Hurray For The 2009 San Francisco Bay To Breakers!

(From:www.ingbaytobreakers.com/.)

It was with a sizeable amount of dread that I anticipated this past weekend's 98th Annual San Francisco Bay To Breakers.

Basically, The Bay To Breakers is a Dual Event:

It's One Part Serious Foot Race.

Officially, it's a USA Track & Field Certified 12K Run.
From San Francisco Bay to The Breakers.

Originally called "The Cross City Race", it was first run in 1912 - a precursor to the world-class athletic events organized for the 1915 Panama Pacific International Exposition.

In that Inaugural Event, there were less than 200 participants. Robert Jackson Vlught was the first to cross the finish line, with a finishing time of 44 minutes and 10 seconds.

In recent years, it's been a safe bet that the Winning Woman Athlete and the Winning Male Athlete would be from Africa.

This year, 22-year-old Sammy Kitwara of Kenya was the first professional runner to cross the finish line. He set a course record, winning the seven mile race in an amazing 33 minutes, 31 seconds!

And, 26-year-old Ethiopian Teyba Erkesso was the first woman to cross the finish line - setting a personal best time of 38 minutes, 29 seconds.

I didn't know this until today, but the first place winners of the race each take home a prize of $25,000.

Another remarkable Evolution since the early days of the Race has Everything to do with the Second Part of this Event:

The Parade/Party Part.

The City knows to expect around 65,000+ registered participants... many of whom (individually and in groups) perennially invest a great deal of thought, time and work in the costumes they wear and the floats (yes, I said 'floats' - as in "Parade".) they display during the Race.

The City also knows to expect about 100,000+ jubilant, costumed (and frequently intoxicated) spectators annually. Kegs and open containers were abundant - that is, until this year's Event.

This year, the New Improvements/Enhancements included "Shared Enforcement of City Ordinances Regarding Alcohol" (open container and wasted-in-public): the "Leave No Trace" Statement/Keep Our City Clean (Dumpster locations were mapped.); Additional Port-A-Johns. Last Year's myopic 500-or-so didn't quite match the 165,000-or-so person Event. (Sigh...) It's ludicrous, but this actually needs to be said: "Just Because You Can Urinate/Defecate In Public Doesn't Mean You Should."

I am sincerely grateful to my Beloved City of San Francisco for finally setting a few new rules and regulations.

I have absolutely no problem with people stepping outside their usual Monday-Friday/9-5 comfort zones and - basically - Letting Their Freak Flags Fly. In fact, I'm all for it. And, I encourage them to Break Free and do so more than once or twice a year (the other oft-perceived 'safe' day to do so being All Hallow's Eve/Halloween.).

What I take serious issue with is what some of the colorful revelers would thoughtlessly do to our Beautiful & World-Famous San Francisco - particularly to Her Public Parks - along the Race Route.

After the 2008 Bay To Breakers, I headed to the Panhandle Park - between Oak Street and Fell Street - with Jessi the Dog...

What I saw when I looked into the Park from Oak Street made, I wanted to scream... I did scream, "Oh My F'g God!"

The Beautiful, Lush & Green Panhandle Park that I LOVE... the Park that countless men, women, children, tourists and dogs LOVE... was trashed beyond belief.

The word "TORNADO" came to mind - except that the trees were still standing. But, other than that, Park-wide swath of destruction looked the same.

My eyes welled up with tears.

It broke my heart that people could be so utterly thoughtless, callous and LAZY as to have left the Park looking like...

... Like the basement of a fraternity house after a three-day weekend beer bash.

I let Jessi run around - keeping a watchful eye on her - as I spent the next Two Hours picking up the trash and gathering together the recyclables left scattered helter-skelter by people who - at all other times - masquerade through Life as sentient beings.

At one point, I even had to call the Fire Department, because one particular group of Brainless, Beered-Up Bozoids had left a large, rectangular, aluminum tray - full of still-burning charcoal briquets on the grass... In the middle of a Park where people play Frisbee, catch, volleyball... where young children run around... and where people's beloved dogs run and play...

And, not one of them would ever expect nor would they want to suddenly set a foot or a tender paw down into a tray of red-hot coals!

