Novel Coronavirus COVID-19 (nCoV-2019)

[SunriseChampion]

Without sending me a link, can someone tell me what the 5G covid conspiracy is about?

Oh yeah.

So, people think that 5G is causing Covid-19.


That's just the basic conspiracy. It gets worse.

 

[Admiral Beez]

As I look at the temporary clearing of global pollution I come to think that so much of the economic activity we undertake is both needless and essential. So much consumerism, usually debt fuelled to fill our closets with clothes and shoes, our homes and pockets with electronics, our driveways with bank-owned cars, and our stomachs filled at restaurants. I consider myself a bit of an outlier in that I buy clothes and footwear to last years, and rely on older electronics, since it still works, and I don’t eat out much, preferring to cook at home. My car is 21 years old, my motorcycle 38 years old, and both still ticking. So, the Covid19 shutdown hasn’t been much of a lifestyle change for me, other than being home from the office. Both my wife’s and employers are deemed essential, so we’re all still employed.

But I think what would happen if the world ran like I did, with a permanent Covid slowdown of consumerism. The clothing factories in Bangladesh, the electronics factories in China, the global car factories, the restaurants in Canada, etc, etc... all these people depend on everyone consuming, even if it destroys them through debt, environmental damage, hoarding, etc. Of course my employer, essential or not needs consumers to have income themselves to buy our products. So, while this Covid19 economic and environmental pause is in ways a nice break, we will need a different way for humanity to sustain itself if we ever want to permanently keep the best parts of this global shutdown.

 

[Towered]

As I look at the temporary clearing of global pollution I come to think that so much of the economic activity we undertake is both needless and essential. So much consumerism, usually debt fuelled to fill our closets with clothes and shoes, our homes and pockets with electronics, our driveways with bank-owned cars, and our stomachs filled at restaurants. I consider myself a bit of an outlier in that I buy clothes and footwear to last years, and rely on older electronics, since it still works, and I don’t eat out much, preferring to cook at home. My car is 21 years old and still ticking. So, the Covid19 shutdown hasn’t been much of a lifestyle change for me, other than being home from the office. Both my wife’s and employers are deemed essential, so we’re all still employed.

But I think what would happen if the world ran like I did, with a permanent Covid slowdown of consumerism. The clothing factories in Bangladesh, the electronics factories in China, the global car factories, the restaurants in Canada, etc, etc... all these people depend on everyone consuming, even if it destroys them through debt, environmental damage, hoarding, etc. Of course my employer, essential or not needs consumers to have income themselves to buy our products. So, while this Covid19 economic and environmental pause is in ways a nice break, we will need a different way for humanity to sustain itself if we ever want to permanently keep the best parts of this global shutdown.

It certainly does bring to the fore the question: how sustainable, if even necessary, is our sacred economic model that is based on endless, exponential growth? It makes me sick that we're pressured constantly by society to acquire more "stuff" just for what - for people to have jobs? It's a meaningless existence that feeds on itself like a succubus. Perhaps we're well overdue for a re-evaluation of our priorities.

 

[Northern Light]

It certainly does bring to the fore the question: how sustainable, if even necessary, is our sacred economic model that is based on endless, exponential growth? It makes me sick that we're pressured constantly by society to acquire more "stuff" just for what - for people to have jobs? It's a meaningless existence that feeds on itself like a succubus. Perhaps we're well overdue for a re-evaluation of our priorities.

Eternal 'growth' as measured solely by the production of more 'stuff' is certainly not sustainable.

But perhaps more important in the near term is that its typically a terrible marker for prosperity.

At the very least, as opposed to measuring 'nominal' GDP, we need to look at Real GDP per capita.

To make the distinction clear.

If GDP grows by 2% But inflation is 2%; then in Real terms, GDP is flat.

Real GDP removes inflation.

The second part is equally important, per capita.

If Canada grows it population by 1%, and grows Real GDP by 1%, we all have the exact same amount today (per capita) as we did yesterday.

The proverbial pie is bigger, but there are more people eating it, so the size of the slice to each person has not changed.

***

Once we get to Real GDP per Capita we still need to look at why growth occurred to whom the dividend of that growth was paid.

Examples of problem growth:

Widening a highway through a forested area reads as 'growth'. Yet, we spent money to add pollution and destroy nature.

A natural disaster typically creates economic growth in the cleanup/rebuild. So to grow GDP, build as much as possible in floodplains and earthquake prone areas. (or maybe not)

Wasting food counts as growth, in that more food was made that consumed; the fact that a large portion of it was landfilled again does not show up as a minus against GDP.

****

On dividend........if as is currently the case, Jeff Bezos gets 10's of Billions in extra worth, that does absolutely nothing for the rest of us; nor even for him in a tangible way (everyday life).

By contrast, if growth benefit those in the bottom quintile of income (lowest 20% of wage earners), there is a very clear benefit to those people who absolutely need that money for every day necessities; there is also
a spin off benefit to the rest of us, as those folks now require less social service investment; and they also spend that money in the economy creating jobs and paying taxes on it.

If we can come up with a single stat that shows Real GDP per capita, adjusted for growth quality, and distribution/dividend quality we'll have a much better economic metric.

