Messages

1

GAA Discussion / Re: Retirements

« on: January 25, 2021, 10:43:47 AM »

Sad to see Keith retire without the big one but a fine career nonetheless and will go down as one of our all time greats. Good luck in retirement

2

General discussion / Re: Teachers get it handy!

« on: January 20, 2021, 08:18:23 PM »

Unions definitely the reason the schools are closed in the North. I know the pressure they put on certain MLA's who then in turn basically used it as a political football to attack Weir. Same with the 11+. Interesting those same MLA's never once criticised the schools for using the exam which is the crux of the issue.
There is no plan to even open schools even when infections drop. It would appear schools will remain closed until Covid is completely eradicated. Answers on a postcard when that will be. Meanwhile the gap between the have's and have nots gets larger.

I know of one leading Grammar school in Belfast where they'd almost 160 kids and 14 teachers out either from testing positive for Covid or isolating due to being in close contact with someone who'd tested positive in the school environment in the lead up to Christmas.

If it got any worse they were going to have to close unilaterally due to the lack of teachers but sure schools don't spread it.

How many deaths did we having in the North yesterday, just the 24 was it?

Again, these are outliers and this can happen. When it happens it is correct to close the school. However, the important thing to understand is a "school" didnt spread the covid. It was more likely than not caused by the behaviour of a person or people in that building. People are people in all walks of life they will not follow the rules. Its not a reason to shut the world down though.

And yet everywhere is shut down? This reads like guns don't kill, people do. School is third highest source of spread after home and retail setting. I know of a SNA is school in Dublin in their 40s that died of Covid over Christmas with no previous health issues.

Everywhere is not shut down, open your eyes. Let me take 2 minutes out to help teachers and cos if that is all they need here is the answer....

1- PPE. If government is not providing it (which is seriously doubt). Then each School should ask their board of management to secure it. In turn parents could then be asked to help. I am certain, 100% certain that the parents of kids would happily contribute to the purchase of PPE given that you can get a mask for a cloth mask for a euro or two and a bottle of IPA the same.
2- Definition of Close Contact - Face to Face, indoors, within 1 meter for a combined duration of 15 minutes. In my place of work we went more conservative at 2m, each school could decide based on their own areas
3- Track and Trace is part of the HSE role. In my place of work however we developed our own track and trace where we phone anyone that is off with COVID, ask them had they a close contact and if they had we phone the close contact and tell them not to come in. This is not instead of the HSE, its as well as the HSE.

Takes a bit of work, takes a bit of effort but it can be done. Better than sitting on your hole waiting for someone to do it for you. PS - we had no one from HSE or elsewhere come into our plant to tell us how to do this.

So a face bask is ok for a SNA doing personal care needs?

What are childcare workers in crèches doing? For the small number of students involved, the unions should have been able to agree something to allow special needs kids go back to school. Plenty of other sectors are doing their part, the teaching unions are the exception here

3

General discussion / Re: Teachers get it handy!

« on: January 20, 2021, 10:04:00 AM »

Very poor carry on from the teacher unions

Any employee is entitled to health and safety and promotion of health and safety is properly the business of a union representing its members.  Note that the politicians that are criticising the teachers are down in the conference centre at great expense to make sure that they do not come with 5m of each other.

Plenty of workers are continuing to work through the pandemic, factories, supermarkets, etc. How are teachers different?

Supermarket staff are enclosed in perspex and customers in supermarkets are expected to wear masks, although shamefully some supermarkets do not protect their staff in this regard. By and large teachers are not enclosed in perspex nor are their customers expected to wear masks.

Not the ones who are restacking shelves.

I honestly think it's a disgrace that the unions can't agree something that will at least allow special needs kids and leaving certs to return to school, there'd be plenty of space for everyone with reduced numbers

Why is it up to the unions and only the unions? The point is there is no plan to discuss. I know a SNA and they are on PUP. They are itching to get back but not at any cost. They aren't even given masks

So the unions aren't happy with whatever had been offered - let them release a list of what they require, if their demands are reasonable, public opinion will be fully behind them.

4

General discussion / Re: Teachers get it handy!

« on: January 19, 2021, 10:18:37 PM »

Very poor carry on from the teacher unions

Any employee is entitled to health and safety and promotion of health and safety is properly the business of a union representing its members.  Note that the politicians that are criticising the teachers are down in the conference centre at great expense to make sure that they do not come with 5m of each other.

Plenty of workers are continuing to work through the pandemic, factories, supermarkets, etc. How are teachers different?

Supermarket staff are enclosed in perspex and customers in supermarkets are expected to wear masks, although shamefully some supermarkets do not protect their staff in this regard. By and large teachers are not enclosed in perspex nor are their customers expected to wear masks.

Not the ones who are restacking shelves.

I honestly think it's a disgrace that the unions can't agree something that will at least allow special needs kids and leaving certs to return to school, there'd be plenty of space for everyone with reduced numbers

5

General discussion / Re: Teachers get it handy!

« on: January 19, 2021, 09:56:01 PM »

Very poor carry on from the teacher unions

Any employee is entitled to health and safety and promotion of health and safety is properly the business of a union representing its members.  Note that the politicians that are criticising the teachers are down in the conference centre at great expense to make sure that they do not come with 5m of each other.

Plenty of workers are continuing to work through the pandemic, factories, supermarkets, etc. How are teachers different?

6

General discussion / Re: Teachers get it handy!

