......I love Tuna Melts so sure why not..??

Isn't the "Bird Flu" really a biological weapon developed by al-Qaida?

When Bush makes this announcement, remember that you heard it here first.

Oh god I'm screwed. My bed sits right on the floor, no space under there for survival supplies. Not even a little can of tuna. *sigh*

Don't forget about how bushes going to spend our money on cures for this flu, and where not going to see one pill of it. there going to save them right next to the anti anthraxs pills for him and his buddies

That poorly written article conflated multiple issues and has made everyone confused. In fact, most of what I've seen written on bird flu has been misleading and ovely simplistic.

First of all, the likely birth place of a human pandemic (where H5N1 (or other) bird flu mutates into a form easily passed between humans) will be either Asia or Africa. Period. This is because of the close contact between humans and poultry, and because of conditions like HIV infection and malnutrition. These conditions result in co-infection with human flu viruses and avian flu viruses, leading to gene swapping and the possible emergence of pandemic influenza strains.

The fact that migratory birds are carrying the virus into places like western Europe and the US really doesn't significantly increase the risk of a pandemic developing. It might be a threat to the respective poultry industries, but even that can be mitigated because of the nature of poultry farming in developed nations.

That we should stock up on protien sources and other canned goods has been true all along; it is nothing new. The movement of the virus into this country will probably not take too great a toll on domestic poultry production, again due to the nature of our indoor operations; but if it does, and millions of birds have to be culled, the resulting poultry shortage will be the most likely reason that stocking up now would be any more important than it was last year.

There is a real risk of a pandemic occuring from H5N1 or some other avian influenza virus, as history has shown happens periodically through mutation. H5N1 looks like the most likely next pandemic. However, we've known this for almost 10 years.

So far developed countries have done little to heed the warnings of scientists on this matter until very recently. In the opinion of many experts, the wisest action on the part of rich nations at the moment would be to try to stop the virus in Asia by funding massive poultry culling programs (and farmer compensation) in poor countries like Vietnam, etc. Instead, rich nations have mostly just pledged billions of dollars to stockpile Tamiflu (which will take years), which is of unproven efficacy in fighting H5N1, and in ramping up vaccine production capabiliities which will also take years to accomplish. A vaccine wouldn't be ready until 6 months after the start of a pandemic anyway, even at full production capacity.

So far, very little money has been pledged to try to stop the problem at its source, and this inaction just doesn't make any sense. To my knowledge, the US Congress has yet to even fund the $7 billion Bush pledged for Tamiflu and vaccines. It has been estimated that a pandemic would cost the global economy over US $800 billion, but rich nations still aren't pledging enough (peanuts, comparitively) to fund massive culling operations throughout Asia.

To that I say, WTF? Oh and by the way, canned tuna, especially white albacore tuna, is loaded with mercury. The FDA already advises limits on canned tuna consumption for women and children.

Ooooooh-weeeeeee-ooooooh, KILLER TOFU!

Wait, wrong thread.

I'm still waiting for SARS...
I mean small pox...
I mean Anthrax...
I mean ebola...
I mean Swine flu...
I mean...

I bet we'll see a Tom Clancy novel on this come summer.

Tom Clancy's
Scrambled Horizon

or simply Tweet, Tweet, Motherfucker.

Sometimes, I kinda wish I cared about this stuff, the pruned stories that the media throws my way. Then, at least, would I have something to look forward to.

same here, but it just sounds like a Melt Banana outtake.

i you for making a Doug reference!

also: no shit on the mercury thing... beef jerky, sulfides and all, would probably be a better choice than canned tuna... at least you wouldnt be ingesting heavy metals.

Yeah eat cows, instead. No wait, they're diseased too!

NO! Under the bed! Anywhere else would be anti-American! Do as the man says and everything will be all right!

Oh, and...

_DictionaryGirl_ said:
Okay Gir, now, which way is home?

SPOILERS! (Click to view)

It's this way... Or maybe that way. Oh, I don't know.


How can you not know? I just recharged your guidance chip.


Oh, I took it out.


Took what out?


The guidy, chippy, thingy.


Why would you do that?


To make room for the POWDERED MILK AND TUNA!

...that absolutely rules.

Fuck the powdered milk & tuna. That's just The Man tryin to keep us down!

SPAM, BABY! IT'S ALL ABOUT SPAM!!!!

Then they are going to tell us that there are snakes on the plane