
Blah Blah
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Everything posted by Blah Blah
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Except TheCat, VAT for the most part is something government decides. Most consumer products are subject to it and the ban on zero rate tax on consumer products is something that applies to ALL products, so trying to conflate that with misogyny and the other infantile daggers of your post is disingenuous. I thought we had got past that?
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TE44 Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Yes pk it almost put me off as well, but as I said > snippets, I don't suppose you got past the > headline. It is a Canadian nationalist conspiracy theory group. Don't fall for their nonsense.
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TE44 Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Blah Blah I am aware there is planning around > viruses an different scenarios. I d nt trust the > Who nor the CDC, The institutional organisatios > involved with our health need to be more > transparent and more answerable for there action. > The one thing I feel we can be absolutely sure of, > from these organisations and others connected with > them is we will not be told the truth, maybe > little snippets thrown in. This is just conspiracy theory nonsense. The WHO and CDC is driven by the input of health professions and medical experts. They are in constant communication with world health bodies and regularly feeding reports out to health professionals. There is a balance to be struck between sensible advice and causing unnecessary panic also.
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Seenbeen, the WHO have no power over the regulations sovereign governments impose and enforce. If you think they have not been trying to educate on the risks around avian flu transmission then you know nothing about the WHO. Also, as I have pointed out above,flu mutations have originated from the USA, South Africa and various origins that are not wet markets of Asia. All it takes for the virus to hop from bird to pig to human for example, is that humans are in close proximity to animals. Flu virus does not however transmit through raw meat. It transmits via living hosts. It is not that the markets are wet that is the issue, but that lots of living livestock are in close proximity to lots of people. This is a very different problem to a farm worker being infected from a pig. The latter is easy to contain, the former not. But absolutely, the risks could be minimised by stopping the sale of live meat at markets. Aside from flu viruses, there are all kinds of other bacterial issues around those markets that should also be addressed. TE44, planning for pandemics has been an ongoing process for decades. Coronavirus is not a unique term. It is simply the type of virus of which COVID19 is just the latest mutation. So it is perfectly logical that the WHO would carry out an exercise featuring one of the best known groups of flu virus.
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seenbeen Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Trinnydad Wrote: > -------------------------------------------------- > ----- > > @BB > > > > Whilst, as you say, there was no "definite > > evidence" the probability is in favour of China > > being the source of the Spanish. > > China has proven to be the source of The "Asian > > Flu" that originated in China in early 1956. > > Likewise the SARS epidemic. > > > > This being the case, China needs to get a grip. > > What is the actual point of the World Health > Organisation? Why are you quoting a factually incorrect post before posing the question? The WHO is an international body whose purpose is to coordinate on health matters for the nations signed up to it. It also provides leadership and pathways for research. You would know the difference if it didn't exist. What it does not have however, is the power to tell sovereign governments how to run their affairs. Edited to also say that viruses mutate and always have. Flu viruses have been an ongoing challenge for science. They mutate on a regular basis. Thinking we can create a world in which a flu pandemic never emerges is sadly a bit optimistic.
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No you are wrong. The probability for Spanish flu is in favour of the USA, and pathology supports that probability. The first documented cases emerged from the USA even. Did you not read anything I wrote above? The first case of Asian Flu was not reported from China either, but Singapore (in 1957), followed by a case in Hong Kong and the coastal areas of the USA. The H3N2 virus of 1968, originated in the USA (killed about 1 million globally and still exists as a seasonal flu virus today). As keen as you are to demonise China, you might want to learn something about avian flu and the measures that are always ongoing to contain it. Have a look at this link to understand that avian and swine flu can emerge pretty much anywhere. What matters is detection and response. https://www.cdc.gov/flu/pandemic-resources/pandemic-timeline-1930-and-beyond.htm
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Wrong Trinidad. It is unknown exactly where Spanish Flu emerged from. France, Britain, China and the USA are all possibilities cited, but without any definitive evidence. However without going into the science too deeply, pathology specimens preserved from the time were analysed with present day molecular techniques in 2004, and the genes pointed not only to avian transmission, but closely mapped North American wild waterfowl. Migratory birds are monitored for avian flu viruses all year round by epidemiologists on the lookout for the next possible bird flu pandemic because the danger is known. Whilst China and other countries, have food standards that are either not enforced, or risky, it is important to understand that any person working closely with a range of animals, from poultry to pigs, can be the first host for an avian flu virus. Spanish flu genes are found in pigs and people to this day. So it is not just about livestock at markets, but a whole range of farming practises.
