mike carey

After watching the antics of Snowball a few posts back, an interview on the radio here today struck a particular chord with me. It's with a woman who was highly qualified in her field and then, after raising a magpie chick, launched into studying birds, going so far as to complete (as it transpired in the conversation) a PhD in the field. She talks about the adventures and misadventures of her life with the birds she looked after (and studied). At one point, she talked about having a galah (a pink and grey parrot) that (or maybe that should be 'who') called out the names of her four Rhodesian ridgeback dogs, in her 'come here' tone of voice. The dogs came in, then the bird told them to sit, and they did! It's a long listen, just under an hour, but I found it good fun. https://www.abc.net.au/radio/programs/conversations/gisela-kaplan-rpt/12294122

I walked past my local supermarket this afternoon—I was at the shopping centre for other things—and extra Perspex had gone up. Early in the piece, they had put screens up at the checkouts that are staffed. In the self-checkout area up till now they had every second machine closed for distancing, but now they are all open because now they have installed Perspex screens between each of the registers.

Our first case was in mid-summer but there wasn't much spread, or rather not many additional imported cases for several weeks, and it was only in mid-March that the government became really worried and the restrictions were escalated. We had closed our borders to people first from China at the end of January and then Iran, South Korea and Italy. Repatriation flights from Wuhan and from the Diamond Princess in Yokohama were quarantined in remote facilities for 14 days. The borders were closed to non-Australians and quarantine imposed for Australians who returned from 19 March. We (and New Zealand) are easing our restrictions now (I had my first drive out of Canberra yesterday, and back today), although we are easing one or two measures then waiting two weeks to see what happens before easing some more. It's winter now (-2 to 13C tomorrow in Canberra) so we will soon find out whether a combination of the easing and the cold weather causes a spike. (Most of the recent cases here have been of people in the quarantine hotels where recent arrivals are confined, so very few are from community spread.)

It was before 15 Feb 71 as the UK price is 5/- not 25p, so pre-decimal currency

Has anyone else received free stuff or bonus offers from commercial providers like telcos or credit card companies in this time of plague? My mobile phone provider has thrown free credits at me a couple of times over the past few months. First, they made all national calls free for three months (still about six weeks of that to go). The credit balance in my account that would have paid for them over that time will now roll over when I pay for the next period, so I don't lose anything. They also gave me a bonus data allowance on my phone, and it looks like a bonus data allocation on a mobile broadband dongIe I have from them. My main bank credit card reduced the minimum monthly payment to $5. That could be useful if I were out of work and needed that flexibility on paying it off, but I don't and would avoid that at all costs as the interest charged on outstanding balances hasn't reduced. Finally, my Amex card has doubled the rewards points credits per dollar spent for three months, and just last week they've provided a $400 recredit of grocery purchases valid over the next three months. In effect (as I read it) $400 worth of free groceries. I would have used it for those purchases anyway, so if I've misread what the offer entails it won't matter. Anyone else benefited from this sort of largesse?

A epidemic is on a smaller scale and less broadly spread than a pandemic. A pandemic is still an epidemic but the reverse isn't true. Whether HIV/AIDS is one or the other is an interesting discussion but not one that would necessarily have made any difference in how it was combatted in many places, or that some jurisdictions would not take adequate efforts in doing so. I found this piece useful: https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/epidemic-vs-pandemic-difference

You're right, and there is some value in counting the number of people who died because of the epidemic regardless of whether it was this particular virus that killed them. For some, Covid-19's brute force assault on their body is what kills them, for others it's the straw that breaks the camel's back. Even now, the Kansas Flu in 1918-19 is reported as having killed 50-100m people, we may have a narrower range this time around, but there will be a range. (One consideration in all the talk of unintended deaths brought about in part by the restrictions is that there could well be an unintended fall in the number of seasonal flu deaths, and possibly of road traffic and particulate pollution-related respiratory disease deaths.)

I hadn't seen his ad before it was posted here, but I'm with the others who have commented already, having read the text of his ad I wouldn't consider contacting him.

