From Flu Wiki 2

Forum: Pandemic Flu Awareness Week V

28 September 2006

DemFromCTat 21:33

new page…. last one was long.

DemFromCTat 21:40

Now that we have a press release, and the PFAW page and the red ribbon page, the blog announcements should commence.

if you have access to a blog (science, political, whatever), send a notice on Monday that the PFAW will commence Oct 9–15. On Oct 9, send another notice.

Anyone with access to livejournal or myspace, consider posting there as well.

Newspapers in your local area can be sent the press release.

I will be posting about this on Daily Kos next week, as well as The Next Hurrah. I will also send notice to some of the blogs in R Blogistan and to the science bloggers I know.

29 September 2006

Blue – at 06:48

O.K.

I put the picture above in my pictures section of MYSPACE.

THIS IS WHAT WE NEED TO DO…IF WE COULD GET every poster here to make up a myspace address, then how many would that be advertising the AWARENESS WEEK.

That would have to have some pull.

How many people do you think we have here on average!

We would encourage more people to have a look at the website, and then those extra people could also put up the picture in their myspace sddress and so…it oculd really get advertised quite well with a snowball type of affect.

How big is MYSPACE…THAT’S WHAT WE NEED!

 !!
DemFromCTat 14:45

bump

DemFromCTat 19:23

bump

Blue – at 23:24

I wish I had a webcam!(thinking out loud)!

30 September 2006

lugon – at 06:44

what for, Blue?

DemFromCT - close thread – at 15:09

bump

Lauralou – at 17:03

thread not actually closed. ;-)

Blue – at 17:12

lugon- Well: we could put up movie’s relating to bird flu on You_tube or whatever it is.

Somehow, we should use the INTERNET.

Now, that’s an idea!

(Have a competition for best BF video or sumfing!?)

Blue – at 17:14

Ideas anyone-for a bird flu vid.

lugon – at 17:30

An explanation of clusters etc.

Blue – at 17:32

How would we go about explaining clusters, visually?

Dramatically, you know!

anon_22 – at 18:40

This first one is a table of suspected clusters up to 2005, from Family Clustering of Avian Influenza A (H5N1) in Emerging Infectious Diseases.

Clusters from EID paper

The second one Azerbaijan Clusters, by village location

The third one is the Karo Cluster by mutation and relationship

lugon – at 19:33

should the “visual clusters” page be linked from the awareness page or not?

Blue – at 20:27

lugon- I was just thinking that using You_tube and other related means of using the massive reserves of the internet would be great to get the word out about awareness.

Link’em if you like, but the plan would be to get to people who don’t know about the awareness page in flu wiki!

Lauralou – at 20:33

Blue- a video on You Tube would sure reach a lot of people- if it was a “hit”.

Blue – at 20:55

Lauralou- How do we do it tho_and how do we make it a hit?

We need some ideas?

How about some sort of shooting gallery where the only people still standing have the Pandemic Awareness ribbon around their necks?

Lauralou – at 21:20

Ideas would be good.

The two videos on there that I personally have liked the best were the Diet Coke and Mentos and the OK Go video where they dance on the treadmills.

What do they have in common? hmmmm. They were unusual, things I had never seen before and they were set to music.

How does that translate to pandemic awareness? I haven’t a clue. ;-) But I’ll think about it.

Blue – at 21:26

A theme song…..

Another one bite’s the dust(Queen)/Where do we go from here(Megadeath)/Lord of this world(Black Sabbath)/..

Let’s use “Lord of this world”!

Right, what’s next?

Jane – at 22:03

Another one bites the dust-whew! Good one. (I don’t know the others)

Blue – at 22:14

Get some black sabbath into ya! Whooo-ooo-ooo-aaoooo-whooaaooo

01 October 2006

uk bird – at 07:18

Something more in the style of Blaire Witch would be effective.

Say a lone SIP person talking about what it’s like seeing people die around him/her. Vid starts with person winding up a torch. They then say a few things and the torch goes black. The quotes can be taken from real recounts of the 1918 flu.

Cheap and easy to make but it would have impact.

Blue – at 07:31

Yes!

That is great(Fantastico)…

All I have to do is watch “Blair Witch”.

And…

Blue – at 07:35

…wait,

can I still have the “Lord of this World” as the soundtrack?!

Blue – at 07:36

Nah, seriously- what do I need?

lugon – at 07:46

Bob Dylan had this song “Are you ready - reaaaaadyyyyyyy - I hope you’re ready”.

lugon – at 07:47

And there’s free-to-use music in http://www.creativecommons.org

Blue – at 07:48

Tell me, and I’ll get my mate to do it!

uk bird – at 07:48

A few short scripts, a catchy statement for the end of each short, un unkempt appearance, a wind up torch, a camera, a dark room, a sleeping bag and a few sound effects for the back ground (eg gunshots, coughing).

Blue – at 07:49
uk bird – at 07:49

Don’t make it too slick, too much like a government campaign ad.

Blue – at 07:52

O.K. What do I record it on etc.(thanx for the reply).

Unkempt appearnace…no furries!

uk bird – at 08:01

I suppose even a web cam would be ok. Think how you might make a video diary in the even of a real pandemic. Powers out, supplies are low, you’re desperate to record the worst event to ever hit the modern world and it’s imapct on you and yours.

uk bird – at 08:05

Finish with a smooth voice over saying something like ‘these are the words of Mr (whoever) written down after the 1918 flu. What massages will you leave for the survivors of the next pandemic?’

Blue – at 08:20

O.K. Mission Time!

uk bird – at 08:32

Doh! I’d be brilliant if only I could spell.

Another short could be someone playing back a message on an answer machine from someone coming down with flu. At the end of the message the person rewinds and starts playing it again. Voice over starts.

You could also use a phone cam.

