# Some Good News Stories



## Sophrosyne

Napping pods

I’ve got to get me one of these!


----------



## Baby boomer

Wow, students have it easy these days, eh?


----------



## Ceist Beag

Doing the weekly big shop last night I was thinking there are some positive changes since all of this began. 

1. Everything has slowed down a bit. People are driving more slowly as well and driving is actually a pleasure these days. This must be what it was like 60 years ago on our roads!
2. Playing with the children and not feeling that there is something more important you need to be doing.
3. Home baking is making a big comeback. Home made pizzas are improving here to the standard we would get in restaurants! And we may have nailed Grannys brown bread recipe finally!

I can also see the real possibility of change in work practices after this, with more people working from home more often. That should reduce the traffic on our roads and the pressure on our public transport.


----------



## Drakon

I’ve been in the hammock a lot this week.


----------



## Sconeandjam

Problem with working from home for a while is the feeling of isolation. Different if you have a family around you. Many people have said that is the worst thing. You will talk to anyone. Yes you may be more work done but you forget the time and work longer day than normal. 

Times like this you see what is important. Family and friends. 

Old fashioned  cooking has increased so diet has improved also. Hard to get flour to bake. 

The sense of community is back and people make time to help.


----------



## seamus m

If they could find some way to teach  third level from home, would certainly ease the burden or even last 2 to 3 months.


----------



## Sophrosyne

Necessity is the mother of invention.

UL rapid innovation unit living up to name as they produce PPE for frontline health staff.

“the normal production time on a project like this would take months, but it was done in only nine days, thanks to local companies working very intensively together enabling capacity to manufacture up to 5,000 visors a day.”


----------



## odyssey06

_I am guessing it's more of a conduit for donations but still incredible sums..._

A 99-year-old war veteran has walked 100 laps of his garden to raise *£14m* and counting for the NHS.
Captain Tom Moore originally wanted to raise £1,000 for NHS Charities Together by completing laps of his garden before his 100th birthday.
But he smashed his target after more than 700,000 people made donations to his fundraising page.








						Coronavirus: Capt Tom Moore's NHS fundraiser hits £17m
					

As he completed the 100th lap of his garden earlier, Capt Tom Moore said: "I feel fine."



					www.bbc.com


----------



## Megafan

Ironically Covid 19 will save lives indirectly, such as road deaths, maybe some crime related deaths will be down as well, and probably countless other quirks of fate under lockdown across the globe. Maybe it will give some people pause for thought about social habits, gambling, lots of things really.

The most amazing thing for me during lockdown is spending time with my two little daughters (4 and 6). Myself and my wife are working from home during lockdown have very busy jobs and you are always going with little or nothing to show for it but the simplicity of going for a cycle or a scoot around the estate or slightly out the country beside where we live is just lovely. Small things, very silver linings.


----------



## Purple

Sophrosyne said:


> Necessity is the mother of invention.
> 
> UL rapid innovation unit living up to name as they produce PPE for frontline health staff.
> 
> “the normal production time on a project like this would take months, but it was done in only nine days, thanks to local companies working very intensively together enabling capacity to manufacture up to 5,000 visors a day.”


There's lots of businesses making stuff like this. The problem with the face shields is the availability of the correct thickness of Lexan/Perspex sheets. 
Any clown can bend a sheet of Lexan/Perspex into a box. If that's the limit of the skills at the rapid innovation unit at UL I seriously question why they are there.
We would have had those boxes made within 48 hours where I work and we wouldn't have been a team of graduate engineers to do it either. Sweet This post will be deleted if not edited immediately, there's some amount of self congratulatory bull being circulated at the moment.


----------



## Sunny

Purple said:


> There's lots of businesses making stuff like this. The problem with the face shields is the availability of the correct thickness of Lexan/Perspex sheets.
> Any clown can bend a sheet of Lexan/Perspex into a box. If that's the limit of the skills at the rapid innovation unit at UL I seriously question why they are there.
> We would have had those boxes made within 48 hours where I work and we wouldn't have been a team of graduate engineers to do it either. Sweet This post will be deleted if not edited immediately, there's some amount of self congratulatory bull being circulated at the moment.



I think you have mis-understood what a thread about good news stories is about..... I know it goes against your naturally positive cheerful outlook!!


----------



## Leper

Purple said:


> There's lots of businesses making stuff like this. The problem with the face shields is the availability of the correct thickness of Lexan/Perspex sheets.
> Any clown can bend a sheet of Lexan/Perspex into a box. If that's the limit of the skills at the rapid innovation unit at UL I seriously question why they are there.
> We would have had those boxes made within 48 hours where I work and we wouldn't have been a team of graduate engineers to do it either. Sweet This post will be deleted if not edited immediately, there's some amount of self congratulatory bull being circulated at the moment.



I can't disagree with you Purple, but a statement such as this in these days where everybody is a hero is like entering a Jesuit Monastery and slamming the Roman Catholic Church.


----------



## Purple

Sunny said:


> I think you have mis-understood what a thread about good news stories is about..... I know it goes against your naturally positive cheerful outlook!!



On a positive note the HSE has more than enough respirators. That must be the case as they have failed to respond to Irish companies offering to provide them with respirators.
They must also have lots of PPE since they have failed to respond to Irish companies who have contacted them offering to make PPE for them.

I'm not a fan of Communist Party type "good news stories" which mask reality.


