Slow news.  People are still going out in public places.  A lack of middle age people and older people getting the flu is interesting.  I still think there may be a connection with the smallpox vaccine which was discontinued for those born after around 1960, or something like that.  The theory that old people haven't been exposed is scotched by the Mexican experience where there is a lot of inter generational contact, especially in the smaller villages and cities.  Older Mexicans did get the smallpox vaccination.

Aldi Foods has had some good clearance sales.  One Aldi  cleared out the canned chicken in barbecue or lemon sauce at fifty cents a can and double sized kipper snacks (one of my favorites) at twenty-five cents a tin.  I bought them out.  My freezers are basically full from Aldi clearance meats and pizzas.  I have two generators, I should really get five or ten gallons of gasoline or at least get the cans out of the garage rafters.  

At Menards, I popped for 24 12 ounce bottles of water for $2.99.  Basically they are nice to keep a few in the car.  I don't mind warm water but if you leave filled bottle water in cars for a few summer days it could be unsafe to drink.  That said, if I remember when I'm driving I bring a freshly filled water bottle with me.  The bottled water pays for itself because I prefer warm bottled water over cold pop if I have to eat on the road.    Menards had a rebate on dry cat food again but it require a $10 non-rebate purchase.  I was just over the limit but $6 cat food rebate so the bottled water seemed a good hedge.

I got a new water heater. Nothing connected to this, just a good "price".   I might "hedge my bets" and keep the old unit in the basement.  Each water heater holds forty gallons that can be used for drinking and cooking in an emergency.  Not too worried here in Minnesota where we don't have earthquakes but if it gets bad I can drain, flush and refill the old hot water tank.

The postponed digital TV conversion is scheduled for mid June.  If the current flu is a "slow snowball" as the story below hints it should have a "head of steam" by mid June when the delayed digital TV switchover is scheduled to occur.  Of course, the "most vulnerable/non adaptors" still won't have adapted.  Something to watch.

That said, the scary story and link is below.

http://www.reuters.com/article/domesticNews/idUSTRE54H3QO20090518?feedType=RSS&feedName=domesticNews&rpc=22&sp=true

U.S. health officials troubled by new flu pattern

Mon May 18, 2009 4:12pm EDT

By Maggie Fox, Health and Science Editor

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The new influenza strain circulating around most of the United States is putting a worrying number of young adults and children into the hospital and hitting more schools than usual, U.S. health officials said on Monday.

The H1N1 swine flu virus killed a vice principal at a New York City school over the weekend and has spread to 48 states. While it appears to be mild, it is affecting a disproportionate number of children, teenagers and young adults.

This includes people needing hospitalization -- now up to 200, said Dr. Anne Schuchat of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

"That's very unusual, to have so many people under 20 to require hospitalization, and some of them in (intensive care units)," Schuchat told reporters in a telephone briefing.

"We are now experiencing levels of influenza-like illness that are higher than usual for this time of year," Schuchat added. "We are also seeing outbreaks in schools, which is extremely unusual for this time of year."

New York City Health Commissioner Dr. Thomas Frieden agreed with Schuchat.

"We're seeing increasing numbers of people going to emergency departments saying they have fever and flu, particularly young people in the 5 to 17 age group, " Frieden, who has been named by U.S. President Barack Obama as the new CDC director, told a news conference.

About half of all cases of influenza are being diagnosed as the new H1N1 strain, while the rest are influenza B, or the seasonal H1N1 and H3N2 strains. Flu season in the United States is usually almost over by May.

CDC officials say around 100,000 people are likely infected with the new flu strain in the United States and Schuchat said the 5,123 confirmed and probable cases and six deaths in the United States were "the tip of the iceberg."

MORE ILLNESS OVERALL

"We are seeing more reports of influenza-like illness from outpatient visits that we monitor than is typical for this time of year," Schuchat said.

Because doctors usually treat symptoms and only occasionally give flu tests to patients, the CDC must monitor reports of symptoms such as fever, cough and muscle aches to track flu activity. Some centers are doing actual influenza tests to confirm the patterns that are seen.

Influenza is a factor in 36,000 deaths a year in the United States and 250,000 to 500,000 deaths globally, the CDC says.

