Coronavirus (NO POLITICAL OR SOCIAL COMMENTARY PLEASE)

[gates70]

Originally Posted by Dex Robinson

Great to see crowds on the street again. Normally, I hate heavy traffic but my regular "Route 90 traffic jam" is now very comforting.

We are going to need to start phasing out this social distancing nonsense. I was at the mall yesterday for it's reopening. Only about 50 of the 200 stores were open but the place was busy. Even the mall manager said he was surprised by the crowds. But some people were forced to line-up for stores inside the mall. As more stores open, social distancing isn't going to work (as if it ever did).

This lining up to shop is crazy and pointless. This isn't Berlin in 1946.

I'm glad to see that more and more people are ignoring social distancing. The government has been stupid wrong on every prediction and it's up to the people to take the lead. We've punched some big holes in social distancing and there is hope that it will soon collapse. I'm confident the government will be forced to bend to the will of the people as we take back our freedom.

You're part of the problem with the world right now.

[Scarface32]

Originally Posted by mar3o

Well if we're going to go that route, then most grocery store foods are unessential. You can survive on water and basic foods. You don't need crackers, fruits, frozen meals, cereal, etc., but that doesn't mean it's okay if stores suddenly run out of 90% of what they normally stock.

For many people, meat is an important part of their diet, and likely their primary source of iron. I'd call meat essential for many Americans.

Explain to me how something that grows in nature, and doesn’t require complicated processing, is not classified as "basic food"

You contradicted yourself in just three sentences.

[The Great Owl]

I was upset a few weeks ago when I learned that The Rolling Stones concert at Mercedes-Benz Stadium here in Atlanta had been postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Right now, the U.S. death toll from the virus is just over 71,000, which equals the seating capacity of Mercedes-Benz Stadium. When things get back into swing and The Stones hopefully reschedule their show at the same venue, I will take a moment to look up from my general admission floor seat at the thousands of cheering fans all around, and remember that we lost that number of people and then some in just over two months.

[mar3o]

Originally Posted by neoz

Scientists say a now-dominant strain of the coronavirus appears to be more contagious than original

https://www.yahoo.com/news/mutant-co...110046843.html

People need to to understand what the article is saying. This is the strain we've had for months now. They've just identified that what has been hitting us so hard for the past couple months is actually a mutated version and not the original strain that first started it all.

Of course that's still bad news, because they have been saying they don't think this virus will mutate very quickly and the mutations they've seen have been minor and wouldn't affect a vaccine. Now we're learning it already has mutated and enough so that it's worse than the original strain (more contagious). Which means this thing may indeed mutate again and again. This could add to the problems of finding a vaccine. It would be like getting last year's flu shot to deal with this year's flu strain. It wouldn't do much good.

[darkness2918]

Originally Posted by Scarface32

Meat isn’t essential. I’ve been a vegetarian since I was 16 (I’m 38 now), and I can tell you that you don’t need meat to live.

For me meat is essential. I’ve been a meat eater my whole life & that will never change.

[mar3o]

Originally Posted by MrHT

Seriously, this could easily be stopped right here and right now if everyone would just stay at home and only go out for essential purposes.... and when I say, "essential", I don't mean sunbathing, sitting on a park bench or playing in the park.

Think about it... all we need is two weeks of proper behavior from EVERYONE. Just two weeks! If everyone could do that, this can be over before you know it. But of course, there's always people who don't want to do their part. If you can't even get people to do something as simple as wearing a mask, then no way can you get people to stay home. It's really sad that government has to force places like beaches and parks to close. The government shouldn't have to enforce these things; human beings should have enough common sense to not do it! Very frustrating world we live in and that's why we're in this mess today.

It's really not that simple. It's gone far beyond that. Again, the time to act was early on, which we didn't do.

[mar3o]

Originally Posted by Hitman Horton

I have to correct you. You say if everyone COULD do that. The correct terminology is if everyone would do that. Everyone is capable of staying home. They're making the choice not to.

Pharmacists? Grocers? Health care workers? Mail/delivery workers?

Obviously not everyone can.

[Dollar Colonel]

Originally Posted by darkness2918

For me meat is essential. I’ve been a meat eater my whole life & that will never change.

Sidetracking us for a moment:

I love eating meat and I always will. But my appreciation for vegetables, nuts, seeds, etc. grew a lot more when I reached outside my comfort zone in cooking and eating at different ethnic restaurants. Vegetarian restaurants are a treat too, since you get to try something different from a usual restaurant's salad offering.

I just don't care for vegetarian options that try to pretend to be meat. That said, the beyond meat line has been a delicious alternative. At the end of the day, plants are less impactful on the environment and you really can survive and get all your macronutrients without meat. Can't say the same the other way around.

[mar3o]

Originally Posted by bruceames

I didn't know door to door salespeople still exist, much less in times like this. In fact the last time I remember seeing one was an encyclopedia salesperson about 30 years ago. Still get the Jehovah's Witness coming around, but my wife unfortunately doesn't discourage them. But they haven't come around since the pandemic started.

