How are you guys coping with the other C word?

245

Comments

  • Georges Calvez
    Georges Calvez Member Posts: 547 Member
    G & T

    Hi everybody,

    I am having a calming G & T after a fraught trip round the supermarket.
    Things are not too bad yet but holes are beginning to appear.
    People are stocking up on flour, yeast, butter, tinned goods, cat litter and pet food.
    The big shops have massive warehouses and a formidable supply chain but if this carries on for more than a few weeks some shelves will empty.

    Cheers,

    Georges

  • hewhositsoncushions
    hewhositsoncushions Member Posts: 411 Member

    G & T

    Hi everybody,

    I am having a calming G & T after a fraught trip round the supermarket.
    Things are not too bad yet but holes are beginning to appear.
    People are stocking up on flour, yeast, butter, tinned goods, cat litter and pet food.
    The big shops have massive warehouses and a formidable supply chain but if this carries on for more than a few weeks some shelves will empty.

    Cheers,

    Georges

    You should be here.

    You should be here.

    Bread, rice, pasta, all the ususal stuff gone.

    There is a stink over NHS shift workers going shopping and finding empty shelves to be sorted.

    Top tip - if you local supermarket is short, try a local ethnic supermarket as they will not get the same footfall.

  • VascodaGama
    VascodaGama Member Posts: 3,707 Member
    edited March 2020 #24
    Numbers increase at four-factorial (4!) level

    The increase of CoVid-19 cases in Europe is very alarming. Portugal takes now the 13th place in confirmed cases and I predict it to get higher as the health system is now testing more people. Though the majority of Portuguese have been responding to the appeals of the government in keeping civil hygiene and manners approaches and staying at home there are critical situations that have not been predicted by the authorities. They have not requisite in time enough personnel and equipment to attend the crises started one month ago. Our minister of Health commented that the case is new and that she is learning from other countries results, but I think that she meant countries with similar culture that are now having a hard time.

    Yesterday, a dead man waited 11 hours in a street to be retrieved and taken away by the emergency units. His wife told that he was alive after having a stroke and called the ambulance but nobody come to attend him because he demonstrated to have CoVid-19 symptoms, which we almost all have at this time of the year. This is a shame.

    CoVir-19 deaths are few still with 12 numbers (double in one day) but I believe these to increase to the rates of Spain and Italy for our sort of social cuddling culture. Many guys cannot dispense their daily espressos (strong coffee) and procure places where it is served just to have a conversation with other folks. I hope that people in Europe understands the grave situation we are confronting.

    There will be millions of dead in the world like it happen with the Spanish flu.

     

  • hewhositsoncushions
    hewhositsoncushions Member Posts: 411 Member
    edited March 2020 #25

    Numbers increase at four-factorial (4!) level

    The increase of CoVid-19 cases in Europe is very alarming. Portugal takes now the 13th place in confirmed cases and I predict it to get higher as the health system is now testing more people. Though the majority of Portuguese have been responding to the appeals of the government in keeping civil hygiene and manners approaches and staying at home there are critical situations that have not been predicted by the authorities. They have not requisite in time enough personnel and equipment to attend the crises started one month ago. Our minister of Health commented that the case is new and that she is learning from other countries results, but I think that she meant countries with similar culture that are now having a hard time.

    Yesterday, a dead man waited 11 hours in a street to be retrieved and taken away by the emergency units. His wife told that he was alive after having a stroke and called the ambulance but nobody come to attend him because he demonstrated to have CoVid-19 symptoms, which we almost all have at this time of the year. This is a shame.

    CoVir-19 deaths are few still with 12 numbers (double in one day) but I believe these to increase to the rates of Spain and Italy for our sort of social cuddling culture. Many guys cannot dispense their daily espressos (strong coffee) and procure places where it is served just to have a conversation with other folks. I hope that people in Europe understands the grave situation we are confronting.

    There will be millions of dead in the world like it happen with the Spanish flu.

     

    As it bites, the idiots will

    As it bites, the idiots will go home and hopefully the case growtrh will play out the lag.

