Member Info for adoubleuk

"Hey wellwell you should change your mind , your defence against all the nonsense was invaluable.
Hope your still holding even if not contributing."

Hear hear. Even if we disagree at times.

adoubleuk

chablard,

" I must say it has come as a relief not to be handcuffed to the Hurricane sp."

In that case, I must be some sort of masochist. I made yet another top-up today.

fandg2,

"Yep, it's on the 25th March, next week"

I think it's highly likely that that will change, due to the probability of restrictions on public gatherings being good.

Longwait,

"Looking at the latest figures on

https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/

Yeah, fine. Tip of the hat to whoever it was here who first posted that 'worldometer' link here.

But looking at it, the number of television purchases per minute far outstrips the number of people dying from Covid-19!

Now that, I DO find worrying.

Hey! Another 'green box'!

But not going to 'adjust my filter' to see what it said.

Yet more fun.

Having recently (and for the first time, despite more than ten years on LSE BB's) having activated the 'filter' function. I've discovered something.

That being (here's some education for those who haven't 'filtered' anyone}. a 'green box') pops up withing the posts one actually wants to read, saying 'this message has been filtered: if you wish to access it, please change your filter options'.

Which of course I don't do, because I wouldn't have applied the 'filter' to start with!

Interesting, I seem to have seen a lot of 'green boxes' today! Must be getting the trolls riled. What fun.

IAmNotAnAnalyst,

"That's got serious worldwide recession written all over it "

10-4. Unfortunately. Which might of sourse lead to a few people jumping off the 22nd storey, but along with those killed by CV, it might reduce population a bit, and that's the underlying real problem.

jtd,

"Monday may not be as bad as feared!"

I suspect it'll probably be worse.

MCB55,

" A lockdown now would not hold long enough to get us past the peak due in 12-14 weeks, it will come though in say 6 weeks!"

Nevertheless, you and many other posters are completely missing the point.

Covid-19 is just a 'flu virus variant, easily contagion via close contact or short-term 'material' contact, causing mild symptoms in most young or otherwise healthy people , but mostly potentially deadly for old, infirm people with already-existing 'medical conditions', and so on.

OK, all measures being taken so far are to prevent a spread. But what rational society bases its thinking on protecting the already ill, infirm, or old, who no longer 'serve a purpose' in maintaining the 'family' viable?

It's unfortunate. Some people will die. But personally, I'm extremely p*ssed-off about the cutuff in my own personal liberties. And I'm yet more p*ssed-of that a lot of people (mainly younger than I) are going to be out of work and find themselves in financial trouble as a result.

Pedrob999,

" The cruelest method may be the kindest long term."

Maybe.

But to whose benefit?

Right now I've got my telly turned on. The Orange Idiot has just spoken, and his VP is now on. Telling people not to 'panic buy'.

Also, the fed has reduced interest rates to essentially zero.

IS THAT GOOD NEWS?

Not to my mind, it isn't. Interest-free debt just encourages inefficiency, while giving no incentive for companies or individuals to be 'efficient'. It's Capitalism looked at in the mirror, and the wrong way round.

This is truly 1984. "We'll keep you alive in exchange for you having no fun and obeying all we say".

Putin must be laughing his socks off.

The only thing worrying me is that Amaja hasn't posted us regarding the PA's latest load.

Longwait,

"This will not pass you by; this is not a tornado, it is a hurricane."

Precisely. But look again, very precisely, at what you've just written.

A tornado is a very localised event, causing great destruction where it hits, and its path is difficult to predict, moment from moment. A hurricane is more widespread, again possibly causing great destruction over a wider area, but its path is far more predictable, and further in advance of its spread, and eventual dying-out to becoming just a moderate breeze.

However, despite all meteorological forcasts, nothing is going to stop the hurricane. So likewise some politician in front of a microphone isn't going to stop this pandemic.

However, people like Macron have never been to sea unless on puff-boats and gin-palaces, so don't understand what 'battening down the hatches' really means. Nor, I suspect. has Boris Johnson. but I think he's been listening to some seasoned mariners, and has got the hatches already battened-down, but has the sense to realise that when the storm actually hits, you don't close the bond or the messroom.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VZ0CzaeicMQ

Shezer,

"Yes, it right to try and slow it's progress (for the sake of the health services), but the sooner it makes it's way around and we acquire herd immunity the better."

This is the argument being put forward by the 'authorities' in the UK (so far less 'hit' than places like France, Italy, and Spain), on the basis of 'scientific advice' rather than politics, and personally I suspect it's the correct course of action.

