Wow!That's exactly what I was thinking.
Wow!That's exactly what I was thinking.
When does the quarter end?
I see the Smithsonian has just made 3 million digital images accessible and free to use https://www.si.edu/openaccess Something to pass the hours while you're self-isolating, once you've exhausted the delights ofOld Weather Log Books!!!!
Netflix, Amazon, i-Player and access on your Kindle to every book ever written (joke stolen from "Newsjack" BBC Radio 4 Extra).
The Modern Thoroughly Up To Date Guide Hand Washing (https://thetyee.ca/Culture/2020/03/06/Modern-Thoroughly-Up-To-Date-Guide-Hand-Washing/)That's definitely a good antidote to all the doom & gloom.
The embedded video is a joy to watch.
Gov. Tom Wolf confirmed Pennsylvania?s first two presumptive positive cases of COVID-19 on Friday.
The Modern Thoroughly Up To Date Guide Hand Washing (https://thetyee.ca/Culture/2020/03/06/Modern-Thoroughly-Up-To-Date-Guide-Hand-Washing/)
The embedded video is a joy to watch.
Given my musical talents, the singing alone might kill the germs ::)
Michael - that's cheating, not only a second adult but a qualified one. :o
Michael - that's cheating, not only a second adult but a qualified one. :o
Ya do whatya gotta do! ;D ;D ;D
In the UK most areas are served by supermarket delivery services. The problem in a really bad epidemic is 'How many drivers/pickers are still at work as the demand soars?' The second will be distributing stock from central warehouses to the supermarkets' local distribution centres - more drivers, warehouse people etc. I think, while there will still be a service, the delays will be significant. I'm judging this by the reported problems just before major holiday periods. So, a home buffer has been accumulated.
Italy has established a national quarantine - yikes!
I sure hope Matteo and Silvia are OK.
This is why the virus will spread.
So your wife surveyed you and your activities and limited your alcohol then decided that since she'd been on her feet much of the day her need was greater than yours and you needed the exercise anyway.;D ;D ;D
I'm feeling quite pleased as I managed to buy some toilet roll today (and I resisted buying mutiple packs!). In that shop it looked like the panic buying had shifted to tissues as those shelves were practically empty and also no lentils.Yes, the toilet paper shelves were bare yesterday. Fortunately, I am well stocked ;D
Gov. Tom Wolf on Friday announced that all K-12 schools in Pennsylvania would be closed for 10 business days beginning Monday in an effort to slow the spread of COVID-19.
Oregon distillery making own hand sanitizer
A Portland, Ore., distillery is now making hand sanitizer and giving it out to customers. Shine Distillery and Grill already has the equipment and the alcohol for it. When they distill the alcohol, the first part that comes out isn't meant to drink, so they make a cleaner out of it. "We did our research and checked with the controlling authorities and come to find, as long as we're not making a medical claim or selling it, we're allowed to give it away," owner Jon Poteet said.
Went to the grocery store a little earlier...
I wasn't surprised to find that they didn't have toilet paper.
However, I was fascinated to discover that bins for red, yellow, and white onions and for organic onions were totally empty.
However, I was fascinated to discover that bins for red, yellow, and white onions and for organic onions were totally empty.There was a rumour going around social media earlier that garlic could cure it. So perhaps someone's started one about onions!
However, I was fascinated to discover that bins for red, yellow, and white onions and for organic onions were totally empty.There was a rumour going around social media earlier that garlic could cure it. So perhaps someone's started one about onions!
Thermometer added to my shopping list for today; my local pharmacy was out of them. I'm fine, just taking precautions for now or the future.
This is an interesting article showing the effects of various degrees of social distancing - it's good to see that even if only 75% of people comply it makes a considerable difference.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2020/world/corona-simulator/?fbclid=IwAR1e16_gfyUwiE_ixBDoc5uE_JBvHEI5iH_D8tnwUHlbBidIka0ob_cnpXQ
Keep smiling because I am firmly convinced that bugs find smiley people less desirable (even if I'm wrong then smiles don't do any harm and cheer up everyone else).
