Longterm members will recall the rush to buy surplus gasmasks after 9/11. A lot of surplus vendors and EBAYers reaped small windfalls from the near panic.The wind itself only brought our usual seasonal brushfires. I didn't see one gasmask in use for the real danger of particulate pollution. Rational explanations regarding their effectiveness were lost in the clamour to buy anything, however out of date. Now we have Tamiflu as the amulet of the week. One of, if not the main principle of ETS is to provide rational and impartial information. When these frenzies happen it's like a stampede. If you wait a few minutes the other lemmings will fall over any cliffs unseen <img src="/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

"Better to be safe than sorry," I always say.

In recent years, the climate of fear and uncertainty has not only shortened the lifespan of anyone who follows the popular news (thus helping control overpopulation) but also has caused quite a number of industries to blossom, adding profits into stale companies and helping push the economy to new heights.

To name a few products that have gotten an indavertent boost:

- Duct Tape
- Plastic Sheeting
- Bottled Spring Water
- Guns & Ammo (all)
- Dinty Moore Beef Stew (though I'm not sure why)
- Toilet Paper
- Gold Coins

and most recently, Sauerkraut!

By the way, "lemmings" may be a bit harsh. But "sheep" I'll buy. <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

(edited for spelling. Durn computer. The technician says the problem is the nut in front of the keyboard, but I can't find it ......)

I believe the key word here is "current". How many of us plan & prepare solely for our CURRENT situation?

What is the CURRENT probability that any of us will:
- be stuck on a desert island?
- be victims of domestic terrorism?
- crash our plane & survive the crash in the desert/forest/ocean?
- need a DAMM thing in that little Altoid tin?

I submit that you are at much greater risk driving to work than suffering any of the above calamities. You say "buying stuff is no answer" YET you buy whistles, GPSs, fancy knives, etc etc etc.

Smartass*es post about the stupid PHRASECENSOREDPOSTERSHOULDKNOWBETTER. & lemmings. Yet, what is this site all about? Preparation for what is unlikely.

The bird flu situation is getting worse. It truly has the capability of decimating a lot of people. Please don't be so arrogant and smug about those who are concerned about it.

Ouch!

Did you just find out that your sister had two brothers and you only had one?

Okay - spell it along with me ......

s - a - r - c - a - s - m

I may never need anything in my Altoids (actually Whitman's Sampler - it's bigger) tin, but if I don't have one and DO need it .....

I'm not being sarcastic about being prepared. And I can't even spell the word "smug." I'm poking fun at what I33 so aptly described - the general public's lack of interest in what's really going on, and the media's general reluctance to "put down the camera and step away from the sensationalism."

In the absence of responsible reporting by the newshounds, this forum and ones like it become increasingly important to those of us who would really like to have good, solid information.

And remember, if you can't laugh at yourself someone else will do it for you.

Don't bother with the Altoids tin, but the stuff I carry with me daily, if I don't use it for a month and can't justify it, out it comes.

Hoarding meds for a virus that is not yet in the country outside of controlled labs is silly. I t will mutate, which means that "drug X" might be less effective on it; besides, I've seen some real questions about the effectiveness of various anti-virals on HN-51. I don't know when it will be here, or if, before the meds sour. Can't waste the money.

However, while I might not crash my plane, "over the river and through the woods" means driving on roads that might not have anyone else on them for hours. Some of the side roads I take becuase they are better shape (less traffic) might not have anyone on them until dawn if I dump the car on them at night. For that I carry my emergency kit.

I helped write the procedures list for packages for my office, including how to tell ones that might be interesting. I've taken a few boxes outside and opened them alone, becuase I'm the only obligation free member of my crew. So I guess we are taking attacks on us seriously. Becuase we've threatened by people we serve.

So chill. Or we will start thinking that you are packing your sidearm in a deep carry mode. *cringes* Burning-itching sensations don't mix well with gunpowder.

There are only 10 kinds of people... those who understand binary and those who don't.

<img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Sorry for the blustering rant. It's just too ironic to see the elitist cluck-clucking (no pun intended) at a site whose members are all about looking ahead and foreseeing trouble in order to be ready for it.

I think we can draw on the unique wisdom of Mike Tyson here: "everybody's got a plan 'til I punch them in the face".

PEOPLE... PLEASE... lighten up a bit, this is getting hotter than 9mm vs .45 <img src="/images/graemlins/shocked.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

Troy

Being ready for it is the point I've been trying to stress.

HN51, Smallpox, Anthrax, Plague, these are all things that make people nervous. Guess what- they were as leathal as thier reps, there would have been no survivors. I'm not dismissing them, but I think they are being blown out of proportion. Treat them like you would any virus outbreak, such as a "common" flu. Wash your hands, don't pick your nose or teeth, don't cough on people, wash your hands, bow rahter than shaking hands, bathe, get in shape, eat right, lower your stress levels, get plenty of sleep. If you get sick, hydrate, stay warm, get even more sleep, and if you think it is anything out of the ordinary, seek medical attention.

The reason for this is simple: you can't avoid exposure, and preparing for a biological threat before you know what it's final form will be is pointless. For all we know, by the time it gets here, HN51 will have lost a lot of it's virulance. Or it will be resistant to everything in the arsenal. Or maybe it will be highly contageous, with an extermely high morbidity rate, as it goes through Europe, which means it will burn itself out there. Or it might just make give you a wonderful purple-green-magenta camoflauge pattern complexion while being resistant to everything. <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> Drugs like tamiflu or gamma glob or anything else are reactive measures that might or might not work for the suergerm of the month. I'd be more worried about proactive measures that we know work.

na, can't be....
anyway, everybody knows .45 is better ....... <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />