A COVID Quandary
Ain't reality a bitch when it rubs up against your idealised life philosophies?
Most of my adult life, I’ve ascribed to what I would call a social libertarian ethos when navigating the cultural and political waters of modern Western society. People should have the absolute freedom to live their lives as they see fit, however, at the intersection of where their actions impact on others, moral choices around respect and the social contract need to be negotiated. Essentially, do whatever the fuck you want, but don’t be a fuckwit to others while doing it.
This has been easy to do as a coastal dwelling, middle-aged white man in regional NSW with no true barriers to cultural and social integration, and historical governmental policies designed to pander to my every perceived want and whim.
Now, thanks to the imposition of the statewide lockdown of NSW in the face of the COVID Delta strain crisis, I face a genuine test of my lofty ideals.
I’m a little ashamed to admit it, but my overwhelming and overriding concern when the stay at home orders dropped on Saturday night was: “Can I still get to the beach and surf?” People’s lives and livelihoods crumble before them and I’m selfishly plotting how I can fulfill my aquatic addiction.
Immediately upon the release of the updated public health orders I began scouring the policies and interrogating the wording to look for any loophole or interpretation that would give me the green light to continue to and get wet.
"Stay within your local government area or within 10km of your home (5km from Monday, 16 August 2021)" in terms of exercise?
What the fuck does that mean? Can I go anywhere in my LGA or only 10 km from home? A quick Google earth measure shows I’m 11.2 kilometres from the nearest coast. Not good...
The Swellnet forums came to the rescue with a reader directing me to a post from his local member clarifying that you can go anywhere in your LGA, but only 5 kms into another LGA.
Salvation!
This then opened the gateway to several more questions.
Does surfing qualify as exercise or merely as recreation? A six foot day is certainly exercise, a two foot day sitting shooting the breeze between sets is more recreation? What if I paddle around a lot between the sets, will that qualify it as exercise?
My LGA is huge and includes several little coastal communities with quality waves nestled in each, but just because I can travel to each and surf, should I? Legally I’m fine, but morally? What if I unwittingly become a vector of transmission, a COVID Johnny Appleseed bringing illness wherever he goes?
We’ve all done questionable things to get wet. I’ve lied to my significant other, foisted my kids onto friends and family under false pretenses, pulled many sickies from work, slipped out the backdoor of a mate's daytime wedding for a quick paddle before reappearing at the reception, poured hand sanitiser into my eye to fake an infection to get out of a shift at the local servo. Potential harbinger of death feels like a step up though…
The exercise provision is clearly written as a nod to the acknowledged mental health benefits of being able to be outdoors as a circuit breaker to the isolationism and stress lockdowns impose on we social creatures.
Surely I need to surf to stay sane?
Truth is though, I’ve got enough diverse interests to psychologically survive if the pillar of wave riding is removed for a period of time.
For every logical thrust there was a moral parry between justifying going surfing and feeling like I should just stay put.
If we act for the collective good, we may just get out of this sooner, but at what price for our individual circumstances? Altruistic or Individualism? The dynamic tension at the heart of what it means to be a member of a community overlaid with the devilish addiction to wave sliding.
My conclusion? So far I've stayed home; it seems like the enlightened position to take.
Still next week's forecast looks mighty tempting. Perhaps we can’t truly know where our moral limits lay unless we stray from the path from time to time.
// DAN DOBBIN
Comments
Well that was a fun read but it has a whiff of something.
Ahh common sense and putting the wider community in the decision making equation with individual wants. Hope that spreads quicker than Covid
Brilliant.
Thanks Dan. Enjoyed your thoughts.
Its a tough one. I'm sure this will open up another version of the dialogue on half a dozen other COVID related threads.
With respect to surfing though - what a blessing and a curse hey?
If we didn't surf we probably wouldn't give a shit or notice that for two weeks the wind blew from the ocean to the land. Or small grains of sand weren't accumulating near enough to shore turn a small swell into an aquatic skatepark of sorts.
In saying that, for me its everything - exercise, recreation, a form of spirituality, sanity, art and connection to name a few.
Paddling out this morning, even in very marginal conditions makes me a better version of myself and the day to day much easier to take. On a good morning surf I float around land like a teenager who's just popped his cherry.
Thanks Dan.
No doubt you should go surfing. Just because some bureaucrat has drawn an arbitrary line on a map it doesn’t mean it should override your common sense.
If you can go surfing without interacting with anyone there’s zero reason you shouldn’t go. Silent martyrdom achieves nothing. It’s possible to do the right thing for both yourself and everyone. Go get your exercise, fill your body with endorphins and bolster your spirit so that you’re more able to be a decent, helpful person to those around you.
Those arbitrary lines have kept the majority of Mornington Peninsula residents (an hour to the city from its closest point and no community transmission for 12+ months) out of the surf for 200 days now. Common sense from a policing perspective has generally prevailed but fuck me those politicians on spring st make my blood boil
No wonder all the bloody hand sanitizer has gone from the supermarket shelves!
Here's a moral quandary: a bulk of our economy, banks, government structures are built on manufacturing weapons and ammunition. 20 years in Afghanistan, destroying the epicenter of modern civilisation.... that's on us. Many of the conveniences we take for granted i.e. phones, computers, cars, clothes, are at someone else's expense -slave labor, warfare, pharmaceutical experiments... Geez, I think that our implication in funding this sort of shit purely by going to work and putting money in the bank is far more ethically and morally and karmically wrong than going to the beach. What many don't understand is that Public Health Orders are based on risk. If you want to reduce the risk, just don't cough on anyone or be in a small room together for a long time, it's really simple.
N.B. A number of Local and State Court rulings in Germany have concluded that lockdowns and social distancing measures are a fundamental breach of human and citizen rights https://ukhumanrightsblog.com/2021/06/01/german-courts-more-questioning-... and https://ukhumanrightsblog.com/2021/01/25/german-district-court-declares-.... In response to this, some German courts have begun to now stop politicians from implementing measures that restrict the freedom of people.
"Geez, I think that our implication in funding this sort of shit purely by going to work and putting money in the bank is far more ethically and morally and karmically wrong than going to the beach".
Like Ward Churchill's "little Eichmann" comparison:
https://cryptome.org/ward-churchill.htm
Where was your watch made? Your TV? Your shoes? Your phone? Get off the high horse - the person you infect may have someone who loves them.
Through our actions as consumers, we are all implicated in causing the unecessary death and sufferring of others. But, the likelihood that significant harm will come from an individual spreading COVID is extremely small.
So, why "lose the forest for the trees"? East African saying, "If you're too close, you won't see the elephant". Buddhist saying, "make a mountain out of a mole hill". All come from a lack of perspective caused by ignorance.
It's quite likely that we tend to focus on things that are directly within our field of perception because our cognitive capacity is so small (reference to the Dunbar Number). "10 deaths is a tragedy, 1000 deaths is a statistic". At a large scale we are removed from direct consequence, although, as our friend above eludes to, 'the chickens will eventually come home to roost'.
Morals, ethics, values should be balanced with all thoughts, views, emotions, actions etc., otherwise we fall foul of ignorance, stupidity.
