COVID-19
Here's an interesting, if somber, article about unemployment claims (per state). Sadly, the numbers are likely under represented due to problems with filing.
cramer said:
I posted about this in another thread but Dr. Birx has really become a mouthpiece for Trump. She refuses to give straight answers about testing.
I watched that and she is a verbal contortionist. No matter how Anderson Cooper framed the question she gave the most abstract answers using language that would confuse the average viewer. Anderson's puzzled expression was only slightly masked by his glasses. Sanjay Gupta tried his best to appear neutral but the cartoon cloud over his head said "What the hell is she talking about?" All over the question of testing and when and how the administration will assist the states.
I just started a new thread in the politics section:
It feels like plans for testing and re-opening are getting more political then they are science based.
The World Health Organization says that there is no evidence that someone who has the antibodies is fully protected - 1:05 on the video.
When I started reading this (long) BBC article, I began wishing that I hadn't. The ability of the virus to spread far and wide is sheer genius. One case in point, the truckers who shipped Smithfield products to various points in the nation from the South Dakota plant. They were likely not aware of their exposure and, if they were, they have to make a living.
BBC.com: Coronavirus at Smithfield Pork Plant: The Untold Story of America's Biggest Outbreak
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-52311877
Smithfield Foods Becomes the Largest Coronavirus Hotspot in the U.S.
DottyParker1 said:
When I started reading this (long) BBC article, I began wishing that I hadn't. The ability of the virus to spread far and wide is sheer genius. One case in point, the truckers who shipped Smithfield products to various points in the nation from the South Dakota plant. They were likely not aware of their exposure and, if they were, they have to make a living.
BBC.com: Coronavirus at Smithfield Pork Plant: The Untold Story of America's Biggest Outbreak
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-52311877
Smithfield Foods Becomes the Largest Coronavirus Hotspot in the U.S.
For what it’s worth, Smithfield Foods is now owned by a company in China.
vermontgolfer said:
For what it’s worth, Smithfield Foods is now owned by a company in China.
and the plot thickens...
vermontgolfer said:
For what it’s worth, Smithfield Foods is now owned by a company in China.
For those curious about Smithfield's it is covered in the book Dominion by Matthew Scully, a speechwriter for George W. Bush, and it was a rare occurrence to see this topic covered from that side of the aisle. He was called the compassionate conservative.Because of his credentials he was given tours of facilities and information that activists could not access particularly after Ag Gag laws were passed (anti-whistleblower laws protecting factory farms, slaughterhouses etc.) The laws are being challenged in a few state courts as a violation of the first amendment.
The book covers international issues involving animals and does not just focus on the meat packing industry.
For a specific undercover look at this industry read Slaughterhouse by Gail Eisnitz. It looks at the treatment of humans, mostly migrant workers, some here illegally and afraid to speak out, as well as animals. Of the very few regulations that existed, many have been lifted by the Trump administration which allows these businesses to self regulate.
For anyone interested I'll post more on the Animal Rights Animal Wrongs thread in All Politics.
A return of avian flu has been identified in a plant in South Carolina. We are told it is no risk to humans. China, Canada and Mexico have said they will not import from that plant.
From FSN Food Safety News: April 15, 2020
The USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has confirmed the presence of the H7N3 avian influenza in a commercial turkey flock in Chesterfield County, SC. APHIS said the HPAI strain appears to have mutated from a low pathogenic type found in the area recently to the more concerning highly pathogenic status.
China, Canada and Mexico responded to the finding by banning poultry slaughtered and processed in Chesterfield County and South Carolina.
....vs where my daughter lives (that's her in the picture taken by her husband in Switzerland today).
I'm somehow beginning to think that she has made wise choices in life.
steel said:
What's going on in this country...
Trump’s children with an ear infection, after four days on the antibiotics, they feel better and stop taking their medicine. Morons
uh oh
Dozens of grocery store workers have died from the coronavirus. Experts say it's time for large grocery store chains to go "dark" to the public and convert to curbside pickup and home delivery for food and other essential goods. https://t.co/xP7q1ehmta
apropos the last post - there's no way that supermarkets have the manpower to convert to pickup/delivery only. I can't even imagine the clusterflock that would turn into.
drummerboy said:
apropos the last post - there's no way that supermarkets have the manpower to convert to pickup/delivery only. I can't even imagine the clusterflock that would turn into.
All the cashiers would presumably be redeployed as shoppers. Stop and Shop has a decent infrastructure for this with the portable scanners.
But that would still be challenging. Have you ever shopped for someone else who asks for stuff you don't usually buy? I went shopping for my parents not long ago. Just finding the soups they like was maddening.
Part of the problem is that supermarkets aren't set up for efficient shopping. They're arranged to keep you in the store for a longer time so you buy more stuff.
mrincredible said:
drummerboy said:
apropos the last post - there's no way that supermarkets have the manpower to convert to pickup/delivery only. I can't even imagine the clusterflock that would turn into.
All the cashiers would presumably be redeployed as shoppers. Stop and Shop has a decent infrastructure for this with the portable scanners.
