How COVID-19 is affecting society

Beebo Brink

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I love riled up Beebo.
One of my wife's doctors believes in the crazoid herd immunity approach to COVID-19. Apparently going through medical school doesn't make you any less pig-ignorant about infectious diseases than the average yokel listening to Trump and Fox News. So yeah, that got me pre-riled and this news set me off.
 

Roxanne Blue

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Fantasy Fest was planned to run from Oct 22nd to Halloween Night this year, with the Zombie Bike Ride included officially for the first time (largest zombie bike ride in the world!). On Parade NIght (Sat the 31st), there are between 50 and 70 thousand people in town and out for the night. It's a Time Square crowd on a warm tropical night. Not possible to safely host this bash, and it was canceled back in July. Everyone with reservations got early notice of this.

Needless to say, the hotels, motels, guest houses, legal Air-Bnbs, and many others are unhappy over this. In normal times, you pretty much have to reserve any of the better rooms a year in advance (50% down with a 4 or 5-day minimum); the larger places were offering a refund and reservation for 2021 at a discount, but some of the smaller ones are only offering a reservation for next year.

Or, of course, you can come to Key West anyway. You've got the time booked and planned; the landlord will give you a nice discount (say up to 50%) on the back balance, so there's half of next year's hotel on credit for those who come annually. Why not come anyway? There's a fair amount of sexual play and/or work going on at private parties every year. One such Tampa group had a party planned for the theme "Black Lingerie Matters". (They are, naturally, white, entitled, and clueless.)

Even though all the official events are canceled, they're coming. Cities can make mask-wearing and other rules, but not use fines or the law to enforce them according to our Trump-sucking Governor DeTick. Most businesses are trying to operate safely, but this will be our first test of operating with large crowds and I'm staying on the other end of the island.
 

Arkady Arkright

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On the face of it, at least, this seems to suggest widespread corruption in how the British government has awarded contracts to provide PPE and medical equipment
As far as I can see this is being completely ignored by the mainstream press and broadcasters - have you seen it reported anywhere, Innula ?
 
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As far as I can see this is being completely ignored by the mainstream press and broadcasters - have you seen it reported anywhere, Innula ?
A variety of articles speak in more broad terms about the problem, mostly months ago in a search for uk ppe procurement scandal.
 

Innula Zenovka

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As far as I can see this is being completely ignored by the mainstream press and broadcasters - have you seen it reported anywhere, Innula ?
I've seen individual stories about it, largely because I follow Jo Maugham QC, whose Good Law Foundation is taking the government to court over it, and Byline Times on Twitter, but you're right, it's nothing like as big a story as it should be.


Evernote link because paywall

ETA

 
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Innula Zenovka

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Sredni Eel

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One of my wife's doctors believes in the crazoid herd immunity approach to COVID-19. Apparently going through medical school doesn't make you any less pig-ignorant about infectious diseases than the average yokel listening to Trump and Fox News. So yeah, that got me pre-riled and this news set me off.
Here's the thing about doctors: General practitioners are general, and someone in medical school has to graduate at the bottom of their class. There's Dr. Schweitzer, but for every one of him, there's a Dr. Nick Riviera.
 

Rose Karuna

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Fantasy Fest was planned to run from Oct 22nd to Halloween Night this year, with the Zombie Bike Ride included officially for the first time (largest zombie bike ride in the world!). On Parade NIght (Sat the 31st), there are between 50 and 70 thousand people in town and out for the night. It's a Time Square crowd on a warm tropical night. Not possible to safely host this bash, and it was canceled back in July. Everyone with reservations got early notice of this.
<snip>
When a vaccine is out and life has gone back to normal, if they have the Zombie Bike Ride again, I am SO going to be there!

In the meantime, I hope more people than not make the decision to stay home.
 

Sovereignty

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We can't return to normal activities, like spin classes, until we have a critical mass of vaccinated people. We're not there yet. Duh.
A vaccine would have to work awfully well to trigger a return to normal activities by itself.

The need for multiple layers of protection could (maybe will) continue even after a vaccine is rolled out.

ETA: After all, I think it was the head of the CDC who said masks could be just as effective as a vaccine.
 

Sovereignty

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Here's the thing about doctors: General practitioners are general, and someone in medical school has to graduate at the bottom of their class. There's Dr. Schweitzer, but for every one of him, there's a Dr. Nick Riviera.
What a cool name! "Paging Doctor Niiiiiick Riviera."
 

Sid

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King Willem-Alexander, queen Maxima and their three daughters are returning from their Greek autumn holiday after a matter of hours following a torrent of criticism in parliament and on social media.

NOS royalty reporter Kysia Hekster said the king’s decision to abroad on holiday is an ‘enormous dent’ in his image as someone who unites the people. ‘He made a wrong judgement,’ she said.
 

Roxanne Blue

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Yet another COVID Bonus is occurring. Key West and I suspect many other places in the US are becoming less cosmopolitan as many of our permanent legal resident aliens and even many naturalized citizens are returning to their native countries. For Europeans, of course, the options are much wider. We have two good friends, both naturalized and planning to live their lives here, who are now leaving for the UK. They are hardly the only members of our international community who are making this choice, despite every expectation that we are dumping Trump and the Republicans. Both single, the tying of their health insurance to their jobs leaves them vulnerable, and they have family in the UK for support not available here. The rampant xenophobia in this country, even for "good" (British and legal) immigrants, that Trump exposed and exploited has hardly made them feel welcomed and valued outside of our island community. Our culture and our nation will be much impoverished by the loss of so many good people and it may take decades - if ever - to recapture this chord of our country.
 

Beebo Brink

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You would think "setting a good example" and "bringing the country together" would be part of the job description, but apparently not. He's still getting pay raises.

The taxpayer also picks up the bill for security, rebuilding palaces and the former queen’s yacht De Groene Draeck. The Dutch royal family is considered to be the most expensive in Europe, and costs the taxpayer some €40m a year, excluding security.
 

Innula Zenovka

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You would think "setting a good example" and "bringing the country together" would be part of the job description, but apparently not. He's still getting pay raises.

Depends how you calculate "most expensive,," I think


In straightforward cash terms, the British royal family is by far the most expensive in Europe, though it looks different if you ask how much each working royal costs, or what the cost is per head of population.