Common Sense Virus

[Warren Toda]

Hope you didn't miss these examples of important journalism:

          Our Best Recipes and Tips for Quarantine Cooking

          When a Coronavirus Lockdown Resembles an LSD Trip

          How to Save Summer 2020

          Wine Pairings for Home Isolation Meals

          Canadians brace for a summer like no other due to COVID-19 restrictions

I've shored up the pandemic sandbags around my house, covered the windows and added more locks on the doors. Summer ain't getting in here.



News photographers already know this but here's a NY Times op-ed column, written by a Harvard art history associate professor, about the lack of Covid-19 news photos (in the US) that show the true impact of the virus. This would apply to Canada as well.



Surely someone is to blame for all this turmoil in our lives. Obviously we have to sue someone! China? Canadian government? Provincial government? Municipal government? World Health Organization? Can we sue bats? Can we sue the virus itself? Sue airlines and airports? Hand sanitizer companies? I'm outraged and someone has to pay for this!



I've published an online video tutorial to help those isolated at home. It's titled "What You Need to Know About Reading a Book."

The two-hour video has sections on:

          What pages are made from and how they stay together to form a book.

          How to hold a book for best results

          The pros and cons of sitting while reading. Other reading positions are also examined.

          Proper techniques for turning a page without injuring yourself

          First aid for paper cuts

          The optimal order in which pages should be read

          What to do when a page has a photo or illustration

          What is a table of contents and how to use it

          How to use an index

          Should you read a book's introduction

          Book hacks! How to use a book as a door stop or to raise up a desktop monitor.



With everyone staying at home and/or keeping their distance from each other, will this decrease the spread of other viruses: the common cold, influenza, measles, chicken pox and sexually transmitted diseases?



Are you sick of hearing these:
          Stay safe
          Be healthy
          New normal
          Abundance of caution
          Closely monitoring the situation

These are all just as meaningless as "Have a nice day."



Yale professor Frank Snowden literally wrote the book on epidemics. He's become quite popular over the past two months. Most of his many interviews are about how scientists have been warning about a pandemic just like this one for decades and how governments did nothing. He also mentions how research into a SARS vaccine and other coronavirus research came to a stop when SARS "disappeared" and there was no longer any profit to be made.



A full-page open letter to the federal government in The Globe and Mail, and probably printed in some other newspapers as well, was about the fact that online companies like Google and Facebook don't pay for their news content or pay their fair share of taxes.

The publishers who signed this open letter represent "the vast majority of Canadian newspapers."

The sad part is that just ten publishers represent the vast majority of the newspapers in this country.



The city of Toronto is still getting lots of daily complaints about non-essential businesses being open. In my neighbourhood, there are several stores still open, for example: stores that sell long distance calling cards and cell phone accessories, a computer repair store, a luggage store, a small housewares store and a few others.

Am I going to call the pandemic hotline? Maybe if there was a reward, perhaps some type of Pandemic Points™ or Corona Cash™ that's redeemable at a local grocery store.



When the "lockdown" ends (are you sick of that misleading word?), what are you going to do?

I'm going to have cameras record this historic moment. As I step from my front door and bravely enter the post-pandemic world of the New Normal, I'm going to say something inspirational like, "That's one small step for a man, one giant leap for the economy."

I will then race to the shopping mall and start hoarding for the next pandemic.



The day the federal government lifts all or most restrictions has to be chosen carefully. That day will go down in history, there will be school plays about Canada's Covid Heroes, ballads will be written and, of course, that day will become a national holiday.

I say we choose the second or third Monday in June. It fits nicely between Victoria Day and Canada Day and "June" is easy to rhyme in song lyrics.

We could choose a day in November, between October's Thanksgiving and December's Christmas. But it can't conflict with Remembrance Day. We could make it the fourth Friday in November which coincides the USA's Black Friday. We could then celebrate the end of pandemic lockdowns by buying as much crap as possible but at deep discount prices.

We could mark January 25th, the day the country's first coronavirus case was confirmed. It's close enough to Christmas that folks could still use their Christmas decorations. But the halls would have to be decked with boughs of toilet paper. Stores would still have to offer discount prices.




Edit: added a link to the NY Times

[Warren Toda]

Social distancing circa 1897-1908 at a smallpox quarantine station in Dawson City, Yukon.
Photo from Library and Archives Canada.

If only pandemics came with instructions.


Disinfected? I thought they said we had to be disenchanted.


Will Canada Post or Royal Canadian Mint come out with a special SARS-CoV-2 postage stamp or coin? (Not a joke)


Never judge a pandemic by its politicians.


