114 thoughts on “Sunday’s Papers

  1. Liam Deliverance

    Sunday People – “Care homes on the brink of collapse – 60,000 OAPs at risk as 1500 firms face financial ruin”

    Is there anything to that I wonder?

  2. f_lawless

    https://lockdownsceptics.org/second-analysis-of-fergusons-model/

    Follow-up article on the code behind Imperial College London’s predictive models. Earlier segments of code which are closer to the original version have since been unexpectedly retrieved from Github.

    ‘it shows that Imperial have been making some false statements’

    ‘The released (C++) code at the end of this (rewriting) process was not merely reorganised but contained fixes for severe bugs that would corrupt the internal state of the calculations. That is very different from “essentially the same functionally” ‘

      1. Formerly known as @ireland.com

        Thanks Daisy – I hadn’t realised that attention seeker was involved.

        I read bits of his latest article.

        He lists a satirical piece by an Aussie satirical team at the top of his recent “stories”. He correctly mentions that it is satire. I don’t know a joke piece would be of interest to him or his readers, other than it being funny, as the Betoota Advocate usually is:

        ‘Graph Lover Doesn’t Want This Shit To End‘ – Satirical article in the Beetota Advocate about a man who suffers from graphodisiac, someone who gets sexually aroused by graphs, and is currently having the time of his life
        https://www.betootaadvocate.com/headlines/graph-lover-doesnt-want-this-shit-to-end/

      2. f_lawless

        Except it’s clear the post is not written by Toby Young but by someone with high-level expertise in the field of software programming. The previous post by the same author has gotten the attention of Members of Parliament, most notably, Steve Baker MP, who is a qualified software engineer himself:

        https://twitter.com/SteveBakerHW/status/1258165810629087232

        “As a software engineer, I am appalled.

        Read this now.”

          1. guns and drums and drums and guns harooo

            She knows how to love me yes indeed. Boy you don’t know what you’re doing to me.

          1. f_lawless

            Did you read the article? The author does claim to have experience in modelling while working with Google and then goes on to give some details on the fundamentals of good modelling practices (which IPL apparently failed to adhere to)..

            Why would you need to be an expert in epidemiology to diagnose that the building blocks (ie the coding language) used to create the model contained fundamental flaws?

            To give an analogy, imagine Bertie Ahern tries to deliver a speech in Swahili but when told by his translator that it’s full of grammatical errors and mistranslations, he replies ” “What would you know about politics?”

          2. Nigel

            Wouldn’t be the first time an expert in one field though that made thme an expert in another field and so thinks their critique of one part of a thing is more relevant than it really is. We’ll see. This all smacks a bit of ‘climategate.’

          3. SOQ

            The bunsen burner has been lit under those particular environmental asses?

            Absolutely.

        1. Daisy Chainsaw

          It could be written by Young because the author lacks the courage of their convictions to give their real name.

          1. f_lawless

            You think it likely he built up high-level expertise in software engineering in his free time and only now it’s coming to the fore?

            Isn’t it reasonable to consider that the author might want to protect their identity for fear of what the repercussions might be for their current employment/ career/ private life etc? Exposing the negligence of your own government is such a deadly serious situation is not something one goes into lightly, I would imagine

          2. SOQ

            Is there not some sort of procedure for publishing and peer review in this area? Is that not how science works?

          3. SOQ

            Perhaps you would like to explain why she is claiming to be gagged for five years meaning only contact by email with her family without a charge let alone a conviction?

            All in the public domain surely? It happened or it didn’t happen.

          4. Rosette of Sirius

            The only lol are those getting suckered in by this deceitful charlatan. Like Gemma, once she realized she can’t make a trick of it, she hits up the antivax brigade and… well… there’s one born every minute.

    1. SOQ

      i raised this point before- the core benefit of C++ is that it is object orientated which means reuse so if you are not going to employ that functionality, then why use it at all. If you are going to use that functionality however, then the code will most definitely be restructured- radically so.

