Scarlet Pimpernel

48 minutes ago, showmethesnow said:

Haven't seen one of those Elvis paintings in ages. I remember they were all the rage in the 70's. Might have to hit you up if you start selling. 

Uhhh-huhhh! (said in an Elvis voice of course)...

16 minutes ago, Yeoman said:

Bonuses for front line folks are imperative - on the order of 50% or more of their salary. I've purchased $700 in gift cards for local restaurants and will continue to do more, so should others that have the means. These small businesses employ 50% of our workers.

They definitely should get bonuses of some sort.

On an individual level, I still patronize places I've liked (restaurants) when I can just to be supportive and hopefully help keep them afloat.  Of course, my contribution as one person is a drop in the bucket, but if enough people do that at carry-out or grab-and-go places, that's something.

2 minutes ago, WxWatcher007 said:

That’s where things like paid sick leave matter. A business, especially a small one can’t just come up with money to pay employees, but I know a multi-trillion dollar government can. 

Before my conservative friends come out with knives lol I’m not talking about “free” money indefinitely, I’m just talking about looking out for the average American and the least among us and their economic security. I’ve been consistently saying we have to look at public health and economic security equally. There are people who cannot go into work right now. We don’t throw their actual or economic lives away because they just happen to be older or less healthy.

Wish I could recommend this 1000 times...spot-on concerning public health and economic security!!  This country has about the most minimal safety net in the western world, and yet everyone complains when there are attempts to expand it or help people in this type of emergency situation.  We cannot afford that, apparently...but hey, we can give $2T in tax cuts for multi-millionaires, so whatever.  Oy!

15 hours ago, DCTeacherman said:

Hey the covid thread wasn’t a disaster today 

May have spoken too soon...looks like it's gotten a bit chippy in there this morning from what I saw!

12 hours ago, Maestrobjwa said:

Boooooo...lol 

LOL!!  Well, when I saw @stormtracker appear in here the other day, Beethoven was wearing a mask!!  So there is that...

31 minutes ago, H2O said:

My dad was born in 1936 so he was a part of the tail end of the Great Depression and jumped right into WW2/  The stuff he told me of what they did/didn't have as a kid was stunning.  

Now we have groups of people going out to protest and butthurt they can't get a damn haircut or lawn gnomes with ease.  There are just ridiculous narratives being pushed when reality is that a ton of people will suffer if we don't listen to the experts.

Hey now...lawn gnomes are people, too!! 

Just now, SnowGolfBro said:

Have we done nothing? Are 30+ days of lockdowns, 10s of millions of lost jobs, closed schools, and so on showing no compassion?  We can’t know what would have happened if we did nothing.  I agree that these measures had a positive effect on hospitals not getting overflowed.  But i can’t prove that either.  But the compassion needs to go both ways.  I have compassion for the laid off employees, the kids missing school, those suffering depression or domestic violence due to our “compassion”.  

I also have compassion for kids missing school (I have one myself...though at least doing online stuff for what it's worth), employees who are now laid off, small businesses that are going under and losing employees, etc.  I'd wager that a huge majority have compassion as well, it's not just a one way street.

That's precisely why Congress needs to come up with some inventive ways to assist people during this whole crisis.  I'm far from an expert in knowing exactly what to even do (not an economist, and don't even play one on TV, and I have not stayed in a Holiday Inn Express any time recently!!).  Invest in some type of temporary income assistance?  Debt forgiveness?  Who knows...something like that, I suppose, and on a large scale.  We'll need to re-think things in how to deal with such situations again...much how we had to do the same in the Depression.  Not much of a time to be timid here.

10 minutes ago, Inverted_Trough said:

The restrictions during World War II were far more limiting than what we're experiencing right now.  I can't imagine how today's folks would have fared back then. 

Funny you mention that.  I was just talking to a friend the other day and we discussed just this.  What would some of these (loudly complaining) people today do in the 1930s or 1940s during the Depression and WW-II, with all the restrictions and required sacrifice to assist the war effort and to climb out of the economic disaster?

OK, this may be borderline political here, but aren't nearly all of these "protests" of the astroturf variety?  As in they're contrived and well funded by various groups, not some individual grass-roots organizers.  Think of the infamous "Brooks Brothers Riot" back during the Florida 2000 recount fiasco.

Now...concerning "opening up", I agree that it will have to be done discretely, and depending on how much testing is done...like what Gov. Hogan is advocating.  So open some things marginally, see what happens, and be prepared to close it up again if cases spike.  Something like that.  I cannot imagine anyone really wanting to go all in 100% at once.

