rapture ('following the spirit and preparing for the end times')

such was rebecca stott's life as a young girl (and that of her family as members of the exclusive brethren). worldlies had to be shunned. 

as a child rebecca thinks that her family will be raptured up into heaven (because they are righteous and so escape the tribulation) but that she will be left behind because she is sinful. (the rapture is one of the brethren's theological innovations she claims). her task will then be to make it to higher ground before the floodwaters come so that she can be present at the second coming and for the judgement.  

shunning - it sounds to horsemouth like excellent practice for the pandemic and lockdown (except of course that meetings were banned also). 

sunday a walk up to the aldi book box (nothing - after the bookbox glory of saturday's haul). 

another phoenician has died (details on application). horsemouth supposes that people are getting older and it is to be expected. nonetheless circumstances should be examined carefully to see if there is more that the communal endeavour can be doing.  

horsemouth is feeling full of the joys of spring (but to be fair he is also still coughing). we are in one of the archetypal 5-week months of the year (the first). 

horsemouth (as you know) has just had covid (again) (or rather a housemate who tested positive for it had all the same symptoms as horsemouth roughly over the same period)

 this is an interesting piece (horsemouth isn't a fan of the group who produced it but bear with him). 

what would it mean for the pandemic to be over? (like really over?)

it would either mean the coronavirus (or the descendants of it) were not circulating in the community or that they no longer caused an appreciable level of death and sickness. 

but this is not where we are. 

horsemouth is not a conspiracy theorist but he does believe that capitalists cannot afford to let a crisis go to waste. ultimately they will want to make up the value lost during the disruptions of covid and the subsequent lockdowns - they will want 'their' money back (and that is where we are with it).

the virus has not been fought in the best manner because it does not suit capitalism to do it - if it disrupts their profits then safety measures have to go and an 'acceptable' level of death and sickness be permitted and encouraged. 

and so the pandemic is 'over'. because although viruses don't work like that capitalism does...