----------



## EmmDee

Purple said:


> On a positive note the HSE has more than enough respirators. That must be the case as they have failed to respond to Irish companies offering to provide them with respirators.
> They must also have lots of PPE since they have failed to respond to Irish companies who have contacted them offering to make PPE for them.
> 
> I'm not a fan of Communist Party stype "good news stories" which mask reality.



Well - on a positive note, I was talking with a friend on the very front line - involved with admissions and bringing people into the hospitals. His assessment was that we aren't hitting capacity or stressing the critical care units. He thinks we'll see deaths as high for a few more days but they are already seeing a drop in the pipeline and new critical cases and they estimate the R value is somewhere around 0.7 now and dropping. Thinks we should see numbers start to drop early next week.

One caveat - the numbers might remain high as care home deaths get reported. That, for him, was the main concern. The general population not so much at this stage


----------



## Sophrosyne

Purple said:


> If that's the limit of the skills at the rapid innovation unit at UL I seriously question why they are there.
> We would have had those boxes made within 48 hours where I work and we wouldn't have been a team of graduate engineers to do it either. Sweet This post will be deleted if not edited immediately, there's some amount of self congratulatory bull being circulated at the moment.



That's an interesting viewpoint. You _could have_ but UL *did*.


----------



## Wahaay

Some good news out of Chicago - some early trials of an old Ebola drug made by Gilead has been getting some good results in a trial in Chicago hospitals.
A report on it last night has led to a big boost in after-hours trading for the company and will no doubt see a massive spike today.
www.statnews.com/2020/04/16/early-peek-at-data-on-gilead-coronavirus-drug-suggests-patients-are-responding-to-treatment/


----------



## Purple

Sophrosyne said:


> That's an interesting viewpoint. You _could have_ but UL *did*.


Yea, so did some other private companies. They've made masks just like the ones from UL (conforming to requirements etc) and offered them to the HSE and the HSE haven't even answered their emails.
Other companies have offered respirators and supplied oxygen ventilators and have had no response. None. I'm aware of a company which has even engaged with a TD in an attempt to get a response. Nada from the HSE. So UL *did*, and so *did *others.


----------



## Leo

Purple said:


> Yea, so did some other private companies.



Yeah, lots of other companies and even private individuals with 3D printers got there back in mid-March, if not before, making the models freely available to download. UL just seem to be pushing this as a PR exercise. I haven't seen a detailed enough image of the UL one, but it looks identical to the earlier designs.


----------



## Sophrosyne

UL is *one* story. I am sure there are many others, like @Megafan's.

This thread is an opportunity to post about them.

It is not a about rivalry.


----------



## Purple

Sophrosyne said:


> UL is *one* story. I am sure there are many others, like @Megafan's.
> 
> This thread is an opportunity to post about them.
> 
> It is not a about rivalry.


No, but all this self congratulation from the "heroes" on the "front line" is masking the utter ineptitude of the HSE and the cynical self interest of these same heroes who have resisted reform and improvement for decades. Deflection makes people feel good about themselves but it solves nothing.


----------



## Sophrosyne

If you want to give out about something or vent cynicism and spleen there is any number_, any number_ of threads on AAM in which to do so.

Indeed, it is difficult to find one where this is completely absent.

People get sick of it. They know what is wrong already.


----------



## Purple

Northwestern University in Chicago are producing 1000 3-D printed face masks a day from a single printer. 
UL are doing their project in conjunction with Cook Medical, Vistakon, Zimmer and Benchspace and are still only talking about 2500 shields a week.
Once you have the CAD model (lots of them are public domain) then it's just a case of plug and play. Think of it like a 3D photocopier with someone else supplying the thing you are copying. How can they only produce 2500 a week (20 an hour based on a  5 day week)?


----------



## Purple

Sophrosyne said:


> If you want to give out about something or vent cynicism and spleen there is any number_, any number_ of threads on AAM in which to do so.
> 
> Indeed, it is difficult to find one where this is completely absent.
> 
> People get sick of it. They know what is wrong already.


Okay, so we ignore the actual  reasons we are short of stuff but rather celebrate some tokenism? Go it.

Between Cook, Vistakon and Zimmer they employ over 4000 people here and turn over hundreds of millions. This is akin to offering the use of their canteen.


----------



## Leo

The problem we have is just looking at one side of any story ends up presenting a Fox-news like view of the world. 

There are multiple valid viewpoints on the UL story for example. While most will agree it's good news that they are producing PPE and reagent, it's clear that they are following in others footsteps. So it's also valid to question why they have so engaged their PR resources to publicise this and whether they are seeking to take advantage of the crisis.


----------



## Wahaay

Sophrosyne said:


> If you want to give out about something or vent cynicism and spleen there is any number_, any number_ of threads on AAM in which to do so.
> 
> Indeed, it is difficult to find one where this is completely absent.
> 
> People get sick of it. They know what is wrong already.



Indeed.
I follow the UK coverage closely and what's interesting is that however much the hacks try to catch someone out with a " gotcha " question at the daily news conference and despite the wall of negative coverage about the government's handling of the crisis the latest polling shows Boris and the Tories have never been more popular.
Yes there are legitimate questions to be asked but most people want information not scapegoats.
What they want to know is very simple.When is a vaccine likely, when will the lockdown end, when will it be safe to go back to work and travel ?
And if the answer to those questions at the moment is " we don't know " then they're willing to accept it.


----------



## Megafan

Sophrosyne said:


> If you want to give out about something or vent cynicism and spleen there is any number_, any number_ of threads on AAM in which to do so.
> 
> Indeed, it is difficult to find one where this is completely absent.
> 
> People get sick of it. They know what is wrong already.



