Swine flu hysteria!!!!!

[bullitfreerider]

What the f^#& !

Now I have to worry about my wife flying to and from CA this week. What happens if she gets quarantined out there and can't make it back to feed the dog, listen to my recent riding stories, cook my pork chops and get back to her new job, all of which will cut into my ride time. Stinkin third world countries causing us lots of trouble I say.

[hogboy]

Finally, something of substance has appeared in the news. Swine Flu will kill us all. EVERYBODY PANIC.

The problem with being the guy telling everyone not to panic is that if you're wrong, you're an idiot. As opposed to being wrong when predicting the apocalypse, in which case everyone just laughs at how silly you were for predicting the apocalypse. If you want to win every argument with no danger of coming down with "Long Term Idiot Stigma", be a consummate pessimist. If you think about it, probably every argumentative ******* you've ever met is one.

Here's why you shouldn't panic:

- The Mexican Government estimates that 86 people (or more) have died from Swine Flu. Okay, that's tragic. But why the hell are we taking their numbers at face value? For starters, if you read the fine print the death numbers being tossed around are estimates. There are 18 confirmed deaths so far. Which ain't awesome, but it's a damn sight better than a hundred.

- In quite a few articles I've read, I've seen statements to the effect of researchers aren't sure why the cases in the US and Canada appear to be milder than the ones in Mexico and none have resulted in death. I know we'd all like to pretend that Mexico has its act together, but last time I checked Mexico was a third world country with third world healthcare. Do the math.

- Speaking of no one having died in the US and Canada, not only has no one in a first world country died from Swine Flu yet, but so far no one's even rumored to be in danger of dying. And most of the confirmed cases got better on their own after a few days at home. EVERYBODY PANIC

- It is no doubt a source of great disappointment to MSM that they can't add that Swine Flu is "drug resistant" or "there's no known cure". Because it's neither, it responds to Tamiflu and other treatments. Yes, I realize there are distribution hurdles in the event of a huge outbreak, but currently it's not an issue and I don't expect it will become one.

PS: if anyone is offended by my portrayal of the Mexican Government and their suckasstic healthcare system as a bunch of 3rd world incompetent boobs, which they are, you'll get over it


You won't see this discussion in MSM because, as humans, we're primed to act on fear. It's human nature. MSM is a reflection of what people are reacting to, not a reflection of what's actually going on in the world. People click the hell out of fearmongering articles, so MSM keeps running them. That, and no MSM outlet wants to be the guys who "didn't see it coming". Buncha pansies.

The problem with making fun of MSM pandemic reporting is that eventually there's going to be a pandemic. You don't have to be Nostradamus to make that call, it's as likely as War, Famine, Taxes, and me drinking beer after dinner (or during). So, although I put myself at risk of contracting "Long Term Idiot Stigma" by saying it, let me be the first to tell you this ain't the big one.

Don't Panic.





-stolen-

[bullitfreerider]

Whew, thanks for the post.........I feel better now hogboy. Don't want anything to cut into my ride time or having to worry about wearing a surgical mask inside my full face helmet, especially with all the trash talkin hot air spewing out from our crew.

[Evil Chocula]

I just found a pile of Swine Flu on my desk. I had a bottle of Purell handy, but it was a close call. Oink oink.

[BG]

We must kill all the pigs and chickens, it's the only way

[Scott O]

Whatever happened to the bird flu? Is that like the global cooling hysteria of the 70's?

[BG]

Hmmmmm....someone musta killed all the birds without telling us

[Mr_Cheeze]

What the f^#& !

Now I have to worry about my wife flying to and from CA this week. What happens if she gets quarantined out there and can't make it back to feed the dog, listen to my recent riding stories, cook my pork chops ...

You can change a tire but not cook a pork chop? I'll give you a hint... they cook no differently than hamburgers. Salt, pepper, pan. Shhhh. It's a dirty culinary secret.