« on: January 19, 2021, 09:20:35 PM »

Very poor carry on from the teacher unions

7

General discussion / Re: China Coronavirus

« on: January 18, 2021, 08:18:47 PM »

Can someone explain why the 14 day incidence rate is higher this week than last week when there are far less cases this week ?

The 14 day incidence rate will only start to fall when the number of cases today is lower than the number of cases 15 days ago - the number from 15 days ago is the one that's being dropped from the calculation. 

8

General discussion / Re: China Coronavirus

« on: January 18, 2021, 02:32:14 PM »

The upside of the vaccine is that anyone over the age of 70 that gets covid and has the vaccine will not die
A pretty big upside
What part don’t you get?

A. I was referring to people under 40 getting the vaccine. What is the upside to people under 40 getting the vaccine?

B. People in Norway over 70 haven't fared out too well with the vaccine so far.

So have you anything to add to that? If people wish to get the vaccine, they should feel free to. If people don't, they should have their views and rights accepted.

You're correct in that it hasn't been proven that you cannot contract & transmit the virus after receiving the vaccine. So let's look at a hypothetical case of someone under 40 who catches the virus (and let's assume for the sake of your point that they have no symptoms and will have absolutely no long term effects from it):

• if this person has had the vaccine and contracts the virus, their body will already have the antibodies to kill the virus so the virus will be transmissible only for a short period
• if this person has not had the vaccine and contracts the virus, their body will need to learn how to create the antibodies to kill the virus so the virus will be transmissible for a longer period

The more people who fall into the first category, the less people who contract the virus

9

General discussion / Re: The vaccine rollout

« on: January 18, 2021, 12:20:48 PM »

There are reports of a US study that suggests the vaccine, or indeed protection from having had the dose, should last 3-5 years.
That would be OK and in 3 years for round 2 they have have a seriously good vaccine.

I'd have doubts about how they could conclude something like that - I just don't see how they'd have data to come to that 3-5 years estimate

10

General discussion / Re: China Coronavirus

« on: January 18, 2021, 12:05:15 PM »

Am I the only one that think the media are making a big deal out of the 16 jabs that were given to family members of staff at the hospital in Dublin ? 

No you're not.
It was use them or dump them.
Only point I'd make were there any staff members or patients they could have been given to in the timespan available?

Yeah, it's not that big of a deal imo.

The root of the problem is the lack of an electronic system for tracking who has received / needs to receive the jab

11

Mayo / Re: Promising Players for Mayo 2018

« on: January 15, 2021, 03:16:28 PM »

With Barrett (& the steadying influence of Clarke) gone and Harrison out injured, Horan will need to have a good look at how he sets up the full back line. Keegan & Mullin played there this year but both look better out the field. Who else will be in the mix:

O'Hora - again probably better as a half back
McBrien?
Brickendon?
Coyne?
??

That's looking pretty light

Edit: Drake? Eoin O'D?

12

GAA Discussion / Re: Retirements

« on: January 15, 2021, 03:08:29 PM »

Massive loss to see him retiring, he was the only natural FB we had this year. Surprised that he didn't stay on for the short year that's coming up

Great servant to Mayo, good luck in your retirement Chris

13

General discussion / Re: Mother and Baby Home Report

« on: January 14, 2021, 05:24:09 PM »

Think even before the Mother and Child Homes, the Irish people were always a bit depraved in their attitudes to illegitimate children and unwed mothers. There’s a long tradition of burying them in what were euphemistically called Fairy Fields. The new state went a step further and incarcerated them with support of many families, and if the children didn’t end up in unconsecrared ground like a septic tank, thousands were sold abroad often transported by someone who was emigrating to America who would bring child to new owners on other side, adding to the suffering of the mother who was allowed bond with child until it was ready to be dispensed with in a new way. We have a vision of ourselves as a great people but we were anything but.

Let's not let the Catholic Church off the hook for this one, please.

Of course the Church shouldn't be let off the hook, but neither should Irish society. These women were often sent to the homes by their own families.

And sorry to repeat the point, but any society that is outraged by this and remains silent/tolerant/passive about Direct Provision - the modern day, state supported, profit generating human rights abusing institution - needs to take a good look at itself.

What percentage of asylum claimed are dismissed as fraudulent?

It doesn't matter.

If claims are "fraudulent" as you put it, then ship those people out in a timely manner. Don't leave them and the (majority) of applicants hanging around in limbo for years.

 

14

General discussion / Re: Working From Home

« on: January 14, 2021, 08:55:37 AM »

I've been wfh for the past two and a half years - it allowed us to to move out of Dublin and go back west. I like WFH but you definitely miss chatting to people in the office. In an ideal world, I'd probably go for a flexible 2/3 split.

15

General discussion / Re: Mother and Baby Home Report

« on: January 13, 2021, 11:34:37 AM »

Watching a Danish thriller on BBC player, called DNA, when I say Danish its French/English and Polish..

Anyway the storyline is about a convent that takes in unmarried pregnant mothers and 'sells/adopt's' their babies off, Obviously fictional storyline but based on events that went/go on in modern day Poland, so this stuff was and is still going on around the world!!

Terrible that a institution like the Catholic Church allows this to happen

Allows is too kind of a word MR.

The Catholic Church created a culture where the likes of a young girl getting pregnant out of wedlock was seen as a shame and stain on the family and indeed parish/community and needed to be hidden away from "decent" society.

They were aided and abetted by weak governments driven by the same dogma through time.

What was uncovered in Tuam would make any organisation involved in that ashamed to their dying day, pro life my arse.

That pretty much sums it up for me, the culture of fear that existed in society which was created by the church (and abetted by the state) is a disgrace to us as a country