 

[W. K. Lis]

Couldn't resist when I seen this...

From link.

If you don't get the inside joke, do a search on "red shirts" or click on this link.

 

[SunriseChampion]

Word up, guys.

When accomplishment started to be measured by acquisitions the world became a shittier place for the human soul.

People are indentured labourers, working for the bank, and we call it success.

The pinnacle of accomplishment is going into debt for 25 years to own a house one can barely afford.

People look at you funny if your mobile phone is older than 3 years as if it's important to even have one, never mind a new one.

People shopping for rubbish at Dollarama and we think how clever they are for saving money.

It's all just a little bit mixed up.

I've noticed in my industry that everything has slowed down a bit. Everyone is a lot more patient. No one seems to be in a rush anymore. I hope this lasts. Being in a perpetual state of anxiety and stress is not healthy.

Plague's been great for that.

I also hope people value each other more after this. I already told one of my friends that now if she even so much as glances at her phone when we're out for dinner, I'm leaving......hopefully without having paid.

 

[W. K. Lis]

When the Canada Border Services Agency makes up their own rules in conflict with the rules made in Ottawa, and don't tell the public about it.

Canadians with foreign national spouses face obstacles at border

From link.

When Canada closed its border mid-March due to the pandemic, John Alan Aucoin and other Canadians were unequivocally assured their spouses from abroad would be allowed into the country despite the travel bans.

Little did they know it would come with a catch. Canada Border Services Agency actually had its own rules when applying the government order.

Aucoin didn’t expect his American wife, Adrienne Berg Yorinks, to have trouble coming home to Cape Breton. The couple’s only concern returning from Florida was being able to drive through Maine and New York with those states in lockdown.

But like many foreigner nationals married to Canadians but yet to become permanent residents, Yorinks was refused entry at the border. The couple have been separated for weeks now, one in Florida, the other in Nova Scotia, not knowing when the border will reopen.

“Adrienne was not on a shopping trip. It was not an optional travel. She’s travelling to our primary home with me, a Canadian,” said Aucoin, who met his now wife in 2014. They wed in 2018.

“The fact is Canadian families are being separated notwithstanding of our prime minister’s assertions.”

On March 16, when Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced the border would be closed to non-Canadians, he made exceptions for immediate family members of Canadian citizens and permanent residents. The travel ban, as stated in the government’s orders, was to curtail the spread of COVID-19.

However, since April, a growing number of foreign spouses and children of Canadians have been refused admission into Canada because their travels are deemed “non-essential and optional” by Canadian border agents at airports and land border crossings, said lawyers.

“The Order-in-Council is very clear that immediate family members of a Canadian citizen or permanent resident are exempted from the travel restrictions,” said Barbara Jo Caruso, a former chair of the Canadian Bar Association’s immigration division.

“It appeared the border was open for a period of time, and then they started tightening it in early April. And now nobody gets in except if (the travel) is of essential nature.”

On Good Friday, after being on the road for hours driving back from Juno Beach, Fla., Aucoin, a retired lawyer, and Yorinks, an artist and author, arrived at the border crossing between Calais, Maine and Saint Stephen, N.B. at 5:30 a.m. A border agent refused to let Yorinks in because her travel was deemed non-essential.

When the couple returned to the United States border entry, American officials refused to let Aucoin in because Washington’s COVID-19 travel ban doesn’t have provisions to exempt foreign spouses accompanying Americans.

“It’s been a roller-coaster for us, and we have tried to keep our spirits up,” said Aucoin, who had consulted a lawyer, obtained a notarized statement from the Justice of Peace who married them in Cape Breton and drafted a quarantine plan upon arrival. Yorinks ended up having to drive home to their winter home in Florida by herself.

Immigration lawyer Rafeena Rashid, who used to represent the federal Justice Department and now has her own practice, said her clients — a British and Canadian couple — boarded a government repatriation flight to Toronto Pearson airport April 13 after Global Affairs Canada cleared them.

However, the border agency seized the British husband’s passport and sent him back to the U.K. the next day. The couple are still separated.

“It is very clear that one thing is said to the public while something else is done behind the scenes by CBSA,” said Rashid. “CBSA absolutely has no oversight. Zero. Who’s CBSA to come up with its own criteria that’s not based on the law?”

In response to the Star’s inquiry, the border agency referred to a provision in the government’s COVID travel orders that says: A foreign national, including a Canadian’s immediate family member, is banned from entry if they seek to enter for an optional or discretionary purpose, such as tourism, recreation or entertainment.

However, an internal instruction for front-line border agents obtained by the Star revealed that Canada Border Services Agency actually has set criteria beyond that.

The guidelines include, among other criteria, a ban against a “foreign national coming to Canada to temporarily reside with spouse or immediate family during the pandemic.”

The immigration department last week also posted on its website examples of what are deemed discretionary: visit family on vacation; spend time at a secondary residence; attend a funeral; and birth of a grandchild.

What is not discretionary, it says, is for people to spend the pandemic period with their Canadian family member to ensure each other’s health, safety and well-being. “It would be beneficial to all parties, as the reunification of family members is a key point of the Order in Council,” it notes. “This allows for families to be together during this difficult time.”

