Re: bird flu from asia?
 

I'm just going to hide in my bunker, follow the apocalypse via Google Maps:
http://tinyurl.com/swinemap09

And listen to Pink Floyd's 'Animals' on a loop.

Jason

Re: bird flu from asia?
 

Or the Beatles...

"
Have you see the little piggies
crawling in the dirt
And for all the little piggies
Life is getting worse
Always having dirt
to play around in

Have you see the bigger piggies
In their starched white shirts
You will find the bigger piggies
Stirring up the dirt
Always have clean shirts
to play around in

In their sties with all their backing
They don't care what goes on around
In their eyes there's something lacking
What they need's a darn good whacking

Everywhere there's lots of piggies
Living piggy lives
You can see them out for dinner
With their piggy wives
Clutching forks and knives
to eat their bacon "


One more time

Re: bird flu from asia?
 

And the phrase, "I gonna write a song!" can still be funny:

http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/04/29...sic/index.html

Re: bird flu from asia?
 

Ian's favourite Republican is up to no good again...

How exactly is this coincidence more interesting than other coincidences, Michelle? Do tell...

(Never mind that the '76 swine flu scare happened on Ford's watch not Carter's)

Re: bird flu from asia?
 

You may just solved a riddle right there on your own. But, ya know, they've never lied to us before, or anything, so let's give 'em the benefit of the doubt...


********

And more ironical twists of fate: http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/04/30/rel...ure/index.html

"You become what you hate" ring any bells????

Thank GOD I don't hate straight people!!!!!

Re: bird flu from asia?
 

maybe she'll stop ranting about 'open borders' if this turns out to be true...

...and maybe apologise to mexico/retract her stories/do the decent and responsible thing and point it out?:rolleyes:

Re: bird flu from asia?
 

Yeah, and in defense of Biden, look at it this way, with the past V.P. everything he said, in the beginning, was GENIOUS, then, uh-oh, no it wasn't.

With Biden, everything he says, in the beginning, is stupid, then, later, it'll be "He's a GENIOUS!". Common sense has become the new genious, I think.

I comma alot on purpose.

Re: bird flu from asia?
 

Hey jOHN, I love the ironic misspelling of 'GENIOUS'

Clever! ;)

Also, commas are good, but *cough* "a[space]lot" *cough*

(Ok, enough pedantry from me - for now)

Re: bird flu from asia?
 

You left out the "B" word. I love it when you call me that.

Re: bird flu from asia?
 

Re: bird flu from asia?
 

I'm so sorry I've only been posting crap these last few days (what do you mean these just last few days?) but finally, here's something useful:

http://doihaveswineflu.org/

(ok, really, that's the last)

Re: bird flu from asia?
 

Oh no we have it here in Ireland too now... although he is doing well...so swine flu is more like a swine cold....

Re: bird flu from asia?
 

Swine cold still sounds scary though! It's just that name swine. And pig. I think the name has a lot to do with the trepidation.

They should rename it something less scary, like "the sniffles".

Re: bird flu from asia?
 

Or as we would say in Ireland.....

...I think that chap has a "dose"!

Re: bird flu from asia?
 

admittedly i don't have the energy to read this whole thread, and i'm sure there are awesome little tidbits sprinkled throughout, but why should anyone apologize for making statements on the origin of this virus? life isn't like CSI, the CDC doesn't walk onto the scene of a breakout and know everything instantly. it's going to be a long time before this thing is fully understood. anyway, i'm probably responding to something that wasn't intended as i read it.

i'm concerned that people are becoming cynical about the warnings and preparation and press coverage now that the virus is proving to be less deadly than we feared. like because the worst didn't happen we should blame the government or media or whathaveyou for "fearmongering." just seems like the way the wind is blowing. but the fact is, there was no way of knowing in the beginning how serious this new illness would be. based on reports of deaths and a very rapid spread it made sense to mobilize the way everyone did. still, it just seems like that cynicism is out there on the horizon. we didn't all die, so why did we bother caring?

the way these viruses typically work, it will be back next fall and it will actually be worse and harder to fight off. i just hope we haven't decided this was a "cry wolf" situation here and decide to ignore the warnings next flu season.

Re: bird flu from asia?
 

O.K. guys, don't give up your day job. Unless you've already been laid(in a bad way)...

Those last two jokes bombed, crickets, angry audience, ...


Wanna hear a crazy joke? In one (1) day, Mexico's death from the swine cold/"dose"/flu went from 100+ to 16??? How does that happen?

Re: bird flu from asia?
 

Fair points. For the most part I have no problem with the WHO and individual governments taking the precautionary actions, making the statements and issuing the advice they did. The cynicism and ridicule is firmly aimed at the prism through which we received it all.

