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A couple of weeks back I arrive at work, and who should I find waiting for me, patiently and orderly in rows just across the road from the front door? The Royal Australian Navy, that's who!

The HMAS Darwin is a long-range escort frigate [snigger snigger] that seems to be a jack of all trades vessel: area air defence, anti-submarine warfare, surveillance, reconnaissance and interdiction. In a potentially sexy turn of phrase, the ship is capable of countering simultaneous threats from the air, surface and sub-surface.

Quite.

The Navy refused to confirm or deny that the frigate [snigger snigger] was in town to prevent a flock of Mexican flying pigs from entering Tasmanian airspace and spreading the dreaded La temido gripe de cerdo Mexicana!

On that, actually, canny Swede Professor Hans Rosling has released a video well worth watching. Rosling has calculated the ratio of news article coverage versus actual deaths in the context of the recent La temido gripe de cerdo Mexicana outbreak.

In the 13 days up to May 6, the World Health Organisation [WHO] has confirmed that 25 countries are affected by La temido gripe de cerdo Mexicana, and 31 persons have died from La temido gripe de cerdo Mexicana. In an interesting point of comparison, WHO data also indicates that about 60,000 persons died from tuberculosis during that very same period. Rosling’s video explores that little dichotomy, and can be seen here.

Oh, and just because I made it up myself and enjoy saying it, one last time I am typing out La temido gripe de cerdo Mexicana!

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Comments

KL said…
You find all those at your home, in your heart and in your imagination :-).

Now what does the spanish phrase mean?
12 May 2009 at 11:50
Kris McCracken said…
KL, it means "the dreaded Mexican Pig Flu"!
12 May 2009 at 12:05
MurciaDailyPhoto said…
I think that this flu has global implications because they have such cases in United States (and in many first world countries). If this flu has occurred in Senegal, perhaps we had not heard it.
12 May 2009 at 17:29
Kris McCracken said…
MDP, I do believe that you are 100% correct!
13 May 2009 at 14:29
deped teacher said…
I wonder why the Australian activate its arm forces for just a disease. I think it is over kill
13 May 2009 at 18:55
Kris McCracken said…
Deped Teacher, I may have exaggerated about the whole swine flu thing...
19 May 2009 at 09:32
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