    We just have to hope that the antiviral research pans out soon or they decide to take risks with it.

  • VascodaGama
    VascodaGama Member Posts: 3,707 Member
    edited March 2020 #26
    The Euro and the EU project is in jeopardy by the virus crises

    This CoVid-19 monster is leading to the EU disintegration and probably to the Euro's abolition. The bureaucrat system of the European Union is slowing the decision processes to take action when comparing with the speed of the virus in propagation. Some countries like Italy and Spain are feeling the pinch for such slow responce by the European Commission which is the executive branch of the European Union. All what has been instructed by the executive (Ursula von der Leyen) was like "brushing" the issue by saying to the many "Save Yourselves".

    The European Council that regulates the interests of each EU government did not specify anything in particular that would oblige the the Commission to take the lead. In reality, nobody from the EU has stepped forward to help affected countries but instead we could see the so "Save Yourselves" into action in the attitude taken by some of the countries. It has been informed that the Checks postponed the supply of medical equipment to Italy just to be prepared for what is coming to them. In fact what we see is help arriving to Italy and others from third countries like China, Russia and Cuba. Where is the Union?

    The same situation can be seen in the economic matters. To curb the spread of the virus, restrictions have been imposed in peoples movement which will lead to an economic crises worse than the one of 2008th that only recently has been overcome by the EU members. Again, the Commission has given freedom to each country to deal the issue by spending/injecting money into the affected businesses but the action cannot simply be extended to a long period for the lack of available money in circulation along the period of curfew that has no predicted end. Very little is sold in a low consuption environment. I see nobody buying a car or property if they cannot drive it or see it. Italy is one of the "bigs" in the EU that most probably will enter into bankruptcy by July 2020, due to the high deficit that can be compared to the situation of affected countries in 2011 (Greece, Ireland, Spain and Portugal). This will start a chain reaction when the smaller ones see themselves with empty hands. I do not predict other big ones entering in the scenery when they may be in resection too.

    Collapse can be predicted. Meanwhile folks ! .... just Save Yourselves.

    VG

  • Georges Calvez
    Georges Calvez Member Posts: 547 Member
    edited March 2020 #27
    Transformative event

    Hi there,

    I think it will be a transformative event, things will change radically as a result of this.
    The world after coronavirus will not look like the world before.
    Things will recover but whole sectors of the economy will be thinned out or obliterated.
    How quickly will the whole entertainment, tourism, industry with its associated businesses like airlines take to recover?
    I am not sure the EU will collapse, maybe they will huddle closer together, there is strength in numbers.

    Best wishes,

    Georges

  • Grinder
    Grinder Member Posts: 487 Member
    The News is not good from

    The News is not good from here in the States... many people, especially the young are not taking it seriously.

    - Students in spring break are traveling to beaches anyway and when interviewed  just scoff and laugh the virus off.

    - Pranksters are taking video of themselves licking the products on the shelf at Wal-Mart calling themselves the Walmart lickers in defiance of pandemic rules.

    - An NBA player wiped his sweat from his body and jersey all over the microphones and podium during a press conference in defiance of virus rules. He later discovered he has the Covid19 virus, and gave it to a teammate. Shortly after the NBA suspended the season.

    - Our politicians in government are all trying to set up the other party for blame of the spread of the virus... and trying to claim success for any advancement made to curb the virus... when it is the medical science community that will make the advances. The politicians are acting like spoiled children filling the virus legislation with pet projects like cutting emissions standards for airlines to fight global warming... at a time when airlines are struggling to stay solvent. I kid you not.

    There are a lot of good people making sacrifices and many Americans are being appropriately conscientious... But with the puerile response of many Americans, we may need the Grace of God to get through it.

