When will this shit end?

[Reckoner]

34 minutes ago, Barry Fish said:

So you agree - masks on fights are about as useful as the withdrawal  method in the real world...

Yet we are subjecting people to something that doesn't work lol.

I am actually making a genuine point.  Masks comes from the land of covid secure venues - bullshit.

You can stop a virus with a bit of cloth.  If you are close to someone with the virus you are going to get it.

Nothing more than a security blanket to make people feel better.

Fair enough. Apologies for being shirty.

In reality, without knowing exactly when the people on the plane contracted it, you can’t say whether masks worked or not on this flight . Singapore has somewhere between 15-30 imported cases every day  from a number of different ports, as well as mandatory masks on planes but you aren’t seeing widespread contagion with other passengers who test positive later. So it seems to be more related to the specific circumstances of the passengers on this flight and the current situation in India.

Enough studies have shown they do more good than harm to be worth preserving with until the vaccine starts doing the heavy lifting. Obviously that’s closer in the UK than most other places, and may already be the case anyway. That’s the point of mitigation.

Masks are just one of a number of different mitigation measures, but they aren’t a silver bullet/magic bean. Much like withdrawal. Can work, but not foolproof. The current phrase being bandied about is the Swiss cheese defense. Yes, there are holes, but with enough layers all of the holes don’t match up.

[steviewevie]

Meanwhile

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/apr/20/carbon-emissions-to-soar-in-2021-by-second-highest-rate-in-history

[Toilet Duck]

1 hour ago, Homer said:

Hold on, is there any actual hard data that Repubs are more likely to be obese?!

😂 I think I saw somewhere that about 45% of Republicans said they weren't going to take it (and quite a few Republican members of congress haven't). But no, Republicans aren't "huge chunks". Even though you are joking, there have actually been some serious attempts to see whether Republican or Democrat voters are healthier (spoiler alert, income inequality, healthcare access and level of education are better predictors of health status). There are indications that districts controlled by Republicans (who advocate personal responsibility over state-supported healthcare) have residents that are less healthy than those in more liberal districts. The diabetes belt are all red states, but they are also all low income states and also states where disparity in healthcare access is greatest. There's loads of studies trying to understand all of this (very complex in truth, with lots of correlations and confounding factors). I mostly work on breast cancer, and we see way more pre-menopausal breast cancer in African American populations that we do in others, in part down to obesity rates in younger African American women (but also a product of healthcare access, genetics, reproductive patterns and a bunch of other things). Basically, people that can afford good healthcare in the US do better than those that can't (which is kind of obvious, and suggests that everyone should have good healthcare, but my rich Republican family in the US hate the idea of socialised medicine...I tend to avoid politics too much when I visit as they are lovely people, but we disagree on pretty much everything when it comes to politics...socialised medicine I can't let go though and always push back. I don't think I've convinced them mind you!). 

[zahidf]

4 minutes ago, Toilet Duck said:

😂 I think I saw somewhere that about 45% of Republicans said they weren't going to take it (and quite a few Republican members of congress haven't). But no, Republicans aren't "huge chunks". Even though you are joking, there have actually been some serious attempts to see whether Republican or Democrat voters are healthier (spoiler alert, income inequality, healthcare access and level of education are better predictors of health status). There are indications that districts controlled by Republicans (who advocate personal responsibility over state-supported healthcare) have residents that are less healthy than those in more liberal districts. The diabetes belt are all red states, but they are also all low income states and also states where disparity in healthcare access is greatest. There's loads of studies trying to understand all of this (very complex in truth, with lots of correlations and confounding factors). I mostly work on breast cancer, and we see way more pre-menopausal breast cancer in African American populations that we do in others, in part down to obesity rates in younger African American women (but also a product of healthcare access, genetics, reproductive patterns and a bunch of other things). Basically, people that can afford good healthcare in the US do better than those that can't (which is kind of obvious, and suggests that everyone should have good healthcare, but my rich Republican family in the US hate the idea of socialised medicine...I tend to avoid politics too much when I visit as they are lovely people, but we disagree on pretty much everything when it comes to politics...socialised medicine I can't let go though and always push back. I don't think I've convinced them mind you!). 

 

heres the latest polling

 

[Toilet Duck]

29 minutes ago, zahidf said:

 

heres the latest polling

 

Yeah, there's some work to be done alright. If 75-80% or so are covered though, with high levels of protection from the vaccines they are using, it might get them over the line. Would be a whole lot better if coverage was stronger though. 

[zahidf]

WHO expert tells UK to stay locked up 'just in case '

 

[Homer]

56 minutes ago, Toilet Duck said:

😂 I think I saw somewhere that about 45% of Republicans said they weren't going to take it (and quite a few Republican members of congress haven't). But no, Republicans aren't "huge chunks". Even though you are joking, there have actually been some serious attempts to see whether Republican or Democrat voters are healthier (spoiler alert, income inequality, healthcare access and level of education are better predictors of health status). There are indications that districts controlled by Republicans (who advocate personal responsibility over state-supported healthcare) have residents that are less healthy than those in more liberal districts. The diabetes belt are all red states, but they are also all low income states and also states where disparity in healthcare access is greatest. There's loads of studies trying to understand all of this (very complex in truth, with lots of correlations and confounding factors). I mostly work on breast cancer, and we see way more pre-menopausal breast cancer in African American populations that we do in others, in part down to obesity rates in younger African American women (but also a product of healthcare access, genetics, reproductive patterns and a bunch of other things). Basically, people that can afford good healthcare in the US do better than those that can't (which is kind of obvious, and suggests that everyone should have good healthcare, but my rich Republican family in the US hate the idea of socialised medicine...I tend to avoid politics too much when I visit as they are lovely people, but we disagree on pretty much everything when it comes to politics...socialised medicine I can't let go though and always push back. I don't think I've convinced them mind you!). 