It is the nature of social media though, there is little respite from negativity, there is no middle ground because birds of a feather flock together on social media. I am generalizing here, it's not always the case. This forum is good and well moderated, other places can be a cesspit.

Personally, I think this crisis has bought the absolute best out of Leo Varadkar, Simon Harris, Tony Holohan and the HSE from a leadership perspective and 8 weeks ago if I never heard Simon Harris again, it would have been too soon. That was then and this is now. To everyone on the frontline, they deserve every word of praise they get. Hurlers on the ditch throwing in shade and negativity are just that, hurlers on the ditch. 

What Ireland as a country has learned in the last three/four weeks cant be bought, it is a level of maturity that it rarely had before and a roadmap for the second wave which will no doubt come before a vaccine will.

That might make me a cheerleader! It doesn't mean a free pass, it just means I can only look after my own actions, and follow the guidance that we have. I am absolutely capable of cynicism but I don't see what the point is at the moment. Problems emerge, problems are solved. It is clear to me that those at the those at the top are solution focused in this crisis and that is what is needed. The detractors are agents of their own spin, they just might not notice it.

Anyway, just my opinion, doesn't matter either way. Some people are never happy and social media gives everyone an anomous avenue to say whatever they want.


----------



## seamus m

Wahaay said:


> Indeed.
> I follow the UK coverage closely and what's interesting is that however much the hacks try to catch someone out with a " gotcha " question at the daily news conference and despite the wall of negative coverage about the government's handling of the crisis the latest polling shows Boris and the Tories have never been more popular.
> Yes there are legitimate questions to be asked but most people want information not scapegoats.
> What they want to know is very simple.When is a vaccine likely, when will the lockdown end, when will it be safe to go back to work and travel ?
> And if the answer to those questions at the moment is " we don't know " then they're willing to accept it.


Borris and Tories popularity will freeefall  if miracle vaccine dosnt appear soon .The only numbers adding up over there are the infected and the dead .


----------



## Wahaay

seamus m said:


> Borris and Tories popularity will freeefall  if miracle vaccine dosnt appear soon .The only numbers adding up over there are the infected and the dead .



Freefall ? I think that may be wishful thinking.
A month in and Boris' polling remains very high as do the Tories. None of the opposition parties have come up with a credible alternative strategy other than the lockdown and social distancing which so far has been accepted by the vast majority of the population.
The 3-week extension of the lockdown hasn't been met with any significant protest.
There's been a lot of media attention on PPE shortages but the reality is most hospitals are coping well, many have empty wards and quiet ICUs and the NHS Nightingale Centre in London is barely used.
Where those shortages exist are invariably NHS logistical problems rather than government cock-up.
And cynically speaking the longer Boris remains off sick the better his approval rating although he doesn't strike me as the sort of fellow who wouldn't want to be leading from the front as soon as possible.
Meanwhile the Labour Party is embroiled in a massive row over internal politics.
And all the while Brexit, the very event that earned Boris his 80-seat majority,bubbles away nicely under the surface.
Interesting times ahead.


----------



## seamus m

Their lockdown and social distancing came too late for them Borris will be eventually remembered for the herd virus .Their hospitals are overrun with scared nurses and doctors saying nothing while rallying  to the flag.There is up to 5000 deaths outside hospitals not factored in so far  and in the end all will be remembered by the inaction of government .


----------



## Wahaay

seamus m said:


> Their lockdown and social distancing came too late for them Borris will be eventually remembered for the herd virus .Their hospitals are overrun with scared nurses and doctors saying nothing while rallying  to the flag.There is up to 5000 deaths outside hospitals not factored in so far  and in the end all will be remembered by the inaction of government .



The UK's stay at home orders were issued four days before the ones here in Ireland.
Far from being overrun there are more critical care beds available now ( 2295 ) than before the pandemic arrived.
If there are all these scared nurses and doctors why are there so many TikTok videos of them online going through their dances moves ?
I can only go on anecdotal evidence -  my brother is a Orthopaedic Consultant in the Midlands - which tells me that while the NHS is under severe pressure as you would expect in a pandemic it is nowhere near overrun.


----------



## Rosjohn

Indeed.
Good news is no news☹


----------



## TLO

Thinking back to last winter, and it was a mild winter, everybody seemed to have a cold, plenty of sniffling and sneezing.  In today's world of social distancing nobody seems to have a cold.  I wonder are we getting rid of common colds, influenza etc as a side effect of anti-Covid measures?


----------



## joer

Either that or people are afraid to "have a cold at the present time".....or admit to having one...


----------



## odyssey06

Dunno where else to put it and it made me smile... people using their ironing board as a 'height adjustable' standing desk.


----------



## mathepac

seamus m said:


> There is up to 5000 deaths outside hospitals not factored in so far  and in the end all will be remembered by the inaction of government .


An estimated 7,500 according to BBC 1 news at 6:00 am today. They were quoting a print medium article.


----------



## Duke of Marmalade

If a political party at the GE had promised:
Within 3 months:
Dramatically reduce carbon emissions
End the A&E trolley crisis
Introduce a single tier health system
Eradicate traffic congestion
Abolish junk mail
Have no more endless GAA results on RTE Sunday news

and achieve all this with no increase in income tax or USC and no reduction in social welfare payments
Surely such a manifesto would have swept all before them


----------



## mathepac

My nephew who was working one day /week and on the dole for the balance was laid off as his employer's "non-essential business" was forced to close. He now has more money in his pocket and more time to spend it than when he was working. Good news for him, bad news for his poor distracted Mammy!


