Virus, Disease, Flu.... OMG!!!!!!!!

Every year it happens, something new, a virus, a disease or some crazy unknown strand of flu. Yes it's real somewhere in the world and even here in the US we've seen a few cases but I think there's a little more to it than what we realize.

Somewhere in the world there is an outbreak and people do die but here in the good ole USA we have 24/7 media coverage that likes to blow everything out of proportion and why do you ask, it simple, money. If it's bad news and people are dying the news is going to cover it. They talk about it all day everyday. You wake up in the morning and right off the bat all you hear is how many people died last night from a gunshot or a freaky virus they got from kissing a pig. Somebody is getting rich of our insecurities.

Mad Cow Disease, all I can remember is that the media had alot of folks scared to eat ground beef. I can't remember hearing someone say "It will turn your brain to mush!" Alot of people swore off eating hamburgers and the local cattle farmers suffered because of it but not the media. Didn't Oprah tel everyone not to eat beef and get sued by some cattle farmers in Texas?

West Nile Virus, something about a mosquito and how it could transfer the virus by biting you. I can't remember all the details but I do remember my own mother telling Melinda that she thought I had the WNV just because I was sick during the big scare.

SARS, I can't really remember much about that one except it happened in China and I'd say that country didn't see many American tourists.

Bird Flu, the details on this one are fuzzy too but I think we gave up eating chicken for a couple of weeks and I'd say alot of pet birds were given up or turned loose. Can you tell how much I really pay attention to the news.

Salmonella, here's a good one the media has really blown outa proportion. I couldn't eat anything with peanut butter for the longest time with out someone lecturing me. This one has affected all kinds of vegetables and seems to keep popping back up every time the media runs out of something to talk about.

The newest, The Swine Flu or should we say the H1N1 vrius. It was all the rage last week but it looks as if it's already starting to fade out. I know one thing is for sure, there was no waiting for a table at the local Mexican restaurants this weekend. I wonder if it will affect Cinco De Mayo parties? Last night we had our local Mountain bike club meeting which is always held at a Mexican restaurant and it was odd that attendance seemed to be unusually low. I ate 2 baskets of chips and salsa and I feel fine other than a small fever.

Except for the simonella outbreaks that plagued us all year it seems that we get hit with something every spring. It's almost as if there is a man behind a curtain kinda of like the Wizard of Oz trying to scare everyone into thinking the world is coming to an end. I just hope there are no bicycle related pandemics in the future, oh the horror!

What does this all have to do with bicycles? Nothing, it's been raining here for what seems like months and I've got no good riding stories to tell. So until the rain let's up or I move to the desert this is what you'll have to deal with, sorry.