Coronavirus - II

[bigburly912]

Can I just remind everyone to be careful with hand sanitizing all the time. It’s ok to use when you have to but it also kills the good bacteria on your skin which can lead to some nasty warts and skin conditions. You really have to do overdo it to see anything like that. Just a warning.

Lion, all of our local gas stations keep it in stock so we are particularly lucky in this area

 

[Poppy]

Numbers are fun cuz you can spin them any way you want.

Over 10,000 people in nursing homes in the USA have died of COVID19. That is a terrible statistic! (True). Nursing homes are doing a terrible job, they are death pits!

Or:

Prior to the pandemic, over 1000 people per day died of infections in nursing homes in the USA. Only 10,300 have died since Jan 21 of COVID19, which is about 100 per day. (Also true.) Nursing homes are doing a great job!

Same info, sounds quite different two ways.

nbp,
AWESOME POST!!!
Two Thumbs Up!!! :twothumbsup:

 

[bykfixer]

I see this thread as much about conversation as information. A group of weirdos chatting about a pandemic sweeping across the planet. (Yes us flashlight geeks are seen as weirdos by many outside this place), but in a way it makes us all part of a prepper crowd too. Another group of weirdos to the outside world. Tin foil hat crowd if you will. Some more extreme than others.

Dale Earnhart once said "you can go a long way in making your luck good or bad by preparing or not preparing" when asked why he rarely got collected up in big crashes on super speedways. My wife used to say I only saw the weeds and thorns in the field of flowers. Eventually she learned that one can still enjoy the pretty flowers while not getting scratched by the thorns or having allergic reactions to the weeds by knowing they exist, avoiding them and still enjoying a beautiful scenery.

This pandemic if you will shows us a glaring reality of just how many people are vulnerable to the flu, the head cold, and the upper respiratory distresses caused by them. It also shows how fragile life can be.

For some to think people protesting is somehow irresponsible, try looking at it through their perspective. Jobless folks in most cases understand at first that it's part of life. But when the rent is due and they are out of money it takes on a whole different look. Some receive stipends from the government that sent them home. But they do not want to sit around with outstretched hand waiting for a handout. It's like having a box of cereal in front of you and having to be fed only what someone else thinks you should be fed. A baby does not know any different. An adult does.

It does not help when half the populace is thinking the government lied about this whole thing to steal their freedom while the other believes that at any minute the invisble enemy will sneak in their 800 sq ft apartment and murder baby Jane in some kind of toturous method. Charts and graphs that prove both sides are correct.

I said a while ago "Americans won't like being corraled for long". News agencies show clips of "irresponsible" people who are just fed up with the whole thing while their neighbor calls the cops on moms who let their kids go play with neighbors kids or arrest some guy for selling fruit out of his dress shop that was forced to close. It's getting to a point where the masses are getting fed up by enlightened people telling them what is best for them.

All across the US (and I suppose other free nations) suicide hotlines are being inundated and there are some out there trying to sound the alarm that things are going south and quickly. Depression is anger without enthusiasm. So if some folks can let off steam with a march down main street than perhaps that will save lives too.

What Americans want right now is more "goooooooood morning Vietnaaaaaaam" and less Tokyo Rose. In WW2 Americans saw an attack on their land by a hostile nation. They also saw another hostile nation wiping out nations across the planet. We fought hard for our freedom and made huge sacrifices. Not to thwart some virus that only kills about 1-2% but halt the spread of tyranny that kills everybody who do not obey across the planet. That same Tyranny some governors seemingly impose on their own citizens. And for what? Some plague they were told will kill millions? It hasn't happened and now even the WHO is saying the Sweden way is the best way.

Sweden did not lock down. They mitigated while enjoying life. Should we believe what the WHO says now?

 

[Poppy]

This whole thread was started by Trailhunter on 2/12/2020 with this question:

Howse everyone holding up?

Sent from my SM-G970U using Tapatalk

How about a question from Joey on "Friends"
So... How you doin?
__________________________________

I am fortunate in that I have some space to stretch out a bit, with a nice sunny back-yard to go to when the weather is nice.
I live with people that I actually like.
I have food, and can obtain more.
I have TP

So Life is Good! :)

___________________________________

OTOH:
I've been out of work for 7 weeks now, with out a paycheck.
I haven't gotten my stimulus check
I am unsure IF and if-when I will be able to collect unemployment. I am "self employed" as an un-contracted, contract worker, but get paid weekly on a day to day basis. The rules for self employed are new and different, and the system is broken.
When things evolve into the new normal, there is a fairly good chance that the business I have worked for the last three years, will be slow enough that I won't get hired back. That's assuming that it will re-open.
The stocks that I had, took a big hit.
My job is a very social event for me and I really enjoy it. The loss of socialization has been a bit of a blow.

I'm a little depressed.
I have disturbed sleep at night, and nap a little longer during the day.

I try to keep the kids involved in different activities, to reduce their boredom. They too have been separated from the few friends that they have. We are all fortunate that they have each other.

