You'll love this one...!! A book club & more discussion
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Janice, Moderator
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Apr 16, 2020 07:28AM
Woohoo! Glad to hear you tested negative, Margo!
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Sandra wrote: "Regarding WHO funding, I don't agree about stop the contribution, but I have to say two things. First, I agree about WHO's poor managing of this whole thing from the beginning (and even now). Secon..."So WHO doesn't fund 220+ countries' medical systems. That's down to the individual countries. Some think that's really important, some leave that to private businesses, some don't have much money. Unfortunately, I feel like Kenya probably falls into the later.
What the WHO is there to do is manage global healthcare crises mainly. It supports health care in countries, but the major part is coming in as a Global overseer (ideally) and helping stop things before they become a major problem.
So things like Ebola, which is still going on by the way, in Africa. Or the major famine in Yemen that is killing thousands of kids from preventable diseases. Or stopping things like dysentery in the Rohingya refugee camps in Bangladesh after Myanmar pretty much conducted ethic cleansing.
Did they handle this perfectly? God no. But you also had a country with one of the most secretive governments in the world not releasing information on the problem until it was a bit late. Or when they did, they didn't release all the information (Australian scientists had to remap the DNA of the virus as China didn't pass it all on for example).
But I blame a secretive governmental system who doesn't like admitting they are wrong for that. And I would put money on the fact if this virus started in the US the President would have done something very similar, as he does not admit he was wrong, ever.
Defunding WHO will kill millions of people. Not from Covid19. But from measles, from cholera, or children who are starving in countries in the world we can't pronounce or don't know about. This is a selfish, rich, orange man with an ego bigger than the country he leads trying to blame someone else for his fuck up. And people in the Pacific, or Africa, or the Middle East will die for his ego. He should be prosecuted for this in the Hague if he does this.
I'm sorry, this makes me REALLY upset. Obviously :) Sorry, not the questions, the announcement.
Thanks for shedding some light on that Rusalka. A lot of people on social media are pushing the idea that WHO stated in early January that Covid-19 was not transmitted human to human. What they stated was that preliminary reports (from China) suggested that. Trump, at the time was praising Xi and stating what a great job he was doing. That Trump is using WHO as a scapegoat for his own failures is staggering.
Janice wrote: "Thanks for shedding some light on that Rusalka. A lot of people on social media are pushing the idea that WHO stated in early January that Covid-19 was not transmitted human to human. What they sta..."Sorry, I got a bit ranty there!
I think WHO could have called it earlier. But I just don't know what information they got when.
We closed our borders to people travelling from China early before WHO called a pandemic, but that was viewed as extremely xenophobic. It turned out to be the right call, but I don't believe our government's actions were as pure as they say. As an example we took a HUGE amount of time to close the borders to people coming from Italy later as an example, but a week to block South Koreans.
I'm just so sick of old men with ego playing with us all as toys to prove who is the "best". We're all in this at the moment, no one cares.
Good questions Sandra, but do you think that the middle of a pandemic is the time to be asking them? When this is behind us is the time to critically review the actions of all bodies - including world leaders.I think that what we need right now is a bit of harmony. We are all in this mess together, it isn't the time to play politics.
What's messed up is my wife asked if she could go to NYC and the hospital said no we need you in case we have to call you back quick. I don't know if they can actually prevent her from going to NYC but she's gonna bring the kids home and just take a break from hospital life. The stress is getting too much
Rusalka wrote: "Sandra wrote: "Regarding WHO funding, I don't agree about stop the contribution, but I have to say two things. First, I agree about WHO's poor managing of this whole thing from the beginning (and e..."Thanks for a concise sum-up of the global situation Rusalka, something I couldn't do. Like you, I'm very upset about the plight on the whole world. China helps nothing by censoring the reserch it has done either. What is the point?!