The big impact is that these are real messages left by real people.

lugon – at 08:34

http://www.worldchanging.com/archives/005000.html — see comment at 05:26 AM.

Let’s give ourselves a pat in the back to whoever links to, say, at least 3 venues.

lugon – at 08:36

In fact, I think readers of worldchanging deserve a specific welcome page. I’ll start working on it here.

lugon – at 08:50

I just told them they are welcome. ;)

I think we could ask for specific help and input from them, couldn’t we?

Blue – at 08:58

Cooliosis: “Excellent!” Answering machine…swoosh(I get it); what are(constitutes) venues?; Who are world changing…

Did I mention I’m getting a half-payment on Thursday…butBALLSOUT!

Blue – at 09:07

…I just need a webcam, yeh.

I’ve got a script(fictional…totally; charisma(sp!?); and I’ve signed in. Is that all I need?

Blue – at 09:09

…was the light bulb invented back then?

uk bird – at 09:10

Since the concept is relatively simple to enact, try recording your first and get feedback.

uk bird – at 09:11

You’re not trying to recreate the original event, you’re trying to make the viewer think it’s a modern scene. The kick is that the events are fake but the words are real.

Blue – at 09:15

Uh-hah,-uh-hmmnn; Yeh well…mine is gonna be the most bestest favouritist;

(!Stacks-on!…)

Blue – at 09:16

We’ll play…”British Bulldogs”…yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeehhhhhhhhhh!!

Blue – at 09:26

“Sometimes you kick-sometimes you get kicked, baby…oooh-ohoooo-oh(INXS)”

How about a fake event(but probable) and fake word’s- I’m goingBALLSOUT!~8-D

Blue – at 09:28

You g’s don’t know what time it is!

uk bird – at 09:29

Then you’re just scaremongering, you’ve got no proof that a pandemic will happen or what the severity will be. Real people died in 1918, how much scarier is that?

uk bird – at 09:30

It’s only 2.25 in the afternoon here.

Blue – at 09:37

I’m just scaremongering_ I hope that’s not at me…’cos I care…I’m just “on song”.

I know I haven’t looked up all the references I said I would yaddayaddayadda but I care a lot!

Actually.

I will get the web cam! The only question I am asking is, “is that all I need?”.

I presume “Yes”.

(I do have mates I have to support after all)!?!

Blue – at 09:39

,,,anyway.,..what proof do you have??

uk bird – at 09:44

Proof that it’s 2.37?

Think about it. Which is more chilling and which makes you think harder about your safety:-

an account of 911 or the towering inferno?

Blue – at 10:00

…9/11 changed the world. That was cold.

I can’t explain my feeling’s that night, ‘cept I thought Perth was going to get NUKED!

…Every channel…everyone saw the second plane before the reporter…it was _

Alright_you got me!

Blue – at 10:03

…I was listening for planes…I called my friends(‘dunno what planet they were on)…but my security friend knew it was OsamaBinLaden_ I was saying,”..Who?”.

Freaky!

Blue – at 10:05

I thought it was the end of time. Yeh.

uk bird – at 10:07

Hold onto that feeling.

Blue – at 10:09

Ummmn…do I need broadband?

uk bird – at 10:14

It depends on the size of the final files. Never done vids either but so long as you don’t need to upload it to the net too many times, I don’t suppose that you need broadband. Perhaps a mate could upload the final version for you?

uk bird – at 10:16

In some ways the smaller the file the better because if it takes you a long time to upload, it will take someone else in your circumstances a long time to download. Keep your audience as wide as possible.

Blue – at 10:19
Food for thought.

Cheers!

uk bird – at 10:20

Good luck. Your enthusiasm is great!

Blue – at 11:11

K- get back to this on…sorry the 9th of Oct…that’s when I get paid!

~;-{#

Diana – at 12:46

How about a group of people in a dim room, seen only from the back, sitting, some with their heads on hands, others slumped dejected, but not defeated. You don’t need actors faces, just good expressive voices. Various types and ages. Ordinary clothes, telling very simply how a pandemic changed their lives.

lugon – at 15:49

Yes - do we need people with experience writing scripts?

AnnieBat 16:35

As just mentioned in the News Thread, DemfromCT post to DailyKos has shown up ion the NewsNow avian flu tracking system - well done team

Europepanflu – at 19:06

A question for all:

Is there anything specific to Europe that we can do to fire up the awareness week in Europe?

Blue – at 19:52

lugon and Diana:

I was thinking that many people could put up videos, but maybe a more defined/refined approach is required.

Anything to draw attention to the problem, really, was my initial thought.

I was going to make mine funny.

(So,do you just put it up and hope for the best, or you put them in a category, or…? I was hoping for it to atleast be seen by a few thousand, maybe tens of thousands…hopefully more. How does this happen-Just luck?)

Blue – at 19:54

Europanflu: Are you asking in relation to videos online?

02 October 2006

europepanflu – at 04:16

Blue - I was asking in general, regarding Pandemic Flu Awareness Week. Anyone has information on who to write to with the press-release etc?

lugon – at 05:55

Just corrected some typos and bad phrasing in PFAW2006 in Spanish. Anyone wants help in creating the page for other languages? Shall I do that in any case, and wait for others to translate? It may be 10 minutes per language (PFAW2006 and press-release) at most.

Also, I haven’t done the “ribbon” into Spanish. Help appreciated there. Dem created a ribbon with “CP” as in “Concienciación Pandémica” - but I haven’t had energy to translate the page - sorry.

If we really go international with this PFAW2006, this can only help us all! So even if you don’t speak German, Italian, Chinese, etc, please help in creating the “seed pages”: a page with the links to the original in English + with the text in English + a note PLEASE TRANSLATE (click “edit” on top-right). This is simple and we could have 10 languages or more - and some would be translated!

