Getting used to new habits for Coronavirus....

[eclark1894]

It's the same everywhere Hornet. Costs going up, supplies drying up, fuel drying up, transportion drying up and slowly patience with the situation is drying up as well. JIT is a world wide supply chain issue for everyone.

As for putting up my own produce; been doing that for years until the pandemic hit. Lockdown through most of the spring and summer made it difficult to get a garden in. No transplants and too late for seed by the time one could purchase any. My miserly seed saving hippy ways allowed me to have some veggies on my balcony this year, but last year I barely got a garden happening in my community plot. This year; after 14 years, the garden was closed completely in order to comply with lockdown restrictions.

That's another way my mother taught me to stock up. Buying veggie s like dry beans. rice and pasta. Sadly, I'm more limited now as I used to include a lot of canned goods. But being diabetic, and having HBP I have to watch how much sodium I eat. Canned foods are loaded with nitrates. I can eat more rice, but it needs to be brown rice.

 

[Stezza]

It took a while but I'm glad our American friends finally caught up

 

[DanaTA]

It took a while but I'm glad our American friends finally caught up

Caught up? I missed something?

Dana

 

[Hornet3d]

OK last year we were told by the powers that be that restrictions in the UK would be relaxed for Christmas but a few days before they were increased and essentially we were in lockdown. There were a few parties held that seemed to breach that but these have only come to light recently, for the rest of us we were in lock down.

This year was to be different, the success of the vaccines would mean we could have a proper Christmas, until the new variant arrived and we are now facing another lockdown. Already masks are mandatory in the UK in all shops, supermarkets and churches (except when singing). Masks are also mandatory at most public gatherings, unless the gatherings are held in a pub or a restaurant where masks are a personal choice. Of course we all know Covid hates pubs and restaurants and therefore never go to such venues so that makes perfect sense. Those that can work from home are advised to do so.

Meanwhile for some strange reason my elderly in-laws decided to take a cruise on the run up to this Christmas. From my layman's point of view if you really want Covid to spread you put hundreds of people in a tin box and sail them around the world visiting as many countries as possible. The form filling and testing that my in-laws had to go through before sailing was mind blowing yet a number of fellow travellers have just tested positive for Covid and are now off ship and in isolation in Spain but my guess is that this will prove to be to late and there are more cases to be discovered. I have all my fingers crossed for my in-laws and just hope they prove to be lucky.

As for my wife and I well we were in virtual lockdown last year and, when the rules were relaxed, we carried on regardless so the new restrictions have no real impact on us. The Christmas we have planned for this year is an almost exact copy of last year which we enjoyed, with the exception of course we may not see anything of the in laws as they may well be in isolation.

One wonders if Christmas 2022 will prove to be third time lucky.

 

[KageRyu]

I thought I had an amusing comment regarding Covid and Pubs/bars, but in retrospect it's probably not really funny and vest kept to myself.

 

[eclark1894]

OK last year we were told by the powers that be that restrictions in the UK would be relaxed for Christmas but a few days before they were increased and essentially we were in lockdown. There were a few parties held that seemed to breach that but these have only come to light recently, for the rest of us we were in lock down.

This year was to be different, the success of the vaccines would mean we could have a proper Christmas, until the new variant arrived and we are now facing another lockdown. Already masks are mandatory in the UK in all shops, supermarkets and churches (except when singing). Masks are also mandatory at most public gatherings, unless the gatherings are held in a pub or a restaurant where masks are a personal choice. Of course we all know Covid hates pubs and restaurants and therefore never go to such venues so that makes perfect sense. Those that can work from home are advised to do so.

I actually do wear a mask, and since I'm not working everyday, because I've retired, I pretty much stay in my house all the time except to go grocery shopping or to the pharmacy. That said, if the masks were all that effective, the vaccines wouldn't really be that necessary, would they? That said again, I actually LIKE the idea of wearing masks as I wasn't that fond of people getting in my space when talking to me before. Now they keep a respectful distance and I'm thrilled.

 

[Hornet3d]

I actually do wear a mask, and since I'm not working everyday, because I've retired, I pretty much stay in my house all the time except to go grocery shopping or to the pharmacy. That said, if the masks were all that effective, the vaccines wouldn't really be that necessary, would they? That said again, I actually LIKE the idea of wearing masks as I wasn't that fond of people getting in my space when talking to me before. Now they keep a respectful distance and I'm thrilled.

Sounds very much as though we are kindred spirits.

 

[Satira Capriccio]

For masks to be most effective, everyone has to wear a well fitted and well made mask. Not the case with most people and most masks.

Then too, while some of us are ok with wearing masks, it is an inconvenience at times. Like sitting at a desk for 7.5 hours in an office, or walking between a car and the office, especially when it's hot or muggy, or when you have breathing issues.

