Covid-19: We don’t talk about 1-18

Desperate times call for desperate measures.

 

Dunno if this was mentioned as yet, but only 3 states have met the CDC's standards for reopening:

Connecticut,
New York, and
Illinois.

https://thehill.com/changing-americ...5-only-three-states-have-met-the-white-houses

 

My wife needs to have a crown put on one of her back teeth immediately, so it's nice we're in Stage 2 in our county where dentistry can happen again. I've known our dentist socially (and professionally) for 26 years, and our children were good friends. He said the only way he can meet safety standards for doing the advanced work for her - which includes a face guard in addition to masks - is by having a friend 3-D print the face guards. He only has standard PPE because of a robust order at the beginning of the year - he still can't buy any - and cannot get the more advanced stuff either; the supply is still severely impacted. But for this piece of safety equipment at least, the 3-D printer to the rescue!

 

Also in Switzerland there's Bern (German) and Berne (French) and Basel (German) and Basle (French) which the English pronounce as Barl, and if you're in the mountainous southern region it's called Valais on the Swiss French side of the mountains and Wallis on the Swiss German side.

 

Here's a cool story - deaf mother designs face masks with clear plastic insert to facilitate lip reading. Not sure about you, but geez do I ever need a spot of positivity after this heavy, depressing week.

 

Everyone in the world will say the name Rafael as "rah fa el", but everyone here says San Rafael as "rah fell".

 

My mother-in-law still says Point "Rey-es" even after years of hearing us use the local pronunciation "raze." Then there's Tiburon, for which my dad always uses the Spanish pronunciation "tee-boo-rone" despite the locals all saying "tib-er-ahn."

 

Key West, originality: Cayo Hueso ( prononced Wess-o.) Bone key in spanish.

 

https://finance.yahoo.com/amphtml/news/every-single-worker-covid-one-100000688.html

Every Single Worker Has Covid at a U.S. Farm on Harvest Eve

One farm in Tennessee distributed Covid-19 tests to all of its workers after an employee came down with the virus. It turned out that every single one of its roughly 200 employees had been infected.

In New Jersey, more than 50 workers had the virus at a farm in Gloucester County, adding to nearly 60 who fell ill in neighboring Salem County. Washington state’s Yakima County, an agricultural area that produces apples, cherries, pears and most of the nation’s hops, has the highest per capita infection rate of any county on the West Coast.

 

#WINNING

 

I was trying to communicate with deaf people a couple of weeks ago. I knew there were deaf people at the place I was going for pick-up. I didn't know all of them were deaf. I had a text confirmation, but we were all trying to keep distance. When I realized they were all deaf, I signed my name, but they kept looking away to find my order in their online system. Eventually, they told me to take off my mask so they could read my lips. I felt bad... until it was realized that I was the only ********ing order for pick-up.

 

Detroit names:

Gratiot (grass-shit)

Schoenherr (Shaneher)

Hamtramck (Hamtramack)

Ypsilanti (yip-sa-lanti)

 

I can imagine some folks here saying, "Tye-buh-rahn". I once worked with a girl whose surname was Abare, which she pronounced "A-bear". I had to write it down for some reason when she first came to work, and I started writing "H-e-b-e-r-t" and then she said no, it's "A-b-a-r-e". It's her name, and I always give folks the respect of their pronunciation/spelling, so I apologized and it never came up again.

American takes on non-English words always crack me up.

 

Yeah, but the thing is that English speakers have been doing that to their own language for it's entire history as well. It's part of what makes English great, I think.

 

I don't know that I'd call it great, but it certainly is amusing...

 

It's not just a question of "pure insanity": here in Europe is mostly an historical question. Most of the "adapted" name for foreign cities were born centuries ago (especially in the Middle Age), when normal people didn't use to know other languages beyond their own (and most were even illitterate in it). So, the most well-known cities from other countries (the ones having strong commercial ties with most places in Europe) were assuming "local names" everywhere, that were very similar to the name of each town as simply distorted by the local spelling (for instance, any Italian can tell you how easily the German Stuttgart can become Stoccarda from a relaxed Italian pronunciation).

So, these names generally have an history dating back to several centuries ago and it's very difficult (besides actually not needed, I guess) to scratch them away from the language of today as if they had never existed.

Now, of course, having modern US citizens randomly butcher names of overseas locations when there is no particular historical reason by their part is a completely different matter...

As you surely know, AC Milan and Genoa have English names because they were founded by English citizens who were living in Italy (originally Milan AC was "Milan Football & Cricket Club 1899").

Switzerland is of course peculiar, because the country has four different official languages.

 

https://chaser.com.au/world/america-cancelled-after-disastrous-final-season/

Not strictly on topic but some may find it humorous.

 

Not really.

https://www1.nyc.gov/site/doh/covid/covid-19-data-deaths.page

 

New York only had 5 of 7 areas.Downstate is still warm,if not hot.

 

Suburban Chicagoan here, went to get curb side pick up at the Indian restaurant in town. Outdoor dining is open and set up, not too crowded at 5 pm. Tables are set up far apart and nearer to the street as opposed to right next to the buildings. It was weird seeing cars parked on the Main Street and people walking around.

 

Our landmark local Italian place opened Thursday.They put in a walk up window.I tried for 20 minutes to call before I left the office (where I am Secretary and janitor as well as my real job) to go there and order through the window.A line went down the street but everyone was really chill and happy to get their pizza fix on.

 

I like your parents. Bring them to Chicago and have them say that they wish to go to Des Plaines. Or better yet, instruct the taxi driver (if we still had such things) to go to Goethe Street.