Swine flu more of a threat than first thought?

[MinionZombie]

Pandemic II Will have to check that out later. ... Coincidentally I'm writing a script that involves a sort of viral outbreak in the background to the main proceedings, so it's come as an unfortunate coincidence - this whole swine flu thing - that I've been able to use some of the words I've heard on the news in my script. Kinda weird in a way ... I wrote a short script last year that ended up, by pure coincidence, to have a number of parallels to the Damian Green issue here in the UK.

[Dachan-da]

Kinda weird in a way ... I wrote a short script last year that ended up, by pure coincidence, to have a number of parallels to the Damian Green issue here in the UK. Maybe being a psychic is a better career move for you lol Or set up your own movie company: “Future films”..... get it???? god im funny

[MinionZombie]

Maybe being a psychic is a better career move for you lol Or set up your own movie company: “Future films”..... get it???? god im funny I could do a remake of "Downfall", but instead of being about the end of Hitler in 45, it's about the end of Gordon Brown in 2010.

[SymphonicX]

I could do a remake of "Downfall", but instead of being about the end of Hitler in 45, it's about the end of Gordon Brown in 2010. Downfall implies that he was up somewhere to begin with

[Dachan-da]

I could do a remake of "Downfall", but instead of being about the end of Hitler in 45, it's about the end of Gordon Brown in 2010. lol Do it, and post it up, i want to read that one! Downfall implies that he was up somewhere to begin with Now thats comedy!

[AcesandEights]

So I just realized, I came back from Mexico at the end of February and promptly got sick as a dog with the flu (not Montezuma's revenge). I think I started this whole Pig Flu pandemic =p Lots of (mis)information going on about this thing. Kortick, great post by the way. Gave me a good laugh

[MinionZombie]

Downfall implies that he was up somewhere to begin with Excellent one there Symph, and I quite agree.

[Yojimbo]

I predict that sometime soon, someone, somewhere is not going to get the obvious sarcasm and humor in a few of these posts and get very self righteous in their angry response. This will, of course, be promptly followed by a flame war and a subsequent locking of this thread. In addition to this, like sars, this current disease will run it's course and life will go on, and the media will find some other topic to glom onto and exaggerate about.

[Neil]

First deaths outside Mexico? http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/articl...TL&type=health

[Marie]

What's really interesting to me is that 150 or so deaths world wide from Swine Flu, yet statistically 36000 or thereabouts Americans die of the "regular" flu every year, but you don't hear about that do we? M_

[krakenslayer]

What's really interesting to me is that 150 or so deaths world wide from Swine Flu, yet statistically 36000 or thereabouts Americans die of the "regular" flu every year, but you don't hear about that do we? M_ Bingo! Despite what the media is feeding us, no one even knows for sure that Swine Flu is really that much more dangerous statistically than regular influenza. I read there was a less than 10% fatality rate with the disease, but that includes very young/very old sufferers as well as the fact that the majority of cases have been in a relatively poor country with a rather less advanced healthcare system than most western nations. Furthermore, you have to remember that it only includes people who've been so badly affected that they've gone to a doctor or hospital - how many more only suffered relatively minor "flu" symptoms, recovered naturally and didn't even bother to report it? So the numbers we're being given are statistically skewed.

[MaximusIncredulous]

Will have to check that out later. ... Coincidentally I'm writing a script that involves a sort of viral outbreak in the background to the main proceedings, so it's come as an unfortunate coincidence - this whole swine flu thing - that I've been able to use some of the words I've heard on the news in my script. Kinda weird in a way ... I wrote a short script last year that ended up, by pure coincidence, to have a number of parallels to the Damian Green issue here in the UK. Hmm, you can write scripts that shape events in the real world. When you get the chance, write one about me winning insane amounts of moola in the lottery.

[Yojimbo]

Really, who the hell knows what is accurate information and B.S. hype in this entire thing? I heard on the news this morning that Mexico has announced that they have only experienced 7 confirmed deaths from swine-flu, but I could have sworn that the other day ago the death count was double digits, like 30 or 80 or some crap like that. I also heard that a lot of false rumors - some of them originating on Twitter - are being picked up by news outlets and then being reported as fact. Doesn't anyone fact check or verify sources anymore, or is this way too old fashioned in our Twitter obsessed world? I am reminded of the broadcasts on NOLD where you hear the radio telling you to lock yourself inside and stay away from people, and then a conflicting directive to go to a rescue center. The image of Givens from DOTD also comes to mind from that scene where the idiot is demanding that the station continue to broadcast outdated rescue station information in order to keep his ratings high.

[slickwilly13]

I came to the conclusion long ago that the swine flu is nothing more than media bullshit, so they can print a damn story. And scare the crap out of people for nothing more than ratings & newspaper sales. There has only been one death in the U.S. and it is right next to my home town. Who did it take? A 2 yr old. This is not the same flu from the 1918's that killed millions of people and made you bleed from your eyes, nose, and mouth. Btw, the Spanish Flu killed more people in one year than those who died in WWI or from a 4 year period during the Black Plague of the 1340's.

[AcesandEights]

Good point, Yojimbo. It'll be interesting to see how the thing shakes out in the end. Obviously countries that depend on tourism (Mexico ) have a vested interest in keeping a lid on any apparent danger an outbreak centered on their country might be and conversely news shows have a vested interest in exacerbating the panic, but who knows how misrepresented any of the danger is at this point. Kind of exciting...you know, unless it bites us in the ass I still think I started this whole thing by swimming in a sacred Mayan cenote and having some super flu bug stick to me while down there. But that's me at my self-aggrandizing worst. Why can't we circulate that as a rumor? Put that in your twitter and smoke it, I say I am reminded of the broadcasts on NOLD where you hear the radio telling you to lock yourself inside and stay away from people So, my usual post-workday routine?