      I suspect there has been a bit ‘trust me I’m a doctor’ to all of this where the output from these models were taken at face value. That there was no one with a technical background on the government side to query what was actually inside the box or even how the results were produced, is quite extraordinary.

      Even the most basic models within the insurance industry are checked and double checked.

      1. Cian

        The original code was still written in C.
        They have moved it to C++ for analysis and tidyup. One reason is that the C++ compiler is newer and has more features than the C one. There are also better debugging and analysis tools available in C++.

        You only use object orientation when it is useful. There are lost of applications that don’t warrant it.

        There are a lot of red flags about the code that has been release – but until it is actually released and analysed I wouldn’t make any judgements.

    1. GiggidyGoo

      And the Indo want people to buy subscriptions to their online gutbucket. Any surprise it’s on the slippery slope?

  3. GiggidyGoo

    Poor attempt by Kehoe, aided by the Indo, to spin a lie that the government went out and bought an airplane to help with the Covid-19 crisis. https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/brand-new-plane-flies-in-to-help-deal-with-emergency-39096158.html

    Back in 2017, we ordered three of these planes, which will be delivered later this year. But Kehoe tells us that this one was bought urgently due to the Covid-19 situation. Really? While the other three haven’t been delivered yet (after 3 years), we could buy this one off the shelf.

    Concannon slipping up. The press release makes for childish writing.

    “The Government has ordered a brand new Air Corps plane to help the HSE during the Covid-19 crisis.
    The €4.2m aircraft is due to arrive in Ireland this week and will be used to transport vital medical equipment and patients struck down by the deadly virus.
    The Pilatus PC-12 single-engined turboprop aircraft was bought from Switzerland and will be immediately used by the Air Corps once it is delivered.
    The Department of Defence had already ordered three similar planes, which are due to arrive later this year.”

      1. guns and drums and drums and guns harooo

        wouldn’t even waste my time clicking on any youtube link that clown posts, it’s usually some racist stuff

        1. GiggidyGoo

          Calm down calm down. Nurse will be along shortly.
          How many screens have you broken with your little tantrums B9?
          Must be a laugh a minute in your pad at the moment.
          ROFL

          1. guns and drums and drums and guns harooo

            Why aren’t you posting your usual drivel about coronavirus and 5G or in DP centres?

          2. GiggidyGoo

            Well, if you can point me to anywhere I’ve posted anything about 5G, fire away. And what are you referring to about DP centers? Point me to any of my comments that might have aerated you.
            Or are you a little mixed up benign petal?

  4. SOQ

    Many Americans Say They Would Refuse A Coronavirus Vaccine

    As many as one in five Americans would refuse to take a coronavirus vaccine, according to a new poll that follows a surge of anti-vaccine content online.

    https://www.forbes.com/sites/andrewsolender/2020/05/08/many-americans-say-they-would-refuse-a-coronavirus-vaccine/

    The background to all of this is that the very powerful Pharmaceutical industry is selling its wares and with CoVid-19, the propaganda is already in full swing. There are now news stories saying that without being vaccinated you won’t be able to do this or you won’t be able to do that except- a certain percentage of the population will already be immune so why would they even need it?

    Also, what are the health implications of injecting someone with a modified version of CoVid-19 when they already have, or had, the original in their system?

    1. Nigel

      No, the background to this is the weird and deadly anti-vaxxer movement and making public health issues a new front in the headwreckingly stupid right-wing cuture wars

      1. Clampers Outside

        Haha!
        Nonsense Ted.

        There are numerous pieces like this one. I’ll just post this as a sample to demonstrate the ridiculousness of claiming a right or left anything to anti-vaxxers.

        “the really big contributor to distrusting or disliking vaccines was not political ideology ideology at all, but rather, having a conspiratorial mindset, which can occur on both the left and the right.”
        https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2015/01/26/the-biggest-myth-about-vaccine-deniers-that-theyre-all-a-bunch-of-hippie-liberals/

        1. Nigel

          I know there are left wing anti-vaxxers, darling, that’s why I saved the qualifier ‘right-wing’ for referring to the headwreckingly stupid US culture wars. Not that I’m seeing much in the way of left-wing anti-vaxxer mobilisation against basic public health measure, ecept maybe Bodger and his passive-agressive posting.

