Thread: Lockdown/Stay-in-place situation, What are you planning to do?

Originally Posted by Xtreme

Likewise. When crossing the Simpson in 1980 I would take a walk from camp each morning and just sit on a sand ridge for a while and think that, apart from my travelling companions, no one else was within hundreds of kilometers. As rick130 said "Bliss"

Yes,those deserts are amazing,absolute bliss,particularly at night.

Even out at the property,it’s great to be just by yourself,no phone gonna ring,nothing.I love sitting by one of the dams about 2 hrs before dusk,until dark,watching wildlife coming down for a drink.Quiet,peaceful.

There is one dam with a huge Coolibah,next to a large area of scrub which is the best.

After noticing caravans heading north from Brisbane on Friday, today it was the turn to notice caravans heading south towards Brisbane. Not sure if they're only going to the Gold Coast or crossing the border into NSW, but there were certainly plenty of them.
I can also report that the regular Sunday arvo traffic jam from the Sunshine Coast south to Brisbane is back, with bumper to bumper traffic.
Apparently caravan sales are also booming, so that's good for manufacturers. We may not make cars any more, but we certainly make plenty of caravans.

Travel ban driving caravan sales surge as young Aussies move in on 'grey nomad holiday'
Caravan sales boom during travel ban as young Aussies and families move in on '''grey-nomad holiday''' - ABC News

I can report what happens when you go to the dentist, as I did today.
He wears a mask, makes you rinse your mouth with some kind of mixture and puts on gloves.
These seem like sensible infection control measures for everyone to adopt all the time, I think.
He was interested when I said I had been tested twice and been negative and asked me how it worked, as he is planning to get tested soon, although he does not have any symptoms.
BTW he is flat out busy and you have to book a month ahead.

That is pretty good if you have a sudden toothache &/or a broken tooth. Not.

I had an enamel chip off a front tooth, now fixed. Will have to go back for some other work.

Left with this question:
Why are teeth the only part of the body not covered by Medicare?

Originally Posted by DiscoMick

Left with this question:
Why are teeth the only part of the body not covered by Medicare?

OK, I'll bite! Why?

No idea. Seems odd to me.

I think it is because historically dentistry developed as a separate discipline from medicine.

Worth noting though that historically surgery was also a different discipline to medicine, being the trade of the barber/surgeon, whereas doctors were mostly university graduates. As more was learned about the body from about the sixteenth century, doctors began to take up surgery, and although there were numerous 'demarcation disputes', it became clear by the nineteenth century that medical training was a necessity for surgery, and in most countries, by the end of the nineteenth century a medical degree had become a prerequisite to practice surgery.

Dentistry remained a trade, with entry via apprenticeship far later (my childhood dentist entered the profession via an apprenticeship), and because dentists were not in the same class as doctors, doctors have mostly shown little interest in moving into dentistry. Even as increased medical knowledge led to both more procedures that dentists could do, this required more education, and dentistry mostly required a degree course by WW2 - a separate degree from medicine.

Because the two professions are separate, and possibly because few people die directly from dental problems, this led to dentistry not being included in Medicare. Perhaps the doctors had better lobbyists - the prospect of an early demise is a more powerful driver than toothache!