Coronavirus

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Good news from my part of Australia. Gatherings of up to 10 people are again permitted as of today. Working from home arrangements likely to be relaxed soon(ish). Border restrictions both internationally and domestically to other States still to be in place for some time, but at least locally this will allow some decent movement and lets some businesses get back on their feet.

Gotta share the good news when it comes in during these times.
 
Paleolithic Monk said:
This is golden. Not sure if this has already be brought up, but think this kid needed the attitude adjustment. Thoughts?

koanewsradio.iheart.com

Dad Shames Son, Forces Him To Apologize For Harassing Grocery Workers | KOA 850 AM & 94.1 FM

Video of the boy threatening the employees went viral, now the father wants the apology to be widespread too.
koanewsradio.iheart.com koanewsradio.iheart.com
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“The dad filmed the whole thing and posted it to Facebook.”

Seems like a real Dad would have corrected the behavior harshly, without trying to be a fame whore. Just sayin.
 
My wife and me, yesterday. (Who would have thought three months ago that we would go out on the street like this.o_O)
BP3LB7e.jpg
 
Uh, oh.
Just read that the county where I live just announced our "stay in place" order will extend through May.
I don't think we can do it. I just don't. I see large scale civil disobedience coming very soon!
As a member of the more at-risk group to the virus I appreciate the steps that have been taken to try to save lives.
I also think the virus has been blown waay out of proportion to the threat it actually represents, but that's a discussion for another day.
However, at some point we will just have to say, "We did the best we could" and move on with living our lives. We can't save everyone from everything.
Although California politicians can't be seen to accept that as a fact. That would require the use of common sense when making political decisions. This would put the state's far left progressive politics at risk. Not that California won't keep beating that drum until it breaks.
 
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mTk said:
Uh, oh.
Just read that the county where I live just announced our "stay in place" order will extend through May.
I don't think we can do it. I just don't. I see large scale civil disobedience coming very soon!
As a member of the more at-risk group to the virus I appreciate the steps that have been taken to try to save lives.
I also think the virus has been blown waay out the threat it presents, but that's a discussion for another day.
However, at some point we just have to say "We did the best we could" and move on with living your life.
We can't saver everyone from everything. Not that California won't keep beating that drum until it breaks.
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Here the quarantine has been extended until May 10. Although there is some flexibility for sparsely populated and non-contagious cities. Only one hour a day do we go out with my wife so that she can exercise her legs, go up and down the stairs of a bridge that is on the tracks. It is not the same as exercising in the home garden. And then we don't go out anymore.
This weekend the Tv showed how in California people enjoyed the beach as if nothing had happened; the same in Valencia, Spain.
 
People going to the beach, when it is clearly prohibited, is driving local governments and law enforcement batshite.
Montara State Beach is just 1/4 mile from where I live. Despite no parking signs and other obvious warnings that the beach is closed, hundreds and hundreds of people show up each weekend.
 
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On our side of the country the beaches never closed. There were new distancing rules put in place early on but everyone played their part and they've stayed open throughout. East coast is another matter. ;)
 
mTk said:
People going to the beach, when it is clearly prohibited, is driving local governments and law enforcement batshite.
Montara State Beach is just 1/4 mile from where I live. Despite no parking signs and other obvious warnings that the beach is closed, hundreds and hundreds of people show up each weekend.
Click to expand...
Hmm, so if they charged $500 a ticket and actually issued citations, they could spend it on housing the homeless...or giving the legislature a raise...
 
I read an article today that the Australian government has started to listen to advisors who have been saying - for some time - that we need to be more self sufficient.
Global trade is great, but if something happens to those supply lines (because of disasters like a pandemic, or because of political tensions) then countries can be without essential supplies.
Some of the many supplies highlighted were parts and ingredients used in manufacture, water treatment, medicines, and fuel.

I think it is prudent to be prepared and self sufficient - it just makes practical sense.
Also...being self sufficient makes it harder for dictatorships to threaten other countries using trade and supply lines.
A lot of stuff Australia needs is only made overseas, and is transported by foreign shipping companies.

Years ago I started to see news coming from China that gave me hope. Seemingly enlightened, progressive advances (mainly in 'green' technologies and medicine). How about that!
But that illusion has been dispelled in recent years, with news of totalitarian crackdowns, advanced surveillance and military strong-arming. Sigh. World bully governments.
A bit disturbing, given that with the slightest hint of criticism from Australia, China reaches for the trade bludgeon.
Do NOT question our agenda or our methods, or we will cut off your supplies and tourism. Hmmm. :cautious:

I've seen news that many totalitarian governments and right wing extremists and ultra-nationalists around the world (there are a surprising number of them, on every continent) are using the pandemic to further their agendas.
Surely the catastrophic results of World War 2 (a mere 80 years ago) are not THAT forgotten. 75 million dead. Maybe these people have forgotten...or just don't give a rat's. Psychos who love power and money above all.
Don't like someone's philosophy, religion or lifestyle? Don't like them questioning or protesting? Lock them up, torture them, or kill them. Truly cruel and inhumane. :mad:

Clearly, I'm reading too much news and watching too many documentaries. :)
Still, there is a tendency for me, living in a peaceful modern society, to forget that life is not so pleasant for many people on the planet.
 