I went to pick up the tray, found it was still Hot and that it was burning the grass underneath and around it. That's when I called the Fire Department.

I waited for them to arrive... I had to wait for them and direct them to its location. Otherwise, they would never have found the tray in the grassy and tree-lined Park.

Needless to say, I was cursing the lazy, liquored-up litterers. In fact, I cursed their incompetent parents for birthing them.

But, this year, it was Different...

Gloriously Different!

I don't know if it was the New Rules and Regulations...

Or, if it was possibly that the worst offenders died of alcohol poisoning since last year's debacle. :)

Again, I returned to the Park with Jessi the Dog. This time, I brought a large trash bag with me - just in case.

And - I am thrilled to say that the Panhandle Park survived this year's Bay To Breakers Bacchinalia with much less damage than last year.

Whew!

Thank You, San Francisco.

And, Thank You, Bay To Breakers Revelers.

You've restored some of my faith in Homo-Sapiens and their ability to choose to not be pathologically self-destructive.

Peace.

L.

SFSK8rGrrl & Her Trusty '87 Caballero Vs The Speeding SFPD Cruiser

Decidedly Not The Sort Of Thing That You Ever Want To See (Or Hear) Charging Towards You...
(*Please Note: This is not the one that nearly made me a wealthy hood ornament.)

Thought I'd Blog about my Near-Miss...
No. Wait a minute.
Wouldn't a 'Near-Miss', by definition, equate a 'direct hit'?
Hmmm...
Then, I would say it was an 'almost'...
Except for the "'Almost' only counts in hand-grenades and croquet" - thing.
Criminy!

I'll just tell you what happened a few nights ago that caused me - in an instant - to see, in my mind's eye, several variations of what my immediate future might be... all at once.
That... and it briefly left me a little on the shaky side with my pulse pounding like crazy in my chest...
But, on the bright side, the Adrenaline Rush it generated Kicked Ass!
(Don't let anyone ever tell you that a near-death experience can't have a Silver Lining.)

Anyway...

I had gone out cruising on my Powell/Peralta Dragons & Bats Board while the sun was still up in the sky. A few hours later, I decided to head home and I caught the N-Judah Light Rail back to Carl & Cole Streets from the stop at Church & Duboce (behind the behemoth Safeway on Upper Market St.)

I was wearing my 'second skin' - my beloved black leather motorcycle jacket to which I have added spikes and studs (I say 'Second Skin' because I rarely leave home without it.), black Tripp pants that ended just below my knees, Hot Pink & Black Rectors. (I don't have Carpal Tunnel. But, I've fractured my wrists more than once. Future-fracture prevention, road-rash prevention and the rock-hard, squared piece on the palm comes in handy whenever I need to let the occasional blind driver know that I see them - even if they don't see me.)

I admit it wasn't the best color choice for skateboarding at night, but, when I left, it was daylight. But, the pants and belt have a lot of polished silver things on them. A silver handcuff earring dangling from my left ear held a blindingly brilliant Red, White & Blue Strobe light. Jessi the Dog wears it most of the time - to be more visible. I borrow it when skateboarding after dark. And, of course, there's my glow-in-the-dark hair.

A Brief Aside Re: San Francisco's Criminalizing and just plain STUPID, Skateboard-Related Traffic Codes: I usually don't skateboard on Haight Street. Plenty of skaters do it, but I try to avoid it. Why? One of my ex-boyfriends - actually the one who introduced me to skateboarding and provided my first Caballero and Santa Cruz boards - was cited and had his skateboard confiscated by the SFPD for "skateboarding on the sidewalk"... even though he was neither "skateboarding" nor "on the sidewalk"! He had just exited the doors of the (now defunct) Cala Foods and was Standing Next to Me In Cala's Parking Lot. We tried to reason with the over-eager officer - Silly Us - he refused to hear Reason.

Several friends had their decks confiscated "For skating on Haight Street". There is a "No Skateboarding Permitted" Sign posted at Haight and Schrader. But, it's enforcement appears to be arbitrary. If you get caught - some officers will stop you, kindly inform you about the law and tell you to get off your board; some will glare at you with contempt, cite you and confiscate your board; and some will leave you alone... they are busy protecting and serving - the latter are my Favorites.

