AP: Egypt orders slaughter of all pigs over swine flu (http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jc_pijXYi6E50wDepameI2ZTf9iAD97S7UPG2)
QuoteCAIRO (AP) — Egypt began slaughtering the roughly 300,000 pigs in the country Wednesday as a precaution against swine flu even though no cases have been reported here, infuriating farmers who blocked streets and stoned vehicles of Health Ministry workers who came to carry out the government's order.
The measure was a stark expression of the panic the deadly outbreak is spreading around the world, especially in poor countries with weak public health systems. Egypt responded similarly a few years ago to an outbreak of bird flu, which is endemic to the country and has killed two dozen people.
At one large pig farming center just north of Cairo, scores of angry farmers blocked the street to prevent Health Ministry workers in trucks and bulldozers from coming in to slaughter the animals. Some pelted the vehicles with rocks and shattered their windshields and the workers left without killing any pigs.
"We remind Hosni Mubarak that we are all Egyptians. Where does he want us to go?" said Gergis Faris, a 46-year-old pig farmer in another part of Cairo who collects garbage to feed his animals. "We are uneducated people, just living day by day and trying to make a living, and now if our pigs are taken from us without compensation, how are we supposed to live?"
Most in the Muslim world consider pigs unclean animals and do not eat pork because of religious restrictions. One Islamic militant Web site carried comments Wednesday saying swine flu was God's revenge against "infidels."
Pigs are banned entirely in some Muslim countries including Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Libya. However in other parts of the Muslim world, they are often raised by religious minorities who can eat pork.
In Jordan, the government decided Wednesday to shut down the country's five pig farms, involving 800 animals, for violating public health safety regulations. Half the pigs will be killed and the rest will be relocated to areas away from the population, officials said.
In Egypt, pigs are raised and consumed mainly by the Christian minority, which some estimates put at 10 percent of the population. Health Ministry spokesman Abdel-Rahman Shaheen estimated there are between 300,000-350,000 pigs in Egypt.
"It has been decided to immediately start slaughtering all the pigs in Egypt using the full capacity of the country's slaughterhouses," Health Minister Hatem el-Gabaly told reporters after a Cabinet meeting with President Hosni Mubarak.
Global health experts said the mass slaughter of pigs is entirely unnecessary and a waste of resources. But Egypt's reaction was colored by its experiences with bird flu.
Bird flu started sweeping through poultry populations across Asia in 2003 and then jumped to humans, killing more than 250 worldwide.
Egypt was among the countries hardest hit. According to the World Health Organization, it has the world's fourth highest death toll — after Indonesia, Vietnam and China — and the largest outside of Asia. WHO has confirmed 23 deaths in Egypt and Egyptian authorities have reported three more deaths in recent weeks.
Chickens used to roam every dusty street in every village across Egypt, and many of its city alleys too. But when the disease first appeared here in February 2006, 25 million birds were killed within weeks, devastating the poultry sector and particularly the family farmers. Chickens nearly all vanished from sight, slaughtered, abandoned or locked away by a population increasingly aware of, and frightened by, the disease's stubborn grip.
The latest measure appeared designed to avert a similar panic.
Swine flu is blamed for more than 150 deaths in Mexico and U.S. health officials reported on Wednesday the first known death outside Mexico — a 23-month-old Mexican boy in Texas. It has spread to Europe, Asia and Israel, which shares a border with Egypt.
Experts suspect swine flu, a strange new mix of pig, bird and human flu virus, originated with pigs then jumped to humans and is now spreading through human-to-human contact. Health authorities have said you cannot contract the flu by eating pork.
"It is unfortunate," the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization Chief Veterinary Officer Joseph Domenech said of Egypt's decision. "The crisis today is in transmission from human to human. It has nothing to do with pigs," he told The Associated Press.
In the northern suburbs of Cairo Wednesday, health authorities killed 250 pigs and buried them. Angry farmers demanded compensation and provincial governors paid them around 1,000 Egyptian pounds (about $180) per head. The farmers asked for an official government decision to set a price for each pig slaughtered.
Agriculture Minister Amin Abaza told reporters that farmers would be allowed to sell the pork meat so there would be no need for compensation.
23 dead from bird flu caused a panic? Every year thousands of people die of the "common" flu (2000 in Austria last year) and I don't see people panicking over that. I'm betting Egypt has more serious health concerns than that.
They don't have a lot of Pigs.
We should really start referring to this flu has the Mexican flu.
Quote from: Grey Fox on April 30, 2009, 11:42:28 AM
They don't have a lot of Pigs.
We should really start referring to this flu has the Mexican flu.
If we do, I'll chip in to buy Jaron a plane ticket to Egypt. :)
Quote from: Grey Fox on April 30, 2009, 11:42:28 AM
They don't have a lot of Pigs.
We should really start referring to this flu has the Mexican flu.
Obama will have all the Mexicans slaughtered.
Poor katmai. :weep:
This is actually kind of worrying. Wonder how the Coptics are reacting to this? The Arab world's Christian (read: native, smarter, harder working and better looking) minority's position is increasingly precarious.
When I read this yesterday my first thought was "Egypt has pigs??" Didn't realize Christians were ~10% of the population.
Quote from: derspiess on April 30, 2009, 12:02:20 PM
When I read this yesterday my first thought was "Egypt has pigs??" Didn't realize Christians were ~10% of the population.
Imagine my surprise when our office manager there sent an email that they'll be closed for Easter holidays (6 of our 10 employees there are Christians).
sheesh. drama queens the Egyptians, it seems. This whole thing is so totally overblown that it's beyond stupid. More people get hit by lightning.
Quote from: BuddhaRhubarb on April 30, 2009, 12:21:20 PM
sheesh. drama queens the Egyptians, it seems. This whole thing is so totally overblown that it's beyond stupid. More people get hit by lightning.
I think it should be obvious what is feared is the potential scale of disaster, not the actual scale so far.
Fuck the pigs.
Quote from: DGuller on April 30, 2009, 12:24:45 PM
Quote from: BuddhaRhubarb on April 30, 2009, 12:21:20 PM
sheesh. drama queens the Egyptians, it seems. This whole thing is so totally overblown that it's beyond stupid. More people get hit by lightning.
I think it should be obvious what is feared is the potential scale of disaster, not the actual scale so far.
sure but you wouldn't know that based on the media. for example my local paper had a headline the other day saying "Deaths in Canada due to Swine Flu likely" in big 72 pt print... inside a reasonable article about not panicking. :p Basically screaming the end is nigh, and then whispering, actually not really, but be ready just in case. Most people however ONLY READ the headline.
Quote from: Capetan Mihali on April 30, 2009, 12:27:47 PM
Fuck the pigs.
wear a condom though, you don't wanna catch anything.
Egypt is a great country. Someone on this board even put it on a list of democracies. LOL
I wish most languishites was put to the sword.
Can we all please stop using the s-word?
Quote from: Syt on April 30, 2009, 11:36:27 AM
AP: Egypt orders slaughter of all pigs over swine flu (http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jc_pijXYi6E50wDepameI2ZTf9iAD97S7UPG2)
QuoteCAIRO (AP) — Egypt began slaughtering the roughly 300,000 pigs in the country Wednesday as a precaution against swine flu even though no cases have been reported here, infuriating farmers who blocked streets and stoned vehicles of Health Ministry workers who came to carry out the government's order.
The measure was a stark expression of the panic the deadly outbreak is spreading around the world, especially in poor countries with weak public health systems. Egypt responded similarly a few years ago to an outbreak of bird flu, which is endemic to the country and has killed two dozen people.
At one large pig farming center just north of Cairo, scores of angry farmers blocked the street to prevent Health Ministry workers in trucks and bulldozers from coming in to slaughter the animals. Some pelted the vehicles with rocks and shattered their windshields and the workers left without killing any pigs.
"We remind Hosni Mubarak that we are all Egyptians. Where does he want us to go?" said Gergis Faris, a 46-year-old pig farmer in another part of Cairo who collects garbage to feed his animals. "We are uneducated people, just living day by day and trying to make a living, and now if our pigs are taken from us without compensation, how are we supposed to live?"
Most in the Muslim world consider pigs unclean animals and do not eat pork because of religious restrictions. One Islamic militant Web site carried comments Wednesday saying swine flu was God's revenge against "infidels."
Pigs are banned entirely in some Muslim countries including Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Libya. However in other parts of the Muslim world, they are often raised by religious minorities who can eat pork.
In Jordan, the government decided Wednesday to shut down the country's five pig farms, involving 800 animals, for violating public health safety regulations. Half the pigs will be killed and the rest will be relocated to areas away from the population, officials said.
In Egypt, pigs are raised and consumed mainly by the Christian minority, which some estimates put at 10 percent of the population. Health Ministry spokesman Abdel-Rahman Shaheen estimated there are between 300,000-350,000 pigs in Egypt.
"It has been decided to immediately start slaughtering all the pigs in Egypt using the full capacity of the country's slaughterhouses," Health Minister Hatem el-Gabaly told reporters after a Cabinet meeting with President Hosni Mubarak.
