The Anonymous Widower

Greater Manchester Illegal Raves: Man Dies, Woman Raped And Three Stabbed

The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on the BBC.

This is the introductory paragraph.

A 20-year-old man has died, a woman has been raped and three people have been stabbed during two illegal “quarantine raves” that attracted 6,000 people.

What the hell was going on?

There have been some exuberant parties in Hackney Marshes, but they didn’t appear to be the on the scale of the Mancunian troubles.

Last night on Stephen Nolan’s program, there was some very heated debate on what went on in Manchester. Some, who had been present, should have been arrested, if what they alleged they’d done was true.

If you look at total COVID-19 cases in London and the North West on June 15th, they are as follows.

  • London 27, 330 – 306.8
  • North-West 26,759 – 367

The second figure is a rate per 100,000 of the population. Although the Government data doesn’t give the legend on the chart! Poor presentation again from the Government statisticians!

I have been on public transport a lot in London and the behaviour of passengers seems to follow the rules. Especially, on the Overground, which seems to be busier than the buses and the Underground. Today on a trip out, everybody I saw on public transport was masked!

June 15, 2020 Posted by | Health, Transport/Travel, World | , , , , , , | Leave a comment

All Quiet On The Oxford Street Front!

These pictures were taken at about 16:00 on Friday this week.

There we’re many people about.

June 13, 2020 Posted by | Health, World | , , , | Leave a comment

Spanish Covid-19 Recovery Investment Scheme Funds 12 Energy Start-Ups

The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Power Technology.

These are the two introductory paragraphs.

Several energy companies have announced they will assist and invest in a scheme to develop smaller companies assisting in Spain’s Covid-19 recovery.

The Positive Energy+ investment scheme has taken 396 proposals over 13 days. The promoters of the programme have chosen 12 businesses they believe will have a large impact on the country’s decarbonisation, digitalisation and mobility, while also considering their social impact.

It looks like Spain is going a similar route to Norway, with their fund.

June 9, 2020 Posted by | Health, World | , , , , | Leave a comment

Norway Announces $384.5m Clean Energy Fund To Aid In Covid-19 Recovery

The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Power Technology.

These are the first one-and-a-half paragraphs.

Last week, Norway announced plans to fund a “green transition package”, investing $384.5m into sustainable power and infrastructure to help the country’s economy and productivity post-Covid-19.

The fund will be used to support a range of initiatives, including investments in hydrogen power and battery storage technology, building offshore wind infrastructure, and renovations to new and existing buildings, as Norway looks to reach the Paris Climate Agreement target of limiting global temperature rise to less than two degrees by 2050.

Perhaps we should follow Norway’s lead.

June 9, 2020 Posted by | Energy Storage, Health | , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Will Bread And Circuses Help Us Through COVID-19?

Bread and circuses is an old phrase that goes back to Roman times.

It looks like TV and on-line cooks and chefs and the supermarkets have given us the first, so do we need more of the second?

At the weekend, I enjoyed watching quality horse-racing on ITV, so wouldn’t it be sensible to get football on free-to-air television as soon as possible.

It might encourage people to stay-in, rather than gather in groups.

Would it cut the spread of COVID-19?

June 9, 2020 Posted by | Food, Health, Sport | , , , | 3 Comments

Satellite Images Suggest Wuhan Outbreak Began Last Autumn

The title of this post, is the same as that of this article in The Times.

This is the introductory paragraph.

Big increases in traffic at Wuhan hospitals last autumn suggest that the coronavirus was spreading in the Chinese city weeks earlier than previously admitted, according to a study by Harvard Medical School.

If this is true and the Chinese had given us the truth, how would it have affected the rest of the world’s response to COVID-19?

 

 

 

June 9, 2020 Posted by | Health, World | , | 2 Comments

After Coronavirus, What’s Next? China: More Coal, US: More Oil, EU: More Renewables

The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on CleanTechnica.

The title says it all, but read the article to get the detail.

June 2, 2020 Posted by | Energy, Health, World | , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Wabtec Launches BlueFilter Air Filters For Trains

The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Railway Gazette.

This is the introductory paragraphs.

Wabtec Corp has launched BlueFilter, a filter designed to be retrofitted to current passenger train HVAC systems to ensure the provision of clean air on board.

The company says it can remove contaminants that are .01 to 1 000 μm size, smaller than current standard filters and including bacteria, dust and viruses.

Does viruses include COVID-19?

This Press Release on Wabtec’s web site gives more details.

BlueFilter’s design removes contaminants that are .01 to 1,000 micrometers in size. That includes allergens, bacteria, various dusts and viruses. By comparison, today’s standard filters typically only remove particles that are between 10 to 1,000 micrometers in size, which only includes contaminants such as pollen, most dusts and some bacteria.

It certainly gets down to the nitty-gritty.

June 2, 2020 Posted by | Health, Transport/Travel | , , | 1 Comment

Has The BCG Vaccine Saved The Balkans From The Worst Of The Coronavirus?

The title of this post, is the same as that of this article in The Times.

The article discusses the title and there is certainly circumstantial evidence.

  • The former Yugoslavia hasn’t been badly hid by COVID-19.
  • The country had endemic tuberculosis.
  • The UK dropped BCG vaccinations in the 2000s.

I’ll be interested to see, if this turns out to be a promising lead or just a coincidence.

June 2, 2020 Posted by | Health | , , | 5 Comments

RMT Threatens Strikes Over ‘Guardian Angels’ Plan

The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Rail News.

This is the introductory paragraph.

The RMT has warned of possible industrial action in protest at a government plan for unpaid volunteers to help guide railway passengers and prevent overcrowding at stations.

They don’t seem to be in favour.

This was a statement from the Department of Transport.

These volunteers will play a crucial supporting role in keeping people moving by easing crowding and providing advice to help maintain social distancing, protecting passengers and tackling the spread of the virus.

‘We are clear these volunteers will not be performing any tasks or roles that vital frontline staff are trained to carry out, and they will be deployed at key stations in the short term when the easing of lockdown restrictions could see the increased use of public transport.

It puzzles me, why the RMT didn’t strike during the Olympics, as we had all those charming volunteers, helping visitors with their needs.

June 2, 2020 Posted by | Health, Transport/Travel | , , , | 2 Comments