Pending… 27 April 2009
Posted by marisacat in Border Issues, DC Politics, Inconvenient Voice of the Voter, Mexico.trackback
Narita, Tokyo: A quarantine official is reflected on a monitor as he checks the temperatures of arriving passengers on a thermographic imaging device placed at Narita international airport [Yuriko Nakao/Reuters]
From the BBC page:
Our health minister has just confirmed a positive case in a small town called Almansa, 50 miles from the capital of the province of Albacete, where I live.
There are other suspected cases in the same province. It is very worrying, especially as there are concerns that the numbers of people infected will grow.
The main hospital for the province is here in my town and people will be coming here for treatment.
We have received no further information yet from the authorities, beyond the case being confirmed.
We have just been told to stay calm. Meanwhile, everybody is texting each other asking what next?
Francisco Cebrian, Albacete, Spain
But Janet N and Barack O tell us not to worry… front page of the NYT… so I think we should chill. What is to disbelieve? Remember we are advised by Gawd’s gift to us (we are blessed!):
Reid says Obama told him, ‘I have a gift’
By KEVIN FREKING – 5 hours ago
WASHINGTON (AP) — Everyone knows President Barack Obama can deliver a great speech, including the president himself, according to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.
The paperback version of Reid’s book, “The Good Fight,” is coming out May 5 with an epilogue called “The Obama Era.” Reid said he was impressed when Obama, then a freshman senator from Illinois, delivered a speech about President George W. Bush’s war policy.
Reid, D-Nev., writes: “‘That speech was phenomenal, Barack,’ I told him. And I will never forget his response. Without the barest hint of braggadocio or conceit, and with what I would describe as deep humility, he said quietly: ‘I have a gift, Harry.'”
A copy of the book’s 15-page epilogue was provided to The Associated Press.
Reid said he talked to Obama in 2006 about running for president, and that Obama expressed doubts about his ability to win.
“I was resolved to stay neutral in the coming campaign, but I told him that in my view the stars could align for him. ‘If you want to be president, you can be president now,’ I said. ‘I don’t know, Harry,’ he said. ‘I don’t think so.'”
Copyright © 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
[Thanks to Madman for the tidbit above. Hosanna!]
Marisacat 
They have apparently traced the start of the flu outbreak to a rural community in Veracruz state (Mexico) where up to 60% of the residents were sick with a respiratory illness earlier this month. Interesting, might shed light on how deadly it is or isn’t.
I see a lot of people pooh poohing this flu news, but not understanding what the problem with the Spanish Flu of 1918 was. It wasn’t that the Spanish Flu killed everyone, but that it infected so many people all over the world. The mortality rate was only about 2%, but it killed people regardless of their age (i.e., not just the old and very young). So, there were huge numbers of sick people, but relatively few dead – although it’s hard to characterize 1 million dead as “few.”
The bird flu got lots of ink, but while it had a much higher mortality rate, it seems it just wasn’t all that transmissible from person to person.
I’m very suspicious of ‘flu’ in general, given that the cutting edge of cell biology is just now coming around to a notion that viruses are actually endogenous cell commicators & viremia would thus indicate cellular damage, not an exogenous infection.
Would be curious to know the environmental conditions of the areas in which there have been outbreaks.
Case in point – I had a horrible month long respiratory distress when I returned from Costa Rica, I put it down to my lungs purging the burnt plastics.
FOX is turning down coverage of ObRama presser Wednesday evening.
Brrreaking the news…………………………..
😈
hmm maybe we are a hot orange by now:
Ob says Sorry!… about that plane thing this morning.
I so pray and hope that Gibbs stays on the job:
Lipless flat sarcasm. It is so appropriate to the times. Gibbs is the mascot!
Bullshit Antennae showing signal here.
WH Press Sec?
Doesn’t know about the PR “photo op” for the plane?
Sounds like Bull~shit to me.
or some joyriding mahoffs were on-board…
LOL. I’ve been through this -Both as perpetrator and dupe –
when the car has been purloined – allegedly used to go to Wally and Wanda’s house “to study”… Gimme a break. 🙄
Bloomberg claims no knowledge whatsoever before hand. Highly unusual to say the least… as even practice maneuvers of the presidential planes are dependent on local logistics, State and municipal PD, and disaster planning chieftains.
