Mexico plans shutdown as world flu alert raised

UPDATE: Swine Flu - CDC Raises Alert

Hey folks,

First up today is of course your Swine Flu Update for Thrusday 043009. Then I have some good news from the Energy Front. In Florida at least. Here is your Flu update.

AP - Mexico plans shutdown as world flu alert raised: "Mexico plans shutdown as world flu alert raised" By MARK STEVENSON and ANDREW O. SELSKY, Associated Press Writers Mark Stevenson And Andrew O. Selsky, Associated Press Writers – 13 mins ago

MEXICO CITY – Mexico readied a "temporarily closed" sign — taking the drastic step of ordering a suspension of nonessential federal government and private business activity as it tried to squelch a swine flu epidemic. The World Health Organization ratcheted up an alert and warned that "all of humanity" is threatened.

The dire warning showed that world health officials are very worried about the potential for massive numbers of deaths worldwide from the mutated virus, even though the epidemic so far has claimed only a confirmed eight lives in Mexico and one in the United States. Roughly 170 deaths are suspected of having been caused by the virus in Mexico.

The Phase 5 alert, indicating a pandemic could be imminent as the virus spread further in Europe, prompted Mexico to announce the partial May 1-5 shutdown, Mexican Health Secretary Jose Cordova said late Wednesday.

In Washington, President Barack Obama promised "great vigilance" in confronting the outbreak which has sickened nearly 100 people in 11 states and forced schools to close. A Mexican toddler who visited Texas with his family died Monday night in Houston, becoming the first fatality in the U.S., and 39 Marines were confined to their base in California after one came down with the disease.

The virus, a mix of pig, bird and human genes to which people have limited natural immunity, has also spread to Canada, New Zealand, Britain, Germany, Spain, Israel and Austria.

"It really is all of humanity that is under threat during a pandemic," WHO Director General Margaret Chan said in Geneva. "We do not have all the answers right now, but we will get them."

In a televised address, Mexican President Felipe Calderon praised "the heroic work" of doctors and nurses and asked his countrymen to literally stay in their homes between May 1 and May 5, saying "there is no safer place to protect yourself against catching swine flu, than in your house."

"In recent days, Mexico has faced one of the most serious problems in recent years," Calderon said Wednesday night. He brushed aside criticisms that his government's response was slow, stressing several times that authorities had reacted "immediately."

School in Mexico has already been canceled until May 6. During the shutdown, essential services like transport, supermarkets, trash collection and hospitals will remain open.

Calderon said authorities would use the partial shutdown to weigh whether to extend the emergency measures, or "if it is possible to phase out some" restrictions.

The outbreak appeared to already be stabilizing in Mexico, the epicenter. Confirmed swine flu cases doubled Wednesday to 99, but new deaths finally seemed to be leveling off after an aggressive public health campaign was launched when the epidemic was declared April 23. Although 17 new suspected deaths were reported, only one additional confirmed death was announced Wednesday night, for a total of eight countrywide. The virus is believed to have sickened as many as 2,955 people across the country, though hospital records suggest the outbreak may have peaked here last week.

The WHO said the global threat is nevertheless serious enough to ramp up efforts to produce a vaccine against the virus. It declared a Phase 5 outbreak — the second-highest on its threat scale — for the first time ever, indicating a pandemic could be imminent.

In the U.S., eight states closed schools Wednesday, affecting 53,000 students in Texas alone.

Obama said his administration has made sure that needed medical supplies are on hand and he praised the Bush administration for stockpiling 50 million doses of antiviral medications.

"The key now is to just make sure we are maintaining great vigilance, that everybody responds appropriately when cases do come up. And individual families start taking very sensible precautions that can make a huge difference," he said.

Ecuador joined Cuba and Argentina in banning travel to or from Mexico and Peru banned flights from Mexico. The Panama Canal Authority ordered pilots and other employees who board ships passing through the waterway to use surgical masks and gloves. An average of 36 ships per day use the canal, most from the United States, China, Chile and Japan.

In France, President Nicolas Sarkozy met with Cabinet ministers to discuss swine flu, and the health minister said France would ask the European Union to suspend flights to Mexico.

The U.S., the European Union and other countries have discouraged nonessential travel to Mexico. Some countries have urged their citizens to avoid the United States and Canada as well. Health officials said such bans would do little to stop the virus.

Medical detectives have not pinpointed where the outbreak began. Scientists believe that somewhere in the world, months or even a year ago, a pig virus jumped to a human and mutated, and has been spreading between humans ever since.

China has gone on a rhetorical offensive to squash any suggestion it's the source of the swine flu after some Mexican officials were quoted in media reports in the past week saying the virus came from Asia and the governor of Mexico's Veracruz state was quoted as saying the virus specifically came from China.

One of the deaths in Mexico directly attributed to swine flu was that of a Bangladeshi immigrant, said Mexico's chief epidemiologist Miguel Angel Lezana.

Lezana said the unnamed Bangladeshi had lived in Mexico for six months and was recently visited by a brother who arrived from Bangladesh or Pakistan and was reportedly ill. The brother has left Mexico and his whereabouts are unknown, Lezana said. He suggested the brother could have brought the virus from Pakistan or Bangladesh.

By March 9, the first symptoms were showing up in the Mexican state of Veracruz, where pig farming is a key industry in mountain hamlets and where small clinics provide the only health care.

The earliest confirmed case was there: a 5-year-old boy who was one of hundreds of people in the town of La Gloria whose flu symptoms left them struggling to breathe.

Days later, a door-to-door tax inspector was hospitalized with acute respiratory problems in the neighboring state of Oaxaca, infecting 16 hospital workers before she became Mexico's first confirmed death.

Neighbors of the inspector, Maria Adela Gutierrez, said Wednesday that she fell ill after pairing up with a temporary worker from Veracruz who seemed to have a very bad cold. Other people from La Gloria kept going to jobs in Mexico City despite their illnesses, and could have infected people in the capital.

Cordova, the Mexican health secretary, said getting proper treatment within 48 hours of falling ill "is fundamental for getting the best results" and suggested the virus can be beaten if caught quickly and treated properly. But it was neither caught quickly nor treated properly in the early days in Mexico, which lacked the capacity to identify the virus, and whose health care system has become the target of widespread anger and distrust.

In case after case, patients have complained of being misdiagnosed, turned away by doctors and denied access to drugs. Monica Gonzalez said her husband, Alejandro, already had a bad cough when he returned to Mexico City from Veracruz two weeks ago and soon developed a fever and swollen tonsils.

As the 32-year-old truck driver's symptoms worsened, she took him to a series of doctors and finally a large hospital. By then, he had a temperature of 102 and could barely stand.

"They sent him away because they said it was just tonsillitis," she said. "That hospital is garbage."

Gonzalez finally took her husband to Mexico City's main respiratory hospital, "dying in the taxi." Doctors diagnosed pneumonia, but it may be too late: He has suffered a collapsed lung and is unconscious. Doctors doubt he will survive.

Swine flu has symptoms nearly identical to regular flu — fever, cough and sore throat — and spreads like regular flu, through tiny particles in the air, when people cough or sneeze. People with flu symptoms are advised to stay at home, wash their hands and cover their sneezes.

CDC - Update:

The outbreak of disease in people caused by a new influenza virus of swine origin continues to grow in the United States and internationally. Today, CDC reports additional confirmed human infections, hospitalizations and the nation’s first fatality from this outbreak. The more recent illnesses and the reported death suggest that a pattern of more severe illness associated with this virus may be emerging in the U.S. Most people will not have immunity to this new virus and, as it continues to spread, more cases, more hospitalizations and more deaths are expected in the coming days and weeks.

CDC has implemented its emergency response. The agency’s goals are to reduce transmission and illness severity, and provide information to help health care providers, public health officials and the public address the challenges posed by the new virus. Yesterday, CDC issued new interim guidance for clinicians on how to care for children and pregnant women who may be infected with this virus. Young children and pregnant women are two groups of people who are at high risk of serious complications from seasonal influenza. In addition, CDC’s Division of the Strategic National Stockpile (SNS) continues to send antiviral drugs, personal protective equipment, and respiratory protection devices to all 50 states and U.S. territories to help them respond to the outbreak. The swine influenza A (H1N1) virus is susceptible to the prescription antiviral drugs oseltamivir and zanamivir. This is a rapidly evolving situation and CDC will provide updated guidance and new information as it becomes available.

