Track and Trace

[albie]

Hancockup has always been keen to monetise the data, and the Cummings project rewards backers with lucrative contracts under the cover of a Covid response;
https://bylinetimes.com/2020/07/15/will-the-coronavirus-pandemic-obliterate-the-last-frontier-in-privacy-our-biological-selves/

https://www.monbiot.com/2020/07/19/contract-killers/

Ireland have taken a different approach;
https://www.siliconrepublic.com/enterprise/covid-tracker-ireland-app-source-code-glinux-project

[SydneyRover]

Someone's telling porkies again, can you guess who it is?


''Test and trace failing to contact thousands in England's worst-hit areas

The government’s flagship test-and-trace system is failing to contact thousands of people in areas with the highest infection rates in England, raising further questions about the £10bn programme described by Boris Johnson as “world-beating”

In Luton, which has the sixth highest infection rate in England, only 47% of at-risk people were contacted by test and trace. In Leicester, which remains under a partial lockdown, the rate was 65%, meaning more than 3,300 people were not reached by the programme.

More than 5,500 people in four areas with the highest infection rates in England were not contacted when they should have been told to self-isolate, the Guardian has learned. These included 3,340 people in Leicester, 984 in Kirklees, 759 in Rochdale and 448 in Blackburn with Darwen.

The government’s Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) has said that 80% of an infected person’s close contacts must be contacted and told to self-isolate within 48 to 72 hours for the national programme to be effective.

In Blackburn with Darwen the figure was 54%; in Leicester 65%, in Rochdale 66% and in Kirklees 77%.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jul/22/test-and-trace-system-in-england-failing-to-contact-thousands

[big fat yorkshire pudding]

The question is why....

[SydneyRover]

Why does johnson lie? that is the question, because he can't deal with the truth, he's a narcissist and likes his ego fluffed? he's never had to deal with the truth so it's foreign to him, he struggles to understand what the difference is between truth and lies, he's just a lying f**k. I think the latter.

[albie]

World beating T+T, is it not?
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/aug/05/englands-contact-tracers-making-handful-of-calls-a-month

Job creation scheme rather than an effective strategy.
Hopeless!

[selby]

  According to an official in Darwin/ Blackburn this afternoon on Talkradio, one of the biggest problems they have is the lack of speaking and understanding  English in the local community most at risk.

[albie]

Snouts in the trough again for Serco;
https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/opendemocracyuk/serco-lands-another-45m-for-failing-covid-test-and-trace-scheme/
Good to know public money is being so well spent.

New health Czar Dido Harding is not elected, being a member of the House of Lords after being favoured by Cameron, who apparently "knew her" at University.

Lady Dido has a great CV for the role she currently holds;
https://www.private-eye.co.uk/issue-1529/news

If Tracy Tracker is there to transfer funds to favoured companies, she is doing a great job with your money.

[albie]

OMG;
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/health/coronavirus-nhs-testing-hospitals-shortage-b485589.html

Getting surreal now!

[SydneyRover]

Maybe Rishi should start a scheme where every family gets a tenner off delivered takeaway and stays at home? it would make more sense than the previous brain explosion.

[bobjimwilly]

  According to an official in Darwin/ Blackburn this afternoon on Talkradio, one of the biggest problems they have is the lack of speaking and understanding  English in the local community most at risk.

Wow. So the 2nd wave is because of those bloody foreigners eh Selby?

That statement, sir, is nodding towards racism.

[IDM]

I’m not sure I agree with you there BJW, Selby is relating what he heard, nothing says he agrees with it.

We live in a multicultural society and there will be some people who struggle with English.  The authorities need to recognise where that is an issue and provide multilingual guidance.

[idler]

Selby, I've lived in Bradford for over forty years and it's amazing how many people that you meet with little or no English. Some of the older ones have lived here many years and don't speak English.

[Janso]

Aye, imagine that, a community of people who move to another country then live in their own little bubble and never bother to learn the language.

I'm glad Brits don't do that.

[idler]

Janso, I was just explaining the situation here. I also have no time for ex-pats in Spain etc. that are arrogant enough to think that they don't need to speak the language of their adopted country.
I also do try to speak a bit of Urdu to my neighbours. My accent isn't great though.🙂

[bpoolrover]

  According to an official in Darwin/ Blackburn this afternoon on Talkradio, one of the biggest problems they have is the lack of speaking and understanding  English in the local community most at risk.

Wow. So the 2nd wave is because of those bloody foreigners eh Selby?