In San Francisco, it's also illegal to skateboard on many sidewalks. This law is Utterly & Unbelieveably STUPID! Think about what this means: It orders skateboarders to skate in the Street. The Streets of San Francisco. You know... alongside the 2+Ton Cars, Vans, Taxis, Pickup Trucks and the occasional 18-Wheel Semi. Vehicles often driven by people who are barely aware that there are other people present in other 2+Ton. Steel & Fiberglass, Enclosed Vehicles all around them... Do you honestly believe they're looking for individuals riding on sticks of wood with four wheels and No Enclosure? (Here's a hint: Ask a bicyclist.)

It's like ordering kids to "Go Play In Commuter Traffic". It's Vehicular Russian Roulette. Except it lacks the direct control of the gun, and - in lieu of bullets - shoots 2-ton automotive ammo.

Needless to say, since I stopped being suicidal/self-destructive a few years ago - I often skateboard the sidewalks. It depends on a few variables:
the condition of the surface vs that of the black-top, the density of pedestrian vs car traffic and if drivers indicate they are awake, alert and sane.

Back To The Incident...

So, I'm skating from Carl Street down Cole Street towards Haight. If I remember correctly, the curiously-named "Cole Valley" area - oddly enough, it's uphill from Haight Street - has signs that declare "No Skateboarding On The Sidewalks". Skate Here... Skate There... Don't Skate Here... Don't Skate There... My Side... Your Side... My Side... Your Side... (Sorry. FARSCAPE Reference.)

Fine With Me: I LOVE to Skate Cole Street! It's been re-paved recently and is pothole-free, offers a slight decline and is divinely smooooth all the way.

So, I'm dutifully skateboarding down Cole Street - in the street. I'm approaching the intersection at Frederick Street. I look to the left and right of Frederick. No cars on the left. On the right, I noted headlights. They seemed to be stopped/not advancing forward and were about 2 car-lengths away from the Stop sign. I figured it was safe to proceed through the intersection and did so.

When I reached the geographical center of the intersection, the quiet night air was suddenly filled with a terrible sound and I knew -
in that instant - that I was in immediate physical danger.

It was a sound that I recognized immediately. It was the low & rumbling, growing louder and accelerating roar of the amped-up engine of a police cruiser. I knew this... even before I glanced up towards my right and saw the black-and-white vehicle. (This was one of those extraordinary moments where so-called 'time' doesn't behave in the same linear fashion that it
might seem to when you aren't in immediate danger.)

There I was... on my skateboard... having just reached the point of being smack in the middle of the intersection...
And, here comes trouble... with his foot laying down the accelerator.

In spite of my nightmarish predicament, I remember being aware of a strange yet definite feeling of calm... I suddenly Really felt Myself in that moment... I could feel the coolness of the air on my skin; my field of vision included not just my right side and the approaching police car... but also the three approaches to the intersection (the fourth was behind me). I could see the
hill that the car had come down, the faraway onyx night sky above and the houses framing either side. It surprised me.

And, in spite of the spontaneous and clear, "Oh, F*ck!" that I uttered in my head at the instant that my mind put together the gutteral roar with the black-and-white... and I knew that the officer behind the wheel was pushing the accelerator, sending the speeding the car forward exponentially. I knew that he/she was likely thinking about their destination (in the direction of Park Station)
And I knew without any doubt that I was a pitiful few feet from the front grill of the car from whence that horrible sound originated.

I knew - in the same instant - that I was on target to become - in only a couple beats of my heart (if I carried out the unavoidable and momentary take-off and landing well) - an SFPD Hood Ornament. It seemed to take no more than two heartbeats for the police cruiser to travel from the Stop sign to me.

The Stop sign... Surprise! Surprise! They didn't stop at the Stop sign.
They didn't switch on the Colorful Beacon/Light Bar on top of the vehicle. Nor do I recall hearing any screeching or squealing - indicative of sudden braking.