Arizona 1
California 14
Indiana 1
Kansas 2
Massachusetts 2
Michigan 2
Nevada 1
New York 51
Ohio 1
Texas 16 1
TOTAL COUNTS 91 cases 1 death

Be right back with the good news from the Enery Front.
Peter

From The Energy Front: Florida House Says DRILL

Now we just need the Senate to follow their lead.

Hey folks,

As you know, there is this major push to become Energy Independent. To seek out alternative Energy and remove ourselves off of Oil. That is great. I agree. Yet the reality of the situation is this. THERE IS NO ALTERNATIVE ENERGY! Not yet.

For us to get off Oil, we have to:

1- Find the Alternative Energy Source.
2- Find a way to harvest it.
3- Find a way to mass produce it. Convert it into something we can use.
4- Find a way to make it available on a mass scale.

We are DECADES away from doing this. We have not really if started step one yet. Wind, Solar? Of course these are possibilities. But do we even have the technology yet in which to do anything with it? Nope.

True story folks. I ran into a guy installed a Solar Panel on a house. I called him down off the roof and said "I'm interested in making my home completely Solar. I want to be off the grid. What would something like that cost me?" His reply? Oh, we don't do that. This is for their pool. I do not know any company in Florida that will do the entire home. But you would be looking at about $20,000 plus. Just a guess though."

That would be just one house. Mine. No company in Florida, the "SUNSHINE STATE" does entire Solar Houses? Yet some think that tomorrow we will be a Solar Nation? No folks. We have the answer. While we pursue the Dream of Alternative Energy, we can be Energy Independent, TOMORROW. {Relatively speaking} All we have to do is use what we have more of then anyone else in the World. As long as we use what makes the World Economy RUN. Oil.

Turns out that the Florida House had a Vote on Drilling off the coast of Florida. To say it passed is an understatement. It passed 70-43. Now of course there were those that hate this. Those that out of lack of understanding, or them being agenda driven, made the normal uneducated statements.

"This is something serious, a dagger in the heart of the economy in my district and the districts of other coastal communities," said Rep. Keith Fitzgerald, a Sarasota Democrat. "Just the smallest of spills will send people elsewhere."

Could you name me a major spill? All those hurricanes that came right through the Drilling area, NOT ONE DROP? Can you tell me in the years of Drilling where the economic destruction EVER happened? Please Representative Fitzgerald, please tell us.

"History will judge us on this vote, whether it be 10 years or 20 years," said Rep. Richard Steinberg, D-Miami Beach. "We are gambling with the future of Florida."

Yeah? I bet it will pay off BIG TIME! Gov. Crist said this.

"It may have some promise. What I mean by that is if the technology can be proven, if it can be shown to be safe, I'm sympathetic to the notion we might be able to be more independent in terms of weaning off our dependence on foreign oil," Crist said.

It HAS been proven. Now we just have to do it. Not to mention more than $6 billion annually for the state and create more than 16,000 jobs. That should help boost Florida's economy.

API President Jack Gerard comments on Florida House vote on offshore development
WASHINGTON - American Petroleum Institute President Jack Gerard today issued the following statement on the Florida House’s overwhelming passage of a bill to authorize oil and natural gas development in Florida state waters:

“Florida’s House of Representatives - like the majority of Americans - recognizes that domestic oil and natural gas development is necessary to preserve and create jobs, generate revenues for cash-strapped state and local governments and bolster America’s energy security. It also recognizes the nation’s oil and gas industry uses state-of-the art technology and strict operating practices to ensure that any development would be done in a way that protects both the environment and state’s vital tourism industry. We hope that the state’s Governor and its Senate can see the wisdom in the House proposal, and re-open the door to offshore oil and gas development that would benefit not only Florida but the entire nation.”

AMEN! You see what happens when people get educated with FACTS, instead of just blindly repeated false talking points. We make progress. Now to the Senate. Let's hope they open their eyes as well.
Peter

Sources:
Business Week - Fla. House passes bill to allow offshore drilling
API - Press Release

Swine Flu Update 042909

Update: Swine Flu, Money, Vaccines, and Fear.

Hey folks,

Yes, I'm aware there is more news out there. Yes I am aware that some would like to dismiss this, or even ignore it. I will get to so of the other news and answer some of your questions in just a second. But first, sorry, I do find this very important to keep an eye on with all the MIS-information out there. Here is your Swine Flu Update, for Wednesday 042909. When you read this, you make your own judgements on the money, Vaccines, and fear aspect of all this. Right after this, I will be talking about Obama's first one hundred days, and my honest feelings on Arlen Specter switching Parties.

Bloomberg - Swine Flu Extends Reach to Countries Outside Mexico (Update2) By Tom Randall

April 29 (Bloomberg) -- New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg said hundreds of students in his city are sick with suspected cases of swine flu, an indication the disease may be taking root in countries outside Mexico.

President Barack Obama asked Congress for $1.5 billion in new funding to brace for an outbreak, a White House spokesman said. New York accounts for 45 of the 65 confirmed U.S. cases in six states. New Zealand today confirmed 14 people have swine flu in Auckland city, the first cases in the Asia-Pacific region.

Mexico, where the virus toll is highest, said 159 people may have died from the malady, with seven of those verified by laboratory tests. Seven countries have confirmed swine flu, including the U.K., Canada, Israel, New Zealand and Spain, laying the seeds for a possible global pandemic, according to the World Health Organization. Officials in Bavaria said Germany confirmed its first case today.

“The zillion-dollar question is how long will this transmission activity last and what will be the evolving picture of disease severity,” said Michael Osterholm, director of the Center for Infectious Disease and Policy at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis. “If transmission continues and severe illness is documented, WHO will have to raise its pandemic alert level further.”

The WHO, a United Nations agency based in Geneva, said it’s watching New York to see whether the virus has become rooted in a second country, a finding that would boost the level of the pandemic alert system.

Hospitalization, Deaths

The U.S. can expect hospitalizations and deaths, and businesses and schools should plan for a pandemic, Richard Besser, acting head of the Atlanta-based CDC, said yesterday.

New York, America’s largest city, has about 45 confirmed cases, most originating at St. Francis Preparatory School in Queens, Bloomberg said yesterday. At P.S. 177, a public school for autistic children, 82 students have called in sick and six students are being tested at Ascension school in Manhattan’s Upper West Side, , he said. Most family and staff suspected of having the flu haven’t been tested, the mayor said.

Two other people, a woman in Brooklyn and a boy in the Bronx, were hospitalized with suspected cases associated with travel to Mexico, Bloomberg said. Five patients with confirmed swine flu cases have been hospitalized in the U.S., Besser said.

Alert Raised

WHO raised its global pandemic alert this week, saying the disease is no longer containable and health authorities need to prepare for outbreaks. It’s the first time the warning has been raised to a 4 since the six-step system was adopted in 2005. It had been at 3 since 2007, when it was elevated for an outbreak of avian flu.

A pandemic, rated 6 on WHO’s alert system, is an unexpected outbreak of a new contagious disease that spreads from person to person across borders. In such cases, almost no one has natural immunity.

White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said Obama requested more money yesterday to help build stockpiles of anti- viral drugs, work on vaccines and coordinate the U.S. response with other governments.

The money is meant “to ensure we have the resources available” at federal, state and local levels to deal with any wider spread of the virus, Gibbs said.

The biggest concern is whether the virus is establishing itself outside Mexico, Keiji Fukuda, WHO’s assistant director- general for health security and environment, said on a conference call yesterday with reporters.

Speed, Ferocity

WHO is tracking the speed and ferocity of the New York- based transmissions with U.S. and state health officials to determine how the flu may spread in the future, Fukuda said.