What abou tthe potato and salad? Must your wife do everything?!?!?! Potato: wrap in wet paper towel. Microwave 4 minutes one side, turn over, 3 to 4 minutes the other. Salad: throw lettuce in a bowl with tomatoes and cut peppers and onions. Pour on dressing.

Swine flu quarantine? More likely a break from having to wait on you!

[bullitfreerider]

You can change a tire but not cook a pork chop? I'll give you a hint... they cook no differently than hamburgers. Salt, pepper, pan. Shhhh. It's a dirty culinary secret.

What abou tthe potato and salad? Must your wife do everything?!?!?! Potato: wrap in wet paper towel. Microwave 4 minutes one side, turn over, 3 to 4 minutes the other. Salad: throw lettuce in a bowl with tomatoes and cut peppers and onions. Pour on dressing.

Swine flu quarantine? More likely a break from having to wait on you!

Who says I can change a tire. I run tubeless DHs and never flat. No one's ever seen me change a tire. That's what we have shops for.

[hogboy]

ordinary human flu accounts for about 36,000 deaths every year in the U.S

[hogboy]

Swine flu death toll: 150. Regular flu death toll: 13,000. But don't let that stop the fearmongering panic

[hogboy]

ha

update
----------

A member of the World Health Organisation (WHO) has dismissed claims that more than 150 people have died from swine flu, saying it has officially recorded only seven deaths around the world.

Vivienne Allan, from WHO's patient safety program, said the body had confirmed that worldwide there had been just seven deaths - all in Mexico - and 79 confirmed cases of the disease.
----------
now geeze hopefully this is training for a real pandemic. but this is

1) just the flu
2) spreading slowly

[adrnalin69]

Does this mean I can't eat bacon?

[bullitfreerider]

You can change a tire but not cook a pork chop? I'll give you a hint... they cook no differently than hamburgers. Salt, pepper, pan. Shhhh. It's a dirty culinary secret.

What abou tthe potato and salad? Must your wife do everything?!?!?! Potato: wrap in wet paper towel. Microwave 4 minutes one side, turn over, 3 to 4 minutes the other. Salad: throw lettuce in a bowl with tomatoes and cut peppers and onions. Pour on dressing.

Swine flu quarantine? More likely a break from having to wait on you!

Went shopping yesterday to stock up on food. Ya can never tell if they will cut off our food supply now that the WHO has gone to a Level 5. At least I didn't see any warning signs at Shop and Stop about any of the fruit, veggies or meat coming in from Mehico. With my wife headed to CA, I thought about deals on frozen dinners, but there were no deals so I was forced back to the meat section and decided to invest in pork since all the porkers out there were getting the ax...............bad rap for these little fellers. In the isles and at the check out, I looked for signs of shopper fear with the obligatory surgical masks, but nothing. In fact, Shop and Stop had still not come up to speed in offering masks...........$$$$$$$ missed at this point. I did see Purell pumps at the check outs but these things really slow down the checkout process........I couldn't keep my left hand from pumping the alcohol which interfered with processing my card, handling the coupons and signing the credit slip. I was getting strange looks from the bag boy as I desparately tried to swab Purell from my left hand to my right hand that was busy with the aforementioned check out activity. My left hand just kept pumping nervously. What a mess.

In any case, I am now prepared to spend time in the kitchen for several days, feeding the dog and wondering what my neighbors are eating. It has occured to me that I could try and hook on with one of them for a trip to Kennedy's Pub on Sunday night. In the mean time, it will be the grill. I prefer to just put the potato in the microwave for seven minutes on rotation mode. As for salads, my dog will give me dutifull support since he gets his share of carrots, sweet peppers and anything else that hits the floor.

All this Swine Flu hysteria has made me very Kranky.......stinkin third world mess foisted on us. With no help at home, my ride time will now be reduced to watching biking vids. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the WHO doesn't go to a level 6 and CA doesn't go to quarantine mode before my wife gets home.

[BadDNA]

http://www.joeydevilla.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/youve-killed-us-all.jpg

[hogboy]

lol