Living through a pandemic
in the south of France
388 days in Carcassonne since
1st lockdown in March 2020
▫️ DAILY AND WEEKLY STATISTICS HERE .
▫️ The prefecture and the regional health agency (ARS) mentioned on Friday 9 April, in their weekly update, an epidemic situation that “remains at a high plateau”.
227 new cases per 100,000 inhabitants over seven days last week, 234 this week (with figures from April 6th): it is an incidence rate maintaining itself “at a high plateau” that the prefecture of the Aude and the departmental delegation of the regional health agency (ARS) evoked on Friday evening in their traditional weekly update.
▫️ INCIDENCE RATE BY DEPARTEMENT
Weekly incidence rate per 100,000 people. 7-day rolling average.
▫️ LACK OF CONFIDENCE in AstraZeneca is a concern. Despite the very low number of atypical thromboses reported (222 out of 34 million injections in the European Economic Area and the United Kingdom), confidence in this product, reserved in France for the over-55s, is a crucial issue, as the country is still expecting 3 million doses in April, then 3.5 million the following month. “Some people had an appointment, they came and left when they saw it was Astra, saying I don’t want it,” says Dr Thierry Mraovic, coordinating doctor at the vaccination centre in Gravelines (Nord).
▫️ E-SHOPPING IS BACK!
Following the latest government announcements, the E-Shopping Carcassonne website is back in service.
Reminder of the objective: to allow all non-food shops in Carcassonne to reference their products, to be able to sell them online if they wish, and above all to facilitate the link between customers and shopkeepers.
▫️ THE FORBIDDEN GAMES 🥇🥈🥉
© Le Parisien . Translated and adapted by © J2S
In almost 100 days, the Tokyo Olympic Games will be declared open. A formula, more than a reality. Spectators from abroad will not be allowed to come to Japan from 23 July to 8 August, due to the global pandemic and the fears expressed for months by the local population, who are mostly reluctant to hold the Games. The same will apply to the Paralympic events a month later. The opening ceremonies will be held without spectators, with only athletes and guests allowed to attend.
If the health situation permits, only the local public will be allowed to cheer in the stadiums, provided they do not shout or sing, as part of the health protocol. Please applaud only. Faced with the resurgence of contaminations, the Japanese authorities are preparing to reinforce, in the next few hours, the measures against the coronavirus in Tokyo, less than three weeks after the lifting of the state of emergency in the capital.
In Japan, health professionals are worried about the spread of variants
From Monday until 11 May, much of the city will be subject to new restrictions, such as closing restaurants and bars at 8pm. Seen from Europe, this already seems more flexible than some confinements. In Japan, which has been relatively spared, with some 9,300 deaths recorded since January 2020 out of a population of 127 million, health professionals are worried about the spread of the variants.
This is all the more true given that the vaccination campaign, which has so far only involved healthcare workers, is progressing slowly. The archipelago has so far only approved the Pfizer vaccine, and next week it will finally be the turn of the elderly. In other words, the Japanese population has other things on its mind at the moment than applauding – if not shouting – as the Olympic torch passes by on its way to the national stadium in Tokyo.
▫️ MUSIC OF PATRICK JUVET
Not really a favorite of mine but he was part of an era. Patrick Juvet, a star singer in the 1970s at the height of the disco period, died a few days ago April 1st 2021 in Barcelona at the age of 70. A look back at a career marked by numerous hits, including the unmissable Où sont les femmes? and I love America.
◀︎ Disco period ▶︎
🎶 / 🎶 / 🎶
▫️ FOOD & DRINKS
Aude: after the frost, the smallest harvest of the century to come. The assessment is only provisional but already, almost the entire Aude vineyard could have been affected between 50 and 100% by the frosts of the night of 7 to 8 April.
▫️ SATIRE
▫️ NEWS FROM ACROSS THE POND 🇺🇸
Opinion: It’s Time To Charge Trump With Criminally Negligent Mass Homicide
© RMUSE
It is beyond speculation any longer to pretend that Trump’s “willful failure” to protect the American public from the COVID-19 pandemic led to hundreds-of-thousands of unnecessary deaths” according to a study submitted at the Brookings Papers on Economic Activity conference. That willful failure means that Trump is culpable for committing criminally negligent mass homicide of American citizens.
