My Virtual Reading Room

"We are here to help others.  What the others are here for, I do not know."

W.H. Auden

LIVING

To touch the cup with eager lips
And taste, not drain it,
To woo and tempt and court a bliss
And not obtain it,
To fondle and caress a joy,
Yet hold it lightly,
Lest it become necessity
And cling too tightly,
To watch the sun set in the west
Without regretting;
To hail its advent in the east,
The night forgetting,
To smother care in happiness
And grief in laughter,
To hold the present close,
Not questioning hereafter;
To have enough to share,
To know the joy of giving,
To thrill with all the sweets of life--
Is living.

(Anon)

WHO OFFICIAL: H1N1 SPREADING AT "UNBELIEVABLE" SPEED
The transmission of A(H1N1) flu is four times faster than that other viruses and 40% of the deaths caused by the virus are among young and healthy adults, World Health Organization Director-General Margaret Chan said Saturday. Chan advised governments to "prepare for the worst" and highlighted the importance of "political leadership" in the fight against the virus. The virus has caused more than 2,180 deaths globally since it emerged in April, according to WHO. Google/Agence France-Presse (8/29) 

• Nurses report lack of readiness for H1N1 at hospitals: Nurses reported inadequate isolation of H1N1 patients at 25% of hospitals, and nurses at 15% of hospitals said they don't have access to the proper respirator masks, according to a survey of nurses at 190 U.S. health care facilities in nine states. United Press International (8/27)

• U.S. prepares for expected surge in H1N1 flu cases: Researchers this week are beginning to evaluate how many doses of the H1N1 vaccine, expected to be ready in October, people will need for full protection. H1N1 flu cases so far have generally been mild and no evidence indicates the virus has mutated into a more dangerous strain. Yahoo!/The Associated Press (8/31)

the merry flea

the high cost of
living isn t so bad if you
don t have to pay for it i met
a flea the other day who
was grinning all over
himself why so merry why so
merry little bolshevik i asked him

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From a newspaper interview with Elena Obraztsova, a well-known Russian opera singer:

Q: How can an ordinary person find the strength to withstand the storms of life?
A: To be happy, you cannot wish for more happiness than is possible.  Envy in creativity or in love makes no sense.  Nobody will take  you place: in life, to each his own.