  • VascodaGama
    VascodaGama Member Posts: 3,707 Member
    Each man for himself

    I was right when saying that the CoVid-19 monster may lead to the EU disintegration. "Repugnant" was the word spelled by the Portuguese minister to the media after the video-conference of the finance ministers of EU countries during their EU Council meeting. Instead of discussing unified measures to hold the crises the Dutch minister proposed an investigation to verify/confirm the reson that led Italy to an economic break down. You can read it here;

    https://www.portugalresident.com/repugnant-pm-costa-launches-extraordinary-attack-on-dutch-finance-minister/

    It is appalled that no one EU member has come forwards to help responding to the appeal from Italy for providing medical protective materials (masks, gloves, suits, etc). The EU Commission that looks for the interests of all EU citizens did not plan or organize an unified system to deal with the medical means reagrding the procurement of equipment and materials to fight the disease that is now a common affair not just in Europe but in all countries around the globe.
    Death in Portugal has reached already to 76 among 4,300 positive cases. In the region where I live (the Algarve) there are 96 reported cases with one dead.
    We stay indoors but many people from the north are driving to the south running away from the most affected region close to Porto city.

    Many guys with chronic diseases are avoiding visiting hospitals for their scheduled consultations for worries with any contagious. My PCa consultation is scheduled for June which will coincide with the expected pick of CoVid-19 cases treated in hospitals. I am really worried too. I hope they delay the consultation at least 6 months.

    Best to all.

    VG

  • Grinder
    Grinder Member Posts: 487 Member
    Wow

    It looks as if the European Union provides little or nothing useful for its member states in a crisis like this. The EU Emperor has no clothes and this pandemic has exposed it, especially with the tragedy in Italy.

    Here the mainstream media was caught airing footage of Italy's crowded Covid wings and claiming it to be New York. There was also footage from a pandemic movie being shown as the conditions in New York.

    These networks must know when millions watch someone might catch them on it... but in their hubris, they disregard such consequences... They do, after all, monopolize the public airwaves to a degree.

    And updating... politicians are still trying to blame the other for any pandemic failures while taking credit for any pandemic victories.

    So far as I can tell, the most successful response has been South Korea... as they already had pandemic preps in place from the SARS outbreak... plus their culture honors and cherishes their elderly highly. My wife taught HS math for 40 years and all her South Korean students were remarkably different than many Western students in that regard.

    Of course, Sharia countries like Iran and Communist countries like China will not reveal their real numbers or their failures, and will exaggerate their successes.

  • Flyer83948
    Flyer83948 Member Posts: 34

    Each man for himself

    I was right when saying that the CoVid-19 monster may lead to the EU disintegration. "Repugnant" was the word spelled by the Portuguese minister to the media after the video-conference of the finance ministers of EU countries during their EU Council meeting. Instead of discussing unified measures to hold the crises the Dutch minister proposed an investigation to verify/confirm the reson that led Italy to an economic break down. You can read it here;

    https://www.portugalresident.com/repugnant-pm-costa-launches-extraordinary-attack-on-dutch-finance-minister/

    It is appalled that no one EU member has come forwards to help responding to the appeal from Italy for providing medical protective materials (masks, gloves, suits, etc). The EU Commission that looks for the interests of all EU citizens did not plan or organize an unified system to deal with the medical means reagrding the procurement of equipment and materials to fight the disease that is now a common affair not just in Europe but in all countries around the globe.
    Death in Portugal has reached already to 76 among 4,300 positive cases. In the region where I live (the Algarve) there are 96 reported cases with one dead.
    We stay indoors but many people from the north are driving to the south running away from the most affected region close to Porto city.

    Many guys with chronic diseases are avoiding visiting hospitals for their scheduled consultations for worries with any contagious. My PCa consultation is scheduled for June which will coincide with the expected pick of CoVid-19 cases treated in hospitals. I am really worried too. I hope they delay the consultation at least 6 months.

    Best to all.

    VG

    Delays

    "Many guys with chronic diseases are avoiding visiting hospitals for their scheduled consultations for worries with any contagious. My PCa consultation is scheduled for June which will coincide with the expected pick of CoVid-19 cases treated in hospitals. I am really worried too. I hope they delay the consultation at least 6 months."

     

    After spending some time weighing various treatment options for my Gleason 6 (later upgraded to Gleason 7 (3+4) after surgery), I finally decided on a prostatectomy. Had the surgery on February 25. It's only now that I'm realizing that I may have been lucky and just slipped under the wire and that hospitals may be starting to postpone performing prostatectomies at least for relatively low grade cases like Gleason 6.

