Ready Player One

I liked it.  Predictable and with a few errors. (People using VR headsets in public will get injured and if everyone on the planet takes part in a game, why are all the best players in the same city that the baddies are located?) But the film flowed well and the story was well told.  I do like the settings where the story too place. Though I would like to know how high rise trailers are maintained.  I love the reference to games of my past, though I never got to play them, and I love the films of old.  (I may watch The Shining again and get round to watching the Chucky films.)  I had heard about it, and had no interest to watch it before.  My daughter however recommended it on Sunday which is why we watched it.  My son had half watched it then but took more of an interest when we watched the second half last night.  Neither my daughter or I could be bothered to fill him in on the bits he decided to miss though!

And I am still knackered today.  I walked to work and back yesterday and my wife had a genius idea to get my son out.  He had been quite laid back, still wearing his pyjamas when I got back.  I did offer to walk with the kids, and while my son said no at first, the inspired idea of my wife came into play, which was to order some dessert which we collected.  While both the kids came with me, my daughter went home after the two started to bicker.  Walking with one child was fine, though two would be better...

Sloth

I am frustrated.  I went for a walk yesterday as well as on Saturday.  But yesterday, my walk was not as long as before and my aim was to go for a walk later with one of the children.  My daughter has been out for a walk on most days during lock-down, but has not been for one recently.  My son on the other hand has rarely left the house.  My daughter prefers not to walk with me, and is fond of going for walks by herself.  I am okay with that, so long as she stays to areas where other people are.  But my son got my hopes up.  I had discussed this issue with my wife and she gave me some advice.  So I asked me son if he would like to cycle to his school.  He said yes, but he wanted to cycle more.  But when the time came, he backed out.  I am seriously concerned that this will be an issue when he returns to school as I am not sure that he will have the stamina to make it. And while at times he will say he wants to exercise, there is an excuse why he cannot do so on the days that he initially agrees to do so.

Anyway, yesterday we watched the first part of Ready Player One.  We started as a family, but my wife decided it was not for her.  And then my son decided to play on the Switch instead.  So my daughter and I continued to watch it until we both got tired and had to go to bed.

And on that note, have a quarantined good night.

Are we really in this together?

The theme of this blog entry is if laws and rules should be optional for those in power.

Conservatives seem to have issues obeying rules and understanding COVID.  To be fair, it is not just those on the right.  As seen in the UK, Piers Corbyn, the brother of Jeremy Corbyn, has been spreading the lie/delusion that COVID is a lie as well as organising protests against lockdown so that people can get COVID-19 just like Audrey Whitlock did in the USA.  But there has been a huge example of this in the USA, as well as one in the UK.

From what I understand, before deciding to play golf in a pandemic, Trump decided to ignore the requests of factory bosses as well as the law in Michigan about wearing a face-mask, a law which is in place to reduce the risk of a person spreading this terrible disease.  The governor of that state has more important things to deal with rather than prosecuting him for this breach of the law, but his actions are in my view inexcusable.  Either the law is to be obeyed, or it is not.  In addition to this, ignoring it will encourage others to do the same, which means that more will catch this.

In the UK, the most important political strategist has decided to flout the advice on lockdown, most importantly, when he was meant to be isolating.  Lockdown came into effect on the 23rd of March.  Matt Hancock and Boris Johnson tested positive for COVID on the 27th of March and the government confirmed that Dominic Cummings was staying at home with COVID symptoms.  

The allegations are as follows.  On the 31st of March, The Durham Constabulary become aware that Dominic Cummings drove his wife and son to Durham to take his son to his parents (though other relatives lived closer). His wife was unwell, and the guidance is not to leave the house when unwell with symptoms of COVID-19.  He was seen outside his parents property on the 5th of April.  On the 12th and 19th of April, he was seen, according to one allegation being 30 miles away from his home before his return to work on the 14th of April.  And his wife had an article published an article on self isolation on the 25th of April (23rd on the website) which apparently omitted the experience of doing so in Durham.     


Working in healthcare seeing those who may or may not have COVID is something I have to do.  I despair when I see people flout the guidelines on social distancing, but if those in power do not do so, how can we expect everyone else?

Lust

It is an interesting time to post this.  My wife, daughter and I are watching The First Time. The reason both my wife and daughter have wanted to watch this is because of Dylan O'Brien.  It has been interesting to watch this, but despite a few issues, his shirt being always ironed at the party for one, it is a good film.  I identify a lot with the father, but more so with the father from a short film the kids and I watched earlier today, Riley's First Date?