“There is definitely the possibility that this virus can establish that kind of community-wide outbreak capacity in multiple countries,” Fukuda said. “It’s a very serious possibility, but it’s still too early to say that it’s inevitable.”

California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger declared a state of emergency to help the most populous U.S. state with 37 million people prepare for an outbreak. Health officials said yesterday they had confirmed an 11th case, though the added instance wasn’t reflected in the CDC data. The state also has seven more “probable” cases, said Bonnie Sorensen, chief deputy director of the California Department of Public Health.

Travel Advisories

Schwarzenegger ordered state agencies to use whatever government personnel, equipment and facilities needed to help the health department. He also authorized the agency, along with the state’s Emergency Medical Services Authority, to enter contracts with private companies without competitive bids.

The outbreak in Mexico City prompted the local government yesterday to order all 35,000 restaurants shut.

U.S. officials recommended that nonessential travel to Mexico be avoided and the European Union told travelers to avoid outbreak areas. Malaysia today asked the WHO to ban outbound travel from Mexico.

Japan suspended visa-free entry for Mexican nationals, countries including Australia, Singapore and South Korea are screening air passengers, and Taiwan advised against visiting Mexico.

Australia is testing 90 people for swine flu, and authorities are searching for 15 people who were on a plane from Mexico two days ago, Health Minister Nicola Roxon said.

Trade Curbs

South Korea will suspend imports of live hogs from North America starting today, the Ministry for Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries said. Indonesia said April 27 it will destroy all imported pork and swine products and fumigate agricultural goods bought from Canada, the U.S. and Mexico as a precaution.

China, the world’s top pork consumer, banned imports of swine products from Mexico and parts of the U.S.

The WHO isn’t recommending travel restrictions and has said people can’t get swine flu from eating properly handled pork.

“We’re in a pre-pandemic phase and it’s going to be hard to know until we’re much further along what this is going to progress to,” Besser said in an interview.

Scientists are trying to determine why swine flu, a respiratory disease of pigs caused by a type-A influenza virus, has been more severe in Mexico. The disease results in symptoms similar to those of seasonal influenza, such as fever, lethargy and coughing, and may also cause nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, according to the CDC.

Pandemic Alert

“In terms of defining a pandemic, there is no requirement that it cause severe disease,” said Arnold Monto, a scientist at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. “It doesn’t have to be killing millions. The virus may be bad in terms of the likelihood of getting infected, but not necessarily in terms of severity.”

The Mexican government requested that bars, movie theaters and churches close in Mexico City. It also extended its school closure to May 6 and may shut down more activities.

The World Bank, in a worst-case scenario published in October, said a flu pandemic that’s similar in scope to the 1918 outbreak known as the Spanish flu could kill 71 million people worldwide and push the economy into a “major global recession” costing more than $3 trillion.

Flu Treatments

Production of influenza vaccine for seasonal outbreaks, which U.S. health officials have said is ineffective against the new flu, should continue, Fukuda said. The WHO is working with companies to prepare for a swine-flu vaccine, and would help produce it if the outbreak becomes a pandemic, he said.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration signed emergency authorizations April 27 that will permit the CDC to use an unapproved lab test for swine flu and more dosing options than currently recommended for influenza treatments Tamiflu, sold by Swiss drugmaker Roche Holding AG, and Relenza, from London-based GlaxoSmithKline Plc.

If the world is facing a pandemic, “this is a nice, gentle pandemic,” said John Oxford, a virologist at Queen Mary’s School of Medicine in London. “Virulence seems low.”

The New York City mayor is founder and majority owner of Bloomberg News parent Bloomberg LP.

To contact the reporter on this story: Tom Randall in New York at trandall6@bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: April 29, 2009 03:50 EDT

CDC Update:

The human swine flu outbreak continues to grow in the United States and internationally. Today, CDC reports additional cases of confirmed swine influenza and a number of hospitalizations of swine flu patients. Internationally, the situation is more serious too, with additional countries reporting confirmed cases of swine flu. In response to the intensifying outbreak, the World Health Organization raised the worldwide pandemic alert level to Phase 4. A Phase 4 alert is characterized by confirmed person-to-person spread of a new influenza virus able to cause “community-level” outbreaks.” The increase in the pandemic alert phase indicates that the likelihood of a pandemic has increased.

CDC has activated its emergency operations center to coordinate the agency’s emergency response. CDC ’s goals are to reduce transmission and illness severity, and provide information to help health care providers, public health officials and the public address the challenges posed by this swine influenza virus. Yesterday, CDC issued a travel warning recommending that people avoid non-essential travel to Mexico. CDC continues to issue interim guidance daily on the website and through health alert network notices. CDC’s Division of the Strategic National Stockpile (SNS) is releasing one-quarter of its antiviral drugs, personal protective equipment, and respiratory protection devices to help states respond to the outbreak. The swine influenza A (H1N1) virus is susceptible to the prescription antiviral drugs oseltamivir and zanamivir. This is a rapidly evolving situation and CDC will provide updated guidance and new information as it becomes available.

AS of 11 AM yesterday, the CDC breaks it down like this.

California 10 cases
Kansas 2 cases
New York City 45 cases
Ohio 1 case
Texas 6 cases
TOTAL COUNT 64 cases

There is an investigation of two deaths in LA to see if they died of this. More updates to follow.
Peter

Sources:
Bloomberg - Swine Flu Extends Reach to Countries Outside Mexico (Update2)
CDC - Website

Obama 100 Days of Spending, Specter is Democrat

Obama and Specter, doing what Libs Do

OK Folks,

Let's look at some of the other news out there shall we. Some of you really want my honest opinion on the first 100 days of Obama and the whole Arlen Specter switching to the Democrat thing.

First Obama's first 100 days? That is simple. He has done NOTHING. If one actually wakes up and looks at the REALITY that is Obama, instead of the DREAM that is Obama, you can CLEARLY see that the reality is vastly different.

The Dream that is Obama had all these components to it. As I said to a friend in a recent Email.

I really think that there is an unbelievable disconnect with people. People LOVE the DREAM that is Obama. Young, good looking, can deliver {A Pre-written on a teleprompter} speech like no one else. He can fire up a crowd. A skill that has the Black Church all over it. He learned from the best. He was a Community Organizer that is all about firing up a crowd. With this, he has YEARS of experience. Couple that with the outright Hatred for Bush, and the War. Obama was a shoe in. New, Fresh, Bold.

So people wanted to believe. Then, those who wanted him in, SELECTED McCain to be the Republican Candidate. One of the MAJOR players George Soros. He funded Obama, owns the Media, and even got Obama started in Politics. I actually believe that McCain went along with this willingly. I'm not joking. I think McCain's sole purpose of running was to get Obama elected. Something that I will never be able to prove. But it makes sense. Huckabee, Romney, Even Rudy, stood more of a chance at beating Obama one on one, yet the Media destroyed them before the Republican Primary. Basically leaving just McCain. So really? Who was the choice? Obama.

Now that Obama is in, these people, still cling to the dream. But yet, when people wake up, like you, and actually start looking at the REAL Obama, you find, out of control spending times ten, like 4 BILLION to ACORN? You see nothing changed in Iraq. Obama is keeping the Wire Tapping, has not close Gitmo yet. Has not actually fixed ANYTHING. Seriously look at where we are. Billions to Banks, People still losing their homes. Banks went out and bought other Banks making a ton of money. People still hurting and can not get loans. Billions to the Auto industry, the Government NOW OWNS 89 percent of GM. 89 percent. Yet GM just announced 8000 plus more layoffs, on it's way to tens of thousands, did away with major name brands and are still about to go Bankrupt. Now to the Credit card companies?

We do not have Universal Healthcare. Free Education, Teachers salaries have gone nowhere. Because of the recession and Obama's Spending, schools are actually CLOSING. China tests a rocket. North Korea tests a Rocket. Iran continues at neck breaking rate to develop Nuclear Weapons, and our President is bowing to Kings, shaking Dictator's hands and saying we can learn a lot from them. But what has he ACTUALLY done for us? Put us into a dept that our GRANDKIDS will still be attempting to pay off, if even possible. That is reality. Far from the Dream. People, like you now, who are awake, can see it. Don't feel so bad, I really wanted to believe in the Dream. I really did. But my gut was warning me that he was going to be a nightmare. We just need to keep trying to wake people up.