12 years ago when I was a young fresh faced graduate in Canberra I was advised, "As a public servant never waste a crisis."

Times like this (which is not that different to outright war), send tidal waves through economies and political systems causing great change. Necessitiy is the mother of invention, it's also the mother of change. :) It forces leaders to radically change their positions overnight - even break ideological thinking if they are smart - to address the new world before them. If they don't, well we're sort of seeing that play out right now in parts of Europe and the US. The medical crisis will be over for different countries at different times which will upset the trade balance for potentially years - partciularly services based trade like tourism and education. Governments need to come up with new ways fill those gaps that emerge or have large holes in their economies reducing output not to mention large unemployment queues and dissatisfied voters.

Global trade will remain important on the other end of all this, but questions will be asked on the dependency on others for national essentials (or even what is essential in the first place). There are experts in every country on this topic employed within Government from a defence or agricultural perspective etc. Now is the time to make a different (probably behind closed doors for the most part) and make use of this crisis. This event has been that wake up call that the systems we've been relying on since the 1980's may not have been that stable. It's what the Government does next that will be what matters. Globalisation is great if everyone wants to play on a fair and even playing field. But reality is that it's never been even and the playing surface is getting rougher by the year with the more nationalist centric and strong arm Governments coming to power.

A final word of hope though is don't underestimate how fast an economy can pivot if it needs to and there is the appropiate stimulus to do so. Government orders and fiscal ability to back that up could mean we have a greater local strategic oil reserve proverbally overnight. Don't beleive me? How long did it take the US to switch from making refridgerators to bombs in the 1940's? How long did it take for comapnies go from distilling spirits to making hand sanitizer?

Locally if Government is dead set on going back to the way we were I think they'll face some pressure both from the populous and from within. Double digit unemployment rates going into an election isn't fun. Well that's how I'm reading the tea leaves.
 
I saw that the Australian government just bought a shit-tonne of fuel on the cheap. But where to store it eh?
Speaking of shake-ups, I guess it's too much to ask that we start going for electric vehicles? We got lots of sunshine and wind.
 
Concord said:
I saw that the Australian government just bought a shit-tonne of fuel on the cheap. But where to store it eh?
Speaking of shake-ups, I guess it's too much to ask that we start going for electric vehicles? We got lots of sunshine and wind.
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I always think it's weirdly ironic that countries with seemingly far less sunshine use far more solar power ... we in South Africa have tons of sunshine (not so much wind, except for parts of the coastline) but still stuck with bloody coal, coal, coal... (and it ain't cheap anymore either)
 
Concord said:
I read an article today that the Australian government has started to listen to advisors who have been saying - for some time - that we need to be more self sufficient.
Global trade is great, but if something happens to those supply lines (because of disasters like a pandemic, or because of political tensions) then countries can be without essential supplies.
Some of the many supplies highlighted were parts and ingredients used in manufacture, water treatment, medicines, and fuel.

I think it is prudent to be prepared and self sufficient - it just makes practical sense.
Also...being self sufficient makes it harder for dictatorships to threaten other countries using trade and supply lines.
A lot of stuff Australia needs is only made overseas, and is transported by foreign shipping companies.

Years ago I started to see news coming from China that gave me hope. Seemingly enlightened, progressive advances (mainly in 'green' technologies and medicine). How about that!
But that illusion has been dispelled in recent years, with news of totalitarian crackdowns, advanced surveillance and military strong-arming. Sigh. World bully governments.
A bit disturbing, given that with the slightest hint of criticism from Australia, China reaches for the trade bludgeon.
Do NOT question our agenda or our methods, or we will cut off your supplies and tourism. Hmmm. :cautious:

I've seen news that many totalitarian governments and right wing extremists and ultra-nationalists around the world (there are a surprising number of them, on every continent) are using the pandemic to further their agendas.
Surely the catastrophic results of World War 2 (a mere 80 years ago) are not THAT forgotten. 75 million dead. Maybe these people have forgotten...or just don't give a rat's. Psychos who love power and money above all.
Don't like someone's philosophy, religion or lifestyle? Don't like them questioning or protesting? Lock them up, torture them, or kill them. Truly cruel and inhumane. :mad:

Clearly, I'm reading too much news and watching too many documentaries. :)
Still, there is a tendency for me, living in a peaceful modern society, to forget that life is not so pleasant for many people on the planet.
Click to expand...
Welcome to the Republican Party. ;)
 
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