But yes. Masks are still more effective than not wearing a mask. And just as essential, in my opinion, even if someone is fully vaccinated and boostered. Fully vaccinated and boostered does not mean you won't get infected.

 

[Hornet3d]

For masks to be most effective, everyone has to wear a well fitted and well made mask. Not the case with most people and most masks.

Then too, while some of us are ok with wearing masks, it is an inconvenience at times. Like sitting at a desk for 7.5 hours in an office, or walking between a car and the office, especially when it's hot or muggy, or when you have breathing issues.

But yes. Masks are still more effective than not wearing a mask. And just as essential, in my opinion, even if someone is fully vaccinated and boostered. Fully vaccinated and boostered does not mean you won't get infected.

Luckily my wife and I have had both injections and the booster but that does not change or mask wearing habits which is pretty well constant when out and always where mandated.

 

[Miss B]

I agree with you Satira whole heartedly, even though I absolutely hate wearing it, I refuse to not wear it when out in public. I've had both vaccinations, and am due for my booster after the 19th of this month.

I ended my 17 year membership at the gym last month, because even though they're allowing you to pull down your mask while working out, I haven't been able to find a day when there is only a small group working out in the gym. I'd rather end it, then suffocate during a workout because I won't pull down my mask. When we still had restrictions of only so many people at the gym at one time, it was a lot easier to find a spot to work out in, but with the restrictions ended, not that easy..

 

[Carey]

In Michigan, the state congress de-fanged the state governor, course I am armed and ready just in case....I am so sorry for those who have little or no power to fight back against a vac that is not a vac and is purely experimental with no proven benefit with many side effects...Our state leadership is now powerless to take our freedom away, but the hospitals are full of covid cases from those that took the jab!!!!!!

 

[unreal]

There is a shortage of commercial drivers in the US as well.

Hmmm... perhaps if the drivers were paid better, there'd be more people willing to do the job. It's not an easy job.

It becomes sort of a spiral. Everyone wants cheap stuff. Which puts pressure on the supply chain. The last and least pressure is always on the investors since they can walk the easiest. (<Ring, ring> yes, move my money from company A to company B>) The first and most pressure is on any part time and/or contractor (<Ring, ring> Yeah, don't bother coming in any more).

 

[unreal]

So the situation in the UK is now quite dire as petrol stations run out of fuel, there is no shortage of fuel just drivers to deliver it but there is also a major shortage of people who care about the wider community. If drivers were to buy as the would have done the worst that would have happened is that they may not have been able to get fuel at their normal garage and would have to move to another garage a couple of miles on. Now thanks mainly to a bunch of morons around two thirds of the petrol stations have now run dry. Some drivers have been filling up jerry can after jerry can in the ultimate of show of how little they care about anyone but themselves. There have been punch ups on the forecourts and crashes after some drivers feel the guy in front is not moving fast enough.

Happily for me the only trip I needed to do was a round trip of around 150miles for my Mother in Law to get to a hospital appointment to have cancerous growth removed. With that done and my mother in law back home I can park the car on the driveway and wait for the madness to die down, after all once your petrol tank is full it is on to jerry cans and there has to be a limit to those. One point I did note on my travels is you can still get petrol at the motorway services as long as you are prepared to pay £1.55 per litre, average now is around £1.44 and a week ago it was £1.39.

It is a crying shame when you have to turn to the Poser world to find any sort of sanity because there seems precious little in the real world.

Well, to keep things in perspective: the "spanish flu" pandemic happened during "the war to end all wars" Pretty sure that generation faced a lot more. And there was no Poser to turn to.

Then came the bigger war after that one. And global vaccinations against multiple things that killed and maimed people in all sorts of horrible ways.

Today, we call that spanish flu just "the flu". We'll survive. And thrive. I just hope everyone remembers.

 

[eclark1894]

In Michigan, the state congress de-fanged the state governor, course I am armed and ready just in case....I am so sorry for those who have little or no power to fight back against a vac that is not a vac and is purely experimental with no proven benefit with many side effects...Our state leadership is now powerless to take our freedom away, but the hospitals are full of covid cases from those that took the jab!!!!!!

How do you know what "fully vaccinated" is when the definition will change next week?

 

[Hornet3d]

In Michigan, the state congress de-fanged the state governor, course I am armed and ready just in case....I am so sorry for those who have little or no power to fight back against a vac that is not a vac and is purely experimental with no proven benefit with many side effects...Our state leadership is now powerless to take our freedom away, but the hospitals are full of covid cases from those that took the jab!!!!!!

We are not seeing that in the UK, quite the opposite in fact in that doctors are voicing frustration because the vast majority of beds in intensive care unit are taken up with those who are not vaccinated. That is not to say that there are not people in hospital with Covid who are vaccinated, there are and some do die but on the majority who have been vaccinated have a milder form of the virus and usually do not need intensive care.

