COVID-19 Virus.

[facthunter]

The lunatics run the asylum here or is it sleight of hand magicians/.  Creators of illusions. Do THAT job because they aren't good at much or they would be out making an honest quid. Yes that'd be trying something new. Nev

[old man emu]

The "Lucky Country" or a the Land of the Lotus Eaters?

 

The Lucky Country is a 1964 book by Donald Horne. Horne's intent in writing the book was to portray Australia's climb to power and wealth based almost entirely on luck rather than the strength of its political or economic system, which Horne believed was "second rate". In addition to political and economic weaknesses, he also lamented on the lack of innovation and ambition. 

 

The title of Horne's book comes from the opening words of the book's last chapter:

       Australia is a lucky country run mainly by second rate people who share its luck. It lives on other people's ideas, and, although its ordinary people are adaptable,           most of its leaders (in all fields) so lack curiosity about the events that surround them that they are often taken by surprise. 

 

Horne's statement was an indictment of 1960s Australia. His intent was to comment that, while other industrialised nations created wealth using clever means such as technology and other innovations, Australia did not. Rather, Australia's economic prosperity was largely derived from its rich natural resources and immigration. Horne observed that Australia "showed less enterprise than almost any other prosperous industrial society."

 

In the decades following his book's publication, Horne became critical of the "lucky country" phrase being used as a term of endearment for Australia. He commented, "I have had to sit through the most appalling rubbish as successive generations misapplied this phrase". The original irony was lost on the newspaper reporters of the day.

 

That was sixty years ago. What has changed? Well, nothing in the way of improvement. We don't ride on the sheep's back so much, but in the back of monster mining dump trucks. 

 

We don't make much at all these days. You can't call the construction industry a maker of things. All it does is assemble components. We have no support for developing ideas, unless that involves working out how to get one over the rest of the mob. We buy and we buy and we buy. We are economically exploited by every other major manufacturing countries. What occupations were hardest hit by COVID restrictions? Coffee shops and restaurants. What "industry" was hardest hit? Tourism. 

 

We have become a nation of lotus eaters - a nation which who spends its time indulging in pleasure and luxury rather than dealing with practical concerns.

[Marty_d]

3 hours ago, Fliteright said:

This has been known for a while, its Australia remember, 3rd world nation with a 1st world facade! We f*ck up so much that it's common place these days:-) We are NOT known to be the clever country despite the tag:-)

$200 buys I hear you a fake Vax passport👍

The real vaccination is free.  Wow, $200 for not being protected!  What a deal!

[spacesailor]

I,m double vaxed .

But

I will have to pay that $ 200 for the fake passport,

Or

$ 1500 FOR A NEW PHONE ,!

AND a monthly fee of $ 60 minimum, for running Their program ( APP ).

As well as being under their constant suvailiance.

spacesailor

 

[Marty_d]

42 minutes ago, spacesailor said:

I,m double vaxed .

But

I will have to pay that $ 200 for the fake passport,

Or

$ 1500 FOR A NEW PHONE ,!

AND a monthly fee of $ 60 minimum, for running Their program ( APP ).

As well as being under their constant suvailiance.

spacesailor

 

No you won't.

 

Go to the MyGov site and print your certificate.  

 

Besides that, who pays $1500 for a phone?  You can get a second hand job for $100 that will do the same thing.  Not sure who charges $60 a month either, I'm on Aldi Mobile for $15/mth and it does everything I want.

[nomadpete]

Hey, wait up! Marty you can't have a Aldi phone. We don't have Aldi in Tasmania!

[old man emu]

Just now, nomadpete said:

Hey, wait up! Marty you can't have a Aldi phone. We don't have Aldi in Tasmania!

You poor bastards! Missing out on all those Specials on Wednesdays and Saturdays. 

 

I must admit, though, that a lot of Aldi products beat the opposition's hands down. They have the best chocolate brownie mix and the best dishwashing liquid. Their instant coffee is as good as the named brands at a fifth of the cost. Their meat is high quality (I know the meat processor they use in Sydney). 

[nomadpete]

Recently at our local woollies checkout I was soundly told off because I happened to have a Aldi shopping bag to put my Woollies groceries in.

The checkout operator was quite annoyed and told me that "we won't tolerate any of those foreign companies setting up their monopolies down here!"

I was speechless.

 

[onetrack]

I've found that many Aldi products have to be examined pretty carefully to see what you're getting for the money. A lot of their Chinese-made items are made to a price, not for the job.

I have also noticed that Aldi prices have crept up steadily since they started in W.A. 2 or 3 years ago. Originally, their pricing was very good, now it seems they look at what Woolies and Coles are charging and sell the item just a few cents cheaper.

However, there are some items that are a real winner with Aldi - mostly smaller items. One of them is cotton buds, Coles and Woolies absolutely rort you on cotton buds, Aldi pricing is less than half of the other two retailers. I find a lot of small items in Coles in Woolies have huge markups.

