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Row, row, row your boat
Gently down the stream
Merrily merrily, merrily, merrily
Life is but a dream

Artist: Ben Shahn (American, 1898–1969)
Title: Passion of Sacco and Vanzetti , 1958–1958
Medium: Silkscreen
Size: 66 x 43 cm. (26 x 16.9 in.)

Ben Shahn, Bartolomeo Vanzetti and Nicola Sacco, 1931-32, gouache on paper on board, 10 7/8 x 14 5/8 inches / 27.6 x 37.1 cm (The Museum of Modern Art).

Zlata Blazina Tomic and Vesna Blazina's book Expelling the Plague: The Health Office and the Implementation of Quarantine in Dubrovnik, 1377-1533, was published by McGill-Queen's University Press in 2015. Jane Stevens Crawshaw's article, "The Renaissance Invention of Quarantine," appears in The Fifteenth Century XII: Society in an Age of Plague, edited by Linda Clark and Carole Rawcliffe, and published in 2013.


https://www.medievalists.net/2020/03/medieval-origins-quarantine/

The practice of quarantine and plague hospitals would gradually spread into the rest of Europe over the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries – it was a concept that appealed to the civic mindedness and spirit of charity of medieval communities. These measures offered some measure of protection against the plague while assisting those infected. Quarantine has endured as a public health practice for centuries since then, and is even used in the present-day battles against pandemics.

The success Dubrovnik achieved in containing the plague would lead to other Italian cities, such as Venice and Milan, to emulate it with similar measures. The term quarantine means a period of forty days, but cities implemented various time-periods for how long a person might be isolated, ranging between eight and 80 days. Jane Stevens Crawshaw explains:

The basic idea was that the separation of the sick (and eventually those suspected of having contracted the plague) was essential in order to prevent the spread of the disease. Quarantine measures were imposed upon inhabitants when cities were infected, as well as upon incoming travellers and merchants; they would come to encompass not only individuals but also their clothing, their possessions and their homes. Quarantine could be carried out in the domestic setting, but often separate buildings were set aside or specially constructed to serve communities as plague hospitals and to facilitate the care of patients while they remained in isolation.

To help enforce the new regulations, the city of Dubrovnik hired a well-known Italian physician and two surgeons. This would lead to another innovation carried out by the city in 1390: the establishment of a permanent Health Office. At first called Officials Against Those Arriving From Plague-Infected Areas, they would be responsible for carrying out the city's regulations and even punishing offenders – they could even carry out sentences such as lashing, branding, and cutting off of one ear. In their book, Tomic and Blazina detail how this office grew in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, and how Dubrovnik continued their efforts to prevent plague from causing further devastation.

Tomic and Blazina explain that Dubrovnik was a city that depended on trade, especially to have food come in, so that isolating themselves off from the world was not an option. By placing suspected carriers of the plague in nearby areas – Catvat was a small town just south of Dubrovnik while Mrkan was a nearby uninhabited island, the authorities hoped they could limit the infection while only slowing down the vital trade.

Tomic and Blazina also note how important the idea of quarantine was, writing:

...in order to arrive at the preventive isolation, a major leap of knowledge was necessary in the prevention of plague: the notion of incubation and maybe also the concept of healthy carriers of disease had to be accepted.

City records reveal a meeting that took place on 27 July 1377. Here the 47 councillors of Durbovnik voted on a series of proposals to deal with the plague. Thirty-four agreed to a new law that would prevent "those who come from plague infested areas shall not enter Dubrovnik or its district unless they previously spend a month on the islet of Mrkan or in the town of Catvat, for the purposes of disinfection."

With the law in place, another was added, agreed to by 44 councillors:

The residents of Dubrovnik are strictly forbidden to visit those who arrive from plague-infested areas and who will be confined on the islet Mrkan or Cavtat. Those who dare bring food or any other necessities to the interned, without permission of the officials designated for that function, will have to stay there in isolation for a month.

After the devastating phase of the Black Death, the plague would return to parts of Europe, striking communities sometimes every five or ten years. Europeans were also learning more about how this epidemic could spread from place to place, and the danger that those who were infected posed to the rest of the population. This led some cities to enact stringent measures against those who were ill.  For example, when the plague struck Milan in 1374, the authorities ordered that all sick persons to leave the city "and take to the open country, living either in huts or in the woods until [they] died or recovered."

However, the city of Dubrovnik (then known as Ragusa), a port of about 3000 people on the Adriatic coast, did something quite different when the plague began emerging again in the year 1377. In their book Expelling the Plague, historians Zlata Blazina Tomic and Vesna Blazina reveal that they were the first city in the world to develop and implement quarantine legislation.

As the world deals with the coronavirus pandemic, some of the key measures authorities are using to deal with the crisis are isolation and quarantine. The origins of quarantine date back to the Middle Ages, an idea that emerged in the wake of the Black Death.