Now to Specter. So Arlen Specter, who became a Republican during Reagan, looks at the Polls, he even came right out and said it, found he was going to lose to a CONSERVATIVE, and switched back to the Democrat Party. {Sigh} Who cares?

People wonder why I call myself a Conservative Independent? This is the type of thing that drives me nuts. Arlen Specter was never a Conservative. He was a RINO. He switched during Reagan because he knew that would help his career. He saw Reagan as one of our most popular and greatest President we have ever had, and thought, this is the trend. We will get more Reagans, and the Country will move Conservative. That did not happen. Now he sees Obama as {Not even close} the Liberal Version of Reagan. He sees {So he thinks} the country moving hard Left, so he wants to be on THAT Wagon. Specter, like so many Politicians on both sides, is out for Specter. He even said, that he would not let the Republican Constituents decide his 29 year career. Here is AP's take on this.



So he switched Parties? So what? I can think or SEVERAL I would love to join him. Be brave enough to be who you are. Specter is, was, and always will be a spineless Lib. He showed the same old, same old, Liberal arrogance and elitism that Obama and those in power show us every day. SCREW YOU American people. I am a Politician. I will tell YOU what to do, not you telling me. To bad the Constitution says differently.

2010 is less than a year away folks. If you are waking up and you are getting angry with all this, get ready, go VOTE! Send these Idiots a message that we are NOT going to allow them to destroy this country. Remind them WE are THEIR Boss. The best way to send that message. Fire them.
Peter

Swine Flu Update 042809

UPDATE: Finger pointing now beginning

Hey folks,

Here is your Daily Update on this new Swine Flu. While some are reporting that the focus is on a 4 year old Mexican Boy and one Pig farm, others are saying that there is no proof of this. The workers at the farm are not sick. Mexico is now saying that perhaps it started HERE. Other countries are telling people NOT to visit US or Mexico. Some are FINNALLY even coming out and openly asking if this IS Man-Made.

Here is the latest from the AP

AP - World health officials race to stem deadly flu By ANDREW O. SELSKY, Associated Press Writer Andrew O. Selsky, Associated Press Writer – 1 hr 5 mins ago

MEXICO CITY – World health officials, racing to extinguish a new flu strain that is jumping borders, raised a global alert to an unprecedented level as the outbreak claimed more lives in Mexico. The U.S. prepared for the worst even as President Barack Obama tried to reassure Americans.

With the swine flu having already spread to at least four other countries, authorities around the globe are like firefighters battling a blaze without knowing how far it extends.

"At this time, containment is not a feasible option," said Keiji Fukuda, assistant director-general of the World Health Organization, which raised its alert level on Monday.

At the White House, a swine flu update was added to Obama's daily intelligence briefing. Obama said the outbreak is "not a cause for alarm," even as the U.S. stepped up checks of people entering the country and warned U.S. citizens to avoid nonessential travel to Mexico.

"We are proceeding as if we are preparatory to a full pandemic," said Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano.

The European Union health commissioner suggested that Europeans avoid nonessential travel both to Mexico and parts of the United States. Russia, Hong Kong and Taiwan said they would quarantine visitors showing symptoms of the virus.

Mexico, where the number of deaths believed caused by swine flu rose by 50 percent on Monday to 152, is suspected to be ground zero of the outbreak. But Mexican Health Secretary Jose Angel Cordova late Monday said no one knows where the outbreak began, and implied it may have started in the U.S.

"I think it is very risky to say, or want to say, what the point of origin or dissemination of it is, given that there had already been cases reported in southern California and Texas," Cordova told a press conference.

It's still not clear when the first case occurred, making it impossible thus far to determine where the breakout started.

Dr. Nancy Cox of the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said she believes the earliest onset of swine flu in the United States happened on March 28. Cordova said a sample taken from a 4-year-old boy in Mexico's Veracruz state in early April tested positive for swine flu. However, it is not known when the boy, who later recovered, became infected.

The World Health Organization raised the alert level to Phase 4, meaning there is sustained human-to-human transmission of the virus causing outbreaks in at least one country. Monday was the first time it has ever been raised above Phase 3.

Putting an alert at Phases 4 or 5 signals that the virus is becoming increasingly adept at spreading among humans. Phase 6 is for a full-blown pandemic, characterized by outbreaks in at least two regions of the world.

Fifty cases — none fatal and most of them mild — were confirmed in the United States. Worldwide there were 79 confirmed cases, including six in Canada, one in Spain and two in Scotland. Thirteen are suspected in New Zealand, and one is suspected in both France and Israel.

Symptoms include a fever of more than 100, coughing, joint aches, severe headache and, in some cases, vomiting and diarrhea.

Amid the alarm, there was a spot of good news. The number of new cases reported by Mexico's largest government hospitals has been declining the past three days, Cordova said, from 141 on Saturday to 119 on Sunday and 110 Monday.

In a bid to prevent mass contagion, Mexico canceled school nationwide until May 6, and the Mexico City government is considering a complete shutdown, including all public transportation. The Cinco de Mayo parade celebrating Mexico's defeat of a French army on May 5, 1862 and Mexico City's traditional May 1 parade were canceled. More than 100 museums nationwide were closed.

At Mexico City's international airport, families grimly waited for flights out of the capital or country, determined to keep their masks on until they touched ground somewhere else.

Three games involving Mexico City soccer clubs were played with no spectators over the weekend. Decio de Maria, secretary general of the Mexican soccer federation, said plans for future matches would be announced on Wednesday.

"The idea is to look for the fewest number of games that have to be played behind closed doors," he said. "If it's necessary, we'll play all the matches behind closed doors. We don't foresee canceling any games."

Many residents of Mexico City wore blue surgical masks, though the CDC said most masks offer little protection. Many victims have been in their 30s and 40s — not the very old or young who typically succumb to the flu. So far, no deaths from the new virus have been reported outside Mexico.

It could take four to six months before the first batch of vaccines are available, WHO officials said. Some antiflu drugs do work once someone is sick.

Napolitano, the U.S. Homeland Security chief, said Washington is dispatching people and equipment to affected areas and stepping up information-sharing at all levels of government and with other nations.

Richard Besser, the CDC's acting director, said his agency is aggressively looking for evidence of the disease spreading and probing for ways to control and prevent it.

Flu deaths are nothing new in the United States. The CDC estimates that about 36,000 people died of flu-related causes each year, on average, during the 1990s in the United States. But the new flu strain is a combination of pig, bird and human viruses that humans may have no natural immunity to.

Besser said that so far the virus in the United States seems less severe than in Mexico. Only one person has been hospitalized in the U.S.

"I wouldn't be overly reassured by that," Besser told reporters at CDC headquarters in Atlanta, sounding a cautionary note.

The best way to keep the disease from spreading, Besser said, is by taking everyday precautions such as frequent handwashing, covering up coughs and sneezes, and staying away from work or school if not feeling well.

WHO spokesman Peter Cordingley singled out air travel as an easy way the virus could spread, noting that the WHO estimates that up to 500,000 people are on planes at any time.

Governments in Asia — with memories of previous flu outbreaks — were especially cautious. Singapore, Thailand, Japan, Indonesia and the Philippines dusted off thermal scanners used in the 2003 SARS crisis and were checking for signs of fever among passengers from North America. South Korea, India and Indonesia also announced screening.

Teams of doctors, nurses and government officials boarded flights arriving in Japan from Mexico, the U.S. and Canada to check passengers for signs of the flu, Japanese Health Ministry official Akimori Mizuguchi said.

European and U.S. markets bounced back from early losses as pharmaceutical stocks were lifted by expectations that health authorities will increase stockpiles of anti-viral drugs. Stocks of airlines, hotels and other travel-related companies posted sharper losses.

So we are now up to 50 cases confirmed in the US, and more people getting sick daily. The CDC Update, last updated yesterday at 1 pm, basically says the same thing. They are working on it. At that time, 40 were confirmed that broke down like this.