Earlier this week Trump lashed out at Doctors’ Anthony Fauci and Debra Birx accusing them of rewriting history to cover their responsibility for the spread of his plague and sundry other faux outrages. But he and he alone is responsible for hundred-of-thousands of American citizens’ deaths. He may not have intentionally killed Americans by not taking steps to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, but he is responsible all the same for negligence borne of malfeasance. In Trump’s case, it is malfeasance in being more concerned about being reelected that protecting American citizens..
According to legal experts across the nation, “intentional conduct to kill a human being” is not the focus of “criminally negligent homicide.” Criminally negligent homicide “addresses situations where a defendant is aware of a situation, knows it’s dangerous, but ignores a risk that results in a death of another.”
Trump was warned as early as November 2019, and throughout December, of the “cataclysmic” public health, economic, and national security dangers posed by the corona virus, and still he did nothing. It is true he banned travel from China, but after the ban about 40,000 people who were in China were allowed to enter the country and spread the virus. Additionally, since the ban went into effect, a whopping 430,000 people travelled from China to the United States; further proving that Trump’s COVID ban was only for optics
Trump even told journalist Bob Woodward that he knew in February 2020 that the virus was an airborne plague, and that he deliberately downplayed the danger to the American public. He did nothing because he was afraid of “spooking the markets” and jeopardizing his reelection.
What incited Trump’s rage against Dr. Birx was her saying that the number of deaths would have been 400,000 fewer if Trump had enforced the medical experts’ recommended mitigation efforts. Dr. Birx’s remarks were in line with the Brookings report cited above. Although she understated how many Americans could have been spared if Trump had acted like he cared from the outset in November 2019, she was not lying and Trump knows she wasn’t lying. If the Brookings report and Birx’s assessment are correct, then Trump is still responsible for about 400,000 American deaths.
Trump also lashed out at Dr. Anthony Fauci for what he called “flip-flopping” on how best to staunch the virus’ spread, but all he did was demonstrate what a know-nothing buffoon he really is. Any eighth grade science student knows that science is an evolving enterprise. It is all the more the case with a “novel” infectious disease like COVID-19. It is likely Trump cannot comprehend what the word novel means in scientific parlance, or more in line with reality, he is just a nasty piece of work.
Speaking of Dr. Fauci, Trump attempted to demonize him for not forcing the FDA to fast-track approval of the Covid vaccine and said he was forced to press for a quick approval process. That is simply not true. Dr. Fauci had no authority to press the FDA – that was Trump’s responsibility. In fact, there was palpable fear at the FDA in July 2020 that Trump would “force” the agency to approve a vaccine before it was ready to make himself look like a hero in time for the presidential election.
Trump supporters claim he is only responsible for mishandling the plague he allowed to enter the country, but claiming he mishandled it is a stretch. He didn’t mishandle anything, and his incompetence played no part in the death of over 550,000 American citizens. He was surrounded by very competent people that he didn’t listen to and in fact, “overturned” recommendations by the likes of Doctors Fauci and Birx; not because he was ignorant of the threat to American lives and the economy, but because he didn’t want to “spook the markets” and jeopardize his reelection.
The way Trump handled the plague that he allowed to ravage America wasn’t even negligent, it was a well thought out scheme to enhance his chance of reelection. In fact, one can say it was malice aforethought and carefully calculated. He needs to held accountable for the hundreds-of-thousands of Americans who perished to help his reelection.
As an aside, Trump is wholly responsible for at least 30,000 COVID-19 cases and at least 700 American deaths because he held campaign rallies sans precautions and against warnings from infectious disease experts. That includes the rally where he incited his acolytes to insurrection against the United States government; another crime for which he must be held accountable. His attempted coup d’état resulted in the deaths of 5 Americans including one law enforcement officer killed by Trump’s dirty little militia.
Although there is little, if any, will in the Biden Department of Justice to prosecute Trump for criminally negligent mass homicide, there is no reason he cannot be the subject of a class action lawsuit for deliberately downplaying the threat to human life of a virulent plague he claimed was a Democratic hoax, and for failing to heed the advice of the medical experts surrounding him.
Dirty Donald Trump was, after all, “aware of a life threatening situation, knew it was dangerous, but ignored a risk that resulted in the deaths of many others.” In Trump’s case his “negligence” resulted in the deaths of over 550,000 American citizens and still counting.
He must be held accountable for mass “negligent” murder. After all, under the last Republican administration America invaded Iraq, deposed its leader Saddam Hussein, and oversaw his execution for killing his own citizens. Trump deserves nothing less.
