Potential Positives to Look forward to
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My wife is Type 1 (juvenile diabetes) insulin-dependent, has been since she was 12. Wouldn’t wish it on anybody. She is compulsively on top of it, thankfully, has a super-healthy diet, counts every carb, works out and is super-fit. We know (knew, sadly) Type 1s who didn’t take care of themselves in their 20s partied their asses off, were generally in denial about their condition, and sadly died too young in their early thirties. It’s serious stuff. (And she’s terrified.)
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@Salacious-Crumb said in Potential Positives to Look forward to:
My wife is Type 1 (juvenile diabetes) insulin-dependent, has been since she was 12. Wouldn’t wish it on anybody. She is compulsively on top of it, thankfully, has a super-healthy diet, counts every carb, works out and is super-fit. We know (knew, sadly) Type 1s who didn’t take care of themselves in their 20s partied their asses off, were generally in denial about their condition, and sadly died too young in their early thirties. It’s serious stuff.
Sounds like your wife is the kind of diabetic who is best equipped to ride this coronavirus thing out 👍
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She’s scared shitless right now. I’m constantly trying to reassure her and talk her off a cliff. For her this is a living nightmare, and she’s not getting a lot of sympathy from her employer, which is another story. She’s emotional, so it’s not easy.
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@Salacious-Crumb said in Potential Positives to Look forward to:
She’s scared shitless right now. I’m constantly trying to reassure her and talk her off a cliff. For her this is a living nightmare, and she’s not getting a lot of sympathy from her employer, which is another story. She’s emotional, so it’s not easy.
I feel for you mate. My wife is stressed and she is fit and healthy. Sounds like she is doing everything right. I'd imagine she is as conscious as anyone about avoiding big crowds and close contact, washing hands and using sanitizer
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@Salacious-Crumb said in Potential Positives to Look forward to:
@canefan I constantly remind her that her being stressed right now is the most normal thing in the world, and to get out her yoga mat.
Too much stress is not good, but a little fear is a good thing. Keeps you alive longer
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@Salacious-Crumb said in Potential Positives to Look forward to:
She’s scared shitless right now. I’m constantly trying to reassure her and talk her off a cliff. For her this is a living nightmare, and she’s not getting a lot of sympathy from her employer, which is another story. She’s emotional, so it’s not easy.
That's shit.
I currently on Secondment from my employer to the local Water and Waste authority at the local Council.
Old mate (who is a decent rugby guy) who is the Executive Manager of the area I'm Seconded to says "Fuck off and work from home, I don't want to be responsible for your death".
Yeah, thanks Trev.
Bit actually appreciated.
You might think Type 2 is lifestyle choice but my Dad, my Mum and my brother all became diabetics late in life. So I blame genetics ...
I'll accept the diet thing with the cardiovascular disease ... And the blood pressure ... But as a bloke in my early fittys I don't think I'm in the worst of shape. But am concerned about this COVID shit, given underlying conditions.
I've brought that up more than once in here. So hope I'm not boring y'all
Will try and let you know if I'm on the way out
And @Salacious-Crumb best of luck to you and especially Mrs Crumb.
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@broughie said in Potential Positives to Look forward to:
@Hooroo I think the US is coming to realize that we are too dependent on the Chinese for everything. Well at least us on the right.
This could be the downfall of the current international trade model.
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@Godder said in Potential Positives to Look forward to:
@broughie said in Potential Positives to Look forward to:
@Hooroo I think the US is coming to realize that we are too dependent on the Chinese for everything. Well at least us on the right.
This could be the downfall of the current international trade model.
The tariff fight already started that process, and countries like India and Brazil have been putting in place laws that require local production of technology.
In light of the pandemic, I expect that will just accelerate. Not a bad thing to be independent of a country like China
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I think in a Pandemic, nobody can really be trusted given even our closest allies are closing off immigration to everyone (NZ-Aust and US-Canada didn't seem like it would ever happen). This will reshape everyone's approaches in future - if nothing else, the ability to manufacture medical supplies and tests in some quantity seems essential.
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Conversely I think it will accelerate robotic technologies etc though, so even though we may see some return of manufacturing etc I don't see it as a potential boon for local workers unless governments are happy to step in and require it.
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@JC said in Potential Positives to Look forward to:
@antipodean said in Potential Positives to Look forward to:
How much are you prepared to give in additional tax revenue to do that? Serious question because what you're suggesting is not a trivial undertaking. Better I'd suggest to attempt an increased stockpile, but even then you can't predict what you're going to need...
That’s an interesting question. But it’s a political one, not an economic one. In the longer run, by which in this case I mean longer than one electoral cycle, the costs of setting up sunk cost manufacturing may be dwarfed by the cost of having to carry an entire economy in times like this. How much additional tax is going to be paid to cover the $12.1bn that Robertson underwrote this week? And by whom, because it’s a fair bet some people’s jobs aren’t coming back after this.
I maintain it is an economic question as well if for no other reason than opportunity cost. Would would New Zealanders be willing to forgo as a result?
In my opinion a sensible government would sell that the need to insulate ourselves against future epidemic shocks is worth subsidising an onshore capability. But the temptation to dismantle it later would be strong, in the same way that it was all too easy to gut our military to save money.
Agreed. Particularly when >$50 billion down the road you've got nothing to show for it but a heavily subsidised industry.
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I know a certain very large Telco is putting a plan in place to hire local workers as years of call-centre offshoring is potentially under threat due to this virus encroaching into certain countries that may not have the medical apparatus to deal with it adequately.
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@Rembrandt said in Potential Positives to Look forward to:
I know a certain very large Telco is putting a plan in place to hire local workers as years of call-centre offshoring is potentially under threat due to this virus encroaching into certain countries that may not have the medical apparatus to deal with it adequately.
That deserves to be in the positives thread. Ringing a call centre where the operator can't even speak english properly is infuriating
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@gt12 said in Potential Positives to Look forward to:
Conversely I think it will accelerate robotic technologies etc though, so even though we may see some return of manufacturing etc I don't see it as a potential boon for local workers unless governments are happy to step in and require it.
Agreed. largely these are jobs we in the West no longer want to do anyway and only come back due to lowered costs arising from cost per unit (automation) and logistics to market.
It's my bet that standard of living wins over nationalism in the long run.