Covid-19 - The silver lining (Positives!)

[EddieB]

7 minutes ago, Joseph_Pestell said:

 

Not that sure why we should want a reduction in prostitution. But certainly difficult to do at 2m distance.

Because there are local streets given over to pimps, trafficked women and kerb crawlers - normal citizens (the people that pay their Council Tax) and children are forced to avoid them.

[Joseph_Pestell]

Just now, EddieB said:

Because there are local streets given over to pimps, trafficked women and kerb crawlers - normal citizens (the people that pay their Council Tax) and children are forced to avoid them.

 

That is because we criminalise prostitution. In countries where prostitution is more accepted (e.g. Germany), it causes far fewer problems.

 

Same, of course, has been demonstrated with drug dealing.

[Legend]

The guy from G Tech that's designed a ventilator in short order is surely a good news story , as is the possibility of a home testing kit . Both available in days as opposed to months .  Human ingenuity at its best

[Jeff Smith]

Although I have lived in the US for over 30 yrs and have citizenship (thank goodness otherwise I would not have been able to return from the UK last week) I am still learning new things about politics and government here.  For example the incompetence and confusion coming out of the White House lately is luckily being checked by State Governors who have authority within their states independent of the federal government.  For example, only the state governor can call in the national guard for his or her state.....and many other authorities.  Town mayors similarly have certain authorities such as ordering curfews etc.

 

A comment about working from home, I basically did this for the last 20 years prior to retirement a couple of years ago.  I did travel a bit as well but was not involved in any daily workplace community and that I found relaxing without any office politics and timewasting.  Working from home requires some adjustment but it does depend somewhat on your job and whether you can down tools at the end of the working day or whether you are basically on call most of the time!  If the latter it is easy to justify doing a few personal jobs during the day!

[APOLLO]

Been in the garden all day painting etc. Lovely sunny day with hardly a cloud in the sky, very few airplanes also . Where I live (Wigan) Flight Radar 24 usually shows many UK & European transatlantic flights overhead or nearby, together with many lesser flights, today hardly any, just seen two BA flights London to San Francisco & London - Los Angeles

 

https://www.flightradar24.com/53.54,-2.85/9

 

I don't think it will be the end of aviation - especially long distance - like it or lump it we live in an international world, Students , business etc. However I rather do see the end / drastic downsizing of airlines like Ryan Air / Easy Jet etc - no more cheap booze flights to Prague (lovely city) , cheap hols to Spain etc etc. Aviation will see drastic changes and it just will not be back to normal for them - every airline will be affected. Long haul for such as us visiting family over in Thailand will become rare and special event - and probably very expensive also.

 

Work from home will increase, cutting down on commuting etc. Good.

 

London needs sorting out - decentralisation is the answer. The place (even without Corona virus) is becoming a hell hole.

 

HS2 probably won't be required, or downsized / downspeeded - build the London Birmingham bit and run Pendolinos on it. 140mph is quite fast enough.

 

The NHS & it's wonderful staff are showing how really needed they are. Radical overhaul needed. More doctors nurses beds equipment & hospitals etc are required. Anyone who even suggests privatisation needs **********.

 

Immediate government clampdown, action and name and shame the top dogs taking the pi** - you know the sports & spoons guys  - there are others. 

 

Banking - well - what can I say. THEY will make sure they make every penny they can out of this crisis. I have read NOT ONE WORD of them suffering - yes they make money available - but they want it back with interest and more.

 

Silver linings ? - not many - The environment will probably gain most - and that is good.

 

Brit15

 

 

 

 

[57xx]

14 hours ago, Ozexpatriate said:

I appreciate that it is meant humourously but I genuinely don't get the joke.

 

Certainly no one is talking about climate change right now, but once this pandemic burns out, we will have to confront it again.

 

You aren't really supposed to get it. That is Steven Crowder, an American  "comedian" who creates deliberately antagonistic debates to push his Alt Right agenda on Youtube. I'm surprised he even left himself open to admitting there is an environmental problem unless it is a photoshop pic.

