RIP...

[Greg Tallman]

Mexico is done! Thanks CNN, Fox News, Obama. What a pile of garbage.

On the flip side some good golf will be cheap if it can stay afloat.

[Trey Kemp]

Thats sucks Greg.  Your place was packed a couple of weeks ago when I was there.  Its tough to beat this....

[Ken McGlynn]

For the life of me, somebody please explain this post. We are in the midst of a potential world-wide health crisis, and Mr. Tallman is taking the "golf will be cheaper" angle?

Maybe a little clarification is in order from the author. Am I the only one offended by this?

[Steve_Roths]

Oh, come on Ken.  This is just being overblown.  I don't think something that can be cured with tamiflu is really that serious. We have 10 people who have died because of this illness out of 6 billion.  More people died in that time frame from go-cart accidents.

The news media has overblown this as well as our Vice President. 

[Eric Smith]

Goodness that's a beautiful scene! Thanks for the pic T Kemp.  

Greg,

Are the golf courses pretty much empty right now?  Are the fees already being reduced?

My folks had to cancel their trip to San Miguel for Cinco de Mayo due to nothing being open there right now.

Hope it all gets better soon, for everyone.

[Kalen Braley]

Oh, come on Ken.  This is just being overblown.  I don't think something that can be cured with tamiflu is really that serious. We have 10 people who have died because of this illness out of 6 billion.  More people died in that time frame from go-cart accidents.

The news media has overblown this as well as our Vice President. 

Amen Steve,

Amen

[Bill_McBride]

Oh, come on Ken.  This is just being overblown.  I don't think something that can be cured with tamiflu is really that serious. We have 10 people who have died because of this illness out of 6 billion.  More people died in that time frame from go-cart accidents.

The news media has overblown this as well as our Vice President. 

Amen Steve,

Amen

36,000 people in the U.S. die every year of normal flu.  The World Health Organization has gone way over the top on this one.  The Fort Worth school district closed all their schools, 80,000 kids home because one kid had the flu.

I feel badly for Mexico and those who are trying to make a living.  Like everything in today's 24 hour new cycle, this will blow over, let's hope quickly.

[Kirk Gill]

We received a communication from our children's Pediatrician reminding us that over 36,000 Americans died of regular ol' flu-related causes in 2008 alone. There were no pandemic alarms being rung then.

It IS an issue, and needless to say our prayers are with folks who have lost loved ones. But some perspective is needed.

But here's another question. My next-door neighbors just got done watching their grandkids for a week while the parents were away on a trip to Mexico. Now that the parents are back, if those grandkids come back over to visit grandma and grandpa, do I let my kids play with them? Do I wait 10 days, just to be sure?

[Bill_McBride]

We received a communication from our children's Pediatrician reminding us that over 36,000 Americans died of regular ol' flu-related causes in 2008 alone. There were no pandemic alarms being rung then.

It IS an issue, and needless to say our prayers are with folks who have lost loved ones. But some perspective is needed.

But here's another question. My next-door neighbors just got done watching their grandkids for a week while the parents were away on a trip to Mexico. Now that the parents are back, if those grandkids come back over to visit grandma and grandpa, do I let my kids play with them? Do I wait 10 days, just to be sure?

Get your pediatrician to give them a swab, he'll know right away!  There are very fast tests available.

[Ken McGlynn]

Oh, come on Ken.  This is just being overblown.  I don't think something that can be cured with tamiflu is really that serious. We have 10 people who have died because of this illness out of 6 billion.  More people died in that time frame from go-cart accidents.

The news media has overblown this as well as our Vice President. 

Steve, Kalen, etc.....well I guess it all depends on how close to home it hits. Last night I found out that my college roommate is in the ICU at a SoCal hospital with this damn thing. I understand the media/political overplay going on, but when it's personalized like this, the last thing I think of is it's impact on how much one is going to pay for a green fee in Mexico.

