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Covid19 Thread 1 (The Elephant in the Room)

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Hi Grel,

Is it too late to switch to something that might be more satisfying? I understand your dilemma, having lived my life in a profession that was really not very well matched to my temperament or interests. BTW--I have a strong belief in the importance of news media. It is a very worthwhile field. I'm just not too happy about developments in this field over the last 50 years.

Hi Tanker,

I was really speaking of the "press" or news media in general, including broadcast media. BTW--I don't know that you've missed that much in avoiding this area. I like keeping up with certain things, but take everything said that has a political or ideological component of any kind with a pound of salt. The level of bias and opinion in news reporting is incredible, but that aspect would at least be moderated if the distinction between news reporting and editorial was observed.

Cordially,
S&S
Yes, you're right about bias and opinion in news reporting. I noticed, particularly during the 'Brexit' events, that political bias came to the fore even in the supposedly 'neutral' BBC. I liked to be informed, once a day at least, but it became increasingly difficult to find an objective view to listen to. So like you, I take most things with a pound of salt these days!
btw, during Brexit I watched the French news, and found that to be a good balance to the UK news as at least you got both sides of the argument.
 
Hi Grel,

Is it too late to switch to something that might be more satisfying? I understand your dilemma, having lived my life in a profession that was really not very well matched to my temperament or interests. BTW--I have a strong belief in the importance of news media. It is a very worthwhile field. I'm just not too happy about developments in this field over the last 50 years.

Cordially,
S&S[/QUOTE
Allo Allo... I have been seriously considering a change but I will wait until this is all over. I just know this isn't really for me.
The funny thing is that it took this mess to open my eyes.
-Grel
 
it just hit me today that when our little family thought we were clever to go to the woods -- where there is "no one" in these times -- it turns out everyone had the same thought ;)
 
Hi Jaimie,

I live in the country surrounded by cow fields and woods. When I can, I take a long walk--usually 45 minutes to an hour--through these areas before dark. It is a nice respite, and one of the reasons I am glad not to be living in the city at a time like this. Lest anyone think I am smirking I have to also add that (1) most of the time it is just a tremendous inconvenience to live in the country, and (2) there are only a limited number of months when I can comfortably walk around and enjoy the walk at this location in Florida. The insects are just getting started and the environment will soon be too hot, humid and full of biting insects for me to continue. Still, it comes in handy at a time like this to have a place where you can walk outdoors for an hour and not run into other people.

Cordially,
S&S
 
Hi Jaimie,

I live in the country surrounded by cow fields and woods. When I can, I take a long walk--usually 45 minutes to an hour--through these areas before dark. It is a nice respite, and one of the reasons I am glad not to be living in the city at a time like this. Lest anyone think I am smirking I have to also add that (1) most of the time it is just a tremendous inconvenience to live in the country, and (2) there are only a limited number of months when I can comfortably walk around and enjoy the walk at this location in Florida. The insects are just getting started and the environment will soon be too hot, humid and full of biting insects for me to continue. Still, it comes in handy at a time like this to have a place where you can walk outdoors for an hour and not run into other people.

Cordially,
S&S
I live in the city but our property backs up to a green space. I love to go for walks with April and we have wildlife running amok. It's quiet and relatively isolated.
-Grel
 
I hardly dare to put these words here (if it gets deleted I understand). When we were in the woods... me and my husband walked ahead on one path, then turn around. Our daughter, 8, was now way behind busy drawing on the ground with a wooden stick. We thought she perhaps drew her own name there, so cute. Then as we come closer I see what she has done. She has draw an arrow pointing the way we were going, and she has written "CORONA". Like Corona -- that way ( we were going). I had to quickly erase the words, she goes "Great ! Now we'll never be alone !" just in time for others to show up, come walking behind us.

And yes, we told her she must never do things like this again, of course :mad:
(We don't have corona, by the way).
 
I hardly dare to put these words here (if it gets deleted I understand). When we were in the woods... me and my husband walked ahead on one path, then turn around. Our daughter, 8, was now way behind busy drawing on the ground with a wooden stick. We thought she perhaps drew her own name there, so cute. Then as we come closer I see what she has done. She has draw an arrow pointing the way we were going, and she has written "CORONA". Like Corona -- that way ( we were going). I had to quickly erase the words, she goes "Great ! Now we'll never be alone !" just in time for others to show up, come walking behind us.