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Spartacus, the issue is not the mortality rate, but the percentage of people who need ICU care to recover. Current evidence says that is 10 per cent. Imagine if just a quarter of the population contract the virus at the same time. That would be need for more than a million ICU beds and medical staff to treat them. THAT is why China built two new hospitals in ten days. FYI, we have less than 180k hospital beds nationally and under 7k of those are in ICU's. The concern is real. China has seen success because whole regions have been confined to staying at home, to the expense of local economies. It may well be however, that once those restrictions are lifted, the virus recovers. This is the problem with viruses. They keep going until there is no supply left for them to infect. Similarly, there will be reluctance from many countries to follow the example of China if the virus takes hold. For a comparison, Spanish Flu had a mortality rate of 1-3 per cent. It spread unchecked and ended up killing 100 million over two years. Seasonal flu by comparison kills around half a million each year and has a mortality rate of less than 1 per cent. So why risk a pandemic when we can try as hard as possible to contain, at least until a vaccine is ready for use.
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What is going on between government and the civil service?
Blah Blah replied to malumbu's topic in The Lounge
A perfect example of Boris making it up as he goes along is the fate of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe. His laziness has consequences. And that is also why a figure like Cummings ends up with so much power. -
What is going on between government and the civil service?
Blah Blah replied to malumbu's topic in The Lounge
That's a good article Uncle and I think fairly sums up the relationship between the two. 'Yes Minister' owed a lot to the out of sync outlook between ministers and civil servants. I get the sense that Cummings wants a revolution within the CS however, that makes it think more like government, rather than both camps learning to appreciate what each other actually does a bit more. -
What is going on between government and the civil service?
Blah Blah replied to malumbu's topic in The Lounge
JohnL Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Sometime people bully because of the pressure > they're under from above, whatever, the leader of > the organisation has to be the one to make a stand > against bullying at all levels. > > That means you Boris (or maybe Dom). This is entirely possible too. A culture can be set from the top down. -
What is going on between government and the civil service?
Blah Blah replied to malumbu's topic in The Lounge
There is now that story of a former assistant being paid ?25k in settlement over another accusation of bullying by Priti. So there is clearly something behind these accusations of her behaviour. -
What is going on between government and the civil service?
Blah Blah replied to malumbu's topic in The Lounge
Those of us with a deep interest in government and wider politics are not overlooking this Malumbu. We know we are in another top down government, with an unelected advisor wielding the real power over the civil service and advisors. I think reality is going to hit once those trade talks start in earnest. Boris can't hide every time the kitchen gets a bit hot. -
Peckham Pulse or East Dulwich Leisure centre?
Blah Blah replied to Pelly8's topic in General ED Issues / Gossip
Camberwell is best for the Gym. Nice big gym, lots of space and equipment, high ceiling and skylight running the length of it. Never hugely busy either. Pretty sure the membership allows you to use any council run (by Everyone Active) Leisure center in the borough. -
It is quite clear that Boris is ambivalent to parenthood. He has a much younger partner who cearly wants children. She just hasn't woken up to that fact that Boris is ambivalent yet.
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You are welcome. Both Mers and Sars gave an insight into how a flu pandemic could emerge and in turn be dealt with effectively. Eyes have been on Asia for a long time as the most likely place for an avian flu pandemic to break out as we both know, although birds migrate, so continuous testing of migratory birds goes on too. It is too early to say what the full impact of COVID19 could be, but the immediate concern for most governments is the high percentage of people who need intensive in patient care to recover. 10% of any population is a lot of people, and especially if they all become ill at the same time.
