Ah, yes, but you didn’t have Susan Collins boasting on video and on her own website about cutting pandemic flu preparation money from the stimulus package to make fun of.

This makes Jindal and his volcanic volcano monitoring screwup pale in comparison….

Of course, in 1976, we had neither YouTube, nor video, nor websites, but I digress.

Well, I guess coz I’ve studied the economics of these thingees as part of my day job, they give the creeps. Let’s hope for the best.

This will be like the onset of the recession, it may take months before we know for sure. There is evidence that 1918 epidemic strain had to go through several mutations in successive small epidemics before it fine tuned itself into an efficient killer. It appeared at the end of WWI, with millions of soldiers in close quarters, and millions more displaced. The unhealthy quarters and crowded conditions may have helped in that deadly evolution. One hopes that the Mexican authorities can muster the public health measures that have quashed several similar episodes in Asia recently.

But, if there are not a lot of currently undetected milder cases in Mexico, an initial case fatality rate of a little over 6% (around 100/1600, round numbers) from Yahoo news article below) is kind of scary for a new strain of flu that is spreading quickly and widely.

BTW, the story running around that the GOP killed appropriations in the stimulus package for pandemic flu preparation seem kind of bogus to me. Diaries at Daily Kos say that the money got appropriated anyway, and some corporate Democrats (Schumer) opposed it too. But… I think the issue should be brought up anyway. It seems very odd that ’sensible’ people from both parties (as well as the GOP extremists) have been raising objections to adquately funding vital public functions (such as volcano monitoring, in addition to pandemic flu preparation), given the conensus views on Bush tax cuts, and bank bailout potlatches).

It’s like a goofy couple who has been pissing away massive K dollars on entertainment systems and hot tubs, and then gets all “waalll we dunno… that’s ALOT of money for a termite inspection and doctor vist… let’s think about that extravagant expenditure real careful…. some time soon…

So, even if the story is semi bogus, I think it should be brought up, and certain faces should be rubbed in it, in responsible way that informs the public as to the nature of the scoundrels and goofballs in our government. It is more evidence that the consensus thinking of the reasonable moderates in congress, and their fanboys and girls is fundamentally unsound and ridiculous. The world is upside down and people are willing to throw away huge resources on the say so of corrupt rich money bags, while they balk at very small and very sensible expenditures that keeps us safe, and that are the real foundation of our wealth and security. So, it is a good excuse to tell our precious youth (especially those at or nearing voting age) that, yes, people like Collins and Schumer are totally full of it and their kind and all the the right of them need to be retired from public life as soon as possible.

Below is a summary from Kos. Great film on how to cough and sneeze at the bottom that I want all you kids to watch!
http://www.dailykos.com/storyo…..y-Declared

Yahoo news summary
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/200…..lity_check

Kos Diary on pandemic flue appropriation
http://www.dailykos.com/storyo…..on-Funding

Oops, linked to the wrong news article -below is link to current info on cases and fatalities:

Suspected swine flu deaths in Mexico top 100
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/200…..flu_mexico

Morning pups. The flu is getting massive coverage here in France. Nothing but on the front pages and news shows. Stuff spreads fast here, because it is the custom to shake hands with everyone when you enter (and leave) the room. Plus there’s the kissing on the cheek (someone suggested we lay off that custom for a while) for close friends. I think I got a case of flu every winter I worked here — usually late November or early December. Medical personnel are having a huge demonstration this week to protest Sarkozy’s attempt to run the public health system like a private company (top down, emphasis on the financia bottom line). eternal vigilance and all that …

Good morning, pups. It’s Cohen and Krugman today. Mr. Cohen, in “Clinton’s Mideast Pirouette,” says the sparring between the U.S. and Israel has begun, and that’s a good thing, with criticism coming from an unlikely source — Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Mr. Krugman, in “Money for Nothing,” says it’s necessary to rescue Wall Street to protect the economy, but financial firms should be acting like public utilities, not returning to the practices and paychecks of 2007.

Here they are.

