How has COVID-19 impacted you?

[kann]

My brother is an OTR truck driver. He was just out for the last three weeks coast to coast, and arrived home again yesterday. He just made a long-winded post on FB about how he's cooped up in a small box all day aside from stopping to eat and use the bathroom*, and to sign paperwork and pick up loads*. How he hasn't seen his family in three weeks, the weather is nice, and he can't be expected to stay inside his house and not go anywhere. He has things he wants to do, and "intends to get them done". He will "do the social distancing thing as best he can", but he can't be expected to stay home when he is there so little (this statement seems like an oxymoron, but, hey...).

I completely understand how he feels, and I do sympathize. I also totally respect what he does as a truck driver. However, I'm losing a lot of faith and respect for him with such a selfish attitude. NO ONE wants to be stuck at home right now, but suck it up -- it's not all about you.

*This is exactly why you are a prime candidate to be a carrier right now, Matthew.

 

[CMontoya79]

My brother is an OTR truck driver. He was just out for the last three weeks coast to coast, and arrived home again yesterday. He just made a long-winded post on FB about how he's cooped up in a small box all day aside from stopping to eat and use the bathroom*, and to sign paperwork and pick up loads*. How he hasn't seen his family in three weeks, the weather is nice, and he can't be expected to stay inside his house and not go anywhere. He has things he wants to do, and "intends to get them done". He will "do the social distancing thing as best he can", but he can't be expected to stay home when he is there so little (this statement seems like an oxymoron, but, hey...).

I completely understand how he feels, and I do sympathize. I also totally respect what he does as a truck driver. However, I'm losing a lot of faith and respect for him with such a selfish attitude. NO ONE wants to be stuck at home right now, but suck it up -- it's not all about you.

*This is exactly why you are a prime candidate to be a carrier right now, Matthew.

That is what people seem to take lightly. It’s not about the individual. That particular piece is what many in the US have a difficult time accepting or understanding, or flat out disregarding with contempt. 1 becomes, 3, becomes, 9, becomes, 27, becomes 81, becomes, 243, becomes 729, becomes 2187. The rate that this is happening is faster in the US than anywhere else. Are we almost at peak testing? I hope so, then and only then will we start to see a decrease. While those considered to be most “at risk” are priority for testing. A town in Italy called Vo, tested the entire population. Effectively stopping the spread of infection. 360 million or so tests seems like a small price to pay instead of spending on healthcare costs, bailouts, relief packages, aid, etc. over the next several months.

 

[jbfurdog]

Before commenting perhaps you should read and click on the links. They are a different color than the normal type and show you credentials and sources.

Tell me how to get past the paywall. Nevertheless, it’s still an opinion article.

ETA: I can view it on my phone. Not pc.
ETA 2: After reading it, the author makes a few good points. I tend to look at the CDC, WHO, state and local health departments for info.

 

[CMontoya79]

•
The problem of SARS-CoV-2 is probably overestimated, as 2.6 million people die of respiratory infections each year compared with less than 4000 deaths for SARS-CoV-2 at the time of writing.

Which is 3/19/20.

I get it. However. Those who are susceptible, people with cardiac issues, underlying health issues, known and unknown, respiratory health issues, immuno-compromised, elder (age 60 plus), and children, are all likely to die from this if they are exposed. Out of 360 million or so, we could see 1/3 to 1/2 die in the US. We have the unhealthiest population in the world, myself included in that figure as is almost 90-95 percent of my family. Plenty of documentation on how fast this disease progresses, even when people recover, they are faced with reduced lung function and a long road ahead when symptomatic. This is not like something we have seen before, nor do I wish this upon anyone. This is lethal, how lethal? Yet TBD.

 

[vortex]

The first tenet of critical thinking is to be able to hold two opposing ideas in mind while accepting nor rejecting them. Then assemble facts and arguments from both sides and attempt to verify them. Keep in mind it is ok to be undecided until such information is available to make a determination.

One of the most difficult logical fallacies to deal with is the "appeal to authority". The problem arises when we lack the expertise to verify the facts ourselves. We then can only weight information given by authority based on possible biases(e.g do they stand to gain, experience, etc) of the source.

The director of WHO, for example, was elected under controversy and may stand to gain. This may not disqualify but it does reduce credibility. So you keep digging finding more facts. It's ok not to know! Infact, I am always more skeptical of people who are certain than those who are unsure until I learn more.

Yes, everyone is biased. You, me, officials of every stripe. So it is important to remain skeptical. The opposite of gullible.

