BruceVC

Yes, I cant give you a complicated but accurate answer like Amentep , they work one way. They dont stop you getting exposed and contracting the virus, you need advanced PPE like we see people working in hospitals use ...those work both ways So to answer your relevant question, imagine this. If you meet a friend at a bar for a drink and your friend ( who has the virus but doesn't know as he is asymptomatic )is not wearing his mask and you are sitting and chatting to him he can and will expose you to the invisible Corona molecules and you can get the virus And the real risk with all these variants and new stains is even if you have been vaccinated you can still get sick, its unlikely you will end up in hospital with severe symptoms but you can still get the virus especially with variants like this Delta variant that is running rampant in the USA And I have no idea about goggles but I assume you joking

Absolutely, you are clearly at that " Bethesda fatigue " moment that is inevitable for their games like with Ubisoft games I loved my recent sojourn with Morrowind but I definitely started feeling I was ready to complete the main quest after 130 hours and move on. Thats also why I never played the expansions despite your suggestions (and I have played them the first time around ) Thats the secret to enjoying Elder Scroll games....dont spend too much time playing them

Also the Corona molecules that float in the air hang around for a while and dont vanish or dissipate straight away So for example when any country is experiencing a wave if you refuse to wear a mask and sit indoor in a restaurant or bar and someone comes after you your intransigence can literally cause other people, even wearing a mask, to be exposed. So I dont see any valid argument about not wearing a mask when their is a wave or high virus load

https://www.tellerreport.com/news/2021-07-19-jeff-bezos-takes-off-on-tuesday-in-his-rocket--a-new-step-for-space-tourism---france-24.Bkt4st9MAO.html So in 24 hours Jeff Bezos will take that first exciting step as a space tourist Personally I am one of those people who has no interest in ever going into space, the moon or Mars but I can understand other peoples excitement about this journey and the concept of space tourism Does anyone else want to go to space and what are your reasons?

I was watching an interesting debate about DeSantis and the commentators were raising how he is seen as a rising star in the Republican party and how he could have real ambitions to become the next Republican presidential candidate So the midterms will give us a good indication of the support the current Republican party has and then we have to consider someone like DeSantis as president of the US based on trajectory of the GOP winning the midterms? I would much rather see DeSantis as the Republican candidate than Trump again....much, much, much rather

But Gromnir you know that Volo used the word " Nazi " in a frivolous and inaccurate way. He just threw the word around and overused it so it became meaningless. So when he accused the US government of being Nazi it didnt matter. I have been called a fascist and racist on this forum which is the same as any comparison to the US being a Nazi state....its not accurate and doesnt reflect the reality. I know you know this about the USA but I am raising the whole volo point

Yes, I have been following the extensive flood damage on several international news channels Its unprecedented in some places or at least in living memory

It amazed me how badly DeSantis has handled the virus around basic virus best practice but he still remains very popular. I understand his support with his stanch anti-socialist views and the large Cuban American , and other Latino groups, and Republican base in Florida but I am still surprised around his popularity Did you see the latest, official state sponsored "anti-Fauci " mechandise ....and its selling https://news.yahoo.com/florida-gov-ron-desantis-selling-222004119.html

Got it, then the 5 day snap lockdown makes sense...its not a normal lockdown Is your contact tracing effective then, it sounds like it is? Contact tracing has failed in the majority of countries due to the resources, citizen acceptance and real effort it requires from government

When you say snap lockdowns only lasting 5 days that is indeed nonsensical and doesnt make any sense around how the virus spreads. Because you can be exposed to the virus and you will go through an incubation period for up to 10 days and then only show symptoms and spread the virus . So a 5 days lockdown is meaningless if I am understanding you correctly ? And also lockdowns shouldn't be about shutting down all businesses because both lives and livelihoods matter and you can achieve both in a logical lockdown. For example when the virus is spreading or you in a wave you shutdown businesses where you cannot control or enforce mask wearing so you close down clubs and large outdoor gatherings and sometimes religious gatherings. But you can keep restaurants open because restaurant owners can enforce restrictions and keep numbers low. Its not ideal but this type of approach offers a reasonable balance

Im sorry to hear this Gorthfuscious, in SA we have about 20k + news cases a day so if its any consolation you not really at the definition of a virus crisis....yet We have discussed over the last 12 months the success and failures of the Australian governments response to the virus spreading within your borders. Your view was generally that your government has been draconian in its efforts and you didnt seem to support measure like quarantine hotels or the lockdown measures and people being told " you cant travel to province x " It doesnt seem like you have that opinion anymore considering suggestions using places like Christmas Island for quarantine centers which is an excellent idea considering how the virus is spreading in Oz?

