Rachel Manija Brown's Blog, page 91
May 11, 2020
The Great Influenza, by John M. Barry, Parts VIII - IX (The Tolling of the Bell; Lingerer)
Now THIS is what I read the book for. (Mostly. It also features Barry writing It was only influenza at least thirty times in three chapters. Give it a rest, Barry. Go polish your portrait of William Welch in your bunk.)
In these chapters Barry dissects the absolutely terrible response of the US government to the pandemic, a combination of deliberate inaction, counterproductive action, and false propaganda unequaled until the current pandemic response, which is very strongly resembles.
From neither the White House nor another senior administration post would there come any leadership, any attempt to set priorities, any attempt to deliver resources.
( Read more... )
The more things change, the more they stay the same.
The Great Influenza: The Story of the Deadliest Pandemic in History[image error]
[image error] [image error]
comments
In these chapters Barry dissects the absolutely terrible response of the US government to the pandemic, a combination of deliberate inaction, counterproductive action, and false propaganda unequaled until the current pandemic response, which is very strongly resembles.
From neither the White House nor another senior administration post would there come any leadership, any attempt to set priorities, any attempt to deliver resources.
( Read more... )
The more things change, the more they stay the same.
The Great Influenza: The Story of the Deadliest Pandemic in History[image error]
[image error] [image error]
comments
May 9, 2020
Can someone please ID these plants?
I planted them but failed to label them. Two photos in the set. They're doing well, whatever they are.
comments
comments
May 8, 2020
I have witnessed a Hatching!
Over a month ago, I bought a praying mantis egg case and stuck it in the rosemary. It never hatched, and I gave up on and then forgot about it...
...until I just now discovered a bazillion adorable praying mantises in the rosemary! Just look at them!
I had heard that baby mantises can be cannibals, so I madly rushed back and forth with mantises in my hands, one by one, to deposit them in particularly bug-infested parts of the garden. My garden is scattered all over and the rosemary is upstairs, so I am now soaked in sweat but more importantly, the wee mantids are everywhere and will hopefully thrive and eat all the aphids.
They are so so tiny. And they jump, in addition to taking standard mantis poses. I hope to be discovering them for many months to come. There were at least twenty of them.
comments
...until I just now discovered a bazillion adorable praying mantises in the rosemary! Just look at them!
I had heard that baby mantises can be cannibals, so I madly rushed back and forth with mantises in my hands, one by one, to deposit them in particularly bug-infested parts of the garden. My garden is scattered all over and the rosemary is upstairs, so I am now soaked in sweat but more importantly, the wee mantids are everywhere and will hopefully thrive and eat all the aphids.
They are so so tiny. And they jump, in addition to taking standard mantis poses. I hope to be discovering them for many months to come. There were at least twenty of them.
comments
May 4, 2020
Coronavirus Discussion Post
Discussion post! Note tag - if you have a paid account and don't want to read, you can blacklist this tag and never see posts tagged with it. Or just scroll past.
Personal experiences, links to good information, reports of what's going on in your own area, discussion of specifics in my post, and other covid-related topics are all up for discussion.
Cut for coronavirus discussion. ( Read more... )
Open post! If you think my calculations are off, feel free to tell me why.
comments
Personal experiences, links to good information, reports of what's going on in your own area, discussion of specifics in my post, and other covid-related topics are all up for discussion.
Cut for coronavirus discussion. ( Read more... )
Open post! If you think my calculations are off, feel free to tell me why.
comments
April 27, 2020
The Great Influenza, by John M. Barry, Parts IV-VII
In which Barry finally gets to the actual pandemic!
He starts with the first wave, which was spread largely by WWI and which had high mortality in some limited outbreaks, but which mostly got taken seriously because of its prevalence and effect on WWI - soldiers were too sick to fight. However, the mortality was often low and the illness itself not serious for any given individual; it had a big effect on the war, then apparently vanished.
At this point it got called "The Spanish flu" because Spain was the only country that was not doing wartime censorship, and so was writing about it honestly!
And then the second wave hit.
While reading Kolata's book, I felt that her account of the beginning of the pandemic felt rushed and sudden. Now that I've read Barry's account of when the second wave hit, I realize that it's not because of her writing because his account, which is written at far greater length and in a very different style, gave the same impression. I think that in fact, accounts of the pandemic inevitably reflect the accurate experience of the pandemic, which is that at a certain point everything suddenly blows up and is overwhelming and all over the place.
