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04/09/2003 Archived Entry: "SARS in Ontario"

Googlewhacking? -- the goal of which is "to plunk two words, rare and disparate enough, into the Google search engine and get only one page returned." It can render hilarious results. For more Googleword, consult the not-quite definitive Googlology site. I say "not quite" because it does not include GoogleWashing.

On the Political Front:

The squabbling over who will control post-Saddam Iraq is goinginto high gear. The London Telegraph reports, "A transatlantic row threatened to erupt over the future of Iraq last night [04/08] when France demanded that the United Nations take over from Britain and America once the fighting ends. With ferocious battles taking place between American and Iraqi forces in the heart of Baghdad, Tony Blair and President George W Bush announced plans to give the UN a 'vital role', rather than overall responsibility, for creating a new Iraq." How vital? Perhaps another Telegraph report is an indication. "The United States has the 'sovereign right' to prosecute Iraqi leaders for war crimes in its own courts, and will not hand Saddam Hussein or his henchmen to any international tribunal, senior American officials said yesterday." One of those brought up against American justice may be Saddam himself, whom British Intelligence seems to think is still alive.

Us v. UN...US v. US as the disagreement between the Pentagon and the CIA about post-Saddam iraq spins on...

On the Personal Front:

SARS continues to be a topic of concern in our area, with 95% of those affected being medical personnel or their families. Hospitals have re-opened their doors to non-emergency patients but they are screening every worker on a daily basis, by taking their temperatures etc. before admitting them into the hospital proper. Paramedics and others who come into contact with patients are wearing masks with openings in the "weave" of no more than one micron, which should block out a virus. According to a public health doctor who lectured last night, the cases in Ontario (10 deaths so far) can be traced to 2 people. The good news...the mortality rate is really not that high and transmission is not virulent. Nevertheless, all emergency personnel are being informed and are on alert. This includes the Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) to which Brad and I both belong. Again, according to the doctor, the two factors seen to be common in heightening the severity with which SARS hits are smoking and diabetes.

Best to all,
mac