I thought that it dealt with teenage relationships quite well.  Not knowing what was going on, the mix of emotions and the message about the right thing to do,

But the reason I post this is, as the title suggests, about lust.

I have posted before about how I felt how Brett Kavanaugh lied, or forgot important episodes when he was drunk over the testimony given about the allegations of sexual assault against Christine Blasey Ford.  I do not think that he can be proven to have assaulted her, but if he tried her for defamation, she would be found innocent as while the GOP ignored the holes in his testimony a court of law would not.  It is horrible how people have slandered the woman who was brave enough to speak out over him.

Sexual assault is not just limited to the GOP, Biden has faced his and his creepy behaviour around women does not scream innocence on his part.  But he has not been shown to lie about this drinking.  And he has not boasted about sexual assault.

And that of course takes us to Donald Trump.  Not only has he boasted about infidelity and sexual assault, he has had two affairs that he know of, this being a one time dalliance with Stormy Daniels as well as a longer affair with Karen McDougal.  His supporters can say that these are just alleged affairs and the bush money paid to them does not imply guilt, but this is a man on his third wife.  In 2016, many who claimed to be Christians voted for him, as opposed to a woman who stuck with her adulterous husband.

One day, someone may explain this double standard to me.  But I have been waiting a few years and I suspect no one will be able to justify it.

Waiting for the R number to rise

Social distancing is still taking place, but not as much as before.  And I working in primary care, I can see the consequences.  Specifically, I have to assess and treat the consequences.

I suspect that one child I saw earlier this week has COVID-19, and today I saw two children with symptoms of viral infections that probably were not COVID.  Probably.  But in order for those children to get those infections, they had to have caught them from someone.  And if they can catch one virus, they can catch others, notably COVID.

In the last few weeks, I have not seen any children with symptoms of a viral infection, quite simply because they have been in isolation, and therefore were not able to catch these infections because they did not see anyone to catch infections from.  I knew that when the lockdown measures were eased that I would be seeing unwell children again.  And that has happened this week.  Which means that I am going to be at greater risk of catching COVID.

Things would be better if people were being sensible when it comes to how they act, but considering the crowds at beaches this week, not enough are.  Not all of them will end up like the Fusco family, but some may.
On he bright side, my COVID test came back and I do not have the plague. Yet.

COVID testing

Have been carrying out COVID19 testing at work today.  In the last seven or so days, we have lost four staff, but thanks to the way testing for COVID-19 has been improved, we have got two back already and one more is returning tomorrow.

But today we tested frontline workers.  I was one of the volunteers for testing and carried all (but my own) out.  Not all got tested, but some of us did as a way of the health service trying to find out how many people in the NHS are working but are asymptomatic carriers.

The procedure was uncomfortable and carried a risk of spreading infection in itself.  Also it was meant to have been carried out yesterday but we were not sent the samples.  And now it is a wait for the results.  Considering how we are monitoring temperatures at work now, I doubt that anyone will be found to be a carrier.

Vaccines Work

Vaccines work.  They have saved lives and reduced the burden of illness and disability.  We know this due to several things.  One is how Obama has harmed vaccination programs.  Another is the eradication of Smallpox.

Obama did many things as US president, Like Trump, some of this was good and some of it was not so.  When the USA assassinated Osama bin Laden in Operation Neptune Spear, they obtained information on this presence through a hepatitis vaccination programme allowing them to obtain DNA evidence of his presence.  Militants in Afghanistan and Pakistan started to attack healthcare workers who had been trying to eradicate polio and one of the reasons for this was the perception that healthcare workers were continuing to aid the USA.  Vaccination rates dropped and the rates of polio increased.  But when vaccination rates increased, the cases of polio fell.  Likewise, falling vaccination rates due to increasing unrest have resulted in more cases of polio in both Afghanistan and Pakistan.  To be fair to Obama, he cannot be blamed for all of this as extremists there have been spreading lies and fake news about vaccinations.  

My next example of how vaccinations work is smallpox.  Put simply, it is not seen anymore.  And that is thanks to vaccination.  Those who are against vaccination claim that there are other reasons for the end of smallpox, this including hygiene measures.  But while other diseases have continued in areas of poor hygiene, smallpox has been eradicated.

At present in the world, many are hoping that a vaccination to COVID-19 will be developed.  An effective and safe vaccine may not be possible though.  Even trials into this have been subject to fake news with reports being shared that the main volunteer into this has died.  If Dr Elisa Granato has, she has been able to speak from beyond the grave to state that she is alive!