I get them quite often at my apartment complex - usually either for cable TV (we actually have competing cable companies in my town so there's actually competition and they go door to door), and lots of "electric company" scams trying to get me to switch over to their billing. They claim they are "the" electric company, but not really. That's thanks to changing the regulations for how electric companies bill for their service.

[mar3o]

Originally Posted by Omegaice

*Neoz, I'm just quoting you for reference.


OT, this is the same strain most of the World has been dealing with for the last two months. The original strain that began in China mutated in Europe in February & then that "new" strain made it's way to the U.S. in March. This article articulates this statement. However, the media is spinning this as something that was JUST discovered, it's not.

It's just been discovered that it's a different strain than the original, and more contagious. But it's not new - you're right that we've had it for months.

[bruceames]

Originally Posted by mar3o

People need to to understand what the article is saying. This is the strain we've had for months now. They've just identified that what has been hitting us so hard for the past couple months is actually a mutated version and not the original strain that first started it all.

Of course that's still bad news, because they have been saying they don't think this virus will mutate very quickly and the mutations they've seen have been minor and wouldn't affect a vaccine. Now we're learning it already has mutated and enough so that it's worse than the original strain (more contagious). Which means this thing may indeed mutate again and again. This could add to the problems of finding a vaccine. It would be like getting last year's flu shot to deal with this year's flu strain. It wouldn't do much good.

It may be more contagious, but since they don't give a figure or estimate, and the paper hasn't been peer reviewed, that claim hasn't been substantiated.

As you say, the virus is very stable and any mutations will be minor. So I would tend to believe that any changes in contagiousness or other characteristics will be relatively minor as well.

[bruceames]

Originally Posted by mar3o

It's just been discovered that it's a different strain than the original, and more contagious. But it's not new - you're right that we've had it for months.

No, it's been known for a few months that this is a different strain. Really no news with this except for the claim that it's more contagious. The media is just hyping it up as something recently discovered.

[mar3o]

Originally Posted by Moviefan1203

I could inject milk into my veins. Love the stuff.

Am I the only one that snorts it?

[mar3o]

Originally Posted by Dex Robinson

Great to see crowds on the street again. Normally, I hate heavy traffic but my regular "Route 90 traffic jam" is now very comforting.

We are going to need to start phasing out this social distancing nonsense. I was at the mall yesterday for it's reopening. Only about 50 of the 200 stores were open but the place was busy. Even the mall manager said he was surprised by the crowds. But some people were forced to line-up for stores inside the mall. As more stores open, social distancing isn't going to work (as if it ever did).

This lining up to shop is crazy and pointless. This isn't Berlin in 1946.

I'm glad to see that more and more people are ignoring social distancing. The government has been stupid wrong on every prediction and it's up to the people to take the lead. We've punched some big holes in social distancing and there is hope that it will soon collapse. I'm confident the government will be forced to bend to the will of the people as we take back our freedom.

Okay, I've got nothing. Anybody else care to tackle this one?

I guess gates70 said it all, above.

[bruceames]

Originally Posted by mar3o

I get them quite often at my apartment complex - usually either for cable TV (we actually have competing cable companies in my town so there's actually competition and they go door to door), and lots of "electric company" scams trying to get me to switch over to their billing. They claim they are "the" electric company, but not really. That's thanks to changing the regulations for how electric companies bill for their service.

Wow, you get those kinds of people actually knocking on your door? I used to get plenty of spam calls on my work landline like that, but it's died off lately (just realized it now thinking about it). But never a utility or cable company actually at my doorstep.

[mar3o]

Originally Posted by Scarface32

Explain to me how something that grows in nature, and doesn’t require complicated processing, is not classified as "basic food"

You contradicted yourself in just three sentences.

I'm not getting into an argument over something so pointless. You know the point I was trying to make. Anything that falls under the category "food" can be considered essential, because it's food. Or are we going to start suggesting we block off certain sections of the grocery store now because the candy and cookie isles aren't "essential"?

[bruceames]

Originally Posted by mar3o

Okay, I've got nothing. Anybody else care to tackle this one?

There was a reply and I think it covered it quite well. Not worth wasting paragraphs on someone that clearly isn't going to change their mindset.

[mar3o]

Originally Posted by bruceames

Wow, you get those kinds of people actually knocking on your door? I used to get plenty of spam calls on my work landline like that, but it's died off lately (just realized it now thinking about it). But never a utility or cable company actually at my doorstep.

Yep, throughout the summer months I get those annoying utility people.

At least with the cable/fiber they're trying to sell a real legitimate service, and it's nice to be reminded that we actually have some competition here. And it's really only Verizon that goes door to door regularly. The other company just sends endless mailers.

But those electric companies - ugh.

[Hitman Horton]

Originally Posted by mar3o

Pharmacists? Grocers? Health care workers? Mail/delivery workers?

Obviously not everyone can.

I support people with disabilities. I go to work five days a week. It was pretty obvious that we were talking about abiding by the rules that have been put into place that people are choosing not to follow. Thanks for your ridiculous comment though.

[mar3o]

Originally Posted by Hitman Horton

I support people with disabilities. I go to work five days a week. It was pretty obvious that we were talking about abiding by the rules that have been put into place that people are choosing not to follow. Thanks for your ridiculous comment though.

Wow, what's with the aggression in here?