:) :) :) :) :)
Due to local cases of #COVID-19, PPD is asking all criminal activities and nefarious behavior to cease. We appreciate your cooperation in halting crime & thank the criminals in advance. We will let you know when you can resume your normal behavior. Until then #washyourhands
The Puyallup, Washington Police Department, a little south of here, issued this statement this afternoon:QuoteDue to local cases of #COVID-19, PPD is asking all criminal activities and nefarious behavior to cease. We appreciate your cooperation in halting crime & thank the criminals in advance. We will let you know when you can resume your normal behavior. Until then #washyourhands
I've to get food at the supermarket today... will put my suit on and patiently wait in line ::)
(https://www.marem.it/immagini/approfondimenti/img_qUieIMG-20170906-WA0000.jpg)
The entire state of Nevada, including the Las Vegas casinos, now has a complete ban on all gambling for month. :o
One piece of advice he gives: Cook all fruits and vegetables. You don't know who touched them, and washing may not be sufficient.
Lots of messages from School chums across the globe. Decision - bring in ration cards as soon as possible. Apparently even the plant nurseries are stripped out of seedlings :-[
Also, I've been continuing conversation with the National Archives of Denmark and it looks they are interested in large-scale digitization of their collection of logbooks (some of which date back to the late 1600s). Definitely not going to run out of logbooks.
Well, I dunno about Dutch and I only know a few phrases in Danish, but anything else in English I could manage. ;D Also I can read French pretty well, I'm just not great at speaking it.
An email from the library said "All late fees will be suspended".
Another email said that the library books I checked out have been automatically renewed.
... Said Paul Bunyan ;)
I think if you have to isolate because you are symptomatic you have to stay in your own patch, so you can go into your garden (if you have one) but that is all. I think if you are 'vulnerable' but asymptomatic then you are discouraged from indoor contacts or going into crowded outdoor areas but activities like taking the dog out in quiet areas are permissable. The walkway is a mixed cycle and pedestrian path so wide enough for reasonable separation and the contacts probably lasted for only a couple of minutes each at the most. There is a difference between a breezy path alongside a wide river and a city centre pavement in the rush hour with exhaust fumes from the traffic. I'm hoping to avoid going into shops, even our local convenience store - but why are supermarkets proudly announcing early morning shopping hours for the elderly if we aren't allowed out of the house at all?
We all have to take our own decisions, within reason, but I cannot regret my walk because I felt so much better for the fresh air and change of view - celandines by one of the streams and a rainbow curving over the Erskine Bridge as highlights. The friendly greetings and smiles added to the enjoyment since all my social activities have been stopped for the duration. I would survive solitary confinement but 31 days segregation is regarded as inhumane by the prison authorities!!
The University of Pittsburgh's Center for Vaccine Research is part of an international consortium of three organizations receiving a $4.9 million grant to develop a COVID-19 vaccine candidate based on measles-vector technology.
Quote from: https://pge.post-gazette.com/.fullpdfs/2020/03/20200320.pdfThe University of Pittsburgh's Center for Vaccine Research is part of an international consortium of three organizations receiving a $4.9 million grant to develop a COVID-19 vaccine candidate based on measles-vector technology.
The federal Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau, or TTB, that regulates distillers temporarily OK'd others following suit in this emergency, as long as they followed a recipe approved by the World Health Organization.
The Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board gave distilleries its approval, too, on Thursday night.
...
Pittsburgh Police spokesman Chris Togneri said, "We are very appreciative of Tim's efforts. Public Safety has learned from experience that in times of need and in times of uncertainty, Pittsburghers always rise to the occasion and do whatever they can to help."
...
Mr. Kanto and other distillers are working with the Pennsylvania Distillers Guild. Its president, Rob Cassell, is working with state government officials to get the state and as many of 130 distilleries as possible here working together on a coordinated effort to fund, produce and distribute millions of bottles of hand sanitizer.
I'm so happy to hear of the butterfly! Thank you.
This article (https://www.medialens.org/2020/for-unknown-reasons-they-waited-and-watched-lancet-editor-exposes-devastating-government-failure-on-coronavirus/) may explain why you are confused. It's not for the faint of heart, especially if you're a big fan of your Prime Minister.
Distilleries turn alcohol into hand sanitizer
That's the spirit! ;D
On the whole, hand sanitizers are not as reliable as soap.
...
In an age of robotic surgery and gene therapy, it is all the more wondrous that a bit of soap in water, an ancient and fundamentally unaltered recipe, remains one of our most valuable medical interventions.
My 5-yr-old laptop has been slightly laggy for awhile, but 2 weeks ago it got really bad, but then it got better. Figured it might be time to replace. Went to the computer store and it packed full of families. About half the laptop display was 'out of stock.' Salesman said in 1 week they moved 1500 computers! The 3 I wanted to look at were gone. I left empty handed. The roads were crowded too, and this is Ohio, on the forefront of social distancing and shutting things down (e.g. no primary voting today). On the other hand, went grocery shopping last weekend and my car was by itself in the parking lot, there were 3 shoppers in the store and one cashier. It's a smallish store, about 6 aisles, but still.... not at all like the media were reporting.
