BC GOVERNMENT
Saved by @Mollyycolllinss

asks what went wrong. Many things....

 1. The government and particularly the PM was complacent in getting into gear as the virus gathered pace in China and Italy.
2. The March lockdown came far too late. A fault that may lie with the govt and the scientists advising; perhaps the latter were incorrectly assuming a lockdown would not be agreed to and so did not recommend it early enough.
3. The first lockdown was arguably too stringent and inefficient, and possibly even too long. IMO it was a reasonable precautionary design. But a case can be made.
4. Test trace isolate was a total disaster. Including the hiccoughs developing the app[s], and the non digital side of the operation. Time spent lockdown, and enjoying low transmission in Summer, was wasted.
5. Senior figures gave terrible messages of compacency early on by failing to socially distance in front of the camera, and protect themselves, threatening the continuity of the power to make decisions as the PM succumbed.
6. The govt risked a collapse of consent for the lockdown in failing to sack Cummings, and being complicit in the lies about his lack of compliance with the regulations. Luckily this collapse did not happen, but it may yet come to bite.
7. Instead of using the Summer to build test/trace/isolate, there was a catastrophically bad shift in messaging urging people to go back to work, and even subsidizing some risky activities like eating out.
8. The November lockdown came too late, many weeks after the SAGE 21 September recommendation.
9. That lockdown was unwound too much, too early, and in particular the determination to encourage mixing at Christmas and New Year boosted infections and created the 3rd wave.
10. And of course the current lockdown began too late. Punctuated by the chaos of sending primary kids to school for one day, subsequently closing.
11. Persistent failure to properly finance self-isolation for those who test positive.
12. Allowing universities to encourage students back to campus [most likely so that they could collect rent and fees from the students].
13. Aggravating the financial uncertainty for firms and individuals by making the support schemes such that they end at cliff edges, to be revised at short notice, rather than tying them to the state of the virus.
14. Compounding the uncertainty of covid by keeping open the possibility of No Deal until the last minute, when there was the option of settling earlier, or negotiating an extension to the transition.
15. General failure to appreciate the broad lack of a trade off between the economy and the virus; a view that tilted policy most recently before the November lockdown.
16. Witty mentions the 'learning' that took place over the usefulness of masks, and the importance of asymptomatic transmission. I need convincing that in the face of uncertainty the precautionary approach was to recommend masks and assume the worst about transmission.
17. Haphazard and apparently corrupt procurement procedures for PPE, documented so graphically by @JolyonMaugham and the @GoodLawProject
18. Inappropriate involvement in the officially independent processes of SAGE with Cummings participating in the meetings.
19. Failure to interdict foreign travellers properly and put in place proper testing and quarantining measures, that worked so well in the success countries. [Still ongoing].
20. Many small but significant errors during the period of regionally differentiated lockdowns, including: 1) inadequate financial compensation [remember @AndyBurnhamGM 's stand off] 2) failure to share local data on infections [remember Leicester]
21. The pre November lockdown powerpoints as Gupta presented to Sunak and Johnson... access to someone who had made multiple bad calls on the virus, circumventing SAGE synthesis of the science.
22. The 'design a new ventilator from scratch' saga. Which yielded no ventilators.
23. Giving up on testing and tracing very early on in the pandemic. [Treating this as separate from the failure to build capacity between the first and second lockdowns].
24. Perhaps not a distinct failure, but.... not attempting 0 covid over the late Spring/Summer period.
25. Awful Comms failures, briefing possible future changes in policy via trial balloons launched by Peston, Kuenssberg, The Telegraph, Mail and other friendly outlets.
26. Much suffering caused early on by the failure to encourage people into hospitals in the first lockdown.
27. Bit cheeky, but will lodge as a line item a failure to listen to me and others calling for a Centre for Econ and Epidemiology to do transparent, joined up econ and epi analysis and forecasting.... https://t.co/f7iCLm7eqn
28. Circling back a bit over old ground, but giving weight to the argument 1) that there would be lockdown fatigue [ok a fair error in hindsight] but 2) that if there was going to be fatigue you should lock down later! [In fact opposite is the case].
29. Pouring scorn on a Labour policy suggestion that became govt policy soon afterwards, namely the November lockdown.
30. Clearing hospitals of old patients back into care homes, and failing to protect care homes early on. Subsequently lying about when this was done and blaming care homes for the disaster.
31. Putting Brexit/nationalism ahead of our citizens by opting out of the EU equipment procurement plan, and then lying about having done so afterwards.

