Some VERY good news at last - live music back by the Spring?

[Woodinblack]

1 hour ago, Al Krow said:

 Drop an email to your MP, whatever their flavour, and let 'em know that this is totally unacceptable.

hahaha - an email to my MP,  that would be a fine idea. Or I could just write it on some toilet paper, at least that would be a bit more constructive.

Seriously, my MP is just flown in to make up the numbers, and is of absolutely no use whatsoever. The only time he is in the town is for photo ops.

[mikel]

1 hour ago, Rich said:

I am overjoyed at the Oxford vaccine news -- I've been participating in the trial and it's brilliant to see results coming from all their hard work. The technical blurb they showed us is quite mind-boggling, I am in awe of these boffins' capabilities. I had an initial dose (couldn't tell you if it was full or half) followed by a second one later. No side effects to report yet, I still feel absoluhweojfdo fisdfnn jj*73kl;l=++k.

The problem I have at the moment is the time frame. Drugs or vaccines usually take years to bring to market, because they are tested in extreme circumstances, because the cost of failure, ie Thalidomide, does not bear thinking about. Is a few months enough to test a vaccine?

[Al Krow]

1 hour ago, krispn said:

Careful you’ll be getting branded an elitist 😂

Only if his MP implies that the use of bass gear in a band is somehow superior to use of bass gear by "bedroom bassists" at home.

Use our own bass gear when and how we want, without the perennial snooty comments of "you have to try X or Y pedal in the mix, before commenting". That is BC elitism 😉

Edited November 23, 2020 by Al Krow

[Al Krow]

1 hour ago, Cuzzie said:

Oxford/Jenner have always been a non profit organisation, obviously teamed up with Astra Zeneca for the manufacturing of the vaccine, so this  is completely within the MO of that organisation, and is of course very welcome.

Re corruption, its such a difficult topic and roots far deeper than you can imagine.Non ‘developing world’ countries are not exempt, but its unfair to tarnish developing world countries so broadly. You have to ask, how did they get to that state, how and by whom is the corruption driven?

Unfortunately ‘developed’ countries have very very dirty hands relating this, and it is often in their interest to keep it fuelled.

Fair. It's complex, agreed. But check out transparency / corruption indices and you'll find Scandanavian countries (and NZ I recall) as the least corrupt and 3rd world despots most corrupt. Huge correlation between putting your countrymen and women first instead of feathering your own and your families beds and low corruption. 

In terms of absolute sums involved - the pilfering of EU budgets and the fact that their accounts have not been signed off for years and years takes some beating though.

[Rich]

36 minutes ago, mikel said:

The problem I have at the moment is the time frame. Drugs or vaccines usually take years to bring to market, because they are tested in extreme circumstances, because the cost of failure, ie Thalidomide, does not bear thinking about. Is a few months enough to test a vaccine?

I saw this on Farcebook yesterday, it makes for interesting reading. And yes, this chap really is a real doctor (google him, I did) and yes, he said this.

Dr Mark Toshner, consultant physician and lecturer in clinical medicine (Royal Papworth Hospital Cambridge, and Cambridge University respectively) speaking out on social media about the coronavirus vaccine.

"More on vaccines. I'm going to get boring and geeky on this (no apologies) on the 10 year thing. Vaccines 'normally take 10 years'. This is being used as a reason to be fearful (i.e. rushed job).

I'm a clinical trials doc. I can tell you most of that time is spent doing nothing. It's spent submitting funding requests, then resubmitting them, then waiting, then submitting them somewhere else, then getting the money but the company changes it's mind or focus, then renegotiating then submitting ethics, then waiting for regulators...

Then having problems with recruitment and having to open other sites, then dealing with more regulatory issues, then finally when you eventually get to the end of all of this you might have a therapy, or not.

At this point it may not be deemed profitable or any number of other obstacles. However we have collectively now shown that with money no object, some clever and highly motivated people, an unlimited pool of altruistic volunteers and sensible regulators that we can do amazing things (necessity being the mother etc).

These trials have been nothing short of miraculous, revolutionary but in the context perhaps it is not surprising given our ability to innovate when we REALLY need to and we really needed to. Safety hasn't been compromised. Hundreds of thousands of great people volunteered for experimental vaccines. The world watched closely. The press reported every serious adverse event. I am confident that when regulators and scientists pour [sic] over the safety data (and we will because we are a bit that way inclined) that vaccines will only be used if we are confident that the risk is definitively outweighed by the benefit. This should give you confidence too."'