Rusalka wrote: "Janice wrote: "Thanks for shedding some light on that Rusalka. A lot of people on social media are pushing the idea that WHO stated in early January that Covid-19 was not transmitted human to human..."hear hear
Travis wrote: "What's messed up is my wife asked if she could go to NYC and the hospital said no we need you in case we have to call you back quick. I don't know if they can actually prevent her from going to NYC..."Travis, I'd say she needs the break. It was very brave of her to offer help in NYC. YOu must both be missing your kids soo much :,-(
I said that already but let me make it clear. I DON'T AGREE about stopping funding WHO. Not now, not in the future, not ever. If anything this pandemic has shown is how badly we need an organization that can manage health information globally. That said, I don't think they manage this well. Not at all. It is true that China didn't provide information, and we don't know how much WHO knew, but for this same reason they should have suspected. Even my grandma would have suspected if she were alive. Knowing how China acts they shouldn't have state that the virus didn't transmit from person to person around January 20th, when they were already around 500 people sick (not tested, sick, tests weren't a thing yet). Were they sure that around 500 people have had direct contact with the same pangolin???? It just doesn't make sense. They insisted that closing borders was unnecessary when they weren't even sure what was going on. That was irresponsible and that is exactly the opposite of what WHO should be doing.
And regarding Trump... what can I say? He is blaming everyone for his own mistakes as the immature child he is. He uses money to threaten everyone always because is the only thing he has. Is like those parents who have not authority at all so they just keep threatening their kids of stopping paying for things. He has no authority at all. He made lots of mistakes (and probably will keep doing them because he doesn't listen to anyone) and then blames China, Europe, WHO, Fauci...
All good points Sandra.On a very selfish note, all of my pain managements treatments are now well overdue and I am in a lot of pain. Am not sleeping well at all. I was able to go to my GP today as I had the all clear. He has given me the stonger opiate patch and extra lidocaine plasters for my back and cream to stop my psoriasis itching. I am looking forward to my first decent nights sleep in over 3 weeks - bliss :-)
That is not at all selfish, Margo. It is something that makes your life harder. I hope it works, and fast, and you feel some relief and sleep well.
Travis wrote: "With everyone too scared to go to hospitals health care workers are being laid off like crazy. My wife goes to unpaid leave Monday. I call it laid off but whatever it is it's worded so she can file..."Travis I find the hospitals laying people off shocking. Here I have been contacted by the state licensing board to see if I will return to work. I am no longer able to work due to illness. My niece works in MRI, She has been made to work at another facility taking tempetures and cleaning.
I hear you on the milk. My cousin in Wisconsin married a dairy farmer. They have been dunping milk because of some difficulty at the plant they send it too. She tried to explain it to me but I admit I didn't really understand.
And sorry if I came overly argumentative. I'm not having a very good day today.
I think I will stick to book chatting for a while. :)
Big hugs, Sandra! I don't think you sounded argumentative at all.Our feelings are so very close to the surface these days and I think it's important that we be gentle on ourselves. We need to give ourselves permission to not feel 100%.
I didn't have all that productive of a morning. What frustrates me is the plethora of misinformation or confusing information. What is the real story with WHO is just one of them.
What is the real story with all the benefits being provided by the government that change every day? It's so hard to know what to tell my clients. Canada has offered to defer GST payments to the end of June without interest. Yet, my client is getting bombarded with interest so I tried to call. I was on hold for 1-1/2 hours before I gave up.
One client phoned yesterday asking about the CERB (Canada Emergency Response Benefit). We went over what the website says, discussed whether or not he should apply, and got ourselves totally confused. So, I suggested he contact his accountant. This morning, he forwarded his accountant's response, "I'd recommend that you read the website." *sigh*
Not argumentive at all sandra. Yyou maake ssomee very good points!Good to here thaat you were negative Margi and that you could access more meds for your pain relief. Here's too a good night's sleep!!!
Our lockdown has just beeen extended for at least another 3 weeks.
I'm surprised yypur wifee isn't beingg reallocated elsewhere Travis. That is what is happening here. But maybe some time off right now would be a good thing and having your kids back would be amazing.
Another local hospital just laid off 10% of it's staff. All over the place they're being laid off. It's bonkers
Would that be one of the downside of having hospitals for profit?
