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Swine flu has been in the news lately. In fact, the secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, Kathleen Sebalius, has even given us a lesson about the "proper" way to sneeze to avoid spreading the flu. (The "proper" way to sneeze, if one does not have a handkerchief or tissue, is to sneeze into one's sleeve, according to the DHHS; never mind the idea that you may be wearing a short sleeved shirt)

Your faithful correspondent is not a doctor. Nor does he play one on television. But it seems to him that all this swine flu talk is a bit "chicken little". One would think that those in control seem to see a modern version of the Black Death coming over the horizon and that state workers will be going from door to door daily collecting the dead in wheelbarrows.

This writer remembers the last outbreak of swine flu and remembers that more people were harmed by the vaccine than by the disease. One can never be too careful, but one can be too fast in being too careful.

The following article carries on the panicky claims by those in the world health and money grabbing industry:

Swine flu could kill millions | World news | The Observer

Has it ever occurred to anyone in a position of authority that perhaps the best way to deal with out-breaks of the swine flu is quarantine to prevent the thing from spreading to other areas? And perhaps quarantine of ares that have not had any cases of the swine flu. There were four locations in the United States that did not have any cases of the Spanish flu in 1918 and the reason they did not have any cases of the flu was because they prevented anyone from outside their areas of authority from entering their towns or commands until the flu had run its course

Egypt, in an attempt to prevent an outbreak of swine flu, as well as stick it to the Coptic Christians in that benighted nation, several months ago ordered the slaughter of all pigs and hogs in Egypt. They have reaped the rewards of their idiocy and one cannot help feeling a sense of schadenfreude. In instead of dealing with swine flu they will find themselves dealing with cholera and stench and trash:

Belatedly, Egypt Spots Flaws in Wiping Out Pigs - NYTimes.com

We here at Bloody Nib Manor have not been regular attendees of the cinema for quite a few years, and have always held to the view espoused by the Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius that the words "actor" and "whore" are almost synonymous. This is not to say that we did not have our favorite movie stars. We are only human, after all, and sinners by nature. The ever-lovely Lady Nib was especially fond of Tyrone Power and Sam Elliot, while this writer was especially smitten with Ava Gardner (a crazy chick if ever there was one, but those green eyes...) and Catherine Zeta-Jones. We grew up in the days when "stars" pushed the box office receipts. People would go to the movies to see their favourite star. Nowadays "star" status seems to mean less and less to the movie going public. "Stardom" seems to mean popularity in cheap magazines (US, People, Okay!, National Enquirer, et al) more than is means in pulling in money for the movie studios:

Box Office Poison

The nation seems to have become a nation of awful gawkers at the lives of people who really don't account to much in the life and direction and culture of the Great Republic. "Stars" seem to reflect the worst aspects of the national character and, this writer believes, are popular because they show that despite their fame and fortune, they live lives that are more low and paltry than the average American. The guy working at construction or the gal working as a hairdresser can look at the "star" and say to his or her self and say, "My life may be rather boring and my marriage may be a little rocky and my kids may be a little bratty, but my life is a lot better than this or that 'star' who is a drunk/addict/adulterer/just plain idiot."

It's similar to the popularity of Julia Roberts, Jennifer Aniston and Sara Jessica Parker among women. The Hollywood studios and publicity machine sold these women as beautiful to the public, when in fact, if any or all of the three had been cashiers at the local Wal-Mart nobody would bother to give them a second look. Women like them because they think that if Julia, Jennifer or Sara are considered "babes" then they, who look a bit horsey or plain, are just as beautiful. Most men do not find Julia Roberts or Sara Jessica Parker beautiful, or even attractive. And Jennifer Aniston appeals to men who think she looks like their junior high school girlfriend.

While writing about actors and actresses let this writer be clear as glass about something. Most British actors and actresses working in Hollywood are insufferable. There are a few exceptions. Gary Oldman and Tim Roth come immediately to mind. The problem with the Brits is that they pretend that they, in their performances in Hollywood movies, are practicing a form of "art".

Two examples are Hugh Laurie (he of the television program "House") and Kate Beckensale (she of the movie "Van Helsing", several other vampire movies and the new movie about a monster in the Antarctic). This writer remembers when Laurie and Beckensale acted in British productions ("Much Ado About Nothing", "Emma")and small American movies (Beckensale in the "Last Days of Disco") in which they portrayed characters instead of caricatures. There is no acting art in American television series and there is no art in performing wearing rubber body hugging suit that appeal to latex fetishists. Laurie says that he misses Great Britain, but he still works in the US. Why? Money. Not art.

Beckensale, several years ago, stated that she was going to return to Great Britain because her child started using the word "elevator" instead of "lift". But she's still living here. Why? Money. Not art. Whenever you here an actor, no matter what the nationality, talk about their "art" be assured that what that person is saying is that since that person considered his or herself an "artist" that person should be paid more than another actor/actress who considers acting a job. In other words, the long green, as is evinced by their actions, is more important than their "art". And if that isn't a whore this writer does not know what the word means. A busker outside a subway station has more dignity.