Will there be any public records of this pandemic beyond the numbers? Did the government hire any photographers to document this?


Did you miss these journalism gems:

          What to take with us into the new world?

          What life will look like on the other side

          How to work in a post-pandemic office

          Dating in the post-pandemic world

          Why you need a post-pandemic plan


I'm busy planning my post-pandemic wardrobe because corona will be the new black.


Isolation is a state of mind and it's inversely proportional to your Internet speed.



There has to be money to be made by teaching people how to work from home and how to video conference. The camera and microphone built into laptops are lousy despite what computer manufacturers say.

Added June 18: I was just involved with a small online conference. The speakers were in their 30s to 50s and most were employed in the tech industry. Some were CEOs of tech companies. Yet all of them, yes all of them, had terrible video and audio quality.

Some folks were barely positioned in front of their cameras and the tops of their heads were cut off. Two people were so low, you could see only from their chin to top of their head. One guy sat so close to his computer screen, his out-of-focus face filled the entire view.

Several people used electronic fake backgrounds to hide their room location but the effect was terrible. As they moved about, parts of their head and shoulders kept disappearing. One person had a comical child-like background which badly distracted from what they were talking about; perhaps they didn't realize it was turned on.

During the Spanish Flu pandemic, 1918.
One hundred years later and we're wearing the same face masks.
Photo from Library and Archives Canada.

Yesterday I saw Toronto's pandemic police in action! It was a convoy of vehicles each with City of Toronto By Law Enforcement logos and one person per vehicle. With all this manpower, this was surely going to be a big takedown! Maybe people sitting too close together on a park bench, a bunch of skateboarding teens or even a store selling non-essential items!

It was on my way to the grocery store so I followed a few blocks to witness the action.

The vehicles performed a precision manoeuvre that would've made the Canadian Forces Snowbirds proud. One by one, they left-turned into a shopping plaza and then . . .  they single-filed into a Tim Hortons drive-thru.

Later on my way home after grocery shopping, the vehicles were still parked at Tim Hortons. Must have been a quiet day on pandemic patrol.

The Boyd family in self-isolation in 1903. Those were the good old days for isolation.
Photo by John Boyd.  From Library and Archives Canada.

How embarrassing it must be to be a company whose products were not hoarded or are not in short supply. In times of need, consumers didn't bother with their products. That's gotta hurt. These companies will have to step up their marketing before the next pandemic.



Hockey. Remember hockey? A hundred years ago, there was this hockey league in North America that was to hold its Stanley Cup finals that no one would win.

They used to use cyanide gas to disinfect. Maybe US President Trump should suggest people
start inhaling cyanide gas to kill off the coronavirus? It will kill the virus along with a few other things, too. I'm surprised Trump hasn't suggested shooting down the virus.

Photo from a National Health & Welfare Quarantine Station in British Columbia, June 1948.
Photo by Gar Lunney. From Library and Archives Canada.

And speaking of Trump, he said we should name a virus based on its place of origin. Okay then the Spanish Flu has to be renamed to reflect its place of origin: let's call it the American Flu.  A 2004 Columbia University study (link to PDF) suggested that this pandemic originated in New York.



Remember about 15 weeks ago when the world watched the unfolding epidemic disaster in China? That country was "locked down" and had thousands of deaths. In the past nine weeks, at least ten countries have surpassed China both in cumulative cases and number of deaths. Yet many of these countries consider their current situation to be under control or they've even declared victory over the virus.

It took China three months of almost draconian measures to bring its epidemic under control. Other countries have experienced two months of minor to medium restrictions and they think that's good enough.

There's a lot of US data from the Spanish Flu the American Flu. Cities that acted early and closed schools, cancelled public gatherings, told people to distance themselves and to cover their coughs, all had fewer cases than cities that didn't take serious precautions. Cities that reopened early had a second wave of cases. Cities that stayed closed didn't.

But I doubt history will repeat itself.   


Never underestimate the power of stupid people in large groups - George Carlin




Edit: added something about video conferencing.

[Warren Toda]

If you haven't already started, you might want to consider hoarding vacuum cleaner bags. Apparently a good quality bag will make for a reasonably effective face mask. A few vacuum cleaner stores are now promoting this.

As you can see, I've discovered Staples' fun new Covid-19 tool. The store has an online tool to "help small businesses meet demands of the new normal." 

If you had the money, you could get a few wacky signs and decals printed and put them in suitable places just to confuse people. But that might confuse people too much.

