General / Off-Topic The safest place

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While there are no new community transmitted cases in New Zealand where I live, having family in Europe (Denmark and France mainly) as well as in the US and Japan is not good on the nerves. It is disheartening to see the numbers creep up again overseas (read: in the rest of the world, from an NZ perspective) as activity is ramping up again as if the economy is somehow going to save us.

From a simple academic perspective, this is turning into a textbook example of how the trinity of social, economic and environmental wellbeing works: We are under enormous environmental pressure at the moment, from the COVID pandemic impact. Dealing exclusively with that will have strong impact on social and economic wellbeing, as the lockdown outcome has shown. However, trying to save or bring relief to the economy only allows the environmental disaster to accelerate (as July's numbers are showing) and that will drag everything else down with with it. Focus need to be on where the problem is, which is an environmental stress at the moment.

It is indeed an inconvenient truth that the environmental pressure on our fragile civilisation is a lot more important than we have allowed ourselves to think it could be. Solutions will be radical, but the impact of them can be spread out and mitigated if we take continuous, gradual steps toward containing and eliminating the virus.

:D S
 
I didn't want to make fun of the virus, quite the contrary. But I'm actually more concerned about my fellow man than about myself. I lead a life as a hermit (almost) with very few social contacts anyway.
Yes social contacts are rather to be avoided at this time. :D

Living in moments of isolation allows to acquire wisdom. (y)

🦠🦠🦠🦠🦠🦠😷
 
I admit that I'm in the luxurious position of having a long-lasting relationship (for almost 50 years) with my wonderful wife. Without her I would most likely be finished now. Sometimes I wish I was religious, if only to have someone to thank for this incredible luck. I wouldn't exchange that for any money in the world.

She is reading over your shoulder, isn't she. :p

:D S
 
Have you seen the covid-19 denier demos in Berlin with thousands of people without mask or distance, all believing in a great conspiracy? Such idiots. And another example of how fatal conspiracy theories can be at times.

Now getting pictures. Yikes.

This is what I think is far more deadly than any virus could possibly be.

Human behaviour that isn't rational is the biggest threat we face today. (But unfortunately I know some viruses that could indeed be worse. That's beside the point though.)

There seems to be a biological connection between gullibility-> conspiracy theory, racism, preference for authority structures, and inability to grasp stochastic risk. It isn't regional, and afflicts about a third of humanity. Most likely to do with the vmPFC-amygdala axis.

In any case, it directly leads to maladaptive behaviour. And gets us dead. During pandemics, it's a potentially lethal neurology to have.
 
Now getting pictures. Yikes.



Human behaviour that isn't rational is the biggest threat we face today. (But unfortunately I know some viruses that could indeed be worse. That's beside the point though.)

There seems to be a biological connection between gullibility-> conspiracy theory, racism, preference for authority structures, and inability to grasp stochastic risk. It isn't regional, and afflicts about a third of humanity. Most likely to do with the vmPFC-amygdala axis.

In any case, it directly leads to maladaptive behaviour. And gets us dead. During pandemics, it's a potentially lethal neurology to have.

And here I thought the largest risk group was white, middle-aged and male. :p

:D S
 
It always baffles me that I, as a professing atheist, constantly preach (not really, but by living it) to other people something about "trust in God". Sometimes I have the impression that I have more of it than so many professing Christians. Generally speaking, I don't mean to imply that you are one. 🤷‍♂️
I get the feeling that the people that believe in End of the World scenarios cheerfully head towards them just so they can be right, even if that results in chaos.
 
I admit that I'm in the luxurious position of having a long-lasting relationship (for almost 50 years) with my wonderful wife. Without her I would most likely be finished now. Sometimes I wish I was religious, if only to have someone to thank for this incredible luck. I wouldn't exchange that for any money in the world.
Wisdom, always wisdom for you and your wife (y)

🦠 🦠 🦠 🦠 🦠 🦠 😷
 
Now getting pictures. Yikes.



Human behaviour that isn't rational is the biggest threat we face today. (But unfortunately I know some viruses that could indeed be worse. That's beside the point though.)

There seems to be a biological connection between gullibility-> conspiracy theory, racism, preference for authority structures, and inability to grasp stochastic risk. It isn't regional, and afflicts about a third of humanity. Most likely to do with the vmPFC-amygdala axis.

In any case, it directly leads to maladaptive behaviour. And gets us dead. During pandemics, it's a potentially lethal neurology to have.

People look for easily understood answers, they always have especially when they are scared.

The current conspiracies look to me very much like a modern grab bag of the satanic panic/antisemitic/reds under the beds/witch hunts/doomsday sentiments all lumped in together the more you throw in the more people have to latch onto. If you have a conspiratorial mindset you can't help believing them. The oddest part being that when facts get in the way or predicted dates come and go it's just dismissed and they latch on to the next unlikely prediction.

There's a really good science podcast called the "infinite monkey cage" that did a great talk on conspiracies which is eye opening, for example anti-vaxxers tend to be middle class (arrogant enough to overrule a doctor) or upper class (rich enough to pay privately for exemption certificates). Education can and has worked on an entire society at once but not so much individuals as the demographic has a status related issue with admitting they were wrong, however ridicule does work again due to them being so status conscious.