----------



## Purple

Stitcher said:


> This thread should be deleted,  I came to it looking to hear about posters good news stories and found only negativity.  Wont click on it again!


Sorry. Here's some good news; Work is busy, we are doing well. I'm really enjoying the cycle into and home from work as the traffic is fantastic. The weather is perfect too. I'm planning on buying a house later this year or early next year and a collapse in the housing market would suit me perfectly. Other than the kids being out of school and not seeing friends and family things couldn't be better.


----------



## Wahaay

Purple said:


> Sorry. Here's some good news; Work is busy, we are doing well. I'm really enjoying the cycle into and home from work as the traffic is fantastic. The weather is perfect too. I'm planning on buying a house later this year or early next year and a collapse in the housing market would suit me perfectly. Other than the kids being out of school and not seeing friends and family things couldn't be better.



Indeed.
Unless you're lying in a hospital bed being fed oxygen to keep you alive every day is good news.
My company has lost a significant amount of money and all my staff have been laid off but we keep in touch weekly on a Zoom group call and all are in good spirits and itching to return.
Thankfully my kids have flown the roost as I feel sorry for those parents who are working from home and home-schooling as well.
The only thing I miss is the evening chinwag with my mates over a couple of pints.
But it's a small price to pay.


----------



## Purple

Wahaay said:


> The UK's stay at home orders were issued four days before the ones here in Ireland.


We closed schools and cancelled mass gatherings way before the UK.



Wahaay said:


> Far from being overrun there are more critical care beds available now ( 2295 ) than before the pandemic arrived.
> If there are all these scared nurses and doctors why are there so many TikTok videos of them online going through their dances moves ?


 They are all heroes and heroes don't feel fear. 



Wahaay said:


> I can only go on anecdotal evidence -  my brother is a Orthopaedic Consultant in the Midlands - which tells me that while the NHS is under severe pressure as you would expect in a pandemic it is nowhere near overrun.


 For clarity, is that the UK midlands or is he based here and talking to colleagues in the UK?


----------



## Purple

Wahaay said:


> Unless you're lying in a hospital bed being fed oxygen to keep you alive every day is good news.


I dunno, if you are dying of something else, suffering addiction or mental health issues, watching your child die of leukemia or any number of things that are far far worse them Covid 19 then it's not a good day. The vast tide of human suffering hasn't stopped ebbing and flowing just because of this new thing. There always were, and still are, far worse things going on in the world. 
Given that so many people die of diseases related to poverty in so many places in the world I can't help feeling that the reaction of the rich world to Covid 19 is somewhat self indulgent. There are hundreds of millions of people who would love Covid 19 to be their biggest health risk.


----------



## Sunny

Purple said:


> I dunno, if you are dying of something else, suffering addiction or mental health issues, watching your child die of leukemia or any number of things that are far far worse them Covid 19 then it's not a good day. The vast tide of human suffering hasn't stopped ebbing and flowing just because of this new thing. There always were, and still are, far worse things going on in the world.
> Given that so many people die of diseases related to poverty in so many places in the world I can't help feeling that the reaction of the rich world to Covid 19 is somewhat self indulgent. There are hundreds of millions of people who would love Covid 19 to be their biggest health risk.



Indeed. We have children from poorer families unable to access any form of education or struggling to access even a proper meal. We have people living in houses where domestic abuse has been amplified by the lockdown. We have mentally ill people struggling to access services and all community help ceased. We have people who have lost family members with no avenue to grieve. We have young children missing out on social interaction during their most formative years. We have people who have lost jobs and people who have had to close their business with no idea when or even if they will be able to reopen. We have thousands of doctors and nurses coming home to their families every evening that they are putting their loved ones as risk. We have healthy over 70's not allowed to leave their house or meet their family and friends and are aging every day this goes on. We have people worried about family in nursing homes. We are looking at health, economic and societal consequences to this crisis that will go on for years.

The idea that anyone who isn't hooked up to an oxygen machine should be thanking their lucky stars is a good example of why some people in the UK, the US and even here will never understand what damage this pandemic has caused.

Woops, forgot this is the good news thread...….


----------



## Wahaay

Purple said:


> I dunno, if you are dying of something else, suffering addiction or mental health issues, watching your child die of leukemia or any number of things that are far far worse them Covid 19 then it's not a good day. The vast tide of human suffering hasn't stopped ebbing and flowing just because of this new thing. There always were, and still are, far worse things going on in the world.
> Given that so many people die of diseases related to poverty in so many places in the world I can't help feeling that the reaction of the rich world to Covid 19 is somewhat self indulgent. There are hundreds of millions of people who would love Covid 19 to be their biggest health risk.



If you're lying in an ICU bed drowning in your own mucus I still think all the other things you mentioned would be preferable.
Not by much, admittedly, but everything is relative.


----------



## Purple

Wahaay said:


> If you're lying in an ICU bed drowning in your own mucus I still think all the other things you mentioned would be preferable.
> Not by much, admittedly, but everything is relative.


What, watching your child die of lukemia?


----------



## Wahaay

Purple said:


> What, watching your child die of lukemia?



Well personally I would prefer to be there with them rather than lying in an ICU ward unable to move.
But I'm not really interested in trading pointless inanities with you.


----------



## peemac

Purple said:


> On a positive note the HSE has more than enough respirators. That must be the case as they have failed to respond to Irish companies offering to provide them with respirators.
> They must also have lots of PPE since they have failed to respond to Irish companies who have contacted them offering to make PPE for them.
> 
> I'm not a fan of Communist Party type "good news stories" which mask reality.