Somebody is going to check into the specifics,
any luck it’ll be something juicy: Campaign donors, DOD pigs, Clinton and the shadow cabinet, maybe Bill offering to share a mid-air yogurt with Penny Pritzker aboard HIS plane…LOL.
Problem with the STOOOREY though, LOL, from THEIR OWN WH SPIN on it.
Bloomberg totally out of the loop. Highly unusual. Something more to it – “what” – I don’t know…. The WH spokesman effectively saying he has no idea – LOL – They Lost Track of a 747. Priceless. Yeh they”ll be able to help tracking down a virus.
One building that panicked, got a PA system update that it a movie being filmed.
Yeah right.
The whole thing is boggling.
Not just any old plane, the back up AF 1.
Well if it’s movies and “access”
Jane Hampshiretejester Sauce must be involved..
Maybe they lent her the jet to leaflet Manhattan for donations after all her bitching:
“Go ahead – you can HAVE the jet, Jane.”
I can only imagine the leafletting:
“Send Help! Blogger trapped in Democratic Administration with Percs that are few and far between! Transmit donations via Web to temporary flying Command Center above!”
Like they did for the Three Little Pigs,
Geithner, Summers, and Bernanke…
Maybe Obama for America
will unleash the groupies to go door to door over this hereya
Piggy Poo Flu thing, shaking hands,
empathetic touching of course, and slobbering all over the public
how great it is that Dr. Ob is on the Job.
As in Book of Job , job.
Again, Surely no ill will befall us. Ob is with us.
Their remedy? Breathless adoration and Denial.
Try it! It Works! You are sure not to die of Swine Flu!
In a disturbing development, the Swine Flu has now combined with the Chickens With Their Heads Cut Off in The Administration Flu.
Schwine Flue… he walked in the Porcine Poo as the AvianRavian flew over it all….
I just read that in addition to No Surgeon Gen… and Sibelius and countless offices in HHS not up yet… no Head of the CDC… we seem to be running with a fill-in. Is that like a substitute teacher?
And never forget, all of this will slow us down in curing cancer.
Yes but long lines are to be expected with the
special , individually tailored
“laying on of hands” ceremony ( white gloved)
where Black Reagan Jesus Dr. Father heals each and every one of us , one by one…
{He’s not really a Doctor, but,
like the Leader of the Free World™, plays one on TV}
Gibbs is checking on it and will get back to us …
It really must be something special though.
Considering how Black Reagan Jesus Dr. Father will be taking time out of his schedule as a War On Terror Owning / Thieving Wall Street Looting Facilitator. Not to mention the personal emails sent out to supporters every day. No Wonder he doesn’t have the time to “look back” and PROSECUTE TORTURE.
One miracle at a time, One miracle at time…
I have to say tho – riff on Peeder here –
what I’M looking for in a “Messiah Product”
is the Simultaneous Walk and Chew Gum capability.
Perhaps even literally if standards keep dropping…LOL.
For it is written:
“Ye shall know him by his ability to Walk and Chew Gum.”
okay – so I’m not all that up on it, and not looking for it either.
All upset:
AND Tapper V Gibbs:
At Tapper…. http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/
meanwhile The News Hour with Solman is doing a long segment (filmed in St Louis which has a lot of WPA works still operating) on how extensive FDR’s TEN YEARS of New Deal works, WPA and related, were… 3.5 of GDP thru those 10 years… where as now we have 2.5 of GDP for
wait
hold on
Two Years.
I feel the warm wind of recovery. Or the warm wind of something.
He was “furious”? And what kind of look did that involve? This one, maybe?
LOL. Jeezis. There’s — our response is in no way hindered or hampered by not having a permanent secretary at HHS right now.
Gibbs might as well have continued: Everybody knows we don’t DO anything. The Cabinet is utterly superfluous as is – let’s be candid now – the president himself. We’re basically here for , well… the people who ah ~ get stuff.
Jobs, Defense contracts, Kickbacks to and from Wall Street and the Corporations. and so forth..
What a smug shit for a doof.
GIBBS: Well, we’d rather not have a swine flu. (Calling on someone else:) Yes, sir.
So he tries the stiff arm. The little friendly flipper, a classic D move. Thing is, Gibbs is weak. The Blow Off never works for long, but it is such a pathetic attempt by this guy. Hardly the tenacity of GOP spokes, when political push comes to shove, he’s just another pushover Democrat.