Any small help will be appreciated. It could (should?) be ready before AW itself.

lugon – at 06:01

The “PLEASE TRANSLATE” note can be deleted as soon as the page is finished, of course. We can even have a “CLICK HERE TO TRANSLATE” text-button - it’s easy to do.

tjclaw1 – at 11:32

Has anybody sent the press release to media yet?

Science Teacher – at 17:06

I sent it to my local newspapers and congressmen and local leaders. I am working on finding emails for local service clubs like kiwanis, etc. When my cards are ready I plan to hand carry them to lots of different places, post them on public bulletin boards, under wipers on cars in parking lots, library, markets, shops, etc.

The PFAW info was posted on FC this a.m.. It would help if those of you who read CE could post on the thread as well. (The thread is sinking and could use some support over there.)

I’m-workin’-on-it – at 17:09

Science Teacher, thank you for all your dedicated work on this project — you and all the others who put endless hours into developing this — thank you all.

Science Teacher – at 18:53

Thanks, I’m working’-on-it. The list of all who worked on this and are still working on it is a long one : )

LauraBat 19:05

I just finished sending the press release plus other relevant info to all the newspapers, all Board of Ed. supervisors (with focus on schools being germ factories), all the health department heads, and all the 1st Selectman/mayors (with a focus on how prepared is your town)for my town and several surrounding towns - 40 people in all. I am in the process of following up with a phone call and email.

One thing that I did which I think may open some people’s eyes is I showed in cold, hard numbers how many people in our state, county and many tons could become ill and/or die if the infection rates are (x, and y) and cfr is (a,b,c). It was easy to find population stats and set up a spreadsheet with different scenarios. When you see how many people in our little town could die, even without a very high cfr, it is startling.

03 October 2006

lugon – at 04:10

LauraB, you may want to use (or contribute to):

Could we have your spreadsheet for the Big Files project? If you send it to demfromct, dude, lugon at singtomeohmuse the-usual-dot com then it would be used by others.

lugon – at 04:14

I think we could have a spreadsheet sent by email as part of the awareness week - one without macros or anything dangerous. Just place the population in your hometown. Type in a CAR and a CFR and press “recalculate”. We could have extra columns with some “fear factor” or “disruption factor” (if disruption is proportional to the “people currently ill” column). Just as a game. Simple and maybe wrong. Maybe with several scenarios, one with St Louis and the other with that other town …

Maybe we could also have a “tab” (another spreadsheet in the same file) with some food calculations or whatever. But this is just a “maybe”. It’s not so clear in my mind.

Blue – at 05:54

Science Teacher…under window wiper’s in car parks is good!

Don’t forget TAFE’s and University’s.

(Perhaps one should be made telling Kid’s to wag school as soon as the news breaks…but that would be getting a bit controversial…)

Kindy, even.

TRay75at 06:03

lugon – at 04:14 - I think either you have been reading my mind or great minds run parallel thoughts. I have been thinking of pulling together an Excel “prep calculator” that runs down the basic food and sanitary requirements, then you plug in for how many people and for how many weeks and get a suggested inventory list. Pricing could be optional, but an add on, and it isn’t hard to do. I’ll add it to the “to do list” once the NJ conference summary is complete and I have my training class details locked down this week. If we have a couple of samples I can convert those pretty quickly and write the calculator so we can post it on the server for use.

lugon – at 06:29

TRay75 - there’s a third option: we’re like ants using the ground as our bulletin board. We’re on the same patch of ground, so we’re bound to have similar ideas, sometimes.

I’ll do the “panflu simulator” spreadsheet later. It’s copy-and-paste and then add some more columns.

Do you think we could have it as a gift to preppers worldwide for Awareness Week? Could it be easy to translate - hang on, I think I know how to do that. ‘Later!

lugon – at 06:34

TRay75, and also DAnge (sp?) if she’s reading this: we could also have a part of the calculator with “how much land in a rooftopgarden” per person. Are there estimates for that?

Ranchgirl – at 07:27

I have sent the press release, along with an image of the front and back of the card to:

- Palm Beach Post Times; Stuart News, Jupiter Courier, South Florida Business Journal, Ft. Lauderdale Sun Sentinel, Miami Herald and Florida Trend. I hesitated to send it further north into the Orlando area because I know one of the other fluwikians is from Orlando.

Perhaps we might want to start a list of WHERE it’s been distributed so we don’t duplicate efforts, and so others can keep their eyes open for the release actually being published in the days ahead (I don’t actually GET any of the publications where I sent it). Not sure how to go about that…perhaps a new thread??? Will go ahead and start one with this entry and then everyone else can add to it in like form.

LauraBat 19:49

lugon - happy to send it, just tell me where. It’s very basic and anyone could set it up them selves by importing their own state’s population stats and putting in some simple formulas. As I said, it raised some eyebrows.

LauraBat 19:52

ranchgirl has a good thought since many of us live in overlaping areas: - I have contacted the following; CT Post, New Haven Register, Hartford Courant + local papers for Shelton/Milford/Trumbull/Monroe/Fairfield/Redding/Easton/Newtown

DemFromCTat 21:14

list of places the PR has been sent - just add.

tjclaw1 – at 22:34

It’s almost Wednesday - let’s get the PR out!

04 October 2006

LauraBat 06:07

BUMP! PFAW is next week. If you’re going to get out releases to your local papers, do it soon!

lugon – at 07:39

LauraB – at 19:49

lugon - happy to send it, just tell me where.

lugon at singtomeohmuse dot com would do - thanks!

Average Concerned Mom – at 08:26

stupid question — how do you send a press release to a newspaper?

I mean, is it considered better form to print it out and mail it, or can you cut and paste the release into your email and send it to the paper’s general email for letters to the editot?

bump – at 10:05
tjclaw1 – at 11:39

Most of the papers I sent the PR to had a link on their web-site for submission.

tjclaw1 – at 11:43

Anybody thought of sending to major news sources like NPR, AP, Gannette News(USA Today), CBS, NBC, ABC, BBC, Reuters? or are we just sending to local newspapers?

