This is rather enlightening and not remotely as silly as it initially appears
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OK, that video was worth watching. FIIIIIIRRRRRRRE!!!
BTW don’t know if you say this article, but your neighbours to the east appear to have a problem:
Also, this:
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You don’t say 
Their numbers aren’t absurdly high though so it’s not exactly anomalous. Double BC sure, but BC went into lockdown early and has stayed there (somewhat).
“They’re currently neck and neck with Quebec’s and remain stubbornly high”
If one is to paint Quebec and Alberta with overly broad brush, stubbornness would be a pretty good one. It was inevitable that Calgary and Edmonton should see spikes though. I don’t know why the analyst mentioned rural - that strikes me that he doesn’t quite get it.
And those Florida guys : I think I posted an article a couple weeks ago - maybe it was in Discord - about them. They were threatening a Waco if the feds tried to shut them down. They sure hit a lot of remarkably Southern notes (guns, religion, freedom, entrepreneurship, home “cooking”).
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It was the per population numbers that really had my eyebrows elevating Spock-style. Not as bad as the US comparison, but pretty bad.
These MMS shysters have been at it for years. The reason they were in Colombia in the first place is that they had blatantly violated multiple FDA orders, so they were already in Federal cross-hairs. They have boosters in Canada too, unfortunately - there have been multiple exposes on them, but the whole ‘big pharma conspiracy’ machine keeps the bleach pouring. Trace it back far enough, and it originates with the email spammer who was selling peach pits as a cancer cure back in the mid 1990s.
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The sad part about this stuff is there’s always a stupid who falls for it 
BE ALL: MY POOP CAN CURE CANCERRRR = Someone out there probably would eat it
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I want to believe this is a joke, but I think it sounds just about right for Florida.
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It’s possible. Florida in a bizarre situation, despite not doing anything to control their outbreak required travelers from certain states to self-quarantine for two weeks. No idea if there was a test exemption though, and the policy ended a few days ago I think.
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Some folks in Florida are trying. And others are just trying.
Three cheers for the judge in this case.
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Accurate title is accurate:
In case anyone was wondering, this change from sane to insane advice is at the behest of the US HHS - the same department that has proven susceptible to political interference and giving bad advice before.
Although I suppose this would decrease testing, so the numbers will go done /sarcasm
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I guess this comes as no surprise - since I know many people have changed their spending habits - but still nice to see it confirmed
https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/americans-crediting-covid-crisis-for-their-frugal-behavior-onepoll/
North Americans are pretty notorious spenders (Canadians worse than Americans by most accounts), so a little behaviour modification is welcome.
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I know this sounds good, given it’s not healthy to do things like live on credit cards, but economically this is bad news, since spending is what fuels the economy. Particularly in this day and age as Wall Street decouples. Basically if accurate (it may not be, given the focus of the article, and some of the things they listed) we could be looking at a longer recession.
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Well yes and no. It greatly depends on what and where people are now spending. That Amazon’s daily wealth has skyrocketed since CV is a very bad thing since it destroys local economies but on a per-capita basis, the strongest European nations’ citizens (DK, DE, SE, NL, FR) spend about 60% what Americans do.
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The first part is true, but that’s not an apple to apple comparison. Those aren’t the same countries, the cost of living is different, what they’re buying is different, where they buy it is different, and what the rest of the money does is different.
What do you think is being done with that money if it’s not being spent? There’s three big options I see, not a single one of which is good for the economy. Saving (probably the least bad, but not by much given what the Fed is doing anyways), investing (Wall Street, decoupling, etc - this one is why money in the hands of the rich produces so much less), or flat out not having it to spend (the worst of the lot).
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I would presume travel (and restaurants?) to be the largest expense that wouldn’t be part of those figures. What they include and exclude isn’t as explicit as it ought to be.
Regardless, local and national economies of the northern European countries are robust and have been so for decades. So they’re not blowing money on jet skis and hot tubs, local retailers do fine apparently.
Interestingly household debt of these same countries (and Canada and USA) varies wildly. This is perhaps just as relevant. Denmark is double that of Germany while US is halfway between.
Semantics though. My point remains the same : North Americans waste money on useless consumer goods when they could be spending it on better quality food (fresh, local), travel, concerts, retirement, etc.
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Yup… I don’t understand this kind of spending. My one co worker is a horrible example of starving himself while he spends his money on useless junk.
In some ways I think its to do with flaunting “status” like how MONSTER screen TV’s have become a symbol of status. Rolled my eyes at one of my brothers friends making fun of the fact that I have a tiny TV like you see in detention centers. It’s like, seriously, its a fricken TV, it fricken TV’s WHY DO I NEED A MONSTER TV TO WATCH FRICKEN TV
taaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaablefliiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiippppppp
Eating healthy is were most of my not-rent/bills money goes, and I don’t mind at all. I shop at a few markets and little grocery stores around town.
Been on an anti-monopoly thing too. Example: No Amazon unless its something I cant get nearby, eg VIBES ear plugs.
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Why wouldn’t those be part of those figures? I do think you’re mistaking what I meant though, that money could’ve gone into a business that fundamentally operated differently (it almost certainly did in fact), and saving would also even more likely be different given different banking laws and such. Actually jet skis and hot tubs wouldn’t really bug me economically, someone still has to make those.
Anyways, the things you advocate spending on are good, but that presumes the money is being spent. Which is where the problem lies.
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For the time being one hopes.
Many lessons are being learned this year and while the cynic would assume they’ll be unlearned in short order, the optimist hopes there will be some long term improvements in human behaviour.
Wastefulness is one of those. We can have strong local economies by buying locally produced superior quality food and goods, minimizing waste (packaging, fuel), and keeping money in the local economy (and not China & Amazon).
It’s a nice idea. Hopelessly romantic though since Amazon and its ilk are the new consumer addiction and that’s not likely to change post-CV. The only thing you can be happy about with that is the international money that Amazon is bringing to the States, despite Bezos accumulating most of it.
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BENEDICT: (Off camera)
Yeah, we need to discuss this whole “face mask” thing.
Benedict enters. His beak has completely torn through yet another mask. There is a long pause.
MELLKA:
We could try a muzzle.
Benedict glares at Mellka.
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I suppose it’s ironic for me to post this directly after my post in Happy.
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I’d probably fall over from the weight of contradictions in that case, what with all the political material I read.
Yes though, it’s an absurd idea. Sweden continues to have a worse per capita death rate despite their advantages. Which is extraordinary.
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