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Tuesday, May 5, 2009

What Is A "Swiney"?



Critical Swine Flu Prevention Tip
Don't Do This!




Thank You!



This whole "swine flu" epidemic/pandemic has gotten me thinking.

(It takes something like swine flu to get my brain to exercise a bit.)

Anyway, it makes me realize how much our world's advancing technology and increasing media outlets can be both a blessing and a curse.

I personally am so O.V.E.R. this whole swine flu thing. It's not that I want to minimize the actual existing danger of it, but the system surrounding the deliverance of "swine flu" information does have its flaws.

The fact remains, yes- this particular H1N1 strain of flu has and can continue to result in fatalities, however, it is estimated that this past year 38,000 people died from general influenza.

We have become a world where increasing availability of airplanes and other means of travel have allowed more people to get from point A to point B with enormous ease. This of course allows for any particular disease (such as malaria and other more fatal diseases) to have a more wide spread affect.

We also have come a long way from messenger on horse riding through the cobblestone streets yelling,
"Death is upon us.... Death is upon us... Evil is spreading across our great nation. We are being eternally damned by the hand of The Lord..."

(Well I assume it went something like that.)

Today, word spreads via newspaper and periodicals, television, radio, and of course, the blessed Internet.

But, are we so quick to get the word out, that we are losing perspective on the difference between "better safe than sorry" and "scare tactic".

Yes - it is very important to remind people of all the precautionary measures they should take.

Reasonable precautions include:

1. Washing your hands throughout the day, especially if they might come in contact with any orifices of ANY sort on your person or on some other person.

2. Do cough and sneeze into a tissue or your arm, and then immediately dispose of the tissue (or the arm).

3. Then scroll back to number 1.

4. If you are a coughing, dripping, sneezing mess - please do not go out into society exposing all those who are actually following rules 1 -3.

5. If you absolutely must, must, must go out amongst the healthy people, please do wear a mask. However, please keep in mind, that most probably that funky looking thing you are wearing over your mouth and nose, will not actually prevent your infectious droplets and fluids from spreading to unsuspecting healthy people. Therefore, please scroll back to number 4.

Unreasonable precautions include:

Anything that comes out of the mouth of a Vice President who lacks a filter between his brain and said, mouth that might inject panic amongst the people and the desire to stop functioning as a fluid society.

This past week an airplane from Europe diverted to a city other than its final destination to , for all intents and purposes, kick a passenger off the plane because she had "flu symptoms".

I give them credit for actually waiting to come across the Atlantic, and make a safe landing before they kicked her off.

Have you ever been on an overseas flight?

Just being on an airplane that long is enough to make anyone sick.

I have visions of all the old "zombie" movies... The first sign of "zombieism" and you are screwed.

"Look - that guy is eating a burger..."

"Yeah - soon he will be feasting on human flesh with the same egregiousness..."

"He must have the zombie virus!!!"

"Shoot him... Shoot him..."

Ten people raise a myriad of shot guns and hand guns and this one guy has a Molotov cocktail and the burger loving "zombie" is no more.

How easy would it be for someone to call out a possible flu victim (or not) in the same way?

"Hey, did you just sniffle?"

"No"

"Yeah, yeah, I am pretty sure I heard a sniffle."

"No, I swear. I was breathing loudly."

"No man, that was definitely a sniffle."

"Hey everyone, a Swiney, a Swiney. Get him!!!"

Shots ring out, there is a blow torch... and Swiney is no more.

Remember, 38,000 people died last year from influenza. How many have died from the H1N1 flu, which seems to now be tapering off in Mexico?

Just separate the reasonable information from the scare tactics and use your responsible sensibilities and also, maybe pray a little.

Don't let the swines win!


5 have shown Orah a little love:

Anonymous said...

This one is leaving me speechless............ohh no wait, I have something.....your'e nutz!!!!
You do raise a good point though.
There seems to always have to be something to panic over. If we all just go about our lives and deal with things calmly and rationally, ie , the damn flu, well, then life would just be soooooo boring!
- Miss. S.
P.S. -was not able to see the pic!

Brie said...

so we should go all Egyptian on pigs just yet?

Carey-Life in the Carpool Lane said...

I am so with you on this! The media is insane...you'd think there was nothing else news-worthy going on in the world.

wife.mom.nurse said...

LOL!!!!

That picture is worth a million words!!!

I am still laughing.

Ditto, ditto, ditto, on everything you wrote!!!!

Sara @ Domestically Challenged said...

I so agree with you. I can't believe the hype sometimes. It makes me wonder if there is just no other news to report, or if people are that paranoid. Gotta go was my hands.