Global health experts said the mass slaughter of pigs is entirely unnecessary and a waste of resources. But Egypt's reaction was colored by its experiences with bird flu.
Bird flu started sweeping through poultry populations across Asia in 2003 and then jumped to humans, killing more than 250 worldwide.
Egypt was among the countries hardest hit. According to the World Health Organization, it has the world's fourth highest death toll — after Indonesia, Vietnam and China — and the largest outside of Asia. WHO has confirmed 23 deaths in Egypt and Egyptian authorities have reported three more deaths in recent weeks.
Chickens used to roam every dusty street in every village across Egypt, and many of its city alleys too. But when the disease first appeared here in February 2006, 25 million birds were killed within weeks, devastating the poultry sector and particularly the family farmers. Chickens nearly all vanished from sight, slaughtered, abandoned or locked away by a population increasingly aware of, and frightened by, the disease's stubborn grip.
The latest measure appeared designed to avert a similar panic.
Swine flu is blamed for more than 150 deaths in Mexico and U.S. health officials reported on Wednesday the first known death outside Mexico — a 23-month-old Mexican boy in Texas. It has spread to Europe, Asia and Israel, which shares a border with Egypt.
Experts suspect swine flu, a strange new mix of pig, bird and human flu virus, originated with pigs then jumped to humans and is now spreading through human-to-human contact. Health authorities have said you cannot contract the flu by eating pork.
"It is unfortunate," the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization Chief Veterinary Officer Joseph Domenech said of Egypt's decision. "The crisis today is in transmission from human to human. It has nothing to do with pigs," he told The Associated Press.
In the northern suburbs of Cairo Wednesday, health authorities killed 250 pigs and buried them. Angry farmers demanded compensation and provincial governors paid them around 1,000 Egyptian pounds (about $180) per head. The farmers asked for an official government decision to set a price for each pig slaughtered.
Agriculture Minister Amin Abaza told reporters that farmers would be allowed to sell the pork meat so there would be no need for compensation.
LOL muslims...the comedians of the world.
Wow, how dumb can you get.
Quote from: The Brain on April 30, 2009, 01:50:42 PM
Egypt is a great country. Someone on this board even put it on a list of democracies. LOL
I think Eochaid used it as an example of a "successful muslim democracy". :lol:
Quote from: BuddhaRhubarb on April 30, 2009, 12:28:32 PM
Quote from: DGuller on April 30, 2009, 12:24:45 PM
Quote from: BuddhaRhubarb on April 30, 2009, 12:21:20 PM
sheesh. drama queens the Egyptians, it seems. This whole thing is so totally overblown that it's beyond stupid. More people get hit by lightning.
I think it should be obvious what is feared is the potential scale of disaster, not the actual scale so far.
sure but you wouldn't know that based on the media. for example my local paper had a headline the other day saying "Deaths in Canada due to Swine Flu likely" in big 72 pt print... inside a reasonable article about not panicking. :p Basically screaming the end is nigh, and then whispering, actually not really, but be ready just in case. Most people however ONLY READ the headline.
A Polish tabloid ran a story with a picture of a skull and big letters headline saying: "Health minister says: Those who get hold of a vaccine have a chance to survive". The article that followed then explained that the health minister said (when asked whether the ordinary flu vaccine helps against the swine flu) that it slightly increases the resistance to diseases in general, but not by much. :P
well, when England had the BSE epidemic they slaughtered 4.4 million cattle. just some perspective.
Quote from: Martinus on April 30, 2009, 03:27:44 PM
Quote from: BuddhaRhubarb on April 30, 2009, 12:28:32 PM
Quote from: DGuller on April 30, 2009, 12:24:45 PM
Quote from: BuddhaRhubarb on April 30, 2009, 12:21:20 PM
sheesh. drama queens the Egyptians, it seems. This whole thing is so totally overblown that it's beyond stupid. More people get hit by lightning.
I think it should be obvious what is feared is the potential scale of disaster, not the actual scale so far.
sure but you wouldn't know that based on the media. for example my local paper had a headline the other day saying "Deaths in Canada due to Swine Flu likely" in big 72 pt print... inside a reasonable article about not panicking. :p Basically screaming the end is nigh, and then whispering, actually not really, but be ready just in case. Most people however ONLY READ the headline.
A Polish tabloid ran a story with a picture of a skull and big letters headline saying: "Health minister says: Those who get hold of a vaccine have a chance to survive". The article that followed then explained that the health minister said (when asked whether the ordinary flu vaccine helps against the swine flu) that it slightly increases the resistance to diseases in general, but not by much. :P
I dont think anybody was under the impression that Poland was a civilized nation. But if they were you have cured them of that.
