I hope this is an appropriate topic. I am not trying to make light of the Pandemic. But, these are crazy times that even old timers have never experienced before. There is a lot of hand-wringing, worry, depression, fear, etc.
I was wondering if the virus has given us any good news?
I have a few to start us off. [A word to the wise: Some are more serious than others.]
--People are coming together. As the virus has spread, so has the kind acts by many people. A lot more people are being responsible. They are reaching out to help others. They are finding creative ways to deal w/self-isolation.
--Neighborhoods are looking better in many areas as many people are improving their landscaping.
--We are viewing fewer commercials that make us dumber because we aren't watching sports that are overwhelmed w/commercials.
--Heroes are popping up all over the place. We have billionaires dedicating huge amounts of money to the cause of fighting this demonic virus. We have actors returning to the medical field. We have athletes donating big money to the cause. We have Health professionals risking their own lives to help others. We have grocery store workers doing their jobs despite making very little money and doing it w/a smile on their face.
--Solicitors are not ringing my doorbell.
I have a ton more, but want to hear from you.
You can be real. You can be humorous. You can provide examples of both. It's just a diversion...
Last edited by Versatile Dog; 04/12/2008:15 PM. Reason: I changed the title
And good start on a list, though in my case I don't have solicitors at any time (I live downtown) and the neighborhood has actually gotten dirtier. I'm not sure of the exact cause, but I see much more homelessness in my area than usual and assume it is partially due to that, partially due to reduction in people outside cleaning up....not sure
I'm loving the heroes. First and foremost our medical professionals and all of those that support them. I'll add in truckers and farmers and grocery store clerks, among others. Glad that the super rich are doing what they're doing.
Many companies are doing wonderful things. I'm seeing organizations doing things like setting up funds for out of work restaurant/bar workers (among others). I'm happy as heck with my company that have decided to pay all retail store employees while they're closed (I'm lucky we're well positioned) and we've started manufacturing PPE and donating it to OHSU.
I love while California, Oregon, and Washington could stockpile some resources, they've donated some to New York.
I love that at 7pm every night it gets noisy downtown with people screaming and clapping and whatever else they're doing to recognize medical professionals.
Nice idea for a thread! I agree ... I’ve seen an improved neighborhood honestly. Homes being worked on, people exercising, actually talking on the street in passing ... it’s like we’ve been reverted back
"First down inside the 10. A score here will put us in the Super Bowl. Cooper is far to the left as Njoku settles into the slot. Moore is flanked out wide to the right. Chubb and Ford are split in the backfield as Watson takes the snap ... Here we go."
I have been a bit of a recluse for a year or two, but in the last few weeks I made it a point to contact my sibs (I have 3 sisters and a brother), my inlaws, and most of my friends, some from work and a couple who go back to jr high with me. Just to let everyone know that I was thinking of them and to - hopefully - make them feel less isolated. It ended up working both ways; I feel less isolated too.
I think the word "hope" is one of the most important words in language. Wars were started over it. People survived wars because of it. Folks moved from one land to another because they had hope. We can overcome illnesses, poverty, discrimination, etc in the name of "hope."
Hope can make us strong in times of stress and uncertainty.
I encourage folks to hang on to hope and stay strong. I encourage you all to see the good in the world and keep a sense of humor when possible, even if it is "gallows humor." I encourage you to do a lot of self-reflection and decide what is really important to you. I encourage you to tell those you love that you do indeed, love them. I encourage you to let go of hard feelings w/those who are close to you. I encourage you to work together to overcome this blanking blank virus!
With our daughter being home from college, not being in any h.s. sports, etc (it's been quite a while for us to have family time) not being able to do much at all (all of us), we've eaten more meals together in just the last month than we probably did in a long, long time.
We've played cards, played Trouble - yeah, a stupid board game - wife and daughter are playing something on Wii right now (haven't played that in years)
I went on a walk today, and noticed in the ditch across the road - wild Daffodils growing. A lot of them. I picked a handful and took them in the house, put them in a vase. They smell so good. I'll get more in a few days.
It's the little things. Turkey and mashed potatoes today - with left overs galore.
Things are going to get much, much tighter for us, very soon.