My 5-yr-old laptop has been slightly laggy for awhile, but 2 weeks ago it got really bad, but then it got better. Figured it might be time to replace. Went to the computer store and it packed full of families. About half the laptop display was 'out of stock.' Salesman said in 1 week they moved 1500 computers! The 3 I wanted to look at were gone. I left empty handed. The roads were crowded too, and this is Ohio, on the forefront of social distancing and shutting things down (e.g. no primary voting today). On the other hand, went grocery shopping last weekend and my car was by itself in the parking lot, there were 3 shoppers in the store and one cashier. It's a smallish store, about 6 aisles, but still.... not at all like the media were reporting.
As it happens, there was a feature article in the local business section of the Sunday paper about the computer store I went to and how busy they were. They want to be classified as an essential business if the governor decides to close everything down.
Returned to the same grocery store yesterday, one cashier, 3 other shoppers, display of cleaning products still had items, but they were all out of bread.
By Sean Hamill Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
[Pennsylvania governor] Wolf issues stay-at-home order for Allegheny, hardest-hit counties
Worried by an "exponential rise" in new COVID-19 cases that are nearly doubling every two days, Gov. Tom Wolf on Monday ordered residents in seven counties hardest hit by the pandemic, including Allegheny County, to stay home for the next two weeks unless they have a dire need to leave their home.
...
The state also provided guidelines for activity it considers acceptable over the next two weeks, including going to buy food and medicine, caring for a family member or pet, and taking a walk for exercise.
Needed some acyclovir ointment this morning and wasn't sure whether I could explain this to my Chinese neighbours so decided to reconnoitre the Pharmacy. Quiet, got ointment, supermarket looked quiet as well. Security desk manned and warnings about keeping distance on entry. Plenty of fresh fruit and veg - what I really wanted by week-end. So got my fruit and veg then milk, couple of packs of long life meat, some cereals. Well organised queue, spacing for check-out queue marked out and supervised. Only 3 people waiting so hardly had time to exchange greetings with village minister who was in front of me. Bout of hand washing to cope with unloading and topping up bird feeders and I am now relaxing with a cuppa and my computer. Frenzy is definitely dying down round here.
There is growing evidence that anosmia -- loss of the sense of smell -- may be a coronavirus symptom. Medical experts said that people who lose their ability to smell or taste should isolate themselves for at least a week, even if they are otherwise asymptomatic.
The History of Hospital Ships
Tuesday, March 24, 2020 11:05 AM
By Emily Hegranes
Did you know that the USNS Mercy (T-AH-19) arrived in Los Angeles, California earlier today? The Mercy and her sister ship, the USNS Comfort, are both hospital ships operated by the United States' Military Sealift Command, and both have a long history of aiding combatant forces as well as civilians in need of disaster and humanitarian relief. Seeing the Mercy on the news, however, lit a question in my archival brain: just what is the history of hospital ships?
Needed some acyclovir ointment this morning and wasn't sure whether I could explain this to my Chinese neighbours so decided to reconnoitre the Pharmacy. Quiet, got ointment, supermarket looked quiet as well. Security desk manned and warnings about keeping distance on entry. Plenty of fresh fruit and veg - what I really wanted by week-end. So got my fruit and veg then milk, couple of packs of long life meat, some cereals. Well organised queue, spacing for check-out queue marked out and supervised. Only 3 people waiting so hardly had time to exchange greetings with village minister who was in front of me. Bout of hand washing to cope with unloading and topping up bird feeders and I am now relaxing with a cuppa and my computer. Frenzy is definitely dying down round here.
Well, I'm glad it's dying down where you are! A week ago I checked with my local pharmacy (a small branch of Boots) whether they could deliver my prescriptions - no problem, they said, just phone us three working days after you put in the prescription. So today, actually four working days after I put in the prescription, I phoned. They are not answering the phone. It rings for 2 minutes then cuts out - there is no message. They do not have an email address, their text number does not support replies, and I have been in a virtual queue on their website for 90 minutes and am about one-fifth of the way to the front. It is not as if I can just pop down there to find out what is going on! Their Facebook page is full of similarly disgruntled customers!
