13 minutes ago, VladimirIlyich said:

You've jinxed it now. As soon as you say a band people vote the other way.

Crafty reverse psychology in this case...

Bloody foreigners interfering with our internal affairs.

1 minute ago, Bjornebye said:

I prefer “elevenerife” 

https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Elevenerife

Haha.

Of all the current uncertainties, I think it's pretty safe to see that this ain't happening, especially given the likely involvement of G4S and fucking Serco- https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/sep/09/boris-johnson-pinning-hopes-on-covid-testing-moonshot-leaked-papers-show. These useless cunts couldn't even get masks and gowns supplies sorted a few months back.

Boris Johnson pinning hopes on £100bn 'moonshot' to avoid second lockdown
PM believes huge rapid testing programme is ‘only hope’ before a vaccine, leaked document says

What is No 10’s ‘moonshot’ Covid testing plan and is it feasible?
Boris Johnson: ‘It should be possible to deploy these tests on a far bigger scale than any country has yet achieved.’ 
Boris Johnson believes a mass testing programme is “our only hope for avoiding a second national lockdown before a vaccine”, according to leaked official documents setting out plans for “Operation Moonshot”.

The prime minister is said to be pinning his hopes on a project that would deliver up to 10m tests a day – even though the current testing regime is struggling to deliver a fraction of that number and is beset by problems.

 Boris Johnson lets rip another demented monologue in Commons
The documents say the “Mass Population Testing Plan” could cost £100bn – the equivalent to the UK’s entire education budget.

If delivered, the moonshot programme would be unprecedented in scale and, as reflected by its name, is considered by some officials to be at the outer level of possibility.

Some of the technology it would require does not yet exist.

Details of the moonshot proposals emerged as Johnson on Wednesday urged people to abide by new restrictions that outlaw gatherings of more than six people indoors and out, and said they were imperative if the country was to avoid further toughening of the rules.

In a gloomy assessment of the deteriorating position, England’s chief medical officer, Prof Chris Whitty, said the recent rise in positive cases was a matter of huge concern.

He also admitted the period “between now and spring is going to be difficult” and said the public should expect the new measures to be in place for a number of months – raising fears they may not be lifted before the new year.

1:55
 Gatherings limited to six in England to curb Covid-19, says PM – video
With the testing system already under huge strain and critics accusing the government of incompetence, the prime minister used his press conference to set out the bare bones of the moonshot plan, which, he claimed, would allow people to lead more normal lives.

“There are a number of challenges,” he said. “We need the technology to work. We need to source the necessary materials to manufacture so many tests. We need to put in place an efficient distribution network. And we need to work through the numerous logistical challenges.”
But he added: “It should be possible to deploy these tests on a far bigger scale than any country has yet achieved – literally millions of tests processed every single day.”

He said the moonshot programme could enable theatres and sports venues to test audience members on the day and allow in all those testing negative, as well as allowing workplaces to operate more normally.

However, the practicalities of delivering such an ambitious project in such a short time are evident in two leaked documents – a slide show presentation dated August, and a confidential “UK mass testing narrative” which were initially leaked on Wednesday to the British Medical Journal.

The documents, seen by the Guardian, describe the moonshot project as “a top priority for the prime minister, who is embedding No 10 staff within the project and has committed to removing any barriers to implementation.”

One of the documents reports that he has asked for “a Manhattan Project-type approach to delivering the level of innovation/pace required to make this possible”.

“The prime minister has tasked the secretary of state for health and social care with delivering a Mass Population Testing Programme, currently called Operation Moonshot, before the end of the year.

“This is described by the prime minister as our only hope for avoiding a second national lockdown before a vaccine, something the country cannot afford. He would also like this to support the opening up of the economy and allow the population to return to something closer to normality.”

Responding to news of the plan, Dr Chaand Nagpaul, chair of the British Medical Association, said it is unclear how Operation Moonshot would work given the “huge problems” currently seen with lab capacity.

“And the notion of opening up society based on negative tests of those without symptoms needs to be approached with caution – both because of the high rate of ‘false negatives’ and the potential to miss those who are incubating the virus,” he said.

The leaks confirm private sector organisations are to be encouraged to carry out testing to help their own trade and protect their workforce.

“Businesses could support our testing strategy by providing ‘testing at the door’ to enable large scale ‘high-risk’ events to take place, such as football matches, theatre productions, concerts or conferences,” the strategy says. “The costs of travel or leisure activities could include the costs of accessing tests beforehand.”

