Jerry_Atrick

I am no student of history... but when I ran through with my son the battle of Sicily, it didn't appear to be  that silly. They lost 4000-odd allies and the enemy lost over 8,000.. It toppled Mussoulini, but it did result in Hitler's decision to invade Italy.. which further spread their toops and resources thinner as well..

Anyway, my son keeps pointing out, as Willedoo has, that he had the forsight to siggest controlling the seas, which is as important today as it has been.. Also, as KG states, he seemed to be a leader men could relate to form a battle perspective. Yep..we all make mistakes.. Unf., when a field marshall or general makes a mistake, lives are lost...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dpIkl2QnJeI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=klUweWE-u6A

You guys quack me up!

This is a sad development.. I understand that people can opt out.. but surely, if they don't, then the default position is that they give permission for authorised clinincal staff to view the records on an "as-needs" basis. My guess is that it is a monumental systems/contract stuff up. We had this in the UK.. Before I returned to Aus in 2003, the then Labour (not Labor) government tendered for a centralised patient record computer system. Computer Services Corporation (owned by Ross Perot at the time) won a £5bn contract to provide a centralised record system. £5bn! In today's money, that would be more like £15bn.. Even the most expensive IT person of the day would have been, say, £1,000/day and they would have been specialist trading IT people, not a simple records management system that, to be honest, a few 3rd year students should be able to cobble together as part of the indsutry placement project. In other words, if they employed the brightest minds, that would be 5 million working days to design the process by which it would work, build a system to support that process, test it, fix it and roll it out. The reality is, max Ross would have paid was £500/day to contractors so that leaves, say 2.5bn profit on 5 million work days (OK, you have to take some overhead out of that, like there may well have been some kick-backs somewhere... I could not possibly say for sure)

As it stands, the costs raked up to 9.8bn before they binned it.. Yes, binned it.. After £9.bn!:  https://www.theguardian.com/society/2013/sep/18/nhs-records-system-10bn.  (Although it says the original contract value was 3.1bn.. I distinctly remember 5bn. but doesn't matter... even at 3.1bn, that is 3.1million working days).

Yes, there is no doubt there was indecision and disputes to scope, etc which led to some delays, but I can speak from experience that when these large consultancies get invovled, they usually engineer it to get to these disputes as the meter is stil lticking and they don't have to deliver. Obvously, I can't say whether this happened in this case, but I know of a two big consultancies who were the prime system integrators (fancy term for lead vendor) on projects I was working on, where they deployed the strategy of instigating disputes, delivered nothing and raked in the fees.. and considered them successful projects. For the record, CSC was NOT one of them..

A couple of my favourite cartoons:

@Yenn, without looking it up (i.e. just on recall of the news), in the early days, there was such a shortage of PPE/general supplies and the civil service were so slow in getting it, the focus was on getting all things to the NHS (National Health Service)  and aged care homes were neglected. The virus ripped through them and their workers far worse than Aus/Vic. That, and for the average Brit, the stiff-upper-lip syndrome still prevails And there have been anecdotal cases of mis-priortisation; where men in their 40s who have had no known comorbidity and mild symptoms were sent home to subsequently die - usually within 2 weeks.. Again, this is anecdotal and I have only heard of a few cases on chat shows. I think the death rates are currently quite low... we are often hitting over 1,000 new cases/day, but the death rates are around 12 - 14 (again, haven't checked the exact figures, but on the occasions I have checked, that appears to be around where it stands. Of course, as Octave and Facthunter point out, recovery doesn't necessarily mean a quality of life as good as it once was.

Remebering, the above is my interpretation of why the significantly higher death rate for the UK than other countries does not mean it is the picture of what could happen if it gets out of control.. So, given outcomes are generally much better when people act on facts and known (and developing) science rather than opinion such that the actions are hysteria, which in the absence of any credible evidence being offered, are plainly idiotic, I will take the medicos advice on this one..

Re the NHS, despite being poorly managed and under-funded (partly because of the waste of management and political interference), the NHS hospitals, in general, are pretty good (yes, there are a few poor ones, as there are in every country). However, the NHS provides far more than that. Free (at point of service) GP and consultant consulations, physio, most common dental (if you can find a NHS dentist as the rates are low) and other medical services such as chiropractors, etc. They even will pay for accredited  weight loss classes, etc as they see a wider benefit and longer term reduction in remedial care (prevention better than cure). I personally think some of this goes above and beyond the remit of a national health service, and the reality is that even if it were superbly and efficiently managed, there are simply not the resources to provide all these services to the public for free at point of service - without significant extra taaxes (or a superrblyand efficiently run whole of government).

