The Plague
from today's white house briefing... QAnd if I can ask you one final question -- what can you tell us about the Texas Tech problem, bubonic plague samples apparently missing from a lab there? MR. FLEISCHER: I'm aware of the report, and this is a matter that the FBI and the CDC have been in touch with Texas Tech about. And anything further will come from them. That's the extent of everything I have on this now. QThey're saying that the White House has been briefed on this. MR. FLEISCHER: That's correct. QYour briefing was nothing more than -- MR. FLEISCHER: This is information that is just coming in to the White House and has been for just a short period of time, as well as to the FBI. I'm not in a position to give you any additional information at this time about it, and it's something that is being talked to with the FBI and the CDC to ascertain what all the facts are. QNot even to the extent of how much is missing, or how long it's been missing? MR. FLEISCHER: No, these are all the facts that are being ascertained as we speak.
Re: The Plague
At 07:46 PM 1/15/2003 -0800, Tim May wrote: On Wednesday, January 15, 2003, at 07:18 PM, Andri Isidoro Fernandes Esteves wrote: A huge fraction of the population wasn't in the cities and town at all, where the plague spread most virulently, and so their survivors didn't "inherit immunity." The best protection against the plague was to go to the country, as in rural Italy, France, England, etc. Those who escaped the plague in many cases were never actually exposed to the bacillus at all. I believe Sir Isaac Newton wrote his Principia on optics, physics, and astronomy and laid the foundations for differential and integral calculus while hole up for almost two years in a rural area of Lincolnshire during a series of outbreaks beginning in 1665. if America were tempted to ''become the dictatress of the world, she would be no longer the ruler of her own spirit.'' What empires lavish abroad, they cannot spend on good republican government at home: on hospitals or roads or schools. A distended military budget only aggravates America's continuing failure to keep its egalitarian promise to itself. -- John Quincy Adams (extended)
Re: The Plague
On Wednesday, January 15, 2003, at 07:18 PM, Andri Isidoro Fernandes Esteves wrote: On Thursday, 16 de January de 2003 02:20, Tyler Durden wrote: Actually, this may turn out to be more an academic issue than anything. If someone wanted bubonic or pnuemonic samples, all he'd have to do is just grab someone from the western hospitals that contract it each year. Contrary to popular belief, it still exists, but we have effective treatments against it. (Although when I was in China, there were cities in southern Xinjiang that had a bad bubonic problem and had to be shut from the outside world. Much worse was the HepA epidemic that hit Shanghai at the time...stores and schools were oncverted into Hep wards, and you could go there provided you brought your own bed.) -TD And all westerns have some level of aquired imunity, for we are the descendents of the plague survivors. (Actualy, in the dark ages, it wasn't only one plague.. it was several plagues (mutants and new pathogens) that spread wavelike through europe... the populations died mainly because of sistematically reduced imunity) A huge fraction of the population wasn't in the cities and town at all, where the plague spread most virulently, and so their survivors didn't "inherit immunity." The best protection against the plague was to go to the country, as in rural Italy, France, England, etc. Those who escaped the plague in many cases were never actually exposed to the bacillus at all. And many parts of Europe were not hit by the plague even in the towns. Most of my ancestors came from Denmark, Norway, Scotland, and England, so at least 3/4 of them never saw the plague bacillus. Furthermore, nearly all Caucasians who get exposed to plague from flea bites, as in the Four Corners of New Mexico, Arizon, Utah, Colorado, get the disease. As for me, my plan for a news announcement that some disease is _really_ spreading (not counting anthrax issues, missing vials) is the same as its been for several years: make one last run to the grocery stores for last-minute supplies, stock up on gasoline for the generator, check my firearms, get the battery-powered shorrwave ready to go, and hunker down for the duration. Avoiding crowds, airplanes, population centers, hospitals, and relocation centers is the absolute best strategy. The virus or bacillus may be airborne, but the odds favor those who stay isolated missing the worst. --Tim May "That government is best which governs not at all." --Henry David Thoreau
Re: The Plague
At 03:18 AM 1/16/03 +, Andri Isidoro Fernandes Esteves wrote: >And all westerns have some level of aquired imunity, for we are the Surely you mean inherited, not acquired. >descendents of the plague survivors. See _Guns Germs and Steel_ Note however, without occasional plagues, a population would lose resistance...
