The Flu and Cinnamon Milk

A weekend wasted is a weekend well spent.  

No - I don't have the flu.


There is a show on an unknown network, IFC, that is really worth checking out.  It's call Portlandia. I have no way to tell you what it is exactly but in someone else's words a "Peabody Award-winning satiric sketch comedy television series that takes place in Portland Oregon".

It stars these two people.

Here is a small clip of one of the bizarre sketches.

http://youtu.be/l2LBICPEK6w

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And here is a non-enhanced photo of a photo of my grandfather that has been hiding for a number of years.

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We watched the final few episodes of Downton Abbey and they were suffering from The Spanish Flu. I had never heard of The Spanish Flu so I had to look it up to see what it was.

WOW.

OK OK - I was actually looking up Cinnamon Milk which was what the Doctors were prescribing.

WOW.

Between January 1918 and December 1920 the Spanish flu infected 500,000,000 people world wide killing what is believed  1 to 3% of the worlds population.  The odd thing about this flu was it did not kill weakened people, it killed the healthy.

What it did was infect the healthy by creating a cytokine storm which means the body's immune system would overreact and basically kill itself.  People with poor immune systems were fine for the most part.

This flu came in two waves.  The first wave was like a normal flu and it did killed the unhealthy at a normal rate. But then it mutated and the ultra deadly 2nd wave hit.  To top that off aspirin was in such short supply that knock off aspirin was being created. The Bayer aspirin patent ran out so all sorts of companies were making what happened to be poison aspirin.

It was the perfect storm.  If the flu did not kill you the aspirin did.

Then late in 1918 all of a sudden for no know reason, the virus mutated again and deaths dropped dramatically.  For instance, in Philadelphia 4,500 people died in one week in late October.  One month later only a handful.

Here is the kicker.  remember the N1H1from a few years ago?  The government was begging everyone to get shots?  They believed the N1H1 was a variant of the Spanish Flu and were scared shitless.  N1H1 was called the swine flu while the Spanish Flu was more of the avian flu style but they had so many similarities the people that know were freaking out.  The N1H1 was a combination of the avian AND swine flu. 

Well, only one person died on Downton Abbey.

BUT WAIT - what about Cinnamon Milk.

WOW - what a wonderful concoction this is.  Not only is it a great insomnia home remedy but it also increases circulation in hands and feet for people that have cold hands and feet.

"Cinnamon (Cinnamomum spp.) is a warming tonic, great for this chilly time of year. Drinking cinnamon milk helps to warm our interior and increase circulation throughout our bodies. It can help to prevent and cure colds and flus. It's also great for chronically cold hands and feet." 

Cinnamon milk also is great for the digestive system and helps cramping and will firm up those loose bowels.  An effective diarrhea remedy.

1 cup of milk
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
honey to taste (try about 1 teaspoon)

Warm the milk and add the ingredients!!

OR - you can read this blog and fall asleep. 
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Here is another shot of the Black Barn on Hwy 73 coming into Columbus.

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Mr. Curious was on the job this past weekend and was wondering just what Enerpac does. If they are going to relocate their World Corporate headquarters in Columbus (currently in Menomonee Falls) I'd like to know what they do.

WELL - Enerpac is the "global leader in high-force tools".  The technology leader in hydraulic jacks. Their equipment raised the roof of Beijing’s ‘Bird’s Nest’ stadium. They make equipment that is used on some of the largest structures on earth.

It was their hydrolocs that lifted the tempory support towers for the Millau bridge in France (those red things).   They raised the temporary towers that supported the 36 ton steel deck.

Millau is the tallest bridge in the world. 

Another project has them lifting a 15,000 ton oil rig and U2 uses their hydraulics for lifting their stage.

So - pretty big stuff happening in Columbus!   Who needs Trek.  They can have Waterloo, we have Enerpac.

Rod