The Black Death - the plague that could rise again

                                            Yersinia pestis                                  Shutterstock

The pandemic of COVID-19 has focussed attention on the risks to humanity of acquiring zoonotic diseases (diseases from animals). Some earlier zoontic diseases that had plagued the human race through the ages seemingly disappeared but that is not the reality. They remain potent threats living in proximity to humans and always with the possibility of breaking out again. One of these bacterium is best known by the name it acquired in the Middle Ages - 'The Black Death' or in one of its forms, the Bubonic Plague.

The Black Death is a pathogen from the bacterium, Yersinia pestis (or Y pestis), and constantly circulates in a host of rodents such as rats, mice, marmots, gerbils, ground squirrels and similar species with the fleas coming from these rodents being the vector of transmission to humans. Being abundant and spread across the planet means eradication is not possible and every continent is affected except Australia.

Essentially the plague comes in three forms: the bubonic stage where the bacterium invades lymph nodes in the armpit, neck and groin causing unsightly dark swelling; the septicaemic stage where it spreads throughout the blood stream enabling the bacterium to be recycled back into parasites; and the pneumonic stage where the lungs are invaded and the plague can be passed from human to human through respiratory droplets inhaled from the air or from surfaces.

The plague struck fear throughout Europe and the Middle East during the Middle Ages from 541 AD through the 13th to 16th Centuries leaving an indelible mark on folk law and stories from those periods. It faded from view after that time with only sporadic outbreaks in distant countries but never completely disappeared. There was an outbreak in Madagascar in 2017 killing 202 people and infecting 2,348 in total with the World Health Organisation now deeming it a re-emerging disease. More concerningly blood samples taken from people in Madagascar and wild animals have displayed levels of antibiotic resistance to all current antibiotics.  An antibiotic resistant Y pestis is a development the world could do without.

Planet Earth - population 8 billion and counting in 2022

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In one day's time, the United Nations has forecast that the population of planet Earth will reach 8 billion people. This is a significant milestone but not one that automatically should solicit celebrations or enthusiasm. It is a staggering point to reach given the range of problems now confronting the planet whether through existing wars and famine or through the increasing impact of climate change across all countries.

Since 1975, the world's population has been increasing by about one billion people every eleven to twelve years. This fact is itself demonstrates the extraordinary change in food production, health services including disease control and improved sanitation whether or not variable countries. 

One of the lesser known facts however is how many people actually live outside the country in which they are born. It's only about 2 to 4 % over the past 50 to 60 years according to Dr Jennifer Sciubba, a political demographer for global consultancy,  McKinseys. In those countries with ageing populations and shrinking workforces, migration may not be enough to sustain current standards of living let alone manage the challenges ahead. Equally while migration was seen as the solution for economies, it was always in a measured predictable numerical form and one that did not enable systems to deal with sudden, large displacements of people such as from the Ukraine or Venezuela.

Will reaching a global population of 8 billion make anything easier ?

 

COP27 Egypt - as the climate changes the need for action becomes more urgent

As the 27th Council of the Parties (COP27) of the UNFCCC (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change") is well underway in Egypt, the warnings on the need for immediate action could not be starker. 

As the UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, stated in his High Level Opening Address -

"We are in the fight of our lives.

And we are losing.

Greenhouse gas emissions keep growing.

Global temperatures keep rising.

And our planet is fast approaching tipping points that will make climate chaos irreversible.

We are on a highway to climate hell with our foot still on the accelerator"

Projections from the IPCC now show that temperatures will exceed 1.5C and will head to 2C.

The COP website can be reached at this link: Link to COP27

Opera Australia - Attila by Verdi - Opening Night

Attila - Taras Berezhansky   (c) Opera Australia 

Verdi's Attila is a lavish, large-scale production with strong elements of violence and war. Audiences will find its as much about Italian Nationalism as the vague romance around which much of the plot is constructed. Verdi's work has been described as 'thinly veiled argument for Italy's independence from Austria' and 'an out-and-out rallying cry for an independent, unified Italy' having been written around 1846.

The opera, in three Acts, tells the story of invasion of Roman Italy by Attila the Hun with the current version being moved from 5th Century Italy to fascist Italy of the 1930s. For that reason 'the Huns' look closer to German soldiers or the Gestapo than barbarians. The Italians similarly are portrayed in a manner closer to 20th Century partisans than actual Roman soldiers from that earlier era.