Kind gestures sustain during trying time Approaching the Baum Boulevard Aldi store on a recent Friday, I could see through the windows it was teeming with customers. Slightly panicked, I went to grab a shopping cart. Surprise! Someone had put a quarter in every cart, 20 of them. And the kindness continued. Although shelves were mostly empty, someone put the last loaf of bread in an elderly lady?s cart, another let a father with two kids go to the front of the checkout line, which extended to the very back of the store. There were smiles and encouraging words exchanged. I am convinced that this pandemic could pull the best out of all of us. Care, compassion and love will make us stronger rather than weaker. So, Post-Gazette, expect an explosion of stories, and save at least an entire page for Random Acts of Kindness every Thursday. Or perhaps you should publish them on the front page as an encouragement and inspiration. If we all try to outdo each other, a new pandemic will explode. One of kindness, care and compassion that will sweep our beautiful and strong city. FRANCISCA
Went to donate blood today, but the blood bank said no thanks - their stockpiles have been full for two weeks!I donated blood today. Been getting emails about dire shortage. Website said appts full and to look two weeks out. I looked day to day and found an opening 4 days hence. But then yesterday I got an email that the event was cancelled. Then this morning I got an email that the cancellation email was an error, it was for another location, not the one I signed up for. So I went. We're under a shelter in place order but there were a heck of a lot of folks on the road. Blood donation site was busy. Stopped off at my grocery store on the way back to see if there was bread (yes) but no bananas. Besides myself there was one other person in the store and the cashier.
Apparently, donated blood can only be kept for so long before it can't be used anymore, and a lot of people have donated recently.
On my way to and back, I noticed there were still a good deal of people out and about, it definitely didn't look like a ghost town.
Went out to applaud the NHS at 8 o'clock. A heartening number of neighbours were out there. It felt good. No instant, practical solution, but an affirmation of how much we owe to the carers of this country. :) :) :)Forgot :-[ :-[ :-[ :-[ :-[ :-[ :-[ :-[ :-[ :-[
Just been outside to do the "Clap for our Carers". I had wondered if I might be on my own here, but about half my street were at their doors applauding. And you could hear the clapping from all around the neighbourhood. I feel quite emotional now!
Had the baseball season not been postponed because of the coronavirus, players across the country would have been decked out in crisp new uniforms for opening day on Thursday. Now, some uniforms will be put to better use.;D
Fanatics, the company that manufactures the Nike uniforms for Major League Baseball, has temporarily converted its domestic factory in Easton, Pa., to produce desperately needed protective masks and gowns for medical professionals who are fighting the pandemic in the United States.
The masks are made from the same bolts of polyester mesh fabric used to make big-league uniforms, and the first prototypes bear the distinctive pinstripes of the Yankees and the Philadelphia Phillies.
Went out to applaud the NHS at 8 o'clock. A heartening number of neighbours were out there. It felt good. No instant, practical solution, but an affirmation of how much we owe to the carers of this country. :) :) :)
Makers step up, print 3D medical equipment
By Jeremy Reynolds Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Across the country, hospitals are reporting severe shortages of medical masks and equipment in the fight against COVID-19. Suppliers are stepping up efforts to increase production, but this is a solution that will take months to materialize. Enter the makers. Around the globe, groups of makers -- hobbyists that exist in the intersection of technology and the DIY movement -- have begun making face shields and masks using 3D-printing technology. A 3D printer layers molten plastic to sculpt constructs, working from computer designs. These printers are capable of molding car parts, prosthetic limbs, musical instruments and more. In Pittsburgh, a loose-knit community of makers and individuals have begun producing hundreds of face shields and masks, then donating them directly to hospitals and health care professionals. It's a small effort that's rapidly gaining steam. The hobbyists are attempting to go through formal hospital channels to determine whether their creations are medically sound. To date, neither Allegheny Health Network nor UPMC have been able to respond with a formal assessment, even though dozens of individual doctors and nurses have contacted the makers to request supplies.
...
On Thursday, the Food and Drug Administration updated its guidelines in regards to the safety of 3D-printing personal protective equipment, or PPE. The FDA states that "3D-printed PPE can be used to provide a physical barrier to the environment. However, 3D-printed PPE are unlikely to provide the same fluid barrier and air filtration protection as FDA cleared surgical masks and N95 respirators."
...
At this point, roughly 30 people in the 3DPPGH community are printing face shields using a public design from a company in the Czech Republic. "In the time that it takes UPMC to figure out whether they want this, we have individual doctors placing orders for hundreds of these shields," Mr. Priore said. "They're telling me that they have nothing left." It takes about 3.5 hours to print the headband for the shields. The makers aren't asking for any money and are donating all of the completed products, although Mr. Priore said they may hold a GoFundMe campaign in the future to cover costs of materials. They've shipped more than 100 to out-of-state hospitals but are beginning to focus more heavily on local hospital chains. In less than a week, word has spread, and Mr. Priore is now receiving requests for dozens or hundreds of shields at a time. He said the group is working with UPMC to determine whether there will be official requests for the shields, but in the meantime, he's delivering to individual doctors, nurses and surgeons.
