Love that Steve.
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Love that Steve.
It is interesting that the UK which had been taking pretty much a “let it spread” position* has now changed abruptly.
If you haven’t been following how world governments are addressing the spread of the coronavirus, it’s pretty interesting.
*”Let it Spread” is my simplistic catch phrase, And of course the UK’s policy is far more nuanced and complex.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/20...gy-has-changed
I think it is more properly "Let it Spread, kill off all the old people so the NHS budget will look better moving forward".Quote:
Originally Posted by iris lilies
My daughter, who lives in a fortified Roman city in the UK, is packing her bags today to move out to a fortified Roman country villa for the duration.
This hints at the many opportunities for black humor in this environment, but I honestly think the SL forums have too many people easily upset by anything resembling humor ( or a small number who are disproportionally vocal) about our National situation that I am restraining myself here, somewhat.Quote:
Originally Posted by bae
Mustn’t fuss people unnecessarily. Also the people who are literal thinkers, black and white thinkers seem to have trouble with irony.
There are some threads on the Mr. Money Mustache website picking up the humor vein, tho.That is a younger, male-dominated crowd so there’s going to be more black humor over there.
Bae, I have to say You are probably right about your apprehension about outsiders fleeing to your remote island.
My favorite hate read, an Instagram queen, pulled up her family from Seattle to flee to Mount Shasta, CA, population 3000. Because Mt Shasta has so many resources, ya know? Eyeroll. So she and the family took a leisurely drive from Seattle through Portland stopped in Portland, spread epicenter Seattle germs, drove down through southern Oregon spreading germs into Northern California.
This is someone who is a stay at home mom. Her husband can work remotely. They are not in a risk group, they have small children and they themselves are in their 30s. There is no reason for them to move to the hinterlands.
Now they are sequestered in an Airbnb house in the woods. And her Instagram broadcast she actually seems a little crazy so I wonder what’s going on in her head.
We made the decision to go through with our vacation to Hawaii this week because last week that seemed a reasonable decision. And because SO’s mom, for whom this trip is her Christmas gift absolutely wanted to do it. If our plans had been a week later we would have likely cancelled. Now we sit here in our room eating breakfast because the hotel restaurant closed it’s dining room at the governor’s request. My sister asked how I would feel if we get stuck here. I have my work computer and phone with me so we could stay and there’s a lovely beach 300 feet from here but honestly I hope we can get home Saturday. And I hope my MIL and SO’s sister get home safely. I worry, probably excessively, since they have to change planes in Seattle. But MIL IS 87. She’s definitely a candidate for a serious case of it if she gets sick.
Regarding humor, there certainly is plenty of humor to be had. SO seems to have focused on the toilet paper part of it. A week ago he posted a comment on Facebook that the grocery store had a TP substitute still available, with a picture of a box of Imodium. And then Monday he took a picture of himself next to a display of cabbage on sale at Safeway and posted it with the caption ‘Safeway has stocked up on organic toilet paper.’
There are starting to be reports that though the numbers are lower, the virus may not be as benign to young people and kids as previously thought. DD is now worried about her nonprofit job. Every day brings a new worry. I am outside today planting peas hoping that staying off the internet most of the day will help with anxiety.
Did it seem to you that the count of Asian tourists was down from normal levels? It could be that you timed your Hawaii vacation extremely well, in terms of uncrowded beaches.Quote:
Originally Posted by jp1
Be well, e maika'i
There seem to be almost no Asian tourists. Very different from previous visits.
I have an off-topic question.Quote:
Originally Posted by jp1
If you’re an Asian tourist, why would you go all the way to Hawaii when there are lots of beaches and tropical places in your own part of the world? I mean, is it really that great. Is it marketing that gets them there?
I say this as someone who obviously has not been to Hawaii and doesn’t especially care about tropical paradises, So they all kind of blend in together to me.
Kaiser in Colorado is closing 21 of their clinics and leaving 10 others serving essential needs open. I'm not sure of the specifics. Also, I've noticed hospitals are generally postponing elective surgeries to free up supplies and bed space for some sort of expected corona patients. Our state has had a little under 200 positive cases so I'm assuming there is an expectation or anticipation of a wave of new patients.
I've been wondering how commercial TV will fare. About half of the commercials are for businesses that are closed. I guess these were part of a contract paid for in advance or a binding commitment. The pharma and lawyer ads might have to keep them afloat.
It is hard to tell what is going on. Are more people getting infected, or are we just finding out about people who have been infected already because now the tests are being done? To me the most reliable statistic is deaths, but people could have died from COVID-19 earlier and that not have been listed as the cause of death because awareness was less than. How many autopsies were done in say January on elderly nursing home residents with underlying medical issues not expected to live long?
To go shopping and shoot guns.Quote:
Originally Posted by iris lilies
At a press conference today, the IL governor said that there are a lot more cases now in our state due to more testing. IL was the first state that was able to do its own testing.Quote:
Originally Posted by Yppej
Remember, this has a 14d incubation period. So every day I am around 30 people , they are all exposed to me because I don't know I am incubating.Quote:
Originally Posted by Yppej
So take that statistic out to all of those people being 14days and all they have exposed.
