The Next Hurrah: The Next Open Thread

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February 18, 2006

The Next Open Thread

by DemFromCT

Bird flu is now likely in France, India, Austria and Egypt. From Bloomberg:

Avian flu has swept across the European Union the past 10 days, with outbreaks identified in Germany, Greece, Austria, Italy, Hungary and Slovenia, as well as in Turkey, Iran, Russia and Azerbaijan. Egypt is the second country in Africa, after Nigeria, to report infected birds.

In fact, click here to see all the countries of the world (in green for animals, in purple for humans) reporting H5N1 infections.

The need for business and individual prep for the non-existant but threatening pandemic flu (panflu) has grown exponentially. For a more complete story, see yesterday's thread.

But this is the place to talk about anything else, too.

February 18, 2006 at 09:04 | Permalink

Comments

Will the threat of transmission diminish as the Northern Hemisphere emerges from Winter?

Posted by: John Casper | February 18, 2006 at 10:13

well, it's expected that bird migrations will bring the H5N1 virus to NA through Alaska via the flyways within the enxt 6 months. it is almost inevitable.

Posted by: DemFromCT | February 18, 2006 at 10:31

I don't want to be harsh. Take this as a supportive suggestion because I read this blog like I read Brad DeLong's -- as much for the comments as the posts. But TNH would be better if it had more than one blogger -- emptywheel -- writing regular substantive posts. As great as emptywheel is, the rest of you need to support her/him a little more. Not a lot, but a little.

Posted by: kaleidescope | February 18, 2006 at 11:20

flu wiki comment: would be nice to have a visual map of the by-country data, unless there's one already and I'm not finding it. Did a quick google for sites where you can color-code countries, maybe using googlemaps, and came up pretty near blank, oddly. Seems like it would be a useful tool. Best suggestion is to go through this guy who has done some interesting world map projects, including this one that shows a clickable world map with recent GoogleNews headlines arrayed by country, and this one that color-codes countries by frequency a given word appears near that country's name in a web search (so malaria is often near Kenya, rarely near --Greenland? Iceland? someplace. -- while islam is frequently near Saudi Arabia rarely near -- Greenland? Iceland? I think that place just doesn't get googled a lot.

Anyway he also has a site where you can color countries you've visited so I imagined I myself was the H5N1 virus and made this map where all the fluwiki green & purple countries are red (except Hong Kong which he doesn't seem to recognize).

Anyone know of any better country-coloring software or sites?

Posted by: emptypockets | February 18, 2006 at 11:24

ep,

We've got links to many different maps at Flu Wiki. Use the search function to find the links.

Posted by: Melanie | February 18, 2006 at 12:44

excuse me

Posted by: emptypockets | February 18, 2006 at 13:20

'pockets, we're actually trying a google earth map project, here.

Posted by: DemFromCT | February 18, 2006 at 14:41

kaleidescope, thanks for the input. I and emptywheel, because of the other's commitments (personal and professional), have been minding the store lately.

I guess in your opinion, I've been quantity and ew quality, and i can't argue with that. However, I do reject your idea that the topics I've chosen are unsubstantial.

Posted by: DemFromCT | February 18, 2006 at 14:44

DemFromCT, for what it's worth, you folks -- all of you -- have been among my few must-read-dailys since TNH's inception. Some of my favorite, most-emailed posts have been yours; and I continue to cite DHinMI's terrific "freedom from fear" post fairly regularly. And it was either something of yours or DH's that finally compelled me, a long-time lurker in Left Blogistan, to post my very first comment anywhere ever. Still don't do it very often (curse you, "real" world and your time-sucking "obligations"); but I'm guessing I represent lots of readers. All due respect, kaleidescope, but I think we're reading two different blogs.

Posted by: rj | February 18, 2006 at 21:45

Dem: The topics you write about aren't insubstantial, quite the opposite. We all love your writings on the flu. But most of what you write these days are open threads. Nice intros, but not a lot of meat. I miss your writings on politics and polling (and those of DH as well). And I still haven't seen anything on the senatorial race in your home state. Are you staying out of that because you're too close to it? Election season will be here sooner than is decent. You have some great contributors here. All I'm saying is we (I) would like to see them contribute just a little more.

Posted by: kaleidescope | February 19, 2006 at 00:01

In all honesty, I've been busy with Flu Wiki, given what's happening in Europe. But the CT political turmoil is really not there. Lamont is gearing up, but there's no action yet. Most CT stories about Joementum are more rant than substance and I don't do rant well.

Chris Murphy (D) is gearing up against Nancy Johnson in CT 5, but again, nothing happening except raising money.

Anyway, here's my output. There's been two polling posts in the last week, but i did take two days off for personal reasons during the week that Cheney shooting an old guy in the heart dominated.

Posted by: DemFromCT | February 19, 2006 at 08:44

Please don't take what I asked for: More of your (a collective your) writing as an insult or as whining.

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