Archive for April, 2009
March 24, 1976: President Ford Orders Swine-Flu Shots for All
April 27th, 2009Via: Wired: Ford was acting on the advice of medical experts, who believed they were dealing with a virus potentially as deadly as the one that caused the 1918 Spanish influenza pandemic. The virus surfaced in February at Fort Dix, New Jersey, where 19-year-old Pvt. David Lewis told his drill instructor that he felt tired […]
What Do You Call it When a Four-Week Civil Contingency Exercise, to Prepare for a Flu Pandemic, Has to Be Cancelled Due to the Outbreak of a Flu Pandemic? A “Sheer Coincidence”
April 27th, 2009This was in the Scotsman last week: Rehearsal of Flu Pandemic Set to Begin: A FOUR-WEEK exercise to prepare Scotland for a flu pandemic is to start next week, it was announced yesterday. The Scottish Government will be running the emergency exercise, called Cauld Craw, involving health boards, the ambulance services and other organisations who […]
Baxter International Wants to Make Swine Flu Vaccine
April 27th, 2009Most people have already forgotten about this, or never knew about it in the first place: Baxter International “Unintentionally” Sent Flu Samples to Companies that Contained H5N1 Avian Flu. And now back to our regularly scheduled programming. Via: Chicago Sun Times: Deerfield-based Baxter International Inc. has requested a sample of the swine flu virus so […]
Revolutionary Espresso Book Machine Launches in London
April 27th, 2009Reading about something like this is fine, but I had to see it go: Via: Guardian: It’s not elegant and it’s not sexy – it looks like a large photocopier – but the Espresso Book Machine is being billed as the biggest change for the literary world since Gutenberg invented the printing press more than […]
Monsanto Sues Germany Over GM Ban
April 26th, 2009Via: Food Production Daily: Monsanto has filed a lawsuit against the German government after the EU member state banned planting of its genetically modified MON810 maize last week. MON810 maize is genetically engineered to produce Bacillus thuringiensis, which is toxic to the corn borer pest. Permitted in Europe since 1998 for animal feed, it is […]
U.S. Army Interpreter Who Witnessed Torture in Iraq Shot Herself with Service Rifle
April 26th, 2009Via: Independent: It is possible that one of the victims of the United States’ torture policy is a young, devout Mormon woman from Arizona called Alyssa Peterson. She was a soldier who not only saw the rough interrogation methods that the US military used on Iraqi prisoners, but was deeply troubled by them. Some weeks […]
GM Employee Stock Fund Dumps All Company Shares
April 26th, 2009Via: AP: The manager of General Motors’ employee stock fund has sold off all remaining shares of the troubled auto maker, which is closing plants and slashing costs in a bid to avoid bankruptcy. General Motors revealed in a regulatory filing late Friday that its employee stock-purchase plan has unloaded all shares of the company […]
Flashback: Panasonic to Fly Home Workers’ Families “Well Ahead of Possible Confusion at the Outbreak of a Global Pandemic”
April 26th, 2009Remember this one from February? Via: AFP: Panasonic Corp. has ordered Japanese employees in some foreign countries to send their families home to Japan in preparation for a possible bird flu pandemic, a spokesman said Tuesday. Family members of Japanese employees in parts of Asia, the Middle East, Africa, Russia, former Soviet states and Latin […]
April 14-15: FEMA’s Interagency Continuity Influenza Pandemic Tabletop Exercise
April 26th, 2009Via: Imperial Valley News: Most people recognize the value of a fire drill. Adults and children alike recognize the usual fire drill steps include evacuating the building and reaching a pre-designated spot. What most people do not recognize is that a fire drill is really an emergency evacuation plan and emergency evacuation plans are growing […]
Archeologist Who Greeted Obama in Mexico City, “Died the Following Day from Symptoms Similar to Flu” (Update: This Story is Bullshit)
April 26th, 2009Update: Archaeologist’s Family Refutes Obama Swine Flu Rumor Via: Houston Chronicle: Was President Barack Obama infected with Mexico’s swine flu? No, the White House has said repeatedly since Saturday. Obama visited Mexico City on April 16 and 17, three days after the first case of swine flu was confirmed in Mexico. Mexican newspapers reported last […]