The coffee and tea are ready, and the biscuits are out of the oven. I’m not really ready for it to be Monday. There’s something about being cooped up at a desk on a beautiful spring day… Have the best Monday you can, and stay healthy.

Oh no!!! Like the 1918 flu?!!! Can’t be. The hockey playoffs just barely started.

During the 1918-19 Stanley Cup playoffs between the Montreal Canadiens and the Seattle Metropolitans, several Canadiens players contracted Spanish influenza, part of a worldwide epidemic. The finals were cancelled after five games. The final game was never played, because Montreal players Joe Hall, Manager Kennedy, Billy Coutu, Jack McDonald and Edouard Lalonde were hospitalized with influenza. Joe Hall died four days after the cancelled game, and the series was abandoned, remaining tied at 2-2-1. At that time, it was the only year for which the Stanley Cup was not awarded until the labour stoppage of 2004-2005.

I seem to remember rumsfeld has stock in the flu vacine, am not sure however

My brother got seriously ill from a swine flu shot. Those things really sucked.

BREAKING: A lost toddler named Rick Perry has been found in Austin, TX, asking for Mommy.

Great! Thanks, Mar.

Cohen had a horrendous article last week (Thursday??) on the torture memos. Lemme see what he has to say now.

LOL. Any description of the tiny tike?

From the Department of Beyond Satire: On the WaPo front page:

The Torture Debate
Scheuer: The Bin Laden Scenario
Danner: Who’s to Blame?
Gerson: Memos Understandable
Broder: No to Prosecutions

Certainly sounds like the Lincoln-Douglas debate, doesn’t it? Except without Lincoln.

egregious and senenson have some excellant diaries on rumsfeld’s involvment

I thought he was up to his ears in Tamiflu, the flu vaccine, but I may be mistaken. It’s been a while since that was on the front burner.

didn’t Rummy get a piece of the Tamiflu action somehow?

I don’t see how Tamiflu can possibly help. The Swine Flu Scare is of the “We’re all gonna die variety. Bird flu was of the “You are all gonna die” variety.

Every good panic-capitalist knows that these are totally different flu strains…..

IIRC, Rumsfeld was going to make a fortune on the tamiflu vaccine and he came out with a statement saying he talked about his financial interest with the powers that be and it was decided that all would be okay as long as he came forward and acknowledged that this was the case.

You gotta laugh at the chutzpa.

Really nice head of hair…….likely sucking on thumb.

Is RevBev around? She didn’t feel well yesterday.

Joe Douche-borough of Morning Joe is being his regular pathetic self by saying ’swine flu schmine flu’ and that it’s not torture when you’re put in a cramped box with a caterpillar (sure it wasn’t a spider, Joe? Nope! He’s not sure!). He’s basically saying the 8 years of George Bush were good, just, pure, and white (very white I may add!), and that President Obama shouldn’t be concerned with the swine flu because mainly Mexicans are dying and to Joe this is the kind of border control he can handle!

What’s it say about a former Sec of Defense, the head of the UDPCL (”Ultimate Dirty Procurement Contract League”) that he has to get his grift out of a phony flu scare?

Loser.

Fort Detrick is missing 3 viles of this virus right now:

http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/04/…..index.html

The Bush Regime was all about nuclear, chemical, and biological attacks and knowing Cheney & Rumsfeld were the Evil Twins, it wouldn’t surprise me if both of these a-holes have tons of viruses stored in their refrigerators at the moment.

Fort Detrick is where the anthrax for the attacks after 9/11 against liberals originated from. Who gave the order to send the anthrax out? My money is on Cheney & Rumsfeld. They did this to keep the fear going that we were attacked on 9/11 because of the way liberals are!

Strong stomach you have, my friend. Used to tune in during ad breaks just to see if there might be a nugget-of-gold guest but decided it ain’t worth the heart burn. :-(

…because of the way liberals are!

hey – we yam what we yam.

Being 57 I actually had a swine flu shot in 1976 after a huge buildup in the press. I do remember that I didn’t feel well for awhile after the shot, but nothing severe. But the shot did harm a lot of people. We should be careful with this latest breakout, but we should not go overboard.