When the bubonic plague struck Europe between the years 1347 to 1351, medieval physicians did not understand how this sickness was spreading. With theories suggesting the cause ranging from 'bad airs' to deliberate poisoning, the measures undertaken to stop the plague usually revolved around keeping cities clean and scapegoating minorities.

He he..

Nakaigit -- naglisod, monas ginhawa
Maay pay tae, manimaho pa -- palpak, way ayo, nangiwit (as in a contest)

Palm Sunday 2020...

Hmmm, maybe this is "A view with a room"? 

Proposing in the time of covid-19

The Confucian reference is both crucial and ironical since, as Mosher points out, it was Confucius (5 BC) who had taught that the "Great Way" (righteousness leading to social harmony, "public spirited, crime free and even vaguely democratic," in the scholar's words), would pave the way for "datong," or the "Great Unification," which would allegedly put everything and everyone under "tianxia," or All Under Heaven."Great Uniformity" or "Great Tranquility" (in the translation of the famous Scottish Sinologist James Legge) has since been the vision of China's procession of dynasties down to the CPC, Mosher declares.

"The latest iteration of the ancient Quin political culture—the People's Republic of China—similarly longs to bring All Under Heaven... under its sway. And that is why it is so intransigent on Taiwan. And that is why it continues to make territorial demands in the South China Sea, in the East China Sea, on the Tibetan Plateau and elsewhere. Only through continuous expansion can the ideal of the 'Great Uniformity' be realized." INQ


In "Bully of Asia," China expert Steven W. Mosher criticizes China's history of ruthless tyranny and hegemonic obsession.

Superiority complex

How China could hold out its "success" in allegedly stopping COVID-19 as a model for other countries to follow is due to its sense of superiority and history of self-delusion, according to Mosher.

In his latest book, "Bully of Asia: Why China's Dream Is the New Threat to World Order" (2017, Regnery Publishing), Mosher takes readers to a quick survey of Chinese history to show how across the centuries, China has been obsessed with "hegemony" and lording it over others.

"In their obsession with hegemony the Chinese people have their own doctrine of manifest destiny," Mosher writes. "For more than two thousand years, the Chinese considered themselves the geographical and geopolitical center of the world."

The American author describes China's worldview as "Sinocentric—even narcissistic."

Mosher contrasts Sparta's magnanimous victory over Athens during the Peloponnesian War (4 BC), with the Qun dynasty's "Grand Unification" in the following century, and declares the goal of the latter was the "opposite": Quin Shihuangdi (3 BC) "wanted to enslave the Chinese by subjugating their independent kingdoms to his own rule."

"Utterly ruthless in his pursuit of power," Mosher adds, "he was known for slaughtering surrendering armies—as well as Confucian scholars—to the last man."

"What the Communist leadership... did was much simpler," he wrote. "It simply directed doctors across China to stop diagnosing and reporting new cases of the disease. Overnight, new cases dropped to zero."

He wrote there was "evidence that some local jurisdictions have been deliberately underreporting the number of patients who test positive for the virus."Mosher added that the "warehouse hospitals" built overnight "have all been emptied out in a hurry, with many of the occupants sent home while reportedly still testing positive."

He reported that in Beijing, hospitals have canceled "all elective procedures," which he said should suggest they were coping with the influx of Covid-19 patients."Finally," he wrote, "at least one province is requiring all government documents to destroy all 'documents and data' they may have received concerning the epidemic."

Mosher praised American and French attempts to come up with an antidote against COVID-19. Also a biologist, he called a recent French study showing chloroquine and azithromycin could stop the Wuhan virus "promising."

But he said the "real enemy" is not the virus, but the CPC, "the corrupt and tyrannical system that, through its evil and incompetence, unleashed this plague around the world."

A demographer, social scientist, anthropologist and Chinese population expert, Mosher dismissed CPC's claim it "has actually reduced the number of new cases to zero."

Mosher wrote that the likelihood of zero transmission out of China's 1.3 billion people "is about the same as the CPC discovering a cure for cancer, establishing a base on Mars and inventing faster-than-light interstellar travel—all on the same day," Mosher wrote.

Celebrated, controversial

Mosher is a celebrated international scholar who became in 1979 the first American research student to conduct anthropological research in China after the Cultural Revolution. He exposed the forced abortions of women due to the CPC's "one-child policy" and as a result, was barred from entering China again.

Mosher was also expelled from the PhD program of Stanford University, which became a controversy in the academic world. Critics said Stanford bowed down to Chinese pressure, but the university denied this and said Mosher was dropped because he violated research ethics and compromised the safety of his sources in China.

Those sources may have aided Mosher in contesting CPC's claim of defeating the COVID-19 pandemic.

Just the same, the CPC is holding out its dubious claim of total win over the Wuhan virus "as a model for other countries to follow," complained Mosher, who's regularly interviewed on CNN and other broadcast news media agencies on human rights and other issues on China.