▫️ THE FABULOUS FRIDAY (FUNNIES) GROANS from Paul
Plenty of stuff to humour you this week, folks…
🔸 Once again “The Washington Post” has published the winning submissions to its yearly neologism contest, in which readers are asked to supply alternative meanings for common words.
The winners are:
1. Coffee (n.), the person upon whom one coughs.
2. Flabbergasted (adj.), appalled over how much weight you have gained.
3. Abdicate (v.), to give up all hope of ever having a flat stomach.
4. Esplanade (v.), to attempt an explanation while drunk.
5. Willy-nilly (adj.), impotent.
6. Negligent (adj.), describes a condition in which you absentmindedly answer the door in your nightgown.
7. Lymph (v.), to walk with a lisp.
8. Gargoyle, olive-flavoured mouthwash.
9. Flatulence (n.), emergency vehicle that picks you up after you are run over by a
steamroller.
10. Balderdash (n.), a rapidly receding hairline.
11. Testicle (n.), a humorous question on an exam.
12. Rectitude (n.), the formal, dignified bearing adopted by proctologists.
13. Pokemon, a Rastafarian proctologist.
14. Oyster (n.), a person who sprinkles his conversation with Yiddishisms.
15. Frisbeetarianism (n.), (back by popular demand): The belief that, when you die, your soul flies up onto the roof and gets stuck there.
🔸 The Washington Post’s Style Invitational also asked readers to take any word from the dictionary, alter it by adding, subtracting, or changing one letter, and supply a new definition.
The winners are:
⚬ Bozone (n.): The substance surrounding stupid people that stops bright ideas from penetrating. The bozone layer, unfortunately, shows little sign of breaking down in the near future.
⚬ Cashtration (n.): The act of buying a house, which renders the subject financially impotent for an indefinite period.
⚬ Sarchasm (n): The gulf between the author of sarcastic wit and the person who doesn’t get it.
⚬ Inoculatte (v): To take coffee intravenously when you are running late.
⚬ Osteopornosis (n): A degenerate disease. (This one got extra credit.)
⚬ Karmageddon (n): It’s like, when everybody is sending off all these really bad vibes, right? And then, like, the Earth explodes and it’s like, a serious bummer.
⚬ Glibido (v): All talk and no action.
⚬ Arachnoleptic fit (n.): The frantic dance performed just after you’ve accidentally walked through a spider web.
⚬ Caterpallor (n.): The color you turn after finding half a grub in the fruit you’re eating.
And the pick of the literature:
⚬ Ignoranus (n): A person who’s both stupid and an asshole.
🔸 And now some one-liners …………….
Finally my winter fat has gone! I now have spring rolls.
Is it true that an apple a day keeps the doctor away?
Or is it one of Granny’s myths?
I recently entered a competition to see who had gained the most weight and lost the most hair. Obviously, it wasn’t called that. It was advertised as a ‘School Reunion’
Yesterday my husband thought he saw a cockroach in the kitchen. He sprayed everything down and cleaned thoroughly. Today I’m putting the cockroach in the bathroom.
I took my bald horse for a walk through the desert – it was a horse with no mane…
I’ve never asked a rhetorical question. How cool is that?
🔸 A police officer pulls over a speeding car. The officer says, “I clocked you at 80 miles per hour, sir.” The driver says, “Goodness, officer, I had it on cruise control at 60. Perhaps your radar gun needs calibrating.” Not looking up from her knitting the wife says: ‘Now don’t be silly, dear — you know that this car doesn’t have cruise control”
As the officer writes out the ticket, the driver looks over at his wife and growls, “Can’t you please keep your mouth shut for once!”The wife smiles demurely and says, “Well dear you should be thankful your radar detector went off when it did or your speed would have been higher.” As the officer makes out the second ticket for the illegal radar detector unit, the man glowers at his wife and says through clenched teeth,”Woman, can’t you keep your mouth shut?”
The officer frowns and says, ‘And I notice that you’re not wearing your seat belt, sir. That’s an automatic $75 fine. ‘The driver says, ‘Yeah, well, you see, officer, I had it on, but I took it off when you pulled me over so that I could get my license out of my back pocket. The wife says, “Now, dear, you know very well that you didn’t have your seat belt on. You never wear your seat belt when you’re driving. “And as the police officer is writing out the third ticket, the driver turns to his wife and barks, ‘WILL YOU PLEASE SHUT UP!! ‘
The officer looks over at the woman and asks, “Does your husband always talk to you this way, Ma’am? “
Wife: “Only when he’s been drinking.”
