Harry

So. I tried Strava this morning. 
Did my usual 10k, no deviation, and Strava clocked it as 10.2. 
I’ll persevere with it for now, but now I’m unsure which is correct, Map My Run clocks it at 10, Strava at 10.2. 
Looks like Strava had a bit of deviation around the 4-5k point  

Hey folks. Only just recently discovered this thread. 
I’ve just sent a request to the otib strava group. 
I don’t use strava - I’m a Map My Run guy, but I’ve just loaded it up and will give it a go tomorrow. 
 

To catch up on my running history. 
Always used to play football so didn’t really focus on actual running. After a back injury at 37 stopped me playing I started running more. 
 

Haven’t done too many ‘official’ races. My first proper one was the Bristol Half in 2013 where I clocked 1:50. 
Then did the Bristol 10k in 2015 at 46:54. 
My next proper one was Forest of Dean half in 2017, clicking bang on 1:55. 
 

Every time I’ve done a race, I’ve trained well for it and then lost motivation after and ended up back at square 1! 
Having kids severely hampered my running too - having to do the school run has prevented me from running in the morning so for the last couple of years I’ve mainly been restricted to Saturday & Sunday mornings. 
 

Lockdown (and no school) has allowed me to up my game. Did 100k in March, and then 135k in April. I’m already on 87k for May. My Map My Run screenie below of month to date (plus a 5 Thursday and a 10 sat morning). 
@CyderInACan god knows how you did over 200k last month. You’ve spurred me on son! 
 

So, signed up to the club, will try Strava tomorrow morning. Planning on a 10k, so hopefully it works well. 
 

Good to be in the club - good extra motivation. 

2 hours ago, phantom said:

Cough cough @Bristol Rob

 

@Bristol Rob has certainly succeeded in his sales strategy. He got Tinnions Love Child and me to sign up. 
 

2 hours ago, Bristol Rob said:

Oh it's not though. They are being charged by the hour to use the car park.

They only way they can avoid it is to but 2 decaf lattes, a bacon roll and a pecan slice from the coffee shop.

Those driving in for a test need to show their season ticket and then agree to spending money in the superstore. 

But what about the guy who opens and closes the gate to the car park. Had he been furloughed and now has to come back into work? Is he employed by Bristol City, Ashton Gate Ltd or Bristol Sport? We need to know - there’s gotta be a story in there somewhere for someone to run with!!!

6 hours ago, phantom said:

Glad they’ve said that. It was the clearest and most obvious thing to do. 

9 minutes ago, Mr Popodopolous said:

Don't like the UAE regime but fair point- I take it back based on their actions in the UK.

They put it in in the first place but can't argue with the withdrawal.

And yet you still find a snide, critical remark. 
“they put it in in the first place”. 
 

The initial agreement had a “contribution” to fixed costs. They’ve now removed all costs. 
 

An analogy might be that you rent a house. You pay the landlord £1,000 per month. You are then responsible for the gas, electric, water, Sky tv, council tax etc. 

They were giving it rent free but were asking for some of the running costs to be covered. Just like you’d be expected to pay the running costs of a house you rented. 
 

Stop being so critical. This is a positive thing. Why try to poke around at it and find something sinister. 

3 minutes ago, Mr Popodopolous said:

If that's true, they're ********* then.

Seems to be some debate over the truth though.

Maybe they were charging that but now they aren't.

Well, no. There’s no debate at all. 
There was initially some fixed costs put into the agreement, and now they’ve removed those. 

Maybe you’d like to take back the comment of them being *********? 

16 hours ago, Mr Popodopolous said:

It's an indicator, are we all in it together as a society? No, we are not. If not football tickets for key workers, why not have clubs show flexibility on ticket deadlines etc.

Burnley players donated to a foodbank- some players have a wider sense of things, many do not... 

Nothing personal to you and your commission, but it's about time with Private Health. Do they train doctors and nurses?

Heard a statement that BUPA have trained zilch. So no, I'm not a fan of the sector as a whole. 

That's disingenuous. Most loss making industries and even profitable ones have made major cutbacks. Emergency cutbacks. Yet the biggest cost in football must be honoured at all costs.

