AUSTIN | Misc. Discussions - No Politics

[the Genral]

Originally Posted by Tyrone Shoes

exactly. This too shall pass.

[We vs us]

Originally Posted by freerover

Layoffs will begin soon.

Already begun, my friend.

My hotel has closed down about 2/3 of its rooms based on occupancy forecasts. All those floors are dark and locked off. I’d say there’s an excellent chance we close the thing down completely in the next few weeks.

Of course, this is the whole travel economy, not just my place. But it’s amazing to see nonetheless.

[The ATX]

The economy is heading downhill fast. My company has divided up into different groups that either work from home or have different work schedules to limit human contact. One half of my employees and myself can no longer work together.

[hookem]

Originally Posted by The ATX

The economy is heading downhill fast.

Unless you are in the toilet paper business. Always a silver lining.

[freerover]

We’ll probably be nostalgic for complaining about the heights and designs of new buildings for the next few years.

[The ATX]

Originally Posted by freerover

We’ll probably be nostalgic for complaining about the heights and designs of new buildings for the next few years.

We'll be creating threads for four-story buildings like a lot of less fortunate cities do now.

[DavidVistaChino]

A

[DavidVistaChino]

Originally Posted by The ATX

The economy is heading downhill fast. My company has divided up into different groups that either work from home or have different work schedules to limit human contact. One half of my employees and myself can no longer work together.

LESS THAN three months ago today, we heard about a mysterious virus that was to later ravage China, and bring their economy to its knees.
Today, as the rest of the world is being turned upside down, China is returning to near full employment, and all the Big Companies who are closing their doors or are drastically cutting down their operations in The Rest of the World are opening up stores, production and Operations in CHINA to keep some kind of revenue streaming in. (i.e. Apple, Nike, etc.)
Granted, most of our governmental plans to combat the pandemic have failed miserably, and for that, we should be ashamed! We knew better!
HOWEVER, the American People seem to be rapidly coming to a consensus about uniting into a common front, and soon, I think there will be signs of optimism.
If a country with FOUR TIMES, the population of the US can be successful, then so can we. I think the people who think this is going to get worse even
through and past September are out of their minds. We should at least look at the tremendous success S Korea is now having in coming close to ending the pandemic in their nation.
Mass testing is the FIRST step. The US is culturally and demographically unique in the world. We are NOT like Europe, like Asia, or like Latin American. It is too late to stop community transmission, but testing will show us in what way the virus is transmitted by whom and spreading most quickly in which ways, in intricate details which will give us the best roadmap for the CDC and NIH Experts to fight it with.
I know a couple of months is going to seem like forever, and a lot of scary and bad things are going to happen, but by that time, I think we will be seeing the light at the end of the tunnel, like S Korea is, now.
And since we probably won’t have a vaccine yet, in the likely event that Round II of the Pandemic will be coming back to visit us Next Winter, at least we will have learned a lot that will help us greatly lessen the effects of that one. (Including prophylactic drugs that can fight the side effects of the infection and greatly reduce mortality.)

[austin242]

On a side note. Foot traffic is up on the hike and bike trail. More people than a week ago. I guess people think it's the only thing they can do. Please stay away. Go to a smaller park that is less utilized if you need to get out.

[hookem]

Originally Posted by austin242

On a side note. Foot traffic is up on the hike and bike trail. More people than a week ago. I guess people think it's the only thing they can do. Please stay away. Go to a smaller park that is less utilized if you need to get out.

Ha! Now you know how I have felt for the past several years. When I started running the trail, you could count the number of people you encountered on one hand. [/getoffmylawn]

[KevinFromTexas]

During the press conference with the president and vice president, someone asked if the army core of engineers could build new hospitals. This sort of has me wondering if they might be willing to use the old Brackenridge hospital for that purpose. I know they've already gutted it, at least partially.

[enragedcamel]

Originally Posted by DavidVistaChino

LESS THAN three months ago today, we heard about a mysterious virus that was to later ravage China, and bring their economy to its knees.
Today, as the rest of the world is being turned upside down, China is returning to near full employment, and all the Big Companies who are closing their doors or are drastically cutting down their operations in The Rest of the World are opening up stores, production and Operations in CHINA to keep some kind of revenue streaming in. (i.e. Apple, Nike, etc.)
Granted, most of our governmental plans to combat the pandemic have failed miserably, and for that, we should be ashamed! We knew better!
HOWEVER, the American People seem to be rapidly coming to a consensus about uniting into a common front, and soon, I think there will be signs of optimism.
If a country with FOUR TIMES, the population of the US can be successful, then so can we. I think the people who think this is going to get worse even
through and past September are out of their minds. We should at least look at the tremendous success S Korea is now having in coming close to ending the pandemic in their nation.
Mass testing is the FIRST step. The US is culturally and demographically unique in the world. We are NOT like Europe, like Asia, or like Latin American. It is too late to stop community transmission, but testing will show us in what way the virus is transmitted by whom and spreading most quickly in which ways, in intricate details which will give us the best roadmap for the CDC and NIH Experts to fight it with.
I know a couple of months is going to seem like forever, and a lot of scary and bad things are going to happen, but by that time, I think we will be seeing the light at the end of the tunnel, like S Korea is, now.
And since we probably won’t have a vaccine yet, in the likely event that Round II of the Pandemic will be coming back to visit us Next Winter, at least we will have learned a lot that will help us greatly lessen the effects of that one. (Including prophylactic drugs that can fight the side effects of the infection and greatly reduce mortality.)