Yes I know it's become a bit cliched to "blame it all on the meeja" but that's only because so often, they are to blame.

The way I see it, risk is something that needs to be assessed and presented as responsibly as possible, if for no other reason than that our guts have a tendency to run away with us.

Prioritising this story at the beginning was understandable and fine. Taking an alarmist approach is also fine if the risk is high or likely to be high. But stupidly disproportionate coverage (that's even leaving aside the *content* of the coverage - just the amount of it all) serves little purpose other than to scare. For the most part, pointlessly. Front pages screaming about "Killer Pig Flu", specially-themed TV idents, endless coverage - these things are IMO fully deserving of our contempt and ridicule.

I'm glad the media received a kicking over this. If it makes them more considered next time, that can only be a good thing. My fear, like you, is that it won't, and if it turns out to be The Big Pandemic, people may fail to appreciate its severity.

But that will because the news will have used up all its big shouty headlines and graphics back in 2009.

I think, for the most part, people heard and heeded the necessary advice (travel, hygiene) but recognized the bullshit fearmongering. I hope anyway.

Re: bird flu from asia?
 

Buuuuuut, not for those who make money off the vaccinations though. ;) (not like that, I'm just being a smartass)

I have to add, I don't take flu shots. For three or four years(1998-2001) I did & each of those years I got the flu 2-3 times each year. Go figure. I a bit different though, I guess, drugs don't seem to effect me like other people.

****

O.K., I just got into trouble. Again. It's not like I'm making this shit up.

Re: bird flu from asia?
 

an exception is "aporkalypse". that's a keeper.

Re: bird flu from asia?
 

no, you just don't understand the flu vaccine. there are many many different strains of flu. every year one or more of these strains makes the round. it is IMPOSSIBLE to create one vaccine for every single strain of the flu in a single shot. and it is equally IMPOSSIBLE to predict which virus will spread and cause the biggest health risk each season. medical experts whose livelihood is basically nothing but predicting, tracking, and studying viruses do their best to make an informed judgment call on which strain of the flu will spread each season, and vaccines are ordered into production based on that estimation.

if you received a flu shot and you encountered someone who carried a different strain, you got the flu anyway.

fortunately for everyone, any flu vaccine will boost your ability to fight off the other strains, even though you won't get full protection. so even though you ended up getting sick, you didn't get as sick as you would have if you had been completely unvaccinated.



sorry... i work for webmd. this is all we've been dealing with for the last week.

Re: bird flu from asia?
 

Well, I've had only had the flu once since I stopped taking the flu shot.

My dad was the same way.

But it is true, drugs do not affect/effect(which ever, too lazy right now) me in the same way as the average person. I.E. if labeling states one may get diarehha, I get constipated! If labeling states you'll be constipated, I get diarehha! If labeling states one may feel droggy, I'm hyper and vise versa. I remember, when I had medical insurance, my doctor telling me, "Why don't you just exorcise(sp?)?"

I choose to be drug free. :)

Another example, I just had a root canal and the doctor wanted to prescribe me some kind of drug. I asked if I could just take ibuprofen if I had pain, he said to take in 600-800 mg. A few days later he called to see how I was doing or if I needed the prescription & I told him I didn't even need the ibuprofen stuff. He said, "That's freakish." I replied with, "Thanks!".

How are the twins Momma?



*****

Dammit. Get your flu shots, if you die I don't want anyone blaming me. I'm not.

Re: bird flu from asia?
 

For me, the problem is that reporting on this was blown out of proportion to the point that it's probably hurt more people than the flu itself has. The pork industry - which has zero chance of actually spreading the H1N1 flu - has taken a big hit, entire pig farms are being culled, and in Egypt, Christian pig farm owners are even having to physically fight off those who would force them to unnecessarily destroy their livelihoods. So while I agree that it's worthwhile to be cautious and prepare for the worst just in case, the reporting has been sensationalized to an unreasonable extent, and has single-handedly caused an unreasonable, damaging and dangerous panic around the entire globe - all in the name of having that attention-grabbing lead story every day whether it's warranted or not.

Re: bird flu from asia?
 

Jeeeze when did this get so serious?

Im just wondering... do you think there is an evil pig out there... gettin a little extra muddy... maybe sticking his snout in a bit of charlie and has been gettin 'round a bit...

....all the pigs know who he is but nobody wants to say it....they are afraid... cus this pig means business...

...i mean its real hard to come back after such a crash and burn as he experience... one day it was king of the farm and red carpet "ho downs"....next day it was being beat up in an alley way in the bad part of town...high on shit heroine...and willing to sell his own ass for a hit...

....what was a pig doing in the big city anyway!?

...this pig just turned evil...he wanted his own back....he called it swine flu...




we call him...