Weekend brings much joy and revelry which translates in this time of lockdown to English Breakfast time. Today I am cooking eggs, ham ( no bacon ), pork sausage, toast and an onion and tomato salsa mix So its basically another healthy, almost Vegan breakfast again. I say almost Vegan because I am including ham, eggs and pork sausage so its not completely Vegan ....but its the thought that counts

I always thought Louis Pasteur created the first vaccine. But after reading these posts I did some research and you right, the concept of vaccines have been around for a lot longer than that. I learnt something new https://www.historyofvaccines.org/timeline/all

You make some valid points and I agree that 99 % of people dying in the USA due to Covid are unvaccinated. No one is disputing this and this gets raised and discussed extensively on CNN and their is no doubt that the hesitancy is caused by misinformation around the scientific and irrefutable nature of the virus and vaccines But lets say you shutdown FB permanently, their would be other platforms that misinformation can and would be disseminated. So you see the conundrum, its not FB but the spread of misinformation And even if you somehow shutdown all types of social media people would utilize other systems like cell phones or newspapers to create and propagate fake news ....so would we then be accursing the broader media and the cell phone companies of " killing people " ? Would you be fine with that ? Remember the concept of SM media fake news is akin to gossip, its been with us for all time and you are not going to stop people gossiping.

You right, their is enough food globally to feed the world and resources to give every person in the world a roof over the head. But their isnt one system of government that manages these resources and even in a wealthy country like the USA much of the resources only exist because of the private sector....not government. But the worlds constant and worse examples of inequality are in failed states and or dictatorships, if we can fix that by removing these types of governments it will go a long way to reducing global poverty and things like the immigration crisis that many countries grapple with. So unless the world can somehow move to a single government, which none of us want and its not practical, we are always going to have abuse of resources and mismanagement in certain places in the world? Excellent observation as usual and I am so glad you have raised this point. And its always white people who suffer in these examples. Its a terrible reality to live in as a white person and I am glad you have noticed this. We need to pass more laws so white people aren't discriminated against

Lets be positive ....lets say cautiously optimistic. That way we cant be disappointed if the trilogy is a disappointment, its a win win

Yes, I agree with much of what you say I dont think FB should be forced to decide on most content, outside of hate speech, and especially what is fake news about the virus and what is not fake news. It puts them in an invidious position and I feel uncomfortable with this type of mandate deciding what is acceptable content from a IT company But then Biden shouldnt be accursing them of killing people either. Because they not killing anyone, its just a way of communicating so the people saying these things need to called out by the White House....which they already are So why scapegoat FB when it comes to the misinformation that is going around the world around the virus ?

Okay so its not a free speech issue. What do you personally think should be done about people using SM platforms like FB to spread their own views on the virus and vaccines. Should FB ban them and or remove the content?

https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/biden-platforms-facebook-killing-people-203405433.html The Biden administration, and Biden specifically, is officially blaming FB for the spread of misinformation around the virus and vaccine hesitancy. I think this is misplaced as SM is merely a platform and their is a difference between hate speech on SM, which should be banned, and people not bothering to think for themselves or denying the reality of the pandemic in the USA So I see this as an infringement on freedom of speech and platforms like FB shouldnt be accused of " killing people " ....its ignorance that is killing people and the fact that people who deny the efficacy of vaccines have created their own understandings of things like science. You cant really help them see the truth and sadly they need to accept the consequences of their own decisions and actions. But the virus will continue to spread and claim lives in these communities and states with a low vaccine acceptance rate

You boys have really drawn a line in the sand now about this game and I can respect that ....but now you need to stick to it. If this game turns out to be greatest RPG of all time then you still not allowed to play it, remember this moment Chris sounds angry in this link....very unhappy and he seems to be venting ?