[Jim_Kennedy]

Greg,
It was El Presidente, a member of the pro-business/pro-trade National Action Party, that shut Mexico down, no one else.

[Steve_Roths]

Ken,

I am very sorry to hear this.  I hope they pull through this in short order.

[Eric Smith]

Ken,
Sorry to hear about your friend and I hope he'll be ok.

Just in case you didn't know this, Greg is the Director of Golf at Cabo del Sol, where he's no doubt experiencing first hand the impact this is having on his resort and his community down there.  I really don't think he was being insensitive.

[Greg Tallman]

Oh, come on Ken.  This is just being overblown.  I don't think something that can be cured with tamiflu is really that serious. We have 10 people who have died because of this illness out of 6 billion.  More people died in that time frame from go-cart accidents.

The news media has overblown this as well as our Vice President. 

Steve, Kalen, etc.....well I guess it all depends on how close to home it hits. Last night I found out that my college roommate is in the ICU at a SoCal hospital with this damn thing. I understand the media/political overplay going on, but when it's personalized like this, the last thing I think of is it's impact on how much one is going to pay for a green fee in Mexico.

Ken, Sorry to hear about your friend, not trying to downplay the significance of the illness on an individual basis but the message is NO DOUBT being overstated, blown out of proportion and politcally driven. I know your average American could give two ***** about jobs in Mexico but when some of the nicer hotel properties in North America start shutting down because of this WHEN THERE HAS YET TO BE A SINGLE REPORTED CASE OF THE VIRUS IN BAJA... something smells of politics.

I am sure I speak for all when I say we hope your friend pulls through. 

[Lou_Duran]

What a crock.  Expect a bunch of little and some not-so-little crises orchestrated to orient  the eye of the American people away from the ball.  What was that name of the movie where a troubled administration hired a Hollywood producer (played by Dustin Hoffman) to concoct a fake war in oder to shift the public's attention?  In real life lives are impacted in real ways.  As if the Mexican and American people need another kick in the economic groin.  If I wasn't already traveling in a couple of weeks I'd book a trip down to Mexico.  The hole looks very attractive.  What course and location? 

[Lou_Duran]

Thanks Eric.  I've played Costa del Sol.  The angle from the tee must be different than orientation shown on the posted hole.  At least, I don't remember hitting over that much sand.

[Phil McDade]

What a crock.  Expect a bunch of little and some not-so-little crises orchestrated to orient  the eye of the American people away from the ball.  What was that name of the movie where a troubled administration hired a Hollywood producer (played by Dustin Hoffman) to concoct a fake war in oder to shift the public's attention?   

Lou:

Wag the Dog. Ironically (or perhaps not...) the movie was released just as Clinton decided to bomb Bosnia.

A very good movie, I might add.

[Bill Shamleffer]

I agree that the 24 hour cable/internet news cycle has resulted in some aspects of this current flu scare to be overblown.  I also sympathize with any personally affected by this flu scare.  However, the mortality rate for this current H1N1 2009 flu is very likely significantly greater than the mortality rate of the common flu.

The reports of the annual death rate of 36,000 due to common seasonal influenza, is resulting from a flu that infects roughly 15,000,000 to 60,000,000 people per year.  That is a mortality rate between 0.24% to 0.06%.  The mortality rate of the H1N1 2009 flu will likely be in the range between 1% to 10%.  That means the mortality rate of this flu could be anywhere from 4x greater than the common flu to more than 166x greater than the common flu.  So the mortality rate is more severe for the H1N1 2009 flu.  The scary part to the medical community is the completely unknown severity factor.

If each infected person is possibly at more than 166x greater risk of dying from the H1N1 2009 flu, than from the common flu, there will be increased expectations from those in certain positions of responsibility.  Under these circumstances some will under-react, some will over-react, and some will react just right.  But we probably will never know all who fit in each category.  However, I will bet that in the postscript those suspected of under-reacting will face the greatest criticism; therefore we are likely to see more over-reacting.