BABE

http://www.movingimageposters.com/im...e2synopsis.JPGEVIL! SHOOT ON SIGHT

Re: bird flu from asia?
 

You should stick to making music.

Re: bird flu from asia?
 

All im sayin is chill it out and treat this whole thing as it really is.. a bit of the flu on a bad news week..

...i guess the "seriousness" that this thread inherited scared me a little....

Re: bird flu from asia?
 

If you say so. *:D*



yeah, yeah, yeah, right.

I'm gonna miss the jokes and be bored. Again. :(

Re: bird flu from asia?
 

i beg to differ. it was handled in exactly the proportion it needed to be handled while the nature of the virus was unknown. at the point that the news broke and the first cases were coming to light the mexican government was saying hundreds of people were already sick and as many as a hundred people were already dead. that was on first report and discovery of the illness. it spoke to a virulence that could be catastrophic if it wasn't contained. couple that with the rapid rate at which new cases popped up, in country after country after country, and you're talking about a knew, poorly understood virus with incredibly fast transmission and the mexican government raising the alert that it could kill as fast as it could travel. not only that, the reports coming out of mexico were saying it was the young and fit who were dying first, which is a highly abnormal way for the flu to kill. so now you've got fast transmission, rapid death, and illness among the strong. all reasons to react as quickly and as vocally as the WHO and CDC did.

it takes time to understand microoganisms. in the time it takes to isolate and thoroughly understand the nature of a virus and study how illness affects the infected, they can spread to hundreds and thousands of immune-compromised people.

it takes one person contracting a new, deadly virus to walk into a daycare or nursing home, sneeze, and touch a doorknob.

what we CAN'T do is decide it's crying wolf just because the world didn't end. you can't know the level of pandemic that something like this is going to reach without studying its mode of transmission and trying to keep pace with it. you can't get one step ahead of an unknown new bug.


what if katrina had never hit new orleans? knowing what you know now, do you think people would have been any safer living in the 9th ward with the insufficient levees just because that one storm didn't hit? what would happen the next time a storm really did hit? the danger was present. if evacuating 3 times on a false alarm means the 4th evacuation clears people from deadly consequences, the 3 false alarms were worthwhile drills.

Re: bird flu from asia?
 

last time i checked this forum was still called "world." i joined dirty way back in, what, 2001 or 2002 maybe, and the world forum has always been the world forum.

if it's become nothing more than a showcase for the john show i'll be happy to piss off for another 6 months.

Re: bird flu from asia?
 

No apologies for your seeing it that way. There are other people posting here, not just I.

If that's your attitude, I won't miss you. Cheers!

*****

BTW everyone: DunWho is in the lead, I think, in number of posts. This is the Dunwho Show! I'm simply a participating spectator. Sadly, ratings are sinking and it will be cancelled soon.


*****

Well, I'll be damned. The Dunwho Show has been renewed for another season: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30563707/

Re: bird flu from asia?
 

Reports that "swine flu could wipe out tens of millions of people" (actual CNN quote) when only like a dozen people were actually sick is irresponsible overkill to an incredible, brazenly out of proportion degree.

Re: bird flu from asia?
 

my sentiments exactly mate!;). half the people in the uk who have contracted this deadly virus are out of hospital and saying it was like a heavy cold. A bit of a warning would have been enough instead of the massive fuckin media overkill we are presently experiencing.
maybe in a few years when we really do have something serious happening then everyone will be like 'yeah yeah....we've heard it all before' and we'll all die.....'the media who cried wolf'?

Re: bird flu from asia?
 

ask anyone in toronto how they feel about the media's handling of SARS.

Cacaophony, the argument, it seems to me, boils down to whether or not you can say the media acted responsibly *EVEN IF* the worst case scenario was realized. Clearly the answer is no. Even if this thing turned into spanish flu, the media was not informative, it was stoking anxiety. To prove that point, someone can simply sit through the days of american network television coverage and count how many minutes were spent covering actual facts and information and how many minutes were spent covering looped, fetishized, stories of anxiety. Would I be making an up-at-night assumption if I claimed to know how that experiment would turn out?

Re: bird flu from asia?
 

You could save yourself a lot of time by just looking @ Teremiflu(or whatever the names of them are) & it's competitor's stock values. Maybe.

Re: bird flu from asia?
 

in the first week of discovery there was no way to know whether this would be a supervirus or a bad cold. as i already described, the mode and speed of transmission was justifiably alarming to health professionals.

i guess what i dislike is using "cry wolf" to describe this situation. in the original fable the boy DELIBERATELY cried wolf in order to stir up a frenzy. thus teaching his community that he was a deliberate liar.

in the case of emergency alerts, like virus outbreaks or potentially catastrophic weather, no one is deliberately lying in order to stir up chaos. officials justifiably raise the alert because these things aren't perfectly predictable. we lack the ability to tell the future with precision so yes, sometimes the warning call will go out and nothing bad will manifest.

that doesn't make the warning system unjustified. it's not crying wolf.

crying wolf was saying "there's a link between iraq and 9/11. let's go get 'em!" warning the public about a potential health hazard is not.

