Shop Book

For a society close to ‘Lock Down,’ I considered there was an awful lot of traffic passing me at half past eight in the morning.  Twitter had informed me the usual roads were ‘Slow Moving,’ and it has become obvious that not many people can work from home.  Builders, postmen, gardeners, as well as supermarket staff must get up early and trudge to work.  Politicians might think it clever to tell people to stay indoors but how will they all be fed?  How will these people pay bills if the work is closed down, redundancy given, or they are just left with nothing?  Some policies must emerge ‘on the hoof’ but a little bit more thought is required here.

School kids ahead of me did not appear to be discussing virus possibilities as I slowly made my way to the panic shop.  I was in truth glad I could not hear what their topics of conversations were, that might put me off breakfast! 

As I crossed the car park I coughed somewhat roughly.  A man fifty yards ahead turned and looked at me, contempt and fear showing in his eyes.  Fear of that virus is cutting into people.  Even the young men faint. 

Sainsburys have taken action to limit panic buying.  The shelves are half full, a deliberate policy, thus preventing items running out.  However, I questioned the lack of red lentils and an attractive young assistant soon procured some for me, she found brown lentils first then thoughtfully came after me with red ones, how helpful I thought, though to be fair most staff are in this shop.  Now I wish I had kept both as this panic filled mob may continue to live in fear and remove all such from the shelves.

Paracetamol was bereft, those that do not require it have got it, those that need it now cannot get it.  We may end up with rationing and doctors’ certificates at this rate. 

Wine and beer was available in abundance, quite why they have not panic bought that I know not.  When sick wine is often the best thing to take, it goes down well, offers some nourishment, and an abundance makes you forget your illness and fall asleep.  Or so I am told…

There are of course vast amounts of foodstuffs and other needful to be had, no-one needs to starve to death, and a supply of daily papers are available if the toilet rolls are still hidden away.  Potatoes exist, some frozen chips are still to be found, and while pasta has disappeared rice in various forms can be obtained.  Clever people can vary their diet with a quick wander around the store.  Really clever people can make use of their garden and plant what they will require later in the year.  I wish I was one of them. 

Just thinking, if the virus hits 80% of the people then food transmission to the shops will be hindered.  Add to this the lack of veg coming from this nation, no EU fruit pickers allowed, then a veg shortage might well appear.  If the drivers get sick, having seven or fourteen days off, and relief drivers unavailable, that will increase the fun at the shops. 

Tomorrow I panic buy tins!

The only flaw this morning was one of my favourite checkout lasses bursting into giggles as she informed me the total came to £33!  “33,” I said.  “I only made it £7:29.”  More giggles from her and the customer following.  To them, seeing my debit card smouldering as I pushed it into the slot was delightful, there appeared to be little delight for me.  However, the checkout girl mentioned that over the weekend some 30 such cards had been refused, not enough credit.  This was the result of panic buying too much.  This £33 was much more than I had expected and is caused by not counting up the totals as I go, something I always used to have to do, there again I may just blame the red lentils, not the bottle of Chianti…

You may remember I began this book some time ago, it mysteriously got lost under a pile of other books that I was wading through.  Some people adore this man, I found it  wee bit boring and hard going.  However he has a five programme series on BBC Radio 4 Extra.  The first programme can be found here.  He is easier to listen to than to read I must say. 

Books...

Is it possible to have too many books?
You see, I accidentally ordered a book from Amazon while browsing books tonight.  I had not meant to browse but found a book token from Xmas that was just lying there and considered how to make use of it.  So I browsed.
Of course had I actually entered the book into the account it would have been better but I just went on browsing and found a book and purchased it without doing that very thing.  So I paid for it myself anyway.  It took me many years to realise I was not an intellectual giant.  It did not take long for others to discover this.
I looked at the small bookshelf next to my bed, the 45 books gathering dust, and wondered if maybe you can collect too many books?  I do not mean 'collect' in the sense of gathering old books and worshipping but not reading such items, I mean just discovering you have quite a lot.  
Some go back many years, quite a few had to do with the failed Open University History study (at least I can proudly claim to be a  B.A. (failed)) which I keep in a vain effort to imply I had a brain.  That proved incorrect, but fun anyway.  Others cover the many years reading about Jesus, some are books I could not let go, 'Mere Christianity' by C.S. Lewis was very helpful in the 70's and Jim Packers 'Knowing God' is a must I say for all Christians, a book full of Christian knowledge and common sense.  Others were glanced at and never finished.  
The Great War has resulted in many a book landing on my shelves.  Not counting all those I read in the library years ago.  Adolf Hitler, a man you may have heard about caused me to buy many books in an attempt to understand where he came from and how he got 60 million educated Germans to follow him, it was of course the supernatural evil power that took a bore from a hostel and made him Fuhrer. His behaviour makes clear how easy it can be to change a nation, if you find the right slogans.  