Saliva swab testing has been trialled in Southampton and will be piloted in Salford next month. The documents say the programme could be extended to Basingstoke, before going UK-wide with schools and universities being mass tested.

A list of companies to engage includes G4S, Serco, Boots, Sainsbury’s, AstraZeneca, GSK and Smith and Nephew. It promises “a huge new operational infrastructure” with testing available in pharmacies, schools and workplaces as well as health settings.

The Treasury is said to be modelling the impact of mass testing on the economy while the Sage scientific advisory panel is modelling its impact on R, the measure of virus spread, the documents report.

But the document cautions: “Critically, for this testing to reduce infection rates, it must lead to behaviour change – citizens will need to participate regularly, and if they test positive they will need to isolate rapidly and reliably.”

The Department of Health and Social Care said it did not comment on leaked documents, but a spokesperson confirmed the ambition to scale up testing. “This country now has the capacity to test for coronavirus on an unprecedented scale and we are going further by investing £500m in next-generation tests, like saliva tests and rapid turnaround tests that can deliver results in just 20 minutes,” he said.

“We are increasing capacity to 500,000 tests a day by the end of October, and the ability to get rapid, on-the-spot results, will significantly increase our ability to fight coronavirus, stop the spread and for our economy to recover.”

The project would ramp up testing to between 2m and 4m daily tests by December. That would allow mass testing of all homes in areas or whole cities with rising cases of Covid-19, internal documents show. By the end of the year there would also be weekly testing of all teachers and tests for all visitors to hospitals and care homes.

38 minutes ago, Bjornebye said:

Nah, worse are the ones who go "Oh I know me too". The same cunts do it about anything.

 

"I got hit by a car this morning" "Me too, fucker sped off as well" 

 

"I woke up getting bummed by the ghost of my nan" "She woke me up with a blow last night, dirty isn't she" 

'Black dog'. As in, 'my black dog is blacker than your black dog'. Every workplace is infested with the cunts.

28 minutes ago, cloggypop said:

 

Apparently they have to go in the corners. 

That Simon married Kurtz? Fuckin' hell.

1 minute ago, Fluter in Dakota said:

I really enjoyed blade runner, prisoners and arrival. I know they split audiences though.  Not sure I've seen Sicario.

 

I've not read Dune or seen the movie. But that trailer looks spectacular.

Well worth a read before it comes out. It's only 400 pages or so, but packs as much depth into its universe as Tolkien. 

Anyway, we'll see. After suffering through Sicario, Prisoners, Bladerunner 2049 and Arrival, it'd be relief to get a really good film out of Villeneuve, especially as I love the book.

6 minutes ago, Fluter in Dakota said:

The TV show is apparently a prequel to try and lay the foundations for the story/world. There might even be a second film as it's being described as a 'two-part film'.

Yeah, I was just reading the Wikipedia entry- seems it's going to be like the recent It adaptation, although this is a bit alarming- 

Quote

 it is the first of a planned two-part adaptation of the 1965 novel of the same name by Frank Herbert, which will cover roughly the first half of the book.

So a four film series, or is the first film half the book? If the former, they really should have done a TV series, it'd be well suited to a ten episode series. 

Just now, Fluter in Dakota said:

Apparently Villeneuve is directing the movie and also 'overseeing' (exec-producing?) an HBO funded TV mini series to go alongside it. Interesting approach.

Weird. Wasn't there a TV series not so long ago? I'm sure I remember watching it and sighing as it was a bit naff.

2 hours ago, Juniper said:

One of the greatest books seems to have a pretty decent modern adaptation. 
 

Cant wait for Dune.
 

 

I enjoyed the Lynch version, incomprehensible like, but looked great.

My only reservation about the new one is that it's directed by fucking Villeneuve. I take it it won't be compressed into a single movie? It'd be really hard to do justice to the novel, especially with Villeneuve's windbag tendencies.

1 hour ago, Bjornebye said:

 

 

This is the only song of theirs I can tolerate, aside from the usual terrible lyrics- 'I've got soul, but I'm not a solider', ffs. The UK version of the video is miles better than the official one though-

18 minutes ago, manwiththestick said:

I'm voting for whichever band is not The Killers.

Same. Fucking awful band.