And yes, we told her she must never do things like this again, of course :mad:
(We don't have corona, by the way).
Oops. The Innocence of a child at this time shines wonderfully, Jaimie.
-Grel
 
I live in the town, and my road is too full of people walking or jogging and not keeping their distance. We're told not to take our cars out to go and exercise either. What am I supposed to do? I'm too scared to go out on foot. Meanwhile my friends are sending me photos of them out in the countryside with their families, and having a great time.
 
Hi Tanker,

Ouch! I don't know what to advise. The main idea is to get away from people, and people are going to already be using everyplace that is "open to the public". I can do what I do because it is private farm land that has been in my wife's family for a long time with more land of the same type surrounding it. There is another 27000 acre nature preserves near by that almost abuts the family property, but I have no need to go there (though it does give us some interesting wildlife). However, it makes me wonder whether there might not be some type of nature preserve without trails, etc. nearby that you might get access to. Alternatively, do you know anyone with some farm or wood land they would let you wander about on?

Cordially,
S&S

PS--In terms of "interesting" wildlife, a couple of years back I looked out my front window and saw the rear end of a very large very black dog facing me from the front gate of the property where I live (about 40-50 meters away). He seemed to be too big for a dog--and it turned out that he wasn't. When he turned broadside I found myself looking at a black bear. He ambled away in the direction of that nature preserve I mentioned above shortly thereafter. The variety we have in Florida is pretty "rangy" and not as rotund as the ones that live in the North, but still impressive to see wandering around just outside my front yard. I called the state wildlife folks and they made a notation, but didn't seem particularly bothered. Apparently it was the time of year for him (?) to go wandering. I think he might have been looking for a lady bear, but I'm no expert in such matters! ;) We also see deer and turkeys on a regular basis, with occasional coyotes and the usual small fry.
 
On my property, American bald eagles have been nesting. One hot summer day, April called me to the back deck and a juvenile bald eagle was on the railing! I pulled her away, shut the sliding glass door and called the Nature people. Turned out the juvenile was overheated and cooling off.
I have heard coyotes and one winter morning, spotted a bobcat. I love living near the green belt!
-Grel
 
Hi Grel,

That is really cool! I'd love to have bald eagles nearby. We're in an area where wildlife is starting to move back in (including gators) after being nearly wiped out by the 50s-60s, but it is a slow process. The rattlers and other poisonous snakes never left, but even though they serve a purpose in the ecosystem I try to avoid their company. :cool: Actually, I never considered wearing a gun when I'm out on my junkets, and I don't really have anything suitable for that purpose. But the bear did make me wonder, though I doubt I'll ever be bothered. What actually makes me wonder is what "civilization" brought with us when we came to this land--pigs--actually the feral variety (though we usually refer to them as wild boars). They're not really a problem in my area yet, but I'm told they can be fairly dangerous and it is only a matter of time.

Cordially,
S&S

PS--I haven't seen anything like the ones below, but they are definitely not folks I want to meet while walking alone down one of the back-trails with the dark closing in. Call me Mr. Chicken (from the old Don Knotts movie).
upload_2020-4-7_20-32-24.jpeg

upload_2020-4-7_20-32-57.jpeg

The ones up top are bad enough. The one on the bottom is a total monster at 1000 lbs plus, but I don't think I'll see something like that except in a bad dream. http://kellijaebaeli.com/boarzilla/
 
That's something out of a nightmare!:eek:I love wildlife but that is just.... Bad!and if there's one reason to have a firearm while out hiking, it's that!
-Grel
 
The Aus government and Shop worker’s union have pushed for Persplex screens in our ‘high-risk’ stores. Personally I don’t see the point, because by the end of the day, that’s going to be more cleaning and there’s going to be more germs because people will think ‘oh I don’t need to cover my mouth now when I cough because there’s a screen there now...’

Is good hand hygiene not enough now?