Barry's account of this is vivid and horrifying, both of the symptoms, the avalanche of death, the total overwhelm of society, and the completely useless lack of action by anyone who was capable of taking large action. Due to the war, the government was primarily invested in telling everyone everything was fine, with the result that parades were held, people attended and then dropped dead, soldiers were blithely shipped around while infected, etc. Sound familiar?
The second wave (a mutation of the original virus) had a lot of symptoms that were not normal influenza, primarily ebola-like bleeding. He hasn't yet explained what exactly caused that. It also caused widespread, severe cyanosis, so people's skin literally turned dark blue or black. This made some people believe it was literally the Black Plague. (Very understandable IMO: people bleed severely, cough, and turn black, which pneumonic plague also does.)
Barry says that cytosine storms account for the virus being primarily deadly in the 20-40 age range, as that group has the strongest immune response. He hasn't yet explained why that happened with this influenza specifically, rather than for normal influenzas or other viruses for that matter. Pregnant women had the single highest mortality rate - up to 70%. I don't understand that either - they're normally immunocompromised, right?
Barry has a detailed account of the scientists and doctors trying to figure out causes, treatments, and a vaccine. They're currently mostly going down a rabbit hole of pinning the blame on bacillus influenzae, a gram-negative bacteria which was present in most of the people infected. I guess it was a very common opportunistic infection, as we already know the actual culprit was a virus.
Barry finally finds one woman worthy of focus, the bacteriologist Anna Williams... whom he describes as "a lonely, unmarried woman." SIGH. Meanwhile the men get reams and reams of loving description even if they are literally not doing anything.
It turns out that William Welch's sole personal involvement in the pandemic was visiting one outbreak, and being visibly disturbed and saying he thought it was a new disease. He then got it himself, recovered, and had literally nothing to do with it again ever! This makes Barry's decision to start the book with a loooooooooong chapter about him seem even more inexplicable. He mentored a number of people who ended up actually doing important stuff during the pandemic, but everyone has mentors.
The Great Influenza: The Story of the Deadliest Pandemic in History[image error]
[image error] [image error]
![[personal profile]](https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/hostedimages/1491408111i/22407843.png)
oyceter
has a good rundown of virus details.
comments
He starts with the first wave, which was spread largely by WWI and which had high mortality in some limited outbreaks, but which mostly got taken seriously because of its prevalence and effect on WWI - soldiers were too sick to fight. However, the mortality was often low and the illness itself not serious for any given individual; it had a big effect on the war, then apparently vanished.
At this point it got called "The Spanish flu" because Spain was the only country that was not doing wartime censorship, and so was writing about it honestly!
And then the second wave hit.
While reading Kolata's book, I felt that her account of the beginning of the pandemic felt rushed and sudden. Now that I've read Barry's account of when the second wave hit, I realize that it's not because of her writing because his account, which is written at far greater length and in a very different style, gave the same impression. I think that in fact, accounts of the pandemic inevitably reflect the accurate experience of the pandemic, which is that at a certain point everything suddenly blows up and is overwhelming and all over the place.
Barry's account of this is vivid and horrifying, both of the symptoms, the avalanche of death, the total overwhelm of society, and the completely useless lack of action by anyone who was capable of taking large action. Due to the war, the government was primarily invested in telling everyone everything was fine, with the result that parades were held, people attended and then dropped dead, soldiers were blithely shipped around while infected, etc. Sound familiar?
The second wave (a mutation of the original virus) had a lot of symptoms that were not normal influenza, primarily ebola-like bleeding. He hasn't yet explained what exactly caused that. It also caused widespread, severe cyanosis, so people's skin literally turned dark blue or black. This made some people believe it was literally the Black Plague. (Very understandable IMO: people bleed severely, cough, and turn black, which pneumonic plague also does.)
Barry says that cytosine storms account for the virus being primarily deadly in the 20-40 age range, as that group has the strongest immune response. He hasn't yet explained why that happened with this influenza specifically, rather than for normal influenzas or other viruses for that matter. Pregnant women had the single highest mortality rate - up to 70%. I don't understand that either - they're normally immunocompromised, right?