However as I look at the shelves I wonder whether it is right to have so many?  Is there not a way to make use of them, and ensure they return?  I almost gave one away recently but found it would not leave my tight grasp.  Cold that be a danger sign?  
Obviously some have not been read, that is, quite a few are more reference than reading books.  More detailed than the internet could be, though it takes longer to search through them.  Others have been read in bits, the irrelevant pages omitted.  Most have been read from cover to cover, but can I remember what was therein?  It is amazing how many individual lines come to mind along with an inability to remember which book I read them in.  This is unfortunate.  
There is a queue of books waiting to be read, one or two can wait, others must be read soon, possibly two or three at a time.  The thing is some books fit the mood, you cannot put it down, other plod along but must be read, slowly.  Usually I read a bit from one, consider I need a change and move to another, that way happily progressing along.  Of course one lying there has small font and 780 pages, another large font and considerably less pages, it does not take much guessing which is the first to be finished.

  
So, should I feel guilty about accidentally buying another book?  If my cough does not leave I may be forced to 'self isolate' and read all my books, returning to the start.  There is no football to distract me, TV is vile so books would be great.  
Books are so useful.  You learn about the world from them, a wide variety of subjects can be found therein.  I remember standing in a bookshop cogitating on the vast array of literature around me, most in my view worthless but never mind, and I wondered what the Sumerian scribes would think if they could see so many books crammed with writing, the writing they developed.  I suspect they would be happy about this, and promptly by the worst type of slop to read.  Consider how powerful words can be.  The Reformation was powered by 'tracts' from all sides.  A printer was, like a scribe, a powerful and useful man to have on your side.  Quite what Sumerian scribes down in Uruk would think if a copy of the 'Sun' cam into their possession however I am not sure.  They might consider that beneath them.
Books, magazines, Blogs, Facebook, Twitter, and so on all push out words, all shout loudly, some intelligently, all demand our attention.  Books offer a more considered system of debate than facebook or Twitter, at least that is what I have found, and the pictures are better.  
Discuss...

     

Viral Panic is Catching

My intention was to rise early, I tend to rise near 6 am in Spring like weather, wander around Tesco as soon as it opened and miss the virus laden crowds.  I awoke around 5 am, dozed through the World Service News, the Shipping Forecast, (In days of yore Alvin Liddel would end the late night Shipping Forecast with "Goodnight Gentlemen, and good fishing."  Not enough boats out there now to make it worthwhile,especially as they only speak Spanish."), the 'Farming Today' girls, always girls while the farmers are always men, and then just about six I managed to actually rise out of the pit. 
This is not the time to take a 'selfie.'
My plans died as the rain came down.  It continued well into the morning so breakfast was taken and plans to return to bed wandered through my mind.  However just about 11 am I actually made it out, the rain had stopped, as had the postman, wet, desperate to go home and enjoy the day, and with no mail for me.  
Trudging gaily down the Avenue, passing a woman who gave me a look of fear, either because she thought I was bad or she saw me cough, why fear missus, over the road stands the huge Police Station!  Another neighbour ignored me, his wife does not like me, and I wandered into the throng attending Tesco.
For a laugh I looked for 'paracetamol,' the empty shelves were a giggle, no soap on the other side bar the expensive stuff no-one wants.  I suggested they claim bleach is in short supply and they could get rid off all the plastic bottles full that were on display. 
Gathering my few needs while trolleys barged into me the drivers distracted by pig ignorance and stupidity, I made my way to the checkout via the beer stall.  Even there several sections were empty, deliberate I reckon, some shops do this to ensure stocks and to stop dafties taking everything.  At the checkout it intrigued me that football is suspended because of the fear of passing on virii.  Yet some experts claim it is not easy to catch virii in such crowds, it comes via face to face contact and here the girls, and its mostly girls, though some Saturday lads are on, the girls face people all day! Now who is in the most danger?  Football crowds or such women?
I coughed cheerfully over the Lesbian like lass who cheerily threatened to 'Nutt me' as I packed my bag.  I like this shop, proper women.  We debated the crap in the 'up market' Saturday press, neither of us willing to pay £500 for a pair of boots as in last weeks 'Times.'  I chose the 'Guardian' today, £3:40!  So that I have plenty sections to throw away during the week.   
I jostled my way out the only entrance, in amongst short sighted people who think you and everyone else will get out off their way, clambered down the steps, checked the skies and headed home avoiding the pleasures off the Saturday Market.  Few stalls out today and not too many people around either.  All at home stuffing toilet rolls into cupboards or under beds. 

