If it wasn’t real for you yet

JohnInCarolina

thetrim said:

Ok, the $20/month is a half a bottle of some really good bourbon.  How's that, @lousubcap?

DoubleEgger

We go from apocalyptic doom to a cost/benefit analysis of Sirius Radio versus Busch Light.... This place is great! 

Foghorn

DoubleEgger said:

We go from apocalyptic doom to a cost/benefit analysis of Sirius Radio versus Busch Light.... This place is great! 

Yeah, I feel a little sorry for anybody who is sheltering in place without a support group like all of you knuckleheads. 

YukonRon

thetrim said:

Ok, the $20/month is a half a bottle of some really good bourbon.  How's that, @lousubcap?

1 year = 3 bottles of IW Harper 15 year Old. Worthy trade.

bucky925

thetrim said:

I'm been a big fan of Sirius Radio forever but just cancelled when I got a new car .  Don't miss it as much as I thought, and $20/month is a case and a half of Busch Lite.

I pay $7 a month.  Just keep telling them to cancel until they drop the price.  I do it every year.  

Botch

Foghorn said:

DoubleEgger said:

We go from apocalyptic doom to a cost/benefit analysis of Sirius Radio versus Busch Light.... This place is great! 

Yeah, I feel a little sorry for anybody who is sheltering in place without a support group like all of you knuckleheads. 

I was thinking about this too, how much different this whole incident would be without the 'net.  

JohnInCarolina

http://twitter.com/WKBN/status/1241718409454215169?s=20

GregW

Botch said:

@GregW :  Once you cancelled Prime, did your Echo devices still respond to requests like:
"Alexa, set alarm for 5 am tomorrow"
"Alexa, set timer for 7 minutes"
"Alexa, play News"
?
I'd cancel too, if the Echo devices still worked with the above commands.  Let me know, thanks!  

I have confirmed the timer/alarm/news functions all still work without Prime.

GATraveller

JohnInCarolina said:

http://twitter.com/WKBN/status/1241718409454215169?s=20

I probably shouldn't "like" this but I kinda do. 

FarmingPhD

JohnInCarolina said:

http://twitter.com/WKBN/status/1241718409454215169?s=20

We all knew it was coming.  Our spring break was this week, we now have one confirmed case in our county.  A lot more to likely come in the next few weeks as probably half the student population is going to return even though we are online classes for the remainder of the semester.  No question it’s coming with them when they return.

Botch

GregW said:

Botch said:

@GregW :  Once you cancelled Prime, did your Echo devices still respond to requests like:
"Alexa, set alarm for 5 am tomorrow"
"Alexa, set timer for 7 minutes"
"Alexa, play News"
?
I'd cancel too, if the Echo devices still worked with the above commands.  Let me know, thanks!  

I have confirmed the timer/alarm/news functions all still work without Prime.

Excellent, thanks for reporting back.  
I'm betting however, that while I could play any CD I've purchased from Amazon, I probably can not access any of the channels from "Prime Video".  May have to dig further into that...

alaskanassasin

Stay home order from mike dewine. 

Botch

I hate to even bring this up, but an interview with Gov Cuomo of NY just now has my blood boiling, and explains why trump has not "nationalized" industry for medical supplies.  Those masks that everyone is clamoring for, used to cost $0.89 apiece, they are now going for over $7 apiece (to the highest bidder) and the WH has directed, repeatedly, that the states need to acquire their own supplies and not depend on the fed.   Once again, a good example of for-profit vs single-payer health care.  Hope everyone's happy.
 
And since I'll be banninated tomorrow anyway, a blurb from Robert Reich, economist and former Secretary of Labor (pub. yesterday) on the aid package to be voted on first thing tomorrow morning:
 

Over the past decade, United Airlines spent a whopping 77 percent of its free cash flow — over $11 billion — on stock buybacks to boost executive pay and increase share prices. When the airline received a massive $192 million windfall from Trump’s tax cut, it used almost all of it to buy back its shares — none of that money went to United employees. United is also part of a four-carrier oligopoly that has jacked up prices on popular routes and slashed service quality (remember having leg room and free bag checks?). United has collateral, like jets and landing slots, with substantial value when this crisis passes, so it can get very low interest loans to tide it over for now.

