Category: First Thursday Archive

Summary of discussion Astra Zeneca in India had been granted a license to manufacture Covid vaccines at cost price [this was pre-the current surge in India’s own Covid cases], though there are questions about how available these will be to those who cannot afford to pay.  The UK has ordered 400 million doses of vaccine,…

Summary of the discussion: We reflected on the way many transactions today have shifted from being person-to-person (eg negotiating with an individual) to dealing with a computer.  Is this only unwelcome to older people who were once accustomed to personal relationships, and now have difficulty in adjusting to dealing with machines- do others welcome it…

The Government announced £1 billion funds to support the work schools would need to do to enable many children to “catch-up” after Covid: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/catch-up-premium-coronavirus-covid-19/catch-up-premium                                                                                                                                                       It is clear that the Covid lockdowns have had a serious impact on many children- not only through “falling behind” in education, but also in mental health.  The Maudsley…

Summary of the discussion We noted the practice of “Imprisonment for Public Protection” (IPP), in the news recently.  IPP was created by the 2003 Criminal Justice Act, implemented since 2005, and used for crimes which do not merit a life sentence, but where the offender is considered to pose a danger to others.  After 10…

November 12th summary of the discussion. Covid was still top of the news “agenda” with the promise of vaccines soon to be available.  The costs of some (eg Pfizer) are likely to be high (Astra Zeneca is likely to be cheaper and does not need minus 80 degrees Celsius for storage).  Drug companies may reap…

Summary of our discussion: We noted that the “R” (reproduction) rate for Covid had recently fallen from 1.7 down to 1.1 [how long ago does that month seem now!!] The UK Agriculture Bill is going through Parliament at the moment (with a debate today).  This has resulted from the UK leaving the EU, and therefore…

Summary of the discussion: The election campaigning of US President Donald Trump appears to promote division, rather than healing. Law and Order is his message, rather than any attempt to deal with the issues that have caused anger and the protests. In some ways, this is similar to Richard Nixon’s campaign in 1968, which stressed…

The Beirut explosion happened two days before- a shipload of ammonium nitrate en route in 2013 from Georgia for fertilizer in Mozambique, and abandoned after the Russian cargo ship developed mechanical problems near Cyprus, appears to have been triggered by a nearby fire. If stored for long periods ammonium nitrate solidifies and becomes dangerous. Poor…

Two matters in the news occupied most of our discussion: The impact of the Beijing Government’s actions on Hong Kong. Is it that Beijing is determined to subvert the 1997 One Country, Two Systems agreement with Britain and control Hong Kong- or is it a difference of interpretation of what that agreement meant? Since Deng…