I remember thinking, in this fleeting alternate universe, where seconds were stretched - like gobs of salt-water taffy, "They don't see me.".
I was at a virtual standstill on my skateboard - in the middle of the intersection...
El Diabolo/Toro is bearing down on me... roaring.
And, they have no awareness that I'm here.

Perhaps the strange feeling I experienced is the Calm that comes with the knowledge that what was happening was unavoidable... That, Death, in that moment, may be unavoidable... That - at that moment - As some Friends Tell me, "Whatever Is... Is."

I felt some small comfort when the officer driving - in the nanoseconds leading up to the moment they were going to hit me - seemed to finally see me. For, just before the car was going hit me, it swerved to the left - desperate to veer around me. There was virtually no room to manuever in - there were cars parked on Cole Street - all the way to the Stop sign on the corner (this may have contributed to the cruiser's driver not seeing me. Perhaps he was looking for headlights as I was.)
It wasn't much comfort because I felt that they weren't going to be able to avoid me. There didn't seem to be enough room. The police cruiser was coming much too fast.

After seeing all this, I glanced down my right side.
I saw Two Things:
My right hip and leg...
And... No more than 2-inches away from my leg - the jet black rubber frame of the cruiser's chrome bumper. My leg wasn't quite to the corner of the bumper. I was still in front of the car. I remember glancing on top of the front right corner of the hood... and (I had said 'carried out well' because) I decided that - when the car hit me - "F*ck the skateboard... I would aim to throw myself up and over the hood and towards street on the right side of the car.

At the same instant that I had looked down to see my leg inches from the car's bumper, I also made a desperate attempt to make a sharp, fast right turn on my skateboard - around that bumper and out from in front of the wheels underneath.
My Brilliant On-The-Fly Plan was this: Avoid Being Run-Over.

It's Amazing how fast your thoughts fly and how s-l-o-w-l-y 'time' struggles to crawl in these Death-Defying Moments.

And... I still don't know How it happened... But, the speeding police car that had - only a moment ago - been less than 2" from my right leg... didn't hit me.

From where I stood - in front of the car - it would have been simply impossible for me to get out of the way. It Was A Physical Impossibility! There wasn't 'time' for the cruiser to stop, there wasn't any room for them to steer around me without hitting another car, I wasn't going fast enough to get out of their way...
Any way I looked at it, it went against the laws of physics.

I continued on my skateboard in my original direction and I headed directly for the sidewalk on my right. I don't know if I was even breathing yet. I glanced behind me, towards the infamous intersection at Frederick Street and...
The police car was gone... no flashing lights... no squeal of car brakes... no apoplectic voice yelling at me over the PA system... Nothing... It was now just me, my Cab and the utterly still and quiet night.

My heart was pounding in my chest and in my ears. Having just defied the Laws of Physics and Death itself...
I was now trying to prepare myself for the coming onslaught: the return of the would-be Reaper/Police car... this time with light-bar flashing and the angry, booming voice over the PA system...
I got off my skateboard and continued walking along the sidewalk towards Haight Street. My rapid breathing mimiced a 100-yd dash runner.

I kept replaying the events of what had just happened over and over in my head, while simultaneously trying to think how best to deal with what I expected to be a Very Irate Police Officer...

Strangely enough, they never returned.

I was both relieved and surprised.

The SFPD officer in the speeding police car who - by all known physical laws - should have struck me in that intersection and who probably was close enough to me to identify my eye color... didn't Stop.

Nor did they come back to:
A.) See if I was O.K. or B.) Yell at me. or C.) Confiscate my Caballero. (Whew!)

When I reached my home, I set down my skateboard and blurted out, "He didn't even stop."... I was recovered from my miraculous experience of "evading high speed pursuit" and was now feeling rather incredulous.

When I told some friends what had just happened, they all asked me, "Did you get the number of the police car?". And I told them... "No. It happened too fast. I never saw the number. I never saw the driver. They didn't stop or come back."

They couldn't believe it, either, "You're kidding! They didn't stop?!".
"No.", I answered.

In spite of that... I'm just Thankful that I continue to be Blessed - when I find myself suddenly facing an event that could potentially end in either serious bodily injury and or Death - with this sort of outcome.

It isn't the first time that I've experienced such an inexplicable and impossible intervention...

