COVID-19

[Drunk Monk]

Figured I might as well start a thread here.  I've had a thread going on KFM since January. I've posted several news items there every working day since - http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/show...-Pneumonia

Then we walked up Market to Chinatown, which is a ghost town now. Covid-19 has chased all the tourists away.  Shops are shuttered.  I've never seen it so empty.  We got lunch at House of Nanking which was about a third full, when typically there's a line at lunch time.  I fear for the fate of Chinatown.  

Have a great day before the covid-19 strikes you!

Too late. It's already struck hard.  My company is on the front lines.  

We get almost all our merch from PRC (some from Vietnam now too).  It's been catastrophic.  All of PRC shuts down for Chinese New Year, so we order ahead to buffer against their downtime like every company that imports from PRC.  But our container was detained due to the high alert.  This delayed our subscription fulfillment, and this issue had a premium, so that really hurt.  Fortunately, our subscribers have been very understanding, but I've been fielding complaints, well queries really, all week.  And now the factories aren't starting up.  The real impact is hitting now.  This is on top of the trade war inflation.  It's bad.  Very very bad.  Not bankruptcy bad, but some serious loin girding bad.

In more COVID-19 news (maybe this needs its own thread) I just got messaged by one of the Berkeley Chinese Martial Arts Tournament organizers.  The event was scheduled in two weeks and they just decided to cancel.  CMAT is one of the longest-standing Chinese tournaments in the nation.  I competed in it back in the day.  Maybe the cfs did too?

I think tomorrow might be a coronavirus quarantine survival kit prep day.

[cranefly]

I'm seeing in the news that there's one case at El Camino Hospital here in Mountain View.

I also saw another article -- an opinion piece -- that says COVID-19 could be a very positive thing.  It took me a while to sort out the reasoning (it was not well written).  Essentially, it tends to be mild in the young and healthy.  In other words, it serves to weed out the sick and elderly.

Taking that a step further, it could change the landscape in the upcoming election.  There's a lot very old candidates who by the very act of campaigning are putting themselves on the front lines of exposure.  It also presents a rationale to postpone the election, if it hangs around for very many months.  Which, considering who's currently holding the mandate of power, could be a very long postponement.

While I think it's a waste of time pinpointing inconsistencies in the logic of the Horror Clown, I'll mention one: 1) He says COVID-19 will be gone by April.  2) He says that COVID-19 is a hoax perpetrated by the Democrats.  So...  Does that mean the Democrats will admit it was a hoax come April 1?

Anyway, may we all enjoy this black circus with its incomprehensible rides, and only throw up due to an excess of vertigo.

[Dr. Ivor Yeti]

I was talking to the lady who runs the laundromat that I go to. She said her employee’s husband, a waiter at a nice Chinese restaurant here in the avenues, has gone from one day off/week to 2, 2.5 days off/week. Some days the restaurant is only clearing $500. It is hitting Chinese businesses hard.

Another kicker is that allergy season is going full-bore already, so there is a lot of distracting sneezing going on.

I’m hoping this ends up more like SARS and less like the Spanish Flu.

[The Queen]

Right now, my next travel date isn’t until late April, and hopefully by then we’ll have a better idea of how concerned to be with regard to personal risk. I suggested the people scheduling that meeting get insurance on everything in case they have to cancel. My company hasn’t banned travel like some already have. I am planning to write a blog post on how to plan to handle remote appearances for depositions in any place where the reporter also being a notary is not required.

[Drunk Monk]

I was in PRC for SARS.  Maybe I posted about that here?  I wrote about it on KFM.  This feels very different.  

We got some canned goods which hopefully I won't eat before any quarantine hits.  We also got another 3 gallon water bottle.  The quarantine preparedness kits on the web are kinda dumb, cobbled out of earthquake preparedness kit ideas.  

Are you stocking up on rx meds?  So much of that comes from PRC that it may well be prudent.  Even though it's out of PRC now, there's the stigma that is holding up shipping.  We don't know when our next container will clear and the last one took several weeks more than we expected.  

If the Democrats could pull off a hoax that could quarantine so much of PRC, surely they could get 45 ousted already.  That's such a dumb play.  

Allergy season has been bugging my left eye and making my left nostril itch.  I've been trying not to touch my face.  But yeah, I've been perpetually coughing and sneezing since I entered my 50s...the damage done.

[cranefly]

We got some canned goods which hopefully I won't eat before any quarantine hits.  We also got another 3 gallon water bottle.  The quarantine preparedness kits on the web are kinda dumb, cobbled out of earthquake preparedness kit ideas.  

Are you stocking up on rx meds? 

Well, hell.  I've been pretty sure for a while that this was gonna hit us, but I've given no thought about stocking up on stuff until you mentioned it.  Another blind spot.  I would soooooo not survive a major disaster.

We need to make a supply run.

I see that there's talk of holding March Madness but without spectators this year.  Then there's all the sporting events (NBA, MLB, NHL, etc.).  I don't think Americans can make the necessary adjustments for this -- let alone other countries.

But yeah, better do some stocking up...

[Drunk Monk]

ONE championship (an Asian MMA league) just held a spectatorless event. 

I’m uninclined to work any concerts. Not sure what’ll happen at TCEC this year. CMAT’s postponement will send ripples. I’m sure we’ll have a meeting this week.

One of my former Kung Fu Bros from Omei (1st asian hell’s angel no less) works as a roadie & cameraman gigging all across the bay with concerts, conventions, etc. he’s a union man and said 4 of his major event jobs have been canceled.

[Dr. Ivor Yeti]

The IOC is giving COVID-19 until the end of May to get lost or the Olympics will be cancelled.

[Drunk Monk]

One of Stacy's best clients had a trip scheduled to Firenze in May. She had given us tickets to Lang Lang at the Bing because she was going to be away.  The trip was one of those Stanford CEU things when you go with a prof.  But Stanford has cancelled everything Italian - all the trips, all the exchanges, and brought back their profs that were there. So she's not going.  So we gave her back the tix.

[Greg]

Now, that hits home.

[Drunk Monk]

In a few hours, we will decide the fate of TCEC 2020.  We were scheduled to go live with registration this week.  It's not looking good. 

Now, THAT hits home.

[Greg]

That is no bueno. Good luck!

[Drunk Monk]

We aren't pressed for deadlines right yet, so we're in wait-&-see mode, but it's really not looking good.  We're looking at cutting our losses, which aren't too bad at this point, unless there's a major change by...well, the Ides of March.  NOTE THAT THIS IS ALL DOOM EYES ONLY.  

Santa Cruz Open, a TKD tournament that attracts 500+ competitors, just cancelled.  They were scheduled for this Saturday.  When stuff like F8 cancels, we're in good company.  

One of Jonny's friends just texted him pix of empty shelves at Target & Costco.  Pandemic pandamonium.

[El Dingo]

I'm very concerned.

My life revolves around concerts.

I have tickets for "Cruel World", "Burger Boogaloo" and "Life is Beautiful"

Take this from me and I have nothing.

[Drunk Monk]

You probably heard Ultra cancelled in Miami.  SXSW is teetering.  Coachella will be a big indicator of how this might play out next.  Locally, Santa Clara county just asked to put the quash on gatherings and concerts.  I just got invited to work that High Times 4/20 show in Sacto again, but we shall see.  Stoners, what do they know?