     

  • Max Former Hodgkins Stage 3
    Max Former Hodgkins Stage 3 Member Posts: 3,819 Member
    Grinder said:

    Wow

    It looks as if the European Union provides little or nothing useful for its member states in a crisis like this. The EU Emperor has no clothes and this pandemic has exposed it, especially with the tragedy in Italy.

    Here the mainstream media was caught airing footage of Italy's crowded Covid wings and claiming it to be New York. There was also footage from a pandemic movie being shown as the conditions in New York.

    These networks must know when millions watch someone might catch them on it... but in their hubris, they disregard such consequences... They do, after all, monopolize the public airwaves to a degree.

    And updating... politicians are still trying to blame the other for any pandemic failures while taking credit for any pandemic victories.

    So far as I can tell, the most successful response has been South Korea... as they already had pandemic preps in place from the SARS outbreak... plus their culture honors and cherishes their elderly highly. My wife taught HS math for 40 years and all her South Korean students were remarkably different than many Western students in that regard.

    Of course, Sharia countries like Iran and Communist countries like China will not reveal their real numbers or their failures, and will exaggerate their successes.

    Wondering

    Grinder,

    Yes: the EU is essentially Soviet Bloc-governing lite.   Bless Great Britian for demanding they regain their freedom and self-determination.  I hope Poland follows Britian's lead soon.    Currently, 30% of the counties in the US have no (zero) confirmed cases.  

    I have read more than once that SWEDEN has virtually no social restrictions, but extremely low infection rates.  I have not reasearched this to confirm.   We were mentioning fitting entertainment programming a few weeks ago.   The British classic "The Prisoner" has got to be the absolute perfect choice.    Patrick McGoohan is trapped in a psychotic, thought-controlled camp, and can't get out.

     

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GnQYtbbsJzM

     

    .

  • Grinder
    Grinder Member Posts: 487 Member
    edited April 2020 #33
    The Prisoner

    The Prisoner was a great series...

    "I am not a number, I am a free man!"

    Been a while since I watched it... I may check if it's on DVD.

  • hopeful and optimistic
    hopeful and optimistic Member Posts: 2,346 Member
    edited April 2020 #34
    .
    Here is a YouTube site that you might find worthwhile 



    https://youtu.be/sjDuwc9KBps 
    interesting way to handle food.

  • Georges Calvez
    Georges Calvez Member Posts: 547 Member
    edited April 2020 #35
    France

    Hi there,

    France has a similar pattern of cases to most places including the USA.
    Paris is pretty bad, intenational travel hub so there is a lot of cases there, the Grande Est which is close to northern Italy so that is looking pretty bad.
    Up in my region we have a few hundred cases for a population of 3.3 million.
    Yesterday a special train arrived full of sick Parisians to take up the ECU beds that we have waiting in an act of national solidarity.
    We are only at the beginning of this adventure, there are plenty of surprises waiting down the road!

    Best wishes,

    Georges

  • Max Former Hodgkins Stage 3
    Max Former Hodgkins Stage 3 Member Posts: 3,819 Member
    edited April 2020 #36
    Grinder said:

    The Prisoner

    The Prisoner was a great series...

    "I am not a number, I am a free man!"

    Been a while since I watched it... I may check if it's on DVD.

    Scene

    Grinder,

    The beautiful part is the end, when the judge says "On Behalf of us all, we thank you."  Glad you could come by and speak your mind !

    Reminds me of every form response I've ever got from a customer service department or government official's hack spokesperson.

  • Max Former Hodgkins Stage 3
    Max Former Hodgkins Stage 3 Member Posts: 3,819 Member
    edited April 2020 #37

    France

    Hi there,

    France has a similar pattern of cases to most places including the USA.
    Paris is pretty bad, intenational travel hub so there is a lot of cases there, the Grande Est which is close to northern Italy so that is looking pretty bad.
    Up in my region we have a few hundred cases for a population of 3.3 million.
    Yesterday a special train arrived full of sick Parisians to take up the ECU beds that we have waiting in an act of national solidarity.
    We are only at the beginning of this adventure, there are plenty of surprises waiting down the road!