Barry has a detailed account of the scientists and doctors trying to figure out causes, treatments, and a vaccine. They're currently mostly going down a rabbit hole of pinning the blame on bacillus influenzae, a gram-negative bacteria which was present in most of the people infected. I guess it was a very common opportunistic infection, as we already know the actual culprit was a virus.
Barry finally finds one woman worthy of focus, the bacteriologist Anna Williams... whom he describes as "a lonely, unmarried woman." SIGH. Meanwhile the men get reams and reams of loving description even if they are literally not doing anything.
It turns out that William Welch's sole personal involvement in the pandemic was visiting one outbreak, and being visibly disturbed and saying he thought it was a new disease. He then got it himself, recovered, and had literally nothing to do with it again ever! This makes Barry's decision to start the book with a loooooooooong chapter about him seem even more inexplicable. He mentored a number of people who ended up actually doing important stuff during the pandemic, but everyone has mentors.
The Great Influenza: The Story of the Deadliest Pandemic in History[image error]
[image error] [image error]
oyceter
has a good rundown of virus details. comments
April 25, 2020
Fuck this heat
96 degrees yesterday. 93 today. Hovering in the high 80s all week. I have a portable AC in my bedroom that keeps it down to... the high 70s. Fans blasting everywhere else.
I can't open the windows more than a crack because the cats are such escape artists, they rip out the screens. Some of my screens are actually missing because of this - I was going to get them replaced with cat-proof screens but that turned out to be way more difficult than I anticipated, and then pandemic.
I got up this morning and half my plants were literally drooping over! I watered everything thoroughly. By the time I was done I was dripping wet.
I will see if I can get some pics later today, when it cools off somewhat. One of my cucumbers has turned into Audrey II, and morning glories and beans are thriving, though bugs seem to enjoy eating the former. (While I'm at it... fuck the caterpillars too.) I think the sun + water will be very good for the ones that survive.
comments
I can't open the windows more than a crack because the cats are such escape artists, they rip out the screens. Some of my screens are actually missing because of this - I was going to get them replaced with cat-proof screens but that turned out to be way more difficult than I anticipated, and then pandemic.
I got up this morning and half my plants were literally drooping over! I watered everything thoroughly. By the time I was done I was dripping wet.
I will see if I can get some pics later today, when it cools off somewhat. One of my cucumbers has turned into Audrey II, and morning glories and beans are thriving, though bugs seem to enjoy eating the former. (While I'm at it... fuck the caterpillars too.) I think the sun + water will be very good for the ones that survive.
comments
April 22, 2020
Flu, by Gina Kolata. Chapters 1-2 (The Plague Year; A History of Disease and Death)
If anyone's wondering why the hell I'm reading about historical pandemics, apart from curiosity, the answer is this: they are proof that this too shall pass.
This book could not be more different from Barry's. Reading them concurrently was a good choice. Kolata's focus is twofold: why the 1918 flu pandemic was so much less written about than pretty much every other pandemic before and since, and the scientific mystery of what it was and how both historical and modern researchers tried to unravel that.
So far, at least, Barry had not touched on the first subject at all and is interested in modern research only insofar as it illuminates what was done by the Great White Men during the pandemic. Conversely, Kolata only mentions the greatness of historical white men to place them in context, noting that Welch was very well-regarded at the time to explain why he was dispatched as an old man to investigate the flu outbreak and why the fact that it alarmed even him was notable.
Kolata starts with her history as a student of microbiology to note that the influenza pandemic was barely touched upon compared to other pandemics she studied, and that she got curious as to why such a huge event seemed comparatively lost to history. Then she plunges straight in to an incredibly whirlwind account of it, which conveys its impact without really explaining the how and why. (Notable to me: Tucson, AZ mandated the wearing of masks by everyone.)
Chapter two is not actually a history of all disease THANK GOD, but a brief history of the chronicling of historical plagues, to point out that there was a noticeable lack of that for the 1918 epidemic. She goes into some detail about how little the 1918 epidemic was chronicled at the time and afterward in relation to its immense impact - the doctors who were central in dealing with it barely mention it in their memoirs, a 500-page of William Welch gives it two paragraphs, etc. She surmises that the reason for this is that it was overshadowed by/subsumed into the trauma of WWI, did not leave a large number of disabled survivors, and vanished after running its course, making it both inviting and easy to not dwell on.
