Bottles on a plane

I recently wrote a post over at my blog regarding the recent foiled alleged blow-up-some-planes plot, and about the US and UK's response. Specifically, I'm among the school of thought that believes that imposing restrictions on average-joe-citizen doesn't make things more difficult for would-be terrorists, but rather just makes things more difficult for average-joe-citizen.

Here's an exerpt:

And I guess that's the problem, really -- laws and policies restricting freedoms don't really stop terrorists who generally look for ways to get around those policies. Next year, people will be required to board planes naked and drugged, and terrorists will insert bombs into one orifice or another set to a timer... there's not much you can do. It's like gun control -- taking away guns from law abiding citizens doesn't do a thing to stop criminals. Tracking the purchase of Sudafed doesn't stop the production of meth. These solutions simply don't work, and yet it's the only solutions governments use... and in the end, it's average joe that suffers.

I'd like to fly without having to worry too much if somebody on the plane wants to kill everybody to make some statement about his or her beliefs. I think something should be done, but I'm at a loss for reasonable solutions to the problem.

The administration hasn't done anything to make me feel safer. Any ideas?

Malaria or Flu? You decide.

I spent Friday night having a mini-party at the royal compound and drank more than is healthy. In my defense, I was drinking vodka tonics in an effort to ward off any chance of having malaria from my recent jungle adventures. So I spent Saturday laid out with what I thought was a massive hang-over. For future reference, rice is no fun coming back up.

But now it's Monday and I am still feeling awful. I don't think hang-overs come with a fever and fevers in the middle of summer really suck. I have bonded with my sofa, shut off my phone(s), and am holding onto my bottle of Advil for dear life.

Is it malaria:

With malaria, you develop a high fever, which comes and goes every other day or few days. How often a fever returns varies with each species of malaria. Many infections do not show this classic pattern of returning fevers at all.
In many people the infection will seem more like the flu with high fever and body aches. People also will complain of headache,
nausea, shaking chills (rigors), sweating, and weakness.
As the infection progresses, the fevers get less severe and you seem to recover. But the infection can hang on in many people for several years, particularly for those with a long history of exposure to malaria. These people can develop some immunity and may be infected for many years while only rarely having symptoms

Or is it just the run of the mill flu? Remember me when I am on my deathbed folks.

PS Jovial- I will totaly give you the OK to post. But I think you should have to do a funny monkey dance first. Dance monkey! Dance! Oh and I need your email addy to send an invite to post.