Fairplay, you've even got an evidence-based answer for that one - v interesting ta!

[Fuzzy Afro]

1 hour ago, steviewevie said:

Pretty stupid argument against masks on planes the fact that the variant was brought in by people arriving on flights.

Have they tried opening the windows to ventilate the planes better? 

[Homer]

53 minutes ago, zahidf said:

 

heres the latest polling

 

I initially misread this as "When Americans plan to get #Covid" (which works for me TBF).

[Jacksamthompson]

jeez i know the demand for festivals is crazy already this summer, but if a few more big uns drop out and some others keep going the demand is going to be insane. 

[Homer]

2 hours ago, Barry Fish said:

Yet we are subjecting people to something that doesn't work lol.

Yeah, but your use of the word 'subjecting' is extremely... subjective. I can't emphasise this enough: wearing a mask really isn't that hard a thing to do. Our ancestors stood in trenches getting shot at. You're just being asked to stick a mask on when you go indoors.

In the past I've both got on my bike and started cycling and got on a piece of gym equipment then remembered that I was still wearing a mask as I'd forgotten I was wearing it.

[thewayiam]

Just now, Jacksamthompson said:

jeez i know the demand for festivals is crazy already this summer, but if a few more big uns drop out and some others keep going the demand is going to be insane. 

I think this is a very important point. The demand will be insane. For a promoter to pull they don't lose the demand. But for a promoter to not pull they lose big time financially and could lose it all 

[eFestivals]

Just been told by a doc that the clot risk from one in eighteen... Much bigger. Than from the vaccines been told I'll be getting Pfizer jabbed on Friday 

[efcfanwirral]

Posted this in another thread but I think everyone who believes festivals should happen / wants to chance their arm at making it look like public opinion is actually on the side of underwriting insurance then it seems to be crunch time to contact your MPs. 

Though seeing him tweeting it did make me question if I'm on the right side of this - and I totally get anyone thinking they shouldn't happen, especially with Steve baker and his crowd involved in trying to do so, but it's more about the underwriting of the insurance. Would be nice to see tax payer money potentially potentially spent on something I actually enjoy for once - it's a gamble but the numbers are good. I'd much rather they did this than intervene in the football thing

Edited April 20, 2021 by efcfanwirral

[aj6658]

4 hours ago, Matt42 said:

Boomtown cancelled

Gotta feel for them. Not 100% sure but I think they are in financial trouble or near so (cant remember where I read that)

 

Shame to lose a festival like boomtown. It look incredible just a shame that the music isn't my thing.

[efcfanwirral]

 

2 hours ago, zahidf said:

WHO expert tells UK to stay locked up 'just in case '

 

"Vaccine busting" is such an open ended phrase that the press really need to be careful with. Maybe one will get past the vaccine a bit, but enough enough cause us to lock down again? Is that likely? Or will all these scare stories push public opinion in that direction when it does happen?  

Edited April 20, 2021 by efcfanwirral

[Guest]

1 hour ago, efcfanwirral said:

Posted this in another thread but I think everyone who believes festivals should happen / wants to chance their arm at making it look like public opinion is actually on the side of underwriting insurance then it seems to be crunch time to contact your MPs. 

Though seeing him tweeting it did make me question if I'm on the right side of this - and I totally get anyone thinking they shouldn't happen, especially with Steve baker and his crowd involved in trying to do so, but it's more about the underwriting of the insurance. Would be nice to see tax payer money potentially potentially spent on something I actually enjoy for once - it's a gamble but the numbers are good. I'd much rather they did this than intervene in the football thing

Steve Baker himself could actually do something but he won’t do that yet. If he feels this week is the week then he should file a letter of no confidence with the 1922 Committee Head next week if nothing gets done this week. 

[st dan]

As it looks like they aren’t going to get any backing from the government, I still think festivals could run a ‘best endeavours’ policy for ticket holders, and fully disclose that if a turn in the nature of the pandemic means their festival can no longer go ahead, then unfortunately the buyer accepts this at their own risk and all money will be lost if it were to be cancelled. 

Not an ideal scenario, but if it gives festivals a chance of going ahead them in sure people would take the punt. Especially the smaller capacity festivals, given the huge demand for tickets at present. And if people don’t want to take the risks then they don’t need to buy, which puts them in the same position as the festival being cancelled in the first place. 

[Homer]

1 hour ago, Barry Fish said:

I am imaging getting my 7 year old to wear a mask for our 11 hour flight to LA and calling bullshit on your "isn't that hard a thing to do" stance.

And you get a down vote for mentioning the war.

I can't imagine why everyone keeps blocking you. Bye!

[Mr.Tease]

4 minutes ago, Homer said:

I can't imagine why everyone keeps blocking you. Bye!

I do wonder how many people have blocked him at this point

[Homer]

I see @StuMalinashas taken time out from his busy schedule patrolling the Piton perimeter to silently dish out vigilante justice via one of his trademark downvotes (which is weird, cos he told me he was blocking me weeks ago), like some sort of bargain basement Charles Bronson. How are you getting on there Stu?

[Homer]

9 minutes ago, Mr.Tease said:

I do wonder how many people have blocked him at this point

Yeah, I don't come in here often, but I was wondering if his improving community rep may be somehow related to the fact that so many people can't actually see his posts any more.

[steviewevie]

35 minutes ago, Homer said:

Yeah, I don't come in here often, but I was wondering if his improving community rep may be somehow related to the fact that so many people can't actually see his posts any more.

I actually un-ignored him this morning.

[jannybruck]

Christ, give it a fucking rest please.

Anyway, this is good news:

 

[Homer]

Ha ha - @StuMalinasdishing out further retribution via the DMs now - scary stuff!