I Just Flu in from Terrorvile

So, yeah, the "feel good" for the day is learning that so far the H5N1 avian flu virus is deadlier than the 1918 "Spanish" flu or, probably, the "black death" of the Middle Ages. The World Health Organization has confirmed 98 deaths out of 177 cases (a 55% death rate) through March 13. By comparison, the 1918-1919 Spanish flu (which actually started in Kansas) killed about 12,000 of the 75,000 Minnesotans who were infected by it - a pathetic 16% death rate. You can read much more, none of it good, at PandemicFlu.gov. Be sure to check out the map of confirmed cases of the avian flu around the world. Oceans, don't fail us now!