It is extremely foolish to trust any of the data coming out of China. Since a tremendous chunk of their economy relies on supplying foreign companies, they are extraordinarily and uniquely motivated to give the impression of things returning to normal. We already have confirmed reports of factories and businesses keeping their lights and machinery on despite nobody working, because that's how their local authorities measure productivity and output. So, for all we know, they might be completely full of it when they say they have almost recovered.

But even if they have... so what? Like I said, the "modern" Chinese economy depends heavily on supplying foreign companies, and with Western economies going down, that demand will be non-existent for quite a while.

[freerover]

Originally Posted by KevinFromTexas

During the press conference with the president and vice president, someone asked if the army core of engineers could build new hospitals. This sort of has me wondering if they might be willing to use the old Brackenridge hospital for that purpose. I know they've already gutted it, at least partially.

Ideally, I think you want those to be away from population centers but mainly you want big open spaces to maximize patients per sq foot and ease of treatment and monitoring.

Here is a temp treatment center in China in an convention center.




The County Expo center might be a good place for temporary hospitals if you can get the military/FEMA outdoor covered structures. I've never been in their expo center so I'm not sure how much open space it is.

[eskimo33]

Maybe third time will be the charm?
Judge Throws Out City Council Votes On New Austin Land Code, Putting Rewrite In Jeopardy
https://www.kut.org/post/judge-throw...write-jeopardy

[ATXboom]

Originally Posted by eskimo33

Maybe third time will be the charm?
Judge Throws Out City Council Votes On New Austin Land Code, Putting Rewrite In Jeopardy
https://www.kut.org/post/judge-throw...write-jeopardy

I'm no attorney but based on that precedent why not throw out the last code rewrite from the 80's that put us in this single family situation. Would be sweet to have that rolled back... would actually deliver more density than this new proposed code.

[urbancore]

Originally Posted by ATXboom

I'm no attorney but based on that precedent why not throw out the last code rewrite from the 80's that put us in this single family situation. Would be sweet to have that rolled back... would actually deliver more density than this new proposed code.

i thought the exact same thing. If we can't rewrite now, why could we do it before....doesn't this make the last code from the 80's invalid?

What about McMansion? What about all the amendments to the code? Do they have to have a super-majority as well?

[The ATX]

We knew this was inevitable, but Covid-19 is officially community spread in Austin as of tonight.

[freerover]

Originally Posted by The ATX

We knew this was inevitable, but Covid-19 is officially community spread in Austin as of tonight.

It’s insane how slow test rates are in Austin.

[DavidVistaChino]

Originally Posted by freerover

It’s insane how slow test rates are in Austin.

That’s because all the MILLIONS of promised test kits NEVER materialized! They were even offered to us by the World Health Organization, but NO! We don’t trust anybody else in the World, anymore, so we have to do EVERYTHING on our own, and be damned if anybody asks US for any help. America doesn’t do things like that, anymore!
The only two places that have over two or three hundred test kits are NYC, and Seattle, and that’s because THEIR OWN health departments developed them on their own, through the private sector. Others are trying to do the same thing, but are not being very successful. Now we’re being told “Don’t count on the Federal Government to help provide you with masks, respirators and ventilators; you’re on your own.”
This is the MOST RIDICULOUS THING I’ve ever seen. The Federal Government is the ONLY entity that has the power to demand that these things be produced in America or be procured on the foreign market. Can you imagine the Austin Health Department being made responsible for ALL testing, manufacturing of ALL medical supplies and ventilators, construction of the THOUSANDS of new ICU hospital rooms that may be needed and the procurement of medical staff and technicians who are trained in pulmonary medicine?
Heads should be rolling! It makes my blood boil!
God forbid that these warnings that 175,000,000 Americans may become infected, by multiple scientific experts, or that 25,000,000 Californians or Metro New Yorkers may become infected, by their politicians! I can’t really visualize anything like that ever happening, but if it did, the Post Pandemic World would NOT be a pretty place to live in for MANY decades!

[SproutingTowers]

Austin based Everlywell will be sending out COVID-19 home test kits beginning Monday, March 23.

https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/ever...192300898.html