Day: May 11, 2020

More Topical Musings

Our government wrote their own app,
Designed it to build up a map
But concerns abound
Data flying around
People worried this app will entrap

Refused help from the two main providers*
Won’t use aid, not from any outsiders
Had to write it themself
Wouldn’t use off-the-shelf
On your own heads be it, you confiders

So I’m sitting here pretty bemused
Wondering why all this help was not used
Make it hard as they can
Seems their most favoured plan
Can’t help thinking their plans are confused

Have to wait five more years to remove
In the mean time the citizens lose
Doesn’t seem very bright
Not a care for our plight
Politicians just have to improve

* Apple and Google

Michael Simms: On my recent experience with Covid (maybe)

I was led to this post by msjadeli over at tao-talk.com. I’m kinda lucky in that I have cocooned myself in, and the pox hasn’t touched me personally. Me or anyone I know first-hand. I see stuff on TV but the stories very seldom cover how the virus *feels*. I figure there might be some people who are as ill-informed as I am, and this post is from a US survivor. He is also very scathing about the infrastructure (for want of a better word) of it all. I suspect a lot of what he says applies equally to the UK.

Vox Populi

Yesterday afternoon when I got home from the hospital and booted my computer, I was overwhelmed by the thousands of people who sent me messages of love and encouragement after my recent health scare. Thank you! Since many people have asked for details, I’ll share what happened — as best I can.

I’ve been suffering for a few weeks from symptoms typical of an infection from Covid-19, but when I was tested two weeks ago, the results were negative. However, knowing that the tests for Covid are highly unreliable with false negative rates of anywhere from 15% to 30% and even higher for people like me in high-risk groups, I suspected that my test result was a false negative. Then, on Thursday last week, my symptoms became much worse with a spike in fever and a closing of my bronchial tube. The Albuterol which I had been using…

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Share Your World (11 May 2020)

Share Your World is hosted by Melanie over at SparksFromACombustibleMind, and today she asks:

I asked this on an award thingie I was nominated for, and I got such interesting responses, I thought I’d ask it on Share Your World too:  Do you have a favorite kind of tree?

Nope, sorry, a boring answer from me. London’s parks have lots of plane trees and whenever I ate my lunch in one (the park, not the tree 😆), I’d frequently come away thinking I had swallowed part of it (the tree, not the park), so I guess you could say I have an unfavourite tree. Pollen, mostly, doesn’t bother me but from these trees, it did.

What bridges are you happy you burned?

Since the deaths of my parents, I no longer have any connections with my hometown of Liverpool, but that doesn’t really bother me. Growing up there, I could not wait to leave, and only went back for weekend visits.

Would you sacrifice yourself (die) for a stranger?

No. Not willingly. There are maybe people I would sacrifice my life for, though, but not somebody I didn’t know. They might be a total asshole, the world might be better off without them.

How have your priorities changed since the C-19 virus took over?

Blogging has a higher priority, just because posting tells everybody that I am still here. My charity work has taken on a higher priority, because now it is more important than ever to communicate with people. Mostly they feel lonely, but one or two have specific issues and it is good if I can help in some small way. I’m kinda conscious (and frustrated) that I don’t actually do much, but just signposting seems to help.

I’ve pretty much suspended any work-related activities for the lockdown. When that is lifted, I will spend the next month or six weeks brushing up, then will leave the house myself. I am convinced that whenever lockdown is raised, it will be premature, so I want to make sure I keep myself out of circulation, at least for that first period.

Feel free to share your gratitude!  During this troubling time, some positive input is sorely needed, so any memes, stories, photos, or anything else you find uplifting is welcome!   Please share!   Thanks!  

I’m grateful that other bloggers are posting regularly, too. They are only 2-minute posts mostly but they tell me you are okay and they are a pleasant diversion. I’m probably following 50% more blogs than I was a couple months ago (but, thank goodness everybody does not post at once!)

Some more Limericks…

…but I can’t keep writing about fleas.

There once was a pig in a poke,
In fact he was quite a nice bloke [for a pig]
But did not see the fun
in the spots on his bum
And just did not follow the joke.

and on a more topical note:

There once was a man with no name*
Who said it will all be okay
But he hadn’t a clue
How to act, what to do
Human beings are all just fair game.

I’m not sure which side of the pond,
This idiot ran matters from,
For we’ve elected a pair
Who have heads full of air
And we’ll sigh with relief when they’re gone

I’m sorry I just wouldn’t care
If the pox entered into their lair
They hate with gusto
But they’ll reap what they sow
As they blunder us through this nightmare

* I bet you can name him! One of two, anyhow.

Fandango’s One Word Challenge (11 May 2020)

Islamic State practise a brand of Islamic law so strict that apparently Raqqa only has two Irish Pubs.

Frankie Boyle, Scottish comedian

for Fandango’s One Word Challenge (FOWC), practise.