• 57M number of people that got swine flu in the U.S. since the outbreak began last April
• 257k number of people that had to be hospitalized as a result of a strong swine flu case
• 12k number of people that died as a result of getting swine flu, which isn’t really that bad

A little perspective on H1N1:

• 35,000 people usually die from the flu yearly

• » Demographic changes: H1N1 is an odd outbreak, because while it has killed far fewer people than a traditional outbreak, many of those people are younger than 65, a change from traditional influenza, which is often deadlier for the elderly.
• » Did swine flu replace the normal flu? One of the things that researchers found was that most people who they tested with flu symptoms had swine flu, not a normal strain. Which suggests that the swine flu outbreak may have neutered a normal flu season.
• » More’s still on the way: We’re still not out of the woods yet. Flu activity, whether H1N1 or traditional, is still expected for several more months. As long as we don’t have to pull Dustin Hoffman to save the day again. source

• Every person who serves in the military has lost an advocate and a good friend.
• Wisconsin Rep. David Obey • On the death of Rep. John Murtha. Murtha, one of Congress’ most-hard-nosed members, had served Pennsylvania’s 12th district since 1974. He was best-known for his stance on military issues, mainly because he had been there – he was the first Vietnam veteran to serve in Congress. Notably, Murtha was an early critic of the Iraq War, at a time when the war was still popular with the American public. He also had some notable weaknesses, such as being notorious for pushing pork into his own district. Even so, his death was unexpected – doctors accidentally hit his intestine during routine gall bladder surgery, which means a malpractice lawsuit is possibly in the doctors’ future. source

• 17+ soldiers dead in an avalanche at a training camp source

• 45,000 people die in the U.S. due to the lack of health insurance
• 40% the increased risk of death for uninsured people under age 64 source

• 70,000 the age of the language, spoken in India’s Andaman Islands and thought to have originated from Africa
• 85 the age of Boa Sr (a woman, BTW), who was the last speaker of the language for 30 to 40 years source

• 1951 the year Salinger published his only book; that book, “Catcher in the Rye,” was a doozy
• 1965 the last time Salinger published a short story, “Hapworth 16, 1924;” he lived in seclusion
• 1981 the last time he gave an interview, to the The Advocate of Baton Rouge, Louisiana source

• 2 workers died before rush hour; this is not an isolated incident source