[sjp23480]

With 400,000 people signing up (to date) to help the NHS, restores some of my faith in humanity

[Jub45565]

The working from home lark is an interesting one.  For some people it is really beneficial, others less so - however at the moment it isn't exactly a fair test.  Everyone at home at the same time (both in terms of the business, and the household) will be less effective in most instances than a mixture.  People also have other things to worry about.  However anyone with a job should be doing what they can to do it and make things work for their business, with all the uncertainty. On the flip side it has shown the environmental benefits already, it will be showing people how much of their time they spend commuting, and it has made businesses create the infrastructure to home work.

 

I'm well aware there are quite a few industries and roles in which home working is not possible - but if this takes 5% off the rush hour afterwards it would be good. (5% from home working, not from the potential lack of employment obviously).

 

It will also make us look at the likes of highstreets differently - clothes shopping etc has been struggling against online options anyway, will this kick start people going - or be the final nail in the coffin?

 

I agree re the comments on general pollution though - all measures taken have been done so to balance the health risks against still making money.  Once the pandemic is deemed to be over, I fully expect the financial aid supplied by the government will have very little thought to its environmental implications.

[Dava]

We live under the East Midlands Airport eastern approach which previously had planes on a 2 minute headway. Even though its usually one of the busiest airfreight terminals in the UK, volumes are massively reduced, one has just flown over but a much rarer occurence. 

 

It looks like East Midlands Railways will lose the EMR HSTs more quickly with the reduced timetable, but that an ex-LNER set will be rebranded in EMR purple & white livery - see @mattymidland on Twitter!

 

Dava

[LBRJ]

I have the slightest feeling that now we are slightly more settled down to how life is at the moment, and could be for some time; people are starting to see that there are upsides.

 

The local shops are doing a brisk trade, the not so local Tesco is slightly failing comparatively.

 

After the financial issues we all suffered in 2008 it altered people shopping habits for ever, lets hope this crisis does lead to more locality centred trade.

[locomad2]

Did the garden all day, caught the sun a bit still all that vitamin D might help, feel healthy than ever, quiet, peaceful dispite been in a town, hardy any traffic, and NO cold callers for a week 

[dogbox321]

Think the word positives, and the frivolous things that are being used to define them,  whilst people are dying and suffering is pretty disgusting and hugely disrespectful and shows the materialistic and selfishness nature of a good many people!

 

In the UK today, 47 families today lost a loved one (of which 46 had underlying health conditions), upto 1,400,000 vulnerable people with underlying health conditions in the UK are now expected to spend at least 12 weeks in self isolation without any face to face contact in order to try to save themselves, from the same fate, and more importantly save the NHS from collapsing from the pressure if they get ill.  So in the morning when the kids and Mrs annoy you, take comfort in the fact that at least you can be with them.  Likewise many decent families will be short on money and worrying about buying food for their kids.

 

Did anyone volunteer to help the NHS today, or help a neighbour whom was struggling through this crisis?  Or was laying a yard of track, building a kit and getting home 10 mins earlier more important?  What was the true cost of others suffering, in relation to your gain?

 

I don't deny that model railways, and anything you enjoy you should do, as it can be a release, a most welcome get away from the worlds troubles especially at this time, and possibly help your physical and mental health, and as they say a layout is never done!  But a positive in the context of current events?

 

In answer to your question then "No", there can be no positives, with a continuously evolving crisis such as this, and especially whilst fellow human beings are suffering and loosing their lives.  There is only the hope, that people will work out what is truly important, and that the selfless acts of others (such as our NHS staff, carers in nursing homes etc., who are putting themselves at risk) will provide the inspiration, determination and courage to ensure we all play our part in stopping this menace, and maybe in a few years , perhaps some good may have occurred (when looking back in hindsight), but there can be no positives to an incident of this magnitude,  whether directly or indirectly, we all loose.  

 

Stay safe everyone!

 

Best wishes,

 

C.

[LBRJ]

Sorry to spoil the doom in the above,  but there can be, and are, positives out of almost anything no matter how bad.

 

• The "Norman Conquest" ended slavery.
• The Black Death freed people to be able to move about freely, and start to create the modern world.
• The English Civil War / War of the 3 Kingdoms laid the foundations of modern democracy.
• The Great Plague and The Fire of London destroyed what was basically a medieval cess pit and laid the foundation for the building of the modern city.
• Diverse Cholera and Typhoid outbreaks in the early C19th created modern public health standards, so we dont all die on drinking a glass of water.
• The Great War emancipated the working man and woman, somewhat.
• The Hitler War cemented a system of nationalised health and social care in place.

