You Aren’t Being Forced to do Anything and Other Ramblings
Pandemic Diary Day: 22
April 15, 2020 — Leonardo DaVinci’s Birthday
I have had two days of writing about serious subjects, so let’s take a break. Here are some ramblings I have been collecting over the last week or so.
Many people have said to me that they could accomplish more if this didn’t feel like a forced lockdown.
You are not being forced to do anything. You are a sane and reasonable person that knows that if you do go out you are endangering yourself and the ones you loved. You are VOLUNTEERING to do this. You are not selfish, you do not think the world revolves around you (well…..) and you know that you are not the only person on the planet, that is why you, even though there is a stay at home order, are volunteering to stay inside.
Random Observation: I wondered why my bath towels are not quite dry in the morning, then it dawned on me, I have always showered at the gym so my bath towels only get used on the weekend, no wonder I am tossing them into the wash more than I remember.
Who knew: While we all ponder how the hourly and gig workers are going to fare through this, there are some places in need that I had not thought of, such as zoos. While the Oakland Zoo is shut down, it is keeping its veterinarians and other care givers on to watch over the health of the animals. They have already gone through $1.5 million of their $4.5 million reserve, depleting 1/3 of what took the zoo 10 years to build.
And speaking of zoos: Public health officials believe that the large cats of the Bronx zoo caught Covid-19 from a zoo employee. A 4-year old Malayan tiger named Nadia, appeared visibly sick by March 27.
An Unintended Consequence: According to the Inspector General “Hospitals reported laying off staff due to financial difficulties, which further exacerbated workforce shortages and the hospitals’ ability to care for covid-19 patients and the routine patient population,”
Basically, hospitals aren’t doing the types of non-essential surgeries that bring in money, and so are laying off staff to keep from going broke, at a time when they are needed the most. If you are interested you can read more about this here.
Do you support any newspapers? You should. While readership is up, ad revenues are down at a time when newspapers are needed the most. Roughly 28,000 workers at news companies nationwide have been laid off, furloughed or had their pay reduced. Some publications that rely on ads have shut down.
Not that I am a part of this social group, but I began wondering how Dating Apps were faring under the lockdown. I googled it. There were pages of articles. It really is a no-brainer, people are sticking to meeting on-line and holding back on meeting in person, again just a random musing.
Cannabis is considered an essential business and yet, due more to laws already in place, cannabis stores are going broke. Their margins were thin to begin with, and like everyone else, Covid-19 is not helping. They are legal small business in many states, but they are still not legal under federal law, which means they don’t qualify for aid.
French fries are considered essential in Belgium, so people can still fill their cravings at Belgium’s iconic sidewalk stands, the friteries.
In Miharu Japan, the Takizakura, a 1000 year old cherry tree, has bloomed. (pictured at the top)
Trivial Things
My Horoscope for today: You’re on the verge of calling it quits, but take a couple of steps back and listen to what people have to say. They’re pointing you in the right direction.
The NYT Crossword Puzzle: fairly easy, and somewhat interesting
San Francisco weather: 60 degrees and partly cloudy
NYSE DOW opened at: 23600
Italian word of the day: rimborsare (reimburse)
Spanish word of the day: protegido (protected)
OED word of the day: vel sim
Days under Shelter In Place:33
Reading: The Private Papers of Henry Ryecroft by George Gissing
Reading Canto XXI of Dante’s Inferno
A Special Something: A 99-year-old British World War II veteran has raised more than $9 million in donations for the U.K.’s National Health Service by walking with the aid of a walker, around his backyard.
My Black and White Picture of the Day
Something Silly From the Internet: · Homeschooling is going well. 2 students suspended for fighting and 1 teacher fired for drinking on the job.
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