Corona Virus and DegreeInfo

somebody finally steps up

https://www.indystar.com/story/news/health/2020/03/18/eli-lilly-offer-free-coronavirus-testing-indiana/2869930001/

 

and if the corona virus hasn't made your life miserable enough . . .

https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/the-rosie-odonnell-show-returning-episode-raise-money-coronavirus

 

Sometimes I think about the things I have in common with other people. The neighborhood where I grew up, the schools I attended. Different sorts of experiences draw people together. A hurricane, a blizzard. "What were you doing when you heard the news on 911?" Some experiences are solo, some might involve a small handful of people, perhaps a family. A town, a region, even a country can share an experience and it gives everyone a touchpoint, something in common. But even something as big as a "World War" doesn't cover the entire planet the way the covid19 pandemic is doing. Everyone, all over the world, is having the same experience right now. You're sick, or waiting to get sick or trying hard not to get sick. Everyone with the same worries. Will I be OK? My friends, family? Am I doing enough? Going overboard? Will I get paid? Will my company survive? How bad will it get? Who will die? Everyone all over the world is asking the same questions, having the same experiences. For the first time in my life I have something in common with everyone else in the world. Before this is over (and I'm not really sure what that means) I'll have a set of experiences, thoughts and feelings that virtually everyone in the world will share. We are all going through this together. No one would ever want this to happen but this cloud may yet have a silver lining.

 

“We are going to be fine.”

https://www.latimes.com/science/story/2020-03-22/coronavirus-outbreak-nobel-laureate

 

a new word: covidiot

https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/urban-dictionary-covidiot-stockpilers-coronavirus-101845490.html

 

The stockpilers are disturbing. There are no real shortages in the things they're hoarding, so they're just competing with--and taking away from--others who could use those items, too.

It's a mix of fear, frustration, helplessness, and selfishness. So they keep others from having adequate amounts by needlessly overwhelming the supply chain.

We're shopping normally. Our habit is to go to the military commissary weekly for what we'll need that week, and local grocers for daily fresh food needs. This combination works and we don't want to change it. Unfortunately, we're having trouble purchasing toilet paper, but it's not exactly like we use a lot, so we'll figure it out in the coming weeks.

I'm making a bolognese on Wednesday. I already have the pasta--good thing since the shelves look like a Soviet-era market.

 

Thankfully there are limitations to how much most people can stockpile and the supply chain has already adjusted here in WA state. There were a couple of days of emptying shelves and then there wasn't. Cheaper meat still has occasional runs, I think.

 

There continue to be shortages in my neighborhood. There continue to be plentiful amounts of fresh fruit and vegetables so I'm not worried. I travel around a lot and so there's probably a dozen different supermarkets that I have easy access to so I haven't run out of anything.
ProTip: Trucks typically unload at the store around 6-7am and these days stock goes straight to the selves. Shop early.

 

What many stores have been doing is limiting the first hour of the day to senior citizens or persons at higher risk for COVID. Personally, I enjoy that, since it's a tasteful way of crapping on millennials.

But seriously, it is the best time to avoid the insane shortages on survivalist crap like water, toilet paper, and Purel. I tried for almost three weeks to find distilled water, which is used to humidify some types of medical equipment. But, even though it's not even healthy to drink distilled water, it has been selling out along with spring water, purified water, and small bottles of almost every brand. Finally, I went to the market when it opened at 6 AM the other day and was able to buy two gallons of distilled water.

I still haven't found any Purel, but happened to buy a few of those before this whole thing began.

 

My house has water. We're weird that way.

 

Where I live every house has a well. There is no other option. I get my well tested every year and there's absolutely nothing wrong with the water. I use it for everything. I do occasionally buy bottled water but I reuse the bottles, refilling them from the tap. Eventually I lose, destroy, discard all the bottles and then I buy another case. I know that many people drink bottled water exclusively but I see no need for that expense.

 

some engineers step up

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8147119/Family-run-engineering-company-develop-ventilator-just-THREE-days-treat-coronavirus-patients.html

 

You might enjoy reading up on the discovery of copper's antibacterial properties. Believe it was a doctor who noticed that coppersmiths, goldsmiths, and boilermakers all were surviving European plagues; almost universally untouched.

 

Here is a sappy/sweet offering from the students at Berklee College of Music

https://www.berklee.edu/news/berklee-now/what-world-needs-now-student-made-video

 

another covid casualty

https://www.theguardian.com/media/2020/apr/09/coronavirus-us-newspapers-impact