That said there are so many variables it would be wrong to compare this to Michigan, the vaccines are different, the climate is probably very different as will be the average population and so many other factors.

One worry in the UK is that, as those that are vaccinated become the majority, there is growing annoyance with those that are not vaccinated and are seen to be helping Covid to spread. It is not something I agree with but it is certainly true that there evidence that there is such a mood change.

 

[unreal]

How do you know what "fully vaccinated" is when the definition will change next week?

When the little indicator points to F.

Also, the little arrow points to which arm they need to jab you. A lot of people don't know that. And by "a lot" I meant "me", for most of my life.

Given current world trends, I'm working on a car that's powered by covid vaccinations. At this rate, it seems cheaper than petrol, more readily available, subsidized by many governments, and your car would be able to travel across many borders. "Wins" all around.

Plus, big Pharma does't want you to know that Moderna gets 10 km per liter Pfizer gets 9.8, while Astralzenca gets a whopping 12.3.

 

[unreal]

We are not seeing that in the UK, quite the opposite in fact in that doctors are voicing frustration because the vast majority of beds in intensive care unit are taken up with those who are not vaccinated. That is not to say that there are not people in hospital with Covid who are vaccinated, there are and some do die but on the majority who have been vaccinated have a milder form of the virus and usually do not need intensive care.

That said there are so many variables it would be wrong to compare this to Michigan, the vaccines are different, the climate is probably very different as will be the average population and so many other factors.

One worry in the UK is that, as those that are vaccinated become the majority, there is growing annoyance with those that are not vaccinated and are seen to be helping Covid to spread. It is not something I agree with but it is certainly true that there evidence that there is such a mood change.

This is, of course the "big deal" with social systems. One person's freedom ends where another's begins. The conventions on social responsibility are ever changing and subject to many stakeholders. Everyone not only does their own risk benefit calculation, but their circumstances are also their own. An un-vaxed person living off in the bush keeping to themselves poses very little threat. They are less likely to catch anything and less likely to transmit anything. A person living in a small crowded apartment in the middle of an international city (transit hub) is way more likely.

And the problem with this sort of thing is it's like fire. A lot of flammable stuff in close proximity and once the fire starts, it quickly grows into raging and unstoppable until everything is burned. Masks are like a fire screen. You put that up to reduce the chances a spark will set the rug on fire. Vaccine is like fire retardant in the rug. If the spark gets through the screen, it won't go "poof" instantly. Sparks may still get out, the rug may still catch. But it may give you time to snuff it before it grows too large.

Even so, it's not a problem to anyone else so long as you live a long way from everyone. But when you're in an apartment building surrounded by others, your neighbors might appreciate a bit of caution when it comes to fire.

For my part, I didn't survive this long just to be taken out by a microscopic "bug". Especially in this day and age (science, and all). Just sayin'

 

[DanaTA]

We are not seeing that in the UK, quite the opposite in fact in that doctors are voicing frustration because the vast majority of beds in intensive care unit are taken up with those who are not vaccinated. That is not to say that there are not people in hospital with Covid who are vaccinated, there are and some do die but on the majority who have been vaccinated have a milder form of the virus and usually do not need intensive care.

That said there are so many variables it would be wrong to compare this to Michigan, the vaccines are different, the climate is probably very different as will be the average population and so many other factors.

One worry in the UK is that, as those that are vaccinated become the majority, there is growing annoyance with those that are not vaccinated and are seen to be helping Covid to spread. It is not something I agree with but it is certainly true that there evidence that there is such a mood change.

Actually, here in the states, the same is true. The majority of those hospitalized with COVID are unvaccinated. Vaccines do not prevent you from getting infected, the protect you from getting very sick, and from dying. I wish people would listen to the scientists rather than the politicians, whose biggest interest, mostly, is getting re-elected to stay in power!

Dana

 

[Satira Capriccio]

A wee bit of a sobering thought ... the more we allow COVID to circulate unrestricted, the more likely a mutation will be an endgame variant.

Which would likely be followed by a zombie apocalypse, earthquakes and tsunamis the like the world has never seen, and fire and brimstone!

Perhaps a more devastating than sobering thought there ...

But, it is 3 AM.

 

[unreal]

A wee bit of a sobering thought ... the more we allow COVID to circulate unrestricted, the more likely a mutation will be an endgame variant.

Which would likely be followed by a zombie apocalypse, earthquakes and tsunamis the like the world has never seen, and fire and brimstone!

Perhaps a more devastating than sobering thought there ...

But, it is 3 AM.

Are there still Zombie Apocalypse tickets available? Hope it's not sold out.