So here's the spread of moral dilemas, to expand perception, see all viewpoints, think all thoughts, enact a reasoning that enables just actions. Tell me, what is more wrong/causes more harm: spreading covid or investing in weapons companies? N.B. There are a number of contexts in which the actions could be considered, i.e. willfull, negligent, or ignorant causes of harm.
Another Buddhist saying "if we don't look after others who will be there to look after us?"
Excellent article Dan. It is indeed a moral and ethical quandary every surfer is challenged with particularly when it's pumping.
PS 'On a good morning surf I float around land like a teenager who's just popped his cherry.'......another wonderful piece of writing Sol, well played
There's 2 rules here, first and most important is the "Don't be a dickhead" rule, second is the "what's legally permitted" rule. Legal codification is required for people who have lost the ability to figure out how to apply the first rule.
Looks like you've adopted the former! Congrats!
Nice summation adambol.
Well done Dan. I too was confused by the 5 or 10km from home rule and actually pinned a map on my wall with a 5km radius circle on it so I knew where I could and couldn't go....
Then I re-read the "law" and realized that my LGA was my boundary, not some 5KM radius.
And thanks Adambol1, First Rule: Don't be a dickhead. Second Rule: Refer to the First Rule. Priceless
There's also a scientific risk analysis to be carried out.
If there is low or zero caseload in your area and you are outside and in low population density areas the chances of spreading Covid (let alone catching Covid) are so low as to be essentially zero.
In which case, get a go out and come back a better human being.
(no disrespect meant to your position Dan)
Dan does bring up an interesting point though.
How shit would you feel if you did catch the Covid, had mild or few symptoms but spread it to not only family members but some completely random vulnerable strangers in Coles as you duck in to grab a couple of 2 It Cokes to mix with the Bundy you picked up at the bottlo where you probably infected more people.
Would be a heavy burden. I feel sorry for those that have inadvertently been that person.
If you get vaccinated and follow social distancing protocols then that would reduce risk to the best of your ability. It is the best anyone can do in the current circumstances. Bottom line - Get vaccinated.
I am a two minute walk from surf and I have surfed most days since the COVID-19 pandemic started. I feel for those that are not able to surf during the recent lockdowns. I have had both AZ shots and I avoid situations where there are not too many people (social isolation) when I walk to the surf southern end of the Gold Coast and D-BAH. Key to getting life back to normal is to get vaccinated ASAP.
Great article Dan and the Northern Beaches LGA is an absolute playground but I have all I need and most beaches/reefs I want to surf within 5-10km so don't plan on heading up to Palmy etc. I would just feel wrong though we have hardly any cases which is great.
I really need my outside time/space and nature fix with little to to signs of people or civilisation, luckily I can still find pockets of that.
Vb how long between 1st and 2nd jab?
In SA my GP is still advising 12 weeks between but will slightly reluctantly bring it back to 10.
I wonder if the majority of doses (understandably) are going to Qld, NSW, Vic and ACT.
Thanks to the NSW State Gov complete and utter arrogance in following best practice in lockdown cheered on by the Feds alongside selfish prick individuals all the collective good and sacrifice the nation (mostly the Viccos) went through has been lost. a complete demoralising waste. Couple that with the incompetence and dismissive attitude of the feds on vaccines and quarantine.
Beaten down Victorians will remember last Christmas when Gladys refused to lockdown with the Sydney outbreak. She got lucky. arrogance.
and now here we are. I can't see us getting anywhere near zero. Gladys still cant get the lockdown right.
hurry the fuck up and get us vaxxed so we can open up. if they cant do that soon enough. open up with limitations. There has always been a balance to the cost and benefit of lockdowns and we are sailing past the benefit. i don't say that lightly. i am terrified of catching covid, for me my kids and my family.
I blame scomo and gladys you pair of arseholes. anti vaxxers and conspiracy nuts should not feel smug about my comment. you selfish dumb pricks are culpable.
Plus 1......
Here's the thing, the efficiacy of even the best of our COVID vaccines is very poor against new strains of the virus: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/search/research-news/14151/?utm_source=gque...
At an efficicay rate of less than 40% with the delta strain, the vaccines are in the range of being near the rate of a 'placebo effect'. Therefore, ineffective with regard to transmission, which will continue to be high whether or not the population is fully vaccinated.
Yes. Vaccines can reduce severe symptoms, hospitalisations. But, given the bulk of those severe symptoms and hospitalisations are in vulnerable populations (https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/covid-data/investigations-disc...), vaccines should simply be given to vulnerable populations.
Ape! Finally some bloody reason. Prepare to be attacked my friend. Good luck out there
I don't think your links say what you say they do. But it's hard to tell what you are actually arguing for.
It's a line ball on whether i can be bothered with this, but you are dead wrong AA on so many counts.
But f it. I've had enough trying to convince people. Your day will come when we get to 80%.
Good luck to you freedom fighter!
That is not correct -
Far from 'poor' - Data so far suggests efficacy rates of approximately 67 percent for the J&J vaccine, 66 to 95 percent for the Moderna vaccine, and 42 to 96 percent for the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.
'With the BNT162b2 vaccine, the effectiveness of two doses was 93.7% (95% CI, 91.6 to 95.3) among persons with the alpha variant and 88.0% (95% CI, 85.3 to 90.1) among those with the delta variant'
'bulk of those severe symptoms and hospitalisations are in vulnerable populations' - Incorrect, the unvaccinated are the bulk of hospitalisations...
Not a fan at all of arguing on the internet, but misinformation spreads harm...
It's funny, the Christmas Northern Beaches lockdown was actually way harsher than the current one started. Probably still is for those outside "LGAs of concern". And it wasn't Delta.
Agree totally, Yeti. This is a completely overlooked aspect of the pandemic.
And the majority just shut-up and took their medicine for the good of all others. I know the majority are doing right at the moment but this new strain brings different parramaeters.
+1
Quite a few culpable fuckwits on this forum by the sounds of it
Yes Dan! You need to Bodyboard to stay sane...
2 years in a self imposed lockdown so used a Med' appointment for a beach exercise exemption.
No Joke! Physio sent tbb to train on the beach for a Heart Stress Test.
With the crews backing pushed on thru...all the way to the Water's Edge...really doin' it!
That's it! That's as far as tbb got...still a monumental breach or a breakthru case they call it these days.
Soon left the beach feeling guilty...(Strange, as all assured tbb that he was almost normal?)
Even asked others if it was fine to go Maskless on the Beach..."Yes! Yep! & Go for it!"
SEQ is not in Lockdown but we're in an (Impact Zone)
One can't simply stroll along a Goldie / Sunny beach unmasked...(Sure Ok! Probably 99% do!)
*Beach Walking is not strenuous / vigorous exercise.
*One Must carry a mask on oneself even if you Jog along the beach'!
*Mask is therefore mandatory on the Beach.
Crew Knows! Like on TV the Health Bosses talk with a mask in there hand...it's essential!
Being caught up in Impact Zone is some pretty heavy shit...Gonna need some time to recover...
