No Time to Die... from COVID-19

[robkelk]

The fact that he later broke into a restaurant to steal money shows he isn't the brightest LED in the chandelier. And, yes, theft is theft.

[Labster]

I don't think the legal system will care about him not stealing the money. Bank robbery is bank robbery last I checked, and banks store more things of value than money alone.

If bank robbery is bank robbery, then Brexit means Brexit.

Bank robbery is typically grand theft.  Taking a bottle of hand sanitizer is petty theft.  Petty theft is a misdemeanor, grand theft is a felony.

[robkelk]

Since some people need to be told how "social bubbles" work, here's two explanatory images:





tl;dr: You are in one bubble, total.

Source and details

[Inquisitive Raven]

Apropos of the above: https://www.wired.com/story/hybrid-schoo...on-of-all/

[robkelk]

No pro football in Canada this year.

[robkelk]

No pro football in Canada this year.

No "Nutcracker" in Canada this year, either

[Labster]

No pro football in Canada this year.

No "Nutcracker" in Canada this year, either

We'll see what Drosselmeyer has to say about that.

[Dartz]

You fucking cabbages

You utter fucking cabbages.

Yous had one fucking thing to do.

And then there's this image.


The Taoiseach sweating like a nun in a cucumber patch on state television when asked to explain this whole boondoggle. RTE get a lot of shit for being - well - utter shit at original programming. But the one thing they do do right - ever side claims RTE are biased against them. They'll merrily bite the hand that feeds.

This cunts are fucked. Election before christmas.

[LynnInDenver]

Jesus. What a way to NOT set a damned example. It's already hard enough to get people to acknowledge that this thing is serious enough that we need to make the sacrifices to keep it under control until we can get appropriate inoculations.

I'm looking at what we're doing here in Colorado, USA, and while it's been tough, it's been manageable, although even here some people are trying to get the legal power to keep this thing clamped down dissolved so that they can save their businesses, health of others be damned (the numbers started dropping after the bars were told to close again and last call made 10pm, so I'm thinking Polis made the right damned call). I'm less and less likely to be sympathetic as they fight harder to avoid doing the sacrifices and practically ensuring we're going to have to lock down completely again, especially when the evidence is coming in via the numbers that their business model as they're running it actually isn't conducive to keeping this in check and things at least stable where they're at right now.

[Dartz]

Yeah. The public anger is real. It's filled the radio for the last few day

Heads are rolling. But far fewer than people want.

It's idiotic - but I've long since learned that idiocy over malice is generally the explanation for Irish government. Unless the Catholic Church is involved but that's a whole other thing.

[Labster]

This is just another example of the rich and/or powerful telling you to follow rules, but not realizing that the rules also apply to themselves. And of course doing it at a stereotypical place like a golf club, yacht, or mansion. It's such an easy mistake, because they usually get a pass on breaking the rules.

Los Angeles has had a few parties at mansions lately. The approach has been for the police to, rather than put themselves in danger, call the electric company to shut off the power.

[LynnInDenver]

Los Angeles has had a few parties at mansions lately.  The approach has been for the police to, rather than put themselves in danger, call the electric company to shut off the power.

I'd heard that was the current "go to" solution, in reference to a "YouTube Influencer" of questionable reputation. It does seem to be one of the cleanest ways to deal with it, although I expect to hear about a lawsuit about "but we were under the limits!"

They extended the "last call" to 11pm here for taverns, but those same taverns are questioning what the evidence is that they couldn't do to midnight instead as it still means that, for their perception, that people still will just go home with friends and drink (point is that if they get a little lax, it's still a MUCH smaller bubble). On the other side, at least one restaurant owner has put forth that any business collapsing because of this was probably marginal already anyway, like any that were complaining a smoking ban would kill them: https://denver.cbslocal.com/2020/08/21/r...-pandemic/

Note that I'm personally acknowledging that my husband and I are NOT eating out until at least next year, and it's going to pretty much require either enough inoculation out there to achieve proper herd immunity (which will likely mean 2022 or later for us given attitudes), or the very unlikely scenario that the virus actually burns itself out. We're also likely to start permanently losing some of our convention schedule; it's quite likely that some of the conventions are going to have to scale themselves radically back with the corresponding increase in pricing and hard limits to physical attendance numbers, if only because it may be many more months before gatherings of even close to that size are allowed until well after the aforementioned herd immunity/burn out occurs to verify that it's actually holding, and there still might be changes to the way "maximum capacity" is calculated/recalculated for publicly accessible spaces that may still forced a downscaling of certain events. And some conventions are just not going to survive this.