    Best wishes,

    Georges

    Doris

    Georges, et al:

    Here in America, mortality rate estimates change radically, on a DAILY basis.  Most continue to say that the death rate will eventually be proven at below 1% . It is also the prevailing wisdom that far fewer than half of all victims ever show any symptoms whatsoever.

    Britain famously had a model (the 'Imperial' Model) a week or two ago that estimated 2 million deaths there, later revised down to 200,000 -- one-tenth.   US casualties so far remain far lower than the number of flu deaths in the US over the last year, and a tiny, tiny fraction of heart disease deaths.

    I advise people to NOT watch TV news, since it is psychotically hysterical.   Read a responsibe online newspaper once a day -- much calmer.

    As Doris Day sang in the 60s, "What will be will be.  The future is not ours to see......

  • VascodaGama
    VascodaGama Member Posts: 3,707 Member
    edited April 2020 #38
    Well, and now we got Spain crying for help

    The CoVid-19 will be remembered in history as the monster that killed thousands but it will be remembered too in the EU as the virus that spoiled the dream of unionism. There are no doubts that the EU after these crises will not be the same as it was in the last 27 years since foundation. This monster has demonstrated that the facts that separated EU countries in the past are still present today and that history is not forgotten. EU patriotism is low and the "Unus pro omnibus, omnes pro uno" immortalized by Alexander Dumas in the novel "The Three Musketeers" doesn't exist. It is more like one for himself than the "One for all, all for one".

    Madame Ursula von der Leyen, the president executive of the European Commission, finally contacted the many saying that the Union will use economic measures to help the most affected EU countries (maybe Spain, Italy and France). It is directed to those that have lost business/income/salary. The idea is to avoid layoffs by an instrument to help in short-time-work. Spain already responded that they cannot support the bill alone for much longer. Meanwhile, Japan, Luxemburg and Lithonia have responded with help in medical supplies.

    Portugal has now 8,000 confirmed cases and 187 deaths. The quarantine system is leading to a lesser accentuated curve of infected people, moving towards a plateau before starting to go down. This shows that lesser patients are arriving at hospitals alleviating congestions, as we saw in Italy and Spain 's hospitals. However, it also means that the crises will be extended for a much longer period of confinement now estimated to last till the end of May or longer till a vaccine is available. Portugal is heading to bankruptcy too.

    Sweden is the only country in EU that has not adopted the quarantine system. They preferred to reserve confinement to the older people and those in high risk for dying of the disease. Testing has also been done among this cohort of population. Schools and shops weren't closed and factories are in full swing. They have now about 5,000 confirmed positive patients and 252 deaths. I believe that they will have a higher number of deaths but one knows that the older will go first. In fact this is what is done in Spain and Italy (and surely in Portugal and other countries) when the choice of patients to use available ventilators is decided by the doctors treating them. The older are kept in hospitals with no IC units. Sweden will be the first country reaching the end of the pandemic in Europe.

    Let's keep our camaraderie here in the forum. let's look after each other, mate.

    Best

    VGama

  • hewhositsoncushions
    hewhositsoncushions Member Posts: 411 Member
    edited April 2020 #39
    Grinder said:

    Wow

    It looks as if the European Union provides little or nothing useful for its member states in a crisis like this. The EU Emperor has no clothes and this pandemic has exposed it, especially with the tragedy in Italy.

    Here the mainstream media was caught airing footage of Italy's crowded Covid wings and claiming it to be New York. There was also footage from a pandemic movie being shown as the conditions in New York.

    These networks must know when millions watch someone might catch them on it... but in their hubris, they disregard such consequences... They do, after all, monopolize the public airwaves to a degree.

    And updating... politicians are still trying to blame the other for any pandemic failures while taking credit for any pandemic victories.

    So far as I can tell, the most successful response has been South Korea... as they already had pandemic preps in place from the SARS outbreak... plus their culture honors and cherishes their elderly highly. My wife taught HS math for 40 years and all her South Korean students were remarkably different than many Western students in that regard.