Who knows? I may even share some of those stories with you... But, not here and not now.

Peace.

L.

Butt-Kicking/Crime-Solving SFPD vs. Haight-Ashbury Homeless (With Photos)

I was on the scene, with my trusty Kodak Digital Camera, as several officers working out of the San Francisco Police Department's Park Station coordinated their crime-solving and butt-kicking efforts and took down a hard-core, violent San Francisco crime boss.

Sounds Freaking Fantastic, doesn't it?

Had it actually happened, I'd have been first in line to shake their hands and salute each one of them.

Hell, I'd even call SFPD Chief Fong and insist that they all be given promotions.

If that was what they had actually done.

But, I was on the scene (with my camera) of a serious situation. Well, it apparently was serious enough to the officers involved that they felt it justified the presence of a total of Four SFPD Patrol Cars and at least Six Police Officers!

One would rightly think that such a sizeable show of uniformed force, firepower and - frankly - testosterone would indicate a tactical Police Response to something Big, like reports of "Shots Fired." or a Bank Robbery in progress, or - at least - a traffic accident with injuries.

But, this was not the case. Not by a long shot. And it isn't the first time. And, sadly, it won't be the last.

The events I witnessed took place a couple days ago. I was sitting at my computer, when I heard the sounds of a girl from outside my windows who was tearfully asking for her dog back. Hearing this, I assumed that some asshole had grabbed her canine companion. So, I got up and looked out the window...

I wasn't completely wrong. There was a girl sitting against the building across the street who was in tears.

I was a little off about the asshole, though...

I had underestimated the number of them. Eventually, a total of Six Armed Assholes were on the scene.

I talked with the girl yesterday. She told me what had happened.

It had been raining all day. As she sat on the sidewalk, she had thoughtfully covered her two dogs with a tarp to protect them from the rain. At one point, she got up and crossed the street to get some water for them to drink. The first cops were on the scene as she got back. She returned to her dogs and one of the officers snarled at her, "Give me the dog.". She didn't know what was going on. He repeated his order, "Give me the dog!". She started to explain to them that she had only left them for a moment to go get them some water to drink. The officer didn't care, didn't want to hear any explanation, he just demanded she hand over the dog. She took the dog out from under the tarp and the officer took the dog and tied it - in the rain - to his patrol car's side mirror.

Initially, there had been a male friend of the girl's present, but the officers had threatened him and made him leave her alone with them after he challenged them loudly.
Something to the effect of: "Don't you have anything better to do? Aren't there any rapes or robberies going on that you could be stopping? Of course there are... and yet, you're Here!".

The Truth Hurts. And, apparently, when you're given a gun and a badge, you don't have to listen to it.

Anyway, there was the one red-headed officer who apparently had proclaimed himself Officer Asshole. The other five were there to... hmm... just in case... err... he needed 5 armed officers as backup because... Hell. There simply was Nothing going on that can justify the other five of them being there.

She was sitting against the building, hands at her sides, tearfully pleading with the officer to return her dog. To just let her hold it. But, red-headed Officer Asshole had a plan. To intimidate. To harass. To bully. He told the girl that he remembers seeing her and her dogs a year and a half ago. He then stated that he had wanted to shoot and kill one of her dogs back then. He said that he was sorry that he hadn't.

He was probably annoyed that he couldn't just kill her dog right then & there. But, in front of fellow officers... (actually, they'd probably back him up and say it was " a justified shooting", so) in front of civilian witnesses (Thank Gd there were civies around!) he might be chastised by the Police Commission... or (given their history) given a promotion.

(I remember several incidents a few years back, where some SFPD officers had shot several homeless peoples' dogs. I personally knew three of the homeless people whose dogs were shot & killed in front of their owner's eyes, with no just cause. These dogs weren't aggressive, ever. Adding insult to excruciating injury, a couple of their owners were detained briefly after the shootings and then released without charges. No explanation. No Apology. Nothing - but the body of their formerly unconditionally-loving, warm and lively and now bloody, cold and lifeless companion.
*To the SFPD Officer(s) who were involved in those callous murders of the dogs: May You Get What You Truly Deserve. To the Officers who just looked the other way... Shame On You and the Parents Who Stuck Us With You.)

