Sons use e-books to help virus-stricken dad, other patients
London: Geoff Woolf gave his sons a love for literature. When he got sick with COVID-19, they turned to books to help him and others.
The 73-year-old retired lawyer was hospitalised in London in March, and within days he was on a ventilator in intensive care. Unable to visit, his family could only watch from afar with frustration and dismay.
Then sons Nicky, a 33-year-old journalist, and Sam, a 28-year-old actor, had an idea: Maybe literature could help him and other patients.
He always said if he was in hospital for a long time, he would be able to deal if he had a book, Sam said.
The brothers loaded an e-reader with Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice his comfort read, according to Sam and played it for their unconscious father.
Doctors said, ‘We can’t tell you he’ll definitely hear it. But we also can’t tell you he won’t,’ Sam said. “There is power in hearing a voice.
The brothers set out to acquire more devices for other patients. As they came to terms with the likelihood of losing their father, they saw the project, which they named Books for Dad, as a legacy.
Nicky and Sam recruited a team of volunteers to load e-readers, donated by audiobooks company Audible, with content, including classic novels, thrillers and podcasts. They delivered an initial batch of 20 disinfected and individually bagged to the hospital treating their father, along with single-use headphones donated by British Airways. Soon they were distributing dozens more to other hospitals around the U.K.
Books for Dad is a boon to hospitals looking for ways to keep patients stimulated. Often patients are too sick to read a physical book, and some don’t have their own electronic devices. Even if they do, patchy WiFi can hamper audio and video streaming.
Lisa Anderton, head of patient experience at University College London Hospital, said the brilliant initiative can help both coronavirus and other patients.
From the initial donation, Books for Dad has kept growing, and the brothers plan to distribute 5,000 e-readers to British hospitals over the next six months and add books for children and young adults to their content. (AP)
Lunar and rare meteorites head to auction
New Delhi: Dozens of striking extraterrestrial specimens, including meteorites and samples from the moon, are set to feature in a sale by a leading auction house.
Christie’s annual ‘Deep Impact: Lunar and Rare Meteorites’ sale is open for bidding online till August 25. Estimates range from $500-500,000 (roughly Rs 37,000 to Rs 3.7 crore).
It features a sample of the Moon in the shape of Moon, with an estimate in crore, among the rarest objects on Earth; specimens of the Moon are identified by specific geological, mineralogical, chemical and radiation signatures.
This sphere was fashioned from a lunar meteorite – a piece of the Moon ejected into space following an impact on the lunar surface, said Christie’s.
While not one milligram of the 400 kilograms of Apollo material is available for private ownership, some of the material returned to Earth by Apollo astronauts is remarkably similar to select lunar meteorites, including this offering.
With a 4-inch diameter, this captivating presentation of the Moon is, besides the Moon itself, the largest lunar sphere known, according to the auction house.
The sale also has a smaller lunar sphere and a piece of lunar jewellery with extraterrestrial gemstones.
Originating from the molten core of an asteroid between Mars and Jupiter, the Lake Murray meteorite has been on Earth longer than any other meteorite and its crystalline pattern is among the most captivating. The sale has a complete slab of this historic meteorite. (IANS)