Science Teacher – at 15:35

Send it to as many forms of media as you can think of. : )

PLEASE HELP – at 16:54

We need everyone’s help in getting out our press release for Pandemic Flu Awareness Week. Many newspapers allow you to submit via e-mail. Let’s get the word out!

I’ve sent it to the AP and Reuters and my local newspapers.

The press release is at the top of this thread. Please note where you sent the press release as shown by DemFromCT – at 21:14. I’d put the links here, but don’t know how.

tjclaw1

KimTat 17:28

list of places the PR has been sent - just add. http://www.fluwikie.com/pmwiki.php?n=Main.List

crfullmoon – at 18:47

Can someone send it to the BBC?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/

DemFromCTat 19:49

bump

tjclaw1 – at 21:14

Here’s a great site that has links to all newspapers: newslink.org

PLEASE HELP – at 22:43
tjclaw1 – at 22:56

crfullmoon – at 18:47 Can someone send it to the BBC?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/

I looked at their site and couldn’t find a link for submitting a press release.

05 October 2006

anon_22 – at 02:15

I’m working on an adapted UK version of the press release, as the current one will not go down well at all. It’s almost done, and I will use it for the UK only. So hold sending stuff to BBC or other UK media. Thanks!

But do feel free to post their links if you find them, so I can get this done faster.

This is 7am and I still haven’t gone to bed yet. If people will kindly post the links, I can get those going soon as I get back in the afternoon.

Please.

:-)

lugon – at 03:32

Who is ready to send things to other European countries?

I’ve seen anon_22′s draft - thanks - and it’s just perfect in my not-so-humble opinion.

Should it be sent to promedmail?

lugon – at 03:45

maybe the Spanish version should be adapted to several Spanish-speaking countries - not just translated? then just email the link to friends and friends of friends?

LauraBat 06:08

lugon - just emailed you the chart. let me know if you don’t receive it.

Blue – at 07:59

OK, what time is it Gs -

We need Jokes(good ones); or “The best lines from movies”; or The “best simpson’s lines ever”; or science folks rebutting in the forums talking about anti-gravity machines and perpetual motion machines; or ELSE/OTHER.

5 DAYS TO GO TO RAISE SOME AWARENESS(Supposing anyone really wants to!?!)

I will try and go to the most popular forums in “myspace forums”(and they have to be popular, on the first page, so that when people click on that particular type of forum e.g. Comedy/Science….whatever you’re into, they will see your logo!they will get put down the list as more people add, so just re-enter comments from time to time during this period up until the end of Pandemic Awareness Week atleast,PLEASE).

I need some jokes because I only have one(it’s ******** funny) but I used it allready.

so let’s all try and make a myspace address and look at myspace forums, pick a subject and enter your favourite movieline of all time, there must be heaps you can think of.

! This,IMHO, would have to raise some sort of awareness in what is a huge audience! If the jokes/movie-lines are funny, no one will get annoyed!!

Every now and then I will add something to make sure that the Pandemic Awareness Graphic above is seen by someone on myspace forums, atleast during the awareness week…another little(so EZY) contribution!

Blue – at 09:05

Has anyone got a myspace address?

anon_22 – at 10:05

The UK version is here

Commonground – at 12:24

Well you guys have got to be feeling pretty proud of yourself. l know I am proud of you all. I’ve sent everything off to every single person on my e-mail list. With the subject line…..”I’m Proud”. And I am. Great job!!!

uk bird – at 12:34

I’m sure someone’s thought of it, but just in case they haven’t (or like me haven’t got the time to read back all the way through Pandemic Awareness Week threads) is everybody going to put up a post on all the forums/chatrooms they frequent?

anon_22 – at 13:34

lugon – at 03:32

Should it be sent to promedmail?

Absolutely. Please.

If anyone else feels the urge to ask a question like that, the answer is yes. LOL

Dennis in Colorado – at 14:09

Press release sent to Grand Junction Daily Sentinel (Colorado)

DemFromCTat 19:39

what a team!

there’ll be posting next week, i hope, all week.

Jane – at 19:48

I joined survivalforum.com and put part of the notice in Advertisements.

lugon – at 19:57

LauraB – at 06:08 — received and replied (I think). Thanks!

anon_22 - re promedmail:


How to Report/Comment on Outbreaks To submit a posting for any of the ProMED-mail conferences, send it by e-mail to: promed@promedmail.org (NOT to one of the moderators).

  • In order to help all our readers evaluate the posts better, please give your full name, affiliation and country at the end of your post.***

NO UNIDENTIFIED POSTS WILL BE ACCEPTED, but identification will be withheld if requested for good reason.

If you have no current affiliation to an institution or company, please write either:

    * Health professional
    * Non-health professional
    * Student or
    * Interested lay person

as appropriate.

The country name is needed because some country email domain names are not obvious, and some people are in countries different from their mailing address.

PLEASE DO NOT SEND ATTACHED FILES. Our server is unable to accept attachments.


But this is not a “report on an outbreak”, is it?

Maybe promedmail deserves a special message, with a couple of links and something short and sweet, from us to them.

lugon – at 19:59

we’re so out-of-the-box, ain’t we? :)

anon_22 – at 20:11

its an outbreak of press releases…

Ranchgirl – at 23:45

I sent it to all of the NBC national news programs but got emails back from most saying that we needed to mail it in. In my experience, it takes months of advance lead time for them to do anything so probably won’t make much sense for this year. However, if someone in the newsroom catches it and feels it’s worth passing along…who knows!

Didn’t see anyone distributing for the rest of Florida so I will try to get them out tomorrow morning. Heading to bed for the night!

