Wuhan Corona virus

[Shiranu]

I'm not sure if this technically qualifies to fall in this thread, but it is Covid-19 related so...

Amazon VP resigns, cites horrible working conditions and treatment of whistleblowers as reason. When you are the VP of Amazon, which I am going to assume makes some big bucks, and it's still bad enough to resign... you are doing some horrible shit.

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/04/business/amazon-tim-bray-resigns.html

[Baruch]

I have written a whole post and deleted it. Just be extra careful with people if you have to go outside. The forms of behavior, people's reactions to daily events have completely changed everywhere.

People should try to do something by themselves in small units. For example, starting groups by social media and create a sense of solidarity where they live. There must be something to do against any possible riots; the mass psychology of it.

If there are food shortages, panic will ensue.  People in 3rd world countries are on a short fuse to begin with.  Riots will be met with more force than legal demonstrations (which the Left love only if they are the ones on the street).  A Great Depression and World War will be no fun at all.  There are 5G based weapon systems to control riots.

[Baruch]

@GSOgymrat

You are not alone. I wonder if fundamental changes will come from this?
About 20 years I got divorced and was just treading water, getting nowhere and made a decision to downsize every aspect of life, cut my spending and started investing 1/2 of my income. It wasn't bad really, the more stuff I owned the more stuff I worried about. I learned to care for things, my car has >200K miles. Last year I hit well over seven figures so I reinvested conservatively and quit my job (some one say way too young, LOL). I am not sure but this pandemic may have many Americans learning how to really live on the cheap.

A student of history will tell us this pandemic will have a second wave that is even worse and we do seem to be setting up for that. I enjoy Halloween, but this may truly be scary. I really hope not.

I retired, a few years early, last year.  Fortunately I had resources to bridge and that created an opportunity to move to the same state where my handicapped daughter lives with my Ex (who I get on with).  So good things can come from the unexpected.  My move is unfinished because of Covid.  But people with investments will see scary times thru this year at least.  People without means, they were already rock bottom, have no opportunity to downsize ;-(  Yes, a stronger second wave is possible (but I am hoping because of widespread non-symptomatic exposure, it won't).  During the Spanish Flu, world travel wasn't as fast and as common as now, WW I troop movements created waves.

What would have happened if you had continued at 70 mph straight into a brick wall, as some must have done this year?  Financial instruments are made of paper, flammable.  Fundamental change is coming, it was past due.  The pre-Boomers are nearly gone, and the Boomers are quickly going.  It is entirely up to Gen-X and Millennials to carry on, and they don't believe in the post-WW II miracle, nor are they the products of it.  Their culture is post 1960s.  Cynicism and puritanism.  The problem with Post-Modernism is will it be a return to the Middle Ages, or the Stone Ages.  The future won't be like the Jetsons, more like the Flintstones.

[Baruch]

That's the same thing that came to my mind when I heard, "We now have Victory over the virus."  While the latest victory speech lacks the grandiose fanfare to make a premature declaration, the cost in American lives will be much greater.  While Bush was misguided, he did act decisively to get to to his speech.  Trump has done nothing but bumble,fumble, and sit on his ass to find his way there.

In war, all sides lose.  The US lost WW II (along with everyone else).  History is continuous conflict.  There is no victory over time.  Death comes.  Each person will die, each nation will die.  And humanity will continue anyway ;-)

Yes, Trump isn't good at set speeches.  So you are a Dem who looks back fondly at George W?  Proof the Apocalypse is upon us!

Bronze age people thought they were tops.  Then earthquakes, drought, plague, disruptive warfare came, and civilization ended for awhile.  Fortunately the new iron age created opportunities for non-centralized communities to grow (papyrus and clay tablets are the inventions of bureaucrats).  We have reached the end of this materialist cycle.  The idea that science brings you limitless power and prosperity is a post-WW II situation.  The Higgs boson won't save you this time.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KkMP328eU5Q

For people who forget history ...

[Baruch]

There are only two reported cases of the virus in my county, and with the virus still rising in communities that are dropping safety restrictions, I notice people here are starting to act like the threat is over.  At first, I thought I may have been imagining it, but now it's blatantly obvious.  This is a small population spread out and sparse, but people congregate in large numbers at grocery stores.  Our biggest plus is that outsiders have little reason to come here.  We don't have an interstate so most travelers aren't even stopping for gas.  Some local residents are being careful.  But I would guess those taking the threat seriously number around 10%, and it's declining.

