People still don't get it. As things stand now, we cannot beat The Great Corona, we have to live with it. That's the only way. Because people and economies cannot stay locked down indefinitely. So if face masks become the number one fashion accessory on the planet, so be it. I see many apparel companies already licking their fingers at the possibilities the humble face mask will have to offer. For women for example a lingerie set might now include a lacy variant. For the lads, well, as long as we don't have something that says 'Jockey' on it in big bold letters, we're fine. And in spite of all the precautions, if some unlucky soul still manages to contract the damn pestilence, we'll just say what we always say when misfortune befalls, -- 'Shit happens!

So if anybody wants to come out of this pandemic making a killing (no pun intended), start making designer masks. There could be formal masks for work and casual masks for the weekend, but what might really catch on are those that make a statement. For instance, I'd love one that says, -- Temporarily closed for business!

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Doesn't it seem like people have gone a little overboard with the whole video-calling thing these days? Especially friends and relatives in other countries. Suddenly they don't just want to hear your voice, they want to see your damn face. I was forced to install a new video-calling app called Zoom that has all the Indians in the Middle East very excited because the Arabs haven't blocked it yet. It's bad enough having to spend so much time on calls with the folk from work, now you have to video-chat with people outside of work. I don't know about you, but I find it quite exhausting having to carry on a video conversation beyond the hi-howareyou with someone I used to speak to once every few months, if not more. And what does one say anyway? How are things there? Lockdown. How are things here? Lockdown. So the topic of discussion invariably centres around how each one is managing their version of this godawful lockdown. And just hearing about it is not enough, they need visual evidence too. Luckily on weekdays I've been able to cut these interactions short by saying I have just 5 minutes before I get onto an office call. On weekends options for escape are limited.

***

A friend on Facebook shared an old speech by Donny Trump where he told his countrymen to get their butts out there and vote no matter how sick they were. I  hope he doesn't do a replay of that at election time this year. With someone like him you never know -- he pushes the envelope like it's made of spandex! Some will call it stupidity, but I say the man has great testicular fortitude ... even if his testicles happen to be in the wrong place!

One thing I do agree with him though is his argument that the US should not be the largest financial contributor to the WHO. If you ask me that honour should now be passed on to China. In fact I say move the headquarters of the WHO from Geneva to somewhere closer to ground zero, like Wuhan! 

Peace, love, and the right geography!