So far, there's no indication that the "swine flu" is particularly dangerous, but the prospect of global catastrophe is attractive and exciting.
Scientists use various models to evaluate risk, but researchers have long understood that ordinary people don't rely on mathematical probability to assess the dangers posed by some phenomenon -- they use other kinds of rules.
For example, we're much more accepting of risks that we assume voluntarily. That's one reason why people who smoke a pack a day will go to a zoning board meeting to fight against a diesel bus yard.
People are also more accepting of risk when they have a sense of control. Driving a car is much more dangerous than riding in an airplane, but as an airplane passenger, you feel helpless. Another reason people worry more about airplane crashes than motor vehicle accidents is because the events are more noteworthy -- a whole lot of people killed all at once, instead of one or two here and there, even though the latter adds up to a lot more people over time.
Read on...
Has the media gone overboard on Swine Flu? Peacenik thinks some flu stories were/are a bit over the top. But public health issues are important and widely ignored. The swine flu has made a lot of formerly disinterested people suddenly interested in society's response to a pandemic flu.
Bart Laws says the time to start yelling the sky is falling is when the sky starts falling. Peacenik doesn't quite understand that concept. Governments and NGO's such as the CDC and WHO and FEMA have been encouraging the public to be prepared for an emergency, whether it is a health emergency, an earthquake, or a power outage. It is good advice. The jury is still out on the swine flu but it is very early in the game to be concluding that it is a media creation. Peacenik continues to prep. Will anyone trade Peacenik 100 current aspirin for 500 aspirin with a 2007 expiry date?
Scientists use various models to evaluate risk, but researchers have long understood that ordinary people don't rely on mathematical probability to assess the dangers posed by some phenomenon -- they use other kinds of rules.
For example, we're much more accepting of risks that we assume voluntarily. That's one reason why people who smoke a pack a day will go to a zoning board meeting to fight against a diesel bus yard.
People are also more accepting of risk when they have a sense of control. Driving a car is much more dangerous than riding in an airplane, but as an airplane passenger, you feel helpless. Another reason people worry more about airplane crashes than motor vehicle accidents is because the events are more noteworthy -- a whole lot of people killed all at once, instead of one or two here and there, even though the latter adds up to a lot more people over time.
Read on...
Has the media gone overboard on Swine Flu? Peacenik thinks some flu stories were/are a bit over the top. But public health issues are important and widely ignored. The swine flu has made a lot of formerly disinterested people suddenly interested in society's response to a pandemic flu.
Bart Laws says the time to start yelling the sky is falling is when the sky starts falling. Peacenik doesn't quite understand that concept. Governments and NGO's such as the CDC and WHO and FEMA have been encouraging the public to be prepared for an emergency, whether it is a health emergency, an earthquake, or a power outage. It is good advice. The jury is still out on the swine flu but it is very early in the game to be concluding that it is a media creation. Peacenik continues to prep. Will anyone trade Peacenik 100 current aspirin for 500 aspirin with a 2007 expiry date?
