So we're all tired of hearing about nothing but Covid-19 (or, as I term it, the C-Plague). What can we do, as audiophiles, to help with all this. I was amazed, and delighted, when I went to the Cardas website to see that they are doing their part. Go to their website and you'll see their director, Angela Cardas, wearing a mask. If you click on the Cardas Nautilus logo in the upper left corner, you'll see pictures of people there in the factory making masks with sewing machines. I called the company to congratulate them, and spoke with a woman named Darla, who said it was their way, during this economic slump, to keep their employees working and also their way of trying to "do our part." I'm not writing all this to advertise Cardas products. They are a very good company, but trust your ears, not anything I write, when it comes to buying their products. They do get credit, however, for helping me come to a realization that pushed me in the right direction. I called a woman I am friends with, who is 85 years old and is a good seamstress, to suggest she start making masks. She already was--and is. By phone she has organized several other women to do the same, and right now they are needing more material and elastic. I managed to gather about 50 pounds of material and am starting to gather elastic while also getting more material. But I don't sew. I can't help out with that. Any ideas as to what we--all of us who are good with our ears and focused with our budgets--can do to help out in other ways?
I realize this is an odd topic to bring to an audio forum, but it was a very socially responsible audio company that got me to thinking about it, and frankly I believe I should be socially responsible enough to do what I can to get other people to thinking about it. While also being open to other people's ideas about ways someone like me who is "just an audiophile" can help.
Thank you, in advance, for any and all ideas on this.
As a sole proprietor business, most my projects/clients have been put on hold as people become fearful from the start. One was a Doctor who has suffered significantly as only 15% of his patients were classified as ‘essential’ service. I was fine with this when we didn’t know exactly what we may be dealing with, but we have a better idea now. We have done a damn good job, flattened the ‘curve’, and many parts of the country never became NYC as initially feared, and seemingly never will. As has been said, at this point some of these shut-downs and restrictions are doing more harm than good, and oddly enough, even the health sector is hurting overall, with no patients to serve and empty hospitals.
But what is more harmful is the continual fear put into the vast majority of the population, which at this point, seems largely unfounded, as smart rational protection measures can be put into place to reduce risk. And many have been and have become accepted.
I don’t get unemployment when I don’t have clients, and haven’t gotten help from any government entities in regards to my business as I have no employees, and right now, I don’t see any coming. My only hope is the return of clients who become not overly fearful to move forward and reconsider the services I provide. 3-4 months ago, this was not an issue. I’m certainly not alone.
I’m more than willing to be smart and take precautions as we move forward. But we most move forward. There is always risk to get up in the morning and go throughout our days. We are big boys and girls, we understand the risks, always have, and do what is required to reduce it. Thank goodness we seem to be slowly getting back to work, but after 3 months with little income, it would be silly to think many can do this for another 5-6 months. We will destroy many peoples lives, already have, and there is not enough government money to ‘fix it’. At that point, we will have bigger problems than we can imagine.
We are close to the age of "high risk", so we don't want to go volunteer direct. But we're lucky to be working from home at full salaries. Here's some things we are doing:Paying our housekeeper who is sheltering at home. Cleaning our own house. Getting take out weekly from local restaurants we like. Probably more often than we went out to before.Buying gift certificates from our local hair salon. We may never use them. Just bought a streamer from my local stereo shop.Donating to local food distributors with each paycheck.Mostly staying home and being safe. Being nice. Wishing others will stay safe and sane. ...this too will pass...
Btw, not to make light of bad situation, I believe many are not understanding what is really going on. Not to start a war here, as we are all in this together.i wish us all well.
I shall wear a GIK mask made from their material. That way I may diffuse my vast wisdom over a larger audience at one time than to the few ears here that will believe my drivel.
N80 - included hind sight. If you are you so medically smart, why did you not go to Wuhan and do something about the pandemic. I agree that this is all effecting the world economy badly. And China’s. I can’t believe that you put money over lives.
OP. Kyron Audio are producing medical masks, the clear full face type. As there is no motor racing, one team, Erebus Motor sport put their team into building ventilators. I am way into the risk age to assist the fight against Covid-19 directly. But we have committed financially what we can.
Is there an explanation why it is not ground zero anymore?
"You have to see that empty hospitals DURING a pandemic are a sign that someone got something wrong."
One could also say that empty hospitals during a pandemic are a sign that someone got something right.
Once they fill up, you failed to prevent it.
Any tactics used is unproven. Unless you have had a few of the same situations before. It is learning as you go at this point. It is a three-month-old situation.
@millercarbon is spot on. As a physician I've been following the data very closely. We got this all wrong. Regardless of what any political wonks say.
So this is a thread about what we can do. millercarbon is right. We can do whatever we can to undo the mess that our response to COVID has caused. If that requires protests then so be it. The suffering caused by the response is worse than the disease in scale and scope. It is funny that those who cry "politics" never want to acknowledge the staggering amount of suffering we have caused with unproven tactics that even as we speak are proving ineffective. If you are not seeing the economic devastation of small businesses and the healthcare sector then you aren't paying attention. When jobs are lost people lose their homes and health insurance.
millercarbon is also right about our hospitals. Ours are empty. Ghost towns. Staff laid off. And some of these hospitals may not recover. You have to see that empty hospitals DURING a pandemic are a sign that someone got something wrong.
