Americans have become such FraidyCats!

[Lancecastor]

This new CDC Travel Warning telling Americans not to travel to....Canada?...is SUCH a hoot!

Every winter around this time, a new strain of the Hong Kong Flu makes its way into Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal through the Asian communities there.

One or two old people die...happens every year.

This year...Americans need to be whipped into a FearFrenzy so they'll support their war-mongering president...so, voila!

All of a sudden..."everything" is scary.

Silly fuckers.

 

[Johnny Mayberry]

That ain't Americans, chum...that's just people.

 

[MissTaken]

I am more concerned about the pot holes on the 401 screwing up the alignment on my vehicle than I am the Hong Kong flu.

When will they ever learn how to fix a road over there?




G' morning, Lance.

It is good to see you here and spicey. It kind of livens things up a bit.

 

[Lancecastor]

I am more concerned about the pot holes on the 401 screwing up the alignment on my vehicle than I am the Hong Kong flu.

When will they ever learn how to fix a road over there?




G' morning, Lance.

It is good to see you here and spicey. It kind of livens things up a bit.

Hey you...The stretch of the 401 up above you is a bit of a mess, isn't it? Cornwall to Kingston's been rough for years...must be a softer road bed.

Did you know that the 401, from Montreal to Windsor, is the most heavily travelled road in all of North America?

It really ought to be funded in part by Federal money, as it's a critical route for moving the lion's share of all goods produced in Canada.

But back to the Hong Kong flu "crisis"...it's been a long cold winter, but in other years a strange HK bug kills more people than it has this time and there are no Crisis Alerts.

I think they're just trying to scare you folks into a BunkerMentality.

 

[Johnny Mayberry]

I think they're just trying to scare you folks into a BunkerMentality.

I don't think it is that simple...it is about ratings, gotta find a new crisis before people burn out on the last one.

 

[Lancecastor]

I don't think it is that simple...it is about ratings, gotta find a new crisis before people burn out on the last one.

Exactly. Feed the Beast. F.U.D.

Here's a good link to information about this latest flu...it looks like 34 people have showed up with it at one hospital in HK over the past month. Whoop.

http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/pphb-dgspsp/fluwatch/

 

[Johnny Mayberry]

Whenever I hear of a 'national crisis', I like to do the math, and see what percentage of people are actually effected. Anything under a few thousand sounds just stupid to call a 'crisis', doesn't it? Then, I do research. Reminds me of the 'abducted child' crisis last year...that was a crock of shit. While people are screaming 'we must do something, now!!', and panicking, it turns out that the number of children abducted has been steadily going down for years, and that 2002 was lower than the past few years before it. So, why the 'national crisis', beyond ratings?

 

[Lancecastor]

Whenever I hear of a 'national crisis', I like to do the math, and see what percentage of people are actually effected. Anything under a few thousand sounds just stupid to call a 'crisis', doesn't it? Then, I do research. Reminds me of the 'abducted child' crisis last year...that was a crock of shit. While people are screaming 'we must do something, now!!', and panicking, it turns out that the number of children abducted has been steadily going down for years, and that 2002 was lower than the past few years before it. So, why the 'national crisis', beyond ratings?

The other possibility is that, despite the HK authorities mentioning it up front as a denial...that it actually is an outbreak of Plague or Anthrax.

That would warrant the warnings.

 

[Guru]

Nobody really wants to go to Canada, anyway. Eh?

 

[Bidin~Time]

diplomacy

We are having a flu epidemic up here and couldn't bear the thought of you coming for a visit and becoming ill.

sounds so much nicer than

Will you crazy bastard yanks just stay the hell out of our country!

 

[MissTaken]

Exactly. Feed the Beast. F.U.D.

Here's a good link to information about this latest flu...it looks like 34 people have showed up with it at one hospital in HK over the past month. Whoop.

http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/pphb-dgspsp/fluwatch/

34 cases in China doesn't seem exactly epidemic level, no?

Geesh, doing the math, that would equate to what...

.0034682954734920937 percent of the population?

(As if I really did the math! )

The point remains...

 

[Johnny Mayberry]

The other possibility is that, despite the HK authorities mentioning it up front as a denial...that it actually is an outbreak of Plague or Anthrax.

That would warrant the warnings.

Conspiracy theory? Nah, I'm not going for it...

 

[Lancecastor]

Conspiracy theory? Nah, I'm not going for it...

This has been going on in China for over a month. Traditionally, Jan-March sees a spike in flu/pneumonia bugs in China....but they normally don't even mention Plague or Anthrax.

There's been no follow up issued by the HK DH yet...6 weeks.

DH monitors situation closely

February 11, 2003

The Department of Health is closely monitoring the situation in Hong Kong in relation to the high incidence of pneumonia cases in Guangzhou, the Director of Health, Dr Margaret Chan said today (February 11).

The Department has already contacted Mainland health officials to get more information. As it is the high season for respiratory diseases in the Mainland, consultation and hospital admission rates have risen significantly recently.

Initial reports showed that the cases were not anthrax or plague. When further laboratory results are available, DH would be informed, Dr Chan said.

http://www.info.gov.hk/dh/new/bulletin/03-02-11e.htm