    2. goldenbrown

      the only fact in town is that to date nobody fully understands the complete picture regarding this pathogen

      it will take time and much trial/error to arrive at a workable answer to this situation we find ourselves in – hence the gold rush going on presently at the stock exchanges (there’s an actual category right now called “Covid stocks” covering the manufacture of treatments/cures, diagnostic platforms, various equipment and services some of it very very speculative and a lot of people are making a killing at it)

      SO personally I’m no anti-vaxxer but given we’re in such an experimental state right now if someone did ask me to pull on the green jersey and take one for the team I’d say G T F O! I’d want to see the matured outcomes first thanks.

      also I don’t think people generally realise how much trouble we are all in here….maybe if the thing had a more visual prognosis/risk such as causing instant blindness or kidney failure we’d be more inclined to fear it, certainly since the most recent announcement I’m already seeing major lapses in this “lockdown”, social distancing seems to have gone out the window, we’re slipping already. in the absence of a solution, until then, it’s only a matter of time I think before our society is gonna to reach an acceptance-phase. where the price of rebooting/restarting/whatever phraseology is put on it the economy will be our vulnerable. sorry to be so -ve.

      1. SOQ

        Totally agree- corners are cut tn this gold rush and if no indemnity then who cares about damage done. It could be the swine flu jab * millions and that is only those who develop symptoms recognised as such. To suggest such concerns are ‘right wing’ brings stupid to an altogether new level.

        I just get the feeling they are still making the same mistakes as blind lock downs when in fact- basics questions need to be answered first.

        What percentage of the populations are or have been infected?
        What percentage of those infected develop symptoms?
        Why do those who develop symptoms do so?

        That is the sort of data which any national policy should be based on but instead you have these idiots in the media saying you MUST be vaccinated before you can become a functioning member of society again.

        There has never even been a successful vaccine against the common cold so why assume there will be one for this now?

          1. GiggidyGoo

            And this of course….

            “Progress indicator(s) by September 2020
            ……..

            • The United Nations (including WHO) conducts at least two systemwide training and simulation exercises, including one covering the deliberate release of a lethal respiratory pathogen.

            • WHO develops intermediate triggers to mobilize national, international and multilateral action early in outbreaks, to complement the existing mechanisms for later and more advanced stages of an outbreak under the IHR (2005).

            • The Secretary General of the United Nations convenes a high-level dialogue with health, security and foreign affairs officials to determine how the world can address the threat of a lethal respiratory pathogen pandemic, as well as managing preparedness for disease outbreaks in complex, insecure contexts.

        1. goldenbrown

          “There has never even been a successful vaccine against the common cold so why assume there will be one for this now?”

          that’s a very fair observation however my thinking is that’s due to a variety of reasons….eradicating THIS pathogen has the kind of urgency behind it that might just produce an outside-the-box Nobel prize thinker……it’s anyone’s guess right now but my feeling is that the big punch will come from just such an alternative style approach e.g. see Moderna and it’s mRNA platform:

          https://www.fiercebiotech.com/biotech/moderna-eyes-early-summer-start-for-phase-3-covid-19-vaccine-trial

          BUT even as fast as Moderna’s work is progressing, and even if it were to score a bullseye against Sars-CoV-2 it would still be NEXT YEAR earliest before it becomes a useful thing

          also you have to consider the delivery method…it might be much more effective to give the population something that could be taken in pill form at home rather than injection in a clinical setting, see a company called Biocryst has a promising offering called Galidesivir, now it’s an inhibitor/blocker and so disrupts the viral replication bit so different, again however it’s a while away yet from any deployment (even if it does hit the bullseye)

          Overall it could be a combination of differing methods deployed that wins this…..the thing to bear in mind however is realistically we are talking 2021/22 earliest. That’s the bit that I don’t think people really fully get…we’re realistically 18 months – 2 years away best case!!!

