[Wallaby]

Large parts of the Middle East and North Africa did not recover their pre-540 populations until about 100 years ago.

[steve-b]

the standard treatment for the Black Death, tried and tested over 300 years

Er, the fact the Black Death was able to kill off such a large fraction of the population shows that the techniques used at the time were tried, tested, and failed the test.

[Salvation]

BTTT

[blam]

"There were actually two Great Pandemics, and the first hit Europe and the Middle East in AD 541."

"Large parts of the Middle East and North Africa did not recover their pre-540 populations until about 100 years ago."

Trees worldwide recorded a catastrophe in 540AD +-4.0 years. The whole world went into a Dark Age beginning about this time. Some believe a comet swarm struck the earth.

[T'wit]

Oh, thank you. I was just sitting down to a magnificent steak dinner with garlic potatoes and a salad of spring greens tossed in a sesame mayo, when I noticed a flea crawl out of my salad bowl and onto my dinner plate. The flea walked right on my potatoes and steak, undoubtedly spreading bubonic plague every inch of the way. So I put my whole dinner in one of those steam autoclave sterilizing things at the local hospital, but I'm afraid dinner wasn't too palatable after that... overcooked, y'know, especially the salad. Unfortunately, the flea was not overcooked or even fazed by this experience and flew away. I'm starved but I can't even cut the steak now and have to go to bed hungry.

Other than that, nice to hear from you :-) :-)

[beware of dog]

A deadly flu bug was recently reported here in the States http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/850745/posts