Noted New York City fashion designer Christian Siriano of "Project Runway" fame shared on social media that he has a full sewing team at the ready to make masks for those on the front lines of the fight against COVID-19. That tweet turned into a lifeline. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo accepted the offer and took to Twitter to invite more to join him.
...
Several members of Pittsburgh's fashion community are following in their footsteps. Meet three groups that are using their talents to cut and sew masks for health care professionals and others who need them locally and beyond.
Looking for Hope, Uplift or Just a Distraction From Virus Fears? Read On.
(https://static01.nyt.com/images/2020/03/26/us/00virus-uplifiting-library/00virus-uplifiting-library-articleLarge.jpg)
The network of Little Free Libraries, small wooden cabinets that allow people to donate or take books, started blossoming around the country about a decade ago. The organization behind it recently opened its 100,000th library in Houston.
But in the past few weeks, some of them have been transformed, with books replaced or augmented with canned goods, toilet paper, cleaning supplies and yarn and needles.
Joseph's Machines:
https://twitter.com/anitamassey86/status/1242816478849662985?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1242816478849662985&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2Farticle%2Fvirus-hope-uplift-distraction.html
Watch it through to the end ;)
I'm planning to walk down to the postbox in a couple of days time - I'm getting quite excited about the prospect! :)
I'm planning to walk down to the postbox in a couple of days time - I'm getting quite excited about the prospect! :);D ;D ;D
Yup. You can also do curls using a glass of beer for a weight.
The biggest problem seems to be the large number of families that cannot afford a laptop at home.
The number of COVID-19 cases in Allegheny County rose to 290, the health department said Monday. That number is up from 265 on Sunday and 219 on Saturday. The county said 38 people have required hospitalization as a result of the viral disease.
The biggest problem seems to be the large number of families that cannot afford a laptop at home.
The biggest problem seems to be the large number of families that cannot afford a laptop at home.
Maybe a call for help to Bill Gates would help. (He is just across the lake.) ;)
The biggest problem seems to be the large number of families that cannot afford a laptop at home.
Maybe a call for help to Bill Gates would help. (He is just across the lake.) ;)
-A special WW this week due to events...
Warship Wednesday, April 1, 2020: From Red Rover to Comfort (https://laststandonzombieisland.com/2020/04/01/warship-wednesday-april-1-2020-from-red-rover-to-comfort/)
Help in the fight against COVID-19!
With the recent COVID-19 outbreak, R@h has been used to predict the structure of proteins important to the disease as well as to produce new, stable mini-proteins to be used as potential therapeutics and diagnostics, like the one displayed above which is bound to part of the COVID-19 spike protein.
To help our research, we are happy to announce a new application update, and thanks to the help from the Arm development community, including Rex St. John, Dmitry Moskalchuk, David Tischler, Lloyd Watts, and Sahaj Sarup, we are excited to also include the Linux-ARM platform. With this update we will continue to make protein binders to COVID-19 and related targets using the latest Rosetta source.
Thank you R@h volunteers for your continued support to this project. Your CPU hours are used not only to accurately model the structures of important proteins, but to design new ones as well. Let's band together and fight COVID-19!
The 1,000-Bed Comfort Was Supposed to Aid New York. It Has 20 Patients. (https://nyti.ms/2JCeyDo) :-X
Homewood company to make medical face shields
With support from three local foundations and in partnership with Highmark Health, a Homewood company better known for making sustainable backpacks, has converted its facility and is now producing medical-grade face shields for health care providers.
Ten employees at Day Owl will be involved in production of the shields, with the first shields going out the door Friday, said founder and CEO Ian Rosenberger. They expect to be able to produce 1,000-2,000 shields daily.
In a release, officials said Highmark already has ordered 30,000 shields for its physicians, nurses and other providers in the Allegheny Health Network, but a company spokesperson said the shields -- costing $4.50 each -- will be available "to any hospital that needs them."
A British man ran a marathon in his 20-foot backyard during the coronavirus lockdown -- and thousands tuned in
James Campbell jogged to the end of his fenced-in yard, turning around when he reached the garden shed. He bounded back to the patio, sneakers pounding a postage stamp-sized patch of grass. He spun around and repeated the loop again. And again. And again.