MJ haze?  Just asking.  I understand, on recreational drugs, you can pretty much ignore anything ;-)

[Baruch]

"A Fifth Of Wendy's Restaurants Said To Be Out Of Beef As Shortage Spreads" ... as long as McDonalds can still process missing former young McD workers ...

"New York Confirms Another 1,700 Unreported Nursing Home Deaths Caused By COVID-19" ... with the pandemic, it was everyone for themselves.  Actual vulnerable people were abandoned as usual.

"Mayor Of Nice Demands "Health Passports" To Enter/Leave France" ... all bad ideas start in France.  How about just locking down France and never letting anyone in or out? (sarcasm).

"After Cuomo, Clintons And Newsom Call For 'Army Of Contact Tracers' To Monitor Citizens, DC Posts Job Openings For 'Trace Force'" ... Soviet Union

"US Universities Creating Social-Credit-Style COVID-Surveillance System" ... Komsomol

Sorry, I choose to die on my feet, not beg a crumb on my knees.  Will never have a smart phone, will crush my flip phone if necessary.  And as long as I can pay for gasoline, I will drive almost every day.  If the rest of you surrender or die, then that is what you do.  Enjoy your gulag.

[GSOgymrat]

This is something I have been concerned about.

A mutant coronavirus has emerged, even more contagious than the original, study says

Scientists have identified a new strain of the coronavirus that has become dominant worldwide and appears to be more contagious than the versions that spread in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a new study led by scientists at Los Alamos National Laboratory.

The new strain appeared in February in Europe, migrated quickly to the East Coast of the United States and has been the dominant strain across the world since mid-March, the scientists wrote.

In addition to spreading faster, it may make people vulnerable to a second infection after a first bout with the disease, the report warned.

The 33-page report was posted Thursday on BioRxiv, a website that researchers use to share their work before it is peer reviewed, an effort to speed up collaborations with scientists working on COVID-19 vaccines or treatments. That research has been largely based on the genetic sequence of earlier strains and might not be effective against the new one.

The mutation identified in the new report affects the now infamous spikes on the exterior of the coronavirus, which allow it to enter human respiratory cells. The report’s authors said they felt an “urgent need for an early warning” so that vaccines and drugs under development around the world will be effective against the mutated strain. ...

[Baruch]

Yes, I have previously reported that several strains have already developed.  The morbidity of new strains are unknown (no statistics), mutations are not necessarily friendly.  Of course even knowing the locked down Chinese data in January may have made no difference, because the statistics might not have been informative, just noise.  I will continue to social distance and mask ... because I can.

[drunkenshoe]

If there are food shortages, panic will ensue.  People in 3rd world countries are on a short fuse to begin with.  Riots will be met with more force than legal demonstrations (which the Left love only if they are the ones on the street).  A Great Depression and World War will be no fun at all.  There are 5G based weapon systems to control riots.

People in the 3rd world countries are also used to live together as some sort of communes. Big families, tribes. People live with their families more often. They are used to feed each other, and look after the elderly and then some in rural areas...for example neighbours... etc. The lifestyle we consider as 'primitive'; a handicap in developed modern life is saving a lot of lives right now.

Over here the majority of the people have been demanding a strict curfew; a real, old fashioned, directed by the army kind of curfew. Which is of course not accepted by the government because of the economic consequences and others... But they have reduced it to a curfew for over 60 and under 20. My parents haven't gone out for almost two months. I do everything. (They will have 3 hours of permit in Sunday for a short walk. I doubt if my dad will go ou though.) Weekends and national holidays are curfew days. We have just had a 4 days one; national holiday + weekend. There is a Watch Patrol going around, warning children or elderly or anyone in curfew days. If you argue with them, you'll be taken into custody. We didn't even have a panic buying where I live. I don't know other places but I haven't heard. A few products, maybe?

Most people would/do support the usage of force against people who wants to go outside, acting normal. While this is all bad in general needlessly to say, weirdly enough, right now 'I'll do whatever I want' freedom is a worse idea. Because people don't listen. It's not that they don't get, they don't want to get. OK, maybe some don't. 

This is just what's happened so far. They will, of course, loosen it soon and do everything to get normal before its time. Of course, there has been any kind of shenanigans...