 

Edited September 19, 2021 by onetrack

[red750]

I have an Aldi lawn mower that has been running perfectly for 2 years. Starts first time almost every time. Also have a 2 stroke weed trimmer that works well also. Sometimes a little harder to start, bu then it sits unused for quite a while. As for food items, their onion rings are the best, and their table margarine is half the cost of other brands. 

[willedoo]

Their phone plans are good too. A mate of mine put me on to Aldi. I was with Telstra paying $55 per month with $500 worth of free calls. With Aldi, unlimited calls for $15, which has equated to $480 per year in my pocket and not Telstra's. Because I don't use much data, I will soon go onto a yearly pre paid plan of $100 per year. I was getting a lot less benefit for $660 per year with Telstra and also having to put up with their continual letters telling me they are putting up their fees and how good it really is for me. Good riddance Telstra, hopefully never again will I deal with them. I don't do long trips in the country these days, but so far, coverage with Aldi has been on a par with the Telstra plan.

 

Another plus is that I never get a bill like the Telstra days. Just top up online, and they text you when the time approaches. You can have money held in credit ($15 in my case) so that you are never without phone service in case you forget to renew by the date.

Edited September 19, 2021 by willedoo

[Dax]

I'm with Moose mobile, $12.80 for unlimited phone and txt and 6 Gig of data per calendar month, not 28 days as most now are charging. Can talk to my lady in Sweden on video, ph or txt for almost as long as I like using Signal and never used more than 3 Gig. Now they are talking about rolling over used bandwidth to the next month, which would be great on the road. My lady finally has a booking home, but not until the 30th of December, bet she doesn't leave the country again.

[Old Koreelah]

10 minutes ago, Dax said:

…My lady finally has a booking home, but not until the 30th of December, bet she doesn't leave the country again.

Good to hear, Dax. I bet a lot of Aussies will have qualms about leaving our shores after this debacle, and it won’t just be fear of being locked out, as has happened to too many; the cost of air fares home might make you want to buy a yacht instead.

[Dax]

3 hours ago, Old Koreelah said:

the cost of air fares home might make you want to buy a yacht instead.

The cost is well over $20000 business class one way, if you don't book business class and pay the price, you may not get on the flight. Had thought of buying a yacht and going to get her, but couldn't present a case to spend that sort of money and then not using the yacht much after that because of the uncertainty of what's next for humanity.

Edited September 19, 2021 by Dax

[spacesailor]

Safer on a yacht in the middle of nowhere.

Than sitting in suburbier waiting for that next catastrophe. 

spacesailor

[red750]

deleted - wrong thread

[red750]

[red750]

My pacemaker replacement is scheduled for next Wednsday. Got a phonecall from the cardiologists office today to say that under new rules, I have to have a Covid swab next Monday and isolate until I go into hospital, even though I am double jabbed.

[onetrack]

I found a fascinating research article about COVID-19 today. It is based on a study of why the Italians (and specifically, the Northern Italians of the Po Valley megalopolis) were hit so hard with COVID-19 initially, so soon after it surfaced in Wuhan.

 

The research document is yet to be peer-reviewed, but I found it very interesting. Basically, the Po Valley megalopolis was where the COVID-19 outbreak was concentrated. The Southern parts of Italy and Sicily were only relatively lightly affected by COVID-19. The research study looked into the reasons why this came about. They also compared the similarities of the Wuhan region and the Po Valley region.

 

The document is very long (53 pages) and intricate with technical detail - but in essence, the researchers reckon it came down to the following factors;

 

1. The Po Valley megalopolis is highly industrialised, and also a huge central meeting point of rail, road and air traffic. The pollution levels in this region are high - particularly in particulates and nitrous oxides.

High levels of particulate pollution and nitrous oxides in the air, have been noted for increased risk of respiratory diseases - and the spread of measles, too!  An unusually warm Winter in the Po Valley in early 2020, also led to less air circulation than normal.

 

2. The population in the Po Valley megalopolis are on average, older than the rest of Italy - and there is an increased level of hypertension amongst the populace of the Po Valley megalopolis.

Hypertension is associated with an increased risk of respiratory diseases. I didn't come across anything about smoking amongst the Italian population in the document, but I wouldn't be surprised to find the population of the Po Valley megalopolis contain a high percentage of smokers.

 

3. The Chinese have made major inroads into Italian industry and commerce - which is largely based in the Po Valley region. There are quite a number of Chinese, either resident or working, in this region - and they travel a lot between this region and China. So it was easy for the COVID-19 virus to make rapid inroads into the Po Valley region, right after the outbreak in Wuhan.

