Went to the big green shed today. They have placed tables in front of the checkouts to separate customers from operators and hey presto, after all the years of having to be a circus juggler to use the postage stamp size bench it is now way better. Hope the tables become permanent.
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I’ve got a big green shed. Mine has vehicles, mowers, chickenfeed and a whole lot of other stuff including rodents and their specially prepared food. How come yours has circus and tables? Maybe we are talking about different things.
I noticed that at our local Bunnings yesterday, especially at the checkouts in the garden centre.
They are the same fold-up tables that Bunnings have been selling for years as per the one we have had for ages.
I hope Bunnings will be selling them after the crisis as pre-loved coronavirus tested items unless they plan to hold on to them for the next crisis.
A side-discussion evolved focusing on issues with cashless payments rather than that there would be more cashless payments in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
I moved those posts to the relevant topic. I trust the posters will understand why and how that part of the discussion has gotten off topic.
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Oh Gawd. Where do we go from here? The really, really good thing so far is that pollution levels worldwide have dropped significantly since ‘lock downs’ in countries around the world, as seen from space. The people who don’t believe that humans have/are contributing to climate change will be eating their words!
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Thank you.
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Agree - except that packaging is going up. ‘Reuse your own container’ has fallen by the wayside.
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If history repeats, we will learn nothing. Many people have very, very short memories and couldn’t care less. Bondi Beach, St. Kilda???
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“The really, really good thing so far is that pollution levels worldwide have dropped significantly since ‘lock downs’ in countries around the world, as seen from space.” Will scientists now take a more significant role in deciding political policies? Previously (it appeared to me) to be biased towards Lawyers and Auditors measuring profit vs loss rather than societal value.
There are many, many examples of this government choosing big business deals over individual’s rights. “That was when they suspended the Constitution. They said it would be temporary. There wasn’t even any rioting in the streets. People stayed home at night, watching television, looking for some direction. There wasn’t even an enemy you could put your finger on.”
― Margaret Atwood, The Handmaid’s Tale
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[quote=“syncretic, post:19, topic:20220”]
One where our leaders actually listen to the experts who have been predicting all of this for decades. One where they don’t hide what is going on for fear of looking bad while hoping they can get it under control. One where detailed plans are ready to go at a moments notice. One where the lessons of this pandemic are learned well.
[/quote] A world where politicians have to demonstrate the ethics to stand by their decisions or if incapable of leading are forced to step down. make way for those that are able to.
No. Because saying that statistically x thousand people died this year due to pollution has nowhere near the impact of saying y people died of the virus, even if x is considerably greater than y. Visceral fear trumps numbers every time.
Those who die of this plague have names and it will be fairly certain what killed them, the others don’t have names and at the time of death the reason may never be determined - but still they died.
Covid19 is new but pollution has been around for centuries, it has been normalised. Every time a new development is proposed that is acknowledged to increase pollution levels society accepts the cost when it is approved. We can see the jobs, jobs and more jobs, we can’t see those deaths, deaths and more deaths.
Novelty, urgency and terror force leaders to take tough decisions. Banality, complacency and hidden consequences allow them to kick the problem up the road.
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Slipping quietly under the radar while we’re distracted. It looks like Sydney’s water supply will be different.
Yes, Minister.
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I am starting this topic up as a place to be positive in dark times. I hope that we all learn from what has, is, and will occur during this crisis and the bushfire crisis. What can we implement or improve that will help us in the future when things settle down again.
I look at things like our underfunded health system, our diminished research organisations like the CSIRO, under funded volunteer organisations, ignoring best practice and scientific advise till it is too late, etc and think what if this was turned around? What if we bolstered all these and got ready for whatever is coming in the future.
What about the collapse of so many businesses so suddenly when people slow their spending down? What about all the travel and wedding etc. industries that won’t do the moral thing with bookings that have had to be cancelled.
What about the use of bots being used to disseminate fake news and to stoke the fear associated with COVID-19?
I am sure there are a lot more.
If we had our 'druthers, please identify what could be fixed, and how you would you fix it to make Australia a more resiliant and sustainable economy and a better place to live? Please don’t just tell us what is wrong, complain, or be negative. Only comment on things that you can suggest one or more positive improvements for.
Be positive! +++
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An article regarding what should have been done to prepare for the next predicted pandemic.
Nationalise Important Infrastructure Industries eg Water, Power, Communication. Or at least place such infrastructure under very strict guidelines so that there is consistency, reliability, a reduction in foreign ownership, and a renewed level of “honesty”.
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It would be nice to again have important service and utilities under control of government/ the people, rather than profit driven corporations, whose motive lies in maximising profits no matter what the cost to others and the environment.
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It would be great to have a recognised criteria, list of what are essential supplies/services that Australia needs in a major event to be self reliant.
There is one surgical mask manufacturer in Australia. It was turning out 2million masks per year to meet 5% of demand. It is now ramping up to possibly 1million per week. Australia still needs to import the raw materials required, despite cotton and wool being significant exports. Limited raw petroleum products are available domestically which can also provide for synthetic fibre production. The opportunity is to ensure we encourage sufficient on shore capacity for this example and other critical supplies.
As much as Australia is respected OS in the current crisis, it appears each nation is putting it’s needs first.
Australia + NZ also have a renewed and great opportunity to support the sprawling South Pacific nations who are 99.9% reliant on outside resources for critical supplies in disaster situations.
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