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John Hayward
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Ever since 9/11, we've been instructed that tiny minorities of extremists are solely responsible for their reprehensible actions. There was no greater sin than blaming law-abiding people who share some of their beliefs.

That's how we got the "lone wolf terrorist" cliche. A great herd of lone wolves swept across the world, each completely isolated from anything but the most direct support for their heinous deeds. "Tiny minorities of extremists" were blamed for "hijacking" the beliefs of millions.

The Western world did backflips to completely firewall the actions of terrorists from the larger bodies of people they claimed to represent. We hired a legion of consultants to show us exactly where the line between extremism and legitimate belief was drawn.

We wouldn't even name the adversaries of civilization. We declared a "global war" on their methods, to avoid criticizing their beliefs. The Obama administration launched a huge, expensive "Countering Violent Extremism" initiative that pointedly treated extremism as generic.

The greatest of pains were taken to draw very sharp and bright lines between violent extremism and even the most provocative and incendiary acts of legitimate speech and political organization. This was true of the race riots in the Obama years, as well as terrorism.
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@TheWiseOwl_AZ
1. Military Intelligence Contact Update: He is confirming Mr. X’s sources, Bruce’s sources, MarkZ’s sources that this week will be a week of release “fireworks” finally; he has the same info as Dr. Charlie Ward’s, Simon Parkes,’ & Robert David Steele’s sources saying that the...
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. . . He said one such Deep State attack scenario was being threatened in Las Vegas NV THIS COMING TUE-TO-SAT 26-30 Jan for which Deep State operatives with FBI / CIA related connections put out ads to recruit mass...
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Larry Middleton
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@l78lancer
The U.S. national security and intelligence apparatus has said for years that climate change is the single greatest threat to the nation and world. While systems intrusion and hacking by foreign actors could potentially have replicated some of what happened in Texas, it didn't.

Climate change and failure to plan did that, along with incompetence, ineptitude, and sheer greed.

Not only was what happened in Texas the failure of governance and malfeasance, it was a complete failure of imagination, vision, and insight.

While some folks want to call it a "black swan event," the fact is what happened in Texas was not. Not only was it anticipated, it was predicted. The people in charge were told what the problems were, how to fix them and why. They were told what to expect if they didn't.

Not only was it a cyclical occurrence (the third time in just over 30 years), both the periodicity and severity are increasing and intensifying. Therefore, the choices for inaction paved the way for the occurrence. It was inevitable.

In this regard, conservative ideology, philosophy and fiscal beliefs are their own worse enemy. That's because conservatism's most natural response is at best to do nothing, at worst to resist. Therefore, the disaster was a multi-layered, time induced, mountain of self-sabotage.
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Dan Kaszeta
Dan Kaszeta
@DanKaszeta
Today, several religious denominations in the USA commemorate the day as "Four Chaplains Day"

Indeed, the US Senate proclaimed February 3, 1998 as Four Chaplains Day, and it is celebrated in the liturgy of the US Episcopal Church as a feast day. But what's the deal?

Well, the four chaplains have names, which I will come to. On 23 January 1943, an American passenger ship, the SS Dorchester, left New York, in Convoy SG19, escorted by three US Coast Guard cutters. Bound for Greenland.


There were about 900 passengers and crew, including approx 750 US Army soldiers.

On 3 February (this was a very slow convoy), the SS Dorchester was torpedoed by German U-boat U-223
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The kingdom of Sindh was ruled by its last Hindu king Raja Dahir during the 8th century. When Muhammad-bin-Qasim invaded Sindh, he decimated Sindh in his savage bloodlust. The chronicles of his advent are described in the Chachnama.


2/n
The Chachnama describes in detail how the Arabs led by butcher Qasim conquered Sindh. It tells the terrible tale of bravery, treachery, & carnage marking the entry of Islamic conquest of India’s Hindus.


3/n
When Muhammad-bin-Qasim attacked Sindh, Dahir had collected an army of 50,000 horses and marched from Brahamanabad to Rawar to face the invader. Qasim had an army that numbered in the tens of thousands with camels & horses.

4/n
Earlier Arab Alafis - Syeds from Prophet Mohammed’s own family had fled from Mecca with 500 men to Sindh and Raja Dahir had given them asylum. Trusting these Muslims would prove to be the fatal mistake for the downfall of Sindh & pave the way for Islamic invasion.

