Your Money

While government leaders at all levels take to the mic to keep us updated, it seems more and more that private industry is providing the action needed to help see the world through this crisis. The ultimate goal for them, I'm sure, is to get safely back to "business as usual" ... or at least something close to it.

There seem to be four major categories of ways companies are helping:

1. Donate money to charitable or government organizations who can use it better to address where it's needed most (e.g., Apple, Cisco, Armani)
2. Donate products to essential workers (e.g., Airbnb, L'Oreal, Johnson & Johnson)
3. Increase production of essential equipment (e.g., 3M, Abbott Labs, Medtronic)
4. Change production to produce a whole new line of essential equipment (e.g., Brooks Brothers, Ford, Bauer Hockey, Absolute Vodka)

As the parent company of Absolute Vodka and Jameson Whiskey put it, they don't expect to make a profit on converting distilleries to produce hand sanitizer instead of booze, but it keeps their employees working and, perhaps even more important, a purpose which increases morale.

Companies change to combat COVID-19
by Hannah Lang

Your Life

The isolation caused by COVID-19 has another outcome.  Nature is blooming without as much interference by mankind.  From traffic emissions to industrial pollution to other issues related to population density, our environment is seeing positive changes.
 
For centuries, humans have pushed wildlife into smaller and smaller corners of the planet. But now, with billions in isolation and city streets emptied, nature is pushing back. Wild boar have descended onto the streets of Barcelona. Mountain goats are roaming and have overtaken a town in Wales to munch on bushes and windowsill flowers. Whales are chugging into Mediterranean shipping lanes. Endangered sea turtle babies are finally getting a real chance to make it.  For years, only one or two per thousand sea turtles hatched would reach adulthood due to human impact.

Also, stop and listen.  Did you notice that the birds sing louder?  They seem louder because there is less man-made noise and people are quieter.  Birds and other animals can more clearly communicate to one another because they don’t have to compete with all the man-made noises.

COVID-19 will change how we conduct life in the future.  Perhaps part of those changes will include more compassion, understanding, and sensitivity to the needs of our environment.  Conservationists say the pandemic could be an opportunity to push for more environmental protections and create a safer world for animals.

Wild animals take back what was once theirs
by Terrence McCoy

With humand indoors, animals go wild
by Lisa Winter

Will COVID-19 have a lasting impact on the environment?
by Martha Henriques

Complexity Simplified

With states taking steps to reopen for business, get ready for changes and get ready to wear a mask.  It’s not that taxing and it's a small price to pay to get out of the house, put folks back to work, and restart the economy.
Keep in mind, it’s not so much about protecting yourself but saving others—particularly those with compromised immune systems that look like everyone else.
Did you know that without a mask, cough particles can travel up to 6 feet in 5 seconds and 9 feet in 10 seconds?  It can linger in the air and keep moving to another 3 feet (now 12 feet total) in 30-40 seconds.
And a sneeze could travel over 25 feet at over 100 mph!

Eww ...
How far can a cough travel?
A sneeze in photos

Trivia