If the SF had been as virulent as the information the CDC had suggested

Look, I understand that my opinion is not the prevailing one. And that opinion is: I believe that, looking at the data they had, the CDC overreacted. The CDC isn't infallible. Everything they say/recommend isn't automatically correct simply by virtue of the fact that they said it.

Many, many people think that erring largely on the side of caution was necessary. That's cool. They can believe that, just as I can believe that it wasn't necessary.

The initial mortality rate figures coming out of Mexico were very, very scary. A mortality rate of 1 or 2 percent would be horrible.

That's the thing, .001% of a large population is still an awfully large number.

I'm incredibly relieved that the graduating class of Regent university seems to not be running the CDC right now, AIF...well, maybe not great, but at least it's still run by doctors and stuff. Given "Brownie", I can't take that for granted like I used to.

Yes, the CDC should be listened to. The problem is, the news is STILL going "OMGWTFBBQSwineFlu!!!!!" The report even SAYS "and the CDC is saying schools should re-open, there is no reason to close them...", and yet the reporters are in dire faces, and gloomy voices, and woa to us attitudes. Which John Q Public is paying attention to, and then they keep the school closed, cancel the field trips, and then we loose 3/4 of the our audience for half our shows this week (because it's all about me).

Yes, I think CDC did the right thing. Yes, the school in NY that had 12 or so kids sick, did the right thing. No, the other schools across USA (glares @ Fort Worth) should NOT have closed when they had *no* infected kids.

No, the other schools across USA (glares @ Fort Worth) should NOT have closed when they had *no* infected kids.

I'll agree with that. I'm pretty sure the CDC recommended against closing schools with no infections.

vw, can you ask for an assistant, or at least someone to spell you for a couple of breaks or something? Either way, here's hoping tomorrow will be better.

HaHaHaHaHa! That's a funny joke. It actually went ok. The kids were really well-behaved today, and the weather cooperated so we were able to just be outside.

Maybe I'm just ignoring the problem, but how much of this is an actual problem and how much of it is the media needing something to make a fuss about?

I agree that it's a potential problem, but I'm kind of sick of all the hype too. Though, I have to admit that it's weird going to the hospital for appointments and having to walk past their testing center, which is essentially in the hallway. I have to admit, I half expect to get the swine flu. I mean, I have the immune system of well, I don't know what, but it ain't good, and I work with kids. Recipe for swine flu, if you ask me.

So, my shrink wanted to hospitalize me today. I convinced him I was just having a particularly bad day, but ugh. NO TIME FOR HOSPITAL! I was encouraged that my therapist thought it was a total over-reaction, but ugh.

I'm taking tonight off. I'm already in my jammies, had dinner, and am about to pop in Enchanted. Hopefully it will chill me out and make me sleepy!

True, he's the guy that taught someone to swim by pushing them into the water. However, he does have a valid point, students need to be able to talk about their research in both a casual and professional setting.

Hil, we know that you can rock out a presentation, now you just have to figure out a way to translate this into a casual conversation.

I know. I've been working on it, and getting better. It's just really difficult when I don't actually know who it is that I'm talking to, and haven't been told that I'm going to have to talk about it. (I actually wasn't even really prepared to talk to my advisor that day -- it was a Tuesday, and he usually doesn't come in on Tuesdays.)

Also, I seem to have developed probably the worst sense of timing ever. The past two weeks, every time that my advisor has walked into my office, it's been while I was doing a crossword puzzle or Sudoku. Like, I work for three hours, take a 15-minute break, and he walks in during that break. Five times in the past two weeks. Not once has he decided to come to my office while I was actually doing work. Which I was doing a pretty significant portion of the time.

I went to my rheumatologist today. Got a prescription for Ultram for when the pain gets bad, instructions for new PT stuff, and a prescription for a TENS unit, which actually helps get rid of pain without making my brain all fuzzy, because I really can't deal with fuzzy brain right now.

To be fair, that 36,000/year number is basically something the CDC pulled out of their ass - flu tracking is incredibly difficult because the vast majority of cases are unreported (most people who get the flu stay home and don't tell anyone about it), but in terms of actual officially reported flu deaths in the US per year the number is closer to 300. 36,000 is the estimated number of flu-related deaths per year, so basically anyone who dies of anything respiratory during flu season gets counted.

So while I do think that the CDC made the right call in recommending school closures etc, they haven't exactly been at the forefront of Panic Prevention 101.