The storyline of the opera in summary: 

Odabella, the daughter of the Lord of the now destroyed town of Aquileia, has been captured by Attila's forces however he is impressed by her and gives her his own knife as a keepsake. The Roman general, Ezio seeks an audience with Attila to reach terms but is rebuffed. Meanwhile away from the town, Foresto who is engaged to Odabella is leading the refugees away from the destroyed town and plotting how to regroup. Foresto believes Odabella to be dead but on learning of her survival accuses her of betrayal which she denies and states that she is plotting to kill Attila. 

Attila plans to march on Rome but asleep one night, he dreams of being urged not to do so by an old man that he later recognises to be Pope Leo I. Attila therefore instead invites Ezio to a banquet and plans to marry Odabella however Ezio and Foresto are planning to attack Attila. Following the banquet, the Romans attack Attila and Ezio, Foresto and Odebella find Attila whereupon Odebella kills Attila with the knife he had given her. 

Opera Australia has brought this opera back on stage after having its initial season cut short by the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and it's a welcome continuation of the performance. For the Opening Night, many in the audience attended in Black Tie and there was a smattering of A lister opera enthusiasts and Government Ministers including retiring Health Minister, Brad Hazard and NSW Treasurer, Matt Kean. The retiring artistic director of Opera Australia, Lyndon Terracini, sitting in the audience, was given a enthusiastic round of applause for his 13 years with the opera company with Attila being his final production.

At the conclusion of the opera during the curtain call, lead singer Taras Berezhansky, who is Ukrainian, draped the Ukrainian flag around his shoulders and was given a rousing sustained round of applause from the audience.

The cast for Attila were -

Taras Berezhansky as Attila

Natalie Aroyan as Odabella

Diego Torre as Foresto

Michael Honeyman as Ezio (replacing Mario Cassi who was unable to travel to Australia due to illness)

Virgilio Marino as Uldino

Richard Anderson as Pope Leo 1

Queen Elizabeth II: 21 April 1926 - 8 September 2022

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Sydney Film Festival 2022 - Film Review - Fire of Love

Fire of Love

 
Documentary film maker, Sara Dosa, has compiled this portrait of the late vulcanologists, Katia and Maurice Krafft based on thousands of hours of spectacular 16mm footage that the couple shot on numerous volcanoes before their deaths in an eruption near Japan's Mount Unzen in 1991. The Kraffts were prolific in their filming and recording with Katia in particular spending considerable time after expeditions converting their work into books, films and lectures.  They were almost fearless in coming in close proximity to the objects of their study whether it be camping on a solid crust plateau inside an active volcano, rowing in a rubber boat on a lake of sulpheric acid, avoiding flying boulders, standing in the sea close to a small lava flow meeting the ocean or simply cooking eggs in a fry pan on the crust of a slowly cooling lava flow.

The Kraffts were signficant scientists in their field, Katia being a geochemist and Maurice, a geologist, they contributed significantly to understanding volcanoes and how best to measure activity to enable a warning system to be developed ensuring local populations can evacuate before an eruption. They classified volcanoes into two types based on plate tetonic theory: red volcanoes that are less volatile with mainly impressive jets of lava and associated flows located where plates pull apart; and brown volcanoes, usually violently explosive, located where plates grind together.

The footage is both stunning and terrifying with the Kraffts telling their own story on camera or their words are conveyed through the voice of Miranda July as Narrator.

Sydney Film Festival 2022 - Film Review - The Phantom of the Open

Mark Rylance (right) in The Phantom of the Open

Within any major film festival there is always a need for a light hearted absurdist film to be included in the screenings, more so when the story is anchored in true events. This film fits that slot. Based loosely on the real life of would-be tournament golfer Maurice Flitcroft, the story follows the successful effort by Flitcroft, a crane driver, to enter the British Open although he had never played golf in his life. 

With the support of his wife, his disco dancing twin sons and a somewhat dubious co-worker, Flitcroft finds his way through the entry obstacles to enter the competition and produce the worst round in the history of the British Open. The eternal optimist, Flitcroft does not leave this as his sole effort and continues to seek further entry to this World ranked sporting event. The film follows the almost cat and mouse moves between British Open officials and Flitcroft as they try to keep him away from the golfing competition permanently.
 

A highly experienced cast support film director, Craig Roberts to give effect to this 'fact is stranger than fiction' story. Sir Mark Rylance is Maurice Flitcroft, the versatile Sally Hawkins as his wife, Jean, Jonah and Christian Lees are Flitcroft's twin sons (disco dancing being their forte) and Jake Davies as his step son who initially rejects his father's golfing efforts but eventually supports them.   

This is an amusing, light hearted film and a welcome theme in the current serious world.