Some football have too- one article I read that fan pressure played a role in Barca salary cut, I assume Barcelona as a city is suffering quite heavily with this virus. Leeds I applaud,  deferral or not they did it for the greater good, much like your industry.

Saw an article that suggested Deal between Government and Private Health sector was £2.3m per day at cost. Fine, but in Spain it was requisitioned. I think paying at cost is reasonably fair BTW but then again in a global pandemic...

How.many retail staff have been laid off? % wise? Greater % than highly paid footballers I'd suggest. 

Saw on the news tonight that bank dividends may not be paid due to Coronavirus. Plus, cash bonuses to bank executives may also not be paid.

I'd turn it on its head. Why should football be an exception here? 

I'm sure certain journos would be interested in it, the differentials here, at this club. Bristol Sport.

Football has long had an imbalance. Hope this brings in some good changes.

Strange chap? Get ****** in one respect.

@Bristol Rob

Okay not maybe then. Free tickets as opposed to corporate hospitality. Free tickets at an average ticket price, 1,000 of these might cost £30-35k. Applications online surely now, the freshly unemployed- vast bulk would be.

NHS is the best thing about this country full stop IMO. Full stop.

Your impression of the private medical industry is very negative and very false one.

In taxes, the private medical industry pulls in nearly £2 billion per annum for the treasury.  The annual NHS budget is roughly £135 billion.  The private sector treats around 10% of population.  Yet they do this on a cost of less than 4% of the equivalent NHS budget.  It's hugely efficient and it shields the NHS from another 10% of cases, many of which are very expensive cases to treat.

Private healthcare helps many people to live longer.  Take cancer for example.  Many of the drugs and therapies which the private industry fund are way too expensive for the NHS.  If you have cancer, and are privately treated, you'll be entitled to things such as proton beam therapy, very rarely available on the NHS.  Some cancer drugs cost £100,000 per year per patient - the NHS simply couldn't afford that, even if we threw all the money we possibly could at it.  The private sector does a good job of keeping people alive and shielding the NHS from a huge number of treatments.  If the private industry was closed tomorrow, the NHS would lose around £2 billion funding, and yet would need to increase it's budget exponentially to cover the extra treatment it would need to provide - it would not be affordable - unless you wanted everyone to pay another 40% on their tax rate.  Quite simply, more people would die, because of lack of funding.

Anyway, back to your initial argument - you want football clubs to give free tickets to thousands of people.  I still don't get that.  It's not just the NHS staff who are keeping this country going at the moment.  Hats off to them, for sure, they deserve respect, but so does every other worker in this country who is keeping things moving.  My Asda delivery driver deserves a ticket too.  As does the person who packed the shopping in the supermarket, as does my postie, as do the binmen, the list can (and does) go on.  I don't know why you want to single out NHS staff (only a proportion of which will be actually dealing with covid patients).

To your final line.  Yes, the NHS is a wonderful thing.  But I needs the private medical industry too. Don't be so dismissive and one-eyed.

29 minutes ago, Mr Popodopolous said:

Do you work in private health like @Harry

Would explain a few things. Suspect he'd be less than enthusiastic too, about the idea. 

Regarding football, I give Burnley the award so far.

1) Paying casual staff (last time I looked). 

2) If they're paying casual staff then surely regular staff are being paid. 

3) Donated to foodbank. Unsure if it was cash or food.  Their foodbank thing is football related BTW.

4) Joined the NHS tickets thing.

Now granted they're in PL and their income streams are great but Burnley FC!!

Pops - why have you quoted me into a conversation of which I have no previous? 
You are a strange chap. 
Why do you have a bee in your bonnet about me working in private healthcare? It’s my job, it pays me handsomely, but it doesn’t rule my politics or my morals. 
 

Since you’ve brought me into your conversation, I actually agree with Bristol Rob on his points toward you. If football clubs want to offer free tickets to NHS staff then great, that’s their lookout. But you seem to be on a mission to ‘expect’ all clubs to do this. Why? Why is it footballs responsibility to do something? 
I admire the NHS folks who are currently ploughing through a tonne of shit. I’d also point out that private healthcare is also putting everything to this cause too. Non urgent appointments have all been cancelled, no new appointments are to be booked, client premiums are going to be refunded for the fact that no claims can be made whilst this is ongoing and those refunds of premiums actively impact on my commission earned, thus my own take home pay. But I’m not bothered about that, as I know my industry is doing the right thing for the greater good. 