California 7 cases
Kansas 2 cases
New York City 28 cases
Ohio 1 case
Texas 2 cases
TOTAL COUNT 40 cases

They have not updated where the other 10 came from yet. More to follow.

By the way, my goal here is NOT to panic anyone. My goal is to keep us, including me, informed of what is actually going on. Some have been down playing this. Some have said it is just a mass distraction created by Obama and Crew to take focus away from what he is really doing. Some are saying it is nothing. So what? 50 people out of 300 million. Who cares? For those of you who do not feel that this is a big deal, so be it. Go to Cancun, have a great time. Go to Texas and California. Go where this is. I hope you do not get sick. Me? I would rather know what we are dealing with. I would rather know if this is a test for something bigger, or if this is nothing at all. I do not want to speculate. I want answers.
Peter

SWINE FLU UPDATE 042709

UPDATE: World Governments Taking It Serious, Stock Markets Fall

Hey folks,

This is getting bigger than anyone ever expected. Here is your Swine Flu Update for April 27, 2009. Until further notice, Updates to follow on a regular bases. This was just pointed out to me by someone in the Comment Section on my original post. Well, is this an admittance of this Swine Flu being Man-made. Watch this and you decide.



AP - World gov'ts race to contain swine flu outbreak By LAURAN NEERGAARD, AP Medical Writer Lauran Neergaard, Ap Medical Writer – 1 hr 5 mins ago

WASHINGTON – The world's governments raced to avoid both a pandemic and global hysteria Sunday as more possible swine flu cases surfaced from Canada to New Zealand and the United States declared a public health emergency. "It's not a time to panic," the White House said.

Late Sunday, Mexico's health secretary raised the number of suspected deaths in that country to 103, and the number of cases to more than 1,600.

Mexico, the outbreak's epicenter, canceled some church services and closed markets, restaurants and movie theaters. A televised variety show filled its seats with cardboard cutouts. Few people ventured onto the streets, and some wore face masks.

Canada confirmed cases in six people, including some students who — like some New York City spring-breakers — got mildly ill in Mexico. Countries across Asia promised to quarantine feverish travelers returning from flu-affected areas.

The U.S. declared the health emergency so it could ship roughly 12 million doses of flu-fighting medications from a federal stockpile to states in case they eventually need them — although, with 20 confirmed cases of people recovering easily, they don't appear to for now.

Make no mistake: There is not a global pandemic — at least not yet. It's not clear how many people truly have this particular strain, or why all countries but Mexico are seeing mild disease. Nor is it clear if the new virus spreads easily, one milestone that distinguishes a bad flu from a global crisis. But waiting to take protective steps until after a pandemic is declared would be too late.

"We do think this will continue to spread but we are taking aggressive actions to minimize the impact on people's health," said Dr. Richard Besser, acting chief of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

President Barack Obama's administration sought to look both calm and in command, striking a balance between informing Americans without panicking them. Obama himself was playing golf while U.S. officials used a White House news conference to compare the emergency declaration with preparing for an approaching hurricane.

Yeah, that is reassuring. Someone even commented on that. Does it really show leadership?

"We're preparing in an environment where we really don't know ultimately what the size or seriousness of this outbreak is going to be," Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano told reporters.

Earlier, White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said the outbreak was serious, but that the public should know "it's not a time to panic." He told NBC's "Meet the Press" that Obama was getting updates "every few hours."

In Mexico, soldiers handed out 6 million surgical-style masks to deal with the deadly flu strain. Special laboratory tests to confirm how many died from it — 22 have been confirmed so far out of 103 suspected deaths — are taking time.

The World Bank said it would send Mexico $25 million in loans for immediate aid and $180 million in long-term assistance to address the outbreak, along with advice on how other nations have dealt with similar crises.

A potential pandemic virus is defined, among other things, as a novel strain that's not easily treated. This new strain can be treated with Tamiflu and Relenza, but not two older flu drugs. Also, the WHO wants to know if it's easily spread from one person to a second who then spreads it again — something U.S. officials suspect and are investigating.

"Right now we have cases occurring in a couple of different countries and in multiple locations, but we also know that in the modern world that cases can simply move around from single locations and not really become established," cautioned WHO flu chief Dr. Keiji Fukuda.

There is no vaccine against swine flu, but the CDC has taken the initial step necessary for producing one — creating a seed stock of the virus — should authorities decide that's necessary. Last winter's flu shot offers no cross-protection to the new virus, although it's possible that older people exposed to various Type A flu strains in the past may have some immunity, CDC officials said Sunday.

Worldwide, attention focused sharply on travelers.

"It was acquired in Mexico, brought home and spread," Nova Scotia's chief public health officer, Dr. Robert Strang, said of Canada's first four confirmed cases, in student travelers.

Should we then NOT be looking at securing the boarders even more here?

New Zealand said 10 students who took a school trip to Mexico probably had swine flu, and on Monday it said three students in a second group just back from Mexico probably have it as well. Spanish authorities had seven suspected cases under observation. In Brazil, a hospital said a patient who arrived from Mexico was hospitalized with some swine flu symptoms. A New York City school where eight cases are confirmed will be closed Monday and Tuesday, and 14 schools in Texas, including a high school where two cases were confirmed, will be closed for at least the next week.

China, Russia, Taiwan and Bolivia began planning to quarantine travelers arriving from flu-affected areas if they have symptoms. Italy, Poland and Venezuela advised citizens to postpone travel to affected parts of Mexico and the U.S.

Multiple airlines, including American, United, Continental, US Airways, Mexicana and Air Canada, are waiving their usual penalties for changing reservations for anyone traveling to, from or through Mexico, but have not canceled flights.

Officials along the U.S.-Mexico border were asking health care providers to take respiratory samples from patients who appear to have the flu. Travelers were being asked if they visited flu-stricken areas.

The U.S. hasn't advised against travel to Mexico but does urge precautions such as frequent hand-washing while there, and has begun questioning arriving travelers about flu symptoms.

Yeah, so every other country is urging their people to avoid traveling to Mexico. Why has our Government NOT done the same? With all this, now the Stock Market is also starting to be effected. According to the WSJ - GLOBAL MARKETS: European Stocks Fall On Fears Over Swine Flu

LONDON (Dow Jones)--European stocks have traded lower Monday as fears over the impact of a possible swine flu pandemic on an already weak global economy have boosted demand for traditional safe-haven assets.

"If swine flu morphs into a pandemic, it's the last thing the world economy needs, as it's already on its knees," said economist Kenneth Broux at Lloyds Banking.

During times of global flu pandemics, three trends take place: equity markets fall, the dollar strengthens, and there's a flight to quality, he said.

Like I said, until someone get's a handle on this, you can look here for on going updates as they become available.
Peter

Sources:
AP - World gov'ts race to contain swine flu outbreak
WSJ - GLOBAL MARKETS: European Stocks Fall On Fears Over Swine Flu

SWINE FLU UPDATE

UDATE: Emergency declared as 20th swine flu case confirmed

Continuing Update on Swine Flu

U.S. officials say the public health emergency is a precaution. Americans are told to prepare for outbreaks but not to panic. By Jim Tankersley

11:06 AM PDT, April 26, 2009

Reporting from Washington -- Federal officials today declared a public health emergency involving human swine flu, warning Americans to prepare for widespread outbreaks now or in the future, yet urging them not to panic.

In a briefing at the White House, the acting head of the Centers for Disease Control, Dr. Richard Besser, confirmed a 20th case of the flu, this one in Ohio. He said the government will likely find more cases -- and cases that are more severe than the relatively mild ones seen in the United States so far -- as it ramps up detection efforts.

Meanwhile, Nova Scotia's chief public health officer said today that the east coast Canadian province has four confirmed cases of swine flu. And in Mexico, the country's health minister said the disease had killed up to 86 people and likely sickened more than 1,400 since April 13.

U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said the government would release a quarter of its 50-million-unit strategic reserve of antiviral medications, which combat the disease in infected patients, to states where outbreaks have occurred. Besser said the CDC has begun laying the groundwork to manufacture a swine flu vaccine if one becomes necessary.