Lawyers said the border agency’s own rules go against the spirit of the government order.

“There’s a consistent reference to essential travels, and they don’t see keeping a family together in crisis as essential,” said lawyer Erin Simpson, who has filed a court challenge against a border agency decision to deny one of her client’s entry to Canada.

Nadia Drost of Toronto said her Italian journalist husband, Bruno Federico, was denied entry at Pearson airport on April 22 and sent back to New York City, where he had travelled for an assignment for a documentary about COVID-19. The two had already booked an Airbnb for his 14-day quarantine.

“It’s wrong that border officers are following secret guidelines that are different from what the public is privy to,” said the 42-year-old Toronto woman, also a journalist. “We need oversight of CBSA in the way they interpret the government order. They’ve got to square up.”

 

[Admiral Beez]

When the Canada Border Services Agency makes up their own rules in conflict with the rules made in Ottawa, and don't tell the public about it.

More likely the CBSA guys didn't know the rules. I did this job at Pearson in the early 1990s before I went to the private sector. The front line and even back office guys don't get half the info they need.

 

[W. K. Lis]

More likely the CBSA guys didn't know the rules. I did this job at Pearson in the early 1990s before I went to the private sector. The front line and even back office guys don't get half the info they need.

Likely, they were told the "headlines" and didn't read the full instructions with all the "if's", "and's", and "but's".

 

[AlbertC]

Coronavirus: What global travel may look like ahead of a vaccine

3 May 2020

Sun loungers separated by plexiglass. Blood tests and sanitiser spray-downs before flights. These might sound extreme, but they are real measures some in the travel industry are looking at to keep holidaymakers feeling safe and comfortable in a post-lockdown world.

Coronavirus: What global travel may look like ahead of a vaccine

As countries ease their coronavirus restrictions, what can would-be travellers expect to experience?

www.bbc.com

 

[Richard White]

Coronavirus: What global travel may look like ahead of a vaccine

3 May 2020

Sun loungers separated by plexiglass. Blood tests and sanitiser spray-downs before flights. These might sound extreme, but they are real measures some in the travel industry are looking at to keep holidaymakers feeling safe and comfortable in a post-lockdown world.

Coronavirus: What global travel may look like ahead of a vaccine

As countries ease their coronavirus restrictions, what can would-be travellers expect to experience?

www.bbc.com

To avoid too many problems I can see them allowing dual citizens to travel provided they undergo screening at the airport to ensure they are not contagious.

People need to travel for work, people have lives in two different countries.. you cannot restrict air travel forever. Yes leisure travel may be restricted but people like myself who are citizens of 3 countries should be allowed to travel provided they are not contagious.

 

[SunriseChampion]

Coronavirus: What global travel may look like ahead of a vaccine

3 May 2020

Sun loungers separated by plexiglass. Blood tests and sanitiser spray-downs before flights. These might sound extreme, but they are real measures some in the travel industry are looking at to keep holidaymakers feeling safe and comfortable in a post-lockdown world.

Coronavirus: What global travel may look like ahead of a vaccine

As countries ease their coronavirus restrictions, what can would-be travellers expect to experience?

www.bbc.com

Sounds ridiculous. All the more reason to not travel anywhere but around Canada.

I guess I'm not going to see my family in EU for a while.

 

[AlbertC]

To avoid too many problems I can see them allowing dual citizens to travel provided they undergo screening at the airport to ensure they are not contagious.

People need to travel for work, people have lives in two different countries.. you cannot restrict air travel forever. Yes leisure travel may be restricted but people like myself who are citizens of 3 countries should be allowed to travel provided they are not contagious.

Business related travel is still required in certain scenarios, but I'd expect the frequency of it to be less in the upcoming 1-2 years. Many meetings can take place virtually on videoconferencing, which will also allow companies to save on budget especially during economic downturn. Large conventions and conferences also won't be happening too much due to social distancing requirements. Gotta factor in the time for a proven vaccine to be developed, and then the transition period afterwards to have everyone receive it.

The article mentions that some countries in Europe are aligning for priority of tourism, allowing for citizens from countries that are in good pandemic control standing to travel to visit them ahead of others from not so controlled places.

 

[Northern Light]

Shop @ Longos?

You need to be wearing a mask, starting tomorrow (Monday, May 4th)

CityNews

www.680news.com

 

[AlbertC]

Sounds ridiculous. All the more reason to not travel anywhere but around Canada.

I guess I'm not going to see my family in EU for a while.

I reckon international travel to be fairly unpleasant for a year or two. As much as I miss travelling the world, it just doesn't seem worth it for the foreseeable time period. Even with lock down measures eased, countries in Europe and Asia will continue to practice social distancing protocol along with wearing masks for a while. It's tough to enjoy a vacation with that tension.

It's quite unfortunate for countries like Iceland that depend so much on tourism. I was lucky enough to cross it off my bucket list back in 2018.

Speaking of Canadian travel, the Maritimes are great fun. I've always wanted to do a road trip to see all of Newfoundland.