"You can put lipstick on a pig," he said as the crowd roared. "It's still a pig."

So this swine flu really has everyone in an uproar it seems.
I’m not trying to make light of it, by any stretch. However….

It seems to me if the Government was that concerned about this potential pandemic in the currently affected states, there is absolutely a way for them to be proactive about it. I’m beyond surprised that this hasn’t already been done, to be quite honest. I mean, I’m a bright girl – but I certainly can’t be the first one to have thought of this.

There is an incubation period for this influenza; why wouldn’t the Department of Health request all of the flight manifests from each airline that had incoming flights that arrived from or connected through Mexico, into each afflicted state. (Like Massachusetts, for example.) They'd start with the flight that the boys from Lowell came in on, and work their way back a few days, and forward a few days; while you may not be able to notify tourists – you can certainly notify all MA residents at least, of their need to come in for testing. Sure, some may have had tickets purchased by others – however, it’s at minimum a direct link to them in some way, as the airlines hold every passenger’s personal and billing information.

I’m thinking even if some don’t fall ill – might they be carriers? And if that’s not a possibility, it may at least help prevent them from spreading what some may think is just a cold. Not everyone will have the same degree of intensity with this flu, so how does one really know the difference from allergies that mimic a cold, from a cold that often mimics a flu. And the last I checked, no one squeals when they sneeze - so truly, what's the obvious determination? There isn't one, hence the problem being faced.

This sounds like common sense to me, and something that the government has the capability to do – rather than letting everyone freak out everytime someone coughs, or waiting for people to come in on their own.

Last night ironically, an acquaintance of mine in NYC was talking about the hysteria. Not that the flu itself is funny – but the paranoia is. She was on the train going home from work, and coughed; she said the whole car practically ran away from her. Seriously folks, it’s allergy season – get a grip.

On that note, I suppose I should change my plans for what I was going to cook tonight.

I’m thinking a turkey dinner might be a better choice than pork chops…..
(Is that a sneeze I feel coming on? But I kid...)