Wuhan Corona virus

[drunkenshoe]

Thanks. I was thinking about the worst scenario. I didn't mean to alarm or make anyone feel bad.

[trdsf]

Our infrastructure is notoriously bad, to be honest. Our Society of Civil Engineers gives it a D+, which is at least still passing but is still the bare minimum, and they estimate we need to spend $4.5 trillion dollars by 2025 to get it up to working condition.

I don't consider a D+ to be even a technically passing grade -- D+ says to me, "This isn't awful enough to be an obvious fail, but it's clearly not good enough to pass"

[Unbeliever]

The 3rd world is used to being the 3rd world though. That's how people survive and can't develop beyond it at the same time. A self-entitled culture like American culture could give very bad reactions to bad circumstances in mass scale compared to other Western ones. Too many armed civillians.

The basic infrastructure and the space. I trust the infrastructure is still good? Those seem to me the biggest advantages the country has. 

The infrastructure isn't being attended to, especially in the political sense.

[Mike Cl]

I mean the basic infrastructure. The utilities. Electricity and water? Where does it come from in the country, where it is produced, where does it go? It's a huge country. For example, how long would it take to come back if someone is to turn off the water somewhere?

The basic infrastructure is not good.  I have read that about half of all the bridges in the entire country need work.  In CA, PG&E is close to not being able to supply power to all that need it.  It has caused several of the biggest fires in this state and has yet to pay off all the law suits against it.  Every year now, the power goes out during the hottest part of the summer because much of the equipment used to get power to it's needed places needs to be updated and/or replaced.  Much the same can be said for our sewer systems, water systems, freeways/highways; the fact is that in much of the country the water is actually dangerous to drink or polluted.  Our actual foundation is rotting.

[drunkenshoe]

OK. What I meant is there, forget about it. Fuck it. It's going to be OK. You guys are freaking me out a bit.

[Mike Cl]

OK. What I meant is there, forget about it. Fuck it. It's going to be OK. You guys are freaking me out a bit.

Welcome to the freak-out wagon!  I have a brother-in-law who says he is ready to move to France (even has an area picked out) or Portugal if the orange monster is re-elected.  My wife would like to join him except she does realize that at our age that just would not work.  And I'm getting a bit freaked.....................Never in a million years would I have envisioned this...................

[drunkenshoe]

Why France? The first place on earth they will refuse to speak English with vengeance. 

Go to Canada. It is closer anyway. 

[Shiranu]

OK. What I meant is there, forget about it. Fuck it. It's going to be OK. You guys are freaking me out a bit.

While I obviously cant speak for everyone, I feel like most people I know (particularly in my age range) have just accepted that shit is fucked and we don't have the power to do anything about it. Unless you are rich, or apparently start burning things to the ground, no one in this country gives a fuck about what actually makes sense... and it remains to be seen if burning stuff down is really effective or if it's just going to make them do the bare minimum and then go back to business as usual when things calm down.

I mean, we have people sending death threats to health officials because they are saying people have to wear masks. It has actually become a bipartisan issue that has nothing to do with reality and entirely to do with what colour team you support. When even something that common sense is now completely an issue of bias rather than reality, what chance does actual meaningful dialog stand?

Best we can do is just drink, smoke and party hard. Listen to dope music, play video games, watch your favorite T.V. series and enjoy life... because it's only gotten worse and worse, and it's only going to continue. That's the way I look at it anyways.

[drunkenshoe]

OK.

[Mike Cl]

Why France? The first place on earth they will refuse to speak English with vengeance. 

Go to Canada. It is closer anyway.

Oddly enough, my wife and I looked into that about 20 years ago while I was still teaching.  We were told we were too old and did not have enough wealth.  So, I doubt Canada would take him.  And he and my wife have family living in a little Basque village.  That's his target. 

About the French not speaking English--I found that out while visiting Germany where my dad was stationed.  Not only do they not want to speak English, they give people who are not fluent in French a hard time.  While in Paris I did not try to verbally speak to shop owners, but showed them what I wanted via phrase book.  It worked, at least well enough to get what I wanted.