Seems they do have enough respirators as they are made in galway. Their stock is currently in the region of 2,000+ with more on the way to bring levels to 2800.
They have plenty of certain types of ppe. Plenty of standard facemasks, a good stock of N95 masks, but they did (possibly still do) have a shortage of gowns and perspex masks.


----------



## Purple

Wahaay said:


> But I'm not really interested in trading pointless inanities with you.


Excellent! That's progress.


----------



## seamus m

Around  9000 recoveries and referrals under 1500 per day . We should be given recovery figure more often


----------



## mathepac

I don't understand the context of your comment. Headline from the Indo: - "*Coronavirus Latest Updates: Biggest daily death toll as Covid-19 claims 77 more lives in Ireland*"


----------



## seamus m

Yesterday's  Covid briefing was the first time I had heard Doctor Honohan give out these figures .Its surely good to tell about recoveries everyday and it was certainly good to hear there is no backlog on testing ,that we have ability to test up to 10000 per day and have only 1300 to 1500 being referred at the minute which with even up to 20% being positive at worse case,  it has our dailyrate  less than 300.


----------



## odyssey06

Extraordinary stuff in the UK charts...

Captain Tom Moore has become the oldest artist to reach number one on the UK singles chart as his rendition of You’ll Never Walk Alone landed in the top spot in time for his *100th birthday*. The war veteran has already raised more than *£28 million* for the NHS by walking laps of his garden; and his song, with Michael Ball and The NHS Voices Of Care Choir, is part of his continued fundraising during the coronavirus crisis. His chart victory comes after his closest competitor, The Weeknd, asked his fans to support Captain Tom, rather than back his track Blinding Lights.









						Captain Tom Moore becomes oldest person to top UK singles chart
					

His closest competitor, The Weeknd, asked his fans to support Captain Tom.




					www.thejournal.ie


----------



## Sophrosyne

When you think that his aim was to raise £1,000.


----------



## odyssey06

A group of 25 Dutch students with limited sailing experience have ended a transatlantic voyage forced on them by coronavirus restrictions.
The youngsters, aged 14 to 17, and watched over by 12 experienced crew members and three teachers, were on an educational cruise of the Caribbean when the pandemic caused them to radically change their plans for returning home in March. Instead of flying back from Cuba as originally planned, the crew and students stocked up on supplies and warm clothes and set sail for the northern Dutch port of Harlingen, a five-week voyage of nearly 7,000km, on board the 60-metre top sail schooner Wylde Swan.








						Dutch students forced to sail home from the Caribbean due to Covid-19 arrive safe and sound
					

They returned after a five-week voyage of over 7,000km.




					www.thejournal.ie


----------



## Purple

An educational Cruise in the Caribbean... it could have been any of us.


----------



## odyssey06

Purple said:


> An educational Cruise in the Caribbean... it could have been any of us.



I watched the movie White Squall last summer, similar setup re: training cruise ... did not have such a happy outcome 








						White Squall (film) - Wikipedia
					






					en.wikipedia.org


----------



## Sunny

Purple said:


> An educational Cruise in the Caribbean... it could have been any of us.



Puts my educational trips to the Japanese Gardens in the shade...


----------



## Wahaay

odyssey06 said:


> A group of 25 Dutch students with limited sailing experience have ended a transatlantic voyage forced on them by coronavirus restrictions.
> The youngsters, aged 14 to 17, and watched over by 12 experienced crew members and three teachers, were on an educational cruise of the Caribbean when the pandemic caused them to radically change their plans for returning home in March. Instead of flying back from Cuba as originally planned, the crew and students stocked up on supplies and warm clothes and set sail for the northern Dutch port of Harlingen, a five-week voyage of nearly 7,000km, on board the 60-metre top sail schooner Wylde Swan.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Dutch students forced to sail home from the Caribbean due to Covid-19 arrive safe and sound
> 
> 
> They returned after a five-week voyage of over 7,000km.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.thejournal.ie



What an adventure of a lifetime.And what a good news story.Fair dues to the parents for allowing it to happen.


----------



## mtk

Boris is back at work


----------



## Purple

mtk said:


> Boris is back at work


This is the Good News thread.


----------



## Wahaay

mtk said:


> Boris is back at work



Indeed - Boris is very popular amongst my UK chums and even those who would not normally think of themselves as Tories are cheered by his return to No10. It's clear he had a very close brush with the Grim Reaper.


----------



## 24601

Very exciting developments coming from Oxford. Seems like there's a good chance a vaccine could be ready to go within 5 months or so. 

In Race for a Coronavirus Vaccine, an Oxford Group Leaps Ahead


----------



## Sunny

The Rose Of Tralee has been cancelled. Every cloud and all that.....


----------



## Wahaay

Sunny said:


> The Rose Of Tralee has been cancelled. Every cloud and all that.....



Probably not a view shared by the hoteliers, publicans and others in the Kerry tourist industry who will take a €10 million hit from this cancellation...


----------



## mathepac

At least the IGB and greyhound industry generally will [be] denied more funding thankfully.


----------



## Purple

Wahaay said:


> Probably not a view shared by the hoteliers, publicans and others in the Kerry tourist industry who will take a €10 million hit from this cancellation...


Yea, but it's such an anachronistic sexist cringefest it's worth it to see it gone, even for one year.


----------



## Wahaay

Purple said:


> Yea, but it's such an anachronistic sexist cringefest it's worth it to see it gone, even for one year.



Its continued and growing popularity would suggest your views are not unanimously shared.