Well, the 100 day Anniversary is over in a few days. Not soon enough. They are going to be the frozen dead chums even some of their now close “friends” will cannibalize this winter…”Increasing Frustration with Embattled White House” the common lede…
GM to cut 21,000 jobs..Iraq melting down… Pakistan…Bond Market Problems and CDS Tsunami still yet to make landfall…
—> running for their political lives come this winter <—
Rahm will bring in either a genuine hardass, advocate, or charmer. In any case, someone respected by the press. Gibbs is none of it. He is mush.
I am sorry to say that Ari Fleischer was one of the best. Snow who just walked thru it somehow commanded all that weird “love” (til he died) and Perino was very slick and filled out the last weeks/months.
But I want Gibbs to stay around. He is just such a good exemplar. Esp for a administration totally and completely in thrall to photo ops (AF 1 has been hijacked over Manhattan!!) and headlines.
Can we call it Felonious Assualt with a WMD?
Brought to you by the Guys at CLusterStock.
A comment from the thread.
they only hire the best (connected) hacks.
Oh this is gettin some legs.
And they ain’t Janie’s..
Gibbs fiddled with the klieg lights while the fevers burned
btw, that scanner in the picture at the top is creepy.
Isn’t it?
A lot of psychic drift in that image.
obviously i am behind on the news… apparently markoff also contacted transexuals via craigslist… and exchanged explicit photos [so the story goes].
no wonder suddenly the wedding was off…
Swine Flu Fun Facts
My news, locally tonight, said that they have traced it back to the first victim, who recovered, a 4 year old in Oaxaca, State of Veracruz (as NYCO said earlier).
ALSO the area had been protesting contamination from big pig farms… and run off filth and whatever else. Water contamination…
Google Map of Swine flu cases
Actually, the place in Veracruz is called La Gloria (Oaxaca being separate state in Mexico).
(And BTW I am so very proud that I recently learned the names of the Mexican states that border the U.S.! I iz educated now.)
yes the news reporter corrected himself after a bit…
Hmm… now that heightens my suspicions even more… all sorts of crap in pig farm water contamination can cause severe cell stress and death…
I just heard it is a Smithfield farm too…
it’s a million pigs at that facility.
No way no how. It shouldn’t be allowed.
Nothing about this damned plane over NYC and NJ makes sense. IF it was a ”photo op” (and are there governmental photos then?), why did they need Manhattan? Could this get dumber?
Sketchy as hell.
And the videos of people evacuating are awful.
I certainly can believe it was governmental stupidity. That’s tough to fake!
The photo op was designed to show Air Force One against a patriotic background. Similar pictures have been done of the plane at Mount Rushmore. The story is that the White House wanted the photo updated. So, off to the Statue of Liberty it was.
Haven’t these people ever heard of Photoshop?!
I think it shows how little 911, in terms of people on the ground or the dead and maimed matter to ANYONE in government, at the top.
Across two administrations.
There was even a weasel blither out during the night that HAD anyone been informed it would have ”broken security on a classified matter”. Lordy.
These were propaganda shots. I suppose needed as that is a new AF 1 since the last shots were produced. I saw the ones over the Grand Canyon… “El Heife” as represented by his plane, lords over it all. And not needed in my opinion.
Crimes committed by Ferris Bueller during his Day off.
CBC teevee reporter from Jerusalem said the health minister there doesn’t like the name “swine” flu because of the uncleanliness of pork/religious stuff so he wants to call it “Mexican” flu. Oy vey. Can everybody please stay on the same page?
hmm I Just caught a US dr… dramatically speaking from a pig pen as it happens… saying that our reaction is weaker as we, us USA Norte Americanos, were exposed to the H1N1 in The Spanish Flu…. hmmm so would some level of immunity persist all those decades…? (I sure have no idea)
He says we will be dropping like flies if and when H5N1, the avian version, does a leap and goes human to human.
Personally, I think calling it swine flu is insulting to the pigs, since we’re not sure if they had anything to do with it.
“Mexican flu” seems fairer (and following the pattern of Spanish Flu, named for *apparent* country of origin), although the Mexican government is blaming it on America.
The hole in the political landscape
Twitter is great for watching uniformed panics unfold live
Rick Perry Apparently Changes His Mind on Secession, Asks Feds for Swine Flu Help
360+ same-sex couples apply for marriage licenses; most in Polk Co.
