Sir Spot of Borg wrote on Mar 18^th, 2020 at 3:14pm:



poorer people are more resistant to viruses, they bodies deal with them all the time. You ever see poor kids walking around barefoot in the middle of winter, filthy, but they never seem to get sick?

Rick pampered prissies will be the first to croak

Both right.

Poor are more 'robust' to diseases, etc.
But their living conditions seem to make such things thrive.
Rich people have cleaner conditions, but they are also more 'fragile'.

Like the saying "Steal from the Evil rich and give to the good poor, but protect the Good rich from the evil poor"

So the Poor of Sydney and the Rich of Melbourne should die from the Corona virus if all goes well.   

Sir Spot of Borg wrote on Mar 18^th, 2020 at 3:14pm:


Some have closed, most have not.

But to be accurate, they can make an independent decision to close because they're independent schools

John Smith wrote on Mar 18^th, 2020 at 6:40pm:


Did you learn that from an immunologist at your Mesa meeting?

I guess lower socioeconomic groups have higher rates of smoking, obesity etc protect them from this virus?

These parents that have their kids in these private schools are both working and have almost bare cupboards to afford their kids this privileged, with the hope they will do better somehow.

Maybe that's the fallacy, thinking private schools are better than public schools?

I had experience with my kids, attending both private and public, over the course of time.
And must say, the public schools were better, more entertaining, better excursions, for some reason, but maybe that was back in the 1980's and 90's.
Don't know how to compare them now as I do not have school age children anymore.
But my preference was public school I came to realise.

Going way back now, in the late 50s and early 60s in the heart of Melbourne.

My parents were immigrants, I ended up at a public school, I was not so fluent at english as we spoke Italian at home.
A friend nearby (of Italian immiigrants also) was sent to a Catholic Private School.

I don't know how she did at the private school, but I still have my little books with teachers scores in them from way back then.
I had something like 8 1/2 for English and maths.

I maintained those good marks right throughout my public schooling.

Funny thing is, in my adult years, when I was thinking about schools for my kids, mum says to me....she was glad I went to a public government school because I learnt something, whereas the other girl, went to a Catholic Private School, and all she learnt was how to pray!!

But that was then.

Just thought I would share.

Jasin wrote on Mar 18^th, 2020 at 7:43pm:


That probably sums up the difference. How hard the parents work for their education and privilege to attend the school.
It's the new 'strap' to use as discipline.

Having said that, I must write, when we did our high school 50th anniversary, some of the other attendees, that are now retired school teachers, I say to them, how would they feel about being a teacher in today's times?
And the 3 of them said, they are glad they were teachers in their time back then in the 70's 80's etc. and wouldn't know how to handle the kids of today and all their behavioural and bullying problems.

So in a way, I do feel for the teachers of public schools, they don't have it that easy.

When I taught keyboard/music at a primary school, although they had a "no bullying policy" in place, it took a form of a different turn...ostracization.

That was noticeable, very silent problem, no verbal bullying. Probably needs some more implementation of teaching kindness and how people have feelings etc?

School systems themselves are a varied thing.
I went to one School that was full of Rednecks (Housos) and physical violence.
I went to another School that was full of Gays and mental violence.

You can spot the Single-Sex students and Co-Educational students in a Night Club: The Single-Sex students are getting together with the opposite sex on the dance floor. You can imagine the nun or teacher there with a ruler trying to keep them apart. While the Co-Eds, having spent all day in school with the opposite sex, are off in the corner in their 'all boy' or 'all girl' groups socialising 'single-sex' like.

Then you see them in the Work Place and the Co-Eds seem to gel well, while the Single-Sex students find it hard to cope with 'working' with the opposite sex and thus you find a majority of 'harrassment' or 'affairs' (over-achieving) happening from them.
Malcom Turnbull couldn't tell the difference between a Co-Ed 'working' relationship and Barnaby's 'Affair', so he just banned 'any' relationship... which was unfair on the more stable 'Co-Eds'.

etc, etc.

Did you know that ADHD (ADD in the old days) was mostly a 'Govt Public School' thing and mostly in Co-Ed schools?
Even more mostly with 'single-parent' kids. Better give em a ritalin sedation pill. 

Seems 'Autism' is the new thing with every Govt School kid being spectified as Autistic.

Did you know that the Victorian version of Govt/Public School is the opposite of the NSW version?

But did you know that in Melbourne: The Rich are Bad, the Poor are good... but in Sydney, the Poor are the Criminals and the Rich are the good?

...and yet at times we find it hard to understand when 'one group' describe themselves as the only Australian way.

ScoMo thinks that the Hillsong Way is the only way. 

I could go on.
Like its best to be a Govt/Public (NSW) student with lower fees where the feral behaviours give you more character too with such adversity.
Then go work as a Privatised Teacher in some rip-off Private School where the students are as sedated as an ADHD on Ritalin for fear of their parents (who pay a fortune) and get paid a fortune for it. 