What I reckon is if there are no cases in your LGA then travel where your legally allowed to. If a couple of cases pop up in your LGA then dont. I’ve been asked the question at a break within my LGA what I was doing there. I’ve been around a few years so I know who the regulars are. There where a few I’ve never seen before plus about 10 Japanese back packers whom I assume are stuck here. Funny how no one asks the question to the chicks out there…..
Well written Dan, given your legally OK and vaccinated, I'm with the risk approach some have recommended. Go less, don't hang in carpark, keep your distance, review numbers of cases in your LGA and at the coast if either get significant stay home.
Keep writing articles that explore the grey zone to much black and white creeping in.
To much Yellow = freedum fighters.
Good stuff Dan. I was confused by the 5km/10km rule also, but have since been able to clarify that I can go anywhere within my LGA. Which was a bit of relief. Now all I need is for my 14 day quarantine period to finish tomorrow.
What I reckon is if there are no cases in your LGA then travel where your legally allowed to. If a couple of cases pop up in your LGA then dont. I’ve been asked the question at a break within my LGA what I was doing there. I’ve been around a few years so I know who the regulars are. There where a few I’ve never seen before plus about 10 Japanese back packers whom I assume are stuck here. Funny how no one asks the question to the chicks out there…..
Surfing is exercise so you can go within your LGA. The 5km rule only applies if you need to leave your LGA for essential reasons.
You can leave your LGA for work, had to ring the local cop station today to clarify that.
Not going to feel guilty for going for a surf lol.
Good read. It is a quandary. If everyone did stay put, and sucked it in, then this thing would probably have been over after the first two weeks.
I think that is what the premier was alluding to when she differs from the LGA rule mentioned above and says 'look if it is not an emergency stay home or stay within 5kms of home - don't go outside 5km to exercise'. She has been repeating this all week.
As a beach side local - most of us are sick to death of the travelling circus and dealing with Snapper like crowds on beachies and New York style crowds on the footpath (Geez why drive from Illawong to Cronulla to walk your dog in fricken crowd atm). We'd love a 2.5km rule. Then Stu sent an article about relaxing and understanding others need a break, the mental health side of getting in the water and it made me feel a bit shit and selfish that I thought a 2.5km rule would be sweet.
So I've lightened up a bit - although my mental health is not so good getting dropped in on, boards flying everywhere etc. struggling to snag on and when you do having to chose to run someone over or straighten etc.
Although - going back as I said if everyone stayed at home at the start for a two weeks we'd all be back to surfing/working and close to normal. If everyone sucks it in now for a few weeks, maybe lock down ends far sooner?
You mean the premier that still hasn’t done a proper lockdown, should of shut the freeways out of Sydney months ago to stop the f wits from leaving.
What’s all this empathetic horse shit ‘I would feel wrong’..?? Man up and realise if your eating processed foods, smoking or drinking alcohol, let alone driving a vehicle, you are going to put far more strain (and risk to fellow humans) on the health system in your life time than going for a surf or not wearing a pair of panties across your face due to the COVID boogie man. FFS. How about an article that truly opens the debate on this whole thing.
@shortenism congratulations on your correct spelling of the word 'empathetic' . The next step make that leap for you is to use it in a way that has any relation to it's actual meaning. You do realise that all this carry-on about Covid is precisely because it has the potential to totally overwhelm our health system in a very short time. No scrap that. You don't realise that. You're just another gormless uneducated reactionary twit.
Not if you believe Gladys and the pips, the jaaaaab is the way out.
Feel free to pen your own response article shortie.
Not that I need to justify my lifestyle, but I'm a lifelong teetotaller who has never smoked or used drugs , eats well and averages 25km a week on trail runs. Doing my best to not be a burden on the health system, thanks for your assumptions though.
Shortenesim is on the right track. It’s the disease of the unhealthy.
Operation Covid Shield...anyone get the feeling Scotty from marketing came up with that one?
I'm in the 18%... so this week I started looking into getting the vax local. It actually wasn't as easy as I expected. Long story short the first available booking for my 1st vax at the new super vaccine hub is October 31st..but was able to book the 2nd one at same time just 3 weeks later.
Will there be an Aussie freedom day just in time for Christmas 2021?
“I can resist anything - except temptation”
Oscar Wilde (I think)
You get the gist wallpaper, stop whinging.
The vax is going to save us lol
Funny with enough propaganda this thread even becomes a topic of conversation
People need to educate themselves on what’s really going on and stop watching the local news
100% .... im dumbfounded people blindly believe the utter shit thats spewed out on the main stream media day in day out. This was never entirely about a virus.
I want to bring another perspective to this, and I believe it's one that hasn't got a lot of consideration as yet. And I am directing this perspective at those who get swept up in the talk about "the virus", and who view anyone infected with "the virus" as a threat to society and the health and livelihoods of all.
COVID-19 is obviously a significant virus. History will confirm this as it becomes another significant event for the ages. I believe in time it will be analysed and philosophised equally in terms of morbidity and in terms of the shift in government decision making and power over the inherent freedom and liberty of an individual to make their own choices about how they live their lives as law-abiding citizens.
Governments have used this pandemic to exercise never before seen authority across our (until now) free and democratic country. We are now in a position where our movements are tracked and our interactions are scrutinised, in the vain of attempting to control what will become the 4th or 5th endemic coronavirus of modern times.
When we get caught up in the "how would you feel if you infected someone" we lose all sight of our position as humans in the ecology of the world we live in. We are vectors for disease and always will be. All of us at some point, have carried and transmitted a disease, knowingly or not, to others. Some of us will have passed on disease that has caused significant impact on someone else's health, and in some cases, even death.
What we have never before seen is the extent of politicisation of health, science and infection control under the guise of "keeping us safe". I want to believe otherwise, but I worry that the electoral cycle is the all conquering priority of our government. They are caught up in an ongoing media cycle of case numbers and loss of objectivity of what it is they are trying to achieve.
People are being put in positions where they are second guessing themselves about whether they should or shouldnt attempt to live some sort of life on any particular day. When chief health officers demand that people should stop at their front doors and question whether they should go outside, I am sorry, but we are in dangerous territory and one that we should be backing the fuck away from as soon as possible.
but here we are, passively trusting in time taking us back to where we were before. the people that fought for our freedoms in the 20th century would have a lot to say about where this has got to.
we are human, we should be able to live every day as if it might be the last one we have and we are not in a position where we can conquer a virus as potent as COVID by putting our lives on hold.
i have done my best to work within the ways our government has asked us to live. But if the ineptitude and politicking continues to occur as we approach the levels of vaccination the government have used as a carrot, without a regression back to the way we should be living our lives as free humans in a hostile ecological environment, I'll be in the streets hopefully with a large number of others, exercising my democratic right to protest my views and opinions.
Well said
Nice one Roy
The people who fought for our freedoms in WW1 happily followed lockdown orders during the pandemic of 1918-1920.
Please don’t assume they all fought for the freedom to ignore the rule of law. In fact, don’t put words in their mouths at all. They didn’t die in a ditch to have someone use their legacy for an excuse to go surfing.
Would they have followed todays lockdown orders though? Theirs involved border closures and closing of schools and pubs etc but I can't find any evidence that they would be fined if they left home without an excuse, didn't wear a mask outside or were outside after curfew. Its fine to talk about the rule of law but it seems to me that laws are being made of to get votes not because they are effective or just.
