Nerm

I would like to believe that this wouldn't be much worse than a bad flu season.  2 weeks back, I crossed my fingers that it would be an event to look back on and joke about, like the Y2K hysteria.  But I am 46 years old, and what I have seen in this past week is unprecedented.  There is just so much uncertainty right now. I'm self employed in the mental health field.  I see clients in as very red state(South Dakota).  I repeatedly hear that this whole thing is overblown.  My no show/cancelation rate has jumped from 10% to 60% this week.  Previous missed appointments were usually scheduled for the next week.  Now, clients are saying "I'll call back next month if it looks like things are calming down.  Here in SD, our state just announced that it has no materials to run any further tests, so good news South Dakota, your confirmed cases number will not rise for a while!

My sister works for the largest health system in the state, she has been calling people when results were negative.  Now she is calling to tell them they are not going to get any results in the near future.  

When you reach my age, you kind of get the feeling that you have enough life experience to know that ups and downs happen, and things will work out in the long term.  I honestly don't have any idea at this point what next month will look like.

Here is another new option for entertainment during quarantine.

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000001106855/article/nfl-offers-fans-free-access-to-nfl-game-pass

10 hours ago, Rdskns2000 said:

One of my Trump loving friends posted on FB that only Trumpsters should get the money from the government; if they give us money.

 

Those who don’t support Trump aren’t entitled to a dime.

 

 

Maybe we should for non national monies spent; be limiting to what the states bring in. A lot of these Trump loving states are taking federal dollars ; in amounts more than they bring in.

24 minutes ago, Simmsy said:

I'm seeing that a lot on FB too, it only goes to show that these idiots never knew what socialism actually means.

I feel so blessed to have never signed in to Facebook since before Trump ran for president.  I just have no interest.  I also get 99.9% of all of Twitter blocked, only viewing carefully selected and filtered tweets.  It is from a widget I found right here on this message board called @visionary.  

Regarding Boeing /SpaceX, I follow a lot of discussions regarding the aerospace/rocket industry.  There seems to be such frustration about Boeings NASA contracts, and more specifically the Space Launch System (SLS).  It seems that once or twice per year there are announcements that the SLS deadlines are pushed back further, and the $ that Boeing is receiving will be increased.  This leads to a lot of space enthusiasts being enraged about wasteful NASA spending that could be directed to hiring SpaceX to do the job faster and for much less money, because Boeing never gets any closer to completing the SLS.  What I hear a lot of people inside the industry writing is that Boeing is meeting the actual goal of the program, just not the publically stated goal.  They insist that the SLS is never supposed to actually fly.  The goal of the SLS is to keep engineers in the rocket industry employed, primarily in Alabama.  They claim the unstated goal of the program is to make sure that people stay in the industry, not to create something that would ever be used.

Sounds like noble use of time for our nation's best and brightest.

3 hours ago, skinsmarydu said:

Stay away from anything Cramer says. He should still be on an apology tour for telling everyone to buy Bear Stearns just days before the last crash. 

I think there was a study a few years back evaluating Cramer's buy and sell recommendations over the first few years of his show.  If you did the opposite of what he said , (i.e. short when he says buy, and buy when he says sell), you would come out way ahead.  No idea if that still holds up for the past few years.

3 minutes ago, Larry said:

 

Suppose you got any support for your latest shovel full?

• https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2020/mar/16/joe-biden/biden-falsely-says-trump-administration-rejected-w/

21 minutes ago, bearrock said:

 

Offered, rejected is not the main point. 

Well, it is the point Biden and many dems are making.  And it is the one that I am saying is false.

Ok, I usually tiptoe around these political debates, but I came in like a wrecking ball this time.  I'm not saying that the administration did things well.  I am just saying that it is untrue that the administration rejected tests that were offered.  That is why fact check organizations are saying these claims are untrue... because they are untrue.

7 minutes ago, bearrock said:

 

So under developed countries manufactured working kits with whatever it was WHO provided, but US would not have?  Is that the argument now?

Nope, never said that.  Just that what Biden and others are saying is clearly untrue.  The fact checkers agree with me on this, even the ones that strongly dislike Trump.

2 minutes ago, killerbee99 said:

Jesus dude... You just said the WHO sent they recipe to develop a test approved by the WHO and sent materials to create the test kit..... So isn't that a WHO test kit.... Lol..... Stup kissing Trumps ****ing pasty ass 

Do you understand the  difference between an ingredient and a meal?  There were no kits that the WHO was offering.

5 minutes ago, killerbee99 said:

Dude you all over the place... Is there a WHO test or not? Please show where that **** doesn't exist

 

The WHO had a recipe to follow, and sent ingredients to underdeveloped countries.  They did not have any kits to offer the US, and the administration didn't reject any such offer.  It just isn't true.  Yes they had a recipe, but not the actual tests.

So the WHO test recipe and ingredients were sent to under developed nations, but there was no kits offered to the US, and it is standard practice for developed nations to make their own, not have the WHO send them any test kits.  It is just dishonest for dems to claim any tests were offered and rejected.  There were no tests offered or rejected.

https://khn.org/news/biden-falsely-blames-trump-administration-for-rejecting-who-coronavirus-test-kits-that-were-never-offered/

2 hours ago, bearrock said:

 

We may need more information to come out.  My biggest question is why did we turn down WHO test to develop our own?  And when it became apparent that our own test development was a dumpster fire, were there opportunities to quickly import some from overseas?

