The Flu and You

Given my bride's role at the CDC I have received a flurry of calls and emails the past few days about the Swine Flu outbreak and its implications.

As an Art History major I plead ignorance in all matters medical, but I can offer up the following:

The CDC has an excellent website with all of the latest details about the Flu situation.

The deaths in Mexico are tragic, but as of this afternoon there are no reported fatalities anywhere else the virus has spread.

On an editorial note, I can personally attest to the fact that we have best and brightest working 24/7 to address the Flu outbreak here and around the world.

World Class Time Killers

As someone who spent many late nights on conference calls, conducted in a language I did not understand, I quickly learned to value of a good time killer.

Here are two great new opportunities for meaningful virtual daydreaming:

The new UN/Library of Congress developed World Digital Library is simply one of the most amazing websites I have ever seen. Using a time line or geographic parameters a user can access visual images, manuscript scans, fine art reproductions, etc. that chronicle a composite of world history. This is a new drug for Wikipedia obsessives like me.

Anyone sharing my fascination with the Heroic Age of Arctic Exploration will be blow away by the new Freeze Frame site presenting photography from various arctic expeditions from the 19th century to the present day. While the greatest treasure of arctic adventure, the photographs of Frank Hurley , is not yet on line, the images that are available are remarkable.

Enjoy, just don't let your boss catch you!

China, Friend or Foe?

Please check out the excellent article in today's WSJ regarding China's military expansion and its strategy of the "assassin's mace." Find more details about China's military in the CIA World Factbook.