Wilf
Slouching towards Billingham
Well, if we were balancing the relative merits of a plumber and Enoch Powell...
Coronavirus in the UK - news, lockdown and discussion
- Thread starter Sasaferrato
- Start date
2hats
Dust.
Could be a new variant defeating the PCR (eg deletion causing dropout on all three S, N and ORF1 tests) or simply that the RNA window for one of the latest delta lineages is typically too short/variable or that there is a defective batch of test materials from the vendor or some combination of these.
Latest RT-PCR targets 8 RNA sequences over 3 separate regions (ORF1a, ORF1b and N), avoiding S where most mutagenic variation frequently occurs between variants (and alpha/B.1.1.7 caused a drop out), so that should be more robust. But I have no idea if that is deployed (or deployed widely) in the UK yet.
Artaxerxes
Look out, he's got a gnu!
Even Pimlico?
teuchter
je suis teuchter
This seems a strange assertion. What's it based on?]
It seems much more likely that it's driven by what they think employers want to see - a removal of an excuse for people not to come in to work. No employer who thinks their employees function better in the office (and they might be wrong about that, but it's irrelevant) than at home will want government advice to encourage WFH for any longer than necessary.
A bit odd to try and pin it on "retired" people.
Dogsauce
I’ve got Skol but I’m not a Scholar
Add to that all the cases we have down here in the SW that aren’t getting picked up by PCR so don’t count.
Dogsauce
I’ve got Skol but I’m not a Scholar
The article mentions it’s a specific thing in the SW which correlates with me encountering this in Bristol (the person who most likely infected me didn’t manage a positive PCR at all, nor did her daughter, mine took three PCR tests before a positive result). The regional prevalence either suggests a variant or problems with the local lab processing PCR tests.
Possibly also of note that we were both double-vaxxed, although I could have expected reduced immunity as on immunosuppressant meds and last jab mid-April, but the mrs was jabbed in July and no medical issues other than Asthma, but is suffering worse than me. Others too having hard symptoms that I know of, and others taking PCR result to mean false positive so not isolating.
You've misrepresented that. A message being directed at a certain demographic is not the same as blaming that demographic for the message.
If it wasn't in part a message for others in addition to employers than why did they weirdly conflate working from home with their woke nonsense?
Cloo
Banana for scale
Thanks, yes that's what I was getting at and that's why they're tying it in with 'wokeness'. It's like 'WFH is the sort of thing that is the enemy of your/our values' because as ever, the Tories love to whip up a culture war. Though I'm sure WFH must be suiting many older workers very nicely thanks, whatever their politics.
I’ve had plumbers that have totally fucked up my heating system. I would have been better with no plumber.
Furthermore, most of the time, I don’t need a plumber at all. Whereas I value culture all the time.
elbows
Well-Known Member
I wouldnt say that with any degree of certainty. Just because anecdotes, press attention and local PHE team noticing the signal has been asssociated with that region, doesnt mean I am confident that such patterns wont also show up elsewhere via proper analysis of the data.
It could still turn out to be a phenomenon most strongly seen in the South West, but I will not be making any assumptions about that at this stage.
andysays
Love and solidarity
Interesting that you are effectively/inadvertently identifying culture with lecturers of Ancient Greek though.
Knowing how to (correctly) install or repair your heating system is just as important a part of "culture" as being able to talk knowledgeably about the Odyssey, IMO.
Sasaferrato
Super Refuser!
If Ancient Greek professors disappeared, who would miss them? Seriously, they are enablers of buffoons.
Sasaferrato
Super Refuser!
Quite. I'm retired, how employers/employees conduct their business of no interest to me. Well, other than when I was working, I could have worked just as well from home.
In two generations, the knowledge related to an entire civilisation, which created the context within which much of our current culture was formed, would disappear. With it would go not only much literature but also a massive understanding of the taken-for-granted norms and geneology of society. But you think that’s nothing, of course.
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maomao
普費斯
Let's not curse the whole profession just because of one shit prime minister with a classics degree. I don't know any professors of ancient Greek but I know a couple of very nice Latin teachers and have a third of a degree in classical Chinese myself, whereas the plumbers who 'fixed' my shower in March were a pair of useless cunts.
Sasaferrato
Super Refuser!
Elitist bollocks I'm afraid. How much of ancient Greek culture is the average man on the street aware of, and is he a jot worse off for the lack of such knowledge? No.
Sasaferrato
Super Refuser!
I find that word of mouth recommendation is the best way to pick a plumber, if it's an emergency of course, any port.
Sasaferrato
Super Refuser!
Your link ain't working.
maomao
普費斯
Loads. I've just taken over teaching a unit on Greek myth to eleven year olds and they know enough that they're constantly pulling me up.
klang
klang
you are all very lucky indeed.
Sasaferrato
Super Refuser!
There is a wee bit of a difference between kids TV program Greek myth, and the study of classical Greek.
maomao
普費斯
Never heard of Homer then.
andysays
Love and solidarity
Even I've heard of him - he's Bart's dad...
maomao
普費斯
HMRC employees were on the C ark.
teuchter
je suis teuchter
I've missed that... where did this happen?
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