Janice, I'm gonna have to say probably yes. I really don't have much understanding on health care around the world for comparisonI do know my wife's hospital 5 years ago was days away from closing because they were so far in the hole and they have been profiting since but profit almost makes it sound too good. They break even with some money to put in their pocket. And this is the story of so many hospitals in this country
My wife's hospital has actually been called by a handful of other hospitals over past couple years to consult how they managed to save their asses
Sandra wrote: "And sorry if I came overly argumentative. I'm not having a very good day today."No no no, not at all. I didn't read it as argumentative although I think I misunderstood (from my own goggles) one of your questions slightly, and I didn't realise how annoyed i was with it all until I got going. I like good debates, and I need to read your counterpoints properly, but wanted to get in early and say not you at all :D
Travis wrote: "What's messed up is my wife asked if she could go to NYC and the hospital said no we need you in case we have to call you back quick. I don't know if they can actually prevent her from going to NYC..."I agree with Margo, sounds like she needs a break any way. But good on her for volunteering and I am really surprised they didn't take her up on it!!
Sandra wrote: "I said that already but let me make it clear. I DON'T AGREE about stopping funding WHO. Not now, not in the future, not ever. If anything this pandemic has shown is how badly we need an organizatio..."I agree that WHO was slow on the declaring and giving advice. Sorry, don't think I said that last night. I can understand being hesitant to declare pandemics because of the implications that has on other factors of life, but I definitely agree they were lagging there.
And the Trump comments we are on the same page 100%.
Part of me hates it took this, but I am so hoping that we leave the beautiful Pangolins alone now!!!
Margo wrote: "All good points Sandra.On a very selfish note, all of my pain managements treatments are now well overdue and I am in a lot of pain. Am not sleeping well at all. I was able to go to my GP today a..."
Glad you got something to give you relief, Margo. That terrible your pain meds have been held up.
Janice wrote: "Big hugs, Sandra! I don't think you sounded argumentative at all.Our feelings are so very close to the surface these days and I think it's important that we be gentle on ourselves. We need to giv..."
100% agree!! There is no point getting through this if we don't have our mental health as well. Some days are just not going to be great. There's always another one :)
Janice wrote: "Would that be one of the downside of having hospitals for profit?"Very good observation! Hadn't even entered my mind. What a ludicrous idea... /sigh
Sandra wrote: "I think I will stick to book chatting for a while. :)"You weren't argumentative Sanda, you started an interesting discussion going and I learned some things I didn't know. I hope you have a better day today. It's not easy for any of us but you have a lot of kids to worry about x
Travis wrote: "Janice, I'm gonna have to say probably yes. I really don't have much understanding on health care around the world for comparisonI do know my wife's hospital 5 years ago was days away from closing..."
Our hospitals are all funded by the government. It doesn't cost us anything to go to the hospital because it's all covered by our taxes. The only thing that could close a hospital here is government funding being withdrawn.
At one point, under Ralph Klein, the medical system was restructured and there were small rural hospitals that were shut down. I remember the bruhaha that accompanied those changes.
Right now, in Alberta, our new government is cutting fees for doctors. In the middle of the Covid-19 rise. Shockingly stupid. Doctors are leaving our province. In the middle of the Covid-19 rise. I guess you could say that's the downside of govt funded health care.
I think we are seeing some interesting things as a result of the pandemic. Hospital demographics is one. My cousin posted about changes to the way alcohol is purchased. Liquor stores are seeing an increase in sales. Now that bars and restaurants are closed, people are restricted to buy from the liquor stores. Here, they are open because hospitals don't want an influx of people withdrawing from alcoholism during the pandemic. It's enough that they are overwhelmed with Covid patients.
Travis, you mentioned something about milk being dumped, and that's the result of the way people are buying dairy now that restaurants are closed.
And delivery of services. I'm waiting on a phone call from the ENT specialist. I was to have gone to Edmonton for my appointment, but now, he's opted to do the appointment by phone. That should be interesting.
