OT: what does life look like on the other side.

[Las Panteras]

I suspect we all agree that life will be different once this settles down.

What will change, in your view?

Here are a couple thoughts:

1) I think restaurants are going to continue and even promote takeout more than ever

2) we are going to be mandated by government at some level to install hand sanitizers in all commercial establishments.

3) in the short term, I see attendance at NHL and NBA (and college equivalents) declining. The rebirth of viruses in cold weather coupled with the lingering fear will hurt these sports.

 

[Dr. von Yinzer]

I think distance-learning for schools and cyber commuting for businesses are going to explode. Businesses are going to realize they don’t need to pay for so much office space if a large percentage of their workforce can work from home. Workers will prefer that too because they don’t have to get dressed up or commute.

As for schools, the same goes for teachers. You could have one teacher or a team of teachers handling hundreds of students, rather than one teacher for 20-25 students.

This will be a great way to handle things like AP classes and electives. Instead of every school hiring their own German teacher, for example, they collectively hire one such instructor and a class of 50 kids from throughout the area are taught by a teacher (or teachers) working out of Pitt or Duquesne.

I don’t see that as a positive outcome because it’s going to cost a lot of people their jobs. However, I definitely think this experience is going to convince schools and businesses that they are overstaffed.

 

[recruitsreadtheseboards]

Depends on how long this lasts......if it short term, as we saw with 9/11 all of this "unitedness" and good will dissipates and life as per normal returns.

If this is prolonged and seriously damaging to not just economy but loss on life, then we might be profoundly changed, and some of the trivial things (like sports) will be less important and definitely the economic system will not be there to support these ridiculous salaries they command.

 

[BIGPanther]

I am hopeful that we will realize that it was unwise to allow our supply chain and economy to be so closely linked to a country that for the most part, isn't developed, and doesn't share our values. Hopefully we will start to see some reversal of the policies and trends that we've seen over the past 25-30 years.

 

[revampedpanthers]

I am hopeful that we will realize that it was unwise to allow our supply chain and economy to be so closely linked to a country that for the most part, isn't developed, and doesn't share our values. Hopefully we will start to see some reversal of the policies and trends that we've seen over the past 25-30 years.

Agree that will be the biggest positive, if it happens. I would hope that in the very least we will make changes that make it so we at least produce 25 percent of medical equipment and supplies, including pharmaceuticals.

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

It depends on how long this lasts so its impossible to say.

This could essentially end tomorrow if they find out some mixture of existing drugs is effective.....or the world could be shut down for 12-18 months until there is a vaccine leading to a depression which would take 10 or more years to dig out of.

 

[revampedpanthers]

Depends on how long this lasts......if it short term, as we saw with 9/11 all of this "unitedness" and good will dissipates and life as per normal returns.

If this is prolonged and seriously damaging to not just economy but loss on life, then we might be profoundly changed, and some of the trivial things (like sports) will be less important and definitely the economic system will not be there to support these ridiculous salaries they command.

That won't happen. Remember salaries started climbing rapidly after WW2. If anything was going to teach us the important things it was that war. People want to be entertained and sports is one of the biggest entertainments. Same as movie stars they are always going to reap huge rewards. I do think there will be some adjustment with the continuation of dwindling attendance but that's not where most of the money is made anyhow

 

[Las Panteras]

It depends on how long this lasts so its impossible to say.

This could essentially end tomorrow if they find out some mixture of existing drugs is effective.....or the world could be shut down for 12-18 months until there is a vaccine leading to a depression which would take 10 or more years to dig out of.

You are not paying attention.

Even if this "ends tomorrow " as you state, life is going to change.

From hand sanitizers being potentially government mandated, to less reliance on the chinese as others have suggested.

There is enough damage at this moment to completely refute your conclusion that its "impossible to say".

I am asking you what will change?
To suggest it's too early to tell is idiotic.

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

You are not paying attention.

Even if this "ends tomorrow " as you state, life is going to change.

From hand sanitizers being potentially government mandated, to less reliance on the chinese as others have suggested.

There is enough damage at this moment to completely refute your conclusion that its "impossible to say".

I am asking you what will change?
To suggest it's too early to tell is idiotic.

If it ends tomorrow?

- sanctions on China
- travel ban on countries where it is legal to buy, sell, and eat things like bats and monkeys

And I wouldn't guarantee those 2 things will happen. If it ends tomorrow, I dont think much changes.

