiously, in the doctored Keir Starmer video last week, the reasons given for the lack of prosecutions were the exact opposite of political correctness.Andy_JS said:New Priti Patel tweet.
https://twitter.com/pritipatel/status/1262793932259328001
And yes, I do realise there is more to it, but it's a lot more complex than Priti Patel is suggesting.0 -
The Sun lolTheScreamingEagles said:0 -
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