That statement, sir, is nodding towards racism.

how is it racism in the slightest? Is it wrong what he has said? Surley if someone can’t understand the language of the country it would be harder to follow the rules? You sir owe selby a apology!

[Axholme Lion]

When I went to France last I always tried and order food and taxis etc in French. I think the locals appreciate the effort even if I was a bit slow.

[Campsall rover]

When I went to France last I always tried and order food and taxis etc in French. I think the locals appreciate the effort even if I was a bit slow.

They couldn’t possibly understand French with a Peckham/Bermondsey accent.
Now a proper Donny one that’s a different kettle of fish ( or snails )

[selby]

bobjimwilly, I am not in the slightest bit interested  in what you are nodding towards.

[wilts rover]

The problem of people who don't have English as a first language not being able to keep up with changing coronavirus guidelines has been known about for months. So it's not suprising someone should be saying it on the radio - the suprise is they are still saying it as late as last Friday.

https://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/news/national/18611065.fears-access-coronavirus-guidance-non-english-speakers/

But that doesn't seem to be the main problem in Blackburn. That is the failure of the government test & trace system who were not able to trace over half the contacts. Which is why Andy Burnham and other north-west politicians have said they should be running the system - so they could go round to people's houses and tell them what to do.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-53463068

[roversdude]

WTF why is that remotely racist, if you don’t understand or can’t read English how can you be expected to comply with rules

[scawsby steve]

When I went to France last I always tried and order food and taxis etc in French. I think the locals appreciate the effort even if I was a bit slow.

I bet you sounded just like that bloke in "Allo allo".

I wush to erder a tixi.

[Bentley Bullet]

....And when he went through customs I bet he said: "do you want to see my pisspot?"

[Axholme Lion]

When I went to France last I always tried and order food and taxis etc in French. I think the locals appreciate the effort even if I was a bit slow.

I bet you sounded just like that bloke in "Allo allo".

I wush to erder a tixi.

I probably sounded an even bigger tit in French than English! Ha ha.

[BillyStubbsTears]

We are a funny lot when it comes to speaking other languages. I speak Italian passably well but I'm hopeless at other languages. Every time I'm somewhere where no-one speaks English and they start talking to me in their language, I panic and start talking Italian. Cos it's foreign innit?

[BillyStubbsTears]

Had a proper comedy example a few years back. I was going to a meeting in Innsbruck. Flew to Munich and got a late night train from there. One of those classic old ones with the six seat compartments.

Just before it set off, I thought I had the compartment to myself, but a great fat German guy with the Bavarian moustache gets in.

Couple of minutes later he gets out a packet of fags and said something to me in German. I later realised he was saying "Do you mind if I smoke?" but I didn't get it immediately. So I tried to tell him I didn't understand in the tiny bit of German that I know. But I got confused with Italian.

Thing is, in Italian, they don't put I or He or You or They before verbs. You just know who the verb is referring to by the ending. So for example, to say, "I go" you say "vado" and "you go" is "vai".

So I gets into Italian mode and dropped the pronouns as I replied. Meant to say, "I'm sorry, I'm English, I don't speak German". And I got the verb ending for "speak" wrong. Actually said, "Ich bin Englander. Nicht sprechen Deutsch!"

Which I realised later, very badly translates as "I'm English. Don't you speak German!"

He sort of shook his head looking shocked and muttered something under his breath that included "Englander" and "scheisse" but I couldn't make the rest out.

Bit of a frosty atmos for the rest of the trip.

[IDM]

A bit like JFK saying “ich bin ein Berliner”, when in that city all those years ago.

In many parts of Germany a “Berliner” is a type of donut.!

[drfchound]

Had a proper comedy example a few years back. I was going to a meeting in Innsbruck. Flew to Munich and got a late night train from there. One of those classic old ones with the six seat compartments.

Just before it set off, I thought I had the compartment to myself, but a great fat German guy with the Bavarian moustache gets in.

Couple of minutes later he gets out a packet of fags and said something to me in German. I later realised he was saying "Do you mind if I smoke?" but I didn't get it immediately. So I tried to tell him I didn't understand in the tiny bit of German that I know. But I got confused with Italian.

Thing is, in Italian, they don't put I or He or You or They before verbs. You just know who the verb is referring to by the ending. So for example, to say, "I go" you say "vado" and "you go" is "vai".

So I gets into Italian mode and dropped the pronouns as I replied. Meant to say, "I'm sorry, I'm English, I don't speak German". And I got the verb ending for "speak" wrong. Actually said, "Ich bin Englander. Nicht sprechen Deutsch!"