Eva x
 
The persplex screens are there to hold back spit droplets in both directions. So when a store worker talks to a customer and vice versa, they won't infect each other. I like the screens, because when there are none, I tend to turn my head away. With a screen I can at least smile at the worker on the other side and look directly at them.
 
S&S, I envy you! I've just attempted a walk, but didn't enjoy it. Some people trying to keep away, but most not bothering. People standing chatting in the middle of the pavement and not moving out of the way. Cyclists riding on the pavement and passing me by a few inches away. The roads are empty, why on earth can't they use those? It's just stressful and I don't feel much like doing it again.
 
This just illustrates the selflessness of medical staff, and the cost to themselves. Extract from news article, and puts our minor inconveniences into perspective.

'With European health workers toiling round the clock for weeks in a desperate bid to save lives, the psychological toll was becoming unbearable. Six weeks into Italy’s outbreak, two nurses have already killed themselves and more than 70 doctors and 20 nurses have died from the virus. Hospitals are making therapists available to help staff cope with the emotional toll of seeing so much death.

Dr. Luis Díaz Izquierdo, from the emergency ward in a suburban Madrid hospital, said the sense of helplessness was crushing. “No matter what we did, they go, they pass away,” he said. In Spain, nurse Diego Alonso said he and other colleagues have been using tranquilizers to cope.'
 
Hi Tanker,

There are apparently a lot of people facing what you're facing in terms of trying to get outside and exercise:

https://www.greenwichtime.com/lifes...s-our-only-escape-but-now-that-s-15184010.php

From the article, it appears that the largest crush comes after the normal working hours when people who have been working from home rush out doors. Conversely, it seems like the best time to be alone would be at the worst time of day in terms of physical safety--i.e., the middle of the night. Hopefully, there is some acceptable middle ground. Anyhow, hang in there! I can only hope that things ease off sooner rather than later.

Cordially,
S&S

PS--You may wish to keep track out of a window and see if you can spot the least busy hours during the day.
 
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Hi Tanker,

There are apparently a lot of people facing what you're facing in terms of trying to get outside and exercise:

https://www.greenwichtime.com/lifes...s-our-only-escape-but-now-that-s-15184010.php

From the article, it appears that the largest crush comes after the normal working hours when people who have been working from home rush out doors. Conversely, it seems like the best time to be alone would be at the worst time of day in terms of physical safety--i.e., the middle of the night. Hopefully, there is some acceptable middle ground. Anyhow, hang in there! I can only hope that things ease off sooner rather than later.
Cordially,
S&S
That's a good article, S&S. I thought I was being a bit extreme in some of the thoughts I was having while walking out, but clearly I'm not alone. It's reassuring in that way at least, but I really don't think I can go walking in my street again, having twice had the same experience (at different times of day). Interesting that someone mentioned agoraphobia - the other day I was wondering if when this is all over I'd maybe be incapable of venturing out again. I don't think so, but who knows, after many months? At the very least, I'm not likely to emerge as the same person at the end of all this.
 
More waste. What a shame in a hungry world:

"PALMETTO, Fla. (AP) — Mounds of harvested zucchini and yellow squash ripened and then rotted in the hot Florida sun. Juicy tomatoes were left to wither — unpicked — in farmers' fields.

Thousands of acres of fruits and vegetables grown in Florida are being plowed over or left to rot because farmers can’t sell to restaurants, theme parks or schools nationwide that have closed because of the coronavirus.

Other states are having the same issues — agriculture officials say leafy greens in California are being hit especially hard, and dairy farmers in Vermont and Wisconsin say they have had to dump a surplus of milk intended for restaurants."


https://www.yahoo.com/news/coronavirus-claims-unexpected-victim-florida-143106764.html

This problem has its origin in the same separation of commercial channels that caused the current shortage in toilet tissue discussed previously. Institutional buyers and home buyers are two separate groups with completely different supply chains. So, if you see things getting scarce in the grocery store (because people are eating or staying at home instead of out at school or restaurants) you can know it has the same source. Meanwhile, plenty of good food intended for institutional/restaurant use is going to waste. Suddenly arrangements that seemed quite sensible in the past seem patently absurd!:confused:

S&S
 
Hi Grel,

This is a follow-up on the giant boar mentioned above. The boar is big, but I'm equally impressed by an 11 year old kid that can fire 8 shots from a 50 cal revolver to bring him down. That's a heck of a lot of recoil (x8) for an 11 year old to handle. He must be a pretty big kid for his age. Plus, he couldn't afford to get too close to such a dangerous animal, so good shooting as well.

