When was the last time you heard a politician put the welfare of the people ahead of the preservation of corporate profits? That may be exactly what Vice President Biden did when he said he was advising his loved ones to avoid crowded or unventilated areas, such as planes and subway cars.
I have to think back many decades to remember anyone in power displaying such honesty. And that would be way back - before the twin powers of TV political ads and money corrupted our political system.
Time will tell if the vice president exaggerated the risk from the swine flu virus, AKA H1N1. But if he did he had plenty of company over the last two days, involving many very qualified experts.
The real importance of what he said was that it was aimed squarely at the welfare of John Q. Public, and it was, to me, disappointing that the Obama administration felt obliged to effectively apologize.
For those who say that corporate profits are the lifeblood of this nation, that there wouldn't be any jobs without a healthy business climate, I say - look around you - THERE AREN'T ANY JOBS!
And why not? Because the red hot businessmen who ruled the past few years have put Main Street right in the tank. Of the news you hear these days, 90% relates to Wall Street, and so you might be excused for thinking that conditions along Main Street might be improving, simply because greed is beginning to seep back into the investment scene.
There are reasons to doubt that they are, however. I know of one company in this great land of ours that is planning to lay off 70,000 workers beginning in the fall. That's just one company. We know that the lost jobs in the auto industry, beyond those that have already taken place, will be in the tens of thousands, and considerably more in related businesses. We know that the economy is losing about 700,000 jobs per month right now. We also know that foreclosures are mounting and well over a million men, women and children are being evicted each month.
This week, someone else's personal situation, that I'm aware of, really seemed to bring home to me the degree of self interest that exists in the financial sector.
This family went to their bank, a major beneficiary of taxpayer bailout funds, and explained that they wanted to refinance their home so they would have a cushion to get them by the bad times. The breadwinner has a construction business and, although he is still busy, no one knows what may lie around the corner. Their credit history is excellent and the mortgage balance is less than 40% of the value that existed two years ago.
When they came to me for some friendly advice, I told them it looked like a win/win situation for not only the borrower but also for the bank, which would have the comfort of knowing its borrower was more secure.
Well, it all fell apart when the bank's appraiser came in with a value that was less than what the home cost sixteen years earlier together with subsequent improvements, and was even slightly less than the current mortgage balance.
Based on a lifetime in the business, it was clear to me that this lender had no intention of dealing with its customer in good faith. More to the point, however, it signaled that if this is the attitude of the banking fraternity, Main Street is doomed. Foreclosures are destined to continue unabated.
And - forget about sub prime loans - the greedy banks will be effectively scooping up beautiful homes like the one described above from reputable borrowers at unbelievably low costs.
There is no such thing as positive trickle down. It matters not to Main Street what happens on Wall Street, unless it involves mismanagement and unregulated financial orgies. Then it matters plenty, and trickle down it does.
Nice going, Joe Biden. I think I love you.
Dave McGill, News Correspondent
Dave's column, "The Contrarian," generally published every Friday, to Gather Essential News will sometimes present a contrary view to various aspects of the news, or an alternate take on the conventional wisdom of the day, and will often appear on other days of the week
Dave has been a senior officer of an eastern insurance company, involved in economic projections and investment strategy, president of a Midwestern mortgage banking company, and a financial consultant in Southern California, serving clients in the field of commercial real estate development.
You can find all of Dave's "the contrarian" columns at: http://gather.com/thecontrarian. Keep up with Dave's other postings and Gather activity by joining his Gather network at: http://atadaskew.gather.com. You'll find Dave and other News correspondents, plus celebrity content and plenty of news experts at: news.gather.com.
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Comments: 69
I would not fly or go into crowded anything now and I am not an alarmist or a person that panics but common sense tells you not to take chances with a virus as deadly as this swine flu.
I like Obama and think he is very intelligent but I feel he is making a big mistake with these bailouts especially after the banks did what they did on the first bailout.
I think what is really behind holding up these banks is trying to remain the worlds economic leader and their is a lot of this bailout money being shipped overseas. I think we have lost the battle to remain the worlds leading economy and I doubt that Europe will allow us to regain the title.
www.nopom.info
I think it's time we stopped calling Big Pharma and Big Ins. Corps "the health industry." They don't want health, they want disease, that's when they make their money.
Nader says Nancy Pelosi said "no single payer, there will be no single payer health care" and that Democratic leaders have been meeting behind closed doors with Ins and Pharma lobbyists.