Rob’s point about profits in football is a valid one. Most clubs don’t make money. Most actually lose a lot of money. There are multiple reasons for that, mainly player wages. Football might have a kick up it’s backside after this to sort itself out. But right now, most clubs make a loss - why are you expecting loss making businesses to offer up free stuff. 
Many retail outlets have been feeling the pinch lately, making losses - maybe River Island should start making face masks instead of menswear and give 10 million of them away to every nhs worker, every delivery driver, every shop assistant, etc. 
 

Why is it footballs job? 

4 minutes ago, Bristol Rob said:

I'm sure someone will pick fault with this soon.

I think I know who..... 

7 minutes ago, Davefevs said:

@lager loud Mezze Downend stopping all food (takeaway and delivery).  That’s this Friday or Saturday stuffed (no pun).

My guess is that many restaurants who thought they could do a takeaway service didn’t fully understand the concept of the government salary replacement scheme. 
I think many simply thought that they could just carry on as normal, get staff to come in and prepare the meals, and claim the 80% salary from the government. 
 

Many misunderstood this, I believe. You can only claim the replacement salary for staff who don’t work. If you have staff in the restaurant cooking food, then you have to pay them yourself. 
 

I know a couple of proprietors who misunderstood and thought they could claim the money even for staff they had continue working. 

3 hours ago, Ska Junkie said:

He is Harry, changed his username though.

 

Ah yes. 
I’ve just messaged him to say top work. And I now know he’s still active on here in another guise. 
He said “takes me back to us being in school writing songs about our classmates”. 
He’s a proper good lad. 

2 hours ago, Ska Junkie said:

 

 

 

On a more light hearted tone, one of our own has been putting tunes on youtube, about the virus. Take a look, they're really very good.

More to come....

Yes! 

@cheesleysmate. 

Superb  

Not sure why his tag ain’t working? Is he on here still! 

5 minutes ago, Super said:

New cases have gone down 2 days in a row maybe a glimmer. Hopefully anyway

4,789 new cases yesterday. 
5,239 new cases today. 
They’ve increased today by 450. 
Unless the site I’m using is wrong, they’re not coming down. 

1 hour ago, One Team In Keynsham said:

As I told a client once, after dealing with a support case, "there's no such thing as a stupid question, just stupid people who ask them."

I always used to say to my staff :

There are no stupid questions. Just inquisitive idiots. 

1 hour ago, downendcity said:

Mrs D and I got out a map yesterday to organise or travel plans for the next few months.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Am I the only one seeing a chunky las in a short skirt on your car? 
Or am I going stir crazy already? 

11 minutes ago, wood_red said:

Nobody will disagree that the NHS is massively underfunded, but it has hardly been just the last few years has it. I thought it was a good point by downendcity that nobody seemed to respond to at all regarding PFI. 

How much money has Blairs actions cost the NHS, and still continues to cost them? Does anyone have the answers?

 

NHS funding has been a problem since it came into being in 1948. 
The 1944 white paper estimated the annual cost at £132m. 
In the first full year in 1948, the actual cost was £248m. 
By 1951 it had increased to £384m. 

The system has been playing catch-up since day 1. 

11 hours ago, Redpool said:

In the US. I can get an mri tomorrow 

You would have to wait 12-16 weeks in the UK.

I get injured tomorrow, I can immediately get into see a surgeon and get scheduled.

Current wait time for orthopedic surgery in the UK is 4-6 months

We have zero access to things like HRT & TRT. Our govt won’t financially support things like that

It’s 3-4 week wait to see a freaking regular doctor in this country. 
 

Not so ridiculous...

 

 

11 hours ago, MarcusX said:

It might be ok if you have insurance, I can’t get my head around having a complete accident and leaving hospital with a 6 figure bill. Health care based on financial standing is awful.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.theatlantic.com/amp/article/563519/

 

 

11 hours ago, Redpool said:

Obamacare left those on the lower financial standing even worse.

