The CDC is more or less expecting a pandemic to develop and the US Government has advised concerned citizens to essentially "hide in your houses" till it all blows over (see story below). I want to do a story focusing on emerging diseases in the near future paying special attention to bird flu. Sometimes ignorance is NOT bliss.
In the meantime I will just do as we all do and keep on keeping on with my life. I will burn many gallons of fossil fuels every day as I make a living in the city and try to keep warm. I will consume products that are produced with polluting technology. I will buy many, many things which I really don't need and by so doing will be doing my part to keep our artificially constructed economy truckin along. I will buy products that are probably produced in third world sweatshops and that may even use child labor.
I will continue to laugh and love and live. Not because I am ignorant, oblivious or don't care. Just because the scope of this problem is too big for me to do much more than watch it unfold and maybe to tell a few interested others about it. I am just like you. If you want to sign a petition to stop global warming please go to my sign-up page.
Other News Today
Coldest December in Britain in a decade
The end of the coldest December in a decade in Britain has the nation in a cold snap, with temperatures of about 10 F and heavy snow.
Viruses which could shake the world
There are currently 10-15 life-threatening organisms and toxins that could be harnessed by terrorists and used as biological weapons, Russian scientist Anatoli Vorobev said in an article in the Gudok newspaper.
Delhi gets first winter ice in 70 years, Indian cold toll rises
The Indian capital has seen its first winter frost in 70 years as a cold wave sweeping in from the frigid heights of the Himalayas killed more people in northern India overnight.
Scientists in uphill battle to fight bird flu
Fighting the deadly H5N1 bird flu virus is all the more difficult because experts are still figuring out how best to use Tamiflu, believed to be one of the very few defenses, scientists said.
Warm weather to spread disease
Climate change could lead to a dramatic rise in cases of food poisoning and water-borne disease.
The return of a classic to fuel production
Max Planck Institute of Coal Research celebrates 80 years of Fischer-Tropsch Synthesis to make fuels out of coal.
Article comments
1 - Victor Lana
As a fellow New Yorker, I really appreciated your article, Enki, but I think everything is going to change very soon (I've seen this pattern before). Whenever we have a moderate January, February and March are cold and snowy.
I just wanted to note that the photgraphs are great, but isn't that mural (especially the Statue of Liberty) depicting a scene from the movie The Day After Tomorrow? It looks like that to me.
And as for our fearless Vice President's picture, I believe he is supposed to be Jabba the Hut from Star Wars, at least it seems that way.
Anyway, thanks for a great post!
2 - Ruvy in Jerusalem
I see you follow the same news patterns I do. Gotta agree with Victor about New York weather, but it seems like a good segue.
Are you sure you haven't been watching "the Day After Tomorrow" a bit too often, though? Those pictures looked awful familiar...
Enjoyed your post. Thorough job. Keep your eyes open for bird flu - without the bird - and go to the Recombinomics site on the web if you aleady haven't.