Dave, I hope you can find out the truth of this and write an article about it. We didn't elect Democrats to meet behind closed doors with any lobbyist interests and that was a promise Pres. Obama needs to keep. He said lobbyists will not meet secretly with White House or Congress. I want him to keep his word on that.
I agree with Joe Biden. I don't know why the talking heads got go angry.
It makes sense, others have said the same thing.
P.S.
The U. S. Reps passed HR 627, The Credit Card Reform Bill.
The U. S. Senate will be voting on S 235.
Please contact your Senators and beg them to not cave into the banking interests and dillute these reforms.
It is very easy to contact your Congressmen/Senators.
Just go here.
U.S.Senate
If you don't want to just click, copy and paste in this: http://www.senate.gov
If you want to look at the legislation,
go to: http:Thomas.loc.gov.
Or click here Legislation
In the search window you can type one of the bill numbers or just type in Credit Card and you will see all the different bills and amendments.
'a politician put the welfare of the people ahead of the preservation of corporate profits.'
Joe deserves merit points...big time.
Biden's mouth lacks any sort of self-monitoring mechanism, and he habitually shoots it off without any consideration for the consequences of his statements. The best thing about Biden is, he's not Sarah Palin.
There are several numbers floating around. The Mexican government reports that over 100 of their citizens may have died from H1N1. However according to Jack Cafferty of CNN during his segment yesterday, only 8 people, 7 in Mexico and 1 in the U.S. have died from the H1N1 virus. He also stated that 16,000 Americans have died since January from the regular or seasonal flu...which makes the number of deaths from HINI seem insignificant compared to the deaths from the seasonal and regular flu viruses. Similar numbers have been quoted by the CDC today. My numbers may be off a bit since I'm going from memory of what I have seen and heard from news reports.
Dr. Gupta of CNN reported that the H1NI virus lacks a certain amino acid that is necessary for it to be a dangerous threat. But then again we have Biden's statement as well as reports of Governors of 5 States ordering the National Guard to guard the tami-flu medication in undisclosed locations. There are also reports that migrant workers are being held up at the Mexican border.
Cover up or blow up? The truth is out there...so why can't we have it?
So, what does it hurt to wash your hands while humming "Happy Birthday" for timing -- or keeping bacterial wipes in your desk and car?
We should probably do these things anyway but do not usually take the time.
For me, this represents the problem. Why did Biden's comment "foment fear?" He simply said what health professionals have been saying - avoid closed places with lots of other people for a while, obviously whenever reasonably possible.
This is less about what Biden said as it is about the total irrationality of the reaction to what he said. We (i.e., the news media, anti-Obama's, various others prone to situational hysterics) can't seem to take simple statements by one person and consider them in context. Sure, the guy is the VP, but do we lack critical thinking so much that we fly into a panic because of an offhand comment by a politician? Why on earth would be place any significance whatsoever on an off the cuff comment during an interview when we have a network of health care professionals saturating the airwaves with precautionary advice? That's just crazy. And while his comment was certainly not helpful, this is on us, not Joe Biden. We are the ones who lack the cognitive ability to make rational judgments based on the totality of the information we receive.
Come on people. We need to start thinking.
A demonstration of this is the crisis we are facing due to decreased immunizations caused by the totally unfounded and media promoted fear of autism resulting from immunization. The result of this nonsense, is a rise in new cases of measles and the potential for major public health problems caused by public confusion and the ignorance of media types like Larry King. For some reason, the public is more likely to follow the words of an actress with a sick child, than the words of all the doctors and public health professionals. So I am not happy with Biden's decision to weigh in on a subject about which he knows nothing.
I fear the media has jumped on this more stringently than warranted merely due to its geographical source.
H1N1 is new and very little is known about it. That is why caution is needed and warranted. Comparing this new strain with existing known strains is apples and oranges. The bottom line is that we DON'T know how this outbreak will unfold and if we overdo it, then so be it. I'd rather be prepared and have nothing happen than just wait for it.
Of course, just because it is less virulent now does not mean that it will stay that way. Flu virus does possess a disconcerting ability to mutate, and now that H1N1 is pretty well established in Mexico, and over 200 cases in the USA, we will have to see about that possibility.
Flu is very tricky and versatile. We don't know how this one will develop. Take reasonable precautions (like washing your hands frequently when away from home) and don't worry about it.
