take the swine out of the swine flu?
By American Girl in Italy on April 29, 2009 at 1:45 PM in Current Affairs
It’s been a tough year for the pig….
We had lipstick on a pig.
We had wasteful pork in the porkulus bill.
We had pork pigs spending tax payer money on stupid pork projects.
We had sexist pigs revealed all during the campaign.
And we even had some of our favorite politicians unfairly being charachtured as pigs.
And now we have the swine flu.
It’s starting to feel a little bit like porky’s revenge…
Anyway, the US wants to change the name from swine flu to “H1N1 Virus”.
For U.S. pork producers the swine flu name has hurt, forcing government officials into the position of stressing that American pork is safe to eat and that other countries should not ban imports.
Pork, soybean and corn prices have fallen in the last two days, “and if this continues, obviously you have significant potential, which is why it’s important to get this right,” Vilsack said.
At the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there was also talk of stripping the “swine” from swine flu, which CDC acting director Richard Besser said was leading to the misapprehension that people can catch the disease from pork.
“That’s not helpful to pork producers. That’s not helpful to people who eat pork. It’s not helpful to people who are wondering, how can they get this infection,” Besser told a briefing.
Israel has already rejected the name swine flu, and opted to call it “Mexico flu.” But, that’s not a good name. The virus is already global.
While I am not opposed to changing the name, I do sympathize with pork farmers who are being unfairly hurt by this flu, I don’t think the name “H1N1 Virus” is going to catch on. It’s not catchy enough. But, since it did originate with a pig, perhaps we can change the name without changing the meaning? 
Perhaps the Tweety Virus is a better name?
Hmm, although, that is unfair to Tweety Bird.
How about Tingle Titus Virus?
Or the Keith Krud?
Favreau Fever?
Matthews Malady?
Shuster Syndrome?
Blight of Olby?
(List Price: $27.95 - Your Price: $15.47)
By Sarah Palin (Release date: November 17. 2009)
If it is safe to eat pork, then they shouldn’t call it swine flu. If it originated in Mexico, well, an old saying goes “if the shoe fits, wear it”. I am getting damn tired of Mexico not being held accountable for ANYTHING. Not their government, not their citizens, not their drug problem, their violence problem, their poverty problem, their corruption problem, their illegal immigration to our country problem. But then this administration is not making anyone accountable so why Mexico. They would rather expose our country to this virus rather than ban travel to and from Mexico.
Thanks for the great post…and reminders of the past porker of a political year.
roflmao AGI! That is an uncanny likeness(caricature) of Matthews.
Ditto to Tom Cat. Illegals cannot change their country in this country. They have to begin from within. Mexico has to begin to take responsibility for things. Their quality of life should be comparable to our own. There is no excuse for a lot of things that go on in that country. They’ve never strove for anything better for themselves or their families. I lived on the border of San Luis, Mexico for 12 years and not far from Los Algodones(Sp? By Winterhaven, CA. A lot of fun to go to the Olgilby mines and explore, then over to Mexico for Tacos.), Calexico, Mexicali. We prefered Algodones, Mexico for visiting/eating/shopping. It’s a small fishing community. It’s never changed in any of those area’s in the 20+ years since we moved to CA. When we go to Yuma or Somerton to visit friends we still stop by them.
BTW just a little did you know for those that don’t live near the border. In Mexico they do not pronounce the X like we do. They pronounce it Me(silent e)He(long e)Co. I’ve never heard anyone living in Mexico pronounce it Mex E Co. It was a little pet peeve of mine that used to get under my skin, till I realized I was just as guilty as anyone else. I was born and raised in Cincinnati, OH and I hated when people said, “Oh, you’re from Cincinata?” No it’s E pronounced with a long E not an I or an A. Cincinnat E. Same thing when I lived in Louisville, KY. The S is silent. It’s not Louis Ville. It’s more Lou E ville. Then, the one time I expected people to use the I the way it should be pronounced….They wanted to use the E, in my name, I can’t count how many times people have called me DE Ana. No, it’s DI(long I) Ana. Blah, blah, blah.
not many foreign country in the world (non-english speaking) pronounce their countries like we do.