If having stupid tabloids makes you uncivilized, then the UK is a bantustan. :P
Quote from: Martinus on April 30, 2009, 03:41:32 PM
If having stupid tabloids makes you uncivilized, then the UK is a bantustan. :P
Heh not bad. :lol:
Quote from: Martinus on April 30, 2009, 03:41:32 PM
If having stupid tabloids makes you uncivilized, then the UK is a bantustan. :P
I don't think anybody except maybe TopCat would argue with that.
Quote from: Neil on April 30, 2009, 11:49:58 AM
Quote from: Grey Fox on April 30, 2009, 11:42:28 AM
They don't have a lot of Pigs.
We should really start referring to this flu has the Mexican flu.
Obama will have all the Mexicans slaughtered.
Poor katmai. :weep:
I'm taking as many languishites as i can with me!
Quote from: katmai on April 30, 2009, 04:05:05 PM
Quote from: Neil on April 30, 2009, 11:49:58 AM
Quote from: Grey Fox on April 30, 2009, 11:42:28 AM
They don't have a lot of Pigs.
We should really start referring to this flu has the Mexican flu.
Obama will have all the Mexicans slaughtered.
Poor katmai. :weep:
I'm taking as many languishites as i can with me!
To dinner and a movie? :)
Quote from: katmai on April 30, 2009, 04:05:05 PM
Quote from: Neil on April 30, 2009, 11:49:58 AM
Quote from: Grey Fox on April 30, 2009, 11:42:28 AM
They don't have a lot of Pigs.
We should really start referring to this flu has the Mexican flu.
Obama will have all the Mexicans slaughtered.
Poor katmai. :weep:
I'm taking as many languishites as i can with me!
Have any Languishites survived meeting you? I assumed that you were killing the ones you met and taking their passwords in order to lure more of us in. Sort of like Highlander, only with a sombrero.
Quote from: Neil on April 30, 2009, 04:09:45 PM
Have any Languishites survived meeting you? I assumed that you were killing the ones you met and taking their passwords in order to lure more of us in. Sort of like Highlander, only with a sombrero.
And a
lot of sunglasses.
Quote from: saskganesh on April 30, 2009, 03:36:58 PM
well, when England had the BSE epidemic they slaughtered 4.4 million cattle. just some perspective.
But cattle actually carried the disease.
Quote from: jimmy olsen on April 30, 2009, 04:32:17 PM
Quote from: saskganesh on April 30, 2009, 03:36:58 PM
well, when England had the BSE epidemic they slaughtered 4.4 million cattle. just some perspective.
But cattle actually carried the disease.
You think we should kill 4.4 million gays? :mad:
Hey...!
Much as I love pigs and their related meat products I think this is possibly a very good idea.
But then I've spent the past few days panicking about the oncoming pandemic.
Quote from: jimmy olsen on April 30, 2009, 04:32:17 PM
Quote from: saskganesh on April 30, 2009, 03:36:58 PM
well, when England had the BSE epidemic they slaughtered 4.4 million cattle. just some perspective.
But cattle actually carried the disease.
certainly not 4.4 million of them.
the authorities were freaking out like mad mullahs. these were the same people who thought feeding chicken shit and cow meat to bovines was a good idea.
Quote from: Sheilbh on April 30, 2009, 04:47:41 PM
Much as I love pigs and their related meat products I think this is possibly a very good idea.
But then I've spent the past few days panicking about the oncoming pandemic.
You should panic. I've been suggesting that all my clients invest in canned goods and shotguns.
Quote from: Sheilbh on April 30, 2009, 04:47:41 PM
Much as I love pigs and their related meat products I think this is possibly a very good idea.
But then I've spent the past few days panicking about the oncoming pandemic.
If it makes you feel any better you're more likely to die from regular flu :console:
Quote from: HVC on April 30, 2009, 04:56:15 PM
Quote from: Sheilbh on April 30, 2009, 04:47:41 PM
Much as I love pigs and their related meat products I think this is possibly a very good idea.
But then I've spent the past few days panicking about the oncoming pandemic.
If it makes you feel any better you're more likely to die from regular flu :console:
Or climate change.
Quote from: Grey Fox on April 30, 2009, 11:42:28 AM
They don't have a lot of Pigs.
We should really start referring to this flu has the Mexican flu.
So we can start killing all the Mexicans? <_<
Quote from: HVC on April 30, 2009, 04:56:15 PM
Quote from: Sheilbh on April 30, 2009, 04:47:41 PM
Much as I love pigs and their related meat products I think this is possibly a very good idea.