Tina Brown Terrified That Burning Money Now Frowned Upon
The NYT now is soliciting personal accounts of Swine Flu…. – about 15 comments so far…
LINK
Hey hey…. via The Guardian
Obviously we feared death by musical note:
In between the two snips, he’s apparently had it with USA!! USA!!!!, whether Busheiter or ObRama.
Guardian has a story up about the early, February, illnesses in La Gloria Vercruz full of denials from Smithfield:
Some more from that link:
HA! ABC turns to Dr Oz of Oprah fame… but he does say that the next 7 days are critical (automatic sound byte!)… if the numbers keep bouncing up. If they plateau, then we hit some portal and it will taper off slowly.
Well… Nightline is off to La Gloria. “In search of Patient Zero”.
No wonder there is confusion with the reporters… Nightline is off, it seems, to Oaxaca and NOT to La Gloria…for what, from samples sent to Winnipeg, was a “first”, a mother of 3 named Gutierrez, now deceased… and handily Oaxaca is not a pig farming area. Whew! Smithfield dodges the bullet — with ABC.
I knew it was coming.
Morning Joe is one of the “mainstream” places the right tests out their latests attacks. Today they’re talking about Reid being “the next Daschle” … using effing Richard Shelby to push it (Shelby being the very model of a ‘reasonable Republican’ *cough*). They’re whining b/c of the whole “reconcilliation” thing being used to push healthcare through.
Oh, please Republicans, make my day and knock off that fucking old hack.
yes please take Reid away.. it matters now how
One thing is for sure: however virulent this flu outbreak is, the political and economic maneuvering is sure to be ten times as virulent. Nobody’s in charge of the world any more, so this should be “fun.” This actually is more dangerous as an economic destabilizer (looking at it from the G7 point of view) than as a public health or social destabilizer.
Just another stress surge, roiling an already stressed system. Not a good day for globalization.
Someone at Ernst and YOung NYC office tested positive for the SF….
Interestingly the early am news here says that some tested in San Jose, including one man who had been very ill, tested negative.
Apparently we are now able to test for the strain over in Richmond in the East Bay, they have been sent the materials or kits or whatever it is…
OOPS! No! Now E&Y says no… they don’t know if she has SF.
Don’t let them add your money numbers for you… 😉
Marisacat, when you use SF as an acronym I keep thinking you mean “San Francisco” 🙂
Anyhow, this is rapidly approaching a global free-for-all…
(There are pigs in Egypt?!)
This whole pandemic or “pandemic” is becoming an excuse for people all over the world to do whatever the hell they want to do. I mean, it’s not as if many people in Egypt probably even like pigs anyway…
It reminds me of the classic scene from Airplane! where Lesley Nielsen says “Everyone remain calm” and then everyone proceeds to go shithouse bananas in their own special ways. (I especially enjoyed the Hare Krishna dude running up and down the aisle aimlessly.)
Same with all ‘medical crises’… Slaughter the chickens! Slaughter the cows! Slaughter the birds! Slaughter the insects! Irradiate the food! Outlaw Organic farming! Give sick people drugs that make them sicker or kill them! But no, Don’t ever try to investigate what’s making people sick in the first place…
you forgot “SLAUGHTER REASON!”
LAT has a somewhat expanded telling of the 4 y/o victim who lives, in Veracruz state… AND of the first who died, Mrs Gutierrez in Oaxaca. She was a census taker, going door to door.
LMAO. Specter to Jump Ship to D’s afterall.
How could he do this to me? LOL.
I just called Specter’s Office in DC- It’s DEFINITO.
I asked is he going to vote for the EFCA-
Answer from staffer- ” he remains OPPOSED to the EFCA.
I said ” Well good luck with that – He’ll make a GREAT Democrat.”
And hung up. LMAO.
(Because I just got up and am too lazy to google it), why is he leaving the GOP now, after all these years? Is he taking his magic bullet theory with him?
b/c every poll shows he’ll get his ass kicked in the Rethug primary.
hey, now that you mention it, maybe the magic bullet hit a swine {it did hit Gov Connally, now that I think about it) along the way, slipped through a rip in the fabric of space/time and reappeared in Mexico last week.
it was a wide point spread… I don’t know much at all of PA doings… so I have no idea where the big spread came from … conservative pundits and others did dine out on some of his votes. Maybe it had an effect…
Feedback on Specter From DK-
Followed by athletic advise from grandma.
