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Read this short article, please.

Yes, they have a low-grade version of it. It has to start somehow though, and it has not mutated into a human form yet. However, it is here. And mass cullings have not worked to control the spread from bird to bird in Asia or Africa. The US and Mexico are densely populated countries just overflowing with people.

In our other threads we discussed that even cats have been killed by the virus. And while this article makes it sound like it will have a hard time being passed from human to human, they know it can mutate. No one knows for sure how long or even if that will take place.

Governments are worried about it. You just don't hear much. Even here at work we (non-essentials) are not told of plans. But our higher-ups are preparing for this. There are more and more meetings about it.

All I'm asking, because I care about you peoples, is that you pay attention to some of the bird flu threads we've got going on here. I don't think any of us are alarmists. We are concerned though. And we are keeping up with the latest stories. Just allow yourself to stay informed. This isn't on the news. Take a look at this... A bird flu search on Yahoo news tells of all these incidents that are going on in the world. Keep up.

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Another thread with how many of us feel about this thing:
http://www.pashweddings.com/weddingf...ead.php?t=1741

Important links for relevant information:
http://www.who.int/csr/disease/avian_influenza/en/

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/s...toryId=4949542

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I heard on the radio a few mornings ago that we are producing vaccine for the bird flu.

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They can get a base vaccine for a flu virus, and can guess by what the humans who have already gotten it from birds have had, but they have to wait until a human mutation actually comes out. I'm confident they'll do it. But it's a waiting game until someone gets it, mutates it and passes it on.

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Thank you Vic.

2 cases and two deaths already in 2006 in Iraq?

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Ohhh gosh I work at a healthcare facility..we get pandemic warnings from the Dept of Health almost weekly. Vic, I think its very awesome that you care that much about all of us. You are a kind soul!!

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*evil laugh* I have you all in my web of lies Just kiddin' If you get any news, swtdl, let us know.

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Originally Posted by cru5h *evil laugh* I have you all in my web of lies
I'm on to you and your evil plot to take over the world. First, the massive fear to keep us immobilized and subservient. Then, you come up with the "cure" to get everyone scrambling to bow to you--and you'll have us all in the palm of your hands! Start with Pash and then Live Journal. I'd say the Lost fan site would be next--but people would just think that's part of a new plotline and would start freeze-framing looking for birds. Hmm, you and your evil genius pirate bird flu ways!

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shhhhhhh

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Originally Posted by cru5h shhhhhhh
I won't tell anyone if I can be your lackey. Every evil genius needs a sidekick to do the grunt work.

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You're a scary sidekick though 'cause you're smarter than me. But shhhhhh about that too.

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I don't think I'm smarter. But I probably could come up with some devious plots, myself, rather than just being delegated to fetch stuff and chain people up and whatnot. Maybe we can be more of a duo. You will need to take the lead on the bird flu plot. I'll come up with Plan B. Don't worry, I won't go for the obvious mad cow or west nile. Mwahahahaha!

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I read an editorial about the plan we have for controlling bird flu. Tuna fish.

Why tuna fish? you ask. Allow me to expand.

Remember the Duct tape and plastic wrap defense? Now we have the tuna. Apparantly, every time we go to the grocery store, we are encouraged to pick up and extra can of tuna. Or instant oatmeal. Or pork and beans. And put them under the bed.

Then when bird flu hits your particular town; stay home for three weeks. Eat the food under your bed. Don't go out in public. Avoid people. When it passes, you can come out again. Great plan our government has come up with, eh?

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They ROCK! They're so smart! Kinda like how hiding under your desk at school was going to protect you from a nuclear blast? Yeah!

OK Jen, we're a duo, then! You can start by fixing all of my typographical errors...and helping me pick out my clothes so I can dress myself someday.

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Originally Posted by cru5h OK Jen, we're a duo, then! You can start by fixing all of my typographical errors...
Oh, you have no idea how badly I've wanted to fix the world's typographical errors!

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I'm starting to get very paranoid about this - not just concerned like I was a month ago, but very freaked out. I've started buying bottled water and extra canned food...

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Originally Posted by wynelle I read an editorial about the plan we have for controlling bird flu. Tuna fish.

Why tuna fish? you ask. Allow me to expand.

Remember the Duct tape and plastic wrap defense? Now we have the tuna. Apparantly, every time we go to the grocery store, we are encouraged to pick up and extra can of tuna. Or instant oatmeal. Or pork and beans. And put them under the bed.

Then when bird flu hits your particular town; stay home for three weeks. Eat the food under your bed. Don't go out in public. Avoid people. When it passes, you can come out again. Great plan our government has come up with, eh?
Sorry, but I don't trust anything our government comes up with in terms of protecting people from something like the bird flu.

Take the duct tape and plastic defense mechamism. How is suffocation going to protect us? Oh, yeah, we'd be dead. Then they don't have to worry about protecting us!

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We're putting shelves up in our little spare room so I can bring more supplies into the house. I have to do this for hurricane season anyway, so it kind of works out well. But, I have also been buying more of the things we use regularly too. I've just been piling it up on the floor in the storage room. But yeah, who's it gonna hurt if I have a couple extra cases of toilet paper, or some extra cans of soup right? We're going to use it anyway.