The officials cast the moves as aggressive but precautionary, and they counseled calm.

Swine flu is "serious enough to be a great concern to this White House and to this government," White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said on NBC'S "Meet the Press," adding that President Obama is receiving frequent updates on the situation.

"We are taking the proper precautions to address anything that happens," Gibbs said. "It's not a time to panic."

Napolitano said the "emergency" declaration was a routine move to ensure the government is prepared "in an environment where we really don't know, ultimately, what the size or seriousness of this outbreak is going to be."

A swine flu outbreak in Mexico is being blamed for at least 1,000 infections and 81 deaths. There have been 20 reported cases in the United States, none fatal. That includes cases in California, Kansas, Texas, Ohio and New York, where officials confirmed infections today in eight students of a private high school in Queens.

The U.S. patients have ranged in age from 9 to 50. All are recovering or have recovered.

Only one U.S. patient has been hospitalized so far, Besser said. But given the experience in Mexico, he said he expected "that, over time, we are going to see more severe disease in this country."

"This is moving fast," Besser added later, "but I want you to understand that we view this more as a marathon."

The symptoms of swine flu are nearly identical to the symptoms of other influenza, including high fever, aches, coughing and congestion. It appears to spread through human-to-human contact and human contact with live pigs but not by eating pork products, officials said.

Countries around the world moved quickly to limit the disease's spread today. Some issued travel warnings for the United States or Mexico. Others began screening some incoming international air travelers for signs of high fever.

Besser and other officials at the press conference stressed simple steps that the U.S. public can take to limit spread of the disease: Wash hands frequently, stay home, and don't board airplanes, if you feel sick, and keep sick children out of school.

Gibbs said it was too early to speculate about economic effects of an outbreak. And he dismissed reporters who asked if the federal response was hampered by the fact that the Senate had not yet confirmed President Obama's nominee to lead the Health and Human Services department, Gov. Kathleen Sebelius of Kansas.

"It's all hands on deck and we're doing fine," Gibbs said. "I would say that we hope we have a new secretary shortly."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

LA Times

From the CDC

Human Swine Influenza Investigation

April 26, 2009 12:45 ET

Human cases of swine influenza A (H1N1) virus infection have been identified in the United States. Human cases of swine influenza A (H1N1) virus infection also have been identified internationally. The current U.S. case count is provided below.

U.S. Human Cases of Swine Flu Infection State # of laboratory
confirmed cases

California 7 cases
Kansas 2 cases
New York City 8 cases
Ohio 1 case
Texas 2 cases
TOTAL COUNT 20 cases

International Human Cases of Swine Flu Infection

Investigations are ongoing to determine the source of the infection and whether additional people have been infected with swine influenza viruses.

CDC is working very closely with officials in states where human cases of swine influenza A (H1N1) have been identified, as well as with health officials in Mexico, Canada and the World Health Organization. This includes deploying staff domestically and internationally to provide guidance and technical support. CDC has activated its Emergency Operations Center to coordinate this investigation.

Laboratory testing has found the swine influenza A (H1N1) virus susceptible to the prescription antiviral drugs oseltamivir and zanamivir and has issued interim guidance for the use of these drugs to treat and prevent infection with swine influenza viruses. CDC also has prepared interim guidance on how to care for people who are sick and interim guidance on the use of face masks in a community setting where spread of this swine flu virus has been detected. This is a rapidly evolving situation and CDC will provide new information as it becomes available.

There are everyday actions people can take to stay healthy.

Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it.

Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze. Alcohol-based hands cleaners are also effective.

Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Germs spread that way.
Try to avoid close contact with sick people.

Influenza is thought to spread mainly person-to-person through coughing or sneezing of infected people.

If you get sick, CDC recommends that you stay home from work or school and limit contact with others to keep from infecting them.

UPDATE: SWINE FLU CONFIRMED IN NYC

UPDATE: CDC NOW CONFIRMS SWINE FLU IN NYC AND WARNS OF TRAVEL

Hey folks,

This is getting serious now.

In the United States, the Centers for Disease Control confirmed that eight students of a high school in Queens had been infected with swine flu, the first confirmed cases in New York City, Mayor Michael Bloomberg said at a news conference on Sunday. Mr. Bloomberg said that all of the cases had been mild and hospitals in the city had not seen more patients with severe lung infections.

YET. First California and Texas, Now NYC. So far over 61 people died in Mexico, over a thousand Cases suspected. So how did it get from Mexico to NYC?

“So far there does not seem to be any outbreak,” Mr. Bloomberg said. “We don’t know if the spread will be sustained. What’s heartening is the people who tested positive have only mild illnesses.”

No Outbreak? Try possible Terrorism. This is man made folks.

About 100 students at St. Francis Preparatory School in Fresh Meadows, Queens, became sick in the last few days, and some family members have also taken ill. Mr. Bloomberg said the school would be closed on Monday, and that officials would then reassess whether to reopen the school.

Other New York City schools will be open as usual on Monday, Mr. Bloomberg said.

Yeah sure, why not. Let's help this thing spread even more. Moron.

In Washington, Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano and top health officials were due to speak at a news conference Sunday afternoon to address what the government was doing to control the spread of the disease. Eight students from New York City are likely to have contracted swine flu, and there have been 11 confirmed cases in California, Kansas and Texas.

So far, not so good in containment.

No deaths from swine flu have been reported in the United States. On Sunday, the government of Hong Kong announced some of the toughest measures yet of any jurisdiction in response to a swine flu outbreak in Mexico and the United States.

Officials urged residents not to travel to Mexico and ordered the immediate detention at a hospital of anyone who arrives with a fever and symptoms of a respiratory illness after traveling in the previous seven days through a city with a laboratory-confirmed outbreak.

New York is not yet on the list of cities with outbreaks because the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta is still testing samples from the eight students from Queens.

They better add them. I just found out about Kansas the same time you did. I hope they are finally taken this seriously. Can't wait to see what Obama and Crew are planing on doing.

I really would like to know how this made it from Mexico to the US. What is the "self life" of this thing. What is the incubation of the Swine Flu? Someone has it, they can give it to me, how? How long until I see signs? And please, do not tell me to wash my hands. GIVE US REAL INFORMATION!

One legacy of SARS is that Hong Kong may now be better prepared for a flu pandemic than practically anywhere else on the world. Fearing that SARS might recur each winter, the city embarked on a building program to enlarge its capacity to isolate and treat those infected with communicable respiratory diseases.

Hong Kong now has 1,400 beds for this purpose each equipped with mechanical ventilators for treating those with severe pneumonia or other respiratory difficulties. But only 80 to 100 of these beds are needed on any given day, so they have been used until now for patients with other medical problems, Dr. Chow said.

The city has also expanded its flu research labs, already among the best in the world and leaders in tracking the H5N1 avian flu influenza virus. The so-called bird flu virus, which kills an unusually high share of its victims, has periodically triggered fears over the past decade about a possible pandemic but is different from the H1N1 swine flu influenza virus now causing illnesses in Mexico and the United States.

We already know that this is a combination of SARS, Bird Flu, and Swine Flu. Which means that it most likely HAS to be man-made.

More updates to follow.
Peter

Sources:
NYT - As Nations Try to Contain Flu, N.Y. Cases Are Confirmed

Super Obama, So says CNN

Where are all the REAL Liberals?

Hey folks,

Welcome to the OPNTalk Blog, the Big Sunday Edition. I'm not in the greatest of moods right now, so let me start off by asking a question that I never thought I would ask. WHERE ARE ALL THE LIBERALS?

Where are those REAL Liberals that want Big Brother to stay the hell out of our lives? Where are the hippies that want free love and not a free ride? Whatever happened to those that would storm in and protest the House and Senate hearings? Where is Code Pink? Where is the American Spirit? Why the hell are you all standing around and allowing this to happen.