Just now, mappy said:

I agree with you, just saying... they don't care. thats why they are doing it how they are.

LOL, I know...and I guess I'm agreeing with your agreement, haha!  Sorry to get a bit in a circular or repetitious discussion there!  Preaching to the socially distanced choir, I suppose! 

Just now, mappy said:

Right, but the majority of them think its a sham. so why would they care? 

Very true, and I'm sure they don't really care and think this is all a sham, even if that's wrong.  Doesn't change the fact that they present a potential hazard...

2 minutes ago, mappy said:

Its a tough one to "support" i agree one has the right to protest, and i get the frustrations, but how about everyone just stay in their cars, honk a lot and then go home. this gathering in groups, stupid signs and guns are just not needed.

Yeah, I agree.  I don't really "support" what they're standing for (and it sure looks to be a lot more than just a simple dislike of being forced to stay inside!  Guns and racist signs...really?).  And in a normal circumstance I wouldn't much care about them protesting as such even if I don't like what they stand for.  If a virus or other significant health issue weren't involved, I'd just roll my eyes at them and shake my head.  Because they wouldn't be harming anyone else just by being there spouting off whatever their message is.  That's really the significant difference here...they could potentially harm anyone else around them.

Nice day for a good walk and to take photos.  Here's a red-copper Japanese maple, against a brilliant blue sky.

On 4/17/2020 at 6:38 PM, WxWatcher007 said:

You’re right. It’d be a shame to lose all my annual profits to a wrongful reap suit. 

Let me ask you this...you think I can repurpose some of my Lye supply for that?

Hmmmm, that may just work, if you have sufficient extra next year!  Give it a whirl!

Oh, and I'm sure you have plenty of bespectacled legal minds ready to assist you in the event of such frivolous lawsuits!

Maybe some will do some...errr...pro bono work for you?

17 minutes ago, nw baltimore wx said:

So far, I think it’s just Jacksonville. But like the mayor of shark city in Jaws said, if we don’t open our beaches, the $ goes somewhere else. Many will follow suit.

Gonna need a bigger...ahhhh, nevermind!

Just now, Maestrobjwa said:

Looks like that was aftert a pretty awesome ice event! Lolol

I kinda like his expression near the end when he's totally out of control...like he's saying "ohhhh, shiiiit, I'm about to crash a Barbie car!!"

15 minutes ago, nw baltimore wx said:

Duh.  They are vacationing. And then they can go back home and give the ultimate gift to all their friends.

Dayum!!  I didn't know whether to post the "haha" icon, or the "sad" one!  I think both are needed!!

4 hours ago, WxWatcher007 said:

We love the flame outs

Man, you really need to salt the driveway area leading into the Panic Room suites...you're opening yourself up to lawsuits!! 

3 hours ago, mappy said:

 

i have no idea, but i'm not a huge fan of it. sure a lot can change in a month, but enough that the state is comfortable sending kids back to school? no way... its probably a grace period to give them time how to handle the end of the year, grades, graduation etc. 

Thanks for all your updates on all this, I really appreciate it (as I'm sure others do too).  Yeah, I think they're pushing the date incrementally to come up with whatever kind of plan on how to handle the end of the school year.  Whether that's the best or not, I don't know...I kind of fully expect there won't be school the remainder of this year.  What's interesting is I've heard some places had closed schools for the remainder of this year some time ago with no hesitation.  Friend of mine in Atlanta told me back in March that they did just that, and at the time it surprised me (at that time, I think MD had set the closure date through March 27).  At any rate, I don't mind the caution and not going back this academic year...though I have to imagine for seniors graduating this year with likely no ceremony, it will suck (high school, but also colleges and universities).  Can't imagine they'll hold back diplomas.  But I do wonder how anyone taking things like AP exams, SAT, etc. will work that out.  Guess that will be up to the testing agencies, as that's done nation-wide.  I've heard they may allow it to be done remotely at home, somehow.

4 hours ago, supernovasky said:

One day. I moved here and absolutely killed this area's snowfall. I truly believe I am a curse lol. Thanks for all the other stuff though - it's been a long long road and I've been basically disowned by my family, but I'm self sufficient and have a great job and a wonderful kid and life has been great.

A bit late responding here, but nahhh, you didn't kill this area's snowfall!  We just plain suck, hahaha!  But seriously, stick around long enough and we'll get something memorable, even if it's one discrete storm in one winter.  Wish you could have been here in 2009-10 or 2013-14, you would have had a blast!  When even @Bob Chill is saying he was exhausted from tracking after 2013-14 (through late March!), you know we got a lot of events!

