Lighthearted thread in THIS topic?

[MrsTerryPratchett]

Just checking how dim I am. Am I the only person who thought Indian variant from India, Kent/UK variant from Kent, Delta variant from... Delta?

I think I might be.

I'm surprised Delta airlines hasn't complained!

Good point. I'd sue

Not just you

@Tealightsandd

I'm surprised Delta airlines hasn't complained!

🤣🤣🤣

I'm not sure they've thought through this strategy of naming by the greek alphabet. There are some tricky names to come.

😂😂😂 I didn’t as I heard the whole news story BUT this is 100% something I would do!

The Greek alphabet, seriously? It's Annus Horibilis all over again. There must be a better reference available

Oh I presumed it was because Mekong Delta not the Greek alphabet.

Oh, I thought of the Niger Delta rather than Mekong.

It is particularly odd for WHO to have named only variants of concern Alpha to Delta, then moving on to variants of interest. Have they not considered that there might be more variants? And when there are many more over the years, do we become like US frathouses with concerns being raised about Zeta Chi Delta needing booster shots?

They've named both the variants of interest and the variants of concern. I had to look it up when something referred to the kappa variant the other day.

The US frat houses are going to be doing a lot of complaining.

I was disappointed they went with something so mainstream and finite.

I’d prefer something like pasta. I would have loved ravioli variant, fusilli variant, linguini variant etc.

I see what you're doing there trying to piss off the Italians, Purple.

Bollocks. I didn’t even think of that. I was inspired by the school house names in the “Daisy and the trouble with...” series. Accident diplomatic incident with Italy.

Will think again..,

Agreed, it's fraught with problems. I thought of birds, plants or flowers etc but those would be identifiably from certain areas. Even the phonetic alphabet is rather white/western!

Niger and Mekong are wonderfully exotic. I assumed Delta in the US as in Delta Blues. Is that where the airlines name comes from.

Musical notes? Doh a deer a mutant deer, ray a drop of golden actually don't go outside, me a name I call a mutant, fah a long long way you're not allowed to travel. So you're allowed to do some crafts. La but don't sing in public. Te if you drink it outside. And that brings us back to doh doh doh doh.

How about Star Wars characters?

I think my mom is in teenage mode as I've got American sororities and fraternities in my head!

Some of the emerging variants are quite worrying.

There's the new Nu variant which is a bad one, but the Omicron Kappa variant is OK.

Trump supporters in the southern states can catch the Kappa Kappa Kappa variant that means you have to wear a full white hood with two holes cut out for eyes.

Overweight people are particularly at risk from the Eta Pi variant.

If you have a high fever and are burning up you probably have the Pi Rho variant.

Those who refuse to be vaccinated will get the Alpha Sigma Sigma variant.

@MRex

How about Star Wars characters?

If I died of Jar Jar Binks I'd stalk the earth as an evil ghost.

Well played @jcyclops, very well played.