In other brief news

You pixies are better-read than I am, so I'm probably not giving any of you new information when I tell you that the New York Times reported today that there is a promising vaccine being developed against avian flu. Revere can give you the lowdown on whether or not this officially signals the end of the apocalypse watch. I won't tell you myself, just in case you, like Mr. Blue, are desperately in need of some hopeful possibility.

I will say, though, that the official decision on Apocalypse Planning here at the Scribbler Mansion is this: we are going to obtain stores of food and water sufficient to last us for three months, in case a pandemic arrives. We will look into getting a generator to supply emergency power for a short period of time. Once these precautions have been completed, we are going to Stop Worrying and Love the Apocalypse.