Keeping It Cool

Almost daily, we're informed about  new age groups that are to be vaccinated next. We're assured there's plenty of vaccine for the whole population. including children. Just make the appointment, and come .

I feel some urgency in the air about it, and that makes me think of the existence of possible vaccine storage/handling issues. I suspect the bottles have to be used quickly to avoid decreased potency and loss of patient's confidence.

                                                              bottles of vaccine (web picture)

After all, it's a tremendous logistical challenge. The vaccine units make a long journey from the centers of distribution -  to clinics - to patients. The journey involves planes, trains, trucks and special delivery containers adequately refrigerated (by dry ice). 

Pfizer's vaccine has to be kept at -70 degree Celsius. Moderna's vaccine is said to be stable at regular freezer temperatures. Both require two doses for full effect, which might complicate things.

Pfizer's 'freezing farm' in Kalamazoo, Mich  (web picture)

Hopefully, a significant drop in the bad numbers of covid-19 victims is to be expected by the end of the month, due to the vaccines and the lockdown. In the meantime, people are strongly advised by the medical experts to keep to masks and distancing, as the british mutation is hitting hard; it especially likes the young ones, and pregnant women in their advanced stage of pregnancy.

Here's a 'talk back' seen online: ' Of course, the british version of the virus is more efficient than the chinese one; wait till  the german or swiss version comes along - what precision, what perfection'...

Schools - Where To?

 

Despite progress and technology , many things stay more or less the same over  the years. Schools for instance. The same physical bricks-and-mortar structure with classrooms for plus / minus 30 pupils, courtyard, teachers doing their frontal teaching job etc.

               entering school  (web picture)

We've all gone through this kind of school; it has been there for decades offering a sort of constant stability to children, teachers and parents. Now, it would appear that schools (learning, education) are one of the major casualties of the covid-19 virus.

So far, the medical authorities are not in favor of keeping schools open during the pandemic. Yet learning has not stopped , as technology helped quite a lot with suggesting remote and flexible ways of learning and teaching .

distancing  (web picture)

However, there are schools which are meant first of all to keep the kids off the street.  What will become of these schools and of these kids in case things won't go back to normal , that is, to the physical, organized, and supervised system?

wearing masks  (web picture)

Well, there will probably be all kinds of changes we'll have to deal with, once we get rid (if we get rid) of the virus.  I have the feeling, though, that schools are going to remain  forever a 'constant' in our life.

Lockdown and Attractions

 

Third lockdown . Alarming numbers; the virus with its south- african, british,  indian , brazilian mutations,  seems to be mocking  the experts.

One has to  learn to read between the lines if one wishes to know things. They ( the politicians) play with the numbers, with the info on vaccine mutations,  in fact with any kind of info regarding the pandemic. 

We should keep in mind that the vaccines are approved by the FDA on Emergency basis mainly, as regular vaccine takes several years to get developed. By end of January, we could know if things are going well, but I'm afraid we won't. There's no transparency in these matters - too much is involved here; politics, money, medical reputation .

The latest : by end of March our entire population , starting from age 16, will  be vaccinated.  It  has even been suggested that vaccination starts at an earlier age as schools, when open, are great spreaders of  the virus.

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At home,   as during the first two lockdowns, among other things, I 'm browsing through  old, analog photos, trying to improve them and  enjoying pleasant memories of various places. This time from Portugal and Spain.

One of Lisbon's (Portugal) main attraction is Estufa Fria (cold greenhouse) located in the big park Eduardo7, in the heart of the city. It is kind of a plant museum with species from all over the world. It also has statues, creeks, ponds, birds, all scattered around.

 

statue:  girl putting on a stocking

stork behind me

The statue and the stork are  spots of light in the darkness created by  the thick vegetation.

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Another main attraction in the city is the 'Monument of the Discoveries' on the edge of the Tagus river , point of departure of ships to expeditions. The monument celebrates the period of explorations and discoveries during the 15th-16th centuries.

Its top gives a panoramic view of the river Tagus,, of the Belem area, and of the monastery of Jeronimo which dated from that period .  

                                                      monument of the Discoveries

Belem Tower

 

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Cabo da Roca (Cape Roca) - not to be missed  when visiting Portugal! It's the westernmost point of Europe, "where the land ends and the sea begins".

 

Cabo da Roca (Cape Roca)

 

This rugged cliff standing out of the Atlantic Ocean, has a lighthouse; there's also a coffee shop at the top, where I even got a nice certificate marking my visit on the rock.

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The Genera-life Gardens in Granada (Spain) have a well-deserved reputation for their beauty and symmetry of shapes.

Generalife gardens (Granada, Spain)

 

The above gardens with their flower beds, bushes, pastures, orchards and a clever water running system, have served as the retreat for the Moorish Kings of Granada.

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And to Cordoba (Spain) to see landmarks of two religions:

The Alcazar, fortress-castle of Christian kings - with three towers and delightful gardens - and the monument of Maimonides in the courtyard of a modest, little synagogue, in the jewish quarter of the city.

 

the Alcazar fortress

monument of Maimonides

Maimonides (Harambam, in Hebrew) was a prominent rabbi, physician, philosopher who lived in the 12th century.

 

The French - Armenian Trubadur

The  recent Armenia- Azerbaijan war over the long disputed Ngorno - Karabak region, has reminded me of the legendary french singer, composer, and actor of armenian descent, Charles Aznavour (Aznavourian).