And yet, United and the other airlines are asking for a $58 billion taxpayer-funded bailout. United is taking it one step further, however, and issuing threats if it doesn’t get its windfall of taxpayer money: CEO Oscar Munoz wrote on Friday that “if Congress doesn’t act on sufficient government support by the end of March, our company will begin to…reduce our payroll in line with the 60% schedule reduction we announced for April.” That’s right: after years of bending the rules and enriching itself at the expense of consumers, United is now threatening to fire workers if it doesn’t get its way. Despicable.

What do you think?

Eoin

Botch said:

I hate to even bring this up, but an interview with Gov Cuomo of NY just now has my blood boiling, and explains why trump has not "nationalized" industry for medical supplies.  Those masks that everyone is clamoring for, used to cost $0.89 apiece, they are now going for over $7 apiece (to the highest bidder) and the WH has directed, repeatedly, that the states need to acquire their own supplies and not depend on the fed.   Once again, a good example of for-profit vs single-payer health care.  Hope everyone's happy.
 
And since I'll be banninated tomorrow anyway, a blurb from Robert Reich, economist and former Secretary of Labor (pub. yesterday) on the aid package to be voted on first thing tomorrow morning:
 

Over the past decade, United Airlines spent a whopping 77 percent of its free cash flow — over $11 billion — on stock buybacks to boost executive pay and increase share prices. When the airline received a massive $192 million windfall from Trump’s tax cut, it used almost all of it to buy back its shares — none of that money went to United employees. United is also part of a four-carrier oligopoly that has jacked up prices on popular routes and slashed service quality (remember having leg room and free bag checks?). United has collateral, like jets and landing slots, with substantial value when this crisis passes, so it can get very low interest loans to tide it over for now.

And yet, United and the other airlines are asking for a $58 billion taxpayer-funded bailout. United is taking it one step further, however, and issuing threats if it doesn’t get its windfall of taxpayer money: CEO Oscar Munoz wrote on Friday that “if Congress doesn’t act on sufficient government support by the end of March, our company will begin to…reduce our payroll in line with the 60% schedule reduction we announced for April.” That’s right: after years of bending the rules and enriching itself at the expense of consumers, United is now threatening to fire workers if it doesn’t get its way. Despicable.

What do you think?

It would be a shame if you got baninated for stating the obvious - that your president puts big business ahead of the American people.

JohnInCarolina

Botch said:

I hate to even bring this up, but an interview with Gov Cuomo of NY just now has my blood boiling, and explains why trump has not "nationalized" industry for medical supplies.  Those masks that everyone is clamoring for, used to cost $0.89 apiece, they are now going for over $7 apiece (to the highest bidder) and the WH has directed, repeatedly, that the states need to acquire their own supplies and not depend on the fed.   Once again, a good example of for-profit vs single-payer health care.  Hope everyone's happy.
 
And since I'll be banninated tomorrow anyway, a blurb from Robert Reich, economist and former Secretary of Labor (pub. yesterday) on the aid package to be voted on first thing tomorrow morning:
 

Over the past decade, United Airlines spent a whopping 77 percent of its free cash flow — over $11 billion — on stock buybacks to boost executive pay and increase share prices. When the airline received a massive $192 million windfall from Trump’s tax cut, it used almost all of it to buy back its shares — none of that money went to United employees. United is also part of a four-carrier oligopoly that has jacked up prices on popular routes and slashed service quality (remember having leg room and free bag checks?). United has collateral, like jets and landing slots, with substantial value when this crisis passes, so it can get very low interest loans to tide it over for now.

And yet, United and the other airlines are asking for a $58 billion taxpayer-funded bailout. United is taking it one step further, however, and issuing threats if it doesn’t get its windfall of taxpayer money: CEO Oscar Munoz wrote on Friday that “if Congress doesn’t act on sufficient government support by the end of March, our company will begin to…reduce our payroll in line with the 60% schedule reduction we announced for April.” That’s right: after years of bending the rules and enriching itself at the expense of consumers, United is now threatening to fire workers if it doesn’t get its way. Despicable.

