The Burning Questions

  The H1N1 influenza virus, otherwise known as Swine Flu, has become quite the phenomenon this year.  There has been much hoopla over the possibility that this version of the influenza virus could become the next pandemic influenza virus.  Sure, many people have become ill with H1N1 and people have even died from it, but is it really any more of a threat than our typical seasonal flu?

The Center For Disease Control estimates that more than 36,000 people die in the United States each year(on average) from Seasonal Influenza.  The current number of deaths due to H1N1 this year in the U.S. is 593 as of September 3.  This is less than one percent of the number of estimated deaths due to our conventional influenza symptoms.    The link to this information is http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/updates/us/.

Any number of deaths due to any kind of virus isn’t something that I am fond of, but I wonder if there is a gigantic hype going on in order to sell a vaccine that hasn’t been properly tested and is being rushed into circulation.  How long has the vaccine been tested?  Has it truly passed the guidelines for a vaccine or is it being rammed down our throats and injected into our blood prematurely?  Just some concerns…If you have additional information or comments, this is not something to be shy about!

  Sounds like something a single guy gets when on vacation in Asia rather than the truth of today’s possibilities.  GM is rumored to be pondering selling their Hummer division to a Chinese buyer.  This just doesn’t seem to be a reasonable thing to do at all.  Maybe its a forecast of the American future.

The news has taken to the rumor mill that General Motors will sell their gas guzzling Hummer brand to a Chinese company and I am wondering if this is a national security issue? Hasn’t our military has become accustomed to driving the rough terrain in a Hummer?  These radical automobiles have been outfitted with armor and weapons in order to protect and defend our troops.  What vehicle will take this “tough trucks” place?

I never even liked the gargantuan gas guzzling machine, but with the way vehicles are made nowadays, the monster of the auto industry, HUMMER, will be sorely missed.  Saturn is on the chopping block as well, but I don’t think that the plastic car will be as much of a loss to the American way as the Hummer.  The only way that this could be a good thing for America is if some homegrown company begins to make some sort of vehicle to replace this unique staple.  Leave a comment tell us what you think.

In an update I received, I found out that Hummer is merely a name bought by GM.  AM General is the actual producer of the military version of the Hummer.  Still, I like to think of the machine as an American machine and it is a thorn in my side that the Chinese could take yet another pride from us.  Thanks to HatedNation for lookin’ out!

  Jay Leno aired his last episode as host of The Tonight Show on Friday, May 29th.  He held the position for 17 years and is passing it on to Conan O’Brien, host of Late Night.  Leno took over when Carson retired causing scandal at NBC.

David Letterman had his sights set on the top spot in late night after following Carson for years and was insulted by NBC’s decision to cast Leno, Carson’s understudy, for the role as host.  Letterman left his show at NBC (Late Night) to host Late Show for CBS.  Conan O’Brien took his spot on Late Show and is soon to take over the role that caused Letterman to leave NBC.

Conan O’Brien is a very different comedian than Leno or Carson.  He has a much more flamboyant style than either of the two previous hosts and is, of course, much taller. lol.  The previous hosts, Steve Allen, Jack Paar, Johnny Carson, and Jay Leno have all had different styles, but O’Brien is by far different than any of the others.

Will he succeed as host on The Tonight Show?  Let’s explore this question.  He does have his own following on the Late Show.  He has written for “The Simpsons” and was one of the more popular writers there in the early 90’s.  He is, however, taking over a show that has been the industry standard for over 50 years and will be placed in a position that could ultimately land him in exile for his strange comedic presence.  Many of the viewers of the show are of older traditions and may not stand for his off-the-wall approach to humor.  He is also not the professional, in my opinion, that his predecessors were.  This could land him in hot water with the older crowd.  Screwing up The Tonight Show would be a disaster for his career as well as the longevity of the show which has run since 1954.

So, will The Tonight Show ever be the same?  I doubt it.  Will it continue on?  For sure.  Will Conan O’Brien be the quality showman that the previous hosts have been?  No way.  Will Dave Letterman be happy to see Conan cause the ratings to slide?  Probably so.  All I can say is good luck, Conan.  I think you are going to need it.

  Chrysler recently announced it’s closing of nearly 800 dealerships across the United States.  This is part of the plan to save the manufacturer from closing its doors.  They seem to be in the worst shape of “The Big Three” as they have also been working with Fiat to salvage their struggling company.  GM intends on releasing their list of dealerships that they intend on closing on May 16.  Ford has already come to terms with the reductions necessary, but are not obligated by government monies to give details.

