Posts by Jessica Gonzalez

Just because someone is the greatest tennis player ever doesn't mean they aren't personally a complete idiot. I think we really need to separate those two things; I actually wrote about something similar regarding Kobe Bryant recently. As superstars, they’re almost like these virtual characters when they're on the court, but off the court, they're just regular people with flaws and virtues, just like anyone else. I guess the issue lies with the media and how we consume sports—there's this expectation that if you achieve massive success in athletics, you have to be a role model in every other aspect of life too. That doesn't seem realistic to me, mostly because many professional athletes are either people who struggled with academics or simply didn't have the time to focus on school because they were so dedicated to their sport.

They seem like such visionaries, 🙏 🙏 🙏

Yeah, security gigs are honestly just a grind; the working conditions can be pretty rough. I guess you have to wonder who actually runs toward those jobs?

I guess retail workers aren't complaining about working Sundays just because they love it. It’s more about the low pay. If they were pulling in $60,000 a year, maybe a lot of people would be willing to work seven days a week if they could. But honestly, those jobs are worth what they are. Besides, not every shop just sells groceries; there are plenty of specialty stores out there too. In many places, people work for sales bonuses, and weekends are when everyone goes shopping. Economics is economics—you have to put food on the table. Some people can make it with a 9-to-5, while others might not have the degree for those roles, or maybe they just want to work more. People's interests, ambitions, and skills vary so much. For one person, it's a book; for another, it's a shovel. Metaphorically speaking, of course. I realize the economy is pretty messy right now and many people are working jobs outside their field or below their potential, but life is a struggle. I don't think it's fair to support retail staff in a debate like this while ignoring restaurant workers, drivers, police officers, and everyone else who works on Sundays for relatively low wages.

wiredrider9 said:Look, it's a solid business move because, let's face it, you aren't really getting paid any extra for working Sundays compared to any other day of the week. If anyone tried to mandate that Sunday pay should be a 300-$$133 premium, you can bet your life it wouldn't fly anytime soon.

It’s not like working on Sundays is banned, so how would people get to church? Are you saying they’d choose money over Jesus?

wiredrider9 said:so then Germans are stupid and we're geniuses

In Japan, plenty of shops stay open 24/7, so I guess that doesn't necessarily mean they aren't smart. It seems easy to just cherry-pick an example that fits your point. At the end of the day, stores are private businesses, and it's really up to their own leadership to decide if those hours make sense for their bottom line.

Laura Chavez93 said:I generally try to steer clear of grocery shopping on Sundays if I can help it... I often find myself auditing what I already have on hand—checking what absolutely needs to be used up—just so I might avoid a trip to the store altogether

It might not matter, but you don't seem to want to see it. Restaurants, gas stations, movie theaters, national parks, hotels, toll booths, police, firefighters, a huge chunk of the healthcare system, water utilities, power plants, airports, anything involving flights or ships, buses, trucking, telecoms, media—you name it. Thousands of people work on Sundays just so everyone else can relax in peace because the infrastructure supporting that lifestyle is running. Grocery stores aren't special; clearly, there's demand for them every single Sunday. It's not my issue if someone feels they have no choice but to work for peanuts behind a register on a Sunday. My wife does similar work and occasionally works Sundays, but she’s working toward moving away from that. It’s the same thing with doctors and nurses right now; nobody forced them at gunpoint to enter those fields. Every job has its pros and cons, and I guess I don't quite have the energy or interest to feel bad for everyone's situation. I also know what it's like to work through the night while others sleep—like if I had to call Ribić for security?

On weekends, folks watch five different games on ESPN or wherever (many people follow the NFL and NBA during the late hours too), and I suppose they think the commentators recorded their voices on Saturday.

restlesssurfer97 said:Did you start acting like this after the earthquake hit? 😂

I've been working weekends whenever needed for about 10 years now. Night shifts, everything else—you name it. Honestly, the only things I don't need in life are Ribić and Sever to protect me, because who's going to protect me from them?

I feel like this whole debate about Sunday store hours is just more political theater. Honestly, if you’re against stores being open on Sundays, maybe just don't shop there on those days and let the market decide. If enough people actually stick to that, I guess businesses will pivot pretty quickly. Still, it’s probably fine to have shops open just in case, right? People online love to cry about what happens to cashiers, but they rarely mention all the other workers who are also on the clock on Sundays—and there are plenty of them. I can't think of a single person in America who hasn't picked something up from a store on a Sunday before.

I work on Sundays because I want to, so I'm not sure how anyone would actually stop me. I guess it's pretty easy to just talk big when you aren't actually doing anything.