🔸 Points to ponder part 1…
If you take an Oriental person and spin him around several times, does he become disoriented?
If people from Poland are called Poles, why aren’t people from Holland called Holes?
If a pig loses its voice, is it disgruntled?
If love is blind, why is lingerie so popular?
Why do croutons come in airtight packages? It’s just stale bread to begin with.
Why are a wise man and a wise guy opposites?
🔸 An elderly man walked into a waiting room and approached the desk. The Receptionist said, “Yes sir, how may I help you?” “There’s something wrong with my d*ck”, he replied.
The Receptionist became irritated and said, “You shouldn’t come into a waiting room and say things like that.”
“Why not? You asked me what was wrong and I told you,” he said. The Receptionist replied; “You should have said there is something wrong with your ear or something and discussed the problem further with the Doctor in private.”
The man replied, “You shouldn’t ask people questions in a room full of strangers,if the answer could embarrass anyone.”
The man walked out, waited several minutes and then re-entered. Th Receptionist smiled smugly and asked, “Yes?” “There’s something wrong with my ear”, he stated.
The Receptionist nodded approvingly and smiled, knowing he had taken her advice. “And what is wrong with your ear, Sir?” “I can’t p*ss out of it,” he replied.
The waiting room howled with laughter.
🔸 Some interesting observations …
⚬ I’m getting tired of being part of a major historical event.
⚬ I don’t always go the extra mile, but when I do it’s because I missed my exit.
⚬ My goal for 2020 was to lose 10 kilos. Only have 14 to go.
⚬ Kids today don’t know how easy they have it. When I was young, I had to walk 9 feet through shag pile carpet to change the TV channel.
⚬ I may not be that funny or athletic or good looking or smart or talented. I forgot where I was going with this.
⚬ A thief broke into my house last night. He started searching for money so I got up and searched with him.
⚬ When I was a kid I wanted to be older… this is not what I expected.
⚬ Never sing in the shower! Singing leads to dancing, dancing leads to slipping, and slipping leads to paramedics seeing you naked in the shower. So remember…Don’t sing!
⚬ Coronacoaster: noun; the ups and downs of a pandemic. One day you’re loving your bubble, doing work outs, baking banana bread and going for long walks and the next you’re crying, drinking gin for breakfast and missing people you don’t even like.
🔸 A newspaper reporter was writing a feature story about prison life and was interviewing one of the prisoners. ‘Do you watch much television here?’ “Only the daytime shows,” the inmate said. “At night we’re locked in our cells and don’t see any television.” “That’s too bad,” said the reporter. “But I do think it’s nice that the warden lets you watch it in the daytime.” “What do you mean, nice?” the inmate said. “That’s part of the punishment.”
🔸 And to see out the week…
|Insults , when coated with humour and wit, make for a great combination – here are some for you to enjoy……..
⚬ She has a supreme court figure — no appeal.
⚬ He is a real big gun — of small caliber and immense bore.
⚬ She dresses to kill — and cooks the same way.
⚬ He was a premature baby — He was born before his parents were married.
⚬ He was born in United States — Terrible things happen in other countries too.
⚬ His obesity is surplus gone to waist.
⚬ He left his job because of illness and fatigue, his boss was sick and tired of him.
⚬ His credit is so bad , he can not even borrow trouble.
⚬ He kept learning more and more about less and less, until now he knows everything about nothing.
⚬ What he lacks in intelligence, he makes up in stupidity.
⚬ He may talk like a fool and act like a fool, but don’t get the wrong idea about him, he is a fool.
⚬ It is not that he does not have presence of mind, his trouble is absence of thought.
⚬ Her photographs do her injustice — they look like her.
⚬ He is as phoney as a dentist’s smile.
⚬ He started out in life as an unwanted child — now he is wanted in 10 states.
⚬ She has a keen sense of rumour.
⚬ He is jack of all trades , and out of work in all of them.
⚬ They are in Iron and Steel Industry — she irons the clothes and he steals.
⚬ She thought she was getting a model husband – too bad he is not a working model.
⚬ He is so boring, he cannot even entertain a doubt.
⚬ He gave a very moving performance , everyone moved to the nearest exit..
Well that’s all for this week, folks.
▫️ FUN
▫️ WEATHER
Not very pleasant out there today. We have to wait till the middle of next week for temperatures to go up again.
I do it my way 