 

[vortex]

Tell me how to get past the paywall. Nevertheless, it’s still an opinion article.

ETA: I can view it on my phone. Not pc.
ETA 2: After reading it, the author makes a few good points. I tend to look at the CDC, WHO, state and local health departments for info.

You may need to go to the article and click on the links. Worked for me.

 

[zeemanb]

The house is the cleanest its been in years, totally ready for the company we can't have. I've been so proactive cleaning up the deck and getting the herb garden bed prepped that I didn't realize I'm about a month ahead of my normal schedule and local nurseries aren't even carrying a lot of stuff yet. I'm "essential" due to my work in IT involving getting loans and money to farmers, but I can telework. My wife works for our school district so she's teleworking but still has the time to do our daughter's distance learning.

Food is stocked, wife is learning how to bake bread (without my backseat driving...even though she's not doing it all 100% correctly, lol), and we're only doing carryout once per week from favorite spots where we can prepay and get curbside placed right in our trunk. The only contact is to hand off a much, much larger than normal tip in cash. Cash is king so that employees can get tip money that day without normal credit card delays.

I used to have a very, very, different lifestyle...stupidly high risk and could have held my own with Ozzy or Lemmy when it came to obscene excess of all types. So I'm not predisposed to be an alarmist suburban yuppie lacking the spirit and "gumption" of the Greatest Generation. I've just got a wife and daughter, and 2 parents living 15 minutes away who I'm trying to keep holed up inside their home. They returned early after 3 months in Ft. Myers, so their months-empty house is probably the safest spot in town to quarantine. I do all their shopping and leave it on their porch. I have a system for changing clothes, bathing, etc. whenever I return home from a trip that puts me around strangers. Thanks to Zoom, my daughter can have a daily "visit" with my parents until we figure out exactly how long we need to keep them at a distance...for their safety. I've got it pretty good, my responsibilities are absolutely reasonable for a grown ass man. I can't afford to let my lifelong whiskey tango "ain't nobody telling ME what I can do" voice in my head talk me into anything stupid (and f'ing up 10 years of sobriety isn't even a thought). If in the end this has just been one big overreaction...then bonus for me and the family I'm simply trying to keep safe and healthy. The massive dim sum massacre we're planning for our first post-pandemic brunch will be that much sweeter.

 

[grateful1]

The house is the cleanest its been in years, totally ready for the company we can't have. I've been so proactive cleaning up the deck and getting the herb garden bed prepped that I didn't realize I'm about a month ahead of my normal schedule and local nurseries aren't even carrying a lot of stuff yet. I'm "essential" due to my work in IT involving getting loans and money to farmers, but I can telework. My wife works for our school district so she's teleworking but still has the time to do our daughter's distance learning.

Food is stocked, wife is learning how to bake bread (without my backseat driving...even though she's not doing it all 100% correctly, lol), and we're only doing carryout once per week from favorite spots where we can prepay and get curbside placed right in our trunk. The only contact is to hand off a much, much larger than normal tip in cash. Cash is king so that employees can get tip money that day without normal credit card delays.

I used to have a very, very, different lifestyle...stupidly high risk and could have held my own with Ozzy or Lemmy when it came to obscene excess of all types. So I'm not predisposed to be an alarmist suburban yuppie lacking the spirit and "gumption" of the Greatest Generation. I've just got a wife and daughter, and 2 parents living 15 minutes away who I'm trying to keep holed up inside their home. They returned early after 3 months in Ft. Myers, so their months-empty house is probably the safest spot in town to quarantine. I do all their shopping and leave it on their porch. I have a system for changing clothes, bathing, etc. whenever I return home from a trip that puts me around strangers. Thanks to Zoom, my daughter can have a daily "visit" with my parents until we figure out exactly how long we need to keep them at a distance...for their safety. I've got it pretty good, my responsibilities are absolutely reasonable for a grown ass man. I can't afford to let my lifelong whiskey tango "ain't nobody telling ME what I can do" voice in my head talk me into anything stupid (and f'ing up 10 years of sobriety isn't even a thought). If in the end this has just been one big overreaction...then bonus for me and the family I'm simply trying to keep safe and healthy. The massive dim sum massacre we're planning for our first post-pandemic brunch will be that much sweeter.

there are zoom meetings

 

[zeemanb]

there are zoom meetings

I've got a really good one on Mon/Wed averaging 10 people. The problem I've run into with more popular meetings is the sheer number of folks. This one is called "Ben's Friends" specific to the food/bev community. I'm not in the industry, but 90 percent of my friends are and I've worked with so many of them over the years...from the sober-curious to actual alcoholics, that it's a good fit for me.