It is never going back to normal. Vaxxed or not
Vax up and let's see.
Fully agree with you Roystein. There's way too much behaviour ruled by fear and sheep mentality. People need to think and research for themselves and take personal responsibility for their actions.
So in short Dan, fucken go surfing.
I’m with the risk assessment crowd
If you are grocery shopping instead of surfing when delivery is available, then it’s time for a re think
Know your enemy - Zack De La Rocha
Nice words Dan.
The weird thing about lockdown on the North Coast is that there a couple parallel worlds. There is the lockdown world, with all the hospitality industry and devastated small businesses in crisis, but then there is the construction industry world which is in a frenzy. Masked up and tools in hand with no time for surfing.
Now you’re under control ; )
Ha!
It sure is a funny old world when a terminally obese, chain smoking diabetic who’s been on disability for a decade due to self inflicted disabilities is considered an exemplary citizen because they’ve gotten a couple of needles, whilst a fit and healthy person is liable for public shaming because of the threat they allegedly pose to the health system if they balk at getting injected.
Thoughts and prayers go out to those phat phucks who still have to wait a few weeks for the vaccine passports which will allow them to resume regular excess McDonald’s intake.
Oh wait…..Macca’s is still open and no one writes a hand wringing piece about whether they should or shouldn’t go grab a death burger. Priorities people!
Yep
Vitamin intake of the obese, Vitamins P-I-E-S.
lol Soon coming to McDonalds, blood pressure passports.
Exactly!
That’s funny and true.
Hang on, is this 5ks from your own LGA a regional thing? In terms of Greater Sydney, it's pretty clear that it's 5ks from your home. I'm happy to be proven wrong...
Nah, if in LGA can exercise all over, but if crossing LGA's, only 5km from your home.
"exercise and take outdoor recreation within your local government area or, if you need to cross into another local government area, stay within 5km of your home"
Compare the pair.
"Stubby holders also declare: "How the hell am I going to be able to drink a beer with a mask on?"
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-08-19/australia-florida-population-zero...
"Stubby holders also declare: "How the hell am I going to be able to drink a beer with a mask on?"
I can sympathise with this. How the hell do I lick my fingers to separate the placcy bag in the vege section of the IGA with a mask on?
Eh?
Who can answer that?!
Had a good chuckle at this one stu. I was wondering if I was the only one with this struggle in the vege section at the supermarket...
Moisten the bag by rubbing it in your eyes.
(*Don't really do this)
Here's a tip.
Find some ice (often under broccoli). Fingertips in.
Voila. Fingers moistened.
Took me ages to work this out
Ha, ha, nice one gannet and savanova below.
A couple of weeks ago I did ask for help from my long-suffering wife (missus) and she showed me this secret women's business, like I was a man-child, how to open the thin plastic veggie bag with moisture from ice under the broccoli, and yes voila (="see there" in French) it was opened without fuss and my further frustration.
By the way 'voila' is of course correct, not "viola" (a mid-sized string instrument!) as I've recently been rightly corrected by our surf brother batfink in another story thread.
Looking always for the bright side and a laugh in Locktoria.
God Bless and protect you all
Cheers servant, my work here is done. ;-)
Good pick up and well played batfink(sans karate).
Lafta is shirley the best medisun.
Thanks for another much needed chuckle, and by the way I had to look up your "vicissitudes" meaning in your comment way down below. Nice one and gets my 'wave(word) of the day'.
God Bless you and yours brother
That made me laugh!!!
.
Take the missus
Had exactly this issue the other day at the bakery with a plastic bag I had asked for. Person serving me says 'You alright with putting them in the bag?' I said 'yes' and five minutes later was still in the bakery stuck in an akward situ, with having said 'no' but now wanting 'yes'. No nails, no way to wet my fingers.
Talk about 'First world problems!'...
But then again, I am not suffering respiratory issues from the Rona
http://www.floridahealth.gov/programs-and-services/prevention/tobacco-fr...
Smoking kills 33,000 people in Florida every single year. Smoking has killed thousands more people in the last 18 months than Covid.
Smokers should be banned from hospitals and pubs and cafes and publicly shamed and tarred and feathered and and and
Thirty per of Floridian children are obese. Is that sad or what?
Yeah but smokers don't take up weeks in ICU etc. So can't compare.
You’re joking right?
You can't win blowin, people are being brainwashed by the media and politicians into thinking the jaaaab is the only answer.
Don't forget those so keen to get needled are same people drinking/eating all the crap under the sun, so sticking another chemical into their Body is no problem.
Also the same people that rely on the medical system to fix them after eating 10,000 Big Macs lol.
Oh my giddy aunt.
So the only people being vaccinated are those drinking/eating all the crap under the sun and being wheeled into hospital after their 10000 Big Macs.
It is hilarious and utyerly frightening that an adult actually typed those letters which formed those sentences.
I’d more worried about saying oh my giddy aunt if I was you boomer.
Geez Robo harsh.
Sorry buddy I am no boomer. Actually 33 but I did start counting backwards when I hit 38.
The fun of having kids is the source of the giddy aunt thing. Kept getting in trouble from the Mrs for yelling "What the faaark" with kids around. An alternative was needed and presto.
Erm, the 'boomer' slight doesn't work if you're older than twenty one.
That is a legit rule isn't it.
If you are over 21 the reference is Baby Boomer with all consenents and vowels sounded.
If you are under 21 you can use the more mocking version - BOOMER. Generally delivered as if it is in all caps, loudly with a slight extension of the OO in the middle. This is done to further mock the recipient and to emphasise the fact that the (under 21 y.o.) believes they have superior knowledge to that of the recipient.
Humans have been using vaccines for hundreds of years. How long does it take to wash a brain?
Same as it takes you to bend over and keep taking it up the arse.
I love you.
Wow. Hypocrisy much.
Smokers choose to smoke just as those that distrust vaccines choose not to get vaccinated.
Obesity is a much greater problem than smoking or COVID.
Number of holes in that one Blowin, but the main one is, Smoking is a choice, Coronavirus not so much and Ipossibly someone else’s choice.
Bad equivocation…….lazy
Don't trust the government? Don't trust the scientists? Don't trust the health professionals? Don't trust vaccines?
Probs best not to have children then.
Not if you are going to put all that crap in them.
Oh yeah! Tell me more about how you live in a world free from toxic pollutants in the atmosphere, tell me about your food that's not grown with roundup or other pesticides, tell me how your oceans and waterways are pristine and not chokkas with plastic and pollutants, tell me of this pristine ocean where it's just you and a couple of happy dolphins frolicking around in this aquatic garden of eden! Tell me please! Do you own a house in this paradise? Are you able to afford this on a doctors wage? Is the climate there unaffected by global warming?
If it's that simple, I'm on board with your "crap" vaccines! Stop being greedy and hoarding all this "truth"! Share with your brothers and sisters! We want in!
Also, tell us simpletons about these dangers of established vaccines? All I've read is history :( I'm not privvy to your special information.
do your own study
Robo wants to get better at barrel riding. Does he;
A) Consult Kelly Slater?