And at least the UK is publicly mentioning 'herd immunity', whereas on this side of the channel it isn't, and instead people are being dictated to like a flock of sheep.

The 'Schengen countries' are now closing their borders. Methinks your Brexit thing was nicely timed.

Longwait,

"You can't blame the authorities for trying to stop people from congregating "

Why not? Maybe shooting them would be a better idea.

AQ01,

" at least the online poker is still running and with all major sports (apart from horse racing) currently suspended, I will be joining you on the poker MTT s."

Plus in my neck of the woods, the 'private games' are now proliferating! Which is great. Everyone (more or less) knows everyone else, and of course there isn't the casino 'percentage rake' 'cos that'd be illegal. But the stakes and ambiance are the same. Playing poker has suddenly become sort of 'underground', like the 'speakeasies' must have been in 1930's prohibition times. Which seems fun and perversely 'romantic' in a way.

Where I live, it's been a bright and unseasonably warm sunny day, and walking out for some exercise I was pleased to see the streets and main square quite full of people 'taking the air'. Maybe it was a sort of show of defiance, I don't know. On a day like this the cafe terraces in the main square would have been crowded, but of course they're all closed. Which seemed very odd, and sad, in a way. 'Liberte, Fraternite, Egalite'? Closing down the cafes? In FRANCE? Scrub the 'liberte' bit from that phrase.

What a weird few days.

I played poker at Royan the night before they shut the casinos. And yesterday I bought lunch for a new-found lady friend at the last midday sitting before news arrived that restaurants had to close. (Followed by attending the opening of an art exhibition and visiting a Cistercien Abbey, but that's enough detail about my personal eclecticly-varied life.) And right now I had planned to be in Marrakesh playing some serious cards for serious money, instead of which there are thousands of tourists cramming Marrakesh airport and waiting for a flight, because the Moroccan government is chucking them out (no sorry, 'repatriating' them).

Plus I've seen on the telly that the ski-stations are closing, which is oddly ironic. Because my poker c0-driver is in the Alps with her new (seriously wealthy) boyfriend. She doesn't ski, and hates cold weather, but at least there is a casino near to their resort. I think she'll be glad to be heading home!

And I went to a party (or was it a wake?) at my local late-night bar last night, and which closed at 23:59. And EVERYONE was there! Plus nearly all of us exchanged handshakes, kisses on cheeks (where appropriate) before dispersing.

It's odd. Driving back from the casino at Royan in the early hours of yesterday morning, the moonrise was spectacular: it seemed huge, reddish, and very 'baleful'. Appropriate. Getting home, I quickly dug out the following:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w6iRNVwslM4&list=RDw6iRNVwslM4&start_radio=1&t=0&t=0&t=0&t=0

Take care, everyone. We live in 'interesting times', and I suspect they'll become yet more interesting soon.

Longwait,

" jumbo jets shortly to be run on jumbo batteries, no-one wants oil any more"

You missed a few details. The minerals to make the batteries will also be extracted by big battery-powered earthmovers, all the machinery at the mines will run on electricity, likewise the factories that make the batteries. And of course, the batteries will be taken from those factories to the jumbo jet manufacturing plant by battery-powered lorries. Etc..

Somehow there's a logical supply-chain problem with this scenario, but I'm dammed if I can put my finger on it. 'Cos I've had an idea. We could make a fleet of huge kites (using no plastics, of course), and fly them in thunderstorms, with a key hanging from the (organic, naturally) string. And run cables from the keys into the national grid. Cables only containing copper which comes from mines which use battery-powered bulldozers, of course.

Maybe I should patent this idea and start a company to make the kites. Float an IPO on AIM, maybe, with an initial share price of a quid. Any buyers? Guaranteed multi-bagger, I feel.

Cap't Swag,

"as for france i was really thinking more how paris will react and therefore london"

Yes, that's going to be interesting. All this shutting-down is on the basis that things will get worse before they get better, and that may be the case for the markets, as well. But as far as HUR is concerned, I'm now in a strong buying mood if this panic continues.

Update.

A new SMS from 'Groupe JOA'. They are closing all their casinos 'until further instructions'. Including the slot-machines, bars, etc.

OK, you might think this is just adoubleuk twisting off. But 'Group JOA' is a huge, publicly-listed corporation, who recently bought out 'Groupe Emeraude' which owned my 'local' place at Chatelaillon, amongst others, and is the biggest casino-company in France.

This means hundreds of people out of work of a sudden. (Though of course Macron has said everyone will get paid, though I wonder where the money will come from.)

When casinos close on the say-so of politicians, I start to get really worried!