5/n
On an “auspicious day” in A.D. 711, fixed by astrologers, Mohammed Bin Qasim started for Sindh at the head of the Iraqi, Syrian, and other Arab soldiers. His horses and camels were disguised to look like lions and elephants. Rebel Jats also joined Qasim’s army.
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Jim O'Shaughnessy
Jim O'Shaughnessy
@jposhaughnessy
I’m torn on how to approach the idea of luck. I’m the first to admit that I am one of the luckiest people on the planet. To be born into a prosperous American family in 1960 with smart parents is to start life on third base. The odds against my very existence are astronomical.


I’ve always felt that the luckiest people I know had a talent for recognizing circumstances, not of their own making, that were conducive to a favorable outcome and their ability to quickly take advantage of them.

In other words, dumb luck was just that, it required no awareness on the person’s part, whereas “smart” luck involved awareness followed by action before the circumstances changed.

So, was I “lucky” to be born when I was—nothing I had any control over—and that I came of age just as huge databases and computers were advancing to the point where I could use those tools to write “What Works on Wall Street?” Absolutely.

Was I lucky to start my stock market investments near the peak of interest rates which allowed me to spend the majority of my adult life in a falling rate environment? Yup.
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Anu Satheesh
Anu Satheesh
@AnuSatheesh5
Alathiyur Hanuman Temple
Malappuram, Kerala 🚩
#keralatemples

One of the Powerful Anjaneya Temples in Kerala. Hanuman temple is adjacent to Shri Ramar Sannidhi. Here Hanuman's head is tilted towards the left to hear Shri Rama's words. Shri Rama is entrusting Hanuman👇


Task of locating Mata Sita in Lanka.

Prathishta of Hanuman is done by Sage Vasishta. Eventhough this is Shri Ram Temple, importance is given to Hanuman
Shri Rama shares with Hanuman the Abhignana Vaakhyam, the words that would enable him to gain the confidence of Mata Seetha.


Hanuman stands leaning a little towards the left, showing how he hear Shri Rama's words and also assuring him Your Wish is my Command.
The Vigraham of Hanuman gives us the Strength, Confidence and Bhakthi.
There is a place marked here to show Hanuman’s leap to Lanka over sea.


Devotees run and leap over the stone for better health.Aval Naivedhyam is famous here. Those children who have nightmares are told to pray Alathiyur Hanuman. Mantra 👇

Alathiyur Hanumane
Pedi Swampnam kanarudhe
Pedi Swapnam Kandalo
Val Kondu Thattiyunarthename
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Kate Julian
Kate Julian
@katejulian
1/ Something strange is happening with people’s sex lives. 20-somethings are having sex later and less frequently than previous generations. I spent several months digging into this for @theatlantic. https://t.co/5ehzmWY9wi


2/ This phenomenon—I’m calling it a Sex Recession—really surprised me. It seemed improbable in the age of Tinder, digital porn, and attitudes that are generally permissive and sex-positive.

3/ What’s happening isn’t exclusively American: Similar trends are being observed in other countries, including Japan, Australia, the U.K., Finland, and the Netherlands.


4/ One cause is obvious: Adults under 35 are less likely to be living with a partner than in recent decades, and more likely to be living with their parents—which, it’s safe to say, isn’t great for one’s sex life.

5/ But I also found other explanations, each with profound implications. The first, unsurprisingly, has to do with internet enticements. Netflix and other online entertainment may be substituting for sex.
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David Rothkopf
David Rothkopf
@djrothkopf
Trump on climate: I don't believe it. Trump on Khashoggi: I don't believe it. Trump on Russia: I don't believe it. Idiocy? A canny game? Doesn't really matter as much as the underlying intellectual autocracy. In this administration only one opinion matters.

It's an assault on facts and reason. It's an assault on good governance. It's an assault on the bureaucracies that are being discounted. It's an assault on science and history. But it is also an assault on one of the underpinnings of democracy.

We live in a system that is grounded on the idea of collaborative government. Leaders may have a final word but even then, there are typically checks and balances. Hopefully, in this case, such checks and balances may work. But they also are being tested.

The president's position that he is smarter than all the world's scientists, than the entire intelligence community, than experts who have studied any issue all their lives, is, of course, asinine. But his belief that government turns solely on his opinion, is monarchic.

Louis XIV reportedly said, "L'etat est moi." That he was the state. Trump asserting that he knows better than all, discounts all advice, that his brain is enough to chart the course for America alone, is essentially saying the same thing.
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