The deal with closing all these stores is that this will mean that many more jobs lost to this destructive economic situation.  Thousands of salesman and office personnel will soon be out on the street with the millions of others searching for a new job.  This will lead to even less people able to purchase such things as new automobiles.  Chrysler will be giving jobs to Fiat employees as well if things go the way they plan.  The government is forcing cuts by GM and Chrysler in return for the loans they need to continue operating.

Will closing dealerships keep Chrysler and GM from shutting down?  Will they stay operational long enough to survive this drought?  Will the government’s money save them or simply prolong the agony which they are currently enduring?  Stay tuned…

  It has been stated that our economy is in a recession for a while now.  The housing, credit, auto, stock, and banking markets have all posted staggering losses of profit in the recent past.  Unemployment rates have risen drastically.  Morale has declined swiftly.  President Obama has raised many eyebrows with the drastic measures he has taken to stall the economy’s decline.  People are worried.

Today, there is good news.  The Dow Jones Industrial Average, NASDAQ, and the S&P 500 will all begin the day with gains between two and four percent.  Analysts stated that the housing market made some gains as well.  It seems as though things may be looking up.  Or are they?

We still have to deal with the current national unemployment rate of 8.5%.  This is as high as it has been since November 1983.  With the industries in the United States still reeling from the failing marketplace, we will more than likely see a higher unemployment rate to come.  We are still hearing news of job losses and cutbacks across the board.  The trends of the past thirty years show the bottom coming soon, though.

Graph chart of the National Unemployment Rate for the last thirty years

Image via:Bureau of Labor Statistics

So…is the economy making a comeback?  I believe it is showing the signs.  There are seasonal variables to calculate into the equation, but we are nearing the bottom of the barrel.  Many companies have fallen to this tough period and a lot of fat has been cut.  Soon,  we will begin a new phase of our restructuring: rebuilding.  There will be new prosperity to come.  This is all simply my opinion , of course, but a look into our history shows undeniable details that relate to our situation today.  We will soon be getting “back on our feet” and growing again.  This is what we do.  This is what America the beautiful has done since the beginning.

  Just days ago, the world was alerted that Mexico was attempting to contain an outbreak of the swine flu.  Then we were warned that the strain was a new one capable of being transmitted from person to person and that it was rapidly spreading.  Yesterday, there was news of a 5.6 magnitude earthquake.  What’s next?

Is Mexico undergoing a natural restructuring?  This seems to be the case as they have been hit by two disasters just days apart.  The spread of the swine flu may be aggravated by the fact that people who were resigned to staying indoors to avoid contagion were forced to flee buildings, escaping to the streets of Chilpancingo.  The earthquake, not less than a respectable ground shaker, brought people together at a time when it was best to stay to themselves.  Will this increase the number of flu related deaths from the estimated 140 plus that have already been tallied?  Let us hope not.  In such a situation, though, people who were wearing masks to go out into public had not enough time to think to grab them.

This is such a disaster for their country at an already difficult time.  We can only hope the bad news turns to good, and soon.

  So far there are more than 80 people are suspected to have died from the swine flu in Mexico .  There have been 20 cases reported to date in the United States, with the most recent case reported being a nine year-old boy from Lorain County, Ohio who recently returned from Mexico, the source of the outbreak.  World officials are saying that we are “well prepared” for this outbreak of the deadly virus.  Officials in Mexico and elsewhere are handing out surgical masks in an effort to help individuals protect themselves and others from contracting the swine flu, a strain of influenza attributed to contact with pigs.  Places that are reporting cases of this bug are getting priority shipments of the available drugs such as Tamiflu to combat the ailment, but their effectiveness is still under scrutiny.

So I guess The Burning Question is:  How many people will die from the Swine Flu?  No one here on planet Earth knows the answer to that question as of yet.  There have been limited numbers of deaths linked to this virus in the past, but this strain’s resilience is still unknown.  There have been a number of outbreaks of influenza virus that have graduated to plague proportions in the past, killing millions.  Could we be on the verge of another pandemic?  Possibly so.

There are a number of things one can do to avoid contraction of such a horrible illness, though.  Washing hands is the number one thing.  The second is to avoid congregating in public places.  Using public restrooms is probably not a good idea either.  If one must go into a place where people gather, wearing a surgical mask will lower the odds of contagion. Finally, DON’T travel to a place where a known outbreak or pandemic exists.  These things will help to keep one safe from pandemic, but in this world there are no guarantees that anyone is safe from sickness or disease.  That’s just how it goes.