Back to The Current Incident:
Both of the girl's dogs are registered. She showed the officers that she had their rabies vaccination tags clipped to her belt. She obeyed the laws. Her dogs were legal, vaccinated & registered.

So, again, I ask: WHY The Over The Top Show Of Force?

Obviously, she wasn't a dangerous criminal. Obviously, she wasn't abusing her dogs... In fact, she takes excellent care of them. They are registered. They've been vaccinated.

So, what was the justification for that pronounced Police Presence?
What did Officer Dog-Hater do? He ran her name... but, that's just GP (General Practice) for the SFPD when they identify someone as 'homeless'. They couldn't give her a Citation (I can hear them realizing this, now: "Damn It! She already has them Registered! We can't ticket her for it! How am I gonna make my Quota?)

So, in the end, all of this taxpayer paid Police Presence resulted in... What?
A scared dog. Another victim of SFPD Police Brutality/Psychological Torment. Anyone committing a crime elsewhere in the neighborhood at the time likely got away with it. And... Oh, yeah... Six Police Officers who stealthily avoided doing REAL POLICE WORK while still Getting Paid.
("Police Work" i.e. Activities Like Investigating Crimes; Cultivating Relationships With The Public; Protecting Civilians From Violence and Threats of Violence.)

If a "Picture Paints A Thousand Words" - Here's the story in Pictures:

ONE SFPD PATROL CAR:


PLUS TWO MORE SFPD PATROL CARS:


MAKING THE FRIEND LEAVE HER ALONE:


"WE'VE GOT HER SURROUNDED."


"DID YOU CALL FOR BACK-UP?
"

"WE HAVE A SITUATION."


Facing the girl - below - is Officer Asshole (The one who made a testicle of himself and Who has a hard-on To Shoot And KILL Her Dog.)
This gun-toting 'public servant' is targeting our most-vulnerable citizens - the Homeless and their dogs - with his mental/emotional issues. He's in Acute need of an Independent Psych Evaluation.


As for the other uniformed/armed 'rubber-neckers', they're in need of refresher courses in 'Police Work' (W/emphasis on both Human Rights and How To Tell The Difference Between A Criminal and A Civilian.)

Stand Up & Speak Out Against Police Brutality In All Its Forms!
Peace.
L.

The H1N1 Influenza Shell Game Begins: Surprise! It's Really Just Kinds of Swine Flu.

Scout's Honor (I'm holding my three fingers in the appropriate formation): I am not a Conspiracy Theorist...

Nor am I trying to start a Conspiracy...

I only write this with the sincere hope that it gives you something else to think about... something other than what is said in the mass media, by the CDC, by the government, by any of the parade of scientists that are undoubtedly lining up.

I am not saying that any or all of the afore-mentioned are or will be blatantly lying to you.

I only encourage you to think for yourselves. Be critical thinkers. Question Authority Figures - no matter what their credentials.

Here's my (perhaps unique/perhaps not)view of the poorly-named "Swine Flu" Pandemic. ('poorly-named' because no pig or piglet has ever developed it, according to scientists.)

These are my thoughts - How I see it - through 'glasses' colored by researching documented historical events when our Uncle Sam, the US military or CIA, etc. are known to have used civilians - without those civilians knowledge or consent - as test subjects.

I'm not saying that is what is happening now. I'm just saying leave room for other possibilities.

When I first heard the news reports of Swine Flu cases exclusively in Mexico, something - no, a few things - set off alerts in my head.

First, every single report that I watched stated without hesitation that the Deadly H1N1 virus in Mexico was actually a hodgepodge of at least 3 different viral strains: One Avian. One Human. One Swine.
(They even displayed a blown-up, black-and-white image of the virus - which definitely looked like it contained at least 3 distinct-looking organisms in it.) After hearing this and that it was believed that no pigs have actually had it, I thought, matter-of-factly, "Oh, someone made it in a lab somewhere."

I have had no formal medical training, but, that information and image stood out and struck my fairly well-read mind as 'Odd'.

