Coronavirus Pandemic

[Dio]

https://www.google.com/search?client=fi ... +of+demand

This is one of the most elementary parts of economics and anyone coming out of business school will (or at least should) have a solid grasp of this, since to running a business it's about the next thing you need to know after basic arithmetic.

Yes, there are greedy people out there who fail to apply this. No, they are not running Pfizer. Yes, there are complications which mean people do have reasons to keep prices high even when it apparently breaks this equation.

[KlaxonCow]

This is one of the most elementary parts of economics and anyone coming out of business school will (or at least should) have a solid grasp of this, since to running a business it's about the next thing you need to know after basic arithmetic.

Indeed. Which is why I was so surprised to meet this claimed graduate of business school who had no fucking idea.

In fairness, though, this was YouTube. The guy could simply be lying about having a business school degree. But the thing is that he had such conviction and was trying to "pull rank" on me - hence why he mentioned his qualifications - and it didn't fit just being a troll, as he was actually addressing my points properly - actually listening - and conceding things. He didn't behave like he was making it up. But it was YouTube, so I can't directly confirm his claims (hence putting "claimed" or "so-called" in front of his claim to be a business graduate).

Yes, there are greedy people out there who fail to apply this. No, they are not running Pfizer. Yes, there are complications which mean people do have reasons to keep prices high even when it apparently breaks this equation.

Sure.

Although, how do you know - for a certainty - that they're not running Pfizer?

You're a scientific guy, so you know the mantra already: "show me the evidence". Nullius in verba.

Indeed, the best place for incompetence to hide - echoing "the Peter Principle" - is as a golf-playing director of a corporation. Because, like, having extorted $36 billion out of the world, you can happily run your business like complete shit for decades before the money'll run out. With a smaller business, your mistakes will, like, instantly kill the business and it's obvious you don't know shit. But, in a mega-corporation, you can run it like shit for decades before anyone even notices...

E.g. Steve Balmer as Microsoft CEO. His decisions were invariably shit and wrong throughout his tenure. But, like, it's Microsoft - so you can literally be burning a million dollars every single day and it'll still take decades before the money ever runs out.

[Dio]

I'm not a big believer in the idea that incompetents get promoted to CEO and then do nothing useful. My experience with executives is that they seem utterly driven to work 12 hours a day, 6 days a week even though they have more than 'enough' money. I find it very baffling. But the faults of executives are usually directing their enormous drive the wrong way, not being a bunch of useless slackers. There's too much oversight of most of them to let them get away with not understanding basic economics, for one thing, because that's one thing they can be pretty easily measured on by the analysts.

Ballmer is a great example. I'm certain the bloke worked his arse off, but his failures were ones of vision.

[tufty]

Yeah, I don't think the peter principle really applies here. If you're being promoted up to a directorship, it's likely that you've spent years in a job requiring the exact same skills but with a reduced scope. It usually rears its head at the technical to managerial "switch".

[Little stoned kiwi]

Even if we were living in a picturesque world of highschool economics textbook widgets it is still ignoring the humanitarian crisis and also the economy outside of the widget factory.
The goal should be to eradicate demand in this situation.

[PFVA]

Around here now that we have Omicron around they are worried about the election because lots of people maybe in quarantine with the virus and how will they vote. And now all the parties say they did not want anticipated elections.

And we are back with cruise ship soaps. There is an Aida one here in Lisbon that was on the way to spend the New Year in Madeira but because of Covid on board had to stay here. This morning they allowed the passenger that tested negative to get out and fly home. Two other ones in Madeira couldn't go into harbour but watched the fireworks from the sea before returning home. A third one didn't even stay for the fireworks and sailed back home. Even like that there was 5 0r 6 at harbour there on New Year.

And according to our government 90% of people in the hospitals with Covid are not vaccinated.

[KlaxonCow]

And according to our government 90% of people in the hospitals with Covid are not vaccinated.

While Omicron complicates the matter, granted, it's still that irony that it's the anti-vax / anti-mask folks shouting "freeeeedom!" who are actually the biggest reason that we can't have freedom.

Because they're the ones clogging up the hospitals, forcing governments to bring in restrictions, to defend their health services from a "surge" that'll just break the hospitals completely (remembering that we don't just mean for Covid, but also for all other illnesses too - as surgeries get delayed to make room for more anti-vax Covid patients filling up the wards).

