The Coronavirus observational guide . . .

Here in the UK lockdown continues to be eased as the number of deaths falls. This is good news, although I still have doubts about the effectiveness of the systems put in place to ensure we don’t get a second peak. There is a track and trace system, but we hear little about it. And Coronavirus testing numbers look good but it is not the number of people tested but the number of tests. It also includes tests sent out in the post on that day, but we never know how many get returned and used.

I still think we may be at a point where other issues such as folks income and savings could turn into a major issue very soon. 

The incident in the USA where the black man (George Floyd) died during his arrest where the police were very much in the wrong has had worldwide implications. The Black Lives Matter protests have seen thousands of people protesting and the destruction or removal of statues of those who were in some way involved with the slave trade; and in several countries.  It is good that there is a possibility of a change of attitude. But there also needs to be something to remind folk of the past and what was done during the slave trade removing all evidence without replacing it with something that shows the barbarity of what happened risks removing the events from history.

The Coronavirus observational guide . . .

We continue to remain in a state of uncertainty here in the UK as the government slowly allow some easing of lockdown. It’s a tricky situation. Many schools are due to open tomorrow, however only with a limited number of pupils in order to maintain social distancing. There is still much disagreement about the right way forward as some want lockdown eased quickly while others feel everything is moving too fast.

To tell the truth we will only know if the easing of lockdown will work if we don’t get a second peak in deaths, so that is a risky strategy. But it is hard to say for sure what the right way forward is.

 In the USA a black man died while being arrested, the police officer had him pinned to the ground with his knee on his neck and maintained this until sometime after the man stopped moving. The result has been nationwide rioting for 4-5 nights. So not only did a black man unnecessarily die but the rioting will possibly lead to the spread of the coronavirus among a high risk group of US citizens. The number of people who have or had the virus in the US is already high . . . This is very sad.

I think across the world governments and individuals are starting to weigh up the risks of Covid-19 against the future risks of their financial situation. Of course this is another area where the well-off are in a much stronger position than the poor. Probably another underlying issue behind the US rioting where to many lives can look and feel very unequal.

An A to Z Coronavirus observational guide. . . U

U

USA

The USA has sadly become the place that is suffering the most from Covid-19. Although statistically Mr Trump has been keen to tell us that based on the population it is not as bad as some other countries.  Now I have to admit I am not a fan of Mr Trump, but to be fair he is the sort of President that folk either love or hate. I personally feel he is leading the USA down a dangerous path in his keenness to get the US economy back on track. I suspect (as other do) that with a presidential election looming he wants to show the country is doing well. The risk of course is that it potentially may lead to an even greater surge in Covid-19 cases.

One of the virtues and weaknesses of the American people is their stubbornness and maverick attitude to life. Mr Trump has an almost fanatical following among some and they believe that they have the right to be free to roam where and when they want. To them the individual is king and master of his own destiny. Unfortunately there are few ways to stop Covid-19 spreading at present without everyone being in Lockdown, and that is something unacceptable to many in the US. They would argue it is not the states place to tell folk they can’t go out and do the things they would normally do.

The result I fear is that these conflicts between state and the individual and Mr Trump’s own mixed messages at times will result in many many more US citizens dying. I hope I am wrong but I don’t think I am.

4th July . . . . A friendly Message from Britain (again) . . . .Yes we are still friendly (mostly)

With the Forth of July tomorrow I thought it was a good day to repeat last years post about the 4th July because as it happens I will be busy tomorrow doing my good deed. . . . . . It is good to do good deeds it sort of shows folk that we are not all nasty and some of us are generally quite nice . . . . . . a bit . . . . . . sometimes.

Today is the 4^th of July a day that is celebrated in the USA as Independence Day, a day when I am told America leaps about, lets off fireworks and folk stand about being patriotic. Here in Britain folk carry on as normal unless it is Sunday in which case they all go to IKEA.

Us British have always wondered why our American friends decided they were not happy being a colony of Britain, after all the ordinary man in the street such as myself is a fairly nice sort of chap and in general find Americans a nice bunch who almost speak half decent English. In fact it would be true to say that more English understand Americans than a Glaswegian just a few miles up the road in Scotland.  The American accent being sort of a cross between Middle England and Middle Australian, probably because they live in the land between these two great countries. America is more a group of small countries known as States so is sort of a bit like Europe really only they fight less and don’t insult their adjoining states like we do in Europe, (We have all gone off Greece a bit more since last year). 