More than five hours later, he had run a full marathon in his 20-foot backyard.
Campbell, a former world-class competitive javelin thrower from Cheltenham, England, had been feeling bored and restless while under lockdown due to the novel coronavirus. His Wednesday stunt was "literally the most stupid thing I could think of to do' on his 32nd birthday, he told the BBC. But thousands of people tuned in to watch him run around in circles, and by early Thursday morning, he had raised the equivalent of just over $32,000 for the United Kingdom's National Health Service.
...
When his 32nd birthday rolled around on Wednesday, Campbell marked off the 6.4-meter (roughly 21 feet) course with duct tape and set up a table with water bottles and snacks. For the next five hours, he shuttled back and forth across the lawn, unable to pick up much momentum over such a short distance. A rotating panel of commentators gamely tried to provide background narration, noting how the grass was slowly being worn down before switching to talk about roasting chickens for dinner.
Neighbors took turns peeking over the fence and cheering Campbell on, and photographers leaned over to snap pictures. An hour ahead of schedule -- he'd miscalculated how long each lap would take him -- Campbell realized he'd hit 26.2 miles, threw his arms in the air and immediately accepted a beer.
"You've shown everyone what?s possible with good, old-fashioned British determination," one of the commentators told him.
"And stupidity," Campbell responded.
...
It was only the fourth time in her 66-year reign that the queen has addressed the British people, apart from her annual Christmas greeting...
Group calls for Pittsburghers to light up buildings, homes to thank essential workers
Evelyn Castillo, of Squirrel Hill, hopes that the event spreads to other towns and cities, and that it will be repeated locally.
...
She picked up on the idea from a friend in London -- native Pittsburgher Jenifer Evans -- who participated in such a moment in London, "when everyone came out onto their sidewalks and stoops and clapped for two minutes. She contacted me about it, and I said, 'Why can?t we do that here?'
Some 23,000 ski goggles have been given to hospitals by skiers through a group called Goggles for Docs (https://gogglesfordocs.com/) and are hugely appreciated because they are both very comfortable and very protective.
At a time when recreation is limited to activities inside the home, owners of recreational vehicles across the country have found a new use for their RVs: temporary housing for front-line medical personnel, many of whom fear spreading the novel coronavirus to their spouses and children upon returning home.
RV owners join coronavirus battle by offering housing to health workers (https://pge.post-gazette.com/.fullpdfs/2020/04/20200413.pdf)QuoteAt a time when recreation is limited to activities inside the home, owners of recreational vehicles across the country have found a new use for their RVs: temporary housing for front-line medical personnel, many of whom fear spreading the novel coronavirus to their spouses and children upon returning home.
LONDON -- It appears that Capt. Tom Moore is the hero Britain so desperately needs right now.
Last week, the 99-year-old veteran set himself a goal to raise money for Britain's widely cherished but chronically underfunded National Health Service during the deadly coronavirus outbreak. He set up a fundraising page and decided to walk the 82-foot length of his garden back and forth 100 times, using his walker for support.
99-year-old veteran raises $23 million for Britain?s health-care system by walking his garden (https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/2020/04/17/99-year-old-veteran-raises-23-million-britains-health-care-system-by-walking-his-garden/?utm_campaign=wp_the_optimist&utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter&wpisrc=nl_optimist)QuoteLONDON -- It appears that Capt. Tom Moore is the hero Britain so desperately needs right now.
Last week, the 99-year-old veteran set himself a goal to raise money for Britain's widely cherished but chronically underfunded National Health Service during the deadly coronavirus outbreak. He set up a fundraising page and decided to walk the 82-foot length of his garden back and forth 100 times, using his walker for support.
I hear in Germany they are preparing for the Covin-19 crisis by stocking up with sausage and cheese.
That's the 'Wurst Kase' scenario
I hear in Germany they are preparing for the Covin-19 crisis by stocking up with sausage and cheese.
That's the 'Wurst Kase' scenario
The city of Munich has canceled the Oktoberfest for the first time since WW2.
The Bavarian minister president (equivalent of a state governor in the US) said it was "a big pity", but some Munichlings (dunno what they're really called) are rejoicing at not having to deal with drunkards from around the world filling the subway and emergency rooms and puking everywhere.
This coming Sunday would have been the London Marathon so charities are asking their supporters to look for challenges based around the number 26 or 2.6.
This coming Sunday would have been the London Marathon so charities are asking their supporters to look for challenges based around the number 26 or 2.6.
How about 2.6 logbooks in 26 days? ;) ;D
This is worth watching, just to give you the strength and encouragement you need to carry on...