[drunkenshoe]

Oddly enough, my wife and I looked into that about 20 years ago while I was still teaching.  We were told we were too old and did not have enough wealth.  So, I doubt Canada would take him.  And he and my wife have family living in a little Basque village.  That's his target. 

About the French not speaking English--I found that out while visiting Germany where my dad was stationed.  Not only do they not want to speak English, they give people who are not fluent in French a hard time.  While in Paris I did not try to verbally speak to shop owners, but showed them what I wanted via phrase book.  It worked, at least well enough to get what I wanted.

Family...still. France. It's crazy.

They will never forgive Americans for making English an international language. Lololol.

[aitm]

Family...still. France. It's crazy.

They will never forgive Americans for making English an international language. Lololol.

I had never thought of that before. If true, what a delightful slight.

[Hydra009]

Best we can do is just drink, smoke and party hard. Listen to dope music, play video games, watch your favorite T.V. series and enjoy life... because it's only gotten worse and worse, and it's only going to continue. That's the way I look at it anyways.

Basically how I see it.  We're all eating at Le Sandwich de Merde and it's a buffet and walking out the door kills you.  That's not to say that it's all bad - au contraire, the bread is quite lovely!  The music can also be quite good at times, as are the table conversations.

Brave souls angrily complain to the staff, but staff tend to angrily deny that they are serving shit, take it as an insult, and seek retaliation.  Similarly, some customers also deny that they're eating shit, grinning all the while.  Some of the more understanding staff are willing to acknowledge it, and explain to customers that although they sympathize, they're just doing their job and unable to change the menu.  They also eat shit during their scheduled employee breaks.

Sometimes, we take votes to collectively demand an item for the next day's menu - we can theoretically choose whatever we want, but it almost always comes down to choosing between oranges and shit.  A lot of people say oranges aren't to their liking - they like strawberries more - and so we get shit as the default.  And the people who love shit always seem to come out on top, even when outnumbered, due to the voting structure they instituted.  But we voted on that, so whatcha gonna do.  *shrugs*

Every now and then, you see a small part of the menu change.  Not much, but just enough to keep hope alive.  And we live on hope.  Hope and shit sandwiches.

[Cassia]

Basically how I see it.  We're all eating at Le Sandwich de Merde and it's a buffet and walking out the door kills you.  That's not to say that it's all bad - au contraire, the bread is quite lovely!  The music can also be quite good at times, as are the table conversations.

Brave souls angrily complain to the staff, but staff tend to angrily deny that they are serving shit, take it as an insult, and seek retaliation.  Similarly, some customers also deny that they're eating shit, grinning all the while.  Some of the more understanding staff are willing to acknowledge it, and explain to customers that although they sympathize, they're just doing their job and unable to change the menu.  They also eat shit during their scheduled employee breaks.

Sometimes, we take votes to collectively demand an item for the next day's menu - we can theoretically choose whatever we want, but it almost always comes down to choosing between oranges and shit.  A lot of people say oranges aren't to their liking - they like strawberries more - and so we get shit as the default.  And the people who love shit always seem to come out on top, even when outnumbered, due to the voting structure they instituted.  But we voted on that, so whatcha gonna do.  *shrugs*

Every now and then, you see a small part of the menu change.  Not much, but just enough to keep hope alive.  And we live on hope.  Hope and shit sandwiches.

That is a victim's mentality. You just need to own a piece of Cafe' de Merde. It's not that hard if you don't blow your paycheck and instead invest for 15 years or so. I never have to work again. Rational thinkers do not have to be victims.

[Shiranu]

I'm assuming it's the same everywhere, but...

Texas: Fuck, cases are going up at increasingly alarming rates, and our hospitals are starting to say they are being pushed to capacity.

Also Texas: Following the schedule we set up a month or two ago, today we will be opening several major tourist locations to the public, as well as increasing the capacity of restaurants and bars!