QUARANTINE BORN OF THE BUBONIC PLAGUE

Quarantine has become a familiar word world wide. The concept goes as far back as biblical times. Prior to the coronavirus pandemic, the most recent one in modern times was the 1972 Yugoslav small pox epidemic.

I feel the quarantine everyday. This is my 170th day of self-quarantine. Most of my friends are self quarantined. Such is life during the coronavirus pandemic.

Where did the word come from? Its origination.

It began with the bubonic plague, aka the Black Death.

It was the fourteenth century. The onset of the bubonic plague. The Venetians came up with the term

In 1377, ships arriving in the port of Ragusa, now Dubrovnik, Croatia, but under Venetian rule at the time, were required to anchor for 30 days before landing.

In 1448, the Venetian Senate extended that period to 40 days – or quaranta giorni – which gave birth to the term “quarantine.”

The bubonic plague had a 37 day period between infection and death, making the Venetian Senate’s 40 day quarantine very effective.

The hurricane season has started with a bang. More than normal.

Two are heading for the U.S. at the moment. Marcos and Laura. Marcos certain to hit along the Gulf seaboard. Laura, the Florida Keys or Panhandle. These two storms are a first time in the making. It will be the first time 2 storms have been in the Gulf at the same time.

Laura presently a tropical storm. Expected to be a Category 1 if it strikes the Keys. It would arrive monday morning and be gone by monday evening.

Laura’s cone keeps moving to the south. Yesterday, the center was right over Key West. Today, the cone looks like it will merely brush Key West.

Laura’s southern movement makes it a certainty to strike Cuba and Puerto Rico.

Yesterday, the Keys were declared a state of emergency. Certain mandatory evacuations were imposed. None applicable at this time to locals. Shelters will open at 3 in the afternoon sunday.

In the 30 years I have been in Key West, I have become a half assed expert re hurricanes. I will be staying. The worse I anticipate will be a few hours of heavy wind and rain. Nothing to be concerned about.

As a matter of caution however, I have loaded up with hurricane foods and water.

I do not stand alone in not leaving. I doubt any locals will. Not out of a sense of false bravery. Rather experience has taught us how to evaluate the danger.

Lemon Ice. Also known as Italian Ice. An all over the world commodity today. Key West has a lemon ice vendor across the street from the Hemingway House.

Came across an interesting article as to how lemon ice came to be.

Back in 17th century Sicily, whenever the summer sun sent the temperature soaring, the locals sought to beat the heat with a simple satisfying treat. They gathered snow from the upper levels of Mount Etna, infused it with fruit or wine, and relished it. Such became known as “water ice.”

Nero favored the treat. He would order his slaves to climb a mountain, fetch snow, and make water ice.

The refreshment was not complicated to prepare. Eventually became a favorite in other regions of Italy, Greece, France, Spain, and Great Britain.

Watched Postmaster General Louis DeJoy on TV yesterday answering questions for a Senate Committee.

I spent my life time in the court room. You develop a talent/sense for when a witness is lying. DeJoy was lying yesterday. A typical Trump appointee.

DeJoy must think the people of America are stupid. He underestimates us. He is out to destroy the Post Office. Something Trump has wanted since day 1. Important at this time because of mail in ballots in the November election.

DeJoy testified among other things that the fact that a little less than 700 sorting machines and a multitude of mail boxes were removed, such would not affect the anticipated heavy voting by mail.

DeJoy had to be the only one who believed his words.

Primaries were held across the U.S. this past week. Rejected were 550,000 mail in ballots. In 2016, only 318,000 were rejected.

I would anticipate the number rejected will be higher in November because more people will be voting via mail in ballots.

California a wildfire disaster again. The fires are spreading rapidly across the heat wave baked California lands. Lightning a factor. Over 12,000 lightning strikes the past 3 days.

Note that Governor Newsom, Senator Harris (Democratic VP candidate), and Speaker Pelosi are all Californians and Democrats.

California has requested the federal government to declare the State a major disaster area, thus qualifying California for federal assistance.

No response to the request yet. That is why Newsom went to the governors.

Trump generally ignores help to states that are not supportive of him. He continuously fails to recognize he is President of all the people.

I am curious to see if Trump comes to the aid of California. It would be against his nature. He like to see his “enemies” suffer.

On this day in 1896, May Johnston received a letter from Everest. No big thrill, noise, etc. as with previous letters. In fact, no mention at all except it was received. A cooling romance?

Enjoy your day!

 

23 comments on “QUARANTINE BORN OF THE BUBONIC PLAGUE

  1. Political disagreements played out for public consumption are not always what they seem. There is often a dialog going on behind the headlines that the public is not privy to. The following is a quote from the Sacramento Bee, the fifth largest newspaper in California:

    “Despite recent sniping, Gov. Gavin Newsom said Friday he and President Donald Trump have a good working relationship as the federal government provides aid to fight California wildfires. His remarks come a day after Trump threatened to withhold federal money because California isn’t doing enough to clear its forest floors.“

    “Trump has been sending money as the state battles hundreds of lightning-sparked fires, Newsom said Friday, the morning after he made his own public comments criticizing Trump at the Democratic National Convention.”

