Fly Like an Eagle, Ukraine and Sports - Part 1

Lyrics: Steve Miller Band:

Time keeps on slippin', slippin', slippin'

Into the future

I wanna fly like an eagle

To the sea

Fly like an eagle, let my spirit carry me

I want to fly like an eagle

'Til I'm free

Oh Lord, through the revolution

Feed the babies

Who don't have enough to eat

Shoe the children

With no shoes on their feet

House the people

Livin' in the street

Oh, oh, there's a solution

I want to fly like an eagle

To the sea

Fly like an eagle, let my spirit carry me

I want to fly like an eagle

'Til I'm free

My Comments:

Some of us grew up and stayed loyal to God and Country:

Every generation is confronted with challenges and moral choices. The challenges of my generation were the 1957 Asian Flu;

The?H2N2?virus, which caused the?Asian Flu, first emerged in East Asia in February 1957 and quickly spread to other countries throughout Asia. The virus reached the shores of the US by the summer of 1957, where the number of infections continued to rise, especially among the elderly, children, and pregnant women.

1968 Hong Kong Flu

The 1968 influenza pandemic known as the?Hong Kong fluemerged in China and persisted for several years. Within weeks of its emergence in the heavily populated Hong Kong, the flu had infected more than 500,000 people. Within months, the highly contagious virus had gone global.

According to the?Encyclopedia Britannica, this pandemic was initiated by the?influenza A subtype H3N2 virus?and is suspected to have evolved from the viral strain that caused the 1957 flu pandemic through a process called?antigenic shift. In this case, the hemagglutinin (H)?antigen?located on the outer surface of the virus underwent a genetic mutation to manufacture the new H3 antigen. Persons who had been exposed to the 1957 flu virus seemed to retain immune protection against the 1968 virus, which, Britannica noted, could help explain the relative mildness of the 1968 outbreak.?

It is estimated that the 1968 Hong Kong Flu killed one to four million people worldwide, with approximately 100,000 of those deaths occurring in the US. A vaccine for the virus was available by the end of 1968 and the outbreaks appeared to be under control the following year. The H3N2 virus continues to circulate worldwide as a seasonal influenza A virus.

2009 H1N1 Swine Flu

In the spring of 2009, the novel?H1N1 influenza virus?that caused the?Swine Flu?pandemic was first detected in California. It soon spread across the US and the world. This new H1N1 virus contained a unique combination of influenza genes not previously identified in animals or people. By the time the World Health Organization (WHO) declared this flu to be a pandemic in June of 2009, a total of 74 countries and territories had reported confirmed cases of the disease. The CDC estimated there were 60.8 million cases of Swine Flu infections in the US between April 2009 and April 2010 that resulted in approximately 274,304 hospitalizations and 12,469 deaths.

Ebola

Gov.UK: In Africa between 1976 and 2014, outbreaks of EVD primarily occurred in remote villages close to tropical rainforests in Central and West Africa. Most confirmed cases were reported from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC, formerly Zaire), Sudan, Gabon, Uganda, and the Republic of Congo.

In 2014, Ebola outbreaks occurred for the first time in West Africa (Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone), and in these countries there was intense transmission in urban areas. Associated with this extensive outbreak, Ebola cases were imported into Italy, Nigeria, Mali, Senegal, Spain, the UK and the USA.

Undiscovered Viruses

Britannica: 1.7 Million ‘Undiscovered’ Viruses

As people travel more frequently between countries, it is unlikely that COVID-19 will be the last pandemic that we encounter. According to the?World Economic Forum?(WEF), there are 1.7 million “undiscovered” viruses that exist in mammals and birds and approximately 827,000 of those viruses have the ability to infect humans.

Thus, it remains the job of pathologists and clinical laboratories worldwide to remain ever vigilant and prepared for the next global pandemic.?

Also affecting my generation were the Soviet invasion of Hungary, the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Vietnam War, the "War on Drugs," the Black Power Movement, building the Great Society, the Berlin Wall, the Fall of Communism, Watergate, the Gulf War, the Sexual Revolution, Aids, etc.,etc.?

Next: Invasions