B) Consult John John Florence?
C) Consult some dude on fb/YouTube/Twitter that thinks all the established surfers are full of shit and HE has the truth?
In that hypothetical, you're going with C. Why? Why not go with the opinion of professional people that have studied their area of specialty their whole life? What's the appeal/benefit of going with a con man over an entire established profession? Even more so because vaccines (not the COVID one) are only made reluctantly by pharmaceutical companies due to their shitty profit potential.
As for doing my own study; what that means to me is going to uni for multiple years to study shit I don't really care about. I'm happy to trust the experts that ostensibly have our best interests at heart. Con men don't.
Outside of that, I encourage your skepticism. You're half way to being a scientist! Don't discount the other half though!
“The first principle is that you must not fool yourself — and you are the easiest person to fool.” Richard Feynman
You mean those that have a finger in the pie lol, is that you Gladys?
You seem particularly fond of pie holes Robo.
love a chocky frog :)
That's hardcore dandob, using hand sanitiser to fake an eye infection. You must have wanted it.
When all this happened in Vic last year, we didn't initially know the extent to which it was transmissible, so we generally followed the advice. A line was drawn on the map 5kms each way and luckily there were quite a few decent breaks within it, in our case. Even then I was cautious around other people (having been in the medical system for quite a few years and listening to those in it - nothing caused by Big Macs tho). There was a time when the local town did have a small number of cases, and the regional centre just into the hundreds, and this was the time to be most cautious. Good luck - I think NSW regions will be OK after a period of time, for a local community will generally do the commonly perceived 'right thing' and get on top of things. We see this in voluntary mass testing in Dubbo, Mildura, or Colac last year (community response directed through the footy/netball club - they got on top of it twice I believe). This is due to country communities being more transparent, by which I mean your reputation in the community tends to enforce behaviour (this can be stifling, or be protective). Cities offer far greater anonymity (the benefits of which are you will rise according to merit and not who you know, theoretically) but you can act like a total psychopath with no empathy for others, then blend into the crowd unseen with little detriment to yourself. This explains some of the exploits of fckwits we have seen in the news.
As a postscript, rellies in WA are blissfully unaware of changes to life, and are happily enjoying theirs, making money, going fishing, being free. No Corona. And walls and determination to keep it out, just like historical plague responses, or the borders used in Australia during the 1918 Flu. Gladys, what were you (or your masters) thinking?
Here in mid north coast WA things are looking bright, the same in the SW and even Perth. No sign of corona thanks to our wonderful premier.
During the Victorian 2020 winter lockdown, the stay at home / stay local rules merely accentuated the ‘locals only’ view of a number of small minded Surf Coast and Bellarine crew
it got comical when ‘Bells locals’ were asking crew from further west what the Torquay postcode was despite Anglesea being closer to Bells than some parts of new Torquay
whether you agree with the lockdown, more crowds in the water or justifying to yourself that the your exempt from the rules for, just don’t be a dickhead. pretty simple is’nt it?
South African journo Craig Jarvi was recently out of the water for two months with the 'rona.
Stu- The only person I’m knowingly aware of who has had Covid reported a similar outcome. It doesn’t sound fun. He was on the mend though so the end result is not dissimilar to the thousands of surfers who contract nasties such as dengue and malaria. Not something you really want to do but not a reason to shut down the planet either. Not even a reason to stop you bunking down in a sweaty little hot-box room in remote Indo.
BTW- The fella who had it was surfing a powerful outside sandbar which was breaking for hundreds of metres without much trouble, so he couldn’t have been that bad!
Doesn't affect everyone the same though. My son in Europe got it, sore throat and cough for 2 days then fine, 7 days in iso and then went on a holiday surfing.
No 14 days locked in a hotel over there.
VJ, I like your optimism about the regional NSW areas being OK, but I think this Delta variation is a different beast and won’t be controlled despite lockdowns.
The days of zero Covid were good while they lasted but those days are gone in NSW… even Victoria is on a knife edge now.
Firstly, the rule: "You must stay in your local government area or within 5 kilometres of your home to exercise or do outdoor recreation". Firstly, I reckon that local MP got it wrong. When I went to school "or" meant one or the other to be okay, "and" meant both. So, you can stay within your LGA or (if you cross the LGA boundary), you must not venture more than 5k from your home. So yes, you can go surfing within your LGA.
Now for my thoughts –
Half the reason why NSW has so many cases is the rules are too slack, people still being able to travel all over their LGA, mix with the local community and spread the virus. Victoria's rule is a hard 5km from home restriction and that's about it. I personally think that if you go straight to the surf, get wet, come straight home and not drop in for that coffee or hot chips in those communities, you pose no additional risk. Have fun, just be sensible. And catch a wave for me, as I'm jealous for not being able to surf atm!
I have a relative who runs the operating theaters at a large NSW hospital and a friend who recently returned from the UK with his new English wife who is also a nurse. I hope your google searches serve you well.
What’s that mean?
When I was young told 2 things. 1st to believe half of what you see and none of what you read, 2nd I was born with 2 ears but one mouth. So I listen t those who know what they are talking about.
Amor Fati
This situation what it is.
Not many really know what is, going on. I certainly dont. I have ideas, but mostly confusion.
Here in Vicco, most of us have spent half of the last 18 months locked in our home, safely away from a reported death and illness fueled virus.
Mental health illness is spiking, and along with it physical health, and poverty spiking imminent.
Certain big companies are growing and small business collapsing every where.
The gloves are off, its survival time.
Im looking after my mental health, and if getting down for an occasional surf is what it takes so be it.
My life, mental and physical is misery without it.
I think the govts should be letting it run, as, we or they have tried and fail to flatten the curve? or contain this mass killing virus. I might die, I might pass it on to loved ones or friends and kill them.
Ive been living with that reality for 18 months, theres been family arguements and heated disscussion, to the point that from what I see, people are sick of this cv 19 shit becoming their lives.
Vaccinate or not, Wear a mask outdoors at all times( G F is my thought), socially distance at all times, lock yourself in your home at all times, dont cough or spit in the toilet creek or ocean at any time, you might create a mass spread event!!!!(sarcasm) as it eventually finds its way to drinking water and peoples mouth or respiratory.
If the cv 19 situation is as bad as were told its , out of control, so stop trying to faaaarken control it.
Let it run, FATE will play a hand, and none of us can 100 percent control that.
Bon sung it something like...,You can stick your moral standards........
Cause..........................
You can stick ya .....
Stick ya silly.....................
And all the other.....................
Live by your moral code, go forward as best you know how. Thats your choice.
Unfortunately, letting it run means the hospitals are full for months, nobody gets an operation for that bad knee or hip, people who desperately need hospitalisation for heart attacks, car crashes, cancers may barely be seen to or not have the treatment they need.
It’s about the sheer numbers that would come through, it always has been. It isn’t just the obese and unhealthy who end up in hospital, though that is more likely. There is a moral choice, make an informed one.
Indian community commences a campaign against the Morrison travel bans from India.
The story is widely taken up nationally and internationally labelling us as racist.
Government caves in from lobbying predominantly by the Indian community
so roughly Mid May 2021 flights start arriving.