             New Scientist

I must wash my hands before writing this.  
This new bug is indeed dangerous, and I am probably the one to get it!  My bug returned this week, usual symptoms, and hopefully will be gone by tomorrow, but why does it keep returning?  Especially when I have had lots to do this week and little energy when required.  I am going to demand out church seeks a person with the gifts of healing, for others sake obviously...

This I found on Twitter this morning and may be worth a read.

Professor Ian Donald @iandonald_psych

Psychologist: Social, & Environmental research, & behavioural factors in Anti-Microbial Resistance. Emeritus Professor, University of Liverpool.

1. The govt strategy on Coronavirus is more refined than those used in other countries and potentially very effective. But it is also riskier and based on a number of assumptions. They need to be correct, and the measures they introduce need to work when they are supposed to.

5:32 PM · Mar 13, 2020·

2. This all assumes I'm correct in what I think the govt are doing and why. I could be wrong - and wouldn't be surprised. But it looks to me like. . .

3. A UK starting assumption is that a high number of the population will inevitably get infected whatever is done – up to 80%. As you can’t stop it, so it is best to manage it. There are limited health resources so the aim is to manage the flow of the seriously ill to these.

4. The Italian model the aims to stop infection. The UKs wants infection BUT of particular categories of people. The aim of the UK is to have as many lower risk people infected as possible. Immune people cannot infect others; the more there are the lower the risk of infection

5. That's herd immunity. Based on this idea, at the moment the govt wants people to get infected, up until hospitals begin to reach capacity. At that they want to reduce, but not stop infection rate. Ideally they balance it so the numbers entering hospital = the number leaving.

6. That balance is the big risk. All the time people are being treated, other mildly ill people are recovering and the population grows a higher percent of immune people who can’t infect. They can also return to work and keep things going normally - and go to the pubs.

7.The risk is being able to accurately manage infection flow relative to health case resources. Data on infection rates needs to be accurate, the measures they introduce need to work and at the time they want them to and to the degree they want, or the system is overwhelmed.

8. Schools: Kids generally won’t get very ill, so the govt can use them as a tool to infect others when you want to increase infection. When you need to slow infection, that tap can be turned off – at that point they close the schools. Politically risky for them to say this.

9. The same for large scale events - stop them when you want to slow infection rates; turn another tap off. This means schools etc are closed for a shorter period and disruption generally is therefore for a shorter period, AND with a growing immune population. This is sustainable

10. After a while most of the population is immune, the seriously ill have all received treatment and the country is resistant. The more vulnerable are then less at risk. This is the end state the govt is aiming for and could achieve.

11. BUT a key issue during this process is protection of those for whom the virus is fatal. It's not clear the full measures there are to protect those people. It assumes they can measure infection, that their behavioural expectations are met - people do what they think they will.

12. The Italian (and others) strategy is to stop as much infection as possible - or all infection. This is appealing, but then what? The restrictions are not sustainable for months. So the will need to be relaxed. But that will lead to reemergence of infections.

13. Then rates will then start to climb again. So they will have to reintroduce the restrictions each time infection rates rise. That is not a sustainable model and takes much longer to achieve the goal of a largely immune population with low risk of infection of the vulnerable

14. As the government tries to achieve equilibrium between hospitalisations and infections, more interventions will appear. It's perhaps why there are at the moment few public information films on staying at home. They are treading a tight path, but possibly a sensible one.

15. This is probably the best strategy, but they should explain it more clearly. It relies on a lot of assumptions, so it would be good to know what they are - especially behavioral.

Most encouraging, it's way too clever for Boris Johnson to have had any role in developing.