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The 2018-2019 flu vaccine was 44.1% effective. Yes, 2017-2018 was particularly low at that 15%. On child uptake, you will find all the figures in the opening paragraphs of this report. It varies from 44 to 75.9% depending on country within the UK. https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/839350/Surveillance_of_influenza_and_other_respiratory_viruses_in_the_UK_2018_to_2019-FINAL.pdf You can find previous years reports here. https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/annual-flu-reports Hope that helps.
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That is the right approach imo. How many people die, will depend on how widely the virus takes hold. Seasonal flu kills around half the percentage that this new virus seems to kill, but the reason why the seasonal flu figure is so low in real terms is because of an organised seasonal vaccination programe for the most vulnerable groups. Once there is a vaccine in place for COVID19, that too would become akin to seasonal flu. Until then however, the more the virus can be contained, the more likely the number of deaths will stay low in real terms, and the more likely we are to get to a vaccine before that changes.
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Uncleglen seems to think the left only existed through trade unions. He ignores things like civil rights movements, and the French Revolution, because he knows diddly squat about any of it. Uncleglen has been indoctrinated with ideas like, only BAME people sexually abuse children, only BAME people are driving the drugs trade etc and that they use white people to do so. THAT is the moronic rant of a racist bigot.
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You make a very good point TE44. There are other cultures around the world who are more spiritual in their approach to life but on a person to person level, I am not sure they are any more devoid of the everyday squabbles than the rest of us.
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What on earth are you talking about now Uncleglen? The WRP are no more representative of the left than the far right are of the right. The point still remains that the left, as the historical voice of the working classes, has recognised the shared struggle with BAME groups. The right, whioh prefers the Darwinian principle of survival of the fittest, and divide and rule, has not.
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Unpleasant graffiti meets with a perfect ED response
Blah Blah replied to worldwiser's topic in General ED Issues / Gossip
lindylou Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > I've not seen one post on here, ever,condemning the Asian grooming gangs which are predominantly against white girls. Racism is a two > way train. That probably has something to do with there being no convictions of groups of Asian men abusing children in East DuLwich. The graffiti was posted as it occurred in East Dulwich. -
Class inequalities are what underpin most of the grievances that emerge as fodder for identarians. That those most disadvataged by class then go and vote for libertarian populists is the perfect example of how the establishment keep that very class system in play. It was never about being white. It was about not being poor. Conflation with ideas around ethnicity is a red herring and far more complex than just saying that white people have it good, BAME people don't. Some people succeed in life in all ethnic groups. What it is true to say though is that a higher proportion of BAME people are in lower socio-economic groups than their non BAME counterparts. There are many reasons for that, including historical ones and ingrained prejudice. The truth is that white working class people, have more in common with BAME people when it comes to disadvantage than they realise. The left have always understood this and sought to unify. The right have always ignored it, preferring divide and rule.
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This is where things will get complicated next winter, as people suffering from ordinary chest infections seek testing for COVID-19. It also seems as though five to ten percent of those infected require ICU treatment to recover. This is why the Chinese built those two new hospitals in a week. If this virus takes hold, we could be in trouble. The UK only has around six thousand ICU beds nationwide. If only a quarter of the population become infected, we would still need something towards half a million ICU beds available during the pandemic. There are only 170k beds of any kind in total nationwide. I would be curious to know what the government is doing to prepare should this scenario emerge.
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Unpleasant graffiti meets with a perfect ED response
Blah Blah replied to worldwiser's topic in General ED Issues / Gossip
People on the hard left don't tend to write graffiti on walls telling people to go back to their own country. Antisemitism is antisemitism, be it from the far right OR the hard left. Both should be condemned, as should racism and any other prejudice. Racism from one end does not become ok because the other extreme have their own issues. So ditch the whataboutery Grove Boy. Even better would be if you also acknowledged that xenophobia, whipped up by the likes of Farage and the far right, found its vehicle through Brexit. The emboldened hate against foreigners began the very next day after the referendum.
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