See Australia Bureau of Stats recorded arrivals per month shows went from 19000 to 40000 in May !!!
Then see graph ¾ down the page of this link
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/nsw/police-to-tighten-rules-on-singles-b...
Shows then 2 weeks in quarantine, then 2 weeks to incubate into community and the numbers explode.
Even today Govt says young men in south west Sydney are causing this spread.
To those outside of Sydney these are mainly Arabs, Indians, Africans and others.
Right now on radio as I writethis, Govt NSW said 300 to 500 these immigrants illegally went to funeral this week in south west sydney !!!
I’m pretty sure the 300-500 people funeral was in western NSW. Would like to know more about that one.
The party at Maroubra was about 60 according to reports.
Ok, so the wife just tells me that the funeral for 300-500 people was in Wilcannia. As I suspected it may have been, it was for a highly respected indigenous elder, (so there goes the ‘bloody immigrants’ argument).
Further, lockdown orders didn’t apply to them at the time, so they weren’t in breach of any health orders. Brad Hazzard has apparently apologised
They will be so grateful for your forgiveness.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-08-21/israel-shows-what-life-looks-like...
NZ is even more stringent
By definition ,no one can enter the water for any reason, even swimming in the shallows forbidden.
The arguement is potentially a good one however ,as they attempt to minimise the potential for overloading the Health care reources with sports accidents
I cant help but notice however,Tahiti amidst the Covid crisis allowed Giant XXXL Chopes to be surfed as long as the crew accepted the risk of no medical help if the worst happened.
Thankfully, no one hurt and they bagged the day of all days
Makes sense!
Do you think your comment is racially motivated Logical?
Once upon a time, surfers were the outliers of society. Truth was directly in line with our close relationship to environment preservation of it and our place in it from sun to the smallest molecular parts of waves.. , which brought us together. Now, it's all division and isolation from each other. Once we held the holy grail but now we're just another pest. Better off getting waves and getting in nature than watching media headlines. The real news is unfolding before your eyes and has for eons.
Thoughtful article Dan, worth the consideration.
I had the view that we would eventually come out of this as a more resilient society. People might even be a bit more pleasant, realising that our way of life is pretty damn good. Not so sure about that now.
What I have been interested in is how lacking in resilience so many people are. Possibly it’s their first experience of genuine personal hardship, perhaps their reserves of psychic strength weren’t very high before this all hit. Sure it’s hard, harder for some than others, but it’s also an opportunity to test your resolve, to find out how strong you really are. Following health orders may indicate that you are weak and easily led, but to my mind it indicates that you are strong enough to deal with life’s vicissitudes, and conscious enough to think and care about people other than yourself.
Can we live without surfing? Of course we can, but we would prefer not to.
Low morale and high workloads...
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-08-23/vic-furloughed-healthcare-workers...
Back in an N95 at work, it's really hard to remain positive. Hospital staff are under the pump just with regular (non COVID presentations), there is relentless pressure.
"Bed blocked" nearly every day at work (Ie. no available bed spaces, have to wait till we discharge someone home, so we can get another patient in!).
So many of our experienced staff are retiring early or moving to low stress areas, such as vaccination clinics, that's where all our bank/pool/casual workforce are- as a corollary we have staff shortfalls every day, as we have no back-up for sick days, parental leave etc.
The above are just my observations, I'm trying not to whinge but just done 4 shifts in a row. Even though I love my job, I am seriously wondering about whether it is sustainable in the longer term...I am fortunate that I am only contracted to work 2 days a week (through choice, then pick-up extras to help my team, as required).
In Australia, our publicly funded health care system is non-discriminatory, it doesn't matter what lifestyle choices or poor decisions bring you to hospital, you will be treated. It is one of the few egalitarian aspects of life in Australia, we should be thankful that we have it and continue to protect it.
Stay safe everyone
Thanks again for all the hard work, long hours and over time you and others are doing in such a stressed environment. It's always appreciated.
Thanks Craig,
Sorry for the rant, I'm just stoked that Swellnet is around so that I have a forum in which to vent : )
Our pleasure and thanks for sharing your insights as well, keep them coming.
Thanks Dan for trying to do the right thing, hope you get a surf soon, don't feel selfish. Personally I've never sold fish. Things may get a bit iffy for people when the days get longer & warmer?
As a Victorian I'm just dumbfounded at what the NSW Government has served up to its own people & now to the Nation & New Zealand. Anyone else see this coming after the Ruby Princess debacle. Same ministers same playbook.
Here is an idea, may have been suggested before.
Once everyone who can and wants to be vaccinated with the vaccine of their choice (Pfizer, AZ, Moderna) are fully vaccinated, including children where deemed safe by Specialists, open up and let it rip. However, if as an individual you have refused or decided not to get vaccinated (not including people with pre-existing or health reasons not to) if you become sick with Covid you are at the end of the queue for any hospital bed or medical care. And if a bed is available, you no longer have access to Medicare and must pay up front or through a HECS style system for any medical services that are required. Guessing a couple of weeks on a ventilator would be about the same cost as a house in the suburbs...
Here’s another idea : If you get on record as having made statements such as this and you get sick after being vaccinated, you get thrown off centrepoint tower.
And if you spread the virus after you’ve been vaccinated you get dropped out in the middle of the pacific rolled in chicken wire with a car battery tied to your feet. Then every asset you own is stripped and redistributed amongst the victims of your vaccine inspired hubris.
Just a couple of really pleasant suggestions to go along with your bright idea.
Clever debating skills there!!
Impressed...
People can still spread it after the vax, but at a 90-95% reduced rate - though more importantly, they've done their bit to get us out of this shitfight.
Neither outcome is going to happen, but I wonder why people think those who refuse the vax should get a free ride? The reality is that if everyone thought this way we'd be going nowhere.
Not sure what is the difference between walking 2 minutes to the surf and driving by yourself to the surf .
Covid is killed by UV rays so being outside should make it next to impossible to transmit the virus ( unless if you have it and pass kiss someone ) . Lets put UV ray machines in air conditioners on planes so we can all go to Bali asap .
It looks like the softening up process has begun with the Age now reporting mystery cases etc will “dim lockdown exit hopes”.
Andrew’s is also reported as “ruling out a NSW style plan to vaccinate the state’s way out of lockdown.
Fuck me. Not only does this clown not have a clue, he does not even have a plan to try and return life to as close to normal as possible.
This current state of lockdown for Victoria has no end in sight and may well still apply in December. How are the general public going to react to that? More riots in the streets probably.
There are currently 8 COVID variants circulating around the planet and there is a fair chance more mutations will emerge. How the hell does Andrew’s expect to eliminate the virus.
Scomo and GB are now talking about easing restrictions, with them being totally relaxed at 80% vaccination rate. McGowan in WA still has his mind set on elimination just like Andrews. What a complete and utter shambles. A uniform approach across the whole country is the only viable way to tackle the problem.
Some in the medical profession are now stating we should accept a higher infection rate as vaccinations will reduce the impact. Obviously it would still result in increased load on the health system, but instead of throwing money at people not to work, throw it a the health system.