Aznavour, who passed away in 2018, at the age of 94, was considered a national hero in Armenia, the country of his ancestors. He received there all the possible honors and rewards for his activities in favor of the Armenian people. The PM of Armenia participated at his funeral along with Macron, the PM of France.

                                statue of Aznavour in Yerevan, Armenia (Wikipedia)

I'm always moved when I  read about his commitment to Armenia as I know of some people who have become rich and famous and never ever look back at their country of origin.

I cannot mention Aznavour, without revealing that I'm heavily addicted to a You Tube video with the brilliant performance of his famous song 'Hier Encore', translated in English as 'Yesterday when I was young' (see my post entitled '20 years old' from May 3, 2009).

In this video, the 84 year old Aznavour, accompanied by two beautiful, young female singers (probably symbolizing the age of 20), mourns his lost youth. "Only yesterday/I was twenty years old/I wasted the time/Thinking I could make it stop" - moans the elderly man.

Many of us could relate to this song in which the lyricist reaches the sad conclusion that he has wasted his life on follies, on dreams, soaring hopes, and  futile loves.. 

I like the frankness in this song; in real life, too many people claim they have no regrets about their past doings. Hard to believe them.

I do have regrets.

 

  Hier  Encore

Happy New Year 2021

I had to take a break from blogging and other activities in mid-December as my home was in need of some repairs.

Moreover, my  PC has to be replaced ( haven't done that yet) as its old operation system XP gets no technical support any more. I definitely have to have Windows 10.

Now, we've entered third Lockdown for a period of at  least two weeks . 

Hopefully, new mutations won't make covid -19  vaccine a joke, as in the case of the flu- vaccine. The later has to be administered to people every year according to the virus mutation of that year. There are still many deaths in the world following flu complications with or without the vaccine, and yet pharma companies get richer and richer with their product.

Anyway, right now the covid-19 vaccines seem to be the only ray of light at the end of the dark tunnel, at least on the medical front. (So far, two  mutations of the virus have been spotted: in Britain, and in India).

No idea what's going to happen on the other major fronts: economic, social, educational. Not good things, I'm afraid.  Coronavirus has revealed to us the true face of so-called democracy: utter lack of discipline on one hand  (citizens) versus total incompetence on the other hand (governments).

Not a matter of human rights here, but of human greed and stupidity.

Wishing you all a Happy New Year!

Duta

Two Women

 

No, it's not about the famous italian movie 'Two Women' with Sophia Loren (widow), and her daughter, who had to leave Rome during the war.

My post is about two former neighbors of mine (rip), mother (widow) and daughter who had both Alzheimer.

What I've learned from their sad case is that genetics, even though it is inescapable,  can nevertheless  be delayed  -  provided the other two  factors on the pyramid, stress and nutrition, are kept under control. Nutrition is the easy part. We definitely can control it. Stress, is another matter; it  is not entirely in our hands. Sometimes, people have to leave home and/or work, , in order to survive, as stress in these places is too much for them; it kills.

The mother , a widow, lived alone in a small flat. Was of a calm nature and led a quiet, uneventful life. She got diagnosed with Alzheimer in her mid-seventies.When the disease progressed, she was placed in an adequate facility, where she was taken good care of. She was well over 90 when she passed.

The daughter lived with her husband and two teenage girls in an adjacent building. She had a stressful life, especially because of conflicts with her husband. Unfortunately for her, he retired early from work, and was constantly at home, doing nothing but criticizing her.

She was diagnosed with Alzheimer in her mid sixties, some ten years earlier than her mother. After getting diagnosed, she was given a live-in home carer.

Sometimes, I used to see her  with the carer outside , and it broke my heart. I 'd known her as a tall, talkative, active person - and there she was - her head down, not recognizing anyone, not talking, a fragment of the original person. With her, the disease progressed rapidly.

It seemed her two daughters (who'd left home but not the town) gave up on her. If they would have been there  to hug her, cuddle her, talk to her, maybe she would have felt something, reacted to love and attention, retained some form of humanity.

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We come into the world alone and we leave it alone, even though there are people around us, at birth and at funerals. Those with Alzheimer not only come and leave alone, but also live alone, in a world completely their own.

Discipline and Slogans

 

Discipline is the name of the game; nothing important  can be achieved without discipline -  self - discipline, as well as national discipline.

 There are countries in the far East  that have managed to keep the covid-19  virus under control: Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Hong-Kong, Thailand, Vietnam..... 

Discipline in these countries is instilled from childhood. People there have respect for  rules and for authority. Above all, they respect themselves and those around them. 

The western countries on the other hand,  rely on slogans,  and seek what seems to be the easy way out  - vaccine.  Slogans can lack clarity , and  even be confusing. Protests and pressure of  citizens against restrictions, don't make things better.

'Stay Home'  - the most memorable slogan during this pandemic , means what it says : stay home. You may leave the house for basic necessities only, and for a short time.

At first it worked well, but then people lost patience and started giving their own interpretation to the slogan. According to this interpretation, the problem lies merely in confined spaces with no adequate distancing among people. 

Well, I'm not so sure about that. I don't dare yet going for a long walk in the park or sitting and eating in the outdoor spaces of restaurants and cafes. The virus, in my humble opinion, is in the air waiting to strike both indoors and outdoors. Masks and distancing may prevent that, but not hermetically.

Anyway, we shall have to wait and see the impact of the vaccine on the virus and its victims.