Kolata leaves me wanting historical detail and context, which Barry provides. Barry leaves me wanting modern context and perspective, which Kolata provides.
Flu: The Story of the Great Influenza Pandemic of 1918 and the Search for the Virus That Caused It[image error]
[image error] [image error]
comments
This book could not be more different from Barry's. Reading them concurrently was a good choice. Kolata's focus is twofold: why the 1918 flu pandemic was so much less written about than pretty much every other pandemic before and since, and the scientific mystery of what it was and how both historical and modern researchers tried to unravel that.
So far, at least, Barry had not touched on the first subject at all and is interested in modern research only insofar as it illuminates what was done by the Great White Men during the pandemic. Conversely, Kolata only mentions the greatness of historical white men to place them in context, noting that Welch was very well-regarded at the time to explain why he was dispatched as an old man to investigate the flu outbreak and why the fact that it alarmed even him was notable.
Kolata starts with her history as a student of microbiology to note that the influenza pandemic was barely touched upon compared to other pandemics she studied, and that she got curious as to why such a huge event seemed comparatively lost to history. Then she plunges straight in to an incredibly whirlwind account of it, which conveys its impact without really explaining the how and why. (Notable to me: Tucson, AZ mandated the wearing of masks by everyone.)
Chapter two is not actually a history of all disease THANK GOD, but a brief history of the chronicling of historical plagues, to point out that there was a noticeable lack of that for the 1918 epidemic. She goes into some detail about how little the 1918 epidemic was chronicled at the time and afterward in relation to its immense impact - the doctors who were central in dealing with it barely mention it in their memoirs, a 500-page of William Welch gives it two paragraphs, etc. She surmises that the reason for this is that it was overshadowed by/subsumed into the trauma of WWI, did not leave a large number of disabled survivors, and vanished after running its course, making it both inviting and easy to not dwell on.
Kolata leaves me wanting historical detail and context, which Barry provides. Barry leaves me wanting modern context and perspective, which Kolata provides.
Flu: The Story of the Great Influenza Pandemic of 1918 and the Search for the Virus That Caused It[image error]
[image error] [image error]
comments
April 21, 2020
The Great Influenza, by John M. Barry. Parts II & III: The Swarm & The Tinderbox
"The Swarm," about the probable origin of the pandemic (Kansas) and the biology and mechanics of viruses, and parts of "The Tinderbox," about America's entry into WWI and the propaganda machine and censorship to support that, made me realize why this is a well-regarded book. The section on viruses is very clear, and a lot of the history is compelling. I understand that there are competing theories for the origin of the pandemic but he lays out a convincing case for Kansas.
I'm baffled by why Barry chose instead to start the book with the ponderous chapter on William Welch given that all we really need to know was that Johns Hopkins was important... no, wait, I totally understand why Barry chose to do that:
At the top sat Welch, fully the impresario, capable of changing the lives of those upon whom his glance lingered, capable as well of directing great sums of money to an institution with a nod. Only he held such power in American science, and no one else has held such power since.
Get a room, Barry.
He continues to go on and on about the amazing! greatness! of the amazing Great White Men. It's particularly noticeable in his section on nursing, where he clearly states the problems nurses faced due to sexist doctors and the importance of the almost entire female nurses... but does not give any nurses the amazing! great! individual treatment. The most any of them get is one paragraph explaining why they were important and calling them "intelligent." As opposed to the bazillion quotes and analysis and praise the men get.
Reading the facts presented, I'm less struck by how wow! extraordinary! the individual dudes were, and more by the staggering obstinacy and stupidity of the government, medical establishment, military, and all large powerful organizations in general (yes Barry, Johns Hopkins excepted). Literally every time anyone tries to do anything for public health, there's enormous opposition. The more things change...
The section on censorship, propaganda, and racism in WWI is alarming given what's going on in America now; the more things change...
