What's your silver lining in the COVID-19 cloud?

[leew3]

I'm teaching from home so enjoy my 20 foot commute rather than a 70 mile drive to a remote site the one day a week I teach there.

I've learned that I have too much stuff so am decluttering with the spare time.

However, the free weights I considered getting rid of are coming in handy as my gym is closed.

On a musical note, each of the instruments (guitars, basses, mandolins, dulcimers, harmonicas) I own is wonderful in it's own way and I have no need for any more. Or any less!

I've threatened for some time to begin playing violin, now may be the time.

[jwayne]

Originally Posted by 6 Strings MI

What other specific examples would you like to see?

I'm not going to start on the bit about consumption of animal products, but domestically sourcing products (and not just critical ones) is spot-on. As was stated in another thread, we have also become far too reliant on China, and it is my hope that said reliance will be greatly reduced...or, better yet, eliminated.

Lots of things, but for one, I'd like to see the age for medicare gradually reduced. It is way more efficient than any other health care delivery method in the USA and is overwhelmingly liked by recipients.

Regarding consumption of animal products, the most important point here is that the majority of these pandemics are zoonotic: Coronavirus, HIV, Sars, Flu, Ebola, etc etc. It's not just wet markets that are an issue, but the shedding of viruses from - for example - influenza from wild ducks that mix with domesticated ducks and then interspecies transmission to pigs and humans. Also the vast tracts of land that are being cleared for animal agriculture similarly creates opportunity for zoonotic diseases (e.g., through consumption of bush meat and contact with isolated animal populations.) This stuff is pretty well established and is not controversial at all (except how to deal with it).

[Riverwolf]

Originally Posted by 6 Strings MI

Ample time to get VA appointments taken care of...

Our VA is not taking anything other than emergency appointments.
They just called to schedule my next checkup, the end of July.

[6 Strings MI]

Originally Posted by jwayne

Regarding consumption of animal products...This stuff is pretty well established and is not controversial at all (except how to deal with it).

Getting rid of the wet markets would be awesome, but difficult at very best to enforce, especially given the attitude of the present Chinese regime. How to best deal with these things, I'm not sure...but I'll never go vegetarian or vegan. It is not debatable that nature intended human beings to be omnivorous.

Originally Posted by Riverwolf

Our VA is not taking anything other than emergency appointments.

My non-emergency orthopedics appointment is still a go for Tuesday...and I'm in a hard-hit area. I have no rational explanation for that.

[6L6]

Silver lining for me is losing weight!

I've been in quarantine for a month now and have lost 9 pounds (down from 192 to 183). Definitely helps to cut out those cheeseburger lunches...

But I sure do miss them.

[Dru Edwards]

Originally Posted by jpd

#1- My daughter, a flight attendant out of JFK , escaped from NY before this pandemic made NY the #1 viral hotspot.

#2- see 1

#3- I have TP paper

JPD - glad to hear your got out of NYC in time. Does she live near you?

[jwayne]

Originally Posted by 6 Strings MI

Getting rid of the wet markets would be awesome, but difficult at very best to enforce, especially given the attitude of the present Chinese regime. How to best deal with these things, I'm not sure...but I'll never go vegetarian or vegan. It is not debatable that nature intended human beings to be omnivorous.

My non-emergency orthopedics appointment is still a go for Tuesday...and I'm in a hard-hit area. I have no rational explanation for that.

China said they would crack down on wet markets but it hasn't happened. And there are wet markets all over Asia, largely controlled by international crime syndicates. Here is a fascinating (and disturbing) undercover look at wet markets from 60 minutes Australia.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y7nZ4mw4mXw

I'm not a vegan by any stretch, but am all about reducing our use of animal products, not necessarily eliminating it. And also choosing the healthiest and most ethical choices when feasible, such as grass finished beef. In any event, we cannot hide from the many problems surrounding consumption of animal products, such as the enormous amount of antibiotics used resulting in resistant bacteria to the detriment of human health; the huge contribution towards human-caused greenhouse gases such as from cow burps (methane) & manure (nitrous oxide); water sustainability issues; pollution from animal waste (remember Hurricane Florence); vast tracts of environmentally important land being clear-cut for animal agriculture. Hopefully much of this will eventually be mitigated by lab grown meat, but that's still in its infancy.

We're also in SE Michigan and all of our regular doc appointments have been cancelled and appointments are only being scheduled for May. A visiting nurse said that people forget that one of the reasons to stay home is to avoid situations that result in you having to visit the hospital such as an car accident. (Though the roads are so empty and gas is $1.50!)

[6 Strings MI]

Originally Posted by jwayne

The huge contribution towards human-caused greenhouse gases such as from cow burps (methane) & manure (nitrous oxide)...pollution from animal waste...

You got me on that one. The last job I had in California was vendor-managed inventory, and my sites were within 150 miles of Fresno. Every other Thursday, I visited the little town of Coalinga. The most expeditious route between those places takes you on California State Route 145. Near the junction of SR 145 and Interstate 5 is a dairy farm. The smell was so horrendous that as I was approaching, I shut the climate control off and closed the vents...even if it was over 100 degrees outside!

I saw that documentary around the time Michigan's first case was reported. Worth a view if you haven't seen it.

[jpd]

Originally Posted by Dru Edwards

JPD - glad to hear your got out of NYC in time. Does she live near you?

Hi ya Dru...she's staying in her old childhood room out here.

[AmericanEagle]

Not much for me really. I still get jolted awake every morning by my alarm, but that’s ok because it means I still have my job, but it is impossible to work from home. I guess my silver lining would be a great decrease in traffic driving to and from work.

[AmericanEagle]

I saw a video on Chinese/Asian wet markets. I was so horrified I had to stop watching it.

[Dru Edwards]

Originally Posted by jpd

[/U]

Hi ya Dru...she's staying in her old childhood room out here.

That's excellent, JPD. Good to have family close during this time if possible. Someone to help with the grocery shopping.

[tbeltrans]

Since the subject of this thread is about silver linings...

Though I am in the middle of an engineering contract and considered essential, I am working 3 full days a week. However, with the state ordered shutdown, things are otherwise quiet. As president of our condo association, I am rarely getting any calls from folks, probably because they are staying in their condos. My various VA appointments have been rescheduled for June, as have my wife's doctor appointments. So other than the job, I have nothing going on.

Today, Jake Reichbart announced a sale on a selection of his guitar lessons, so I am purchasing several and will have the time to work with them.

Overall, my wife and I are well positioned for this virus situation to go on for some time if necessary because we are retired and have no debt, so financial concerns are not among our life's situation. We are used to being home together so we are not at each other's throats. We have no kids, so for us, life pretty much just chugs along as we each prsue our hobbies, which are done at home anyway.

So there is a pile of silver lining for the thread.

Tony

[marty bradbury]

Bitter/Sweet, realizing we r going to need to downsize and move (long story) on the other hand knowing I will do all of this with my best friend=my wife, when all this is over of course.

[buddyhu]

The neighborhood is REALLY quiet. It isn’t all that noisy anyway, but love the quiet. Less automobile noise, fewer trucks, no school bus, etc.