The result is a lot of the non-emergency/hospital services wait times are excessive - it is reported some GP practices have wait periods of up to 2 weeks; the NHS have provided drop in centres staffed by senior clinincal nurses with some radiology and other services to boot. Access to mental health services is woeful, but in its defence, as a general rather that acute service, it is realtively new. Most people just go to a private physio when they need to unless it is part of integral treartment after some major trauma (e.g. workplace or car accident, etc).  However, when the chips are down, most NHS hospitals are not a bad place to be in.. In Europe, I would think the top three are Germany, France and UK... probably in that order. One of the good things is that, unlike Australia, your medical records move with you (I think they are now centrally stored, too but not sure). As long as you see a NHS GP, which 99.9% of the population do, your records will transfer to that GP rather than them having a separate set of records. If you end up in hospital, they can get your records (if they can't already see them) so can make very good decisions on your whole history if required.

So, what else bugs you? 😄

Just had some terrible news.. A work colleague of mine has lost both his parents to the virus - around mid-60s and apparently otherwise healthy - and he was struck down for over three months and has yet to return to working from home - mid 40s and keeps reasonably fit. It would be rare that other diseases such as the flu, etc, would operate quite so devastatingly being able to be caught so innocuously.

Or set the tv to play/record and watch what you want on your computer?

In order to preserve competition, I don't disagree with a bailout, and it shouldn't come with strings attached....

Heavy ropes with nooses should be attached should they not adhere to proper conditions of a bailout including the current executives and senior management taking full responsibility and proper consequences of their actions...  would be my preferred option...

Montgomery has become my son's role model of late... and as it transpires, as a lad, he used to stay at our house quite a bit as his uncle lived in it them (I am guessing, as an old rectory, it was in the CoE's ownerhip at the time).

Anyway, this is a very interesting intervire with him.. how times have changed...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H1dz3pqbRaw

OT, you are spot on with the US electoral system.. only "democracy" that allows unlimited spending on campaigns so that only the rich have a snwoflake's chance in hell of having a go.. But, even so, democracies that put limits on spending etc (e.g. UK) are still beholden with back room deals and of course, not forgetting that MPs are largely drawn from legal, financial and accounting ranks, the status quo is preserved (otherwise our tax loaws wqould be incredibly simple - but they need to feed the professions).

But I will take slight umbrage with pointing out Jeff Bezos. Virtually all main founders of such large organisations are as you describe. Steve Jobs, Elon Musk, Larry Ellison., and even Bill Gates had not always been a model manager. SAlso, the original founder/CEO of Uber was a piece of sh!t. Part is because, in order to succeed the way they do, they are driven and expect their immediate team to be driven. Part is because, welll, they aren't nice people. However, I have worked for two US companies, both listed on NASDAQ, and at the smaller one, I knew and regularly met the CEO/founder. He was also driven and a major PITA to work directly for, but both companies looked after their employees very well. When reading the induction manuals, about how one is now part of the family, blah blah blah, I just thought to myself, "typical US BS"... but at least these two companies lived up to their induction manual. Normally a contractor, I found with one of them, I had found my permanent job for life. Unfortuately, they were subject to a "merger" which went horrible in their UK office... All the ex pat US people promptly returned to the US, and the rest of us left pretty quickly. The UK office was run by the other company in the merger - a UK company... And it was sh!te.

Don't get me wrong - they wanted their pound of flesh - like all companies expect from their professional employees regardless of who owns them.. But I know one middle manager and one junior exec (global head of a function of one of their divisions) and both are very happy at Amazon. I also know that Amazon, like Uber and many others - US, Australian and other countries' companies, treat the semi and unskilled workforce rather poorly. Dominos Pizza, Amazon warehouse operatives, Uber drivers (who are not employees in Aus, the US and Britain but were found to be in Europe).. The Master chef bloke... Although I worked for Coles Myer for some time, and they did treat their floor staff very well in comparison.

I don't know to omuch about Bezos, but here is an article I found: https://www.techinasia.com/jeff-bezos-manager. It portrays a bit of an enigma in my mind.. but he doesn't sound as bad as others...

I am distantly related to an Aussie family that sometimes feature in the BRW to 200 (unf, that gene didn't head our way)... The patriarch was as ruthless as anything at his business (I am told - I was too young to know).. But you wouldn't meet a nicer bloke outside of work.

Anyway, back to DT... Not too much to like... Though he did me well as I made a decent return on the last election - 20:1 with a £50 bet.. I haven't laid anything on this one, but at this point in time, I am not taking The Economist's numbers with anything more than a grain of salt (and a small one at that)... I am not sure their population identification would be representative of the majority - a bit like their World's Most Liveable City award... survey rich expat execs... the masses usually are not consulted... BTW - not saying Melbourne isn't one of the world's best cities... But saying I am still thinking of laying a bet on if I can get decent odds.. Seems that DT is the punters probable winner at the moment...

On 14/08/2020 at 2:15 PM, Marty_d said:

 

 

Yeah but guys, one wrong is a piece of gutter slime who holds 1/3 of the government power in the USA, while doing his best to dismantle every positive policy in the USA, not to mention erase every bit of US credibility around the world.  His stupidity and hubris has directly led to 160,000+ deaths in what is supposed to be the richest and most technologically advanced country in the world during this pandemic.  He respects only dictators, criminals and white supremacists.  He has lied multiple thousands of times while in office, cheated, colluded and swindled, is as erratic as a strung out junkie and has his finger on the big red button.  And is now blatantly trying to stop a fair election which will hopefully see his lying arse out on the street.