----------



## Sunny

Wahaay said:


> Its continued and growing popularity would suggest your views are not unanimously shared.



I am shocked that my view is not shared by everyone. What is the world coming to?

But hey lets celebrate a contest that isn't a beauty contest but bans married women and it is only 10 years since they allowed single mothers.....Ah yes it is indeed a celebration of modern Ireland. Sure didn't they have a gay winner. Well only after she won was it revealed that she was gay. She didn't mention it before hand. I wonder why??? I think Father Ted was pretty much spot on.

Anyway, this thread is going down an unexpected rabbit hole on the Rose of Tralee. I am sorry for your loss. I am sure it will be back next year so you can admire the lovely girls......


----------



## Wahaay

Sunny said:


> I am shocked that my view is not shared by everyone. What is the world coming to?
> 
> But hey lets celebrate a contest that isn't a beauty contest but bans married women and it is only 10 years since they allowed single mothers.....Ah yes it is indeed a celebration of modern Ireland. Sure didn't they have a gay winner. Well only after she won was it revealed that she was gay. She didn't mention it before hand. I wonder why??? I think Father Ted was pretty much spot on.
> 
> Anyway, this thread is going down an unexpected rabbit hole on the Rose of Tralee. I am sorry for your loss. I am sure it will be back next year so you can admire the lovely girls......




I've never been to the Rose of Tralee or even watched it on the TV.
I don't have an opinion on it either way but I have great sympathy for the many people in Kerry whose livelihoods will be badly affected by this cancellation.
The tourist sector is a key part of the Irish economy and annual festivals like this will play a vital role in the country's recovery when this is all over.


----------



## Purple

Wahaay said:


> I've never been to the Rose of Tralee or even watched it on the TV.
> I don't have an opinion on it either way but I have great sympathy for the many people in Kerry whose livelihoods will be badly affected by this cancellation.
> The tourist sector is a key part of the Irish economy and annual festivals like this will play a vital role in the country's recovery when this is all over.


The last thing to be re-opened/ allowed will be festivals, concerts, sporting events and other mass gatherings.


----------



## Wahaay

Purple said:


> The last thing to be re-opened/ allowed will be festivals, concerts, sporting events and other mass gatherings.



Correct.
It's impossible to see any of these things happening again until a vaccine has been found.
The expected second spike later this year will confirm this although it will be interesting to see if there's a rapid re-mergence of the virus in those US states which are rushing into re-opening as normal as possible.
I'm not even sure smaller gatherings such as pubs etc will be possible here at all this year.


----------



## odyssey06

Not so much good news, but in the category of random bonkers stuff you come across because of the virus...

_THE SWEDISH UNIVERSITY town of Lund will spread foul-smelling chicken fertiliser in its main park this week to deter revellers holding spring celebrations as part of efforts to curb the coronavirus outbreak. City officials have asked residents to skip the traditional Walpurgis Eve celebrations today, known in Sweden as Valborg, and plan to fence off the Lund city park. But they told AFP they would also go a step further and take the opportunity to spread one tonne of chicken droppings in the park. While giving the lawns a welcome dose of nutrition, they also hope it will keep at bay those who would otherwise be tempted to defy the coronavirus restrictions_









						Covid-19: Swedish city to spread tonne of chicken manure to stop revellers gathering in park
					

Today’s Walpurgis Eve celebrations usually sees people gather and drink beer.




					www.thejournal.ie


----------



## odyssey06

SOUTH KOREA REPORTED *zero new locally transmitted coronavirus cases today*, the first time no infections have been recorded since the disease was detected in the country more than 70 days ago. 








						South Korea reports zero new domestic coronavirus cases for first time since February
					

For a time the country had the world’s second-largest outbreak.




					www.thejournal.ie


----------



## Leper

I don't know if this qualifies as a Coronavirus Good Story. Mods, feel free to delete if not.

Mrs Lep was always good at baking cakes for birthdays in the shape of Goldilocks, Sleeping Beauty, Denis the Menace, Thomas the Tank Engine, Cork Hurling Jersey and lots more, Since retiring I cottoned onto the cooking/baking and now give a hand. One of our grandchildren has a birthday tomorrow. I baked the cake and coated it with butter icing. Not a bad effort from me. My grandson wanted to be surprised at whatever shape I chose for the cake. The cake is fully iced and is in the shape and colours of the corona virus. I don't know if I'll be the best grandfather in the world or shot by  this time tomorrow!


----------



## Purple

Leper said:


> I don't know if this qualifies as a Coronavirus Good Story. Mods, feel free to delete if not.
> 
> Mrs Lep was always good at baking cakes for birthdays in the shape of Goldilocks, Sleeping Beauty, Denis the Menace, Thomas the Tank Engine, Cork Hurling Jersey and lots more, Since retiring I cottoned onto the cooking/baking and now give a hand. One of our grandchildren has a birthday tomorrow. I baked the cake and coated it with butter icing. Not a bad effort from me. My grandson wanted to be surprised at whatever shape I chose for the cake. The cake is fully iced and is in the shape and colours of the corona virus. I don't know if I'll be the best grandfather in the world or shot by  this time tomorrow!


Brilliant!


----------



## Slim

Leper said:


> I don't know if this qualifies as a Coronavirus Good Story. Mods, feel free to delete if not.
> 
> Mrs Lep was always good at baking cakes for birthdays in the shape of Goldilocks, Sleeping Beauty, Denis the Menace, Thomas the Tank Engine, Cork Hurling Jersey and lots more, Since retiring I cottoned onto the cooking/baking and now give a hand. One of our grandchildren has a birthday tomorrow. I baked the cake and coated it with butter icing. Not a bad effort from me. My grandson wanted to be surprised at whatever shape I chose for the cake. The cake is fully iced and is in the shape and colours of the corona virus. I don't know if I'll be the best grandfather in the world or shot by  this time tomorrow!