No sir, I do not have an MD behind my name, but I am a Certified Infection Control Specialist, as certified by the CDC. What I do have is an vast knowledge of epidemiology, as well as trends and patterns of various infection rates in the US. For the record, I have TAUGHT Infection Control to physicians and clinicians of all walks.
Somehow I think that trumps a comedian's opinion on the subject.
I did not say precaution was not a good idea. I merely stated that the media is making a mountain out of a molehill at this juncture.
Sorry...I removed my comment to add a little something. We are now out of sequence, but thank you for your comment.
10 bucks says the White House made him take the train home last night to off-set his comments....
Biden was NOT saying what health experts have been saying. Biden has been SPEWING NONSENSE and even his boss knows it.
DIRECT QUOTE FROM BIDEN'S MOUTH--- "one sneeze can go through the entire airplane."
Just how stupid is that ???
First of all it's a respiratory problem, upper lungs, and when spewed in a cough or sneeze, the maximum distance it's going to "spread" is about 6 feet TOPS ! ! !
In addition, as soon as it dries (whatever was emitted from the orifices when sneezing or coughing,) IT IS NOW DEAD ! ! ! ! The virus can't spread once the "spew" dries.
Timothy is correct in stating the numbers-- Cafferty makes it rather clear. All of the ostensible deaths in Mexico are NOT the swine flu. As they die, they are testing them, and only a handful so far, actually had the virus.
It is becoming increasingly clear, BIDEN IS A MORON ! ! ! ! A plagiarist drone that has no idea what to say unless someone tells him what to say. And the more we see Obama "on his feet," the more we see just how incoherent he can be without a teleprompter.
The entire swine flu thing has been handled badly not only by the press, but the administration.
It's pathetic the way they are hyping the fear FOR NOTHING ! ! !
ONLY-- only if the "spew" stays moist that long.
a sneeze can travel up to 12 feet
Okay, *shrug* you say 12 feet, BIG DEAL *ROFL* it still isn't the length of a jetliner, as our IDIOT Joe Biden said.
And that 12--- that's MAY travel up to 12 feet, that doesn't mean it WILL travel that far-- there are MANY variables to the equation.
Besides, I said six feet because I've seen the distance noted from a mere 3 feet, up to 12 feet, so I just said SIX--- as a basic average.
this source says a mere 3 feet
The POINT is-- 3, 6 12, WHATEVER, it is NOT the "entire plane" as the IDIOT Joe Biden said.
More people have died falling off ladders since H1N1 hit or had heart failure laughing at jJack's posts and comments. At any given moment 3 to 12 million Americans have the "flu" and as noted many thousands die annually. True, H1N1 is a "new" strain but evidently at this point not morphed into the killer feared. In theory Joe may have had a point. In practice is bad policy for a Veep to use his office in that way. Meaning you are far more likely to catch the common variety on a plane or subway. Simple precautions are all we can or should do.
Since you've just agree with me, moron, I'm not sure why they wouldn't be laughing at you too. *chuckle*
Oh really ???
Care to prove that contention, and show me the CDC PROOF, or would you like to just shut up ???? *chuckle*
Here's what I found at the CDC....
What surfaces are most likely to be sources of contamination?
Germs can be spread when a person touches something that is contaminated with germs and then touches his or her eyes, nose, or mouth. Droplets from a cough or sneeze of an infected person move through the air. Germs can be spread when a person touches respiratory droplets from another person on a surface like a desk and then touches their own eyes, mouth or nose before washing their hands.
How long can viruses live outside the body?
We know that some viruses and bacteria can live 2 hours or longer on surfaces like cafeteria tables, doorknobs, and desks. Frequent handwashing will help you reduce the chance of getting contamination from these common surfaces.
Now, since the CDC makes it EXPLICITY CLEAR--- you can ONLY spread the germs through the "droplets" you spew--- tell me, how exactly is it a "droplet," if it is DRY ???? *chuckle*
And-- SOME VIRUSES and BACTERIA--- the CDC does NOT say THIS VIRUS can "live" for 2 hours, it says SOME are known to live that long.
These FACTS are, well..... FACTS ! ! ! ! !
Studies have shown that influenza virus can survive on environmental surfaces and can infect a person for up to 2-8 hours after being deposited on the surface"
Directly from the CDC website. I refuse to argue this point any longer. You simply refuse to be wrong, and have no inkling into epidemiology or infection control.
