Pebble thats Stubby

I think the main reason is where do you draw the line at what is a Key worker is and how you manage the list. I think its very reasonable to give the vaccine to all emergency workers, so that is Ambulance (already done) fire and Police. that is probably easily managed as the government should already have a list of those people. Opening it up to school teachers, grocery workers, anyone in food production starts the - Does this person count? how to manage the list? how do you prove someone is entitled to the vaccine? What order of occupations gets it first? Do I qualify as a Key worker? I work in a factory and make stuff. I can't work from home as I need to support the plant and we need a physical presence (ok when on early shift I work from home 3 days, as others are in the office) as a factory worker I'm vulnerable, but I'm one of the most protected in the plant as I rarely have to go out on the shop floor. but others in the plant are working in close proximity to lots of people. Working out exactly who should get it by occupation is really hard and some people will get it who shouldn't and others will miss out. it is also open to abuse. Right now its done via the NHS and our GP's know the ages and health conditions of their patients so its very manageable and fast. Doing something different would require a big IT government database/project and we don't have a good track record with those. + it would need someone other than the NHS to really run the thing. so lets say vaccine rollout by Serco. I can see it taking longer to vaccinate everyone and more expensive.

Vaccination rollout for Phase II has been announced. Sorry teachers you don't get priority. all those aged 40 to 49 years all those aged 30 to 39 years all those aged 18 to 29 years

You will be fine Bucky, I know you have worked very hard for this, you don't need luck but I wish you it anyway. just try to breathe. you got this.

I don't think we argued about masks until March. We may have been speculating on if we needed to stock up on toilet roll though due to what was happening in some countries. (it was march and april when we had our shortage on the shelves)

I don't know the actual numbers. but one example of those needing protecting, are those undergoing cancer treatment. My cousin is one of those. Although she is shielding and not going out, her partner does all the shopping runs and is not able to shield as he has to physically attend work or quit his job. Luckily he has recently turned 60 so should be getting the vaccine relatively soon. He could easily pick up the virus and then infect my cousin, who would probably die from it. They have reduced their risk as much as they can. but unless all food will be delivered and bills paid there are limits on how isolated they can be. Once we have relaxed everything else mandatory masks for all (in these specific places that can't be avoided) are the only thing that protects these people until herd vaccine protection is available. and that normally needs 80-95% (I think) of the population to be vaccinated. and it seems such a little thing to ask of the masses. I do agree its about balance. I'm just not sure we agree on where the balance point is.

but at least by waiting, you will be helping those who are imunocompamised and can't take the vaccine. these people still need to get food. other people live with these people and also may be young enough not to be vaccinated by then, so need to be extra careful they don't bring the virus back home. if we wait till everyone is vaccinated then they get protection form the herd immunity from the rest of us. I can get the symbolic reminder thing, but 6 weeks is not long, if it was to be another 6 months then I'd give that argument more weight. Waiting is also a symbolic thing celebrating everyone (who can) getting the vaccine. the last bit of "Its as Over as it ever will be"

thing is with most masks, wearing one mainly protects others from germs you have. Most are not that good at protecting you from other peoples germs. thus if you are one of the people worries about catching something you need everyone else to be wearing a mask, especially on confined crowded spaces like buses and trains. mandatory wearing of masks on public transport and in shops really doesn't seem like an over reaction until everyone has been offered a vaccination. and its not really a hard to wear one for an hour. I'm not saying you have to wear one in bars restaurants or social gatherings, just the places where the more cautious are forced to interact with less cautious to get food and travel to work (for those that can't work from home). A lot of people will still ignore the rules or not wear them correctly, but more people will be encouraged to wear them if that's the rules even with no enforcement. Waiting an extra 6 weeks for this seems like a good compromise at least from my perspective. Unless you can tell me there is a clear benefit to not wearing masks in these situations? Yes there are some more specialised masks available that give the wearer better protection, but lets not talk about that here again.

Was Boris a known politician when Pratchett first wrote about Bloody Stupid Johnson? They both have a fondness for big projects.

Your braver than I am. its been over a year now since I last ate inside (or sat outside) a restaurant. or bar, or had my hair cut........ :cry: I like really need my hair cut, doubt I'll get it done this year either.

There are pills

Hope your having a good birthday, sweetie.

Its fully underwater at least during high tide. Its had been there many years when I logged a wreck penetration dive. The Cessna was considered a challenge for couples in our dive club. Normally everyone wears dry suits so the whole dive boat know exactly what you will be doing and where. The trick is to wear a suit thats one size too big which you normally hire from the shop/club just for the trip. so yes everyone knows. and everyone threatens to log dives for their underwater photography certificate. We would dive the sunken mulberry harbours just off shore of Littlehampton. always the slack of high tide. at low the current is zooming and most of he site is above water. Its a really safe UK dive with normally reasonable visibility and lots of life. if you take a bearing off the corner of the harbour there is (or was) a rope leading to a cessna wreck. its about a 20 meter swim. there is not really that much left as a solid lump but it is a little deeper than the harbour itself. It is really important to make sure your suit and fins don't float away. Take a reel and rope them to the wreck. Its also cold. if you don't work fast you'll not get anywhere. Neither of us climaxed. If you are going to fuck underwater take my advise, do it in tropical waters. ones where wet suits are optional.

Not going to go into all the sordid details. But getting in and out of the wetsuits while underwater and in cramped conditions proved more interesting than the sex itself. I do not recommend.

15 meters below sea level in the cockpit of a cessna

LP wow its been sooo long