[Al Krow]

"These trials have been nothing short of miraculous, revolutionary but in the context perhaps it is not surprising given our ability to innovate when we REALLY need to and we really needed to."

Under the pressure of great crisis (war, this epidemic) humanity can work across national borders to innovate.

What has been achieved has been truly amazing. My glass continues to be (a little more than) half full today 😊

Edited November 23, 2020 by Al Krow

[EBS_freak]

34 minutes ago, Al Krow said:

"These trials have been nothing short of miraculous, revolutionary but in the context perhaps it is not surprising given our ability to innovate when we REALLY need to and we really needed to."

Sounds like a quote from Independence Day.

[Rich]

I don't care if it's a quote from Mary Poppins or Debbie Does Dallas  he's dead right.

[mr zed]

My company was involved in the design, supply, installation and commissioning of the liquid medical oxygen systems at the Nightingale hospitals. A typical installation at a hospital would normally take around 6 months to 2 years. These were installed in a week! Just shows what can be achieved when bureaucracy is removed and people are allowed to get on with it!

[EBS_freak]

3 minutes ago, Rich said:

I don't care if it's a quote from Mary Poppins or Debbie Does Dallas  he's dead right.

I didn't think much of the dialogue in Debbie Does Dallas.

[EBS_freak]

3 minutes ago, mr zed said:

My company was involved in the design, supply, installation and commissioning of the liquid medical oxygen systems at the Nightingale hospitals. A typical installation at a hospital would normally take around 6 months to 2 years. These were installed in a week! Just shows what can be achieved when bureaucracy is removed and people are allowed to get on with it!

Absolutely, SEISS and Furlough payment scheme can be added to the list.

[mikel]

1 hour ago, Rich said:

I saw this on Farcebook yesterday, it makes for interesting reading. And yes, this chap really is a real doctor (google him, I did) and yes, he said this.

Dr Mark Toshner, consultant physician and lecturer in clinical medicine (Royal Papworth Hospital Cambridge, and Cambridge University respectively) speaking out on social media about the coronavirus vaccine.

"More on vaccines. I'm going to get boring and geeky on this (no apologies) on the 10 year thing. Vaccines 'normally take 10 years'. This is being used as a reason to be fearful (i.e. rushed job).

I'm a clinical trials doc. I can tell you most of that time is spent doing nothing. It's spent submitting funding requests, then resubmitting them, then waiting, then submitting them somewhere else, then getting the money but the company changes it's mind or focus, then renegotiating then submitting ethics, then waiting for regulators...

Then having problems with recruitment and having to open other sites, then dealing with more regulatory issues, then finally when you eventually get to the end of all of this you might have a therapy, or not.

At this point it may not be deemed profitable or any number of other obstacles. However we have collectively now shown that with money no object, some clever and highly motivated people, an unlimited pool of altruistic volunteers and sensible regulators that we can do amazing things (necessity being the mother etc).

These trials have been nothing short of miraculous, revolutionary but in the context perhaps it is not surprising given our ability to innovate when we REALLY need to and we really needed to. Safety hasn't been compromised. Hundreds of thousands of great people volunteered for experimental vaccines. The world watched closely. The press reported every serious adverse event. I am confident that when regulators and scientists pour [sic] over the safety data (and we will because we are a bit that way inclined) that vaccines will only be used if we are confident that the risk is definitively outweighed by the benefit. This should give you confidence too."'

Thanks, that is what I was hoping to hear.

[MacDaddy]

1 hour ago, EBS_freak said:

I didn't think much of the dialogue in Debbie Does Dallas.

there's dialogue? I find that a bit hard to swallow...

[Cuzzie]

36 minutes ago, MacDaddy said:

there's dialogue? I find that a bit hard to swallow...

The dialogue inspired that Awesome Gina G pop song

[krispn]

4 hours ago, Al Krow said:

Only if his MP implies that the use of bass gear in a band is somehow superior to use of bass gear by "bedroom bassists" at home.

Use our own bass gear when and how we want, without the perennial snooty comments of "you have to try X or Y pedal in the mix, before commenting". That is BC elitism 😉

Oh O.K.

I’d be first to advocate the use of gear in a band context and if that makes me elitist or an M.P. so be it. 
I have other opinions on elitism and I’d be happy to share them on an alternative thread. 