Germany - Deutschland
Italy - Italia
Austria - Österreich
Switzerland- (German: Die Schweiz French: Suisse, Italian: Svizzera)
Spain - España
We Americanized it, like we do with all names. Turin in Italy is Torino, Milan is Milano, Rome is Roma, Venice is Venezia…
Japan- Nihon (but we get the city names right, although we mangle sound of them a bit- like Tokyo, we say Toe-key-yo, correctly it’s Toh-kyo and said so quickly that it’s hard to tell it’s two syllables )
Diana— I understand what you’re saying…..we live in Texas (Teh-has). but of course, everybody here says MeXico, not the proper way:Me-he-co. It probably started out as a slight to the hispanics who lived here first. Like in England…..they refuse to use French pronunciaitons of words like a fil-LET of fish, instead of “fee-leh”" I think that’s because they’re still mad at them about WWII…just a guess.
And what about Missouri and Missoura? That one drives me crazy for some reason!
Or…Ar-Kansas.
Oh, now I have to share. I’ve heard stories of the English and the French. My mother in law had to wait quite awhile to come to the USA after World War 2 so they lived by her family. She had two cousins. One married a woman from France and the other married a woman from England.
So, here she was married to her American soldier. Plus, she had to live right next door inbetween mind you a French woman and an English woman right after the war. Married to her two German cousins that hated her husband. Her family owned 4 cottages right next to each other on farmland. The 4th one her aunt lived in, she never married.
She used to laugh and tell us it was the mini World War 2 after the war. She said they hated each other worse than they hated her American husband. After awhile they all got along, except the two wives. They would collect the eggs from their chickens every morning and throw them at each other’s house. They would purposely put lard/oil on their walkways to try and make each other slip. One of them decided they didn’t want to share the milk, so they moved the cow into the house! All kinds of crazy things.
Diana—that story is hilarious! And it would make a great book/screenplay. Especially because it’s true. If you’re a writer, you should definitely pen that story. It’s wonderful!
Colorado is sometimes pronounced Cal-a-rad-a. Drives me nuts. My husband is from Illinois. Up until I met him I always pronounced it with the s at the end - ‘noise.
names are hard..
Cincinnati has also gone by the name Porkopolis. It used to be a hog butchering capitol. Central Parkway originally was a canal. It became kind of an open sewer. Dead hogs were occasionally dumped into the canal.
Yes, back in the 1800’s the nickname was Porkopolis, but Chicago beat us out of that nickname by 1870. They took over as the leading meat processors. We were also known as the Queen City because of the population and industrial growth of the late 1700’s. That is what I always heard it refered to, except when there were tornado’s then they’d say the City of the Seven Hills. I grew up along the Ohio River. Right before I got ready to enter the military some were using the nickname The Blue Chip City. So, it’s had many.
Louisville is pronounced- Luhuhvul by natives the middle uh being said quickly and with less emphasis than the first and third syallables. If you say Louis-ville you will be mocked the same as if you pronounce the s in Illinois in that state. Lou-E-ville is the textbook correct version- city was named for King Louis XVI of France (the one that got his head chopped off during the French Revolution;)because he was king during the American Revolution- when France supported our side, and Louisville was founded in 1778.People from further south who come to Louisville often call it Lou- ah- val and that’s more acceptable than the other ones to native Louisvillians(pronounced Lulah-vil-yens)as we are the upper boundaries of the south- we do say “y’all” etc…
In Louisville you say Iroqouis Park with the s though (correct pronouncation if you live near that park- like I do, sounds like “Urkwois” (the rest of Louisville says it “Earkwois”)
H1N1 has been around since (at least) 1918. Why would they change it’s name?
It is not the Mexican citizens fault that this virus started in their country! For God’s sake, do you think they wanted this? The American Pork Producers moved their facilities to Mexico to save paying the American workers wages. The conditions are deplorable, do you think the Mexican people who work there want to work in 2 feet of shit?
Americans are running these businesses, not the Mexican worker.
Once again, those who have the least, trying to simply get by in a country full of poverty, pay the biggest price–their lives.
I think the American companies who allow these conditions to permeate the country are guilty of causing this “swine flu”.
i am assuming this isn’t directed at me, or my post.
Once again, Ameicans are guilty, guilty, guilty. Sorry, DD, MeHeCo has a government; wealthy residents, laws more stringent than any here on immigration, etc. I know Americans who have been tossed into MeHeCan jails for running afoul of their laws and believe me, they’d have preferred a Gitmo version. MeHeCans can change their own country…if only they’d live there full time. Can you imagine the impact of 12million + their MeHeCan still there who have been exposed to a better life courtesy of the USA, returning to MeHeCo to demand “Change…you all know the rest…”
Now there’s a country that could actually benefit with a bit of wealth distribution. We would also benefit from MeHeCo becoming a better government for it’s people and culture.
make that “relatives still there”…
So according to the way you see it DaddysDarlin, the Mexican government has no responsibility to it’s own citizens to see they are not used and abused?