The other is a slightly misleading headline.  Not even that misleading, given that Trump saying that the lawyer who said that rubbish is "very highly qualified, very talented" is his way of endorsing what the idiot said.  Just like he did with that nutjob doctor who said she'd cured Covid using hydroxychloroquine (and who also said that some medical conditions are caused by people having sex with demons, and that alien DNA was being used in medical treatments).  

 

Not really in the same league as far as wrongs go.

Marty - you're absolutely right and it is the same position I have.. But my point is that the press should be better for two reasons.. One is, that it should not rely on headlines to further ill-inform the already ill-informed. The other reason is that it will play into DT's hands.. There may be many of his supporters who are on the fence (not as many as we had hoped) and he will taketo his soap box, which is currently the largest soap box anyone has to use it tio further his point about how the press are out to get him and are using any means they can to fabricate the truth - that he is really the good guy and that the press should not be beleived - and all the stuff they report abouyt him is fabricated as is the stats, etc... they are all out to get him, so if you don't want the demiocrats to steal your guns and put you into abject povery (rather than the poverty you are in) and you don't want all the stuff Obama did which was BAD for you - like low cost health cover, etc... then you better vote for me, DT, and with your andate, I will clean this poop up...

And, they will believe him.... because everyone wants a scape goat for their predicament. And the press will unwittingly hand him an election victory...

Yes, they commit a small misdemeanour, but the punishment will be that of a major felony.

Found a bug (or at least user error).. Added Cop Shop and then tried to add Matlock Police from the page that it presented after adding Cop Shop. When I hit submit, it came baack with "Oops! Something went wrong", so I did what any warped user would and hit the back button and tried again.. Same result so tried again. Because it was coming back with the message, I didn't think it was writing to the database.. Sorry - can someone pls delete the Matlock Police (and various spelling derivatives). I am sure it brought up info on it but can't recall...

Another reason why I try not to buy Chinese goods.. Their government distort the global market on a scale that is unfathomable..

Actually, although I have never complaiend to the press about anything, I may well complain to the Beeb on this.. after it it does play into Trumps hands.. Now he can say, "Look at the MSM... I said it was the first I hear of it and I will look into it, and they plabel me as stoking the issue..."

Isn't 10% of the postage price for actually transporting the post and 90% for storage costs

@nomadpete - good point, which is probably one of the reasons obesity is higher in kids than previous generations.. But I still don't think it is the governments design.. rather entrepreneurs wanting to make money by providing goods that make your life more convenient.

Doubt its the government per se.. will cost them too much in the long run with having to cough up for mental and physical health costs.. And didn't the government run the Life Be In It ads featuring Norm?

I think it is more likely the tech and gaming companies and TV companies themselves (though the reason you see even more car than you used to is it is harder for a TV broadcaster to make a buck these days.. so they will keep it as cheap as possible and appeal to the lowest common denominator - normally). And possibly the processed food and drinks companies that ply us with convenient crap..

Anecdotally, parents these days complain about how much they are carting their kids around to sports and other activities - certainly much more than I was a kid..

Agree, OK, but two wrongs don't make a right...

BBC also in on the act: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-53774289

We bought our current pad (an Old Rectory) about a 1.75 years ago, now. To say it is a project is an understatement, and the 1.75 acres of gardens it is on hasn't been tended to for at least a decade - if not more. Some of the laurel is about 30' tall.. and a fir type hedge at the front of the house has taken at least two car spaces. So, I decided today was the day to prune (aka butcher) that hedge. Well, I have a Stihl multi-tool with a pruning chain saw, a Ryobi Chain saw and a Zubat hand pruning saw... The Ryobi was a cheapie and the engine (or something) started smoking... the Stihl was better, but a pruning saw is not really geared to lop 5" limbs.. The Zubat made (relatively) light work of it.. Took about 3 hours, and I found out there were two of the farned hedges/trees. But I now have an extra 2 car parking spots and the hedge still blocks the neighbours view. The amount of brambles/blackberries bushes was intense... and of course, there were two birds nests, so I didn't lop those and surrounding limbs...

I thought about pullin apart the Ryobi as I could probably have a good shot at working out the problem and fixing it.. But, like your wife, I will probably cast it to a corner for it never to see the light of day again.. and buy a decent one instead... Maybe a Husquie or a Stihl.. Or maybe I will just borrow one..

Laurel, tommorow!

And then... an air rifle... Rabbits are decimating the place.. You think the foxes would sort it out..

After the Brexit vote, sterling took a pounding (pardon the pun) but finally settled about 20% - 30% lower against the USD and Euro.. Toblerone did in fact skimp on the chocolate as a result... https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-37904703

Depends on how the cat is coiled up...

Ouch!

I can still rpgoram a VCR, I think!

Gents, I will trust your judgement and not waste my time!