Next - Those same news reports also stated that - in no uncertain terms - not one of the confirmed Swine Flu cases in Mexico had had any close contact with pigs or pig farms. (again...Odd.)

Unfortunately, the network news seemed to have no other as-juicy stories to Sensationalize and Shock-n-Awe the public with... at least that were on par with the "Deadly Swine Flu Pandemic" story... And, boy! They ran and ran and ran with it.

Congratulations, Network/Affiliate News Departments: Yesterday, here in San Francisco, our local hospitals had bust their butts to set up Outdoor "Swine Flu" Triage Tents to accomodate the growing numbers of people who were showing up at their Emergency Rooms (*Meant for Genuine "Emergencies") who were convinced that they had caught it or that their offspring had caught it.
Earlier today, I heard that the hospitals were pleading with the public to "Please don't come to the Emergency Room, unless you are REALLY VERY SICK."

Needless to say, none of the hypochondriacs had it. In fact, our first confirmed case was only announced today. That's ONE Confirmed Case, people. ONE Case that doesn't require hospitalization.

Which brings me to a third Odd Thing: From what I understand, those confirmed cases in Mexico seemed to be fatal. While cases in the US seem to be able to be treated with the appropriate meds and a stay at home - with a prognosis of expected full-recovery. Why is that? Doesn't Mexico have access to the same pharmaceuticals? Or, is it not the same "Swine Flu" in Mexico as it is in the US? Or, did (all?) the victims in Mexico not seek medical attention until they were beyond the point where available & effective meds would be effective?

Now... Arriving straight outta God-Knows-Where... I come across an article article in Wired Magazine (online) that really caught me off-guard. It has this jaw-dropping title: "Swine Flu Genes From Pigs Only, Not Humans or Birds"

As I read the article, I find myself shaking my head and unconsciously saying, "Bullshit.", softly and somewhat under my breath.

The article basically quotes a Univ. of Edinburgh viral geneticist, a PA virus evolution specialist and a Maryland bioinformaticist (What the Hell is a 'bioinformaticist'?)... who all seem to have come to the remarkable conclusion that (drum-roll, please!):
According to them, all earlier reports from all sources were ALL WRONG! The World Health Organization is Wrong!
Rather than being a a combination of pig, human and bird flu strains, as previously stated... The H1N1 Virus is actually "... a hybrid of two common pig flu strains."

The only thing - according to the scientists in the article - that the countless earlier reports got right is that it still "... hasn’t been seen before in pigs."(Still "Odd".)

My first response to the article: Sounds like SPIN to me. As in: "You Spin me 'round and 'round, like a record, baby...".

One of the three scientists came to their ground-breaking conclusion after he analyzed gene sequences of viral samples taken from just two California cases.

The samples were collected by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC then made the samples available to "... researchers through an international database of flu genomes".

That's all well and good... If... A.)You trust that the California cases of Influenza A H1N1 are the Same Strain as the Fatal one in Mexico. B.)You completely trust Everyone at the CDC. and C.)You trust that the three scientists were given the correct samples.

I've learned that, in forensics, you have to have a detailed accounting for the handling/testing/documenting of evidence. How many people handled the samples between their collection in California and the CDC in Atlanta, Georgia? After that, how many people were involved with the project until it reached the stage of flu genomes in the database? Who has access to the database?

Another nagging thought of mine: knowing of the military's interest in developing so-called "non-lethal" weapons (not that I'm complaining. Non-lethal is better than Lethal.)

What I'm saying is this: The Military wouldn't exclude Non-Lethal Biological Weapons from their testing programs.

In closing... I offer a quote and 2 bits of (Un)Common Sense:

"Just Because You're Paranoid, Doesn't Mean They're Not Out To Get You..."

And...
1.)Wash Your Hands, Regularly.
And 2.)Please Cover Your Mouth With The Crook of Your Arm - Not Your Hands When Coughing Or Sneezing.

Peace... And Good Health.

L.



Colorized image, released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention April 24, 2009. Depicts the influenza A H1N1 "swine flu" virus from an outbreak in 1976. A deadly strain of this flu virus that has never been seen before may be behind the deaths of more than 100 people in Mexico and its spread into the United States, where 40 people have become infected, though none have died so far. (Dr. Erskine Palmer and R.E. Bates/Centers for Disease Control/Handout/Reuters )

(From: www.wired.com/.)