These are “American” companies?
I respectfully disagree.
I stopped eating pork several years ago after watching PETA’s video “Meet Your Meat”. After viewing how the pigs were abused and killed I couldn’t eat them any more. I know it’s a personal choice but until a humane method of killing animals for human consumption is implemented globablly I don’t want any part of it.
Just had to say…
globally (hate those typos)
Cattle aren’t treated much better, Jackarooty, and I know because I lived in Nebraska for five years and Oklahoma for 18.
good summary AGinI of all things swine…
I still cringe though at the characitures of Clinton and Palin and at all of the sexism. Clearly the men (and some women) of the media should be depicted as sexist pigs with cartoonish snouts and pig ears on their faces.
I say we call it the “Bama bug” since it popped up right after he made his visit to Mexico.
oh i like that!
Yes indeedy. He was in Mexico City, ground 0 for the bug, after all.
There is an article that states that Obama was secretly tested for the bug because one of the guys who shook Obama’s hand in Mexico City dropped dead shortly thereafter.
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/article2399368.ece
it was probably just the thrill of meeting *the one* that caused him to drop dead.
sarainitaly—yes!- instead of a thrill running up his leg…. a CHILL ran up his leg, he developed a fever, etc..
cute.lol
I wonder how Miss Piggy feels about all this?
Loved the accompanying toons, AGI. However, the Matthews’ Tweetie graphic does a grave injustice to Tweetie Bird, who happens to be one of my favorite toon characters. Disgraceful really. That smirky, disingenuous mug on Tweetie?? Never.
Enjoyed the piece!
oh i loved the tweety pic, i was rolling on the floor. i had to add, i thought it was so funny.
Oh, it is funny, AGI. What did we ever do before photoshop?
Still, Matthews is besmirching poor Tweetie Bird’s brand. First the name then the image. I guess a feature film is next [or maybe that's what we've been watching all along].
Good one to find!
I’m not so worried about pork…which is generally cooked, rather fruit, vegies imported from MeHeCo. Until I am assured of a short life span of the virus outside a host, I will be cautious.
I almost barfed last week (before I knew about the flu virus) watching a clueless Hispanic mother allow her runny nosed kid (sans kleenex) to fondle the tomatoes at the stand I go to every week. Even though I already had mine, I washed them under hot water with clorox…probably negating any organic benefits. I couldn’t have eaten them raw otherwise.
buy local, think global.
Yep,even the local Farmer’s Market can have tainted food if you’re not careful.
Another home run, AGII - absolutely fantastic!
:OD
PER the news -WHO just raised the level, to a level 5 pandemic.
http://www.who.int/csr/disease/avian_influenza/phase/en/index.html
http://www.pandemicflu.gov/
AcceState Pandemic Plans
Access to all the state pandemic influenza plans that are currently available.
http://www.pandemicflu.gov/plan/stateplans.html
This is in the national Pandemic Plan of the HHS at Level 6
The “Pandemic Influenza Plan” of the HHS includes containment measures such as, “bans on large public gatherings, isolation of symptomatic individuals, prophylaxis of the entire community with antiviral drugs, and various forms of movement restrictions—possibly even including a quarantine.”
I don’t which is scarier: the virus or the “planned response.”
So, innoculations will be required? If that happens, I’ll start freaking out. I’m beginning to feel a wave of paranoia coming on.
I wish I trusted these people more.
Screwing this up royally will put the kybosh on national health care run by DC IMHO.
Not that I’m sure yet, but hell, it could kill a lot of Americans. At this point, I only want competence and not political claptrap from bureaucrats in the CDC.
So do I. At least the CDC is paying attention and it does have world-class scientists at their disposal.
What worries me is a political decision, such as those Bush made, on matters concerning health. Like Bush, That One is more in tune to his owners than he is to us.
Regarding what ever the hell this FLU is called; the
World Health Organization has just raised the FLU ALERT LEVEL TO FIVE expecting a global outbreak; this news announced on the msnbc (the ones who pretend to be journalists) ‘Health Section’ news service reports:
“[WHO notches up swine flu pandemic alert
Global outbreak considered imminent; vaccine efforts will be ramped up”
The World Health Organization raised its pandemic alert for swine flu to the second highest level Wednesday, meaning that it believes a global outbreak of the disease is imminent.