Oh really ???? *chuckle*
Current Airplane Design
Our airplanes typically provide ventilation of 13 to 20 cubic feet per minute (cfm) of air per occupant. Outside air typically makes up half of the total air circulation – 6.5 to 10 cfm – while the remaining air is highly filtered recirculated air. The filtration systems used on most Boeing products are High Efficiency Particulate Air Filters (HEPA-type), similar to that used in hospital operating rooms. The systems provide essentially particle-free air.
Results of Air Quality Studies
In the last decade, there have been 10 focused studies of cabin air quality by credible organizations such as the U.S. Department of Transportation, Air Transport Association, Harvard University, ASHRAE and others. The limited number of flights monitored in these studies have not shown evidence that the passenger cabin air is polluted or even substandard. The studies show that concentrations of bacteria and fungal contaminants, respirable particulates and volatile organic compounds are relatively low in commercial airplanes. The microbial levels, for example, in an airplane cabin are typically lower than those in a home, the airport terminal or the office buildings in which we work. Aerospace Medical Association (AsMA) Special Committee Report on Cabin Air Quality (Thibeault, MD, 1997) states “The so-called problem of cabin air quality is most likely multifactorial (hypoxia, decreased barometric pressure, crowding, inactivity, temperature control, jet lag, noise, three-dimensional motion, fear, stress, individual health, alcohol consumption, etc.), and we need to look at all possible causes before discarding any.” Boeing acknowledges that passengers and crew do sometimes have headaches, dizziness, nausea and fatigue during flight and that this is likely caused by a multitude of contributing factors.
SOURCE
Now--- we've established an airliner uses BOTH--- outside air AND recirculated air from the cabin.
We've also established the recirculated air is run through what is known as a "HEPA" filter that does what ????
A HEPA filter can remove more than 99% of indoor airborne particles that are 0.3 micrometers wide. This includes allergens such as dust mites, pollen, animal dander, and mold, as well as bacteria. Particles of this size, also called the most penetrating particle size (MPPS), are the most difficult to filter. Particles that are the MPPS are the least likely to become trapped in the filter's fibers when they enter the HEPA filter. The HEPA is able to filter particles that are larger and smaller than 0.3 micrometers with even greater efficiency.
The first HEPA filter, which was designed in the 1940s, was used by the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission during the Manhattan Project to prevent airborne, radioactive contaminants from spreading. The filter was later marketed to consumers in the 1950s to reduce airborne allergens, pollutants, and disease-causing microorganisms (like bacteria and viruses). The term HEPA became a registered trademark and a generic term for high-efficiency particulate arresting filters.
Tell me donna, sweetie baby, how is it I am "wrong?" *double chuckle*
What, no link ??? *ROFL*
You simply refuse to be wrong, and have no inkling into epidemiology or infection control.
We can see, you apparently do not have much of an inkling either *chuckle*
Would anyone else care to try ??? *chuckle*
Hm, Donna. From such a highly qualified professional this particular statement is a bit puzzling. I'm sure you know (or should know) the difference between a "bacterium" and the influenza organism, which is a VIRUS--two entirely different entities.
I think maybe you just blew any credibility you might have had in discussing this issue.
Wow, quite a performance there on the airplane spreading thing. Its funny that you and Donna are in agreement, but you still need to argue. OK, here are the facts.
The average H1N1 virus travels 5.2 feet in coach, and 7.3 feet in first class when sneezed by an average 45 year old male. On the other hand, those distances are reduced by a factor or 4 when the sneezer is a female over the age of 12. Most viral particles live only 2 hours in the airplane, but one particular geezer lasted for an entire 8 and half hour non stop flight from Milan to NY (which I happened to be on last Wednesday), and had sufficient time to mutate and evolve into fairly nasty flight attendant of dubious sexual identity. No moisture involved.
Now, try to argue with THOSE facts!
As for your "facts" --- since you didn't offer up a valid link to verify your data, how the hell am I supposed to know if it's a "fact" or not ??? *triple chuckle*
And for your comment about "no moisture involved," well, uh.... don't be silly.....
Any cough, any sneeze, contains "respirable particulates," which is just a fancy word for moist spew.......
I wanted to post a link, but I couldnt find the Marx Bros. Web site, which would be the appropriate reference for this whole sorry mess.
The truth is, my mother was a teacher, and she didn't allow for language to be used without fidelity to word origins and meaning. Therefore I learned to express myself without compromise, hesitation, or fear.
