statism watch

They’ve practically created a pharmaceutical bailout program. The ’swine flu’ has killed no more people than any regular seasonal flu, and plans are already brusquely being pushed forward to triple the number of flu vaccinations Americans take in the fall. But if you think things are quiet now, the swine flu is waiting to spring a new attack on us this fall. The swine flu – it’s like terror, only smaller!

Flashback: Researchers working on swine flu ‘vaccine corn’ | Potential pandemic or garden-variety flu? No agreement among experts | Lessons of 1976: swine flu, fear, mass vaccinations, wasted millions | Swine Flu: In Mexico, an outbreak of police-state opportunism | Illinois-based Baxter working on vaccine to stop swine flu outbreak in Mexico

Dan Childs, Michelle Schlief, ABC News
May 7, 2009

Disease Experts Say Dedicated Swine Flu Vaccine Is Becoming More Likely

The World Health Organization may have inadvertently triggered a new wave of fear over the threat of a swine flu pandemic today by suggesting that up to 2 billion people could be infected if the current outbreak worsens.

“If the situation continues to evolve and the virus does become established in other countries, and we do move into a pandemic, we would expect the virus to infect many people,” said WHO chief Keiji Fukuda at a press conference today. “Perhaps a third of the world’s population could be infected with this virus, based on previous pandemic.”

Fukuda quickly noted to reporters that he was making statement based on data from past pandemics and was not predicting what would happen with the current swine flu outbreak.

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The study may be found here.

Flashback: Bayer on defensive in bee deaths

Joseph Hall, Toronto Star
May 7, 2009

Biologists ‘don’t present the whole picture,’ Guelph bee expert says

A frightening buzz over the imminent demise of honeybees – and the disappearance of their critical pollinating prowess – is unfounded, according to a new Canadian-led study that shows their global numbers actually growing.

High-profile stories during the past three years detailing the mysterious decimation of thousands of bee keeper colonies had led to fears that the human food supply was being imperilled by a “pollination crisis,” says the study, which appears today in the journal Current Biology.

“But the declines in the U.S.A., some European countries and the former U.S.S.R. are more than offset by large increases elsewhere, including Canada, Argentina, Spain and especially China,” says University of Calgary biologist Lawrence Harder.

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Flashback: Fiat aims to be global powerhouse by acquiring Chrysler, Opel

Greg Keenan, Karen Howlett, Globe and Mail
May 7, 2009

The leader of GM Canada’s largest union says a filing by the car maker for court protection from creditors is likely.

The federal and Ontario governments have ordered the Canadian Auto Workers and General Motors of Canada Ltd. to slash hourly labour costs by May 15.

CAW president Ken Lewenza says the company faces liquidation if a cost-saving agreement is not reached.

“This is an unbelievable situation,” says Mr. Lewenza, who believes the car maker may have to file for Chapter 11 and CCAA creditor protection.

The union and the auto maker will head back to the table just two months after signing a new labour agreement that GM chief executive officer Fritz Henderson said made the auto maker’s Canadian operations competitive with offshore-based car companies in North America.

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Flashback: Fed says U.S. banks breezed through stress tests

CBC News
May 7, 2009

More than half of the 19 U.S. banks that were assessed to see if they had adequate capital failed the “stress test,” the U.S. Federal Reserve reported Thursday.

The 10 banks that will need to raise money must find just under $75 billion US by the end of 2010, a figure based on an assumption that the economy will get worse, the adverse scenario.

“The examiners found that nearly all the banks that were evaluated have enough Tier 1 [a regulatory measure] capital to absorb the higher losses envisioned under the hypothetical adverse scenario,” Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke said.

Moreover, the Fed said the amount of money needed had shrunk from $185 billion over the past several months as the banks sold assets, made money from operations or raised money by selling stock, suggesting that the fix would not be hard to manage.

“Many of the institutions have already taken actions to bolster their capital buffers and are well-positioned to raise capital from private sources over the next six months,” Bernanke said.

But the government “stands ready to provide whatever additional capital may be necessary,” he added.

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