    Of course, Sharia countries like Iran and Communist countries like China will not reveal their real numbers or their failures, and will exaggerate their successes.

    The EU was a great idea but

    The EU was a great idea but the problem was that it's purpose got corrupted into one of political gain fro each member state rather than collaboration and support. The move from economical support and reform to the idea of an EU Federal government was the end of the Great Plan as everyone vied to become the Great Leader.

    There is still hope in the ashes as long as we rise up and crucify our leaders across the world for incompetence, corruption and greed that has been writ large by all this.

     

  • Grinder
    Grinder Member Posts: 487 Member
    More addendum

    Just to add another wrinkle to what was just said...

    Better to peruse these posts with civilized comrades than suffer the slings and arrows of social media... which is often more alarming than network newscasts. Social media such as Facebook has gotten so divisive... even opinions of this pandemic are in extreme camps...

    1) It is all a government conspiracy and it's no worse than a bad cold

    2) Apocalypse Now

    I figure the truth is somewhere in between... the question is, which side is the truth more heavily weighted toward. I don't doubt politicians in all countries will take advantage of this crisis. And I don't doubt, like Max says, the networks are using this pandemic as their crisis-du-jour to get ratings and revenue, not to mention a bloated sense of self-importance.

    I am guessing nearly everyone in this forum is over 50, putting us all in the higher risk categories... that being said, I have greater concern as my beloved wife is 67 with past bronchitis issues... making her very high risk... not so much to contract the virus but the greater danger of mortality. So we have taken greater precautions to avoid the first group I mentioned who do not take it seriously and can be asymptomatic carriers.

    But at the same time we will be smart about it. I recall the Y2K hoax 20 years ago where many were expecting a complete grid crash from computers unable to handle the century reboot from 1999 to 2000. That shall go down as the great panic hysteria and prepping panacea of modern history.

    On the other hand, we are also afflicted with "normalcy syndrome", recalling the lyrical talents of Frank Zappa and his song "It Can't Happen Here".

     

  • hewhositsoncushions
    hewhositsoncushions Member Posts: 411 Member
    edited April 2020 #41
    Grinder said:

    More addendum

    Just to add another wrinkle to what was just said...

    Better to peruse these posts with civilized comrades than suffer the slings and arrows of social media... which is often more alarming than network newscasts. Social media such as Facebook has gotten so divisive... even opinions of this pandemic are in extreme camps...

    1) It is all a government conspiracy and it's no worse than a bad cold

    2) Apocalypse Now

    I figure the truth is somewhere in between... the question is, which side is the truth more heavily weighted toward. I don't doubt politicians in all countries will take advantage of this crisis. And I don't doubt, like Max says, the networks are using this pandemic as their crisis-du-jour to get ratings and revenue, not to mention a bloated sense of self-importance.

    I am guessing nearly everyone in this forum is over 50, putting us all in the higher risk categories... that being said, I have greater concern as my beloved wife is 67 with past bronchitis issues... making her very high risk... not so much to contract the virus but the greater danger of mortality. So we have taken greater precautions to avoid the first group I mentioned who do not take it seriously and can be asymptomatic carriers.

    But at the same time we will be smart about it. I recall the Y2K hoax 20 years ago where many were expecting a complete grid crash from computers unable to handle the century reboot from 1999 to 2000. That shall go down as the great panic hysteria and prepping panacea of modern history.

    On the other hand, we are also afflicted with "normalcy syndrome", recalling the lyrical talents of Frank Zappa and his song "It Can't Happen Here".

     

    50 - 60 is slightly higher

    50 - 60 is slightly higher risk and hen it gets exponentually highr.

    Medical conditions are the biggers concern particularly cardiovascular ones.

    I fought hard to lose a stone and a half (still some to go) and get my BP down to 115/75. The rest of my issues are all in my head :)

    Losing weight, eathing healthily, stayiong positive and generally looking after ourselves are things we should be doing as cancer patiences anyway but are more important now!