Looks like I have a couple of weeks to work on the stash.

[ScottsGT]

8 hours ago, Drifter said:

Close friend is a workers comp lawyer.  He’s winding down his career and retiring in 18 months so he’s not taking any new cases, but he told me the WC legal community is drooling over potential cases from businesses not taking precautions.  

[Sir Desmond Glazebrook]

Here in Sydney essential services can remain open, bars, restaurants etc will have to deliver or take out.

The Australian Govt has begun $1100.00 fortnightly payments to citizens. One simply has to register. No waiting. This is a great thing.

(They are probably doing it following the Prime Minister's pooping his pants in a McDonalds scandal. 

Pooped his pants. Classic! )

[Drifter]

What????  $1100 every two weeks. Damn

[Sir Desmond Glazebrook]

1 hour ago, Drifter said:

What????  $1100 every two weeks. Damn

Yeah mate. It makes sense. This is the only way to keep the country working. Rent may be affected as well. The current conservative party seems to be following the idea first shown when the GFC hit. The blue collar party back then gave every citizen $1000.00 to spend in the retail market. This saved Australia, which wasn't affected.

 

[ScottsGT]

Now they’re talking about June/July before returning.  
Oh Lawd, my stash is enjoying this!  
 

But on the other hand, wife is pissed that I’m playing retirement (while she still works) and not being her house keeper.   I guess today I’ll spend more time cleaning and dusting and less time building.  

[Martinnfb]

[Wumm]

On 3/23/2020 at 12:53 PM, Sir Desmond Glazebrook said:

The Australian Govt has begun $1100.00 fortnightly payments to citizens. One simply has to register. No waiting. This is a great thing.

I should clarify...

The new fortnightly $550 Covid 19 supplement, when added to the maximum $565 per fortnight unemployment benefit for Australian Citizens brings it to around $1100 per fortnight. They are not simply giving everyone a grand a week. This is mainly for people who lose their jobs or business because of this thing.

There will be a $750 supplemental payment available soon to Disability and Aged Pension Australians. However it is still unclear if the threshold for a Partner's earnings is to be adjusted. They are doing this for the next 6 months, that's how long the Australian Government expects this to be ongoing.

For now, at least.

[Sir Desmond Glazebrook]

Hi mate. I said fortnightly, not weekly. 

[ScottsGT]

Congress just passed our relief bill, but there was a major snafu in it.  Those already on unemployment without jobs are also getting the stimulus help to cover them out of jobs.  Those unemployment payments come from the states, so Congress has asked the governors to try and straighten this mess out.  

Wife is a CRNA, so our income is above the assistance level. But she has lots of friends that she works with that are losing their jobs during this pandemic.  They are already stretched thin and living paycheck to paycheck and will not get assistance.  It amazes me so many financially well folks are not financially well off.   Over the years we have heard stories of one couple that probably makes a combined income of close to $400K per year.  They are constantly changing homes to something bigger, trade cars more often than I change my underwear, actually dumb enough to co-sign on student loans to their daughter that has changed majors 4 or 5 times and is now on the hook for $500K+ in student loans.  My head spins hearing about these bad decisions they are constantly making.  

If there is one silver lining to this pandemic, I hope it wakes up the world and educates or opens the eyes of people living way beyond their means to reel it in.   One of our local watering holes is staying open for take out.  The one waitress is still working for processing orders and getting them ready.  I walked in last Thursday, picked up my to-go order and left a $10 tip.   I won’t miss that $10, but for her it might make the difference of paying her power bill. And I usually never tip for a take out.  Just when they actually serve us at a table.  

[Jeff]

3 hours ago, Wumm said:

I should clarify...

The new fortnightly $550 Covid 19 supplement, when added to the maximum $565 per fortnight unemployment benefit for Australian Citizens brings it to around $1100 per fortnight. They are not simply giving everyone a grand a week. This is mainly for people who lose their jobs or business because of this thing.

There will be a $750 supplemental payment available soon to Disability and Aged Pension Australians. However it is still unclear if the threshold for a Partner's earnings is to be adjusted. They are doing this for the next 6 months, that's how long the Australian Government expects this to be ongoing.

For now, at least.