Super stuff, Lep! You have to post a photo!


----------



## mtk

Boris has a baby


----------



## odyssey06

mtk said:


> Boris has a baby



That makes two of them for Carrie to take care of 
Sorry couldn't resist.


----------



## EmmDee

mtk said:


> Boris has a baby



Boris has ANOTHER baby


----------



## Baby boomer

EmmDee said:


> Boris has ANOTHER baby


How many is that, now?  (he asked, innocently)


----------



## odyssey06

Baby boomer said:


> How many is that, now?  (he asked, innocently)



Do you want the official or unofficial count


----------



## mathepac

That number can only be calculated after the pandemic with all the statisticians, mathematicians, modellers and meddlers and their respective computers busy spewing out more mind-numbing, incomplete and meaningless graphs.


----------



## Wahaay

mtk said:


> Boris has a baby



And given the name Nicholas after the two doctors called Nick who helped save Boris's life.
Nice touch.


----------



## EmmDee

Wahaay said:


> And given the name Nicholas after the two doctors called Nick who helped save Boris's life.
> Nice touch.



But he's given the kid the name Willy Johnson... Less of a nice touch!!!


----------



## Marion

I suppose the nurses who looked after him, mostly, were not worth mentioning.

Marion


----------



## llgon

In fairness to him, on his release from hospital, he gave a good tribute to the two main nurses who were responsible for looking after him.


----------



## Wahaay

llgon said:


> In fairness to him, on his release from hospital, he gave a good tribute to the two main nurses who were responsible for looking after him.



Exactly.
Just a shame some people allow their prejudices to prevail over common decency.
The nurses he mentioned by name became heroes in their home countries of Portugal and New Zealand.
The two doctors whose name he took for his child said they were delighted and humbled by his choice.
Why not just accept his gesture in the spirit it was intended ?


----------



## Leper

Marion said:


> I suppose the nurses who looked after him, mostly, were not worth mentioning.
> 
> Marion


Both nurses Luis (male) and Jenny (female) were showered with praise on Boris Johnson's release from hospital not only by the British press, but by Boris himself. Perhaps you wish to expand on your point?


----------



## Leper

We have near neighbours who are from eastern europe and have been awarded Irish citizenship in the past year. They have a large Irish tricolour flying outside their house since the beginning of the coronavirus which shows their solidarity with the rest of us. 

I think that's an excellent gesture.


----------



## odyssey06

More random news from Denmark. Blood donations have shot up as people will be automatically tested for covid-19 antibodies as part of the process.








						The Copenhagen Post - Danish News in English
					

Unimpressed doctor's words echo those of a priest with a full house on Christmas Day: So where were you on the other occasions we needed you?. Coronavirus Round-Up: Blood donations soar following offer to test for virus antibodies as well




					cphpost.dk


----------



## Marion

Boris’s son was named after 2 doctors. No sign of the nurses names. LJ (Luis, Jenny) might have been a nice add on to his other names. 

Marion


----------



## Wahaay

Marion said:


> Boris’s son was named after 2 doctors. No sign of the nurses names. LJ (Luis, Jenny) might have been a nice add on to his other names.
> 
> Marion



There are plenty of things to criticize Boris Johnson about but complaining about the choice of third forename for his own child is a little desperate if I'm honest..


----------



## Sunny

Leper said:


> We have near neighbours who are from eastern europe and have been awarded Irish citizenship in the past year. They have a large Irish tricolour flying outside their house since the beginning of the coronavirus which shows their solidarity with the rest of us.
> 
> I think that's an excellent gesture.



Solidarity with us????? Surely they are us. They are Irish citizens.


----------



## Sunny

Ah yes Boris who was fought for his life by thinking of the child he would never see. If only all the other victims had loved someone enough to save them. Wonder how that makes poor Stephanie MacIntyre feel considering he went to court to block her identity and has never publically acknowledged her. Not to mention the other child that is apparently floating around......


----------



## Wahaay

Sunny said:


> Ah yes Boris who was fought for his life by thinking of the child he would never see. If only all the other victims had loved someone enough to save them. Wonder how that makes poor Stephanie MacIntyre feel considering he went to court to block her identity and has never publically acknowledged her. Not to mention the other child that is apparently floating around......


And this has got what to do with C-19 good news stories ?


----------



## Sunny

Wahaay said:


> And this has got what to do with C-19 good news stories ?



As much as the name of his kids that you have been commenting on.....Nothing at all kinda like most of your posts defending Boris....


----------



## Wahaay

Sunny said:


> As much as the name of his kids that you have been commenting on.....Nothing at all kinda like most of your posts defending Boris....



I commented on a post which considered the fact Boris named his child after the two doctors who saved his life a piece of good news.That after all is the title of this thread.
Other than that I don't really have any interest in the private lives of politicians.Provided it doesn't have any impact on the way they do their job then I think it should remain private.
Do you have the same interest in and knowledge of the private lives of French,Italian or Spanish politicians ?


----------



## Wahaay

Sunny said:


> Solidarity with us????? Surely they are us. They are Irish citizens.



You missed out a key word - solidarity with the REST of us.
Not solidarity WITH us.
It's an important distinction.