Re: The Plague
On Thursday, 16 de January de 2003 02:20, Tyler Durden wrote: > Actually, this may turn out to be more an academic issue than anything. > > If someone wanted bubonic or pnuemonic samples, all he'd have to do is just > grab someone from the western hospitals that contract it each year. > > Contrary to popular belief, it still exists, but we have effective > treatments against it. (Although when I was in China, there were cities in > southern Xinjiang that had a bad bubonic problem and had to be shut from > the outside world. Much worse was the HepA epidemic that hit Shanghai at > the time...stores and schools were oncverted into Hep wards, and you could > go there provided you brought your own bed.) > > -TD And all westerns have some level of aquired imunity, for we are the descendents of the plague survivors. (Actualy, in the dark ages, it wasn't only one plague.. it was several plagues (mutants and new pathogens) that spread wavelike through europe... the populations died mainly because of sistematically reduced imunity) Greetings aife
Re: The Plague
Actually, this may turn out to be more an academic issue than anything. If someone wanted bubonic or pnuemonic samples, all he'd have to do is just grab someone from the western hospitals that contract it each year. Contrary to popular belief, it still exists, but we have effective treatments against it. (Although when I was in China, there were cities in southern Xinjiang that had a bad bubonic problem and had to be shut from the outside world. Much worse was the HepA epidemic that hit Shanghai at the time...stores and schools were oncverted into Hep wards, and you could go there provided you brought your own bed.) -TD From: Declan McCullagh <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: The Plague Date: Wed, 15 Jan 2003 18:59:42 -0500 from today's white house briefing... QAnd if I can ask you one final question -- what can you tell us about the Texas Tech problem, bubonic plague samples apparently missing from a lab there? MR. FLEISCHER: I'm aware of the report, and this is a matter that the FBI and the CDC have been in touch with Texas Tech about. And anything further will come from them. That's the extent of everything I have on this now. QThey're saying that the White House has been briefed on this. MR. FLEISCHER: That's correct. QYour briefing was nothing more than -- MR. FLEISCHER: This is information that is just coming in to the White House and has been for just a short period of time, as well as to the FBI. I'm not in a position to give you any additional information at this time about it, and it's something that is being talked to with the FBI and the CDC to ascertain what all the facts are. QNot even to the extent of how much is missing, or how long it's been missing? MR. FLEISCHER: No, these are all the facts that are being ascertained as we speak. _ MSN 8 with e-mail virus protection service: 2 months FREE* http://join.msn.com/?page=features/virus
RE: The Plague
> André Isidoro Fernandes Esteves[SMTP:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] wrote: > > On Thursday, 16 de January de 2003 02:20, Tyler Durden wrote: [...] > > Contrary to popular belief, it still exists, but we have effective > > treatments against it. [...] > > -TD > > And all westerns have some level of aquired imunity, for we are the > descendents of the plague survivors. (Actualy, in the dark ages, it wasn't > > only one plague.. it was several plagues (mutants and new pathogens) that > spread wavelike through europe... the populations died mainly because of > sistematically reduced imunity) > The weirdest twist on this is that a genetic variant (CCR5-delta 32) found among descendents of the survivors of the Black Death (ie, europeans) also seems to provide protection against HIV infection. About 10% of europeans have this variant from one parent. 1% have it from both. A single copy slows down HIV significantly, but the lucky 1% appear to be totally immune. Only 2% of central asians have this varient at all, and it is entirely absent among africans, native americans, and east asians. Check http://www.science-frontiers.com/sf119/sf119p05.htm Peter Trei
Re: The Plague
Don't forget that at that time sanitation practices in cities really sucked. You threw your full chamber pot and garbage out the window and on to the street. Everybody drank from a common well. Nobody knew about how diseases spread (It was "black magic" or the wrath of God for your sins). Few people realize that one of the reasons we live so long today is because of the lowly toliet. -- Neil Johnson, N0SFH http://www.iowatelecom.net/~njohnsn http://www.njohnsn.com/ PGP key available on request.
Re: The Plague
At 8:35 PM -0800 1/17/03, Neil Johnson wrote: >Few people realize that one of the reasons we live so long today is >because of >the lowly toliet. This is the source of the observation, "Governments are like toilets. They're necessary for public health, but you shouldn't worship them." YMMV - Bill - Bill Frantz | Sacred cows make the | Periwinkle -- Consulting (408)356-8506 | tastiest hamburgers. | 16345 Englewood Ave. [EMAIL PROTECTED] | - David Wagner | Los Gatos, CA 95032, USA