It appears the pandemic is almost over. Even though the virus is still spreading with no end, or vaccine, in sight, some people and some governments have had enough. But you have to reopen safely. This will be my first step:

I'll set up on the curb in front of my house and wait for customers to drive by - family portraits, business headshots, corporate group shots, sports teams, etc. If they can fit everyone into a vehicle, I can do a photo. A drive-thru photo studio – how come I never thought of this before?


Once a vaccine has been developed, how will we know who's been vaccinated and who we should stay away from? I propose that every vaccination comes with a free t-shirt:

Now that stores are beginning to reopen, they'll need a fun way to encourage people to come out and shop. Colourful signage, free face mask with every purchase, etc.

[Warren Toda]

As long as barber shops remain closed, I have a valid excuse for my hair.


Two weeks ago when Ontario allowed some stores and businesses to open, the price of gas went up 10¢/litre (at least in my area) on the same day. In the week following, the price dropped a few cents. But when more stores were allowed to open this week, the price of gas again went up. Funny how that happens. Imagine if other stores did this.


Added May 23: Some stores are increasing prices slightly. Some stores that deal with the general public, like restaurants, hair salons and various retail stores, now have coronavirus surcharges. Some stores, at least in the Toronto area, are charging extra for curbside pickup.



More important news articles:

          How to make your own coffee at home

          Are you a super-spreader?

          What will a haircut be like during a pandemic?

          Have you lost your sense of purpose during this pandemic?

          After Covid-19, we'll never take vacations, watch movies or root for sports teams in the same way

          Is working from home dangerous to your health?

          How to protect your mental health while working from home

I've been working from home for a couple decades. Had I known the horrible danger, I would've worked from the garage or garden shed.



To see if customers were paying attention and to give them something to do while waiting in line, my store would have floor signs like this:



A local grocery store changed its physical distancing from 2m to 1.5m. I guess that's like seeing the first robin of spring.


As countries ease restrictions on their citizens, other countries will be forced to follow no matter their situation. Peer pressure isn't just for school students, it's also for countries.


Now that the pandemic is seemingly over and it's safe to go outside, Lyme Disease season is just getting started.

Unlike with a virus where only epidemiologists take part in the action, you are being encouraged to play a Lyme Disease expert. They call it being a "citizen scientist" but don't let the name fool you. Feel free to wear a white lab coat, face mask and gloves.

They want you to take pictures of any ticks you find. If you need help doing this, there's a short guide on how to best photograph ticks. You have to keep your ticks for at least five days in case you have to do further examination and testing. (Not a joke)

So if you felt left out of the coronavirus pandemic, you can be on the front lines of Lyme Disease!

I look forward to round-the-clock news coverage of this disease. They do have a, uh, tick ticker that counts and tracks ticks. Let's see how much media coverage these numbers get.

[Warren Toda]

I'm thrilled to announce that my neighbourhood has the most coronavirus cases in the eastern two-thirds of Toronto. Although in cases per 100,000, we're only above average.


News headlines:

          What makeup to wear with a face mask

          The death of the buffet?

          Is the office era over?

          Can crowdless gigs rescue live music?

          Has lockdown made you change your life?

Remember a newspaper truism: If a headline is in the form of a question that can be answered with a yes or no, the answer will always be no and there's no point in reading the article. If the answer was yes then the headline would not be a question, it would be a statement.


A Toronto studio portrait photographer has *quintupled* his photography rates due to the pandemic. His website says the fee increase is to cover his frequent studio cleanings.


Saw a man wearing a face mask vertically. He had one set of strings tied around his neck and the other set of strings tied around the top of his head. The mask went from his throat up to his eyes.

Saw another person wearing two masks - one wrapped around each hand. Another person was wearing a hockey helmet with face visor.

A store cashier said the highlight of her day is "seeing people in their costumes."



From Disney World:

An inherent risk of exposure to COVID-19 exists in any public place where people are present. COVID-19 is an extremely contagious disease that can lead to severe illness and death. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, senior citizens and Guests with underlying medical conditions are especially vulnerable.

By visiting Walt Disney World Resort you voluntarily assume all risks related to exposure to COVID-19.

Maybe every business will put up disclaimers and hope no one sues them.



They say that when businesses reopen, they should appoint a Covid Compliance Captain to monitor that company's pandemic safety response. I guess it's like a health and safety person but in a hazmat suit.

What we need are special extinguishers that spray alcohol-based disinfectant. As soon as someone coughs, the Covid Captain can spray them.




What if the current times are just a test, a preparedness test for when a more deadly pandemic strikes? SARS was the public's introduction to coronaviruses and H1N1 was a reminder of what "contagious" means. SARS-CoV-19 is a combination of the two – a very contagious coronavirus. Are we passing the tests:

          • a stress test for healthcare

          • a stress test for the food chain and other manufacturing processes

          • a test to see how governments and populations behave

          • a test to see how many systems can close without total failure


The 21st century has seen three new pandemics, an average of one per decade. When is the next one?

