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SURVIVING THE PANDEMIC: DUNKIRK
By
Published: Mar 26, 2020
Category:
Beyond Classification
Dunkirk. That’s the metaphor I’ve been looking for: the heroic evacuation of Allied troops from a French beach in 1940. When the evacuation began, Winston Churchill had been Prime Minister for 14 days; he told the House of Commons he expected “hard and heavy tidings.” But the RAF, badly outnumbered, provided brilliant air support. The Navy dispatched every ship. And this is the glory part: Any Brit who had a boat on the coast set off to Dunkirk. And 340,000 soldiers were rescued. A miracle? Many thought so. Churchill didn’t let that sentiment linger: “Wars are not won by evacuations.” (Later, Churchill would quote Tennyson: “Every morn brought forth a noble chance. And every chance brought forth a noble knight.”)
The metaphor is inexact. Donald Trump is no Churchill. And he’s gutted the government so that anyone who knew how to do a job has been purged. Compare Mike Pence, a flop as a Governor, to Bertram Ramsay, the British Admiral who organized the evacuation and went on to command the British navy, landing one million Allied troops in France in one month starting from D-Day.
The metaphor is also exact. The boats that rescued soldiers were piloted by the proverbial motley crew — merchantmen, fishermen, small boat owners. That is: civilians. I know that if you had a boat, you would have mobilized in ten seconds. I know I would have.
The news tells one story: as many as 40 million unemployed, untold millions losing their health insurance, likely mass death at Rikers, nurses and doctors writing their wills, New York getting screwed in the “rescue” bill that passed the Senate unanimously — and doesn’t that tell you something? Like: grifters gonna grift — and, every day, hours of lies from Washington.
Dunkirk is a better story, the story I need to keep front of mind.
As the virus comes closer and we experience the last days of quiet before the storm, I sense that we are called to do two things at once.
First obligation: Be absolutely fatalistic. It may be useful to read Epictetus and Marcus Aurelius.
The second obligation contradicts the first: Resist. Attitude matters. Be obsessive about keeping safe and inspiring others. My daughter has heard me say this so often she winces: “Don’t slow down. Even at the finish line. Keep going, at full speed. Run through the tape.”
In “The Catcher in the Rye,” Salinger has Holden Caulfield say: “I’m standing on the edge of some crazy cliff. What I have to do, I have to catch everybody if they start to go over the cliff — I mean if they’re running and they don’t look where they’re going I have to come out from somewhere and catch them. That’s all I’d do all day. I’d just be the catcher in the rye and all.”
I used to think that was cheap sentimentality. I still do. I also think I want to catch everyone who’s about to fall. And I think you do. If you stay strong and healthy, I guarantee you: You’ll have plenty of opportunities to do just that.
TODAY’S MOVIE
“Their Finest” is set during the time after Dunkirk when the Battle of Britain is turning into The Blitz. The British government is desperately seeking to shore up morale of the general population and make films that get the United States to join the war. But the film unit makes dull, stupid filkms. Catrin Cole is taken on at the Ministry of Information to write film scripts with a convincing female angle. She does much more than that. With the fabulous Bill Nighy. NY Times: “It has a buoyancy that lifts you and a woman who does, too.” [To stream it, click here.]
TODAY’S BOOK
In “The Snow Goose,” Philip Rhayader is a 27-year-old hunchback. His left arm is crippled. And he is an artist, with all the sensitivity that implies. He moves to an abandoned English lighthouse that overlooks a marshland. He befriends a 12-year-old girl. He helps a goose to heal. The war comes. Across the channel are men in need. And here, on the English shore, is Rhayader. “For once —– for once I can be a man and play my part,” he says, and he sails off to rescue his countrymen. “The Snow Goose” is a parable: Friendship is healing. Beauty isn’t just skin-deep. Intimacy can morph into love. And love is stronger than death.
[To read my review and an excerpt, click here. To buy the book from Amazon, click here.]
NEED TO KNOW
– One sign of the virus: loss of sense of smell and taste.
– The virus isn’t a living organism but a protein molecule. It is not killed, but decays on its own. The disintegration time depends on the temperature, humidity and type of material where it lies.
