The Grippe

poor georgie's almanack:

The “Grippe” is another name for flu.

US President John Tyler has been called the Donald Trump of the 1840s, in part because of their shared views on immigration. Tyler was inciting Protestant attacks on Irish Catholics. Trump’s targets are different, but the language used is similar.

Tyler has the dubious honor of being the only US President for whom an epidemic is named.

He had been elevated from VP in 1841 when old “Tippecanoe” (President William Henry Harrison) died a month after his inauguration. He died from what became known as the “Tyler Grippe.”

Trump and Pence say the current flu is no-one’s fault. Certainly, they would gripe if it becomes known as the “Trump Tragedy” or the “Pence Pandemic.”

poor georgie’s almanack

Optimism is so passé.

Except in the left field bleachers at Washington Nationals baseball park at game 4 of the 2019 World Series. 

Sole Isolation

poor georgie’s almanack:

Shoeless on the 9th floor.

These are not times that try men’s soles.

At this rate my sole will live eternally.

Normal

poor georgie’s almanack:

There are many people in my country and yours who wake up in the morning and act totally normal.

The Black Death

poor georgie’s almanack:

When medics and care-givers are in isolation will we relive the 14th Century “Black Death” Plague? It spread from China to Europe, where it killed about half the population.

Origins of plague and virus pandemics differ, but not the results.

Flu Flew

poor georgie's almanack:
My family was deeply affected by the Spanish Flu virus (also known as H1N1 or Swine Flu) in 1918.  It was far from the biggest pandemic humans have experienced, yet about 50 million died worldwide from that form of influenza.  My mother was one of four sisters.  Their only brother died at age 13 of the flu.  Fifty years later the sisters still were in mourning.

People did not know what caused the flu but they were aware the virus could be carried by air. Variations of the following rhyme, a wordplay on "influenza," were repeated over and over while the girls were skipping rope in 1918.
"I had a little bird,
And its name was Enza.
I opened the window
And in-flew-enza."

Our Petri Dish Cruise

poor georgie’s almanack

Our adventure on a Petri Dish at sea is set to begin.    

poor georgie’s almanack

Our adventure on a Petri Dish at sea is set to begin. 

Friday, (tomorrow) we expect to board a cruise ship headed south for a few days.  IF we post updates, the ship will be identified as our huge floating USS Petri Dish.  

Finally we decided to cruise (in part because the money is not refundable at this time) and right now we are fully packed, loaded.

Then, earlier tonight, waiting at the elevator was the noted NOAA scientist living down the hall.  He reported having just cancelled his fall cruise. Hmmm.

Yet, we will not be deterred.  If our bobbing Petri Dish serves Corona beer we will take one for the team.

Meanwhile, the publicity photos released by the Coronavirus marketing Teams (before the name change) have given the virus vivid colors to make it look patriotic for many countries.     

The glam shots infer coronavirus’ global reach.  Nice touch.  Some portray the dastardly tiny but powerful disease warriors in Chinese national colors.  Others in the red/white/blue of so many so-called rich nations, and some push out virus pictures in a mishmash of colors to make the the little bastards rather ecumenical.

All depictions show colorful, almost attractive, little suckers or stickers, adorning the surface of the roly-poly little monsters.  Not sure if their purpose is to spit killer sputum into our fully mobilized white cells, or suck out the strength of our sturdy sentinel cells.  The USA's powerful white cells reside in plans to fight such a pandemic prepared years ago.  The plans have not been implemented.  The people who were supposed to be implementers were let go as non-essential.  Seems the plan morphed into some kind of media campaign to kill the virus.  

Clearly there must me more to it than that.  Rationallly there should be if not clearly. 

Some Communications grad student probably will do a thesis on the whole “promo thing.”

So, next week if we are not in the ship bay of the USS Petri Dish or picking our toes instead of our nose in quarantine, a few reports will be issued from around the ship and the ports.  

We might check into any unusual dances to avoid shaking hands and hugs.  Also any sights of sneezing into elbows, not sticking anything into noses, nor touching faces.  Will there be lines at the hand washing sinks?  Will people hold their breaths a lot?  

Who knows?  Yet, Who, stays on first base, silent as ever.  If we see him, we will try to pick his brain.  So far, we cannot find Who on the Pence list of people who are muzzled.   

To be continued.