Swedish hospitals aren't exactly space shuttles, at least from what I've gathered through a few different experiences there. I guess their main advantage is that they generally seem to prioritize health and hygiene more, so they probably don't need doctors quite as often. They also seem a bit less prone to unnecessary drama or panicking. It's kind of that whole healthy mind, healthy body philosophy.

Paul Sanders5 said:Thanks to Sweden, we’re actually going to have something to compare this to. In a few months, or maybe even a year, once everything finally settles down ( 🤣 ), we'll see the real numbers. Honestly, I’m ready to bet money right now that it’s going to be a pathetic rate—just a tiny footnote in the history books.

Thank God there are other countries finally starting to wake up. The Governor of California just ordered autopsies for all those suspicious cases from December

edit: Just so people don't think I'm out of touch with the Coronavirus situation, my cousin is actually in the hospital because of it 🤣 there's about 20 of them in that ward, and nobody's actually sick; they're basically dying of boredom, being total pains, and just waiting to get discharged 😁 he didn't even have symptoms, he just got tested because of contact.

My sister probably had it; she had a fever on Sunday and felt pretty wiped out for a couple of days after, but she's totally fine now. Since she isn't going to get tested, I suspect she won't end up in the official stats, even though they told her it was the virus.

ruggedjackal46 said:Do you really think the US would have a lower mortality rate if we had an equivalent number of cases?

I guess the mortality rate stays pretty much the same everywhere globally once you adjust for age groups. What really varies is how many infections actually get detected. For instance, Singapore shows about 12,000 confirmed cases and 12 deaths, which is 0.1%. In Italy, they report 190,000 confirmed cases, but given the scale and testing capacity, the actual number could be anywhere from 2 to 20 million. Even in New York, there are probably already around 4 million infected people, though official stats don't show that yet. Those specific figures can feel a bit meaningless. So, maybe the mortality rate is essentially equal in the US, Sweden, Singapore, or New York.

In India, general mortality has dropped drastically since the quarantine started; I heard undertakers are actually worried about their jobs. Apparently, there's a lack of the usual foot traffic from trains, cars, and so on.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_virome

A little food for thought this afternoon. From birth until the end, we all carry billions of viruses within us—actually, probably closer to billions of billions (give or take, it doesn't really matter). You can't really escape viruses; technically, maybe you shouldn't even try. Viruses that spread quickly and easily are usually harmless in the long run because that's just how their evolutionary mechanism works. It’s not in a virus's "interest" to kill us; if anything, it's quite the opposite. Of course, by "interest," I mean evolutionary pressure. This is the virus that supposedly "jumped" to humans recently, but evolution moves fast. The virus will adapt, and we'll adapt right along with it. I guess you have to wonder why people react so strongly? Maybe it's a psychological thing, because people tend to forget or refuse to accept that we are living beings and a part of nature. Once the news starts reporting the actual number of infections, I suspect the hysteria (hopefully) will die down, and Americans are already seeing that the total cataclysm hasn't arrived and likely won't.

Amanda Evans2 said:This is exactly what I’m talking about...
It’s nothing short of a catastrophe.
Pure intimidation tactics at this point.

And what happens if the mortality rate for people under 65 stays on par with a standard car accident, yet we’re all stuck indoors while those at high risk just head into churches?

It's a methodology built entirely on "what if" scenarios...

People have completely lost their minds, I guess. It's pretty unprecedented to see 20 to 30-year-olds struggling this much psychologically.

-But what if the virus comes back even stronger?
-And what if it mutates into something much more lethal?
-What if the mortality rate is huge and they're covering it all up?
-What if they don't come up with a vaccine?
-What if we ease up on the restrictions too soon?

Where's the "but what if I just don't give a damn?" part?

brightpilot6 said:Fair enough. Mutation. But what if we keep everything wide open and this still largely mysterious virus undergoes a mutation into something even more lethal, especially given how aggressively it spreads, what exactly is the backup plan then?

Right now, the virus is mutating into countless different combinations, which is something that’s probably been happening for millions of years. Bats don't really complain about it much. Evolution does its thing, so maybe just keep doing your job and stay calm.

wiredrider9 said:And check this out—turns out Americans have their own version of restlesssurfer9 too

I wonder why he's acting so tense?

Given how fast things seem to be popping up lately, maybe we'll see SARS-CoV-3 soon too.

There are some statistics and unofficial reports suggesting that stronger cases of pneumonia cropped up throughout the Alps during the entire ski season. I guess there might have even been instances where certain countries intentionally downplayed it to protect tourism, especially since ski resorts have been struggling with unpredictable weather for a while now. A good example would be that one spot in Austria where a huge number of people fell ill. It probably wasn't just an isolated incident. That said, skiers are mostly younger folks who rarely catch these kinds of colds. It seems like things really took off among the elderly once it spread to nursing homes.