UK license holder version : https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000dfqn

International version : https://player.fm/series/the-infinite-monkey-cage-1301297/conspiracy-theories
 
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I get the feeling that the people that believe in End of the World scenarios cheerfully head towards them just so they can be right, even if that results in chaos.
I don't believe in end of the world scenarios, however i do believe there will be hard times, just read a history book and see how bad and how quickly it can turn sourer.

:eek:

Well, people use VPN and all kinds of gymnastic excises to not be traced, I wouldn't make such threats however I would certainly decline the service. Where i go and whom i see is my business, and only my business and my wife's :cool:
 
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People look for easily understood answers, they always have especially when they are scared.

The current conspiracies look to me very much like a modern grab bag of the satanic panic/antisemitic/reds under the beds/witch hunts/doomsday sentiments all lumped in together the more you throw in the more people have to latch onto. If you have a conspiratorial mindset you can't help believing them. The oddest part being that when facts get in the way or predicted dates come and go it's just dismissed and they latch on to the next unlikely prediction.

There's a really good science podcast called the "infinite monkey cage" that did a great talk on conspiracies which is eye opening, for example anti-vaxxers tend to be middle class (arrogant enough to overrule a doctor) or upper class (rich enough to pay privately for exemption certificates). Education can and has worked on an entire society at once but not so much individuals as the demographic has a status related issue with admitting they were wrong, however ridicule does work again due to them being so status conscious.

UK license holder version : https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000dfqn

International version : https://player.fm/series/the-infinite-monkey-cage-1301297/conspiracy-theories
Hmm, so conspiracy theorists tend to cling on to their theories even harder when confronted and often will believe multiple theories, even when contradictory. At last DD starts to make more sense to me :)

Back on topic - interesting report from the UK government about excess death rates (includes some other countries in Europe). https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopula...europeancountriesandregions/januarytojune2020

Haven't read it all, was pointed to Figure 3 which shows how the excess death rate varies by regions inside countries - you can see how countries like UK / Spain most of the country was affected, whereas Italy it was much more concentrated in the north. I wish it covered Germany as I'd have liked to compare how they did, but sadly omitted.

Seems a theory about the UK's excessive deaths is due to us having outbreaks across the country - probably brought back from foreign holidays. I guess that would have happened less if we'd locked down earlier, or maybe tested people coming into the country (as we still aren't).

This article talks about the data:


(I don't see the same as the author regarding Spain, to me the UK / Spain look pretty similar - both have lots of hotspots and a few areas that mostly escaped, but I guess he is the one with the letters after his name :) )
 
Hmm, so conspiracy theorists tend to cling on to their theories even harder when confronted and often will believe multiple theories, even when contradictory. At last DD starts to make more sense to me :)

Lol, everything's always DOOMED in DD.

An example from the wider world is Qanon which takes the tack that any of the predictions that fail don't really fail because by getting the word out they've successfully prevented the prophesised thing from happening. Or in the case of Hillary Clinton/Tom Hanks whose arrests were prophesised for satanic adrenochrome involvement by specific dates, when the dates came and went a new conspiracy sprang up that they were arrested and executed and replaced with body doubles. So when the specific prophecies inevitably fail they just get rebranded as victories.
 
Yeah, I'm reminded of Y2K with covid. Because Y2K would hit the bottom line all the stops were pulled out to prevent it - it didn't happen so for many it was a hoax. The countries that successfully controlled the outbreak with isolation measures just proved that covid was a hoax. Can't win.
 
If we can make it out of this alive and healthy, by whatever means, we can call that a win. :)

I'm being bombarded by requests to make ppe suddenly, as it spreads through the community now. People at work, in business places, and parents of schoolkids all want my plastic bottle respirator/face shield. Where did you get that? Can you make me 4? I need it for tomorrow. My face shield sucks.

Well better late than never. They had 6 months to get ready. Now they want it in 12 hours.

There's a kickstarter for a shield called Blocc that looks good. It doesn't go past the chin as the FDA reccommends. But maybe people would wear it!

If you can't turn over a soda bottle and cut that out (or something better) with a scissors yourself, well buy one. I edge mine with split oxygen tubing and hot glue, and it has a valved filter intake. My face shield actually sucks.

Wife says I look like Robocop.
 
I'm was making my own cloth masks, but I've been superseded by the mother in laws better sewn more tastefully coloured ones. The only problem with cloth is they don't fit well over your nose so glasses steam up/bad seal.

I cut a strip from around the edge of an aluminium can fold it over insert it into a piece of t-shirt hem a few inches long and sew the ends in place on the mask. That way I can shape the nose bridge bit. Be careful though since cut can is sharp.
 
Yeah, I'm reminded of Y2K with covid. Because Y2K would hit the bottom line all the stops were pulled out to prevent it - it didn't happen so for many it was a hoax. The countries that successfully controlled the outbreak with isolation measures just proved that covid was a hoax. Can't win.

Like the housing/financial crash from brexit, the bank of England worked constantly to prevent it and their success was interpreted as them lying in the first place. Like fighting a hydra, you chop off a head and another one grows from the stump.
 

Ian Phillips

Volunteer Moderator
@Stigbob
For that glass steaming up problen, I use electrical wire. Here in Holland they have a separate black wire which is used for live from switches to lights, and it is a little thinner than Earth Live or Neutral.It works very well as it is easier to bend into shape than the thicker standard wires.

Also only the cut ends are sharp!
 
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