Swine Flu Genes From Pigs Only, Not Humans or Birds

The deadly H1N1 influenza virus that’s fueling fears of a global pandemic is a hybrid of two common pig flu strains, scientists who have studied the disease told Wired.com Tuesday. Earlier reports called it a combination of pig, human and avian influenza strains.

The findings may resolve some uncertainty about the nature of the virus, but much is still unknown about its origins and effects.

“This is what we call a reassortment between two currently circulating pig flu viruses,” said Andrew Rambaut, a University of Edinburgh viral geneticist. “Why it’s emerged in humans is anyone’s guess. It hasn’t been seen before in pigs as far as I know.”

Rambaut analyzed the gene sequences of viral samples taken from two infected California children. The samples were collected by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and made available to researchers through an international database of flu genomes.

His conclusions were echoed by Eddie Holmes, a virus evolution specialist at the University of Pennsylvania, and Steven Salzberg, a University of Maryland bioinformaticist. Both have looked at the CDC-provided sequences. The CDC could not be reached for comment, but a document released to scientists and obtained by Wired.com affirms their analysis. The samples from California are the same viral strain as one that’s believed to have killed as many as 150 of an estimated 1,600 hospitalized Mexicans, and caused hundreds more infections worldwide, including at least 64 in the United States.

The two strains whose genes are found in the hybrid belong to influenza families known generally as North American and Eurasian pig flu. The former was first described in the 1930s, and the latter in 1979. The Eurasian strain is generally found in Europe and Asia, rather than North America.

Neither of the strains have ever proven contagious in humans. One of the genes inherited from the Eurasian strain has reportedly never been seen in humans. It codes for the neuraminidase enzyme — the N1 in H1N1 — which controls the expansion of the virus from infected cells.

“The new neuraminidase gene that came in from Eurasian swine is one we’ve never before seen circulating in humans,” said Rambaut. “That’s one of the reasons it’s spreading rapidly. Very few people will have any immunity to this particular combination, which is what gives the concern that this will be a pandemic rather than just a normal seasonal flu outbreak. It remains to be seen how much and to what extent there is existing immunity.”

In medical terms, the genetic origins of the virus may not matter. Whether it come solely from pigs rather than a mix of pigs, birds and humans doesn’t change its immunological novelty.

However, understanding the origins could eventually help scientists determine how the virus evolved and where it originally emerged.

The earliest cases occurred in the town of La Gloria in the Mexican state of Veracruz, not far from a large and notoriously unsanitary hog farm operated by Granjas Carroll, a subsidiary of giant American food company Smithfield Foods.

Vercruz residents and some journalists have alleged that the virus could have evolved in the farm’s pigs, then passed into humans through water or insects tainted by infected waste. Many researchers, including the authors of a report issued last year by the Pew Commission on Industrial Farm Animal Production, have warned that unsanitary conditions at industrial hog farms could prove a breeding ground for new forms of influenza.

The World Health Organization has sent inspectors to the Granjas Carroll farm. The results of the investigation have not been announced. Smithfield issued a press release on Saturday stating that “it has found no clinical signs or symptoms of the presence of swine influenza in the company’s swine herd or its employees at its joint ventures in Mexico.” The company declined further comment, though CEO Larry Pope told USA Today that “(The term) swine flu is a misnomer.”

Rambaut, Holmes and Salzberg declined to speculate on whether the new H1N1 virus evolved on a hog farm or specifically in the Granjas Carroll facility.

However, it seems likely that pigs were the original host.

“That’s a logical conclusion,” said Salzberg. “It was probably two different pigs, or one who got co-infected from others. The two strains mixed, and now you have a brand-new strain.”

“Presumably somewhere there was a pig infected with both forms. We don’t know where or when. It could have been circulating in this form for a while,” said Rambaut.

What comes next is anyone’s guess.

“Influenza virus mutates remarkably rapidly so there is no doubt that the virus will mutate and evolve in humans,” said Holmes. “Quite what this evolution will result in is difficult to tell.”