And they have to do this, or we'll reach the point where they'll have to ration treatment. Choose who lives and dies, because we simply can't help all of them, as there's far too many. It's in their interests, should they - as so many of them are - end up in hospital with Covid.

And, well, the other thing is, if you're looking for a discriminating factor in making your choice of who deserves treatment and who doesn't, then one obvious criterion they need to think about is, ooh, previous refusal to be treated with a jab earlier. In a sense, you almost literally are asking for it.

"Don't help me, don't help me, don't help me, don't help me". Now you need help? Hmm, making we should just keep honouring your wishes and go help someone else who actually wants and deserves it.

Don't mess with the gods of irony. They always win.

[tufty]

Personal freedom stops at the point where other people's freedom is impacted. Beyond that is selfish cuntery.

[PFVA]

Ow, I forgot to mention that I got a bit sick after taking the Moderna. At the end of the 2nd day, and during the night I felt very weird and very tired, I had a little bit of fever, 37.3. Then I woke up about 2h30 am with and incredible thirst. I drank 2.5 glasses of water. the next day I had a bit of a headache but the temperature was normal. Then I found out that the others who like me had had the AZ on the first 2 shots and then the Moderna also felt similar, including having higher fever, big headaches, throat aches or running noses. Some people said they felt very, very cold even with the heaters on and blankets.

My age bracket all had the vaccines at the same time and we all had AZ and now Moderna. I think we all missed the AZ.

I mentioned it just because I remember people saying similar stuff here in forum a couple of weeks before I had my shot.

[Rhythm]

Gnnh! Parents of one of my daughter's mates are both laid up with Covid, isolating.

They've decided to read "household members don't need to isolate" and interpret it as "we can send our kids to the cinema to see Spidey for the 5th time whilst we're out of action". And these aren't "dumb" parents - they cancelled Xmas and NYE parties based on the infection rates.

I fucking despair, I really do

[Rhythm]

And a rant update - one of the NYE parties I had to talk teens out of attending/hosting went ahead anyway (without any of my kids present).

News received to say the host, her kids and a number of the guests all now have Covid

I am of course shocked and surprised

[merman]

Boris acknowledging there are “tough weeks ahead for the NHS” - every week has been tough for the NHS since the Tories got back into power in 2010, and having you “in charge” (along with a former banker as Health Secretary) just makes it worse.

Our local hospital trust is one of ten to declare a “critical incident”. That means they are ALREADY OVERWHELMED and having to make tough decisions on who gets care. That terrifies me as someone with a long-term health condition and who is rated clinically vulnerable. Could a doctor ultimately decide it is not worth saving me, because of how stretched services are?

[tufty]

Bugger. The missus has covid. Looks like I'm good to get my nose poked tomorrow.

[gilesgoat]

Boris acknowledging there are “tough weeks ahead for the NHS” - every week has been tough for the NHS since the Tories got back into power in 2010, and having you “in charge” (along with a former banker as Health Secretary) just makes it worse.

Our local hospital trust is one of ten to declare a “critical incident”. That means they are ALREADY OVERWHELMED and having to make tough decisions on who gets care. That terrifies me as someone with a long-term health condition and who is rated clinically vulnerable. Could a doctor ultimately decide it is not worth saving me, because of how stretched services are?

I am guessing it's a decision based on :

- how many resources needed to keep you alive VS your life expectancy VS life-expectancy of someone else that could be using your type of resources

- how much you can "wait" VS somene else that would die "in hours" if not cared for

- how much the proability you'll still be alive in X time VS the probability of someone else in the same X time

- how much the Tory party cares for you / you mean for them to "pull some strings" ? ( ok 0 we know that )

"At least" you have a known condition that "needs care" and is known .. consider also that VS someone that could have a condition that is not known yet becuase can't be tested for and maybe will never be tested and never be cared for because of all this ...

You/we are "one of the many that could potentially die for all this", ironically, I think would be "interesting to know the numbers" of "people NOT having Covid that died/will die because not getting care cause Covid taking all the possible resources of everything" ..

That's "the other side of all this" ..

"Funny" the the government keep saying "we are not doing much more you have to keep going as you are going".

NOW what REALLY would surprise me BADLY .. is if "at the next elections" Tories are still to win ..

If they do I'll consider UK "one of the weirdest places on Earth with the weirdest people" ...

[Cloudane]

Seems like everyone has it now, half of work is isolating and it seems like the other half are going around work with "colds".

I'd honestly be surprised if we don't basically all get it, particularly now that we're "all in" on the herd immunity gamble. Fingers crossed!