Promise You Won't Panic

An alleged mystery illness has shown up in a Toronto nursing home.   Just typing the words "mystery illness" makes me feel like an editor for the National Enquirer.   I actually wasn't sure if I should post anything about it since the story has a potentially high panic rating -  people dying, nobody knows why, exclusion tests are inconclusive ...  Combine that with the very recent and very  poorly managed outbreak of bird flu in Jakarta, which involves  confirmed cases of human to human transmission, and any talk of mystery illnesses showing up in another continent is scary.   

On the other hand, this is a good teaching case to show how you can keep up on news that might not show up in the corporate media (cue scary music)  until it's too late!! 

Okay, I take back the "too late" thing and will admit that the suggested  scary music was manipulative.   But my point is still a good one.   Since this mystery illness (cue scary mus - Sorry.)  is probably not Avian Flu,  it's possible to relax a little bit and pay attention  to how the story is handled in the corporate media and on the web, thereby gaining valuable experience in sorting through available  information and helping to figure out which sources you trust and which you don't. 

For instance, you can follow the  Recombinomics reporting of the outbreak.   The headlines were as follows:

 10/1:  Mystery Illness Kills Four in Toronto
10/2: H5N1 Not Ruled Out In Mystery Illness That Killed Four in Toronto
10/3: Mystery Illness Spreads to Patient Vistors in Toronto 

If you read those stories, you find out that because false negatives are common, autopsies are the best way to rule out bird flu.   But, even though  autopsies didn't begin until today,  the corporate media in Canada and the US  were  reporting as early as Saturday that the avian flu was "ruled out" as a possible cause of the outbreak.    In  a nice bit of symmetry, CNN actually featured the same quote that Pravda did to reassure viewers that "there is no threat to the greater public."   

Of course, Pravda and CNN may be right about the threat level.    But I won't believe it until I read it on Recombinomics. 

 

Comments

[DavidByron]

Thanks for supporting the avian flu blogwave. or whatever the name is.... This new look to the site is really scaring me.

I see dKos has forgotten about it because of the SCOTUS stuff. Well maybe later today they'll have something up. If not we need to kick them somehow.

One thing I hope will be covered this week is the gap between the Grizzly Adams style, "here's a good kind of generator to buy for yourself" approach and something people might actually do. Something I might do.

Apart from panic.

For example what have you done Robin?

I actually think you are good at getting people to do stuff they normally wouldn't; step a little outside their comfort zone. You seem like an encourager. An inspiration in some ways.

Sadly due to the inefficiencies of the blogosphere you're stuck here talking to a select audience instead of where those abilities are most needed.

[eRobin]

the avian flu blogwave. or whatever the name is

It should definitely be called that.

This new look to the site is really scaring me.

It's flutastic! Now with creepy little chicken graphic.

I see dKos has forgotten about it because of the SCOTUS stuff.

He's a pandemic pragmatist. I should cross post my stuff in the diaries. We all should post stuff there. Those diaries really do get read.

For example what have you done Robin?

Hey now. I have a week to fill with flu posts. My plan is coming up. I also want to find the middle ground between Grizzly Adams and denial.

Sadly due to the inefficiencies of the blogosphere you're stuck here talking to a select audience instead of where those abilities are most needed.

You make blogging in obscurity sound like a bad thing. I'll do my best to diary at dKos in the spirit of the week. I am, after all, fully committed to the Avian Flu Blogwave.

[DavidByron]

blogwave
It should definitely be called that.

We need to get Skippy right on that.

Names have power. I really hope this thing takes off because there are other topics that are franly rather dull like the avian flu and could do with a blogwave ocassionally. I guess there are topics where it happens quite naturally too. probably the same word for that.

The fleur-de-lys are also a bit freaky. And french of course -- but that's to be expected from a commie socialist liberal. :)

By the way what name do you diary as on dKos?

You make blogging in obscurity sound like a bad thing.

It's inefficient. Not by any means a criticism of you. Certainly not or what am I? Commenting in obscurity ;) In any case I was refering to your skills as an encourager.

dKos is basically supposed to be set up to encourage activism on behalf of the Democratic party. It doesn't do much towards that goal IMO. It's inefficient. They should hire you or someone else with skills because just asking people to write an LTE or listing some e-mail addresses is a primitive method.

Of course this is mostly based on personal experience. I think Dr Dean's leter was pretty alright.

Frankly the whole thing if it was a business would be out of business. The first thing you need is some data to measure your success rate at getting people to take the next step. For raising cash they have some sophistication. That needs to be applied more broadly.

Anyway I thought you had a natural flair for it but that's really not much to do with your other blogging stuff except you do write well generally.

Ok so another meaningless rant by me about nothing much.....

Hey I like the way the recent comments are at the top now.

[DavidByron]

I was about to panic ("Oh crap! And I haven't bought my generator yet!") but then I just zoned out while looking at the yellow chick image. Hmmm.

Scary music-wise are we talking theme music from "Jaws" or "The Gnome" from "Pictures At An Exhibition"? What we need is a five colour chart.