"restrictions on mass gatherings"

[grumpyhack]

exactly, the media takes no responsibilty for its actions

its 1 of the reasons i try to not read or watch the news.

[rosstopher]

its not going to get bad. as long as people just keep flooding the BBC website with emails saying how pissed off they are that the media are scaremongering AGAIN then it will go away before you can oinktishu!

this is really beginning to piss me off. i'm not belittling the tragedy in Mexico, its very sad that they are unable to treat so many people. but thousands die every day from malaria. in fact, thousands die every day from conventional strains of flu.

i don't know what will solve swine flu, but i'm hoping that swine flu will solve the credit crunch, which solved bird flu, which solved terrorism, which solved oil shortage, which solved the millenium frickin' bug, which solved BSE.

catch my drift. the media scaremonger because it sells. it should be illegal, but it works. reasonable, rational people begin to fear something which they don't understand and doesn't effect them.

i refuse to live in a fear driven society. its bad enough with CCTV, wars on drugs (but not alcohol), wars on terror. a WAR on TERROR! what the hell is that?! everything the government does at the moment seems to aim to make people worry more and more about things in order to keep them in check by making them rely on the government and the media for reassurance. Ooh, there is extreme danger from this flu. but on page 19 we have a magical cure and a list of recommendations, what a ****ing surprise! "We've solved the credit crisis for you, now say thankyou and take this huge increase in national debt like good little drones".

the government does nothing but screw over its citizens at the moment at the only breaks we get are effectively stolen from the family silver.

i've had just about enough of all this crap about swine flu. nothing is going to come of it. glastonbury isn't going to get cancelled and now we can all sleep peacefully.

RANT OVER!

[Tugger2k]

Great. There are certain occupations that can't win.

Social workers - dammed if they take a child into care and dammed if they don't and something goes wrong.

Journalists - dammed for scare mongering or blamed when something goes wrong and everyone complains they weren't informed.

Festival organisers - dammed for not putting on your favourite band.

Doing an impression of an ostrich doesn't help.

We still don't know if the flu scare will come to nothing. Hopefully it will fizzle out but I'd rather be kept informed of current thinking and at least be aware of options.

Ignorance isn't bliss and it's certainly not something to boast about.

Sorry if this seems like a whinging thread but I'm not Grumpy hack for no reason. I spent many years as a journalist trying to keep people informed as best I could. The problem is that the messenger very often gets blamed for the messaage. We can't be responsible for the actions of governments, the pronouncements of the WHO or the opinions of 'experts.' All we can do is report them as best we can and let you the Great British Public make up your mind.

[ukslim]

Sorry, the media is being a bit shrill about it, but there IS a risk.

http://www.badscience.net/2009/04/parmageddon/ for a nice rational take on the whole thing.

*If* things get bad enough in Britain, they *will* ban large gatherings (as they have in Mexico City). Chances are, it won't get that bad - but it's possible. That's what risk's all about.

[Pilton]

Doing an impression of an ostrich doesn't help

[paulo999]

Sorry, the media is being a bit shrill about it, but there IS a risk.

http://www.badscience.net/2009/04/parmageddon/ for a nice rational take on the whole thing.

*If* things get bad enough in Britain, they *will* ban large gatherings (as they have in Mexico City). Chances are, it won't get that bad - but it's possible. That's what risk's all about.

[denwyn]

Woooooooaaaahhhhh Woooooooaaaahhhh this is getting ridiculous now surely this is all just another lot of scaremongering crap like bird flu and all that rubbish. I mean people are starting to really panic about this eh i aint, and im 99% sure this will just fizzle out like the rest, give it a couple weeks!!

And even if they did cancel Glasto, everyone could just turn up anyway and carry on how the hell are they gonna stop 175,000 people!!!!!

[muddyslingbax]

Thats the game who else is onboard!!!!!

[Tugger2k]

Hmmm.....I would hope if it were canceled that there would be at least some people with more common sense than you..or would you put three days in a fielld having a good time in front of saving mabe thousands of lives. This is a real threat....not a false alarm

[Sam Crawley]

Oh no, the threads are multiplying! Soon the board will be swamped with tedious "buying the media scaremongering nonsense" threads! Help, it's a pandemic!! If it carries on like this and approaches the Great Line-up Pessimism Plague of March then I'm going to have to administer one of the only two antidotes known to work... "Alt-F4" or switching to MFG!

[boover]

Here in Torbay there are already people stocking up on supplies...Supermarkets busy but town was unusually quiet today! I'm just looking forward to a quiet bank holiday weekend here!

[YouWhat]

the key word in there is threat - ie potential!

im not naive about this, but the whole point is that A) its not a pandemic yet & B ) if (and thats a mighty big if) it becomes 1, theres naff all we can do about it anyway

so, employ some basic hygene practices, try to keep a level head, and get on with life while you still can.

now, wheres that bus that might hit me tommorow

[glastoman417]

Sorry if this seems like a whinging thread but I'm not Grumpy hack for no reason. I spent many years as a journalist trying to keep people informed as best I could. The problem is that the messenger very often gets blamed for the messaage. We can't be responsible for the actions of governments, the pronouncements of the WHO or the opinions of 'experts.' All we can do is report them as best we can and let you the Great British Public make up your mind.

[Tugger2k]

I don't have a problem with journalists per se, I'm sure there are plenty who try to do a fine job. My problem is with the organisations themselves who insist on twisting and sensationalising everything to satisfy their target demographic.

[Tugger2k]

Considering its gone up several stages in a few days and is only one off a pandemic, i would say its inevitable...and a big threat to Glastonbury

[Kyelo]

i suggest you get yourself off to boots asap and buy yourself a facemask

also, you do know it can be transmiited on keyboards dont you?? better not touch yours for awhile or you might get ill

[Tugger2k]

Calm down there, you need at least 4 masks per day for them to be effective!

[TaylorT]

This scaremongering not died down yet unreal its always this time of year these things eh?

[grumpyhack]

[bombfrog]

This scaremongering not died down yet unreal its always this time of year these things eh?

[Spiderden]

[Ed209]

Considering its gone up several stages in a few days and is only one off a pandemic, i would say its inevitable...and a big threat to Glastonbury

[Tugger2k]

I'm tempted to err on the side of caution

[bombfrog]

and just what do you propose doing??

[barrychuckle]

and just what do you propose doing??

i have nothing against the advice of keeping a sensible hygene regimen.

but beyond that, just what exactly would you have us do??

you do understand that it can be transmitted through touch - ie touching infected keyboards

please, do me a favour, and give in to your ridiculous temptation