Not in a hurry at all. I'm not sure yet what metric I'll use for travel to California or elsewhere in the US, and the answer may be different for different places. Not that I'll have any say in that any time soon. I'll be interested to see whether we will have differential quarantine requirements for arrivals from different countries or regions.

I thought this tweet was worth posting in here. [MEDIA=twitter]1265733487077797896[/MEDIA]

Not a real cute critter, but it makes you laugh. [MEDIA=twitter]1265199564274888706[/MEDIA]

It's interesting that that's the way the phone regulator chose to go in the US. One of the reasons, or at least it appears that way to me, is that in areas that ran out of numbers they had new area codes overlaying older ones, so the house next door could have a different area code. In Australia the regulator took a different tack and rolled all the two and three digit area codes into four geographically based two digit area codes. (In all cases, old and new, the first digit of the area code is a zero which fulfilled the same function as the 1 in the US (and Canada and the Caribbean).) They also made the previous mixture of five, six and seven digit phone numbers all eight digits. So all landline numbers are in the format (0X) XXXX XXXX. We can still use just the eight digit number to call phones in the same area code. Mobile phones use numbers starting with 04, which is not used as an area code, and all numbers are in the format 04XX XXX XXX. You have to dial all 10 digits for calls to mobiles. I'm not saying one way is better than the other, just making an observation. And now that we mostly have the numbers we used programmed into our phones, it matters even less. In my phone, most numbers are programmed in the international format, so all my Australian numbers (well, most of them) start with +61.

There will be a new 'normal', the question is how different will it be to the status quo ante? My guess is that personal space will be respected more, and if you wear a mask it will be unexceptional, nobody will think you're a weirdo.

Alex Greenwich MP, an independent member of the NSW state parliament, if I'm not mistaken. And if it is him, yes he is gay.

Wonderful to have you back commenting!

I couldn't possibly be drawn into commenting on anything of the sort!

Yes, exactly. Perhaps a pool party for a select group of friends, suitably physically distanced of course, with, oh, I don't know, perhaps devilled eggs served?

I've spoken to him a few times, most recently just over a week ago (he called me while he was out doing cardio). He seems to be doing OK, and we've talked about the usual things we discuss: travel plans and what we've been doing around our houses. But also a bit about our respective situations with the virus and lock downs.

*Starts researching bathroom renovations*

Another 'anchor client' concept, as I understand it, is having a client whom you trust who signs up for an overnight (or that plus another session) and you pay your own airfares, meet him and see others for the rest of your stay. I have read here of escorts who will fly themselves into a city, and in return for an anchor client paying for their hotel, will see them, and see others while they are in town.

Elective surgery has resumed in Canberra, and today a pop-up 51-bed hospital has been opened on a sports ground adjacent to Canberra Hospital. It may not be used, but 37 days ago when it was started nobody would have known that. It cost $14m, but it can be taken down and packed away, and potentially sold.

Cancelled!

More about what you do after you've done the shopping than the shopping itself, but that's close enough! Heard this guy on a serious radio program this morning. He's a comedian who has a tour of the country planned from March, and when that fell through he started doing cooking videos. This one is for Australia's 'national dish', spaghetti bolognese. Everyone in the country makes it and there are about as many different recipes as there are cooks in the country. I'm sure some of you will take issue with his recipe (and it's pretty much what I use), but it's about the presentation! Oh, and *Language Warning*.

I realise that it is in the US, and I don't remember how different it was, either in the US or here, when I posted that. Here, the government advice (three weeks later but it's been the same for a while) is that if you have any, any symptom that could be related to Covid-19, be that a cough, a sniffle or anything, go and get tested. Testing is readily available, provided by the state and territory health departments either walk up or drive up, and is free. Australian comedian Adam Hills, speaking on the British comedy news show he hosts (from his garage in Melbourne rather than the studio in London now) told of the experience where he drove up and the health worker's instructions were to lean back in the seat, hold onto the steering wheel and brace.