 

4. The Po Valley megalopolis is characterised by extensive and major levels of urban sprawl. This type of constant development sees large areas of native vegetation cleared, to be replaced by housing and industry. Associated with this development is the "sealing" of the natural soil from contact with the air and rainfall. Development installs bitumen, concrete and road base over huge areas, which prevents rainfall from penetrating the soil under this region, so the natural cycle of the soil "breathing" and circulating water is stopped. In essence, the researchers say that there is a need to keep the soil exposed and allow it to release moisture into the air, and for rainfall to penetrate the soil to allow water flow through it, which is the planets natural cycle. The researchers claim the "sealing" of the soil in the Po Valley megalopolis is a big factor in worsening air pollution. I have never heard this argument propounded before, but it does make a lot of sense to me. I get concerned when I see our local groundwater recharge areas coming under heavy development.

 

In summary, the research document states that a number of factors combined to hit the Italians in this region very hard with the virus. I would also propose that the Italians love of big family gatherings might also have played a part. But the researchers point the biggest finger at air pollution, as the major factor in the virus running rampant in Italy, and particularly in the Po Valley region.

 

The article is here - https://www.researchgate.net/publication/342360468_Why_Italy_First_Health_Geographical_and_Planning_Aspects_of_the_COVID-19_Outbreak

 

Edited September 20, 2021 by onetrack

[Old Koreelah]

10 hours ago, onetrack said:

 …The researchers claim the "sealing" of the soil in the Po Valley megalopolis is a big factor in worsening air pollution. I have never heard this argument propounded before, but it does make a lot of sense to me.

 

 

OT I can’t see the exact mechanism involved there, but I certainly agree that urban ground cover buggers up drainage and local ecosystems.

[onetrack]

OldK - Here's the relevant section, taken from the research article ....

 

"During the last fifty years the phenomenon of land take heavily occurred in Italy in different forms, in various areas. In particular, in proximity of metropolitan and production areas, the phenomenon is more intense and it takes the form of urban sprawl: new low density settlements, with poor services and connections, added to the city, where people have the sensation to live in a more natural context.

 

Main drivers of this trend are the spatial configuration and the attractivity of areas.  When space is characterized by a homogeneous and isotropic form, the phenomenon of sprawl is more elevated.

Also, socio-economic indicators play an important role in attracting people, such as new residents or commuters, generating the building of new neighborhoods or transport infrastructures.

 

Following this model of urban growth, the soil loses its biological value, becoming unable to absorb and filter rainwater, producing negative effects on biodiversity, as well as on agricultural production.

This sealing process produces the loss of natural ecosystem functions generating a complete soil degradation.

 

Soil is the place of energy and substance exchange with other environmental elements. The soil role in hydrogeological cycle is very important.

Solar radiation causes the evaporation of water from accumulation areas towards the atmosphere. The steam rises at high altitude, cools and condenses forming clouds.

The water then returns to the emerged lands in form of precipitation, a part falls into the rivers and the surface water network, another is absorbed by the soil reaching groundwater.

The soil controls the flow of surface water and regulates its absorption by filtering polluting substances. The infiltration also depends on the permeability and porosity of soil.

The soil is also fundamental in the carbon cycle. Carbon is everywhere in nature and it is transformed into oxygen through photosynthesis in the carbon cycle.

Through the plants, soil absorbs carbon dioxide, which can remain underground for thousands of years, feeding the soil microorganisms.

Consequently, the soil is a sort of absorption well where CO2 sequestration and storage is possible. Poor soil management can generate a loss of these properties producing negative
effects. Soil and related ecosystem services are important elements in the improvement of air quality, (by) reducing PM10 and O3."

 

Edited September 21, 2021 by onetrack

[Old Koreelah]

Thanks for the extract, OT. It reads like an auto-translation of the Italian, rather than a professional report in English.
 

I understand the flows in general terms, and can accept that soil could collect quite a lot of air pollution if not “sealed” by urban development. Dust and smoke particles have to fall to earth eventually. Dust from the Sahara ends up fertilizing Amazon rainforests

https://www.nasa.gov/feature/esnt/2021/nasa-study-predicts-less-saharan-dust-in-future-winds

Smoke fallout from Australia’s recent bushfires has fertilized the Pacific.

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2021/sep/16/australian-bushfire-smoke-caused-massive-phytoplankton-bloom-in-southern-ocean

 

[Jerry_Atrick]

Well, over here, they are dropping like flies.. 3 of my 5 team members have caught it, my manager has caught it, and I have just done a PCR (LFT was negative, but I am getting bunged up a bit). For Delta variant, apparently that is also a common initial symptom followed by fatigue.

 

I was pinged by track and trace, but when I went to the online registration, the system decided I didn't need to self isolate as I showing high fever, persistent cough of loss of sense of smell/taste. Seems like they need to update that £7bn system...

 

Hopefully get my results tomorrow.. Hopefully negative. So far those who are jabbed are OK.. one has lost sense of smell and the other has a couple of days of fatigue..

 

We'll see how it goes.

 

Lockdown may be tough, but it is better than the brave new world. I preferred it, anyway.

 

[pmccarthy]

Good luck with it Jerry

[Jerry_Atrick]

Thanks..  PM.. I feel fine at the moment.. so may be very lucky and not have it...