Beating the virus is the way to go according to Andrews. It’s easy; he’s beaten it five times why not a sixth.
One definition of stupidity is repeating the same experiment time and time again and expecting a different result. Sound like the Andrews method.
Fuck me, the future is further away then ever.
Thank god (the invisible man living in the sky, who created the universe in 6 days yet still needs our money) i live in WA, things here are looking good but if covid gets into the mining industry Australia is fucked imo.
Matthew 12:36-37 (NIV).....with Love
By my words i will be condemned? I'll take my chances in worshiping the sun, surf, women and drugs rather than anything written in the bible.
Thanks for your reply. I'm sincerely very sorry to hear that groundswell.
Isn't it great that we were all made with total free will and that we still live in a country with relative freedoms.
GOD Bless you, best wishes with covid-19 and everything else.
I would offer to pray for you, however the last time I did that the fella bit my head off for me offering love and help. Please let me know?
"And you shall know the Truth, and the Truth shall make you free"...John 8:32, NKJV
Read Nietzsche. The bible sucks. 1/10, would not read again.
Thanks "always play", for your comment and opinion.
Let's get back on this topic which is surfing during covid-19 lockdowns etc.?
By the way, I'm just a nobody, salty, old surfer (for 48 years) who happens to be an unpopular Christian (minority) that has been tuning into Swellnet for surf reports and surf stories of interest, etc for nearly 2 decades. Thank you again Ben.
I believe this is not the place for so called "religious" insults or debate, (same as skin colour/race?, gender, LGBT+, politics, etc,) and again I extend an open invitation, with brotherly love, to anyone seeking the Truth, to get in touch with me some other way, but not on here.
I'll stick to the Word of God (Holy Bible) thank you, not anything written by fallible humans, me included at the top of that list.
Hope you get some great waves soon and you're not infected with covid-19.
God Bless
nietzsche was a late 19th century philosepher who was often quoted by adolf hitler, one of his quotes was "the world is made up of two types of people, the strong and the weak and it is the duty of the strong to rule over the weak"...(?)
the creed of all sociopaths, fascists.etc, not suggesting juegasie is, just that i read a bit of nietzsche and that quote put me off reading anymore.
Thanks happyppl for your insightful comment.
Hope you are getting to slide some nice waves during these challenging times.
Indeed Friedrich Nietzsche died alone in demented darkness, the year 1900 AD, at age 56, insane, tormented, in a lunatic asylum.
Certainly not what I would choose or recommend to anyone.
God Bless you
you know a study of people being prayed for, the people that were prayed for and knew about it did worse that the control group.
please don't pray for anyone
https://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/31/health/longawaited-medical-study-ques...
Thanks Marcus for your comment and respectful delivery.
I hope you are also getting to slide some nice waves in these challenging times.
Again I stress this is hardly the platform for such weighty matters, however I'm always very happy to reply in kind.
Yes I'm very aware of this so-called 'study', it's very limited scope and the set up going into it, which got exactly the results it set out to, ie. "prayer doesn't work" and therefore hate GOD.
How did they actually measure that with real accepted scientific method!?
Who was in the study, how many, what were the parameters, who were they praying to/for, how, why, when, duration, and for what? I believe context is so important when figuring out anything. I'm fully aware of all these points. Billions of people all over the world pray every day, many to god(s)....small g.
If I may suggest beware of people in white coats, so-called scientists (BTW, I have a background in science from Melbourne Uni) who as human beings who die, are all fallible men/women with a bias and agenda in all their world views (foundational beliefs). Why are they doing study on prayer when it has nothing to do with "real" science?
Anyway have you heard of a most true statement that "you should never believe what you read in the media" ?
Mainstream media have a very open mission which is to make money from having humans looking at what they produce, such as sensationalism, out right lies to shock, half truths to draw you in, division to insight hatred and most of all outright FEAR.
Not for me, but thanks anyway. I'll continue to pray as I'm instructed by the Truth (another name for Jesus GOD)
"It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man". Psalm 18:8
God Bless you too, if you choose. Looking forward to some good waves soon.
servant.
The study was actually commissioned by a christian group.
in fact there have been a few peer reviewed studies
as for this "Anyway have you heard of a most true statement that "you should never believe what you read in the media" ?
Mainstream media"
lol is wasnt in any mainstream media, these were research papers found on research gate. you know about that being a scientist.
"(BTW, I have a background in science from Melbourne Uni)"
btw my wife is head of research integrity at a large Australian University, i know how to check research papers .
Thanks Marcus.
It doesn't get anymore mainstream media than the New York Times...ha ha
Anyway congratulations on your wife's status and your abilities.
I'll stick to the Truth, The Word of God (Jesus)
Hope your score some good waves soon.
God Bless you and your wife.
.
Peace be with you
Lettuce pray
Lift up your hearts. ( now kneel)
At mass do they talk about the dichotomy of being an educated scientist and a beleiber at the same time?
Lift them up to the lord
Amen
Peace be with you
Lettuce pray
Lift up your hearts. ( now kneel)
At mass do they talk about the dichotomy of being an educated scientist and a beleiber at the same time?
Lift them up to the lord
Amen
Peace be with you
Lettuce pray
Lift up your hearts. ( now kneel)
At mass do they talk about the dichotomy of being an educated scientist and a beleiber at the same time?
Lift them up to the lord
Amen
Your a nutter
Hi Robo, can you please clarify who you are referring to as a nutter in this thread, servant or marcus? I got an email stating: "your a goose" 'from Robo', however in the actual thread it states: "your a nutter", after marcus posted some insulting remarks, 3 times in row, clearly meant for me, servant. Thank you for your time. Hope you score some nice waves soon too.
God Bless
It wasn’t you
Thanks Robo
Servant. I posted it once. Not sure why it was posted thrice.
How was it insulting?
It's a valid question?
How can you be an educated scienticed and believe in a non existant god? It's a dichotomy.
However I suspect your over the top servant bs is the the work of a funny troll rather than a devout imbicile
You ask how was I insulting then you insult them lol
marcus,
Your public, vitriolic, religious mockery, and personal insults have nothing to do with this article. Again I say. this website is for surf matters, not such things, but you insist that I reply. Ok, this is my final comment in reply to all your above comments to me:
1. please note the Code of Conduct for comments on this website:
https://www.swellnet.com/forums/code-conduct/37586
you have broken several of these clear rules
2. please note the Australian Law concerning hate speech and vilification:
Racial & Religious Tolerance Act 2001
you have broken this Law
3. Your comments in your triple post above, and this one here: "How can you be an educated scienticed and believe in a non existant god? It's a dichotomy."
These 2 things are not mutually exclusive. FYI: countless founders of modern science, some of the greatest minds of all time, across many fields, were devout Bible believing, Jesus following, Christians. Some famous ones were: Kepler, Pasteur, Newton, Pascal, Volta, Mendel, Kelvin, Marconi, The Wright Brothers, etc..etc., and Albert Einstein was an Old Testament Bible, God believing, Jewish genius.
Furthermore, in the world now, there are countless thousands of scientists of different Degrees and fields, who are also Christians or Jewish, who devoutly believe in God and His Holy Bible.
