Ever since 9/11, we in the West have lived in a climate of anxiety. I am one who sees much of the anxiety as confected. Leaders have responded to serious events with alarming rhetoric. Our media have obliged with headlines that enhance the ambient anxiety. And unofficial media respond with ungoverned hype. And so we tremble.
The news of the climate ought to alarm our governments more than it does. I think our kids get this right.
The economy has gone to the bathroom and hasn’t returned.
And now this. By this I mean THIS. I mean the Coronavirus outbreak.
No-one but a fool would say there’s no cause for concern. We know that; we’ve heard that from the fool in the White House.
In Anatomy, the corona is the rim around the glans penis (aka the nob). We know who the nob is.
Is there reason to panic? Many have decided they should panic. Supermarkets are crowded, while the shoppers in Collins Street have thinned.
No-one knows how serious the coronavirus epidemic will become. This blog will report on what it sees. In my clinic some patients are seeking advance prescriptions in case medications become unavailable. If/when this becomes common, medications will certainly become scarce
I close with two modest predictions: firstly that panic will feed on panic; secondly, that this blog will pop up on your screens more frequently.
howardgoldenberg 
Hi Howard.
Whilst I don’t agree with all the alarmists about various scares, Corona Virus is certainly alarming. Bluntly, we do not know how seriously it will affect humanity. I have not, as yet, bought 50 years’ worth of toilet paper or similar amounts of any other vital commodity. Nor shall I. We all know that humans are slack about hygiene. Only about half of us wash after visiting the toilet. Sad. But I feel that this is not the end of the earth. For heaven’s sake, common sense should prevail. On behalf of the Leibels, I thank you sincerely for all the years of health care you were kind enough to provide for us. Given closer proximity to our locations, that health care would still be ongoing. You and I are into that thing we call old age. We can, and shall, enjoy it, in relatively good health, so long as we take certain precautions, and don’t listen to uneducated BS.
God’s blessings to you and your family, Howard, and thanks again.
Rudi Leibel.
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Hg such a sane response,Rudi
And so good to be in touch again
I recall well those days when the girls were small and we were young
The days we built our families and our lives
The playfulness and the warm Mutual regard
Blessings in return to you and yours and to ProBit Computing!
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Good evening, Howard.
The owners of PRO-Bit Computers decided not to renew the lease or to keep the business going, so I retired at the end of 2018, and the business name was acquired by our then most senior technician, Andrew Fox, who is operating from his home premises. The Hurstbridge Rd premises now operate as a massage place (don’t want to refer to it as any other name in case I give the wrong impression). I deeply miss the memorable, wonderful customers and friendships that developed over 24 years. But, I don’t miss the stress. Does ANYONE??
All the best yet again, Howard. I’ve gladly forwarded your reply to Pam, Anna and Sharon.
Cheers and good health.
Rudi.
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Thanks for your wisdom, Howard. I’ve noticed that much of the panic comes from the
Elderly (by which I must mean older than we). As life draws to its end, do we lust unreasonably to live much longer? It’s sad that we cannot lust for life in the very young or those who still have children to bear. Perhaps it is my grief for my partner speaking but it seems unseemly for the very old to cling to life with such unreasoning passion that we fear a few more years will be stolen from us by this new disease
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Thank you for writing in such a heartfelt and open manner, Ron.
It’s difficult to respond. Your thoughts express strong and wounded feelings, and they lead the reader into new realms of thought, away from the general themes and commentary.
I think you are quite right: we do ‘cling to life with unreasoning passion.’
I wish you well, Ron, and joy at Purim
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