06 October 2006

anonymous – at 00:57

uk bird-@12:34-

Yep, got the scars to prove it!

lugon – at 03:22

i insist, just in case, that someone please send the press-release(s) to promedmail, using the above information

i’m not going to do that because i’m not ready to write with my own name

on the other hand, we could use a hidden email, explain why, and ask them to take a look and pick up the news themselves - i may do that if nothing else works, next week

help send out press releases! – at 04:53

bump

lugon – at 05:34

They are all done!

Anyone wants help with “seeding” other languages? “Seeding” is what I call the easy process of creating a fresh page with the text in English + a link to the original + a “translation in process” text, so that after that it’s just a matter of clicking “edit” and work inside the edit box:

Average Concerned Mom – at 09:49

In my oinion, it is worth sending out the press release even if major news agencies need weeks/months to actuallly work on a story, just because it gets the information in front of the media reporter’s eyeballs. The more the better.

In addition, it is probably a great idea to send the press release to the smallest newpapers at the local level — they often have just a few staffers and report the releases pretty much verbatim; makes their jobs easier.

And I don’t know about you all, but in my circle — if *I* send something to someone they will discount it. But if they read the exact same thing in their local, hometown newspaper, it will sink in a bit more.

Anyhow, I’ve sent the press release to our local hometown rag (The Washington Post!) as well as to the small county Gazettes in our area of Maryland.

DemFromCTat 17:39

don’t forget the Washington Times.

DemFromCTat 19:55

main page temporarily co-opted. See link.

07 October 2006

lugon – at 08:20

could we pay for some ad space like this? http://www.spreadfirefox.com/node/8769

DemFromCTat 19:59

bump

08 October 2006

Blue – at 03:27

If we paid for ad space…it would look like a con IMHO

I will try blogs and forums via avatars as the picture above!!

anonymous – at 03:41

isn’t this awareness week a bit silly,childish,commercial and not appropriate for the fluwikie-claim of obective,scientific information ? It has the touch of some “movement” or sect or commememoration or fashion or style. Some crazy flubies-gathering rather than a sober,rational project.

Blue – at 04:01

I wouldn’t think that …what is the point of discussion if, when we come to a conclusion, that we don’t take some sort of action.

Maybe not misinformed, because we are being told what’s going on, but we feel that borders must be closed and that that may not happen in time. We feel the governments may be a bit lax, and just want to raise public concern.

We are only asking that people think about it for a week. That wouldn’t seem to me as being silly.

I’m-workin’-on-it – at 04:06

and at least it got off the ground….the tee-shirts fizzled.

Blue – at 04:20

Yeh- I’m not so sure I would be prepared to wear a T-shirt.

There is a lot of attitude towards those who would ask you to prepare for a pandemic.

The facts are it is still a maybe. It probably doesn’t warrant such an attitude…but the mob rules ya know!

Another fact is, we are dependant on the MSM to deliver factual information…and if the MSM doesn’t actually say “It’s on”, then the mob mentality say’s, “It’s off”.

If an outbreak occurs(H2H)- who says it’s going to be on FluWikie first…NO…it will be in the MSM first because that is their job.

Maybe I would if I saw other people wearing one. I’m such a wimp. Just a mere-male I’m afraid. Ha.

lugon – at 06:50

Awareness Week has a “push” feeling to it: we’re pushing our opinion on others.

I don’t think we’ll go to far with a “pull” thing: people asking, coming around, etc, can only go that far, and is slow.

We can have something that “permeates”: a powerpoint presentation that is shared by email networks. The links above contain some images. It would be images, and perhaps a 1 paragraph summary.

anonymous – at 11:40

what do normal people know about this ? why do you want normal people to think about it ? Why this commercial representation which could have come from a specialist for advertising ? I find that denigrationg for the fluwiki purpose and claim. Don’t convince the normal people on the streets. Convince the rating agencies and insurance companies about the magnitude of the threat. Convince the experts. Initiate an expert discussion, not a common-people- awareness-week. Convince by arguments, not by agenda. Then the experts and rating companies will convince the investors and governments to invest into preparedness and research. And then the public will also be informed because much money is spent and the senate/congress has to talk about it.

Jane – at 12:11

Businesses are making plans now, but the word is not getting out to the public. Who knows what insurance companies are doing-will they make public statements? I don’t think so. Maybe they wouldn’t want to alarm stockholders. Most companies are not altruistic and are focused on their own welfare, profits, and continuity.

What “commercial representation” do you see in the publicity here? No one is selling any products.

There have been expert discussions, but most have focused on vaccines and anti-virals, not on sustaining the population through a periods of scarcity. If we aren’t well known, how can we spoil our reputation, anyway?

KimTat 12:19

Who is considered “normal” CEO’s, Stockholders in companys they are “normal” Believe it or not, not all highpowered people have this on their radar.

And some that do may have a different agenda. I could rant that one of the owners and VP at my office thinks this could be the second coming and plans to go with dignity, unlike me who is stirring up trouble. If they are the people I am depending on to inform, I’m dead already.

I think “normal” people should be given the choice, not have it taken from them from mis information, fear of panic…

lugon – at 12:20

gs, thanks - trouble is there’s many people to “convince” - we’re trying different things - the message is getting clearer I think - it’s difficult to imagine and difficult to believe

please detail your thinking - we need that sort of input - thanks

lauralou – at 12:20

anonymous @ 11:40- Go right ahead. Do all of that. DIY.

anonymous – at 12:27

business plans are insufficiant. Insurance companies do estimate the threat and their word will be heard by financial planners and companies who want to insure and by community and city-planners. The public will then hear it from those. For the commercial representation just look at the top of this thread with the logo and green ribbon. This awareness week is about awareness of the magnitude of the threat, I see no expert discussion about this. We are well known to WHO and government (at least some people wrote that here)

Jane – at 12:45

“Commercial” to me has to involve money. Who is making money here? I don’t get your point. (The ribbon is red, by the way.)