From a very early age I realized the possibilities for the observation of human behavior, underlying the efficient exploitation of words.
Unfortunately for so many, I have little appetite for genial banter, and prefer the sublime nature of visceral emotions that reveal more about our primal nature as human beings, than the cultivated, civilized conversations of polite society the vast majority of weak, shallow human beings are content to wallow in, as they try to remain numb to the ever present glory of free will.
In other words, I don't understand why fear subjugates the spontaneity at the core of self awareness. Natural impulses nearly require unfettered communication, and yet fear seems to override this primal instinct to reveal ourselves as competitive warriors in the arena of ideas.
What if they don't understand what I am trying to say?
What if no one else feels the same way I feel?
How can I be sure my trust will be reciprocated?
How can I take the chance I might be scorned or laughed at and dismissed as unworthy?
Such fears stifle the ability for so many to step forward without reservation, and the decorum naturally settles into unwritten rules of "respect," and "tolerance."
I find such fears akin to death, the denial of all that makes us human.
I revel in what makes us, as animals, behave the way we do; my sole purpose for interaction has become a mission, a quest, a digital adventure that seeks to explore the outer edges of what it means to be a modern, 21st century, sentient being, encased and existing within fiber optic lines running around the globe, and I certainly do not intend to waste time, by indulging fears I am able to subdue without much effort.
If you want to see the inside of a human being, if you want to know their soul, you must look behind their eyes, and find the core part of what makes them who they are, without the layers of a pseudo personality to shield them from repercussion or harm.
Since I an physically unable to get you drunk, I must revert to nontraditional forms of manipulation that have only been enabled by the sudden growth of new technologies, as a means to strip you clean of your civilized veneer, in an effort to expose the soft underbelly of your psyche.
This process ultimately leads to more honesty, and ironically more respect.
Of course, how you feel about such things depends heavily upon whether you are the puppeteer, or the marionette.
I'm not surprised however, you perceive it as "picking a fight." *snicker*
These are the vicissitudes one must endure, when the intellectual capacity does not exist to contain them.
I really have no reason to fear, or hide, from anyone, or anything........
a spoon full of sugar, as the lady sang.
of course I no longer follow my own advice there, whenever I start dealing with climate change denial. But that, I suppose, is a lack of civility on my part? What is Truth, as Pilate asked, and did not stay for an answer.
Don't you see, how they react is irrelevant, the joy is in discovering the unpredictable nature of unreserved spontaneity. It doesn't matter how they react, EVEN IF THEY IGNORE ME COMPLETELY-- I have found what I am looking for, no matter what occurs.
And no, sorry, I've never read any Ayn Rand, though I am quite familiar with the tenets of her philosophies, primarily due to the almost zealous nature of her audience. It's impossible to throw a stick, in a room full of self declared "intellectuals," without hitting someone willing to bore you with the minutia of the "truths" found within her texts. *chortle*
Truth is a very tricky thing.
I don't pretend to have the truth, rather-- I use words to discover what OTHERS believe the "truth" might be.
The best way to do that is to challenge their notions in ways they are unaccustomed to, and might even take offense with, attempting to destroy any notions they might have, about knowing something I might not have added to my resevoir of knowledge.
It isn't easy of course, but I try..... *chuckle*
Another issue is that we have been conditioned, as a people, to work from the "fear" perspective. Everything is about either a "War on..." Or based on fear. We have got to get away from that weak-kneed position, and move forward with a "what is the real situation (facts) and what do we need to do (acts.)
Jes' sayin'
I like Joe, and "hired him" with my vote to bring his common-man, worker-be voice to add to Obamas. I still think they're a good mix for us.
Blessed be, Dave.
Wilka
CDC: H1N1
Its the Swine Flu, Not the Bubonic Plague
I went to a "legalize pot" rally yesterday in downtown Omaha, does that mean I have a life ??? *ROFL*
What he said was just common sense and everybody knows it
No, what I "know" is that what Biden said was STUPID ! ! ! ! I've already demonstrated why.....
Quite some time ago, someone on Gather asked me why I bothered responding to you. This was on some thread where you were fully engaged in your "nontraditional forms of manipulation" and getting everyone all hot and bothered. Somehow I sort of knew what you were doing, and I answered by saying that I found you intriguing, and that I thought there was some method behind your apparent madness. I feel quite good about seeing that my suspicions were well founded.
Booh-Yah!