WOW $750 for Pensioners.......................................... here in Canada, we Pensioners get NOTHING, our guy hasn't even mentioned us, BUT if you are an Elicit drug dealer, NO Problem, they will Import Prescription drugs for their FREE use, give them a nice place to use them AND meals and shelters,all because it is a matter of life and death,  I on the other hand who did my 38 years, get nothing, I still have to PAY for my heart drugs, which I might add is a matter of life and death for ME....................  hhmmmmm, I guess I'm in the 'gray' area?

[smitty44]

Just saw new cases reduced for the second straight day down under. If so , that is fantastic news!!

[Wumm]

Yes Smitty, our curve is trending downwards...

16 deaths now, almost half of these former Cruise Ship passengers, the youngest 68 years old. The Virus is definitely behaving differently in the Southern Hemisphere, possibly because it's still warm weather here. Brasil is like us, at only .06 deaths per million of population. They have gone harder on the Social Distance rules here overnight, but not as drastic as New Zealand who went very strict early on. We shall see if they get a rebound once they come out of quarantine.

S

[[CAT]CplSlade]

Flu viruses don't like heat; the Southern Hemisphere will handle this better than the Northern. Also, the virus started hitting the U.S. after February, which was the peak flu month. China has big issues with social distancing--people get too close and they spit everywhere. Italy has a culture that keeps generations of families living together and public displays of affection such as kissing relatives on the lips. These are habits that have made things worse for some countries. More than half of Italy's deaths have been people with three or more pre-existing breathing impairments; less than 1% have had no impairment when they contracted coronavirus. Declines are started to be reported for areas that have really held to social distancing.

We will beat this. There will be some loss but we will beat this.

[ScottsGT]

Doing my part today! 

[Martinnfb]

ha ha ha priceless

[Wumm]

10 hours ago, Sir Desmond Glazebrook said:

Hi mate. I said fortnightly, not weekly. 

Yes I know Dale... 

But the way you wrote it, it seemed as if all Australian citizens are being given $1,100 per fortnight by the government. And that's not the case.

A couple who are both unemployed, and share a rented house, are now eligible for $1180 per week including rent assistance. However, if my Wife loses her job ( as looks increasingly likely to happen unfortunately), we're not entitled to claim one red cent because I earn above the current income threshold for couples. But I can assure you, it's a lot less than $61,000-odd the unemployed couple are entitled to. 

S

[Sir Desmond Glazebrook]

Good luck mate. 

[smitty44]

"couple months"

[ScottsGT]

Now we’re hearing August return.  So today I got some Gull Gray applied! 
 

 

[smitty44]

13 minutes ago, ScottsGT said:

Now we’re hearing August return.  So today I got some Gull Gray applied! 
 

 

Which one are you doing?

[ScottsGT]

This is the AD-5W guppy.  

[Sir Desmond Glazebrook]

I am nearly through Peter Fey's Bloody Sixteen, the US Oriskany and air wing 16 during the Vietnam war. Those Spad pilots were very professional dedicated and brave. Until reading this book I was unaware a Spad shot down a MiG 17. I had incorrectly thought only a Sea Fury had done this. And that wss a MiG 15, not a 17.

Oh and I read of the account when that American politician who was running for President, McCain got shot down. He was diving to attack ground targets when his Scooter lost it's starboard wing to ground fire. The poor guy ejected and landed with a broken leg into water close to shore, only to then be dragged back to shore and beaten with clubs by locals until a North Vietnamese soldier arrived. He had only been with the Oriskany for a couple of weeks. 6 years in prison camp.

Excellent book. I listened while modelling over 2 days. 1 chapter to go. Highly recommended. 

[Sir Desmond Glazebrook]

Double post.

I completed that excellent book.

Now listening to Life's too short to cry, by Tim Vigors DFC. 

This book begins with him in a Brewster Buffalo battling Ki-27's, he got two and then his Buffalo burst into flames and bailed out. No less than two Ki-27's began making repeated firing passes at him in his parachute. He kept pulling the cords to collapse his 'chute to avoid them but was hit in his thigh. 

Then we are taken back to his childhood. Currently he is flying Spitfires during the Battle of Britain. 

Quite a tale.