On this board there are posters with experience, education, and common sense who are experts in various fields. Over time they have concluded there is a risk that is being widely ignored. “Low probability but high impact” is what’s moving us. IMO, the discussion has already happened, and we want to convince others.

Are you asking that the evidence be assembled in one place? Hasn’t it been done on the wiki pages? Are you looking for one site that contains all the arguments to which you can direct the skeptical? Or do you want a new discussion to participate in?

Blue – at 13:11

All I am doing is putting up a few comment’s on MYSPACE forums(I invite you all{there’s only so many jokes I can come up with…I’ve scanned the pages so as to make an impression with a STUNNING JOKE-only one or two so far I must admit-} to put up something: there’s more than jokes_ if you can do science -do science/funny fotos/..all sorts of weird(and wonderful) stuff); putting some poster’s up around the city during this week and possibly getting a webcam to make a movie for you_tube!

I just put up the picture above as ME on the forums. Every time someone write’s a joke…I scan other forum’s and put up a better one→THAT’S the hard part.

(Oh_ and the webcam_ I’m kind of looking for a job right now!!)

But I understand that know one wants to disgrace any of the hard work being done here…so I am being careful not to be rude and obnoxiouse.g. by putting up DUMBASS/LAME jokes. I can only try.

Should I, perhaps, be doing something else. I’m still looking for, and getting interviews BTW.

Blue – at 13:19

I mean just e-mailing the pict. to friends and family(not any old one…that’s getting like SPAM and we want to avoid this) and kindly asking them, if they see validity in the idea, must eventually reach a few people..right!?!

Wouldn’t it be significant enough to alert a significant # people to a certain awareness week?

But, of course, NO SPAM.(eeeeuuugggghhh)

anonymous – at 13:53

the problem, how severe the threat is, is still controverse even among the experts. We must first decide how much prepping makes sense and this decision must be done by the officials at last. We don’t want to mobilize the masses so to pressure the politicians by possible voting majorities !?! We want to convince the officials by expert opinions, expert papers, expert discussions, studies etc. which we bring to their attention. This is our strength, our main argument : the experts do consider this serious while most politicians and planners don’t. I consider the power of this argument more important than the possible political power of mobilizing some thousands of laymen-voters. We were and are an internet platform to inform those who search for the information and want to be informed. We are not trying to carry some agenda to those who are not interested and just want to join the movement for fun. (are we?) We have no political agenda (have we ?) This information is not connected to some special week. There is no argument, why the next week should be particularly important in this context. Why the logo with the ribbon and the chicken crossing a road or whatever it is ? Why the swan in the fluwiki logo ? Just the URL and a short description without picture would describe our purpose better.

Lauralou – at 15:04

anonymous- I would suggest that you take the time to read the four previous threads on PFAW as well as the multiple threads about the evolution of the Red Ribbon campaign if you truly wish to understand the intent (purpose) of these projects and how consensus decisions were made over the course of many weeks.

InKyat 15:39

I can’t get the local media in my neck of the woods to attend to the pandemic flu threat, so I’m trying a more direct route, printing and distributing flyers. The flyers I’m using I posted here in case anybody else can use them.

DemFromCTat 17:12

This is the second year we’ve done this. We provide information, and this year more than last year, there’s more folks looking for information. Nothing’s being “pushed” except access. Nor is it commercial - nothing’s being sold or endorsed. Flu Wiki isn’t the only site being distributed.

I don’t get the criticism. Really, I don’t.

tjclaw1 – at 17:24

I also don’t like the idea of wearing t-shirts or ribbons, but then I’ve never been the type to join special clubs or wear any promotional t-shirts, buttons, put signs in my yard, bumper stickers on my car, etc. I liked the idea of the press release and pandemic flu awareness week as a way to raise awareness for individuals who have not been taking the threat seriously.

RobTat 18:18

DemFromCT 17:27

Don’t worry about it. We do not need to justify this awareness campaign to anyone, least of all to anonymous who continues to “not get it”. He/she marches to their own drummer and has their own agenda, clearly.

If there is anyone who does not understand the magnitude of the H5N1 issue, and does not understand the value in being prepared for a pandemic, especially having been exposed to the wealth of information here at Fluwiki….then really, what can you say?

Contrary opinions are welcomed when they are accompanied by well reasoned arguement and proper intentions. And playing “devils advocate” can be of value when it is used to stimulate thought and deeper examination of an issue,(again, out of well meaning motivation), but contrariness for it’s own sake is known as trolling, is it not?

crfullmoon – at 19:02

After reading about some of what H5N1 has done the past 12 months, I won’t waste the time it would take to convince gear-grinding statistic-seekers,

and I already know the government is failing the public.

Even when scientists tell them the common-sense things for safety and mitigating a catastrophic impact in time to act, politicians and bureaucrats choose not to listen.

Examples include; politicians getting told by scientists in the early 1980′s that HIV was a threat to anyone with blood and to warn everyone, India’s choice to not buy a tsunami warning system, (and, the refusal to pass the Dec 26th 9+ earthquake’s tsunami warning to the beaches), below-sea-level New Orleans didn’t fix its levees nor unworkable evacuation plan, nor prepare its populace for real worst case, (nor after, trade homeowners flood land for upland for rebuilding!).

It is too late to think the “Gods of the Market” care about the masses of individuals who keep the food grown and the lights on, tend the sick and put out fires.

We must first get significant ammounts of people aware and preparing.

Seat belts are worn every car trip because one cannot wait and buckle up when one gets sent a government stock form that grants seven o’clock as the time to get smashed, and then get secured. Nature does not give specifics like that.

Good snips; “When persons and things are in their proper places - and here tradition is the measure of propriety – relations are smooth, operations are effortless, and the good is sought and done voluntarily. In the hierarchical political and social conception of Confucius (and all of his Chinese contemporaries), what is below takes its cues from what is above” …

(Good stuff; gets sought. Getting smoke and mirrors, or worse, in real life.)

