You Know What Really Grinds My Gears?

[Devostator]

dumb people making dumb choices really grinds my gears

[indianasmith]

Then whatever you do, stay away from reality television!

[Olivia Bauer]

I may not always agree with Cruz's views, but I find that a bit over the top.
I absolutely despise what Barack Obama has done to our country and to the world, but I wish him good health and a long retirement.

I wasn't serious of course. I intentionally go over the top for entertainment sake. No the Ebola joke was my crack at topical humor.

(Also if I'm not mistaken the first Ebola case in the U.S. was in Texas)

[indianasmith]

I know - it was an hour away from me.
Can you say "ridiculous hysteria"?
They even closed my wife's school for a day because the kids of a nurse who attended the patient attended there.

[Olivia Bauer]

I know - it was an hour away from me.
Can you say "ridiculous hysteria"?
They even closed my wife's school for a day because the kids of a nurse who attended the patient attended there.

It was pretty pointless. There were very few cases but people were freaking out like the black plague was back or something.

[Newt]

There were very few cases but people were freaking out like the black plague was back or something.

 Tell that to the people in Africa.

It's called containment.  It ALWAYS looks extreme when it works.  If it doesn't work...the masses are screaming for someone's head.

[indianasmith]

Even in the countries where the pandemic is currently raging, the contagion rate is not huge.
The mortality is way less than one per cent of the population.  AIDS and malaria kill far more.
It's the awful, grisly nature of Ebola that makes it so horrifying and causes the panic, IMO.

As far as actual fear - a lethal mutation of the flu, a la 1918, has the potential to kill tens of millions, possibly
hundreds of millions, every year.  We've dodged the bullet for almost a century, but nearly every epidemiologist
says it will happen again.

Now THAT's scary!!!

[Newt]

As far as actual fear - a lethal mutation of the flu, a la 1918, has the potential to kill tens of millions, possibly
hundreds of millions, every year.  We've dodged the bullet for almost a century, but nearly every epidemiologist
says it will happen again.

Now THAT's scary!!!

Hence flu shots.  The flu virus is always mutating.  They track the 'current' strains of the flu around the world in a pattern - over the course of a year or two - and prepare the shots based on what strain is due to arrive 'here' in the current season.  Couple that with some common-sense personal precautions.  Not foolproof, but it has proven fairly effective at limiting outbreaks and reducing deaths.  With modern protocols in place, a pandemic like 1918 would not spread to anything near the same extent - provided people follow those protocols and don't shrug them off as being an overreaction.

[indianasmith]

Have you ever read THE GREAT INFLUENZA by John Barry?  An incredibly clinical, detailed, and terrifying account of the 1918 flu.

[Jim H]

I know - it was an hour away from me.
Can you say "ridiculous hysteria"?
They even closed my wife's school for a day because the kids of a nurse who attended the patient attended there.

The stupidest thing has been reading the conspiracy nutjobs people talk about it.  They were saying how it would spread here assisted by the government, the CDC would institute quarantines, everyone would die in the quarantine zones, and the government would use this to somehow consolidate control?  I don't know.  They've pretty much shut up about it now that ZERO people have it here...

[indianasmith]

I put that in the same category with those who say that the Obama administration orchestrates school shootings so that they can take away our guns.

In short, these people are idiots.

[Leah]

Political ads that always play when my music teacher wants to show us a documentary or songs on youtube., EVERY. SINGLE. f**kING. TIME. and it's for the same clown with multiple commercials, whereas the other person doesn't have it on Youtube.

[Josso]

Political ads that always play when my music teacher wants to show us a documentary or songs on youtube., EVERY. SINGLE. f**kING. TIME. and it's for the same clown with multiple commercials, whereas the other person doesn't have it on Youtube.

ergh no adblock, I don't understand how people are alive on the internet without it. I'd call it a "bare minimum" on the browser setup front

[A_Dubya]

People who only call you when they need something or want you to do stuff for them.

[indianasmith]

There is a guy who visited my church one time and has called me about ten times now asking for money.  It's getting a little old.