Reading Time: 2 minutes Chief advisor to Boris Johnson, Dominic Cummings, is in a spot of trouble, and only he can advise himself how to act. He is a top advisor, after all. The UK’s Brexit guru and pandemic scientific expert has been spotted visiting his parents, not once, but twice, during lockdown. Now, who’s been a naughty boy […]
Medicine
Women Of Solicitude – Clapping Carers Is Nice, Rewarding Them Is Better
Reading Time: 3 minutes If the coronavirus pandemic has taught us one thing, it is to appreciate the true value of all the dedicated women nurses and carers, who are bearing the brunt of the viral attack, in a courageous attempt to save lives and protect those in need. These women do this every day, regardless of whether there […]
Mark Rutte Patronizes The Dutch Dental Profession
Reading Time: 4 minutes I’ll give Dutch prime minister Mark Rutte the benefit of the doubt. Here is a man under pressure because his entire liberal, easy-going vision of the world is being deep-frozen by a virus that’s even smaller than the smallest of viruses. In answer to a question on whether dentists could open their practices, Rutte patronizingly […]
Our Biggest Weakness Is To Think We Are Invincible
Reading Time: 4 minutes Weakness, is thinking of oneself as invincible. – Roberto Saviano Exactly one month ago, I started cancelling appointments at my dental practice, following advice from the Dutch dental association to only treat acute emergencies, and avoid patients who have been tested positive for the coronavirus or who present symptoms, like the plague. We are […]
Jair Bolsonaro – The Plonker From Brazil
Reading Time: 4 minutes I’ll be honest and say that I actually missed Jair Bolsonaro, president of Brazil, enlightening us on the importance of being ill. I spend half my time trying to understand how the Dutch ministry for health manages to convince us that the pandemic is showing signs of stabilising whilst, at the same time, publishing figures […]
Piangendo Per Te, Italia (Pleurant Pour Toi, Italie)
Reading Time: 3 minutes Alors que l’Italie se verrouille un peu plus, il semble que les italiens soient piégés dans un autocuiseur qui est sur le point d’exploser. J’essaie de penser à autre chose en regardant des vieilles émissions, sur YouTube, me rappelant ma jeunesse. Ce n’est pas de la nostalgie, mais cela me fait oublier mon cabinet dentaire […]
Piangendo Per Te, Italia (Crying For You, Italy)
Reading Time: 3 minutes As Italy locks down a little more, it seems that the Italian people are being trapped in a pressure cooker that is about to explode. I try to think of other things by watching videos of old comedians, on YouTube, reminding me of when I was young. It isn’t nostalgia, but it makes me forget […]
Solidarité? Non, C’est La Peur Du Virus
Reading Time: 3 minutes C‘est une scène de la vie quotidienne. Je vais à la station-service et je paie à la caisse. Le caissier ne porte pas de masque mais bien des gants noirs à usage unique. Il me remet le reçu et, sans changer de gants, s’occupe du client suivant. Des études récentes ayant montré que le coronavirus […]
Solidarity? No, It’s The Fear Of A Virus
Reading Time: 3 minutes It’s a scene from everyday life. I go to the tank station and pay at the till. The cashier is not wearing a face mask but both his hands are covered with black gloves that I presume to be disposable. He hands me the receipt and, without changing his gloves, attends to the next customer. […]
Macron’s COVID-19 Advisor Underestimated Pandemic
Reading Time: 3 minutes I watched last Wednesday’s French news bulletin with a quiet bewilderment that bordered on incomprehension. The head of the governmental scientific committee, and advisor to president Macron over the COVID-19 pandemic, publicly admitted that he (and others) had underestimated the severity of the coronavirus pandemic. Jean-François Delfraissy, immunologist and chairman of the coronavirus scientific committee, […]