Random Stuff!

[Brummiegem]

A bit of light relief and a small boost for passenger numbers.Cheltenham festival starts tomorrow and a few extra flights are showing later today and tomorrow morning.Was hoping to see an Aer Lingus A321NEO/LR,but alas not one showing.Still, grateful for what we have.

 

[HPsauce]

Oh for the days of Aer Lingus B747's on the Cheltenham Festival charters!!. Or even the days when several 1-11's and 737's arrived, often within a couple of hours. Lingus and Ryanair!.

 

[Ray Finkle]

Something to cheer us up during these strange times

The transformation of Birmingham's Eastside district has now gone into first gear since the announcement that Hs2 is to go ahead. On the site of the new Curzon Street station the foundations of the original 1838 roundhouse (engine shed) of the London and Birmingham Railway have emerged.

Credit to https://Facebook Groups.com/blaenaurailway

That's an incredible find.

I wonder what they'll end up doing with it?

 

[58terminus]

That's an incredible find.

I wonder what they'll end up doing with it?

Ray.Need you ask? The precedent was set may years ago for how Brum treats its Victorian history. Landfill..

 

[Ianbutty]

Something to cheer us up during these strange times

The transformation of Birmingham's Eastside district has now gone into first gear since the announcement that Hs2 is to go ahead. On the site of the new Curzon Street station the foundations of the original 1838 roundhouse (engine shed) of the London and Birmingham Railway have emerged.

Credit to https://Facebook Groups.com/blaenaurailway

Hopefully they can find a way of incorporating the design of the turntable into the floor of the new station. Incredible and makes one think about all the great buildings we have lost over the years.

 

[Ianbutty]

Hi there Ray and all, with the current situation as it is with flybe now gone, plus this virus, how many passengers are we now expecting Birmingham Airport to lose this year, and what are now the pax numbers likely to be... Andyc

Given the situation, passenger numbers become irrelevant. But who knows.

How many airlines will go under is probably the greater worry.

I am still not sure what the h is going on. But we can't wash our hands of it and think it will go away. We run the risk of killing more people by stupidity and blind panic than coronavirus ever will.

Panic buying big roll. We need to get to the bottom of that.

 

[Jon Dempsey]

Given the situation, passenger numbers become irrelevant. But who knows.

How many airlines will go under is probably the greater worry.

I am still not sure what the h is going on. But we can't wash our hands of it and think it will go away. We run the risk of killing more people by stupidity and blind panic than coronavirus ever will.

Panic buying big roll. We need to get to the bottom of that.

We are due to fly to Spain in late April, but if the FO changes recommendations for that country, we will not go. Multiply that by everyone due to go to Spain in the next couple of months.

 

[Ray Finkle]

Credit to all of our medical staff and well done to the government for finally realising that experts do know what they are talking about. I just wish that those in FaceTwitInstaTokTubeDoolylallyland had the same respect and stop all the false news and silly panic buying...

...by the way: I have set up a side business... www.buttsbuttcleansingsupplies.co.ugh. Only £3.50 a roll.

Absolutely no dunny roll in Tesco yesterday. Also no pasta, pasta sauces, eggs, bread, paracetamol and ibuprofen, washing products and the freezer section was almost empty.

Thankfully there was still a decent supply of Malbec

 

[HPsauce]

It was like Christmas Eve in Aldi this morning. Queues R Us !!

 

[TheLocalYokel]

It was like Christmas Eve in Aldi this morning. Queues R Us !!

Our daughter and family live in Australia. She said today that panic-buying is endemic there too at the moment.

 

[Ray Finkle]

Oddly enough the two smaller shops within a couple of minutes walk from my house are pretty well stocked.

Mrs F popped out and came back with toilet roll, hand wash, paracetamol, eggs and bread

 

[TheLocalYokel]

Oddly enough the two smaller shops within a couple of minutes walk from my house are pretty well stocked.

Mrs F popped out and came back with toilet roll, hand wash, paracetamol, eggs and bread

Same at our local Co-op. We don't often use it but Mrs TLY looked in at lunchtime and found it relatively well stocked.

Perhaps one of the few beneficiaries of the virus fallout will be small 'corner shop' type establishments that usually struggle in the face of competition from the big supermarkets.

 

[Creguk]

From all of this, I find it odd how the UK has responded by basically saying we all need to get it. It feels like the UK vs the world.

What are people's thoughts on school closures? I'm a secondary teacher and to be honest I am keen to keep it open if it means less stress on the NHS.

