Oprah Tuesday Jan. 25.

Well that will get the masses clucking.  Oprah is a power unto herself.

You're all absolutely right - this is possibly the last big "stock up" weekend before things start to get a little crazy as realization of what BF really means hits the mainstream.

Here's a personal example of what kind of power Oprah and her show wield.  My wife works at a bookstore.  On her day off (a weekday) she happened to be watching Oprah.  This particular episode was a re-run.  Oprah on this episode reviewed a book and just couldn't say enough good about it.  My wife jumped up and hit the phone, dialing the store and asking if they had any in stock, and if so to get them up to the sales window PRONTO.  By the end of the day they had sold multiple copies (of a book that is normally a dust gatherer) and continued high sales of that book for the remainder of the week.  She recently saw the sales figures for the month in question and this book was on the best seller list, all thanks to a re-run episode of Oprah.

This woman has amazing influence over masses of american women who watch her show faithfully, and through them, to their families.  Do not be surprised if common prep items rise in price or decline in availability after this episode airs.

I am almost always at work when Oprah is on so I have never watched her show.  For y'all who saw the promo was it talking about the danger of BF or the hype of BF?

I wonder if she will come out and say it's all a conspiracy by Big Pharma?  Gosh I hope not.  I hope she tells people to prepare themselves, that the government will not be there to pull their fannies from the fire.

I know that she is a brilliant woman who has a very caring soul.  American women LISTEN to her.  I just hope she gives our opinion of the "right message".

Gee, I wonder how many people can be on the site at once before we run out of bandwidth????

Admin....do you know?  Wonder if we will get an onslaught only to crash and burn.

I have been following this post for about a month now and thank each and everyone of you for your great ideas. I've been talking about the bird flu to my friends, co-workers, etc most of who think I'm nuts.  After Oprah's show airs I think a lot of people will listen.  I have been stocking up over the past month buying a little at a time. I've been trying to get everything organized on what I need to get.  My question is after the show airs I'm sure whatever Oprah recomends everyone will rush to buy... other than food, what are some of the top items that you think I should purchase this weekend before the show airs and you think they might sell out fast?  Any ideas?

Thanks!

I couldn't believe my eyes when I read that Oprah was going to do a show on bird flu!   FINALLY...my family and friends will not think I have lost my mind.  The other day a group was talking about bin Laden and his threat and I chimed in about the seriousness about bird flu.  They looks funny at me and changed the subject.  I think the word "bird flu" makes it sound so unreal.  We should have started from the beginning to call it avain flu.  I am going to plead to everyone to watch this show and pray it doesn't downplay the threat.  

SophiaZoe wrote: Gee, I wonder how many people can be on the site at once before we run out of bandwidth???? Admin....do you know?  Wonder if we will get an onslaught only to crash and burn.

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There could be a problem, though, if Oprah mentions any self-medications.

Sorry Albert....it's a two parter.  The part on Bird Flu is Tuesday.  See quote I posted above directly from Oprah.com

Monday's show is about terrorism in the US.....Tuesday's is about BF.

Thus, the argument for more rigorous scrutiny between geographical factors and species differentiation is reinforced. Proven: H5N1 Passer montanus saturatus, Korea. Potential: Passer montanus, USA, counting myself amongst those who have no access to bird migration records from North Korea, such as the Alaskan Vanguard. See map, and learn more about Russian America.

Oprah will get attention and get folks moving, maybe she will do this show in a reasonable manner, not like Geraldo. Wonder when he will do a show on this? I bet he does one within two weeks of her show.
He will be the one to get the masses STIRRED up.

Got the TIVO locked and loaded.  I'll write down and post anything beyond, "lets all sit down, have a good cry and hug each other.  We'll get through it that way"

Thank you, Swankyc.  I'll be looking for your synopsis.  As usual, I have to work (nose to the grindstone and all that)

LOL Albert!

Will you or anyone be recording the show? I would like to see it, but have to work... :(

I'm interested to see what happens after the Oprah show.  Not to 'diss' Oprah, but I wouldn't be surprised if bf suddenly becomes a 'top story' on the national news just because Oprah says it's important. 

Also, once the bf is in birds in North America (like the first bird testing positive in Alaska, for example), it's not far away anymore, it's in our home in a way that's it's not when it's a country too far away and too strangely foreign, like China.   It will be front page news.  Every suburban family will be stockpiling rubber gloves and disinfectant, like they were building bomb shelters in the back garden during the cold war.

I don't care if they trot out the Easter Bunny to educate the public, as long as they are being educated.

justme wrote: LOL Albert! Will you or anyone be recording the show? I would like to see it, but have to work... :(

Im TIVOing it and will watch it when I get home tonight.  I've already offered to post anything beyond touchy-feely garbage I suspect it's going to mostly be.

i totally agree with u muskrat

Just finished watching the show, and it pretty much was stuff that I have heard before. For the average person who doesnt know squat about BF, it probably was shocking, but for us here on the board it pretty much was a "been there, done that."

For those who missed it, The expert, Dr. Olstrom, and infectious disease expert basically talked about what this could do not only to the medical community, but how a pandemic could easily shut down the global economy. He discussed the masks, and how there will be a shortage on them for the health community. He talked about how Tamiflu should be saved for the medical workers. He also said that households should have about 4 to 5 weeks worth of food and prescription meds on stock.

I concur with Muskrat that I was also a tad disappointed with the show.

Hey there Mousey, welcome aboard. 

I am just now watching a tape of it.  I have been like a kid waiting for Santa all day.

RE:  Lack of new material on Oprah:

Like I said, I have not seen the episode yet, so my comments are based on what others are saying about it.

I am interested in seeing the show, not because I expect to learn anything new from it, but because I want to see what millions of others will be learning and hearing, many of them for the first time. 

I'm imagining my oblivious co-workers and neighbors:

"Global economy - a standstill?!"

"3-4 weeks of food and water?!"

"Oprah, one of the wealthiest people in the universe, stockpiling food and water?!"

(scratches head) "hmm... sounds like they think this might get serious..."

(denialdenialdenialdenialdenial....)

"Let's see what's on the other channel...."

Can't say they weren't warned now.

Tired, I hear what you are saying - someone once said, "Think of how stupid the average person is... then remember that half of all people are stupider than that".  We have  a culture where people are encouraged all their lives to let others do their thinking for them.  This happened in New Orleans and every other "advance warning" disaster in history, and there's no reason to think an Avian Influenza pandemic will be any different.  Some people you can spell it all out in black and white for them, and they still won't get it.  That's what 40 years of systematic sabotage of the education system gets us - an ignorant, malleable electorate who do as they're told but are incapable of any independent thought.  Very very sad.

Edited by bruss01