Thomas P.M. Barnett :: Weblog

The flu season we should all dread

The White House recently released its new homeland security strategy and, unlike the initial 2002 version, this one focuses far more on natural disasters as opposed to terrorist strikes. That's a welcome change not simply because Hurricane Katrina was a humbling experience, but because globalization's growing connectivity means a naturally occurring pandemic is the most likely mega-disaster we'll face in the near term.

Undoubtedly you've heard about avian flu: long endemic to birds in Southeast Asia, it's gone global over the last half decade. As it spreads, the virus subtype known as H5N1 naturally mutates, leading researchers to conclude it's only a matter of time before human-to-human transmission emerges. Among humans who have so far contracted the virus through extensive contact with infected birds, over half died.

Read on at KnoxNews.
Read on at Scripps Howard.

Tom writes:

This one was obvously generated by a briefing I got at Oak Ridge. I always wanted to use the HK airport story somewhere, so that was cool.

Having watched "28 Weeks Later" recently with Vonne, I regret not working it "28 days later" somewhere in the text, like I did last time. There was an obvious spot to do so.

Here's my question on the last sentence:

I just know it's important that our Department of Homeland Security think through all realistic scenarios and gear up for the real-world tests that inevitably lie ahead.

Did I screw the verb agreement or was I operating in some other realm, like an implied "to think" and "to gear"? Felt right but looks weird on page.