>  ML> the reason so much of the information is contradictory is ...
>  ML> that most of the data are drawn from incomplete sources and
>  ML> imperfect analysis.
> It's true that we are rushing to learn how to cope quickly and
> making mistakes in the process but we are improving  our responses
> and the biggest problem is purposeful misinformation from people
> with nasty agendas and willful ignorance.

Festina lente, as one of those classical guys
(Horace?) said. I'm doing today's mail without
checking anything on the Web, because our power
is out. I do think that in addition to purposeful
misinformation (underinformation? overinformation?)
there's the phenomenon I've been harping on, which
clouds things far more and has the danger of being
fightable only by a coldblooded assessment of what
is being said, which the human race is perhaps not
ready for.

>  ML> the New York outbreaks have been shown to
>  ML> have come from a strain that has been cooking
>  ML> in Italy and not a direct import from China.
> There are currently 7 known mutated strains in less than one year.
> This makes the possibility of a vaccine giving long term universal
> immunity is unlikely.

Think about that! And what it means for public 
health policy, past and present.

>  ML> According to ACA, it should be free to those who
>  ML> qualify for any kind of insurance. According to
>  ML> me, it should be free for everyone.
> In Canada it will be when it comes.

Well, as I pointed out to Ruth, it's free by law
to all who qualify for any US-based insurance 
scheme at all, which of course ought to be 
everybody but in this country is not necessarily.
Again, I can't check, but it would appear that 90+%
are entitled to the shot gratis.

> A plague of a different sort:
>       Title: The Lemon Apocalypse

Eh. I'm not sure I could sort out the various 
sugary and citric contributions of the ingredients.
Rock and rye with a twist and a splash, that's all
one needs to do for the effect, and it would take
a fraction of the time.

+
> We now have 3 more presumptive cases, all likely from that gym.
> These are the first community spread cases here ever. I am going to
> start taking the standard precautions seriously starting right now.

This will be interesting to watch. It's the
more sparsely populated regions that will
provide the new insights.

> I just had a business client today tell me that one of his employees
> went to that gym later in the day in question who is still coming to
> work. I told him to back off 6 feet and mask up if we were going to
> finish our conversation. And I certainly won't be ordering any food
> from his restaurant in the next 14 days!

I'm quite skeptical about a pathogenic dose of 
virus persisting in food (especially hot food) for 
any substantial length of time, so, again, unless 
someone sneezes or coughs on it, you should be 
good to go.

> I need a medicinal dose of something like this. Ginger is good for
> you, right?
>       Title: The Lost Wager
>       6    Quarter-size ginger slices

That's a substantial dose of ginger, actually.

> ... The desire to take medicine distinguishes man from animals.

The desire to make shit up distinguishes man from animals.

Caroline Harrison's Sausage Rolls
categories: celebrity, political, starter, sandwich, dubious
yield: 1 batch

2 c sifted flour
2 1/2 ts baking powder
1 ts salt
1/4 c shortening
3/4 c milk
sausage, cut into pieces

Make a biscuit dough by combining all the 
ingredients, except the sausage. Roll the 
dough out thin; cut into shape with a biscuit 
cutter. In the center of each, place a roll 
of sausage the size of a good-sized hickory 
nut; roll it up in the dough. Preheat the 
oven to 450F, and bake sausage rolls for 
10 to 15 min. 

Attributed to Benjamin Harrison's first lady,
but other than it being a good plain midwestern
Presbyterian recipe, I see no evidence for this
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