I'm tired of playing cards, but I try to "duo" (its an android version of face-time) with my dad for an hour or so a day playing "knock rummy" to reduce his loneliness while living alone in Florida.

I am sure that I would feel better if I was more secure in my financial future.

To top it all off, my daughter has been running a low grade fever for 5 of the last 6 weeks. She hopes to get an exploratory CT scan tomorrow, but has to get it pre-certified by Blue Cross - they were closed for the week-end.

______________________________

Over all I am doing my best to keep my chin up, and enjoy life.
Doing as much gourmet cooking as I can. Sometimes its good, other times just palatable.

I hope you are all doing at least as well as I.
Poppy

 

[mightysparrow]

I know how things are supposed to work under our form of government. However, when you close the court houses and release the criminals right after they are arrested (including the violent repeat offenders) something's got to give. Either the people will take matters into their own hands, the police will do the same breaking the law to protect the people, or the criminals will have free reign to hurt people. I'm not saying it's right. I'm not saying I'm okay with it. I'm saying it's happening and we should be prepared for it. The police and our government do not have the resources to protect the people so drastic measures are going to be taken to attempt to keep people in line. I think the constitution went out the window when they released criminals while ordering law abiding citizens to stay in their homes and telling some that they couldn't provide for their families while others could.

I understand your concerns. I don't know what goes on in other jurisdictions, so I can only speak about what happens in the major metropolitan area I work in that has a relatively high crime rate. Where I work, people who have been arrested but not convicted of the crime for which they've been arrested are not labeled "criminals." The people being released where I live are those in the lockup waiting for their trials. Arraignments and emergency hearings are still going on as normal. So, criminals aren't being released. Violent, repeat offenders are certainly not being released here. I don't know about other locations.

Some of the people in the lockup have been released due to the Covid-19 emergency, because the law says they can only be held for a certain amount of time, based on the crime alleged. The majority of these people have strict reporting requirements and will incur substantial penalties for violating the terms of their release. In addition, many of these people were released pursuant to intensive supervision. That usually requires them to wear an ankle bracelet that reports where they are at all times, and also has requirements for frequent reporting, drug testing where appropriate, and of course a requirement to report when their court date is finally announced. Under those circumstances, it really is close to impossible to roam around committing violent crimes and get away with doing that.

In the city where my office is located, it is the prisoners and others whose hearings and trials have been postponed whose constitutional rights might have been most stretched for the sake of public safety during the health emergency. I haven't heard of any of the released prisoners going out and committing violent crimes, but of course it could happen. But it is difficult to imagine what else the court system could have done to protect he public from the virus, while at the same time obeying the constitutional requirements to honor the rights of the prisoners as well as the general public. There is no perfect solution to these situations.

As for the police and government not having the resources to protect the public - that is the case all the time, whether there is a public health emergency or there isn't. There are never enough police officers and other resources to deter or punish all crimes. And in a time when there are more and more jobs for the government to do, and fewer dollars with which to do all the government is asked to do, it is unlikely that this situation will change anytime soon.

With regard to the government orders being issued due to Covid-19, as far as I know the law was settled decades ago. The government has broad discretion to issue orders necessary for public health and safety reasons during an emergency. As you know, public emergencies have been declared in all 50 states. My hope is that the hardships imposed on all of us are minimized by the state and federal governments making decisions based on epidemiological data and the advice of experts in the relevant sciences and medical fields. Making decisions based on political considerations, panic, or frustrations will simply backfire and prolong the economic and personal costs of the pandemic.

I just spent the morning, as I do every Saturday and Sunday morning, driving around town looking intensely for the limited foods I can eat...and it isn't getting any easier. Food insecurity is a reality for the foreseeable future, even for some of us who still have an income. I feel lucky to still have a job, but like everyone else, I want this mess to be over as soon as is possible.

 

[mightysparrow]

Poppy: I'm sorry to hear about your daughter's health concerns and also about your employment situation. I hope the situation improves soon, with regard to both.

 

[mightysparrow]

Numbers are fun cuz you can spin them any way you want.

Over 10,000 people in nursing homes in the USA have died of COVID19. That is a terrible statistic! (True). Nursing homes are doing a terrible job, they are death pits!

Or:

Prior to the pandemic, over 1000 people per day died of infections in nursing homes in the USA. Only 10,300 have died since Jan 21 of COVID19, which is about 100 per day. (Also true.) Nursing homes are doing a great job!

Same info, sounds quite different two ways.

Or, we can look at it as one statistic, but looked at in two different contexts. So, there is nothing wrong or dishonest about the statistic in itself - but, like any information, how it is interpreted can differ, depending on the context in which we view it.

 

[bykfixer]

Doing ok here Poppy. Life is about as normal as can be right now. Stress levels are a bit higher than they used to be from being surrounded by outbreaks. But life is always full of unforseens so we try to adapt.

Before this thing Mrs Fixer and I considered a trip to the grocery store as a date. Running errands were a bonus date. We lived a pretty simple life already. We once lived a life of one single mom raising 3 boys with no support from the X, while the other was paying a big chunk of a paycheck to child support. Our first house had 1 tv that was never plugged in, a bed for all 5 people in the home and lawn furniture for a dining room setup. She had no job, my hours were cut while we raised teenage boys who were pretty rambuncious. That was way more stressful than this corona thing.

