Inspired by burundi’s post in this thread, where s/he* stated that a gov’t cover up couldn’t happen today because of the internet…
*Sorry…I don’t know burundi’s gender. _____________________________________________________________
Hey, is it just me, or does everyone seem to have the sniffles? I got to work today and five of the eight people in our department called in sick. Who the hell gets the flu in June?
Am I crazy? Is it just going around in Orlando?
It’s March where I live.
It’s March in Tennessee, too. However, with March come blooming things and allergies start reasserting themselves. I don’t think we have to worry about Captain Trips yet.
StG
Me too.
But I did have a bad cold last week, if that helps …
It’s March here too (although it looks like deepest darkest February outside). However, I do appear to have the flu 
Hell, I’m in Orlando, and it’s June in my part too! You must be out by the airport or something.
There are a lotta people getting sick, though… I think it’s because the weather is changing; I always get sick when it cools down, but lots of people get sick when it warms up.
Okay, people, maybe I should have been more clear…This is a Pretend We’re Characters in Stephen King’s The Stand with Internet Access thread.
As *burundi pointed out, a gov’t cover up couldn’t happen nowadays because of the proliferation of the internet. I wanted to see what a thread during the Superflu would look like.
Can we try again?
Whoops. That should have read “I’m in Orlando and it’s March in my part too”.
Ivylass: I hear they’re only up to about 1961 out in Bithlo.
Now that you have mentioned it, I have been sick for about 3 weeks. about five people in my office are coughing germs all over the place. Do yo-
Crap someone has just keeled over! Yup, I think there’s a killer superflu out there.
Okay, I get it… it’s a game.
This should be fun.
Yeah, it's weird. The last few weeks of school, a lot of the kids were sick. Attendance was something like 65%.
My husband thinks his allergies are kicking in again, and his Claritin doesn't seem to be helping. He's sneezing and coughing like crazy. I don't think it's allergies; I think it's a bad cold. He gave it to both the kids and my in-laws.
I feel just fine, however.
Odd thing, though. My neighbor's son is in the Reserves, and he was called up, but they wouldn't tell him where he was going.There you go, Biblio! I knew I could count on you!! After all, you keep following me around on my tv shows 
Very well, then…
I haven’t seen anything on CNN or Fox News, so maybe this is just an isolated case.
Although, Biblio, now that you mention it, I saw more Army vehicles on the turnpike on my way to work this morning. At least 20-30…that was weird.
I’m in Houston and about a third of our staff is out sick, and most of the rest seem to be sniffly. I feel fine, which is weird because I usually catch everything. I’m sure it’s just a matter of time.
I work in the pharmaceutical industry and everybody’s trying to order Amantadine to fight flu, but we’re sold out. So is everybody else. I guess it’ll just have to run its course.
Summer colds are just miserable though. Especially here, where it’s already nearly 100 degrees every day. July is gonna be killer.
Aventis (they’re the people who make the flu vaccines) has a plant two towns over. There have been protesters out front for the last few days carrying signs saying the company’s holding out on us, that they have thousands of doses that will beat this bug that’s going around but they just won’t release them.
I don’t buy it, myself. I work at the newspaper, and the reporter who was covering the demonstration says some of those guys are real whackjobs. He could hardly get the facts for the story in between their stories about how the flu was a government bioweapon released so they could declare martial law. I’m the last one to make apologies for the current administration – the faster they’re out of office, the better – but I can’t believe they’d do something like that to Americans.
I’ve had the sniffles myself for the last few days, but I have bad allergies. It’s probably just my annual summer cold-sinus infection one-two punch. I’ve never had the flu in my life, and I don’t intend to start now. Like I can afford to get sick! We’re a copy desk of six, and two of us are out sick.
No rest for the weary, I suppose. Back to the salt mines.
I’ve been out sick for about 2 weeks from work (love working for the gummint, doncha know), with a few prescription medicines. Maybe it’s a combination of allergies and flu mixed in together. I just feel miserable.
The monsters are coming!
The monsters are coming!
The monsters are coming!