Which I realised later, very badly translates as "I'm English. Don't you speak German!"

He sort of shook his head looking shocked and muttered something under his breath that included "Englander" and "scheisse" but I couldn't make the rest out.

Bit of a frosty atmos for the rest of the trip.

That scenario sounds a bit like something from an Agatha Christie story.

[BillyStubbsTears]

Got a second Munich train compartment story.

A few years before I'd been to a conference in Munich. First time I'd ever presented anything in front of a big audience. Couldn't afford to fly so I'd got the ferry and train which was miles cheaper.

Made a few friends at the conference and on the last night we went out and got hammered. 2am, I suddenly remembered I had to get the train at 4am to be sure of making my ferry.

Rushed back to the hotel, threw up, packed, left and got to the station absolutely shit faced.

Gets in the compartment with no-one else in the whole carriage. Then just as we were about to leave, THE most beautiful woman I've ever seen walks down the corridor. Then 30 seconds later, she comes back, opens my compartment door and says in perfect English with an East European accent, "Do you mind if I join you in here? It's a bit scary to be in a compartment on my own late at night."

So she sits down and we talk, and she is absolutely fascinating as well as beautiful. 23 year old Croatian PhD student, studying in Munich. And she's flirting with me outrageously, saying how much she prefers English men to any others, and I'm thinking...thinking...thinking...

Next thing I know it's two hours later and the sun's coming up. I'd fallen asleep. No sign of her but she's left me a note. "Lovely to meet you. You looked really funny asleep. Sorry I had to get off, my stop was Augsburg."

No name. No contact details.

Chuffing German ale.

[Bentley Bullet]

Got a second Munich train compartment story.

A few years before I'd been to a conference in Munich. First time I'd ever presented anything in front of a big audience. Couldn't afford to fly so I'd got the ferry and train which was miles cheaper.

Made a few friends at the conference and on the last night we went out and got hammered. 2am, I suddenly remembered I had to get the train at 4am to be sure of making my ferry.

Rushed back to the hotel, threw up, packed, left and got to the station absolutely shit faced.

Gets in the compartment with no-one else in the whole carriage. Then just as we were about to leave, THE most beautiful woman I've ever seen walks down the corridor. Then 30 seconds later, she comes back, opens my compartment door and says in perfect English with an East European accent, "Do you mind if I join you in here? It's a bit scary to be in a compartment on my own late at night."

So she sits down and we talk, and she is absolutely fascinating as well as beautiful. 23 year old Croatian PhD student, studying in Munich. And she's flirting with me outrageously, saying how much she prefers English men to any others, and I'm thinking...thinking...thinking...

Next thing I know it's two hours later and the sun's coming up. I'd fallen asleep. No sign of her but she's left me a note. "Lovely to meet you. You looked really funny asleep. Sorry I had to get off, my stop was Augsburg."

No name. No contact details.

Chuffing German ale.

I wonder how many pints of it she'd had?

[scawsby steve]

Got a second Munich train compartment story.

A few years before I'd been to a conference in Munich. First time I'd ever presented anything in front of a big audience. Couldn't afford to fly so I'd got the ferry and train which was miles cheaper.

Made a few friends at the conference and on the last night we went out and got hammered. 2am, I suddenly remembered I had to get the train at 4am to be sure of making my ferry.

Rushed back to the hotel, threw up, packed, left and got to the station absolutely shit faced.

Gets in the compartment with no-one else in the whole carriage. Then just as we were about to leave, THE most beautiful woman I've ever seen walks down the corridor. Then 30 seconds later, she comes back, opens my compartment door and says in perfect English with an East European accent, "Do you mind if I join you in here? It's a bit scary to be in a compartment on my own late at night."

So she sits down and we talk, and she is absolutely fascinating as well as beautiful. 23 year old Croatian PhD student, studying in Munich. And she's flirting with me outrageously, saying how much she prefers English men to any others, and I'm thinking...thinking...thinking...

Next thing I know it's two hours later and the sun's coming up. I'd fallen asleep. No sign of her but she's left me a note. "Lovely to meet you. You looked really funny asleep. Sorry I had to get off, my stop was Augsburg."

No name. No contact details.

Chuffing German ale.

I had a similar experience BST. Only this was on a train to Cleethorpes, and the woman who got on was from Denaby. She was THE most ugly woman I'd ever seen. She farted all the way there.

I too fell asleep, and when I woke up, she'd left me a note saying she'd got off at Grimsby.

Thank f*ck for that.