Formerly DT: COVID-19 - Featuring Lots of Politics, now CR because political talk not going away

[achooloco 1067]

57 minutes ago, Bigpoppapump said:

Got friends that work at SXSW and friends that own local businesses.  Not going to get into specifics, but many many places factor in SXSW for yearly financials as well as prep for large commitments during SXSW that will not be reimbursed in any way.  This is word of mouth from the source, support local businesses during the SXSW time frame if you can.

fair, fully support this too.

[hundredTT 578]

So basically all sporting events, concerts...etc will soon be watch only? I remember talks about March Madness being crowdless, would be crazy. Wonder when it gets to the point of no one even going to the movies...

[closetojumping 62604]

1 hour ago, Updawg said:

1 hour ago, justhookit said:

I’m pretty sure they were told they had to cancel it.

I imagjne they wanted to be told to cancel it for insurance purposes. That's gonna hurt a lot of local businesses

 

1 hour ago, Deej said:

Not sure if true, but the Statesman today claimed SXSW accounts for one quarter of one percent of the annual local economy, now. 

 

1 hour ago, Bigpoppapump said:

Be prepared for lots of small businesses to possibly close.  This is brutal to the Austin economy.  I think it's the correct decision, but I feel for all the people who will suffer financially from this.

 

1 hour ago, achooloco said:

Why? Link to substantiate?  I’m not saying south by doesn’t bring in good money But it isn’t like Austin has a tiny entertainment industry that no one attends on a nightly or weekly basis or isn’t kicking ass during RoT, hs championships, damn near every wknd in the fall.

I’ll be honest and admit it’ll hurt but hyperbole alarmist claims of cratering and closing small businesses in the Austin economy ... come on.  I feel like CTJ here!  I’m open to a counter argument but it’s gotta be convincing.  

I am part of a software entity that sees the monthly accounting for a ton of restaurant and bars in Austin. SXSW is by far the biggest impact on their financials every year. Frankly, the ACL impact isn’t much of anything and Texas football helps. The summer and winter college seasonality does enough damage to offset the upswing of ACL. Nothing compares to SXSW. There was something published on it a year or two ago and can probably be googled. 

This fucking sucks. All of this hysteria for something that’s going to wind up looking a lot like the flu. The pandemic sweeping the globe is panic. 

[Brisketexan 105095]

3 minutes ago, Samson's Wig said:

I definitely feel bad for the employees and staff of these businesses and agree we should do what we can to help out.

I have less sympathy for the business owners.  The businesses probably shouldn't exist if their entire survival hinges upon a single event they have zero control over.  

Margins are tight in more businesses than you can imagine.

A shitload (most?) retailers would close if you cancelled Christmas.  Beach towns would collapse if you cancelled summer travel.  Particularly when they have ordered product, borrowed money, etc. to have inventory on hand....only to have the event cancel too late for them to cancel those orders.

And local business owners are mostly just folks, like their employees.  They're your neighbors.  They have a sound model, but their margins don't allow for a huge blow to their business.  Yes, it's an inherent (and low) risk of operating any business, but they're not stupid for running a business counting on such a risk NOT to come true.  They played the odds rather well....but their number came up.  It sucks for them.

[TwiceHorn 31450]

10 hours ago, Goredho said:

The first case here in Colorado was a man in his 30s who came from California.  He had been skiing in Italy and then came to Colorado, where he stayed at Keystone resort and was also skiing.  He was sick enough to need to go to the hospital where they tested him and sure enough, he had won the coronavirus lottery in Italy.

So young, affluent and active.  Definitely not who we think of as most at risk for serious illness.  I am sure the altitude had an effect on the severity of his symptoms.  They have moved him to Denver to be at a lower elevation while recovering/quarantined.  Maybe something else puts him at a higher risk, like being a massive weed smoker...

Oh, shit, I’m fucked.

He was probably partying balls every night, so yeah.