In a scene out of Lou Dobbs jingoistic dreams

I’ve spent a lot of time over at tripadvisor lately as I consider a trip to Cancun. There’s a forum there talking about vacationers being harassed by friends and family when they talk about going to Mexico. This was before the flu outbreak. It’s amazing, really. People get angry when they hear someone’s going to Mexico. One person wrote that her father threatened to disinherit anyone that traveled there. That’s got to be the FoxNews/Lou Dobbs effect.

I was sick as a dog for 3 weeks, as bad as the flu, if not worse. I haven’t had a flu shot since, neither have I had the flu.

ya, that’s what I remember, rummy has a good piece of the tamaflu vacine stock

also on cbs radio the other day I definately heard them talking about “releasing stockpiles of tamaflue”

he’s gold

And now from the “you lost, get over it” department, I bring you the major front page story from the Savannah Daily Disappointment.

I just puked up my stomach. Does that count for anything? LOL

Isn’t it nice to know that we liberals cause the neck drooling knuckle draggers to become suicidal at the drop of a hat? Personally, I love it. ;-)

http://usliberals.about.com/b/…..ndemic.htm

Thanks for this info, Scribe. ;-)

In all fairness re the 1976 outbreak IIRC from my Microbiology course the models at the time predicted 60-70 year cycles of killer pandemics. The single death was in an American soldier. The government had good reason to fear how that might spread through the population. So they thought it was the big one and responded.

When crisis is averted it is easy in hindsight to mock, but when someone drops the ball, it’s too late.

When you look back on that outbreak did people die from another strain of flu, the vaccination or swine flu? Influenza kills thousands every year.

This Swine Flu business is the perfect storm or paranoia, xenophobia and wishful thinking.

Paranoia on the part of average Americans who don’t have enough information or know enough science and are only too willing to believe that things are a lot worse than they are. It’s akin to the “dangers” of cute girls being kidnapped which you’d think was a sort of epidemic if you watched the news. Xenophobia on the part of the Lou Dobbs/Pat Buchanan wing of humanity who see all outsiders as disease-bearing dangers to “our way of life”. Swine Flu is only the latest reason for them to say, “See? I told you so”. Finally, it is wishful thinking on the part of both the media, who see big ratings in sensationalist headlines, and the Glenn Beck lovers who are only too ready for a plague to wipe out the human race so they can have their Rapture.

Yes, take precautions as I do by washing my hands often and staying away from slobs that sneeze without covering their mouths. And remember, if life hands you Swine Flu, make bacon.

The scientists think the swine flu might be spreading person-to-person rather than through a mosquito bite on an infected pig and then on to a human. Very different ‘animal’ if the swine flu is now considered a highly contagious airborne virus.

I’m sure Donald Rumsfeld & Dick Cheney are thrilled today! The vaccines they’re associated with will be making some money!

http://www.talkleft.com/story/2006/03/12/041/43370

Spit. I hate them.

Katy the article you linked to identifies the virus as Eastern equine encephalitis which is spread by mosquitoes.

Not that having ANY viruses running around unattended is a good thing but I don’t think this is the strain that is causing the current mini-meltdown.

Rumsfeld’s company is GD Searle.

I think one of the reasons that many might claim have caused people to panic and over-react is the overwhelming media coverage, BUT … isn’t that something we should do to prevent any calamity at a larger scale?

I’d rather err on the side of safety. Look at how the media across the world are trying to keep the citizens informed about the outbreak: http://www.newsy.com/videos/tracking_an_outbreak/

“considered a highly contagious airborne virus”

That’s the definiition of “infectious”.

You can’t have “contagious airborne.” contagious = touch.

All virus are running around unattended. That’s what viruses do, well sort of: the cannot “walk” or “run”, more like “lurk” or “fly”. And there are many of them you are “touched by” every day.

Your immune system gets rid of them.

Here’s one definition:

Contagion, Contagious:
The process by which one person infected with a disease passes it to another, either through direct skin contact, inhaled droplets or contact with contaminated materials. Some potential biological weapons, such as anthrax and botulism, are not contagious, while smallpox and plague are highly contagious.