Spikecollie

Catholic Mass celebration suspended in l'Oise, here in France, to comply with government orders.

A nice piece of advertising for the grocery retailers. Why don't people see through this "merde". Do your shopping, if you're feeling a little bit vulnerable do a little more but for the Universe's sake don't give retailers the excuse for an ad-hoc advertising campaign. But they won't - we've been through this in the decision making discussions. It's not the virus that will scupper us it's human behaviour.

Sales of face maks here in from pharmacies here in France are now restricted to presciption only. That's sensible, as medical and para-medical personnel need them and the general public don't...

Not planning on going to one but I've seen this too on BFMTV live.

Oh bugger, it's in our region (Nouvelle Aquitaine) now even though its a long way from here...

I hate that when running or cycling in the rain. Even walking does it sometimes. Wetter on the inside than the out... Has Jorge arrived there yet or not?

Himself? The psychology of narcissistic high power need individuals is interesting...

Discounting all previous references to Dean Koontz and other silly false attributions of prediction, does anyone really think that this pathogen could be a man-made one? I have no idea how you go about separating fact from falsehood or proving yes or no but just pondering on a wet and windy Saturday lunchtime (here)...

I remember F&M well.We had a fledgling business in the Yorkshire Dales (gifts and crafts) and although we were far more fortunate than others, in that we lost little personal investment, it demised. After we shut in May, we took a holiday and I can remember standing at the station waiting for a train to MAN and hearing shots in the nearby fields and smelling the foul smell of burning animals on pyres. It was a badly handled catastrophe - as usual.

I am a repenter! My sins are done...I acknowledge them! But I might bag a bargain for us, if my OH ever gets back from the UK at the end of March!

My bubble's pretty rural, 40k north of Limoges in the middle of the Limousin countryside. BUT, I work as an Aide a Domicile (my vocation after all these years?) and fear for my lovely people). Nothing here so far but if there is - who wants to go to work with 80 year old plus folks who will almost definitely die if they get it?

He's going to nuke it and it will fall into the sea - along with the rocket (before it detonates its payload).

I'm in my nice rural bubble too! I hope they don't close the Lourdes shrine. People need solace in bad times. Mecca and Medina have been shut to foreign visitors. I am an agnostic but I appreciate the comfort that religious belief brings to people and the need to connect en masse with their brethren...

I'm a 1.5 million km + traveller. Nothing fazed me (much!!!) travelling for work and leisure. Been to China, Ukraine, Australia, USA, North Africa to name but a few places for both work and holidays. Hubby is a less comfortable traveller, bit of fear of flying which I have helped him get over but also a bit less cognitively flexible than I am about cultural issues. I feel less of an urge to travel now that I am settled in my idyll here in rural France with everything I want and I have decided that work travel is just too disruptive to the things that I want most in life. Would I travel right now? Yes - I would and I will again (when we are ready). There's an amazing world to explore but there will always be risks.

Great! My doctor's like that. When I asked a couple of weeks ago when I had my throat infection " aren't you going to check this, that, anything else" - his reply was "no, get out, you have a throat infection but you're fitter and healthier than 99% of my patients, let me get on with them"!

I really wanted to say this, exactly the words you used, but I thought the post would get executed. Spot on my friend...

No, but my OH is booked to fly back to us at the end of March. His boss has just happily flown off to Pakistan to see her family, mask in hand.

There's another (not as good as Dean Koontz) but still very entertaining "Mass Extinction Event" by Amy Cross which is done in a series of books.

Great, stock up and let's have an "end of days" party!

Yes, I have. I think the virus was a bit too "plaguey" to be a predictor of COVID-19! - the victims end up rather manky and horrible!

You're over-thinking this, just like I am apt to do with things! If things get bad - whatever that might mean - we'll all make decisions at that time. My job brings me into contact with lots of vulnerable people and if "things got bad" i.e. an epidemic situation, then effectively my work could end. I have a permanent, well protected contract so how that scenario would play out is my employer's responsibility, not mine. "Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof." Otherwise folk like us will have time off work with stress before COVID-19 ever impacts our work...

You beat me to it, Nick, I was too busy reading other posts!

Sorry, I don't/didin't know what "AGW" stands for so I misread your comment

Why? Because human beings and their systems don't deal very well with uncertainty! There's a great book about decision making by Joseph Hallinan, called "Why we Make Mistakes". That's what all this is about - uncertainty - and people react to it in very different ways. Some try to ride it out (survivalist ideas), some try to control it (government reactions or citizen heroes and leaders), some try to make personal gain from it (looting during a disaster), some become "sheep" doing whatever they are told. There are more but you get the idea...

I think you have misread my comment, GW. I was responding to a post from Blessed Weather regarding a forum ban on political comment and pointing out that it is almost impossible to be apolitical in a discussion such as this because comparison of individual and collective government responses is inevitable.