"Unlike the seasonal flu, we are seeing relatively few cases or hospitalizations in people over 65," Schuchat said. Usually flu kills the elderly and people with chronic diseases.

There is no evidence that a second, bacterial infection is worsening the H1N1 cases, Schuchat said.

When family members are questioned, it seems clear that children and teens are more prone to infection than older adults, Schuchat said. "People under 18 are more likely to have infections when another person in the family is infected," she said.

"One of our working hypotheses is that older adults may have some pre-existing protection against this virus due to their exposure long ago to some virus that may be distantly related," Schuchat said.

An alternative hypothesis is that it just has not had a chance to make its way into the older population yet.

(Editing by Julie Steenhuysen and Xavier Briand)

Stores seem pretty well stocked

The Minnesota legislature is talking about increasing the tax on beer! I might need to stock up! An Aldi near me had clearance prices on some of my favorite items. Deluxe kipper (fish) snacks in sauces were marked down from something like $1.69 to twenty-five cents I bought them out, it must be at least fourty. Also they had chunk chicken in barbecue sauce or lemon pepper sauce. Ten ounce cans figure two standard tuna fish can size. Marked down from something like $2.00 to fifty cents. I bought them out, something like sixty cans total. I bought fifty or so cans at a different Aldi when marked down to one dollar a can. The label says a can is 250/300 calories total per can lemon/barbecue with 50/60 calories in each of the five servings in each can. A can is a good "meal foundation" for two people. With cooked pasta it is a bit "different" but not bad. With steamed or even canned potatos it it good and like gravy it works well over bread, an easy main dish.

At Aldi I noticed that the 12 ounce canned Mackerel fish are not selling well so I'm watching that I bought a few cans before and like them. Aldi, also had marked down some specialty pasta and turkey stuffing that didn't sell. Overall, I must have spent $45, mostly on canned goods. For now, look for bargains on canned goods, stock up and "rotate".

So far the "hybrid flu" seems mostly a "dust up". I believe it was a real threat, the "hybrid" is new. I talked someone into not meeting me at a bar that has a lot of Mexican legals and illegals at closing. The Mexicans are nice people, I never had any problems but it gets very crowded at bar closing. Fortunately I have networked broadband Internet in my house. My friend (hint: female) is watching a DVD, surfing the net and calling people in Peurto Rico for free on my majicjack.com phone and drinking my $8.69 a case Mountain Crest Beer That is more cost effective than the bar anyway.

The downside of canned goods is the salt content. Basically, a salt shaker lasts a year for me. It's nice for certain fresh fruits and vegetables but I rarely salt anything.

From http://anti-strib.com I couldn't find a link

http://www.anti-strib.blogspot.com/

Cue The Crickets...

To all of you on the left (and on the right to be fair) who were so bent out of shape about the Patriot Act, I have a question....

What is your thoughts about this? Is there any concern or consternation here??????

Swine Flu 'Pandemic' Martial Law Passes MA Senate

5-4-9

"While Massachusetts residents were sleeping, our Legislature rushed through a bill- in response to the recent "Swine flu" outbreak.

This bill has been on the shelf but (the) state government felt this was the perfect time to slip this bill through.

What is the big deal about the bill- S18? It gives the Governor power to authorize the deployment and use of force to distribute supplies and materials.

It gives local authorities the permission to enter private residences for investigation and to quarantine individuals.

Basically during any "emergency" our state can and will declare martial law; you lose your Constitutional rights.

Emphasis mine.

Now that the "Democrats" are in complete control, we are hearing more and more rumblings about legislation to strip away the rights of the American people. Whether it is the re-emergence of the Fairness Doctrine, revoking the press credentials of media reps that disagree with you, threats of siccing the White House Press Corp on businesses who don't agree with the President's plans, annulling the voting rights of legit voters by engaging in voter fraud or threatening life long government workers with legal action just because they did their job, the "Democratic" Party office holders have done more, in the past 100+ days to remove the civil rights of the American people than the writers of the Patriot Act ever dreamed.....

I'm curious to hear the response, but I won't be at all surprised to hear.....