The monsters are coming!
The monsters are coming!
Question: what happened to all the newscasters? The guy who’s been on lately is no one I’ve ever seen before, and he has that military-looking haircut. Apparently this flu thing is totally under control, according to Haircut, whose pseudo-soothing manner annoys me. Why am I watching him? Because for some reason, a lot of my other channels aren’t coming in. I called the cable company but I could never get a real person on the phone. What’s up with that?
Come to think of it, my phone has been working about half the time. What about you guys? Is the phone and TV problem a local thing or what?
Any of you sick? Other than the hay fever I usually get, I feel fine, though half the school has been absent every day, and a lot of the people and kids who come in probably should have stayed home. So many kids go home sick…I’m starting to worry. My great-grandfather died in the Spanish Flu epidemic back in 1918, when so many people died that they were having mass burials in Central Park…
Shit, I’m freaking myself out. What the hell is going on???
(how was that, ivylass?)
Hello, everyone.
I am Lieutenant Colonel Robert L. Anton of the US Army Public Affairs Office.
I would like to take this opportunity to address the wild “flu epidemic” rumors that have been proliferating recently, and which have, sadly, found their way onto this board. Since the stated purpose of this website is the elimination of ignorance, I am sure this group of people will be eager to dispense with baseless speculation and scare-mongering.
Item one:
There is no “killer flu epidemic”. Granted, there is a Malaysian flu bug going around. Its symptoms do seem rather severe, but the overwhelming majority of sufferers recover with no ill effects within one to two weeks. Those few who have died have almost exclusively been those with weakened immune systems, such as the elderly and those who are already seriously ill, such as with cancer or AIDS.
Item two:
The recent increase in military activity that many have noted is merely part of a large-scale readiness exercise, being conducted with the intent of being prepared for the possibility of widespread high-intensity terrorist activity on American soil. There is NO crisis or emergency–it is merely an exercise. As one of the conditions of the exercise is the simulation of actual stress responses in military personnel, many reservists have been denied information concerning their assignments. This is merely a test of their psychological readiness.
Item three:
No “secret bio-weapons” are involved in either the exercise or the current flu-related unpleasantness. The United States, in accordance with NATO agreements, does not, I repeat DOES NOT engage in bio-weapon research. Also, no evidence exists that terrorists are employing bio-weapons against American citizens. This is merely a rumor, created by the paranoid.
Item four:
Many of you may be aware that Internet transmissions, including message board posts, contain identifying data as a normal and necessary aspect of Internet operations. In the unlikely event that a national emergency were to arise which would require the temporary establishment of martial law, message board posts could be traced by qualified personnel with sufficient accuracy to identify the posters. Individuals who were deemed guilty, by a military tribunal, of attempting to foment insurrection or cause panic during a time of national emergency would be liable to severe reprisals for treasonous activity… theoretically, such reprisals could include the death penalty.
In closing, please let me assure you that all public entities are doing everything possible to alleviate the unpleasantness of the Malaysian flu, and that your loved ones will be returning from their military training exercises shortly, better-prepared to defend our soil from terrorists and other foreign threats.
Thank you for your attention,
Lt. Col. Robert L. Anton,
Public Affairs Officer, US Army
Funny, “Anton.” But I remember [url=“http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=6737&high”>formeragent</a> as well as any Doper. Pull the other one, it’s got bells on. :rolleyes:
Things out at the vaccine plant are not getting any prettier. There are more protesters, and the state police have a detail assigned to guarding the gates now. I don’t think any of the original group will pull any violent stunts – might knock their tinfoil hats off – but a lot of people came here from New York lately, either to hang out in their summer houses or to get away from the flu or both. Some of those people…well, if someone decides to crash the gates with their Suburban Assault Vehicle, I won’t be a bit surprised.
Screwed up the coding? Damn cold is starting to scramble my head. I’m going to have a hot toddy (purely medicinal) and head to bed. I’ll feel better in the morning.
Moving this to Cafe Society, then I’m going back to bed.
Hope I feel better in the morning.