But people in the 3rd world countries do not have a fake sense of safety or some inflated notion of freedom because of completely different reasons and circumstances. And now?! The educated ones also know their people and the culture they live in. I do. That's why most people wanted the army in the cities.

[Cassia]

Fundamental change is coming, it was past due.  The pre-Boomers are nearly gone, and the Boomers are quickly going.  It is entirely up to Gen-X and Millennials to carry on, and they don't believe in the post-WW II miracle....

There was no post-WW II 'miracle', LOL. Just peace and a lot of resources available and a hungry market to consume it. Gen-X and Millennial Americans have so many great qualities. They are much less religious/dogmatic and therefore way more tolerant and open minded. They learned a hard lesson about debt from the boomer University staff who sold them out. They understand the need for being creative and "green". They will transform the planet and rise to greatness over the next few decades if they can align closely with other open countries and check the Chinese dictatorship's attempts to dominate. Boomers are not gonna go away that quickly either. There are so many who didn't save $hit, have no pensions and literally can't afford get out of the way.

[Baruch]

People in the 3rd world countries are also used to live together as some sort of communes. Big families, tribes. People live with their families more often. They are used to feed each other, and look after the elderly and then some in rural areas...for example neighbours... etc. The lifestyle we consider as 'primitive'; a handicap in developed modern life is saving a lot of lives right now.

Over here the majority of the people have been demanding a strict curfew; a real, old fashioned, directed by the army kind of curfew. Which is of course not accepted by the government because of the economic consequences and others... But they have reduced it to a curfew for over 60 and under 20. My parents haven't gone out for almost two months. I do everything. (They will have 3 hours of permit in Sunday for a short walk. I doubt if my dad will go ou though.) Weekends and national holidays are curfew days. We have just had a 4 days one; national holiday + weekend. There is a Watch Patrol going around, warning children or elderly or anyone in curfew days. If you argue with them, you'll be taken into custody. We didn't even have a panic buying where I live. I don't know other places but I haven't heard. A few products, maybe?

Most people would/do support the usage of force against people who wants to go outside, acting normal. While this is all bad in general needlessly to say, weirdly enough, right now 'I'll do whatever I want' freedom is a worse idea. Because people don't listen. It's not that they don't get, they don't want to get. OK, maybe some don't. 

This is just what's happened so far. They will, of course, loosen it soon and do everything to get normal before its time. Of course, there has been any kind of shenanigans...

But people in the 3rd world countries do not have a fake sense of safety or some inflated notion of freedom because of completely different reasons and circumstances. And now?! The educated ones also know their people and the culture they live in. I do. That's why most people wanted the army in the cities.

You will always have wealthy elites, but the Middle Class are pure cancer.  The safest place to be is where you are destitute in a land nobody wants.  Thar Desert India?  You can have your safety if you want.  You can have your giant extended families if you got them (mine died out 2 generations ago).  Just getting within short driving distance of my nuclear family is a greater boon than you can imagine, if you have never been alone.

[Baruch]

There was no post-WW II 'miracle', LOL. Just peace and a lot of resources available and a hungry market to consume it. Gen-X and Millennial Americans have so many great qualities. They are much less religious/dogmatic and therefore way more tolerant and open minded. They learned a hard lesson about debt from the boomer University staff who sold them out. They understand the need for being creative and "green". They will transform the planet and rise to greatness over the next few decades if they can align closely with other open countries and check the Chinese dictatorship's attempts to dominate. Boomers are not gonna go away that quickly either. There are so many who didn't save $hit, have no pensions and literally can't afford get out of the way.

Wasn't trying to denigrate.  My daughter is Millennial.  Some of my coworkers were X-gen.  There have been many things to complain about over the last 50 years.  But they can't create a utopia, nobody can.  That would be a miracle ;-)  And yes, we Boomers are trying to get out of the way .... by dying in the abandoned nursing homes.

[Cassia]

And yes, we Boomers are trying to get out of the way .... by dying in the abandoned nursing homes.

And just as I read that.....by total chance on the TV is a rerun of a football game and the winning coach is saying "thank you lord for letting us win this one".

[Hydra009]

https://i.imgur.com/qCOr9HW.mp4

[Baruch]

And just as I read that.....by total chance on the TV is a rerun of a football game and the winning coach is saying "thank you lord for letting us win this one".

One of America's great religions ;-)