Day 28 - SkyLines from the French Lock-down: Dispatches #3 - Rumors

Salut - vous êtes toujours la?  (Hi - are you still there?)  Yeah, we know, where else would you be! Like half the world you are like we are "Chez-nous" (at home - or literally, our house.) The news is a bit hard to define at the moment, so here is the third of our dispatches from the battle.  I know, a dispatch is a military report. But President Macron keeps telling us that we who stay at home are the third line of defense, so I'm taking that as permission.  Today's topic - The news and rumors of news.

True photo - but not taken today.
 I just wanted the rainbow, a symbol of hope.

Day 28 - An incredible four weeks of being at home. We are doing a lot of cooking! It may be time for a diet. I expect the philodendron in my village house has died. That's sad but it's not on my list of tragedies.  Over 118,000 deaths as of today from this new virus - that's a tragedy. New cases every day and health care workers stressed out and having a hard time coping. That's a tragedy. Scenes of body bags lining the hospital corridors in Ecuador and Brooklyn. That's a tragedy. A houseplant? Nope.

We got up late today - it was raining.  I read the news in bed. There didn't seem to be any reason to rise and shine right away. It was raining, after all.  This is not fake news.  Stick your hand through the screen. See?

News - rain is wet.
Pretty sure, anyway.

It's still raining. The headlines are both reassuring "Numbers of deaths per day falling in Europe" and chilling, "Numbers of new cases rising in UK and USA." And yes - there are people who still think this is all a hoax? There are. We ate breakfast closer to eleven than ten and shared the stories we'd read. 

First we discussed the French man who has posted a video on YouTube showing empty waiting rooms in the hospital nearby.  He said there is no virus crisis in the hospital, because he can't see anyone inside, see?  At my most charitable, I'll say this.  He's not quite clear on the concept.  His argument is that there has to be plenty of room inside if no one is in the waiting room. Right. And did he not hear the order to stay home and that if you felt ill call for help?  Under no circumstances are we to go the hospital unless directed to do so by a doctor or nurse. They are trying to keep any new infection from walking in the front door.  I shake my head and my French partner, Y, mutters, "Connard."  (Yeah, pretty much means idiot. Okay, you got me - it's more like "a$$whole.)

Next up on the "You've got to be kidding me" list was the gendarmes who were sent out to the Naturist colony (read that nudist, if you didn't already know). Why?  To inform them that they needed to wear masks when in public. Oh good! That's reassuring. Can't imagine they are shedding virus RNA from any other orifices... oh, sorry. Did you not think that immediately? Guess I just ruined your snack break. I already had enough reason to not visit a naturist beach before this began. I'm sticking with that plan this summer.

Meanwhile. It's raining. I'm writing.  Y is reading. These are things I can actually be sure about. He went out before breakfast to buy the daily baguette. He got wet. The umbrella is drying in the garage. Not a rumor. On to

Today's view from the kitchen.

more stories that are in the headlines:

The government has announced they are considering keeping the seniors on quarantine for the rest of the year. Geez! My dad said it's probably just a fear rumor. It may be. That's the problem right now. The news outlets will tell us every rumor they hear to keep us tuning in. My partner said,"It should be a choice. If you are a senior and want to go out with everyone when the lock-down finishes, you should carry an attestation that says, "If I get sick with the virus, I won't complain when there is no medical facility to treat me." Oooh. He can be a lot like me. 

Continuing on the theme of rumor as news - or maybe news as rumor - was how to end our confinement. The fear is that the French will go right back on strike and blocking commerce as they were doing before this all started. That would mean the economy would continue to tank. What to do? Stay confined and let only people go and return to work? It smacks of totalitarianism. Not a good idea. Remember what happened the last time the French people got really, really angry, Louis the XVI style? Guillotines all around? It's not that far-fetched although with modern military techniques it could get really brutal and take less time.

Then came the report on the the United States where the peak is predicted to hit around the 20th of April.  For some strange reason, not all the States are practicing social distancing. There are even cases of people who have been told to do so, then gone out anyway. They flout the advice against groups by holding parties.  Some are even chasing people then coughing on them and basically acting like "Connards."  Whoa.  I would like to believe that is a rumor. I saw a meme that covers this situation.  It said, "If only some States practice social distancing, it's like roping off a peeing section in a public swimming pool." Another appetizing concept, right?

During this period of quarantine, I keep thinking about a book in my home library.  It's "If no

Pamela Link's photo reminds me of this crisis.
"Pisces Wave Art 5" by PamLink CC BY-NC 2.0 

News, Send Rumors" by Stephen Bates. It's a collection of stories about journalism that will make you doubt everything you read, if you aren't already there, that is. I picked it up in 1990 at one of my favorite bookstores, City Lights in San Francisco.  (Yes, I've seen the sad news about it's crisis - maybe that's what got me thinking about all the books I bought there.)  Anyway - the title of the book was taken from a real event.  During the Civil War, a newspaper editor who was hungry for headlines told his reporters that if they couldn't find an interesting story, send rumors.  Anything was better than not having a headline in the war to win readers. I have a feeling that has never changed. The only thing that has changed is how quickly the news and rumors fly around the planet.

Tonight, Macron is going to address us on TV. This is only the third time. He is not taking questions, it's about essential information on what is to come. He told us a few days ago that in a war, we have to have a clear strategy and stick to the plan. Tonight we will find out how that is going. I'll let you know tomorrow what we think about it. For the moment, it's raining. That's the only thing I can see, touch, hear and know is absolutely true. The rest may be true or it may be another grab for a headline. 

What to believe?  Believe in yourself. Trust the science that says washing your hands and not touching your face will limit the chance of letting the virus get inside of you. Get your information from a diversity of sources. It'll give you an idea of what may be true. Don't go picking fights with others over opinions or even facts. Who has a monopoly on that? You'll just add to your stress. And me? I think it's better to err on the side of caution, so I'll be wearing my mask when I absolutely have to go shop and most of all, we're staying home.

It's scary out there. There is no doubt that the morticians are working overtime. I don't need to see the photos to know that. No European government would risk crashing their economy by closing down if

This February photo seems like another life now.
But the storm will pass and when it has we will see
rainbows. I long to write about that!

there wasn't a real crisis going on. Let's keep ourselves safe, keep those around you safe, and ride out the crisis at home. The tide is turning and everyone who is doing the right thing by reducing their

contacts is helping to make this happen. It isn't over, not even for us here in Europe. Hang on and we'll see this through - together.  

A demain, chers amis!   (Until tomorrow, dear friends)
Link to Day 29