[Yes, Sandman, I recognize myself there, but it’s not me. It’s your misunderstanding of me…]
[But Sandman, since I am in quarantine as this moment, (notice the brackets) I can’t chat with you very long, doctor’s orders, but just one thing, my good man: I have never been hysterical about SARs, I have never panicked and I have never given out misinformation as facts like that article in the Scotsman notes about panicking Scotsmen. I was merely sounding the alarm, and many of the things I noted have happened. While, you, my friend, were back there saying: Oh, nothing to worry about, SARS is not coming to Taiwan anyways, nothing to worry about here, Taiwan has is all under control, no need to be afraid, China yes, but Taiwan, never. Relax, formosa, you said, get over it. Well, look what has happened. I think you still don’t get it. And I think I know why. You are constitutionally unable to get energized about anything. In your world, everything is hunky dory, all the trains run on time, your wife loves you and your family back in the UK sends their regards and there is nothing that will ever upset your little applecart. You are lucky. You should count your blessings.]
[Anyway, why do YOU think the COMPUTEX show was cancelled? Because people were reading my posts and they panicked? Look, Sandy, when Taiwan comes to a complete stop one of these days, let’s meet for a beer or two and compare notes then. I see your points and they are all well taken. But I wish you could just step out of your own comfortable shoes for just a few seconds and see my points for what they are: they are not fear or panic. They are a kind of Internetian humor, mixed in with extrapolation and zen morning calm. If I ever alarmed you, I apologize, but I did mean to sound an alarm, with good intentions. Those who heard me heard me. You can’t hear me, for some reason. Must be the way I talk…]
[Look, this thing is for real, whatever it is. If you don’t want to call it SARS, call it anything you like. Call SARS a conspiracy if you wish, and say that nobody in Taiwan has actually died of SARS. That’s fine with me. I am thinking more and more that it is actually YOU who is afraid and panicking and hysterical, but you are keeping it all in, stiff upper lip and all that. If that gets you thru the day, good. We all need all the help we can get these days… and again, I do apologize if I added unncessarily to your sense of panic. That was not my intention at all. Good health to you and yours, and may the next 30 days bring you relief and understanding and a better sense of the future, whatever it is to be. I may have been completely off the mark, and God I hope I was. Let’s see what happens next and next and next. As you can see, I have already started cutting down on my “hysteria, panic and misinformation.” Hey, I know when I’m not getting through to anyone…]
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