The Great Influenza: The Story of the Deadliest Pandemic in History[image error]
[image error] [image error]
comments
I'm baffled by why Barry chose instead to start the book with the ponderous chapter on William Welch given that all we really need to know was that Johns Hopkins was important... no, wait, I totally understand why Barry chose to do that:
At the top sat Welch, fully the impresario, capable of changing the lives of those upon whom his glance lingered, capable as well of directing great sums of money to an institution with a nod. Only he held such power in American science, and no one else has held such power since.
Get a room, Barry.
He continues to go on and on about the amazing! greatness! of the amazing Great White Men. It's particularly noticeable in his section on nursing, where he clearly states the problems nurses faced due to sexist doctors and the importance of the almost entire female nurses... but does not give any nurses the amazing! great! individual treatment. The most any of them get is one paragraph explaining why they were important and calling them "intelligent." As opposed to the bazillion quotes and analysis and praise the men get.
Reading the facts presented, I'm less struck by how wow! extraordinary! the individual dudes were, and more by the staggering obstinacy and stupidity of the government, medical establishment, military, and all large powerful organizations in general (yes Barry, Johns Hopkins excepted). Literally every time anyone tries to do anything for public health, there's enormous opposition. The more things change...
The section on censorship, propaganda, and racism in WWI is alarming given what's going on in America now; the more things change...
The Great Influenza: The Story of the Deadliest Pandemic in History[image error]
[image error] [image error]
comments
Flash in the Pan
Last week I had a wonderful time participating in Flash in the Pan, a food-themed fanfic flash exchange.
I wrote three stories and got three stories, and really enjoyed reading the archive, which contained everything from a Mysterious and Fragrant Herbal Tea with Special Properties turning Danny Rand into a teeny, tea-sipping dragon to Ulquiorra bewilderedly learning to celebrate Dumpling Day..
I wrote...
The Realm of Persephone for Rubynye. Ancient Greek Religion and Lore. 360 words. Persephone takes Hades blackberry picking.
A Slave to the Senses for
scioscribe
. Star Trek - Original Series. 2854 words. Mirror Uhura claims Mirror Janice Rand as a slave. She could do anything with her, so naturally she decides to treat her to a good breakfast.
Cakes at Midnight for
cyphomandra
. Dragonriders of Pern - Anne McCaffrey. 1712 words. Mirrim and Menolly do some stress baking while trapped by a storm.
And I got...
Safe Camp--Don’t Give Up--Go This Way by
scioscribe
. The Long Walk - Stephen King. A lovely, heartfelt, comfort-ful story of unexpected joy and hobo signs.
Flash in the Can by
sholio
. Dark Tower - Stephen King. A sweet and hilarious story for the prompt These Food Cans Don't Have Any Labels So Dinner Will Be Whatever We Find When We Open Them.
If you participated, how was your experience? If you read, what did you enjoy?
comments
I wrote three stories and got three stories, and really enjoyed reading the archive, which contained everything from a Mysterious and Fragrant Herbal Tea with Special Properties turning Danny Rand into a teeny, tea-sipping dragon to Ulquiorra bewilderedly learning to celebrate Dumpling Day..
I wrote...
The Realm of Persephone for Rubynye. Ancient Greek Religion and Lore. 360 words. Persephone takes Hades blackberry picking.
A Slave to the Senses for
scioscribe
. Star Trek - Original Series. 2854 words. Mirror Uhura claims Mirror Janice Rand as a slave. She could do anything with her, so naturally she decides to treat her to a good breakfast.Cakes at Midnight for
cyphomandra
. Dragonriders of Pern - Anne McCaffrey. 1712 words. Mirrim and Menolly do some stress baking while trapped by a storm. And I got...
Safe Camp--Don’t Give Up--Go This Way by
scioscribe
. The Long Walk - Stephen King. A lovely, heartfelt, comfort-ful story of unexpected joy and hobo signs. Flash in the Can by
sholio
. Dark Tower - Stephen King. A sweet and hilarious story for the prompt These Food Cans Don't Have Any Labels So Dinner Will Be Whatever We Find When We Open Them. If you participated, how was your experience? If you read, what did you enjoy?
comments
April 18, 2020
Can I eat this?
If I left a bowl of raw kamut (Khorasan wheat - whole-grain wheat) to soak overnight, forgot about all day, stuck it in the fridge, then forgot about it for at least three more days, is it still safe to cook and eat?
comments
comments