Just now, sir roger said:

Maybe I haven't been taking full notice in the past, but I can't remember important Government policy decisions being announced at 10pm at night on a regular basis, and as for that fucking stupid lectern Johnson sets up in the street.

'Taking back control' apparently means just allowing a government to do what the fuck it wants.

Just now, Redder Lurtz said:

Right, I'm going to sound incredibly dense here but what about the argument that we're seeing more cases as we're testing more people? I know that's an argument Trump used but does he have a point or not? Educate me please. 

It's possible, but the positivity rate (i.e. the number of positive tests/ total number of tests) is also rising. Also, I'm not sure we are actually testing more people as they don't give that data out any more- just the overall number of tests, rather than the actual number of people.

1 minute ago, Spy Bee said:

I don't get this theory. It suggests there is a tipping point, or a critical mass which we reach and that's when older/more vulnerable people start getting it. Surely it would work out proportionally?

It probably will work out proportionally in the end, that's the worry. Currently, up to 70% of new cases are in the under-40s group. As pointed out in that article and several others that Sugar Ape posted for other countries, younger people appear to be more likely to expose themselves to the virus than other groups-

The rise in cases in France has been widely reported, with masks becoming mandatory in public places in thousands of towns and cities. Countries including the UK and Belgium have advised against all but essential travel to and from France and imposed a quarantine on arrivals from France.

Read more

1,400 French communes require masks are worn in street
British ambassador: UK-France quarantine tough but necessary
France travel: which countries have restrictions in place?
In its latest update (from Sunday August 16), Santé Publique France (SPF) reported 3,015 new cases over the previous 24 hours, slightly fewer cases than in the 24 before that (3,310 on Saturday August 15). Previously, the 3,000-case mark threshold had not been breached since May

Yet the number of patients in intensive care has remained stable, at 376, and only one death in hospital was reported in the previous 24 hours.

Younger people
Epidemiologist Dr. Pascal Crépey, from public health university l’Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Santé Publique de Rennes, explained the phenomenon to news service FranceInfo.

He said: “The response is simple. The people who are most exposed [to infection] at the moment are the young. Since the start of the epidemic, we know that young people are less subject to severe forms of Covid-19, and are therefore not hospitalised at the same levels.”

Health minister Oliver Véran appeared to corroborate this statement in an interview with TV channel France 2, on August 12. He said: “The public being diagnosed today is younger, more from the 20-40 age group, less fragile. Older people are continuing to protect themselves.”

Looking at the figures from SPF also confirms this explanation.

In its most recent update, it said that for the week of August 3-9, the number of cases per 100,000 people (also known as the level of incidence) was three times higher among 15-44 year olds, at 28.9 per 100,000 people; compared to 9.6 cases per 100,000 among people aged 75 and over.

This number is on the rise among all age groups, but especially so among people aged 25-29 (up 55%) and 30-34 (up 52%) compared to the national average (up 42%).

This is not simply due to a rise in testing (up 41%). This shows that the number of cases is indeed rising more among younger people.

Hospitalisation rise ‘not negligible’
Although the number of hospitalisations has not kept pace with the increase in positive cases, the number is still on the rise and “not negligible”, Dr Crépey said.

The number of hospital admissions due to Covid-19 linked causes only increased from 778 to 782 from August 3-9; but there was a sharp rise a few weeks earlier (July 13-19), from 604 to 782.

Even among young people, while just 8% of hospital admissions were of people aged 40 or under in May and June, this has now risen to 18% since July.

The number of intensive care admissions has also risen over the past month or so, from 73 from June 29-July 5, to 122 between August 3-9.

And while the level of incidence is rising especially fast among young people, it is still rising among all age groups (up 43% among people aged 75 and over from August 3-9).

Dr Crépey said that because of this, it was still extremely important to take precautions, even among young people - and that young people were not immune to the spread.

He said: “We cannot hermetically seal one age group off from the population. We have many reasons to believe that people who know they are at risk take more precautions than others. You rarely see older people going out to party in night clubs and bars.”

And while Dr Crépey said that many older people have also been staying away from the workplace, which is also a high-risk zone, they could still be at risk from family members who are not being quite so careful.

He said: “[Older people] are still at risk from contamination between families. This will take longer, but if there is a rebound of the epidemic and it is not controlled, whatever the age of people affected, the virus will once again begin to spread.”

Caution advised
Indeed, last week (August 12), Prime Minister Jean Castex described the situation as “worrying”, said it was developing in the “wrong direction”, and called for more “vigilance, discipline”, and mask-wearing.