  5. SOQ

    A story which starts off funny but ends up with a very serious message about CoVid-19 testing.

    Tanzania’s President John Magufuli decided to test the tests. They took samples from a goat, a papaya, a jackfruit, a sheep, car oil, a rabbit, a kware (bird) and other things- then sent them to the lab with human details. The goat, jackfruit, kware and the papaya all tested positive. Now that is critical thinking at its best.

    “so it’s a must that something is actually going on…. So WHO should really do something big about these things… and if they haven’t realised that the corona affects humans and goats and it also affect trees… scientists haven’t done even research on this matter.”

    He advises other countries to do the same.

    https://youtu.be/9WBAFQedumk?t=91

    1. guns and drums and drums and guns harooo

      tested positive for what? did the jackfruit get a cough or flu-like symptoms?

      you really need to call one of those mental health aware hotlines – seriously
      I am worried about you and the stuff you post here every day, a lot of anxiety

          1. guns and drums and drums and guns harooo

            Yes I’ve been broken hearted
            Ooh since the day we parted
            my my how can I resist you

          2. GiggidyGoo

            You were warned about too much juice B9. I guess you’ll disappear later on and emerge with another new name tomorrow, after you’ve seen what you’re writing today. ROFL!

          3. guns and drums and drums and guns harooo

            Thank you for the music Giggidy

            “tell me, does she kiss
            like i used to kiss you”

      1. GiggidyGoo

        Calm down calm down. There there there. Don’t give up on the tablets.
        Try another change of name.
        Toddle along boy

      2. SOQ

        So you need symptoms to test positive then is it? Strange test so- especially as that the majority of people are asymptomatic.

        As for what I post or read- its called having a questioning mind and no anxiety whatsoever but thank you for your concern.

        1. guns and drums and drums and guns harooo

          Tested positive for what exactly?

          Facts are important.

          I’m sorry if I overstepped, you just seem a bit overly focused on this topic of late.
          Stay safe and mind yourself.

    2. GiggidyGoo

      The German Intelligence (BND) unit has said that China’s president called the WHO and asked them to hold back information about human to human transmission of Covid-19, thus delaying any reaction to the pandemic by 4 to 5 weeks.

      1. SOQ

        There is evidence emerging that this thing may be stretching back as far as September which is probably where Leo’s comment about it being here earlier comes from- in which case asymptomatic carriers could be 90%+. Only when a cheap accurate anti body test is available will the truth be known.

        No indications yet as to why some people have symptoms and some do not but if the false positive Tanzanian results are replicated elsewhere, and John Magufuli seems confident that they will, what happens then?

        1. GiggidyGoo

          Leos comment came after the report about it being in France in December. Wherever the wind blows, Varadkar goes.
          There’s no leadership in this country.

          1. jamesjoist

            President Trump is going to mount an anti-Chinese re-election campaign. It is yet early May and the lies and distortions are gaining momentum. I shudder to think what it will be like the closer we get to November.

          2. Nigel

            Of course he’ll use lies and distortion, he doesn’t know how to do anything else.

        2. goldenbrown

          “Only when a cheap accurate anti body test is available will the truth be known”

          it will but it’s a matter of time

          see the following platforms:
          – Abbott IDnow/M2000
          – Quotient MosaiQ (just got CE approval, FDA due) new tech v.interesting*
          – Roche Elecsys (has emergency FDA approval + CE approval)

          but even in the bloody testing/diagnostics sphere Sars-CoV-2 has had the upper hand!

          one of the major problems these test platform manufacturers faced unfortunately is in the issue around “false positives” and with Sars-CoV-2 because of it’s nature some serious extra development work has had to happen on ensure the accuracy is nailed on 100% perfect (100% sensitivity/99.8% specificity) for more on that battle see:
          https://www.evaluate.com/vantage/articles/analysis/spotlight/covid-19-antibody-tests-face-very-specific-problem

          *allegedly this one might meet the goal of Cheap + Accurate

  6. Andrew

    The picture of Joe Duffy speak volumes. The body language says, ‘I’m worth it’ It’s challenging almost.
    Mention of his pension too? That’s not our problem Joe. Gay Byrne harped on in the same way, so RTE continued to pay him in to his eighties.Joe no doubt expects the same.
    This puff-piece interestingly, is not behind the paywall. He probably paid for it himself.

