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Ask HN: How are you preparing for COVID-19 disruptions?

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Re: Ask HN: How are you preparing for COVID-19 disruptions?

#501

Post by Fnoord »

matt-attack wrote: post #451
liamcardenas wrote: post #310

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This makes no sense. Why would the body prefer to break down a functional store of energy when has access to a non-functional one?

Pretty sure that’s exactly the purpose (evolutionarily speaking) of fat. It’s an intermittent store of energy to fill in the gaps between the sporadic meals we evolved eating. It just makes so much sense that when food is plentiful (peak season) you want to be able to pack on the fat in order to get you through the cold season when food is scarce.

It also makes sense that we eat more heavy, carb-wise, in the winter and lighter foods in the summer, with spring and autumn being the transitional periods. Its to sustain our body fat, or move it into the direction of the next season. A lot of body in the summer makes it hotter (undesired; already hot), not much body fat in the winter makes it colder (undesired; already cold).

And it isn't only that. Squirrels even harvest so they got food in winter. We've also learned to maintain foods, such as sushi with rice, or with salt or acid so it wouldn't go rancid. Plus, like I said, there's "winter vegetables" which are high on carbs, low on water.

Re: Ask HN: How are you preparing for COVID-19 disruptions?

#502

Post by Fnoord »

Someone1234 wrote: post #2

I'm not. There's no meaningful preparations for avoiding what is essentially a really dangerous variant of the common cold at an individual level. Now governments and the medical field should be preparing for it. But most of that is logistical problems (e.g. number of hospital beds, preparing quarantine plans, test kits, etc). You can order a bunch of masks if it makes you feel better, but countries with common mask…

Me neither, I trust my government will if its required. Could burn some 10 kg and still be OK on weight. More concerned about rest of family.

Re: Ask HN: How are you preparing for COVID-19 disruptions?

#503

Post by blaser-waffle »

heavyset_go wrote: post #287
kaffeemitsahne wrote: post #255

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Which one, muscle or fat burning?

Breakdown of muscle tissue releases proteins that are damaging to the kidneys. It's called rhabdomyolysis. Excessive exertion, infections and starvation can cause it.

Rhabdo is no joke people. Drink your water, pace yourself when working out, an don't let any heavy objects fall on you.

Re: Ask HN: How are you preparing for COVID-19 disruptions?

#504

Post by honestoHeminway »

remarkEon wrote: post #414
craftinator wrote: post #396

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As a Marine who has gone through many, many building and leaning cycles, I call BS on this. When you drop that fat, you aren't actually losing muscular tissue (at least not much). I've gotten down to Olympian levels of body fat, 9-10%, and what you are losing besides the fat is water weight. Your muscles shrink because they hold in less blood; your body regulates this to keep blood pressure normalized with all the de…

Yeah, came here to say this (was in the Army). My experience is the same. When it started to happen you could actually smell it (smells like ammonia ... like cat urine, almost).

More like aceton? Gummi-bears

Re: Ask HN: How are you preparing for COVID-19 disruptions?

#505

Post by [deleted] »

jacquesm wrote: post #299
geophile wrote: post #3

Things are simpler for me than for many, since I am retired. - Planning purchases for hunkering down for a few weeks: Food, water, batteries, water purifier, battery-powered radio, hand-crank power generator for radio, etc. - Sold 50% of my stock holdings. - Putting a large amount cash in my checking account. - Getting a smaller amount of cash (paper) to have at home.

If it's in your checking account it isn't cash.

[deleted]

Re: Ask HN: How are you preparing for COVID-19 disruptions?

#506

Post by geophile »

ryan-allen wrote: post #439
geophile wrote: post #196

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You mean, why that much, or why not all of it? I was tempted to sell all of it, but decided to wait a while. I sold because I think the risk of further, large declines is greater than the likelihood of a continuing increase. (In 2008, as that crisis was developing, I also sold everything, and bought back once things returned to a new normal.)

I mean why exit 50% of your position rather than ride it out? I figured you might find cash more prudent.

About 1/3 of my estate is in the stock market. I sold 1/2 of that 1/3. I'm prepared to sell the rest. I may sell the remaining 1/2 in the coming days. Cash is more prudent in an emergency, and I'm prepared for that too.

I have the usual spectrum, ranging from more money in safer, long-term investments, to smaller amounts that are liquid. All I've done is to move things moderately toward the more-liquid end of the spectrum.

Re: Ask HN: How are you preparing for COVID-19 disruptions?

#507

Post by sagebird »

On the "don't stockpile" pleas:

I think it is fine to stockpile before the crisis hits. We are in the stage where that information will affect investment, how manufactures allocate resources, etc. Basically they will respond with an early stockpile signal by producing more. So when the crisis hits, the supply will be greater.

EG - I think we are still in a stage in US where stockpiling is adding more to the production signal than it is actively causing scarcity.

Stockpiling for the purposes of reselling when the demand spikes doesn't strike me as evil either... It seems like a reasonable market solution for distributing items.

Re: Ask HN: How are you preparing for COVID-19 disruptions?

#508

Post by megous »

gonational wrote: post #403
megous wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Question is about disruptions caused by people's reaction to the outbreak, not the virus itself. Stuff like this: https://www.ibtimes.sg/wuhan-virus-italy-supermarkets-are-ru... The freaking panic is already starting in my country too. People buying up food in 10x the quantities than the usual shopping visit, etc.. I've gone shopping yesterday, when the virus was found in the country next to mine, to buy enough food…

What country are you in, if you don’t mind me asking?

CZ

Re: Ask HN: How are you preparing for COVID-19 disruptions?

#509

Post by droithomme »

ragazzina wrote: post #470
Scipio_Afri wrote: post #454

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Regarding the bonds, that doesn’t seem true. The conditions for payout are: “ On the face of it, the class B bond should have incurred losses during the 2018 ebola crisis in the Democratic Republic of Congo and the recent coronavirus from Wuhan, China, as both have resulted in deaths north of 250 people, the primary condition for a payout.” “ But an important secondary condition states that there must be at least 20…

Iran is at 19, South Korea and Italy 13 and 12.

As of this hour, Iran's now at 26 deaths.

Re: Ask HN: How are you preparing for COVID-19 disruptions?

#510

Post by JoeAltmaier »

droithomme wrote: post #509
ragazzina wrote: post #470

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Iran is at 19, South Korea and Italy 13 and 12.

As of this hour, Iran's now at 26 deaths.

Curiously Iran's smoking rate is low - 1/3 of America's. I had thought that lung-compromised smokers were responsible for high mortality in some countries. Hm.
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