Can't happen. It takes several times longer to select, scan and cart items than it takes a cashier to simply scan them. They'd have to increase staff by several fold.
BG9 said:
Can't happen. It takes several times longer to select, scan and cart items than it takes a cashier to simply scan them. They'd have to increase staff by several fold.
You're correct. And I think costs would then rise if they ramped up staffing.
I was thinking about that when I posted. But I know once my posts get longer than a few paragraphs I might as well not write them!
The only way to scale grocery delivery for a limited time is to limit choice and pre-pack food crates by
a) balance of meat, veg, fruit, starches,
b) vegetarian...
c) various religious options
d) various medical options (gluten-free, low salt, etc)
Then take into account family size and ages.
This way the supplies can be lined up easily because instead of unlimited options there are 5-12, say, and UPS , Fed Ex , etc can drop the weekly pre-picked crates.
steel said:
What's going on in this country...
https://nypost.com/2020/04/19/healthcare-workers-face-off-protesters-in-colorado/
dave said:
The only way to scale grocery delivery for a limited time is to limit choice and pre-pack food crates by
a) balance of meat, veg, fruit, starches,
b) vegetarian...
c) various religious options
d) various medical options (gluten-free, low salt, etc)
Then take into account family size and ages.
This way the supplies can be lined up easily because instead of unlimited options there are 5-12, say, and UPS , Fed Ex , etc can drop the weekly pre-picked crates.
This will be hard to implement in the US.
mrincredible said:
You're correct. And I think costs would then rise if they ramped up staffing.
I was thinking about that when I posted. But I know once my posts get longer than a few paragraphs I might as well not write them!
Let me reassure you, I read every paragraph you post right down to the last word. Feel free to go wild!
BG9 said:
Can't happen. It takes several times longer to select, scan and cart items than it takes a cashier to simply scan them. They'd have to increase staff by several fold.
I hear there are a couple of people in the US who are looking for work.
mrincredible: "And I think costs would then rise"
On the radio here in Wisconsin, we're already getting ad spots from the grocers' association saying some prices may go up "temporarily."
"A malaria drug widely touted by President Donald Trump for treating the new coronavirus showed no benefit in a large analysis of its use in U.S. veterans hospitals. There were more deaths among those given hydroxychloroquine versus standard care, researchers reported.
The nationwide study was not a rigorous experiment. But with 368 patients, it’s the largest look so far of hydroxychloroquine with or without the antibiotic azithromycin for COVID-19, which has killed more than 171,000 people as of Tuesday.
The study was posted on an online site for researchers and has been submitted to the New England Journal of Medicine, but has not been reviewed by other scientists. Grants from the National Institutes of Health and the University of Virginia paid for the work."
https://www.cnbc.com/2020/04/21/more-deaths-no-benefit-from-malaria-drug-in-va-virus-study.html
mrincredible said:
All the cashiers would presumably be redeployed as shoppers. Stop and Shop has a decent infrastructure for this with the portable scanners.
But that would still be challenging. Have you ever shopped for someone else who asks for stuff you don't usually buy? I went shopping for my parents not long ago. Just finding the soups they like was maddening.
Part of the problem is that supermarkets aren't set up for efficient shopping. They're arranged to keep you in the store for a longer time so you buy more stuff.
This is a really good article about how the pandemic is impacting grocery stores. As you noted, they are truly designed to encourage browsing, which is the opposite of what we need right now.
mrincredible said:
All the cashiers would presumably be redeployed as shoppers. Stop and Shop has a decent infrastructure for this with the portable scanners.
But that would still be challenging. Have you ever shopped for someone else who asks for stuff you don't usually buy? I went shopping for my parents not long ago. Just finding the soups they like was maddening.
Part of the problem is that supermarkets aren't set up for efficient shopping. They're arranged to keep you in the store for a longer time so you buy more stuff.
Shopping even for your immediate family is a challenge if you are not the person who usually does the task. My husband went shopping once for us. He called me constantly and ended up spending probably three or four times longer in Shop Rite than it normally takes me to get through the store. As a result, I’m now the designated grocery shopper. At some point in the future I’d like to see a study on how tasks have been handled by gender during the pandemic.
A friend has been lucky enough to have her husband handle a lot of their shopping. Except then each trip involves multiple calls and FaceTime sessions, and still he recently purchased four small pieces of meat for a family of six for dinner. Another woman I know told me it took her awhile to realize why her husband was so bad at shopping - he doesn’t go down aisles, only does the perimeter and shops off the perimeter and end caps. (And this practice of his predates recent shopping by years.)
Sweetsnuggles said:
Shopping even for your immediate family is a challenge if you are not the person who usually does the task. My husband went shopping once for us. He called me constantly and ended up spending probably three or four times longer in Shop Rite than it normally takes me to get through the store. As a result, I’m now the designated grocery shopper. At some point in the future I’d like to see a study on how tasks have been handled by gender during the pandemic.
My wife has the more intense job so I do all of the shopping and most of the cooking. Pandemic or no pandemic.
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