We managed then, and 14 years later we are managing well. Both of us had our hours cut recently yet preparing in advance get by while enjoying each new day as if it could be our last. No time to me miserable. No worries about tomorrow because Heaven knows today brings enough what we like to call "surprise adventures".

The fact that I am able to post here in this threads means things are ok. I'm fortunate that both the mortgage payment and car payment are current, I now have real thermometers in the medicine cabinet and nutritious food in the cupboard. All five kids are still gainfully employed too. As a bonus I had some group buy M61 modules arrive and being 4L's means the batteries fueling them will run a good long time.

 

[Greta]

Just going to throw this out there:

There's a book titled "Thinking In Bets" by Annie Duke. As a Poker Champion, the author states that life is NOT like a chess game but like a poker game. In most instances in life, we do not have all of the facts. Therefore making decisions are akin to making a bet. You decide based on what you know and bet on what you don't. Some decisions have good outcomes, some have bad. Good decisions don't always have good outcomes. And bad decisions don't always have bad outcomes. But we tend to base further decisions on previous outcomes and that isn't always best either.

An example - you make the bad decision to drive home from the bar drunk one night. You know you're drunk. You know you shouldn't be driving. But you place your bet and get behind the wheel. You win this bet this time - you make it home safely. Bad decision - good outcome. Going forward, you might be inclined to place that bet again. Inevitably though, you will lose. Mostly because the odds are terribly against you with that particular bet.

The point is that we have to make decisions for ourselves every single day that are basically a bet because we do not have all of the information and/or we are drawing from past bets and outcomes. We are all responsible for ourselves and we all have different decisions to make with different amounts of information. I know what my hand looks like, you know what your hand looks like, but neither of us knows what the other's hand looks like. Likely, we'll make different bets. But even if we both make the same bet, we'll for sure both have different outcomes. Not necessarily good or bad, but for sure different. Viva la différence!

Many people in these threads have shared their personal experiences. I think we all have a few similarities but each of us has something slightly different. All in all... we're getting by one way or another, doing what works for us, placing our bets. Me? I'm doing ok. I do miss the comradery of a rousing game of poker at my local cigar bar. But honestly, other than that, I never did like being around people so this is pretty good! Now I don't have to make excuses for having my groceries delivered - win/win. Financially, we're good. Honey is working full time at Home Depot... but also has two retirements coming in. He's happy... he's down to (as he puts it) "combat weight" and feeling great. Me? We won't discuss that. (Anyone try the Corona Seltzers? Yummy!! .... er... so a friend told me :crazy:)

So... go place your bets, my friends! But most of all... LIVE! :takeit:

 

[ven]

Poppy: I'm sorry to hear about your daughter's health concerns and also about your employment situation. I hope the situation improves soon, with regard to both.

+1
thoughts and best wishes from over the pond poppy, hope she gets better soon and everything settles down more. :grouphug:

 

[Chauncey Gardener]

It was cold and rainy all day, then at 8:10 - Last night's sunset. Silver Lining

 

[scout24]

THAT is a beautiful photo. On occasion, I miss living in Washington. If I close my eyes, I can feel the warm June air turn cool and taste the scent of the towering pines as I race out towards Mt. Rainier on a Saturday morning on my motorcycle. Like it were yesterday. :)

 

[bykfixer]

Bravo Greta.

My bet each day is it might be my last. Live for today but be careful to save a little too because tomorrow may happen.

I used to work with a guy who plays the game of life like he plays poker. Bluffs a lot and wins a lot. He smiles when you ask how he is doing and says "I'm living so I'm winning".

 

[Chauncey Gardener]

Thanks, scout. It was a fortuitous catch. I should probably add, BTW, the house pictured is directly to the NE. The sun's rays were skimming Western Washington, just below the clouds.

 

[Dave D]

The sun certainly lifts your spirits during lockdown, or so Mr D has just advised me! :thumbsup:

88 degrees today!!

 

[knucklegary]

Byk, i like your ideology.. there is no guarantee we will wake up in the morning. Live each day like it's your last

... and carry a big stick (-;

Stay well my friend and have a wonderful Sunday!

 

[Chauncey Gardener]

:) Dave D got it going on! :twothumbs

 

[SCEMan]

The sun certainly lifts your spirits during lockdown, or so Mr D has just advised me! :thumbsup:

88 degrees today!!

Beautiful setting! The mountains remind me of the drive to Montserrat I took in 2015.

 

[bykfixer]

Pork: the other white meat.

Pulled out some chops from the stockpile.
425, cook 10 minutes each side.
Side of slow cooked baby limas and garlic laced mashed potato's. Yeah we're doing ok.

Off in the distance is the din of hells accountant motorcyclists not staying home. Sunny, 79 who can blame them?

 

[scout24]

Had to pick up groceries today, so I took my Goldwing out. Nicest day we've had this year- 76°, sunny and dry. You'd be suprised what that bike holds...