W
By SHERRY JACOBSON / The Dallas Morning News
sjacobson@dallasnews.com
On the same day North Texas school closings mounted because of the swine flu outbreak, national and local health officials saw "encouraging signs" Monday that things might be improving.
The experts reported seeing milder-than-expected illnesses caused by the new virus, and emergency room visits declined dramatically in Dallas County over the weekend.
Nonetheless, a Richardson ISD elementary school and Lake Worth schools announced Monday they would close after probable swine flu cases were detected in students.
"While we're not out of the woods, we are seeing a lot of encouraging signs," insisted Dr. Richard Besser, acting director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Half a million Texas school children remain at home after the flu outbreak became public more than a week ago and their schools closed.
That list is growing. Among the latest was Northlake Elementary, a Richardson district school in the Lake Highlands area of Dallas. It will close today and remain shuttered until at least Monday. The school has six probable swine flu cases.
In northwest Tarrant County, all campuses in the Lake Worth Independent School District are closed today through Friday after three probable cases were reported at Miller Elementary.
"This continues to be very fluid," said Dr. John Carlo, medical director of Dallas County Health and Human Services, who also gave a fairly upbeat assessment of local flu cases.
Most of the county's confirmed and probable cases have been mild, Carlo said. Seven swine flu cases have been confirmed in Dallas County and eight in Tarrant County.
While school closings have been the primary tool for controlling the flu outbreak, Besser said the CDC was in "active discussions" about a possible revision of its school closing guidelines for areas seeing significant numbers of cases.
"Our approach has been very aggressive," he conceded Monday. "You may only get one chance to get out in front of a new disease."
Last week, the CDC recommended that a school should close whenever a single case of swine flu had been confirmed. On Friday, it went further by urging such schools to stay closed for at least two weeks to control the flu spread.
However, when schools started reporting clusters of flu cases, it seemed to indicate that the disease already was spreading widely within a community. Staying home may not afford a child much protection.
"We're hearing that schools are seeing clusters, which means it's pretty established in those communities," Besser said. "Closing schools in those communities isn't very effective."
Besser acknowledged that virtually all the probable flu cases turned out to be swine flu. "Ninety-nine percent end up confirmed," he said.
The school closings in North Texas continued even though there were no newly confirmed cases of swine flu in either Dallas or Tarrant county.
By Monday, each county had amassed a backlog of probable flu cases awaiting CDC confirmation. Tarrant was awaiting word on 33 probable cases and Dallas had 51.
The delay – as long as 10 days for some Dallas County cases – was probably caused by the CDC giving testing priority to other areas of the country where the virus hadn't been detected before, Carlo said.
Dallas, which was among the first counties in the nation to find positive cases, is awaiting CDC permission to begin conducting its own swine flu testing.
Test kits are being sent to state laboratories throughout the country, Besser said, though CDC training was required before the complicated genetic tests could be widely used.
Until the tests become more widely available, school districts are relying on other factors, such as higher-than-normal absenteeism, in deciding to close a school.
"We're not just hanging our hats on the confirmation of a case," Carlo said. "That may not be the most accurate representation of a school's risk."
The CDC also noted that flu cases so far have appeared to be mild, mainly causing high fevers. The illnesses respond to two widely available antiviral drugs.
"It's very similar to what we see with seasonal flu," Besser said. "That's very encouraging."
Likewise, Besser said, there appeared to be a "leveling off" of new flu cases in Mexico, where the outbreak appeared in March and hit the hardest.
Lab studies also were showing a weaker virus than those associated with previous flu pandemics.
Carlo said he was encouraged that emergency-room visits, including those for flulike symptoms, fell dramatically in the county over the weekend. On Saturday, for example, the 21 local hospitals with emergency rooms reported 2,200 patient visits, about 400 fewer than on a normal day.
"This is very good news," Carlo said. "Normally, the numbers only go down when the Cowboys play."
Staff writers Jeffrey Weiss in Richardson and Jeff Mosier in Dallas contributed to this report.
Makeup dates planned for TAKS, SAT, AP tests
Swine flu has temporarily shuttered hundreds of Texas schools – and wreaked havoc on some test schedules.
But school and test officials say students will still take all of their
"The Hong Kong government Monday faced growing pressure to release 300 guests and staff quarantined for seven days in a hotel where East Asia's first swine flu patient stayed.
Tensions rose at Hong KOng's Metropark Hotel, sealed off by armed police and medics in protective clothing since Friday when a 25-year-old Mexican guest was confirmed as having swine flu.