4. Your comment: "It's a valid question?". Perhaps it is to you. I respect it's your right to say and believe that, but it's not valid to me and all those mentioned above.
5. You say in your comment: "a non existant god". I respect your right to say and believe this and respectfully disagree. Here's what GOD says, in His Word: "The fool has said in his heart, 'There is no God'. ". ref: Psalm 14:1 and 53:1, NKJV
6. You say: "over the top servant bs", that's insulting. Then you call me: "a funny troll". That's also insulting. I had to look that up in this context. A definition is:
"some one who intentionally disrupts online communities". That's not me.
You call me: "a devout imbicile". No, that's not me either. That's insulting too.
Over and out.
Says the conspiracy nutter.
Hey rob. You know when you go on a pissup to baaaaleeee to get shitty t shirts and bintangs? You know that indo you became life long friends with?
Ask them how it is over there without ausie politicians locking things down.
You must be on ice
.
I see this topic of conversation has progressed well since I was last here ... Religion rears its ugly head , Blowin (who quite often I agree with) appears to be cracking, new commentators that may or may not even be real and their comment motives questionable.
But I am with groundswell and lucky enough to be in WA and yet to have our rights (both real and imagined) too fractured by lockdowns.
On the Covid surf front one thing that doesnt look to be going to change anytime soon with Aus lockdown is the amount of east coast refugees / travelling van pigs shitting in every carpark and beach trail from Yorke peninsula to the Exmouth gulf , maybe spend less time taking pictures of yourself for instagram and more time cleaning up your shit ,toilet paper and rubbish? , show some respect for the environment and the people that live in the places you travel through (and from what I,m seeing some of the worst offenders being northern beaches rich kids with their felt hats ,long twin fin or Dylan guns -narcissistic insta wankers but obviously used to someone else cleaning up after them
You're not really a 'people person' are you Mike?
I can relate to a fair degree by the way.........
Maybe the 20-30% or more that will hold out would take it a bit more serious if the vaccine actually stopped you from getting covid, which was trialled for original strain not delta. No country in the world has got to 80% so won't happen here, you are just spouting main stream media and the Gladys 11am show if you believe that. Yeah yeah you won't get as sick or end up in hospital, but most that get it don't anyway.
If you can't survive a bad flu time too look at your health and lifestyle, stop relying on meds to fix you. Health starts from the inside not how many k's you can paddle or weights can lift.
In the mean time if they are stupid enough to lock down areas that havn't had 1 case in over a year I am happy to keep taking Gladys $1k a week to surf, free rego/green slip and a quarter rates back in the kitty lol, what a joke.
It's almost funny that the unvaxed are now the new control group.
If only we could protect the kiddies.
The ones with the least amount of risk....have the least amount empathy for the ones that are more at risk.... the reason this has got as bad as it has, is due to the majority of people no longer notice, nor care about how their individual action's may impact on others.....pretty much todays mantra for life is "Fuck you Jack!... I'm alright"
You need to look at it from the other side too. In VIC we have put our lives on hold for 210 days now for those at risk with the absolute vast majority doing the right thing. There has been very little empathy from the politicians and laptop class (which I'm part of btw) for the gym/bar/nightclub owners/workers, events industry, arts industry etc + for the mental health impacts of life locked down.
It has been policy failures across all levels of government that have got us to this point and there is a reason why they have been changing the narrative to blaming the individuals, it gets the bastards off the hook.
Yeah ..i'm in Vic so I have been through it all too ....4 kids under 12yrs 3 getting home schooled....what shits me is that it blew out last yer because of a minority of people in a couple of Suburbs in the Nth of Melb had the "Fuck you Jack I'm alright" mentality... Delta was let back in by Gladys, its rife in NSW it will prob get a lot worse in Vic..the same strain has spread from Sydney to NZ...same people doing the same things in Politics and the community fucking us all over again....like it not ...life is prob never going to be what it was 2 yrs ago....
all good except you may find you may have misinterpreted the rules.
its pretty simple
https://twitter.com/NSWHealth/status/1431753496878063617/photo/1
Meanwhile since Delta started in Sydney/NSW with 80 deaths so far, 13,000 died from cancer, 11,000 from heart disease, 2,000 from dementia.
But yeah let's shut the state down pump everyone with poison, start a war between vaxed and non vaxed with what they can and can't do, over a flu that kills .4% of people that get it.
Go check out the flu deaths in pre covid years for fun.
https://www.wa.gov.au/government/publications/public-health-act-2016-wa-...
Sounds like our lockdown measures have been very effective to have 80 deaths as a result of this delta outbreak so far. Much better than say the UK who has had 132k deaths from COVID.
Did you forget about those when considering how harmless COVID is? Convenient.
Would be nice if the cancer patients weren't battling with really stupid covid infected anti-vaxxers for hospital beds either.
lol, yeah lockdown is working great 1200 cases a day. Maybe look at the population difference to UK first.
66m UK vs 25m Aus. Do the math mate. Sounds like numbers aren't your strong point.
Maybe not yours, you just googled and got this 66.65 million (2019) lol, 2 years behind.
https://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=uk+population&ie=UT...
"1000 covid deaths in aus v 132k in the uk - must be the population difference!"
Far out mate you really are dense aren't you
your a goose, have a look at the density of population in UK v here, haha.
Well, to be fair Rob, you think vaccines work by stopping you catching something. So ...
BTW: there are sparsely populated places in the UK that have been hammered by Covid, I live here, and have seen the devastation first hand. You don't want this out of control, mate. It is heavy. Very very very heavy. Very healthy people going under. Please, be careful - not just for you but for those cancer patients you mention etc. You don't want to see the hard core cases first hand. It's not the flu. It really isn't, mate.
A quick primer for you:
The immune system is a network of cells, tissues and organs that work together to help fight off infection from harmful bacteria or viruses. When a disease-causing agent, such as virus or bacteria, invades your body, your immune system recognises it as harmful and will trigger a response to destroy it.
One of the ways your immune system fights off infection is by creating large proteins known as antibodies. These antibodies act as scouts, hunting down the infectious agent, and marking it for destruction by the immune system. Each antibody is specific to the bacteria or virus that it has detected and will trigger a specific immune response. These specific antibodies will remain in the immune system after the infection has gone. This means that if the same disease is encountered again, your immune system has a ‘memory’ of the disease and is ready to quickly destroy it before you get sick and any symptoms can develop.
Sometimes, however, the immune system doesn’t always win this initial battle against the harmful bacteria or virus and you can become very ill or – in extreme cases – die. Vaccination is the safest and most common way to gain immunity against a bacteria or virus that your body has yet to encounter. Vaccines contain a harmless form of the bacteria or virus that causes the disease you are being immunised against. The bacteria or virus will be killed, greatly weakened, or broken down into small parts before use in the vaccine so that they can trigger an immune response without making you sick. Your immune system will still attack the harmless form of bacteria or virus from the vaccine and will produce antibodies to fight it off. The immune system then keeps a memory of the disease, so if a vaccinated person encounters the disease years later, their immune system is ready to fight it off and prevent an infection from developing.
https://www.health.gov.au/initiatives-and-programs/covid-19-vaccines/is-...