Pump up your immune systems. Little else will prepare you for the onslaught of the H5N1 pathogen. This is the most dangerous strain of influenza to appear in decades. Public health officials are already admitting that the world lacks the medical weapons to fight the disease effectively.

Wait just a minute --- $400 billion to defend our country and our " interests " is not enough ???

 Call in John Bolton, who is to diplomacy what Jack the Ripper was to surgery.

According to a story in the Washington Post, by Dan Brown, July 31st, 2005 :

"If the virus were to spreading in the next year, the world would only have a relative handful of doses of an experimental vaccine to defend against against a disease that history shows, could potentially kill millions. If the vaccine proved effective and every vaccine factory in the world started making it, the first doses would not be ready for four months. By then the pathogen could be on every continent.

Theoretically, antiviral drugs could slow an outbreak and buy time. The problem is only one liscenced drug, oseltamivir, appears to work against bird flu. At the moment, there is not enough stockpiled for widespread use. Nor is there a plan to deplo the small amount that exists in ways that would have the best chance of slowing the disease. "

The chattering classes in the corporate media are not talking about this story very much at all. Far , far less than the missing blonde, white girl in Arubu, for instance. The prevailing cultural myth is that modern science will have the answers for what ails us. What we hear little of is how poorly prepared the world is for H5N1 , which may strike several continents simultaneously.

 What will John Bolton do about this ??? How will he protect us from $62 a barrel oil, intensifying hurricanes, or a bird flu pandemic???

Some of the measures being proposed for dealing with the expected bird flu problem include vaccinating only children, mandatory closing of schools or office buildings, and imposed"quarantines" for infected families. A pandemic could result in widespread shutdowns of factories, transporation and other essential industries.

The death rate for the 109 infected to date in Asia, is about 50%. The chance scrambling and recombination of animal and human viruses has resulted in a pathogen whose molecular identity is wholly new. Scientists have found recently that the virus can now be passed from person to person The US has a stockpile of oseltamivir, but it is only enough to treat 1% of the population.

Random searches on the trains and subways will do nothing to deter bird flu, suicide commandos or global warming.

Oh well, Bush is on vacation again. Nothing to worry about, unless you are a member of the families of the six Marines who just died in the illegal war in Iraq. And, oh yes, the space shuttle is just fine. Nothing to worry about, unless the robot arm bumps the shuttles sensitive underbelly, or the astronauts pull too much alumino-borosilicate webbing.

Enjoy your summer.

Wa Wa.