"'Learn from China' is the latest Party line," reported the China watcher.

"It is just one more piece of Chinese propaganda to add to the ever-growing pile of lies that Beijing has been telling these past three months."

He called the CPC claim "fake news out of China."

China's 'success' in stopping pandemic a 'sheer fabrication,' says US China expert
Real enemy is not the new coronavirus, but the Chinese Communist Party, warns author of 'Bully of Asia'

By: Lito B. Zulueta     Philippine Daily Inquirer / 04:02 AM March 30, 2020





The recent claims of the Communist Party of China (CPC) of "success" and "zero domestic transmissions" in the fight against the new coronavirus disease (COVID-19) are "propaganda" and "sheer fabrication," according to American China expert and author Steven W. Mosher.

"It is sheer fabrication, no sturdier than the shoddy warehouses that were put up in a week to house the victims of the Wuhan virus," wrote Mosher in an article on the website of the Population Research Institute, which he heads (pop.org).

'History will be the judge'


But as Swedes watch the rest of Europe grind to a halt, others are starting to question their country's unique approach.

"I think people are prone to listen to the recommendations, but in this kind of critical situation, I am not sure that it's enough," says Dr Emma Frans, an epidemiologist based at Swedish medical university The Karolinska Institute.

She's calling for "clearer instructions" for people on how they should interact in public places such as shops and gyms.

And while business is ticking over for some, others are struggling. Around the corner from Mariatorget's busy bars, popular hipster barber shop Honest Al's has seen customer numbers plummet, despite efforts to improve safety by staggering staffing and appointments.

"My wife is also having her own company, so we pretty much depend on ourselves. Business is bad. I still have bills to pay. We're gonna have to call the banks," says owner Al Mocika.

He's putting his money on Sweden switching tactics and imposing a lockdown, something officials haven't ruled out doing in the future.

Dr Emma Frans says history will be the judge of which politicians and scientists around Europe have made the best calls so far.

"Nobody really knows what measurements will be the most effective," she says. "I'm quite glad that I'm not the one making these decisions".

High level of trust


A majority of Swedes watched and approved of his speech, according to a nationwide survey for Novus, a major polling company.

Meanwhile, there is a high level of trust in public authorities in Sweden, which many believe is driving locals to adhere to voluntary guidelines.

Demography may also be a relevant factor in the country's approach. In contrast to the multi-generational homes in Mediterranean countries, more than half of Swedish households are made up of one person, which cuts the risk of the virus spreading within families.

Meanwhile, Swedes love the outdoors and officials have said that keeping people physically and mentally healthy is another reason they're keen to avoid rules that would keep people cooped up at home.

"We have to combine looking at minimising the health effects of the virus outbreak and the economic impacts of this health crisis," says Andreas Hatzigeorgiou, CEO at the Stockholm Chamber of Commerce.

"The business community here really thinks that the Swedish government and the Swedish approach is more sensible than in many other countries."

Families are able to enjoy the fresh air in a Stockholm park without any restrictions


"We who are adults need to be exactly that: adults. Not spread panic or rumours," Prime Minister Stefan Löfven said in a televised address to the nation last weekend.

"No one is alone in this crisis, but each person has a heavy responsibility."

'Each person has a heavy responsibility'


On the roads in Sweden, things are noticeably quieter than usual. Stockholm's public transport company SL says it saw passenger numbers fall by 50% on subway and commuter trains last week.

Polls also suggest almost half of Stockholmers are remote working.

Stockholm Business Region, a state-funded company that supports the city's global business community, estimates that rises to at least 90% in the capital's largest firms, thanks to a tech-savvy workforce and a business culture that has long promoted flexible and remote working practices.

"Every company that has the possibility to do this, they are doing it, and it works," says its CEO Staffan Ingvarsson.

His words cut to the heart of the government's strategy here: self-responsibility. Public health authorities and politicians are still hoping to slow down the spread of the virus without the need for draconian measures.

There are more guidelines than strict rules, with a focus on staying home if you're sick or elderly, washing your hands, and avoiding any non-essential travel, as well as working from home.

Lockdown, what lockdown? Sweden's unusual response to coronavirus
By Maddy Savage
Stockholm
2 hours ago
https://www.bbc.com/


While swathes of Europe's population endure lockdown conditions in the face of the coronavirus outbreak, one country stands almost alone in allowing life to go on much closer to normal.

After a long winter, it's just become warm enough to sit outside in the Swedish capital and people are making the most of it.

Families are tucking into ice creams beneath a giant statue of the Viking God Thor in Mariatorget square. Young people are enjoying happy-hour bubbles from pavement seating further down the street.

Elsewhere in the city, nightclubs have been open this week, but gatherings for more than 50 people will be banned from Sunday.

Compare that to neighbouring Denmark, which has restricted meetings to 10 people, or the UK where you're no longer supposed to meet anyone outside your household.

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