But then I've spent the past few days panicking about the oncoming pandemic.
If it makes you feel any better you're more likely to die from regular flu :console:
It's more difficult to panic about normal flu :mellow:
Quote from: Sheilbh on April 30, 2009, 05:06:37 PM
Quote from: HVC on April 30, 2009, 04:56:15 PM
Quote from: Sheilbh on April 30, 2009, 04:47:41 PM
Much as I love pigs and their related meat products I think this is possibly a very good idea.
But then I've spent the past few days panicking about the oncoming pandemic.
If it makes you feel any better you're more likely to die from regular flu :console:
It's more difficult to panic about normal flu :mellow:
Normal flu is actually various strains of flu, some more serious then others. Look up some deadly strains and worry about them :P
Quote from: HVC on April 30, 2009, 05:08:21 PMNormal flu is actually various strains of flu, some more serious then others. Look up some deadly strains and worry about them :P
Your attempt to get between me and my cupboard of corned beef with 'rationality' and 'science' isn't appreciated <_<
Quote from: Sheilbh on April 30, 2009, 05:15:59 PM
Quote from: HVC on April 30, 2009, 05:08:21 PMNormal flu is actually various strains of flu, some more serious then others. Look up some deadly strains and worry about them :P
Your attempt to get between me and my cupboard of corned beef with 'rationality' and 'science' isn't appreciated <_<
Lol. If you're going preserved meat go SPAM; much better.
shelf, you should cook that corned beef before you eat it in order to kill the listeria bacteria.
and the cans are likely coated with bisphenol-a which is toxic and linked to cancer. :P
Quote from: saskganesh on April 30, 2009, 05:22:03 PM
shelf, you should cook that corned beef before you eat it in order to kill the listeria bacteria.
and the cans are likely coated with bisphenol-a which is toxic and linked to cancer. :P
And corned beef caused the last outbreak of cholera in the UK.
I don't generally panic about healthcare issues. I only really panic about ones in the news :)
Edit: In fact I'm highly blase about health stuff. I don't believe in 'low-fat' or 'low-sugar' stuff so I'm a big consumer of cream, full fat milk, butter and so on :)
Quote from: HVC on April 30, 2009, 05:17:46 PM
Lol. If you're going preserved meat go SPAM; much better.
Speaking of Spam, I had my bi-annual Spam lunch recently.
Fried a can of spam(thin slices), toasted bread(light, not dark) and Miracle whip.
Rather tasty. Not something I'd want to eat every other day again, but tasty every so often.
I recently had a spam too. just felt like it. it's not too bad.
@ sheilbh. those low fat thingees are scams. cream, butter, salt, red meat, are all awesome things.
what you want, ideally, are whole foods, as fresh and as unprocessed as possible. and eat a variety of things.
You wanna be healthy Shielbh? Bacon.
Quote from: saskganesh on April 30, 2009, 05:33:42 PM
@ sheilbh. those low fat thingees are scams. cream, butter, salt, red meat, are all awesome things.
what you want, ideally, are whole foods, as fresh and as unprocessed as possible. and eat a variety of things.
This is my attitude. I use cream and butter and salt and sugar but my veg is vegbox stuff that's local, seasonal and organic. My meat, generally speaking, comes from my local organic butcher and I bake my own bread :goodboy:
Quote from: HVC on April 30, 2009, 04:56:15 PM
Quote from: Sheilbh on April 30, 2009, 04:47:41 PM
Much as I love pigs and their related meat products I think this is possibly a very good idea.
But then I've spent the past few days panicking about the oncoming pandemic.
If it makes you feel any better you're more likely to die from panic. :console:
fixed
Quote from: HVC on April 30, 2009, 05:17:46 PMLol. If you're going preserved meat go SPAM; much better.
:x^ :x
Quote from: Maximus on April 30, 2009, 06:20:28 PM
Quote from: HVC on April 30, 2009, 05:17:46 PMLol. If you're going preserved meat go SPAM; much better.
:x^ :x
of the two options SPAM is better :contract:
Quote from: HVC on April 30, 2009, 07:07:54 PM
of the two options SPAM is better :contract:
[/quote]
It really isn't :bleeding:
Quote from: Queequeg on April 30, 2009, 11:50:08 AM
This is actually kind of worrying. Wonder how the Coptics are reacting to this? The Arab world's Christian (read: native, smarter, harder working and better looking) minority's position is increasingly precarious.
They are?
I don't know much of them but I thought the Copts were quite marginalised and poor?
This reminds me, I met an egyptian once here in the army, in the master driver class.
He was a pog, of course, and was telling the other guys in the class how important Egypt was in Africa.