 

 

[jcm@gwr]

10 minutes ago, dogbox321 said:

Think the word positives, and the frivolous things that are being used to define them,  whilst people are dying and suffering is pretty disgusting and hugely disrespectful and shows the materialistic and selfishness nature of a good many people!

 

In the UK today, 47 families today lost a loved one (of which 46 had underlying health conditions), upto 1,400,000 vulnerable people with underlying health conditions in the UK are now expected to spend at least 12 weeks in self isolation without any face to face contact in order to try to save themselves, from the same fate, and more importantly save the NHS from collapsing from the pressure if they get ill.  So in the morning when the kids and Mrs annoy you, take comfort in the fact that at least you can be with them.  Likewise many decent families will be short on money and worrying about buying food for their kids.

 

Did anyone volunteer to help the NHS today, or help a neighbour whom was struggling through this crisis?  Or was laying a yard of track, building a kit and getting home 10 mins earlier more important?  What was the true cost of others suffering, in relation to your gain?

 

I don't deny that model railways, and anything you enjoy you should do, as it can be a release, a most welcome get away from the worlds troubles especially at this time, and possibly help your physical and mental health, and as they say a layout is never done!  But a positive in the context of current events?

 

In answer to your question then "No", there can be no positives, with a continuously evolving crisis such as this, and especially whilst fellow human beings are suffering and loosing their lives.  There is only the hope, that people will work out what is truly important, and that the selfless acts of others (such as our NHS staff, carers in nursing homes etc., who are putting themselves at risk) will provide the inspiration, determination and courage to ensure we all play our part in stopping this menace, and maybe in a few years , perhaps some good may have occurred (when looking back in hindsight), but there can be no positives to an incident of this magnitude,  whether directly or indirectly, we all loose.  

 

Stay safe everyone!

 

Best wishes,

 

C.

 

I'll give you an 'interesting' positive!

On Radio 4 last week, it was pointed out, that although Covid-19 had definitely

taken over 3,000 lives in China, because it had also caused them to shut down

almost all the factories in that State, they calculated that approximately 5,000

people didn't die from air pollution normally created by those factories!

 

So, would you like to re-think your arrogant, holier-than-thou comments?

 

This thread is a great way to stem the feelings of helplessness, it can raise the

spirits, and is as important as doing a bit of modelling for the mental health of

many forum members. It is also not disrespectful to anyone, there are always

positives and we should always look for them in any bad situation or crisis.

[big jim]

I think We as a group are just trying to lighten the mood a bit, I don’t think it’s like anyone has forgotten why we are in the mess we’re in, yes we’re all worried (I hope), I’m lucky, I’m in a fairly stable position work and health wise but one slip up and I could be laid up for months unable to work and that worries me, my dad is elderly, as is my step dad, I’ve been ringing them to see they are ok as I can’t go and see them, if I sat here all doom and gloom worrying about the future I’d probably go mad, and although some of the positives on here may sound trivial to some, to others they may be significant milestones, my stupid ‘milestone’ this weekend was cutting the grass and weeding the driveway, I normally pay someone to do my lawns once a month but for the first time in 3 years I got the mower out and did it myself and quite enjoyed it, so much so it spurred me in to do the driveway, that has now got me looking at other housework that needs to be done none of which I’ve had the faintest interest in doing when I could have procrastinated elsewhere away from the house 

[sem34090]

This is a time of crisis and for too many people it is one of suffering. I don't think that anyone here will try and deny that. It's a bleak period for many, and despite -thankfully, for now- being reasonably well set even I have succumbed to hopelessness in the past week. Ordinary life has been inverted for most of us, if not all, and it's not the easiest thing to adapt to. Of course there are horrors surrounding us, this thread isn't trying to say that there aren't, but I started this simply to try and combat the hopelessness that many of us seem to be feeling. In most situations there can be found a positive element, and to some extent it doesn't matter how trivial that element is.