Warning, some offensive language is beeped out.
You are the true heroes. (https://www.youtube.com/embed/ih2fsHE1Vf8)
This is worth watching, just to give you the strength and encouragement you need to carry on...Yes - it's nice to hear encouragement, but it's not easy to think of such ease in the face on the terrible poverty that many have been driven into. :-[ :'(
Warning, some offensive language is beeped out.
You are the true heroes. (https://www.youtube.com/embed/ih2fsHE1Vf8)
Young and middle-aged people, barely sick with covid-19, are dying from strokes (https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2020/04/24/strokes-coronavirus-young-patients/?utm_campaign=wp_todays_headlines&utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter&wpisrc=nl_headlines)That was powerful. It's a side of Covid that I had not yet heard of. Spontaneously engendering strokes makes it very frightening. :o
;D ;D ;DThis is worth watching, just to give you the strength and encouragement you need to carry on...
Warning, some offensive language is beeped out.
You are the true heroes. (https://www.youtube.com/embed/ih2fsHE1Vf8)
;D ;D ;D
Other airlines have also joined the effort, putting empty passenger aircraft into use by converting them into temporary freighters.
The History of the Peloponnesian War, Volume 1
By Thucydides (https://books.google.com/books?id=mQsMAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA14&lpg=PA14&dq=%22unfabulous%22)
My stepfather (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Svante_P%C3%A4%C3%A4bo) has been working on improved COVID-19 tests - ones that are supposed to be much faster than what's currently available.8) 8) 8) 8) 8)
Last I heard, he and his group finally got them ready for a field trial, and have gotten in touch with a nearby senior home about trying it out there. I hope it works.
One of the really great books, and one that everyone should read!
When I was going into the Barren Lands with a small mineral exploration team I thought I should get a book to read. I had no money to speak of, having just finished third year university, so I could afford just one book. When we were in Winnipeg, en route to Churchill, Manitoba, Brian and I went into a book store. Brian was another student on our four man team. For no reason, other than the year was 1969, I chose The Histories by Publius Cornelius Tacitus, which was an account of the Year of Four Emperors, i.e. 69 AD, exactly 1900 years earlier. We would be in the Barren Lands for almost four months, so I wanted a book that looked interesting and which would take some time to read. The Histories was all that and more. It was the perfect book for reading in the Barren Lands. Each day I would read a few pages, and I would tell Brian about all that happened, and we would discuss the day's events as if we were actually living that year. Four emperors, a plague, a famine, two insurrections. A lot was happening.
Anyway, it awoke in me a love for reading these old classics, of which The History of the Peloponnesian War was one of the best. One of the really great books.
That's something in common -- I read it on a winter expedition in the Weddell Sea. Though the Barren Lands might be worse - we at least had whales and penguins around all the time. The whales would hang out in the patch of open water behind the ship.
Cycling is getting more popular round here. Unfortunately some adults, unaccompanied by young children, seem to regard it as their right to cycle on the footpath. Since the footpath isn't wide enough to 'safely' pass a fellow pedestrian this is very anti-social especially when they seem to expect the pedestrian to move out of their way. If electric scooters become de rigeur then pedestrians like me will be hounded from the streets since I gather they are forbidden to travel on the roads anyway so have to use the footpath. The main road through the village was laid out in the horse and cart days and the only through traffic permitted consists of buses and emergency vehicles. But many of the houses seem to host 2-4 cars so traffic can get quite busy at times and you can't have two cars and a bike across the road. Funny, when I used to cycle, you could cope with the cars it was only buses that caused problems and there weren't as many of those anyway.
The road layouts round here won't accommodate lots more cyclists, lots more pedestrians and the remaining cars, vans, lorries and buses and there isn't really any scope for widening pathways or carriage ways which are essentially single anyway. No doubt we will grumble and manage as usual. It's strange, a few months ago you were encouraged to pack onto buses and trains to cut down carbon emissions, now they are virus spreaders and only to be used if you have no alternative.