He made it sound like Egypt was a damn superpower.
I just mentioned how badly the egyptian army performed during the old biennial Bright Star US-Egypt exercises.
I don;t think the US Army stills do that shit. Waste of time and money.
Upon hearing my accent, he asked me were I was from.
Nothing funnier than to see how fast the face expression of a wanna-be master of this world changes at the mention of my tiny little homeland.
Priceless. For everything else there is mastercard.
To be fair, Egypt could probably crush Israel these days.
Egyptians are the "special" kids of the "civilized" world, film at 11.
No need for compensation? How about the fact that while the farmers can sell the pork, there's no way they'll get it all sold before it spoils, or the fact that by slaughtering the sows and piglets, you're effectively shutting down that entire arm of the agricultural sector? After this is all over, they're going to need a huge government subsidy just to get pigs back into the country to start farming for pork again.
Quote from: Neil on April 30, 2009, 08:30:57 PM
To be fair, Egypt could probably crush Israel these days.
You just want my attention.
You know perfectly arabs only excell at terrorism.
The moment they come up in a organized manner against real soldiers, they die like flies.
They have no survability whatsoever in the modern battlefield.
That's why they ressort to terrorism.
Quote from: Siege on April 30, 2009, 08:55:44 PM
The moment they come up in a organized manner against real soldiers, they die like flies.
They have no survability whatsoever in the modern battlefield.
That's why they ressort to terrorism.
They do it because it works. Geez, I thought Neil was supposed to be the one who was trolling there. <_<
Quote from: DontSayBanana on April 30, 2009, 08:57:47 PM
Quote from: Siege on April 30, 2009, 08:55:44 PM
The moment they come up in a organized manner against real soldiers, they die like flies.
They have no survability whatsoever in the modern battlefield.
That's why they ressort to terrorism.
They do it because it works. Geez, I thought Neil was supposed to be the one who was trolling there. <_<
Sure, they do it because it works, and because they don't know any other way to do it.
Just take a look at their goals, and you'll see terrorism is not gonna deliver the results they expect.
Quote from: Siege on April 30, 2009, 08:55:44 PM
Quote from: Neil on April 30, 2009, 08:30:57 PM
To be fair, Egypt could probably crush Israel these days.
You just want my attention.
You know perfectly arabs only excell at terrorism.
The moment they come up in a organized manner against real soldiers, they die like flies.
They have no survability whatsoever in the modern battlefield.
That's why they ressort to terrorism.
Hard to say. The Muslims have been beating Israel pretty regularily lately. It's not unreasonable to expect them to have picked up their conventional game too.
Quote from: DontSayBanana on April 30, 2009, 08:44:57 PM
Egyptians are the "special" kids of the "civilized" world, film at 11.
No need for compensation? How about the fact that while the farmers can sell the pork, there's no way they'll get it all sold before it spoils, or the fact that by slaughtering the sows and piglets, you're effectively shutting down that entire arm of the agricultural sector? After this is all over, they're going to need a huge government subsidy just to get pigs back into the country to start farming for pork again.
Want to bet that they won't get that subsidy?
This is starting to sound like a "lets harass the christians" measure.
Quote from: Grey Fox on April 30, 2009, 11:42:28 AM
We should really start referring to this flu has the Mexican flu.
It's being referred to as 2009 H1N1. Poor pigs, though.
Quote from: Crazy_Ivan80 on May 01, 2009, 02:56:51 AM
Want to bet that they won't get that subsidy?
This is starting to sound like a "lets harass the christians" measure.
Simple math: no pigs in the country. I for one applaud their efforts to revive the global export economy.
Quote from: DontSayBanana on April 30, 2009, 08:57:47 PM
They do it because it works. Geez, I thought Neil was supposed to be the one who was trolling there. <_<
Thing is it doesn't work. It has proven terribly ineffective.
Quote from: Razgovory on May 01, 2009, 10:11:13 AM
Thing is it doesn't work. It has proven terribly ineffective.
Short-sighted tactics for short-sighted goals. They tend to get
exactly what they plan for; it's their inability to plan for the long term that gets them right back to square one.
They're decent at talking up the public just enough to get a fresh influx of supporters willing to pick up a rifle, but they don't plan for standards of living, economic compatibility, or other long-term commitments that would lend credence on the international stage.
http://worldblog.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2009/05/14/1931519.aspx
Americans make difference for poor Egyptian family
CAIRO – The aisles were empty in Country Homes Furniture in Wilbraham, Mass., and owners Hazel and Nazih Zebian were sitting in their office doing what they described as the "usual whining and complaining" about how bad business had become and questioning how much longer they could last.
