Bird flu article is finished!

I just put the finishing touches on my article for Language and Politics, an academic journal which is publishing a special issue on avian flu. This afternoon, I sent it off to the editor, two days ahead of schedule. So, in other words, I’m feeling pretty good and largely carefree right now.

The article is entitled, “The Politics of Bird Flu: The Battle over Viral Samples and China’s Entry into Global Public Health”. The basic premise is that viral samples are not just about biology, but about politicking. Access to viral samples has been a big deal over the past few years, with both Indonesia and China withholding theirs from the largely ‘Western’ epidemiological community. However, the WHO recently issued a report requesting that all nations who request samples from donor nations give those donor countries full access to the benefits (i.e. vaccines, drugs, etc.). Also, any work already done by the donor country’s scientists must be credited. My article discusses this from the vantage point of the overlap of public health and politics. I suggest that there is a new kind of diplomat on the scene – a health diplomat. I’m not the first to suggest this – in fact, I went to an entire meeting concerning the possible future training in ‘health diplomacy’ – but the article is still saying something fairly fresh and interesting.

Not that I’m biased. I’ll keep you posted on where you can find the special issue and when it is available.

Back to Bird Flu – Politics and Public Health

I’ve been asked to write an article on the political language of bird flu, specifically as it relates to the recent battles over viral samples from China and Indonesia. I’ll be focusing upon China, and discussing how public health is pretty much synonymous with politics these days. Basically, everything about global public health as it concerns bird flu has been turned into political maneuvering. It’s a fascinating and completely muddy topic. Just slogging my way through the media accounts is difficult.

For anyone interested, there is a site which lists all the stories and blogs about bird flu. You can find it at :

http://www.birdflubreakingnews.com/

It’s up-to-date and exhausting. Even without the hype, the stories are endless. Bird flu is a topic that seems to have entirely captured our imaginations. What does it stand for? Our fears about globalization? Our discomfort with “others” and anything “foreign”? There is actually a headline from the BBC not long ago that read “Duck with Bird Flu Not from UK”. Really? Even ducks have nationalities now? Do they need passports, too?

Pardon my skepticism. I’m not saying that bird flu as a real biological entity doesn’t exist. Clearly, it does. I’m also not saying it doesn’t have the potential to harm a lot of people. Obviously, it does. What I do question, however, is the language of risk, danger and foreignness surrounding it. I’m concerned that localized outbreaks are being made into global events by a collusion between media – eager for a story, and government – eager for a reason to broker power and scare people. Disease is a very effective weapon for terrifying a populace. And terrified citizens are more likely to approve of increased spending in order to “protect” them from the latest bogeymen. Bird flu being just one case-in-point.

So, this is what I am working on now. I’m knee deep in it, and I have no idea how I’m going to wrestle this down into something readable and understandable. It’s such a big topic, I’m not sure I can make that much sense of it myself.

Procrastination facts

Clearly, I am procrastinating. But, ever the perfectionist, I wanted to make certain I was doing it right. So, ergo the following, taken from an institutional (oops, I meant to say educational institution’s) web page. For your own procrastinating pleasure. And, please, let me know if any of the following seem all-too familiar.

Procrastination and Its Causes

In order to understand and solve your procrastination problems, you must carefully analyze those situations where your work is not being completed. First, determine whether the cause is poor time management; if so, you will need to learn and develop time management skills. If, however, you know how to manage your time but don’t make use of those skills, you may have a more serious problem. Many individuals cite the following reasons for avoiding work:

• LACK OF RELEVANCE. If something is neither relevant nor meaningful to you personally, it may be difficult to get motivated even to begin.
• ACCEPTANCE OF ANOTHER’S GOALS. If a project has been imposed or assigned to you and it is not consistent with your own interests, you may be reluctant to spend the necessary time to see it to conclusion.
• PERFECTIONISM. Having unreachable standards will discourage you from pursuing a task. Remember, perfection is unattainable.
• EVALUATION ANXIETY. Since others’ responses to your work are not under your direct control, overvaluing these responses can create the kind of anxiety that will interfere with work getting accomplished.
• AMBIGUITY. If you are uncertain of what is expected of you, it may be difficult to get started.
• FEAR OF THE UNKNOWN. If you are venturing into a new realm or field, you don’t have any way of knowing how well you’ll do. Such an uncertain outcome may inhibit your desire to begin.
• INABILITY TO HANDLE THE TASK. If through lack of training, skill, or ability you feel that you lack the personal resources to do the job, you may avoid it completely.

Procrastination Takes Many Forms

Once you have surmounted the emotional block by acknowledging your procrastination (guilt, anxiety, feelings of inadequacy), and after you have analyzed the underlying causes, you need to clearly specify how you procrastinate. Consider the following examples.

1. Do you act as though if you ignore a task, it will go away? The mid-term exam in your chemistry class is not likely to vaporize, no matter how much you ignore it.
2. Do you underestimate the work involved in the task, or overestimate your abilities and resources in relationship to the task? Do you tell yourself that you grasp concepts so easily that you need only spend one hour on the physics problems which would normally take you six?
3. Do you deceive yourself into believing that a mediocre performance or lesser standards are acceptable? For example, if you deceive yourself that a 2.3 GPA will still get you into the medical school of your choice, you may be avoiding the decision to work harder to improve your grade point average and thus may have to alter your career plans. This form of avoidance can prevent your from consciously making choices about important goals in your life.
4. Do you deceive yourself by substituting one worthy activity for another? Suppose you clean the apartment instead of writing your term paper. Valuing a clean apartment is fine but if that value only becomes important when there is a paper due, you are procrastinating.
5. Do you believe that repeated &quotminor” delays are harmless? An example is putting off writing your paper so you can watch five minutes of your favorite television program. If you don’t return to writing the paper after five minutes have elapsed, you may stay tuned to the television for the entire evening, with no work being done on the paper.
6. Do you dramatize a commitment to a task rather than actually doing it? An example is taking your books on vacation but never opening them, or perhaps even declining invitations for pleasurable events, but still not pursuing the work at hand nor getting needed relaxation. This way you stay in a constant state of unproductive readiness to work–without ever working.
7. Do you persevere on only one portion of the task? An example is writing and rewriting the introductory paragraph of the paper but not dealing with the body and the conclusion. The introductory paragraph is important, but not at the expense of the entire project.
8. Do you become paralyzed in deciding between alternative choices? An example involves spending so much time deciding between two term paper topics that you don’t have sufficient time to write the paper.