And I'm so sorry to hear your family has disowned you, that is awful!  I can only imagine what that must be like for you.  But I'm glad to hear you have been able to "move on" to whatever extent possible and keep your life going...and that you're looking at things that are brighter in your world!  That's about all we can do, right?!

I sense there are a lot of "stout" hearts in here, going by some of the beer conversation!!! 

5 minutes ago, DCTeacherman said:

The paying salaries indefinitely, 6 month closure, etc is a straw man.  No one is advocating for these things. 

I know that, I was responding to what PhineasC said about paying salaries indefinitely.

Just now, Chris78 said:

Sometimes its the governents role to protect people from themselves lol

 

Agree.  Like I said, I don't want to get into the ugly weeds of politics here, but there's been way too much of a push (in my humble opinion) over the past few decades to make people automatically distrust anything the government does (a sarcastic "thank you" to Ronnie!).  Some of that is warranted, sure.  There's also the issue that I don't think as many people now are willing to just make the necessary sacrifice, whether it's inconvenience or whatever.  I mean...does the stay at home stuff suck?  Yeah, it does.  Is it a pain to wear a face covering at the supermarket?  Sure.  Or not be able to go to many places like we used to for awhile?  Absolutely.  And I don't even want to hear that I don't understand that people have lost or will lose their jobs because of this...that's where support is supposed to come in, in whatever measure is necessary.

But seriously, this won't be permanent, or I don't see it being so.  It's a sacrifice, and by all indications by those who are experts in the medical fields, it's a necessary one.  It's not overblown panic and hype.  God, I swear, I wonder what some people who complain soooo much right now would have done during the Depression, or WW-II, when sacrifice was not only mandated but required to survive and get through it.

Sorry for the mini-rant!!

8 minutes ago, Chris78 said:

We have been trying to give local restaurants some bussiness, a couple times a week. Weve done pizza, chinese, steaks from Outback.

 

And I'm also completely fine with giving the liquor establishments plenty of my business!!!  As much as my liver will afford! 

10 minutes ago, PhineasC said:

Even in overwhelmed Italy barely anyone under 50 died from this. Look up the stats. They are actually kind of crazy. Even nurses getting hammered with viral load survived. 

From what I understand and heard, the region in Italy that got so badly hit by this in terms of cases and number of deaths has a much larger elderly population.  So sure, the most affected are those who are older; same was true in China and elsewhere.  That said, I heard there were some studies that show younger people are perhaps not so little affected as originally thought.  Maybe that's changed, I don't know.  There's also the issue of asymptomatic people being able to (inadvertently) spread it, including to those who are more vulnerable.

7 minutes ago, PhineasC said:

There is no political will to pay everyone’s salary indefinitely. People will start to go hungry and kill themselves from depression. 

Is anyone talking about paying salaries indefinitely?  I'm far from an economic expert (nor do I play one on TV!), but giving people something to survive on during the worst of this pandemic or holding off debt payments and the like for some amount of time, until things (hopefully) go down, is not out of order.  How best to do that, I don't know myself and don't claim to know it all.  I'm sure we'll need to re-think our ideas of economics in these kinds of situations, much like we had to do during the Great Depression.  Similarly for how health care should be administered.  A lot of that is political, sure, and I won't get into that stuff in here.  But you can be sure we'll be changing our views on how we handle something like this.  It's not always necessarily the "big bad gov-mint" trying to take away your freedoms.  Not saying we shouldn't be vigilant of unscrupulous leaders, but I don't like when I hear the knee-jerk reaction that everything is the government trying to hold everyone down.

59 minutes ago, supernovasky said:

Part of me thinks you're right, part of me wonders if people won't just go crowd restaurants and beaches again.

 

I sure as heck am staying away from both.

However and whenever things begin to open up again (and I don't think it would or should be "all at once, come on in!!")...I admit I'll be a bit uncertain about going in to certain places, especially if they're big and crowded (say, going to a game or a large, busy restaurant kind of thing).  Traveling?  Maybe, if it's like visiting family or a close friend that's in driving distance (family in Philly and Ohio, not bad drives).

On a related subject, I still "patronize" (if that's the right word here) various local eating establishments that I like via ordering and picking up...and will continue to do so how I can.  It may not be much from one person, but I just want to help out to keep them afloat and keep people there employed (and I like the food, of course!).