In Italy, 'flu deaths over two winter seasons were 68,000. I give up on humanity & the media. We simply cannot cope with the real world this century, can we?

www.2oceansvibe.com/2020/03/11/how-many-...y-from-flu-in-italy/

Why? Well we know why media loves a good story. Because we love to read it or watch it or hear it; so it boosts profits. It's our fault. But why do Governments let them get away with it? In "democracies" (democracy doesn't work) it is because politicians know that the media controls everything so go against a media storm and they will drown. But how about authoritarian regimes? Dictatorships? Countries like China and Russia ruled with rods of iron? Well I think often encouraging panic distracts attention from other problems. Financial incompetence or corruption. Legal corruption. Sometimes it takes the public (and media) eye off serious government malaise. If something is collapsing like our legal system, it may be better not to draw too much attention to it. Emergency regulations. Powers for police.

Ironically, self-isolation is going to give the broader population an insight into the life of writer. Because self-isolation is the norm for most writers. You spend most days indoors on your own!

So now others will experience that for a spell. They'll suddenly become an unofficial PO box for the neighbourhood - 'Will you take in this package for number 43?' - and thus discover how rude many neighbours are (few bother to come and collect stuff, they wait for you to take it to them and sometimes don't even thank you!).

They'll also have to fight off the nagging boredom and restlessness that comes from being contained (the old joke is that while most people might visit a shop once for half a dozen eggs, a writer will go out six times for one egg!).

They'll also, if they're foolish enough to resort to watching TV for 'a break,' suddenly discover how mind-numbingly awful daytime TV is, and how depressing all the demographically-targeted ads are ('You'll probably be popping off soon - here's how you can make your funeral really extra special!').

Of course, another unwelcome consequence of writerly self-isolation is that your immunity to infection declines alarmingly because, well, you don't mix as much with the outside world!

So good luck to the temporary self-isolationists. Some might find it a novelty but, believe me, you wouldn't want to do it full-time!

Do you know what really really annoys me?

Maybe it shouldn't, because if you volunteer you should give freely I suppose, but I often meet service users for a chat in cafes (for safety all round) and they almost NEVER pay for the coffee or tea. I always have to get them. So rude!

It is so trivial I have never even said this out loud, but my blood boils silently.

Oh sorry. That was supposed to be on the annoying things thread.
I suppose we can add "People who keep posting in the wrong places"

Mankind has done all he can to wipe himself off the face of the earth, through wars, strategic famine,corruption,nuclear programs of mass destruction---not sure how this is on the scale of man's determination to self destruct, other than it wasn't planned for. And an unplanned ending would be a suitable fate.

I've never been too worried by the thought of the End of the World; it's only our species as opposed to many as must have happened before when Jupiter, Saturn, Mars & others went cold. I assume millions if not billions of other species are happily inhabiting other galaxies. Just because our tiny minds don't understand them, why assume they don't exist. I'll come back as a germ.

Dr Crippen wrote:
Mankind has done all he can to wipe himself off the face of the earth, through wars, strategic famine,corruption,nuclear programs of mass destruction---not sure how this is on the scale of man's determination to self destruct, other than it wasn't planned for. And an unplanned ending would be a suitable fate.

Accusing 'mankind'/'he'/'him' of something bad - the last thing the woke/LGBT community will refrain from demanding it being renamed 'personkind'or some such gender-neutral/fluid/sight-impaired. Come on, all you woke people, go the whole hog/vegan hog substitute: embrace the blame!

Schools closed. But children are the least badly affected of all. If they are in school they are less likely to mix with old people (the most vulnerable). Doesn't it make more sense to make schools 24/7; providing food & lodging; taking pressure off families?