Cousin and I cut a tree down yesterday at my parents house. Dad just can't do that stuff anymore. Down, with just a few snags, like, it didn't fall where we wanted it to. Cut up, and hauled the 70 or so yards to my truck using a wheel barrow. Dad drove his lawn mower with a small trailer behind it. Took about 8 trips, maybe 10 to get everything loaded in my truck and my cousins truck. Then, the 2 of us went to his place and used his splitter to split, and then stack the wood.
I’ve seen the neighborhood landscaping is being stepped up. The guy across the street just bought a rusted out vintage truck that he’ll rebuild into another hot rod. So I’ll have that driveway project unfold from my kitchen window this summer.
My sisters and I kept up with each other before this but it’s doubled down. I text, video chat, or Facebook Message pretty much daily now. My mom, who has bucked technology, is getting her first smart phone so we can video chat. Welcome to modern times Mrs Fintstone. I’m looking forward to it. I only tend to see her once (8-10 day vacation) a year. So it’ll be nice to go beyond hearing her voice as I have for much of the 19 years since I’ve moved west. My sister and my father are at least emailing at times... so that’s progress. Good things.
There’s a local nursing home that’s been hammered by a COVID deaths, sick staff, short staffed... it’s a mess. Sadly. Tragically. (This is happening all over the country and it’s not being reported on heavily. They’re often not even testing. Therefore not adding to the ‘COVID death totals’.) I got my hospice company to buy pizzas for their staff this week. We’ve also put together gift bags for local caregivers. I’ll be taking these out this week. Our company put a call out to people in the community and abroad to write cards for the elderly quarantined away in our facilities we serve. No family. No common dining or activities. The response has been tremendous. We’ve given out over 200 cards.
I’m generally a homebody. Outside of festival season I’m very much an introvert. So, other than missing my studio, this stay at home thing is something I’ve been training for for years.
I first posted these photos in the ‘Songs of Hope’ thread so I don’t know if it’s weird to repost them here but I thought it was a good place to do so. I do ambient lighting for festivals. Since my gear has been quarantined with me, and festival season is cooked, I decided to bring some color to my neighborhood. These are the trees in my backyard.
Our company put a call out to people in the community and abroad to write cards for the elderly quarantined away in our facilities we serve.
PM me with details please. I'll ask my team if they want to do this as well, and can expand it to my broader team of about 150 people if you'd like. Not sure how many people would be interested, but I'm guessing several would.
I am no longer receiving 612 spam/junk calls per day on both my land line, and cell phone. There are also less folks in my way when I take the Motorcycle out for a ride.
I’ve also noticed more people reaching out to me (and vice versa) “just because” ... thats a good feeling
"First down inside the 10. A score here will put us in the Super Bowl. Cooper is far to the left as Njoku settles into the slot. Moore is flanked out wide to the right. Chubb and Ford are split in the backfield as Watson takes the snap ... Here we go."
For the first time in decades people in India can see the Himalayas.
Pollution in general is way down. Gas prices way down. traffic way down.
Long term I believe many things will differ. Working remote will increase. Business travel will decrease as people will find video conference works just as well. Retail already falling will fall farther. People will be way more conscious of being contagious. Social distance will be a way of life. Remote learning will increase in general.
Disaster has a way of bringing people together because we come to realize; we are all in this together.
This is the one thing I hope does not become the norm. It will lead to more isolation, mental health issues, suicides, lower birth rates, and more incel minded people. Smartphone usage has caused enough social distancing and those of us that were around before they became the norm can attest to that.
Social distancing has helped many (including myself) be more social. Tell us we can't hang out with each other, so we're gonna make the effort to use those phones/screens for socializing. I've noticed so many more people out just taking a walk. I can't play hockey anymore, so I finally got around to finishing the basement gym... AND ACTUALLY STARTED EXERCISING!!! Y'all don't know me, but this is big. :-p
It's a big 'if', but I hope people really take the lessons we're learning right now to heart once life starts going back to normal.
There is no level of sucking we haven't seen; in fact, I'm pretty sure we hold the patents on a few levels of sucking NOBODY had seen until the past few years.
I haven't driven much in the past few years ... but it is nice having low prices.
The most I have ever spent to fill up my truck from near empty had been almost $60. I filled up the other day from almost empty, and it was $23. That's a nice savings.
Micah 6:8; He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.
John 14:19 Jesus said: Because I live, you also will live.