Re: bird flu from asia?
 

i guess i see it from a different perspective. most of the "media" you're describing is entertainment media. i don't expect much from them. i see CNN sending sanjay gupta to mexico so he can mingle unmasked (*gasp*) with the infected and i see entertainment. not news.

i think you have to be choosy with your news sources. and frankly, the public consumes the coverage it wants regardless of the truth of the situation. we at webmd have tried to put this into perspective from the beginning by pointing out that the "regular" flu kills 36,000 people every year. pneumonia kills upwards of 60,000, and those figures are for the US alone. and while we've had incredible traffic, totally breaking all records since the site's launch, people consume what they want to consume. if they want to consume the "symptoms" article more than they want to consume the "why you shouldn't worry" article, that's a self-directed preference.

i'm not arguing that the media is a responsible outlet for information. i'm saying the public's desire for the excitement of doom drives a lot of the hysterical coverage.

look, i manage the cancer content for the site. i'm responsible for knowing the user base, knowing the conditions, and providing responsible information that people will consume. and i will tell you with absolutely no exaggeration that the most responsible perspective piece will never EVER hold a candle to the fearful content in terms of audience consumption. penile cancer is one of the rarest cancers on earth but people consume the "symptoms" content in quantities that put it on par with a REAL public health issue like diabetes.

i'm also not arguing that the media should cover the worst just because we have a natural human tendency to dwell on the worst. i'm just saying there's a call-and-response relationship between the audience and media outlets. when people stop consuming it, media moves on to the next drama.

i just think it's far too easy to point at media and cry, "YOU'RE THE SOURCE OF ALL OUR PROBLEMS!" it's easier than admitting that we're the source of our problems, too.

Re: bird flu from asia?
 

I'm annoyed with the media - such as CNN - because they made themselves unwatchable to me, and misinformed millions of people thereby causing damage to multiple industries and lives. That's a legitimae gripe. Can't exactly say I was feeding the problem since I stopped watching once I heard them report the "tens of millions" hysteria, but I feel justified in pointing out how opportunistic and destructive their "reporting" was. I don't argue a single point you've made about the organizations that were putting out legitimate updates. I have no problem with them. But let's face it, a lot of people are out there living their lives, watching the television news after dinner as they've always done - like many of our parents - to get their basic updates on what's going on in the world. It's a problem how irresponsible those outlets have become. They're not the source of all our problems by a long shot, but they're definitely one of them, and calling that out shouldn't be off limits.

Re: bird flu from asia?
 

Cacophony, what's funny is as soon as I got the part where you mention penis cancer I immediately wanted to look it up. But that just proves how irrational we are. I also agree with all of your good points with respect to this sad truth.

It really is a difference of perspective because, while I do agree with everything you said, I don't think it answers the problem some of us see from our perspective.

The fact that its so easy to pander to people doesn't make it excusable. Its hard to say I have burr up my ass about the media when I have almost religious worship for journalists who actually don't pander, but inform, and approach their audience on the highest levels. This is not only heroic in bravery but heroic in the benefits it brings to the health of our culture.

But like Sean and others, I feel justified in pointing out the systemic corruption in our news. You can't excuse network tv news because "everybody knows" they are entertainment. They call themselves news. People watch them for news. And they get back nothing but phobia circle jerks with "experts" and mantras of the most improbable but scary possible outcomes of any situation, looped by anechdotal pieces of runs on face masks and hand sanitizers. 24 hours a day. Just barely interspersed with coverage of a WHO press conference or an actual "development"

The intent is clearly to manipulate perspective of the truth for personal gain. And that's how you can call it corruption.

Re: bird flu from asia?
 

What Strangelet said.

But also to add - the fact that we're not surprised to see the news* behaving this way does not mean it's pointless calling them on it or ridiculing them for it.

Afaic, more of that please.

(*rightly or wrongly, CNN, NBC, Sky, the Times, etc are perceived by the majority of people as news, not entertainment)

Re: bird flu from asia?
 

Yeah, in a recent interview with one of our troops serving in the Middle East, when asked a question referring to The Washington Post*, smart boy said something along the line of , "BOOOO!, I read REAL tabloids."


* Or WA Times or Journal or something.

Re: bird flu from asia?
 

i agree with the first paragraph.....health professionals being the operative words.

but the media have deliberately stirred up an unwarranted frenzy and even if they aint guilty of lying then they are guilty of deliberately distorting the situation.