 

[recruitsreadtheseboards]

That won't happen. Remember salaries started climbing rapidly after WW2. If anything was going to teach us the important things it was that war. People want to be entertained and sports is one of the biggest entertainments. Same as movie stars they are always going to reap huge rewards. I do think there will be some adjustment with the continuation of dwindling attendance but that's not where most of the money is made anyhow

Ah... there is a big difference. The average athlete made maybe 2-3 times the average joe. The average actor/musician made maybe 4-5 times.

Now, the average athlete makes like 100 times the average joe. Same with entertainers. There was not the divide there is now, and I am not sure if this is prolonged that this will be sustainable. People will be picking up pieces of their lives. I am not saying sports won't be important and a distraction, I am saying people may not have money for tickets, and companies may not have advertising budgets to pay these exorbitant rates that they do now.

 

[HailtoPitt]

I don't think much will change, other than being better prepared for the next one, which will happen 100 years from now so nobody will be prepared again.

 

[Zeldas Open Roof]

I am hopeful that we will realize that it was unwise to allow our supply chain and economy to be so closely linked to a country that for the most part, isn't developed, and doesn't share our values. Hopefully we will start to see some reversal of the policies and trends that we've seen over the past 25-30 years.

Great post.

 

[CaptainMurphy]

Hopefully schools are more capable to handle online learning. No more need to cancel school for a snow day anymore. Should have had plans in place years ago at the state level and not left it to the individual districts, some of which are far behind in that regard. I could see some district consolidation coming out of this as some of the smaller districts realize they are just not capable.

I like the idea of online learning at a higher level for electives, AP, etc...

Hopefully businesses have the bandwidth so that ALL employees can work from home during regular hours. A lot of businesses, mine included, were woefully unprepared.

I think working from home becomes even more prevalent and flexible for many.

I also think this crisis shows why everyone needs health care coverage options that are affordable and not tied to employment. Too many people losing their jobs and their healthcare when they need it most.

I think better biometric screenings for those coming from other countries is inevitable.

I do think the reliance on Chinese manufacturing diminishes somewhat, though I'm not sure if Americans are willing to swallow the corresponding price hike.

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

Great post.

Yep.

No China
No Saudi Arabia

I am down with that.

Trade with pro-American Democratic countries.

 

[Zeldas Open Roof]

Hopefully schools are more capable to handle online learning. No more need to cancel school for a snow day anymore. Should have had plans in place years ago at the state level and not left it to the individual districts, some of which are far behind in that regard. I could see some district consolidation coming out of this as some of the smaller districts realize they are just not capable.

I like the idea of online learning at a higher level for electives, AP, etc...

Hopefully businesses have the bandwidth so that ALL employees can work from home during regular hours. A lot of businesses, mine included, were woefully unprepared.

I think working from home becomes even more prevalent and flexible for many.

I also think this crisis shows why everyone needs health care coverage options that are affordable and not tied to employment. Too many people losing their jobs and their healthcare when they need it most.

I think better biometric screenings for those coming from other countries is inevitable.

I do think the reliance on Chinese manufacturing diminishes somewhat, though I'm not sure if Americans are willing to swallow the corresponding price hike.

great post all around. snow / school cancellations should be irrelevant. my kids schools sent home school work for little man and my middle school daughter has her chromebook. extremely easy for them to do assignments at home when snow comes down. the system is in place, this should be an easy transition.

im gonna play devils advocate on everyone working from home.. production goes down, it's human nature. something to be said for good old fashioned, getting up early, shaving, putting on slacks and a button down shirt, drinking coffee and seeing co workers..

 

[anon_pndd6khx75skx]

Just praying daycares/learning centers re-open. My lawd I'm struggling with a 3 year and a 1 year old home everyday.

 

[CaptainMurphy]

great post all around. snow / school cancellations should be irrelevant. my kids schools sent home school work for little man and my middle school daughter has her chromebook. extremely easy for them to do assignments at home when snow comes down. the system is in place, this should be an easy transition.

im gonna play devils advocate on everyone working from home.. production goes down, it's human nature. something to be said for good old fashioned, getting up early, shaving, putting on slacks and a button down shirt, drinking coffee and seeing co workers..

I agree for sure. I worked for home 100% at my last job for five years. Didn't enjoy it much. I do 1 day a week now which is enough for me.

I am going to push for a more flexible schedule when I return to the office. I'm thinking something like four 9s and a 4. Also hope things like dress code, etc... become a little more lax for those of us who never see users. Not really relevant to our current situation but I think everyone is going to deserve some breaks when this is all over.

 

[CaptainMurphy]

Just praying daycares/learning centers re-open. My lawd I'm struggling with a 3 year and a 1 year old home everyday.

Me too. I have to work off hours so it's watch the little ones all day and work at night. I enjoy spending time with them though. And I'm noticing they are starting to play better together without the option of other friends.