 

[Coathanger16]

From all of this, I find it odd how the UK has responded by basically saying we all need to get it. It feels like the UK vs the world.

I'd certainly agree it feels like the UK is taking a different approach to the rest of the world.

I think the concern the PM's advisors have about locking down the country and quarantining people in their own homes, is the amount of time it would have to last for the virus to stop - basically long enough that's is very unlikely people would stay at home for the entirety - meaning the virus would still, albeit slowly, keep on spreading. If it's going to keep on spreading, it'd be better to not quarantine and let the virus spread quicker so that we can reach 'herd immunity' quicker.

Going into lockdown for only a couple of weeks on the other hand may stop new cases during the lockdown, but once it end cases would start increasing again as they are now.

What are people's thoughts on school closures?

Kids will still see each other if the schools close so I don't think it will stop the spread of the virus greatly, maybe slightly.

Quite surprised to see Northern Ireland are closing schools for at least 16 weeks - that's basically the rest of the academic year. What happens to students taking GCSE's and A-Levels, and then those wanting to go to university?

The rest of the global community seems to be focussing on not catching Coronavirus at all. The UK seems to have accepted a lot of people are going to get it, and that perhaps the best way forward is to not attempt to stop people getting it, but instead use those resources to help treat the people who are most at risk, i.e. the elderly and those with underlying health conditions.

 

[Ianbutty]

I am very saddened by the stupidity and selfishness of so many people. Just been to the local supermarket to get a normal week's worth of food. Aisles stripped bare. No Crunchie Nut Conflakes!

Weird things left untouched though such as surgical type gloves, which any rationale person hoarding for a virus would have bought. But these idiots are not rationale. They are unbelievably stupid and selfish.

It is this that worries me more than the state of the airlines and airports or even the virus itself.

Britain needs to take a really good look at itself and grow up.
Good news though; when this calms down there will be plenty for the sensible ones.

 

[Creguk]

Another thing that baffles me, surely if every country shuts down airlines, does this make it pointless? Its clearly here and other than to 'save face', all it will do is damage the airline industry, job losses etc. Its all crazy.

 

[Ray Finkle]

The WHO have questioned the UK's response (or lack of it) and when the Governments chief scientific adviser uses words like 'hopefully' when talking about the theory of herd immunity it hardly fills me with confidence.

My own thoughts are probably best left off the forum but it kind of feels as if we are lab rats in Johnson's mad scientist experiment.

UK's 'herd immunity' approach to tackling coronavirus questioned by World Health Organisation

 

[Creguk]

I'd certainly agree it feels like the UK is taking a different approach to the rest of the world.

I think the concern the PM's advisors have about locking down the country and quarantining people in their own homes, is the amount of time it would have to last for the virus to stop - basically long enough that's is very unlikely people would stay at home for the entirety - meaning the virus would still, albeit slowly, keep on spreading. If it's going to keep on spreading, it'd be better to not quarantine and let the virus spread quicker so that we can reach 'herd immunity' quicker.

Going into lockdown for only a couple of weeks on the other hand may stop new cases during the lockdown, but once it end cases would start increasing again as they are now.



Kids will still see each other if the schools close so I don't think it will stop the spread of the virus greatly, maybe slightly.

Quite surprised to see Northern Ireland are closing schools for at least 16 weeks - that's basically the rest of the academic year. What happens to students taking GCSE's and A-Levels, and then those wanting to go to university?

The rest of the global community seems to be focussing on not catching Coronavirus at all. The UK seems to have accepted a lot of people are going to get it, and that perhaps the best way forward is to not attempt to stop people getting it, but instead use those resources to help treat the people who are most at risk, i.e. the elderly and those with underlying health conditions.

Definitely agree that 16 weeks seems extreme. I thought that NI shared the same exam boards as England, and I know nothing has been said so far from DfE other than options are being drawn up. My students are already panicked.

 

[Ianbutty]

Sorry all for getting angry with an earlier post, but the situation of the elderly lady in the supermarket asking the assistant whether they had any paracetomels in the warehouse because she is in pain and she only wants one pack, brought home to me the sadness and madness and how selfish, generally younger and fitter, people are.

It made my stomach churn. Credit to the young shop assistant who went to look for her. Hopefully they had some.

I hope everyone is well and we learn the simple lessons from this.

 

[Creguk]

I'm meant to be flying BA to Perth via Singapore at Easter. What do you guys think? I'm thinking no chance as either Singapore or Australia will ban the UK soon...but just wondered what your opinions were.