– The virus is very fragile; the only thing that protects it is a thin outer layer of fat. That is why any soap or detergent is the best remedy, because the foam CUTS the FAT (that is why you have to rub so much: for 20 seconds or more, to make a lot of foam). By dissolving the fat layer, the protein molecule disperses and breaks down on its own.
– HEAT melts fat; this is why it is so good to use water above 25 degrees Celsius for washing hands, clothes and everything. In addition, hot water makes more foam and that makes it even more useful.
– Alcohol or any mixture with alcohol over 65% DISSOLVES ANY FAT, especially the external lipid layer of the virus.
– NEVER shake used or unused clothing, sheets or cloth. The virus disintegrates only between 3 hours (fabric and porous), 4 hours (copper, because it is naturally antiseptic; and wood, because it removes all the moisture and does not let it peel off and disintegrates), 24 hours (cardboard), 42 hours (metal) and 72 hours (plastic). But if you shake it or use a feather duster, the virus molecules float in the air for up to 3 hours, and can lodge in your nose.
– The virus molecules remain very stable in external cold, or artificial as air conditioners in houses and cars. They also need moisture to stay stable, and especially darkness. Therefore, dehumidified, dry, warm and bright environments will degrade it faster.
– NO SPIRITS, NOR VODKA, serve. The strongest vodka is 40% alcohol, and you need 65%.
– LISTERINE IF IT SERVES! It is 65% alcohol.
– The more confined the space, the more concentration of the virus there can be. The more open or naturally ventilated, the less.
– Above all: wash your hands before and after touching mucosa, food, locks, knobs, switches, remote control, cell phone, watches, computers, desks, TV, etc. And when using the bathroom.
– Keep your NAILS SHORT so that the virus does not hide there. If you have a nail brush, use it.
SELF-DEFENSE
I’m taking much more Vitamin C and D-3. And..
APPLE CIDER VINEGAR GUMMY VITAMINS
Apple cider vinegar contains potassium, which thins mucus; and the acetic acid in it prevents germ growth, which could contribute to nasal congestion.
[To buy Appple Cider Vinegar Gummies from Amazon, click here.]
MANUKA HONEY
Not just for the nutritional value of the honey –– major doses of amino acids, enzymes and B-complex vitamins, particularly thiamin (B1), riboflavin (B2), niacin (B3), pantothenic acid (B5), and B6. Even better, this honey contains substances that stimulate production of cytokine, the proteins involved in strengthening the body’s immune system and helping it fight off pathogens and diseases.
[To read about Manuka Honey, click here. To buy it from Amazon, click here.]
BERTOLT BRECHT: “FIRST FEED THE FACE, THEN TALK RIGHT AND WRONG.”
Okay, we’re supposed to drink warm water, often. But the coffee god must also be honored. Here’s everything you need to make great coffee. Especially these beans and this thermos.
Seeds of Change Brown & Red Rice with Chia & Kale
6 packets in a box. Microwaves in 90 seconds. High fiber, low sodium. Reader comment: “I use it to make a one dish meal with shredded chicken, diced tomato, red and green peppers, mushrooms, onions and grated Romano cheese.” [To buy it from Amazon, click here.]
ThinAddictives Cranberry Almond Thins
Calories? 100 per package. 100% natural? Yes. With antioxidant-loaded almonds and cranberries. [To buy it from Amazon, click here.]
MY TWITTER FEED
– Bette Midler: “Week Two seems a tad early for people to be doing all these bean recipes. Pace yourselves! Some of you are in newer relationships and while you may be cool with farting in front of each other, it’s a rare couple that can survive a sharting!”
– Lauren Collins: “You know what they say, you don’t really know a person until your second week of confinement.”
– “My husband purchased a world map…. gave me a dart and said ‘Throw this, and wherever it lands I’m taking you for a holiday when this pandemic is over.’ Turns out we’re spending two weeks behind the fridge.”
TODAY’S MEDITATION
From the Monterey Bay Aquarium
TODAY’S MUSIC
Annie Lennox and David Bowie, “Under Pressure”