I really am getting sick of this whole thing. Now Obama is going after Credit Card Companies? Dictating to them what they can and cannot charge? What THIS Private industry can and can't do? I really am getting tired of people who say they are Liberals, and then turn around and act like either Communists or ignorant fools. I'm losing faith in humanity, one person at a time. At least one American at a time. I do not even blame Obama anymore. I blame the ignorance of the American people.

Obama "I, King Hussein Obama, do hereby declare that I will take over the Banks. I will dictate to them who they loan to. How much interest they can set. What they and those that work there can make. This will include the Housing Industry"

Americans: Standing ovation, and great cheer.

Obama: "I, King Hussein Obama, will now take over the Auto industry. I will dictate to them what kind of cars they can make and what kind of cars that YOU, uh, Americans can drive. It is to save the Planet."

Americans: Standing ovation, and great cheer.

Obama: "I King Hussein Obama, will now take over the Credit Card Companies and dictate to them what they can do."

Americans: Standing ovation, and great cheer.

Obama: I, King Hussein Obama, will now declare a Cap and Trade on Big Oil Profits. On top of that, I will set windfall profits taxes. I will NOT allow new exploration nor drilling of New Oil"

Americans: Standing ovation, and great cheer.

Obama: "Uh, this of course means that your energy cost will skyrocket. But this will force us to conserve and go green and, uh, find , uh, new energy."

Americans: Standing ovation, and great cheer.

Obama: "Well, OK Then. I King Hussein Obama, do declare that YOU will pay me, uh, I mean the government, an oppres,,,uh,,I mean, a little more in taxes if you make more than $250,000, uh, $200,000, I mean, uh, $100,000, never-mind, if I think you make too much, I will take it in taxes."

Americans: Standing ovation, and great cheer. "We love you Obama."

Obama: "Yes, yes, yes, I know, and I uh, love you too. I king Hussein Obama also declare that anyone that does not love me, is uh, a danger to America and will be watched closely. I declare them to be Racist, Hate filled, Homophobes. Extremists. Those Pro-Lifers, and such."

Americans: Standing ovation, and great cheer. "We love you Obama."

Obama: "I, King Hussein Obama, will also go around the world and apologize to those that hate us. All other administrations before me wanted to follow that stupid piece of paper, what is that called, uh, oh yes, the Constitution, or something like that. I will not make that mistake. I will do whatever I think is best for us. We are citizens of the world and I will take lessons from those other great leaders, like Castro and Chavez, the other Kings out there, and so forth."

Americans: Standing ovation, and great cheer.

Obama: "That is all for now."

Then we see this type of reporting on him. CNN - Is Obama the superpresident?

Seriously? They start out pointing out the fact that he is at a 64 percent approval rating which is normal. Reagan was higher at this point. Some were higher, some lower. But about average. But then this.

Obama really stands out on personal qualities.

After 9/11, the public believed George W. Bush would keep the country safe. Do they think Obama will keep the country safe? Yes -- 71 percent, according to a poll taken for the Associated Press.

Americans in the polls believed Clinton cared about them. Do they think Obama cares about them? Yes -- 71 percent, according to a CNN/Opinion Research Corp. poll taken February 18-19, which sampled the public's view of the 44th president.

The first President Bush was criticized for being out of touch with ordinary Americans. Do people think Obama understands the problems of ordinary Americans? Yes -- 74 percent.

Jimmy Carter was not considered a strong leader. Ronald Reagan was. Does the public think Obama is a strong leader? Yes -- 76 percent.

Richard Nixon turned out not to be honest and trustworthy. Do people think Obama is honest and trustworthy? Yes -- 74 percent.

Is Obama the superpresident? So far, so good.

{Sigh}

Coming right up?

Swine Flu Outbreak Could Be Man Made

Obama calls for new era of energy exploration
Lord Christopher Monckton Barred From Congress

Talk About A Bad Day

IWA for Sunday 042609

Yes folks, I'm not in a great mood today. But like I said, I no longer blame Obama. I blame YOU. You folks out there that stand and applaud him as he strips away your RIGHTS. As he takes more and more control over your Private lives. I blame you. If we were NOT all in this together, I would say go, you get what you deserve. But we ARE all in this together. So those that can actually think for themselves and see what is going on, get ready.

Going to refill my cup. No matter what mood I'm in, I always need my coffee by my side. Today's coffee is Eight O'Clock Whole Bean Coffee, Hazelnut. www.eightoclock.com Can you tell Hazelnut is my favorite? I really like the whole bean better. It always seems freshest if you grind them yourself. Be right back.
Peter

Sources:
CNN - Is Obama the superpresident?

Swine Flu Outbreak Could Be Man Made

Why is the CDC NOT taken this more seriously?

Hey folks,

As you know I have been watching the Bird Flu very closely and warning you folks about it for years. I want you to pay VERY CLOSE ATTENTION to the FACTS of this new Swine Outbreak, and tell me if you think that this is just a natural occurrence.

According to Reuters - Deadly new flu breaks out in Mexico, U.S. By Alistair Bell and Noel Randewich

* New mixture of viruses in flu never seen before

* Eight cases found in California and Texas

* WHO says Mexico, U.S. well-equipped to handle outbreak

* No need to change travel plans, say WHO and CDC (Adds eighth case in United States)

MEXICO CITY, April 24 (Reuters) - A strain of flu never seen before has killed as many as 61 people in Mexico and has spread into the United States, where eight people have been infected but recovered, health officials said on friday.

Now the way this starts off, sounds like no big deal. The CDC has even said, do not worry about traveling to Mexico. No reason to worry. However, what about these facts?

Mexico's government said at least 16 people have died of the disease in central Mexico and that it may also have been responsible for 45 other deaths.

The World Health Organization said tests showed the virus in 12 of the Mexican patients had the same genetic structure as a new strain of swine flu, designated H1N1, seen in eight people in California and Texas.

Because there is clearly human-to-human spread of the new virus, raising fears of a major outbreak, Mexico's government canceled classes for millions of children in its sprawling capital city and surrounding areas.

So Mexico, which suspect not 61 cases, but over a THOUSAND, are closing schools and starting to get a handle on people's travels and what their people are doing. CDC?

"Our concern has grown as of yesterday," U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention acting director Dr. Richard Besser told reporters in a telephone briefing.

Well, that's good. But it really does not seem likely that this is a natural occurrence.

It first looked mostly like a swine virus but closer analysis showed it is a never-before-seen mixture of swine, human and avian viruses, according to the CDC.

OK. So we have the DNA of this Virus. It contains what causes some variation of Human Flu, along with that which causes Bird Flu, and that which causes Pigs to get the Flu. Is it even Scientifically possible that all these elements could come together and form this new Flu? Sorry, but as much as I have analysed this, NO.

Swine Flu can normally be transmitted from Pigs to Humans. Bird Flu, Birds to Humans. Human Flu, from Human to Human. So if you combine the Human to Human ability of transmission to Bird or Swine, then it becomes possible that once a Human contracts the Bird Flu, or in this case, Swine Flu, it becomes then possible to pass it along person to person.

Mexico's government cautioned people not to shake hands or kiss when greeting or to share food, glasses or cutlery for fear of infection.

The virus is an influenza A virus, carrying the designation H1N1. It contains DNA from avian, swine and human viruses, including elements from European and Asian swine viruses, the CDC has said.

Hello? CDC? Are you paying attention? CNN has an interesting story about this. According to CNN- Texas family quarantined after son contracts swine flu

(CNN) -- As Hayden Henshaw was being rushed to the doctor's office after becoming ill, his father heard that his son's classmates had been struck with the deadly swine flu virus like the one sweeping through Mexico.

Patrick Henshaw called his wife immediately to have Hayden checked for it. Later, they received the bad news.

Hayden had become the third confirmed case of swine flu at his Texas high school. It is a virus that has killed 68 people in Mexico and infected at least eight people in the United States.

Health officials arrived at the Henshaws' house Friday and drew blood from the whole family, then told them to stay inside and away from the public, Henshaw told CNN.

The whole family is quarantined indefinitely, according to CNN-affiliate KABB. Henshaw said his family was shocked when they got the news about their son.

"Stunned. My wife was having a panic attack," Henshaw told the affiliate.

