What's on your mind today?

[Mr. B]

https://www.npr.org/2020/03/12/815097733/the-pandemic-response-that-a-public-health-expert-wants-and-the-one-he-got

Jeremy Konyndyk argues that travel bans are worse than useless. He says, "because what it does it doesn't really afford us any protection. Once the disease is here, once the disease is spreading in our country. That is the greatest threat. Banning travel anywhere in the world at this point is a bit like locking the door after the killer is already in the house."

Dr. Norman Swanson says that the United States should be at the top of the list for a travel ban because there have been three out of four cases identified as having come from America to Australia and the lack of testing in America.

Travel bans good?

Travel bans bad?

Mass quarantine good?

Mass quarantine bad?

[Magdalena]

Today I go to the store to buy bleach to wash the white clothes and there is no bleach! 
All of it is gone!

[Dark Lightning]

John Q. Public is an idiot, Full Stop.

[Icarus]

Mags, go to the swimming pool supply place.  They sell a pool product that they simply call chlorine. It is sodium hypochlorite the same as Clorox.  In any case read the label.  The swimming pool stuff is usually stronger.  Dilute as needed.   By the way it is much cheaper at the pool supply place.

[Magdalena]

Mags, go to the swimming pool supply place.  They sell a pool product that they simply call chlorine. It is sodium hypochlorite the same as Clorox.  In any case read the label.  The swimming pool stuff is usually stronger.  Dilute as needed.   By the way it is much cheaper at the pool supply place.

Good advice, Icarus, thank you.

[Tom62]

My gym is closed, my aqua jogging and thai chi courses are cancelled until further notice; more and more people around me are being quarantined; my company makes preparations for all staff to work from home; countries are closing their borders, etc. etc. This Corona virus starts to turn into a very bad horror movie.

[billy rubin]

i thought about working from home, but my truck is really too big to park anywhere on my road.

[xSilverPhinx]

This sufi story has been circulating the interwebs:

Nasrudin and the Plague

The Plague was on its way to Baghdad when it met Nasrudin, who asked where it was going.

"Baghdad, to kill ten thousand people," the Plague replied.

After some time the Plague met Nasrudin again. Very angry, the mullah said to him, "You lied to me. You said you would kill ten thousand people and instead you killed a hundred thousand."

And the Plague answered, "I didn't lie, I killed ten thousand. The rest died of fear".

[Bad Penny II]

This sufi story has been circulating the interwebs:

Nasrudin and the Plague

The Plague was on its way to Baghdad when it met Nasrudin, who asked where it was going.

"Baghdad, to kill ten thousand people," the Plague replied.

After some time the Plague met Nasrudin again. Very angry, the mullah said to him, "You lied to me. You said you would kill ten thousand people and instead you killed a hundred thousand."

And the Plague answered, "I didn't lie, I killed ten thousand. The rest died of fear".

It's not working for me, is there a youtube with expressive puppets or something?
Plague didn't lie, it killed 10,000.
Why would Plague bother to explain itself to angry angry Mullah anyway?

[xSilverPhinx]

This sufi story has been circulating the interwebs:

Nasrudin and the Plague

The Plague was on its way to Baghdad when it met Nasrudin, who asked where it was going.

"Baghdad, to kill ten thousand people," the Plague replied.

After some time the Plague met Nasrudin again. Very angry, the mullah said to him, "You lied to me. You said you would kill ten thousand people and instead you killed a hundred thousand."

And the Plague answered, "I didn't lie, I killed ten thousand. The rest died of fear".

It's not working for me, is there a youtube with expressive puppets or something?

Unfortunately I'm not aware of any youtube vid with expressive puppets or something, but if you go to the toilet paper aisle in any supermarket I'm assuming you'll get in the atmospheric mood to better appreciate the story 

(If you're lucky you might even see people fighting over such precious amenities...nothing like seeing pulled hair, snarls and clawed skin to really put things into perspective)

Plague didn't lie, it killed 10,000.
Why would Plague bother to explain itself to angry angry Mullah anyway?

Now don't you go ruining the story for me too with your questions!

[Mr. B]

Implications. So, the Mullah gave plague permission to kill 10,000 people but was upset because 10x that amount died?

What is the moral of the story? Don't let plague into your city or don't get uspset if things get out of control?

[Recusant]

To me the point of the parable is clear: Fear of a thing can be more dangerous than the thing feared. The mullah was just a convenient Socratic device. A mullah could be seen as a respected member of the community, representative of the whole. Could have been a water carrier, but then why would an important thing like the plague bother talking to a water carrier? I don't see an implication that the mullah gave the plague permission--clearly it wasn't his to give or withhold.

[Mr. B]

To me the point of the parable is clear: Fear of a thing can be more dangerous than the thing feared. The mullah was just a convenient Socratic device. A mullah could be seen as a respected member of the community, representative of the whole. Could have been a water carrier, but then why would an important thing like the plague bother talking to a water carrier? I don't see an implication that the mullah gave the plague permission--clearly it wasn't his to give or withhold.

So, I'm focusing on the wrong area in that parable. Okay.

There is nothing to fear but fear itself. Well, I do not fear the current pandemic. I am starting to get a little concerned about other people's reaction to it. I'm starting to feel their fear and wondering how it's going to affect my life.

[Recusant]

Though I admire Roosevelt, that particular aphorism has always seemed to me not only trite but simple-minded and inaccurate. Sounds good, but doesn't bear close examination.

[xSilverPhinx]

To me the point of the parable is clear: Fear of a thing can be more dangerous than the thing feared. The mullah was just a convenient Socratic device. A mullah could be seen as a respected member of the community, representative of the whole. Could have been a water carrier, but then why would an important thing like the plague bother talking to a water carrier? I don't see an implication that the mullah gave the plague permission--clearly it wasn't his to give or withhold.

This is how I read it as well. A mullah, or anybody for that matter, can't control such a force of nature that is a plague. So if he gave it permission or not is not relevant. If the character was a powerful magical being or god then perhaps it would be.