Edited November 23, 2020 by krispn

[Cuzzie]

4 hours ago, Al Krow said:

Fair. It's complex, agreed. But check out transparency / corruption indices and you'll find Scandanavian countries (and NZ I recall) as the least corrupt and 3rd world despots most corrupt. Huge correlation between putting your countrymen and women first instead of feathering your own and your families beds and low corruption. 

In terms of absolute sums involved - the pilfering of EU budgets and the fact that their accounts have not been signed off for years and years takes some beating though.

You are missing the point on this, but it’s not the thread for it - yes an index might say country X is corrupt - but if the reason for their corruption is driven by outside ‘less corrupt’ countries - there is the problem.

[Frank Blank]

3 hours ago, EBS_freak said:

I didn't think much of the dialogue in Debbie Does Dallas.

It’s far superior in Rita Ruins Rickmansworth.

[Cuzzie]

4 minutes ago, Frank Blank said:

It’s far superior in Rita Ruins Rickmansworth.

Used to live in Ricky - Thompson Way by the leisure centre, she was a terror

Edited November 23, 2020 by Cuzzie

[Frank Blank]

1 minute ago, Cuzzie said:

Used to live in Ricky - Thompson Way by the leisure centre, she was a terror

Who’s Ricky Thompson?

[Al Krow]

1 minute ago, Cuzzie said:

You are missing the point on this, but it’s not the thread for it - yes an index might say country X is corrupt - but if the reason for their corruption is driven by outside ‘less corrupt’ countries - there is the problem.

Nope I'm not and I'm happy for the thread to wander where it will; makes for a more interesting conversation! It's complete bollox to say that the corruption experienced endemically by the whole population of the nuclear armed, space capable, Indian sub continent where my family hails from is driven by outside countries. I wish that the blame could so easily be laid elsewhere!

I appreciate your statement may be true for smaller countries where the leadership is not democratically elected and / or can more easily be bought and you may well have the more relevant personal experience on that score.

And it certainly doesn't account for the €multi-billion annual siphoning of the EU budget.

42 minutes ago, krispn said:

I’d be first to advocate the use of gear in a band context and if that makes me elitist or an M.P. so be it. 
I have other opinions on elitism and I’d be happy to share them on an alternative thread. 

Feel free to start that thread 😉

Of course that doesn't make you or anyone else using their gear in a band and evaluating in a band context, elitist! Lol - I may even use some of my gear in a couple of bands, some of the time.

It's the mindset that says band use is somehow superior to a "bedroom bassist"'s use of their gear at home and the band is only valid place where gear should be evaluated. We see it all the time when folk say "yeah, yeah...BUT you haven't tried it in mix" as if to imply that their fellow BC'ers opinion is not valid until that hurdle has been jumped.

I think the point is a fairly straightforward one, despite the meal that's being made of it!

[Cuzzie]

14 minutes ago, Frank Blank said:

Who’s Ricky Thompson?

Ricky short for Rickmansworth

Thompson Way was the road built where the old school was - no twins there though

[Frank Blank]

1 minute ago, Cuzzie said:

Ricky short for Rickmansworth

Thompson Way was the road built where the old school was - no twins there though

I was kidding.

[Rich]

48 minutes ago, Frank Blank said:

Who’s Ricky Thompson?

It's a 4003 with a Carl Thompson neck...

[Cuzzie]

39 minutes ago, Frank Blank said:

I was kidding.

I am a little slow of thought it appears - trying to work and read BC, my bad

[krispn]

1 hour ago, Al Krow said:

Feel free to start that thread 😉

Of course that doesn't make you or anyone else using their gear in a band and evaluating in a band context, elitist! Lol - I may even use some of my gear in a couple of bands, some of the time.

It's the mindset that says band use is somehow superior to a "bedroom bassist"'s use of their gear at home and the band is only valid place where gear should be evaluated. We see it all the time when folk say "yeah, yeah...BUT you haven't tried it in mix" as if to imply that their fellow BC'ers opinion is not valid until that hurdle has been jumped.

I think the point is a fairly straightforward one, despite the meal that's being made of it!

Let me think about it! I’m walking the dog and then gonna have my tea but I certainly have thoughts on the subject. I alluded to a similar thing many months back but I guess I could rewrite that thread to apply in this context, stick a poll in there and see where it goes!