Alexander the Fruitcake? In the race to be the craziest world leader, you'd have thought Donald Trump, Boris Johnson and Kim Jong-un would be front runners. Well think again. President Alexander Lukashenko of Belarussia is currently romping away with the title. When every other country is closing borders, outlawing sporting events and mass gatherings, while practicing social distancing, President Lukashenko vigorously refutes any Coronavirus information, as gross misinformation. Corona Ice Capades? Alexander’s favourite sport is ice hockey. He recently played in front of a crowd of 1000s. Interviewed afterwards he said, ‘There are no viruses here! You haven’t seen them flying around, have you? He believes winter sports work particularly well against COVID19. ‘This is a fridge. Sport, particularly on ice, that’s the best actual anti-virus remedy.’ A Vodka a Day... Alexander’s prescription for his fellow Belarusians is to drink 50ml of vodka a day. He’s convinced th

You Still Alive and Kicking? I checked in with my precious older sister Esme and my brother-in-law Ray last night. It was morning in Blighty and evening in Oz. And guess what popped into the conversation? The friggin’ Black Death! Like the rest of the world, I didn’t see COVID19 coming. Or for that matter, the Black Death being a topic of conversation for my elderly, kith and kin to happily chat about! Obviously, being in their late 70s and early 80s, they didn’t actually remember first-hand the bubonic plague but it was a surreal experience non-the-less. 'Which is worse, Coronavirus or the plague?' Search me? I was just phoning to see if you were alright! They’re both in the sweet-spot, demographic for the virus to have its evil way, so you can understand my concern. A Short History of Virus. As a life-long student of history, it got me thinking about the similarities between the two. Both spread rapidly between countries around the globe, catching governments all