Currently I cannot get care for my patients. My office is open and we are seeing patients. We have seen zero COVID. But many specialist offices are closed for anything but emergencies. I'm having a hard time getting tests and studies. Subsequently many of my patients are suffering and at risk. THAT is NOT how you respond to a pandemic.
But, what can we do? We paid our housekeeper (who comes once every two weeks) even though she has not been coming. Our small church elected to pay staff and pre-school teachers even though they aren't working. We get take out from our local restaurants, many of which will not survive this, and give tips that are more than the cost of the meal. My wife paid her hair guy even though her appointment got cancelled. I'm seeing my newly uninsured patients for free. We go buy growlers from the 4 new local breweries that are walking distance from my home, most of which will not survive this either.
Finally, we have to educate an American public that believes whatever they want to believe and that will give up what is precious for specious and empty promises of safety.
MC, Geof3, It’s so easy to pass unproductive commentary after the event. How many have died in the US? UK? EU? China? Would you have said the same if you and your like walked around without restrictions in place and caught Covid-19. Would you have complained that the Government did nothing? How many lived have the restrictions saved? Your comments are pathetic.
Simply looking at something from a different perspective doesn’t make it political. I’m with MC on this. I have suffered real damage from the lockdowns. I’m sure many here have. A pandemic is not political, but it sure can be used to move an agenda. Being socially responsible to me means, be smart, be prudent. Not living in fear of the sky falling.
Cardas is a wonderful product I hope to able to afford one day. For now I'm still kinda a kimber guy. You do know why she bought masks for the factory staff don't you? In that little town there is no pool of workers to pull from. Lose one and you have to go shanghai another one. That's not really the whole truth. The real reason they all wear masks is that when people walk through the workers must hide the ear to ear grin that crosses their faces when they see another fool paying $500/foot for wire!! Oh yeah!!!
I managed to somehow survive this deadly, once in a lifetime menace. As I look squarely in the face of 66 years on this sphere I need to tell you something. People in Oregon are born socialists who would sell their kids into slavery if the gov't told them it needed doing. Yeah!!!
It's a thread about what some people are doing to help each other.It's not about politics.Political discussions are against forum rules. My daughter works in a hospital lab and her experience has been 100% the opposite of yours miller. Back on topic,we are staying home and donating what we can to our local food bank.
The thread is about "Covid-19 (or, as I term it, the C-Plague)" and "frankly I believe I should be socially responsible".
"Covid-19" breaks with a hundred years tradition of naming diseases for their origin (Ebola, Nile, Lyme, etc) and indeed is only there because we stopped calling this one the China or Wuhan virus for entirely political reasons.
"Socially responsible" is political on its face. An individual can be responsible. There is no such thing as a society being responsible, and it is impossible for an individual to be socially responsible. The term has absolutely no meaning other than in a political sense.
In other words the thread was political from the get-go.
Given the average age of audiophiles, no offence intended, doing your part is to stay safe, stay healthy, and stay out of the hospital. Don't be ashamed to ask for help if you have high infection rates in your area. Ask someone to get your groceries, etc.
I was wondering when you would again politicize a thread. You did not disappoint me, thank you. Here I thought you were being a good boy after that very long thread that is still being added to. I guess you can’t teach an old dog new tricks.
If you want to do your part, go out and protest the unconstitutional lockdown and closing of businesses. The models were beyond wrong. Hospitals are not only not overwhelmed, they are empty and laying people off. I know. I work in x-ray. In Seattle. Once ground zero. Now the only zero is our economy. But not because of the Rona. Because of the political response to the Rona.
They closed down parks and trails. They have people wearing masks outdoors. Hello, people! You get close enough, long enough, you need a mask. Outdoors that is impossible. Never happen. So make a mask. Carry a mask. Know when its necessary and use it then - and only then!
After working for 50 full years, I feel that I have already done my part as well as others parts. I was a temp boss when our boss was in hospital and out off work for almost a year. I was promised extra compensation for doing 2 jobs at same time but received a big fat nothing. When I wanted to retire at the end of the school year on June15th, I was told I couldn’t get my 4 weeks vacation from the year before unless I worked until July. So for the last 2 weeks of work I showed up and did absolutely NOTHING. My reward for 35 years of service was I had to wait until the end of July To receive my 4 weeks vacation pay even though my contract said I could receive my money on July 1.
The Superintendent and Human Resources director did come by to shake my hand On my last day, then they went out to lunch. I wasn’t invited along. So as long winded as this is, I have already done all my share(s) and just want to rest. Let the millennials do something, I have nothing left to give.
I've made purchases from small audio shops and made a donations to my local jazz foundation to help make up some of the income loss that performing musicians are incurring right now.
I get your perspective. I feel partly that way as well having worked for 40 years. But for me it feels good to contribute what I can for the sake of this fallible species.
NO!! LOL I’m old I don’t want to do my part, I already done my part, my bosses part, and half the people I ever worked with’s part. I’ve done a part and a half so to speak..
We can stay home and listen to our music. We can support our music stores. We can support our local businesses. We can volunteer in the community. And much more.
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