S&S
 
Guessing someone else's PL is such a thing, but for fun I checked the names mentioned in the article.

Chopin's compositions sound a little different. Glenn Gould, the pianist Stelios favors, seems to have a similar facial expression and gesturing on some images, hm... who knows...

Meanwhile, the second time in a row, everything was available at the local supermarket, even toilet paper. Not so many brands to choose from, but so what everything was there in abundance. I felt a bit like having entered a Pacman game (navigating and going around corners to avoid collision), but people obviously got it and are keeping their distance. No overcrowding either.
 
Hi Seeker,

Also changes at my local grocery store this morning. The aisles have been made one-way, with arrows pointing the direction of movement. I can see the sense of it as there is no way to keep proper distance in narrow aisles if you have people going both ways (they will come close as they pass each other). Also, all of the employees are now wearing masks and there are even plexi-glass shields being put up in front of the check-out tellers. So, things keep changing. Nonetheless, still no toilet tissue! o_O

Cordially,
S&S
 
So... I have more struggles with this **** virus..

Being partially deaf in one ear, I watch people’s lips to see what they are saying. Looking at people’s eyes feels uncomfortable to me. Now that more and more people here are wearing masks, I can’t lip read and I often make mistakes because of it. I’ve made more mistakes in the past few weeks than I EVER have in my entire 12 years as checkout chick/grocery store cashier. It’s all because I haven’t been able to read lips.

BUT! I came across an article on a Czech news page I’m on, that explains there has been a discovery of someone making masks that have a clear piece where the mouth is, SO the deaf and hard of hearing CAN still read lips. ( ****, I can’t find the link now, but if I do I’ll post it.. ) so maybe there is hope for me yet?

I have more to add, but that can wait..

Eva x
 
Why not acquire one of those audio amplifying ear-phones, to simply make the weak sound signals stronger and, so, more audible for your ears?

In many countries you can charge its cost (fully or partially) onto the Social Security (or whatever it's called in Australia).

You can even disguise it as an earring or smth. of the kind.

Good luck, Eva !!!
 
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Current restrictions in each state and territory in Australia. As of today, South Australia has recorded its highest number of cases in a day today :(

Also, the company I work for has decided to install persplex screens at the registers to make it safer for us. After spending the last few weeks watching people blantantly not observe social distancing rules INCLUDING the requirements for supermarkets/grocery stores, I tend to agree now.

While the company executives agree that gloves and a mask may contribute to rise of virus cases, they still are allowing us to wear one or both. I think if it comes more into winter where more and more people get colds and flu, I MAY consider wearing a surgical grade one, or a homemade one only for the purposes of work, or when I feel cold symptoms coming on (I usually get at least 2-3 colds in Winter). The last thing I’d want is for the cold to develop into the virus.

Note: on this map the NSW/Victorian borders are open, so too the ACT/NSW Borders.

Eva x

C3208629-F7D0-4C95-8A0C-EA125179DB33.jpeg
 
I do kinda lol a bit when people continue to debate the need for masks let alone social distancing clearly lacking good sense especially when using public transit.
 
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I do kinda lol a bit when people continue to debate the need for masks let alone social distancing clearly lacking good sense especially when using pubic transit.

You won’t be ‘LOLing’ when you come into contact with a infected person.

Look, I don’t agree with using masks or gloves. Good hand hygiene is important to stop the spread, and also good social distancing is a way to stop the spread too. But until then, I am freely allowed to exercise my consideration on wearing a mask (because people are feral towards supermarket/grocery store workers). I haven’t actually worn one yet, but as it comes into Winter in the Southern Hemisphere, one has to think logically about these things and consider that even good hand hygiene may not be enough.

I have too much to do in this lifetime, and if I eventually do end up wearing a mask, makes me seem like a paranoid person to you, then let’s see who’s get on the other side of this alive. You have your methods and I have mine. It is rude to laugh at people’s insecurities.

Eva x
 
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