        1. GiggidyGoo

          Sure isn’t Concannonbot doing a great job with yiz this weather?. He tried all of those little sayings with Leo in the Dail, and – like Leo – you’re making quite an idiot of yourself. You’ve tried a few of them now – poor showing.

          1. SOQ

            oo-0-O-0-oo-h now there’s an idea- Colcannon- haven’t cooked it for years- love it baked with double cream and strong cheese on top. To hell with the diet- time for some comfort food- cabbage and spuds in drag.

          2. Rosette of Sirius

            Add the smallest bit of freshly grated nutmeg into yours for a different level experience. Also, only curly kale will do! Memories of my childhood is that. And don’t forget the brown sauce!

          3. GiggidyGoo

            That the best offering that the ‘bot can offer you Rosette?. ROFL
            What does it feel like to be B9’s sidekick – him who has changed his name to the line of a song written by an englishman?
            Remember – a vote for FG is a vote for the Commonwealth and for the DUP/UDA terrorism. MLAL shy today too?

          4. Know Man Is An Island

            A vote for FG is a vote for collusion, terrorism, murder and cover up.

            FG, MI5 Dublin branch.

      1. guns and drums and drums and guns harooo

        You think the analogy doesn’t also apply here?
        Nice to see you read all of my comments though, you and that other Bjorn again fella.
        Are you Benny or Agnetha?

          1. guns and drums and drums and guns harooo

            The gods may throw their dice. Their minds as cold as ice.
            While someone way down here, loses someone dear..

            I do hope you and Pat, I mean Benny is a forever love

          2. GiggidyGoo

            The only pity it that we won’t be able to witness your sore head tomorrow. ROFL

          3. Papi

            I wonder what happened to “address the comment, not the commenter” ?
            Gig? Any opinion on that? No?

  7. GiggidyGoo

    Poor Joe Duffy.
    At least now we know the real idea behind RTE’s proposes star-studded telethon.

  8. DOC

    Joe Duffy on the Sindo
    Next to jump ship
    65th Birthday Jan 27th next year
    Same story as SO’R
    They are dropping like flies

    1. Paulus

      In a recent I.T. interview SO’R indicated he’d be back in a different type of role.
      I’m sure the same can be said of Uncle Gaybo’s one-trick-pony protègè.

      1. SOQ

        SO’R?

        No idea who this person is but I would be fairly certain that he or she can afford to live somewhere decent?

  9. millie in quarantine

    Weekends round here get so weird sometimes. The comments section is downright farcical today.

    1. f_lawless

      And perhaps most dispiriting of all are the ones who look for comfort in posting condescending comments while offering no other input

      1. millie in quarantine

        I dunno. I find the ones posting relentless conspiracy theories and name calling a bit much myself.

        But that’s just me of course. You’re obviously free to offer some ‘alternative facts’.

        1. guns and drums and drums and guns harooo

          +1, then whining about lack of engagement
          call the Samaritans instead guys

  10. Shayna

    I watched Boris Johnson’s address to the Brits on the “relaxing” of Lock-down this evening. A pre-recorded video, the content, of which had filtered to the Press – so no surprises. I did take away something to ponder, however. How many people/think-tanks/committees/ad agencies were involved in coming up with the new slogan…..”Stay Alert” – moving on from, “Stay Home”? Scotland, Wales and The North of Ireland are staying with the “Stay Home” directive. South Korea managed their situation, relaxed their guidelines and now are bracing themselves for a second wave. I’m reminded about the kid, in The Netherlands who stuck his finger in the dyke, to save his village from flooding. He waited and waited for help, he kept his finger inserted until, aid arrived and the hole was properly mended. It may sound innuendoish, not intentional – is Boris Johnson removing his finger from the dyke prematurely?

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