 

[Breedy]

Just wanted to pop back in and give an update on how things are going and vent a little.

As of writing this we have 4 members of the Fire Department test positive, three from the same shift and house. Those with no symptoms were placed into quarantine until at least April 6th. The fourth person was from my house on a different shifts and is one of my best friends. All report feeling worn down and a mild fever, but are on the upswing.

PPE is still an issue. We are being told to wear the N-95s on all calls but that we should act like that is the last one will get for a while. While that is not entirely true they are in extremely short supply.

Overall Ohio seems to have flattened the curve. Hospital censuses, and ICU admissions, still are well below predicted numbers. We have also shut everything non-essential down until May 1st.

Now to the venting...please understand that this is my opinion and at the moment I really don't have any other place to leave it...so here goes.

Snitches are the new norm and frankly I find it absolutely disgusting. My kids' school Facebook has been blown up by "concerned citizens" reporting on a few kids on the playground, to many people on the track, people on the baseball field, etc. On the local neighborhood page there is complaint after complaint about people taking walks in groups, kids riding bikes, and generally families being together. Those posting have no idea of the circumstances but are quick to point out what others are doing wrong. The funny thing is most of the post start with "when I was driving" or "when I was out".

Thanks for reading.

 

[vortex]

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the US front man for managing the “pandemic,” has just written an article that ought to be titled: I WAS WRONG AND THIS IS MY CONFESSION.


Fauci, New England Journal of Medicine, March 26, “Covid-19 — Navigating the Uncharted”:


“If one assumes that the number of asymptomatic or minimally symptomatic cases is several times as high as the number of reported cases, the case fatality rate may be considerably less than 1%. This suggests that the overall clinical consequences of Covid-19 may ultimately be more akin to those of a severe seasonal influenza (which has a case fatality rate of approximately 0.1%) or a pandemic influenza (similar to those in 1957 and 1968)…”


In case there is any doubt, those “pandemic influenza seasons” of 1957 and 1968 did NOT result in any lockdowns. People went outdoors. They mingled. They sat in stadiums. They went to their jobs.


SO TURN THE ECONOMY BACK ON NOW. End the insanity.


Unfortunately, no surprise, the major media are still highlighting fear, so it’s up to people to spread this message in any and every way they can: TIME TO GO BACK TO WORK. TURN ON THE ECONOMY.


When the man in charge of an unprecedented global operation says the product he was selling was defective, when he admits the whole basis for it was over-promoted…that is gigantic. Don’t expect Fauci to apologize abjectly and lie down in the street and let a steamroller flatten him. Understand? This is as good as it’ll get. Don’t wait for anything more.


You’re already on your computer. Get out the message. TURN THE ECONOMY BACK ON NOW.


In case you haven’t noticed, major media have been shoving the devastating economic effects of the global lockdowns into the background. They aren’t leading their daily coverage with people’s lives being destroyed. They’re pushing case numbers and new COVID horror stories. This is not an accident. This is conscious policy. Network bosses have sent down the word. Don’t emphasize the economic human wreckage. Instead, it’s: we’ll all get through this, we’re all in this together. Here are seven steps you can take when you’re washing your hands. It’s robot city.


After a hurricane or an earthquake, the news shows you the rubble and the families with their belongings in sacks wandering through torn roads. Reporters interview mothers who are sitting on curbs in a daze…


But this time, not so. They don’t want people to grasp viscerally what loss of jobs and businesses and money actually means. They want passive acceptance.


Don’t let them get away with it.


Wake people up out of their trance.


TURN THE ECONOMY BACK ON NOW. LET’S GO BACK TO WORK

A bit of common sense from Jon Rappoport

 

[CMontoya79]

No “journalist” who believes murder of children are false flags deserves to be taken seriously. Healthy people are dying in a matter of days. With little to no symptoms. This isn’t simply a bad flu. What good is “turning on the economy” if consumers continue to die? There won’t be a workforce to produce goods, nor consumers to buy said goods.

 

[thinde]

I'm doing a lot of virtual meetings and this hits a little too close home sometimes.......

 

[bfreebern]

Just wanted to pop back in and give an update on how things are going and vent a little.

As of writing this we have 4 members of the Fire Department test positive, three from the same shift and house. Those with no symptoms were placed into quarantine until at least April 6th. The fourth person was from my house on a different shifts and is one of my best friends. All report feeling worn down and a mild fever, but are on the upswing.