WHO Director General Margaret Chan declared the phase 5 alert after consulting with flu experts from around the world. The decision could lead the global body to recommend additional measures to combat the outbreak, including for vaccine manufacturers to switch production from seasonal flu vaccines to a pandemic vaccine.]”
Are WE fu**** yet??? Could WE please start the ADDITIONAL MEASURES before it is truly TOO LATE??!!
there may be a lot less people needing health care after this.
((hugs all))be careful be safe,
I sent out an alert last night to all my family members, two of whom are in school environments where lots of runny noses and coughing kids are business as usual.
My daughter said they have hand sanitation gels as a policy and the kids are monitored as well for clean hands and noses. It makes me nervous though since she and the grandson get respiratory infections every year from school. So far, so good for Monterey/Carmel.
Ann:
Tell them to ensure whatever they use has actual bleach in it. Lysol and the other foofy-smelling crap is not effective except at the elimination of odors. A dilute solution of bleach not only kills but oxidizes the microscopic vermin on contact.
Not sure what they use but something on the order of Purel probably. She doesn’t wear her rings to work because she has to wash her hands so many times a day.
Thanks for the definition.
Poor little pigs. They always get the shitty end of the stick.
Instead of Sec. of Agriculture Vilsack worrying over a friggin’ name, why isn’t he telling us what he’s doing to protect our pigs, our stock from this virus? Has he banned the import of life animals from Mexico? Are they testing our herds? Has he upped inspections and biosecurity at large producers? Has he communicated accurate information to local/family farms?
At this point, the pigs have more to worry about from humans than vice versa. Yes, this now human H1N1 strain is a reassortment of two swine influenza virus (one that already contained both human and bird influenza genetic material), but it hasn’t been seen in pigs yet. Only people. What the hell is he waiting for? Another reassortment with a name he likes better?
The short answer to every political problem faced by a politician or bureaucrat is equivocation, misdirection, subterfuge, and prevarication. I deal with this sort of crap every day. Moreover, fiefdom-building and rice-bowl mentalities are always the first order of business.
Really, we know why they want to take the Pig out of the media. It simply reminds folks that this little piggy has come home to roost with it’s fellow chickens, ie birds.
Really, this is so momentus, I recall the phrase “when pigs fly” come to mind. So it makes perfect sense that who ever is the almighty power here, is telling us when you cross a pig with a bird, because that is what you need to get a pig to fly, you have the swine/avian flu.
Just call it what it is, Flying Pig Flu….or, to be pc FSF (Flying Swine Flu)
Bravo American Girl in Italia.
Love the pics and I vote for the BO Bug.
A number is so impersonal. And the MSM can’t use it to wind up the public fear factor.
Only 7 swine flu deaths around world, not 152, says WHO
April 29, 2009
The Sydney Morning Herald
A member of the World Health Organisation (WHO) has dismissed claims that more than 150 people have died from swine flu, saying it has officially recorded only seven deaths around the world.
Vivienne Allan, from WHO’s patient safety program, said the body had confirmed that worldwide there had been just seven deaths - all in Mexico - and 79 confirmed cases of the disease.
“Unfortunately that [150-plus deaths] is incorrect information and it does happen, but that’s not information that’s come from the World Health Organisation,” Ms Allan told ABC Radio today.
“That figure is not a figure that’s come from the World Health Organisation and, I repeat, the death toll is seven and they are all from Mexico.”
Ms Allan said WHO had confirmed 40 cases of swine flu in the Americas, 26 in Mexico, six in Canada, two in Spain, two in Britain and three in New Zealand.
Ms Allan said it was difficult to measure how fast the virus was spreading.
She said a real concern would be if the flu virus manifested in a country where a person had had no contact with Mexico, and authorities were watching all countries for signs of that.
“There is no pattern that has emerged at this stage to be able to say that it is spreading in a particular way or it is spreading into a particular country … the situation is continuing to evolve,” she said.
She said the WHO was not recommending against overseas travel, but urged those who felt sick to stay home and others to ensure they kept their hands clean.
No decision had yet been made about vaccinations.
“This virus is not airborne, it’s caused by droplets … so it’s not a time for worry. It’s a time to be prepared,” Ms Allan said.
OINK, indeed.
And don’t forget the winged pigs flying around on Nov. 4th.
PIG-COOTIES