U.S. health officials have expressed concern about U.S. cases of a swine flu virus that has similar characteristics to the fatal virus in Mexico.

More than 1,000 people have fallen ill in Mexico City in a short period of time, U.S. health experts said.

"This situation has been developing quickly," Richard Besser, acting director of the Atlanta, Georgia-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), said Friday. "This is something we are worried about."

So why is this not on EVERY news outlet, warning people about traveling to Mexico? Why has President Obama and his Crew NOT come out and made a statement about this growing danger, securing the Boarder between us and what appears to be Ground Zero, Mexico? Why are there still some in this country pushing for wide open boarders and Amnesty?

Where, other than here, is THIS in the news?

New York health officials said Friday they were testing about 75 students at a school in New York City for swine flu after the students exhibited flu-like symptoms this week.

A team of state health department doctors and staff went to the St. Francis Preparatory School in the borough of Queens on Thursday after the students reported cough, fever, sore throat, aches and pains.

Test results are expected as early as Saturday.

We're waiting. Still waiting.

Surveillance for and scrutiny of influenza has been stepped up since 2003, when H5N1 bird flu reappeared in Asia. Experts fear that or another strain could spark a pandemic that could kill millions.

In Egypt, a 33-year-old woman died of bird flu, becoming the third such victim there in a week. The H5N1 bird flu, a completely different strain from the swine flu, has infected 421 people in 15 countries and killed 257 since 2003.

An outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome, or SARS, killed 44 people in Canada in 2003.

CDC will be issuing daily updates.

Now we have a Flu, that is AFTER Flu Season that contains all three of these together? I'll be checking the daily updates. Perhaps you should as well.

Peter

Sources:
Reuters - Deadly new flu breaks out in Mexico, U.S.
CNN- Texas family quarantined after son contracts swine flu
The CDC- Website

Obama calls for new era of energy exploration

But not that of which we need.

Hey folks,

When I saw this headline, I got a little excited. I thought perhaps Obama was finally coming around to understand that we need to forget the stupidity of oppressive taxation and regulation on the Energy companies. But that is not what this is about. According to the AP - Obama calls for new era of energy exploration By PHILIP ELLIOTT and MIKE GLOVER, Associated Press Writers

NEWTON, Iowa – President Barack Obama, standing Wednesday in the shell of a once-giant Maytag appliance factory that now houses a wind energy company, declared that a "new era of energy exploration in America" would be a crucial to leading the nation out of an economic crisis.

With pieces of wind turbine towers as a backdrop, Obama touted the small manufacturing firm as a success and as a step toward reducing the United States' reliance on polluting fuels. But as the president on Earth Day set a goal for wind to generate as much as 20 percent of the U.S. electricity demand by 2030, legislation to make that a reality faced a challenge back in Washington in the Democratic-led Congress.

What has THIS Company actually produced? What are the numbers, that are realistic, of Wind Turbines that are needed to achieve this ridiculous goal? What is the cost? What about the FACT that by 2030, the EXPERTS predict we will STILL need about 85 percent of all our energy to be Oil? Where is his figures and facts to back up his declaration?

"The nation that leads the world in creating new energy sources will be the nation that leads the 21st century global economy," Obama said in a state that launched him on the road to the White House with a surprise upset over one-time rival Hillary Rodham Clinton.

"America can be that nation. America must be that nation. And while we seek new forms of fuel to power our homes and cars and businesses, we will rely on the same ingenuity — the same American spirit — that has always been a part of our American story."

Yeah, so let it happen. Stop standing in the way. Americans GET IT. You seem to be the one that doesn't.

It's an American spirit, though, that has been damped with economic downturn and financial crisis.

The president left Washington for a few hours Wednesday to visit this small Iowa town, which took a huge economic hit when Maytag Corp. shut its doors in 2007. The Maytag plant employed some 4,000 in a town of 16,000 residents in jobs that paid about $30,000 to $40,000 a year.

Need I remind you, that further Oil Exploration and Drilling will produce 160 thousand new jobs, and produce about a TRILLION dollars in new revenue for the Government. Meanwhile;

In its place is Trinity Structural Towers, a 90-person manufacturing firm that makes parts of wind turbines the president hopes to expand on land and at sea through the government's first plan to harness ocean currents to produce energy.

Which at this point is going NOWHERE.

"Now, the choice we face is not between saving our environment and saving our economy," Obama said. "The choice we face is between prosperity and decline. We can remain the world's leading importer of oil, or we can become the world's leading exporter of clean energy."

Or we could do what actually works in the real world. Drill here, Drill Now, and stand on our own. This completely absurd statement by Obama is nothing but rhetoric. Saving the environment or saving our economy? Prosperity or decline? The word that should have been used there was poverty, by the way. Patiently absurd. We have the answer right under our feet.

In Washington, the president's plan to increase alternative energy sources and create environmentally friendly jobs hit some snags despite Obama's fellow Democrats controlling both chambers of Congress. Energy Secretary Steven Chu, EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson and Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood reinforced Obama's message in testimony to a House Energy and Commerce subcommittee on Wednesday.

The administration's draft bill is designed to help stem the pollution blamed for climate change by capping greenhouse gas emissions and reducing the nation's reliance on fossil fuels. The goal is to reduce greenhouse gases by 20 percent from 2005 levels by 2020, and by 83 percent by mid-century.

Meanwhile CRIPPLING our Economy, and chasing a failed dream. It will NOT benefit anyone except maybe make Al Gore another 100 million dollars. Along with people like him that will benefit financially from the SCAM.

The White House wants to see movement on the legislation by Memorial Day. To help that along, aides said the president plans to personally make his case that the costs of dealing with climate change can be reduced dramatically by adopting programs that will spur energy efficiency and wider use of non-fossil energy such as wind, solar and biofuels.

Where? By whom? How? All this is BS folks.

In Newton, Obama proclaimed that "once-shuttered factories are whirring back to life," although the facility he toured is a shadow of what it replaced here about 30 miles east of Des Moines.

"Today this facility is alive again with new industry," Obama said, while noting that "this community continues to struggle and not everyone has been so fortunate as to be rehired."

Sorry, but Obama making these statements show either he is a complete idiot, or he thinks you are.

Trinity now employs about 90 people — hardly the replacement Newton so desperately needs.

"We'll never have another Maytag," said Paul Bell, a Newton police officer who also serves in the state legislature. "Maybe we shouldn't have had a company here that the majority of people worked for. We put all of our eggs in one basket."

Recognizing the challenges remaining in Newton and scores of towns like it coast-to-coast, Obama quickly added: "Obviously things aren't exactly the same as they were with Maytag."

Obviously.

With the same root in realism, Obama acknowledged the United States' energy policy will not change instantly, given the country's reliance on oil and natural gas.

"But the bulk of our efforts must focus on unleashing a new, clean-energy economy that will begin to reduce our dependence on foreign oil, will cut our carbon pollution by about 80 percent by 2050 and create millions of new jobs right here in America, right here in Newton," he said.

PROVE IT! He can't, but he is setting it up so when your energy bills "Necessarily skyrocket" and you do not see any thing happening, he can then say, "Hey, I told you it would not happen right away, hang in there, by 2050, you will see progress. If you believe that, then YOU are an idiot."

But it won't come quickly. The United States imports almost 4.9 billion barrels of oil and refined products annually. That is raw energy that cannot be replaced, one windmill at a time.

Instead, Obama urged bold thinking — and spending — to address climate change and energy supplies.

"So on this Earth Day, it is time for us to lay a new foundation for economic growth by beginning a new era of energy exploration in America," he said to applause.

Obama also pushed personal responsibility, calling on every American to replace one incandescent light bulb with a compact fluorescent. The president also said the leaders of the world's major economies will meet next week to discuss the energy crisis.

Neither Obama nor this Congress is interesting in Energy Independence. If they were, they would stop with the myth that we can be energy independent by way of a SCAM and start doing what we actually CAN do now. It's time to let them know in no uncertain terms, STOP WITH THE SCAM.
Peter

Sources:
AP - Obama calls for new era of energy exploration