In Australia - the 'Worker' is right (you gotta be in it to win it!), unlike in the USA where the Customer (Consumer) is right and can even reach Celebrity Status.

Mr Hammer wrote on Mar 18^th, 2020 at 7:15pm:


3rd world, 1st world, it doesn't matter where you are. It apples equally to all

But some sections of the population have traditionally had more trouble quitting tobacco. This includes people of low socioeconomic status, who have smoking rates of 24%; people experiencing unemployment, at 26.5%; and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, who have a rate of 36%.

https://www1.racgp.org.au/newsgp/clinical/targeting-disadvantage-in-smoking-cess...

The places with the highest rates of obesity also have much higher rates of smoking, inactivity and chronic illness, and are largely seen as low socio-economic communities, Prof Calder said.

https://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/health/health-problems/australian-suburbs-with...

Rich people live longer and have 9 more healthy years than poor people, according to new research

https://www.insider.com/rich-people-live-nine-years-longer-than-poor

The GradienT beTween economic wellbeinG and healThThe greater one’s income, the lower one’s likelihood of disease and premature death.1 Studies show that Americans at all income levels are less healthy than those with incomes higher than their own.2 Not only is income (the earnings and other money acquired each year) associated with better health, but wealth  (net worth and assets) affects health as well

https://www.urban.org/sites/default/files/publication/49116/2000178-How-are-Inco...

John Smith wrote on Mar 18^th, 2020 at 8:51pm:


I just wanted to go back to this, about conditions, dirt?

In a way, when you see India, and how poor they are, searching rubbish tips, yet they don't get sick?

I was a participant in a survey, to do with women and cancer, and the questions asked were …. wow, a lot.
It taught me by the questions, things I already knew.
For instance, a baby that is brought up for the first few years of their life in a farming situation, with dirt, and animals, has a far stronger immune system. And when it was asked.....
One of the questions asked was exactly that, if I had been on a farm when very young. I knew what they were getting at.

My children, I allowed them to get in the soil and play, run free, grass, mud, whatever, and I have funny pics of them with friends with mud all over them.
I think it was healthy to do that.
My city cousin's wife, who came to visit with her kids same age as mine, dressed in their diadora whites, were not allowed to play as mine did.
Might get their clothes dirty etc. as she tightens the scrunchy on her daugther's pony tail.

My kids ran into the muddy dam with the dog, and her kids watched enviously.
And yes, my hubby grew up on a farm also, and then he became a mechanical engineer, more dirt and grease.
Yet, we are all healthy and funny thing is, my cousin's wife looks old and haggard, and in obvious pain, her house is immaculate and stoic (mine is like homely and lived in).
They like to look wealthy and with designer clothes, we don't care, whatever looks nice and neat and fashionable, not brand names.

But I am far healthier and younger looking than her now. I am sorry to see people my age suffer, but it wasn't smoking or lack of money that make some of the wealthy looking ones ill, it's their mind, the 'keep up with the joneses' attitude, no freedom in their own mind with that.
Oh and the nice cars, while we kept ours for 20 years (hubby the mechanic makes it so  )

Funny thing is, their wealth, her kids are fat, mine, we were frugal with, and taught them the value to respect money, they are fit and thin.

So lazy are 'some' of those with a lot of money, don't have to worry much, la de dah.

Don't get me wrong, we acquired our wealth too, but over a lifetime, now we can be more relaxed, lucky we are still fit enough to go hiking on holidays.
So gratetful I was a poor farmers daughter to start with.
I was the cutest grubby little blond girl you would ever have seen, with the cheekiest smile.
I loved my animal friends, the ducks, and chooks, piglets, the dog and cat etc.

The point....cleanliness and wrapping one in a bubble is doing more harm than good. i

Jasin wrote on Mar 18^th, 2020 at 9:40pm:


Interesting, re: the Indians, it only ever shows how they seem to survive, never saying much about their rates of death or illness.
All I ever see or used to see when growing up, was pictures of starving African babies and kids.

Yes, clean dirt vs filth, you are correct, but still, there is a difference to those who experience dirt, and those that don't at all.
Still healthy to be exposed when young to "clean dirt"

You are right in that it is better for a kid to experience dirt, etc than those poor kids locked away in those 'Bubbles' that prevent a robust growth towards adulthood.

During the Great Plague: People lived in 'filthy' conditions of never washing or changing their 'rag' clothing. Nostrodamus had to tell them to "Burn their Clothes and have a bloody Wash!". The Plague ended abruptly after that and he didn't have expensive Research Facilities to tell the people that.
Most Australians are not like that and now I'm sure many already clean kids are being scrubbed to death by their OCD parents out of fear and panic.

Jasin wrote on Mar 18^th, 2020 at 9:40pm:



that gordie wants to compare our public school students to the slums of Mumbai show just how clueless he is.