Sick Alm?ans

DF · Post by DF » Fri Nov 21, 2003 12:11 am

I got the flu today, so I only went 1/2 a day at school. I've felt horrible all day, but I'm starting to feel a little better (good enough to get off the couch and send a couple e-mails). I'll be missing school tomorrow though. Too bad

JT_the_Ninja · Post by **JT_the_Ninja** » Fri Nov 21, 2003 5:33 am

More flu. I had it for four days this week, if you remember.

Hey you think it's possible to spread it via computer?

Aurora Rossa · Post by **Aurora Rossa** » Fri Nov 21, 2003 7:25 am

I heard about some huge flu epidemic in a biology class. It was in 1918.

Yezhan Seru · Post by **Yezhan Seru** » Fri Nov 21, 2003 10:47 am

My Great aunt (sister of my Grandmother's) died in that epidemic in 1918.
I think it killed fifty million people globally.

Shm Jay · Post by **Shm Jay** » Fri Nov 21, 2003 11:28 am

JonathanaTegire wrote:More flu. I had it for four days this week, if you remember.

Well, I?m finally getting over it on the fifth day. I can tell because I am starting to find US daytime TV stupid again. First was normal flu symptoms, and I got over those reasonably well by Tuesday, but then Tuesday night I had a very very sore throat, as if someone had taken a key and locked it, and the fever returned. I couldn?t sleep on my bed because it bothered my throat. I had to try and sleep on a chair as best as I could (which wasn?t very well at all) to keep my throat vertical. Then when that started to lessen, I got this cough which also was exacerbated by horizontal sleeping. I had to sleep on the floor with pillows piled up on a blanket against a cabinet so my head could be more elevated. I?ve only managed to sleep for about an hour at a time and this morning was the first time I slept for as much as two hours at a time. Last night the second fever broke because I woke up drenched, so I had to throw off my undershirt.

Next year I?m getting a flu shot when it?s flu shot time. I seem to get the flu worse here than I ever did in New York City. I guess that?s because there are so many people in NYC you build up some immunity. I?m also going to buy some sort of prop for my bed for when this happens again and look into getting a more comfortable chair.

DF · Post by DF » Fri Nov 21, 2003 11:33 am

Nah, I don't think I caught it via internet, JT. It's been going around our school for the past week...about 1/6 (about 17%) of the school was out with it.

Nuntar · Post by **Nuntar** » Fri Nov 21, 2003 11:55 am

Catching flu over the internet? I'm sure no Zompister (to use Mark's lovely new word) would be nasty enough to post a virus...

So Haleza Grise · Post by **So Haleza Grise** » Fri Nov 21, 2003 4:59 pm

Eddy the Great wrote:I heard about some huge flu epidemic in a biology class. It was in 1918.

1919, actually.

Shinali Sishi · Post by **Shinali Sishi** » Fri Nov 21, 2003 5:14 pm

So Haleza Grise wrote:
Eddy the Great wrote:I heard about some huge flu epidemic in a biology class. It was in 1918.
1919, actually.

IIRC it overlapped, as I have heard both 18 and 19 before.

I had a little bird and it's name was Enza, I opened the window and influenza!

What's with small children and epidemics?

Ring around the rosie, pocket full of posies, ashes, ashes, we all fall down!

Edit: here's a link...
http://www.stanford.edu/group/virus/uda/

Drydic · Post by **Drydic** » Sat Nov 22, 2003 4:54 am

Dazi wrote:
I had a little bird and it's name was Enza, I opened the window and influenza!
What's with small children and epidemics?
Ring around the rosie, pocket full of posies, ashes, ashes, we all fall down!

I'd say it's because they can't seem to grasp the immensity of it (though I know there are many examples refuting this (myself inculded at that age), there are immensely more proving it), so they seek to trivialise it.

Or maybe they were meant to create a mildly annoying song about a serious issue, and the President's drastic stroke seemed too obvious.

So Haleza Grise · Post by **So Haleza Grise** » Sat Nov 22, 2003 2:44 pm

I've always heard it was "a tish-shoo, a tish-shoo, we all fall down" - where the sneezing was the characterstic first sign of the plague. That, apparently, is also the origins of "bless you" - but that sounds quite urban-legendy to me.

Shinali Sishi · Post by **Shinali Sishi** » Sat Nov 22, 2003 2:48 pm

So Haleza Grise wrote:I've always heard it was "a tish-shoo, a tish-shoo, we all fall down" - where the sneezing was the characterstic first sign of the plague. That, apparently, is also the origins of "bless you" - but that sounds quite urban-legendy to me.

I heard that it was ashes because they couldn't bury all those corpses (too many, too contagious) so they cremated them

anyone for going back in time? I'll hook you up with some penicillin

Besides, even in the Pillow Book (before plague; in Japan) they mention blessing someone when they sneeze. I don't think that had anything to do with the plague.

pharazon · Post by **pharazon** » Sat Nov 22, 2003 6:23 pm

I heard people thought that evil spirits could enter your body when you sneezed, so they said "bless you".

Dudicon · Post by **Dudicon** » Sat Nov 22, 2003 6:50 pm

pharazon wrote:I heard people thought that evil spirits could enter your body when you sneezed, so they said "bless you".

This is what I have heard as well.

Raphael · Post by **Raphael** » Sat Nov 22, 2003 7:08 pm

Dazi wrote: anyone for going back in time? I'll hook you up with some penicillin

Sorry for being a smartass, but what good should penicillin do against a viral infection?

(Not to mention that the disease that is medically called influenza is different from the common cold some of you have at the time anyway)

Shinali Sishi · Post by **Shinali Sishi** » Sat Nov 22, 2003 7:28 pm

Raphael wrote:
Dazi wrote: anyone for going back in time? I'll hook you up with some penicillin
Sorry for being a smartass, but what good should penicillin do against a viral infection?

(Not to mention that the disease that is medically called influenza is different from the common cold some of you have at the time anyway)

I was saying to go to plague time, which is bacterial.

John · Post by **John** » Sat Nov 22, 2003 7:54 pm

According to this:

http://www.snopes.com/language/literary/rosie.htm

the thing about Ring around the Rosie is an urban lengend.

--John

Rory · Post by **Rory** » Sun Nov 23, 2003 4:56 pm

pharazon wrote:I heard people thought that evil spirits could enter your body when you sneezed, so they said "bless you".

I've heard that people thought your sneeze was so powerful that your soul might accidentally leap out of your body, so they said "(God) bless you".

Apparantly in Farsi, the phrase people say after sneezing translates roughly as "I hope your soul didn't jump out your stomach" or something like that.

JT_the_Ninja · Post by **JT_the_Ninja** » Sun Nov 23, 2003 8:04 pm

The ring.........you watch the tape, and you die seven days later.........

Rory · Post by **Rory** » Mon Nov 24, 2003 4:13 pm

lol

Maybe it's a reference to that! A precognitive reference!

Space Dracula · Post by **Space Dracula** » Sat Nov 29, 2003 11:45 pm

/}ktSu@li/, the "God bless you thing" ties back to the Black Plague days. At least that's my understanding.

Supposedly, the Church began telling people that the only medcine they needed was a blessing, and that the will of God would drive the plague out of them. So, everytime someone sneezes, "[God] bless you". This was to prevent the local people from squirming out from under the Church's thumb, and saw local herbal remides (sp?), many going back to the Pagan days, as a threat to their power. Not to offend anyone. In time, the blessing became arbitrary and "polite".