However the good folk of the USA do have one or two odd anomalies that we notice from time to time when they come to visit the old homeland. They do seem to spell some words a bit oddly, however I do that all the time so I understand how that can happen. And they do seem to like the Queen and all the Royals, a bit odd when they were so keen to get rid of them in the first place. Ironically there are many folk in Britain who would love to get rid of the Royals and would happily sell a few to the USA.  I have also heard them imply that their Zombies and Monsters are better than our Zombies and Monsters, well that is just plain silly everyone knows European Monsters are superior to all by a long way.  And we all know that a nice cup of tea and crab paste sandwiches in an old Lyons Café can not be compared with MacDonald’s, it is a foolish thing to even attempt. When was the last time you saw the corner of your Big Mac curling up in the sun and getting crusty while a gang of little old ladies pondered the iced buns.

Anyway I hope you lot over in the USA have enjoyed your day, and if you ever feel you would like to rejoin us (it is never to late) we are happy to share a nice tea party (not that one but the one where you drink tea in the garden) with you………… . . . .

What happened to that Tea Party of yours did they vanish off into the wild forests of Canada looking for the Big Foot. . . 

4th July . . . . A friendly Message from Britain

OK I am not good at drawing flags 

Today is the 4^th of July a day that is celebrated in the USA as Independence Day, a day when I am told America leaps about, lets off fireworks and folk stand about being patriotic. Here in Britain folk carry on as normal unless it is Sunday in which case they all go to IKEA.

Us British have always wondered why our American friends decided they were not happy being a colony of Britain, after all the ordinary man in the street such as myself is a fairly nice sort of chap and in general find Americas a nice bunch who almost speak half decent English. In fact it would be true to say that more English understand Americans than a Glaswegian just a few miles up the road in Scotland.  The American accent being sort of a cross between Middle England and Middle Australian, probably because they live in the land between these two great countries. American is more a group of small countries known as States so is sort of a bit like Europe really only they fight less and don’t insult their adjoining states like we do in Europe.  

Of course the good folk of the USA do have one or two odd anomalies that we notice from time to time when they come to visit the old homeland. They do seem to spell some words a bit oddly, however I do that all the time so I understand how that can happen. And they do seem to like the Queen and all the Royals, a bit odd when they were so keen to get rid of them in the first place. Ironically there are many folk in Britain who would love to get rid of the Royals and would happily sell a few to the USA.  I have also heard them imply that their Zombies and Monsters are better than our Zombies and Monsters, well that is just plain silly everyone knows European Monsters are superior to all by a long way.  And we all know that a nice cup of tea and crab paste sandwiches in an old Lyons Café can not be compared with MacDonald’s, it is a foolish thing to even attempt. When was the last time you saw the corner of your Big Mac curling up in the sun and getting crusty while a gang of little old ladies pondered the iced buns.

Anyway I hope you lot over in the USA have enjoyed your day, and if you ever feel you would like to rejoin us we are happy to share a nice tea party (not that one but the one where you drink tea in the garden) with you………… . . . .

Ooooooo It rained today and I cut a hedge and ate food.

The US Debt Ceiling and why it could be worse

I have been working on the floor again today I need to get it finished before I whiz away for a few days on a secret mission, leaving you all in suspense asking questions like WHY…. WHERE …. HOW …. WILL HE RETURN …. DO WE CARE.

It is rather ironic working on a floor today because I thought I might discuss the American debt ceiling and the present impasse of their political system. The reason for this is because one or two of my American friends are a little worried and concerned that America is looking a bit stupid. So I am here to reassure them that this is not the case, OK yes we might all snigger a bit but only because America is a huge super power.

You see it may be rather frustrating to live in a country that has sort of closed, but at the end of the day it is better to live in a country that is fairly tolerant of most points of view and allows the individual to do their own thing within reason and there is at least a degree of equality. Lets face it things like equality and tolerance are never quite as they should be even in the best of countries, so the USA is doing as good as any.  You see the alternatives are not so good, places like China, Russia, most of the Middle East huge chunks of Africa and loads of smaller places would I suspect blame the whites, the blacks, the Catholics, the Jews, the Christians, Muslims or Old Bert’s Dog etc and shoot them all or lock them up or have a bloody military coo or someone would just tell you to hand over everything or else.

I am sure there is plenty of inequality in the US but it is less than many many other countries. The hard bit in all this is that folks living standards in the West in general are probably going to drop with time, we have had a good time (well some have) but we have blown all the money now and so its back to crunchy dried ships biscuits, a glass of grandpa’s moonshine and growing veg in the garden, milking the goat and selling the goats cheese on Ebay.  And a pleasant trip to the office in the pony and trap.

It might be tough and hopefully your politicians will think country and not self, but somehow I suspect you will all muddle through in the end. After all most ordinary people in most countries are nice including your good selves     

So my friends in the USA yes you may be broke, bankrupt, insolvent, penniless, ruined and bust but at the end of the day you could live in Syria or the like or eating Old Bert’s Dog…