Another dispatch from Michael Krepon’s shoebox, this one related to late Edward Teller (right) and his argument for ratifying the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty: “The ABM Treaty which is up for ratification… merely recognizes political realities. We must make a choice if we indeed care for the American people. We might decide to spend a …
Pandemics: When do you sound the alarm?
by | 2009-04-26 | 3 Comments
red=confirmed swine flu infections as of 26 April 2009 orange=suspected infections To put this into SAT format: Public health surveillance is to pandemics (and bio-weapons) as ballistic early warning radars are to nuclear war. In addition to sharing an early warning role, there are also a number of important policy issues they have in common …
Once Upon A Time
by | 2009-04-26 | 14 Comments
Some people have been wondering what happened to TotalWonkerr.com. Well. Glad you asked. ONCE UPON A TIME, there was a great island called Atlantis, west of the Pillars of Herakles. (Left at Gibraltar, then a couple blocks down — boom, you couldn’t miss it.) The Atlanteans were zealous in the service of the gods, and …
Flu Terminology 101
by | 2009-04-25 | 4 Comments
With the discovery of a new and deadly flu virus in Mexico that might become a worldwide pandemic, I wanted to familiarize myself with the terminology used and bandied about so much in the media. This is the flu naming conventions such as H1N1 or H5N1 strains we are starting to hear so much about. …