    My own opinion is that California is a giant sinkhole that the rest of the country is expected to pour money into. California is perpetually facing one disaster after another, be it wildfires, earthquakes, Santa Ana winds, power outages or coastal erosion. Maybe they should do a little more to help themselves before asking the rest of the country for money.

    For what it’s worth, I was born and raised in California.

    • It is also quite possible Thomas J., that you are ill-informed, ignorant and biased with regards to your ‘opinions’ about California.

      And based on your past posts, I doubt very seriously that you were born and raised in California, either, after so many lies and attempts to manipulate Lou and his readers.

      • Of course it’s possible.
        Did you also have a comment about federal aid for wildfires in California? Or is it all about me today?

  2. I am not surprised by the California guy who hates California. I was in a union and some the most anti union people I ever met were in the union.

  3. Trump sued Pennsylvania to stop their mail in vote. The judge in that case gave them until Friday to show evidence of any fraud during their successful primary. Trump’s lawyers filed 300 pages of arguments, but not one single case of fraud.

  4. Duh. Perhaps you fogot about the zillions that has been poured into Florida, New Orleans, Texas, and the whole east coast after hurricanes. It might just be that it’s California that is keeping the rest of the country from sinking from under the Hurricanes destruction.

    You should also consider the billions Trump has poured into an ineffective border wall instead of properly fighting the Corona Virus before you disparage any spending on to stop wildfires.

    Shame on you for not wanting to do anything to stop the fires that are destroying peoples lives and their homes.

    Finally, shame on you for not seeing that when it comes to taking action on anything, Trump has the pooch firmly by the hindquarters.

    Well Duh

    • I’m not very good at math, so terms like “zillions” and “billions” confuse me. The individual states have the first responsibility to pay for disasters that occur in their state. Beyond that, they can request federal aid. Some government official can probably come up with a total cost of that federal aid over the years, but I can’t. I doubt that it is in the zillions.

      I also don’t know How much has been spent so far on the border wall. Perhaps you can tell us. But I do know that federal construction funds are budgeted and disbursed differently than other expenditures. It’s not like spending on one is taking away from the other.

      Finally, about California. No one wants to see people lose their homes or lives. But land in California is expensive and scarce. Developers and home buyers have been pushing the limits for decades by building homes on hillsides or areas normally covered by very dry brush or arid foothills. Residents have been warned time and again about the fire danger. Home owners are required to maintain a space around their homes free of vegetation. The warnings and the restrictions are ignored.

      So California is burning…….again. Governor Newsom has requested help from Trump, and he is getting it. That’s where it stands.

      • You must live a dreadfully dark and troubled life having to hate so much for what ever the hate target of the day might be, then having to concoct a deceitfully twisted story to spread on other peoples blogs and yet somehow sound tearful and scary. First it was the Puerto Ricians trying to recover from a devastating back to back hurricane, then the Chinese menace and now the libtard Californians. But never the real problems facing America. You seem more a tool and a troll than a christian human. All the time waiting for the right moment to spring into the snowflake who wants to complain how no one takes you seriously and is always wanting to call you names and never listen to your point of view. That’s because they see through your always hate based crap.

            • I guess I’m just dumb. I’ve never commented with a single word about “Chinese menace” or “libtard Californians”. I can’t follow his thought process or figure out his need to spew hateful rhetoric toward me or anyone else who might comment here. Is that the real purpose for web blogs? To lash out at someone while ignoring the host’s topics? I didn’t think so. Yes, I guess I’m dumb.

              • Self diagnosed accurately and a complete crybaby snowflake. It looks like your only purpose with posting your crap was is just another transparent attempt to “gotcha” for some personal satisfaction (jollies).

                Thomas J., you fish for anybody to “lash out” at you strictly so that you can complain about being abused. No one lashed out at you, you were criticized civilly to which you make up a story that doesn’t exist. Now you cry like a baby and call yourself dumb. Well if the shoe fits, wear it.

              • Dumb is as dumb does, you really are dumb if you think we don’t remember you doing this dumb act all the time.

                and YOU wonder why no one will take you seriously?

              • I often think they have locked up the wrong person. There are some who post here that seem far more dangerous to society than I am.

                  • It’s not a secret. I’ve mentioned here before that I’m an inmate in a federal lockup. It has nothing to do with my posts here. Just a way to Help the time go by.

  5. In fact, recent research published in JAMA Internal Medicine found that patients aged 80 years or older were 11 times more likely to die from COVID-19.

    • People 80 years and older are far more likely to die from pink eye too, you idiot.

      Nowadays the killing fields from Covid 19 is more with kids and young adults.

      Right from the beginning everybody was an expert, usually wrong but expert

  6. I see where Trump has been ordered to pay for Stormy Daniels legal fees.

    So it ends with a just whimper, just like Trump does, according to Stormey.

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