The Old is New Again

A legal immigrant who will die due to lack of money and will to take care of his failing kidneys.

The alarming number of sick calls from hospital workers this flu season.

The nasty fuss; the monkey-suit mask, gown, and gloves we have to wear to avoid spreading a simple virus.

Bankruptcies due to health care costs, even for those with good insurance coverage.

Fine coffee.

Applied technology. Medical equipment, and home entertainment.

Let's start with the last. I "had to" get a new laptop. Over the years I have accumulated a sizable collection of music on compact discs. My spouse abhors these due to the shelf space they occupy. Now I can download hundreds and hundreds of them onto my computer and Ipod. Wirelessly I can beam the music into my hi-fi system. (I am not fond of the sound derived from those little in-ear headphones; even the pricey ones.) Now I have more room on the shelves for books! at least until Spousie gets me a Kindle or other such book-reader. I can also carry nearly all of my music with me on the Ipod.

In hindsight, it's really not all that different from the little transistor radio I used to take to the beach when I was young so I could listen to Hey Jude while I read Vonnegut and sunned myself.

Interestingly, the latest-generation new Ipod Nano features the addition of FM radio.

What?! No AM radio?!

Set

If you come to the hospital and you display flu-like symptoms, we will either admit you to an isolation room or kick you the hell out. Nicely.

If you have a child in school, assume that they are at risk. Viruses do not work in terms of degrees of separation; instead, in terms of degrees of connection.

Think about the things that you touch as you go about your business. Gross. Yes, I know. Then think about all the other people who may have touched whatever you're touching, as you make your day.

Multiple homonyms: Flu, flew, flue