Its quite funny how we say we hope to never have a healthcare system like the US. They say the exact same about us. Funny old world 

11 hours ago, Nibor said:

In the UK you can have private healthcare and get access to things quickly if you have the money, just the same as the US.

The difference is that if you don't have the money you aren't given a choice limited to death or bankruptcy, you can actually get treated for free without having to ruin your entire family's future.

You get emergency care immediately with no bill.

11 hours ago, Odysseus said:

Any American I’ve met in this county begs to differ and are amazed no matter who you are you get live saving treatment for free. I’d rather have that for the many than the inconvenience of having to wait weeks longer for an MRI. The problem with our current health system is due to Tory underfunding and staff shortages. 

11 hours ago, Kid in the Riot said:

The citizens of this country also have the option to pay for healthcare if they so wish, securing most of what you refer to above. 

The difference is the most vulnerable in society get screwed by the system you describe.

The NHS is the envy of most Americans I've spoken to, granted they are progressive New Yorkers or Californians. You've presumably only ever discussed it with people that are equally as narrow-minded and thick as you are.

10 hours ago, bcfcfinker said:

I've commented on some of your points.

You are right to a point about the American system to a point. What you forgot to mentions is this:
How much money you have to have to get this level of service or if you have the 'right' insurance.
If you have don't have the money or the insurance, you're ****ed.

You'd have been better off comparing the NHS to the European health care systems such as France or Germany (I know little about the others... I'm led to believe that some of the other healthcare systems can be a little hit and miss). In my view, the French and German services are superior to the NHS.

The NHS is a socialised health care system (it is not free as some like to think, it's paid for by taxation) so it's not perfect, it is abused, but on the whole it is good - you won't be billed at point of delivery and you will not have to claim anything back from an insurance provider.

If you are not satisfied with the this 'free' service, then you either pay or get health insurance (BUPA, AXA PPP, Cigna etc.).

And for the record, I'm no labour or Lib Dem supporter and definitely not far left or right - shouldn't take too much of a genius to work that one out.

Sorry for the multiple quotes but I wanted to make a couple of points. 
 

The US system is multi-faceted. They have Medicare, which offers state-funded healthcare for the over 65’s and for the disabled. 
They have Medicaid which offers state-funded healthcare based on means testing. 
Then they have Private Healthcare for those who are deemed to be able to “afford it”. 
 

What many people don’t realise is that the state funded programme covers 64% of treatment and makes up 17.1% of their GDP. Compare that to ours at 9%. 
So the US spend nearly twice as much in terms of GDP than we do. 
We are also the 13th ranked in Europe for spending vs GDP. 
 

There is a lot wrong with their system, as there is with ours. But it’s important to make the point that it is not a system whereby everyone gets turned away or face huge bills if they don’t have insurance. They spend more than we do and a large part of the population DO get free healthcare. 
 

I’m not gonna get into the rights and wrongs but just want to make that point. 

20 minutes ago, Cider_boy said:

This.

The arguments on social media (and on here) between those who think we must all self-isolate and those who think they should just carry on as normal seem as bad if not worse than 

- leave v remain

- Johnson in v Johnson out

I think the weather hasn’t helped the situation this weekend. It’s rained pretty much every day for about 4 months and then, the one day we’re all advised to stay indoors, out comes the sun. 
I doubt all those day trippers to Weston, Snowdonia etc wouldn’t have gone if it was pissing down with rain. 

It’s absolutely ridiculous. Why the **** are people taking a trip to the ******* seaside when they’ve been advised to stay in! It’s this sort of behaviour that will lead to the army on the streets. 
 

Clearly the general public can not be trusted to take on board these simple instructions, so it’s time to lockdown and for the army to patrol. 

24 minutes ago, And Its Smith said:

I drove down Gloucester Road you numpty. I wasn’t out in Glos Road!   How are you getting your food?  

 

To be honest, it was meant fairly tongue in cheek. 
Yes, going out for essentials is necessary. Of course. 
Many are going out for whatever reason. 

1 hour ago, And Its Smith said:

Good. Drove down Gloucester Road today. Packed 

Man who is out on Gloucester Road criticises other people for being on Gloucester Road. 
 

