Wuhan virus.

[Suff]

It is not just a national crisis, it is a world crisis. 46,000 new cases yesterday alone. Countries are slowly waking up to it.

You've been in the RAF WM, you know the squadron leader doesn't get the same consideration as the grunt on the pan. There are levels, there have always been levels and there will always be levels. After every revolution there were levels.

The main thing is people should not abuse them.

[Workingman]

Ah yes, the normality of officer's quarters, their own mess, salutes and then the siren went off....

No such thing as officer's NBC gear, everybody got the same, and when the lockdown came we shared the same bogs, were fed the same food and kipped where we could. We had our own SLR or SMG or pistol but all the same model and ammo. If you had been sent out during a gas attack or a 'bomb' everyone came in through the same decontam point and followed the same procedure. We were all in it together. It was an emergency.

Then came the all clear and we went home, had a damned good shower and were back at work saluting, "Yes sir, three bags full, sir!", officer's, SNCO's and other ranks' messes. That was normal, an emergency was a whole new ball game and we all played it equally.

[Suff]

It was not the same in the Army, I can assure you. The senior officers got the NBC prepared vehicles, sat around, mainly, in shirtsleeves, used the officers bogs and left the Oiks to get on with it.

Yes they used the same kit when they moved. But, generally, they didn't move much.

Only the junior officers got to slum it with the grunts. Rank doth have it's privileges after all.

[Workingman]

Yes, it was much different being on a squadron.

We had our pilots, and they were "ours". We were responsible for making sure that their "kit" was the best it could be - their lives were in our hands. We knew it and they knew it. It was obvious that we were still officers and airmen, but the gap was small because we were in each other's faces every day.

It was similar in engineering wing. Senior technicians were trained to HNC / HND level so were only a few levels below the officers who had degrees. Officers tended to be generalists where senior techs were specialists so it was not unknown for an officer to gather together a group of STs to talk out a problem.

The very worst officers were the various pen pushers.... they were loathed by everyone not in their bubble. Blackadder's Cpt Darling springs to mind.

[Suff]

My father has stories about those pen pushers who loved their rank. Even down to senior ranks at his level. He was 40 years in the RAF.

My father was a bit miffed I joined the Army and not the RAF, took me a while to understand why.

But it gave me a first class education in "rank hath its privileges". Something which was sharpened in the TA with 2 years as an officer cadet.

[Suff]

Another day of records. The US, reaching near 15,000 new cases per day, has overtaken China with the highest number of cases. Italy will follow tomorrow.

Italy reached it's highest death rate for one day, over 900, amongst slightly declining new cases. But still I the 6,000 per day range.

Germany is recording record deaths and increasing death numbers. The UK, also with record deaths.

Covid-19 has an aggregate R0 value of slightly over 2. Fortunately for us, transmissions take a bit more time than a spreadsheet calculates. An R0 of 2 calculates out pretty quickly. 1 person infects two, they infect 4 and so it goes on. 16, 256, 65536 (64k), then... 4.3 billion!

[cromwell]

Surely after this the world will crack down on the wild animal / wet market trade? It's not just China, other countries are at it as well, they say it is their "culture". Some culture! Thousands of people are dead early, massive economic damage has been caused across the world - we can't allow the cause of this to just toddle along it's merry way. This has to stop.

[TheOstrich]

It does, and the Chinese must be made fully aware that it is not going to be "business as usual" when all this dies down. I don't think people will stand for it.

[medsec222]

Couldn't agree more, Cromwell and Ossie. Unhygienic practices have been allowed to flourish in China. Lives have been lost worldwide and economies have nosedived. China should be firmly told to shut these markets down, and that goes for any other country that permits the same obscene practices.

[Workingman]

Quite right. It has to stop. It's disgusting. Squirrel, hare, rabbit, boar, venison, grouse, pheasant. partridge, guinea fowl, quail, duck, woodcock, wood pigeon, river salmon, rainbow trout, brown trout, carp, bream, barbel, crayfish, langoustines, mussels, cod, haddock, whiting, dab, plaice, turbot, flounder, halibut, crab, lobster, oysters,. All of them "wild meats" and all for sale in...... the UK.