Philosophy
B. Smith asks
Gwydion asks,
The swine flu, coming from infected pigs is different. It is a strain unlike any we've ever seen. It has pieces of the human flu, old swine flu strains, and avian flu. In addition, it has shown itself to be resistant to our two oldest and most tested remedies. Most alarming, it seems to hit those in the 18-40 range the hardest -- those whose defenses are usually the strongest.
The bright side is that we have a worldwide public health network that is monitoring it closely. There have been deaths in Mexico and a few sporadic cases in Texas, California, Arizona, and Kansas (a lot of Mexican immigrants work in meat packing plants there). A close eye was kept on bird flu and SARS a few years back was successfully contained. So, we are not in the place we were in 1918. That said, it is something to keep a wary eye upon.
- Doctor, It Hurts When I Do This
My Fellow Comedists, With all the discussion about healthcare, it seems a good time for some medicine jokes. Here's something from a bit I'm working on:I've always thought that 'pap smear' was the worst name out there for a medical...
- Swine Flu And Overreaction: How Would We Know?
There has been grumbling about an overreaction to the swine flu outbreak. The government has been too heavy-handed, the line goes. But what evidence can one have for this claim? We know what it would look like if the reaction was insufficient, but it...
- "we Will Rock You"..."stomp Stomp Clap"...brian May's Sound Wave And Distance Physics
"Queen's Brian May Rocks Out To Physics, Photography" August 3rd, 2010 npr Brian May, the lead guitarist in the British glam-rock band Queen, is a modern-day renaissance man. Eighteen of his albums with Queen have topped the charts, selling more...
- Dormant, Not Dead
"Who to blame for flu? Maybe the U.S., study finds" by Maggie Fox and Peter Cooney May 27th, 2010 Reuters The United States may provide an incubating ground for some flu strains, helping them migrate to warmer climates, U.S. researchers said on Thursday....
- Existential Dilemma...swine Flu Vaccine
The swine flu vaccine has come under considerable scrutiny resulting in long lines for vaccination to those that choose to ride the wave and distrust the pharmacology and employ common sense. It is truly an existential dilemma. "Swine flu: The return...
Philosophy
The Clap and the Flu
B. Smith asks
"Why is clapping the standard gesture of approval at the end of any kind of performance? Where did this act of taking one hand and hitting it against another to make a clicking sound quickly and repeatedly originate?"Clapping is something that has surely been with humans since before recorded history. It is a way to make a loud noise with minimal expense of energy and no chance of injury. We know that ancient Egyptian and Greek music included clapping, but the first records we have of clapping as applause for performances is from the Roman era. It is something all can do, it is anonymous (everyone's claps sound basically alike), and it is an means of expression that can vary in enthusiasm reflecting the level of approval making it simple and so it has become standard.
Gwydion asks,
"How worried should we all be about the new strain of swine flu? Me, I have a generic fear (or is it an expectation?) that in short order some new strain of flu will ravage the world... but what about this one?"The answer is -- not sure. Influenza is something that is both common and extremely dangerous. Most years, we deal with a strain that is just a small genetic deviation from the previous year's version. Epidemiologists figure out (take an educated guess) as to which of those in the environment is going to be the most prevalent and develop a flu shot that folks -- especially the old, young, and immuno-compromised -- should take. Pandemics like that of 1918 can be incredibly destructive.
The swine flu, coming from infected pigs is different. It is a strain unlike any we've ever seen. It has pieces of the human flu, old swine flu strains, and avian flu. In addition, it has shown itself to be resistant to our two oldest and most tested remedies. Most alarming, it seems to hit those in the 18-40 range the hardest -- those whose defenses are usually the strongest.
The bright side is that we have a worldwide public health network that is monitoring it closely. There have been deaths in Mexico and a few sporadic cases in Texas, California, Arizona, and Kansas (a lot of Mexican immigrants work in meat packing plants there). A close eye was kept on bird flu and SARS a few years back was successfully contained. So, we are not in the place we were in 1918. That said, it is something to keep a wary eye upon.
- Doctor, It Hurts When I Do This
My Fellow Comedists, With all the discussion about healthcare, it seems a good time for some medicine jokes. Here's something from a bit I'm working on:I've always thought that 'pap smear' was the worst name out there for a medical...
- Swine Flu And Overreaction: How Would We Know?
There has been grumbling about an overreaction to the swine flu outbreak. The government has been too heavy-handed, the line goes. But what evidence can one have for this claim? We know what it would look like if the reaction was insufficient, but it...
- "we Will Rock You"..."stomp Stomp Clap"...brian May's Sound Wave And Distance Physics
"Queen's Brian May Rocks Out To Physics, Photography" August 3rd, 2010 npr Brian May, the lead guitarist in the British glam-rock band Queen, is a modern-day renaissance man. Eighteen of his albums with Queen have topped the charts, selling more...
- Dormant, Not Dead
"Who to blame for flu? Maybe the U.S., study finds" by Maggie Fox and Peter Cooney May 27th, 2010 Reuters The United States may provide an incubating ground for some flu strains, helping them migrate to warmer climates, U.S. researchers said on Thursday....
- Existential Dilemma...swine Flu Vaccine
The swine flu vaccine has come under considerable scrutiny resulting in long lines for vaccination to those that choose to ride the wave and distrust the pharmacology and employ common sense. It is truly an existential dilemma. "Swine flu: The return...