One quarantined guest, Indian businessman Kevin Ireland, 45, told the DPA by telephone that the lock-in appeared pointless as delivery people were allowed in and out of the hotel.
'I ordered a pizza and handed my money to the policeman with gloves on, who gave it to the pizza delivery man who didn't have gloves on,' he said. 'What kind of quarantine is that?'
'The same thing happened with 20 other people who placed outside orders for batteries, cigarettes, beer and takeaway dinners.
'Nobody seems to understand what kind of quarantine this is. We are all hanging around together, there is no restriction from going from room to room. We are all congregating in the lobby for meals.'
Let's see here, China has a population of about 1.3. Now if this swine flu ( oops H1NI virus) had the potential to be an actual pandemic, wouldn't millions of their population already be infected regardless of the quarantine?
One thing is obvious though...it wouldn't be a very good career choice to take a job in pizza delivery in Hong Kong right about now!
The Hong Kong government Monday faced growing pressure to release 300 guests and staff quarantined for seven days in a hotel where East Asia's first swine flu patient stayed.
Tensions rose at Hong KOng's Metropark Hotel, sealed off by armed police and medics in protective clothing since Friday when a 25-year-old Mexican guest was confirmed as having swine flu.
One quarantined guest, Indian businessman Kevin Ireland, 45, told the DPA by telephone that the lock-in appeared pointless as delivery people were allowed in and out of the hotel.
'I ordered a pizza and handed my money to the policeman with gloves on, who gave it to the pizza delivery man who didn't have gloves on,' he said. 'What kind of quarantine is that?'
'The same thing happened with 20 other people who placed outside orders for batteries, cigarettes, beer and takeaway dinners.
'Nobody seems to understand what kind of quarantine this is. We are all hanging around together, there is no restriction from going from room to room. We are all congregating in the lobby for meals.'
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I will address the US government response. It's absurd that there's any response whatsoever. 36,000 people die yearly from the flu, that's a number no ones contending with. Why do they die when they've likely been vaccinated? Addressing vaccines would be more my cup of tea, but I won't do that either.
I would like to address the comment about Egypt slaughtering their pigs, 300,000 of them, and paying the owners fair market value besides.
What if I told you that it was perhaps the ONLY logical government response we've seen globally? I know, foolish talk, right?
Mainstream media has a vested interest in hiding the truth and the CAFO, or Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations or factory farms as we know them have a huge lobby, deep pockets and buy a lot of advertising.
The blogosphere is a better source of information when it comes to important things like Swine Flu though mainstream media is a great place for inconsequential Joe Biden remarks and stuff like that.
Where was the first case of Swine Flu and the first recorded death? Right, Perote, Vera Cruz, Mexico. I wonder if the fact that Perote residents had been demonstrating in the streets and complaining to health officials for several months prior to the outbreak that they were suffering from flu-like symptoms, fever and respiratory illness which they suspected was from the severe infestation of flies and foul air and water pollution from the Smithfield Foods CAFO which slaughters 950,000 hogs a year just outside of Perote?
On Friday, the U.S. disease-tracking blog Biosurveillance published a timeline of the outbreak containing this nugget, dated April 6 (major tip of the hat to Paula Hay, who alerted me to the Smithfield link on the Comfood listserv and has written about it on her blog, Peak Oil Entrepreneur):
Residents [of Perote] believed the outbreak had been caused by contamination from pig breeding farms located in the area. They believed that the farms, operated by Granjas Carroll, polluted the atmosphere and local water bodies, which in turn led to the disease outbreak. According to residents, the company denied responsibility for the outbreak and attributed the cases to “flu.” However, a municipal health official stated that preliminary investigations indicated that the disease vector was a type of fly that reproduces in pig waste and that the outbreak was linked to the pig farms. It was unclear whether health officials had identified a suspected pathogen responsible for this outbreak.
Here's My First Post
Here's My Second Post
I'll have to admit, the second post is better than, well, juicy pork chops!
Nope, can't be the hog CAFO's.
I removed the two posts above along with 200+ additional posts after deciding that I disagreed with the religious overtones on the site.
Those posts are also available on my blog.
http://lifeafterthechaos.blogspot.com/2009/04/bloggers-examine-environmental-role-in.html
and
http://lifeafterthechaos.blogspot.com/2009/04/swine-flu-outbreak-could-be-linked-to.html
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