Read more: PM calls for discipline as Covid worsens in France

Overall, though, the public in France appears to be more worried about the health risks of Covid-19 than the economic issues caused by the crisis.

A nationally-representative poll of 1,003 people by Ifop (online from August 13-14) for newspaper Le Journal du Dimanche showed that 53% were worried about the health risks, versus 29% worried about economic concerns.

In addition to warnings from Dr Crépey, another epidemiologist, Dr Antoine Flahault, from the University of Geneva in Switzerland, tweeted about the “paradox” of young people with the virus apparently not infecting older people as much as one might expect.


He said: “No epidemiologist understands it very well”, but warned of the importance of “limiting the spread among young people and its spread to seniors”, or the situation could “become a tragedy that no-one wants to live through again”.

He especially warned of the risk of transmission at multi-generational, family events, such as family parties, weddings, cruise ship holidays, and funerals. He said that people should continue to self-isolate where necessary, and recommended that localised lockdowns be brought in in areas “not under control”.

23 minutes ago, Sugar Ape said:

According to one or the authors it is an opinion piece, and it was wrote 2-3 weeks ago before cases started to rise as much as they are now.
 

 

 

So it's basically a Daily Mail editorial with charts.

I'd agree that it isn't a second wave in the sense of the Spanish 'flu one, it's a resurgence of the first wave due to easing of restrictions.

Regarding the France data, there was this a few weeks ago which again concurs with the theory that it's young(er) people accounting for the increase in infections, the obvious danger is that it then becomes widespread in more vulnerable groups- https://www.connexionfrance.com/French-news/Covid-in-France-Why-cases-rising-but-hospitalisations-not-epidemiologist-explains-and-warns-risk-still-exists

Also, this shows that hospitalisations in France have risen by about 10% or so in the last couple of weeks from around 4530 at the end of August to 4960 now- https://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=fr&u=https://www.gouvernement.fr/info-coronavirus/carte-et-donnees&prev=search&pto=aue

1 minute ago, Spy Bee said:

Lazy confirmation bias. Life in the echo chamber.

Says the person quoting from a Toby Young website.

11 minutes ago, Spy Bee said:

I see you are still playing the man rather than the ball. 

So it's just something written for the Lockdown Sceptics website. Saves me ten minutes reading it.

Just now, Spy Bee said:

Well, it's quite clearly not a piece and it wasn't written by that twat Young. It's a paper by people with pretty good credentials

 

Paul Kirkham, Professor of cell Biology and Head of Respiratory Disease Research Group at Wolverhampton University

Dr Mike Yeadon, former CSO and VP, Allergy and Respiratory Research Head with Pfizer Global R&D and co-Founder of Ziarco Pharma Ltd

Barry Thomas, Epidemiologist

Where was it published?

10 minutes ago, Spy Bee said:

How Likely is a Second wave?

7 September 2020. Updated 8 September 2020.

Paul Kirkham, Professor of cell Biology and Head of Respiratory Disease Research Group at Wolverhampton University

Dr Mike Yeadon, former CSO and VP, Allergy and Respiratory Research Head with Pfizer Global R&D and co-Founder of Ziarco Pharma Ltd

Barry Thomas, Epidemiologist

 

A complete event of the pandemic
Epidemic outbreaks
Population susceptibility
Immunity threshold
The PCR Test
Expectations of a second wave
Spain and France
References

<snip>

 

 

Is this an actual published, peer-reviewed paper, or just a comment piece for the impartial Lockdown Sceptics website, run by that expert Toby Young?

26 minutes ago, Section_31 said:

There's a kings college one too, I think the UK has put money down on about eight different vaccines.

Hopefully with clauses in the contracts, be just like these dickheads to end up buying shitloads of stuff that doesn't work.

48 minutes ago, Stickman said:

 

2 hours ago, Nunavut Patrick said:

Caliper Lake,  between Kenora and Fort Frances.....no Americans so was quiet.

 

 

 

 

You took the pic from the back of the Burger King parking lot?

12 hours ago, Barrington Womble said:

Personally I thought what made spooks good was their absolute willingness to kill off any character, so there's none of that in tense moments but you know because it's a star of the show, they're safe. 

They did take it a bit far though, it kind of went the other way-

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spooks_(TV_series)#The_Grid_(deceased)

Spoilers there, obviously.