Germany is attacked by Islamic extremist tonight

[Virgil Showlion]

Jul 20, 2016 20:55:58 GMT -5 djAdvocate said:

Jul 20, 2016 20:06:02 GMT -5 Virgil Showlion said:

It's easily obtained. Extremely high mortality rate. Hideous symptoms, which inspires fear (i.e. the whole point of terrorism). Not easy to transmit, but not difficult either. No known cure, and takes months to develop a vaccine.

What pathogen would you pick? Where are you going to get it?

mortality rate with Ebola is about 80% in Africa- but it is less than 20% in the West.  it is difficult to transmit, and it is is easy to isolate. 

Anthrax in the inhaled form is 80% fatal.  corpses are highly contagious.  it would make a "great" terrorist weapon.

i have no idea how to get it- but weaponized Ebola would also be quite difficult to obtain.

The 20% fatality rates assumes the west has the resources to deal with multiple massive outbreaks. Depending on the scale of the attack, this wouldn't be a sound assumption.

Also, enlighten me as to why weaponizing Ebola would be difficult. I admittedly know next to nothing about weaponized viruses. After obtaining a sample of the virus in any one of a thousand locations in Africa, would it not be a simple matter for an individual with rudimentary lab experience to cultivate it in vitro, find a fluidic medium that the virus can live in, get viral particles up to sufficient concentration in the fluid, and wind up with weaponized Ebola?

And while you might say "you could do the same with anthrax", my understanding is that even a sample of the kind of anthrax you're talking about is extremely hard to obtain. Ebola isn't. Or wasn't--at least during the outbreak.

[djAdvocate]

Jul 20, 2016 22:36:58 GMT -5 Virgil Showlion said:

Jul 20, 2016 20:55:58 GMT -5 djAdvocate said:

mortality rate with Ebola is about 80% in Africa- but it is less than 20% in the West.  it is difficult to transmit, and it is is easy to isolate. 

Anthrax in the inhaled form is 80% fatal.  corpses are highly contagious.  it would make a "great" terrorist weapon.

i have no idea how to get it- but weaponized Ebola would also be quite difficult to obtain.

The 20% fatality rates assumes the west has the resources to deal with multiple massive outbreaks. Depending on the scale of the attack, this wouldn't be a sound assumption.

Also, enlighten me as to why weaponizing Ebola would be difficult. I admittedly know next to nothing about weaponized viruses. After obtaining a sample of the virus in any one of a thousand locations in Africa, would it not be a simple matter for an individual with rudimentary lab experience to cultivate it in vitro, find a fluidic medium that the virus can live in, get viral particles up to sufficient concentration in the fluid, and wind up with weaponized Ebola?

And while you might say "you could do the same with anthrax", my understanding is that even a sample of the kind of anthrax you're talking about is extremely hard to obtain. Ebola isn't. Or wasn't--at least during the outbreak.

point one was already debated on the Ebola thread.

i believe that it would be difficult to weaponize because it is not terribly stable.  Anthrax can be reduced to a stable powder at room temperature.  can Ebola be?  if so, then fine, i back down from what i said.  but i have seen zero evidence that this is the case.

i think that stable strains of either would be rather difficult to obtain.  my impression is that Anthrax is way more virulent.

but this discussion is going to land me on the TWL, so let's just quit, mmkay?

[weltschmerz]

Jul 20, 2016 10:43:23 GMT -5 djAdvocate said:

Jul 20, 2016 5:16:04 GMT -5 Virgil Showlion said:

Dose the burgers as they're assembled. After the meat has been cooked.

Do they even cook the patties at the restaurant? I thought they got them frozen from the supplier and just warmed them up.

yes, they cook patties at the restaurant.

if you want to keep moving the goalposts until i say it is POSSIBLE, sure.  and it is possible that you will get struck by a meteor today.

my point is that "weaponized Ebola" fills the same slot in the pantheon of possibility as "giant squid becomes president".

Wouldn't you have to wear a HazMat suit while you're dosing the burgers? People may start to get suspicious. You can't really claim it's a new fashion trend.

[weltschmerz]

....and how would you get that jaunty little paper hat to stay on?

[Virgil Showlion]

Jul 21, 2016 0:18:03 GMT -5 weltschmerz said:

Jul 20, 2016 10:43:23 GMT -5 djAdvocate said:

yes, they cook patties at the restaurant.

if you want to keep moving the goalposts until i say it is POSSIBLE, sure.  and it is possible that you will get struck by a meteor today.

my point is that "weaponized Ebola" fills the same slot in the pantheon of possibility as "giant squid becomes president".

Wouldn't you have to wear a HazMat suit while you're dosing the burgers? People may start to get suspicious. You can't really claim it's a new fashion trend.

First of all, it's a suicide mission anyway.

Secondly, According to local authorities on the topic, it's not that easy to become infected. Even if you got a bit on your hands while dosing, as long as you had no open cuts and you washed thoroughly, you wouldn't become infected.

But... apparently anthrax is just as easy to obtain, more virulent, and more stable, so let's just hope ISIS doesn't realize that.

[djAdvocate]

Jul 21, 2016 6:46:39 GMT -5 Virgil Showlion said:

Jul 21, 2016 0:18:03 GMT -5 weltschmerz said:

Wouldn't you have to wear a HazMat suit while you're dosing the burgers? People may start to get suspicious. You can't really claim it's a new fashion trend.

First of all, it's a suicide mission anyway.

Secondly, According to local authorities on the topic, it's not that easy to become infected. Even if you got a bit on your hands while dosing, as long as you had no open cuts and you washed thoroughly, you wouldn't become infected.

But... apparently anthrax is just as easy to obtain, more virulent, and more stable, so let's just hope ISIS doesn't realize that.

i am no authority.  i just know how to read and research.

[Virgil Showlion]

Jul 21, 2016 10:44:43 GMT -5 djAdvocate said:

Jul 21, 2016 6:46:39 GMT -5 Virgil Showlion said:

First of all, it's a suicide mission anyway.

Secondly, According to local authorities on the topic, it's not that easy to become infected. Even if you got a bit on your hands while dosing, as long as you had no open cuts and you washed thoroughly, you wouldn't become infected.

But... apparently anthrax is just as easy to obtain, more virulent, and more stable, so let's just hope ISIS doesn't realize that.

i am no authority.  i just know how to read and research.

Implying Weltz doesn't.

[happyhoix]

Jul 20, 2016 10:43:23 GMT -5 djAdvocate said:

Jul 20, 2016 5:16:04 GMT -5 Virgil Showlion said:

Dose the burgers as they're assembled. After the meat has been cooked.

Do they even cook the patties at the restaurant? I thought they got them frozen from the supplier and just warmed them up.

yes, they cook patties at the restaurant.

if you want to keep moving the goalposts until i say it is POSSIBLE, sure.  and it is possible that you will get struck by a meteor today.

my point is that "weaponized Ebola" fills the same slot in the pantheon of possibility as "giant squid becomes president".

I might vote for a giant squid.

I assume it would be a GREEN candidate and wouldn't dispute Global Warming.

[Ombud]

And Canada now: www.thepoliticalinsider.com/breaking-isis-terrorist-attack-canada-authorities-investigating/

[countrygirl]

I am reading a book now about Christian radicals spreading leprosy and the whole country is

getting in a bad way. They are shutting down the whole country and bombing a bunch of

islamists, well they did shoot a bunch of sick scientists. It's called Cold Silence by James Abel. 

And the beat goes on.

[djAdvocate]

leprosy is among the least communicable of all common diseases.