 

[JD1976]

Just praying daycares/learning centers re-open. My lawd I'm struggling with a 3 year and a 1 year old home everyday.

I’m in the same boat with the same ages as you. There are definite benefits, plus those are fun ages in terms of their daily development, but goodness sakes are my wife and I exhausted by 8 pm.

 

[h2p_5150]

We are not going to be less reliant on China. The decision makers in this country have the memories of fruit flies. Major companies will bounce back, "reinvest" market gains right into shareholders pockets while using cheap Asian labor, and will get bailed out again in 10-15 years when the economy slows again. *Maybe* hospitals will build more rooms to prepare in case something like this happens again, but that might be a shortlived project too. No lessons will be learned. People, mostly poor people, will die, many more, mostly poor, will lose their homes and jobs. The wealthy and powerful will earn all their losses back and more within 2-3 years and forget any of this shit ever happened. This is America.

 

[revampedpanthers]

Yep.

No China
No Saudi Arabia

I am down with that.

Trade with pro-American Democratic countries.

I think the trend was starting to move away from china already. More and more stuff being made in Vietnam and other southeastern Asian countries. Not that they are much better. Cant we at least move the production to south American countries

 

[revampedpanthers]

great post all around. snow / school cancellations should be irrelevant. my kids schools sent home school work for little man and my middle school daughter has her chromebook. extremely easy for them to do assignments at home when snow comes down. the system is in place, this should be an easy transition.

im gonna play devils advocate on everyone working from home.. production goes down, it's human nature. something to be said for good old fashioned, getting up early, shaving, putting on slacks and a button down shirt, drinking coffee and seeing co workers..

Agree withmodern technology no reason for snow days

 

[Pizzaboy2]

Agree withmodern technology no reason for snow days

So modern technology will make it stop snowing,interesting.

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

I think the trend was starting to move away from china already. More and more stuff being made in Vietnam and other southeastern Asian countries. Not that they are much better. Cant we at least move the production to south American countries

Yea. Vietnam. Great. Do we have to have communist countries and authoritarian countries make all our sh!t? Yea, why not Haiti, Jamaica, Central America, and South America?

 

[Zeldas Open Roof]

So modern technology will make it stop snowing,interesting.

schools have a process in place where the kids already have school work at home and older kids have laptops/chromebooks so on days when it snows, the kids can stay home, perform the school work and they can count it as a day..

 

[rtrainer]

Yea. Vietnam. Great. Do we have to have communist countries and authoritarian countries make all our sh!t? Yea, why not Haiti, Jamaica, Central America, and South America?

It is about lack of infrastructure. Say what you want about China but they have invested heavily in supply chain infrastructure in the last 15-20 years. Looking like other Southeast Asia countries are starting to do the same. India should be a good go but their infrastructure is almost draconian and they can get their collective sh!t together. The company that I contract with for software development services, an extremely large company and we use about 400 people, is just know trying to piece together getting hardware/infrastructure together so they can allow their employees to work from home. South America for the most part is a disaster which is unfortunate because some countries have skill levels and work process more like the US than India has.

 

[Gunga_Galunga]

My daughter had a virtual music lesson today. Think you can make that work to some extent moving forward. Tomorrow is a virtual gymnastics class... LOL, not sure about that one.

I notice my kids are spending a lot more time doing video calls with their friends. I actually like this trend instead of texting.

We are trying to do more "family" things.

I wonder if people will go out to eat less when this is all over. Maybe they hone some cooking skills and are less likely to go out.

People will keep a nice supply of TP, Clorox Wipes, and hand sanitizer in the house!

 

[Las Panteras]

I'm guessing you can kiss the eat n park all u can eat salad bar goodbye.

 

[KennyTheKangaroo]

I will be very curious to see if anyone does anything to mitigate the problems with the 10% of americans with diabetes or the 640,000 americans that die from heart disease

or we can worry about adding more hospital beds for the next 100 year pandemic

 

[Chem95]

Interesting subject.
1) I wonder if more people will use the shop from home model for groceries. I imagine that is what more people are using these days, especially in urban areas. I also wonder if this could be the final nail in the coffin (forgive my allegory) for a lot of brick and mortar retail. I can see what is left of the malls being the last place most people will want to go.
2) In the short term, I think that this might be the summer to take in National Parks. With gas prices coming down, I wonder if more people will head for the wide open spaces of National Parks and such instead of the packed and pricey theme parks.
3) I bet that it is years before the cruise industry comes back. Gonna take a lot of steep discounts to bring (mostly older) customers back.
4) I agree about the work from home but I also think that a lot of companies will rethink sending personnel to travel. A lot more 'face time' meetings and less in person smoozing. As far as the claim that the poor will be most affected. I agree to some degree due to health care costs and access but I think that this is an equal opportunity pandemic. A lot of the initial spread was due to traveling...airports, ships. Senators, Prime Ministers wives, athletes, actors, caught this and while most, if not all, will have just minor issues, I think that this might put a scare (for a few years anyway) in the wealthy

 

[Zeldas Open Roof]

I'm guessing you can kiss the eat n park all u can eat salad bar goodbye.