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I haven't read all the articles. Why would we need to save up supplies? In case we have to bunker down in our houses while people are dying on the streets? Is that what they're thinking will happen? Will it be something that will pass so we'd only need to stay indoors for a limited period of time, or this is like projected end of the world? Hmm. Since tone doesn't translate well, just wanted to point out that wasn't meant sarcastically. Just wondering what they're saying (in general, so I don't have to read all the articles). And like, how much tuna they think we need...

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Originally Posted by Marrying_the_Good_Husband And like, how much tuna they think we need...


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The reason you'd need supplies is for that span of time (they say 3-4 weeks, and I don't know who "they" are) when there isn't a vaccine/antibiotic whatever they're using and you want to quarantine yourself and family inside your home. Yeah, if things got terrible, you'd be home longer, but - I don't see that happening. Not that I'm an expert, but we've come a long way with medicine and science.

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This is really interesting from a sociological standpoint. I'm thinking about how you actually have had the unfortunate experience of going through all these natural disasters and being evacuated and being without food and water and electricity. So you know you need to take threats seriously for your own survival and be prepared for it. From my perspective, just seeing that Y2K was a big fake-out and the whole 9/11 terrorism chemical warfare scare was a bust, I'm kind of like, yeah, yeah, I'm not getting fooled into thinking I need bottled water again! Is there some basis to that? Are people who have gone through real emergencies more likely to prepare? Are people who haven't seen any "doomsday predictions" come true in their own personal experience more apt to blow off suggested preparation strategies?

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Originally Posted by Marrying_the_Good_Husband Are people who have gone through real emergencies more likely to prepare? Are people who haven't seen any "doomsday predictions" come true in their own personal experience more apt to blow off suggested preparation strategies?
I haven't been through anything like Vic except for a couple of icestorms where you couldn't leave your home for a couple of days. (They were sending busses to neighborhoods to take people to the grocery store.)

For me, I read a lot about the flu pandemic of 1918 so I'm kind of using that as a guide. I'm absolutely fascinated by it (but I'm morbid). Like Vic said though, we've come along way. My thoughts are if this spreads like 1918, or anything like "they're" predicting it can spread, there may not even be places open to buy things. Back then we had thousands and thousands of troops overseas who brought it back to all areas of the country, and it's a possibility this time too - same scenerio. I'm preparing for about a month in the house without the ability to go to the store, etc. It won't be hard, I prepared like that for surgery, stocked up on all of my favorite things so I wouldn't have to send Mike out every day.

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Originally Posted by Marrying_the_Good_Husband This is really interesting from a sociological standpoint. I'm thinking about how you actually have had the unfortunate experience of going through all these natural disasters and being evacuated and being without food and water and electricity. So you know you need to take threats seriously for your own survival and be prepared for it. From my perspective, just seeing that Y2K was a big fake-out and the whole 9/11 terrorism chemical warfare scare was a bust, I'm kind of like, yeah, yeah, I'm not getting fooled into thinking I need bottled water again! Is there some basis to that? Are people who have gone through real emergencies more likely to prepare? Are people who haven't seen any "doomsday predictions" come true in their own personal experience more apt to blow off suggested preparation strategies?
You've made an excellent point, MTGH. I have never been through anything that has even come close to requiring an evacuation or staying in my home for days on end. When I see doomsday predictions, I just don't get in a tizzy over it the way others might.

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I don't see doomsday when I see bird flu. I see a lot of stupid people making it hard on everyone else, and that does come from the hurricane mentality.

When all we had to do at night was listen to dumbasses getting caught for breaking curfew. And we could also listen to the radio (Real Radio 94.3 kicks ass after a hurricane, by the way) they were fielding all of these ridiculous questions from people. I realized then that my assessment of the world isn't far off. How do they function? How do you have 4 kids and not even get enough water or food for ONE of them. How do you justify not filling up your gas tank when we usually have a good 4 day's headstart before a storm gets here?

That's my thing - we have a headstart. And you're buying things you use anyway. It just reminds me of the guys in Home Depot the day before the storm looking for plywood to cover their windows. Why'd you wait? The weathermen said it was coming, everyone else is stocking up, but you wanna sit there and wait to be 100% certain? That's a chance I'm never willing to take. And doing something as simple as buying 2 jars of peanut butter instead of 1, it's just too simple.

Supplying yourself for a 3 week quarantine in your home - with electricity is MUCH easier than supplying yourself for 1 week in God knows where with no electricity. You actually have to think "camping...roughing it". The bird flu stock-up is far less chaotic for me.

The thing is, a lot of you don't hear the things I hear. I work in a firehouse on the same floor as the EOC (Emergency Operations Center). It's our job to know what's going on, and we can't possibly know. But we can't take the chance that we didn't do everything in our power to help people prepare. There was a meeting at the county's EOC last week. And our chiefs at the station are exchanging emails about it (I somehow got looped into one that was ongoing). They are asked not to cause panic when answering questions, or make people feel on alert about it.

I also believe in conspiracy theories (ever since 9/11) so my trust is way low with regard to having faith in my government to protect me or tell me the truth anymore. I just don't see it as hurting anyone to be prepared, and I don't think anyone's foolish for doing so either.