[bmbmd 1027]

So my son's band had a showcase plus two other shows, and had invites to the Grammy party at South By. .  Que sera, sera. 

[TwiceHorn 31450]

3 minutes ago, Brisketexan said:

Margins are tight in more businesses than you can imagine.

A shitload (most?) retailers would close if you cancelled Christmas.  Beach towns would collapse if you cancelled summer travel.  Particularly when they have ordered product, borrowed money, etc. to have inventory on hand....only to have the event cancel too late for them to cancel those orders.

And local business owners are mostly just folks, like their employees.  They're your neighbors.  They have a sound model, but their margins don't allow for a huge blow to their business.  Yes, it's an inherent (and low) risk of operating any business, but they're not stupid for running a business counting on such a risk NOT to come true.  They played the odds rather well....but their number came up.  It sucks for them.

Look at our friend Champ.  He may have been still in the nascent and marginal stages of his restaurant business, but one weekend (one night really) of a busted freezer killed his business dade.

[closetojumping 62604]

6 minutes ago, Samson's Wig said:

I definitely feel bad for the employees and staff of these businesses and agree we should do what we can to help out.

I have less sympathy for the business owners.  The businesses probably shouldn't exist if their entire survival hinges upon a single event they have zero control over.  

That’s a bullshit take. You sound like someone cushioned by a middle level salary in a bloated corporation or government entity. Putting start-ups and small businesses together is hard fucking work and risky as hell.

Your view, which I see espoused by critics who’ve never taken a risk in their life, is either naive or bitter. Early stage businesses can be fragile, like children. That doesn’t mean they shouldn’t exist.

Restaurants and bars are often a labor of love and life for the investors and entrepreneurs. Every foodie and fan of good experiences and service should be saddened by this stuff. When you’re left with a bunch of fucking Landry’s chains, Chili’s, Red Lobster and fast food joints, I’m sure you and the city of Austin will remain very smug in your satisfaction of staving off the next addition to the common cold. 

[C-Man 27214]

41 minutes ago, Deej said:

Insurance only covers SXSW if an outside agency cancels it?

That's what I was wondering as well.

[GabrielsHorn 2183]

1 hour ago, Pescado_Rojo said:

Today's DIA report. At 2:00 on a Friday afternoon there was not a single person in the North Security Precheck line. Usually it's all the way to the back of the ropes and 4 lanes wide. There were three guys sitting there shooting the shit at the ticket scanners, and they only had one luggage scanner open. I actually walked all the way up to the ticket scanner before fishing my wallet out and opening my boarding pass on my phone. The regular line didn't seem much shorter than usual, which tells me it's corporate travel bans accounting for the light TSA Pre line.

Blucifer is doing a good job of keeping the place safe. Or maybe it's the illuminati. 

[C-Man 27214]

10 hours ago, Goredho said:

The first case here in Colorado was a man in his 30s who came from California.  He had been skiing in Italy and then came to Colorado, where he stayed at Keystone resort and was also skiing.  He was sick enough to need to go to the hospital where they tested him and sure enough, he had won the coronavirus lottery in Italy.

So young, affluent and active.  Definitely not who we think of as most at risk for serious illness.  I am sure the altitude had an effect on the severity of his symptoms.  They have moved him to Denver to be at a lower elevation while recovering/quarantined.  Maybe something else puts him at a higher risk, like being a massive weed smoker...

Oh, shit, I’m fucked.

I wouldn't read too much into it unless the dude in his 30's dies. I didn't think age had much to do with whether you actually could catch coronavirus but it's certainly more of a risk to kill older people who get infected.

[Coelenterate Fuccboi 13091]

49 minutes ago, atomheartbevo said:

It could be %1, but let’s talk about what it’s like for the 65 and up crowd.   

It’s like, time to go man! 

[Tailgate 3021]

 

[Hpara759 1778]

Was told just now, that a woman from Dalhart was transported to NWTH in Amarillo yesterday having (respiratory difficulty) once there, her and her family and the EMS crew are now quarantined at NWTH

[Francisco 2.0 32389]

59 minutes ago, atomheartbevo said:

21 positives on the cruise ship off the coast of California.  Those people are fucked.   