As an Infection Prevention practitioner (yes, did that too), I believe we are another 100 days out before we are on the downside of the hill. AND a very big AND, if people would follow the guidelines. Since people are NOT, this will go on. 100 more days is optimistic!
I'm already assuming our June 20th trip to Canada for our 40th anniversary will be a no go.
I have to admit that my life is going on much the same. I'm something of a homebody. Still going into the office. Small office and few visitors. My church and gym are closed, so I'm just back and forth to home. I'll start diving the beginning of April if the quarry 90 minutes away opens. There are few divers there until sometime in May. The water is too cold for them otherwise.
A friend of mine outside Lincoln has a very serious and aggressive cancer on her adrenal gland. Her surgery is considered elective and was cancelled this morning. I'm very concerned for her. It already has a shitty survival of 3.21 years. No estimate on when they might take that sucker out. I am so so sad.
:(Quote:
Originally Posted by Gardnr
To clarify. Not at the same time.Quote:
Originally Posted by jp1
There are plenty of mall shootings, just not in Hawaii (yet).
What? Shooting guns? Is this a place that has a lot of shooting ranges?Quote:
Originally Posted by jp1
And oh yeah I suppose there are palaces of consumption, shopping malls in Hawaii, but that seems like a stupid thing to do when you’re in a tropical paradise.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tradd
For introverts like me, and probably you, this isn’t asking for such a drastic lifestyle change as it is for extroverts. Even I expect to feel the effects though. After all I’m not a total hermit. The nine months I’ve been working from home I’ve really come to look forward to our Friday nights when we usually meet friends for happy hour and dinner, the one time each week that I go out and be social.
The first time I was in Honolulu I was baffled by all the guys with sandwich boards advertising gun ranges. Then I came across a guy in one giving his spiel in Japanese and he was surrounded by eager Japanese tourists and suddenly it made sense. They can’t do it at home.Quote:
Originally Posted by iris lilies
As far as the shopping supposedly it’s a lot cheaper. I have no idea if that’s really the case.
When my company in Silicon Valley had some Japanese business partners, I was in charge of showing them around the area, due to my limited knowledge of Japanese and unlimited interest in fun.
Every single one of the visitors wanted to go to the shooting ranges and learn to shoot real firearms. Which I was happy to help with.
True. And if/when it happens I doubt the demographic of the shooter will be Japanese tourist.Quote:
Originally Posted by Yppej
I can understand. An insurance broker friend of mine, typical California progressive type who had never had occasion to shoot guns used to have a job that involved supporting a team of people in Cleveland. She came back from a trip there all excited to show off the video where they taught her how to shoot one. She had had a great time.Quote:
Originally Posted by bae
Before recent events my boss was planning a team offsite in Vegas in July. I’d convinced him that the ‘fun’ activity should be going to a gun range. Hopefully that won’t have to be put off for forever.
Quote:
Originally Posted by bae
Here then,Quote:
Originally Posted by iris lilies
https://youtu.be/Sh8mNjeuyV4
Does anyone personally know someone who has tested positive? Or died of corona? I don't.
153 deaths in the US among 327 million people is a drop in the bucket. I think people will still do things like go to crowded beaches for spring break until their social circle is impacted.
My neighbor years ago lived through the 1918 influenza epidemic and used to tell me about it. Everyone was affected. The girl he later married lost both her parents and for the rest of his life after he met her he donated to charities for orphans.
Yes, my boss just had it. (I work remotely.) She got it at the Colorado caucus. She said she was sick for a few days and in quarantine and is now fine.Quote:
Originally Posted by Yppej
If my diving is affected, then all bets are off. I’ve got my big diving class that I’ve been working hard for this year.Quote:
Originally Posted by jp1
That's part of the long tail I mentioned in one thread or another here (maybe "Boy that Dow"). There are going to be ripples from this pandemic which will be felt several levels removed from the actual medical issue and the slump in the world market indexes. People without money won't be buying goods or experiences. Expect that the cruise industry will come back minus a few brand names people recognize now. Some near-luxury branded goods won't be seen again in stores. Many restaurants and bars and hair salons will close for not having enough funds to continue paying the bills until business comes back. Many boutiques and specialty stores (cosmetics, fancy pet food, etc.) are going to take a hit, in some cases fatal. And then there will be the ancillary businesses, like ad agencies, travel consultants, and freelance video producers, that suffer for lack of money floating around.Quote:
Originally Posted by Rogar
I wrote in the Boy that Dow thread that I expect the market to come back relatively quickly. I still do; market averages are not the entire economy. But this pandemic is going to leave a sizable mark on lots of people who don't suffer more than a cough for a few days.