I just got word that I’ll be getting hazard pay at work. I get a little ‘bonus’ for every patient I see. My company has also stepped up and is now giving up to 80 hours of pay for missing work if I were to get COVID. This instead of having to use my vacation time to recover. They’ll also cover all medical expenses related to treatment. Deductibles and co pays... all of it. As a front line worker this is huge. I’m so grateful to work for the company I work for. (I’m so grateful to be employed while so many others aren’t.) We really are a team. This shows me that corporate sees us that way too. It makes going into the fire less scary knowing that it won’t financially crush me if I were to get COVID because of my work. I’d just have to worry about fighting the disease, not the financial burden.
Social distancing has helped many (including myself) be more social. Tell us we can't hang out with each other, so we're gonna make the effort to use those phones/screens for socializing. I've noticed so many more people out just taking a walk. I can't play hockey anymore, so I finally got around to finishing the basement gym... AND ACTUALLY STARTED EXERCISING!!! Y'all don't know me, but this is big. :-p
It's a big 'if', but I hope people really take the lessons we're learning right now to heart once life starts going back to normal.
If social distancing worked, old people would be the less infected... just saying
Protect the risk groups, social distancing is just a way to create social guilt...
Social distancing has helped many (including myself) be more social. Tell us we can't hang out with each other, so we're gonna make the effort to use those phones/screens for socializing. I've noticed so many more people out just taking a walk. I can't play hockey anymore, so I finally got around to finishing the basement gym... AND ACTUALLY STARTED EXERCISING!!! Y'all don't know me, but this is big. :-p
It's a big 'if', but I hope people really take the lessons we're learning right now to heart once life starts going back to normal.
If social distancing worked, old people would be the less infected... just saying
Protect the risk groups, social distancing is just a way to create social guilt...
Social distancing does work. The reason why the elderly are getting sick is because of asymptomatic grandkids (family) and/or caregivers coming into contact with them. They also get hit hardest by the disease and end up hospitalized at a higher rate. This skews the numbers of reported COVID illnesses to show more elderly effected. It’s all about asymptomatic vectors. Those that don’t social distance and then unknowingly carry the virus around. Expelling it with every breath. The elderly in many cases have a higher contact rate with them. They bring groceries and such to their elderly loved ones and think “we’ll I'm not coughing so I’m safe to visit”... Not to drag this into a religious thing but, the elderly also tend to fill the pews at the churches that don’t abide by the ‘no large gatherings‘ mandate. Risking themselves and others.
Good point about pets! My cat is taking advantage of a playmate all day haha
"First down inside the 10. A score here will put us in the Super Bowl. Cooper is far to the left as Njoku settles into the slot. Moore is flanked out wide to the right. Chubb and Ford are split in the backfield as Watson takes the snap ... Here we go."
I work for a Credit Union, that has satellite branches around the US. They closed down the satellite branches (mine included). They are however still paying us 100% of our pay until we return - whenever that maybe.
Also, they are paying us our 1st and 2nd quarter incentives at 100%. WOW!
Finally, they informed us that any Member's who had negative balances or fees, we will not take from their stimulus deposits to pay them.
Good stuff, guys. Keep them coming. Maintaining high character, a sense of humor, and a sense of perseverance are keys to helping us defeat this beast.
One thing I have been doing is calling my aunts and uncles at night. I get to check in to see how they are doing and they get some much-needed company. I ask them to give me more details about the old days. I ask for their opinions and advice. It's all about trying to give them a sense of self-worth during a very difficult period in their lives.
Here is a pretty cool story from a NY Times article:
Quote:
At Hackensack, Dr. Planer, 58, has become known as the “superdonor.”
He and his family live in Teaneck, N.J., the hardest-hit town in the state’s hardest-hit county amid the outbreak. He, his wife and their 17-year-old son contracted the virus, and they all recovered after several days of experiencing relatively minor symptoms.
When his hospital asked for volunteers for a study of an emerging Covid-19 therapy, Dr. Planer was among the first to sign up. His blood carries an especially valuable quantity of antibodies, Dr. Michele Donato, the chief of stem cell transplantation and cellular therapy at John Theurer Cancer Center, part of Hackensack University Medical Center, said.
“My body obviously had it,” Dr. Planer said in an interview. “My body responded. My immunity worked. And I hear that I made a lot of antibodies. I was very happy to hear that — and very happy to share.”
