fip & jim

By not conceding he can also continue to benefit financially through donations to the "election defense fund". 
 
 
 

A lot of what is going on right now with Trump, and those around him, is about 2024.  

By not conceding he can also continue to benefit financially through donations to the "election defense fund". 
 
 
 

A lot of what is going on right now with Trump, and those around him, is about 2024.  

There is a difference between being driven by fear and following scientific guidance in keeping careful and safe from a very real threat. I agree life still has to go on and we shouldn't live in fear but pretending it's not a big deal and like a little bout of flu is simply wrong. 
 
I'm still trying to get to grips with a politician using the phrase that our Prime Minister "gave in to the scientists"... Erm like yeah, dude. Who else are you going to listen to? Your corrupt advisors who have no idea what they are dealing with? 
 
I still find it baffling people are happy for vulnerable demographics to be killed off because it doesn't affect them directly. A lockdown is temporary. People losing loved ones to a ravaging disease in one of the worst possible ways is pretty permanent. 
 
As for how it affects children etc.. I'm pretty sure during the wars, they didn't like that either. We adapt and learn to safeguard ourselves from threats. This is one of those times. 
 
If I don't make sense or come across too emotional- blame night shifts on an ICU and reassuring patients that may potentially require tubing (intubation) and listening to them reflect upon life...and I can't stress enough that these patients are also in their 30s, 40s and 50s more so with very little past medical histories. 
Would be interesting to look back on the data when this is finally over. 

@laylalex , @Nature Boy 2.0 logistically it's very difficult to travel with the potential for lockdown status to change, even if there was somewhere to quarantine when visiting. I'm the same as you, @Nature Boy 2.0, I don't expect anything to change before next summer. 
 
The Oxford University/AstraZeneca vaccine interim results are due in the next few weeks. Moderna interim results due soon too. Moderna CEO said it's unlikely that their vaccine would be widely available in the first quarter of 2021.  Novovax predict if phase 3 goes well for their vaccine doses may be available by third quarter of 2021. The same goes for Janssen Pharmaceuticals and Valneva. It looks like it's a race between Pfizer/BioNTech, AstraZeneca and Moderna. 
 
Huge demand for horseshoe crab blood for the vaccination programs worldwide:https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/2020/07/covid-vaccine-needs-horseshoe-crab-blood/

@Xyrstine how's morale, knowing that you're facing a second wave?
 
Thank you for all that you do. 💙

I can see the resemblance, TB. 

Bread - so far Aldi "artisan" loaves are the best every day substitute for us. 
 
Bacon - I have never found an acceptable substitute. A colleague of my husband very kindly sent me some bacon she had home cured (Canadian style), which was more like ham. Very disappointing. You could do an internet search for a butcher near you that may do speciality cuts - British bacon is from pork tenderloin whereas American is from pork belly. I found this online store but I haven't used them yet: https://www.scottishgourmetusa.com/ They are based in North Carolina and shipping may be delayed due to covid restrictions. A pound of bacon is $14 from them.
 
It's also worth looking for Aussie food in the US. They have the same problem as us with finding food here too sweet. My local Meijer carry a brand called Boomerang's. If you like chicken I suggest looking for air dried chicken. I find regular chicken here watery and lacking in flavour. I found an Indian store (I had difficulty finding spices) that also has some British biscuits and chocolate. Over the years I've learned to keep an eye out for stores run by other immigrants and stock up when I can. Costco is good for cheddar and meat. 
 
I think missing food is part of homesickness. I found that keeping a few items for when I feel I need comfort helps on bad days (marmite, gravy granules, chocolate) and I get teabags on subscription, all from amazon. If you live near a larger city you may find a deli type store that carries international brands. You adapt eventually. 
 

I think it will be a requirement for international travel and definitely a requirement for immigration.

I can see the resemblance, TB. 

As I said earlier, I am fine with as many legitimate recounts and legal challenges as he wants to bring. If that's what he want's to spend the next two months doing, he knows how to file a lawsuit. If he thinks he has legitimate cases, it's time to quit blowing hot air, put his money where his mouth is, and pay for the recounts and lawsuits.
 