Sorry I disappeared, it is getting hard to have time for GR during weekdays. Thanks God is Saturday already! :)Just to clarify, I never felt offended by anyone here, and I also enjoy debates (and corona is a great topic for debate), I just wasn't in the best mood for debating or even chatting. That is all.
I was thinking about our conversations here the last days about trying to be positive and thankful, etc., and how hard it is sometimes, and how it is necessary to make a conscious effort some days. I realized that what is happening to me is exactly the opposite. I have been super positive so far, and this last week I just didn't want to be positive anymore. I don't know if that makes sense.
I am a positive person in general (what makes my friends and family tease me to no end) and since this started I tried to make the best of it. In part because I have kids, and kids look at how grownups react to know how bad things are, and blablabla. You get what I am trying to say. I have been repeating everyday what my mom always says, "we are all in the dance floor now, so we better dance". It worked perfectly. We are all happy here. Isolated and happy. :)
Last week I had to do the opposite path other people is doing. I had to connect with my frustration. I was pretending it wasn't there, or it wasn't something that I would allow to upset me, but well... the thing is I am frustrated, so I better acknowledge it. Instead of making a conscious effort for being positive I had to make a conscious effort for accepting this sucks, no matter how positive I try to be about it. I am exhausted with all this online/remote learning; I'm sad because I was preparing an exam to apply to college next year and now I don't have time or energy for doing it; I am worried about my high-school senior son with inattentive adhd, who wasn't doing well and with all of this is doing worse and I'm not sure what will happen with him, etc, etc, etc. I'm not alone on this. Everyone is worried and frustrated with this situation. It's just that it took me more than a month to accept that is how I feel. Feeling better now. In a way it is a humbling exercise. None of this is in my hands. Hard to accept for a control freak like me. But the sad truth. It sucks, though.
Big hugs, Sandra!I think we try to focus too much on being positive. I think it's more important to acknowledge where we are at emotionally, and give ourselves permission to feel that way. I think of the instructors at yoga when they tell us to examine where we are at that moment "without judgement". I put that in quotations because I want to stress that the importance of not judging ourselves harshly because we struggle.
Sending love your way Sandra. 🧡I'm finding it really hard to be productive too. I'm trying to work from home 4 days a week but feel my stress levels rising every time I sit at my PC. I'm trying to be kind to myself, but it's hard.
I have found talking about helps. I am in an online support group but talking with this group helps also.It puts it in a better perspective for me. I can see it truly worldwide. I can read how strong you all are. These things help to give me hope
Sandra wrote: "Sorry I disappeared, it is getting hard to have time for GR during weekdays. Thanks God is Saturday already! :)Just to clarify, I never felt offended by anyone here, and I also enjoy debates (and..."
Oh Sandra, life does suck at the moment. I like that old saying of your mothers "we are all in the dance floor now, so we better dance". It really sums up where we all are at in these times.
I'm so sorry to hear about your college application. Hopefully it is something you pick up again when this is all behind up, and as crazy as things are right now, it helps keep me sane to realize that, one day, it WILL be all behind us.
My cousin also has an attention disorder and she was nearly in tears over the frustration of teaching him. There is so much pressure on parants. I can't even imaging having 8 kids, though I know at least one of them is a young adult now - and that can bring a whole new set of problems!
Best of luck with it all and if you ever need to let off a bit of steam remember we are here x
Thank you, everyone. I'm feeling better this week. It really is something I can't control, or anyone else, so we better dance. :)
I would never have dreamed that I'd get a text from my son telling me that Safeways had stocked up on toilet paper. These are strange times. LOL!
Janice wrote: "I would never have dreamed that I'd get a text from my son telling me that Safeways had stocked up on toilet paper. These are strange times. LOL!"Yes! Every time my son rings me he asks me if I’m washing my hands and staying home. He’s 45 years old now, and he’s checking on his mother!
Sandra wrote: "Thank you, everyone. I'm feeling better this week. It really is something I can't control, or anyone else, so we better dance. :)"Glad you’re feeling better, Sandra.