Now I am utterly confused....who is taking who too seriously Gromnir doesn't discern humor very well, its well known and generally he takes things as a real point and doesnt recognize when someone is just joking https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irresistible_(2020_film) But more importantly I watched this highly recommended movie last night. Its a parody on the current state of the US political landscape and its hilarious and accurate in some of its framing of how political parties sometimes conduct themselves Its got some of the actors from " The Office " in it so you know it will be good

https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2021-07-16-this-attempted-insurrection-has-failed-president-cyril-ramaphosa/ The looting and violent protests are slowing down in SA and now we are looking at the damage and the enormous task of rebuilding and what to start on Our president gave a speech last night in the link, I like our president and support and vote for ANC. Often he gets unfairly criticized or blamed for problems that the previous jailed president, Jacob Zuma, is responsible for. I dont always agree with the speeches his speech writers create but sometimes you have to be diplomatic and frame things in a certain way if you the president of any country so I understand this But here is an example, in the speech last night he said "It is clear now that the events of the last week were nothing but a deliberate, well planned and coordinated attack on our democracy,” President Cyril Ramaphosa told South Africans on Friday night, following a week of looting and violence that left the country reeling. The instigators of the unrest, Ramaphosa said, had intended to “cripple the economy”, “severely weaken or even dislodge the democratic state”, and “provoke a popular insurrection”. The instigators he mentions have always been around on Social Media and are members of some political parties and its well known that they push rhetoric and conspiracy theories as a reason for inequality and criminal behavior like associating companies, the legal system and the media as being controlled by " white, monopoly capital " But this violence was caused by the last 10-12 years of an increase of violent protests and the state not acting effectively to arrest the small number of people involved in acts of criminality. We support peaceful protests in SA as its Constitutionally mandated But because their use to be a culture inculcated in some of the protestors that " burning of shops and looting " is okay and the police dont act this emboldened the current criminal element in these latest protests So I disagree with government that this was well a organized attack or an attempt to destroy the Democratic system. It was mostly criminal behavior and opportunism and it spread through spontaneous violence because the looters believed they wouldn't be arrested and their would be no consequence by our security forces

Its a bit old but I only watched it this week. Dying Light 2 is looking incredible, this latest video reminds me of the Vampire themed series " The Strain " where you have these hives of infected creatures that sleep during the day in dark buildings Man I cant wait for this game ....day 1 purchase for sure !!!!

Still busy Sunless Sea and still having great fun. My latest conquests and developments are I sired a child from my important and appreciated romantic interludes at London Port and the little rug rat and his mother wanted a better life from me. Sadly at the time I had limited resources and lived in a room above the pub. So I gave up any responsibilities and lost my child. I felt bad because now I own a villa but without financial support I couldnt do much for my offspring I have finally upgraded my ship and the hull has 200 damage points and I can load a Torpedo weapon. That means I can now battle most high level monsters and enemy ships and sometimes win I have been trying to complete my officers quests which is very entertaining and exciting Great game overall

I am glad you have observed the interesting and mundane ways that human beings interact, I find it fascinating In SA we have a normal way of greeting people where everyone generally says " Morning\Hi.. how are you? " But they dont actually want to know " how are you " .....its just part of the greeting etiquette. Because often its complete strangers you greet, meaning its people who you recognize their faces but dont know anything about them. I generally work in large companies and their would be thousands of people you dont know personally but you walk past them or get in the same lift So what I use to do occasionally , outside the pandemic, is when someone who automatically responded with a " how are you " I would pretend it was a legitimate question and start telling them all my problems but exaggerate things in a negative way as if they were a real friend And it really is hilarious when you see how complete strangers responded because they asked me a question but they didnt want to know about my "problems " . And I use to always start the joke by saying " Im so glad you asking because things are terrible "