 

 

 

[Coelenterate Fuccboi 13091]

25 minutes ago, Samson's Wig said:

I definitely feel bad for the employees and staff of these businesses and agree we should do what we can to help out.

I have less sympathy for the business owners.  The businesses probably shouldn't exist if their entire survival hinges upon a single event they have zero control over.  

Yeah, I mean something that has been occurring, and steadily growing, since the 80s definitely shouldn’t be considered stable enough to feed a significant portion of a small business. Fuck those shortsighted business owners and the people who are stupid enough to work for them. They should have taken their talents to Starbucks or Taco Bell. 
 

Oh, and how about the dumbasses who are stupid enough to build communities around a ski resorts? Those dipshits should have seen the planet warming years ago and stuck to providing summer entertainment. 

[HenryJames 66041]

 

[Loco 3752]

-The coronavirus panic is dumb

[Coelenterate Fuccboi 13091]

Just now, HenryJames said:

 

Man, I lived in Issaquah for a while so this hits close to (my old) home.

[Message Board User 12395]

CTJ is Elon Musk?

[RayDog 682]

My date and I had our temperature checked at a bar last night in Angeles. It is one of the bigger bars but there  were almost no customers. 

[JesusSweatDuck 17781]

1 hour ago, Gardner Barnes said:

I’m at a volleyball tounament at the Orlando convention center with my daughter’s team and over 1000 others. There is no way it doesn’t spread from here. 10000s of people are in close indoor quarters and will be flying out on Sunday.

 

We have a similar thing in Dallas in April. Hoping this shit has died down by then

[closetojumping 62604]

2 minutes ago, Loco said:

-The coronavirus panic is dumb

It’s always odd to witness people thinking they’ve done much of anything to be justified in mocking the intelligence and  prescience of Elon Musk. 

[Grade of D as in David 13253]

8 minutes ago, Loco said:

-The coronavirus panic is dumb

 

6 minutes ago, Message Board User said:

CTJ is Elon Musk?

 

1 minute ago, closetojumping said:

It’s always odd to witness people thinking they’ve done much of anything to be justified in mocking the intelligence and  prescience of Elon Musk. 

Yep, definitely

[JesusSweatDuck 17781]

31 minutes ago, C-Man said:

That's what I was wondering as well.

I was hearing this rumor as well, but who the fuck knows. 

 

While I agree with the cancellation, I hope we don't lose too many restaurants/bars because of this. 

[Telegraph_it 3357]

3 minutes ago, JesusSweatDuck said:

I was hearing this rumor as well, but who the fuck knows. 

 

While I agree with the cancellation, I hope we don't lose too many restaurants/bars because of this. 

Don’t worry. A capital one cafe will replace them. 

[Loco 3752]

3 minutes ago, closetojumping said:

It’s always odd to witness people thinking they’ve done much of anything to be justified in mocking the intelligence and  prescience of Elon Musk. 

you mean by posting a picture of him and one of his own quotes?

He has a non trivial amount of skin in the game...  and I'm not talking about his Grandma

 

[Helobious 9448]

12 minutes ago, closetojumping said:

It’s always odd to witness people thinking they’ve done much of anything to be justified in mocking the intelligence and  prescience of Elon Musk. 

“A dumb idea doesn’t care who had it.”

[wutang75 444]

I played craps all week in NOLA - wanted to dip the dice in hand sanitizer. Several tables had one half reserved for one guy at the end of the table all night. (In every scenario - Asian).


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro

[Foosters 17850]

26 minutes ago, closetojumping said:

It’s always odd to witness people thinking they’ve done much of anything to be justified in mocking the intelligence and  prescience of Elon Musk. 

How bizarre.

Elon Musk is above reproach on any subject because he's a brilliant inventor and entrepreneur?  What did Henry Ford have to say about the Spanish Flu?