We have, or will soon have, early warnings for major storms, hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, volcanoes, and avalanches. We also have early warnings for viruses. Countries pay attention to the early warnings for storms, hurricanes, volcanoes, etc. but not all governments pay attention to the early warnings for a spreading virus. Why?

Apparently some people have trouble accepting or understanding something they can't see. An intangible threat is still a real threat.

Maybe countries will be more prepared for the next pandemic or maybe they'll just move on to other business. The public has a short memory and governments rarely invest in preparedness.


The Prevention Paradox and the Paradox of Prevention sound like the same thing but they're not. Although they might be related especially during a pandemic.

If you're trying to prevent a illness or other medical condition, you might think it's best to target the high-risk group. But the Prevention Paradox says that it's better to target the low-risk group even though the low-risk group won't be motivated because they're low risk.

A large number of people exposed to a small risk may generate many more cases than a small number exposed to a high risk.

– epidemiologist Geoffrey Rose, The Strategy of Preventive Medicine, 1992.


The goal of public health is to prevent something bad, like a contagious virus, from happening. If public health is successful then nothing happens and no one gets sick. But if nothing happens, did public health really do anything? That's the Paradox of Prevention.  For example, how can you prove a vaccine works when you can't count how many people did not get sick?

The Paradox of Prevention explains why public health is so grossly underfunded. Governments don't see what was prevented because when public health does its job nothing happens. If nothing happens, why spend more money?

In 500 words or less, can you combine the Prevention Paradox and the Paradox of Prevention to explain the reaction to the current pandemic?



Added: The Paradox of Prevention isn't just for public health. One of the best examples of this paradox was the Y2K Bug.

When the clocks struck midnight on January 1, 2000, none of the predicted disasters happened. Planes didn't fall from the skies, the economy didn't collapse, computers didn't stop. Since nothing happened, many people thought Y2K was either overblown or it was a hoax. But it took billions of dollars and zillions of people working a few years behind the scenes to make sure nothing happened.

[Warren Toda]

In an earlier post, I wondered how companies were "closely monitoring the situation." Well now you, too, can closely monitor the situation especially if you live in Toronto.

Toronto today published its COVID-19 Monitoring Dashboard and what a dashboard it is.

As I write this, I'm relieved to see that hospital supplies look good and ICU occupancy is low but I am concerned about lab test turnaround. We have to get those test numbers up. Maybe during the next time-out the coach can give the team a pep talk because our defense is looking slow, they gotta move the puck faster.

In the absence of sports, why don't we have sportscasters and colour commentators calling the pandemic? Or does that duplicate what TV newscasters are doing?



At what point will someone in charge understand the phrase "too much information"? Many folks have no idea what to do with all the stats and numbers being published. Is too much just as bad as too little? Is quantity better than quality?

There's a difference between information and knowledge. Only one of those makes you smarter.

[Warren Toda]

Silliness abounds especially for restaurants. I'm not sure why they're doing this and I can't imagine the cost for this.

If you're of a certain age, you might remember the first attempt at domes in the late 1960s:

Added: More domes are popping up.

[Warren Toda]

From the "better late than never" file:

The city of Toronto, like some other jurisdictions, is now making masks mandatory for all indoor locations until at least October 1, 2020. Nothing like closing the barn doors a few months after the horses have left.

Daily new cases in Toronto. From Toronto's Covid-19 web page.

Imagine if we had started wearing face masks three or four months ago. Oh well, maybe next pandemic.

In a few countries, wearing a mask is a show of respect for others around you. In some countries, the decision to wear or not wear a face mask is a political statement. The former countries have their pandemic under control while the latter countries do not. So perhaps it is true that wearing a mask is an IQ test.



It's nice to see that everything old is new again.

          E-bikes are back. Remember the 1980s?

          Movie drive-ins are coming back.

          Drive-in restaurants are returning.

         Remember the futuristic telehealth in the 1980s where you could get healthcare advice over the phone?

         Working at home is popular again.

          I'm waiting for the return of the milkman and breadman who brought home delivery of milk, cheese and various bread products.

          Maybe even film will make a comeback.



I spoke with some friends in Europe who are now back to traveling from country to country within the EU. They said they pick their destinations based on which town/city has the lowest reported cases of SARS-CoV-2.  Should tourism agencies promote their regions' low pandemic numbers as a selling point?



So how is your photography business these days?



Edit: Added a link below the graph.