   As far as the left needing evidence that Trump doesn't know what he is talking about? No, we don't need any more evidence of that. We have 4 years worth of that. The American people voted him out of office because we are tired of the sideshows. We don't have to indulge him another.

Just thought I'd give a little input into how one of the ICUs are coping in the midst of yet another wave in the UK... Anyone that needs to go onto a ventilator has yet to come out of it alive or if they have, rarely so. It's actually depressing as this wasn't the case in the peak of the first wave although we did have much more patients. We may potentially be better at treating those that don't resort to being ventilated. We still get a lot of rebound patients and lots of long term issues where it impacts their daily living.
 
And lots more people are getting it that actually have very little past medical history if not nil. Research wise, I do wonder if this is a slightly different strain as it feels different treating it. People seem to be getting it at a much more severe way. We are making more capacity but as usual not enough nurses but what's new? 
 
I wonder if there are any healthcare professionals that could give their input from the States in how it is there. 

Yes! And protecting frontline workers. I saw a report on the BBC about their mental health. Many are showing signs of being affected similar to PTSD. 
 
Any thoughts about how a vaccine could work for travel? I guess there will be a requirement to show immunity - whether that is paperwork or biometrics. My daughter was meant to visit a few months back. When we made the decision to emigrate we agreed that we'd try to see each other every 9 months. I did have a thought of "What if air travel isn't possible in the future?", then dismissed it and now here we are. It's the uncertainty that's been difficult for her to handle. It's so difficult to cope when you can't see the people you need to see. I've learned to not think too far ahead during this. 

Yes! And protecting frontline workers. I saw a report on the BBC about their mental health. Many are showing signs of being affected similar to PTSD. 
 
Any thoughts about how a vaccine could work for travel? I guess there will be a requirement to show immunity - whether that is paperwork or biometrics. My daughter was meant to visit a few months back. When we made the decision to emigrate we agreed that we'd try to see each other every 9 months. I did have a thought of "What if air travel isn't possible in the future?", then dismissed it and now here we are. It's the uncertainty that's been difficult for her to handle. It's so difficult to cope when you can't see the people you need to see. I've learned to not think too far ahead during this. 

Alex did!! I am SO proud of him. He had switched to vaping a while back after smoking cigarettes since he was 16 or 17. He'd always promised he'd quit, but never did. COVID hit and he got serious about it. And he did it cold turkey. He was concerned about his lungs making him susceptible to complications should he get the virus. It was HARD. The worst for him was breaking the link between having a cup of coffee and smoking/vaping. But he's done now and says he's not ever going back. 

This is fantastic news! My grandfather-in-law is 85, living in West London and doing well (he lives at home), and I'm glad to see he will be first up for a dose. 

The UK government has announced that the NHS will be ready to start the Pfizer vaccine from the 1st of December, if it gets approval. They have placed an order for 40 million vaccines (enough for 20 million people) manufactured by Pfizer in Germany. They will start by vaccinating the staff and older patients in care homes, then frontline workers, then those above 80, then 75, 70, 65, at risk adults under the age of 65, 60, 55, 50, then the rest of the population. Children will not be vaccinated. They are preparing for centers to be open 7 days a week to administer vaccines. An extra £150m is being allocated to the NHS tor rolloutthe vaccination program. 
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/priority-groups-for-coronavirus-covid-19-vaccination-advice-from-the-jcvi-25-september-2020/jcvi-updated-interim-advice-on-priority-groups-for-covid-19-vaccination

The UK government has announced that the NHS will be ready to start the Pfizer vaccine from the 1st of December, if it gets approval. They have placed an order for 40 million vaccines (enough for 20 million people) manufactured by Pfizer in Germany. They will start by vaccinating the staff and older patients in care homes, then frontline workers, then those above 80, then 75, 70, 65, at risk adults under the age of 65, 60, 55, 50, then the rest of the population. Children will not be vaccinated. They are preparing for centers to be open 7 days a week to administer vaccines. An extra £150m is being allocated to the NHS tor rolloutthe vaccination program. 
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/priority-groups-for-coronavirus-covid-19-vaccination-advice-from-the-jcvi-25-september-2020/jcvi-updated-interim-advice-on-priority-groups-for-covid-19-vaccination