I was thinking that suddenly Yang's guaranteed income makes better sense. There will be small or maybe big businesses that are not going to weather through this and will be out of business, whether it's short lived or long term closures. The governments fiscal stimulus is unlikely to affect a lot of businesses and the $1000. checks we've been promised are just a short term band aid or feel good money. I had a college friend in the financial business who was caught up in the 2007 meltdown and for a time was living out of his car and doing night time janitor work. I don't know if any predictions of unemployment are reliable right now, but people in certain previously gainful professions are going to be hitting the food banks and shelters.Quote:
Originally Posted by SteveinMN
I have some money in municipal bonds and have even wondered if some of these might default in places where local resources are strained are unprepared.
I did a curbside pickup at my local wild bird store yesterday. The owner is a great guy, and he's running a one-man show right now with a really good strategy for making sales with no real risks to himself or his customers. If I'm going to be spending more time at home, I can't have empty bird feeders, so I did a substantial stock-up order.
Our city has shut down access to most public buildings and mass transit. Our public library has started a curbside pickup service.
I went grocery shopping this morning just to see how things were and buy some meat for the freezer if available. Pleasantly surprised that the store had everything I needed, including lots of fresh veggies and fruit so I loaded up on those. Bought some pork for the freezer and a few other things. They still had some toilet paper and paper towels, not much, but some and they are restricting quantities. I didn't need any so left them for others. They are well stocked on eggs, milk, chicken, etc. Plenty of staples on the shelves: crackers, tortillas, rice, beans, even some bread. And they had plenty of fresh-baked bread as well as their rotisserie chicken.
Everyone was pleasant and we even exchanged a few jokes amongst our fellow shoppers and staff, who were busy stocking the shelves and produce.
Traffic was light on the street and the weirdest thing was seeing the mall parking lot completely empty.
We should be good for the next few weeks.
I think you are right. There could be all kinds of short and longer term ramifications. Will online education increase or decrease its stigma after so many new students are exposed to it? Or will working from home or telemedicine be looked at differently? Will certain careers or investments be viewed differently after their vulnerabilities are highlighted in such an extreme way? Will the general public become more amenable to big government solutions or find a renewed respect for local and individual action?Quote:
Originally Posted by SteveinMN
My manager came into the office today with a story that she talked to someone last night who works for the Feds. We’re going on a 2 week lockdown beginning Monday but they’re only going to announce it Sunday night so there’s no panicked preparation. She said United Nations troops are going to enforce it. I laughed. She didn’t get it when I told her UN troops wouldn’t be involved as they come from outside the US.
Another coworker said a friend of her in the National Guard was told she’s going to be gone for around 30 days. That does make sense as the NG is already being used for various things.
Manager told our regional VP. We’re having to take all our files home with us tomorrow.
She is gullible and doesn’t pay attention to the regular news.
Correction: They had everything I WANTED. It's so easy to see wants as needs immediately. I had everything I needed already. Gosh, we are used to so much comfort.Quote:
Originally Posted by Geila
You hit on the societal changes stemming from the pandemic, another whole element of it.Quote:
Originally Posted by LDAHL
If enough work can be done from homes, do companies need to build huge structures their employees commute to every day? People are social and there are many jobs which are not easy to replicate at home. But for those of us who could work with a computer to get most/all of our work done, how critical is an fixed office or cube somewhere? Maybe office buildings start to look more like those co-work places where you walk in, grab a cart of supplies, find a spot, and get to work. Make it convenient for you. Pick the place near your kids' day care or your favorite coffee shop. Does it matter that the company logo is not on the building? Smaller buildings, less to buy, less to heat/cool/repair, ... so what happens to the commercial real estate market? What happens to the old command-and-control managerial model? If the work gets done without the boss walking by the desk at regular intervals, what does the boss do instead of making bed checks?
The number of local businesses I've seen that have moved to a drive up/pay/load up/drive home/delivery model -- and the speed with which it's happened -- surprises me. The vet clinic we used to use now asks you to call when you arrive with your pet. A vet tech comes out, takes the pet, they do their thing inside, the pet is returned to you, the vet tech can take your payment, and the tech can relay what the vet said or the vet will call you later with the Dx and treatment options. You no longer wait in their building.
Someone in another thread mentioned curbside pickup at Sherwin-Williams, about the last place I would ever think would change their business model. They did it in the space of a week or two. Local bar/pizza joint is doing the same thing. What does this mean for delivery services if every company now has a process for sales outside their stores? Not that (some) people don't want to shop, but it's a new delivery model and it showed up almost literally overnight.
My favorite radio station -- non-profit, listener-supported, has moved all of its staff out of the studios. Even the on-air staff is doing their shows from home. The only people on hand are an engineer at the booth to monitor the equipment. They did this in days. If nothing else, it shows resourcefulness and that business can move a whole lot faster than many thought it could. That could be an interesting dynamic in the future, too.
Kind of fun to watch this aspect of it.
It is interesting. The thought of working from home and not being aware of your coworkers and supervisors or professors were human or artificial intelligence.Quote:
Originally Posted by SteveinMN