PPE is still an issue. We are being told to wear the N-95s on all calls but that we should act like that is the last one will get for a while. While that is not entirely true they are in extremely short supply.

Overall Ohio seems to have flattened the curve. Hospital censuses, and ICU admissions, still are well below predicted numbers. We have also shut everything non-essential down until May 1st.

Now to the venting...please understand that this is my opinion and at the moment I really don't have any other place to leave it...so here goes.

Snitches are the new norm and frankly I find it absolutely disgusting. My kids' school Facebook has been blown up by "concerned citizens" reporting on a few kids on the playground, to many people on the track, people on the baseball field, etc. On the local neighborhood page there is complaint after complaint about people taking walks in groups, kids riding bikes, and generally families being together. Those posting have no idea of the circumstances but are quick to point out what others are doing wrong. The funny thing is most of the post start with "when I was driving" or "when I was out".

Thanks for reading.

Thanks for your service and what you're doing, it's appreciated. Keep posting here and getting things off your chest. It's hard being in this, especially those of you that are first responders.

I've tried my best, to not get wrapped up in the constant bitching, that I'm hearing from a lot of people. We as a family are walking our neighborhood more, with and without our dogs. My wife and I are making sure the kids are going with us, otherwise they'd be on their phones 24/7 or playing Fortnite or the newest game. We're going to a running track and trying to be more active.

What I've noticed during our nightly walks, is that there are more people out walking, then I've seen in all my years of living in this house/neighborhood. There are more neighbors that say Hi or wave or just nod their head, then ever before. More people have their garage doors opened and are at least outside, doing something. I'm all for technology and it's saving our butts currently. But in a way, this brings me to a place/time, when people truly cared about each other. They waved, they said hello, they knew their neighbors names. We're so f'ing busy with work/kids activities/keeping up with everyone else's business, that we aren't slowing down and enjoying what this short life is about.

 

[kann]

Thanks for your service and what you're doing, it's appreciated. Keep posting here and getting things off your chest. It's hard being in this, especially those of you that are first responders.

I've tried my best, to not get wrapped up in the constant bitching, that I'm hearing from a lot of people. We as a family are walking our neighborhood more, with and without our dogs. My wife and I are making sure the kids are going with us, otherwise they'd be on their phones 24/7 or playing Fortnite or the newest game. We're going to a running track and trying to be more active.

What I've noticed during our nightly walks, is that there are more people out walking, then I've seen in all my years of living in this house/neighborhood. There are more neighbors that say Hi or wave or just nod their head, then ever before. More people have their garage doors opened and are at least outside, doing something. I'm all for technology and it's saving our butts currently. But in a way, this brings me to a place/time, when people truly cared about each other. They waved, they said hello, they knew their neighbors names. We're so f'ing busy with work/kids activities/keeping up with everyone else's business, that we aren't slowing down and enjoying what this short life is about.

Noticed that here over the last two weeks -- the government actually had to address it because there were so many people out exercising.

 

[bfreebern]

Noticed that here over the last two weeks -- the government actually had to address it because there were so many people out exercising.

To tell people not to exercise or maintain the recommended distance? The times we go to a walking track, we're the only ones there. When we walk in our neighborhood, we keep our distance and just smile/wave.

 

[kann]

To tell people not to exercise or maintain the recommended distance? The times we go to a walking track, we're the only ones there. When we walk in our neighborhood, we keep our distance and just smile/wave.

Lots of people walking to the beaches (and then populating the beaches) when this all started. It hasn't helped the cause that the weather has been gorgeous since this as all started happening! Not so much telling people not to exercise, but to be sure to keep distance, and not overload trails and roads. It was literally like trying to walk through the crowd at a county fair that first weekend.

 

[MilesMingusMonk]

We moved in December , so my “honey do” / “honey due” list was full. Now that every bin, drawer, box, tub, and tool is organized , I have started on the projects that fall under the category of “someday, before I die” list. Is that a bad sign?

 

[bfreebern]

We moved in December , so my “honey do” / “honey due” list was full. Now that every bin, drawer, box, tub, and tool is organized , I have started on the projects that fall under the category of “someday, before I die” list. Is that a bad sign?

What projects are you doing Kirk?

 

[MoeCizlak]

We moved in December , so my “honey do” / “honey due” list was full. Now that every bin, drawer, box, tub, and tool is organized , I have started on the projects that fall under the category of “someday, before I die” list. Is that a bad sign?

If you moved to Iowa, and quite frankly why wouldn't you?, please come over and get my honey do list knocked down wouldya?