[Jim_Kennedy]

Greg,
.....and not only is the potential mortality rate higher, it is across a broader spctrum of age groups.

Thinking of this in political terms is the true 'sidetrack'.

[Kyle Henderson]

What a crock.  Expect a bunch of little and some not-so-little crises orchestrated to orient  the eye of the American people away from the ball.  What was that name of the movie where a troubled administration hired a Hollywood producer (played by Dustin Hoffman) to concoct a fake war in oder to shift the public's attention?  In real life lives are impacted in real ways.  As if the Mexican and American people need another kick in the economic groin.  If I wasn't already traveling in a couple of weeks I'd book a trip down to Mexico.  The hole looks very attractive.  What course and location? 

Every American President in my lifetime (I started with Reagan) could be accused (perhaps accurately) of this tactic.

At least the movie version gave the world some fresh Willie Nelson material.

[George Pazin]

Might be worth contacting some courses/hotels in the UK to see how they weathered the foot-and-mouth thing.

Tough break, Greg. Best wishes, with both health and otherwise.

[Mike_Young]

I sympathize with all of this....my wife is an ER nurse and they have all kinds of alerts out there right now with the main issue being how this affects young people....but there does seem to be a political nature to this entire thing....I don't know
BUT what really bothers us here is what it has done to the pigs.....everybody is afraid to eat ribs or bar bq ...this thinbg can mess up a good pig quiclkly

[Trey Kemp]

Lou,

I took the picture from the back tee on hole 17 at Cabo del Sol (Ocean).  The tee is tucked behind the 16th green.

[Jim_Kennedy]

I cannot see any possible politic shenanigans behind this flu 'scare', especially at a time where we need people out and about contributing toward an economic upturn.

So let's see, if creating a virus that kills people and has the effect of destroying any economic recovery could be construed as political, it would have to be laid at the feet of the Republic party, no?

This is as stupid a position as blaming "W" for Katrina.

[Lou_Duran]

Bill S,

Interesting information.  The perspective that we should err on the side of caution certainly has some appeal.  Isn't it the underlying philosophy of the environmental movement (the precautionary principle)?  Of course, managing risk is what life is all about, and what is "reasonable" to some is absolutely nonsense to others.

Any good bureaucrat knows that as long as he follows the policy manual, regardless of the consequences, nothing bad will happen to him.  The old "one 'oh sit' offsets at least 10 'atta-boys' " is the bias for caution.  And if the government worker has a private sector consultant's report recommending the course of action, things couldn't be better- "the experts told me so".  One man's crisis is another's opportunity and silver lining. 

Unfortunately, whereas government jobs continue to expand even in the worse economic times, if a resort has no customers due to disease alerts or because the government has made it unseeming for some people to recreate in luxury while 10% of the working population is unemployed, real people lose their jobs.  I hope that Mexico has some sort of safety net for its tourism industry.

The city of Fort Worth canceled its Mayfest celebration this weekend.  I am sure that not a single city job will be lost as a result.  I wonder how many businesses and vendors who get a good boost from this extremely popular event will lose.  For some reason, just 15 miles east, the city of Arlington didn't close Six Flags or the Texas Rangers baseball games.  Must be a different flu strain in Fort Worth.

BTW, the information I heard is that this flu strain is much less virulent than expected and highly treatable with common medications.   

Kyle,

Bush was accused by the Dems on a regular basis of doing this with the terrorism alerts.  A big difference is that the fourth estate played its important, legitimate societal role with vigor then, instead of acting as head cheerleaders today.

Mike Young,

I think I'll go get some good Texas BBQ- pork ribs and beef brisket.  And not the lean stuff either.

Jim K,

Are you now saying that Bush was not responsible for Katrina?  I know, we should now be respectful toward our president who has nothing but our best interest in mind.  Yeah!