What do you think?

How does having states bid against one another at a time like this make any sense at all?

NorthPilot06

The price gouging is criminal, it really is. 

Tough discussion on the airline industry.  The reality is that a significant portion of each airline’s assets are either collateralized or under sale-leaseback arrangements. And the lending market has dried up significantly - you can still find money out there, and the airlines are, but there is a hefty price tag associated with it. 

I don’t think many Americans are happy at the airlines for the stock buybacks (what a poor ROI too), but the hundreds of thousands of employees need help for their jobs, and the US needs a transportation infrastructure outside of ground transport. 

Legume

Is it halftime in America yet?

dmchicago

Legume said:

Is it halftime in America yet?

I dunno. But under "normal" conditions, when I wake up each morning there's about a 5 to 10 second period of time before the reality of the day set's in. Work stuff, aches, pains, etc.

Now that lasts about 2 seconds and dwindling.

Botch

NorthPilot06 said:
And the lending market has dried up significantly - you can still find money out there, and the airlines are, but there is a hefty price tag associated with it. 

Um, didn't the Federal Reserve lower the Prime Lending Rate to near-zero, just a couple weeks ago?    The airlines should be able to borrow whatever they need.
Of course, anything borrowed would have to be paid back; taxpayer funds would not.  

JonWesson

dic-connell and friends just in big rush to start shovlling money out of helicopter into the deep pockets.       with no concern for small pockets or no pockets.    why should be so is mysterious.

JonWesson

gm get lots fed money after lot discussion and pay it all back too.

JohnInCarolina

Can anyone explain to me why we’re seriously looking at bailing out cruise liners?  How does that make a lick of sense?

JonWesson

those cruz things even usa companies.       nope are not.        ship all fly foreign flags.

JonWesson

unless usa cruz do foreign flag so no usa tax.       then hold out hand for you and me money paid to uncle Sam.

Eoin

I wonder if any Trump resorts will get some bailout money.

JonWesson

trump resorts been having welfare money over three years now.       brave scotsland been doing investigates.

lousubcap

Well, someone has got the big picture about managing the situation:
"To combat the spread of the novel coronavirus across Kentucky, Gov. Andy Beshear has ordered all nonessential retail businesses to close to in-person traffic by 8 p.m. Monday.

The businesses that Beshear said are exempt of this order include: grocery stores, pharmacies, drug stores, auto repair and auto parts stores, liquor stores (emphasis added), banks, veterinarians and gas stations.

Now to keep the supply chain supporting as I see a major run coming.  

Botch

Just now I got a farcebook request to sign a petition; a couple in Syracuse UT have been stockpiling sanitizers for resale, and they were named.  The petition asks for a lifetime ban for them from Costco:
https://www.change.org/p/costco-wholesale-lifetime-ban-from-costco-for-manny-ranga-and-violetta-perez?recruiter=301448633&utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=facebook&utm_campaign=psf_combo_share_abi&utm_term=psf_combo_share_initial&recruited_by_id=63a7bd90-fee9-11e4-a200-6d087e3b85cc&utm_content=fht-20845701-en-ca%3Av10
 

 
Their address wasn't given.  Yet.  And there are a lot of AR-15 owners, just in utard.  
 
To paraphrase JiC's title of this thread; sh*t's about to get REAL, folks...   

Legume

https://youtu.be/lKVSsrN-FNE

1voyager

JonWesson said:

those cruz things even usa companies.       nope are not.        ship all fly foreign flags.

Although most cruise ships owned by American-based corporations are of foreign registry, that doesn't mean the cruise lines don't pay taxes. They pay taxes in different ways, such as port fees, customs assessments, security inspections, VAT taxes, immigration and naturalization costs, government security services, tolls and other third party "fees". Fee = tax. That's just for operating the ships. Cruise lines also pay for cost of doing business taxes of all kinds. Those taxes just aren't called "income tax". A similar structure applies to cargo ships.

Like it or not, that's part of the US tax code.