When the fires were happening here in January, I'd call my Mum on those days and about 10 mins in she'd twig and go "Is this a 'checking on your elders' call?".Yes, Mum. And to be fair during one of them you were at the back of the hallway cupboard offering me 12 magic scuff blocks and my younger brother's snorkel from 18 years ago before you realised, so I was justified!!
Glad you're feeling better, Sandra. I have had some very meh days lately too. Lexx took a sick day today, which meant he sat in the other room playing video games while I was working. But I think this was a really important thing for him to do. He was feeling pretty crook, his guts sometimes are a bit wonky which they think may be sort of they don't know tied to his diabetes (technical medical speak). But he showed his team, my team, and us that you know, you CAN take your sick leave while working from home for physical or mental reasons. And that's okay, and you know what, YOU SHOULD.
So if anyone is flip flopping on that (and I do apologise to the self employed or Americans in the group), just do it and look after yourself.
I had a semi-productive working from home day today, after a complete flop last week. I walked round the block this morning (walked to work) which helped and I've relocated my desk to the middle of the house so I don't feel I'm hiding away in obscurity in the back room. I've been completely on my own for the last 3 weeks - the girl who lives here moved back to her parents for the lockdown - I'm ok as long as I keep busy and don't think about it too much.
I've also invested in more data for my phone so I can go online more. More YLTO - yay!
It's good to read all your comments and know you're still out there : )
Rusalka wrote: "Glad you're feeling better, Sandra. I have had some very meh days lately too. Lexx took a sick day today, which meant he sat in the other room playing video games while I was working. But I think t..."Thank you, Rusalka.
I hope Lexx is feeling better after his day off. It is certainly necessary if things get overwhelming.
Annerlee wrote: "I walked round the block this morning (walked to work)"Loved this! LOL
It strikes me how different are the reactions of people I know, to the coronavirus crisis. Yes, we are all in this together, but we're not all in the same boat. Our circumstances are all different, so we cannot possibly know how well another person is coping. When I talk to friends and family, there are those who are coping well, keeping busy and very philosophical about the restrictions. Others are having a lot of difficulty being confined in less than ideal physical spaces, and some are very anxious about the state of the world at the moment. That we can stay connected in a variety of ways is so important. My sister sent me this - it made me smile. Went to a new restaurant called “The Kitchen”. You have to gather all the ingredients and make your own meal. I have no clue how this place is still in business.
AND, introducing my new profile pic. Not sure why it's a pineapple, but it seemed like a good idea when I thought of it lying in bed last night.
I decided that I needed to take the bull by the horns since I can't get my hair done. I'm kind of interested about what colour of grey my hair would be if I didn't get it coloured so I'm okay with roots showing right now. Nobody sees me anyway in my self-isolation. But, I haven't had my upper lip waxed for weeks and it's bothering me. So when I ordered groceries, I ordered wax strips.Epic fail. That's all you need to know.
Sorry to hear that, Janice. It's incredible how many aspects of our life this thing is affecting. :)
Oh Janice I can so relate. I always thought that I was rather low maintenance. Nope not at all. I removed my gel nails last week and the last of my fake eyelashes fell off. And I realized that I do not have a pretty shade of gray hair color. I was in the middle of getting laser treatments for my upper lip, so will have to continue those in winter. I did decide that I am not going to get the fake nails or eyelashes when this is over, but will never give up my hair color.It's pretty interesting discovering what is really a priority in the "beauty" world. :)
Shirley wrote: "AND, introducing my new profile pic. Not sure why it's a pineapple, but it seemed like a good idea when I thought of it lying in bed last night."Bloody Queenslanders
LOL! I love it. Why the hell not!
Janice wrote: "I decided that I needed to take the bull by the horns since I can't get my hair done. I'm kind of interested about what colour of grey my hair would be if I didn't get it coloured so I'm okay with ..."I find your skin needs to get used to it, and also you need to find a product that your skin tolerates. There are so many fragrances and the like in them which my stupidly sensitive skin reacts too, let alone the fact you are ripping things out.
You'll love this one...!! A book club & more
Books mentioned in this topic
Catch-22 (other topics)The Yellow Wallpaper and Other Stories (other topics)