“Confucius’ vision of order unites aesthetic concerns for harmony and symmetry (li) with moral force (de) in pursuit of social goals: a well-ordered family, a well-ordered state, and a well-ordered world. Such an aesthetic, moral, and social program begins at home, with the cultivation of the individual”…

Gratitude sent to Flu Wiki founders and contributors, for cultivating the individual.

Welcome new readers, to the nicest place one never wanted to be reading about something with a current 66% fatality rate and in too many mammal species and nations to monitor. An H5N1 pandemic would be too big for any top-down solution.

Being more prepared for pandemic influenza will make the public better prepared for the smaller emergencies they currently are too unready for.

Blue – at 20:08

Well, it’s Oct 9 over here and I’ve loaded up the science threads on MYSPACE with the above graphic as my avatar(is that what they’re called).

Who would of thought. ME, on a science thread. Ha.

Check ‘em out and maybe add one yourselves!

(Oh no- I’ve just been telling the people who already know…oh well they can click on my picture where it gives ‘em instructions to please copy the graphic and pass on to friends if they feel it is a worthy cause…)

Bump - Bronco Bill – at 22:26

09 October 2006

lugon – at 04:23

DemFromCT - re “push”: we’re pushing the information, not the people! It was meant as a distinction between “just sitting here, they will come” and “get the word out actively”. Under these two broad categories, sending out invitations to a party is “pushing”, because you send information to those who don’t contact you frequently.

anonymous - thanks for your kind contributions. Please collect the links you find most relevant and send them to the insurance people - let’s hope they too will make their own minds up, as there’s enough information for them to be both aware and puzzled and preparing. Maybe they will tell you they are already - if so, could you tell us about it? Thanks!

10 October 2006

DemFromCTat 20:38

bump

Jane – at 22:37

What about laundromats? Wonder how often someone tidies up and throws out papers? I’d hate to leave a pile that only lasts one day.

11 October 2006

Bronco Bill – at 05:46

bump

lugon – at 09:04

Jane – at 22:37 What about laundromats? Wonder how often someone tidies up and throws out papers? I’d hate to leave a pile that only lasts one day.

Jane, took me a while to realise that you’re suggesting flyers could be placed on laundromats. Good idea!

Science Teacher – at 13:28

If you google Pandemic Flu Awareness Week you will see a list of blogs that link to PFAW. I am amazed how many there are. Technorati also has a list.

Has anyone read about it in the newspapers? The press releases that I sent out have not produced a story in my local papers. How are the rest of you doing?

DemFromCTat 13:39

links from technorati can be found here. last year we had nuch better resoults from blogs than media, but we didn’t try a press release.

Bronco Bill – at 16:28

bump

KimTat 17:50

I’ve not seen anything locally either, I hate the des moines register, lots of fluff, quit taking it myself years ago—not much substance anymore.

kencalif – at 18:51

AP article SAN FRANCISCO - Could you work from home for weeks at a time? How long could you hole up without needing to go to the grocery or drugstore? Would you be willing to wear a face mask and isolate yourself from others?

Harvard researchers are surveying Americans on questions like these as the government wraps up work on a plan to use primitive infection-control measures to deal with a killer flu outbreak until drugs and vaccine become available.

The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is pitching the plan at medical meetings and aims to send it out for review by the end of the year. State and local governments have asked for unusually detailed and specific advice on such matters as closing schools and canceling public events, one CDC official said.

This week, CDC awarded $5.2 million in grants related to the plan, including research on whether to recommend face masks to the public. CDC also asked the Institute of Medicine, a group of scientific advisers, to meet on these measures later this month.

“We can’t afford to neglect some of the traditional approaches to contagion control because we very well may find ourselves in a situation where that’s all we’ve got for a period of time,” said CDC’s quarantine chief, Dr. Marty Cetron. However, skeptics say parts of the plan amount to wishful thinking with little evidence they would work.

“A lot of these things sound good but they lack practical application,” said Michael Osterholm, a University of Minnesota health expert involved in the planning.

Advising people in big office buildings to avoid elevators and stay 6 feet away from each other is impractical, and people can’t stay in their homes for weeks or months without needing insulin and other medications, he noted.

The nationwide survey by the Harvard School of Public Health is an attempt to get a handle on how Americans would follow such advice.

As for hygiene tips like sneezing into your sleeve, “we have no data that that makes any difference” in controlling a pandemic, Osterholm said.

The bird flu that has ravaged poultry in Asia and killed at least 140 people is “still smoldering” as a human threat, showing no signs yet of morphing into one that spreads easily among people, said Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. If it does, severe travel restrictions would delay its spread in the United States by only a week or two and at extreme cost, the CDC’s Dr. David Bell said at a recent meeting of public health and disease experts in San Francisco.

Thermal scanning to try to detect people with fevers during the SARS outbreak turned up no cases and caused many false alarms. But voluntary quarantine, voluntary isolation of infected people and hygiene measures like hand washing, “cough etiquette” and face masks did help and might for flu, too, Bell said.

Dr. Frederick Hayden, a University of Virginia virologist currently working on global flu planning for the World Health Organization, agreed.

“The classic public health measures did work in SARS,” he said. They won’t be enough to stop a flu pandemic but could prolong and spread out its impact to prevent hospitals from being swamped and running out of respirators to keep the sickest alive.

The CDC plan will list multiple scenarios for pandemics that range in severity or attack certain age groups like children or college students, and recommend corresponding control measures.

These will include voluntary isolation of sick people, voluntary quarantine for those exposed to the germ but are not ill, and protective sequestration to separate healthy people or communities from a source of infection.

“Quarantine has gotten a very bad name and for very good reason. It has been abused in the past. It works best when we obtain and maintain the public trust,” Bell said.