[4th&Five 41525]

24 minutes ago, JesusSweatDuck said:

We have a similar thing in Dallas in April. Hoping this shit has died down by then

We haven’t even started testing in large numbers yet. That’s supposed to start next week so I’m guessing the numbers are way up in April. Whether that means a ton more people have it then over now is anyone’s guess.
 

I saw an article that quoted a scientist at Yale that estimated we have 100,000 infected in the US today. 

[GreenspointTexas 9600]

5 minutes ago, 4th&Five said:

We haven’t even started testing in large numbers yet. That’s supposed to start next week so I’m guessing the numbers are way up in April. Whether that means a ton more people have it then over now is anyone’s guess.
 

I saw an article that quoted a scientist at Yale that estimated we have 100,000 infected in the US today. 

Id take the over on that number

[Hate 20108]

5 minutes ago, 4th&Five said:

We haven’t even started testing in large numbers yet. That’s supposed to start next week so I’m guessing the numbers are way up in April. Whether that means a ton more people have it then over now is anyone’s guess.
 

I saw an article that quoted a scientist at Yale that estimated we have 100,000 infected in the US today. 

I wouldn't be surprised by that at all.  The virus has been around since December and we first heard about it in late January.  There's a period of 5-6 weeks that the virus could spread before anyone really became aware of the how serious it is and how contagious it is.  How many international travelers does a city of 11 million in China have including those leaving from or going to Wuhan?  I suspect it's more than a few. 

[4th&Five 41525]

Exactly. Which makes the freak out just this week even more comical. It’s been around us for a month or more. 

[Underdog 28612]

Magic Johnson is outliving all of us, isn't he? 

[bernorange 8359]

I got an email from my son's high school.  They want to know what everyones' Spring Break plans are (if folks are traveling overseas) to assess coronavirus risk.  I think it's likely Pandora's box is already open and domestic spread is just as likely over Spring Break.  Week after next should be "fun".

[Hate 20108]

2 minutes ago, 4th&Five said:

Exactly. Which makes the freak out just this week even more comical. It’s been around us for a month or more. 

Which as been the point that the "don't freak out" crowd has been making all along.  Some posters read "don't freak out" and think they read "do absolutely nothing" which isn't the case at all.  The cat was out of the bag within the first week or two of patient zero.  Unless everyone that was going to come to SXSW self quarantines, what is the point really?  Are they not going to go to work or go to a restaurant?  They could be completely symptom free and have symptoms so mild as to think they have a cold or allergies meanwhile eating a t a crowded restaurant or going to the movies.  Makes me wonder how the movie theater business is going to do over the next couple of months with this mass panic going on.

[Somnio 751]

On 1/22/2020 at 5:43 PM, InkaUtexas said:

Creating chaos for travelers. Spiked overnight from 9 confirmed deaths to 17. Wuhan ain't a rocking. Did not see a post on this but would love to know what the group think is on this one. Reports today stated experts think people were eating bats. We need to learn to stop eating bats. 

From BBC. 

Wuhan, a Chinese city of nearly nine million people, is to temporarily shut public transport as it tries to halt the outbreak of a new strain of virus.

Those living in the city have been advised not to leave, in a week when millions of Chinese are travelling for the upcoming Lunar New Year holiday.

The respiratory illness has spread to other parts of China, with some cases in other countries including the US.

There are more than 500 confirmed cases and 17 people have died.

Known for now as 2019-nCoV, the virus is understood to be a new strain of coronavirus not previously identified in humans. The Sars (severe acute respiratory syndrome) virus that killed nearly 800 people globally in the early 2000s was also a coronavirus, as is the common cold.

All the fatalities so far have been in Hubei, the province around Wuhan.

• Chinese virus: How worried should we be? 
• Wuhan: The London-sized city where the virus began
• New China virus: Your questions answered

Meanwhile, after a day of discussions in Geneva, the World Health Organization's (WHO) emergency committee has announced it will not yet declare a "global emergency" over the new virus. 

