China Syndrome -- Death in Shandong

Oh man, this stuff scares the Chop Suey out of me. About 20 days ago, a man died in the Wanjiakou Village of Shandong (yes, Shandong) Province in China. According to reports, his entire body turned dark purple, he bled from his mouth, nostrils, ears and eyes as he went to the big Chinese restaurant in the sky. The same thing happened to me last night when I watched ten minutes of ABC's "Wipeout."


For now, it's being called a "mystery fatal hemorrhagic disease." Two other men who had contact showed the same symptoms and croaked, with half a dozen more being treated at the Wendeng Central Hospital which means it's got that nasty label: contagious. A similar outbreak occurred in the Sichuan province in 2005, matching a 1918 pandemic which was linked to virulent swine bacterium -- which are usually not seen outside of attorneys offices.

This Google map of Shandong shows Beijing to the north, home of this summer's Olympic Games. This will not stop me from eating Barbecued Pork Fried Rice.