However, Osterholm said there’s not enough science to recommend some measures, like “keep your distance” campaigns. Scientists know flu spreads through hand contact and big droplets when people cough or sneeze, but they don’t know how far tiny particles remain in the air, or how important that is for spreading the germ.

In fact, experts know surprisingly little about what enables a flu germ to spread.

Health officials need to give advice but should be honest about the limits of what is known “and not oversell it, which there is a tendency to do in times of crisis,” Osterholm said.

If that happens, “we will lose credibility quickly,” he said.

Bump - Bronco Bill – at 20:31
Olymom – at 20:39

I made up an information packet for our local school districts, including a list of actions for them to take. If you would like one, please email me at: cefprice@comcast.net

Jane – at 20:51

Here’s some new ammunition, a website from the American Public Health Association

http://www.apha.org/getready/newsite.htm

and sample letters to send to Congress to ask for awareness funding (we just have to remove the reference to our being a member of the APHA).

http://www.capwiz.com/apha/issues/alert/?alertid=8770051&type=CO

12 October 2006

Bronco Bill – at 05:47

bump

LauraBat 06:01

So far none of the papers I contacted have had any coverage :(

The Stamford Advocate did carry the same AP article Ken posted though :) Most of the small town papers come out on Thursday so maybe there will be something today.

Bronco Bill – at 12:13

bump

LauraBat 14:58

Never heard of this public health org. in Jane’s link, but I like their approach to things. They have aconference in Bsotn in November, but it doesn’t look like it’s a open-to-the-public event. Anyone have an credentials/able to get in? Since we all agree that hospitals/hcw, etc. will be the front line in this war it would be interesting to see what they have to say.

kencalif – at 19:42

I got the above copied AP article from http://www.comcast.net/ They have daily health headlines and are pretty good about keeping BF news in there. Here’s another article today Merits of Novel Bird Flu Vaccine Studied By LAURAN NEERGAARD, AP Medical Writer WASHINGTON - A unique study suggests there may be a way to kick-start people’s protection against bird flu just in case it triggers a worldwide outbreak years from now.

If a flu pandemic began, it would take several months to tailor a vaccine to the precise strain causing illness and then to make enough vaccine for every American. Worse, people almost certainly will require two doses to protect against a flu strain their bodies have never before encountered.

Scientists have long wondered if giving shots in advance might help _ a vaccine that wouldn’t fully protect but would introduce people’s immune systems to a brand new type of flu. Then, once a pandemic began, they’d need only one booster shot of vaccine tailored to the exact strain, significantly cutting the time it would take to protect a population.

Friday, University of Rochester scientists will report the first evidence that this so-called “prime-and-boost” method could work.

If the findings hold up, they raise the possibility of giving “priming” shots to doctors, nurses and other first-responders who would be on the front lines of a flu pandemic long before much vaccine was ready _ or maybe even offering such shots to whoever wanted them. “You’d have people who were prepared as much as possible in advance,” said Dr. John Treanor, a Rochester vaccine specialist who led the research. “It is something a lot of people are very, very interested in. It does have some major implications for policy.”

The researchers tracked down 37 people who had tested an experimental bird flu vaccine back in 1998. At the end of 2005, each got a single booster shot designed to fight a different strain of the H5N1 virus.

H5N1is thought to have made its first jump from poultry into people in Hong Kong in 1997. The Rochester volunteers got their first inoculations with vaccine made from that Hong Kong strain.

But the deadly Asian bird flu has continued evolving as it hop-scotched across the globe _ and the booster doses were made from a very different strain that emerged in Vietnam in 2004. The booster recipients were compared with people vaccinated for the first time against the Vietnam strain.

The booster method worked better, Treanor and colleague Dr. Nega Ali Goji will report Friday at a meeting of the Infectious Diseases Society of America.

More than twice as many of the booster recipients had a protective immune response compared to people given their first-ever dose of H5N1 vaccine. They even seemed a little more protected than those who got the optimal two doses.

The findings are intriguing, said Dr. Anthony Fauci, infectious disease chief at the National Institutes of Health, which funded the work.

“It really does add some degree of scientific credibility to the issue of priming,” Fauci said. But, he cautioned, much more research is needed before the government would even consider recommending advanced shots for bird flu: “Policy decisions would require considerably more information than we have.”

The work reflects what happens every winter with seasonal flu: When small children are first vaccinated against regular flu, they need two doses. After that, one shot a year is enough. Even though the strain that circulates each winter is slightly different, the shot awakens their immune system’s memory of influenza just enough.

“Your flu vaccine experience is a constant series of booster doses,” Treanor explained.

13 October 2006

Bronco Bill – at 05:49

bump

Bronco Bill – at 12:55

Two more days! Help get the word out…

DemFromCTat 13:53

nice article/blog here.

DemFromCTat 15:22

bump

14 October 2006

Blue – at 07:22

You shouldn’t expect the papers to have any coverage…if there is an agenda-how are we suppposed ot change it.

We have to look at other avenues.

All i’ve done is a posters and on forums with the graphic…also on my myspace…so if people at the myspace forums look it up they’ve got something to read!

Blue – at 07:24

…it would be nice to get some videos9plural) on youtube and others tho!

lohrewok – at 09:23

I sent some panflu awareness week info to our local paper, news stories editor. :( Got a email back telling me they had ALREADY covered H5N1 very throughly, thank you very much. And included were links to their stories, last one being in May. My little town of 110,000 is screwed. :(

Jane – at 11:57

I posted a notice on this forum but haven’t been able to find it again. I haven’t been notified of any responses, either. But here’s a good summary of pandemic threat by someone who heard Osterholm (and an introduction by the sheriff).

summary of pandemic threat on survival forum

Jane – at 12:39

I got bold and started a new thread on the Pestilence and Famine part of the Survival forum. pestilence and famine

DemFromCTat 21:21

new thread

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