"Like so many people in these economic conditions, furniture has been hit hard," Hazel said. "It's the last thing people want to buy."
Out of boredom, she began to surf the Internet and came across a story on msnbc.com about another man half a world away facing hard times: Abu Sayed in Cairo.
We reported on how Sayed had just lost his small herd of pigs, the only source of income for his extended family of 14. The Egyptian government began culling all pigs in a misguided attempt to prevent swine flu. But pig farmers, most of them living below the poverty line, lost everything when police seized their swine herds without any compensation.
Sayed was no exception. He was beaten by police when he asked what would happen to his herd. He had no idea how he could continue to feed his own children or help provide for his brothers and sister.
But after reading Sayed's story, Hazel silently calculated how much it would cost to replace the 25 pigs.
"I read it to my husband and as I started reading it, multiplied in my head and all it amounted to was $1,125. I said, 'I wish we could give that to him ourselves.' And he said, 'If that's what you want to do, just go ahead and do it.'"
Soon after, I received the following email from the Zebians: "I would like to know if there is any way possible I can make a financial contribution to this man and his family... I want someone to physically hand him the money on behalf of myself and my family so that he does not go without the income his pigs would have brought in for him."
A few days later, after a flurry of e-mails and a trip to Western Union, the grateful Egyptian family was given a fresh start.
"I was astounded when I found out there are people who care and are still good," Sayed said. "They are good people. Human beings should support one another and they are a good example of that."
Sayed plans to buy a flock of sheep with the money to replace his herd of pigs. "God willing, this will replace what I have lost."
He and Nazih, a Lebanese-American, spoke briefly by phone. "I thanked him and expressed my appreciation," Sayed said. "Nazih is a respectable person and he wished me luck." Nazih said he hopes to come to Egypt and meet him in person.
By giving Sayed a second chance, the Zebians gained a fresh outlook on their own struggling business.
"After reading the article, we just thought, 'What are we complaining about?' and felt really good after doing it," said Hazel. "We will never forget."
Quote from: saskganesh on April 30, 2009, 03:36:58 PM
well, when England had the BSE epidemic they slaughtered 4.4 million cattle. just some perspective.
The perspective being that you could actually get Mad Cow by eating cattle and you cannot get Swine Flu through pigs since it is a mutation that came from Mexico that is now a human flu? Wahoo lets kill animals because of a name of a flu!
Because I don't see how that changes my perspective much.
Quote from: DontSayBanana on April 30, 2009, 08:57:47 PM
They do it because it works. Geez, I thought Neil was supposed to be the one who was trolling there. <_<
Yeah it is turning the Middle East into a fucking paradise. We should all do terrorism.
Quote from: saskganesh on April 30, 2009, 03:36:58 PM
well, when England had the BSE epidemic they slaughtered 4.4 million cattle. just some perspective.
BSE was food safety and more importantly veterinary rights for export.
The pigs in egypt are glorified garbage disposals.
Quote from: Viking on May 14, 2009, 09:37:37 AM
The pigs in egypt are glorified garbage disposals.
The poor Copts. You do know there are like 20 times more Egyptian Christians than there are Icelanders right?
Quote from: Valmy on May 14, 2009, 09:51:26 AM
Quote from: Viking on May 14, 2009, 09:37:37 AM
The pigs in egypt are glorified garbage disposals.
The poor Copts. You do know there are like 20 times more Egyptian Christians than there are Icelanders right?
Yes, and? I was comparing the pigs to british cattle.
Quote from: Viking on May 14, 2009, 10:59:42 AM
Yes, and? I was comparing the pigs to british cattle.
Read your post again. What you were comparing was pigs and BSE, and that comparison made no sense.
Quote from: saskganesh on April 30, 2009, 03:36:58 PM
well, when England had the BSE epidemic they slaughtered 4.4 million cattle. just some perspective.
my original motivation for posting the Mad Cow cull was to highlight that the British are just as savage as the moon worshippers. the BSE cull went far far beyond what was likely necessary, hundreds of thousands of healthy cattle were culled. part of the problem is that diagnosis of BSE and it's causes still isn't satisfactorily settled. so culling herds en masse was a very rough blade to use.
I think we are in a similar situation with swine flu (or avian-swine-human flu). it's origins are still being debated, so dealing with the transmission of it is something we have to make up as we go along.
Quote from: saskganesh on May 14, 2009, 01:12:43 PM
my original motivation for posting the Mad Cow cull was to highlight that the British are just as savage as the moon worshippers.