----------



## Leper

Lots of testing is going on. Does this mean our DNA identification bank becomes greater? Is it now possible that some old crimes will be solved through DNA evidence that has not been available before now?


----------



## Wahaay

Travel escapism during lockdown takes on many forms.
This is a wonderful piece of writing in the current edition of The New Yorker which has inspired me to start planning at least one journey mentioned in it.
My mood lifted immediately on reading it.There is light at the end of the tunnel, so to speak.








						The Enduring Romance of the Night Train
					

The beguilements of the sleeper car have never seemed sharper than on the eve of a global lockdown.




					www.newyorker.com


----------



## Purple

Leper said:


> Lots of testing is going on. Does this mean our DNA identification bank becomes greater? Is it now possible that some old crimes will be solved through DNA evidence that has not been available before now?


No, they won't store the DNA. Details of the National Database here.


----------



## Leper

Purple said:


> No, they won't store the DNA. Details of the National Database here.


A good opportunity lost in the  fight against crime.


----------



## Purple

Leper said:


> A good opportunity lost in the  fight against crime.


The State can't hold such personal information without good cause. We're not China.


----------



## Leper

Purple said:


> The State can't hold such personal information without good cause. We're not China.


I suppose you're right - the score Criminals 1 - 0 Ireland even before the game starts.


----------



## Purple

Leper said:


> I suppose you're right - the score Criminals 1 - 0 Ireland even before the game starts.


A minor cost to live in a relatively free country.


----------



## odyssey06

Saw this elsewhere and brought a smile to my face...

Irish government to spray streets with* flat 7up* in an attempt to eradicate coronavirus.
* story may not be 100% true


----------



## odyssey06

Captain Tom Moore is now *Captain Sir* Tom Moore.
But apparently his request for a reverse invasion of Dunkirk has been declined by the Queen as "not the right time".









						Capt Sir Tom Moore knighted in 'unique' ceremony
					

The Queen honours the 100-year-old in her first official engagement in person since lockdown.



					www.bbc.com


----------



## Sophrosyne

I meant to post this before.

I ordered plants online from Mr Middleton Garden Shop in the Spring. Its website displayed a notice that there would be long delays in delivering orders.

I didn’t mind because I had to sort out and prepare a disgusting area in my back garden. This patch I stubbornly called a flower bed despite all rational evidence to the contrary.

Anyway, I eventually I got it sorted and when the plants arrived, I noticed an additional packet which contained two bulbs of beautiful dahlias, called Kaleidoscope, with a note: -

COVID-19. Thank you for supporting Mr Middleton Garden Shop at this difficult time in our history. This is a small gift from the team as a small gesture of thanks.

Just two plants, but they made my day.

 Apparently, the online shop saved its business. It was wiped out with orders for vegetable seeds.


----------



## Leper

Some weeks ago I saw pictures from an international rugby match in New Zealand where it appears nobody in the crowd of 30,000 was wearing a face mask. Earlier I saw this:-


An international rugby match in Sydney where it appears nobody is wearing a face mask either.

What is it the Australians and New Zealanders did in the battle against Covid? Can it be done in Ireland?


----------



## odyssey06

Leper said:


> What is it the Australians and New Zealanders did in the battle against Covid? Can it be done in Ireland?



They made full advantge of their island status, restricted incoming flights, actual enforcement of quarantine etc
As well as regional lockdowns whenever an outbreak did occur.

In Ireland, things are complicated by membership of EU and land border with the North.
Even then. we didn't even do anything about non-EU people coming in from America where we would have had more leeway.


----------



## Leo

odyssey06 said:


> They made full advantge of their island status, restricted incoming flights, actual enforcement of quarantine etc
> As well as regional lockdowns whenever an outbreak did occur.



Australia even prevented 10's of thousands of their own citizen's from returning home.


----------



## odyssey06

A nice touch from Ajax FC to their season ticket holders...

_Ajax have melted down their Eredivisie trophy in order to share the title with supporters who missed out on the success because of the coronavirus pandemic. The newly crowned Dutch league winners have created over 42,000 "champion stars" from the silverware, which will be distributed to the club's season-ticket holders. Each star weighs 3.45 grams, 0.06 of which has come from the trophy._









						Ajax melt down trophy to give fans a memento
					

Ajax have melted down their Eredivisie trophy in order to share the title with supporters who missed out on the success because of the coronavirus pandemic.




					www.rte.ie


----------



## odyssey06

_I didn't know where else to put this, it's more a 'weird story to come out of Covid' ... saw it in New Scientist and thought ok this is clever but maybe we can come up with a more reliable way _

Negative Amazon reviews of scented candles may indicate the number of covid-19 cases in the community and could even predict infection spikes.
Viral Twitter posts have suggested that Amazon reviews for highly scented products could highlight the extent in the population of anosmia,
or a loss of smell, a key covid-19 symptom. To learn more, Nick Beauchamp at Northeastern University, Massachusetts, and his colleagues analysed 9837 Amazon reviews of four best-selling scented candles produced by the brand Yankee Candle. All were posted between September 2018 and December 2021.
They noted the number of reviews that said the candles had no smell and compared them with reported covid-19 cases in the US.
The research “started out as a joke”, says Beauchamp, however, the team found a link between covid-19 cases and negative candle reviews. For every 100,000 new covid-19 cases a week in the US over the study period, the number  of Yankee Candle reviews saying the product had no smell went up by 0.25 percentage points. A statistical analysis revealed this link wasn’t a chance finding...
The team presented the work at the International AAAI Conference on Web and Social Media in June.


----------