Director general Dr Tedros Ghebreyesus said more information was needed about the spread of the infection. The committee of health experts will meet again on Thursday.

A global emergency is the highest level of alarm the WHO can sound and has previously been used in response to swine flu, Zika virus and Ebola.

What measures have been announced?

Chinese officials said that from Thursday, all flights and passenger train services out of Wuhan would be stopped.

Bus, subway and ferry services would also shut down from 1000 local time.

A special command centre in Wuhan set up to contain the virus said the move was meant to "resolutely contain the momentum of the epidemic spreading".

 

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-51215348

 

Just wanted to reference OP's first post roughly 6 weeks ago.

There are more than 500 confirmed cases and 17 people have died.

[atomheartbevo 89649]

1 hour ago, Trey3216 said:

Yep.   Know a few bar owners down there that this sort of cancellation could bankrupt. 

Wonder if the city declaring this an emergency or whatever opens up federal funds to help, assuming that’s possible.    It was really odd that things went from “We don’t have the power to cancel SXSW” to “we are canceling and declaring a state of emergency” awfully fast.   

[RollLeft 5044]

50 minutes ago, closetojumping said:

That’s a bullshit take. You sound like someone cushioned by a middle level salary in a bloated corporation or government entity. Putting start-ups and small businesses together is hard fucking work and risky as hell.

Your view, which I see espoused by critics who’ve never taken a risk in their life, is either naive or bitter. Early stage businesses can be fragile, like children. That doesn’t mean they shouldn’t exist.

Restaurants and bars are often a labor of love and life for the investors and entrepreneurs. Every foodie and fan of good experiences and service should be saddened by this stuff. When you’re left with a bunch of fucking Landry’s chains, Chili’s, Red Lobster and fast food joints, I’m sure you and the city of Austin will remain very smug in your satisfaction of staving off the next addition to the common cold. 

So much this.  I put my phone down and told myself either hes young or stupid. I'm leaning stupid.  

 

[Message Board User 12395]

 

[SA-KC_Horn 1295]

55 minutes ago, JesusSweatDuck said:

We have a similar thing in Dallas in April. Hoping this shit has died down by then

My daughter's team will be at the same tournament too. I'm on edge.

[atomheartbevo 89649]

 

 

1 hour ago, Francisco 2.0 said:

[staboner 4969]

3 minutes ago, 4th&Five said:

Exactly. Which makes the freak out just this week even more comical. It’s been around us for a month or more. 

as has the economic mess in many parts of the world, just not the US yet. i guess thats changing now. gonna be an economic disaster i am afraid. 

[DaysOff 7947]

Oh, and academic discussion aside -- the SXSW cancellation is going to be just awful for a lot of folks economically, including a lot of local small businesses.  To the extent we can, we need to support them with our business in the coming months.  Academic discussions on a board are one thing -- real people losing their livelihood in the real world is another.  That sucks, and I truly and genuinely feel sorry as hell for a lot of folks around here.

Thank you for flying the friendly skies.

[4th&Five 41525]

Y’all need to focus on the important part of this!

 

[Francisco 2.0 32389]

16 minutes ago, Underdog said:

Magic Johnson is outliving all of us, isn't he? 

 

[MissingInAction 25038]

2 hours ago, JesusSweatDuck said:

I really want to open a club in Dripping Springs and call it "Strippin'  n Drippin'"

I got 10k burnin a hole in my pocket.

[lonestarsooner 121]

Just went though TSA Precheck in Terminal 1 at ORD. First time I have ever walked up to it and had zero people in line. Anecdotal but relatively speaking given my hundreds of time through here, this place is empty. So odd to see on a Friday night when everyone should be heading home from work trips. 

[GreenspointTexas 9600]

I wouldnt go into an airport right now if u paid me. If you dont think the virus is present on most surfaces in most airports in this country then i dunno what to tell u