[robkelk]

... or the very unlikely scenario that the virus actually burns itself out. ...

For anybody who's counting on this happening (or thinking it might happen), I'll point out that the bug that caused the 1918 flu pandemic also caused the 2009 flu pandemic.

Don't expect COVID-19 to be going anywhere.

[LynnInDenver]

I did say "very unlikely" for a reason. If it were going to, it should have definitely done so in New Zealand, and they had a recent (relatively) small outbreak. I'd be curious as to what the economic damage will be in Aukland from going back into full lockdown mode; it could be something to point to as to why we don't want to have to go full on lockdown again.

What I'm hoping for right now is an inoculation that lasts more than a handful of weeks. I could handle an "every six months" inoculation if it's the whole "works both ways, keeps me from getting more than the most mild of symptoms with no long term effects and ensures I won't be a spreader." It's probably going to be mid 2021 even if they find a proper, doesn't seem to cause long term ramifications candidate before the end of the year.

And notice I'm saying "inoculation" instead of "vaccine"... I'm acknowledging the possibility that what we're going to get isn't permanent immunity (very unlikely is my understanding of it), and very possibly more an initial "reduce to a brief period of feel iffy, otherwise no long-term effect other than you can go about your business for a certain period of time without worrying about catching and/or spreading it". This doesn't preclude my fear that we'll get, at best, something that will last less than three months before needing to be inoculated again, which will have to involve a heavy cultural review of what constitutes reasonable social activities in general. I don't expect that latter will actually happen, but is something that SHOULD happen if that's the case.

[nocarename]

It would be wild to have to show your vaccination record for things like a swing dance competition or and SCA war as opposed to travelling to the tropics.

[robkelk]

A comment on broadband speeds in the Great White North:

If a crisis like COVID-19 hasn't pushed government to take action to improve broadband access, what can?

[LynnInDenver]

It would be wild to have to show your vaccination record for things like a swing dance competition or and SCA war as opposed to travelling to the tropics.

There's going to be a number of "non essential" events like, oh, scifi conventions, that aren't going to survive the resulting liability insurance coverage and professional compliance officer requirements if it comes to having to require inoculation records of attendees. Or, at least, it's going to require them scaling back and increasing the ticket prices to bring the costs of said down and cover that and the increase in facility expenses that would come from said downscaling.

[robkelk]

Reuters: Hong Kong team reports first documented coronavirus reinfection in patient

I think we can forget about going back to the old normal.

Ever.

[hazard]

Depends on the reinfection rate Rob. But it's certainly worrisome. Dealing permanently with the disease would be indicated by a massive vaccination program, one that is well coordinated and thorough if we want to succeed.

[LynnInDenver]

It's worrisome in several factors if it turns out one can at least become reinfectuous. Doubly so if one doesn't actually get sick again. Although it's also noted that he picked up a different strain. And it does indeed depend on the reinfection rate.

But I also think Rob's right in terms of we're not getting back to the old normal, ever. That's at best a pipe dream. If anything, the "Safer At Home" phase of this thing is going to be going on long enough that businesses will close, and the sorts of regular activities that are considered acceptable will change, in spite of some people's efforts to try to act like this whole thing isn't a big deal and trying to keep returning to the old normal.

[hazard]

Looking at it, it shows that we may need multiple vaccines, given that there are multiple strains. If a single vaccine offers good enough resistance to infection and prevents illness or transmission even when infected though?

At that point you are basically dealing with a very nasty infectious disease that can be effectively prevented with a vaccination program. This is nothing new to humanity.

[Star Ranger4]

So, much like the UN-c0mmon flu?

[robkelk]

"Get your flu shot" is going to become "Get your flu and SARS shot".

Sooner rather than later, if we're lucky - but I'd rather a COVID-19 vaccine goes through testing instead of being rushed into use.

[hazard]

Basically.

It'd probably expand the vaccination program considerably simply because it infects so many so easily and a young age offers little protection, but that just means that everybody gets called up for a covid shot every year at the most.

[robkelk]

Ending this thread (post 300) on a lighter note:
Since you aren't supposed to touch your face nowadays, KFC is no longer "finger lickin'" good