1,000-year-old mill starts up again to keep homes in the U.K. supplied with flour (https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/2020/05/06/1000-year-old-mill-starts-up-again-keep-homes-uk-supplied-with-flour/?utm_campaign=wp_the_optimist&utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter&wpisrc=nl_optimist):) Still not seen any in the shops
1,000-year-old mill starts up again to keep homes in the U.K. supplied with flour (https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/2020/05/06/1000-year-old-mill-starts-up-again-keep-homes-uk-supplied-with-flour/?utm_campaign=wp_the_optimist&utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter&wpisrc=nl_optimist):) Still not seen any in the shops
I'm trying very hard to get my head around this little lot: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/our-plan-to-rebuild-the-uk-governments-covid-19-recovery-strategy/our-plan-to-rebuild-the-uk-governments-covid-19-recovery-strategy
but concentration levels seem to keep failing :-[ :-\ :o ::)
I forgot to mention that you mustn't use your car to get to work, on environmental grounds. You mustn't use public transport either because of the risk of catching the virus. You have to walk, cycle or use an electric scooter. It is illegal to use an electric scooter, so you have to walk or cycle. You live 45 miles from your place of work? Well, you really should have thought of that before - that's your problem!
As an American visitor in Cambridge last year, all I can say is biking there was either blissful (on designated rural pathways like around Grantchester) or utterly terrifying (on or near any kind of road).
Try cycling round Cambridge in a gown as I had to in the evenings in my first year. I won't suggest you wear a mini-skirt as well, the only advantage was that they didn't fly up in the wind (you were forbidden to wear trousers with a gown if you were female). There were surprisingly few serious accidents caused by gowns but plenty of spills. I must admit that after a few weeks living in Girton my level of fitness got quite high (2.7 miles from Great St Mary's, the University Church, so about 3 miles from the science buildings and up the only local hill!)
Coronavirus Could Disrupt Weather Forecasting
The amount of atmospheric data routinely gathered by commercial airliners has dropped sharply as a result of the coronavirus, the World Meteorological Organization announced.
Tomorrow, I will be going to the bank to cash my Economic Impact Payment - being a millennial in a very advanced country, this is the first time in my life that I have ever cashed a check. Normally, I do all my banking online.
Tomorrow, I will be going to the bank to cash my Economic Impact Payment - being a millennial in a very advanced country, this is the first time in my life that I have ever cashed a check. Normally, I do all my banking online.
Today, for the first time, I deposited a cheque/check by banking app.
Go me. ;)
There's nothing wrong with sitting and knitting! I am now 21 flowers into my 26-flower knit/crochet marathon and have raised ?340 for Cats Protection in the process! :)I am rightly corrected! That's an impressive piece of work and I'm glad that you've managed to collect a good sum for the Cat's Protection League. My semi-adopted cat buddy Oscar, sat beside me now, gives you the paw's up for that :D
Finding coronavirus RNA in sewage may signal that people in a community are infected
By the way, if anyone has any tips as to how to stop your glasses steaming up when you're wearing a face mask, I'd be very grateful!
I have very fine hair and hair slides (aka barrettes) slide right out.
Even rubber bands don't stay very well ::)
I've also heard that taking your specs off before donning the mask, squeezing the metal bit and putting the glasses over the top helps. I have seen, mainly in winter though, impregnated wipes for keeping windscreens free of condensation. Never tried them but worth thinking about although if you have coated lenses I'd check whether they affect the coating.
I would tell you to come here. Vancouver Island went a month with no cases, until one appeared on Friday. ::) We have to watch out, though, for those Washington State people spreading their diseases far and wide! ;D ;D ;D
The ferry from Port Angeles to Sidney still isn't running, which helps, but people from Vancouver keep coming here and bringing their diseases. ::)
Seattle
7 November, 1918
https://catalog.archives.gov/OpaAPI/media/23696536/content/dc-metro/rg-026/585454/0002/Bear-b360/Bear-b360_0484.JPGQuoteInoculated with 1/2 c.c. of prophylactic vaccine for Spanish Influenza, and precautions taken against infection.
08 November
https://catalog.archives.gov/OpaAPI/media/23696536/content/dc-metro/rg-026/585454/0002/Bear-b360/Bear-b360_0486.JPGQuoteCrew received second and final inoculation against Spanish Influenza
The English physician Edward Jenner demonstrated the effectiveness of cowpox to protect humans from smallpox in 1796, after which various attempts were made to eliminate smallpox on a regional scale.
Well, that's interesting - I've never heard about a vaccine for Spanish Flu. Did it work?
Vaccines were also developed, but as these were based on bacteria and not the actual virus, they could only help with secondary infections.
Any one tried a bit of double sided sticky tape and a thin roll of cotton wool stuck across the top of your mask to damp down the condensation problem? :-\
Maybe:Any one tried a bit of double sided sticky tape and a thin roll of cotton wool stuck across the top of your mask to damp down the condensation problem? :-\
I know that one or two football clubs and rock bands now have face masks as merchandise. I think it will help if wearing a mask could become cool.