You are part of the problem, sir. 

47 minutes ago, bristolcitysweden said:

If I get the virus I'll take my sleeping bag and move in to the garage. I'm not interested in participating in this muppett show.

Have you got a beer fridge in the garage? 

4 minutes ago, Maesknoll Red said:

Hardcore Corbinyte.  Sad some of these people will never come out of their political bubbles.  I’m pretty open politically and have voted at one time or another for all three main parties (and once for Monster Raving Looney).

This isn’t a dig, but I bet Corbyn, Mc Donald and co are ******* ecstatic that they didn’t get elected and have to deal with this.

The critics on here aren’t in the Cabinet office, hearing the scientific advice, the financial advice, the medical input, the moral dilemmas etc.  Who would want that job, no one one here I bet.  I have no doubt mistakes will be made, they would be no matter who was PM, that happens in unprecedented situations.

The comments on the health service being overwhelmed due to cuts is bollocks - in this instance, not normal times - unless a politician had a crystal ball 10 years ago and could have planned for this with recruitment, training, building, warehousing and manufacture, we could have had the most socialist government in the world, who didn’t be even have austerity in their vocabulary  and it would still be overwhelmed.

Its time to for the dyed in the wool lefties and Tories to forget those political differences and work together on getting us through this and coming out the other side in the best shape we can.  It’s going to take some efforts to get through and recover from it, but once the recovery is under way, that’s time for the political dogmas to be resurrected.

Exactly. As I said a fair few pages ago now - political arguments are pointless right now. 
 

This situation is much bigger than anything we’ve ever faced. Politics is out of the window. This needs a joint effort by everyone to get us through. 
 

Whoever was in charge would’ve done pretty much the same thing. No one in politics is responsible for anything. This is a virus. It’s unprecedented. No one has any clue how to deal it and mistakes will be made. Not on purpose, or for any political gain, but simply because we just don’t know what to do for the best. 
 

Quit the political shyte please everyone. 

1 hour ago, Mr Popodopolous said:

Interesting line...clearly the national/global emergency is most important but...

Looks like football and beyond, all the pieces might be thrown back up in the air and land where they might- nobody knows where they will fall again. At least in these times.

I look forward to Bristol Rob's analysis of it in conjunction with contractual law.

Not that I actually care much about football at the moment, but hopefully, whenever we come out the other side of this hell, maybe, just maybe, we might see a wholesale change of how football operates. 
An idea could be that, hear me out, I know it’s totally revolutionary, but maybe clubs could only spend what they earn. 
Just imagine. 

8 hours ago, North London Red said:

https://www.rebellionresearch.com/blog/northern-italy-wuhan-partners-for-better-or-worse
 

Quite an interesting article here about the Italian situation. It might already have been covered, but I never realised the extent to which northern Italy’s textile and garment industry was reliant on Chinese labour and that it had such close links with Wuhan. 

Yep, saw that a couple of weeks ago. Basically, there is a very large Chinese population in Italy, many of their factories, particularly in the north, are owned by Chinese or have a significant workforce from China. 
Thoughts are that many of the +300,000 Chinese returned to China for their new year and then came back to Italy carrying the virus. 
Italy is one of few places (apparently) with direct flights to Wuhan, and there is a very particular concentration of Chinese in northern Italy. 
Add to this the fact that Italy has more percentage of older folks than anywhere else and you have yourself a perfect storm. 
 

Whilst in the U.K. we have more Chinese living here, there isn’t the dense concentration of that population in any particular area. Some northern Italian towns have over 6% of their population as Chinese. We have nothing more than around 2% in any town. 
 

That all said, we are clearly on a similar trajectory to Italy in terms of deaths, so that is a concern. I can only guess that this is likely due to us not closing borders earlier. Hindsight is wonderful, as they say, but I do find myself thinking we should’ve stopped all flights from China as soon as this started and we should’ve maybe even quarantined all incomings, from anywhere, for 14 days, as many countries are now doing. 
However, I can’t begin to imagine the outrage and panic if we’d closed our borders back in January. I don’t think it would’ve been very popular!