Deck the Halls (Pandemic Edition)   Deck the halls with disinfectant, ‘tis the season to be distant, Don we now our new protection, To avoid airborne infection.   See the rising curve before us, This new mutation is contagious, Until vaccines will end this madness, We're living in four tiers of sadness.   Finally this stra...  Read this >>

This was meant to be another ‘diary type’ entry, about a few more things that are going on here – where things are slowing moving out of control but are still fairly manageable right now. I wonder how soon Germany will be in lockdown once again. Right now we are seemingly in the same phase in which a lot of other countries have been for ...  Read this >>

Last night I dreamt that the Grand Canyon was on fire – the flames were coming over the horizon, rushing through valleys and circling rocks, and I could hear them well before I could see them. An impersonal announcement stated that by now even the areas that used to be cool were on fire, as a few frightened animals ran past trying to escape the blaz...  Read this >>

This week, the UK government has announced that it is relaunching its public health slogan to advise citizens on safe behaviour during the pandemic. The re-revealed central message is ‘Hands. Face. Space.’ This follows on from ‘Stay at home, protect the NHS, save lives’ and the much more conflicted ‘Stay alert, control the vi...  Read this >>

It really seems as though you can get used to pretty much anything, given enough time. Whatever was shocking and disruptive months ago has by now become a sort of new normality for many people – including the new rules, the masks everywhere and the slight unease whenever you suddenly and unexpectedly find yourself in a larger crowd. Like many people...  Read this >>

It's the first day back at daycare, it's 10 am, and it already feels like it's been a long day. Everything is ever so slightly different yet again, which is surprisingly unsettling after all the other (more disruptive) changes that have already taken place. We dropped off an excited child at daycare, at a side door that now has yellow marks spray-painted ...  Read this >>

This entry has been very much delayed due to the enormously challenging question of childcare, or rather the continuing absence of it. Over the past weeks, it has been at first immensely stressful and then increasingly draining to keep working around constantly changing work schedules and the energetic schedule of a two year old. In a way, I feel as thoug...  Read this >>

Two Limericks   There once was a man on a mission To test his eyes with precision He went for a drive With his kid and his wife And found he had truly no vision   To a man who was nobody's vassal Quarantine seemed a right hassle Took his family Drove across the country All else is just Barney Castle   By now I think that we ar...  Read this >>

Two Haiku (all words White House Remarks, April 23rd, 2020)   We hit the body just very powerful light it kills it in one.   The disinfectant by injection inside almost a cleaning.   Here is another installment of abbreviated notes from key White House press conferences - this conference dated 23.4.2020 is already beyond infamous...  Read this >>

I am just watching a WHO press conference on my phone, via twitter - I did not know that this was even possible until now. But being interested in the use of digital technology within the field of global health, I thought that I'd give it a go (along with Instagram, which is an entirely different story). Anyway, at first I was really impressed with the wh...  Read this >>

Over the past week(s) I've been reading through articles, assessments and press statements made by various organisations and individuals over the course of the outbreak. I am now compiling timelines to keep track of what is happening and what has already happened, as the presentation of past events increasingly shifts. Things are also moving at such a fas...  Read this >>

I was actually working away on a 'proper' entry, about supply chains and timelines, which is only half-done - but then I simply could not resist - the next entry will be serious, I promise... even though I do not really know what is more serious than what is happening at this podium all of the time, broadcast live on television.   King Of Something...  Read this >>

Here is another summary of White House remarks, which seem to become increasingly outlandish each day. Whenever you feel that you now have seen the worst of it, a new layer is added over night. At this point, Greek tragedies spring to mind, and I have been reading Sophocles' Oedipus Rex, in which Oedipus frantically tries to secure the survival of his cit...  Read this >>

I've been reading so many speeches and statements over the past weeks, I don't even remember half of them anymore. It's an avalanche of material that just keeps on coming. It's hard to keep focused amongst all this, as many people have also noted everywhere. There is a constant hum of news, alerts and updates that demands attention thoughout the day (and ...  Read this >>