*
And Markos
Still , …with a pulse, Specter’s ass is LAMINATED to his seat in the Senate. With help from the D’s. It saves them the embarrassment of laying down for him in yet another general election.
Oh the machinations we will see .. in the Dems embrace …
and Arlen going on about how its “a matter of principle”…
2 cases of swine flu confirmed in Alberta. Where’s my mask??
I wonder if TEH SNOW we’re getting today will kill the virus.
And it would be nice if TEH HEATZ was working. (waiting for a new gas valve later today)
Here’s what’s troubling about the swine flu reports: We have yet to get any sense of what’s developing in Africa. India also. If this is everywhere, it’s everywhere, not just in Far Asia and the West.
Container of swine virus explodes on Swiss train
Really?
[insert Snakes on a Plane reference here]
Motherfucking flu on a motherfucking train!
Exploding motherfucking virus!
“So sorry, the dry ice blew up the beer cooler. My bad!”
Straight out of the Onion, for crying out loud.
LA medical office investigating two possible flu-related deaths (30 year old man, 45 year old man). Might explain why Ahnuld declared a state of emergency for Cali.
well thank goodness we got in-state testing! They even said sending samples to ATL “takes time”.
Fed Ex anyone?
Whew! Word is back! they did not die of Mexican Schwein Flue.
the numbers did grow in the town outside of Sacto tho… more children ill.. at the school.
We’ve renamed the flu here in Canada: ‘schwing’ flu in honour of Mike Meyers.
Sounds so much better, already!
Kind of pulls the rug out from under the Erectile-Dysfunction-Drug-Overdose-Death-Support groups’s chances for the name.
Lieberman/Specter ’16!
Send money now!
i was actually just creating an ActBlue page for Arlen but am stuck on a title. Progressives for Arlen? Netroots for Specter.
Lets see the rubes part with some more cash and put that money where there mouth is.
Net nutz for old white guy.
How ’bout “Stuff the Old Gift (Trojan) Horse in the Mouth, with Cash!”
I like that one!
Is Specter’s home life really so bad? Can he not just hang it up and go write a book or whatever already?
Nooooooooo. He’s gotta go in for the Full Double Reverse Senatorial Strom!
“Pennsylvanians who will vote for anything”?
New word: Specteracle
Quel Specteracle!
Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrreaking News!
Bo gets walked by the same WH [side work, he is one of the horticulturalists] dog walker used by a whole line of pretzels. Since Nixon. I will add that under some pretzels he was allowed to say so (and discuss dog bathing and whatever else too).
Now he is “spotted” doing the dastardly deed.
Cuz you know the farm family living there now all has “chores”… no servile help for them! Just a few months ago they were tending to their own privet hedges in a farm district, SS Chicago.
Reminds me of HIllary, too nasty to admit she had [paid] help on that goddam dumb book… children/village
Haney? I didn’t know he was still alive.
😉
he is………….
the specteracle forced me to monitor kos today. amazed at all the contortions. so many threads popping up about what a great guy he is and how WE MUST NOT primary him. shouts of purity troll thrown about liberally. going after specter could lose the entire state and not leave any money for important races elsewhere. i mean really, we know all the catchicisms. i would say the operatives are out in force. at the very least I would be offended that all of this went down with backroom deals and quid pro quos with entrenched party machines BEHIND THE FUCKING GATES.
Booman’s KoolAid was too watered down because he aint getting on the crazy train – yet. Havent checked on the rest of the Pennsylvania Mafia.
oh and no extracted deals from Specter… he will vote as he has. Often not with a so called Dem congress. Unions lost out.. among others. But! they will be true to the their football quarterback! And to the coach! Loyalty is all that matters!
No consensus from that bunch until their regularly scheduled Drink Liberally. That’s where the real (drunk) strategerizing happens.
maybe Adam Bonin/whoever hasn’t called him yet… 😯 Told him what to think..
Sestack is running. Bet on it! On ths Shutlz show now.
Catnip Alert!
CA has brought down a tour bus of French Canadians… near Soledad. Fatalities…
Interesting … “Swine Flu Hemagglutinin”: amino acid sequence as ambient music
Schweine Flew in Marin! And Santa Clara. Confirmed.
neue thred
LINK
[Madman I carried the SF comment forward]
,,,,,,,,,,,,, 😯 …………….