Probably a good thing.

 

[recruitsreadtheseboards]

 

[HopeandChangeforAntoons]

I don't think sports will be minimized, but colleges will realize that it is important to maintain some physical distance between vital research facilities and sports venues, and the trend will be to move the latter off campus as a precaution.

 

[jtownknowitall]

Interesting subject.

2) In the short term, I think that this might be the summer to take in National Parks. With gas prices coming down, I wonder if more people will head for the wide open spaces of National Parks and such instead of the packed and pricey theme parks.

Madison County VA has already had to shut down access roads to the more popular hiking trails of Shenandoah National Park due to congestion and overcrowding last weekend.

 

[9nationalchampionships]

One thing that will be changed forever is the slop curve for financial markets. We are way too vulnerable in things we take for granted.

 

[Gunga_Galunga]

I will be very curious to see if anyone does anything to mitigate the problems with the 10% of americans with diabetes or the 640,000 americans that die from heart disease

or we can worry about adding more hospital beds for the next 100 year pandemic

Right, the $600+ billion spent yearly on them in the US would be better spent on duck taping mouths shut.

You're comparing 2 diseases that are mainly self inflicted vs. a rapid spreading virus.

 

[Jeffburgh]

Hopefully schools are more capable to handle online learning. No more need to cancel school for a snow day anymore. Should have had plans in place years ago at the state level and not left it to the individual districts, some of which are far behind in that regard. I could see some district consolidation coming out of this as some of the smaller districts realize they are just not capable.

I like the idea of online learning at a higher level for electives, AP, etc...

Hopefully businesses have the bandwidth so that ALL employees can work from home during regular hours. A lot of businesses, mine included, were woefully unprepared.

I think working from home becomes even more prevalent and flexible for many.

I also think this crisis shows why everyone needs health care coverage options that are affordable and not tied to employment. Too many people losing their jobs and their healthcare when they need it most.

I think better biometric screenings for those coming from other countries is inevitable.

I do think the reliance on Chinese manufacturing diminishes somewhat, though I'm not sure if Americans are willing to swallow the corresponding price hike.

In Pennsylvania they passed "flexible learning" for schools to use ostensibly for snow days, but schools need to have applied for it, which includes of course coming up with how they are going to do it.

HOWEVER, by law schools are greatly handcuffed by equitability standards. Basically if a school district has even one student who does not have internet access, they can't provide any education that actually would be graded or required, so right now all our public schools can do is offer Enrichment and Review.

Either way, while we are headed to blended learning the fact is the greater amount of distance learning the lesser quality of instruction and actual education.

Pa's cyber charter schools are by and large markedly substandard to brick and mortor public schools and generally the whole "school choice" thing has been a failure and tragic waste of tax payer dollars.

 

[Jeffburgh]

We are not going to be less reliant on China. The decision makers in this country have the memories of fruit flies. Major companies will bounce back, "reinvest" market gains right into shareholders pockets while using cheap Asian labor, and will get bailed out again in 10-15 years when the economy slows again. *Maybe* hospitals will build more rooms to prepare in case something like this happens again, but that might be a shortlived project too. No lessons will be learned. People, mostly poor people, will die, many more, mostly poor, will lose their homes and jobs. The wealthy and powerful will earn all their losses back and more within 2-3 years and forget any of this shit ever happened. This is America.

Winner - this will be a boon for big business, which has the resources to weather it and then swoop in to take up whatever is left available from small businesses that go under.

 

[Dan1911]

For a short time, preppers will be seen as more normal, then people will go back to being a few shopping trips away from starving.

 

[Slick Manager of Champs]

I'm guessing you can kiss the eat n park all u can eat salad bar goodbye.

I was thinking about that. One of my guilty pleasures are buffets/self-service. And there were a lot of them. The olive bar at Giant Eagle. The Buffet at Rivers Casino. Self service pastries at Sheetz. Indian buffets in Oakland. Unfortunately you are right, I think we can kiss them all goodbye for the foreseeable future.

 

[Las Panteras]

If the future includes less classrooms on campus, and more at home online,

Then certainly this clears the way for demolition of buildings to finally construct SeanMillerFan memorial stadium.