Coronavirus

[PrivatePilot]

Is it because of the cough or the company is temporarily scaling back substantially (or completely)?

Cough cleared up almost completely out of the blue inside a few days. I'm actually left wondering now if I *did* actually have Covid (the cough and lung symptoms I had fit the bill) and was one of the mostly asymptomatic / very moderate symptom carriers, but until we get easy to access antibody tests I'll never know.

It sure would be nice to be able to live life with (mostly) reckless abandon again however if that proved to be true.

Current situation for the layoff thing is basically lack of work. When I went back to work on Monday it was almost "business as usual". Between Wednesday and today freight dropped almost 90% as the cascade effect of closures and simple lack of necessity finally hit. I may actually be taking a voluntary layoff to let some of the junior guys who can't absorb the financial loss without any worry (as I'm lucky enough to be able to do) to keep working instead. I know there's several guys junior to me who are ******** bricks right now as one got laid off today, and several more are staring down the barrel of the rifle Monday. If they can keep working because they NEED their regular paycheques (and benefits) at the expense of guys like me who can afford to do without, hey, I'll do it. 20 years ago when I started there I was one of those guys - struggling to pay the bills, balance the mortgage payment, 2 small kids, etc etc. That's not my reality anymore.

And further reality is, my wife is still working from home and making twice what I make every day anyways, so yeah, there's that as well. She's already looking forward to having a "house husband" she says....although there's a disturbingly long "honey do" list already being generated.

 

[J_F]

it'll be interesting down the road when Amazon sells test kits
wonder how many people will feel fine and test positive?

this will pass, we'll have a vaccine
until then...let's all buckle up and behave

 

[PrivatePilot]

Read a story this week about a company in CA selling inexpensive self test kits now for antibodies, but it seems like they're not easy to come by yet at the consumer level.

From what I'm hearing this is the focus of the next big wave of testing so they can identify people who can safely return to high risk environments without fear of catching, or spreading......think nursing home staff, for example. And families with people IN nursing homes - positive antibodies = you can come see your family member again.

 

[sburns]

The sad reality is what's going to happen to them once things bounce back. I'm sure it feels good to 'stick it to the man' and smoke your rent under cover of the pandemic. How's the man gonna react once the curtain lifts on the eviction moratorium?

There are no evictions orders being issued or executed today -- doesn't mean landlords can't still pursue evictions for unpaid rents the moment the moratorium is lifted.

And I am sure it can work the other way as well, with tenants banking/blowing the money for rent, then when the dust settles give notice they are moving out.

I can't see the tenancy act helping out in this situation as it is so bare bones and no teeth.

I think they gov should have sitpulated if you are getting emergeny money and pay rent part of it should go to the landlords automatically.

 

[nobbie48]

The government's role shouldn't be to control every movement of our lives. Provide accurate, unbiased information and let us use it. The country most affected by covid on a percentage basis is San Marino. A whopping 0.7% of the population has been infected. Shutting down entire countries because of a disease that almost exclusively affects a small range of population is ludicrous. If you're 65+ or have some preexisting lung condition or are immunocompromised, then you should choose to stay at home of your own volition. If you don't, well, that's Darwinism. But shutting down parks where kids play that are virtually unaffected by it makes no sense.

If everyone was intelligent and law abiding we wouldn't need police or governments. If only we lived in Shangra-La

 

[nobbie48]

With the price of houses in the city, a lot of seniors live with their kids and grandkids.

I would have guessed kids living with their parents or grandparents

“let them die” until it’s their mum and dad.......I don’t like where we are as a species when people talk like this. As I’ve gotten older, people have become more selfish it seems.

I wouldn't be surprised if some of the little psychopaths wanted their parents dead so they could inherit the farm.

I also wonder about the double edged sword of the televangelists who support Trump and push the death aspect of "They're going to a better place". A lot of the church income is from seniors.

 

[klr_guy]

No way I would ever buy weed online. Probably never get into the US again.

Who'd want to visit that ******** country at this time? Not me.

 

[nobbie48]

You probably can't outright disobey, but you sure as hell can wiggle. You don't ship masks you ship parts. You ship equipment to another country that can make masks. 3M isn't allowed to ship masks so they subcontract with TIAD and TIAD produces and ships masks to another country etc.

I never read the book but "Trading with the enemy" outlined how American companies manipulated the system. It depends on what senators own what companies.

 

[J_F]

Who'd want to visit that shythole country at this time? Not me.

 

[klr_guy]

Sweet edit bro.

 

[nobbie48]

Boooo Dougie. Still lip service. Basically keeps pulling from pulling residential permits but allows existing work to continue. Does he not understand what essential means? He used the example of a house that should be completed in two weeks should be finished so the family can move in. So if that is the scenario, set a hard stop on residential construction in 15 days. A bleeping 50 storey highrise is built on one permit once out of the ground so work will never need to stop.