 

Whether your positive hope is that you eat into the pile of kits in the cupboard, that your loved ones stay safe and well or that society will see a permanent change for the better in some way then it matters little - You have a positive hope and quite frankly that's one thing that I think we all need right now if my own experience of the past 10 days is anything to go by.

Edited March 26, 2020 by sem34090

[LBRJ]

 

Deleted this answer til later or maybe never

Edited March 26, 2020 by LBRJ
the first time I have ever been too angry to make sense ;)

[Oldddudders]

Yes, there is plenty to be sad, mad or frightened about right now, and we are living in surreal times. People are indeed dying, and at 71 with two or three minor underlying conditions, I may be swept away, too. But the whole point of RMweb, and this thread in particular, is that for many people continual immersion in bad news is distinctly unprofitable. Mental health issues and depression seldom stem from a stream of nice things and events, and we know that a number of RMwebbers always have difficulties in this area, as do people in all walks of life. So helping to perk those folk up is a duty the rest of us owe to them - yes, owe. 

 

If Dogbox wishes to spend his days wringing his hands, that is his privilege. Long may this thread prosper. 

[Gilbert]

4 minutes ago, Oldddudders said:

Yes, there is plenty to be sad, mad or frightened about right now, and we are living in surreal times. People are indeed dying, and at 71 with two or three minor underlying conditions, I may be swept away, too. But the whole point of RMweb, and this thread in particular, is that for many people continual immersion in bad news is distinctly unprofitable. Mental health issues and depression seldom stem from a stream of nice things and events, and we know that a number of RMwebbers always have difficulties in this area, as do people in all walks of life. So helping to perk those folk up is a duty the rest of us owe to them - yes, owe. 

 

If Dogbox wishes to spend his days wringing his hands, that is his privilege. Long may this thread prosper. 

You can also do something positive - if you can afford a mail order why not adjust down slightly and make a donation however small to your local food bank - unsurprisingly they are beginning to struggle.....

[Jub45565]

6 hours ago, dogbox321 said:

So in the morning when the kids and Mrs annoy you, take comfort in the fact that at least you can be with them.

 

This is the point, I live by myself so have had the last proper face to face chat with friends, family & colleagues for 3 weeks at least, & I suspect this will drag on beyond that. Therefore it is key to look for the positives, before the mental health wave takes it toll. This isn't being disrespectful to what is going on around us, but ensuring we don't add to the issues of the world!

 

It is also ironic that you say there are no positives - but then point out that a good many people are volunteering to help the NHS, and certainly not taking it for granted as some have done for the last few years.

 

Nobody is saying that these positives, however trivial, make the pandemic ok or balance it out - but it is a coping mechanism in times of adversity.

[tomparryharry]

It takes allsorts. No, not liquorice allsorts.

 

One mans cup is full, the other, empty. 

 

This philosophical question was put to a work colleague, one early morning. "Tell me Phil, is your cup half full, or half empty?"

 

"I don't know" replied Phil. "Some bu66ers pinched my cup"!

[Southernman46]

Well I haven't needed to talk to or see pretty much anybody - a positive for them as much as me.

 

Just seen the first vapour trail this week - so less pollution.

 

and this lovely sunny weather has encouraged the Missus to get into the garden and get her kit off ……….. 

[Oldddudders]

6 minutes ago, Southernman46 said:

and this lovely sunny weather has encouraged the Missus to get into the garden and get her kit off ……….. 

Will the video be on YouTube?

[stewartingram]

I have what they are saying is an underlying condition - diabetes, though totally in control and always has been - and I'm retired at 71. So we are both confined to home. TBH even before, we didn't go out much except for shopping or family visits. As a number of the kids and in-laws work for supermarkets, the shopping is dealt with! Anyway, on all our regular visits/checkups at GP surgery, clinics, & hospitals, we have always received great service from the NHS, and we haven't been slow in telling them so. It always seems that we are unusual in doing that, judging by the comments back; also the idle chit-chat in queues and waiting rooms always annoys me, as it is usually full of moans and groans about the NHS. We have the best in the world in our opinion. Recognition of that fact now coming to the fore perhaps?

 

Stewart

[Southernman46]

1 hour ago, Oldddudders said:

Will the video be on YouTube?

 

She says she wouldn't want to be responsible for a country-wide increase in high blood-pressure ………..