A wilding

I have taken to carrying a trekking pole with me when I go out, with the idea that I can wave it at people who look like they might be getting too close. So far I have only had to point it at the ground a foot of so away from me a couple of times, but I find it makes a huge positive psychological difference to feel that I do have some way of fending off people if I have to. Plus it is useful for opening gates etc without touching them.

Personally I don't find it any more terrifying than a third of the country either being in denial, or being happy about him being what he is.

Nobody has said that Johnson wants to be a dictator. Strawman. Nobody has accused Johnson of not being dictatorial enough - only of acting too slowly. Strawman again. However his attempt to keep these extra coronavirus powers for two years without any safety mechanism at all to reign him in is unprecedented. Even in war time such powers have always had frequent renewal clauses. The only previous instances of anything like it were his illegal prorogation of Parliament, and his attempt to ram his dodgy Brexit bill into law without giving anyone a chance to look at the small print that again gave him extraordinary unchecked powers. I call that a pattern. Though I am happy to ascribe it to Cummings rather than Johnson if you prefer.

It depends how recently those 50x people got infected though. An exponential curve could mean they simply have not yet reached the hospitals yet.

How did he manage to get himself tested though? His wealth still cushioning him I assume.

Johnson has certainly consistently tried to give himself overboard and uncontrolled powers at every opportunity ... On the surfaces thing, we have tried, as far as possible, to quarantine all objects coming into or house for a day or so. Snail mail, for example, is a conceivable vector as well as groceries.

My medical advisor says it is very likely to give you a sore throat ... (Drying out membranes that are supposed to stay damp, or something like that.)

All good books. Indeed just about anything by Eric Newby is worth reading; I would add The Last Grain Race and Love and War in the Apennines to that list.

Have you been to that part of the world recently? The Nessie tourist industry is as strong as ever. There is an exhibition/museum of Nessie hunting gear and expeditions. People (mostly) know that Nessie can't exist, but they don't care.

I have my copy and will be starting it tonight.

And now Johnson has pulled out the "distract the media from the bad stories" news he has obviously been keeping in reserve for some while: his current partner Carrie Symonds is about 5 months pregnant and they are going to get married.

Also, it appears that they had offered him a large sum of (taxpayers) money to go quietly, but he turned it down. Either he is angry enough to want blood, or he feels speaking out is the correct thing to do and is willing to put himself through all he is going to get hit with now.

Yes, I think that was pretty much the point that I was trying to make. I cant help but compare him to Saddam Hussein's Gulf War Press Officer Comical Ali .

WTF? Iran's Deputy Health Minister gave a press conference yesterday denying a cover up of the extent of the outbreak in Iran. Apparently he was displaying "visible discomfort" and mopping his brow. Today he has been diagnosed to have Covid-19. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-51628484

Just read the non fiction My Friend Anna, about the recently convicted US fraudster Anna Sorokin. Once the author's relationship with Anna had gone bad she started logging every message they exchanged, and even recorded their last meeting. So the book is basically an extremely detailed account of a sociopath interacting with their victim (who does ultimately manage to turn the tables somewhat), written partly as catharsis. I found it seriously thought provoking.