Here is another one from the same NY Times article:
Quote:
In “This Brooklyn Landlord Just Canceled Rent for Hundreds of Tenants,” Matthew Haag writes about Mario Salerno, an owner of 18 apartment buildings, who “said he did not want renters to stress about their payment during the coronavirus pandemic":
He is likely forgoing hundreds of thousands of dollars in income by canceling April rent.
His only interest, he said, was in alleviating stress for his renters, even those who were still employed and now working from home.
“My concern is everyone’s health,” said Mr. Salerno, 59, whose rent gesture was first reported by the local news site Greenpointers.com. “I told them just to look out for your neighbor and make sure that everyone has food on their table.”
I didn't include the end of this article because it did not seem to fit, but I'll include the link if you want to check it out.
Quote:
Hunger for 'good news' grows amid coronavirus crisis
The need for 'good news' online skyrockets as a way to cope with stressful news related to coronavirus pandemic. 14 hours ago
Battered by grim headlines, horrifying statistics and deep uncertainty over the coronavirus pandemic, many people worldwide are trying to lift their spirits by seeking out positive news stories.
Sites specialising in upbeat news have seen a surge in recent weeks, and Google searches for "good news" have jumped fivefold since the start of the year. More:
The Good News Network, created in the late 1990s, has seen traffic triple in the past month with more than 10 million visitors, according to founder and editor Geri Weis-Corbley.
"People are sending us links of positive, inspiring things happening in their neighbourhoods, in their cities, in their states, so we have so much good news to pass along," said Weis-Corbley, who also observed spikes in interest after the September 11 attacks and the global financial crisis of a decade ago.
"We think that people now are experiencing a yearning for good news that will continue."
Other websites, including The Guardian, Fox News, HuffPost, MSN and Yahoo! have their own pages dedicated to uplifting stories.
A CNN newsletter titled The Good Stuff, created last year, has seen a 50-percent jump in subscriptions over the past month, a network spokesperson said.
"Our editorial team saw growing interest in the stories that made our audience smile, with fascinating discoveries, everyday heroes, inspiring movements and great things happening all over the world," the spokesperson said.
Actor John Krasinski joined the effort with his own weekly YouTube video show, Some Good News, from March 29, which mimics a traditional news broadcast, but focuses on uplifting stories.
Krasinski's videos offer a mix of tributes to pandemic "health heroes" and celebrity appearances, including from his actress wife, Emily Blunt. The show had 15 million views for its first episode. Coping with crisis
Stuart Soroka, professor at the University of Michigan's Institute for Social Research, said humans are conditioned to pay closer attention to negative news because it could require that they change their behaviour.
But in a crisis, Soroka said people also look for news which is "most outlying, at odds with our expectations", which may account for the public turning to positive stories.
Ashley Muddiman, professor at the Center for Media Engagement at the University of Kansas, said the positive news is a way of helping people cope.
"There's a good amount of research that suggests that when people are too scared, or things are too negative, that they might try to shut down instead of trying to do things or go about their life," Muddiman said.
"I do think that people want to see solutions and want to see people working towards solutions rather than bickering with each other. When news can cover that, I think that that is something to be attractive to audiences."
My cousin's wife is a nurse in a Long Island hospital. Recently, she returned home from work at her normal time and her neighbors stood close to the street in their own yards and applauded her and held up encouraging signs as she passed. They then turned to face her, while staying in their own yards and applauded her as she exited her car.
Micah 6:8; He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.
John 14:19 Jesus said: Because I live, you also will live.
I was told I'm not eligible, but that's fine. Still working, so I'm not complaining one bit. Wife is also working, but that might change today (cryptic meeting from her boss for later today... seriously, bosses need to quit doing this. Put in the meeting invite what it's about... I know your time is oh-so valuable, but a couple extra keystrokes won't kill you).
Microsoft Teams (chat, team communication, video conferencing app) released new backgrounds, which I use for work meetings. People usually get a kick out of it (I think).
There is no level of sucking we haven't seen; in fact, I'm pretty sure we hold the patents on a few levels of sucking NOBODY had seen until the past few years.
I don't pay taxes, because I am on Social Security and don't make enough to have to pay taxes.
Micah 6:8; He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.
John 14:19 Jesus said: Because I live, you also will live.
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Check out the 'Good News Show':
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