Hey laylalex, I haven't read this whole thread yet. I have some recommendations. I had to change my skincare routine since emigrating - partly due to availability of products and also the climate I live in now (much hotter summers and much colder winters than England). 
I do the double cleanse routine. I use DHC cleansing oil, which is olive oil based, followed by Cosmedix Purity Clean Exfoliating Cleanser - this is by far the best face wash I've ever used. It is gentle but does clean the skin thoroughly.  I've been doing this routine for over a year now and I can recommend it. Unfortunately both products come in plastic bottles. 
I use hyaluronic acid serum followed by vitamin c serum in the morning and retinol serum in the evening. There is a nice set of all three by ArtNaturals that is available from Amazon sometimes. I also tried the Caudalie Premier Cru The Serum. It was a nice texture but the ArtNaturals serums are just as good in my opinion, and they are a tenth of the price. I'm currently using Hado Labo Tokyo Hydrator serum because I couldn't get hold of the other set of serums for a while. It's a nice lightweight formula for summer but I'm going back to the others for winter as I need more hydration in the cold weather/hot air heating. 
Last year I tried the Victoria Beckham Priming Moisturizer. I like her clean beauty philosophy but it was difficult to justify the price. For years I used the No7 Lift and Luminate range and the results were as good. 
I'm on my second month of Lumity supplements (Lumity Immunity Boosting Morning and Night Supplements). I've been suffering with really dry, flaky skin on my legs since being post menopausal, which is new for me as I used to be on the oilier side - plus disturbed sleep patterns. I'm already noticing a difference in my skin and my sleep, and energy, has improved. The evening supplements help with falling and staying asleep. It's helped break the 3am wake cycle I'd gotten in to. Now I just need to find a cure for my husband snoring. 🙄
I've been trying to go plastic free and I found some great cruelty-free hair care by Plaine Products. They offer a refillable packaging service. I tried  shampoo bars for a while but they didn't work for me. I have a lot of hair and my scalp didn't feel clean enough, but my husband has stuck with the bars. He is currently using Pacific Spirit (Argan oil and Kiwi). He likes to try different bars from Marshalls. His favorite was an African Black Soap that he hasn't been able to find since. For skincare he is currently using Weleda Moisture Cream. For shaving he switched to shaving soap and is using Norwegian Spear by Alluvian. We both changed to safety razors last year and it's much cheaper than disposable razors. 
I also have the Microderm GLO mini microdermabrasion machine and steamer. My teenage son (acne prone skin) loves how clean his skin feels from using this. For his skincare routine we have stuck with Neutrogena.
So that's the recommendations from a couple of more mature people that are trying to live a more sustainable lifestyle. 
 

This would be the first mRNA vaccine to get approval. The benefits of a mRNA vaccine for covid-19 are that it produces a strong T-cell response, and it is easier and quicker to upscale production. Large quantities could be produced in a couple of months compared to 1-2 years for conventional vaccines. There are still a lot of unknowns that can only be answered through trials. It looks like a promising development for the pandemic.

Rake America Great Again

This would be the first mRNA vaccine to get approval. The benefits of a mRNA vaccine for covid-19 are that it produces a strong T-cell response, and it is easier and quicker to upscale production. Large quantities could be produced in a couple of months compared to 1-2 years for conventional vaccines. There are still a lot of unknowns that can only be answered through trials. It looks like a promising development for the pandemic.

Based on the 60 minutes story last night, this vaccine is in the mfg pipeline already.  I would love to see our seniors, first responders and healthcare workers get this before Christmas. 
Edit:
I think this is the one that requires two doses, three weeks apart.

Calling Harris namesike Tramp and ####### is classless.