There was no such thing as a WHO test.  That is something that never existed.  It is just a dishonest talking point to spread distrust of the administration during a national emergency.  And I'm actually not being sarcastic this time.

3 minutes ago, purbeast said:

I have an Infiniti G37S 2 door coupe, with a car seat in the back, so not much can fit in there lol.  But I also have some specific sizes I need cut and I don't know if they could cut all of the pieces for me.  If that was the case, I could get it in there.  But I would consider they are considered "precision cuts" since I need quite a few of them.

Officially, I think that they will make 2 cuts free of charge, then charge 25cents per cut after that.  But I have had up to 6 cuts on some panels, and have never been charged.  The cuts made at the store I go to have been pretty precise.  When I need to be exact, I have them cut it about 1/4 inch larger and cut it to size at home.  I don't think they have ever been as much as 1/8 th of an inch off what I asked for.

5 hours ago, purbeast said:

  

 

I have an arcade game project I want to work on this week but I need to go to Home Depot to get a 4x8 of particle board to build a shelf in my cabinet.  I don't have any means to get it home though and don't want to borrow my brothers truck or moms van so not sure if I will do that.  I do have a few Switch games to finish so I will probably be doing a lot of gaming when at home.

 

Home depot will usually cut it down for you to a manageable size.  I can fit sheets of plywood or particleboard cut down to around 3'x6' in my midsized car if I fold all the seats down.  I do some woodworking for a hobby, and I have been able get by without a pickup so far.  

1 minute ago, visionary said:

Do a lot of people actually buy that at Hot Topic? I'd guess most of what they sell these days are cool t-shirts and pop culture accessories.

My wife told me I was wrong about that, but I kept it in there because I thought it sounded funny.  Honestly, I just try to find a place to sit in peace when my kids go into hot topic.  What is actually in there is left to my imagination.

OMG.  I never thought it would come to this. I have never been a gun owner, assuming that there would never be an apocalypse in our more enlightened world.  But I feel like a moron now.  Both Hot Topic and Bath & Bodyworks closing?  I hate to say it, but it is every man for himself at this point... Somehow I am going to have to fight my way into the mall, UNARMED, and get my nipple  piercing jewelry and scented lotions... then try to get out alive.  I feel that I am a good person, but at some point, you have to realize that there is no such thing as society anymore.

Just to make sure I am not misunderstood.... that was sarcasm, and I understand that there is a serious health issue in our nation.

38 minutes ago, Momma There Goes That Man said:

Tormund been ****ing bears and hanging out with cannibals. He’s lucky if all he has is covid-19

He will just drink some giant breastmilk straight from the source, and be stronger than ever.

5 minutes ago, Corcaigh said:

what would a National Quarantine look like? Everything closed, including work places, except for supermarkets/food, (restaurants only takeout, medical services and fuel?

It would be amazing to see what stayed open and what was forced to close.  I do outpatient mental health work.  I also do various evaluations that are not related to treatment of mental disorders.  So, I wonder where I would fit in.  Professional ethics do not allow me to abandon treatment, but I wonder who gets to decide what appointments are necessary, and which are not.

Similarly, a big reason for states legalizing marijuana has been due to the medicinal properties of the drug.  Do marijuana dispensaries stay open,  even if only some of the customers are seeking it as treatment for a medical issue?  

I predict that regardless of what policies are implemented in the next days/weeks...  the vast majority of political commentators who have spent the last three years criticizing Trump will continue to criticize him and will be outraged by the policies...and the vast majority of commentators who have spent the past few years praising Trump will continue to praise him and the policies that are enacted.

I'm not saying I can see into the future, but I have a pretty strong feeling about this.

7 minutes ago, The Sisko said:

It’s a good idea to get a solar charger for the backup batteries you use for your mobile devices. Aside from the current incident, they can be very handy during extended power outages and on camping trips. 

 

Solar charger is a good idea.  I was thinking trying to figure out a way to generate power physically.  I have a 12 year old and 14 year old I could put on a treadmill while I binge watch a few shows.

I feel ok about food supply.  My car is about empty on gas though, I should probably get that filled today.  Loss of power or water for an extended period would be rough though.  I'm a fat guy with apnea, it has been a long time since I have even attempted to sleep without a  CPAP.  I wonder what Darth Vader uses for a power source?

@Dan T.. Sounds like a nightmare.  I think I would also rent a car and drive across the country than go through that whole process.

2 hours ago, Spaceman Spiff said:

 Ran 3 miles, biked 10, ...  Came back to the apartment and rowed 5,000 meters.  

 

Probably not going to leave for the rest of the day.  

What a coincidence, your day sounds exactly like mine. Except for the exercise part.

1 hour ago, CousinsCowgirl84 said:

It’s a lot easier to suggest closing all service based businesses when you don’t own any of them...

“We should get paid (income assistance for employees), but y’all shouldn’t (close up shop boys)”

I'm self employed, and struggling to decide what changes I should make.  This next week, my appointments are mostly disability evaluations and mental health treatment.  The majority of people I see are taking off work to come see me, then returning to work after the appointment.  So, they are most likely to be interacting with a lot more people if I decided to cancel the appointments.  They may also feel more pressured to continue working if their disability claims are delayed.

Right now, I plan to use new writing utensils for every patient that has to fill out any paperwork, and wipe down all surfaces that a patient may come in contact with between all appointments (doors, clipboards, tables, desk, etc.).  I'm not ready to just close up shop indefinitely at this point.