Ok then. I am sure if we had posted about the Mad Cow cull back in 1996 or whenever people would have thought that was stupid as well. However Mad Cow was at least pretty severe in the UK Sask. It would only be sorta similar to Japan having an outbreak of Mad Cow disease and THEN the UK slaughtered every cow in the country without any evidence there existed any Mad Cow at all among their herds. Egypt is not even seriously suffering from Swine Flu for fucks sake.
And I just thought Egypt is being moronic I did not mean to offend anybody's beloved Muslims by implying they were flawed in anyway.
QuoteI think we are in a similar situation with swine flu (or avian-swine-human flu). it's origins are still being debated, so dealing with the transmission of it is something we have to make up as we go along.
Well people are done fretting about it over here. The flu has proven to be pretty harmless. And we border Mexico.
Yes, I thought my father was rather stupid in '96 when he forbid my family from eating beef.
Quote from: Valmy on May 14, 2009, 01:19:00 PM
Quote from: saskganesh on May 14, 2009, 01:12:43 PM
my original motivation for posting the Mad Cow cull was to highlight that the British are just as savage as the moon worshippers.
Ok then. I am sure if we had posted about the Mad Cow cull back in 1996 or whenever people would have thought that was stupid as well. However Mad Cow was at least pretty severe in the UK Sask. It would only be sorta similar to Japan having an outbreak of Mad Cow disease and THEN the UK slaughtered every cow in the country without any evidence there existed any Mad Cow at all among their herds. Egypt is not even seriously suffering from Swine Flu for fucks sake.
And I just thought Egypt is being moronic I did not mean to offend anybody's beloved Muslims by implying they were flawed in anyway.
QuoteI think we are in a similar situation with swine flu (or avian-swine-human flu). it's origins are still being debated, so dealing with the transmission of it is something we have to make up as we go along.
Well people are done fretting about it over here. The flu has proven to be pretty harmless. And we border Mexico.
ok, sure. I agree that Egypt was being moronic (not in doubt) and yes, England had a BSE issue. I do think the UK reaction to BSE was not completely rational, and based on fear, much like the Egyptians, as it was over and above what was necessary. hell, we are culling pigs in Canada now.
consumer confidence is a vicious thing. if the public does not trust your product, you'll be paying the price for a very long time. does a massive cull restore trust? or does it forever damage your brand? is perceived swift action enough? or will the public demand even more accountability?
hmm. does the US consumer really want to know more about what's going on in La Goria where this virus apparently started? or is it just an opportunity to laugh at stupid brown people one more fucking time?
Quote from: Siege on April 30, 2009, 08:55:44 PM
You know perfectly arabs only excell at terrorism.
Ugh. They are fairly crappy terrorists. A good terrorist evades the police and strikes again. Muslims either die or get caught in a few days at most.
Brown people aren't stupid.
I'd agree, but you'd say anything.
Quotehmm. does the US consumer really want to know more about what's going on in La Goria where this virus apparently started? or is it just an opportunity to laugh at stupid brown people one more fucking time?
Huh? :huh:
Um...yes as you know everybody in the US is vicously racist. Even our Latino population laughs and cackles at the death of third world subhumans. A parade is scheduled for tommorow. We will be drinking the blood of Mexicans.
Finally, revenge for all those stolen sunglasses.
Quote from: Valmy on May 14, 2009, 03:12:25 PM
Quotehmm. does the US consumer really want to know more about what's going on in La Goria where this virus apparently started? or is it just an opportunity to laugh at stupid brown people one more fucking time?
Huh? :huh:
Um...yes as you know everybody in the US is vicously racist. Even our Latino population laughs and cackles at the death of third world subhumans. A parade is scheduled for tommorow. We will be drinking the blood of Mexicans.
But not of the infected blood hopefully.
Quote from: Valmy on May 14, 2009, 03:12:25 PM
Quotehmm. does the US consumer really want to know more about what's going on in La Goria where this virus apparently started? or is it just an opportunity to laugh at stupid brown people one more fucking time?
Huh? :huh:
Um...yes as you know everybody in the US is vicously racist. Even our Latino population laughs and cackles at the death of third world subhumans. A parade is scheduled for tommorow. We will be drinking the blood of Mexicans.
I laid a little trap for you. it's funny you answered question b) rather than choosing to address question a)
:cheers:
Quote from: saskganesh on May 14, 2009, 05:15:16 PM
I laid a little trap for you. it's funny you answered question b) rather than choosing to address question a)
:cheers:
I daresay it is you who ended up caught in your trap, in that you seem to have actually considered Valmy's obviously sarcastic response as an actual "answer." :cheers:
I daresay I would like an Egyptian ham sandwich!