Job Discussion Forums

[Seth]

Check dis out, yo.

From AP:
Yuen Kwok-yung, a microbiologist at Hong Kong University, said that the corona virus had been found in the feces of masked palm civets, a nocturnal species found from Pakistan to Indonesia that is considered a delicacy in southern China. Some of the first known cases of SARS occurred last November among chefs and others in Guangdong Province involved in the preparation of wild game for expensive banquets.


A Chinese medical professor who had been treating infected patients brought the disease to Hong Kong, Asia's busiest transportation hub, in late February. Travelers from Hong Kong then carried the disease to Beijing, Taiwan, Singapore, Vietnam and Canada.


Masked palm civets have short fur that can be brown, orange, red or gray, with black bands on the head and feet. They eat mostly fruit, weigh up to 13 pounds and have bodies that grow up to two-and-a-half feet long, with tails of nearly equal length.


Judging from their activity and feeding habits, infected civets do not appear to feel any ill-effects from the virus. Only a small number of civets have been tested so far. Professor Yuen declined to say precisely how many, but most seemed to have the virus.


It is possible that the disease originated in another species and then spread to the civets, he said at a news conference this afternoon, while adding that he believed that the disease came to people from civets. While no tests have been done, it is also "theoretically possible" that household cats could become infected, as they are very similar biologically to civets, Professor Yuen added.


The raising and slaughter of civets and other exotic animals should be strictly regulated to prevent further outbreaks of SARS and possibly other new diseases, he said, while contending that a total ban on consumption of them could not succeed. "It is very difficult to stop a culture; it has been there for 5,000 years," he said.


So let's review: Eating cats in Guangdong could be the source of SARS, spitting and coughing without covering your mouth can spread it, unhygenic hospitals exascerbate it, government fumbling helped make it a worldwide problem. SARS has China written all over it. If I ever hear another Chinese suggest it's a foreigners disease, I'll eat a cat, spit on a hospital floor, cough on them, and then deny anything is wrong.

And CS didn't like my catburger avatar, sheesh.

[R]

Here's a link to the BBC's report on this, which also includes some information regarding the lifting of the WHO's travel warnings, as well as links to other SARS information:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/2931720.stm

Rob.

[Hamish]

There seems to be more to this than cats...I always hated cats anyway.

[ESL Guru]

We cows highly reccomend eating CATS.

We developed "Mad Cow" disease just to save our own as ses!

[Roger]

Newsreel on Pearl TV on Friday evening at 11 o'clock had the same item. I found it bizarre that instead of drawing the conclusiopn that eating game is unsafe they suggested industiral type of breeding and slaughtering these animals.

I am not too pessimistic about spitting though: currently, it is again a punishable offence in Guangzhou (but, of course, just outside the city it is still a widely-practised pastime).

In a kindergarten I visited this week I learnt the authorities had declared the use of aircons in schools illegal due to Sars.
Our estate buses run with aircons on, but passengers open the windows. We did receive a circular telling us to always open all windows - at home and in public buses!
So that the airborne germs can spare bus passengers and attack pedestrians, I suppose.

O Sars - a manuy-splendoured topic!

[noodles]

Your a lucky man if you can get the BBC. Not that it matters as i can still get all the british newspapers

[R]

Of course! sorry, I forgot the BBC was, um, 'unobtainable' in your neck of the woods...

[China Plate]

I hope nobody is going to say it is because the disease is a cat-astrophe of cat-aclysmic proportions.

It has been cat-apaulted into the news. People are cat-ching it all over China, and being left cat-atonic and suffering cat-alepsy.

There have been many cases cat-alogued, and many people cat-egorised with the disease.

I suppose there had to be a cat-alyst.

[chinasyndrome]

[quote="China Plate"]

[Steiner]

"Hello, Adam West? Oh, sorry, I mean...Batman? Yes, I'm just calling to let you know we've found Robin. Yes, yes, he's fine, but he has been posting over at Dave's under the name of China Plate. How did we find out it was Robin? Holy silly question, Batman! You can come pick him up when you have a moment free. Yes, you're welcome. Bye-bye."

[Seth]

My doctor always said you can catch strange things from eating ***** but I never believed him.

Come on now, you were all thinking the same thing.

[MissMolly]

Seth, you are a bad, bad man
I think you've been spending too much time with Chinasyndrome.

[ESL Guru]

Miss Molly -

Why do you and Joe C have the same avatar?

Why are you and Joe C never here at the same time?

Why do you and Joe C post within minutes of each other but never together?

Why did Joe C join this forum the same day NOYB was banned from a competitor's forum?

[ESL Guru]

Golly Miss Molly -

I just noticed that Joe C joined May 8 and has 15 posts.

You joined May 10 and have 34 posts.

Now that use of multiple handles is an old trick. The first is called a sleeper which lays low until activated when the second handle gets banned. Saw NOYB use this in here before.

I also notice that Joe C and Miss Molly write in the same style. Unless you both went to the same schools and had the same bad teachers, one may conclude that you are one and the same person.

[Seth]

It was colonel Mustard with the gun in the Billiards room!