Tag Archives: covid 19

Music, My Stories, Stupidity

The Trolley Dilemma

This whole mask argument reminds me of the trolley dilemma.

There is a runaway train, coming down the tracks towards five workers who cannot hear it coming and if they do spot it, it will be too late to save themselves. But as disaster is coming close, you realise that you can choose to divert the train from the main track by pulling the lever. You will save five people on the track, but you will also kill the lone worker on the other track.

Killing one to save five.

An alternative variation, is that two people are standing on a bridge above the train tracks. And you see the large man standing next to you. You are thinking that his size would be able to stop the runaway train. So would you push him off the bridge, killing one to save the five further down the track.

In the alternate version you are actually responsible for the death by pushing the person and in the original dilemma, you are responsible for diverting the train towards that person.

So Dee Snider is asking one of his detractors, a person called “HairMetalGuru”, who has an issue wearing a mask because it encroaches on his freedom, which the dude doesn’t really know, is already restricted.

The Government has laws to spy on you and gather data on you. The banks are allowed to get a credit history on you, and decide to give you credit. And if you don’t repay it, well, they have the right to close in on you and bankrupt you or foreclose on you.

Then there laws that further restrict your freedom from the utility companies, which they use to suspend your services if you don’t pay on time. Plus all of the laws around how fast you can drive, how much you can drink before you can drive, how old you can be to actually drink and how old you can be to actually drive. I guess living in a free country means giving up freedoms to be secure.

Anyway this is Dee’s post;

On the outside chance that by you wearing a mask might prevent another human being from getting sick or dying, you can’t find it in your heart to compromise your freedom and put one on. Personally I can’t deal with that thought. Just askin’.

To me it feels like the trolley dilemma. Wear a mask so you don’t infect people but you might infect yourself if you don’t handle it properly.

What’s your view?

And the same arguments on masks are held everywhere. It’s like a worldwide echo chamber.

The main one against wearing masks which gets traction is that you can get sick by bringing the virus home with you on the mask if you don’t dispose of it.

So that means single use masks should be used.

But most of the masks that people are wearing are reusable masks, which means, people are wearing them, then putting them in their pocket or their bag and then wearing them again and then putting them in their pocket or their bag and then washing them.

The arguments of people that they will not wear a mask because it restricts their freedom is BS. In order to be secure, we all give up freedoms.

If you don’t believe me, don’t go home tonight to your fixed address. Use your imaginative freedom, to go and make your bed where you want tonight. A U.S citizen did that in a parking lot of a fast food joint and got shot by police because of it.

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My Stories

COVID-19 – Day 10

Australia had their biggest rise in COVID-19 cases yesterday.

On March 12, we had zero new cases in Australia. Before that date we had small cases from travellers coming home.

And then it started.

Between March 13 and March 18, we started getting between 50-100 new cases. Then from March 19 to March 21, we started getting cases between 100-150 new cases. And then our big one yesterday, over 250 new cases.

This increase, was expected because on Friday, we had a hot day on the east coast of Australia and the “invincible” Aussies all congregated to the beaches with no social distancing in place.

And the pubs and nightclubs kept operating with no social distancing in place over the weekend.

And a cruise ship docked in Sydney, with people who tested positive for COVID-19 and everyone was allowed off, to catch trains, buses and interstate planes home.

As the cases kept increasing, the government constantly made announcements about stimulus packages and bailouts to corporations, like the airlines.

More like panic announcements.

And in the recent update from our government last night, the PM said the most important tool in our fight against the virus is social distancing. So pubs, clubs and casinos are all closed now.

But schools remain open however parents are allowed to keep their kids home. And State Premiers are saying to keep your kids at home.

Very confusing.

Because no one knows what is happening.

We are in uncharted waters, without a compass, and people are making decisions based on what history has taught us.

And for some reason the lyrics to “Sailing Ships” from Whitesnake come to mind.

About how the wind was with us when we left on the morning tide and we set our sails for an island in the sun. But on the horizon, dark clouds are up ahead, for the storm has just begun.

And the storm has just begun.

As a parent, I go with what I read.

I will read the government circulars, I will read what academics say and scientists say and doctors on the front line say. And I will analyze all of the information and make decisions based on that.

Because we are all strangers right now living in a strange world.

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Music, My Stories

COVID-19 Saga

COVID-19 is not of this lifetime. It’s like a comeback world tour that keeps hitting cities and countries, but this one will change a lot of things, after it ends.

For me, all football activities in the state are suspended up until the 14th April. Which is the school holidays and the kids don’t play during the break so in reality, these activities are suspended up until 1 May.

I’m also working from home for the next two weeks so the people in the office can spread out and practice social distancing.

And we’ve all received emails in our inboxes from the businesses we’ve subscribed to telling us what they are doing to contain the virus. Like those poor cinema complexes who kept complaining about streaming services and lobbied hard to have streaming services banned from the Oscars.

And if you follow entertainment news, you’ve probably read how Universal will put their latest release movies on a pay-per-view while they’re still in theatres. And Universal was very vocal against Netflix. You don’t hear Netflix having issues with COVID-19.

Funny how the need to make money removes the imaginary barriers the movie studios always put in place. Because when there are hardly no cinemas open to show movies, and people are thinking of their lives and health first, movies at cinemas become forgotten. But movies on streaming services don’t become forgotten.

Maybe virtual concerts is the way to go but loud distorted music never really translated well on the small computer speakers.

And you can’t make money from these concerts but you can indulge your fans, who will find ways to support you.

Either way it’s unprecedented and we wait each day for what comes next.

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A to Z of Making It, Music, My Stories

Interesting Times

Interesting times we are living through. We have gotten so used to everything just happening. Flick on a switch and the light comes on instantly. It doesn’t matter where you go, you are connected to the internet and to all of the good and bad things that comes with it. Book a holiday and it happens.

But now, everything is getting cancelled or postponed.

Machine Head just cancelled their European tour, so did Sons Of Apollo a week earlier. Festivals are cancelled. NBA cancelled its season, football leagues in Europe and the US have either suspended their leagues or cancelled their leagues or are having matches/events go ahead behind closed doors.

Goes to show how much dollars the TV rights are.

In Australia, the Formula 1 Grand Prix was on with an audience, then it was on with no audience and now it is off, when McLaren pulled out because they had members in their team with Coronavirus.

Holidays have been cancelled, my Euro trip in April has been postponed to sometime in September, whatever that means and countries have shut down people movements and from all of this, there is no toilet paper in Australia but plenty of alcohol to buy.

And this will be a hard time for artists who make their coin on the road and the crew that also rely on these tours to make coin.

Brian Slagel posted on Twitter how fans should purchase something from the artist, like buying music or merchandise. It’s a nice suggestion, but then again Slagel is in the business of selling recorded music, while the world has gravitated to streaming, which based on the streams that rock artists get, it doesn’t pay enough to be split between band members, management, legal and labels.

But, the people who buy, have already purchased something. The people who stream, will continue to stream, regardless of the pleas. It’s just the way it is of the interesting times we are living in.

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