Some positives though. It looks like hardware stores are curb-side or delivery only, no more wandering around.

Drycleaners are still essential.

Continued building is a no no. Some trades could continue to make the job site safe and properly mothballed

 

[Mad Mike]

And I am sure it can work the other way as well, with tenants banking/blowing the money for rent, then when the dust settles give notice they are moving out.

I can't see the tenancy act helping out in this situation as it is so bare bones and no teeth.

I think they gov should have sitpulated if you are getting emergeny money and pay rent part of it should go to the landlords automatically.

I like the direct to landlords payment, I believe that's how BC is doling out relief - first $500 to the landlord, balance to the renter. I think that's fair to all.

Another option would be to provide a rental loan to the renter, cover up to $1000 and have a low or zero interest gov't loan that can be paid back over 5 years.

 

[mimico_polak]

Almost didn’t get on the plane. They heard my cough and when they heard I had pneumonia I was automatically told I can’t fly.

a few quick calls to the doctor and he issued an email to the staff (they wanted fax originally) that it’s pneumonia and I’m clear of COVID.

YVR is a ghost town. I can’t believe I’m trying to hold my cough in so I don’t go through that again. But AC staff printed the email so I can show it during boarding.

 

[nobbie48]

Wow. Put the MAGA hat away my friend. First off it's not an old boy disease - sure they suffer more but there are plenty your age that are dying too.

Now think of this... maybe the old boys conspiring. What if they think there's too many of yous guys living low, draining the public purse while you kick back eating PB&J while waiting for your next handout? What if their plan is to get you all depressed and suicidal?

A lot of small companies are owned by old guys. They croak and the companies are bought up and gutted or shipped to the USA. The young guys are out of jobs.

 

[shanekingsley]

It's hard being a little guy. If a person owned a number of condos the total income could cover one deadbeat. If they only have one unit they are paying for it and where they live. Not so good.

This is us. Offered to waive this months rent to our good tenant, but can't afford that for too long.

 

[Mad Mike]

A lot of small companies are owned by old guys. They croak and the companies are bought up and gutted or shipped to the USA. The young guys are out of jobs.

That's got nothing to do with old guys -- that's a hangover from the Ontario Liberals -- Wynne and McGinty.

I lived this first hand. My small business had 16 on the payroll and there were at least the same number of people in other local business that were employed solely because of goods and services I sourced locally. When I sold it in 2013, the new owners hastily packed the warehouse and production line into trailers and shipped the whole operation to NJ. Why? They saved $40K/year on property taxes and $260k/year on payroll expenses.

Perhaps some of that was my fault -- I paid my staff about 50% more than the prevailing wage for the class of work they performed -- but I did that because it kept my turnover at ZERO and when a position was available I could pick the best of the best - win for them, win for me. But I'm also going to blame the heavy tax burden as it made up about 1/3rd of my labour and space costs.

Sad thing is about 30 people lost their jobs because the competitive advantage in NJ was just too large to overlook for the new owners.

 

[Mad Mike]

This is us. Offered to waive this months rent to our good tenant, but can't afford that for too long.

I did the same. I said pay what you can and we'll talk again in May. I got a cheque for 80% of the rent and an offer to work the rest off doing odd jobs from the 2 young guys. I bought them a few gallons of paint and asked them to cheer their place up. Its all good for now.

I expected less - stand up kids are out there.

 

[FullMotoJacket]

So, with all the new commercials on TV this week, which fast food company do you think offers the best low risk/minimal contact food delivery?

 

[Baggsy]

So, with all the new commercials on TV this week, which fast food company do you think offers the best low risk/minimal contact food delivery?

The one with the fewest infected employees.
Part of the problem is that you don't have a view into the kitchen as they're preparing it.

We've been getting food from the local places that we'd like to stay in business and picking it up ourselves.

Mandarin had a novel approach, going from a buffet style to one where you pay online,
and then pick up your order from a table that's blocking entrance through the door.
(You don't even see the person bring the food to the door, unless you're early.)

 

[FullMotoJacket]

The one with the fewest infected employees.
Part of the problem is that you don't have a view into the kitchen as they're preparing it.

We've been getting food from the local places that we'd like to stay in business and picking it up ourselves.

Mandarin had a novel approach, going from a buffet style to one where you pay online,
and then pick up your order from a table that's blocking entrance through the door.
(You don't even see the person bring the food to the door, unless you're early.)

I can't remember the last time I had fast food. I really don't care which one is the lowest risk. I just find it off putting that only days into a pandemic lock-down I'm watching a we have less cooties! battle for market share retention in the fast food industry play out on my TV.